Serenllys carefully picks through the fallen equipment.
”What is with all the pillows? Should…we…be…carrying some? Is it the feathers?” she wonders aloud.
Finished looting, Seren nods to Luc.
”Well fought Luc, your hammer saved us.”
She sidles up to him, whispering. ”I was however suggesting we fall completely out of line of sight of the archers.”
Luc smiles. "I am just glad I hit. Those things creeped me out. It was a good strategy to lure them outside, but once the first archer almost killed Kamau in one shot, we had to hold our ground and take them out quickly. Thankfully, nobody panicked and everyone helped out a little. By the way, that is a mean left hook you have. Remind me to never get on your bad side." Luc winks at the elf. He then thanks Marietta for the first aid, as the bandages soothe his wounds.
Afterward, he follows second into the maze behind Seren. He has his longsword in hand and his other hand free in case he needs to catch her or something.
Once healed through traditional means, and taking his mostly-mended shield from Kelri, Kamau also picks up the remaining shortbow the other quiver of 10 blunted arrows. Kamau then lays healing hands on himself and then begins meditating in silence to regain his focus while Luc's wounds are treated.
As the party resumes, he shrugs as the others move in front of him and takes third position, so that he'll be able to defend them as best he can. Probably best to have the rogue in front, after all, in case of any traps.
Luc moves south and then SE. He spots a small switch on the southern wall from his current location. To the east, Luc's keen senses notice something off with slope of the floor and he determine it must be some sort of trap. Seren investigates the switch and it is not trapped. However, when she pulls the switch down, nothing happens and after a few seconds, the lever rises to its original position.
Kamau looks around. Softly, the voice from his amulet says, "Was there a noise when that switch was flipped that my hearing aids couldn't detect?" Assuming everyone confirms there is no sound, he pulls out the shortbow and uses it to tap the area to the north of Luc. If there's no trap going off there, he puts the shortbow back and pulls his starknife again, then steps sideways into that location. He continues scouting around.
Kamau taps the square north, but nothing happens. However, as he steps north, the floor does give way, revealing a pit trap. He falls 10' and lands on...pillows! Kamau takes nonlethal damage. With the party's assistance, Kamau is either lifted or climbs out of the pit.
"Ah, maybe that's why we found pillows on the villagers. C'mon Kamau, only your pride is hurt. Let me help you out." Luc sheaths his sword and lies down on the ground, stretching his hands, and helps the dwarf out of the pit. When he's out, Luc looks at the pit to the east. "Let me go first. I'm trained in falling a short distance without damage, assuming these pits are only 10' deep."
Luc will rush across the trap and if possible, he wants to make the reflex save to land on the other side of the pit, if successful.
The floor gives way as Luc crosses and the agile warrior successfully leaps to the other side and grabs the ledge to avoid falling in. Luc pulls himself up and sees a closed door to the south and a wider view of the dungeon.
"Seren, there's a door to my south that you need to check out here. See if it is trapped and if you can open it." Luc moves east, checks the alcove to the south, and then moves north until he hits the wall and then moves west to the middle of the map.
Kamau nods appreciatively for the assistance. He leaps across the pit to the east, standing near the door to help keep vigil while Seren investigates it, and while the more agile Luc explores the remainder of this maze-like room with pits in the floor.
Luc finds nothing of interest in the SE alcove. He triggers no traps as he moves through the room. He does, however, sense another trap SE of him and N of Kamau.
Seren depresses the lever again, and tries to hold it in place rather than letting it rise up again. If this does nothing she’ll try to lift/raise the lever rather than press it down (if possible). If fiddling with the lever does nothing she’ll move one square North and then attempt to jump the pit to her East into Kamau’s space. Then she’ll check the space to the South of that for traps before examining the door.
You check the door to the south and it is not trapped. However, it does have a particularly complex locking mechanism (good lock), beyond your comprehension to open.
Having leapt a pit, Seren checks the floor and then the door to the South.
”The door is locked. Like…really well locked. More complicated than I know how to begin to imagine to unlock. You may need to bash it down Luc.” she yells over her shoulder.
”Or you Kamau!” she adds. She thinks for a moment.
”Kelri, Marietta?!? Can one of you depress that lever and see if it opens this door?”
Seren looks again at the door, and sighs.
”Or we do this the old-fashioned, polite way. We find the key.”
"Seren, Kamau, trap to the north of you. I'll be right there. Just let me finish checking out this room." Luc heads up 20' north from his current position.
10' North of his Luc triggers a pit trap and is unable to avoid it! However, thanks to his Cat Fall training, he lands on the pillows below, suffering no damage. Curiously enough, as he is about to climb out of the pit, he sees a sack at the bottom of the pit. He opens it to find 75 pieces of silver and a small scrap of parchment that reads: “Three to open, but be quick, for the door will only open for those who work together.” On his second and third attempts, Luc climbs out of the pit.
Having leapt a pit, Seren checks the floor and then the door to the South.
”The door is locked. Like…really well locked. More complicated than I know how to begin to imagine to unlock. You may need to bash it down Luc.” she yells over her shoulder.
”Or you Kamau!” she adds. She thinks for a moment.
”Kelri, Marietta?!? Can one of you depress that lever and see if it opens this door?”
Seren looks again at the door, and sighs.
”Or we do this the old-fashioned, polite way. We find the key.”
Kelri moves and pulls on the lever. Since Seren is next to the door, she briefly hears a very faint click in the locking mechanism, before the gears move back in place. The door remains locked.
Seren starts as she realises *something* has happened.
"Whoever pulled that, do it again! I heard something...move...in the lock!"
Luc chastised himself for not moving fast enough and falling in the pit. Well, at least something good came of it. He may not have seen the sack had he not fallen in. When he climbs out of the pit, he reads aloud the note to the party. "Guys and gals, I think there may be 3 levers that we need to find and pull in this room. I'll keep looking."
Luc will head west 15', then north to alcove, then east 10' to alcove, then east 10' to alcove, then east 10'. And then head back south along the eastern wall. That's his plan.
On his journey around the room, Luc triggers another pit trap and but moves along and finds the second lever. He triggers a couple of more pits and finds the 3rd lever.
Serenllys squints at the door with renewed consideration.
"Yes, that makes sense!" she calls out. "Kamau, get to one of the levers - one the count of three Luc, Kamau and the ladies press them - I'll stay here and keep you apprised of what the lock is doing..."
Following Seren's instructions, the party fans out to the three levers and upon her cue, simultaneously pull the levers opening the locked door to the south!
You move 10' south into a passageway going East and South. The moaning sounds come from the south.
The mournful wailing grows louder with each step toward the door at the end of this musty hallway. There are a host of bones strewn on the floor here, many of which are cracked and broken.
When you reach the door, you hear more clearly a male's wailing coming from inside the room. You try the knob on the door and find it to be locked.
While he signals Seren to pick the lock, Luc will yell over her shoulder to the occupant of the room. "Hey buddy, you ok in there? Please stop crying. You don't need to be sad. Everything is gonna be ok."
Seren’s eyes flash in delight as the elements within the lock align with the pressing of the three levers.
”It worked!” she cries out. ”Well done Luc! However did you figure out there were three levers?!?”
Maybe the big goon has a brain in there after all…
Seren nods and crouches, setting out her roll of thieves tools and selecting the appropriate tools.
Luc smiles, "Seren, my dear, the note (scrap of parchment) I read to you starts: "Three to open". Hence, three levers. It was a good assumption/guess."
”Oh. That was a note!” Seren mutters through clenched teeth as she fiddles with the lock…
Seren, a bit distracted, fails to unlock the door.
From behind the door, the party hears the male voice stop crying and approach the door from the other side. He then yells, "Hey you, leave me alone. Go away. You are a trick of the dead one, the dead one who speaks. The angry bones.” You hear movement way from the door, and you swear the voice repeats the phrase "angry bones, angry bones, angry bones will come" over and over.
Kamau frowns as he hears the voice coming from the other side of the door. He taps the crowbar hanging from his backpack, in case the group wants him to try a more aggressive approach, but he's willing to give Seren another shot at picking the lock.
Seren frowns and sets to work again.
”Yes lad, we heard. The angry bones…” Seren continues muttering…but doesn’t get much further.
Luc whispers to the party, "This poor fool in the room has a screw loose or saw some horrifying undead stuff, since he is talking about bones. I doubt he's referring to the skeletal guards we fought. They were scary for sure, but not enough to make you go looney. I don't know. Im just rambling. Let m try one more time."
Luc will say, "Hey fella, I'm Luc Theriot, from Otari. Are you from Otari? If so, maybe you've seen me. My friends and I are good people. Please open the door so we can help you get out of this crypt so you can go home. No angry bones around here."
Perhaps it was something in Luc's tone, but you hear stomping noises approaching on the other side of the door. The male figure yells through the door, "LIES! You're just trying to hurt me or make fun of me! You try to come in here and I'm going to hurt you! GO AWAY!" Your keen ears pick up the loading of a crossbow inside, as the figure moves away from the door.
Luc looks embarrassed. "Sorry all, it looks like I pissed him off. We may have to come back later to this room."
Seren grins.
”You really have a way with people, Luc…”
She stares at the door.
”We’ll need to deal with him eventually…hold the door closed…I’m going to get it open…somehow…”
Seren unlocks the door, but when she goes to open it, she cannot as she feels it blocked by debris stacked up on the other side of the door.
Kamau pulls out his crowbar and positions himself with his shoulder against the door. Using the crowbar for leverage, he pushes against the door, trying to force it open. He motions for anyone willing to assist.
Kamau puts his shoulder into it and using his great strength pushes with all his might and the door rips through the chairs and furniture barring the door, flying open. However, with a scream, a crossbow bolt flies through the air and buries itself in the dwarf's shoulder for his troubles! "Stay away from me!"
Round 1: Human
Now that the door is open, you see the guy drops the crossbow and pulls out a dagger, ready to swing if anyone comes close. He's dressed in leather armor while wearing a hood. "You're servants of the angry bones!" He screams in horror.
Kamau shakes his head disapprovingly as the bolt strikes him, and moves across into the corner of the room. He punches at the man.
Kelri follows behind the party as they explore the maze and figure out how to open the door. Her attention is primarily on maintaining her detect magic spell but she does congratulate the group when the door is opened.
While the stranger they encounter does attack the party, Kelri still hopes that he can be reasoned with and calls out "Please stop, we want to help." as she casts a grease spell to attempt to disarm him.
The man dodges Kamau's attack.
The man hangs onto his dagger.
Kelri notices the man's speech pattern, dialect, and apparel reminds you of citizens of Diobel, a port town off the Isle of Kortos' northern coast.
Seren moves into to flank with Kamau, drawing her rapier as she goes. Once in position she stabs the hooded man…
◆Move ◆Interact to draw rapier ◆ Strike
Luc moves in, "Seren, we're trying to kill the man now?! He's just crazy!" Luc strides up and tries to trip the man to see if that takes the fight out of him. He then brandishes his sword at the man.
“He might be crazy, but the crossbow and dagger aren’t…” Seren counters after piercing the man in the back…
Seren connects.
Luc fails to trip the assailant.
Round 2: Human
Enraged at seeing Seren stab him in the back, the crazed assailant attacks her 3 times with his dagger but fails to hit.