"kite bon moman yo woule!" shouts Dominic as he let's a stone fly.
He really hurts the marble edifice.
Utuk heroically pretends to walk away, only to charge around the corner and sucker-punch the leftmost skeleton in the side of the head.
and .
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Utuk rushes forward and, with a mighty smack, cracks his left spinefist into the skelly skull.
Oswald, screaming at the top of his lungs (and they are big, strong lungs, despite rumors about him taking too many smoke breaks at work).
Under the shadow of the dark pyramid, Utuk falls into his boxing stance...
Oswald Copperpot brings his crowbar to the skull of the remaining skeleton!
Fully committed now, Utuk leans into the momentum of his follow-through to spin around and deliver two more spiney haymakers to the skeleton.
and
Utuk pivots on his front foot to stand back to back with Oswald and prevent him from getting flanked.
Utuk takes a few quick steps to take up position behind the skeleton Oswald is engaged with.
Bones crunch and splinter. Our heroes barely break a sweat. The dark pyramid looms overhead, but there's no rush to plumb its secrets.
A gust of wind rushes through the streets, scattering refuse knocking over a few of the improvised lean-to structures.
You feel the town-ship leaning, ever so slightly, under the pressure of the sea wind--a reminder that you're now afloat.
Oswald Copperpot rushes to the dark pyramid to plumb its secrets....
Utuk blinks as Oswald and Naomi rush past him.
"Uh, guys. That wasn't... um..."
He stands there for a beat, shrugs helplessly at Dominic, and then follows.
Dominic too stands, dumbfounded, partially at the ease at which his fellows destroyed the skeletons, partially at the confusion as to what the plan was supposed to be. He moves after his new companions towards the secrets of dark pyramid.
Oswald Copperpot arrives at the entrance of the most dangerous darkest dungeon....oh wait ...to plumb the depths of the most dangerous darkest dungeon!
....or Pyramid....
You all approach the door and carefully determine that it's not going to jump out at you.
In fact, it is feeling like it won't budge at all. It is a big, heavy slab o' granite.
This rock is not magically locked.
Dominic looks up at Oswald and Utuk, "Do you think you can move it?"
The Orc janitor turns to the ratfolk.
Been pushing s*%! my entire life. Why not.
The Orc takes out a crowbar and gets to work on the door.
The sounds of breaking can be heard, but the door looks perfectly fine....
Grunting something about his spleen, the Orc tries again. Because who really needs a spleen....
Another crack is heard by not the perfectly fine door....
Arm? Yuppers. My arm is fine. Thank you.
Dominic winces. Twice.
He then scratches his chin, "Is this a dead end, then?"
Looks like you have a big non-magic rock in your way and no magic to move it. Dead end? Not necessarily.
Oswald Copperpot puts away his crowbar.
Gonna need another one now.
The Orc then looks at Dominic.
This place seems above our pay grade. How 'bout we find something more our....level.
The Brawler then scratches his beard.
I suppose we could clear out the main buildings that still stand. There has probably been creatures called to this chaos to help ferret out.
The janitor then smiles.
Probably good to collect, catalog and carefully store whatever f*#~ing magic items Dem stupid mages had in there before some f%%#ed kid turns his sister into a blood-raging minotaur. Could happen.
Oswald Copperpot winks at Parrot....
Dominic sighs, "I do think that was the plan, afterall."
As the party whacks, pries, and pulls at the slab, but it's too heavy. A curious crowd of locals and refugees filter into the neighborhood, drawn by the clanging sounds. They settle in to watch, calling out advice and urging the heroes to redouble their efforts, which, unfortunately, aren't enough on their own.
Dominic sighs again, but before departing in defeat, he wiggles his fingers and utters, "Open Sesame!"
Oswald Copperpot frowns at Dominic.
Let's go inventory the main wizard building. Find a Scroll of Passwall.
Someone in the crowd clears his throat. A short, broad-chested man who might have a bit of dwarf blood speaks up:
"Erm, excuse me. M'name's Marley Mason, Mason bein' the family name on account o' me bein' a mason and we bein' masons far back as we know. Howdy, Miss Chadwick, always love your singin', not sure I've introduced myself before. 'Lo Oswald, remember that time I had to repair that one retaining wall and it kept gettin' graffiti'd up so we got to hang out for a week or two while you scrubbed and I mortared?"
"Anyhow, I reckon you're not attackin' that there slab right just by yankin' on it with a crowbar. I been studyin' the situation and I reckon we could try chiselin' out the hinges or maybe drive some eyescrews in and riggin' up a wheel to get proper leverage on it and a team of strong folks to haul on it, we could pop it like a cork. Would likely take a while to get it rigged, though. Still, me and my crew would do it for ya on account of how you fought to protect the town."
He looks askance at the pyramid, "I would like to know, though, why you're all so hot to get in that dark pyramid."
Dominic nods at the helpful mason as they begin to walk away, "Zanmi, we wanted to secure the area, make sure it is safe for everyone. By the looks of it, no one is getting in. Perhaps your efforts are better put to use making sure nothing comes out, eh!"
Mason nods. "Aye, we could wall it up if you'd like, Dominic. What'll it be, opened or nailed shut? Either one might take a day or two... and a crew."
Oswald Copperpot smirks.
The Unyvysty would be good to start. We can always come back here afterwards. Dominic! Please hold that order. We are going there.
The Janitor begins the journey to the WW.
The party heads back down Whitestone Street towards the main hall of the Unyversyty, where Ulyssia once administered things and where the new students lived and studied before they specialized in a school of magic.
Wind whips across the town, and occasional lurches under your feet remind you that you are perched on the heaving sea of meltwater.
Next to the Octagon stands the Universal Hall, with its tower looming above the town of Morgen. Most folks have gravitated towards the city walls, where they are trying to come to grips with the fact that they are now adrift on the ocean. For a place with an incredibly dense population, the town center is eerily quiet.
The Unyversal Hall is a gothic structure that encroaches on the territory of the conjuration-focused section of Morgen (indeed, the building sometimes seems too big to fit in its footprint, leading to rumors of interdimensional shenanigans). The library and its tower are the heart of the building, but dormitories, classrooms, and a dining hall cling to its formerly-eastern side.
What would you like to do at the main hall?
Absently picking of loose parchment, dropped book bags and cursing about the state of his Hall, the Janitor turns to Dominic.
Where's the magic s+#@?
"Mr. Mason, sir, pardon if this is a stupid question... no stonework where I'm from, I'm afraid... but would there be some way to barricade the entrance such that we could open it from this side, but anything trying to get out couldn't open it from inside? A one-way door, like? Presumably with hand holds only on the one side, or gears that ratchet, or... um. Counterweights? There are often counterweights involved, aren't there?"
Utuk shrugs helplessly.
"My thinking is that we don't want any more of those dead things getting out when we're not looking, but we only have so many usable things on this island and might need to get at whatever's in there eventually."
Dominic stares upwards in awe of the prestigious halls of Magic and higher learning that he was never allowed to enter. He shakes his head to clear it when Oswald addresses him. He merely shrugs, "I imagine we search the Headmaster's offices for the most powerful items. You know your way around these halls and towers, zanmi?"
@Utuk:
Marley Mason grins at finally getting some instructions. "There's a thought! Simplest solution would be walling it up from the outside, then having us bust down the wall when it's time to get in. Nobody sneaks through brick walls... right? Or we could build some sort of vestibule-like, with that one-way door you want. A little hutch over their door. A quick wall would take a day or so to build or dismantle. The hutch would take a couple days, but you'n your friends could get at the pyramid door whenever you wanted."
The party wanders in to the first room, an atrium with an open study hall to the left and a large cafe to the right. Those who have been here before would know that these are open to the public. Straight ahead is a small librarian's post where, normally, a librarian would be sitting to control access to the space beyond. It's currently abandoned. Beyond the post, a staircase rises on either side, leading to the main library. There's also a path straight ahead towards the dorms and refectory. It's quiet.
Naomi detects squibs of magic, but nothing too significant here. Her ability to detect magic feels strong and natural, while the remains of the older magic feel cold, jagged, and a little broken.
Dominic scratches his chin, "I believe we should try to find the librarian, if they still live. Would be good person to know, mwen declare!"
There's nobody here, so hunting up the librarian might mean a walk around town. You know her by sight, so it'd just be a matter of finding her, then asking for what you need.
Oswald sighs at the lack of any found magical items. The Janitor then nods to Naomi.
There has to be some folks of Rank still about doing Town stuff. It is late. Perhaps a restful night to actually prepare for the s$@+ storm of chaos and confusion come Dawn. Probably plenty to do once the reality of the situation actually hits proper folk in the mouth.
The Orc hefts his crowbar.
Wonder if the jail survived?
As you stand in the atrium of the library, you hear a crash and clatter up the stairs, towards the reading room...