Jayma follows Marine through the door and pauses short of the rickety plank bridge when the centaur lacks the room to advance further. Her nose crinkles in distaste as the stench from the passing sewer water wafts up to her.
"I would greatly appreciate it if we weren't to dawdle overmuch in this area." She looks down at the strange green-tinted waste passing by below her and shivers at the thought of falling into that stew. Reading her mind, Twyl emits a short sharp screech and dives into her sleeves.
Lazarus finds no sign of any trap. The door is locked, but the key the ockomlires showed the party opens the way, revealing... 10 more feet of hallway and then another, seemingly identical door. Perhaps multiple layers of doors are to protect against flooding? Or the stench.
Knowing how much the area is affecting Jayma's delicate constitution, Dr. Lazarus says, "Onward! and continues moving forward: checking for traps, unlocking doors, opening them, and peering inside.
The second door is bypassed in much the same way. Beyond it lies another identical door, 10 feet away.
The third door opens onto a room. This twenty-foot-high chamber’s marble walls are decorated with carvings of masked angels facing upward to a stained glass ceiling. What appears to be moonlight filters through the glass, dimly illuminating the room. Three curving banks of stone planters display tangled swaths of rose bushes in full bloom, but these plants seem to grow from piles of humanoid bones instead of soil. A circular reflecting pool shimmers in the room’s center, surrounded by eight marble pillars carved to depict skeletal masked angels.
Lazarus detects people hiding behind the pillars and planters.
Upon reaching the large chamber, Dr. Lazarus studies the room. With religious architecture being among the many, many things he considers himself well-versed, he rubs his elven chin and considers.
The Doctor goes into lecture mode. "My colleagues. If you look carefully, you'll see plants sprouting from humanoid points. Your keen eyes no doubt observe the carved masked angels above." He pauses for effect and concludes, "The room is a blasphemous parody of Shelyn, possibly meant to hide the actual style of Norgorber."
He harrumphs. "Not very subtle, if you ask me."
Suddenly aware of people hiding, he calls out. "Greetings. No need to hide. We're looking for Lady Wormwood. Won't you come out and tell us about this place."
As Lazarus eases open the third door, Jayma feels the change in the air suggesting a larger chamber beyond. Marine's large equine body blocks much of her view, but the pale moonlight pouring down through the stained glass above allows her to see some of the room's contents and architecture... though not enough to properly analyze.
She is happy when Thurston shares his findings about the room's connections to Shelyn and Norgorber, though less happy when he calls out to the people hiding in the shadows. Twyl stiffens slightly and chitters nervously. Jayma tries to calm him, but she too is now on full alert and a little magic starts to gather at her fingertips, just in case. "Why do I not think this is a welcoming committee."
From the back of the group Callistro cranes his neck to peer ahead. What's going on, what can you see. Is there someone in there? Are they friendly?