"Its like a sea compass isn't it. Kallista in answer to your question, I must rest fully to relearn my spells. Torm gives such faithful blessings only once a day."
True listens and nods at the rest. "I shall start quartering the chamber floor looking for the missing lantern, maybe a few others could help me?"
She will start by the entrance and slowly search in a clockwise direction.
Search check (1d20+1=21) should be 1d20+0 so I'll take the natural 20!
"I'll help. The sooner we look, the sooner you can rest and restore yourself Lady."
Kallista starts at the opposite side of the room to True.
Search: [11,1] = (12)
True finds:
"Why would a skeleton lie here with a blue lantern?" True waves the unlit lantern to the rest of the party.
"Maybe we need to be a little careful with all these clues we have, unless we want to end up skeletons too."
She puts the lantern next to the sarcophagus.
"Why would a skeleton lie here with a blue lantern?" True waves the unlit lantern to the rest of the party.
"Maybe we need to be a little careful with all these clues we have, unless we want to end up skeletons too."
She puts the lantern next to the sarcophagus.
True points out the skeleton to the rest.
Hetta approaches the skeleton, trying to discern what type of humanoid it might have been, but without success. "Anyone have any ideas?"
True looks down at the bones, trying to assess what is was.
Kallista looks speculatively at the skeleton.
Spot check:[18,-1] = (17)
Hetta, Kallista & True:
"Well. Something very crunchy happened to him. No rocks, so I suppose he must have fallen or been thrown."
Kallista looks up to see if there is any sign of where the man might have fallen from.
"I want to know how this happened. It could be one of us next time."
Meanwhile...
"So, what do you reckon, old fellow? You said older even than Netheril? So what are we looking at here? Chap looks sort of human, but not quite." Mikel asks Greylan.
Responding to Mikel, Greylan speaks in hushed tones, as if the people he is talking about are all around him: "What's more ancient than ancient, friend? If I'm not terribly mistaken, the language of Auran, ageless by its own right, was derived from the language these chaps spoke. Or wrote in. I can't fully discern. Either way, that dates them as Elemental forbears in some capacity"
As he finishes clearing the cobwebs, and subsequently enters into the large pronged corridor, with the sarcophagus, many of his suspicions are illuminated. He notes the rainbow pattern established only a few minutes prior, and is visibly excited by it. He even reaches out to Kallista, grabbing her arm in the shared excitement of their mutual predictions.
"Kallista! This is what we were looking for! The lights must be a key for something!"
Greylan begins hurriedly investigating each of the corridors, with almost a carefree disposition. Like a child allowed to play in the park after a long day of studying.
Kallista looks up to see if there is any sign of where the man might have fallen from.
Responding to Mikel, Greylan speaks in hushed tones, as if the people he is talking about are all around him: "What's more ancient than ancient, friend? If I'm not terribly mistaken, the language of Auran, ageless by its own right, was derived from the language these chaps spoke. Or wrote in. I can't fully discern. Either way, that dates them as Elemental forbears in some capacity"
As he finishes clearing the cobwebs, and subsequently enters into the large pronged corridor, with the sarcophagus, many of his suspicions are illuminated. He notes the rainbow pattern established only a few minutes prior, and is visibly excited by it. He even reaches out to Kallista, grabbing her arm in the shared excitement of their mutual predictions.
"Kallista! This is what we were looking for! The lights must be a key for something!"
Greylan begins hurriedly investigating each of the corridors, with almost a carefree disposition. Like a child allowed to play in the park after a long day of studying.
"We were right!" Kallista is exultant. "And look up everyone. The ceiling isn't there in this shaft. And it is in all the others."
Belatedly cautious she adds "... so maybe we shouldn't just jump about all over the other shafts. Greylan! - don't bounce, who knows what you'll trigger."
Hetta looks up at the shaft, in awe. "How far up can it go? We haven't gone down, so only as high as the hill. How do we get up there?"
"Hey guys, look at this!" Greylan runs over to the group, producing the torch from inside the lantern. To the group's horror, Greylan places his hand over the flickering flame. He holds it there as long as he can, maintaining his cool. He laughs at the first person to react, jokingly explaining how it works. "There's a lot of potential in these things! They're quite valuable. I hope no one here is against us...uh...liberating it! What do the dead need of illumination...."
Greylan manoevers over to where Hetta is looking up, and begins to inspect the area as well. "Foooooo" Greylan whistles up into the shaft. "Don't you guys wish we had a ladder?", Greylan laughs. "I wonder how high up it is...?" Eager to test his query, Greylan throws the everburning torch directly up into the darkness. He will try and estimate the distance based on the temporary illumination. His sight should be benefited most by the torchlight.
Hetta looks up at the shaft, in awe. "How far up can it go? We haven't gone down, so only as high as the hill. How do we get up there?"
"Someone climbs. But someone died in here perhaps we should leave this shaft until last. There are other niches with lanterns to be rigorously searched, and they do not have dead signalling their obvious danger."
"What about lighting these coloured lanterns? What about the central platform? What have we found out?"
True looks up at the climb in her chainmail.
Eager to test his query, Greylan throws the everburning torch directly up into the darkness. He will try and estimate the distance based on the temporary illumination. His sight should be benefited most by the torchlight.
Narrowly dodging the torch on it's downward path, Greylan picks it up after it finishes clattering and turns to the rest of the group:
"Friends, from my estimation, the ceiling seems to be a further 50 ft upward. That's the least interesting part. The most interesting is the fact that another shaft continues further to the northeast. I have approximately 50 ft of rope if we intended to clamber up there. However, I have reservations in two respects. Firstly, I don't want to end up like this poor chap on the floor. Secondly, we may go through all the trouble of traversing this shaft only to crawl on our hands and knees through what is most likely a nest for something horrible like a bat. I would rather not crawl through shit if it can be avoided."
Greylan takes a step back into the main corridor, counting again out loud "Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet".
"True, what's this about lighting the coloured lanterns? It makes sense, lanterns should be lit, but we only have one magical torch...do you think it matters? When we came here, the green lantern was lit, but the arrow was pointing to the unlit orange one. We have two possibilities from here. We could light the orange lantern up...or somehow could we point the sarcophagus to the green lantern....was it perhaps a hint, already laid out for us? It still doesn't solve the problem of the missing lanterns!"
Greylan moves in and out of each alcove, inspecting for more things, bones, frescoes, anything really. He takes his time and asks the others for assistance.
"Kallista, what was that you were saying about secret doors? Maybe this lantern thing opens some up. I should check them all!"
"You're the one with the elfy senses. I'm just deduction girl. And sword-wielding-feels-sick person. What do you mean turn the sarcophagus? I didn't know it moved."
Kallista moves closer to the sarcophagus and examines it again.
"Whatever we do, I suppose it makes sense to follow the colours in rainbow order. Although I'm not too happy about the one the crushed man ended up under. I'm taking extra care with that one."
"Yes, let's search thoroughly before we do anything else."
Mikel yawns, "What is it with ancient ruins and puzzles?"
The red lantern is still missing and is nowhere to be found. Other than the body crumpled at the bottom of the blue latern's shaft there's not a lot down the passageways.
Greylan:
True tries to reach the green lantern.
"Let's light this one, since the sarcophagus is aimed at it. And there's no skeleton. I may need help or a ladder!" smiles the warrior priest at Greylan.
Hopping back from the secret door, Greylan calls for the rest of the group: "Kallista's instincts guide her again! There are secret doors, or something. Here, here, and here. Maybe they're trap doors? Where's that pole...Should we try opening it?"
Greylan's excitement is palpable.
Kallista goes a little pink.
"Your instincts Greylan. Not mine. Do we prod the doors or light the lamp or both? The Lady is right, the sarcophagus is pointing at the orange lamp, is there a door behind that one?"
"There's probably horrors from the beginning of time behind it." Mikel says gloomily.
"Slightly after the beginning of time, by my estimate, and in relation to the grand scope of things", Greylan corrects.
"My dear, I don't sense a door behind the current corridor. Trust that my senses are not the official dictum on the matter. I could be terribly wrong, and given the new-found intricacy in the design of this place, anything could be possible! However, I'm all for prodding from a distance! Safety first!"
True continues for the orange lantern.
All of the shafts (save the blue one) top out at about 40 feet, the lanterns can be fairly easily reached and lit by everyone (save Hetta and Hugh)
You now have all of the lanterns except the red and Greylan is fairly sure there are secret trapdoors in the yellow, green and indigo corridors.
The sarcophagus with the arrow at the head of it and short "shaft" at the foot is currently pointed at the orange lantern.
True lights all the lanterns one by one, starting with the orange. She waits expectantly for something to happen after each one.
"It just feels like a good idea." She adds lamely as she lights them, shrugging her shoulders.
"How pretty."
All the coloured lights reflect in the mirrors and glass in the main room's domed ceiling, creating the effect of multicoloured falling snow, it is as Kallista said, very pretty.
Hetta looks up at the reflections and smiles, then looks disappointed. "I guess we need the red one for whatever this is supposed to do."
"It's lovely. If I ever go back to the Cow, I'm going to set up lanterns like this in the bar and dance under coloured snow."
Then she continues more practically.
"I wonder why there are trap doors in some passages and not in others? Oh well, I'm sure we'll find out the hard way."
Kallista turns to Hetta. "Could Hugh help us do you think? Might he be able to track if anyone used these passages recently?"
Kallista turns to Hetta. "Could Hugh help us do you think? Might be be able to track if anyone used these passages recently?"
"We could try," Hetta says doubtfully, "but I should have thought of that before we were all up and down every passage searching."
Hetta leads Hugh to the entry to the large room, and gives him the command to track. If that doesn't work, she leads to him to each trap door and tries again.
"A magnificent work of art, to be True. However, I'm guessing as much as you are that the red lantern is necessary. In what capacity, I don't know. Do you think the red lantern could be lodged up that shaft?", Greylan waves toward the blue lantern corridor. "Maybe some horrible creature has dragged it into it's nest. I know some birds are particularly attracted to shiny objects!"
"Coloured snow?" Mikel says in a baffled manner, "Have we eaten of the insane root? This is all very pretty, no doubt, but how is this helping uncover the loot-er, artifacts?"
Kallista sighs.
"I'll try climbing up if it'll make you happy. If you can get a rope up there, I can probably climb it.
"Turn around gentlemen" she adds crisply. "I'm taking my armour off first."
"I'm assuming you're clothed under the armour otherwise the chafage doesn't bear thinking about." says Mikel dryly.
"I'm still curious about his missing finger..."
True shakes her head.
"I still think we save the climbing until last. What about moving the sarcophagus. Kallista, I reckon we should try the easier stuff first. Why not give me a hand?"
The Tormite goes over to try and see what the others meant by moving the stone body.
Greylan walks around the giant arrow-sarcophagus clockwise while musing: "It must move! It's clearly an arrow, pointing at the orange lantern for some reason! Maybe it's a giant clock? An arrow would move about different points to tell the time. What is the significance of these 7 points?"
Greylan begins to push the arrow clockwise. Alternatively trying pulling and pushing, requesting help from the others if possible. "Hey guys, a little help over here?"
"Of course I'm clothed you twit. Woolly combinations. I think the Lady's right though, turning the sarcophagus makes more sense."
Moving to help True and Greylan.
"Which lantern do you want to point it at?"