Rellios will listen at the door to see if hears anything for now. Before he goes any further in trying to open the door, he'll let the others know.
"Hey fellas, I don't what you have mind, but if we are looking for an exit, I think I've found one. Any other sights around here?"
Rellios will listen at the door to see if hears anything for now. Before he goes any further in trying to open the door, he'll let the others know.
"Hey fellas, I don't what you have mind, but if we are looking for an exit, I think I've found one. Any other sights around here?"
:)
:)
Klyndak:
You detect compulsion magic. You also sense, from the moment that your foot touches the base, that the throne is aware of you.
I take a step back from the throne and muse, "I don't suppose yer after bein' the kind o' thing that can be tellin' me what ye want?"
"Lad's," I say, "I'm not but too certain that this throne 'ere... Well let's just be sayin' that sittin' in it might be a bad idea."
The throne does not respond to Klyndak's request but it seems inviting.
With a gruff, "humph," I purposefully stomp away from the throne and the jewels on it and move towards the elf.
"I do be wonderin' about the priest that was after sendin' us 'ere," I say.
"What did ye find lad," I ask, "I can't 'elp but notice that ye be starin' at the wall. Are ye sure its after bein' an exit 'n not some sort o' treasure chamber."
"Well, I can't say for certain...I just found the door - I assumed that there would be another way."
"By the way, Master Klyndak, - forgive my ignorance - but is that throne the one were supposed to retrieve? And if it is, how are we going to pry from the floor? Carve it off? Just wondering."
Rellios will examine the door to see if can be opened.
Perception (1d20+9=24)
Disable Device (1d20+9=29)
Rellios identifies the pressure point required to open the door. Deep within the spire a weight drops and a counterweight rises. The door slides open. The chamber hidden behind it does not contain an exit as Rellios had hoped. It is dominated by a long work bench with vials and tools recognizable to Klyndak and the others as those of a mage.
A stone chair leans against one wall and the remains of a skeleton rest within it. Stone bookshelves have outlasted most of the books upon the shelves. The scraps of paper and leather float and crumble in the slight breeze that opening the door has caused.
Two books remain in tact however. One book, made of stone, sits on the a raised slab on the stone table. It is a massive book that would weigh 30 lbs and was probably seldom put on the shelf by its user unless unwanted.
On the shelf, what would have been a corner of the shelf is a leather book but one that is in remarkably good condition.
Hru checks out the glint, assuming it wasn't something that everyone saw. "what do we have here?" he intones as moves up to the statue. After which he will join the others at the door
"Ooh, now this be more like it," I say with delight and I almost step in the room. Then common sense prevails and I scan the room for magic first before entering.
"See anything that is after lookin' likely ta be blowin' up in me face lad?" I ask Rellios.
Rellios will give the entrance and the room an overlook to make sure there are no hidden dangers.
Perception (1d20+9=10)
Hru has found that one of the statues wears an actual ring not a stone one.
Rellios does not find any traps.
Klyndak detects a faint trace of magic to the desk in the same way that a chef would detect a faint trace of a fine dinner when standing in a herb garden. The books, however, are both obviously magical.
Further examination reveals one of them to be a diary that has had protective magic cast upon it before it was hidden on the shelf with the other books. Page one of the diary begins:
"The priest Canyonfather has used his divine magic to send me a message. The prince is safe. He will take the boy to Janderhoff and raise him under an assumed name. He has promised to change his own name too and has pledged that his descendents will protect the descendents and the secret of the king until the king can be restored. I have no doubt that Canyonfather will do this."
The diary tells the tale of the spires. Ask me any question about the spires and I'll tell you what the diary says. It is quite long. The wizard was trapped in this secret room while the regent took over and did not leave again in order to protect the secret of the prince.
The stone book is interesting. It has been carved from a single block of stone. Each page is a slab from one block. The rings on which the pages turn have no seam that would reveal where the pages were inserted. It appears that the rings were cut from the block. The book would be a masterpiece even if it did not contain a collection of spells related to stone.
The following spells are contained within:
Flesh to Stone
Move Earth
Stone Shape
Stoneskin
Stone to Flesh
Transmute Mud to Rock
Transmute Rock to Mud
Wall of Stone
"Quite a find," I say to myself and the first thing I look for is a reference to the throne the regent was sitting on.
If I have the time, the second thing I look for is a reference to the pedestals downstairs and their use.
Hru dons the ring and looks at it, showing the others "A pretty thing-heh" Then moves in to ask Klyndak "Does that book say anything about moving the throne?"
"I am after noticin'," I say to Hru as I peruse the diary, "that there stone throne is after being part and parcel o' the rock it is sittin' on. I doubt we are goin' ta be movin' it soon. Still, its after bein' a thing o' magic and perhaps there is some mention in 'ere o' what it does. Now 'ush while I read..."
"N' don't be sittin' on it. That might be bad..."
"'N don't be grabbin' that gold just yet either off o' it. Might be enough ta let it be grabbin' yer brain..."
"'N stop that readin' over me shoulder. The book is after bein' in dwarvish..."
The book does not say anything about moving the throne. There are repeated references to the throne being seized by the regent and it offends the author that the regent sits upon a throne that rightfully belongs to the crown prince.
There is some mention of the 'runes and the riddle' that protects the 'king's helm' and 'foehammer' frustrating the regent's ambitions by denying him the trappings of the kingdom.
The book is quite cagey as if unsure of its audience. It is trying to both protect its secrets and reveal them to those who would restore the king.
I take a moment to examine the six statues for runes or riddle related clues.
"Anyone else 'ave somethin' ye want ta be askin' about the spires, let me know 'n I'll see what the book says."
The six statues are now more easily visible. Each is a Foehammer king. At the base of each statue is a rune and a name. They are:NAME -- RUNE -- DESCRIPTION
Deepdelve Foehammer -- Coin -- a sharp-eyed dwarf in fine clothes and holding a full pouch of coins
Firebrand Foehammer -- Hammer -- A dwarf wearing a smith's apron and carrying a mighty hammer
Ember Foehammer -- Thunderbolt -- A grim dwarf with an enormous beard
Axefell Foehammer -- Axe -- A howling, wild-eyed dwarf, armoured in scale mail, his urgosh held high
Wanderer Foehammer -- Gem -- a nondescript dwarf wearing simple clothes.
Shieldfast Foehammer -- Shield -- Determined and proud this dwarf wears plate armour and carries a spear and shield.
You do not see a riddle in this room but you seem to recall a riddle on the forge level.
Well, not so obviously a riddle but: "Smiths, Warlords, Champions of Old: All praise the Bearded Heroes of Yore! We walk in the shadow of your wisdom and might."
That being said, Rellios wants to see if there is an inherent light source built opposite the statues or maybe in the ceiling of the room.
Otherwise, we may have to make our own light source.
Coin
Hammer
Thunderbolt
Axe
Gem
Shield
or facing the pattern from below (inside the hammer room where we found them):
4....5
6....3
1....2
So, let's start with the obvioous. Rellios will walk behind each statue - looking to see if he spots something or if something happens.
There is no room to stand behind the statues.
The statues are life-sized stone statues. They are more moveable than the throne but do not seem intended to be moved.
Rellios will search the statues and their immediate area again - to see if anything else turn up. An indentation, a mark to activate them, etc. Any clues that might give him a hint.
Perception (1d20+9=24)
Rellios doesn't speak Dwarven, if it matters. But would it make sense to go to every statue and say something like, "Hail Deepdelve Foehammer, may your coin purse be everful. Hail Firebrand Foehammer, may your works endure forever, etc." That seems too literal, even for dwarves.
Rellios will search the statues and their immediate area again - to see if anything else turn up. An indentation, a mark to activate them, etc. Any clues that might give him a hint.
Perception (1d20+9=24)
Freeing the throne? Or do we have find the items to get the throne free maybe. Or maybe one of those stone shaping spells is the key to getting the throne free. That is, I'm assuming that this is the proper throne we came to retrieve.
I examine the statues for magic.
How heavy is the stone book?
Two books remain in tact however. One book, made of stone, sits on the a raised slab on the stone table. It is a massive book that would weigh 30 lbs and was probably seldom put on the shelf by its user unless unwanted.
;-)
"I do be thinkin'," I say, as I examine the statues, "That the inscription downstairs, iffin ye want ta be calling it a riddle, says that we should be after praisin' these 'ere 'eroes. Per'aps their names are the key ta the pedastals."
Taking the two books with me, I head back down the stairs to the elevator. Once in the room with the runes, I shall attempt to speak aloud the names of the kings in dwarven, praising them, whilst standing on the corresponding runes.
Once in the room with the runes, I shall attempt to speak aloud the names of the kings in dwarven, praising them, whilst standing on the corresponding runes.
Taking the two books with me, I head back down the stairs to the elevator. Once in the room with the runes, I shall attempt to speak aloud the names of the kings in dwarven, praising them, whilst standing on the corresponding runes.
Klyndak steels himself against the usual nightmarish visions as he enters this layer but, ready for it, he resists the visions of flames. He stands in the forge room and reads the names of the heroes. No visible effect. ... Until he exits the room resolving himself to try something different. When he moves back to the pedestals, the missing objects are now visible and easily accessible.
Trying to suppress a cackle of glee, I move to the pedestals to examine the contents of all six more closely.
So what, again, was on the pedestals? :)
The first pedestal contains a heavy steel shield of find quality: the 'Shield of Axefell'.
The second pedestal contains a simple but well-crafted helm: the 'Stone Friend Helm'.
The third pedestal contains a'Fang of Serentika, Dragon (Red)'
The fourth pedestal contains a dwarven warhammer: The Foehammer.
The fifth pedestal reads 'True Descent'. The chart shows the descent of the Kings of the Spire for over 2000 years.
The sixth pedestal reads 'The Broken Chains of Varrel Foehammer, 1st King of the Spires'.
I cast detect magic.
So there are five items on the pedestals at the moment - correct.
My plan then is to determine the nature of the magical items (assuming they are magical) and then to finally remove and examine the other items one at a time, using the diary to guide me.