Gashelle is maintaining her Detect Magic and staying at the ready for any attack.
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The armory has been ransacked by time and raiders. The wooden weapon racks are all but destroyed. A search reveals the following:
• Several molded, stiffened suits of leather and hide armor that are practically unwearable
• Two thoroughly rusted suits of chainmail
• A number of shattered and dulled swords
• The still-useable blades of 10 handaxes,though they are missing their hafts
• An endless variety of metal fragments, broken blades, and shards of wood.
Gashelle detects no dwemors in the room and Layjiana reckons the tracks are those of the Otyugh you slew in the cell block
"Nothing much here then," Eltariel dusts herself off. "Let's try that side passage, it looked as if it turned south."
Taking her leader's cue, Layjiani moves off in her typical fashion (slow, searching etc.) along the south passage.
Again, Holgur falls into his place in the marching order. Ge worries that the confined space here will impeded his ability to fight effectively.
As you walk down this 10-foot hall , you notice the nature of the stonework changing. Whereas before it was well designed by someone who clearly knew their stonework, it now becomes rougher and less precise. The stones are held together with a crumbling mortar that seems to barely stay together. In fact, it seems ancient. As you progress down the hall you come to an archway, also designed in the ancient, more homely style of stonework. A crude symbol of a kneeling figure is carved into the stone above the top of the arch, but you can’t tell much more. Sixty feet further down the hallway you see another similar arch.Thirty feet past it the crumbling old walls have collapsed in a cave-in that blocks the hallway. A huge pile of stone and dirt reaches almost to the ceiling, but there is a tiny space at the top where you could see over if you tried.
Layjiani estimates that no one has traveled these halls extensively in many years, but there was limited travel that churned up some dust long enough ago for more dust to accumulate since then.
Eltariel racks her brains in an attempt to identify the symbol but it is beyond her ken
"I guessa dwarf has not been down here, what do we make of this stonework? Aude do you recognise this symbol, is it a religious accord?
"We are on the right track, this must lead almost to the base of the tower. Only question, friends, is do we wish to backtrack and clear everything behind us before we attempt it?" Eltariel asks.
As she passes along the hall, Layjiani consults her considerable knowledge of caverns, people and any rumors she may have picked up in town which might give some more information on what they are seeing.K Dungeon; K Geography; K Local (1d20+7=21, 1d20+7=18, 1d20+7=13)
When she gets to the cave-in, she considers the pile up to see if it would be safe to climb. Asking the same to Eltariel, if the caster agrees, she will climb the the rocks (Acrobatics (1d20+8=15) )and peek through the small space. If necessary, she'll use the lighted stone to see better.
"I'm not really knowledgeable yet in the religions around here but I an try'
'Clear anything . We could find something that would explain who is the undead .'
Eltariel carefully examines the old stonework and the collapsed section, seeing if it is likely to collapse any more.
Aude tries to decipher the meaning of the symbol but it's purpose eludes her.
Eltariel judges that the probablity of a further collapse would depend on the strength of any earth tremors in the near future...that said regular mainenance would probably keep this tunnel secure for many years to come
The fall is easily climable and through the gap Layjiani sees the corridor stretching ahead of her into the darkness
"Only question, friends, is do we wish to backtrack and clear everything behind us before we attempt it?"
Gashelle smiles grimly. "There doesn't seem to be a clear 'safe' way, or a clear way 'forward'. It's just as likely that something come come out from here and attack us back up that way, as it is for something up there to be bounding --oozing, crackling-- its way down here after us."
She shrugs. "We're already travelling down the hallway. Let the bards who sing of our deeds call us bold and resolute." Gashelle thinks of Tristan, and finds herself whispering a small prayer to Lakshmi, asking the goddess of beauty to watch over him.
A crude symbol of a kneeling figure is carved into the stone above the top of the arch, but you can’t tell much more.
Human, I presume? Towards which direction is it kneeling? Does it show on both sides of the archway?
The fall is easily climable and through the gap Layjiani sees the corridor stretching ahead of her into the darkness.
Gashelle sets down her glaive and draws her damshah (an elvish word for longsword, literally "mannish blade") to leave one hand free. Clearly, she intends to make her way carefully through the gap.
The gap is big enough to see through but you'll have to shift rocks to make a way clear to pass through.
In answer to Gashelles question the figure faces west and is on both sides of the arch
"All right, this should be safe, and we can shore it up later. The basic masonry work is solid, it's just old. I'm afraid, though, that I don't have any spells to move these rocks - brute force and ignorance will have to suffice, and I fear I lack in both," Eltariel chuckles.
One further point: the city is from time to time subject to minor earth tremors, not enough to tumble buildings but noticable enough to newcomers. Many theories abound, from the mundane (underground rivers..natural faults) through the fanciful (dragons fighting each other in an eternal battle beneath the earth) to the truely bizarre (an army of demons tunneling their way to the surface).
Gashelle moves a few rocks with her free hand, ready to attack anything that moves on its own volition.
"Brute force and ignorance will have to suffice, and I fear I lack in both."
Gashelle smiles and shrugs in a gesture that is small and cryptic.
From the top of the pile, Layjiani begins carefully moving and shifting rocks, trying to make a space big enough for everyone to fit through.
"All right, this should be safe, and we can shore it up later. The basic masonry work is solid, it's just old. I'm afraid, though, that I don't have any spells to move these rocks - brute force and ignorance will have to suffice, and I fear I lack in both," Eltariel chuckles.
"I can claim vast expertise in both areas, milady." Holgur says with a grin."My knowledge of engineering is restricted to sailing vessels for the most part, though."
Eltariel detrmines that the blockage should be easy to remove and indeed it is..15 minutes of hard work and there is enough space cleared at the top to allow you to move over the obstruction.
You push on down the corridor, around some corners and see a large open space ahead.
Eltariel ponders how old the blockage might have been there, as it may influence what could be left down here, living or undead ...
Layjiani moves cautiously into the entrance to the open space, continuing to check for any dangers...
You look into a 50-by-50 stone room with a number of interesting features. First, there are open passages exiting through the middles of both the south and the west walls. Second,there is a statue in the center of the room. It is a granite-carved image of an old, blind crone hunched with age. Third, the walls are carved in scenes of mighty wizards and warriors kneeling before the poor and humble. Fourth, there are four plain wooden coffins, one in each corner of the room. Their tops are ajar. Finally, there are five skeletons lying on the floor. There is one in rotting red robes beside each of the coffins, while the fifth, complete with rusting adventuring equipment, rests in front of the statue.
As soon as Gashelle sees the skeletons, she takes the party's +1 frost mace and offers it, handle-first, to anyone in the party who would like to wield it. (If everybody's happy with his or her current weapon, she'll replace the mace.)
Does the statue seem to be something to worship, or something to commemorate? Is there a plaque on the base?
"They were adventurers," Eltariel whispers in awe, "they served the people, and here they rest ... and it looks like somebody may have tried to disturb their rest."
Eltariel takes in the scene, looking to connect patterns, or otherwise make sense of what is there.
"The question is, did the red-robed ones try to complete some rite, or did they get struck down as mere grave robbers? I think it must be some rite, unless the red-robed were the occupants of the coffins which makes less sense ... either way, I think we must be directly under the tower or else very close to it."
'Wait !'
Aude begins to incant a 'Detect Undead'
Avinar startles at Audes yelp of stop and he looks offended at the offer of that crude mace over Mother's Kiss, "My blade shall carry me though Gashelle, I know tactically it is a poorer choice, but I fight from the heart, not the head...as I do most things"
Eltariel whispers a detect magic and sweeps the room with it slowly ...
Aude Concentrates for a few seconds whispering a prayer to the Lady of Graves and looks about the room...Eltariel follows much the same routine except her prayers are more to the powers of nature...neither of you detects anything out of the ordinary.
After getting the signal from Eltariel and Aude that the magical and evil coast is clear, Layjiani holds up her end of things and begins carefully searching the room for traps, secret doors or anything else of danger or interest.
"Can either of you detect anything amiss about the statue?"
"No ... it seems to be just a statue," Eltariel follows Layjiani to get a look at both coffins, corpses and statue.
Actions for everyone else please.
Gashelle slowly and publicly pulls twenty gold pieces from her pouch and enters the room, intending to kneel before the statue of the crone and offer them to it.
She's deliberate enough about her actions to allow anyone else to stop her if they think it's a bad idea.
Avinar watches Gashelle in amusement, he keeps his sword at the ready
Aude will advance near the other exits and detect if there is undeath there .
The party moves into the room Holgur sticking close to Aude. As you move towards the statue and the exit to the west the coffins suddenly slide with surprising speed across the floor to block the northern and western exits.
Gashelle
Surprise round over
Initiatives
Avinar 18
Layjiani 15
Eltariel 14
Gashelle 13
Holgur 12
Coffins 4
Aude 1
"Either something wants us to go south, or something from the south is coming for us," I warn, readying my wand.
Gashelle continues her plan, except that she bows before the statue rather than kneeling, still presenting the tribute.
"May the peace of true wisdom and the joy of true beauty be on you and with you."
Hold action, see what happens, ready to use wand or spell as needed.
Waiting for my initiative after the coffins . sigh
I'll take it that Avinar is guarding Eltariel
You wait poised for action...nothing stirs the coffins seem content(if an animated object can be content) to hold position blocking your way.
Aude you can take your action now
A look somewhere between confusion and fascination on her face, Layjiani slowly draws one of her blunt iron arrows and, taking a bead on the closest coffin, waits to see...what will happen? As she thinks '...do they be...do we be...about to fight Coffins??'
(If any of the coffins make any kind of threatening moves towards any of the party she will shoot it )
"Very well, they have blocked our path to the west, and we cannot return to the north, so south is our only option, unless we wish to fight. Shall we try that route?"
Assuming nothing unusual happens from Gashelle's offering, she notes: "This skeleton in the middle? It's shield is radiating magic. Do we disturb it now?"
As the coffins seem to be offering no immediate threat other than blocking the other exists, Layjiani releases the tension on her bow and puts away her arrow. Moving up beside Gashelle the rogue puts and warning hand on the Duskblade's shoulder and says "We do no know how they died. Allow this one to check for dangers first"
And, moving carefully, Layjiani checks all around the body and statue for any traps, tricks or anything else of danger or interest.