Layjiana could you verify if there is a secret door to the north ?
Eltariel is already examining that part, wondering if the light for the lens should in fact come from this section rather than the other passageway.
The wall is..a wall
Layjiani casts a mending spell on the construct which heads south a short distance. opening a concealed compartment in the stone it hits a button which opens a tiny hatch in the floor just to the north of where you found it..it moves there..dumps its contents into the compartment underneath and closes the hatch again..theres a clunking sound as the hatch closes..the construct then begins to sweep the floor of the accumulated dust of centuries.
"No luck here then," Eltariel shake her head at the wall. "Perhaps this automaton will repair and enhance the lighting available?" Eltariel muses.
The automaton continues to sweep up dust..from its fittings you would say it was it's only purpose.
Watching the small construct carefully for several rounds, Layjiani times things perfectly then james her crowbar into the floor, propping it open. Then, assuming nothing untoward happens, she brings her glowing stone to the hole to try and see what is down there.
"To hell with it ... we can smash those crystal curtains if we have to," Eltariel sighs. "I thought they might serve a purpose, but I don't think they do."
"Hang on, Your Grace. There's still plenty of investigation we can conduct here before we go smashing things."
There's a set of double doors on the center of the east wall, a door at the south end of the east wall, and double doors at the south end of the hallway, Wellard. What can we find out about them?
Eltariel laughs at that.
"I hate leaving unsolved riddles behind me," she confesses.
The hatch would admit a tiny creature under it is a chamber large enough for a small creature to fit into..a careful study reveals that the floor of the chamber is a trap door.
"I have a feeling that this is just a system for removing waste from the building," Eltariel remarks. "Possibly an otyugh may have been employed below this ..."
The thought that they are standing near the entrance to a cess-pit is revolting to Holgur but he tries to show no reaction.
"It seems unlikely that anything of value or interest would be in such a place. I think we should move on."
Layjiani nods at Elarial's likely answer, but she still takes a sniff and lowers her hand with a lighted stone into in while she peeks in anyway, just to make sure.
If she finds nothing, then she retrieves her crowbar and, once again) searches the remaining doors for any traps or dangers and opens whichever one the party leader tells her to.
"Actually, if anything discarded or fallen in here is swept into that pit, it may contain anything. But I don't particularly fancy trying to find out right now, and that entrance is too small to get through."
It's a rubbish chute not a sewage one.
Not a problem, mate, I hope you get your connection back ASAP!
Layjiani spots an item in the corner of the compartment...reaching in she brings out a small unmarked key made of obsidian.After some time watching the automated janitor at work you become convinced that you have seen all this location has to offer.
"Interesting," Eltariel remarks. "But onwards. Layjiani, can you tell us anything about these doors?" she nods to the large double doors ahead of us.
Three doors lead from this hallway..Double doors in the southern wall and the northern part of the Eastern wall and a single door in the suthern part off the Eastern wall.
The doors to the East wall are featureless..The door set in the south wall shows a great pillar,radiating light. It is very similar to the one shown in the bas-relief of this hall.
Layjiani checks each exit and declares them trap free..
" While I'm thinking of it , did we try to cast light on the cristal prism itself ? "
"Yes ... it wasn't strong enough."
Strange , seemed to me we lighted eveything but the prism itself
"Aude, we're planning to go back there tomorrow. Let's be sure we try that then.
"East? I'd try the southern-end door first. I suspect the northern-end doors might lead to a hallway or chapel. If so, it seems logical that its south neighbor would open onto servant's quarters, or kitchens, or acolytes' chambers. Which might give us a better perspective on what lies further ahead."
Layjinai nods and moves to open, or pick the southern doors. If they are locked she of course tries the new key first (as she will on every locked door from now on)
The door is not locked and opens to reveal a 10' square chamber with a passage doglegging off to the right and heading east.
"Onwards and inwards, methinks ..."
How far does the hallway extend?
Gashelle holds up a sunrod, as if to ask, "Should we throw some light down there, first?"
Rock plus light light spell tossed down the hallway if it is unlit ...
This hall is much like the others you have seen, only shorter in length. The large stone bas-reliefs show the turtle-men toiling in workshops to craft various wonders. Weapons, armor, clockwork men, and other, less-recognizable tools are shown in various stages of creation.
I need to know how far Layjiani is ahead of the main body off the party
20'
Layjiani moves silently ahead off the rest off you heading for the turn in the passage..she sees no sign off traps but, as she reaches the corner, feels a flagstone sink under her foot.She throws herself back out off the way as a wall slams down across the passageway..seconds later a grinding sound commences and continues until there is the dull thud of ceiling hitting floor
Acrobatics
Taking a moment to get up, dust herself off and silently thank the Gods of Luck, Layjinai proceeds to investigate the fall and trap, to see if there's anyway to revere it, or perhaps a secret door to move around it (will take a 10 or 20 if possible)
"Layjiani, my friend, are you uninjured?" Eltarial approaches with caution. "That looked - and sounded - murderous."
Stupid turtle men.
Is the hallway a dead-end, then?
A detailed(take 20) search of the floor and walls in the immediate area reveals that there is a hidden switch in the wall off the passageway..the search takes over an hour to complete.The switch causes the walls and the block within them to rise..it seems like a 10' square section off passage is sealed off when the trap activates..Layjiani takes her time to examine the floor(take 20 again)and finds no less than 3 trap triggers which she takes care to disarm fully(again take 20)
You have now been in the complex for perhaps 7 or 8 hours
"I can see this will take time," Eltariel muses. "We can check some of the other passageways, then return here if you are all in agreement. By tonight perhaps we should bring the horses into the first chamber so we can care for them here and set up a camp."
I aggre, let's check if the others passageways have the same kind of trap.
Once determining that there are indeed other traps and releases in place but that it will take time to deal with them all properly, Layjiani agrees and heads with her companions to the other passageways, as always, making sure the way is safe for those who come after her.
You start with the double doors in the eastern wall off 1-5(map later today)
Stretching before you is a long, rectangular room. The door you’ve opened is in the middle of the 60-foot wide western wall, and you can
see the ceiling 10 feet above you. The floor, walls, and ceiling of this area bristle with row upon row of sharp bronze spikes, each nearly a foot long. The walls bear a simple pattern of repeating boxes with a spike jutting from the center of each one. The area just inside the door is floored in polished marble, different from the plain gray stone elsewhere, and devoid of spikes. Twin paths of veined grey marble lead from the small area where you stand, each following
a serpentine route across the room. The paths are free of spikes.
A skeletal figure garbed in rags lies facedown on the spiked section of floor to the south.
"An unblessed corpse . Let me check"
With this , Aude will cast a detect undead
The Corpse..is a corpse.It wears tattered clothing ..apart from a cloak which is off good quality and is in surprisingly good condition.It also bears a belt pouch and a haversack
"This has the looks of a riddle, or a trap."
Eltariel casts detect magic and scans the room very carefully.
The Corpses cloak radiates magic...no part off the room seems to do so however
"Hmf. Magic cloak, but is it bait for a trap?" She muses. "Beware, everyone, I'm going to try and move it." From outside the room Eltariel uses mage hand to try and unfasten and remove the cloak.
Layjini nods and says quietly "Do be to get the pouch and sack too, if you can."
We'll have to recover the body so I can pronounce the rites over him