It appears to be a trap unless theres another reason for 100 square feet of the corridor to hinge down into the floor.
Ok I'm assuming the normal Marching order applies..that is Layjiani up front then Gashelle and Holgur..Aude, Eltariel and Avinar bring up the rear
Well, if the floor hinges down and drops us into something worse than what we'd find if we continue on this level, then it's a trap.
If the floor hinges down to provide us access to something safer than what we'd find if we continue on this level, then ... it's a subtle trap.
So far, the traps haven't been so subtle as to encourage us to outsmart ourselves. So I think the odds favor our staying up here.
"It may be interesting to trigger it and see what is down there," Eltariel muses, "but better to proceed at this point."
Making sure to disable the trap in case they should happen to be passing back this way in a hurry, the rouge takes her time and does not proceed on until she is done.
She does quietly indicate to Eltariel and Gashelle though that she too would be interested in seeing what was below the trap door.
Layjiani deftly disables the trap..she moves on..and promptly yells as the next 10 feet of floor opens under her dropping her 20 feet into a pit
[in case you are confused..there are two adjacent traps..one easy to spot the other a lot harder you saw the first but missed the second)
Layjiani suffers only mild bruising from the fall but the spike is straight through her leg(2 points damage from the fall..another 6 from the spike which is sticking through your thigh)
"Your instincts were right - not that it helps us much," Eltariel exclaims. "Somebody help me down there so I can extricate Layjiani without injuring her further."
Stoically crying out in pain only once when the spike first pierced her, Layjiani remains silent despite the agony although a few years of suffering do course down her cheeks. Surprisingly though, is seems she is more embarrassed and angry with herself about missing the trap than anything.
When Eltariel comes down to rescue her, Layhiani smiles her gratitude at elf; then the injured party scout makes her way out as best she can,
Eltariel climbs down carefully and examines her friends predicament...she determines the spike is not barbed and with some effort is able to get the scout up and off the spike
"A second pit. Ah. This place has a sense of humor."
As Gashelle helps with the rope, she keeps a keen eye ahead, behind, and probably above as well. If Holgur is close enough, he might hear her say softly, "Gracious Athena, if thou hast discernment and good judgement to extend to us, I pray thee, do so."
"I'm not sure I'd call it that - I think the person who designed these traps was very good at second-guessing. Likely the next 'obvious' trap we see will be preceded by a less obvious one instead of followed by one." Eltariel turns to the priestess of Pharasma. "Aude, I hate to presume but I did not prepare any healing magic for today, and I'd like to save my remaining scroll for emergencies, could you do the honours for Layjiani ...?"
Aude will examine Layjiani and then says
'She is not too badly hurt. It would be more reasonable to wait for my healing to benefit several peoples at once'
We avoid the new double-trap and continue on.
Alert now to the possibility of more traps you move down the corridor slowly..painstaking examination of the floor reveals two more well concealrd trap doors each of which you disable after some work.By the time you reach the next room you are mentally and physically tired(all this take 20 searching has taken a few hours after all)
1066XP for bypassing the trapped corridor
You’re now in another long, oval-shaped room.It measures 50 by 70 feet, with rounded corners.There is a single door in the center of the north wall, and a small metal chest sitting in the exact center of the room.
"By my best guess, the tower base is now directly ahead of us," Eltariel says. "I'm guessing that this chest is either yet another trap, or else a key to the tower base, or both."
Gashelle agrees and casts Detect Magic, looking at the chest, the far door, and the rest of the room.
"Eltariel, Aude, can your magic tell us anything about the chest?"
Examination of the chest by magical means does indeed reveal an enchantment on it..an abjuration of medium strength to be specific.There is nothing of note anywhere else in the room
Layjiani listens to the spellcasters discussion and then proceeds to bypass the apparent trap(Natural 20 on the disable device..just when you needed it)
265XP each
Within the chest is a key..that key fits the door in the northern wall..you pass through the door. The fifty-foot stretch of hallway in front of you dead-ends into a single ornate iron door set in white marble. The shimmering blue force field of the tower floats six inches in front of the door. Just beyond that, less than three inches outside the force field, is another lever set in the up position.
Might be an arcane lock
"Traps, misdirections and more traps," Eltariel mutters, casting another detect magic to ensure there are no dweomers on the lever or elsewhere around it. "Layjiani, we need to be sure this lever is real, not yet another lure for the foolish."
There are no dweomors on the lever and the walls conceal no hidden spaces.
to quote EGG.."What do you do"
"There's only one way forward," Eltariel approaches the lever and with a warning glance at the others to be prepared, she draws the lever down. She is ready for the appearance of the Apparition from above, or some other manifestation ...
The blue glow disappears and the force field is gone. Your own light sources shine feebly in an attempt to fill the place of the strong Magics. There is no similar lever inside the forcefield as far as you can determine even after a thorough search.
Gashelle checks to see if the door (and specifically the keyhole) radiates magic.
Please see if the forcefield reappear if you move the lever again !
We must discuss our plan of action before proceeding .
"Certainly," Eltariel tests the lever a few times. "Although I am willing to bet there's another lever on the other side of that door."
Layjiani looks crossways up at Aude when the Cleric makes her helaing check and proclimation. Personally the party's trap finder is feeling that a large spike through her leg is indeed a serious injury. Yet even though nearly half of her health is depleted the stoic Ranger nevertheless says nothing and simply activates one of the charges on her healing belt, sighing as it's magical energies heals (2d8=8)the massive hole in her leg.
Now able to walk again, the scout continues on.
Weary and still significantly injured yet feeling the pride of accomplishment at having brought her companions safely past the many traps in this devious maze, Layjiani stares into the doorway ahead. Once Eltariel finishes her experiments with the lever, Layjiani checks the immediate area past the door for traps then gives a 'after you' gesture to the party's leader.
"These traps seem almost as distractions, as if they intend to test the patience of intruders rather than kill them. Maybe they lead to more devious traps that will be harder to find and disable."
The lever does indeed switch the forcefield on and off. you test it then decide to push on. The door proves to be untrapped and unlocked..you open it and step through.
You have just walked into the middle of a 70-foot-wide circular space of the most elegant design. The door you’ve passed through seems to stand in the middle of space, attached to no wall. A staircase leading up is fifty feet in frontof you, against the north wall.A soft white light illuminates the entire space.The room looks like a living area. You see a couch, easy chair, table, wardrobe, bed, nightstand,desk, desk chair, and other miscellaneous furnishings. Bookshelves line the walls wherever there is space, and there seem to be hundreds, if not thousands, of books. A well dressed skeleton sits slumped at the desk.
Almost every item in the room radiates Magic of some sort.
Eltariel stares around the wizard's sanctum with an expression of rapture.
"Oh my," she breaths, using her detect magic to observe the books ... the desk ... and the remains of their owner.
She moves closer to the desk first, examining it and the body more closely but without touching either of them yet.
"Ancient one, your accumulated wisdom here will not be wasted, though it may take years to fully comprehend," she says softly. once she has examined the desk, she turns her attention to the books, though she is careful not to touch anything until she has thoroughly examined it to ensure it is safe.
"Do we want to try to turn the force field back on? I imagine that it's designed to keep something from getting out."
When Holgur makes his comments on how easy it seemed to be to pass the traps Layjiani smiles indulgently as she says slowly in her marble mouthed drawl "Or perhaps this one do simply make it look easy, yes?" She then looks down significantly at the large hole in her leggings where the spike had tore through her leg as if to indicate what different fate might have befallen the party had they not been fortunate enough to have such a skilled trap-finder on hand.
To take the sting out of her remark though she smiles genuinely at her large ally and seems about to say something more when all words suddenly escape her as she passes into the breath-taking wizards chamber.
Staring mouth agape and goggle eyed, the rogue's avaricious side begins to churn with pleasure as she looks around the room and begins to try and calculate the value of the room's contents. Quickly though she shakes her head to clear it and proceeds to get to work, checking everything she can think of throughly for traps.
When Gashelle indicates her theory that the field was meant to keep something from getting out the rogue thinks back to how difficult it had been to reach this point and by the look on her face seems to disagree. She does not say anything aloud though and simply continues on with her work.
Layjiani seaches the room but finds no traps..there does not appear to be a lever for the forcefield within the tower.
You examine the furnishings carefully[spoiled for length]
Door: The door is not fixed in any wall. Its “back”
appears to be a solid marble wall, like the other
walls. Its “front” looks like a normal doorway, from
which the hall leading out can be seen. Characters
can pass through the door normally from the front,
but from the back it really is just a marble wall.
Wardrobe of Cleansing: Clothes left in this ornamented
wooden wardrobe for 10 minutes while the
door is closed are cleaned and pressed into pristine
condition. All mud, stains, and marks vanish completely,
and colors are refreshed to their original
brightness. Faint transmutation; CL 3rd; Craft
Wondrous Item, mending; Price 1,000 gp plus cost of
wardrobe, in this case 1,500 gp total; Weight 120 lbs.
Desk of Concentration: Anyone who sits at this
heavy wooden desk feels their mind cleared and
focused. They receive a +2 competence bonus to
any attempt to study, concentrate, or work while at
the desk, including all Intelligence, Wisdom, Craft,
Profession, Knowledge, Concentration, and
Spellcraft checks made there. Moderate enchantment;
CL 8th; Craft Wondrous Item, fox’s cunning,
owl’s wisdom; Price 3,000 gp plus cost of the desk,
in this case 3,500 gp total; Weight 300 lbs.
Magic Lamps: There are four large desk lamps
placed on the desk, table, wardrobe, and nightstand.
Each casts a permanent daylight spell. The
spell can be toggled on and off by clapping. Faint
evocation; CL 3rd; Craft Wondrous Item, daylight;
Price 1,000 gp; Weight 10 lbs.
Bed of Health: Anyone resting in this ornate, ironframed
bed with a plush goosefeather mattress
feels more comfortable than they’ve ever felt in a
bed before. They need half the usual amount of
sleep and heal at double the usual rate while resting.
Moderate conjuration; CL 8th; Craft Wondrous
Item, cure serious wounds; Price 1,200 gp plus cost
of bed, in this case 1,950 gp; Weight 225 lbs.
Easy Chair of Penmanship: A quill pen sits on the
armrest of this easy chair. Whoever sits in the chair
can command the quill pen to write whatever they
speak or think. A sheet of parchment appears out of
nowhere and transcribes whatever is dictated. The
chair can produce an infinite amount of ink and
parchment. Moderate transmutation; CL 10th; Craft
Wondrous Item, mage hand, fabricate; Price 2,000
gp plus cost of easy chair, in this case 2,400 gp;
Weight 150 lbs.
Dewey’s Bookshelf: The bookshelf is intelligent
and magical. If you speak the name of a book, it
slides out and into your hands. The bookshelf can
be commanded to sort its books by subject, author,
title, color, or any other descriptor. For example, if
someone stated, “Show me all books on the elemental
planes,” the books on the shelf would fly out
of place and reshuffle themselves so all books on
the elemental planes were in front of the user at
once. Strong conjuration and transmutation; CL
14th; Craft Wondrous Item, arcane mark, telekinesis,
prying eyes, instant summons; Price 12,000 gp
plus cost of books.
Among other things, there are a variety of books on
local history, force magic, and evocation magic. As
a whole, the book collection is worth 7,000 gp and
weighs two tons. Assume any given book taken
back to civilization will fetch 1d20x10 gp and weigh
5 pounds.
One book has all evocation spells through 3rd level.
Another has these magic scrolls, bound into book
form: magic missile x2, continual flame, darkness,
daylight x2, and flaming sphere x2 (all as a 10th
level caster). There are no other scrolls or spellbooks.
A search of the room reveals what is above, plus 4
statuettes (200 gp each; carved ivory images of
nymphs and other fey) and 20 lbs. of silver fixtures
worth 20 gp
"My friends, this resource is priceless - and I mean, priceless to us!" Eltariel exclaims. "The works we can accomplish, the wisdom at our fingertips ..." She turns to the bookshelf.
"Show me all books pertaining to the 'Sword of the Meek'," she commands.
Wellard:
Also, I take it 'all Evocation spells to 3rd level' means all in the PHB/Pathfinder book, or does it include other sources?
Eltariel will also research additional information on the tower, it's defences and any guardians she can find.
Gashelle grows, well, skittish, for lack of a better word. Wary. By default, she'll step outside the door, within a 5' step of the lever.
"These are indeed wonderful. But I'll bet they all belong to someone, someone powerful enough to expend tremendous resources on simple pleasures. Lakshmi be praised!
"But..." And I hate saying "but". It makes me feel that I can't be happy or something....
"But someone that powerful is likely to still be around. If I had to take a guess, I'd say the ghost." Thinking back to the encounter with the spirit yesterday, Gashelle's expression suddenly turns concerned. "I hope we haven't just switched off the main force field surrounding the tower. Etariel, does your amulet detect anyone around?"
Gashelles comment would be apposite ..however when she steps out of the door she disappears through the wall of the tower..she looks back into the room but noone seems to be paying any heed to her.
Inside the books shift and a single slim volume comes to Eltariels attention. It is a treatise on obscure and extinct religions..part of it regards the story of Meelkor a god of humility whose last worshippers dissappeared from the prime material plane some 500 years ago.Glorion a knight in Meelkors service was renowned for fighting with a plain wooden blade which served in all ways as a metal sword..there are no further references .
for Eltariel only
"I'd say he was the original owner," Eltariel indicates the desicated bones.
Touching the Amulet, Eltariel suddenly looks wary.
"Yes," she says somewhat alarmed. "We aren't alone in this tower." She turns to the bookshelf.
"I wish to see any books or treatises on the this tower itself, specifically any guardians or protectors."
"I hope we haven't just switched off the main force field surrounding the tower. Etariel, does your amulet detect anyone around?"
That's also my concern.
Wellard, could you explicate that, pleae? When Gashelle looks into the room through the doorway, she sees her colleagues acting normally, but they're ignoring her? Or she doesn't see them at all?
No books respond to Elatariels request.
Gashelle..you are looking through the door..into the room..your friends do not appear to be able to hear you..
Everyone else..Gashelle has stepped out thriough the wall where the door should be.. you are not sure why.
Eltariel goes to the door in the middle of the room and looks through.
"Gashelle, is anything wrong?"
"Ah, it would seem that the two goddesses I revere are in conflict, Etariel.
"To my father's people, Lakshmi is the goddess of beauty, grace, and prosperity. She would have me join you in reveling amongst these wondrous creations. Can you imagine: a bed magically dwoemered to do no more than provide a good night's rest. You don't wake up strengthened or able to cast lightning from your eyes. You just wake up refreshed.
"But as Lakshmi is on my left shoulder, Athena's prudence is on my right, and she warns that all someone would have to do is throw this lever out here, and we would be sealed in the tower as surely as the ghost. And I think this place likes traps.
"I am also worried that the owner is likely to still be around. Given the bones, my top candidate the ghost we met outside. I hope we haven't just switched off the main force field surrounding the tower. Does your amulet detect anyone around?"
"There is a presence here in the tower, yes," Eltariel confirms. "But I know no more than that, dear friend, and I expect no less - we do not follow this path for the sake of safety, after all," Eltariel chuckles.
"But I have an idea: I will close this door, and then you will count to three and close the lever, raising the force field. I will count to ten, and open this door. You see I was confused about the lack of a lever inside - no wise creature would make this place thus, unless it were a prison, which it does not appear to be. On the other hand, what if the door IS the lever? After all, it moves, and you have to open it to leave. Shall we test it?"
Eltariel smiles, eager to find out if she is right or wrong.
Gashelle returns the smile. "I'm game. If I don't see the door open after a minute, I'll presume you're all frozen in time, and try to get you out."
Eltariel ensures the handle on the inside of the door works, then closes it firmly ... counts to ten slowly and re-opens the door.
Gashelle steps back..pulls the lever and the force field rematerialises..Eltariel opens the door ten seconds later and steps out..theres no way either off you can touch the other..but you find you can speak through it...also the air in the tower is fresh.
"Try your 'magic hand' spell, or summoning a critter to pull the lever."
"That wasn't what I expected," Eltariel mutters sourly. "I tried those last time. Hang on ..."
Eltariel returns to the desk where the skeleton is slumped over and carefully and gingerly tries to move it to see if it is lying on anything ...