Karth jerks and seizes a bit as the electricity courses through him, finding himself on his posterior before he realizes what has happened.
He mutters a few words in Orcish before pulling himself to his feet, refusing any aid standing up. "Someone else can push the other one," he growls.
"Oh, that looked nasty Karth. I'm sorry I missed that. Whever put this in was good, very good."
"Love" begins to examine the statue in ernest. Trying to determine what the other eye or both eyes activated together will do.
Seeing Karth injured Zeldin hurries forward to see if he can be of assistance.
"Careful Mr. Tarr, never hurry without a clear need. You step on something you shouldn't and it would only make things worse." "Ah, well if it helps any I can see the contact points now."
"Well let's see what we have here." Love removes a small bulb from a beltpouch and gently blows the dust from around the eyes. A fine metal probe follows gently scraping the decaying stone. "Yes, this is very good work. You know I think some flour was dusted on the stone to get lichen and alge to hide these triggers. Clever... very clever."
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Love
"...but not quite clever enough."
"Gentlebeings it appears that I have discovered part of what the designer was building here. If both eyes are depressed at the same time then the electrical effect can travel past this point to do whatever it is to do. There appears to only be dangerous to press one eye ar a time. The only question is do you want me to test this? Or do you want to check the other passages before we see what ole' stoney here can tell us?"
"As well as it was hidden it might trigger something in the other rooms," Karth says through gritted teeth, gently moving his other hand along the injured arm. "I say we - you - should trigger it, if it is safe."
Love rubbed at his short beard.
"Safe is a relative term. Now if we knew who built this and why then I could take a guess. But we don't so we start from first principles. The buttons are only accessible when the visor is lifted. Lifting the visor opens that passage. So it makes sense to assume that what ever the buttons do effects something down that passage. If that is true then the eyes, now this is a guess, should deactivate a trap down that corridor. Possibly on some kind of self-reset timer."
"However another idea occurs... If the visor, which is a really obvious trigger, is a decoy then anything down that corridor is a trap or a blind, or was intended to be. If that is true then the eyes are the real trigger and open the correct path to whatever the designer was hiding."
Zeldin freezes, at "Love's" caution. After a moment of thought the he says "Sometimes doing nothing makes it worse too." It is not a challenge, and more like a thought, spoken aloud.
When he sees "Love" continue to examine the statue he tries to casually stand clear.
"Well then..." love carefully repacks his gear and makes shre all weapons and loose items are stowed.
"...Success to crime!
love thinks. If nothing happens after that buildup I am going to look a right prat.
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With everyone else stepping a respectful distance back, Ernest takes a breath and pushes in both the statues eyes at once. A surge of energy is heard within the statue before suddenly a crack appears in the wall just south of it. Mortar begins to crumble from between the blocks in the wall and several of the bricks drop out onto the floor revealing an iron door behind. The door glows a bit as if heated though it seems to slowly be cooling.
"Well that was unexpected."
You notice Love has not moved from his spot by the statue.
"Everyone stay put" "Now that brickwork was not new or my dear mother owes pappy an explanation." "That means there is a good chance that whatever is behind that door has been there since this place was abandoned. That means there is a good chance that looters have not been here. It also means that whatever traps or guardians the last owners left are still there."
"Now. Don't get me wrong I'm here to find more cash than I can conveniently see at one time so I am very interested on what is on the other side of that door however lothe though I am to admit it the only reason I got that wall open was luck. The way the stone aged around the eyes let me see the trigger. I will freely admit that the designer of this door is rather more skilled than me. I might not see the next little surprise they left."
Love lets that sink in for a moment.
"I am willing to try, I expect I'll want a look at that door in any case, but we could be getting in over our heads here."
With that Love begins to carefully pick his way over to the collapsed wall examining the floor for "suprises" as he walks.
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Checking out the door behind the stonework, it appears to be without a lock and obviously hasnt been opened in a long time. Likely decades at least.
The metal of the door does cool down quickly now that there is no power going to it, though the sudden heat did weaken the stone and mortar enough that it can be easily pulled away even by hand to give full access to the door.
Checking out the door behind the stonework, it appears to be without a lock and obviously hasn't been opened in a long time. Likely decades at least.The metal of the door does cool down quickly now that there is no power going to it, though the sudden heat did weaken the stone and mortar enough that it can be easily pulled away even by hand to give full access to the door.
His hands clasped behind his back Love examines the door and surrounding stonework. He is quietly whistling an old digging song.
"Well we can breathe easy folks. It looks like the designer saved some gold on this door. No suprises, not even a lock that I can make out. We could walk right in. 'Course whatever, if anything, is in there will know we're coming. The door knocker was not exactly subtle."
Love will move over to the roataing panel that Mr.Tarr found and give it a looksee while we decide which of the four ways out of the room we want to take.
"See Mr.Tarr you can tell it rotates by these tiny scratches. They were not made by the door. No they were made by dust that got into the works and then was crushed the last time the panel moved. If they had a good cleaning staff we would very likely miss things like this. Like Iggy the knife said, it's the little things that matter."
Karth watches the show play out in front of him, looking about at the others. "I don't know about the rest of you but I'm not in any shape to be waltzing in there," he says in low tones. "That shock was..." he lets the thought hang.
Karth watches the show play out in front of him, looking about at the others. "I don't know about the rest of you but I'm not in any shape to be waltzing in there," he says in low tones. "That shock was..." he lets the thought hang.
Well Love, it looks like you have some thoughts about the room. I will be behind you <wink>
Karth looks down and nods at Buckwell as he does his thing. "Thank you," he says quietly.
Turning his attention back to the matter at hand, he says, "I will go, but only if we promise to turn back at the first sign of danger."
Zeldin addresses the least important matter. "I am not sure my surname is Tarr... Please call me Zeldin."
Clearly Zeldin is out of his element here... His keen eyesight are not enough to divine a path.
"Can we put it back so some of the obvious choices can be explored first?"
Zeldin addresses the least important matter. "I am not sure my surname is Tarr... Please call me Zeldin."
"Right you are Mr. Z." Love says with a smile.
"Can we put it back so some of the obvious choices can be explored first?"
"Unfortunately one can't unscramble this egg. The way is open. Either for us or for someone else. Were the choice mine alone I would give this a pass for now and check the visor passage or the rotating panel. I've got a bad feeling about that door. On the other hand I'm the biggest coward this side of Cheliax so take that feeling with some salt."
"All in all I think in the absence of more voices that Fingers here as the right idea." Love indicates Karth. "We sneak in, say hello, and bug out if things get hairy. Now that means we'll need a bit of organization. If anyone feels anything is off say so. The life you save may be your own, or more importantly, mine."
With that, unless there are more comments or questions, Love will raise a hand for silence, let everyone get into position. He will then carefully clear the remaining rubble from the doorway, and drawing a smokestick from his beltpouch slowly open the door. He is of course double checking for traps and alarms.
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The door opens easily after being inspected. Moving into the long room carefully, Ernest looks over every step with deliberation as he inches along. The southern wall holds an iron door with a massive lock on it, but nothing else stands out as odd.
When he reaches the half-way point, Love spots a weakness in the floor. Looking at it more carefully, it appears that the entire southern half of the floor will give out if too much weight is placed upon it. A fairly obvious trap for someone looking, but without knowing what is underneath it is hard to determine just how dangerous it is.
When he notices the break away floor love backs up and lies down on his belly. He creeps forward to the edge of the break away portion.
He carefully removed a small whisk broom and cleans a couple of square feet clear of dust. the clean patch straddles the edge between the break away section and the real floor.
Love places his ear to the break away floor. Does he hear anything from below?
If not he will draw a line of chalk at the edge of the real floor before he belly crawls back from the edge and returns to the others.
"Ok this seems silly. Why go to the trouble of seting up something as complex at that statue and then have a simple bait and pit after it. I don't know. The southern half of that room has a breakaway floor. Too much weight on it and you go through to whatever. That big fancy door is porbably a fake to draw folks over the pit." "That means there is likely a secret door in the northern half of the room. care to help me find it?"
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There doesn't seem to be any discernible sounds coming from within the pit, nothing moving or running water of the like.
Love chalks off the line of the pit from wall to wall, the entire southern half appears to be part of the trap. Being so close and touching along the line with the broom does give a better idea of what he is dealing with, the floor is moderately solid, weak enough to give way under a full sized man, though a child or smaller creature may be able to find support.
Love begins checking the walls of the northern half of the room for secret doors. He will start at the entry door and move left until he hits the chalk line. He will then head back to the entry door and check to the right.
While he is checking.
"You know an idea occours to me. Perhaps that door over there is not fake. If a person was light enough they could walk right over that floor. It will support some weight. Something to think about once these walls are checked."
Karth looks back to Love as he suggests a light creature heading over it. "We could send Buckwell over, but that would be dangerous," he remarks.
Standing straight and dusting himself off absentmindedly, he thinks aloud, "Perhaps it would be best to return later. Assuming the small dwellers of this place don't get to it before we do."
Love considers the break-away floor, the real floor, and Karth.
"I think I have an idea. Let's give it a shot before we leave this to the goblins." Love removes his pack and removes a hammer, some rope, and two long spikes. Love carefully chooses a spot at least ten feet from the chalk line and pounds in a spike. Love then measures out twenty feet of rope. He ties one end around his waist.
"If you would have a seat and brace against this, it would be appreciated." Love hands Karth the other end of the rope and the slack while indicating the spike as a good brace point.
Love, taking the hammer and the other spike crawls up to the chalk line. He is in the middle of the room. He then taps the break away floor with the hammer testing the strength. Using the remainging spike and th hammer he then starts to open a small hole in the break away floor. This hole no larger than his hand should allow him to see what someone falling through the floor would land on.
"Hmmmm....
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When the suggestion is put forth Buckwell looks understandably nervous but nods his head. "I could yes... I probably am light enough if you need me to walk over. My eyes arent so sharp but I can look around."
As the dwarf sets about trying to investigate the floor more carefully he waits. Pounding a small hole into the floor and peering down into the dark space beneath. There appears to be about a thirty foot deep hole beneath the weakened floor ending in a bed of rather nasty spikes. Thin timbers run along the underside of the floor to provide support though it is obviously structurally unsound.
Karth obliges Love's command, glad he's not the one trying to fall through the floor at least.
He keeps tense the whole time, ready for the floor to try and swallow the dwarf whole.
When the suggestion is put forth Buckwell looks understandably nervous but nods his head. "I could yes... I probably am light enough if you need me to walk over. My eyes arent so sharp but I can look around."
As the dwarf sets about trying to investigate the floor more carefully he waits. Pounding a small hole into the floor and peering down into the dark space beneath. There appears to be about a thirty foot deep hole beneath the weakened floor ending in a bed of rather nasty spikes. Thin timbers run along the underside of the floor to provide support though it is obviously structurally unsound.
Love looks again at the floor, then at Karth holding the rope, then at himself. He chuckles. "Knew I was forgetting something. Just be a minute."
Love unties the rope from his waist removes his armor and gear and then reties the rope. He takes only the hammer and the second spike which are firmly shoved under his belt.
Lying down again he inches his upper body over the chalkline. He moves like a beetle using toes and fingertips more than elbows or knees.
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With Karth properly braced and several of the others helping support him, Love creeps out over the pit, spreading his weight out as best he can.
Still he only makes it a bit past the chalkline he marked before a long crack runs through the stone beneath him, giving him just enough time to grasp the rope and try to ready himself for his impact against the side of the pit as the entire southern part of the floor gives away.
The result is a yawning pit between the party and the door on the southern door, about thirty feet deep with various sharp iron spikes, about a foot long each, sticking up at odd angles at its bottom. As well as the dwarven trapsmith dangling from the rope tied around him about five feet below the lip.
Ah, plan B then. Karth, in your own time.
Karth grunts as the floor gives way and the dangling dwarf strains his muscles. With the signal given, he begins to haul Love up.
Once the dwarf is up, he remarks, "Now anybody else who finds this place will have equal trouble getting across, at least."
Karth grunts as the floor gives way and the dangling dwarf strains his muscles. With the signal given, he begins to haul Love up.
Once the dwarf is up, he remarks, "Now anybody else who finds this place will have equal trouble getting across, at least."
Love speaks as he redons his armor. "Actually it just got a great deal easier for us to get to the door." "That's the problem with cheap pits like this. They are only a problem when you don't know about them." "Now we know this pit is here and we know there are no suprises in the pit or the floor collapsing would have set them off." "All we need to do is climb down this rope, walk across the bottom of the pit, and grapel a second rope up to the door." "Or if we can't manage that well, the foolish trap designer has provided us all this lovely building material that has been conviently dumped in the pit. A bit of grunt work piling this up and we can walk to the door."
As the rope slips, Zeldin jumps to Karths side and grabs on, and though not needed aids in pulling "love" from the pit.
Looking at Karth, he says, "I agree with Karth, that we can leave this and come back, especially now that there is a clear obstacle. Let us try some of the other passages to be sure that no surprise sneaks up on us."
By the Goddess either you have very good luck or many lives Mr. Love. I agree Zeldin, I worry about others that may prowl in this dark place.
By the Goddess either you have very good luck or many lives Mr. Love. I agree Zeldin, I worry about others that may prowl in this dark place.
"I try to leave very little to luck ma'am, because I well know that I have only one life and I aim to make it last." Love looks at the wreckage to the south. "Well that should slow folks down a bit if we want to do some more checking." What say we check that rotating plate that friemd Z found?"
Zeldin looks back to the door he found and then slowly walks towards it, wondering what they will find on the other side.
Karth stands up and dusts himself off a bit. He shrugs as Love points out he was wrong. "Let's check it out then," he says, waiting for the others to head out so he can take the rear position again.