[Red Box Hack/Fourthcore] I.C: PART 1: CRUCIBLE OF THE GODS

[Doorhandle]

http://img196.imageshack.us/img196/8218/ttz2.jpg

Image freely offered and taken from here. (http://grind4e.blogspot.com.au/p/run-your-own-game.html)

You stand within the mouth of the crucible of the gods; a testament to your careful research, even more careful excavation, and much-less-careful hubris.

It’s a short corridor at the base of the god’s ostentatious ziggurat, obscured by dead
trees. Double stone doors open in a 10-foot archway, with a weathered human skull forming the macabre crown of this glorified sacrificial pit. Vines lie strewn across the ground in front of the door, still rotting from when they ware last torn apart. The door ahead lies open, leading northward, into the dungeon’s depths.

Once every 25 years, the gods deem it fit to flood the world and usher in the apocalypse. Once every 25 years, hundreds of hopefuls are sent within the temple to die. Miraculously, once every 25 years for centuries, a lucky team of crusaders has managed to postpone the inevitable.

It has been 2 years since the gods were last challenged, and the world is now slowly slipping over the precipice of madness; as opposed to leaping over the edge like it was 2 years ago. Yet, you and your comrades have come to plunder the secrets of the gods or die trying before their respect is due.

For while the crucible must be completed every 25 years, nothing says it cannot be entered before then…

You move, crusaders.

[Eulalios]

Felonious entrance [full health]

The goblin with the sharp pointy stick in his hand and the whip wrapped round his waist slips into the shadows just inside the doorway.

focused action (shadowkin)

[tbergman92]

Kit - Full Health

A small, red haired creature followed the Goblin into the doorway. He appeared to be human, if you ignored his pointed nose, red-furred, pointed ears, and his tails. He seemed to be walking along normally, with his tails waving slightly, but something is...off...about the way he walks. On very close inspection, you can tell that his feet never actually touched the ground.

The trick, he thought with a smile, is to forget about falling.

[Eonas]

Lejolass follows Felonious and Kit closely, waiting for further instructions as to what to do.

[Eulalios]

Felonious had noticed that the obedient elf was especially skittish of him. He makes a point of ignoring her. Not her fear unfair. It not be helpful, she run away or drop stuff. He grimly suspects her history may feature fellows who look like him, and hopes his inattention won't be rewarded by a dagger in the back.

[Malazim]

Naga - Full Health

A snake like creature perched on its tail follows, after the Goblin, with whip in hand and Fedora on his head he moves in to figure out how he can help.

[wilnigh]

Hans-
A rather large figure struts after the rest.
Being completly covered the only clue of what he looks like is a face fainted on his armor. As enters the doorway, all he thinks of is if there are any women inside and how this adventure will finally allow him the luxury he deserves. He takes little note of his companions other than that they are obviously not his competition when it comes to women.

[Eulalios]

Felonious proceeds in shadows down the hallway, spear-tip gently waving in front of him, til he gets to anything interesting.

[tbergman92]

Kit - Flying, Wielding Tail (Reach Weapon)

The fox continues following felonius into the hallway, eyes alert for anything shiny or valuable. As he walks, his tails start waving a little more quickly, and he floats up higher into the air. "Anyone see anything cool?"

[wilnigh]

Hans
Still strutting but a little less enthusiastically.
He responds to kit "I have seen nothing yet."
As he starts taking a closer look at the walls and floor as he goes.

[Doorhandle]

Hans/Kit:
Fortunately, no obvious traps have been triggered by your passage… Yet.

The distant sound of churning water can be heard echoing from all directions as you near the entrance archway. The air reeks of salt in this uneven passageway, with a vaulted ceiling brightly lit by the eight
misty portals set into the walls. Each of a different colour, they throw dancing prismatic shadows across the floor.

Aside from the ominous portals, the narrow hallway ends at a set of ornate
stone doors with no visible handles, covered in the grim runic symbols of the gods you currently defy. Something metallic glimmers on the door’s face… which is overshadowed by the moss-covered skeleton, lying against the wall in a morbid parody of rest.


(Kit: Make yourself a alertness check to see if anything interesting is found. If you choose to specifically look at something, no roll is needed, but you're just sweeping the general area at this point.)

[Eulalios]

Felonious (full health) gingerly rattles the skellie's ribs with his pointy stick.

[Malazim]

Naga - Wielding Whip (reach weapon)

Following everyone in begins slithering in checking out the area as he goes paying special attention since Kit asked if any one had seen anything.

[roll0]

[wilnigh]

Hans-
Asks everyone "in your scrounging for information before coming here did anyone here anything about these portals?" They do not look safe to me. shudders slightly at the multicolored hues they produce on the floor.

[Eulalios]

Felonious (full health) tries to use his spear as a lever to pull the skellie to an upright position, if there's any ligaments still holding the bits together. "Haven't heard," he says quietly.

[Doorhandle]

Your brief examination of the rooms leads to thee realisations.
1. Each of the eight portals is filled with a different color of swirling fog – red, orange, green, blue, violet gray, white, and black.
2. There is a skull above each portal: each with an open jaw and a golden key dangling from it. The one exception to this is the green portal: the key appears to have been taken.
3. There is no handle on the door: but there is a large golden lock in the middle. Despite this, it's likely you could push it open; but the thrumming of magic and the smell of ozone indicates that may be unwise.

Felonious/Naga
THE SKELEOTN EXPLODES!
No. Not this time. You do find a golden key held within its hand however. Care to investigate the key or body further? [/COLOR]


On rumors:

Axharr: A stone tablet with a clue to the puzzle of faces is hidden in one of the hallways: Reliable

Malazim: Fortune awaits in a secret chamber connected to the great hub RELIABLE.

Eonas: "All the portals in the entrance hall lead to an ooze-filled cell from which there is no escape." RELIABLE

tbergman92: The black hearts of Kishar's guardians are poisonous to the three-headed dracolisk: RELIABLE

wilnigh: Crushing the jaguar idol lifts the ward form the skull of Asar-Segt:
UNRELIABLE

[Eulalios]

Felonious drops the skeleton, which probably falls into a heap of bones. Holding his spear as a staff, he kneels and picks up the golden key and examines it, then closely examines the lock of the doors.

[roll0] Alertness test -> anything sketchy about that lock?

"I think this key did not work," he says. He casually kicks the skeleton.

[Doorhandle]

Felonious drops the skeleton, which probably falls into a heap of bones. Holding his spear as a staff, he kneels and picks up the golden key and examines it, then closely examines the lock of the doors.

[roll0] Alertness test -> anything sketchy about that lock?

"I think this key did not work," he says. He casually kicks the skeleton.

You notice that the lock is made out of pure gold, and that it serves to disarm a trap, rather than allow the door to open.

[wilnigh]

Hans-
Being the big guy he is he goes to the white door and inspects where the keys are to see if they are safe to take out. He almost doesn't have to look up.
Alertness-
[roll0]

[Doorhandle]

Hans-
Being the big guy he is he goes to the white door and inspects where the keys are to see if they are safe to take out. He almost doesn't have to look up.
Alertness-
[roll0]

You detect no traps.

[wilnigh]

Hans-
Asks aloud any thoughts on the best color to try next?" He then pulls the key from the white door while covering his face.

[tbergman92]

Kit is drawn toward the gray portal, and examines the key and surrounding area for any signs of a trap.

Alertness: [roll0]

[Eulalios]

felonious uses his spear tip to snag the key from the orange portal.

[Doorhandle]

None of the keys or portals react when you take them.

Kit: Your search does not reveal any new traps. However from close observation of the air currents near the portal, you realise that they’re all one-way….

[tbergman92]

Kit takes the key from the gray portal, and as he does so, realizes something.

"Hey guys. Be careful around these portals. They only go one-way."

[Eulalios]

Felonious snickers. "What happens, if we just throw all the keys through their portals, and go home?"

[wilnigh]

Hans-

"Thanks" said to kit.
To Felonius "I doubt much, except a wonderful show as the gods rain new and terrible ways to die upon us for being so flippant with our quest and their trials... sounds fun, I'm in if you go first..."

[Eulalios]

You stand within the mouth of the crucible of the gods; a testament to your careful research, even more careful excavation, and much-less-careful hubris.... you and your comrades have come to plunder the secrets of the gods or die trying before their respect is due.

For while the crucible must be completed every 25 years, nothing says it cannot be entered before then…


Hans-
To Felonius "I doubt much, except a wonderful show as the gods rain new and terrible ways to die upon us for being so flippant with our quest and their trials... sounds fun, I'm in if you go first..."

"Well," says Felonious, "they haven't done us yet. Who wants to try the first key on that door?"

[Eonas]

Lejolass, who had been watching the whole situation, suddenly decides to try and be proactive. "Um, guys, I can go first. I mean, if you want me to.

[Eulalios]

"No, I got this." Felonious looks at the two keys in his hand - one from the green portal, one from the orange portal, are they distinguishable? - sticks one of the keys in the lock, and twists it.

[Doorhandle]

"No, I got this." Felonious looks at the two keys in his hand - one from the green portal, one from the orange portal, are they distinguishable? - sticks one of the keys in the lock, and twists it.

The keys are exactly identical: indeed, all the keys in this room are exactly the same.

Your attempts to open the lock are rewarded...

WITH PAIN. The door thunders with the divine fires of the heavens! Everyone in the room, Save vs Chain lightning! (Daring or stubbornness)

[wilnigh]

Hans-
Daring roll

[roll0]

[Eulalios]

Felonious is stubborn. [roll0]

[Doorhandle]

PAIN HAS ARRIVED. (not like I forgot about this or anything...)


Eonas’s steel armour and steel will is enough to ground the bolt away from himself.

You would think flying would not really help against lighting. tbergman92 has proven us wrong.

EVERYONE ELSE, TWO POINTS OF DAMAGE FROM THE SIZZLING WRATH.

You may want to try a different tack...

[tbergman92]

Kit frowns, and looks at the key in his hand for a moment, then back at the lock. Cocking his head to the side, he floats down near to the lock to get a closer look. He holds up his key to the lock without touching it and compares the two.

Examining my key more closely, the lock more closely, and then comparing the two to see if there's any connection or distinction between the two.

[Doorhandle]

Closer observation reveals that the door is made of true, 24-karot gold, while the keys are made of worthless pyrite: Fool's gold.

[wilnigh]

Hans-

Deciding on a different tack goes back outside and checks around the door for hidden areas. He also checks any bushes after remembering that's where his dad always kept a spare key. Finally, if nothing else is noticed he will tentatively inspect the skull.

[tbergman92]

"Hmmm. The keys are fool's gold, but the lock is true gold. I imagine we have to find the true gold key to disarm the trap."

Kit flits back near the entrance to the room, and begins to look around the room, beginning with the trapped door at the far end, eyes flowing past the portals to his right, and then turning to look at the portals to the left. Flying up to the gray portal again, he examines the skull that had held the key he took, and frowns in concentration for a second. He quickly flies past each of the other portals, looking at each skull in turn. Frowning, he flits outside, pauses above the doorway, and then ducks back into the hall of portals for a moment. After staring around the room, he floats up again to the outside of the arched doorway.

Examine the skull atop the outer archway.
Alertness check for traps:[roll0] never mind. curiosity killed the fox, i guess. Instinct: No trap check.
If notices trap, waits for party, otherwise, examines skull to see if there is any way to open it/detach it to look inside.
If one exists, does so.

[Doorhandle]

Han/Kit: You outside-the-archway thinking is rewarded with another key from the skull on the archway.

[wilnigh]

Han-

Checks to see if this is real gold and if it is, then he tries to open the door with it. Before he does he says, " everyone might want to stand clear of the hall."

[Doorhandle]

Your key of TRUE GOLD appeases the god’s wrath, and you are rewarded with entrance into the next room!

You enter the great hub.
Columns inlaid with glittering crystals
support an arched ceiling that looms high above this grand hall. Smoldering cressets line the walls, each casting its umbra down upon the peeling murals beneath them. Thick black smoke fills the area and smells of mixed incense. A pair of enormous statues squat in the far corners of the chamber, each holding a burning brazier in their arms, while three bone-white pedestals the height of a short fox stand in triangular formation in the hall’s centre. An archway filled with blank stone is set into the center of the north wall, and tapestries embroidered with the holy symbols of the four gods flank it.

The ground is littered with nearly a dozen yellowed skeletons, wrapped in peeling cloth or rusting armor: Thick black tar clings to their
bones, and glittering crystals can be found in their hands.

[wilnigh]

Hans-

Goes over to one of the murals for a closer look to see if there are any details left that could be useful.

[Doorhandle]

The murals depict each of the four
gods, in manifestations both majestic and horrifying.
Walking up to them causes the images to
shift and animate, and as they silently chant, lip-reading reveals the god's grim will;

DIE AND DIE
AND DIE AGAIN,
WE’LL DROWN THIS WORLD
BEFORE NIGHT’S END