Far under ice, far under snow, the Heart of Man doth beat and glow.

[D20ragon]

Somewhere, in a forest that has all but forgotten what spring is, stands a elevator, long since shut down.
It's doors are sealed shut with layers of frost and ice, and all it's machinery has frozen, grinding to a halt when it realized it wasn't needed anymore.
Now the thing stands in the woods, an outsider, trying forlornly to masquerade as a stone.
The attempted deception isn't worth the effort.
No one strays out this far. There's nothing for them here, and besides, the cold will steal your life as readily as it stole the promise of summer.
So the elevator stands alone, the heavy pines judging gaze the only one it has known since far before you or I were born.
Until now.
Somewhere, in the distance, a voice is heard, then a reply.
Human voices draw nearer. What animals there are pause, uncertain of the proper reaction.
Then, centuries of instinct flood through them and they dive for cover.
Footsteps draw nearer, and for the first time in ages, their intent is the elevator.
Shall we watch a little longer, discover these humans purpose in these woods? I think we shall.

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman twirls his trident in one hand as he walks.
A lot of people underestimate the trident as a weapon. It's got a lot of power behind it, good spread for points of injury, and it's even well balanced enough to throw.
He sights up and hefts the trident, but doesn't throw it.

[bekeleven]

Zeph is jiggling his hand up and down, causing the razor attached to his wrist to spin in lazy circles. He never got the hang of using it, but it's still fun to look at. "Trident's... not to my speed. If I'm close enough to hit with a trident they're close enough to hit me, and that's when you want a fast weapon, not a big one."

He lays his right hand on his left to stop the shaking, then removes his snow goggles to take a look around.

[Vhaidara]

This? A big weapon? Hardly. This is middling, at best. You want big, you go for the maul.
He passes the trident into his cloak and his hands emerge with a massive hammer.
This puppy will crush through anything. Even solid stone doors!
And again into the cloak, and this time out comes a small curved kukri blade, spinning it in his hand.
This seems like more your size though. The curve is just right for going around the bones protecting the middle bits of the insides. Or even strike under the chin into the brain!

[bekeleven]

"Still too big." Zeph reaches into one of his belt's bulging pockets and pulls out a dagger. "If I can't end a fight with this, I'll regret starting it. Now, granted, that's a fairly common occurrence."

He exchanges the dagger for a small vial, opening it and tapping a pill into his hand. About to down it, he instead holds his hand out towards Nonaman. "Energy?"

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman shakes his head.
Always have plenty of my own. And you really should give some thought to it. It's not that much bigger, and it allows for much more precise blows.

[MrE]

Valaya kept pace with the two jabbering mercenaries, her feet stepping lightly on the frozen ground. Next to the two men she appeared childlike, with her small stature and fine features. Yet her shaven head and grey tunic spoke of a rare calling.

"A weapon is but a symbol of insecurity. Of man's need to impress his will upon the world. but the world is not shaped so easily." Valaya's words are flowing and soft, despite the insult that is tangled up in them.

She takes this opportunity to stroll to the front of the group, grinning to herself: she loved infuriating her companions. Certainly she had been taught that only by begetting questions could one strip away the veneer of falsity and see truth, but really, it was just plain, good fun.

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman glances over at the shaved warrior
You know, when I was training, there were a couple of fellows who thought the way you did.
The kukri vanishes into the cloak, and the smiling warrior pulls out a simply carved quarterstaff
Flattened them with this.

[MrE]

"When you can tend a plant and rear a beast with the blade of a sword or the weight of your staff I will take one up," Valaya replies sagely. She was disappointed that she hadn't got much of a rise out of the mercenary who seemed to be jovially contented, so long as he was playing with his weapons. Alas, not everyone could be a source of great entertainment: maybe she would have to test the other one, Zeph.

But that could be done at a later point. They were nearing their destination, the strange cylinder that sat isolated in this remote, frozen wasteland. Valaya made certain to be stealthy as she approached, almost gliding across the ground and leaving few marks on its surface. She kept her eyes peeled for any signs of danger.

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman shrugged. He'd heard a lot of those kinds of nonsensical ramblings during training. Those old codgers had even tried to get him to specialize in one or two disciplines. Absurd! Miss out on all the potential fun? He thinks on this while he twirls the staff back into his cloak and pulls out a scimitar with a faint reddish glow to it.

[D20ragon]

A cold silence greets the travelers as they enter the clearing.
It is a silence full of tiny noises: ice snaps branches, cold slowly sapping the strength from the humans limbs.
Tiny birds chirp and then fall still.
Above, the sky is a grey blue, the color of slate.
The cold seems indifferent, flat. It's somehow worse then the angry hatred of a blizzard because this cold is patient, waiting. The winter knows that you are nothing, a tiny spark in its endless snow. And it is confidant that you will be extinguished.
The monolith stands in the center of the clearing, thick sheets of ice and snow hiding it from view.
It might as well be a stone, or a person, long since frozen, the life leached out of them.
But these intruders know better.

[bekeleven]

Swallowing his pill, Zeph approaches the structure, circling it and giving it a good once-over. He begins at range before spiraling in.

He'd be making this is best search of the day, using an inspiration point for an additional +6.

[D20ragon]

Rest assured, if there's anything there to find, a man with senses like this mercs gonna find it.
And he does.
Subtle things are different around the frozen mass.
The ground echoes slightly at a almost undetectable frequency. But almost was the key word there. The earth is hollow beneath his feet, and from the sound of it, it goes real deep.
He moves onto the object, tapping it here, letting his drug heightened senses take over.
And sure enough, his endless dabbling has it's perks. Here, it was detecting metal underneath that age old shell of ice.

[bekeleven]

"There's a structure under here. Probably old." Zeph draws a hammer and a piton from... somewhere, and begins to chip ice off the spot he figures is most likely to have a door. After the first blow, he jumps backward, then continues if nothing happens.

[Vhaidara]

Stand back everyone!
Nonaman steps forward, twirling the scimitar back to pull out the maul again.
I'll get the door open.

[Doorhandle]

Grazog smirks and pulls alongside Nonaman. "You'll have to work hard to get it open before I can, Nonaman. Let's call it a race!"

The barbarian pulled up his greataxe and prepared a mighty swing.
"KNOCK KNOCK!"
Andamandite greataxe, full power attack, let's go.

[bekeleven]

Zeph steps back from the breaking and prepares from the entering.

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman smiles, and releases his own battlecry as his maul slams towards the door.
HAMMER OF THE MOUNTAIN!

Cute.
Mountain Hammer. Ignores all hardness. Also, giant hammer = better at breaking things via blunt force than giant axe

[D20ragon]

The ice begins to shave away, the heat of the scimitar weakening just enough for the axe and piton to chip and crack size able pieces off.
And they're making fine progress, but it's nothing compared to the hammer blow which follows. The impact makes a sound like a gunshot, and what follows is a noise like an avalanche, as the crystalline shell crumbles into a heap of shards, half melted.
Underneath lies a large silver column, the suggested outline of a door carved into its front via long groves that may or may not go all the way through.
The thing glints in what sun there is, sending warped and twisted reflections of themselves dancing at mercenaries.

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman grins at barbarian.
Sorry friend, but you can't bet a hammer for smashing.
He tosses the maul into the air, twirls his cloak, catches the maul in his cloak, and emerges with the kukri.

[Doorhandle]

"...Should've thought of that before I stated hacking at this thing. Ah well."

Zerog snorted derisively at the strange column their efforts uncovered.

"So are we just picking this thing up and carting it to the nearest overly fat-pursed merchant? You could make a mint off the silver in this thing. Or possibly buy one."

[Vhaidara]

I think we go inside...
The mot intrepid explorer ever approaches the door and attempts to open it.

[bekeleven]

Shortly behind is Zeph, rummaging through a pack for his set of lockpicks.

Although he of course lets Nonaman try first.

[D20ragon]

The door gives slightly under the tugging, but does not move in any significant way, the ice in its gears holding it stubbornly fast.

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman sighs, and switches to his scimitar
FLASHING NOONTIME SUN!
He makes two rapid blows with the heated blade.

Initiating Flashing Sun.

[D20ragon]

The blade slams into the crevices again and again, sending shockwaves rippling along its length.
What frost remains coating the doors rapidly grows smaller and fades as the strangely warm blade does it's work.
In several moments you can safely say that there is no more ice jamming the workings of the apparatus.
But still the doors sit shut, indifferent to your presence.

[Vhaidara]

Okay strongman, want to try prying this thing open?
Nonaman looks at his barbarian colleague.

[bekeleven]

"I elect for less damaging methods first." Zeph hoists his picks and pushes past, searching for a keyhole.

Second inspiration point, if he finds a spot to pick. Although I suppose it's possible there is none, and we have to know "friend" in elvish or something.

[MrE]

Valaya stands serenely beside the group as they work to free the door. If needed she would add her strength, but whilst they used cunning she was content to wait.

She circled the encrusted 'elevator' attempting to discover any hidden nuance.

Spot +13

[D20ragon]

"I elect for less damaging methods first." Zeph hoists his picks and pushes past, searching for a keyhole.

Second inspiration point, if he finds a spot to pick. Although I suppose it's possible there is none, and we have to know "friend" in elvish or something.


Valaya stands serenely beside the group as they work to free the door. If needed she would add her strength, but whilst they used cunning she was content to wait.

She circled the encrusted 'elevator' attempting to discover any hidden nuance.

Spot +13

The keyholes well hidden, or so the makers thought. It's an easy enough to locate for folks with these kinda talents.
There's a slight indent in the seam which divides the cylinder in two.
It's barely noticeable, but for a monks unclouded sight and a pair of clever fingers it's no challenge to find the keyhole.
The locks peculiar, not confirming to the standard set of picks.
But maybe Zeph knows something about strange locks. It's certainly possible.

Does Zeph have any skills that'd aid him in identifying the lock?

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman twiddles his thumbs, switching from his scimitar to quarterstaff and leaning on it as if napping.

[bekeleven]

Zeph feels around the lock. It was too slender to fit any of his bump keys, but the picks fit in just fine. After a minute of trial and error he realized that it was a four-tumbler lock, but had tumblers on three sides of the keyhole. "One day I'll just buy an extra hand," he mutters, testing the pins.

"Aah! Third tumbler is a dummy." He twists and the lock flips over with a faint grinding noise.

[D20ragon]

The door clicks, some inner mechanism letting off steam that warms the numb hands of those nearby.
A space between the two doors becomes evident as the whole device settles a bit, a gap just wide enough to fit a hand or blade.

[Vhaidara]

Nonaman, when none of his comrades step forward to open the door, does so, attempting to pull the thing open.

[D20ragon]

The door resists stubbornly for a moment, and then remembers it's purpose. Grudgingly, the internal cogs shift, and the massive slabs of metal slide open, creaking with cold and age.
The device now stands open. No floor, only a smoth drop down to some black abyss. Deep grooves run down the walls, as if something once rested or traveled there, and snapped cables dangle from the ceiling on rusted pulleys.

[bekeleven]

Zeph peers into the darkness, then up at the pulley. He takes his rope out of a pocket - how did it fit? - and compares sizes.

Is the pulley wide enough that the end of the rope would fit through? How about the end of the rope tied around something heavy (like a piton)? That would make it easier to throw the rope through then swing it back to where he can grab it.

[Doorhandle]

Zerog glares contemptuously down the hole. He was kind of hoping for an ambush: it had been a slow day.

"Bah. Zeph, mind throwing a light down there? I want to see how deep the rabbit hole goes."

[bekeleven]

Zeph grabs a torch and lights it with flint and steel, then hands it to Zerog. "As you will."

He ties a piton to the end of his rope then tries a few times to toss it through the pulley.

[D20ragon]

His numb hands up the difficulty a bit, but it still only takes one or two tries, and by the time he's done, the glow of the falling torch has finished to all but a pinprick of light.

[bekeleven]

"...You know, I only got 50 feet of this stuff."

[Vhaidara]

Anyone got an idea for getting down? All I can think of is throw the big guy down first to cushion the fall.

[Doorhandle]

"That sounds like a fine plan, provided we use the rope a bit first."