Textbook Conspiracies: The Fifth Grade

[Biabri]

You all stand in one of many great hall in the whole place. Grand chandeliers hang down, glittering with the light of starlight, sparkles falling down softly. The room is filled with positive energy of both kinds. The students practically buzz as they move, caught up in excitement and awe. This'll be first time that they've seen this room in the constantly shifting maze that makes up this university. Many booths are spread out before the students, open drapes inviting them to slide in for privacy. There's a hint of nervousness too, many of your classmates have failed tests before to some pretty bad consequences, but the stakes will be the highest this time. This is the final grade to ascend, before you are allowed to begin studying the highest order of spells and truly specialise in a school of magic in a way that most others can't. The thought is legitimately exciting. This is one of the final steps to take in your education here. A massive choice is nearly upon you, and some of you don't feel ready to make it yet.

Regardless, you're pushed forward, guided into booths and offered a potion, examination reveals it to be some strange mixture of conjuration and abjuration magic. Those who hesitate are encouraged and pushed on, and at least one student leaves the room. The chance of him going up to the next grade are slim now. It is mentioned frequently that this place is the University of Lepidstadt for magic users. What you've been through here only really affirms this idea. You've suffered a great deal in various ways to get here, and ruining it now isn't really on the books. Potions are touched to lips, ready, when a voice echoes through the hall, making people pause to listen from the pure sense .

The booths slam shut, the curtains shimmering, reinforced by force magic.

"Before you drink too deeply, our headmaster has a few words for you." The Mistress of Necromancy speaks, her voice somewhat eerie when projected in this way.

[Hattish Thing]

The Grand Hall - Quinquennial Ceremony:

From atop the tallest staircase, nearly eighty-feet above the rows upon rows of small booths and ornate pavilion tents, dozens of small magical candles resting upon the wooden railings activate with the snap of a glove-clad finger. The candles emit a soft blue glow which properly illuminates the gathering of faculty above, headed by the legendarily reclusive spellcaster, Headmaster Archus Haldavyre. The dim flickering of bluish light coming from the candles reflect beautifully upon the glittering, pure white robes of Archus Haldavyre, light reflecting in all directions off of extravagant runecarved virtue-stones worn over sparkling foreign silk. The imperious and serious-looking human wizard stands unusually tall and strong for his age, his form unbent and unbroken despite the ravaging of time, his body language elegant and smooth, matching perfectly with his slightly slumped, relaxed posture. The archmage stares down upon the flock of around thirty fifth-year students with piercing, deep, angular eyes of a steely gray shade, a hardened look of concentration and self-assured superiority worn upon the deep, dark lines of his harshly-angled face. Shadows flash and jump across his face as the candles flicker, his high-angled cheekbones causing a shadowy cleft to appear on either side of his face, a perfect contrast against the archmage's pale, weathered face. The Headmaster's harsh, steely-gray eyes appear sunken in upon closer inspection, a trait kept well-hidden by feeble glamours haphazardly applied, meager attempts to appear as respectable as possible in front of his faculty. In addition to his sunken, penetrating eyes of dull gray, the archmage's curling, scarred lips seem permanently set to frown in a grim sort of fashion.

The Headmaster can be seen clad in an exquisite, intricately-styled, form-fitting white robe, lavishly fashioned of the finest silk, decorated simply with precious ioun gemstones, shimmering runic patterns, and glittering diamond dust, lined with accents of a golden shade and glittering rows of perfectly polished, shimmering gemstones. Long white hair pools over the Headmaster's pure white mantle which hangs upon his broad, angular shoulders, acting as a connective fabric, indirectly linking the glittering white mantle with the archmage's glamorous gossamer cloak. The wizard's long, billowing white cloak flows down to his pointed, diamond-studded, white slippers, its wintry interior decorated with runic motifs and glittering diamonds, while its shimmering, white exterior is lined with a pattern of ground ioun stones. Over the chest of his intricately-styled white robe, a sharply-angled tabard crafted of glittering golden threads is worn, rows upon rows of solid golden beads hanging off the tabard, attaching it to the rest of his wintry fabrics. Cascading down from the wizard's luxurious, diamond-studded mantle, a sash of of glittering white cloth can be seen, decorated with all manner of occult symbols, spun of shimmering golden thread. A pair of pristine white gloves studded with glittering rubies and rune-carved diamonds envelopes the wizard's spidery digits. Finally, a fist-sized diamond talisman decorated with flecks of gold and silver hangs from the Headmaster's neck, glowing with a soft light, standing out in contrast against the spellcaster's sharp, angular collar of white and crimson cloth.

An elaborate, sparkling white wand composed of glittering diamond and encased in golden, rune-carved plating can be seen worn over his belt and numerous rings of polished diamond, glittering rubies, and expensive-looking sapphires adorn his uncomfortably long, thin fingers, each ring worn over his ornate white gloves. After a moment, the Headmaster gestures downwards before clearing his throat. Seconds later, his booming voice fills the hall, magically augmented by his spell. "It is the beginning of the end," says the spellcaster, making uncomfortable eye contact with the students below, "of another year." The Headmaster grimaces slightly, his expression sour. “There is much that I would like to say to you all tonight,” he continues, “but I must first acknowledge the loss of a very fine person, who should be standing here beside me, celebrating the beginning of another year. I would like you all, please, to allow for a moment of silence in honor of Professor Antonescu."

After precisely sixty seconds, the Headmaster claps his gloved hands together. "I notice that there are those among you with smiles upon your face and expressions of confidence. While I do not wish to alarm any of you more than is necessary, I must state that this examination is specially designed in order to challenge those of you who have otherwise glided through your education relatively untested. This examination will test you mentally, physically, and anywhere and everywhere in between. Some who take this examination are never quite the same."

"Now, there are all kinds of courage... Yet, I believe it may be in your best interest to approach this examination with... humility in mind."

"Good luck."

[Gunhaven]

Grok still held onto the broom he was using that day. The Orc looked around in feigned confusion, heightened only by the fact that he wore a chain shirt and was as burly as any Orc the weaker races had seen. The compsognathus darted between the Orc's feet helped give the impression that he at least had something that was typically a familiar, but even that was ruined when students learned the Orc kept over three dozen spiders, frogs, toads, and other compsognathuses. No, by all rights this Orc is some perpetual second year that's just here to dust and raise animals that were potentially lethal.

So when the teachers didn't stop him from wandering into a booth there was some confused chuckling from the sidelines. The chuckling grew quieter as it was revealed that, no, the Orc was actually a fifth year. And then the gasps of surprise when the Orc yelled back "We drink now!? Grok almost swallow three times already!" Proctors confirmed that the Orc had to be stopped when he first saw the bottle, then when he heard others being encouraged to drink it, and finally right after the Mistress of Necromancy spoke.

Either way Grok drank it once he heard another student swallow. He didn't have humility in his mind when he did so. Instead it was his desire to create new life, his driving force these last seven years. He wanted to know how these wizards made owlbears and how he could do the same with his disparate collection of animals. There was only that childlike curiosity as the liquid hit his stomach and he made sure he got every drop before putting the vial down.

[Hamste]

Roy eyes his potions suspiciously. He wasn't sure what it did but abjuration screamed antimagic to him. He looks around to see a proctor staring right at him. He holds up his potion bottle as if to say cheers. He does an over exaggerated drinking motion and the liquid seems to disappear.

He holds up a now apparently empty bottle to the proctor before sitting down with the still full bottle in hand. He smiles to himself serenly. Another excellently done ruse absolutely flawless if he had to say. Then he heard the proctor start casting a spell. He wasn't certain what it was as he wasn't communing with the universe right now but he was pretty sure what it was. He quickly brings the flask up to his lips again and drinks it before the casting was finished. He could certainly convince someone that his flask was empty but he couldn't hide the aura on it. A bit embarrassing but he was sure he would get out of it next time.

Used power of suggestion to convince everyone the bottle was empty and then drank it anyways when a proctor starts checking everyone drank theirs with detect magic.

[AoWisp]

Willow makes his way to the booths, grabbing a potion and eyeing it suspiciously. This was it. Now it was finally time to end it all and get some studying done. He looks around before drinking, gazing at the other students and at the teachers, a cold, uninterested look on his face. After a brief pause he looks at the potion in his hand again, opening the cap.

"Well then, bottoms up, I suppose."

He holds the bottle to his mouth, and quickly chugs the contents, not bothering to taste any of it. Realising the situation in which he's in, a small grin appears on his mouth, the anticipation sending a shiver through his body, or maybe that might have been an effect of the potion. What he could be certain of however, was that the fun was only just beginning...

"Here goes nothing."

[Hattish Thing]

The Grand Hall - Quinquennial Ceremony: Mood Music: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=divHHb0ms_U)

The instant that the jeweled goblets touch the lips of eager students, an uncomfortable sensation comes over each of the fifth-years. The liquid tastes pleasant enough for several seconds, but as soon as the potion reaches the stomach of each fifth-year student, it burns like acid. Seconds later, vision starts to blur and a kaleidoscopic slideshow of disturbing, multicolored images flash within the minds of the fifth-years. What follows is a thoroughly frightening hallucinogenic journey which culminates in the sensation of blacking out entirely.

The Grand Hall grows silent.

--

The Examination:

Each of the students appear a moment later within a massive, eerily lit antechamber faintly illuminated by seven enormous arcane runes. The one-hundred and twenty foot tall walls of this colossal chamber are covered in ornate tapestries dating back hundreds of thousands of years, depicting seven mighty realms. Flanking the tapestries are great works of art, while an impossible number of complicated arcane runes representing all schools of magic have been carved into the dark stone walls of the chamber itself. Each of the runes in the walls glow and pulse with a soft blue light, the patterns racing onto the runes carved into the ground. At the center of the room, a strange circular panel can be seen. A pattern representing each of the seven schools of virtue is carved into the panel, and at the heart of each symbol, a curious keyhole can be seen.

Including yourselves, there are twenty-one students total within the enormous chamber. Seven massive doors inlaid with seven types of skymetals, gemstones, and runes of sin branch off of this chamber, leading in seven separate directions. A moment or so passes in confusion before a blindly white light appears in the room, which promptly transforms into a nearly forty-foot tall version of Headmaster Archus Haldavyre. As he appears, cheerful fanfare fills the chamber, causing several of the other students to smile in momentary relief. This was no written examination, but at least this strange change seemed intentional. The Headmaster stares down at the fifth-years before speaking, his booming voice echoing throughout the gigantic chamber, causing the ground to shake somewhat.

“Welcome, fifth-years, to your Quinquennial Examination. I know you are eager to begin your tests, so I shall keep this introduction short. This year, as every year, prospective fifth-years must enter a permanent demiplane specifically designed by the faculty and myself to weed out the weak of heart and will and expose you to the sort of challenges you are likely to come up against out there, should you choose to utilize your magical education towards more practical aims. These challenges are difficult and often lethal, I do not expect many of you to survive. Do not lose hope, however, these are not impossible challenges. Indeed, this examination is designed to produce seven champions, only seven. No more, no less."

"Students will be required to solve several complicated conundrums our professors and spellcasters have set up at the end of the seven halls that surround us. Once one of these complicated challenges is successfully completed, a key-light shall be produced. No one student may carry with them more than one key-light, however, these items are not bound to any particular student, even if that student was the one to solve the initial conundrum. This means that you may be called to defend yourself against would-be-aggressors of similar educational level to you, who would seek to take your key-light by force. On the topic of aggression, each of you will face no consequences for any actions taken during this examination, but let it be known that we shall be watching each of you with great interest."

"Once all seven key-lights have been retrieved, the seven surviving students shall return to this chamber, where they are to join the key-lights with the panel built into the center of this chamber. This will activate the portal leading you back to the University of Metaphysical Brilliance. At any point during the examination, should you feel yourself unable to proceed, simply repeat the minor incantation etched upon the panel itself. Doing so will immediately transport you back to school grounds, safe and sound. Do be warned, however, this will cause you to fail the examination. In addition, the incantation is time-consuming, meaning that it would be quite difficult to cast during any sort of combat."

"The terms have been stated. Good luck."

--

With that, the image of Archus Haldavyre vanishes.

[Gunhaven]

Grok listened to the rules and then started to laugh when the headmaster disappeared. He kept laughing as he laid a hand on his compsognathus and watched it grow in size until it was as big as a pony. He then looked at the other twenty wizards as he finally stopped laughing and said "Grok rather not kill. Who want to help?" For added effect his compsognathus growled at the future snacks. Those he managed to browbeat into helping him he ushered towards the door of Generosityreed since sharing was caring.

I'll go ahead and use Intimidate. Might as well throw in Nibbles the Compy while I'm at it.

Grok Scary! [roll0]
Compy Too! [roll1]

[Xenopax]

Hasselhoff says to Grok,
"Bottle of Bufo for the first one to find the light?"
He then heads to the Room of Envy. Hopefully this wasn't a stupid exam where we had to "use our brains". He wanted to burn something. Besides they just gave him an excuse for violence and Hasselhoff wanted to make the most of it. He turned to the group of people there and pulled out his knife.
He picks his fingernails with it and says,
"Anyone who wants a knife in their ribs can come inside,"


Rolled a 22 for intimidate

[Hamste]

You guys do your thing. I'm checking out door number wrath. Try not to get yourselves killed or kicked out.
Roy says heading to the door marked with wrath. He was hoping that he would be able to resist what ever is inside. He wanted to avoid mugging someone if at all possible. Seems like this was a trap where stealing wasn't actually an option and it was a test of morals. He would pass this test. First he better get the buffs out of the way though. Once done he will enter the door with the wrath sign on it.


Casting mage armor on myself and my familiar. It is from my vigilante class but should probably be all right because everyone can cast spells.
Using one round of bardic performance to get 10 minutes of pageant
Casting Invisibility on myself and my familiar
Casting Roy's Impossible To Discern Spell
Casting Alter self to change into a Charau-Ka
Casting Protection from law on me and my my familiar
Casting resist energy: Fire on myself
Casting Fly in myself



Vigilante
4 first level slots
3 second level slot
1 third level slot

Bard
1 round of perform
2 second level slots
1 third level

[AoWisp]

As the Headmaster finishes his tedious speech, Willow looks around, disinterested. With a sigh, he gets up from the ground he sat upon and started making his way to the Pride room. But before entering, he turns and coughs to get the attention of the students next to him. "Ladies and gentlemen, we have spent many years together. Many, many years. One could even say that it has been far too long. That is why, to all of you people who would not look at me when I spoke to you, or would trip me with your crappy brooms while we were cleaning, I would like to extend wishes of best luck... He makes a brief pause before he speaks:
"Which you will need since YOU ALL SUCK ASS!" As he finishes that sentence, he makes a quick run to the door, giggling as angry sounds echo behind him...

[CoconutKing]

Despite the crowded nature of the scenario, one of students existed in a dichotomy of both being ignored by the group at hand, and yet, in the back of all their minds, they were aware of her almost screaming presence in a way. While likely discounted to the nature of the demiplane they were now forced to traverse by many, some realized that what they could only describe as white noise had been present during their gathering in the room before as well. It was a part of this particular student's peculiar nature, one that roamed the halls with her, and had done so since a short time after her arrival at the college, existing as an aura that none but the senior students and the teachers could figure out the origin of.

She was a short elven girl, who would appear out of place at first glance, her basic features informing any that she was far below being of age as an elf, though any student would obviously know that she likely still had outlived many of the students of other races in the school nonetheless. Still, her height, her tendency to make little noise and dress in inconspicuous colors allowed her to soon become a part of the background, just another curiosity in a school of mysteries far greater in value than yet another child prodigy, something she was quite happy with. But it was no magical trick, for any teacher in the know had their eyes on the quiet child, knowing full well that there was more to her than simply that. She was not some rich family's scion, attending with a fair sliver of talent but with more gold to her backing than any of those attending with scholarship, but rather, the forgotten child of the previous master of Conjuration, the very one given a moment of silence by headmaster in his speech to them. She was Zofia Antonescu, daughter to Ion Antonescu, a man whose entire existence seemed to have been erased in the very accident that had thoroughly eradicated most of the Conjuration department twenty five years ago. An accident which had its entire timeline and origins hidden from even most of the teachers, but the vague idea of which was known to be eldritch in nature, far beyond the magical eccentricities of traditional conjuration to be recognized with even extensive searching of the libraries.

More importantly, eldritch in the nature as the purple haze around her at all times and aura she exhibited, and the markings on the amulet she refused to take off. While most of the professors could recognize this similarity, they were prevented from further investigation by both command from above, common sense, and the methodology of her work, which hid itself in the most unnoticeable of ways...

---

Along with some others, she slipped into the door marked the Sin rune of sloth, her own understanding of Sin making her understand that the dichotomy in the usual virtues versus what was being portrayed on the doors was certainly of importance.

[Hattish Thing]

The Examination:

Once the Headmaster's massive image disappears, the enormous center chamber plunges into chaos. Panicked students separate from the others, scowling in horror as they check their spellbooks and realize they prepared for an entirely different sort of challenge. Some of the more intelligent students create the mental link between the Sin Runes upon each of the rooms, and the Virtue Runes set around the key-hole panel in the center of the large chamber.

These students eagerly retrieve focus items and spell component pouches, and begin to lead small groups through the large doors with expressions upon their faces ranging from crippling nervousness to alarming overconfidence. The apparent leader of one of the smaller bands, a fourth-year enchantment student by the name of Magnardus, taps at the runes upon the door engraved with the symbols of lust, quickly solving the puzzle associated with the door.

Magnardus and his band disappear within the door once it creaks open.

Hall of Greed - Grok:

Several frightened looking students flock around the orc, whispering to themselves as they quickly compare prepared spells and attempt to form some sort of strategy despite all the chaos raging around them. Although Grok is glared at and given a wide berth, its clear that the students are in no mood to argue with someone of Grok's size and stature, not now, as unprepared for combat as they were. Led by the orcish apprentice, the small band of students approach the nearly thirty-foot tall door leading into the Hall of Greed.

The door itself is impossibly lavish, possessing a thick skymetal frame lined with platinum and diamond. Opulent patterns of platinum runes cover every inch of the towering cathedral-like door, and each rune is set with large glittering yellow gemstones which glow with a soft golden light, bathing all who stand before the door in a golden glow. At the center of the door, several solid gold panels set with glittering rubies, sapphires, garnets, and various shades of diamond are set, clearly some sort of color-based puzzle meant to keep the door secure. Grok approaches the panel before staring off into space for several seconds, unsure why he even tried.

Fortunately for him, one of the smaller students, a nebbish, ginger-haired abjurer called Dimas steps forward, clearly interested in the runes around the door's center panel. He steps forward, recognizing the magical trap upon the door related to the puzzle. Fortunately, Dimas realizes the solution rather quickly. Utilizing several castings of Mage Hand, the door's center panel is rearranged to depict the glittering city of Xin-Shalast, the capital of the Empire once ruled over by Runelord Karzoug.

--

The door creaks upon magically, revealing a long hall illuminated by spiral runes of solid gold, set into the wall. The hall itself is lined in platinum, diamond, and exquisite skymetal, and half-a-dozen sparkling chandeliers hang from the ceiling, their diamond frames reflecting the light, causing the room itself to glimmer and sparkle. The walls here are crafted of magically reinforced glass, and from within the hall, an onlooker may look to his left or right to see massive oceans of gold, stretching on in all directions past the walls.

Finally, at the end of the hall, a large circular room can be seen, crafted entirely of sparkling diamonds. Runes of platinum race up the walls and enormous rune-carved glass statues of dragons and other powerful creatures can be seen here, causing the room here to appear particularly large. At the center of the room, however, a colossal statue of shimmering skymetal can be seen, dwarving even the draconic statues within the room. The statue itself depicts a tall, severe man clad in long robes decorated with jade plates set with rows upon rows of solid gold. The statue's expression is harsh and unforgiving, and within its right hand, an enormous skymetal glaive can be seen, rows of fire opals set into the blade.

Across the room, a single diamond door can be seen, with a large keyhole set into it. Meanwhile, at the top of the statue's forehead, within the center of a cluster of encrusted gemstones, a massive, fist-sized chunk of skymetal can be seen. This chunk of skymetal glows strangely, leading some of the students to suggest that the key to proceed further was located within the statue's forehead. One particularly knowledgeable student points a quivering finger towards the statue, opening his spellbook and frowning intensely as he puts two and two together.

"T-that, that's K-karzoug. Runelord Karzoug..."

https://i.imgur.com/DWlHByf.png

Hall of Wrath - Roy:

As Roy transforms into a monkey, to the general disapproval and disappointment of the students gathered around him, several students branch off and move on to different groups, clearly having determined that their chances of success with the "monkey-mage" on their side to be significantly lower than if they'd simply grouped up with a more impressive spellcaster. This leaves Roy standing before the door to the Hall of Wrath, accompanied by a particularly "drippy" apprentice conjurer with a cold and his morbidly obese illusionist friend. The odd pair of students follow Roy closely before staring up at the door, blank expressions upon their faces.

The door itself is carved in a curious pattern, possessing a thick skymetal frame in the form of a curious yin-yang symbol. One half of the door is decorated in brilliant orange and red gemstones, while the other is encrusted with blue diamonds and shimmering sapphires. Both halves of the door radiate temperature extremes, blistering heat or heart-stopping cold. Simplistic patterns of spiked crimson runes cover every inch of the towering cathedral-like door, and each rune is set with fire opals or sparkling sapphires which glow their prospective colors, bathing all who stand before the door in a purplish glow. At the center of the door, several jagged panels painted in dried blood can be seen, clearly some sort of color-based puzzle meant to keep the door secure. Roy approaches the panel before glancing towards some of the students working upon the other doors, figuring out a plan.

Roy steps forward, clearly interested in the runes around the door's center panel. After rearranging the panels for about a minute, the spire-topped mountain-city of Xin-Bakrahkan, the capital of the Empire once ruled over by Runelord Alaznist. The door, however, fails to open entirely. Two hand-sized slots can be seen upon the door now, jagged shards of glass visible within.

Hall of Sloth - Zofia:

A plethora of confident students stride to the door of sloth alongside Zufia, clearly believing themselves to have chosen the easiest possible challenge with which to retrieve their key-light. The students whisper to themselves as they quickly compare prepared spells and attempt to form some sort of strategy despite all the chaos raging around them. For the most part, however, morale is high. After finishing with their spellbooks, the small throng of students stand before the door of sloth, smirking as they glance over the fairly uninspiring door. Clearly, this would be an easy hall to clear out.

The door itself is simple in appearance, possessing a thick skymetal frame over sludge-covered stained glass. Lazy patterns of greenish runes cover every inch of the stained glass, barely visible beneath the fine layer of noxious slime. The skymetal frame, meanwhile, is encrusted by dozens of malachite gemstones inscribed with curious runes, which glow with a soft greenish light, bathing all who stand before the door in a greenish glow. Unlike the other doors throughout this large chamber, there is no puzzle nor trap associated with the door. A single, large handle can be seen, instead, though it too is covered in greenish sludge.

One of the students, a confident and muscular transmuter called Grame steps forward, clearly uninterested in the glass. He steps forward, rolling his eyes as he pulls a thick glove on. The transmuter proceeds to reach for the handle and pull, causing the door to open slightly. At the same time, however, the greenish sludge covering the door suddenly begins to writhe and contort, animating. The instant Grame touches the handle, the slime crawls directly past the transmuter's glove, writhing and crawling inside the glove to devour the flesh within, showing off an unusual and alarming intelligence.

Meanwhile, the slime upon the stained glass congeals and drops to the ground.

https://i.imgur.com/jZIb81i.png

Hall of Pride - Willow:

Few students gravitate towards door leading into the Halls of Pride, whispering to themselves as they quickly compare prepared spells and attempt to form some sort of strategy despite all the chaos raging around them. Although Willow is glared at and given a wide berth due to his comments made against the headmaster, its clear that the students are in no mood to quarrel, not now, as unprepared for combat as they were. Cautiously, the small band of students approach the nearly thirty-foot tall door leading into the Hall of Pride, staring up at the fantastically decorated door.

The door itself is impossibly lavish, possessing a thick skymetal frame lined with platinum and diamond. Opulent patterns of platinum runes cover every inch of the towering cathedral-like door, and each rune is set with large glittering diamonds which glow with a soft white light, bathing all who stand before the door in a greenish glow. While several of the other doors within the large chamber boast complicated puzzles or fearsome guardians, at the center of this door is but a single massive mirror, framed by ornate runes carved into dazzling horcalcum. Interestingly, the mirror itself fails to reflect anything more than five-feet back.

Within the mirror, Willow views himself reflected, only, somehow far more superior than before. There stands Willow, dressed in extravagant robes crafted of magical threads, its fashion rivaling that of the Headmaster's himself. Willow is taller, stronger, more attractive, and in his hands a powerful rune-carved staff can be seen, plated in dizzyingly beautiful skymetal, topped with a massive gemstone. Just behind Willow, dozens of acolytes bow, washing his shoes and polishing the rings upon his fingers as attractive women fall at his side, their bodies decorated in glamorous runic tattoos.

In the distance, though, a secret door can be seen... Reflected only through the mirror.

OOC: Make me a Will Save.

Hall of Envy - Hasselhoff:

Only one student moves towards the door leading into the Halls of Envy, Hasselhoff himself. The door here is crafted of simple stone, without decoration.

A single padlock acts as security.

[Hamste]

Either of you have a spell or something to help here? I can bypass the elements easily enough but I don't want to slice up my arm. A summon or some sort of think to make me tougher that could help? Or maybe open and close? Worse comes the worst I just use pieces of clothing and mage to try to keep from being stabbed but lets see the other options first. Roy says smiling to the other two...not that they can see it. They didn't seem like much but maybe they could be useful.


Rolled 43 to try to get the two remaining people to like me more.

Casting Resist energy:Cold while waiting for the others to respond or try to open the door.

[Gunhaven]

Hall of Greed - Grok:

The Orc looked at the nerds he corralled into helping him and clasped Dimas on the shoulder, squeezing almost to the point of crushing, and said in a voice too loud "Good job kiddo!" He lets go at the sign of pain and moves inside, clearly interested in all the riches but also knowing he shouldn't be touching any unnecessary things. Instead he waited for another nerd to put things together, clasped their shoulder, and again said "Good job kiddo!" It's probably a miracle the Orc even knows that much of a compliment.

He looked at the wizards and said "Whose dispel magic? Grok get key after magic gone. Grok get zapped and Grok hug caster once per zap." As proof of concept he gets out a grappling hook, ties some knotted rope to it, and Mage Hands the grappling hook to some hold on the statue once it's confirmed safe enough. He then begins the climb up the statue at a somewhat leisurely pace to retrieve the key unless some nerd stops him (and even if they don't he stops at the key to look around for mechanical traps).

[Xenopax]

Hasselhoff stands alone at the foot of the door. While he was slightly saddened that he was alone and there would be no fighting, he got to the task at hand. He cast presdigitation and made himself some lock picks. After working on the Padlock for 2 minutes it fell open. Hasselhoff steps inside the dark. He casts light on his Gadana so he could see.

[Hattish Thing]

Hall of Envy - Hasselhoff:

The instant the evoker steps into the darkness, a steep spiral staircase of battered, rune-carved stone can be seen, leading into the darkness below. Dust floats through the air, while mold can be seen growing upon the walls and cieling. A majority of the walls and steps of this claustrophobic, labyrinthine staircase appear scorched and battered, as if a number of battles were fought within the tight stone rails of the long staircase down. While huge sections of the walls have been bashed or caved in, some carvings still remain, barely visible beneath the dust and mold. The surviving walls of the complex are decorated with murals, and where they are not horribly scorched and soot-stained, they reveal scenes of bejeweled wizards in blue-gray robes adorned with ancient runes quelling magical energy, countering the spells of rival wizards, and combining their powers to tame great scaled dragons and giants.

Of more immediate concern, however, would be the fact that the instant Hasselhoff steps through the door, into the darkness, the wall itself seals behind him, swallowing up the door and preventing passage backwards. A full moment passes in silence, the area lit only by the light radiating from his magical weapon. By the end of this uncomfortable moment, however, the light radiating from his weapon begins to flicker violently, before promptly going out entirely, plunging the entire passage into pitch black darkness.

It seems magic here was repressed entirely.

Hall of Greed - Grok:

One of the more obedient students steps forward on Grok's command, nervously glancing up towards the top of the towering statue. The nervous spellcaster proceeds to rummage in his component pouch for several curiosities before promptly grinding the ingredients together and casting a spell upon the statue itself, seeking to dispel whatever enchantments it may hold upon it. The instant the lesser student finishes his spell, a great rumbling can be felt. Down the hall, the exit vanishes entirely, blending into the glass while chandeliers shiver and quake, dust falling from above.

At this time, the cieling above the statue itself begins to buckle and split wide, revealing vast mechanical sections hidden within the roof. The instant the cieling splits, hundreds of thousands of gold coins begin to rain from the sky. As the ground continues to shake and rumble, several students eagerly rush to catch some of the coins, only to cry out in pain as the coins scorch and burn their skin, filling the room with the foul scent of burning flesh and hair. Of more immediate concern than the scalding gold, however, would be the fact that the colossal statue of Runelord Karzoug itself begins to animate.

The massive thing stands tall now, reaching forward with a gnarled stone claw while its colossal gemstone glaive can be seen held in the other. The creature's first action, once animate, is to grip its glaive with both hands and swing down with extreme force upon the nearest student. The colossal glaive comes down with the force of a mountainslide, bludgeoning the student into a splattered heap of gore before any sort of slashing can be done.

OOC: Roll Initiative. [Statue Acts on 10]

Hall of Wrath - Roy:

The pair of unfortunate students look towards eachother and shrug before the conjurer reaches for his spellbook, sneezing violently as he does so, showering the surrounding area in spittle. In the meantime, the illusionist frowns a little, glancing at the door with a particularly nervous expression upon his face. For a few seconds, the illusionist seems like he may have an idea, before he simply sighs, glancing towards Roy. "Uhhh... You think color spray would help? I could try that, but, I don't think Wrath was associated with illusion. Pretty sure Wrath was abjuration. Probably why the door is all... warded, you know?"

"Or was it transmutation..."

As the illusionist wracks his mind trying to recall which sin was correlated with what school of magic, the conjurer manages to come across a page in his spellbook that causes him to smile somewhat. The uncomfortably sweaty conjurer then rubs his hands together before beginning to cast a particularly long-winded spell. By the end of the incantation, the drippy student sighs deeply, out of breath. Fortunately, a second later, a creature appears, accompanied by the stench of sulfur and body odor. The creature itself resembles an infernal wave of seeping flesh, gushing strange fluids. Amid the fatty surge wriggle half-formed limbs and a dripping tumorous face.

The conjurer speaks. "I did it! He can put a hand in there. They're pretty small though... But, we got you, Roy! You can do the other slot."

"We can do it together!"

[Xenopax]

No Magic? No Problem! Unlike most magicians, Hassalhoff hadn't forgotten to train his body.

Hassalhoff needed some light though. He scrounged around for some stuff to make a Torch. He used his knife instead of a flint and steel and the moss as the fuel.
He then takes his torch and walks further down the stairs.

Taking 20



No Light either. No Problem for one of his skill. He steps carefully into the darkness. His eyes scan the stairs, grabbing up every bit of slight in the darkness.
The teachers would have probably set up some traps or some sort of beast here. It was at times like this that he wished Grok was here. No Magic meant that no body could stop Grok and his hugs. The Big lout could see in the darkness too.

[Gunhaven]

Hall of Greed - Grok:

Grok with Grappling Hook at the ready just looks on with annoyance as the trap is sprung. He then looks as some nerds grab at falling gold coins and he yells out in pure fury "We here for Key Light! Not gold! K-E-Y!!" When the statue comes to life he begins to yell obscenities about having to do everything and turns into a saber tooth tiger since apparently violence was the answer He then moved in position as he prepared to pounce upon the statue. He was going to get that key or he was going to kill everyone here.

Init: [roll0]

Only desire is to get to that head. The cinematic method would be to run up the glaive but I'd rather toss the grappling hook with Mage Hand and then climb up him. Let me know what to roll/do.

Violence it is. Using action to cast Beast Shape 2, turning into a Dire Tiger. Using increased movement speed to better position myself for a future charge.

[AoWisp]

Staring into the mirror, Willow sees all of his fancy clothes, servants and new build. Forgetting about everything around him, he strips and then reaches in to claim his new clothes. Putting the soft fabric onto his body feels amazing, and the power radiating from the staff fills him with courage. Giggling at his new discovery, he ignores the door and continues to twirl around in his glorious outfit.
~3 minutes pass.~
After a while, Willow began to feel like something was wrong. Blinking harder and trying to focus from all the light-headedness, he finally comes back to his senses. Looking around, he is confused to find many students turned away from him, instead deciding to inspect other areas of the room. Some are looking away, their faces flushed, while others look straight at him, a plethora of different expressions. He only grows more confused as he then feels a draft on him. It is only when he looks down when he finds all his clothes are by his feet, and he has completely exposed himself to everyone, standing in front of the mirror in his birthday suit. Yelling in embarrassment, he quickly covers his privates, tears forming in the corners of his eyes as his blue skin turns a more purplish tint on his cheeks. He then remembers the door he saw in the mirror, and an idea immediately crosses his mind. Quickly getting up, he runs towards the door they all came in from, not bothering to pick up his clothes with the exception of his iridescent oval brooch, clutching it in his hand. Halfway to the exit he yells: "Don't look at me!"
He then casts Greater Invisibility on himself, once he has no one near him, after which, he makes a u-turn, heading towards the invisible door, ready to obtain the key...
He can't help but smile as a rush of superiority washes over him, knowing he was the first one to have the puzzle figured out. The thought of all the secrets he will learn once he manages to become an actual student of magic in this academy entices him, overpowering the feelings of embarrassment, as he stands face to face with where the invisible door was.

[CoconutKing]

Within moments of the slime pouring off the glass, Zofia recognized it for what it was, and found herself almost cursing. A living form of one of the most dangerous creations in magical history, created like some kind of sick, cruel joke being played upon the concept of natural evolution of anima. She showed little care for the Transmuter, who began to begin his quick parade towards death after having interacted with the door so foolishly. There was almost the sense of having fallen for a practical joke in the scenario he had found himself in, if the practical joke was the insurance of a quick, but painful death. She immediately backed up, having realized damn well that she was now dangerously close to the clutches of a similar fate, though unlike Grame, she would be forcibly dunked into that pain, not stumble into it on accord of her own idiocy. Speedily working to ensure that the casualty list not contain her name, she allowed herself to begin fading into the relative darkness of the room, becoming translucent in image if not actuality. Then, with a swift and continuous action, she swerved her arm out of her cloak, a droplet of water and a particle of dust resting on two separate fingers as she aligned her palm with the floor, and poured her efforts into making them the focus of an all encompassing transcendence.

Immediately, the droplet and particle both began to evaporate, closer inspection revealing a void-black self consumption eradicating both from space, as an eye flickered into existence for less than a millisecond, the grey iris grotesquely peppered with dozens of purple eyes growing outward from the flat surface, extending themselves into reality for all of its existence, unnoticed by all who focused on the slime, before disappearing into a hole. From the hole, blackish-grey splotches began to rain onto the slime with a rapidity that seemed unnatural, bypassing the speeds of real rain and hail as they struck the ground and slime, freezing the ground below and the slime, while filling its surroundings into darkness.

"It moves yet. Contain it, don't strike, with magic or not."

[Hamste]

Roy smiles. Perfect, good choice on the lemure, Bolbi. It can grab the fire door and I will go cold. The color spray may be useful later but not right now Zolan, remember the target needs a mind and the ability to see to be affected. Wrath is evocation, so this is going to hurt ...a lot if we aren't careful. Don't group up too close and when I open the door stand out of the way as it is entirely possible that there is another trap here set to attack those opening the door.
Roy says picking up Willow's abandoned robe and rushing back over quickly wrapping the robe around his arm. He didn't know how long the conjuror's spell would last so he had to be quick. He jams his arm into the cold room handle at the same time as the lemure jams its arm in, hoping the robe wrapped around his arm and his small stature would be enough.

[Hattish Thing]

Hall of Envy - Hasselhoff:

Cautiously, the evoker begins to stride down the dangerously slick and smooth rune-carved steps of stairs of the Hall of Envy. Although a torch can be salvaged from materials taken, and moss can be used as fuel, the light itself proves to be of little comfort. Ominous shadows dance just out of sight as dim light flickers about, faintly illuminating the many thousands of runes carved into the walls. About halfway down the staircase, a waterfall of strange liquids can be seen, pouring out from a battered chunk of the wall. The multicolored waterfall of liquid magic fills the staircase with the sound of running water and causes the stairs here to be particularly slippery.

Luckily, however, the waterfall pours straight down the center of the staircase, preventing much contact with the fluid.

The alarmingly steep staircase of stone descends for three-hundred-and-eighty feet, before finally, Hasselhoff reaches the bottom of the staircase. The "floor" here is a single, extraordinarily thick pane of glass, suspended in the air by strings of glistening magic. A large circular hole can be seen in the center of this glass panel, where the waterfall of liquid antimagic pours through, down into a vast underground lake. The lake itself is about one-hundred feet below the glass pane, and seems deathly still from above. Far below, upon the surface of the deathly-still lake of liquid antimagic, a single stone platform can be seen. Electrical discharges spark from a silver rod protruding from this platform, far below-it almost looks like the metal rod has fused with the stone of the floor.

The only way down appears to be a five-foot-wide panel in the glass pane, and a long rope set beside it.

Hall of Greed - Grok:

The colossal statue slams its massive foot down upon the ground, causing the room to shake as it raises its diamond glaive once more, now spattered in the blood and crushed bone of the student unfortunate enough to be closest to the stature during its sudden animation. Blisteringly hot golden coins continue to rain down from the skies, causing several of the students to cry out in pain as coin-shaped burns pock and mar their flesh, singing and burning through all but the sturdiest of clothing. Many of the students begin to panic, rushing about to reach for exquisite trophies to claim for themselves as they give in to fear and greed.

Some students, however, stay strong and attempt to fight back against the thing. Various evocation spells are cast towards the statue, which for the most part, appears unconcerned by the damage being done to its frame. Direct evocations seem to merely bounce off the golem or fade into nothingness upon contact, causing the thing to smirk confidently.

As Grok transforms, the golem glances over towards him, its ruby eyes glaring down with intensity and hatred. The thing brings its glaive high, gripping it with both hands, before bringing the colossal weapon down with otherwordly strength, shaking the room as it does so, clefting great trenches in the floor.

Hall of Pride - Willow:

Fleeing across the primary antechamber, Willow comes to an empty section of the wall across the room before tapping his hands against the wall. After several moments, Willow discovers an illusory section of the wall, just large enough for a medium-sized creature to barely squeeze through. Passing through the illusory wall is simple and pleasant, for the hall hidden behind the illusory wall is both expansive and comfortable. This wing of the challenge area appears as a grand cathedral decorated with peacock motifs and shimmering tapestries hanging off the walls. Above, massive chandeliers hang from the ceiling, brightly illuminating the area with hundreds of continual flames.

The brightly lit corridor ahead is lined with dozens of floor-to ceiling mirrors, causing dozens of reflections to appear once Willow steps within range of the mirrors. The reflections give the dizzying impression that the corridor opens up to each side, extending infinitely into the unfathomably vast distance.

Yet, as Willow passes by... something catches his eye, in the mirror. The object or individual of his deepest desire, for a split second, appears in the corner of his eye.

Will Save: DC 22, or Willow is convinced that the object of his desire is trapped within the mirrors along the hall.

[Xenopax]

Hasselhoff ties the rope to the stairwell before climbing down it. He gritted his teeth and bore the pain as the fiberglass cut his hands. After he touches down, he ties te other end of the rope to the platform and tries to figure out what the Stick does. He grabs it firmly and tries moving it.

[Gunhaven]

Hall of Greed - Grok:

When the Glaive lifts up Grok is back to his Orcy self. Having a moment to think he reaches into his backpack and pulls out his Tome of the Transmuter that held more sentimental value than anything. He tossed it toward the massive mounds of treasure as he reached into his pocket to pull out a vial to help stop the worse bits of bleeding. He then looked at the nerds and screamed in primal fury.

If he could then he'd run up and strangle the closest idiot taking the not key-light. Instead he yelled at the panicking masses "You steal, you die! Leave valuable like book or headband or robe!" He tried to calm down before he ruptured a blood vessel as he made a mental note of who would be a good person to hug if he got hit again.

Dismissing Beast Shape 2.

Getting out Precon'd Spellbook from backpack and putting it with the treasure. Maybe getting an extract of Cure Light Wounds and chugging it. Definitely yelling at the other students.

[AoWisp]

While walking down the mirror-filled hallway, Willow makes a mental note to look at the mirrors as little as possible until he reached the end of the hallway. But in a split-second of him walking, he could've sworn he saw his older brother waving at him. But then, he remembered the humiliation he suffered the first time he saw a mirror, and his train of thought was then interrupted by a surge of anger and a wish to get this ridiculous test over with as soon as possible.
Then, a voice began echoing in his mind. It was Willow's Pooka familiar, Eris. During this whole time she had been invisible, sitting on his shoulder. Her voice when she spoke held a soft touch of worry, different from the normal playful tone she often had.

"You know, you wouldn't be feeling this stressed if you would just write to the man already! It's just a piece of paper, how cheap can you possibly be?! Sending mail to people doesn't even cost money in this damn school!" She made a quick pause before her tone returned to her usual one of mockery. "I'm saying this because... Well, you know the girlfriend of the best friend of the daughter of Elaine's neighbor? So we were out for lunch once, like, 10 years ago I think? Anyway, she works as a caretaker for wounded animals, and she told me that they can die from stress! And I really don't want my familiar to die before I become unrivaled ruler of this world." He didn't particularly mind her talkativeness, if anything it was welcome in the eerie silence of the hallway, but Willow was particularly unhappy for one thing:

"And might I ask what your highness was doing while I was being brainwashed into stripping by a hellish mirror?" She gives him a soft pat on the shoulder before answering. "Oh, I was filing my nails." She says that as nonchalantly as any other person would, had the situation not been as abnormal as it was. Willow clicks his tongue in annoyance as he rushes towards the end of the hallway. "When this is over, I swear to the Lantern King, I will stop buying you carrots for a month!"

Rolled 23 on a Will save.

[Hamste]

Roy unwraps the now torn and bloody robe from his arm. He was sure it would look like a mess if he could actually see it. It hurt terribly but could have been so much worse if he hadn't been expecting it.

See what I told you about a trap that attacks those opening the door. Good thing I didn't try to open both. If either of you have spells that heal people. Would be much obliged to get one.
Roy says as he shakes some of the loose blood off him and uses a strip of Willow's robe to stop the blood before letting his robe's sleeve slip down to cover the make shift bandage.

Here is my plan, Fluffy will go before us until they get injured. I will follow after flying and invisible. You two take up the rear. If I spot an ambush I warn you and hopefully Fluffy triggers dodges any traps. If Fluffy gets injured we may need to sacrifice some summons even if it slows us down. What is your duration like Bolbi?
Zolan, preferably you watch the rear and if you see anyone try delay them with your illusions. If you have any long duration ones it might be worth it to set a few up as we go to confound any who try to follow us.

Either of you of course feel free to say something if you think you have a spell that can help.
Roy says as he gets ready to follow his familiar into the room.


My cat familiar goes in first, then 25 feet behind is me flying and not touching the ground.

[Hattish Thing]

Hall of Sloth - Zofia:

Spells begin to fly as Grames the transmuter starts to scream in horror as his flesh and bones begin to liquefy, melting away into nothingness as the green slime devours all organic material. The other students gathered around the door begin to panic and flee from the area, though a few brave apprentices attempt to hold their ground. Spells ricochet off of the walls of this massive center chamber, powerful abjuration magics causing the spells to simply bounce about violently once they miss their target. Across the room, screams of pain can be heard, mostly coming from around the door to the Halls of Wrath, adding to the cacophony of sound.

The ooze itself begins to undulate and writhe, slipping somewhat upon the icy ground. The guardian, now disturbed and enraged, stretches forth a glistening pseudopod, dripping with foul green slime. Small pools of foul sludge form as the thing swings its sickening pseudopod towards an unsuspecting Zofia.

Fortunately, however, Zofia is guided by her unusual eidolon, keeping her safe.

Hall of Envy - Hasselhoff:

The curious rope is tied to one of the stronger rails attached to the stone staircase leading onto the levitating glass platform, allowing for stable support. After this is done and over with, the apprentice begins to grip the strange rope, crying out in pain as hundreds of painful microfibers pierce flesh with alarming ease. With a pained expression upon his face, Hasselhoff begins the climb. The climb itself is arduous and agonizingly painful, for the force of grip required to ensure that he doesn't fall off the rope itself merely causes the microfibers to bury and break themselves off in his flesh at greater speeds, leaving them cut apart and pierced beyond belief.

Finally, Hasselhoff lands upon the stone platform below, which rocks and sloshes about as soon as weight is applied. Fortunately, Hasshelhoff manages to avoid slipping off the platform, but only just. The lake itself remains deathly silent, thought the movement of the stone platform disturbs the otherwise tranquil lake. Out of the corner of his eye, Hasselhoff notices something alarming. In the distance, visible only due to the small bit of light being given off by his makeshift torch, the shadow of an unfathomably large creature can be seen, moving about beneath the surface of the lake of liquid antimagic. Regardless, the apprentice hurriedly reaches for the rod.

The instant his fingers connect to the rod, strange images flash through his mind at great speeds. An incredible magical duel, flashes of multicolored light, the roar of powerful incantations mixed in with the cries of those in great pain. Nothing coherent can be detected within the images, but for a split second, an imperious figure all in green and gold can be seen. Not soon after, though, the rod is retrieved, sliding out of the platform itself. The rod emits a burst of magic, seemingly immune to the effects of the Hall of Envy. This magical burst causes the lake itself to split wide, revealing a set of glass stairs leading down.

At the far end of the path revealed along the bottom of the lake, a single chalice can be seen, levitating in the air. Unfortunately, the rod quickly malfunctions entirely after use, exploding in a burst of magical energy, sending shards flying about. Hasshlhoff's hand bears the brunt of the damage.

Hall of Greed - Grok:

As the orcish apprentice recovers from being nearly crushed into the marble flooring, he stands up tall before staring up at the colossal thing once more, just as it raises its glaive to the cieling, ready to bring it down once more upon the orc with enough force to surely finish him off with little effort. However, in a surge of intellect, Grok realizes that this particular test may have to do with the Virtue magics, which opposed the Sin Magic associated with the Runelords of Ancient Thassilon. In a bold move, Grok reaches for the transmutation spellbook held in his pack, the school of magic associated most heavily with both Greed and Generosity.

The statue swings down upon Grok just as the tome crashes into a pile of treasure, one of many stacked throughout the circular chamber. The instant the tome connects to the pile, the statue stops midswing, immediately turning away from Grok to make quick work of the other apprentices, all but one, who in a hurry, tosses a small ring into a pile across the room. Eventually, only the pair of students remain alive. An uncomfortable moment passes, before finally, the statue reaches into its own head to retrieve a small skymetal key. The thing rests the key down gently upon the ground, before turning to motionless stone once more.

The door across the room beckons.

Hall of Wrath - Roy:

The pair of students gathered around Roy recoil in horror as the lemure cries out in pain, its hellish voice echoing throughout the large circular chamber as it pulls what remains of its hand out from the slot within the door. Fortunately, its immunity to extreme heat protected it from the miniaturized furnace built into the warmer half of the door, however, the rows upon rows of grinding wheels and jagged shards make quick work of the thing. The summoned creature continues to scream in agony as it continues to bleed out a sickening crimson sludge, before finally, its form destabilizes entirely, resulting in the creation of a puddle of gorey flesh-fluid.

After a moment, the lemure vanishes, as all summons do, but the encounter was regardless rather mortifying for the students.

In response to Roy's request, Bolbi nervously steps over towards the other wizard, a concerned expression upon his face as he glances towards the horrible wound. "Uhh, I've got a few spells that might help. I'm not much of a specialist when it comes to healing, but I did have a few castings of Infernal Healing, just in case. I recommend you do too, Professor Salvori said so a while ago. I think you were in that class with me last semester! I like Professor Salvori. Um. *Sneeze* Alright! I think I'm about ready, just... This might hurt a little bit, there's... there's a lot to knit back together, but, I promise it'll work out! I hope..." Nervously, Bolbi peels away the torn and bloody robes, nearly vomiting as he takes a good look at the horrifically gorey wounds sustained by Roy, thanks to the sinister trap held within the door.

Once the spells are done and over with, Zolan stares towards the door, which suddenly opens of its own accord...

He mutters under his breath. "I think it was thirsty. It's open now."

Hall of Pride - Willow:

Willow continues through the mirrored hall, speaking to his familiar for comfort as he manages to avoid glancing into the mirrors, foiling the otherwise potent trap located within the hall of mirrors. After several moments of travel, the corridor opens into an immense cathedral of polished ivory flagstones, each one carved with dozens of ornate golden runes. Mirrored walls fitted with glamorous horcalcum frames rise to a height of nearly a hundred feet, where the vaulted ceiling arches majestically. Atop the cieling, an immense painting of an extraordinarily handsome man clad in piecemeal skymetal armor which exposes his muscular arms and midriff can be seen. The armor itself is covered in dozens of glamorous runes, while a cloak of bright green and a peacock-pattern headdress can be seen covering the man. His long, sharp fingers have been painted, as have his lips.

Looking away from the painting, four immense chandeliers can be seen, hanging from golden chains which brightly illuminate the entire room. At the center of the cathedral, a three-step dais of polished wood supports a pristine ivory peacock statue the size of a wyvern, its feathers spread regally behind it. The creature's eyes, which appear as glittering mirrored gemstones, seem to hold a great depth of wisdom and intelligence. Carved into the base of the statue, a phrase in Ancient Thassilonian can be seen, though Willow fails to comprehend the strange language. A moment passes as Willow glances across the glamorous room once more before suddenly, a sinister laughing can be heard, echoing throughout the room.

For now though, no attackers have appeared.

https://i.imgur.com/zqCY9y7.png

[Gunhaven]

Hall of Greed - Grok:

Grok grabs the key and heads towards the door without saying a word to the survivor. He whistled for Nibbles to come just as he put the key in the door and unlocked it. Assuming nothing stopped him the orc steps into the next room while trying to think of what he'd give up if there was another test before the keylight.

[Hattish Thing]

Hall of Greed - Grok:

The survivor, a rather overeager evoker clad all in tattered blue with dark hair that constantly seems to spark constantly, rushes over towards Grok as soon as the statue becomes inanimate once more. The evoker reaches for a fairly potent looking rune-carved metamagic rod, holding it before him with a fearful expression upon his face. Once it becomes clear that the room is now relatively safe, the evoker raises an outstretched hand to Grok, a crooked, nervous half-grin upon his weathered and slightly singed face. "Erm... H-hello there, f-friend. Are you... Are you alright? You don't look so good. Here, take this." The evoker reaches for a potion in his pouch before sighing and handing it over, clearly apprehensive about the whole situation.

Once he passes along the potion, the evoker steps back instinctively before continuing. "I've got two more, b-but they're not supposed to be used. T-they're not technically mine, I've only borrowed them and all. T-though I suppose we do need them more right now. I'm Ollie, what about you?"

--

As introductions finish up, the pair unlock the glittering diamond door with relative ease, opening up the way into an even grander hall. Many parts of this hall have been transmuted entirely into gold, diamond, or glittering skymetal and festooned with precious gems, most of which have been magically treated to emit light, basking the hall in a dizzying glow of golden light. At the end of the glittering hall, a large iron door studded with dozens of colorful gemstones can be seen. Although the door appears to have no latch, a depression in the center contains a keyhole.

Adjacent to it, a medium-sized panel of metal can be seen.

https://i.imgur.com/b3b9DgZ.png

[Hamste]

Hall of Wrath- Roy

Unfortunately, the school doesn't budget any spells for me as the majority of my spells are spontaneous. I should probably buy it anyways. It isn't like disguise self is that useful and the healing is nice. Thank you. Yep, it is indeed open. Lets go.
Roy says as the wounds seal. It hurt massively but he just grits his teeth and keeps from saying anything about the pain. He moves forward into the the door in the plan laid out earlier.

[Xenopax]

Hassalhoff bites down on his lip till blood comes in order to not scream in pain. He looks at the bloody remains of his hand before wrapping it up in some cloth from his shirt. He heads down the glass stairs for the chalice. He grabs the chalice carefully.

[AoWisp]

A shiver runs down Willow's spine as the laughter echoed, making him jump a little. He then returned his eyes to the painting, looking it up and down, before he rubs his nose bridge with one hand, sighing. "Ya know, this convinces me that this school is filled with drag queens. Now i just need to find their den and expose the headmaster for what he truly is! Truly, this shall be my most evil prank as of yet, wouldn't you say Eris?~ Man though, this man is really pretty. Nobles these days, I swear..."

Eris scoffs, then she grabs Willow's head and turns it in the direction of the laughter. "Sure, go for it. Hell, I'll help you. But for now, how about we focus on getting the keys and then getting outta here! I'll keep watch too since I'm way more perceptive than you, but make yourself useful for now, mkay?"

Willow nods, and begins buffing up before moving forward. "Yeah, yeah..."

Cast Mage Armor
Cast Fly
Refreshed Invisibility, Greater.

[CoconutKing]

Deftly stepping to side as the creature's tentacles whipped past her body, the crack of the pseudopod only adding to the sounds coming from behind. Neither the chaos of the other rooms, nor the proximity of the slimey creature did much more than slightly phase Zofia, resulting in no more than a wrinkle of the nose from her. Instead of striking back, or perhaps moving in a way leaving her open to being struck at yet again by the creature, Zofia allowed herself to fall backwards. Her feet switched postures, as Zofia's curled boots found themselves balancing upon a single point of her heels for a moment, before she was forcibly tipped over, as though violently pushed by an invisible force. However, instead of falling all the way to the ground and convulsing under the force of the fall, Zofia began to dematerialize, slowly evaporating into flakes of a void black color, before the speed of this dematerialization ramped up, and she was gone far before she should have hit the ground.

Instead, she appeared twenty feet past the slime in a showy reconstitution of her body, completely unfazed by the teleportation. "I would leave the fool to his demise for later resurrection. You have little likelihood of killing an awakened green slime." she said, her monotone voice not maintaining a stable volume as she walked into the open door. "Oh, and mind the sludge in here when you trot along." she later said, a small smirk breaking through as though she'd just cracked a hell of a joke.

[Gunhaven]

Hall of Greed - Grok:

Grok uncorks the potion and downs it in a gulp, stoppering it and putting it in his pocket. He looked at the umie and said gruffly "Grok." He then set to work on moving on, his pony sized raptor chirping and nudging the Orc to alert him both to the actual door and the pressure plate. With a sigh Grok looked over at the survivor and said slyly "Ready for more surprise from Orc?"

He pulled out his thieves tools and set to work on the pressure plate, setting off the trap from a safe distance away. As he waited he grabbed a more intact corpse and dragged it over to where the mechanisms were. There was a brief clash of morals and accepting the alternative of either running past or a wall of ice. Either way Grok told the umie calmly "You do plan. Grok follow if works. Grok chuck body if not." while Nibbles the Compsognathus growled and snapped at the potential meal.

Just posting what we did on the chat.

Healing received: [roll0]

[Hattish Thing]

Hall of Wrath - Roy:

Now that the entrance to the Halls of Wrath had been properly opened, the door itself opens with ease, swinging aside of its own accord. Ahead, a wide corridor of polished marble opens into a brightly lit and extremely tall chamber. Scorched tapestries decorated with flame motifs hang off the walls of this expansive chamber, and a massive sihedron pattern can be seen carved into the floor. Across the room, the upper portion of the far wall is entirely covered in a mural of an armored gothic beauty with wild crimson hair and a somewhat insane expression.

This woman wears a long flowing red and gold dress decorated with flames and wields a thorny, burning ranseur.

A square outcropping of smooth marble juts out from the far wall, rising from the floor to a height of thirty feet. An opening in the wall directly behind the flat top of the stone column leads deeper into this section of the vault. A twelve-foot-tall iron statue stands on this platform, an enormous iron bow gripped in its metal fists and a strange rune that looks almost like a pair of fangs decorating its chest.

Roy's pair of wizard allies glance towards the mural of the woman simultaneously, murmuring to themselves.

"Runelord Alaznist..."

https://i.imgur.com/rDE1bKg.png

Hall of Pride - Willow:

The sinister laughter fades away as quickly as it came, however, the disappearance of the ominous sound is accompanied by the sudden flickering of lights as continual flames begin to flash and slowly dwindle down to nothing, slowly plunging the room into darkness. A quick cantrip spell of light illuminates the area once more, but as soon as the spell is cast, the room itself seems to have changed drastically. Now, where once Willow stood within a room of mirrors and glamorous tapestries were, the apprentice wizard now stands atop the ramparts of a massive, half-collapsed fortress crafted of scorched stone and black marble.

Tattered tapestries hang off of walls, while huge banners depicting the sihedron symbol of Ancient Thassiloan soar above. Hundreds of skeletons, scorched and battered, can be seen lying upon the ramparts themselves, while thousands more can be seen upon the battlefield below, limp and lifeless, scarred by magic. Apart from the whistling of the wind, the half-blasted ramparts are entirely silent, seemingly abandoned. The only noticeable bit of architecture would be the curious arch built into the ramparts, about one-hundred feet back. The arch itself remains motionless and inactive, for now, like much else atop the ramparts.

After a moment, however, a voice, dark and twisted, echoes...

https://i.imgur.com/EoAPEpa.png

Hall of Sloth - Zofia:

Now that the entrance to the Festering Maze of Sloth had been properly opened, the door itself opens with ease, swinging aside of its own accord. Ahead, a cramped hall of moldy stone opens into a claustrophobic pseudo-sewage system of crumbling, sludge-covered tunnels. Slimy tapestries decorated with ornate green and gold patterns hang off the walls of this foul compound, and spiraling sihedron patterns can be seen carved into the floor. The air grows thick and foul-smelling in this chamber, yet the vaporous stink here is nothing compared to the insult to the senses elsewhere.

Slime encrusts the walls in swaths of sickly brown and noxious green. A foamy sewage channel runs along a slippery walkway, the thickly shuddering skin atop the slowly churning fluid seeming to hint that, despite its repulsive appearance and smell, something lurks in those depths.

Although they bear a striking resemblance to sewers, both in appearance and scent, the tunnels of the Festering Maze were not designed for that intent. Regardless, today these chambers have all the charm of a poorly maintained septic system. The walls and waters of this maze are alive with relatively harmless but nonetheless disturbing vermin: fist-sized spiders, deformed rats, pallid foot-long centipedes, and glistening tangles of worms wriggle in the corners of all these rooms.

https://i.imgur.com/1Yt5suK.png

Hall of Greed - Grok:

Ollie frowns a tad before casting a spell just as the frighteningly efficient trap begins to reset, sliding into the wall once again. A wall of thick ice appears just before the trap, filling the hall with cold air, brisk and bracing. Ollie crosses in front of the trap swiftly, rushing as quickly as he can to open the door leading forward. The trap bursts forward, slamming into the wall and cracking the ice, causing chunks to spray across the hall. Fortunately, the wall holds for now, and Ollie manages to rush through to the room ahead, leaving the door open just long enough for Grok to follow.

Ahead, a beautiful tunnel of polished wood inlaid with silver and gold runes stretches for at least a hundred feet before ending at a wall of greenish mist sparkling with silver motes of light.

https://i.imgur.com/b3b9DgZ.png

[Hamste]

Full of traps. Probably not fire, seems like a trick where we expect the wrong element. The statue has a rune on it for the sign of wrath. Either the statue can use it or it is a trap that triggers. The sign of wrath is an attack that uses force to hurt and push back the target. It hurts a lot but only with in twenty five feet of the rune. The golem or statue is made of the same thing as the door only mixed with adamantine. Highly likely a golem, we do not want to fight it. My familiar is going in to trigger the traps. Pyrom says. His still invisible familiar moves into the room relying on its ability to survive and dodging skills to avoid the traps. After it triggers a trap it will stop to wait for a command.

[Gunhaven]

Hall of Greed - Grok:

The dynamic duo kept an eye or nose out for traps since there's bound to be something, Grok going so far as to create little baubles to toss along the floor to potentially set off traps or get dissolved in the green mist. After a few feet Grok did say to Ollie "You find anything? Grok sure something here going to kill us, too."

Grok Preceive! [roll0]

Nibbles Too! [roll1]

Grok use Prestidigitation and Mage Hand to check tiles for traps

[CoconutKing]

The stench of the sewers seemed to seep right past any defense of the eldritch aura that surrounded Zofia, forcing her to consider gagging, but pushed this impulse to the side, before moving forward. Clearly, there was something more at play here than the sickening gruel of a hundred years of waste, for she was awash with energies she recognized quite well to be Abyssal. That crafty man had likely put a portal around, playing to the strengths in Conjuration of many of the students who were likely to enter here. She was also aware that this was the realm of Sloth, tucked in amongst a school of virtues, thus there was likely little to benefit letting rune be more to the taker of the test than simply the name of the dungeon that they had crawled into. Time was of the essence. She stepped forward again, pulling up more traditional magics from the air around her to form a comforting cushion of wind around her, lifting her into the air. The wind was somewhat tainted in a manner only spells cast by one tainted themselves could be, but the indifference of transmutation to the horrors of the beyond meant that it was of no concern.

She rushed forwards, forcing the wind to buffet her forwards in the direction of the tunnels, with nothing more than a calm beckoning having been given to the two students before.

[AoWisp]

Willow looks around the room and sighs, deciding to walk towards the sound he was unable to translate.
"I would feel worse if this room didn't have a bird-motif."
Though he said that, the heavy atmosphere that had taken over made him feel on edge, Willow's hair standing on end. He decides he doesn't want to stay in this room for much longer, quickening his pace to where the noise came from.
"Nothing good could come out of this..."
"What did you expect? A welcome mat?"