New beginnings in a scarred world.[IC][3.5]

[Doomboy911]

A peaceful silence is suddenly broken by a single dripping sound at first easy to ignore but the steady repetition makes it far too annoying to ignore. Each of you find yourselves alone in a dark and dank cell.

Donovan awakens on his belly a wide flat board over his back with a series of weights laid across them, the weight seems enough to pin you down but with every passing moment it seems another few pounds is added on.

Lexara isn't awoken by the sound of dripping water but a cold feeling washing them, they find themselves in an empty cell a pool of cold water forming at your face. Your cell seems lined with holes, a single door is on the wall, the water is pouring in at a steady pace but their doesn't seem to be a drain.Another hole begins spraying water.

Adam calmly awakens in a bed of flowers; tulips, daisies and plenty of daffodils, above you are several vials of liquids the content you struggle to discern without further studying but there is a door out of your cell across from you.

Ivan is snapped awake by a sharp pain in his back, the wall across from him holds a door and an hourglass above it. Chains are bound to his limbs and neck and run into separate holes in the wall. Against the small of your back a blade is sticking out of the wall, you can hear the slow grinding of gears behind you.

[blade artist]

Ivan looks around wildly for a few seconds before leveling his gaze on the door and its hourglass. "Hey! Is there anyone out there!? What am I in here for!" He shouts half expecting silence. He decides to test the chains slightly while he waits for a reply.

(not really pulling on them, just seeing if anything happens if I start pulling on them, also am I naked or something?)

[TheGuardianWolf]

Donovan grunts as the light begins to pour back into his vision, he tries to blink away the grogginess in his vision. Everything's fuzzy, did he drink himself out? No, he hasn't had the money for that since he left home. But then what happened? "Ah well," he finally musters as thought can once again cross his brain cells "Guess a' might'as well keep goin'."

He let out an "Ah fouck!" as he tried to hoist himself up, meeting the resistance on his back. But what was that about? Did someone tie a barrel to his back as a prank? No, this was something else, he couldn't tell exactly what but... It was getting heavier? "Wat n' tha bloody hell! Whar' am aye? Who's doin' that?!?" He shouted, wildly shifting himself, trying to leverage the weights off his back the best he could. As he managed to to lift his head, all he could make out was crude stones and a wood plank?

"Truffle, are ya' there girl?" he whispered in a brief pause before he began shifting left and right as violently as he could in an attempt to move these weights, they at least seemed stacked in a way that maybe he could throw them off of himself. At least he hoped.

[Greenflame133]

Ashie setup back horrified. Starts feeling the cage. There are wholes everywhere. She was likely licked up and thrown to some body of water.

She dips her finger And licks it to taste the water.

Shortly she also found the doors. She takes deep breath and trys opening them.

[Fliggl]

Adam woke up, recovered and rested, and sat down first. He took a look around to see a door and some vials hanging over his bed Good to know here are some of these. Maybe I need one later he thought.

He stood up, walked over to the door and tried to open it. Just then, he heard a call for help and grabbed the doorknob to open the door.

I assume I hear Ivar shouting

[Doomboy911]

Donovan try as he might can't seem to pull himself free of the board upon his back, however their is a small squeaking noise that emanates from his beard. Flying free Truffles darts around the room before resting a few inches from his face. The little bat lets out a soft yawn then licks his nose smiling at the sight of her master.

The water seems to be fresh the issue is more the quantity as another hole begins to spray out more water which has begun to pool around your feet. The door is certainly a door but why it isn't open seems beyond you.

Ivan pulls slowly but surely and as he does the chains begin to be turning some gears, suddenly the blade in your back seems to extend further. You can feel a slow but steady trickle of blood run down your back.

Adam twists the door knob and it does seem to be unlocked but as he does something snaps above you. One of the several vials on the far end of the room falls exploding into a gout of fire and then another and more. Thinking quickly you pull the door open and dive through to avoid the incoming explosions. Outside your cell is a large circular room with a woman standing in the middle balancing a long curved blade on the edge of her finger, she's dressed mostly in black leather.

=============================
The rest of you hear a series of explosions from Adam's room.

[TheGuardianWolf]

Ahh Truffle, iff'n you ain't a sight fer' saure eyes! Quick girl, see if ya can foind somethin' to stop whatever's on my back! Donovan shouts to his bat shortly before a loud bang and the sounds of burning ring out in the distance. As though he wasn't confused enough, Donovan couldn't understand what was going on. This clearly wasn't an ordinary jail cell, and whoever was keeping him here had to be sick, but what did they want with him? What would they want with a Dwarf who knew a couple magic tricks?

Then it hit him, what if this wasn't the only danger in his room, the weights kept piling on, getting heavier by the second, and he found himself less able to shift himself under this trap. However, what if his room was rigged to explode and he didn't know it yet? What if there was some sort of battle raging outside and they were trying to bring the building down? He didn't know, he didn't want to know, he wanted to get out and maybe get some answers, but mostly, he wanted to run. He hasn't been gone from home long, and already his life was in grave danger. But... wait. This isn't the first time this happened.

As soon as he recalled a time when he had first started learning magic that he remembered a time when a boulder peeled from a wall and almost crushed him. Yeah, maybe that trick could work here too. He could vaguely recall the incantations, and was able to move his hand just enough to make the motions. He braced his ears for what was about to come, and Truffle should be fine now that she isn't in his beard, maybe she just get startled. No, she was used to this, she'll be fine. As he finished the motions, he turned his arm and pressed his hand into the board and uttered the final word to Sonic Snap, hoping the force would push the board enough that he could throw it off.

(OOC tl:dr I'm asking my Bat to try and find a way to stop this while using Sonic Snap to push the board up. I prepare that spontaneously using Alacritous Cogitation to do it.)

[Fliggl]

Adam

This was close Adam thought.
The next second he recognized the women with the blade, he turned into a puma.

[Greenflame133]

Of course doors are lock this is a death trap. At lest she won be dining like an idea who forgot how to use door. Lexara starts hitting wall with her fist. "somebody help me!" she yells in desperation.

[Doomboy911]

Truffle takes to the sky but doesn't seem to have much effect as the wait becomes more oppressive so too does the weight. Releasing a snap of thunder the board across Donovan's back shatter, it takes a moment for the ringing to alleviate but he is free. The room seems mostly empty save for the broken stone and wood, Truffle is holding a small piece of stone in her talons. [make a perception check]

Ivan begins wailing on the chain again and again as the time ticks down. Upon the final smack the chain snaps and the hourglass across from you seems to have only a few more seconds. The chain freed from your limb begins to slide into the wall.

Lexara struggles to open the door as more water begins to pour in.

The woman across from you simply waves at you as Adam turns into a puma, she snaps her fingers and stone platform rises from the floor and she sits upon it. Her face is mostly covered saved for her eyes but she doesn't seem poised to attack. [roll a perception check for the other three Adam]

[Greenflame133]

Ashie keeps hittinf the door trying to make as much noice as possiable,she also keep yelling

[blade artist]

Ivan huffs, finishing chopping his chain as he looks to the hourglass. "Bloody nine hells and dragons," he mutters to himself setting himself to cut the next one. He tries to remove himself from the blades eventual path and pull his chain from his leg up to pin on the blade's tip.

I'm putting the blade as close to my ankle as possible.

Most of my belongings are actually in a large and quite filled backpack, which I'm guessing is just in a corner or something.

And strength check if necessary to get chain in place [roll1d20+2[/roll]

And perception to even hear the explosion over my racket [roll0]

[Doomboy911]

With a bit of slack you're able to see the blade behind you is a large triangle like a guillotine. Trying to pull the chain free the inner mechanisms within the wall begin pulling all four chains taut and towards the blade.

Truffle is holding what appears to be a small statue that easily fits into your palm, the statue is intricately cut from marble in the shape of dwarf. The pile nearby of broken stone seems to have similar features upon them, it appears the pile of upon your back were all small statues of dwarves.

[TheGuardianWolf]

Come 'ere Truffle, wass' tha' ya got? Donovan asked as the ringing in his ears subsided from pure deafness to a low but constant hum. It was shapely, not just a simple brick, but in fact very elaborately done. It was a Dwarf. A curious thing, it didn't look like Donovan, so it couldn't have been some odd carving made to taunt in some way. But that's when he noticed the odd shaping of the other bricks that were used to pin him down. While none were as easily recognizable, they were all Dwarves. Carved just the same as the one Truffle was perched on.

Putting two and two together wasn't hard. Donovan wouldn't have even left home if it wasn't for the fate of his people, but how did his captor know that? Beyond that, why would they even put in the effort to do this? To carve each statue, to find and kidnap him, to set all this up? Again he thought "I'm just a Dwarf who knows a couple magic tricks." The most he had going for him was that he was determined and a quick learner, but that's hardly any reason to take him, as there were Dwarves much more powerful than him, and worth a lot more. The more he thought about it, the more it unnerved him, but at the same time, the more it drove him to figure out the truth.

Truffle seemed reluctant to leave her new perch. Eventually, after some arguing, Donovan gave in and decided to not move her. He put the statue, and consequentially Truffle, in his backpack, leaving a small opening in the top, just enough for the Bat to breathe and leave if she desired. He found it odd his pack was left nearby, only partially covered by the broken stones. But otherwise, it was time to get to work leaving. He walked over towards the door, he started inspecting the doors lock, starting by trying to open it normally, and keeping an eye out for the key.

(OOC: Also, outside of the statues, do I notice anything odd about the stonework of the cell?)

[Doomboy911]

Despite her shortcomings the door begins to budge a bit, Lexara's weight is just enough to cause a bit of cracking the question though is if she can do it fast enough. Suddenly four more holes begin unleashing water as the water reaches her knees.

To Donovan's surprise the door is unlocked, he's now standing in a large circular room with a woman that you can clearly tell his elven despite hiding herself in leather and cloth and beside her some manner of jungle cat not that he had much experience in the jungle.

[Fliggl]

Adam

And then everything happens so fast: the women in leather rises high on a stone platform, behind one door a loud thunder was to hear and then a dwarf came out of this cell and behind another door he heard the sound of metal hitting metal or something similar.

He took another short view on the women and ran to the door with the metal sound behind. What's behind it? Is this the sound of a fight? Should I open it? But what if it triggers another bomb? But what if someone's behind and need help? he thought and sighted.
Go for it and with this in mind he walked 3 steps backwards and accelerated. He threw his body against the door.

strength check? [roll0]

[Greenflame133]

Lexara put her back against the wall and pushes on the cracks with her legs.

Str: [roll0]

[TheGuardianWolf]

If things weren't strange already, they got worse. Donovan did not expect the door to be unlocked, he didn't expect his captor, or so he thought she was his captor, to be casually sitting and staring at him, non-threateningly, but he surely didn't expect to see a cat throwing himself against the wall. He wasn't sure what sort of madness he had walked out of leaving his cell, but had it not been for the obvious pains and aching from the crushing weight of the stones, he'd swear he was dreaming.

He could hear the sounds of metal hitting metal, and as well as the thuds of the cat. He seemed to catch the attention of the... "agh, Elf", as he exited the metal doorway. She was almost expecting him. Well, if she was to kill him, and he still wasn't sure that she wouldn't, she'd've probably done so by now. Her presence made Donovan uneasy, and not just because she was an Elf, there was something else off about her that he didn't like. Well, running wasn't really an option, he wouldn't know where to run, and hiding would be silly. Guess all he could do was confront this problem head on. Talking to her couldn't hurt, right, just gotta be polite about it.

"Arright, " He said with a glare, "wha's tha' meanin' o' draggin' me here?"

[blade artist]

Ivan was starting to get tired of his predicament. He heard thudding on the door, maybe someone actually heard him earlier. He was pretty certain it wasn't the one that locked him up; they would have a key. "Hurry up and get get in here, dammit! And mind the blade when you get in here!" He decides to make one last effort to avoid his early grave. He pulls the chain of his leg that has the free arm and tries heaving all of himself to the other side. He braces his foot against the blade as he tries to wedge the chain underneath it, hoping to either jam the mechanism or sever the chain. And then he waits for the moment of Truth.

(Or you know, I fail my strength check.)

[roll0]

[Doomboy911]

The chains come out of the wall without trouble you seem to have a good 8 or so feet and are able to reach the wall when suddenly the gears behind groaning and the chains begin pulling you back towards the blade hard. [Roll strength]

The puma begins clawing and attacking the door where Donovan can hear some gears turning, the door is cracking but it doesn't seem to be opening yet. The elf in the center of the room is watching the two of you but isn't making any motion to stop you.

The water has reached your waist and the door seems ready to give way when you hear a familiar voice calling out to you. Its the wizard, your ancient and old friend standing in the ever rising water cell happy to see you. "My sweet Lexara why do you struggle, let me help you." he snaps his fingers and a bright golden glow surrounds you. "There, water breathing no more issue. Now let us relax, the problem should resolve itself." [Make a perception check]

[Fliggl]

Why do you not break? he thought and repeated it. He walked backwards a few steps again and run against the door anew.

strength check [roll0]

[Doomboy911]

The chains begin with your feet quickly pulling you down hard to the ground and then back to the wall and more importantly the blade. Before you're able to pull yourself up the chain on your hand and neck do it for you jerking you heavy and hard onto your back you prepare for it all to go black, to be reunited with your friends, to be carried off into oblivion but nothing.

Then a ring goes out , you open your eyes and see the hourglass empty the chains around you suddenly click free and slide into the wall. The blade behind you is bent at an odd angle and as you quickly step free of the blade it seems to snap back. It's made of rubber except for the very tip which is flat piece of metal. The door in front of you pulls open to reveal a puma.

The elf turns to Donovan and seems to smile as she holds up one finger and gestures to an unopened door that appears to be dripping.

[Greenflame133]

Lexara keep pushing. Something is definitely going on on the other side. "Somebody help me!"

Str: [roll0]

[Doomboy911]

He's here, all this waiting and this doubt but finally he's back. He extends his hand and the magic seems to flow over you but then nothing as a Warlock magic is second nature it's a part of you not just a tool to be used.After a moment the magic doesn't seem to take place it's fake just a simple illusion. Your mentor looks to you with the same caring eyes you've always known but something seems off then it hits you, as all the water is pouring around you he doesn't seem to have a drop on him.

As much as you'd wish it wasn't true you're the only one in this room.

[Fliggl]

Another closed door, go. Adam thought and ran outside to charge the last closed door. He was curious what was behind this one.

strength check [roll0]

[TheGuardianWolf]

The sheer audacity and rudeness of this woman knew no bounds. To kidnap someone, to toy with them like this, and to refuse to answer a question like this, of course it was an elf. Donovan was ready to verbally tear her a new one. However, as he opened his mouth, just over the sounds of the strange cat thudding into the walls, he could hear someone screaming. "Somebody help me!"

It could've very easily been a trick, but something in Donovan's gut said that these screams were too convincing to be an illusion. He started slowly towards the leaking door, but that quickly turned into a run. Stopping just short he called out, Aye, is sumbaudie in thar'? Wha's goin' on, arr you ok? He said, putting his ear to the door, trying desperately to make out the signs of life he heard earlier. He didn't take his eyes off the elf, he shot her a stink eye as he kept his ear open.

[Greenflame133]

Of course it was illusion. If it was really him he would teleport them out or destroy the doors with his magic. Well somebody is trying to trick her and somebody that knows a lot about her. "oh yes. Thank you. Can we go home now? I Rea need to dry out." she pretends to be fooled while still pushing on the door.

Str [roll0]
Bluff [roll1]

[Doomboy911]

"Oh don't worry I'm casting a teleportation spell now, you and I will be out in about two minutes. You just have to hold still and wait patiently. The water is around your waist at this point.

[Doomboy911]

The door on the wall seems ready to give one hard smack should shatter it.

[blade artist]

Ivan gathers his belongings and leaves his treacherous cell. He marches over to the wall with the dwarf and beast, eyeing everything around him. He now sees the elf coyly playing with their blade. I'll need to see what that one is here for, Ivan thought to himself. Getting closer, he sees the two trying to open this door, but it looks off. It doesn't actually have any hinges or a large enough seam... It's really part of the wall. However, it sounds as though someone is indeed behind that wall. He grabs the shoulder of the dwarf gently, "I'm going to need you and your beast to move, druid." He then shoos away the giant cat getting out his axe. Ivan brings it to bear against the door where approximately the hinges should as to not hurt someone who would be pushing on the door.

attacking the door two hand power attack, wood has a hardness of 5

[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

[Greenflame133]

Lexara keeps pushing on the doors. She decided to test to test how much do makes of this illusion know about her and the wizard. "Can't you do it like we first meet?"

Str: [roll0]

[Fliggl]

Nobody has ever “shoo'ed“ him away and that's why he was too perplex to complain. And the other one had a big axe - more useful against a wooden wall.

Adam stepped back and took a look at the elf. What is she doing here? Why are we here? Did she did this to us?

[Doomboy911]

"My dear girl, allow me to... Suddenly a loud thwack thunders against the door instinctively stepping away from the loud noise "As I was saying" he seems a bit perturbed by the sudden sound and before he can begin again there's another much louder along with the sound of moaning creaking wood as it splinters. "I'll just.." he says trying to roll up his sleeves before another against the door even louder then the last two combined. "I'll just..." a sickening crack rings out across the room as the door has a heavy axe come down the middle of the door the water surging out "Well three out of four isn't half bad" an alien voice emerges from your mentor as the water pulls you out the fractured door.

Your repeated blows tear through it like a flame through cotton as each hit seems easier and easier until finally as you can see the other side water rushes out like bursting dam. You're knocked prone with a Kitsune in your lap. Adam and Donovan see a dry empty room save for a small waterproof bag. The water in the main room quickly dissipates but the cell she was held in seems to be dry with no source of any water.

[Greenflame133]

Lexara transform into a tiny fox and gently jumps off the man with the axe. She looks back at the cell. could water be an illusion as well. Not likely as it did pulled me and knock down that man She thinks to herself.

[TheGuardianWolf]

Though Donovan could hear someone on the other side of the wall, she didn't seem to be responding to him. Maybe she was charmed and couldn't understand him, or even her situation. Either way, he knew he could break this wall the same way he broke his trap. He prepared to cast the spell again, but as he went to mutter the incantation, the door next to him gave way. From there walked a man clad in mail armor stepped out. He was of fairly imposing figure, and swiftly drew a large axe when he saw what Donovan was attempting to do. He came over, putting his hand on Donovan's shoulder after catching his surroundings. "I'm going to need you and your beast to move, druid."

"Bott I'm not..." Donovan started to say as the man started to punch holes into the wooden doorway. And it kinda made sense after that, at least what the cat was doing. The cat must've been another person, he'd heard of Druid's and their shape-changing before, but this was the first he'd seen it in person. It was rather awesome, and if not for the situation, he might've been able to appreciate it a little better.

It wasn't long until the wood cracked under the repeating strikes of the tested weapon. Out of the woodwork poored a... well he wasn't sure what to call this woman, she looked like a fox, and transformed into one as well. Was it another Druid? Maybe. Probably. She seemed to be doing alright, and with the other two prisoners looking over her, Donovan figured she'd be alright. He turned his attention back to the elf Woman sitting in the center of the room, he was still furious with her. "A'right, allow me to rephras' m'ah question: Wha' in tha bloody oblivion did ya drag ous 'ere f'er?" He said, taking a slightly defensive posture with a hand in his pouch.

[Doomboy911]

A silence fills the room for a moment as her eyes scan the room and then is broken by her laughter it's sweet and not menacing at all. "I'm afraid I'm not the one that brought you here. I do like you trying to figure it out so I will give you something for free, ask one question and I will answer truthfully but then." and then in an instant she is directly in front of you. " I will leave you all stranded here to rot like starving rats." then she laughs again and it is much more sinister.

[TheGuardianWolf]

She was so close, Donovan could've spit on her, in fact, he kinda regrets not doing it.

However. She had given him an opportunity to find a way out and didn't realize it. There would probably be a lot more to it than she would let on, and most of this was probably a trap still, but if she really was going to keep her word, Donovan had a way to at least get them a step forward. The phrasing of the question would be almost as important as the question itself. Though he had an idea of where to start. Some might've asked who she was, why she took them, all good questions, but escape was more important than those silly things, and Donovan was beginning to not care for the answers.

He could smell her breath, it was dreadful. He took a step back, both in recoil and in restraint. He rather quickly pieced together what to say, he was a little proud of himself, but who knows what sort of bull**** this Elf might feed him to dodge an honest answer. Oh well, he had to try.

"So. Iff'n yee had to walk out 'a this facility withou' usin' magic, wha' steps would yee take to go about leavin', from right were ya ar' tha' is?"

[Doomboy911]

At your question she bends down even further and pulls off the mask hiding the bottom half of her face. "I never could trick you dwarves I always got lost in those beautiful eyes." she smiles her lips a dark blue perhaps lipstick or something more. "Fine I won't mess with you but I'm afraid the answer will be very obvious" she stands straight up and approaches a large blank wall and gestures to the top "Solve this riddle and you will find your path forward to the exit but I must warn you. One of you is not what they seem, they will know what to do and more importantly when to strike."

Above her writing begins to form and she walks through the wall as though it wasn't even there.

The writing is in a foreign language.

The riddle reads. "What question can't you answer yes to?"

[Fliggl]

Adam

He saw the riddle and new the answer. This was the difficulty of riddles which his parents told him, when he was a boy.

But instead of saying the answer the only noise he made was a loud hiss. Aww, man! he thought. Normally it wasn't necessary to talk while shaped but for now he had to turn back into his human form.

Are you asleep? he said to the wall as the answer.

Edit: back in human form all his attention belongs to the riddle. The other people in the room are uninteresting for him at the moment. He saw that they are not dangerous to him. Important was it to get out of this dungeon or whatever it was.

[Greenflame133]

Lexara transforms ones more. Taking form of an tall woman with thick black hair and skin made of flecks of sparkling crystals in very light shade of gray. She looks around at others in the room only glancing at the writing. "Who are you people? Were are we?" She asks rather confused.

[Doomboy911]

The cat abruptly shifts into a person and calls out "Are you asleep" and then everything goes silent, then his voice seems to echo out of nowhere and then again but louder more voices seem to follow. The whole room begins to shift and shake rumbling as the voices get louder and louder, the wall the elf walked through begins to crack more and more until finally it explodes outward leaving a trail of dust.

After a moment the echoing dies down and with it the dust, an entrance has formed just big enough to fit a large creature. As you approach you can see very little there seems to be no light save for a faint glowing on the distant end of the room.

[blade artist]

Ivan grumbles, hearing the pontifications of the elf. He rolls his eyes at the notion of a traitor. Of course there's a traitor. Nothing can be simple here. The cat forming into a human startles him, he looks around warily at the others. The little fox that he apparently saved also turned into a -- rather shiny -- person, bewildering him further. After the man-beast solves the riddle he answers back to the shiny one.

"My name is Ivan. I am a knight that hails from Mormerilon. I haven't the faintest of where we are, or who put us here, but they want us here for something. I haven't committed any crimes, so this probably isn't any normal crime and punishment. More urgent, are we going to ask about each other about this so-called wolf in sheepskin, or are we going to let the subject lie."

After introducing himself, he raises his voice to address the others, giving pointed glances at the two shapeshifters.

Edit: I'm retroactively changing my color to teal so I'm easier to read.

[Fliggl]

I'm Adam. Let's find a way out. he said. No need to say more. Now they know his name and what he's gonna do now: find a way.

He took a fist-sized stone, mumbled some words and threw the now glowing stone into the tunnel. what do we have here? he said while watching into the now illuminated whole.

he casts “light“ on the stone.

[Doomboy911]

As the stone flies into the room it seems to illuminate very little except for the tile floor until it eventually strikes the ground, the clatter echoing out and then rather quietly someone snaps their fingers. To the left and right of you sconces catch fire illuminating a small amount of the area and then another pair of sconces light up and then another continuing on until the room is faintly lit by their light.

The room is 30 feet wide and roughly 80 feet long about 50 feet out is a large white chalk circle taking up roughly 30 by 30 foot area on the opposite wall is a doorway and in front of it is a rather large imposing man. He stands a good seven feet tall his body clad with scars that along with his veins seem to glow a bright orange you can almost make out his pulse as some foreign energy seems to flow through his veins. He raises his arms about as thick as your heads and cracks his knuckles, along his wrists you can see heavy chains wrapped around each serving as some kind of bracers.


"ENTER"

He raises two fingers and gestures you all forward.

[Fliggl]

C'mon! he said and winked at the others that they should follow him as he climbed into the new room.
Then he stood there. Not defensive nor offensive. Just standing there, near the entrance with his back on the wall.

[Greenflame133]

Lexara moves more Góra then him assuming a battle stance. Ieft leg decidedly more forward. Both hands curled up into fists, right hand guarding the and left extended a little. While she is not expecting outright attack she is on the edge and expecting danger. It's likely that this is man who bro them here.

[blade artist]

Ivan raises his arms slightly in front of him and scowls, watching as the two shapeshifters slide into the next room. He sighs defeatedly and steps to just outside the entrance, leveling his gaze at the relative elephant in the room.

"I would enter, but my mother told me never to talk to strangers. Perhaps if we get to know each other, then we could get to courting?" he says sarcastically. "My name is Ivan Trollhollow, from Mormerilon, I seek for power. For what do you stand here for?"

[TheGuardianWolf]

No doubt this whole business of "Not being as they seemed." was just another Elven ruse. She was probably mad that Donovan didn't get tripped up and asked his questions of "Why were we brought here?" again and decided to play some coy revenge. He couldn't read the words upon the ceiling, he could recognize the writing as Sylvan but the only word he noticed was "What", so he could tell it was some sort of question, but that's about all.

The Fox had transformed back into a human woman and the cat a human man. The woman had asked who they were and where they were. The other two men had been named Adam and Ivan, apparently. Ivan had proclaimed himself of committing no crimes to have been arrested, and though it was already pretty clear to Donovan that this wasn't the case of any of the prisoner, it was reassuring. He wasn't alone in this predicament, and even if there was one traitor among them, Donovan had 2 allies. Donovan spoke to give his name to the group, however, before he could get out a response, Adam had said "Are you asleep?" which had cause part of the wall to burst open.

On the other side was an intimidating man with some weird energy about him, he stood at what seemed to be a crudely drawn Arena. It could've very well been a trap, but that didn't stop both Adam and the Fox to head into the room to meet the man. Ivan had moved up to the entrance and stood, once again reintroducing himself to the goliath of a man. Donovan slowly walked up alongside him and stood straight with confidence, resolving to not show fear as his imposing ally did.

"Aye, an' am Donovan. Ah come fer' Knouwladge." He spoke with as booming and stoic a voice as possible. He felt, looking their new adversary twice over, that maybe he could recognize the power that was pulsating through him. (OOC: I'm attempting a Knowledge (Arcana) roll.)

[roll0]

[Doomboy911]

You can almost follow the magic coursing through his veins to a faint glow in the center of his chest that seems to be slowly beating, the magic appears to be an enchantment in nature. He seems rather bored watching all of you talk .

[Fliggl]

Adam took a deep breath and changed his form again. I'm faster as a puma he thought and started running to the other side of the room, trying to get through the door without any contact or conflict.

[Doomboy911]

Adam shifts swiftly to his puma form, for a moment the man before you is surprised. He readies himself and pulls back to throw a fist but then it hits you he's not aiming for you he's aiming for the floor.

The light coalescing around him seems to center around his fist just before he makes impact with the white circle with an audible bang as the whole circle is engulfed in flame. Adam finds himself in the center of the ring with the figure in front of him, the two surrounded by flame.

"Do you wish to proceed quick one?"

[Fliggl]

While the man in front of Adam set the ring on fire, his newly comrades were standing still and did nothing. fine, so it's up to me... he thought and prepared for the escalation he wanted to bypass.

Initiative [roll0]