Way of the Wicked: Knot of Thorns [IC]

[lostsole31]

Upon the podium lies a pendant of silver - a dragon with sapphire eyes. Endrak, what do you do, as the party looks at you with expectant curiosity?

[Endrak]

Imogen looks at the rest of the group, then back to the pendant, then back to the group. "Well, I think this is what we came here for." She describes the pendant. "Didn't expect to find this here. There are supposed to be nine chambers, right? We can't be done early, otherwise what's the point of having nine?"

She gestures to the stairs leading up, ostensibly to the surface. "Am I wrong in thinking that this is the stupidity part of the cryptic warning?"

[lostsole31]

Scathe says, "It is suspect. May I see that? Let us see what this is worth, shall we?"

With Scathe assisting Imogen (it only makes sense that the "thief" is good at Appraise, right?), the two of them determine that the sapphires are merely cheap costume jewelry - little more than cut glass. The pendant is silver, though of no great craftsmanship and worth no more than 5 gp.

Scathe nods to Imogen. "I do believe you are correct. This is a decoy."

[Ahus]

"I definately think we should take it either way. I don't recall the Cardinal actually saying that the pendant was greatly valuable, and this whole place is clearly a test. Although, why have 9 chambers and only use 4, unless the point is that stupidityis the act of overcomplecating a reasonably simple situation." Ved intersects.

[lostsole31]

Kel shrugs. "Yeah, sure, take it with us. But the Cardinal told us we'd know it when we saw it. These two," here she points to Scathe and Imogen, "noted right off the bat that this probably isn't it. I say we take a look around, and if we don't find anything else in this room, we backtrack."

[Blackhawk101]

“Aye. Smart.” Leonidas begins a closure examination of the podium and then the room.

[lostsole31]

At this point it is assumed that everyone else follows suit to check out this very large room. Together, the group will find a secret door on the west wall. As a secret door, there is no placard. Imogen and Scathe check that the secret door is safe and then spring it open. Beyond you see an L-shaped passageway that heads south before heading to the left (east).

What now? and how do you progress? This is mainly a prompt for Imogen, who is in the front.

[Endrak]

Imogen waves the rest of the party into the passageway after her, then draws both her daggers. "Keep an eye out for more traps, or an ambush. Things may get a bit more difficult, and this looks like a turning point." Imogen snickers at her own bad joke as she moves forward slowly.

[Blackhawk101]

Leonidas smirks and follows Imogen into the passage bow ready.

[BananaPhone]

Saiden had kept quiet and watchful as the more klepto-inclined did what they did best. Once the route was clear, she moved in with the rest so that she was at the centre of the group, just in case of trap or ambush. She ensured that she was in a position that she would be able to respond to aggression from which-ever way it came.

[lostsole31]

The passageway is about 35' before turning left/east, still 10' wide. 15' farther down on the right/south of a passageway that appears to otherwise end is a door. As with the others, there is an inscription: “Secrecy is our greatest ally. Exposure brings death.”

[Endrak]

Imogen sways her hips from side to side, rubbing her hands together. Anyone who moves in front of her would be able to see a strange smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes. "Everyone be quiet from here on out. We don't know what's waiting for us."

She glances from side to side, toward the walls of the passageway. "Let's make double sure there isn't a secret door here."

[lostsole31]

The walls of each side of the door are rechecked .... nothing.

Now what?

[BananaPhone]

Remaining where she was, knowing she was out of her niche with the puzzles and riddles of the maze, Saiden utters something under her breath...


ooc:

Spoiler

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Casting: Detect Magic

[Endrak]

Imogen notices Saiden casting a spell, and waits patiently for the results before deciding on a course of action.

[lostsole31]

Assuming Saiden is casting in front of the door, she sees no glow or escaping mote of magic from the other side of the door.

[BananaPhone]

"I cannot detect anything magical from here," Saiden reported to the group.

[Ahus]

"Ok then, everyone take a few steps back and ill open the door from afar. Ved says quietly to the group.

Spoiler: crunch

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Wait for folks to back up a bit then cast "Open/Close" on the door from down the hall.

[lostsole31]

I need to know .... how far back to people go?

[Endrak]

Imogen stays where she is, but presses herself to the wall to lower her profile as much as she can.

Spoiler: OOC

Show

Stealth.

[Blackhawk101]

“You’ve got this!” Leonidas gives Ved an encouraging wink before retreating back behind the corner.

[lostsole31]

Ved magically opens the door.

Scathe calls out, "Dark inside, but I can see. Ring of stones in center of room. Something bulbous in the center, but I can't tell what it is from here. It's not moving."

Okay, what now?

[Endrak]

Imogen creeps forward to the door, Kyr in tow. "Probably best not to antagonize the bulbous object in the center of the room," Imogen whispers. "Let's hug the walls, keep slow and keep quiet. The only question is, do we split up or stick together?"

[lostsole31]

Understand that if Imogen does this (and I am not having her do it until she gets some reply, because that would be weird ..... "Umm, question...." and she's gone when answered), until Ved or Leonidas moves up, she won't have light herself. She has low-light vision, not no-light vision.

[Blackhawk101]

Leonidas takes a coin from his belt pouch and chants a spell. The coin glows with a cold blue light. Stalking forward, he stops at the door and offers the coin to the large bird.
He surveys the room. “Aye, together me thinks.”

[Ahus]

Ved moves, as quietly as possible, up about 5' short of the door. Allowing the light from his arrow into the room but not, to the extent possible exposing himself to danger from within. As the group filters into the room he will step to the side of the door less occupied, i.e. if everyone goes left he will go right, and vice-versa.

[lostsole31]

Imogen creeps forward to the door, Kyr in tow. "Probably best not to antagonize the bulbous object in the center of the room," Imogen whispers. "Let's hug the walls, keep slow and keep quiet. The only question is, do we split up or stick together?"

Endrak (with Kyr behind her) will get to what is apparently/likely the NW corner of the room before ...

Leonidas takes a coin from his belt pouch and chants a spell. The coin glows with a cold blue light. Stalking forward, he stops at the door ...

having been about to see if Kyr was close enough to take the pretty shiny from him, but instead the light spills onto the thing in the center of the room ..... which seems to be some kind of like weird tree or something.

At the same time ...

Ved moves, as quietly as possible, up about 5' short of the door. Allowing the light from his arrow into the room but not, to the extent possible exposing himself to danger from within.

..... but it doesn't matter, because as soon as Leo's light falls on the weird thing in the center of the room, there is a terrific, high-pitched keening sound!

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

Begin Round One ...

R1T27: Leonidas, what do you do? You have a lit gold piece in your hand, that's it (because you had one hand on coin, one hand to cast light).

[Blackhawk101]

“Fudge!” only he doesn’t say fudge.
He grabs the ioun stone to deactivate it and drops the coin back in his belt pouch.
“Kill the light Ved.” he whispers.

[lostsole31]

R1T27: “Fudge!” ... only Leonidas doesn’t say fudge. He grabs the ioun stone to deactivate it and drops the coin back in his belt pouch, instantly darkening the room beyond (but not the hallway, courtesy of Ved's arrow). He whispers something, but considering the loud noise, what he whispered is unknown.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

R1T21: Scathe disappears into the darkness of the room. There's a sickening wet crunching sound followed by some type of thick, heavy plop.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!

R1T13: Imogen, you do see light from the doorway lighting up Leonidas from the side, but no longer from him and not in this room. You are in blackness in the NW corner of the room (you think), and you can barely hear yourself think (literally). What do you do?

[Endrak]

"Leo!" Imogen rasps over the screeching. She feels her way along the wall, heading in the direction she thinks is south. "I think it can still see you! Get out of the light!"

Spoiler: Crunch

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Imogen moves as far as she can, in stealth, at half speed.