[Nexus:] The Sleeping Goblin II, I Wonder If He's Up Yet?

[Dox the Ninth]

"I'm afraid you'll have to explain in more detail. I realize vague, foreboding hints are rather popular with your type, but to be quite frank the only thing I'm concerned about is why your magical labyrinth comes out in a pickle barrel in the basement of my companion's store. If we could just have a straightforward conversation, I'm sure this entire debacle could be cleared up quite quickly."

[Hattish Thing]

This, is my labyrinth. Many years ago, this was a powerful magicians laboratory. It was hidden. Time flows....differently here. He worked with time. I appeared here. I was brought here through time. In an experiment. The wizard died. I was stuck. I've been here for years. Under the floorboards....listening, watching. I know anything that goes on here. Before Marty...your Marty came to own this place, there was a murder. A man was hung off the roof. It was a wizard. The same one who brought me here. I hung him. Off the rafters...I know this place like the back of my hand. I know the ways up. My traps. You're smart...Not good. I am the ghost of things that will occur. Unless changed. I suggest you leave. Perhaps I may frighten away the ghost of so many years ago. With a little...illumination! Suddenly, a chandelier that was on the roof of the small area falls. It is directly on top of Turin. The lights on it blaze suddenly out of control. The lights fill the room with searing heat and light. Turin might be blinded temporarily. He also might see on the rafter next to the chandelier a figure, he's in a black, shining cloak. He wears a black vest, with a black shirt, and black pants. They are varied shades. The man has a white mask. It covers the figures face. The figure has what seems to be black hair. An odd thing...a small purple flower sticks out of it's coat. The figure had cut the chandelier. It suddebly jumps off the rafter and a hole opens in the floor. The figure falls through and the hole shuts. Then, the chandelier's light might shut Turin's vision down for a little while.

[Dox the Ninth]

"Wait!" Turin calls out to the mysterious figure, but is interrupted by the falling chandelier. He is only able to partially shield himself before it crashes to the ground, and he is disabled for a few seconds as he extricates himself from the burning wreckage. The flames do not seem to hurt him, but he appears somewhat dazed from the impact.

"Metaclock, help me clean up this mess. If this was truly once the laboratory of a wizard, we must locate his study—there may be valuable information there which could tell us more about our strange assailant, as well as this labyrinth. If we can determine what happened all those years ago we may be able to help him."

[Hattish Thing]

Wow...Er. That guy said he was from the future! That means the past would be...Uh...I don't know. Need help up? Metaclock bends down and tries to help Turin pick up the ness. Er...why were you on fire?!

[Dox the Ninth]

((I assumed the chandelier was an old-fashioned one with candles, the way you described it made it sound like it was fire. Sorry if I misinterpreted you. ))

"Never mind that. Let's keep moving." Turin inspects the area where the figure dropped through the floor, checking for a trapdoor of some sort. If he fails to find anything, he begins to ascend the staircase.

[Hattish Thing]

((My fault. Sorry.))

The floor has no markings of a trapdoor ever existing. The staircase spirals down into the bowels of The Sleeping Goblin. There is a river going through a tunnel. A gondola and oar lie near an odd dock. The whole river and dock are underground.

[Dox the Ninth]

Turin inspects the gondola thoroughly before boarding it. He waits for Metaclock to board as well, and makes sure the vessel can handle the robot's weight before pushing off into the river. He transfers the illumination spell from the head of his staff to the prow of the boat to light the way ahead.

[Hattish Thing]

Metaclock activates a button on what seems to be his arm. Suddenly Metaclock's lighter. He manipulated the gravity around him. Metaclock nods at Turin. As the boat is rowed down the area that is a tunnel with a huge river in it, Turin might notice odd growths on the walls. Large mushrooms that glow. It's dark and only guided by Turin's staff and the mushrooms. He can only make up a small area of the river, a little bit of the pipes walls, and a small bit of the roof. The river reaches a "Y" path splitting. Turin will have to quickly choose which way to go.

[Dox the Ninth]

Turin observes Metaclock with interest. "Gravity manipulation? My, you really are quite the machine. Tell me, is there anything else you can do that I should know about?"

As the boat approaches the fork in the river, Turin slows down their speed and attempts to discern which path is correct. He listens for differences in water flow, and any other notable characteristics.

[Hattish Thing]

Metaclock just sighs. Er...I can wait tables?

The left side goes deeper down into the tunnel. The right one stops at a small waterfall into a lake.

[Dox the Ninth]

Turin veers the gondola down the left tunnel.

[Hattish Thing]

Soon he comes to a huge portcullis. Inside is a large room. Candelabras magically float in the air. A large table is on the rocks that consist of the rooms surface. The room is composed of a beach. The river gradually reaches a giant beach that is made of rock. On this rock is said table, A small bed with wonderful sheets, multiple comfy white pillows lay there. A large chest lies in the corner. A manikin leans against the wall. It is dressed in a dazzling red suit, with a red cape. A red mask is on top of the manikin's face. A large red, wide-brimmed hat sits on top of it's head. Various ropes tied in nooses hang on the walls. A large switch is built into the rock. Using magic. The switch obviously controls the portcullis. A magical flow of constant music seems to dull the senses. No one is inside. Yet.

[Dox the Ninth]

Ah, excellent! We've found the wizard's inner sanctum. Just a moment while I let us inside."

With a wave of his staff, Turin summons a tentacle-like vine which wraps itself around the switch and activates it.

[Hattish Thing]

Well, the portcullis opens and the music suddenly turns loud and angry, working to deafen poor Turin and alarm anything around. The gate does however open. It pulls out of the water dragging seaweed and plants. Water drips off. The chain rises and soon the gate is open. The music then stops. Water drips. A large pipe organ is in the corner, hidden in shadows.

Metaclock's ears are very special and take only minor damage. A bookshelf is also hidden. The various candles provide a source of light.

[Dox the Ninth]

Ignoring the ringing in his ears, Turin pilots the gondola through the portcullis and runs it onto the sand. He disembarks from the boat and makes a beeline straight for the bookshelf in the corner. Running a finger along the spines of the books, he browses the titles in search of a clue to what the wizard had been doing down here.

[Hattish Thing]

The books are suprisingly...sheet music! Mized with cookbooks, probably stolen from Marty's collection.

[orb_of_blood]

Far up above both Metaclock and Turin, a simply giant man opens the door of the tavern. The heavyset body, giant muscles and hard features hint at some ogre blood. He has startlingly green eyes for such dirty black hair and hard features. As he enters he stands slumped, ready to glare at just about everyone present, until he realizes that no-one's there.

Well that's awful, he'd only come for a brawl with a Lesser!

Muttering to himself in a heavy voice, he stomps through the tavern, every step sending shudders through the floor. Anyone there?

... no reply. Guess no-one's home. He's about to turn and leave when it slowly dawns on him that if no-one is there to look after the tavern, it means that whatever riches the tavern holds are pretty much free for the taking. He doesn't even stop to consider the possibility that they may be protected by traps or spells.

He stomps over to the bar, not even bothering to try and be quiet, searching for a cash register, or box with money, or indeed anything that looked like it could hold some loot. Once found, he'll grab for it greedily.

[Hattish Thing]

He'll find a steel lockbox magically held in place on a counter. Along with a tissue box that Marty set aside.

[Dox the Ninth]

"These do not look like the books of a master wizard... they are more likely owned by our mysterious aggressor." Turin goes on to examine the contents of the chest in the corner.

[orb_of_blood]

The part-ogre lifts his gloved hands and inspects the box for a moment. When it won't budge he drops them back to his side. Now this was the fun part.

CLICK!

After the click sounds, he coughs and then spits. Usually he'd shout and spray it everywhere, but he might need it later and it was just a box. Easily bested.

The spit is bright green - tinged with red blood - and thoroughly acidic, probably enough to disintegrate the steel completely.

[Hattish Thing]

The Darken's Island

The chest is magically sealed, locked, and made out of a special metal.

Lockbox

The box corrodes and the side suddenly recreates itself! How strange...

[orb_of_blood]

((Did Laith see anything in it before the side reformed?))

[Hattish Thing]

Shiny objects, mixed with a ring of keys.

[orb_of_blood]

Ooh! Shiny! Lathe likes shiny objects just as much as Draaxar did. Suddenly he wants them. He doesn't particularly care if they're valuable or not. If they're shiny, and they are, he wants them.

This time instead of melting only one side, he places his palms on either side of the box (and with them spread out in that manner it's clear that they're claws and not hands), and breathes out a cone of acid at the box, trying to melt the entire thing.

Regardless of how much of it melts, he darts a claw in the moment a bit does melt, attempting to scoop out the contents in case the box still feels like reforming.

[Hattish Thing]

The box melts. Some of the gold inside melts too, and so does one of the 10 keys. Inside is the keychain and a remaining 25 gold pieces.

[orb_of_blood]

Ha! Nothing can withstand magic acid! Or... well, the box at least couldn't withstand it. He has to remind himself that his breath had never managed to burn through dragon scales or the like.

Lathe wipes the blood from the corner of his mouth before taking the keys and the unmelted gold, laughing at the sight of the melted gold running everywhere. Oops!

Hmm, only 25 gold? That can't be all of it. It was a complete waste of his acid breath for that little. There had to be more.

He nudges the tissue box next, hoping to hear the rattle of gold inside it.

If nothing happens, he'll then grab an ale, or whatever sort of mead or brew he can find. If he does hear gold however, he'll take that first.

[Hattish Thing]

It's just a tissuebox. He will have to either go to the kitchen or cellar to get a drink.

[orb_of_blood]

In that case he heads off towards what he judges to be the kitchen (based on the smell). If he needs to use a key to get in, then he shall do so.

[Hattish Thing]

The door opens! Inside is the description of the kitchen on the first page.

Must deadtime, it's 3 in the morning.

[orb_of_blood]

Lathe has to duck to enter the room, and then has to stop himself from immediately ducking back out. A snarl forms on his lips.

Too clean. Too orderly. Too much like Prism's cave, with everything in it's proper place, no bones or blood. No sign that anyone ever actually used it.

In other words, completely peaceful.

How boring.

Lathe's keen nose brings him the scent of food, a wonderful variety, but he's not hungry, having eaten six days ago. But he does pick up the delicious aroma of mead (hopefully), and he follows it, ignoring the rest of the kitchen.