Ambulating Artifacts [IC]

[Skjaldbakka]

((I won't be able to get to a computer again until Tuesday night. Assume that Skjald hits the last button in the same manner as the first two, once we are finished examining the results of whatever happens from the next button.))

[Rettu Skcollob]

The stone once more flies with perfect accuracy, striking the red button straight on. The button depresses and a click is heard. And another. And another. Suddenly clicks and whirrs are heard from the corridor behind in a multitude. After a few seconds the clicks stop.

((The group can detect nothing visibly different about the corridor.))

[Glawackus]

Erunak

"I don't like this," Erunak says, not wanting to know what all the noises indicate.

[Grrth]

Kit:

"I don't like it either."

Kit pokes his head back in the room to see if he notices anything different. He's not going to set foot in that room yet!

[rollv]spot: 1d20+4[/rollv]

[Grrth]

grr, dang it!

spot check for Kit: (1d20+4)[17](21)

[Glawackus]

Erunak follows suit, reasoning that curiosity did kill the cat, but (et cetera).

Spot: (1d20-1)[16]

[plugsy]

Rissit:


Rissit shuffles his feet and shkes his his head,
"I think I'll just stay here and wait to see what happens with the next button. I'm not sure I like the sounds but I'm hoping everything just gets set and reset by different buttons. We should be so lucky"

Spoiler

Show

Rissit
M LN Human Cleric, Level 1, Init +2, HP 8/8, Speed 20ft
AC 18, Touch 12, Flat-footed 16, Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +5, Base Attack Bonus 0
(incls +1WeapFocus) Longsword +2 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
Crossbow, Light (30 bolts) +2 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
Scale mail, Shield, heavy wooden (+4 Armor, +2 Shield, +2 Dex)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 16
Condition None
Domains:War/Good
Spot +7,Listen+3.

[Grrth]

Kit:

You look carefully and cautiously about the room moving into all the nooks and crannys to better detect anything amiss, but can detect nothing out of place. You are about to give up, until something catches your eye. The slot next to the lever you pulled to move the throne has another lever next to it. You didn't notice it beforehand, so it must have appeared after the button was pressed. It looks identical to the other lever save for a red handle.

((man! all that lead up, and it's just a lever? ))

"Skald," calls Kit, "Why don't you take a look at this lever?"

[Skjaldbakka]

Skjald moves up and carefully inspects the lever.

((takes 20, netting a 28 search check, looking for traps or any clue as to what the level does. If he doesn't find anything, he pulls the lever))

[Grrth]

If he pulls that lever, or looks like he's going to, Kit's going to run back to the corridor!

[Skjaldbakka]

After taking a look at the lever, the gnome tilts his head to one side in a quizzical manner, and then jerks the lever perpindicular to the normal path of the lever.

[Rettu Skcollob]

Kit runs into the corridor like an arrow, as Skjald makes to move the lever. The aperature slides easily in the horizontal path Skjald pushes it. A click is heard, and then a cacophany of clicks and whirrs identical to the one heard before, but unlike before, seemingly in reverse order is heard from the corridor. As before, silence falls after a few seconds. A small noise is heard, and red button rises from it's depressed position.

[Skjaldbakka]

Skjaldbakka

"Alrighty then, lets try the green button." Skjald will pick up one of the discarded stones, and tag the green button from a corner of the room.

[Rettu Skcollob]

((Oh, jeez, I spent 10 minutes typing up what happened and now, an hour or two later I come back and it's not there! I'll retype it later, I can't bear to do it again now.))

[rovinpiper]

Why sideways? Is the lever booby-trapped against movement up and down?

And are we just pushing buttons and pulling levers at random or does someone have an idea what is happening here?

[Skjaldbakka]

Skjaldbakka

"As a matter of fact, there was a trap. Trust me, I know what I'm doing."
I hope I'm not lying to him.

[Grrth]

Kit:

"This magic stuff is the pits."

He peeks back in the room to make sure that Skald is okay.

[plugsy]

Rissit:


Rissit takes a couple of steps back
"Well if it's trapped I'm just glad you stopped me pressing anything"

Spoiler

Show

Rissit
M LN Human Cleric, Level 1, Init +2, HP 8/8, Speed 20ft
AC 18, Touch 12, Flat-footed 16, Fort +3, Ref +2, Will +5, Base Attack Bonus 0
(incls +1WeapFocus) Longsword +2 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
Crossbow, Light (30 bolts) +2 (1d8, 19-20/x2)
Scale mail, Shield, heavy wooden (+4 Armor, +2 Shield, +2 Dex)
Abilities Str 13, Dex 15, Con 12, Int 14, Wis 17, Cha 16
Condition None
Domains:War/Good
Spot +7,Listen+3.

[Rettu Skcollob]

((I suppose I better retype what happened. *sigh*))

The green button is depressed, and your stone skitters along the floor. A grinding sound is heard, and looking at the throne, you see that the block of stone to the right of it is sinking into the ground, two thin pieces however, stay up, and the solid marble throne stone laboriously grinds along these two pieces, revealing a dusty trap door of ancient knotted wood, contrasting sharply against the otherwise marble room. The throne reaches the end of the two rails and emits a dull boom. The room is once again silent, but for the flickering torches.

((This is only about a third of what happened last time, but I can tell you the rest when you manage to open the trap-door.))

[Grrth]

Kit:

Kit enters the room again cautiously, clearly torn between investigating further and pressing on. His desire to find the king is ever in the foremost of his thoughts.

"I wonder," he says finally, not touching, but coming closer to peer at the trapdoor, "if this might lead to a dungeon perhaps?"

He seems frightened, but a queer sort of hope is in his eyes, almost begging the others to reassure him.

He turns to Skald: "Can you open it, or do you think it would yield to force?"


((OOC: are the unconscious elves still okay? still unconscious?))

[Skjaldbakka]

Skjaldbakka

"Give me a minute, and I'll look it over."

Once again aking 20 to search trapdoor for traps and how best to open it.
(28)

[Rettu Skcollob]

The stone hits the button dead-on, pressing it in. The stone rolls to the floor with a clatter, but the button remains depressed. A 'Click' is heard, and a grinding sound, as a 10ft by 20ft section of the floor in front of the throne slips into the walls with astonishing speed, revealing a pit about 20ft deep in the gap.

((There is now a 10ft jump to be able to get to either side of the floor that the throne's on.))

The Elves on the ground are still prone, yes.

[Glawackus]

Erunak

"I've had enough of this button pushing," Erunak growls. "If we're sending someone down there, I'll gladly go."

[Skjaldbakka]

Skjaldbakka

Not finding any traps (presumably), Skjaldbakka will open the trapdoor, and gesture towards the opening.

"Be my guest. I am sure you will be better able to handle anything that might be lurking down there better than I."

((Do I see anything with my Darkvision?))

[Grrth]

Kit advances with Erunak.

"I'm going, too."

[Rettu Skcollob]

The ancient wooden trapdoor creaks open and through the small opening you see that there is a smooth stone floor about 20 feet down, with some steps running from the mouth of the trap-door to the bottom. It seems to be brightly lit but you cannot see any light sources. The tapping sound can be clearly heard now, and you hear a low male Elvish sounding voice from quite close singing some sort of song. It has an extremely fast tempo and the tapping appears to be to the rythm of the song.


And so the thin man came to me, and he gave me round rings of three,
and he told me to keep it safe and hid and I quickly did as I was bid,
so kept one hid and carried two and knew that was the right thing to do,
But then another man appeared, with unkempt hair and tangled beard,
and so he ran right up and said to me; "I'm in dire need o' rings o' three!"
I said he could have it when I'm dead, but he went and struck me on the head,
when I woke I had round rings of one, and I wondered what was to be done,
so I roused my myself from earthen bed and bandaged up my aching head, and I asked the earth, I asked the air; "What must I do, I must prepare!"
And at night I was roused from my bed, a demon with foul eyes of red,
demanded that I give him three or told me what would happen to me,
and I wailed and gave up my mind, and left my earthen body behind,
and told him of the things I knew, things I loved and things I rue,
and he walked away and gathered two and I knew what I must do,
I sent the only one I had and gave it to a quiet lad,
And he lived alone and guarded a gate til the demon came with fire and hate,
so here I lie so here I sit, and I care not a whit,
about the demons cursed plans, to conquer far uncharted lands.


((To see more you will have to go down the stairs or poke your head through.))

[Glawackus]

Erunak

Erunak glances at Kit as if to say, "Still coming?" and trudges down the steps.

[Grrth]

Kit:

Blanching a little at the off-kilter song, Kit nevertheless steadies his grip on his sword and nods.

"Right behind you."

[rovinpiper]

Cristobal looks back and forth between the throne room the passage below. He's afraid of doing the wrong thing, but even more afraid of looking stupid in front of everyone.

Don't advance too quickly let's keep each other in sight.

Cristobal follows Erunak and Kit with his crossbow at the low ready.

[Rettu Skcollob]

You pace slowly down the steps, your footsteps echoing strangely. You find yourself at the bottom of the steps in a brightly lit room about 20' by 60'. The floor is of ancient stone, mainly covered in dust. The walls are of crumbling ancient, knotted wood, and the floor beneath them is covered in wood chips that have fallen off. The wall opposite you features a prominent wooden door. At the each far wall While the room is brightly lit, you can see no light sources, although the light seems to be emnating from small, raised pieces of stone which lie against the walls at even intervals. The steps behind you seem ominously long compared to when you went down. The door on the opposite wall is decorated with a fist sized picture of a candle engraved into the wood with intricate detail. The ceiling is about 10 feet up and is covered with cobwebs. The singing has stopped and ominous silence fills the air for a moment. Then a piercing manic, rasping laugh is heard, and the voice rings out again.

Well, I'm bored now. What shall we do bony?

A few clicks are heard and then the voice rings again.

More songs? Oh bony, I can't sing all the time.

The laugh is heard again, followed by a few gasps.

Time! Haha! I have lots of time!

Click-Click-Click

Oh, of course bony, I mean we have lots of time.

Click-Click

Oh, how can you say such a thing! Of course I'll write you into a song. I'll call it; "Ode to bony". After all, you are my only friend in here. But that nasty Yale took out your tongue didn't he? Well, don't worry, I'll speak for you.

Click-Click-Click-Click-