Something's Rotten in Calimsham

[alchemyprime]

You wake up in a stone room.
The symbols of seven gods border the walls: Mystra, Eldath, Denier, Sune, Finder Wyvernspur, Tyr and Kelemvor. This room does not seem right. There are good symbols on the wall, but each is skewed. Kelemvor's scales are tipping, Mystra's stars are sideways, Sune's hair is black at the ends, and so on. Each is horribly mangled, yet so slight you didn't know it at first.
But there is one thought that has entered your head. A very strong memory.
Your death.

You look around and see others in this room. Three others. two n the floor, as dazed as you are. The third other person is leaning up against a wall.

"Well, you all seemed to take a nasty blow to the head. Name's Breven Wyverspur, of the Cormyr Wyvernspurs. And all of you are?"

[Oslecamo]

Cristiano gets up and searches for his weapon, facing the standing man in the eyes:

"The name's Cristiano Crystal, lone paladin. I tought I had died. How did I get here?"

[alchemyprime]

"Couldn't tell you. Last thing I remember, I was in Calimport with my father and mother, and an assassin atatcked. My mother and father are strong. She's a sorceress and my dad... well, he is the reason we're called Wyvenspurs. They laid waste to him, but another popped up and tossed a small bead in my mouth. Then I exploded... literally. Deayed blast fireball. My mom's used them before."

He looks at his hands. "Well, I wonder what's with our other friends here..."

Breven looks at the drow. "Well, what about you, my drowly accomplice? You seem to be stuck here too. Any idea why all of these god's symbols are messed up?"

Breven looks down at the drow and gasps. "Thats why..."

On the floor was a large purple mosaic of a sun made of polished gems. In the center was a mosaic of a skull made of peices of bone. The eye sockets were obsidian. And Breven looked shocked. "Oh... I was Aliba was here... he'd know what to do... damn it to the Abyss!"

"I think we were brought back by a follower of Cyric."

[Oslecamo]

"Well let's see how tainted this place is then!"

(I start scanning the room with detect evil invocation)

[Zarthrax]

The drow wakes with a start.

He spouts gibberish for a moment...
(Unless you speak Undercommon...)

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"When I catch the damned fool who coshed me on the head, I'll have his guts for a cat's cradle!"

He gathers in the sights for a few moments before shaking his head and turning to his erstwhile companions.
(In Common)
"Who are you? Explain why you've brought me here or the consequences will be dire!"

[alchemyprime]

"Now, wait a minute! I didn't drag you here! I am a victim of the same circumstances as you, fellow arcanist! We all woke up alive... er... dead... er... realive? Definitely not undead, I assure you. Listen, I don't know why I am here, nor any of you, but we really need to join together. For our new live's sakes, of course. "

The room is odd.

And to anyone detecting for evil, they'd realise that the only evil aura is coming from.... one of the chunks of bone, but not exactly sure which one. Very faint, I assure you.

[Oslecamo]

"I'm Cristiano Crystal, paladin of truth! I suffered a vile ambush from unknown road bandits. They used inocent merchants as a bait to drag me to their trap and kill me from afar with hidden snipers. I tought I had died when an arrow pierced my head, yet I'm here, seemely living. I also don't know who brought us here. Who killed us, and who put us in the room none of us seems to know, but I sugest we must unite our forces to escape from here and look for answers. I think it's quite obvious the owner of this room isn't very fond of good. I can only detect a very faint aura of evil in this room, from one of the bones. I suspect they are only the remants of some evil ritual. Now, my drow friend, you don't seem to be evil like most of your bretehrn, could you please present yourself tell us your last memories to see if we can better explain this riddle? Geting out of closed rooms really isn't my speciality, unless you're willing to wait that I bash down the walls, maybe you can do something about it?"

[Glawackus]

The human underneath the nondescript brown cloak awakens, one hand flying to the strange sword on his back before he's even off the ground. He looks about the room and his mouth moves. His face snaps into a confused expression. "H...Hello?" He glances at the Drow, and then at the paladin. "Where in the Nine Hells are we?"

[Oslecamo]

"Well that's what we're trying to discover. It seems this is some kind of altar to Cyric. By chance do you have any talent that may help us get out of here? And by the way, we're not in the Nine hells...Still."

[Glawackus]

"I do a little bit of everything...and picking locks comes under that. Doxian, by the way." The human slowly turns, looking around for a door or some other way of leaving the room.

OOC

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Looking for everyone's best friend, the Hidden Door:
Search: (1d20+8)[19]

[Zarthrax]

"I'm Cristiano Crystal, paladin of truth! I suffered a vile ambush from unknown road bandits. They used inocent merchants as a bait to drag me to their trap and kill me from afar with hidden snipers. I tought I had died when an arrow pierced my head, yet I'm here, seemely living. I also don't know who brought us here. Who killed us, and who put us in the room none of us seems to know, but I sugest we must unite our forces to escape from here and look for answers. I think it's quite obvious the owner of this room isn't very fond of good. I can only detect a very faint aura of evil in this room, from one of the bones. I suspect they are only the remants of some evil ritual. Now, my drow friend, you don't seem to be evil like most of your bretehrn, could you please present yourself tell us your last memories to see if we can better explain this riddle? Geting out of closed rooms really isn't my speciality, unless you're willing to wait that I bash down the walls, maybe you can do something about it?"

The drow shakes his head.
(Undercommon again. And only if you can read thoughts.)

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I wonder why I didn't set off Sir Stick Up Rectum's Detection?

"I remember being bashed on the head while I was walking towards the graveyard. Err, for a completely legitimate reason that momentarily escapes me."

[alchemyprime]

There seems to be a door behind the eye of the symbol of Denier, and one benaeth the up scale on the tainted symbol of Kelemvor.

Breven looks about. "Yep. As Miss Olive would say, There Is Definitely Some Bad Mojo in Here. Oh, I wish Aliba was here! He'd be able to help..." Breven looks around. "Woah! The entire mosaic! It's magic! I'd say... an enchantment spell. And each of these symbols... they're magical too... Kelemvor's is radiating necromancy, and Denier's... either a changing spell or a death spell, can't tell which. I'd say that this room has some big magical traps in it."

Breven's eyes are glowing, in an omninously friendly way. "Hm... I could help shatter a wall or two. I'm mighty good at shattering things. Figured out how after my third trip with Aliba and Miss Olive. And Father, of course. So... my Kara-Turan blade weilding friend, are there any ways out of here that will save my throat and Sir Crystal's arms?" He looked at the cloak wearing man and then heard the drow's comment in the Underdark trade language.

Breven looked at the drow. He goes over and whispers in his ear in Undercommon.

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If you wish to make yourself less suspiscious, don't dress like an arcanist. If we are anywhere near Calimport or Cormyr, I can get you noble's clothes. Makes you less obvious, necromancer. And yes, he didn't find any evil on you. We may need your spells too. Keep that bell I slipped on you in your pocket. It'll help throw off paladin's sight.

[Glawackus]

"There's a door underneath the skeleton hand and scales, and one underneath the eye-and-candle," Doxian says. "Do they have any magic emanating from 'em?"

[Oslecamo]

Cristiano sighted. He really didn't liked people talking in unknown languages in front of him. And the drow's story didn't really sound very convincing. But, one way or another, they were in the same boat now, and the last thing he needed he wanted was a needless fight. Whoever had put them in this room was certainly a powerfull necromancer, and geting out wouldn't be easy. Depleting his forces attacking them only to find himself enclosed in a giant magical trap wouldn't be a very good idea. And nobody really deserved to be left entombed alive like this. First they would get out. Then, if any of them proved too wicked he would think of a way to cleanse them. And get a mount. Gods he felt naked whitout a mount.

"Not evil magic, at least, but that really isn't saying much. But if you aren't sure you can't disable any potential magical traps I can try to open them myself. I spent a good deal of my life taking blasts to the face when needing to enter some dark place alone. We paladins are very durable when it comes to magical tricks."

[Zarthrax]

The drow nods at Breven's comments. (Undercommon yet again.) "Understood. And... Thank you. "

At Cristiano's comment, he nods yet again. "A sound plan. Volunteering probably scores you some kind of points with your diety, I trust?"

[alchemyprime]

"Hm... yeah, the symbol of Kelemvor and of Denier... but I wonder why not Mystra's... Cyric dislikes all gods, true, but he especially hates Mystra and Kelemvor, from what Aliba has told me... why Denier?"

Breven went over and whispered to the rogue. "You aren't from arounf these parts, eh? Don't worry, you pass very well for a Faerunian. I can tell you're Kara-Turan, though."

He then walks over to Cristiano. "Look, he's drow. I simply told him I was glad that there was another person with some arcane talent, that's all. I said it in his native tongue. Thought he'd like some familiar sounds, you know?"
There is obviously something hidden in his voice, but more of something like it wasn't quite said openly.

Breven then looked to Cristiano. "So, do you want to handle the door, or should I? I can do some minor dysjunctions to magics."

[Oslecamo]

"Ok, ok, everybody has his right to privacy, I understand. Just don't hide anything that could help explain why and how we are here."-sighted Cristiano.

"Well, see what you can do to disrupt any existing magic, and then I'll try to open it."

(I'll let Breven do whatever he can do to the door and then open it myself)

[alchemyprime]

Breven casts an abjuration at the door and a sizzle and fizzle is seen.
"I think I failed... sorry... but it may be easier for a paladin like yourself to bust through... I'm just not strong enough an arcanist to undo this spell. Unless our drow friend can also dispel magic?"
Breven looks longingly at the drow, hoping for some help.

[Zarthrax]

The drow acknowledges Breven with a slight nod. "As it so happens, I can." He waves his hands at the door for a moment.


Dispel Check (1d20+7=16)

[alchemyprime]

Where Breven had failed, the drow had succeeded.
"It's all yours now, Cristiano." Breven gestured toward the eskewed symbol of Denier.

[Oslecamo]

"There can be only failure in not trying."-murmurs Cristiano as he firmly advances towards the symbol and opens the secret door in one swift decided move.

(I open the secret door)

[alchemyprime]

A simple small hallway leads down away from the door. It seems like this was the way whoever left you here left, as there is a very minimal covering of dust, as compared to the room you all woke up in.

Breven looks over Cristiano's shoulder. "Searchin, searchin... no, I think we're safe as far as magic goes. Magic eyes. Best gift from Mom ever."

Breven looks around. "Well... I'm not going down first. We all died to get here. Literally. I frankly don't know if they want us to leave. But then again, it would take some expensive magic to bring us back, so they might not want us dead again. What do you guys think?"

[Glawackus]

"I agree on the latter. Market value on the components for resurrection magic is too high. Unless our unknown benefactors want to test us. I say we send someone more durable down the hall," Doxian says, crossing his arms and leaning in the doorway.

[Oslecamo]

"Yeah, somebody bothered to kill us and bring us back. One question, tough is that I always tough one could only be ressurected if he wanted, and also that the deceased soul knows who is trying to bring him back. But I don't remember any of this hapening, only my death. Some kind of new magic perhaps?"

Looks in the corridor

"Well, any of you have rope of any kind? I can take poisoned darts to the face whitout much trouble, but pit traps don't need magic to work and I'm a not very good climber. Perhaps some of you can make us fly so we don't trigger any traps? If no once knows how to magically fly, I'll tie up a rope between me and you so if there's a pit trap I don't all the way."

[alchemyprime]

Breven sighed. "Auntie Alias always said, 'The only difference between a wizard's pockets and a child's is that a child has more candy!' Made me and dad laugh, if mom a bit angry the first time. Here, I have some rope in my sack."
Breven opened the sack and pulled out a rope. "No idead how to knot this, though... hey, Doxian, can you tie knots?"

[Glawackus]

"I'll give it a try," Doxian says, taking the rope and concentrating on it for a moment before beginning to tie it as Cristiano suggested.

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Use Rope: (1d20+1)[11]

[alchemyprime]

Doxian gets a decent half-hitch around Cristiano. Breven gets a hold of it. "He volunteered to go first. None too bright, eh? Better him than us though." Breven says in Undercommon. "So, what's your name, friend?" Breven asks the drow.

[Zarthrax]

"I have a name for people who go first. That name is 'Spare Parts'. My name is Ilztmyree Mirfryn. No relation to anyone you might have heard of."


OOC: I hearby designate Magenta as Undercommon.

[alchemyprime]

"Opposite boat, myself. I'm related to quite a few people you may have heard of."

Breven patted Cristiano on the back. "Good luck. May Oghma and Denier guide your steps away from pits. We'll be..." Breven looks at the rope. "Well, I'll be right behind you, Doxian kind of close, and my fellow arcanist may be taking up the rear. And using a good 40 feet of rope as space."
Breven then whispers in Cristiano's ear. "I have bladefire and ravages if need be. Want any? What about wet-fire?"

OOC: Yellow is Celestial, Magenta Undercommon, red Doxian's funny accent. J/k on the red.

[Glawackus]

"Right then. Shall we?" Doxian says, moving away from the door to let the roped paladin pass.

OOC

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