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| Someone used great care in the construction of this small hall. |
At the far end, you spy a set of closed double doors of cherry wood with black iron reinforcements.To the left and right are small nooks. In each, a short pedestal is topped by the alabaster bust of a beautiful woman. There is a slight breeze here, carrying upon it a faint scent of pears.
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteStepping forward into the hallway, the mage relaxes slightly, breathing in the sweet air. The corners of his mouth turn up as he looks over his shoulder towards his companions. “Be wary, I would not expect such fragrances in a tomb. I suspect a trap or illusionary danger ahead.” He gestures for Teryn to join him, valuing her piercing sight.
The mage himself begins to study the area as he proceeds slowly down the hall, sensing along the weave for disruptive energies while his keen eyes take in the intricately crafted passage.
Tech: Arcana +19, Perception +10, move to H4 and very carefully study the busts
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteHanrar has no trouble getting to the busts for examination. As seen many times in this tomb, the sculptures are of the the Iron Lich's wife. The scent seems to be coming from the busts. Hanrar does not detect any magic auras (other than the everburning chandeliers)
Intriguing... the eyes are hollow sockets (two busts = four sockets).
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteStepping closer to the busts, the mage peers into the empty socket, tracing his finger into the crevice and attempting to gauge the size of the orbit. He twists his quarrel in thought as he looks around for anything of an appropriate size to fit into the empty socket.
Is there anything else in the hallway? Canister, vase, tiny box labeled 'Liches wife's eyes'?
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteYou search the hallway, but do not find what you are looking for. Certainly no boxes labelled, "wife eyes".
[Vesten]
ReplyDeleteVesten hovers into the hallway and floats behind Hanrar. He scans all along the hallway to see if there are any weak points or seams in the stonework. As he notices the empty eye sockets shortly after Hanrar, Vesten re-doubles his efforts to include the floor, ceiling, and the busts themselves.
As he searches, Vesten quips, "The Iron Lich seems to have a thing for empty eye sockets, doesn't he?"
Tech: Dungeoneering +10, Perception +10
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteOOC: I had to check. You never know, some contractors just aren't up to snuff when it comes to final installation...
His brow furrowed in thought, the mage turns to his companions. "I'm afraid I am lost on this, my fellows." He shakes his head, turning back to look at the bust again. "His wife, his blindness, all seem on a common thread..."
Twisting his mouth into a frown of concentration, the mage takes one of his pouches and unclasps it from his belt, wadding up the heavy cloth and supple leather to the approximate size of the eye socket, trying to fit it into the opening in an attempt to find its volume.
What is the approximate size of the socket? Full orbit, pupil, iris, what are we looking at here?
[Vesten and Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteYou search some more, not wanting to leave a clue unturned. If there are secrets here, they are well hidden.
You also get a strong impression that you should place something in these eye sockets. Whatever it is, it would be the size and shape of a humanoid's actual eye. The busts are to scale.
[Vesten]
ReplyDelete"Bah! There doesn't appear to be anything here!"
Recovering from his irritation, Aerrant smiles deviously, "Anybody feel like plucking their eyes out?"
OOC: Oops, just realized I keep typing Aerrant instead of Vesten. That's another character I play in a different PbP game. Sorry, guys. Sometimes my fingers type faster than my brain.
ReplyDelete[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteThe mage takes another moment to study the figure-head as he places his pouch back onto his belt. "Perhaps we are looking at this the wrong way..." He leans against the wall as he twists his quarrel, his brow furrowed. "Blindness and his wife are very strong points in this tomb... First the deck-dealer, then the eyes painted on the walls, the constant paintings and statues of his late wife and of course the skulls everywhere..."
He pauses for a moment, arching an eyebrow as he crouches, slipping off his pack and opening it. He pulls out the mithril skull, testing the emerald eyes for their size and if they can be easily removed.
Might be onto something here... Did we take the ruby eye from the golem?
[Vesten]
Delete"Excellent thinking, Hanrar!"
Vesten pulls his pack off and removes the painting of the Iron Lich's wife. Looking over it to refresh his memory, he'll pay close attention to her eyes.
What color are his wife's eyes?
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteThe mitril rendering's eyes do not come out, nor are they really of the right shape or size for these sockets.
You remember that you did NOT take the either of the rubies out of the door in the Grand Hall (where you fought the golem).
[Vesten]
Looking at the painting you found in the Fane of Sight, you see that the Iron Lich's wife has green eyes.
[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteCursing softly, the mage replaces the skull into his pack, running his hand over his hair as he studies the busts further. "I doubt gouging out our own eyes would do anyone any good here... Unless we have any other ideas, perhaps we should carry on?" He gestures towards the door at the far end of the hallway.
[Vesten]
ReplyDeleteNodding to himself, Vesten returns the painting to his pack. "At the risk of being too literal, I think we're looking for emeralds."
"I agree that I don't think there's anything else we can do here. Lead the way."
Vesten turns his attention to the door. He closes his eyes to focus, before opening them again to try and detect any magical auras around the door. He also inspects it for traps while waiting for the thief to come forward. As always, he'll look for any structural / architectural details, too.
Tech: Arcana +8, Thievery +11, Dungeoneering +10, Perception +10
[Vesten]
ReplyDeleteThe doors leading further east do not appear to be trapped or locked.
El-Kal trades off his bracers, staying clearing from the smoldering paladin and joining the others.
ReplyDeleteOOC: well, of we don't have the gems for the statues, we have no choice. Onward thru the doors. Hopefully we can come back this way. It's always possible the statues are linked to something else and are here to screw with our logic...possibly.
OOC: I do prefer if someone actually posts to open the doors, if that is what you wish to do. But no rush. I won't drop the next big post until tomorrow. I'm on vacation that day, but have it pretty much ready to post.
ReplyDelete[Hanrar]
ReplyDeleteGrumbling, the mage shoulders his pack once again, adjusting his newly won scarab around his neck and tucking it under his robes. He scowls at the empty sockets of the busts before letting out a low sigh and proceeding onward, pushing against the heavy doors at the far end of the hall, his staff shouldered as the huge slabs of wood groan in their hinges...
The adventure continues with the Spectral Stair.
ReplyDelete