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Post by tavis on Oct 5, 2009 7:14:52 GMT -6
Berist will point to Bothess and mime listening at the door by cupping his ear with his hand, while he blows on one of the spikes to see if they've been in place long enough to accumulate dust.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2009 9:27:29 GMT -6
The spikes, judging from the accumulation of dust and rust, have been there at least a few months, probably longer.
Bothess reports "rustling sounds" coming from inside the room. It seems to be coming for everywhere, rather than localized to one particular area.
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Post by tavis on Oct 5, 2009 11:23:07 GMT -6
Berist points west and walks his fingers in the air to that direction and then cups his hand to his ear again. If we hear nothing at those northern doors, perhaps we should open them to see if we can circle around that ominous rustling that someone wanted to keep in there?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2009 12:01:40 GMT -6
Bothess nods and moves west to the large double doors and quietly presses her ear against the wood. Her human eye opens wide and she straightens, flashing all the fingers of hands several times. Her meaning is clear: there are many somethings on the other side of the door.
In the quiet, you can now faintly make out the sounds of movement, grunts, and snarls on the other side of the doors.
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Post by apeloverage on Oct 6, 2009 5:14:00 GMT -6
Yashub-Yahad favours going back to the statue and heading north from there.
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Post by tavis on Oct 6, 2009 6:43:01 GMT -6
Berist nods agreement and starts backing away from the snarling doors, pistol trained on them.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2009 8:47:41 GMT -6
Bothess agrees with Yashab-Yahud's plan, and the party makes its way back to the statue of the man with the tankard. You note the bodies of the defeated trogs are gone. You head north into the next room. There is a closed door, hinged on this side, in the east wall. On the west wall are tarnished brass hooks, underneath which are piles of rotted cloth. While Team A explores that room, Team B steps into the next for a quick look. This is a large room with a 20' ceiling. The room is filled with rotted and broken benches, rows of them. The basic orientation of the benches appears to be facing east. On the east side of the room the stonework creates a raised platform (as indicated on the map). Mickeck offers the theory this northernmost room was some sort of meeting room, or perhaps a place of worship. Map: odd74.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=dubeers&action=display&thread=2641&page=1#36909
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Post by tavis on Oct 6, 2009 9:23:01 GMT -6
Berist whispers to Bothess to see whether she can track any blood trails from the vanished trog bodies and perhaps tell what happened to them - if not dragged off, then perhaps eaten on the spot?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2009 11:05:11 GMT -6
The slain trogs appear to have been partially consumed on the spot, then dragged off to the east.
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Post by tavis on Oct 6, 2009 11:20:11 GMT -6
Good to know! Let's continue on to the north, but direct Buiq to concentrate on detecting any trog activity from the east.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2009 11:39:25 GMT -6
Buiq shrugs at this request, "My mind cannot hear the thoughts of others every day. Today, I cannot. Perhaps tomorrow, perhaps not. I used my thoughts to slay two trogs in the first fight, I can do no more until I rest."
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Post by crusssdaddy on Oct 6, 2009 14:59:24 GMT -6
[Gozer checks out the raised platform, searching for anything amiss - trapdoor, compartment, movable paneling, etc.]
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2009 15:36:09 GMT -6
Berist finds nothing on the platform.
What is everyone else doing?
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Post by waysoftheearth on Oct 6, 2009 16:44:57 GMT -6
Gimyip carefully searches the western wall of the alter room. Perhaps not all is as it seems...
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Post by tavis on Oct 6, 2009 17:26:22 GMT -6
Berist will examine the platform - without stepping on it, he'll examine its stonework, how it's joined to the wall behind it and the floor, etc.
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Post by apeloverage on Oct 7, 2009 4:02:35 GMT -6
Yashub-Yahad will listen at the door, then examine the cloth.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2009 7:24:48 GMT -6
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Post by tavis on Oct 7, 2009 7:35:10 GMT -6
Yes, let's open it!
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Post by crusssdaddy on Oct 7, 2009 8:35:55 GMT -6
[Gozer will open the secret door once everyone is in place and ready to deal with what might be behind it]
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Post by Deleted on Oct 7, 2009 8:59:56 GMT -6
Yashub-Yahad hears nothing at the east door. Among the rotting cloth is a simple necklace: a polished and slightly curved medallion (tooth? horn? You are not certain) hanging from a leather string. It is apparently nothing more than a treasured memento, lost in whatever chaos overtook the monastery.
To the north, the party arrays itself protectively around Gozer, who throws the concealed catch. This causes a counter weighted stone panel to open into a 10' passage to a second door. Sitting slumped on the floor is the mummified (in the traditional sense, not "the mummy walks among us") remains of a monk. At least, you assume it was formerly a monk, because it is clad in plain brown robes. The material resembles that in the room to the south (below the brass hooks), though it is in much better shape.
Clutched in the mummy's hands is a battered, leather bound book.
Their is an overwhelming sense of sadness in the room. You notice Buiq is shaking but, when asked, he just shakes his head and declines to comment.
To the east is a second door, hinged on this side.
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Post by apeloverage on Oct 8, 2009 0:52:35 GMT -6
Yashub-Yahad doesn't want to keep the necklace.
He favours taking the book, but not reading it.
He also favours opening the secret door. He'll have a sticky bomb ready if it's opened.
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Post by waysoftheearth on Oct 8, 2009 1:09:52 GMT -6
"Buiq guesses at the devilry contained in that grimoire better than I," says Gimyip.
He pushes into the alcove, careful to avoid the mummified remains, and searches the door for signs of trickery. How does it open?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 5:19:25 GMT -6
The door beyond the mummified monk appears to be the non-hidden side of a secret door. It opens with a simple latch, the door itself appears well-used for a secret door. It does not appear to be trapped or otherwise dangerous.
Yashub-Yahad leaves the curious necklace where it lies, and joins the rest of the group in the "meeting" room. As Gimyip takes the book, the slight jostling of the mummy causes it to disintegrate with a faint "woosh". All that is left is a pile of dust that looks like a mixture of salt and pepper, the book, and a wash-leather pouch containing a three rubies and 10 platinum pieces. Yashub-Yahad puts the book into his pack without reading it (and presumably, the pouch as well).
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 5:49:04 GMT -6
Buiq tells Gimyip, "There is no devilry here, only the feeling of intense sadness. I can scarcely contain it."
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Post by waysoftheearth on Oct 8, 2009 6:15:28 GMT -6
Gimyip narrows his eyes, listening for a moment. If there is no sound from beyond the portal, he puts his hand upon the latch.
"Make yourselves ready," he warns. Then, when the others are arrayed, opens the door.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 6:53:10 GMT -6
Gimyip hears no sound from the other side of the door. He throws it open to reveal ... ... a hallway. A giggle comes from Bothess, even as she expertly looks from side to side to clear for enemies. Directly across from the second secret door (you are on the other side and this is now confirmed) is a regular door. The stones between that door and the one you just exited are slightly worn. The passage north ends in a T interersection, the passage south vanishes behind a bend in the corridor. To the east is a door, west is an open door (the one you just walked through). Map: odd74.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=dubeers&action=display&thread=2641&page=1#36909
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Post by tavis on Oct 8, 2009 7:14:47 GMT -6
"If'n the secret door doesn't go anywhere secret, maybe what's in that lil passage is the secret," Berist says. "Kin I take a look at that book, Yashub-Yahad? I read pretty good, and I trust Buiq's word that there ain't no devilry in it."
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Post by Deleted on Oct 8, 2009 7:45:51 GMT -6
The paper of the book is brittle and yellowed, the ink is faded.
Fortunately, the monastery was also a place of scribing copies of books and, though the words on the paged are faded or damaged, they are clearly legible and written in a strong, clear hand.
"... we are them, and they are us. The men-beasts which roam the halls and attack the brethren are our very own, twisted by some unimaginable sorcery into these fell creatures ..."
"... with heavy losses, we drove the burrowing invaders back into the fermentation room, and spiked the doors closed. If only we ..."
"... Lotus will remain where it is, safely hidden in the secret treasure room. They fear it, and though they have removed everything else of value from the vault, Harbinger's Lotus is ... (unintelligible) ... and thus they will .... (unintelligible) ... and avoid the southeast passages completely. "
"... if there is any benevolent power beyond the horrible elder forces which rule over this land; may It, or They, have mercy on my brethren and I. Ashing, Abbot."
As Berist reads this text, Bothess turns away from the group. When she turns back, her human eye is red-rimmed and the right side of her face is damp. She shoots you all a warning look, don't even think about noticing it, her glance seems to say.
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Post by tavis on Oct 9, 2009 9:31:50 GMT -6
"Sounds to me like we oughta start searchin' for this secret treasure room to the southeast," Berist says. "Let's go back through the secret door to that statue, and head east from there. Bothess, mind scoutin' ahead? I trust your eyes, and ya ain't in armor like most of the rest of us. We'll follow a half-dozen paces behind - go slow so we can all try to move silent-like."
OOC: How long are the unreadable stretches of that final section? Can we guess how many words might fit in-between each of those ellipses?
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2009 11:27:06 GMT -6
In the second to the last quote? A few words or a line or two, at most. Between the different block quotes? Quite a bit, in some cases.
Bothess leads you back through the secret doors, west and then south. You reach the statue room, then turn east.
((Limited access today, I'll try to post an updated map this evening or in the morning. Feel free to post contingent actions, if you so desire.))
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