CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

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Norjax
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CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#1 Post by Norjax »

...

Sitrus steps through the opening and into the hallway. He allows his darkvision to focus before moving any farther into the temple. The hall is 10ft wide and extends straight ahead for 60ft, before making a sharp turn to the right. The floor appears to be natural stone, worked in places to make it level. The ceiling is also living rock, chiseled into a slight arch. The walls are of masonry construction, utilizing polygonal blocking. The air has the odor of mold and moisture. All is quiet, save the ruckus behind you as several others enter the dark hall chatting and joking. Even the hen, MacTalon, lets out a few clucks.

Schlovell sniffs the moist, moldy air, but detects nothing too foul. He props the 10ft. pole into the grooved track and against the door to prevent it from rolling closed.

Beefheart sweeps the floor with his feet, clearing loose dirt and exposing solid rock.

How are the humans planning to illuminate the dark?

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...

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Starbeard
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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#2 Post by Starbeard »

Kid Crimson adopts his best bowling stance and rolls his barrel down the long hallway, softly enough that it will not dash against the walls. If it stops midway down the corridor, he walks up to it (once the group has a light source) and rolls it the rest of the way.

Beefheart use his thief's toolkit to pick his teeth.

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kalstone
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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#3 Post by kalstone »

Irakas, Halfling Trader
If I'm so lucky, what am I doing here, thinks Irakas, sullenly stepping through the doorway. "Come on, urchin," he growls to Myles. He looks around at the room for anything giving off heat.

Myles, Urchin
Myles steps through the doorway with a look of anticipation

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#4 Post by Pulpatoon »

Foul Ol' Amphelice jabs a walnut-knuckled finger at Myles' ribs. "Boy! And what've you got that lamp fer if you're not gonna light it?"

Symond Berry, still with one earlobe in the beggar queen's grip, looks apologetically at Myles "I think it's dry. Does anyone have oil for the lamp?"

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#5 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Miss Cleo walks inside with great trepidation. After seeing the puzzle like masonry, she pulls out her only other possession, her deck of fortune reading cards. She draws out just one of the cards, *rolls randomly* looks at it in her hand, and shakes her head at the white skull on the black background. "Bumbaclot!" She says out loud for all to hear. "Of course it would be death!"

She holds it sideways and slides it across the joints of the walls, trying to see if she can indeed slide a card in between any of the joints.


Timmy Little walks right in with minimal hesitation. He begins looking at the walls as well, trying to locate any of those secret doors that he has heard about in songs and stories. Once the others start talking about lighting a lamp so the group can explore further, he remembers that he has a flask of oil that he brought from home. "Hey! I got some oil right here if you need it! Im not sure why I brought oil and nothing to burn it in, but....." He pulls out the flask and offers it up to the others.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#6 Post by abwinningh42 »

Pert Cornwallace

Pert gave MacTalon a few gentle pats to try and quiet her clucking as he entered the rock face. He looked at the wall with curiosity; he hadn't seen polygonal blocking before, but the asymmetry was pleasant. He ran his fingers along the stone faces of a few blocks as the others tried to rustle up a source of light.

Egburt Skurg

Egburt have a sigh and a shudder as he stepped over the threshold of the world he knew into the unknown. He may have perked a little, though, at the mention of needing oil. He pulled a flask from a pouch on his belt. "I also have oil if it's needed." He may have hated being here, but he did enjoy being useful.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#7 Post by ybn1197 »

Toross followed the others into the chamber, anxiety building in him. His environment was the wilderness, the freedom of the open areas, this was claustrophobic in the extreme.

Sitrus steps back while Kid Crimson rolls the barrel. "I'm guessin' you're doing that to see if there are any traps along the way. Mighty fine thinkin' there."

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#8 Post by coil23 »

Toldren blushes at the realization he did not think to bring anything to light their way. e stands quietly as the others get the lamp get the lamp up and running. The grappling hook is held in his hand, ready to be used as a weapon. I can help lead the way or be rearguard. I'm used to this set up with caravans I run with.

Quill offers to no one in particular, I can map our way if you like?

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#9 Post by Norjax »

...

Kid Crimson wrestles his barrel into the hallway and prepares to roll it forward. Sitrus, surprised by the rolling container crowding him, steps aside and allows Kid to do his task.

Timmy and Egburt hand Myles their flasks of oil, and the urchin lights his lantern illuminating the dark hallway. The demihuman’s infravision is spoiled in the light, but everyone can now see that the hall takes a 90-degree turn to the right 60 feet ahead.

Miss Cleo runs the tips of her fingers in the joints between the blocks. She attempts to slide one of her cards into the seam, but it will not fit. The craftsmanship of this masonry is impressive, and its perfection may be the result of ancient magic.

Timmy and Pert examine the block wall, looking for secret doors. They find nothing unusual, save the perfection of the polygonal joints.

Up ahead of the group, Kid pushes with all his effort to roll the barrel straight down the hallway. It rolls for 10 feet and stops after bumping into the wall. Kid walks up to the barrel and rolls it ahead for another 10 feet, before it turns and hits the other wall. He continues at this pace for 40 feet, before the barrel triggers a trap. There is a loud scraping sound as a portion of the west wall extrudes into the hall and smashes the barrel against the east wall. The barrel is destroyed, but leaves enough debris to hold a 6” gap between the two walls.

Upon hearing the calamity ahead, everyone looks forward to see Kid scramble back with a shocked look on his face.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#10 Post by Pulpatoon »

Foul Ol' Amphelice screeches when she hears the sound of crashing rock ahead. Once she realizes she hasn't been crushed in a rockslide, she cackles hideously.

Symond Berry says, "There was some mention of crowbars, a moment ago, wasn't there? Would anyone care to lend me one? Perhaps we can wedge the block further back."

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#11 Post by Griffith »

Schlovell looks back at the entrance. It's not too late, he thinks, I can go back home and forget this evil, trap-filled temple! It is obvious to anyone looking at him what he is considering.

Sir Hanout Longpepper places his hand on Schlovell's shoulder. "Steady, Schlovell. Don't forget your nephew is one of the missing. Could be the lad is waiting for you deeper in this place... Do you want to leave here without trying to find him?"

Schlovell is persuaded to stay. He approaches the block warily. He begins to pry on it (at the 6" gap) with both hands, but is ready to quickly remove his fingers or to jump away should the block make any sudden movements.

"That's it, man!" cries Hanout, "Put your back into it!" He draws his sword, though he is not sure how it will help. Hanout is about half way between the temple entrance and the blocked passageway.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#12 Post by Starbeard »

Kid Crimson runs up to the sprung trap and cavorts excitedly. "Yowee! I knew it! How about that, you dumb dungeon? No touché today, mate!" He blows a raspberry and directs a newly invented rude gesture at the trap to calm his nerves, then sets to work helping to pry open the blocked path with his crowbar.

Beefheart gives the stone block a good but cautious kick in the side, just to teach it a lesson.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#13 Post by coil23 »

Toldren will assist with trying to push the block back enough to allow passage through. He'll use a crowbar if anyone has one to lend. Too bad you don't have more barrels as we move ahead. That last one saved a neck or two, I reckon.

Quill stands aside, quiet and contemplating the danger of going on. More to have something to do he quietly pens the map as so far progressed.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#14 Post by kalstone »

Myles looks at the trap with amazement. "Righteous," he whispers, holding the lamp up so that the workers can see.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#15 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Miss Cleo smiles when she sees the trap sprung, as if she knew it was coming all along. She offers up her crowbar to expedite the trap dismantling.

Timmy takes said item and gives the others a hand with the stone.

"Hey! That was actually pretty cool! I'm glad it was just an empty barrel that got crushed and not one of us. That was really good thinking, by the way! We might just survive this with enough luck and smart actions like that!"

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#16 Post by Norjax »

...

Schlovell moves forward and grabs the edge of the block, trying to move it. The block is constructed of the same polygonal masonry as the walls. It is the entire width of the hallway wide (10 ft.) and is about 10 ft. high. There is a gap at the top, due to the clearance provided by the arched ceiling. You can see through the 6" gap that the block is about 10 ft. long.

Image

Kid Crimson and Toldren assist, taking turns using Kid’s crowbar in an attempt to pry the extruded wall back. Beefheart walks up and kicks the edge of the block, using caution to avoid the edges of the zig-zag sides of the polygonal blocks.

Symond asks for a crowbar so he can lend his effort. Timmy takes Miss Cleo’s crowbar and helps the others pry.

No one is having any luck moving the wall.

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...

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#17 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Timmy huffs and puffs but gives up shortly after he realizes that the stone isn't moving. He starts looking around for the mechanism that triggered the trap in the first place, checking the floor and wall nearest to the path of the crushed barrel.
"Maybe we need to find the reset for this thing?"


Miss Cleo
looks around the group from person to person, trying to determine who the skinniest member is that might have to go over the top of the stone to release it from the other side.

"Mi hate to say it but........one of you slim tings might haff to go ova da top!"

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#18 Post by Starbeard »

Kid Crimson is confounded. He steps back to view the scene and is beset with nostalgic flashbacks to playing Wizardry on his old wireframe Mag-O-Puter.

Beefheart's pointless kicking gives him an idea, and he says as much. "Perhaps one of the stones on this block is a secret push-switch. Watch your fingers!" Making sure that no one has yet stuck any body parts into any of the gaps, he begins to kick and push each individual stone that makes up the block trap. The activity is therapeutic for his blood pressure, and allows him to feel contributive without actually resorting to heroism.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#19 Post by Griffith »

Schlovell steps back a few feet and stares at the immovable block. Hands on his hips he wonders what to do next.

Sir Hanout Longpepper sees the others looking for some kind of secret switch and adds, "I have also heard of dungeons like this having secret passages... Perhaps the builders of this temple provided a detour around this trap. I suggest we also look for a secret or concealed door."Hanout begins examining the walls on both sides of the passage.

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Re: CHAPTER ONE: Into the Temple

#20 Post by kalstone »

Irakas and Myles assist Sir Hanout with searching for a secret door.

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