Chapter 13 - Azurpenia's Prison

[enn.in.me]

Yenny happy to go at or near the front of the armored division--if scouts are going further in front that's cool too.

[CAI4]

"I've been here before" says Chet matter-of-factly, "so I should be in front. I may not be the smartest, but I have a good sense of direction."

He thinks for a bit. "The people in the back are important too. We got sneak attacked from the back by chameleon women."

To the blue woman, Chet replies "Well, I figured we needed some help. We have good fighters and magic users. Very experienced in fighting. We can probably bring you back anything in this prison if we try. By the way, Tempest is back in Alleborg training."

He pulls out the map and shows it to the others. He points to the rooms marked "sinking floor room" and "white room with black stripe." "I think we should go there last. I want to see what else there is."

The monk moves to the north of the room, looking through the archway that he hasn't explored yet.

[Nuke66]

Galan will join Chet at the point.

"Lead on good man, I'll try and provide another set of eyes."

[tkrexx]

Hyde's eyes are wide and bulging, threatening to roll out of their sockets in his apprehension. The tall, winged blue Woman has him especially terrified. What is she, hah? What IS she? He hisses once the group is on their way.

[AleBelly]

Chet and Galan peek into the arch at the northern end of the Lady's room. The arch breaches a wall five feet thick then opens up into another room, 50' wide by about 70' long. Its walls and ceiling are made of grey stone with just a hint of blue. Lit sconces line the room at about 10'-15' intervals, providing ample illumination for the pair to observe the intricately laid mosaic pattern in the floor of the room. Many of the small mosaic tiles are black, but light cream-colored tiles form the shape of a 10' long serpentine figure. It coils around itself, has fangs and two foreclaws and resembles a cross between a snake and a salamander. In the fall wall to the north is the only other visible access to the room.

As Chet and Galan observe the floor, it hisses at them in their common language

The first to cross these coils must dance,
The second, sing to safety reach,
The third must bleed or risk mischance,
The fourth one dies between my teeth,
The next will be the first once more,
And do not cheat - I'm keeping score!

Updated map:

Entrance blue lady.png (1.52 MiB) Viewed 312 times

[CAI4]

Chet returns to the others, knowing they all heard the poem too.

"Well, I don't know which of us wants to go fourth, but it sure isn't me! Maybe we should not go that way" he says to the others.

[Zhym]

Angus's forehead scrunches up. "I ain't got the foggiest notion how to solve that there riddle," he says. "Going some other way ain't the worst idea."

[enn.in.me]

With a furrowed brow, Yenny says "The first three seem easy enough. I'm bothered by the definitiveness of the fourth. I suppose it could be warning to stay out of its teeth while crossing. Dies. Dives. The fourth one dies between my teeth. Hmm." Yenny seems completely lost in her thoughts as she ponders the riddle. "It doesn't say anything about coming back either. I wonder what happens if a person approaches the room from the other side. Does anybody fly today?"

[AleBelly]

Based on discussions so far and previous marching order, I'm assuming this is the marching order. Please post in OOC to modify as necessary.

[Zhym]

"If the fourth line don't mean what it sounds like it means, I reckon the other three don't, either," answers Angus. "And I ain't never heard a riddle what told you its answer, neither. I'm fair certain we gotta do something other than dance, sing, bleed, and die if we want to cross that room."

[tkrexx]

Maybe it's not telling us how to go, but WHO goes, hah? Hyde scrunches his forehead in hard thought. It wants a dansa first; Monks and Thieves be dancin' innan' outta trouble all the time. Some a' them tunes Arnulf belts out when he be castin' sound like songs, hah? Warriors always be up front fightin' and bleedin'... But that leaves Clerics for dyin'?

[Keehnelf]

Sagthistle is silent as the others discuss. Then suddenly, she pipes up. "Perhaps that's a warning--the path one needs to take follows the snake's body and out through the mouth to the other side, doing the things as described. But then the fourth person needs to stay away from the teeth and pass along one of the claws instead."

[Zorroroaster]

"That's kind of what I was thinking too. Perhaps the fourth to cross needs to simply avoid the spot in the mosaic where the teeth are. Though Hyde's idea makes a certain sense. Then again, his idea precludes other sorts of folks out here. How would a Druid be classified according to this? No, I think the simpler explanation is correct. Dance, sing, bleed, avoid. Repeat. Who knows, maybe we all die horribly." He laughs, nervously.

[ybn1197]

"If that be the case, I suggest we send our hardiest member dancing across to see the outcome."

[Zhym]

Do we know who our hardiest member is?

[enn.in.me]

Yenny - "I haven't danced in a while, but only for lack of opportunity. Can anybody make some music?"

[AleBelly]

As the party debates the riddle from the mosaic, they consider other options. To the left, a circular room is seen through another arch (apologies for not drawing this clearly in the map). Its floor is made of silvery tiles, some unequal in size. An unseen light from above appears to move, making a complete circle of the room every minute or so.

To the right is an arch leading to jumbled stairs that seem to defy gravity. Chet and Tempus had previously taken this path.

Date: 16 Culling, Year 42
Time: 17:43
Conditions: 54F, calm, room is dim and shadowy, illuminated by some ethereal light
Known Spells in Effect: None
Light bearers: sun
Intended Direction of Travel:
Injury Status: None

[CAI4]

Chet addresses the others. "If I were us, I think we should probably check the stairs just to see if anything is different. If not, we should go to the crying baby. The mosaic will come last. I'd rather be killed by wild monkeys with knives than die in the jaws of a mosaic."

[Nuke66]

"I agree, perhaps we will stumble on some insight for the mosaic else where." Galan says

[Zhym]

Angus squints at the room with the silvery tiles and roaming light. "Shiny. I wonder if it's being in the light or out of it what's bad?"