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Andronichishche

Andronichishche nonchalantly calculates the effective reach of Gramble's axe and casually shifts just out of reach.

Yaaaa! Double bonus post! Now with real maps!

The Secret Room
Starday, 20th of Goodmonth
Early Morning, Sunny, Warm, Humid

While even more members step away from the danger zone, Maag gives up the pole idea all together and pushes the ring into the slit by hand, using a bit more finesse than he’s used to. Shockingly, once the disc is inserted completely, a section of the wall in front of the thief slowly begins to drop into the floor, revealing a hidden room beyond that looks nothing like the rest of this tunnel complex.

The walls, ceiling, and floor of this oval room are smooth and painted a bright copper color. The center of the floor, taking up the entire width of the room, has another circular raised dais. This white colored dais is about one foot off the floor and has seven copper plates spread out evenly across its surface. Each solid copper disc protrudes up from the dais about one inch with an obvious seem around its circumference, presumably allowing them to be pulled up or pushed down.

Actions?

map:Alordan 18/18
Lerrick 7/11 2/4 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Carucenus 10/10
Tlachtga 8/8 4/4 1st Torch 40’r
Gramble 16/16 (Light stone 40'r)
Andronichishche 6/6 0/3 1st / CL, DM, RM 1/1 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Maag 12/12

MIA
Sir Crestbrook 9/11 LoH (Petrified in Melania’s bedroom?)
Cu AC:3 13/13 (Whereabouts Unknown)
message on tiny decorative box
Mina's note

Oops! Forgot to include the T on the map after all my erasing.

Maag

" 'ow could you ever 'ave doubted me?", asks Maag, half smugly and half innocently. He almost steps right into the room, but at the last moment remembers to poke the floor for pressure plates and check the doorframe for other hidden surprises.

Then he steps aside and motions 'after you' to the rest of the party.

Andronichishche

Andronichishche stands at the threshold to the strange oval chamber, staring intently at the large white dais with a severely furrowed brow, deep in concentration. Nearly a minute passes as he gently taps one end of his bamboo pole in a steady staccato. "This is quite unexpected ... yet, not entirely unexpected ... in this place." He then steps into the room, carefully avoiding the raised copper discs. Raising the light stone near to the ceiling, Andron attempts to suffuse the room in an even light to carefully study the ceiling and walls for anything unusual. At least, more unusual than the bright copper color.

After this he drops to one knee and proceeds to examine the embedded discs. When his work is complete he stands and gestures to his feet at the dais and the surrounding discs. "It would seem to be some type of combination lock. I surmise the outer discs must be raised or inserted in the proper alignment before activating the central disc." He inhales a deep breath and releases it quickly through his nose. "Considering the three statues and the acid trap, it's almost certainly trapped against an incorrect entry."

wolfpack wrote:damnit why can't it just ever be a pile of gold and magic

Lerrick laughs out loud then quickly stops herself as she remembers she's in a nasty cave filled with thinks that kill. She then states in a whisper. I agree Gramble.

Andron I'll give you 5 gold pieces if you solve this puzzle...and I'll heal you every time you make a mistake.

Andronichishche

Andronichishche tilts his head to regard Lerrick with a raised eyebrow and an expression that suggests he's attempting to ascertain humor from a serious offer. He looks down at the dais, then back up at Lerrick. "The ... generous ... offer of gold notwithstanding, I believe it unlikely I would survive more than two failed attempts, given my recent history with traps." He says this quite plainly and without the slightest hint of sarcasm.

He then taps an index finger on his right temple, eyes unfocused as if recalling a memory. "The debris room. If I am not mistaken, there is something written on the walls? Some phrases familiar ... yet, others not. Perhaps Marquees left a clue similar to the one about the three statues? I expect that we won't find the solution here."

OGRE MAGE wrote:
MIA
Sir Crestbrook 9/11 LoH (Petrified in Melania’s bedroom?)

The recent addition of that question mark suggests we may want to at least check on Sir Crestbrook.

Tlachtga

"Perhaps Maag should look it over carefully, I have heard that members of his profession are good with locks."

Perhaps I am invisible and don't even know it.

Fixed it.
The Secret Room
Starday, 20th of Goodmonth
Early Morning, Sunny, Warm, Humid

Quite proud of his discovery, Maag almost forgets to check the doorway out before entering. Even though this room is clearly much different than the rest of the complex, caution is still used and the many deadly traps they’ve discovered so far are often mentioned. Once the thug is certain the entry is safe, and always the perfect gentleman, he invites the others to move in before him.

Trusting in his stout companions skill completely, Andronichishche is the first, and only to enter. He inspects the room carefully with his long light pole, finding nothing odd to investigate. The raised copper disks on the dais are all protruding from its surface at the exact same height. Hoping for something more from the safety of the tunnel, Gramble doesn’t seem to be thrilled about this room in the least.

Lerrick uncharacteristically tries to coerce her fellow priest with gold to make a few attempts at solving the riddle of the raised disks, even promising frivolous healing, an act her god would likely not appreciate at all. Despite the profitable goading, the priest of Rao decides not to experiment, suggesting that the answer to this puzzle might lie in the destroyed rubble in medusa’s living room.

Tlachtga suggests they let their brave thief and his knack for sniffing things out so well give the copper disks a try.

Actions?

map:Alordan 18/18
Lerrick 7/11 2/4 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Carucenus 10/10
Tlachtga 8/8 4/4 1st Torch 40’r
Gramble 16/16 (Light stone 40'r)
Andronichishche 6/6 0/3 1st / CL, DM, RM 1/1 1st (Light stone 40'r)
Maag 12/12

MIA
Sir Crestbrook 9/11 LoH (Petrified in Melania’s(?) bedroom)
Cu AC:3 13/13 (Whereabouts Unknown)
message on tiny decorative box
Mina's note

Ah, thank you! Although it raises yet another question.



Andronichishche

Andronichishche steps outside the chamber and nods to the druid. "I agree with Miss Tlachtga. Mr. Maag, would you please attempt to ascertain if the discs are indeed trapped, or any information on the locking mechanism itself?" He shuffles over to the western tunnel to yield room for the beefy half-orc to enter.

He again pulls out his map, but this time unfolds it flat upon the floor so the other members of the group can see it more clearly. "That chamber is definitely of a unique design in this complex and assuredly not naturally formed. I suspect the dais was constructed at or around the same time as the minotaur dais in the entry chamber. Indeed, that room may be what Brutus was intended to guard."

"This is speculation, of course, but I find it helps to construct at least some kind of narrative based on the available information and modify later as needed. To wit, Marquees appeared to be obsessed with this ... what he referred to as the medusa's treasure. The behavior indicates he was also not able to solve the riddle of the discs, if he even knew of this room's existence. Perhaps it is this treasure that Apep sent Melania to find, or prevent the followers of his enemy from accessing."

He points to a series of tunnels immediately to the southwest of the entry chamber on the map with the unlit end of his bamboo pole. "Now, it is possible Marquees had indeed solved the riddle. Would he then have, in his insane state of mind, provide yet another clue? In that section of tunnels are five extremely eroded statues of what were likely humans. Their relative positions roughly correspond to five of the copper discs. The remainder being the middle left and the center. It's definitely a stretch of logic, in this most illogical of places, but if Maag finds no traps we may consider it an option."

He refolds the map and stows it in his pack. "Lastly, each disc is at the exact same height. Therefore, the activated position is presumably down, by applying pressure to the disc."

Alordan asks if there is anything else in the room, or written on the walls, or if they searched the dais for any secret compartments.

Andronichishche

"I agree, Mr. Gramble. My own rather weak theory based on the statues would suggest depressing the middle left disc, followed by the center disc. Preferably done with a bamboo pole, if possible."

"I found nothing written on the ceiling, walls, or the discs, Mr. Alordan. Nothing else was evident in the room, either. I did not check for secret compartments, though. I recommend Mr. Maag check for traps before physical examination of that kind."

Alordan wanders closer to the group - but doesn't enter the room. Straining to come up with an answer to yet another frustrating riddle. "What about that message we found in the box? Where he says 'For you my love...' and something about 'us becoming one'. Ya think those are numbers for which plates to push? Ya know, 'four' and 'one'" He grumbles again about how god damn frustrating this all is.

Tlachtga

"Riddles are not my strong suit but I have been thinking of the note. Just haven't thought of a way it acts as a key for this room. The pattern is a hexagon with a center point, common among many cultures."

Andronichishche

Andronichishche silently ponders a connection between the inscription on the tiny box and the copper discs. "I am inclined to think they are not related ... unless what the box contained is involved." He pulls his map out yet again and unfurls it against the northern wall. He points to the trio of statues to their immediate south by southeast. "I was thinking of the unusual parsing of the first and third lines in the inscription. It reminded me of an unusual topographical feature in the complex. The southeast tunnel of that group of four to the south of us ... where we found the 'Look Hear for a Secret' message ... it contains no statue. Virtually every tunnel endpoint has a statue, but not that one. It's orientation with the other three has been gnawing at my mind for a reason why that is. Superimposing the whole section atop the dais suggests depressing the two left discs and the top right as the solution. Quite frankly, I believe it's far more plausible than my initial theory."

He removes the map from the wall and steps closer to the chamber's entrance to shine his light better against the bright copper walls. "Copper is an excellent conductor of electricity. The walls may actually be painted with a very thin coat of copper metal. An electrical discharge in that ovaloid room would electrify everything inside."

gramble will enter the room.

well lets do something, we need some treasure and not some stupid mini dragon