The Heart of Darkness... [Main Game Thread]

[BishGada]

Galan moves forward and looks at the text. "Interesting. Looks like a riddle that if we solve it we can avoid... errr... sacrifice. What do you make of it? Green is bad, night color is good, red prevents sacrifice. Either things we will see in the hall mentioned or we need to prepare them now... And what do you think is the tormentor??"

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(OOC: Galan is just ready to fly. Is being riddle master helps in anyway understanding the current riddle? Is there anything colorful on the walls/floor/ceiling?)

[TristenC]

Tabby avoids the pit and continues forward along her side of the corridor, prodding the floor. She covers another 10 feet before the pole-tapping reveals yet another pit. It opens just as smoothly and silently as the first, and only under a sturdy push from the halfling.

Galan moves up with Faldair beside him, re-checking the ground up to the first pit revealed. Aafron moves up to join his brother as Bryce ponders the situation.

Sorril moves to the entrance, glancing back at Van. He grunts in agreement as he accepts the bit of bread. Guard duty is always slow going... until it isn't. We must remain vigilant.

Elidyr grunts as well, Give me something to stab or enspell... these traps are just slowing us down.

[Time is 1:15 pm]
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Still waiting on SQL.

Galan can tell that the riddle pertains to areas not yet discovered, so there is little he can devise from it yet. Also he knows he does not have the complete riddle (as everyone can see, it goes farther on into darkness)
The walls and floor are all very colorful.

[BishGada]

Seeing all the pits Galan says aloud, "It seems the one built this place failed his engineering class..." he then continue moving carefully to the next pit edge.

[counterkid]

Was there any written words on the pit in front of Tabbi?

[Nocturno]

Were the words read aloud so Van could ponder them while on guard duty?

[TristenC]

[some words were over the pit but don't worry, the whole thing will be revealed once they reach the end of the hall. Consider them information everyone has]

[Squirrellord]

Ignoring the words for now, Bryce will move around the pit trap in front of him and continue onwards systematically checking as he has been. Calling back to the group as he moves forward the says "There are pit traps other than the ones we triggered. (OOC - I am presuming the gray squares are the pet traps that have the pits open to view now) Once Tabbi and I get to the end of the hall I'll come back and hopefully safely trip the remaining ones so none of you fall in one."

[TristenC]

[Yes, the pits marked in black are opened from prodding. The others were discovered by stonework or trap finding skill and thus not opened yet]

Galan continues to the second pit, double-checking the floor that Bryce, Tabby and now Zafron have already crossed.

Bryce continues on, spotting a final pit and the end of the hall...

The red mosaic path splits shortly after... One fork goes to a Stone Archway swirling with mist [#5], while the other trail of red tiles leads to a Great Green Devil Face with an impossibly wide-open mouth [#6]. Inside the mouth is impenetrable darkness...

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Floor Tile Message:

ACERERAK CONGRATULATES YOU ON YOUR POWERS OF OBSERVATION.
SO MAKE OF THIS WHATEVER YOU WISH,
FOR YOU WILL BE MINE IN THE END NO MATTER WHAT!

Go back to the tormentor or through the arch,
and the second great hall you'll discover.
Shun green if you can. but night's good color
is for those of great valor.
If shades of red stand for blood the wise
will not need sacrifice aught but a loop of
magical metal - you're well along your march.

Two pits along the way will be found to lead
to a fortuitous fall, so check the wall.
These keys and those are most important of all,
and beware of trembling hands and what will maul.
If you find the false you find the true
and into the columned hall you'll come,
and there the throne that's key and keyed.

The iron men of visage grim do more than
meet the viewer's eye.
You've left and left and found my Tomb
and now your soul will die.



Item 5 on the map:
An archway of stone swirling with mist

Item 6 on the map:
A Large green Devil face of stone with impenetrable darkness in the mouth

#5 & 6.JPG (57.79 KiB) Viewed 5671 times

[counterkid]

Zafron will move up to Tabbi and avoid the pit.

Bryce, do you want the rest of us to move forward?

[Squirrellord]

Since they have reached the end of the hall, Bryce will go back to the entrance and gather the rest of the party. "Follow me, we have pit traps ahead that are not marked. I'll show them to you when we get to them. Listen to the dwarf (he jerks a thumb toward his own chest) if you don't fancy a tumble down a hole." He will proceed to bring the party to the end of the hall provided they follow.

Bryce will point out the writing on the floor as well

[Nocturno]

"So, uh we are ignoring this?" He points to the chest in the wall.

[TristenC]

[is Bryce opening the pits as he previously intended?]

[Squirrellord]

OOC - I forgot about that Tristen. He will trip the pit traps with the tapping pole on the way to the entrance to collect the party.

[TristenC]

Bryce trips each of the pits with the 10 ft pole; all revealing 10 ft deep pits with large spikes at the bottom which seem to be coated with some dark fluid. Some of the pits take more than one try to trigger, indicating that they might possibly be missed by tapping alone... in such a way he returns to the entrance to guide the others back into the hall.
[Map will update later]

Van glances at the box that protrudes from the Fresco of the wizardly work room. There's a catch on top that appears to be designed to open it.. Oddly the bottom of the box is hinged, as if the side of the box functioned as a door meant to open downward.

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-Fresco of the Wizardly Work-room with a
-Fresco of a Prison door with a caged beast's hands on the bars
-many other frescoes, not yet looked at in detail (described in initial post for the hall.
-Box/ Chest protruding from wall [#4 on map]
-Large Green Devil face with wide-open mouth of total darkness [#6 on map
-Archway of Mist [#5 on map]

[BishGada]

"Let's first try to figure the riddle. It might be connected to the chest as well." Galan suggests.

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(OOC: Will the riddle master help now to figure the riddle?
For all, want to verify the dark substance on the spikes? Probably some poison. If so would you like to gather it? Galan can fly down and get it.)