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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JollyDoc" data-source="post: 983301" data-attributes="member: 9546">DO GNOMES HAVE RUINS?“After you,” Tilly gestured to Pez, wiping his mouth from the healing elixir graciously provided by Jenya prior to their departure this morning.Pez hefted his sword, and began descending the dark, musty stairwell behind the secret door hidden in Keygan’s closet.  Salazar followed behind, a glowing sunrod held in his hand, and Tilly trotted along next, looking around with child-like curiosity, and whistling softly to himself.  Oso brought up the rear, bow in hand with arrow knocked.  As they continued downward, they began to hear strange sounds from the bottom of the stairs.  It sounded suspiciously like…birds chirping?  And was that a giggle?“I thought all the gnomes were gone,” Tilly said, “You think they might have come back?  Or maybe it’s…ghosts!”  The halfling clutched at Sal’s cloak, peering nervously ahead.The staircase ended at an open chamber.  Mounted to the walls were a number of copper masks depicting smiling gnomes.  The odd noises seemed to pour from the very walls themselves.  At one end of the room were two unusual doors.  They were round, and each bore a strange glyph in its center.  One of them was partially open, rolled halfway into a recessed track.  It’s visible edges resembled gear like teeth.  Soft light spilled from the room beyond…Pez moved quietly (or as quietly as a heavily armored, six foot tall elf can) towards the doorway.  Just as he neared the portal, the mask on the wall beside it began to speak:    Welcome to Jzadriune…behold the wonder!    But beware, ye who seek to plunder    Traps abound and guardians peer     Beyond every portal, behind every gear“Well, so much for the element of surprise,” Pez hissed.  He pushed the gear door open all the way, and stepped through.  The small chamber contained a dozen or so old cots and empty, open chests.  Dust and cobwebs covered everything.  The light came from a dimming sunrod lying in the middle of the floor.  Strangely, two small tunnels led out of the room, but they seemed to be freshly burrowed.  Piles of rubble still lay on the floor by their entrances.  As Pez quickly took this in, he failed to notice the most important detail…two shadowy figures that stood to either side of doorway.  Quick as a flash they were on him, thin rapiers flashing out and piercing between the plates of his armor.  Pez tried to move and prevent himself from being flanked, but the attackers were fast and relentless.  They didn’t allow him to bring his great blade to bear, and they continued to score solid hits.  The warrior fell to one knee, and he was beginning to realize this might be his final battle, when suddenly Sal and Tilly tumbled into the room, their blades whirling like dervishes.  Behind them, Oso’s bow sang, and one of the assailants took an arrow through the shoulder.  The creature clutched its wounded arm, and turned quickly to flee down one of the small tunnels.  Its companion was not so lucky.  Tilly and Sal quickly overpowered him, leaving him unconscious, but not dead.Pez lurched to his feet, “We have to get the other one, before he warns the whole place.”“You’re in no condition to fight,” Sal said.  “We’ll tend your wounds first, then we’ll give chase.”Reluctantly, Pez agreed.  As he made use of one of the healing elixirs, he took notice of the unconscious figure on the ground, and saw that it was the same sort of creature they had fought in Keygan’s shop.  Moving quickly, the company headed down the narrow tunnel single file with Pez once again leading the way.  They soon found themselves in another small room, this one apparently unoccupied save for a cot, and a small chest, atop which rested a lit, but shuttered lantern.  Learning from his previous mistake, Pez eased into the room along one wall.  Tilly and Sal darted in, each taking a wall as well.  Their caution paid off.  Another of the gray skin humanoids detached itself from the shadows and lobbed a small object into the center of the room.  It exploded with a thunderous roar, staggering the two rogues.  He then scurried towards the tunnel, attempting to escape.  However, Oso was waiting.  The ranger had drawn his sword, and with one smooth thrust, he plunged it thru the assassin’s mid-section.  He dropped like a stone, but again, the wound was not fatal.“Well, that’s two prisoners for interrogation,” Pez said, hefting the creature over his shoulder.  They deposited him next to his fallen comrade, and then started down the second tunnel.  After several twists and turns, it reached a dead end, but there appeared to be a hatch in the ceiling.  Forgoing stealth, Pez leaped for the cover, bursting through into a tiny room no more than ten feet across.  Yet another of the strange humanoids waited on the other side, but this time Pez was the one with the element of surprise.  The sneak didn’t have a moment to react before the elf dealt it several blows, ending the fight.  Seeing that this room had no obvious exits, Pez climbed back down with a third prisoner in tow.  “We need to regroup,” he announced, “I say we take these three back to the temple and question them.  We are running around blind down here, and it’s only a matter of time before one of these ambushes, or some other trap kills us.  With the proper persuasion, I’m sure they will tell us what we need to know…”</blockquote>

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