Shackled City, Act I - Life's Bazaar

[Krug]

"No idea... but doors with teeth do look vicious. And smiling gnome masks... are eerie," says Eliara. Arrow nocked and ready, she goes to the open passageway ahead.

 

[Krago o'the Mountain]

Dowlee looks around the room a bit. "Interesting room... does anyone know what the glyphs are?"

As Dowlee looks around the room, she passes in front of the various copper masks. As she walks in front of one of them, she gives a small start as its mouth moves, and a high-pitched voice speaks:

'Welcome to Jzadirune-behold the wonder!
But beware, ye who seek to plunder.
Traps abound and guardians peer
Beyond every portal, behind every gear.'

After reciting this verse, the mouth stops moving, and the mask falls silent.

 

[Krago o'the Mountain]

While William guards the doors, Galen moves as quietly as possible across the room to the corridor opposite the stairway. He peers down the hallway.

The hallway extends to a t-junction, with another of the gear-shaped doors on the western wall. The passage extends to the north and south.

(OOC: From Eliara's actions, I am assuming that the party seems ready to proceed down the passageway to the west, but I will wait for further direction from the others. I want to be sure everyone has had adequate opportunity to post actions for this room.

The latest map shows a green 'x' indicating the mask which spoke the rhyme in the preceding post.)

 

[Dichotomy]

Konstantine looks at the group. "Should we check these doors out before we go in the hallway? Of course, we should be careful if these are actually the 'doors with teeth.'"

The bard looks at the map in her hand. "In the hall, the right seems to lead to a dead end. But maybe there are secret doors or other things in the rooms. I sure hope I'm reading this map right..."

 

[Mark Chance]

Konstantine looks at the group. "Should we check these doors out before we go in the hallway? Of course, we should be careful if these are actually the 'doors with teeth.'"

"Well," says Galen, "the doors are gear-shaped. Gears have teeth. I imagine their noisy when they open. I'm more concerned about the unobstructed passages here. Eliara, would you check the T-intersection ahead? We can then orient our position better to the map."

 

[Krago o'the Mountain]

Eliara nods and does so, motioning for Konstantine to stay close enough that she can still draw a bit of illumination from the sunrod. The t-intersection extends some 50 feet to the north, and 60 feet to the south, coming to an end at a stone wall both ways. There are numerous additional gear doors along this passage....to the north, there are two on the west side and two on the east side. To the south, there are two on the west side, and one on the east (in addition to the door directly across from the connecting passage....so, there are 8 doors in all).

Eliara then returns to the room of giggling masks to report her findings and discuss the party's next move.

(OOC Note: I am assuming that Eliara would have walked far enough down the passage to the north and south to be able to see all the way to the end.)

 

[Scotley]

William Human Paladin

"May I see the map for a moment?" William paces about with map in hand for a moment turning it in his hands. "If this map is to be trusted then the doors in this first room don't lead deeper. It suggests that the passage to the left continues on where my eyes tell me a wall stands." He considers for a moment absently biting his lip and lessening the air of confidence he is trying so hard to display. "I think we should avoid the 'doors with teeth' for now and examine that wall." He points down the left passage to the end of the hall.

 

[Dichotomy]

"Oh good. That was how I read the map, too. I was worried that I was completely lost, and we'd only just started. We'd better check out the wall." Though Konstantine makes the suggestion, she doesn't move down the hallway. Instead the bard sheepishly looks at her companions. It's fairly obvious that she doesn't want to go first.

 

[Scotley]

William Human Paladin

Seeing Konstantine's reluctance and not willing to ask another to go where he would not lead, William steps forward and makes his way down the hall carefully examining the floor as well as passing doors. As he approaches the wall he extends his sword before him. "Gnomes are known for illusion are they not? Perhaps the wall is only a figment of some sort." He holds out the blade to gently tap the wall. Failing that, he will examine the wall and surroundings more closely.

 

[Jdvn1]

Startled by the talking mask, Dowlee tries to gather herself. "So far, so good. So we started in the middle of the place. Come, let us stay in order as we go down the hall--don't worry, Konstantine, Ehlonna will make sure our arrows strike true. William, be careful as the masks said there are traps behind every portal... Isn't that why we had Eliara in front?"