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Shackled City put through a blender (updated 7-23)
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<blockquote data-quote="xnosipjpqmhd" data-source="post: 3653645"><p><strong>King Nothing</strong></p><p></p><p>"There is still the left-hand tunnel," said Simon.</p><p></p><p>The heroes backtracked and proceeded down the left-hand tunnel, though no light was visible ahead this time. </p><p></p><p>At another fork in the tunnel, Oberyn decided to stay to the right, and he emerged into a small, rubble-strewn chamber. Most of the detritus was heaped next to another tunnel that exited the room on the left, while the only other exit was a closed gear door. From the wall next to the door protruded an iron lever in the down position.</p><p></p><p>Oberyn couldn't resist himself. He pulled the lever up. Nothing happened. He shrugged and led the group through the next tunnel, which exited into a ten-foot by thrity-foot hallway capped by closed gear doors at either end. "Dead end."</p><p></p><p>"Let us go back and try the left fork of the tunnel," suggested Simon, holding the map in the light of his lantern. "I think it will lead us to this area," he said, pointing.</p><p></p><p>The group emerged from the tunnels on the lowest level of a large room split into three levels by marble staircases. The middle level was merely a landing from which the higher level could be reached, but the wall of the landing was adorned with a laughing dwarven face carved in bas-relief. On the highest level, the heroes could see two pillars sculpted to resemble petrified trees, and between them a graven throne upon which rested an elderly dwarf wearing a silver crown. His soft snoring echoed throughout the room. </p><p></p><p>"Here you go, dwarf," said Oberyn to Keygan. "It's one of your folk."</p><p></p><p>Keygan took in the surroundings uneasily and was too timid to advance by himself, so Oberyn climbed cautiously to the landing. </p><p></p><p>Then the stone face on the wall became animated! "If you wish an audience with the king," it intoned, "place your finest coin in my mouth." The face stopped moving, the echoes of the speech died away, and the king went on snoring.</p><p></p><p>Oberyn produced a gold coin from his pouch and flicked it into the gaping mouth on the wall. He heard it plink against the stone a couple times, but nothing else seemed to happen.</p><p></p><p>Simon, Oberyn, and Keygan climbed to the top level of the room and approached the throne. As they did so, the king stirred ever so slightly, and the heroes heard him whisper, "Betrayed we are by our own magic. One by one we fade away. Jzadirune's lost! Oh, how tragic! We curse the vanishing day."</p><p></p><p>Simon reached out a tentative hand to awaken the dwarven king from his slumber, but his hand passed right through the image to touch the stone chair behind.</p><p></p><p>"He's just an illusion," said Keygan in wonder.</p><p></p><p>"But this finely-carved throne is not," said Simon, and he began searching it.</p><p></p><p>Oberyn moved to the back wall of the room, which was carved with frescoes depicting a complex array of gears. He ran his hands along the stone, comparing it with that of the other walls. "This wall seems different, as if it was constructed later or done hastily."</p><p></p><p>"What is this?" said Simon as he opened a hidden compartment in the throne's armrest. Within glittered a bed of gold coins and two bars of silver, each the length of a human hand andcut with various notches and holes. Runes were ingraved on their ends. </p><p></p><p>"Might these be keys?" Simon examined the silver bars while Jack moved in to count the coins. </p><p></p><p>Keygan looked on with great interest. "Aye, keys of Jzadirune."</p><p></p><p>Two gear doors led away from this upper level, and one of them bore a rune that matched one of the keys.</p><p></p><p>"Good fellows," said Simon, "I believe we can begin unlocking some doors." The others gathered round as Simon inserted the key into the lock of one of the gear doors. </p><p></p><p>“74 . . . 75 . . . 76.” Jack finished stacking the gold coins on the edge of the throne. When he heard the grating of the opening gear door and saw everyone leaving him, he quickly shoved the stacks into his sack and caught up.</p><p></p><p>Beyond the door was a very long octagonal gallery, thirty feet wide and lined with twenty web-shrouded pedestals. The walls showed signs of hanging once bore tapestries and other fixtures, but nothing now remained on display in the room.</p><p></p><p>Simon didn't have a key for the gear door on the opposite wall, so the heroes descended two flights of stairs and walked down a hallway to return to the hall with the dancing lights. The gear door on the other side of that hall bore the same rune as one of Simon's keys. </p><p></p><p>The gear door opened with a rattle, and Oberyn led the way into the small room beyond, which was stacked with long-disused crates and casks. A ladder led up to a loft area, containing a cabinet and a heavy wooden trunk. A lengthy search turned up various supplies, but nothing that seemed to be of great value.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="xnosipjpqmhd, post: 3653645"] [b]King Nothing[/b] "There is still the left-hand tunnel," said Simon. The heroes backtracked and proceeded down the left-hand tunnel, though no light was visible ahead this time. At another fork in the tunnel, Oberyn decided to stay to the right, and he emerged into a small, rubble-strewn chamber. Most of the detritus was heaped next to another tunnel that exited the room on the left, while the only other exit was a closed gear door. From the wall next to the door protruded an iron lever in the down position. Oberyn couldn't resist himself. He pulled the lever up. Nothing happened. He shrugged and led the group through the next tunnel, which exited into a ten-foot by thrity-foot hallway capped by closed gear doors at either end. "Dead end." "Let us go back and try the left fork of the tunnel," suggested Simon, holding the map in the light of his lantern. "I think it will lead us to this area," he said, pointing. The group emerged from the tunnels on the lowest level of a large room split into three levels by marble staircases. The middle level was merely a landing from which the higher level could be reached, but the wall of the landing was adorned with a laughing dwarven face carved in bas-relief. On the highest level, the heroes could see two pillars sculpted to resemble petrified trees, and between them a graven throne upon which rested an elderly dwarf wearing a silver crown. His soft snoring echoed throughout the room. "Here you go, dwarf," said Oberyn to Keygan. "It's one of your folk." Keygan took in the surroundings uneasily and was too timid to advance by himself, so Oberyn climbed cautiously to the landing. Then the stone face on the wall became animated! "If you wish an audience with the king," it intoned, "place your finest coin in my mouth." The face stopped moving, the echoes of the speech died away, and the king went on snoring. Oberyn produced a gold coin from his pouch and flicked it into the gaping mouth on the wall. He heard it plink against the stone a couple times, but nothing else seemed to happen. Simon, Oberyn, and Keygan climbed to the top level of the room and approached the throne. As they did so, the king stirred ever so slightly, and the heroes heard him whisper, "Betrayed we are by our own magic. One by one we fade away. Jzadirune's lost! Oh, how tragic! We curse the vanishing day." Simon reached out a tentative hand to awaken the dwarven king from his slumber, but his hand passed right through the image to touch the stone chair behind. "He's just an illusion," said Keygan in wonder. "But this finely-carved throne is not," said Simon, and he began searching it. Oberyn moved to the back wall of the room, which was carved with frescoes depicting a complex array of gears. He ran his hands along the stone, comparing it with that of the other walls. "This wall seems different, as if it was constructed later or done hastily." "What is this?" said Simon as he opened a hidden compartment in the throne's armrest. Within glittered a bed of gold coins and two bars of silver, each the length of a human hand andcut with various notches and holes. Runes were ingraved on their ends. "Might these be keys?" Simon examined the silver bars while Jack moved in to count the coins. Keygan looked on with great interest. "Aye, keys of Jzadirune." Two gear doors led away from this upper level, and one of them bore a rune that matched one of the keys. "Good fellows," said Simon, "I believe we can begin unlocking some doors." The others gathered round as Simon inserted the key into the lock of one of the gear doors. “74 . . . 75 . . . 76.” Jack finished stacking the gold coins on the edge of the throne. When he heard the grating of the opening gear door and saw everyone leaving him, he quickly shoved the stacks into his sack and caught up. Beyond the door was a very long octagonal gallery, thirty feet wide and lined with twenty web-shrouded pedestals. The walls showed signs of hanging once bore tapestries and other fixtures, but nothing now remained on display in the room. Simon didn't have a key for the gear door on the opposite wall, so the heroes descended two flights of stairs and walked down a hallway to return to the hall with the dancing lights. The gear door on the other side of that hall bore the same rune as one of Simon's keys. The gear door opened with a rattle, and Oberyn led the way into the small room beyond, which was stacked with long-disused crates and casks. A ladder led up to a loft area, containing a cabinet and a heavy wooden trunk. A lengthy search turned up various supplies, but nothing that seemed to be of great value. [/QUOTE]
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