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<blockquote data-quote="Feir Fireb" data-source="post: 4835395" data-attributes="member: 14074"><p><strong>An excerpt from "The Unscholarly Journals of Darren the Senalline": Blind Man's Bluff</strong></p><p></p><p>[A map of an underground complex of tunnels, labeled with dozens of different trap indicators and notes as to local tunnel gradation and composition, as well as estimates of location with respect to different landmarks of Tziwan].</p><p></p><p><strong>GATHERING OUR ENERGY</strong>, we began to wonder if we were on our way out of the Palace complex itself. We had not seen any guards in a while and these passages could prove very dangerous even for anyone who knew the locations of all traps. Spotting them would be difficult even in torchlight. Our own success thus far had been a very near thing in what seemed a deathtrap for the truly desperate. In our condition, a single mistake might well have been the end of us.</p><p></p><p>[A catalog of mechanical traps, including representative symbol on the map, rough sketches and descriptions of how to disarm or bypass]</p><p></p><p>I placed my amulet about my neck again and with a little more strength and confidence, we forged ahead, fumbling our way through the dark as I warned Atrix of uneven terrain and deadly traps while he prevented me from collapsing into a feverish heap. His bullheaded resolve and the urgency of our situation kept me from slipping under once more.</p><p></p><p>I have done my best to indicate the mechanical workings of many traps as I have catalogued them, though I can only speculate as to what useful and possibly older purpose would prevent such passages from being being sealed entirely, closing their link to the palace. Perhaps our most dangerous moment up to that point, though, came at a stone carving in the floor that consisted of a few strange Xaimani characters and caused the air above to thrum with a tension on the edge of dwarrow perception. I had encountered a few basic priestly wards in the North, such as were used to guard holy altars and these carvings reminded me vaguely of them, but I felt no themes of beauty, awe or reverence. I had barely picked up enough knowledge of written Xaimani from Korael to guess that if these runes were wards of a sort, I might disable them by defacing a few choice characters. I had an inkling that the wards might have the same origins as the sorcery that destroyed our Northern armies and gave the Emperor his false halo, and assumed that if I marred these runes I would not offend Ii. Carefully I scratched and scraped and luckily for us we were not incinerated, as we might well have been. </p><p></p><p>Any thief of the Empire, of course, is familiar with Radiant Path wards of the sort that mystified me at the time and may be less than interested in my own first encounter with them and will want to move onto more practical details if any are relevant. And I have managed to catalog these magical traps as well for the information of those who hold common purpose, assuming they have not been replaced nor the passage sealed up as a consequence of our escape. I have since then also consulted with Rian to determine the specific likely consequences of the traps. Her help in this has been a further immeasurable benefit of her continued health and welfare -- contrary to the instincts of <em>some</em> otherwise eminently sensible people. </p><p></p><p>[A second catalog, this time of magical rune traps, similar to the previous catalog in organization] </p><p></p><p>As you can see, we disarmed or avoided many sorcerous traps in addition to the more mundane sort as we made our way, taking frequent rests sitting silently in the blackness to allow my head to recover from having worn the amulet overlong. If I were to attempt entry into the Imperial Palace by this route, I would not rely too much upon the maps as a guide to their locations. My memory in that respect is bound to be flawed. Far better to study the trap designs in detail and gain a general sense of how they are typically hidden, so as to spot them where the map is wrong. And best of all to bring a trusted member of the Radiant or Reflective Path, preferably one who can work magics of at least the third circle if you can manage it. A dwarrow would be excellent, of course, and even one of the Grey Dwarrow would assist with great skill and gusto, but they are sadly few and far between in the lands of Xaiman. The map should, however, be fairly reliable with respect to major turns and markers.</p><p></p><p>Bit by bit we wormed our way through this hidden underground complex until we came to an opening in the tunnels entirely shrouded by steam, a steam that glowed red in the darkness by the hint of fire that lay within.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Feir Fireb, post: 4835395, member: 14074"] [b]An excerpt from "The Unscholarly Journals of Darren the Senalline": Blind Man's Bluff[/b] [A map of an underground complex of tunnels, labeled with dozens of different trap indicators and notes as to local tunnel gradation and composition, as well as estimates of location with respect to different landmarks of Tziwan]. [B]GATHERING OUR ENERGY[/B], we began to wonder if we were on our way out of the Palace complex itself. We had not seen any guards in a while and these passages could prove very dangerous even for anyone who knew the locations of all traps. Spotting them would be difficult even in torchlight. Our own success thus far had been a very near thing in what seemed a deathtrap for the truly desperate. In our condition, a single mistake might well have been the end of us. [A catalog of mechanical traps, including representative symbol on the map, rough sketches and descriptions of how to disarm or bypass] I placed my amulet about my neck again and with a little more strength and confidence, we forged ahead, fumbling our way through the dark as I warned Atrix of uneven terrain and deadly traps while he prevented me from collapsing into a feverish heap. His bullheaded resolve and the urgency of our situation kept me from slipping under once more. I have done my best to indicate the mechanical workings of many traps as I have catalogued them, though I can only speculate as to what useful and possibly older purpose would prevent such passages from being being sealed entirely, closing their link to the palace. Perhaps our most dangerous moment up to that point, though, came at a stone carving in the floor that consisted of a few strange Xaimani characters and caused the air above to thrum with a tension on the edge of dwarrow perception. I had encountered a few basic priestly wards in the North, such as were used to guard holy altars and these carvings reminded me vaguely of them, but I felt no themes of beauty, awe or reverence. I had barely picked up enough knowledge of written Xaimani from Korael to guess that if these runes were wards of a sort, I might disable them by defacing a few choice characters. I had an inkling that the wards might have the same origins as the sorcery that destroyed our Northern armies and gave the Emperor his false halo, and assumed that if I marred these runes I would not offend Ii. Carefully I scratched and scraped and luckily for us we were not incinerated, as we might well have been. Any thief of the Empire, of course, is familiar with Radiant Path wards of the sort that mystified me at the time and may be less than interested in my own first encounter with them and will want to move onto more practical details if any are relevant. And I have managed to catalog these magical traps as well for the information of those who hold common purpose, assuming they have not been replaced nor the passage sealed up as a consequence of our escape. I have since then also consulted with Rian to determine the specific likely consequences of the traps. Her help in this has been a further immeasurable benefit of her continued health and welfare -- contrary to the instincts of [I]some[/I] otherwise eminently sensible people. [A second catalog, this time of magical rune traps, similar to the previous catalog in organization] As you can see, we disarmed or avoided many sorcerous traps in addition to the more mundane sort as we made our way, taking frequent rests sitting silently in the blackness to allow my head to recover from having worn the amulet overlong. If I were to attempt entry into the Imperial Palace by this route, I would not rely too much upon the maps as a guide to their locations. My memory in that respect is bound to be flawed. Far better to study the trap designs in detail and gain a general sense of how they are typically hidden, so as to spot them where the map is wrong. And best of all to bring a trusted member of the Radiant or Reflective Path, preferably one who can work magics of at least the third circle if you can manage it. A dwarrow would be excellent, of course, and even one of the Grey Dwarrow would assist with great skill and gusto, but they are sadly few and far between in the lands of Xaiman. The map should, however, be fairly reliable with respect to major turns and markers. Bit by bit we wormed our way through this hidden underground complex until we came to an opening in the tunnels entirely shrouded by steam, a steam that glowed red in the darkness by the hint of fire that lay within. [/QUOTE]
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