RP: Ominous Tunnel
It's Tariday, Rhaltaas 11 15:46:17 1018. The full moon is up. The tide is high and slack. Fair weather clouds drift through the blue sky from the west. The wind is gusty.
A14: Entryway to the Caverns Beneath the Artificer's Hall
Alik has arranged for another exploration/mapping session of the Tunnels with Ga'Elian, during one of his breaks from enchanting the elf's bow. He is using a cobbled-together artifice device that holds a sheet of vellum in place with a moonrod suspended above it, which both lights the tunnels as they go and allows him to map the passage easily in the process.
Ga'Elian walks down the passageway from the seal, watching his path. In not too much further now, the rough hewn passage deteriorates into an even rougher tunnel, carved originally by natural processes before being admittedly expanded by the crude efforts of some intelligent will. The air is less musty in the sense of old wrought stonework, but the walls are a little more earthy, with fungi in streaks. The only light comes from Alik's rather convenient set-up.
"Ah, so, you see? Less fashioned now, the walls, more natural," Alik explains to his defender and student. "By water, is carved originally. Later, by tools widened... artificial or natural. Long ago, most likely." He busily jots down notes and cryptic symbols on the vellum.
Ga'Elian says, "Yes. I see that. The questions I have, are where does it lead, an to what does it connect." We reach end of this path soon after the change in wall texture, as if this was an abandoned effort all that indeterminate effort, that just by happenstance met up with the passageway from the seal. But this is no dead end, rather another tunnel, of rocky clay, but with stone arches spaced at regular intervals along a flat floor of paving stones, masterfully laid. As we approach the nearest arch, there is a runic inscription, peeking through fungal slime. This new passageway is tall and wide enough fo a wagon.
Alik nods. "Yes, yes. Good questions." He regards the inscription carefully.
Ga'Elian fishes a tool out of his bag, and uses it to scrape off a section of the slime.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls Linguistics: (18)+3: 21
Alik studies the construction of the arches, floor, and so forth, making notes as he goes along.
Ga'Elian says, "Well, it is obvious to me that we're dealing with two separate languages. One of them I recognize. 'Tis the language of the hells. The other looks vaguely like some dialect of Khazad-aul. The Hellish script says, "Justice demands the death of the sinner." A curious thing to envgrave in a tunnel.
Alik grunts. "Well. Friendly, that is not."
GAME: Alik rolls perception: (19)+17: 36
<OOC> Ga'Elian says, "In examining the floor, you find that many of the paving stones seem to actually be pressure plates."
Alik says, "With care, walk. Trapped, the floor is." He points out the pressure plates he spotted, and joins Elian in trying to decipher the runes."
<OOC> Alik says, "BTW, alik speaks khazad, if that helps him at all in making sense of the khazad-aul dialect."
GAME: Alik rolls intelligence: (1)+4: 5
<OOC> Ga'Elian says, "You recognize a rune that might have to do with 'death' or 'silence', and another that has to do with 'doom' or 'judgement' or verdict'. The others are unintelligible."
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls perception+Underground: (3)+21+2: 26
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls reflex: (8)+12: 20
Ga'Elian looks at the floor, and manages to plant both feet stably upon a section of the floor that is, in fact, safe.
Alik frowns and recounts what he's understood. "Set off traps, we will, if continue to walk on stones. Set them off, remotely, with arrows and guns, perhaps. Or, can attempt to disable." He shrugs uncertainly, unsure of his chances of success.
Alik frowns. "Am thinking, the traps are the doom of which the runes tell. So, let us see." He brings his thunderbelcher up to his shoulder and targets one of the trapped stones, a fair distance away. He fires several times...
GAME: Alik rolls weapon7: (13)+9: 22
GAME: Alik rolls weapon7: (20)+9: 29
...and hits it, causing a heavy stone block to drop from the ceiling, centered on the paving stone. BAAAAAAM!!! It begins to ratchet back up automatically.
The light generated by the Thunderbelcher's discharge also revealed that the tunnel turns left in that direction, some 40 feet ahead. Ga'Elian says, "So what do you suppose did the former occupants used to bypass the trap? I figure there must be some release mechanism around here."
Alik nods. "Possible, is. Or knowing where not to step, they were." Regardless, he aids Elian in searching for a release mechanism.
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls disable device: (13)+8: 21
GAME: Ga'Elian rolls perception+underground: (14)+21+2: 37
<OOC> Alik has disable device 10. Will roll to aid.
GAME: Alik rolls disable device: (5)+10: 15
The pair do find a panel, carefully built into the opposite side of the arch. It is a simple matter of pulling it out and flipping it and pushing it back in, and all the triggered floor stones sink about an inch into the floor-without activating any... unfortunate consequences. After this discovery, Ga'Elian suggests, "It might be wise to go get reinforcements before further exploring this tunnel. The messages in the arch, especially written in that unholy script, are more than a little disturbing. I would guess that there was something sinister here."
Alik is visibly torn. On the one hand, gnomish obsession and the possibility of finding something of great interest or value drives him forward. On the other, self-preservation and the self-evident truth of the elf's suggestion pulls him back. Eventually, but not without some cajoling, Ga'Elian convinces him. "Bah. Yes. Is best, your way," he agrees. "Like it, I do not have to."