Okay… South passage it is! After 40' of passage, the corridor ends abruptly at a stout iron door, which has obviously been (expensively) fitted into place to cut off any passage through. The walls have been smoothed and straightened, and iron bolts secure the door jamb to the wall so tightly that not even a sheet of paper or parchment can be slipped through. The door is closed and has a huge lock on it- an expensive lock that will clearly be hard to pick.
It's impossible to tell what is beyond the door. You hear no sounds from behind it, and can, obviously, see nothing, either.
Alora will check for traps and then attempt to pick the lock.
If she fails to do it she will head back to the boulder/beholder room and then take the last passageway that we haven't tried (the one to the southwest).
As usual she will go cautiously looking for traps etc.
Alora fails. She fails so hard, her pick breaks in half. She's able to remove the broken half from the lock, however.
When she goes back to the southwest(ish), she finds a dead-end corridor that loops back on itself like a crooked finger.
Reluctantly, you must all head back to the room with the beer keg taps. There are three other corridors here. One southeast(ish), one west and one to the south, sealed with a closed (but not locked) door. The passage with the door is unmarked. The passage to the southeast is emblazoned with a sea serpent and the passage west is emblazoned with a sign reading, "This way to the tremendous monster of gigantic proportions". The one you just came out of has a picture of a bear.
Alora feels cheated. There *was* no bear. Just some bear bones.
Alora does indeed feel cheated. She didn't get to meet a bear and Jaheira hasn't turned into a bear. There has been a distinct lack of bear in this adventure so far.
Alora will try the unlocked door. She will listen and check for traps before opening it.
"Do you not also find this stone curious?" Jaheira was definitely perplexed, but not enough to do anything drastic. Her guess was that it might be some form of illusion, or, barring that, a trap. While tempted to push it with her quarterstaff, she also had to take into account the possibility that it was anything but harmless. "Such silly uses of magic to disrupt the natural order," she groused. "You show," this to Alora, "uncharacteristic wisdom in seeking better lore about this stone." She said this because she felt that discretion was the better part of valor here, in spite of her own curiosity.
"Leave her be," Jaheira ordered, as Anomen was definitely on her nerves. She slid over to the taps, as Khalid was often fond of a good beer. "What do you make of this, husband?" She knew that he wouldn't actually answer, as that would risk making something different of it than she had. Instead, she pulls a tap to see what would come out.
OOC: I am seriously considering putting another person into the role. I don't mind posting as Khalid once or twice, but I'm the DM, I'm not really supposed to be playing someone's character for them.
Alora can't help but feel there is some unfinished business in the 'bear' part of the dungeon. She feels that her marauders didn't really try to get to the little door in the stalactite/stalagmite room, where it seemed like all there was to fight was some ropeless ropers. And how hard could they be to defeat? And then there is the boulder/beholder. It is killing Alora that she doesn't know what that is about.
Still, Alora, as ever, wants to know what is behind the next door: so she opens it to see . . .
The door was in the office. She saw it from the other side when she opened it (Stalagmite/Stalactite room). So that one was finished. She's correct about the rest. No bear. (Unless you count the bear bones in the cage)
The door Alora opens leads to e 20' carved hallway that splits at the end, one to the west, which has a plaque showing a barbarian in armor, and one to the right, showing a female form in a long dress. Both are shown in silhouette form.
"Ladies on one side, and idiots on the other," Jaheira remarked, meaning to slight the enormous sword-bearing imbecile, Minsc. Still, he was good in a fight, so she didn't mind him as much as she otherwise might.
"Men are not idiots, Jaheira, especially ours," Aerie scolded. Even knowing that Minsc was, at best...intellectually challenged. Still, he was her guardian and her friend, and she would defend him to the last if they were ever caught in a fatal corner.
She blinked at Alora, a little baffled by her analysis. "I...suppose that would make sense." Then she looked back to the rest of her party members. "Should we split up? I don't relish the idea, but with the signs..."
I don't think it is necessary to split up completely. Some could go ahead and look at one of the passages, to determine if it is really a sign for toilets. So far, we can't exactly trust the signs on those doors! There was no bear in the passage marked with the bear-sign after all.
"Ladies on one side, and idiots on the other," Jaheira remarked, meaning to slight the enormous sword-bearing imbecile, Minsc. Still, he was good in a fight, so she didn't mind him as much as she otherwise might.
"What about idiot ladies, such as me? ... Ok, it was a joke, i talk too scarce to be a lady. But you looks frustrated Jaheira. Do you drink enough?"
Not drinking enough can develop to be quite a problem! Turnip tea is a marvel that can hardly be overrated. It stills the thirst, and drives the lazyness away. I wish I had some right now...
Since Jaheira's eyes were linked to one another through a marvel of nature, she could only look askance at one of the two at a time. First, Arkanis was fixed with a 'what in the hell is wrong with you?' look, but Jan was soon to follow. "Sometimes, I do not know why I bother."
"Men are not idiots, Jaheira, especially ours," Aerie scolded. Even knowing that Minsc was, at best...intellectually challenged. Still, he was her guardian and her friend, and she would defend him to the last if they were ever caught in a fatal corner.
She blinked at Alora, a little baffled by her analysis. "I...suppose that would make sense." Then she looked back to the rest of her party members. "Should we split up? I don't relish the idea, but with the signs..."
OOC: Agree as in disagree, lol! It was more the barbarian look matching Minsc, who Jaheira sees as a buffoon (albeit useful)
To the right, there is a door straight ahead at the end of the corridor. Opening it reveals a single-stall privy, with a carved wooden seat and a hole that disappears into darkness. On the wall is a large, metal mirror, a basin in a wooden stand, and nicely decorated ceramic pitcher (currently empty). A small towel (clean) is hung from one side of the wooden stand.
"Anomen, why did you follow me into the ladies' toilet? That's just weird."
Even though Alora has heard rumours that Star Sapphires can sometimes be found in toilets even she is not inquisitive enough to check to see if there is one in here.
Alora goes back to the main room. She will leave the males of the group to go into the other stall.
"Aerie, which way do you think we should go next? The sea serpent sounds like a snake and I don't like snakes but I'm not sure I really want to see a tremendous monster of gigantic proportions either."
Comments
It's impossible to tell what is beyond the door. You hear no sounds from behind it, and can, obviously, see nothing, either.
If she fails to do it she will head back to the boulder/beholder room and then take the last passageway that we haven't tried (the one to the southwest).
As usual she will go cautiously looking for traps etc.
When she goes back to the southwest(ish), she finds a dead-end corridor that loops back on itself like a crooked finger.
Reluctantly, you must all head back to the room with the beer keg taps. There are three other corridors here. One southeast(ish), one west and one to the south, sealed with a closed (but not locked) door. The passage with the door is unmarked. The passage to the southeast is emblazoned with a sea serpent and the passage west is emblazoned with a sign reading, "This way to the tremendous monster of gigantic proportions". The one you just came out of has a picture of a bear.
Alora feels cheated. There *was* no bear. Just some bear bones.
Alora will try the unlocked door. She will listen and check for traps before opening it.
Calling @scriver. Where are you?
Does anyone watching want the role of Khalid?
Still, Alora, as ever, wants to know what is behind the next door: so she opens it to see . . .
She blinked at Alora, a little baffled by her analysis. "I...suppose that would make sense." Then she looked back to the rest of her party members. "Should we split up? I don't relish the idea, but with the signs..."
It's the medieval version of a toilet, yes.
Even though Alora has heard rumours that Star Sapphires can sometimes be found in toilets even she is not inquisitive enough to check to see if there is one in here.
Alora goes back to the main room. She will leave the males of the group to go into the other stall.
"Aerie, which way do you think we should go next? The sea serpent sounds like a snake and I don't like snakes but I'm not sure I really want to see a tremendous monster of gigantic proportions either."