Jaheira feels the strong temptation to give Anomen a shove in that direction, with words that he should be leading, not following. Only, that was a step too far from the Balance, even for one, such as he. "What is it?" She hadn't heard, or seen, anything to give them pause, but the Halfling was nothing, if not clever. Perhaps there was some form of trap, or another hidden gem.
Alora gives Anomen a hard stare. "Next time I find a trap I shan't bother telling you where it is."
Then after making sure that Anomen is not behind her she kneels down and writes TRAP in big chalk letters on the floor of the dungeon and adds a big arrow pointing to the pit.
Then if the party are in agreement she will retrace her steps back to the entrance and take the corridor to the north and west.
"Yes, your precious Order," Jaheira grumbled, semi-mockingly. "For 'tis far better to stumble into, and die from, a trap than to learn the signs." Paladin-types were definitely difficult to deal with, although Ajantis was far preferable to some, who would remain unnamed for the moment.
"A fair point, lady, but you must understand that our training is intended to give us the mental fortitude to battle the evils of this world while retaining our moral center. One could as easily argue that learning the dark arts of necromancy might better prepare a warrior for facing hordes of undead. Some knowledge is simply not worth the cost.
However, there is nothing inherently evil about a knowledge of traps or lock mechanisms. It is all in how such knowledge is used. Indeed, the Order has a number of trusted allies who use their roguish knowledge to protect from theft and aid in the exploration of dungeons such as these. This was part of the reason for my question to Miss Alora. Perhaps she might one day be interested in using her skills to aid the cause of the righteous."
Okay, North and West it is…Bypassing the other door, Alora heads to the North and West. After 60' the Corridor turns straight north, and 10' after that, widens to 20' wide. To the west and south, there is a door. To the north, you can see the corridor stays 20' wide for about 40 feet before shrinking down to 10' wide again. 30' above the widening, you find a secret door to the east, while Aerie feels like there is another 10' beyond that to the West.
Alora is spoiled for choice but secret doors are always exciting so that is the one she will go for first. She will, listen, check for traps and then open the door.
"Where did you learn so much about traps and locks, Alora? Such knowledge is frowned upon in the order for obvious reasons."
"I just sort of picked it up as I went along. The only trouble is that I have spent so much time learning about locks and traps that I have completely neglected learning how to pick pockets."
This particular section of corridor is under a thick layer of moss. You actually have to slice through the moss to find the door. When you do, it's easy to open and not trapped. There are no sounds from within.
Opening the door, you see a room 50' across (east/west) and 40' deep (north/south). There is a LOT of stuff in this room. The north wall is lined with glass-fronted cabinets, still pretty full, except for a door smack in the middle of the wall. The rest of the room has a desk, tables and chairs and reminds you of a laboratory. One of the tables has been overturned onto its side. There is also a central table made of stone, covered thickly with dust. None of the tables has anything on them that you can see. The rest of the room is otherwise empty and gives an impression of space.
Alora will search the place thoroughly, checking particularly for secret drawers in the tables. If she finds nothing she will go to the door, check for traps and then open it.
Okay. I'll start with the Dusty table. It's empty of anything, and once you wipe away the dust, you can see that the top of the table is a single slab of black slate, heavy and beautiful (in its way). But there is nothing hidden under the dust and the top and sides are solid.
The jars, bottles and flasks are unlabeled. One of them stands out, a circular glass jar sealed with a cork and heavy twine, with a black cat floating in some clear liquid within it. The fluid is completely clear with no discoloration at all.
OOC: For anyone who has been in a college Cham lab, this room is exactly what this room is reminiscent of. But it's more medieval, of course. So, no taps for gas or sinks with running water...
Ajantis nods gravely at Alora's explanation. "I think you're on the right path with your current efforts. The picking of pockets seems an unwholesome activity."
Upon seeing the cat in the jar Ajantis grimaces. "The poor beast. I hope it wasn't alive when it was submerged."
@Deltago Some of them have contents, some of them do not. A lot of the jars are earthenware and will have to be checked by hand. You pick one up at random and look inside. It has hardened tree sap of some sort within, and smells of pine.
"I thought black cats were supposed to be lucky. That one doesn't look very lucky at all. But I think we should keep it. I've got a feeling there might be something special about it."
Alora isn't too interested in the rest of the jars and bottles, though she will help look through them if that is what people want to do.
Otherwise, she will check the other tables, looking in particular for a book or journal that might tell us what all of this stuff is.
If she finds nothing she will open the door as soon as everyone is ready to move on.
"So this looks like the sort of place that the red wizards would take me if they ever caught me. Reminds me that I should never get caught by them. Ever."
Seeing that the devil kitten is apparently not about to attack, Ajantis sheathes his blade, instead attempting to detect any evil intent from the embalmed feline.
OOC: If Neera and Alora get in an argument over the jar will it literally be a cat fight? Yes, I said it. I'm not ashamed. Well, not too much anyway...
Comments
*Gives Alora a little nudge towards the trap but not hard enough to push her in*
Then after making sure that Anomen is not behind her she kneels down and writes TRAP in big chalk letters on the floor of the dungeon and adds a big arrow pointing to the pit.
Then if the party are in agreement she will retrace her steps back to the entrance and take the corridor to the north and west.
However, there is nothing inherently evil about a knowledge of traps or lock mechanisms. It is all in how such knowledge is used. Indeed, the Order has a number of trusted allies who use their roguish knowledge to protect from theft and aid in the exploration of dungeons such as these. This was part of the reason for my question to Miss Alora. Perhaps she might one day be interested in using her skills to aid the cause of the righteous."
Okay, North and West it is…Bypassing the other door, Alora heads to the North and West. After 60' the Corridor turns straight north, and 10' after that, widens to 20' wide. To the west and south, there is a door. To the north, you can see the corridor stays 20' wide for about 40 feet before shrinking down to 10' wide again. 30' above the widening, you find a secret door to the east, while Aerie feels like there is another 10' beyond that to the West.
So many choices...
Opening the door, you see a room 50' across (east/west) and 40' deep (north/south). There is a LOT of stuff in this room. The north wall is lined with glass-fronted cabinets, still pretty full, except for a door smack in the middle of the wall. The rest of the room has a desk, tables and chairs and reminds you of a laboratory. One of the tables has been overturned onto its side. There is also a central table made of stone, covered thickly with dust. None of the tables has anything on them that you can see. The rest of the room is otherwise empty and gives an impression of space.
The jars, bottles and flasks are unlabeled. One of them stands out, a circular glass jar sealed with a cork and heavy twine, with a black cat floating in some clear liquid within it. The fluid is completely clear with no discoloration at all.
OOC: For anyone who has been in a college Cham lab, this room is exactly what this room is reminiscent of. But it's more medieval, of course. So, no taps for gas or sinks with running water...
Upon seeing the cat in the jar Ajantis grimaces. "The poor beast. I hope it wasn't alive when it was submerged."
Alora isn't too interested in the rest of the jars and bottles, though she will help look through them if that is what people want to do.
Otherwise, she will check the other tables, looking in particular for a book or journal that might tell us what all of this stuff is.
If she finds nothing she will open the door as soon as everyone is ready to move on.
"Um. . . guys. Do cats in jars normally blink? I don't think that's a thing, normally."
"It's so tiny. Kind of cute."
Neera gets close to the container and gets a better look at the cat.
OOC: If Neera and Alora get in an argument over the jar will it literally be a cat fight? Yes, I said it. I'm not ashamed. Well, not too much anyway...