You examine the northwest room, finding a shattered bed and desk in the room.  (Room 10.)

Here is the full map that you have explored so far:

Borimer moves to the south door and listens for anything beyond, letting those more clever than himself search for clues around this northwest chamber.

He hears nothing at the south door.

Harak continued to stick close to Borimer as he is checking out the doors.

Grizz examines the destroyed desk and bed in room 10.

Borimer opens the south doors with his sword hilt in hand.

The south door reveals a 15 foot by 20 foot room.  (Room 7.)

This was apparently a bunk room or barracks of some sort, with several sets of bunks.  However, the bunks have been destroyed, as if in a battle or ransacking.

All around the floor, you see familiar pieces of statues that have been blown to bits, more work of Esylia making sure the victims of her gaze never see the light of day again.  The bunks also show signs of being hit by explosions from her strange grenade-like balls.

What is different here is that the pieces of the statues seem to have been arranged in a strange pattern of concentric circles.  In the center is the remains of a stone hand, open-palmed.  In that palm is resting a cloth note similar to the one you found in the privy.  It is folded so you cannot see the writing on it.

Borimer is careful to avoid the concentric circles of debris on his way to securing the south doors, first listening at the east one, and then the west.
This message was last edited by the player at 22:14, Wed 27 June 2012.

He hears nothing at the south door, but he hears a muffled sound from behind the southwest door.

Grizz finds that someone has carved the following numbers on the side of the desk:

->348<-<-

is the muffled sound repetitive, like a wheel turning or a machine moving, or water flowing, etc?

It was a one time muffled sound, like something just moved back there.

Borimer looks at his comrades and points to the door, then his ear, and then the door again.  When everyone looks ready he opens it to whatever lurks beyond.

Grizz follows the others into the bunkroom and stands with his trident ready behind Borimer.

Harak is ready to follow them into the room.

I will post a move later today.  I haven't heard from a few of you in awhile.  Flint? Kahan? Everything okay? I will assume you are just tagging along unless I get a post.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:11, Fri 29 June 2012.

With Harak, Kahan and Grizz right behind him, Borimer opens the door in the southwest.

He is immediately met with a cry of "No, you monster!  Leave me be!"  This is followed by a muttering and a flash of light.

This flash of light is a lightning bolt directed at the door.  The man who has just cast this spell from some sort of wand has his head turned away to make sure he doesn't look at you.  But you have little time to reflect on that since you are busily trying to dodge a lightning bolt.

OOC: Surprisingly, not a single one of you made the saving throw, which actually makes sense, since you were blindsided by it.

Borimer is hit by the lightning for 23 hit points damage.
Harak is hit by the lightning for 22 hit points damage.
Grizz is hit by the lightning for 28 hit points damage.
Kahan is hit by the lightning for 17 hit points damage.

The lightning bolt bounces off the far wall, hits one of the broken bunks, and stops.

The man, meanwhile, is diving under the bed in the room.

You see that the room is some sort of bedroom with a bed and a desk.  (Room 8.)


This message was last edited by the GM at 20:33, Mon 02 July 2012.

"Hold! Another one of those and I'll have to kill you..."

Borimer clutches his side and draws his blade, simultaneously looking around the chamber to be sure of no medusae.  He turns to his comrade Kahan.

"Ok, I'll admit that hurt."

The man peeks out from behind one of his hands, squinting with one eye.

"But," he stammers, "you...she...is she dead?"  He looks hopeful.  "I'm very sorry about this.  You should knock though, you know, or announce your presence.  This is a dangerous place."

He comes out and sits on the bed.  You can see that he is emaciated, his clothes in tatters, and that his lips are parched and chapped.  He also looks to have been hurt badly in a recent battle or something.  "She killed them all," he says, obviously a little wild-eyed and crazy from whatever ordeal he's been through.  "There's only me...and maybe Shamir...but I don't think so."

Grizz says, "Oh, yeah, that hurt.  I've got to sit down."  He sits down on one of the beds in the bunkroom to let the others interrogate this guy.

Kahan grunts after getting hit with the lightning bolt, shaking off the bright light and pain briefly before administering some healing to the fighter types who seem to have been taking a beating. "Are you in need of healing?" the priest asks the man, approaching him and sitting down next to him on the bed. He pulls out a days worth of rations and some water for him, seeing as he looks like he hasn't eaten or drank in days. If he is indeed hurt, he will also heal him.

Using CLW's on Borimer and Grizz. Can we have a recap of everyone's HP too please?

OOC: That's right.  With Adaran gone, I'm going to have to start keeping track of that again if you guys aren't doing so!

As the man sees Kahan administering to his friends, he pulls himself out from under the bed and takes a seat.  He is frail, and is shaking with tremors.  He will take what healing he can get, and he begins to talk, telling you the following:


"My name is Chrisman.  I brought ten warriors with me and went through the Crossroads Ark about...I lost track of time in here...but it must have been at least 10 days ago.  I've only had a little water since then.

That snake-woman beast set upon us soon after we arrived, turning my men into stone and blowing them to bits.  I fled, hiding from her.  A couple others did too, but she got them eventually.  I wound up here, where I've been for many days now.

"We know some of what happened.  There is a man here who lived in this temple -- Androlus.  When the evil snake woman arrived and he saw what she was doing to those who lived in the temple, he put out his own eyes to avoid turning into stone.  She has kept him locked up ever since, trying to cull information from him.  We don't know how long he has been her prisoner, but it has likely been many years.  We were going to release him when she found us and set upon us.  That's where the last of my men made their stand.

"So here is what we learned from Androlus.  The spherical device is only one part of the Crossroads Ark.  It is the part that controls time.  When we came through, we did not go anywhere except through time.  Backwards in time, because we saw parts of the temple that were broken are now intact.  We think we have been sent back a thousand years.  Anyone you knew will not be born for many centuries to come.

"The next part of the Crossroads Ark will send you through space.  There are many locations it could send you, from the deepest areas of hell to Allevia.  But the proper code must be input into the six gears.  This snake woman is searching for codes.  I set up a trap outside this door to catch the snake woman.  Androlus told us where to find a code, but a portion of it was missing.

"You need to talk to Androlus.  He can get us out of here if you save him.  He knows all about this place."

Chrisman then says, "Where is Lumen?  We need to report back.  Is the king still well and held to the throne by Lumen's spell?"

"Lumen was killed by Esylia, the snake woman that you mentioned, when we came through, along with the rest of his men. The king was turned the stone for safe-keeping by Esylia's sister, Syrissa, who joined us here with her husband, a blind man. Do not worry, she is a friend and will not turn you to stone. Do you know anything of the explosive spheres that Esylia carries? We have seen a couple of them already, and they are quite devastatingly powerful." Kahan asks, using a healing spell on Chrisman.

He shakes his head in disbelief.  "Lumen is...dead?  Why did he come through?  He must have known if he dies his spell on the king will be undone and the king will be free to track us down and kill us.  But if the king is stone, perhaps we will be safe, so long as this Syrissa is alive."

As to the spheres, he shrugs.  "She seems to have an unlimited supply.  I think she keeps them upstairs somewhere."

This message was deleted by the player at 04:54, Wed 04 July 2012.

"I'd like to get my hands on those exploding spheres, damn handy in a tight spot I'm bettin'."

Borimer's eyes methodically sweep the area as he talks, always mindful of avoiding evil eyes when possible.

"No offense to the lady we came with but I plan on killin' her sister today."