From Eryn's perspective, the jar worked its magic in an instant. Caught mid-motion as it happened, she only vaguely registered the three summoned figures suddenly being present at all, and continued her intended course of action whilst trusting Ilura's summoning to be in their favor.

The warrior had intended to fling the hatchet as needed, but the man emerging from his dive was much closer and would be easier to handle with other tactics. Coming in on foot would be his damning mistake. She slipped the weapon back into her belt with expert precision and unlimbered the shield she had taken from the guardsman earlier.

If neither side had control at the moment, she would just have to take control. Eryn clutched her trusty spear and broke from cover, reeling back a stab as she went, putting all the force she could muster into it as she let the tip of the weapon jab towards center mass.

Despite the violent attack, the main purpose of the strike - if it did not kill - was to force the monk back, and to draw the attention of the orc with the crossbow. Eryn knew that if she could only keep him from shooting her allies, helpless as they were with the masks on their faces, they would have a much higher chance at getting through the door unharmed.


10:53, Today: Eryn rolled 12 using 2d6+2.  Defend my allies by drawing all the attention. +1 from Discern.
Hold 3.
10:54, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 2d6+3.  Hack and slash the monk as I charge him.
10:55, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using d10+d4.  Damage from spear attack. +2 Piercing.

I imagine I'll notice the new arrivals right after this, but I was about to attack anyway when the jar was thrown, so Ilura's actions all happen during frozen time.

Taking advantage of the few extra seconds witches' spell preparations provided, Ilura took advantage of the time to survey the monk and area, looking to better understand the tactical situation - and hopefully gain an advantage.

quote:

07:29, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+3.  Discern realities.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Chance waited a moment for something else to happen.

Is that it then? Am I not meant to know how I have been judged?


OOC: I imagine that Chance is mostly, if not completely, unaware of what is going on around him since he put on the mask. Being outside of the time bubble, he would certainly be unaware of what is taking place within it. Plus, simply being chained to the door limits his options. If he is aware of what's going on around him he would know that the other masks have just been donned. Either way, he's reluctant to do anything without knowing whether or not they have succeeded.

The only response was the voice of the mage calling out orders to her two companions. He had been judged. For better or worse he had done all he could to assist in opening the door. The best he could do now would be to buy some time for his companions. That realization dawned on him in the instant. By the time the mage shouted "Take them out before they fully form!", Chance had pulled one of his throwing knives free and let it fly. His target wasn't the mage, though, but the rope that she hung on to. If his aim was true she would plunge into the inky pool.

OOC: 10:26, Today: Chance rolled 5 using 2d6+2 with rolls of 2,1.  Volley, I suppose, or maybe Defy Danger with Dexterity?

I don't suppose that missing the rope means I hit the mage, instead, does it? ;)

Xps marked, and throwing knife lost, I presume.

Inside the time bubble, Ilura noticed Mira's face gave a look of disgust when the ranger mentioned upsetting "the goddess." It was clear Mira was not happy about helping the party enter a door that obviously belonged to the Silver Scourge. However, the old sea witch also looked pleasantly surprised when Ilura said she trusted her. "Must have matured since the caves," she commented flippantly. Then, to Bronth she said, "We'll begin on your mark." Mira opened three of her bottles and drank them all simultaneously.

The hunched sea-dwarf Bronth nodded and headed toward where the huge crossbow bolt was about to pierce the time bubble. He stood before it with his pointer and thumb fingers on each hand framing it like an artist framing the scenery they are about to paint. He then closed his eyes and mumbled some words very carefully while slowly pulling his hands apart. Between them, a thin film of bubbly water appeared, almost like a mirror.

He took a deep breath, then said, "Alright. We will begin in three." Ilura pulled her bow back, aimed at the monk's head.

"Two." Ilura caught sight of Thomas again, frozen mid-air out over the pond.

"One." Now that she knew the plan, the ranger knew that there was a good chance the little bird could get cut off from their group by Druzy's water wall.

"Now!"

The time-bubble collapsed and the orc's huge bolt shot through Bronth's magical film. But what came out the other side was not a bolt. It was a squid of roughly the same size and shape. Before it touched the floor, Bronth caught it with his magic and redirected its trajectory toward the monk, flinging it at great speed. With Ilura's arrow having already knocked the monk into a surprised stupor with her blunted arrow, the monk was struck square in the chest by the flying cephalopod. By the time Eryn took her stab at the guy, his hands and feet had become tentacled like the squid, making his feet stick to the ground with his suckers, and his hands much squishier with their lack of bones. Needless to say, he was not able to mount much of a counterattack against the skilled warrior's long spear.

Meanwhile, Chance began to realize that the door was not going to answer his question. Either because it couldn't, or because it was a rude piece of architecture. Either way, the little halfling decided to try and help his friends with an attack of his own. He threw his dagger at the rope holding the orcish bowman and elven mage. Even with the awkwardness of wearing the mask, his blade flew true. ...Until it was sucked into the same spell that Ilura's first arrow was swallowed into. He was now down another dagger and had nothing more to show for it.

A half moment later, Druzy's magic went into effect. A wall of water shot skyward all along the shore of the underground pond. At least on the party's side of it. The water rose all the way to the ceiling and made everything on the other side hard to make out. The only place along the shoreline not protected was the span with the bridge. But even there tendrils of water randomly crossed the gap, attempting to close it off. Regardless, the angle from where the two foes dangled from their rope, their view was currently cut off.

Mira, after drinking her mystery potions, had slowly shriveled and shrank until all that was left of her was a pile of wet jet-black hair. The mass of hair was somehow still mobile and able to speak. It said, "Time for some good old physical body possession. If you need to do something, I suggest you get to it!" The mass of hair then sloshed into the pond, passing with ease through the water barrier. A moment later, the kraken's wall-rattling roar echoed through the chamber once again. Even through the wall of water, the party could see its massive limbs flailing around threateningly, harrying their would be attackers.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
What should I be on the lookout for?
Thomas getting trapped on the wrong side of the water wall. Do you do anything to try to get him on the correct side in time? (probably a Defy Danger)

What here is useful or valuable to me?
The time granted to your party to have the fourth and final person put on a mask.

What here is not what it appears to be?
Mira is not at all happy about helping with door. Likely because it belongs to the Silver Scourge, and she is exactly the type they would have opposed. She is happy Ilura seems to trust her though.

Eryn
Between the monk's transmutation and Ilura's headshot, you managed to hit the monk without suffering his counterattack. He is severely injured, but not yet dead.

Chance
Your dagger was sucked into the mage's magical protective sphere, same as Ilura's arrow. You lose the dagger. But hey, at least you have that XP!

Also, just like you roleplayed it, the door does not answer your question. Apparently it is not a conscious object. Or if it is, it is a rude one.

Ilura shouted a quick instruction to Eryn as she hurried along the shore to the area closest to where Thomas had been.  "Try not to kill him, but grab his stuff..."  Then stuck her head and hand through the water.  [To me, dear bird!]

As soon as she had Thomas in her hands and was back on the 'right' side of the water, she raced to the door and donned the final mask.  Hear goes nothing...

Thomas settled on her shoulder, and shook himself, dislodging water from his feathers - a good bit of which he managed to get down her neck, most likely on purpose.  He didn't look terribly impressed.

quote:

22:01, Today: Ilura rolled 9 using 2d6.  Defy danger - rescue Thomas.

Not sure what stat that is, but adding in my +1 from the discern, that's a full success for anything other than intelligence.

As Ilura reached through the vertical wall of water, she could feel it threatening to pull her skyward. And it only seemed to be getting stronger with time. She was lucky she didn't try to grab Thomas a few seconds later, or she might not have been able to withstand the current.

But her old friend was safe with her when the ranger finally donned the silver mask. The cold silver fused magically to Ilura's face. A warm energy began to seep into her and a presence flooded into the ranger's mind. She could feel it seeping into her memories and reading her every thought and feeling. It was not long before the presence spoke to Ilura within her mind.

"To pass beyond these walls, you must face judgement to ensure the safety of the secrets within. Answer my question and I shall weigh your response." Just like with Chance, the words were not stated as requests, but were stated as fact. Almost threateningly so. The voice continued, asking Ilura its question. "You seek entrance beyond these doors, in pursuit of the resources the slayer of The Silver Scourge possessed before their fall. But in order to do so, you willingly allied with a being counter to The Silver Scourg's ideals. An evil witch of the sea, and her two apprentices. Both of whom were children you allowed to be taken under the sea witch's wing. Knowing as much, how do you expect to be allowed to pass beyond this threshold?"

Ilura, what do you do?

---

Ilura
The Defy Danger would have used one of your physical stats (not certain which one), so you're good. Thomas is safe.

The door is asking you to make a case for why it should let you through, despite your willingness to work with a known evil sea witch and the kids that you allowed to be trained by her.

Ilura responded calmly, but the passion in her thoughts rose as she continued.  Evil comes in many forms, and so does good.  When I broke the jellyfish, I did not know who would come to provide aid, I only knew that aid was needed if we were to pass through the doors and accomplish our end.  Leaving the children with the witch was a hard choice, but in the end it was a choice for the children themselves.  I believe there is good in both of them.  And to be honest, I cannot say with certainty there is no good in the witch.  I am wary of her and concerned about her and concerned for the children.  I do not consider them 'allies', but I do accept their aid.  In my dealings with them, I did my best to minimize the harm that would result from their involvement, and their aid was necessary.

We accepted aid too from a group with evil ideals who provided supplies, one of which may yet save the soul and allow the return to life of a sea-captain who aided us.  Had we rejected that aid, the soul of woman with some good in her would now surely be lost to evil - a fate that has not yet been voided.  I do not regret that choice either.  In the end, we must act with the tools we have to tip the balance towards good as best we can.  It is important to be wary, whether aid comes from one of ill-repute or of unblemished reputation.  However, if we must exclude all aid from those who have done wrong, then I believe we have already lost.

EDIT: Ignore for now. This post was written based on a misinterpretation of the situation.

---

Spoiler text: (Highlight or hover over the text to view)
Hearing Ilura's statement, and seeing the rest of the attackers occupied with the kraken, Eryn swiftly knelt besides the fallen monk to assess his injuries - and his possessions. The warrior had many questions, but she knew right now was not the time to ask them. Instead she ruffled through the monk's belongings and seized whatever seemed useful, in preparation of joining the others by the door.

As her hands searched the man's pockets, a nagging voice in the back of her head spoke: That's a lot of blood.

If this man was a temple guard just doing his job, it wouldn't be right to simply let him bleed out. Eryn was no doctor, but she had seen quite a few battle wounds. She tried her best to judge how bad the damage was.


09:15, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 2d6+1.  Discern Realities - the fallen monk's status.
Marked XP.
I was going to ask:
- What here is useful or valuable to me [among the monk's possessions]?
- What is about to happen [to the monk if I leave him alone]?
- What happened here recently? [Assessing the actual damage he's taken.]

---

This message was last edited by the player at 14:16, Wed 09 Sept 2020.

"You have been weighed on the scales of judgement," the voice in Ilura's head said. No further information was given, but the face masks fell away from Ilura, Chance, Westley, and Eryn's ancestor's spirit. The corroded silver mask the spirit had been wearing inside the door-mask clattered to the floor.

However, instead of the entire door opening, the circular emblem of The Seal of the Silver Scourge glowed brightly upon the door before disappearing altogether, leaving a perfectly round tunnel in its place. Westley was already moving to try climbing up into it. "I knew my answer would get us the points we needed!" he said with perceived honesty.

Eryn could see that the monk she was facing had noticed the door was open too. And she could see he was about to shout loudly to let his allies know.

What do you do?

---

The doors have not opened, but a passageway has presented itself. The path is long, dark, and featureless. Even Ilura's eyes won't pick up on anything noteworthy other than the path's lack of noteworthiness.

Eryn
I ignored your post, as requested.

The monk you are fighting with looks like he is about to let his allies know you have opened the door. If you want to keep him quiet you will need to take an action specifically for that. If you don't care, that is fine too.

"Thomas and I will scout ahead.  The rest of you, follow.  Eryn, move it...

Westley, keep everyone safe near the entrance until I call you forward.

Chance, the map say anything about this corridor?"

The ranger moved a little way down the corridor, her enhanced eyes scanning for anything that might be a threat - or a benefit.

quote:

21:23, Today: Ilura rolled 12 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

Chance ducked down. Keeping his profile low, he pulled the map out again and quickly zeroed in on the now-familiar location of the door. Once again, he compared the reality of what he saw in front of him with the map in his hands. It confirmed what his eyes had already told him.

"This is the only way forward that's available to us. Take the map," he told Ilura, pushing it into her hand. "You go on ahead. I'm going to wait for Eryn. She wasn't judged, and I'm afraid...," he began, then stopped, unwilling to give voice to his fear.

"I won't leave her locked out here alone. That's all. As soon as she's inside the corridor, I'll be in right on her heels."

His mind made up, Chance pulled the last throwing knife from his bandolier and turned back toward the battle to assist Eryn if he could.

Eryn had many questions regarding the aid they had recieved from the sea witch and her cohorts, but the warrior knew right now was not the time to ask them.

Hearing Ilura's statement, and seeing the monk about to give a shout, Eryn swiftly moved forward to strike again. A nagging voice in the back of her head told her it wouldn't be right to kill this man if he was a temple guard just doing his job. Therefore, instead of stabbing, she swung the spear in an arc and struck with the flat portion of the heavy spearhead, aiming to knock the monk off-balance. With any luck his spoken shout would turn into a pained exclamation.

15:43, Today: Eryn rolled 13 using 2d6+3.  Hack and Slash (knock the monk down with non-lethal damage).
15:44, Today: Eryn rolled 8 using 1d10+1d4.  Deal damage.

When Ilura asked Westley to stand guard, he gave the ranger a salute and stood proudly at the entrance to the passageway. He waved his whip menacingly back and forth, and even did a couple helicopter spins. Opal uttered a rare peep of disapproval as Westley's talentless whip-work nicked her tough hide when she flew past. Silas and Lady Mirrorsheen hurried into the passage as well, without further incident.

Outside, as the injured monk opened his mouth to alert his team members that the passage had been opened, he was cut short by Eryn's quick spear work. Eryn's first two blows were deflected as the agile monk twisted and rerouted the fighter's attacks, but Ronny seemed to be having trouble adjusting to his newly transmogrified hands and feet. He attempted to kick Ery's spear off course, but his foot had become ensuckled to the floor with its squid-like suction cups. Not for long, however, as Eryn's powerful blow dislodged the monk and sent him flying into the wall of water. Ronny was promptly flooded skyward and toward the pond, near the animated kraken still thrashing blurrily on the other side of the water wall.

Eryn and Chance now had ample time to make it into the passageway, relatively speaking.

Inside the passageway, Ilura and Thomas were not finding much that was of use to them. The tunnel was long and featureless, and seemed to be made from a material like thick frosted glass. The path ahead was a smooth circular tunnel, straight as an arrow. And dark. Darkness was not a problem to Ilura, but Thomas wasn't able to see very far past the entrance. [I'm not going to be much help in here,] Thomas admitted. The small bird landed on the curve of the tunnel's wall.

But in landing, Thomas revealed an interesting detail about the tunnel. The fact that he had landed so high up on its slope meant it was not quite as smooth as it appeared. Looking closely, Ilura was able to see that every inch of the surface of the tunnel was etched with thin, nearly imperceptible, runes. Much more fine and delicate than the ones on the stairway outside. As far as she could tell, they seemed inactive. But there was a good chance they would activate once the opening to the outside was closed.

The ranger assumed they would not be harmful, but there was no way to be certain.

What do you do?

---

Ilura
What here is not what it appears to be?
The tunnel isn't as featureless as it seems. Every surface is etched with delicate inactive runes.

What should I be on the lookout for?
The delicate runes that permeate every surface of the long tunnel. They are probably not a threat, but potentially could be.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
Nothing, really. She may or may not see a door at the end of the tunnel, but it is no more than a pinpoint on the horizon right now.

Eryn
Yeah, you demolished that monk. You blasted him back out through the water wall with a sort of reverse pole-vault maneuver. You have a good opening to make it into the tunnel now.

Chance
Eryn managed to handle the monk. It is now just yourself and Eryn on this side of the water wall. Plus Bronth and Druzzy, the two dwarven sea-mages that seem to recognize Eryn and Ilura.

[No worries little one.  Stay close.]

Without much to report, Ilura hurried back to the rest of the group.  She didn't want to be in a situation where barriers suddenly cropped up once the entrance door closed and accidentally find herself separated from the group.  Besides, she might be needed.

Once it was clear that the fighter had the monk well in hand, she picked up the tarnished mask and returned it to her pack, then waited for Eryn to make it to the entrance.  As her friend was about to cross into the tunnel, she shouted out to the sea-witch and her trainees.

"Thank you - and be well!"

She glanced up at the fairy.  "Lady Mirrorsheen, are you able to understand any of these runes?"

At Ilura's words, Druzy turned her attention from her wall of water just long enough to reply, "Glad we could help, Bow-maiden. Good luck!"

Her brother, Bronth, gave a half salute and added a simple, "Farewell." Mira, of course, was too busy possessing the kraken's corpse to even take notice.

With nobody to oppose them, the adventurers all managed to get inside the tunnel without further incident. After Eryn and Chance crossed the threshold, the missing portion of the door reappeared, sealing off their enemies and bathing everyone in total darkness.

Lady Mirrorsheen spoke up. "I would love for nothing more than to study the runes for you, my dear Ilura, but unfortunately not all of us are able to see in complete darkne-" The little fairy paused mid-word as every surface of the tunnel began to glow. Very faintly at first, but it was quickly picking up intensity. It quickly became apparent that it was the runes etched into the tunnel that were glowing, making them more visible. Lady Mirrorsheen ran her tiny fingers over the incredibly delicate etchings and began to study them more closely.

As she did, the rest of the party began to notice that the tunnel's surfaces, made of a frosted glass-like substance, were beginning to become more transparent. Outside of the tunnel everyone could see a maze of multilayered passages, rooms, and corridors. Some contained what appeared to be physical obstacles, others overt traps. Some even appeared to have puzzles and monsters. There was even a room that looked to consist of nothing but a humongous pool of honey. However, the passage the adventurers were in seemed to bypass all of it and continued on a straight and narrow path forward.

After a while, Lady Mirrorsheen spoke up again. "I- I am loathe to admit something so ludicrous, but I think- I think these runes may be... Soul-script." She said it ominously, as if everyone were supposed to gasp. But of course, most people were not experts on rune terminology. When this became apparent, Lady Mirrorsheen continued. "Soul-script is ancient. Said to be as old as souls themselves, created by the original..." she searched for the right word, "spirit-shepherds. The guides that brought people to the afterlife, once upon a time. Except here is is the shocking part. Soul-script is said to have been lost to time. The only known samples are small fragments etched into a handful of broken tablets." She gestured wondrously at the glowing runes all around them. "So, yeah. Soul-script."

What do you do?

---

Everyone has made it into the tunnel and the door is closed. The tunnel is long, glass-like, and glowing with "extinct" runes. You can see all of the rooms and passages of the Silver Scourge complex below, but the tunnel you are in seems to be bypassing them all.

"It looks like those who judged us have seen to give us a straight path.  Hopefully it takes us right to where we need to go.  In any case, probably best to move away from the door on the off chance that those who are chasing us are judged worthy to follow."

With that, she hurried forward, with Thomas flying along beside her.  Every once in a while she glanced at the map and tried to determine where she was with respect to what it showed - and also tried to better understand how the map related to the craziness that was below.  If she ever had to lead the way through that complex, she wanted to be well-prepared...

quote:

21:17, Today: Ilura rolled 11 using 2d6+5.  Discern realities w/ Thomas.

What should I be on the lookout for?
What here is useful or valuable to me?
What here is not what it appears to be?

I think we can count on Lady Mirrorsheen's cost as having been met for a bit.  Probably Westley's and Silas's too.  For Opal, we'll have to get a bit further, but at least we've managed to avoid doing anything 'bad'...

Do we need Perilous Journey rolls, or can we just hurry along to the end of the tunnel?

Soul-script and safe passages aside, Chance keeps his knife in hand as he follows Ilura down the rune-covered corridor.

Eryn searched her brain for any tidbit Hiran may have mentioned of esoteric runes during their brief apprenticeship. He had been haunted by many souls, after all, and full of the most eldritch knowledge as he was he may have held knowledge which no one else would dare speak of.

In the moment, however, Eryn recalled nothing of the sort. The sheer amount of new sights to see was too distracting to pick out a specific rune to remember, anyhow.


12:38, Today: Eryn rolled 5 using 2d6.  Spout Lore (runes).

The tunnel the party found themselves in was (aside from the view), not all that interesting. Straight, round, and narrow. Not even a gentle curve to spice things up.

As they walked, Eryn found herself trying to recall anything Hiran may have taught her about the runes on the walls, but was failing to recall anything relevant. Still, her eyes kept drifting back toward the runes, subconsciously trying to figure them out. The... hungry, part of her mind seemed especially eager to crack the runic code.

As the party continued forward, Ilura made special efforts to note the terrain they were passing by. She knew they would be better equipped now to navigate the area below if they ever found themselves outside the tunnel. Likewise, Thomas was quick to point out every shiny treasure they could pick up along the way. From her vantage point, Ilura could see that some of the treasures were obvious lures for traps, but others seemed to be genuine prizes for rooms accomplished, or gear from others who had perished within the walls.

The ranger could see there was plenty to watch out for within the passages below as well, but the main threat she was feeling at the moment was coming from looking through the rune-inscribed walls so intently. Almost as if looking at the soul-script was causing her discomfort, but on a spiritual level. They would have to watch out for that.

Looking back at the group, she could see Eryn starting to trail behind, staring at the walls in a half-stupor. With a quick signal to Lady Mirrorsheen, the little fairy rushed over to take care of the warrior.

"Miss Eryn!" Lady Mirrorsheen exclaimed as she fluttered directly in front of Eryn, cutting off the fighter's view. "You'll burn away your very essence if you keep that up! There are certain precautions that must be taken before studying soul-script, especially if your soul is not in pristine condition." Her tone indicated that Eryn's was not. "You were just doing the spiritual equivalent of staring into the sun. Please, take caution." She looked to everyone else in the group. "That goes for the rest of you too."

The rest of the journey was not nearly as eventful. Slowly but surly an end to the tunnel became visible in the distance. Eryn Ilura, being the scout, was first to notice that it was a door as big and round as the tunnel. Not very surprising. But what was surprising was that it had no visible way to open it. The door was made of the same frosted glass-like material as the tunnel, and was just translucent enough to make out the locking mechanisms and hinges holding the door where it was.

What do you do?

---

No perilous journey rolls needed. The tunnel is long, but only maybe a mile or two. Not long or complex enough to warrant a "journey."

Also, now that the party has seen the maze of passages, your bonus from using the map inside its walls increases to +2 for a single roll per room. (not counting the tunnel)

Ilura
What should I be on the lookout for?
The runes. As Eryn found out.

What here is useful or valuable to me?
There are many treasures that could be gathered from within the maze of passages outside the tunnel. But the tunnel itself is as empty as ever.

What here is not what it appears to be?
The door at the end of the tunnel has no doorknob or other visible way to open it. It is not the guaranteed exit it first appeared to be.

Eryn
It turns out that studying the runes too intently without taking proper precautions is like the soul's equivalent of staring at the sun. And the effect is magnified for tainted souls such as yourself (due to your demonic hunger curse). You gain the Stunned debility until you have a chance to sleep it off. (-1 to Int rolls)
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:03, Sat 26 Sept 2020.

Presume you meant Ilura noticed?  The walls of the tunnel are transparent, but I presume looking through the tube we're in doesn't allow us to see through the walls of whatever's past the door?  What's the relationship of the area we're entering into with respect to the rest of the maze?  Does it seem like the center or the other end or something?

Ilura handed the map to Chance.  "I believe doors are your thing?  See if you can figure it out.  If not, I'll do some praying and see if the Silver Mother has any suggestions..."

She looked around at the group - "We don't know exactly what lies beyond this door.  This might be our last chance to rest peacefully for a bit.  There's a risk of pursuit, but I suspect if the twin priestesses couldn't figure out a way to get through the door before without the map, they're not likely to be super successful now.  Do we want to rest up, or keep pushing forward?"

As she looked around, she realized she was the only one who really looked any the worse for wear.  Still, it felt like a long time since their night in the garden.

Fixed the name.

You can't see through the door, or through the walls the door is connected to. But you can tell by looking at the map that you should be near the center of the complex. Which is where the Silver Scourge hideout is supposed to be.

Are there other entrances to the area we're about to go into visible from the maze below?  Any non-obviously-trapped treasure within relatively easy reach of the center complex?

There are two exits/entrances to the maze that you can see connecting to the central structure. And likely more that you cannot see. There is a literal treasure chest down the hall from one such entrance/exit that probably isn't trapped. However, the tunnel you are in has no access to the maze below, unless you wanted to try breaking through.

Chance takes the map from Ilura and surveys it with respect to the area beneath them, and particularly the door that now blocked their path. Although translucent, the locking mechanism was evident enough, but his suspicious nature made him fear it was trapped. So, he looked it over thoroughly before deciding how best to proceed.

OOC: 12:11, Today: Chance rolled 8 using 2d6+3 with rolls of 4,1.  Trap expert +map.

It seems to me like tricks of the trade should open the door. I don't really expect it to be trapped (beyond the soul runes), so my question is:

What else is hidden here?