19:16, Today: Bella Donna rolled 18 using 1d20+12.  Craft Armorsmithing.

In reply to Bella Donna (msg # 172):

There does seem to be some kind of mechanism inside the slot Bella.  You think it's designed to shoot something out once the walls inside the slot are touched.  But what it shoots you can't tell.

Maybe it shoots out gumdrops.  Gumdrops are good.

OOC
Does that work? Not touching it and trying to 'extend' my hands.

Oops.  Sorry.  Was in a rush when I asnwered that previous post and just got caught on your OOC question</question>

You maneuver the spikes into the slot, working to pincer them around the small booklet.

As you shimmy and shally the spikes, one of their ends touches the side of the wall for a moment.

You get a shock.  A rather nasty one.

<orange>Fort Save 14- or 8 pts damage.  Damage half if you saved.

You manage to slide the journal out at last.

The small tome is maybe a little bigger than your hand.  It has only a few pages, and most of them have deteriorated to such an extent you can't make anything out on them.

But there are two sections you can discern.

First, at the bottom corner of one page is what looks like a diagram of those candles in the hallway.  It indicates a section of the candle on the left hand side.  Like there's something there.

The second section is written in a text that makes you think of old Draconic.  You can read it, mostly.

...the thing was usually on the ceiling.  Though sometimes it would come up from under the floor.

We couldn't do much to stop it.  Not fire nor lightening nor sharpened edge could pierce that hide.

Hyzzx found that it seemed to be skittish of cold.  But we...

This part is indecipherable.

...was sure that it was the noise.  We then began to carry around heavy brass pots with us.  And when it showed, we'd drop the pots.  It would stand completely still, trying to deal with the pain the ringing imparted.  But it was only a stop gap.  Fortunately, Kzzl had his mace.  And...

That's all you can discern.

If you use the picture of the candles as a guide, when you step back into the hallway, on the left most candle, under a layer of wax, you can see what looks like a doorknob.
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:19, Fri 19 Apr.

10:39, Today: Bella Donna rolled 22 using 1d20+5.  Fort Save DC 14.

HP: 25/21

Wincing, the alchemist reads as much as she can and puts the journal into her bag. Getting up, Bella goes to check on the villagers and asks them if they know who wrote the journal. Once done, she asks for them to follow her, keeping their distance. Taking a deep breath, she wipes the wax from the doorknob. She checks it for traps of course-you know wandering into a cave that is possibly a elemental or is haunted or something makes sense....

In reply to Bella Donna (msg # 176):

The villagers shake their heads.  The man who spoke before...you think he called himself Bruno...seems to be acting as their spokesman.

"Nah.  No idea.  We didn't even know this place was here until them Gillies kidnapped us."

The doorknob is slick from the wax.  And it takes some doing to get it to turn.  But nothing launches at you or injects you with venom or sets you on fire.  It just seems to be...a candle door.

Who knew?



Beyond the candle door is a large open room.  The only thing of note is a platform taking up most of the center.

The platform is tiled with an odd looking mosiac.  It appears to be depict a figure that resembles an elf, though his skin is pale white, almost to the point of being so shiny it's hard to look at.

Shiny elf is standing in a cavern where the floor is covered in water.  Shiny elf seems to be fighting a giantess.  The elf is holding what looks like a mirror in one hand.  And in the other...

What is that?  A wrench?

The air in the room feels rather damp and cool.  It smells of fresh water and you can almost hear the gentle lapping of waves.

But there aren't any obvious exits.

The alchemist watches this and seems in awe and in fright. She hates water. Bella ponders a moment, watching.

OOC-Knowledge Check
17:17, Today: Bella Donna rolled 20 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge (Planes). – 20
17:17, Today: Bella Donna rolled 20 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge (Religion). – 20
17:16, Today: Bella Donna rolled 17 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge (History). – 17
17:16, Today: Bella Donna rolled 14 using 1d20+6.  Knowledge (Dungeonering). – 14
17:15, Today: Bella Donna rolled 25 using 1d20+10.  Knowledge (Arcana). – 25

The mosiac seems to be magical in some way shape or form, yes.

But how?  You aren't sure.

You might need to get closer to it to investigate.

Or maybe throw one of the villagers up there.

Flying up, the alchemist taps it with her gun to see if it reacts.

OOC
The whole point is to keep the villagers -alive- lol

Well.  As long as one of them makes it out of here, it's all good.  Right?

You tap the mosiac with the butt of your gun...

It seems to pass through the surface as if the surface was actually just a pool of water...

Reflex save vs. 12 please

03:58, Today: Bella Donna rolled 24 using 1d20+7 ((17)).

You realize if it goes underwater, I will die right?

Not sure what I had to save for but okay!

Why would you die just because you went underwater?  You can hold your breath!

And the test was to see if you could pull back fast enough.

As the gun butt passes through the floor of the mosiac, you suddenly feel pulled forward.  You are standing...well, falling really...from a high place, staring down at a large cavern whose floor appears to be submerged.

But you quickly manage to pull yourself backwards, and you are back where you started.  In the room with the mosiac.

The villagers are huddled in the doorway, blinking at you in shock and surprise.

That great booming voice suddenly rumbles from the thin air.

<b>Enter!  Enter and...</i>  you don't understand the words at this bit...<b>You will find peace!</i>

ooc
Can't hold it for long.

The alchemist seems surprised. She looks at the villagers "Don't follow me until I tell you to alright? You will fall into a submerged unknown area and I don't want you to be hurt as it goes against the reason I came here. Understood? It wants use to go through it to find peace which I'd rather be drawing and designing things not wandering around in a possible earth elemental ready to...nevermind then." She flips out her mechanical wings, makes sure everything is secured and 'dives' into the mosaic reading herself to fly.

You come out back over the water.

The cavern has a roof, but somehow it's lit as if there's dim sunlight filling the air.  You think the water itself is shining somehow, but can't quite tell.

The cavern is large.  A quick buzz around reveals three areas of interest.

There's an island of sorts near the center.  Part of the island is covered in large, odd looking, purple flowers.  A stone hut sits next to this bizarre garden.

The water must get shallow to the east, as you can see the bones of several animals sitting in the water.  Most seem to be the skeletons of moose or maybe horses.  You see a couple of human looking skeletons mixed in.

But the weirdest part may be what you spy along the southern wall.  There's a row of pipes jutting up out of the cavern floor.  They look like spouts, though nothing is running out of them.  They are just...sitting there.

The alchemist ponders. What if the skeletons were given to this whatever is it to spare the ones above? Something doesn't make sense and the pipes are interesting to say the least. Bella hovers near them, examining them from above. She then flies over to the building, steering clear of the flowers and drops down. Not sure of what to expect, she pulls out a extracct and chugs it-and vanishes. Bella takes another look around and looks to see if there is any open window so she can peer within the building.

OOC
Casting Invisibility
19:51, Today: Bella Donna rolled 19 using 1d20+9.  Perception.

Is there any knowledge I can do to figure out more of the 'water' or the pipes?

Dungeoneering for the water.  Engineer for the pipes

And throw in two PER checks while you're at it please

Well got:
Perception 1: 19
Perception 2: 28
Perception 3: 13
Know (Dungonerring): 24
Know (Engennring): 16

04:35, Today: Bella Donna rolled 13 using 1d20+9.  Perception

04:32, Today: Bella Donna rolled 28 using 1d20+9.  Perception.

04:32, Today: Bella Donna rolled 16 using 1d20+11.  Knowledge (Enginerring).

04:32, Today: Bella Donna rolled 24 using 1d20+6.  Knowledge (Dungeonerring).

19:51, Thu 25 Apr: Bella Donna rolled 19 using 1d20+9.  Perception.

In reply to Bella Donna (msg # 188):

The water seems to be normal.  At least as far as you can tell from the air.  The source of the glow seems to be some kind of lichen or something that is growing on the rocks below the surface.  It's not a species you recognize, but you don't see anything obviously dangerous about it.

The pipes are fascinating.  You can tell from the patterns of rust on them that water probably gushed out at some point.  You feel safe in assuming they must connect to some kind of underground river of some kind and are probably the source of the water that lines the floor.  But as to why they are there...no idea.

There's some fauna about the cave.  Small lizards mostly.  Small fish in the water.  You see a lack of bats or mammals, which makes it seem like the only way in here other than the one you took is underwater somehow.

There's no movement from the island.  The flowers look a bit worrisome.  But you don't believe they are mobile.  So as long as you leave them alone, they should leave you alone.

OOC
Is there a way into the hut?

In reply to Bella Donna (msg # 190):

That would be helpful to know, wouldn't it?  Sorry about that.

The hut appears to have two doors on opposite sides.  Also a chimney that seems large enough for someone of your size.

There's no smoke coming out of the chimney nor any signs of life in the hut.

Still invisible, the alchemist flies over to one of the doors. She goes to slowly open the door, standing behind it and goes to look inside carefully and quietly.

The inside of the hut has seen better days.

You guess that at one point, way way back in the long ago, it was some kind of lab.  Old beakers and shelves filled with bottles and jars line the walls.  But most of the beakers and jars are broken and lay strewn about.  There are old stains on the floor and wall.  Like caustic liquids exploded here and marked the interior of the hut from some terrible accident.

A skeleton lays on the floor, half under a table.  It wears the remains of an old robe, one that looks so old it might come apart as dust with the slightest touch.

You notice two other things.  First, there's no signs of life.  No lizards or insects or anything.  Also...there's no odor.  This room smells like nothing.  It seems devoid of any scent at all.  It's not even musty.

Grabbing a rock, Bella tosses it into the room. Most probably think she's nuts but no-she's being safe. Or as safe as anyone can be. If nothing happens, the girl steps inside with her gun and glances up at the ceiling and the floor. Like a cat hunting who is probably being hunted right back.

The rock just bounces.  You step inside.

Whatever blew up got splattered all over the place.  Even on to the ceiling.  But there's no goo or anything dangerous looking visible.

None of the lab equipment has aged well.  You glance it all over, but everything seems to broken or old to be of any use.

The skeleton has one interesting item.  A key is hanging on a chain around it's neck.

Kneeling down, the girl take a breath and goes to grab the key almost expecting a trap. Seriously.  She gives it a quick tug and occasionally looks up at the ceiling. and all around almost paranoid.