In reply to Aelisyr the Wanderer (msg # 14):

After seeing few statues nothing of worth Stanis just throws them in to the ground.
Stanis: "Bah! nothing! there is nothing in here I hate this place!"

Rita apreaches and smacks stanis in the face HARD! *SMACK " Why are you acting like a child! People are dead! the only thing that matters now is to get outside and warn others to never come here!"

With one of her trademark long-suffering sighs, Aelisyr picks up the other two silver statuettes and, with an assessing glance, passes one to Rita.

"This is worth something," she says. "Split it with the greedy one if you like, or not. The final one I shall give to Tzothagri, or perhaps to the three from ... whatever street they were from."

She means Halton, Rhod and Urmdrak.

"Whichever comes down the steps first," she finishes. And with that, the elf turns back to the strategy table, trying to see if she can discern any other pattern or clue. There is a tale here, she's certain of it, and not merely in the table but in the entirety of the ziggurat. The guardians at the door... the cobra waiting in his lair, looking through time and space... the stars at the bottom of the pool... the table with its armies.

A brewing confrontation. But where? And whom? And when?

In reply to Aelisyr the Wanderer (msg # 16):

Rita accepts the silver statue shakily.

"th-th-thanks... I will probably use this and get schooled as a healer...I don't want what ever is happening here to happen again. Not without trying to help somehow...I feel so useless"

Also I should mention this room is long and narrow, almost a hallway. At the western end, there is a door on the south side.

"I'm sure you'll put it to good use," Aelisyr says. Possibly the first kind thing she's said to anyone.

Peering at the door, Aelisyr is - unsurprisingly - not the first to approach. Instead, she goes back to the stairs, calling up - "Anyone still alive up there?"

From the stairs, Urmdrak's voice comes back down.

"Why? You ran out of pawns to trigger traps, princess?"

Aelisyr flushes with anger, and maybe with a touch of embarrassment. But she shoots back without missing a beat, "Keep it up, dwarf. Maybe I'll keep this pricey artifact to myself after all."

Pyke ignores the fighting and hollering and slowly makes his way to the door, keeping an eye on, under and above the table. He observes the armies of miniatures and tries to understand who is fighting whom.

When no reply comes, and no dwarf, and no lady of DOOOOOM, Aelisyr shrugs and puts the second statuette beside the first in her pack. She takes a moment to inspect the figurines, like Pyke trying to determine age or sex or race or ... anything she can of the generals.

Then she calls up the tunnel, "Jack? Jack! There is a door here to be explored!"

...so yeah, Urmdrak is probably right. She ran out of pawns to trigger traps.

You can’t discern much more from the clay statues. They’re not Grenadier models.

In reply to The Judge (msg # 24):

Stanis starts to walk towards the new door: " well I'm not staying and finding out! I'm going to be first in the next room!"

Pyke pauses when he hears Stannis' words. He smiles magnamonously and gestures towards the door.
"After you, my friend."

Jack doesn't reply, and in fact some sort of commotion seems to be going on up there again, but that's all right. Someone else has stepped up! As Aelisyr drifts forward in Stanis's wake, the tips of her fine fingers begin to glow with subtle, phosphorescent light. She readies a spell, just in case...

Pyke glances towards the noise upstairs.
"What are those bumbling idiots doing now?" he mutters to himself.
He turns as Stannis marches by but his disingenuous smile fades as his attention is drawn to Aelisyr and her waggling fingers.
"Sweet saints! My life is in better hands with those oafs upstairs!"

In reply to Pyke the Astrologist (msg # 28):

Rita also starts to follow suite and prepare herself for the next room.

Suddenly from above comes Jack's yowl: "AELISYR! HELP!!!"

Aelisyr startles, then sighs in frustration. "What in the seven blazes... WHAT IS IT YOU WANT, FOOL?" So shouting, she begins to climb the stairs back to the previous level.

In reply to Aelisyr the Wanderer (msg # 30):

I will Help too! Says Rita as she sprints after Aelisyr

"Stannis, just a moment. From the sounds of it, the little creature... Halton? Yes, that's the name. Sounds like he went and fell down a well or somesuch. Maybe you could help? This room's waited this long for us. It might be better to hold off for one or two meat shields before forging ahead."

In reply to Pyke the Astrologist (msg # 32):

Stanis turns to Pyke with a smirk: " You DO have a nose and ears for opportunity my friend and I do appreciate that. You have my attention, what you have in mind?"

Pyke appraises Stannis for a moment, then nods.
"No use risking our own necks when there are others' much more suited for that. Let's head up and see if we can coax the herd down this way."
With that, Pyke turns and heads up the stairs.
This message was last edited by the player at 12:48, Tue 17 Jan 2023.

In reply to Pyke the Astrologist (msg # 34):

Stanis follows Pyke to upstairs

All of the PCs except for the missing halfling are now gathered in the Strategy Room (finally!)

In reply to The Judge (msg # 36):

Rita goes around checking up on everyone: " Is everyone alright? does someone have any bad injuries?"

Pyke waits for Rita to say her piece. If no one speaks he clears his throat and gestures towards the door.
"This way, if you please. Halton awaits!"

[To be continued in Scene 11!]