Session Eight
Meantime Thorn pleased with himself goes looking for Grace, seeing door one open, he kicks her pack out of the way & steps through the door, as he does so he wonders why Grace's pack was where it was, to late he realises it was there for a purpose, as this thought crosses his mind the six needles spring out of the woodwork only narrowly missing his neck, back & arms, gulping he shouts,
"Err, Grace, are you there, Grace, where are you"
returning, Grace quips,
"Found the trap all by yourself this time did you"
Telling Thorn the corridor was simply a dead end, she points to door two,
"Shall we try the last two doors together this time"
Nodding his agreement, they turn to door two, locked they search around & decide it is free from traps however Grace notes that the key is in the lock on the other side of the door. Looking at each other the draw weapons, put their shoulders to the door & push. With a crash the catch splinters & the stumble into the room.
The
room itself is some twenty feet long by fifteen feet wide, at the far end the
floor is raised on which there is some sort of dias, also in the room is a bed,
table chairs as well as a couple of lit braziers, however before they can search
further there is a growl from behind them.
Turning slowly they are confronted by a ferocious looking creature wearing little armour & carrying a vicious looking spiked mace, before they can react it attacks. The fight is quick & short, despite the apparent fierceness of their opponent, his skill with the cumbersome spiked mace is poor & he is soon cut down between them, valiantly the creature tries to reach the corridor behind door seven but alas it dies halfway across the octagonal room.
Returning to the chamber, they search the room, the bed itself looks as if it has been unused for many years, dust covers everything, however there are footprints leading to the lit braziers & candles on the table & dais. Picking up the was coated candle sticks, Grace adds,
"Silver, could be worth a bit"
As Thorn continues searching, Grace straps the pair of candle sticks onto her backpack.
Slitting the mattress Thorn finds a scroll, much of the writing he cannot read, however, somebody has scrawled on the back of the parchment,
"Spell of Protection me thinks"
Stuffing it into his bag, they agree to rest a while, tend their ailments & eat before trying the last doorway.
After several undisturbed hours they get to their feet & move towards the final door, hoping that this is a way forward, however something prickles at Gracer's mind & she pursuades Thorn to accompany her to the iron doors beyond door four, however after several minutes of futile pushing, cursing & searching Grace admits defeat & trials Thorn back below & to door six. No sound can be heard & after a breif search Grace declares it free of traps,
"Well, at least on this side anyway"
Lifting the latch the door is unlocked & swings easily aside, instantly there is a thud & an arrow buries itself in the doorframe above Grace's head,
"Sometimes it pays to be a shortie, what say you"
Grinning Grace peers into the apparently empty room & points to a small hole in the ceiling, from the look of its where the arrow came from. The room itself is about twenty feet long by ten feet wide, disappointed, they begin to search the room, inch by inch, almost giving up the search as a lost cause, a panel in the wall suddenly moves under Thorns fingers, pushing it it gives slightly but goes no further, looking around the room nothing appears to have happened.
Grace, using an old knife from the table in room two, succeeds in prising the panel out however & behind which she finds a leather pouch & a key, hanging the key from her belt she opens the pouch & finds a handful of small freshwater pearls, opals & three emeralds, pleased the pouch too is hung from her belt.
Stood in the main room again they both realise that the only way forward is either out through the fissure via door seven or through the locked iron doors beyond door four, deciding to give the doors one more look before risking the climb they climb the stairs.