Cyrania

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

@Timemaster

"Right." Gwyn got up then started looking around for the exact mechanism on the door as well, examining the out stretched arm with it's cup in particular.

Mechanism Dice Roll, 19, Success

1d20 = 19, Success

Together, the two found that the lever in the arm ran down the arm to the torso that proved to be hollow. A narrow crack Gwyneria found within the figure showed a weight dangling slightly upward. If it was completed balanced, it would hit another mechanism that would lift the door. If the weight raised or lowered too far, the mechanism seemed to connect to the floor underneath them, mechanisms Ashe found that seemed prepared to flip the floor, which likely wouldn't do well.

Gwyneria summarized her findings then hummed. "This certainly leaves little room for error.

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

@Timemaster

"I see." She responded. That did make sense to an extent. There was definitely a generally hostile attitude towards demonfolk. Even Cicero sometimes showed one, though with how that last arena fight had gone...

After Ashe's comment about the threshold though, she frowned. "There's no salt water here though. It would take quite a trek to get any here as well. Besides, salt water is not at the 'threshold' of the ocean..." Then she stooped down, letting some of the sand run through her slightly trembling fingers. "But sand..."

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

@Timemaster

She gazed for a time down where the two had fallen...

Withdrawal Role, Failure

Withdrawal = 1d20 - 2 = 7, Failure

Suddenly, the air was sharply cold. The fall was towards the water as her mind flashed back to that chasm. If she only had more power she could...

Then she shook herself and came back to the present. "Right," She glanced reluctantly down the hole then followed after Ashe, still looking over her face curiously. What was the point of hiding it behind a mask? Her arms showed a slight tremble as if chilled.

They soon came into a taller room with more hieroglyphs and depictions of demonfolk on and around what could be a door though there was no knob or obvious way to open the stone slab. Directly in front of them on the slab, there was a depiction of what looked to be a demonfolk worshiper, though their arms extended out towards them as a lever with their hands holding a cup.

Gwendolyn immediately started reading. "I entreat you, O traveler. Give me but a cup of...the salty threshold? No more, no less. What you give me will allow you to pass on to where the gods take council. If you don't give what I ask, then the cave will swallow you whole..." She then sighed. "Seems we have another riddle.

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

@Timemaster

"Levitation spells were never my strong suit, unfortunately. Besides, such spells work best with objects within sight of you, not ones you can't even see." She swallowed, then composed herself to meet Ashe's face. "Going further would seem to be the way left open to us. I can certainly play the prisoner should we meet anymore guards. Unless you have a way to get them back with your 'luck'.." Then she blinked, before her eyes narrowed in curiosity as she took in Ashe's face.

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

"Cicero, can you hear me?!" She called down the pit along with Ashe. How far down was it? If it was too far down...

Oh, why hadn't she seen that the sign was warning about a trap?!

She looked to Ashe, surprised to see her without her mask, though not focused on that at the moment. "There has to be a way down to them!"

But given the darkness and depth of the tunnel down, neither of them could see down to even tell what was happening nor could safely descend down themselves. The only way seemed to be to hope for an entrance downwards further on. But what could happen to their companions in the meantime...?

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

Gwynneria

Gwyn frowned in thought. "That could be wise, though I think that there would be better ways to knock them unconscious...But where would you get the disguise?" Her eyes fell towards where the slain guards lay not of their own accord. "I, suppose that those will do..."

The guards weren't precisely Ashe's size, one rather large and brawny while the other was rather small. But an outfit could easily be assembled from the pieces unless Ashe wanted to try her luck further along.

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

The Cave of Shifting Sands

The passage way itself seemed rather uninviting, dimmer than the room before it. Gwyneria came to the mouth of the passage, her shot at leg twinging slightly as she went, then she looked around, furrowing her brow as she spotted more hieroglyphs. "To trespass through the maw, make sure to avoid the serpent's tongue? She blinked. "I can't be reading that right..." She looked further down, her hand resting on one of two tooth-like stalagmites. Peering both for any indication of what the 'serpent's tongue' might be along with seeing if there were any more guards might be.

Do those with her search as well or continue on their way through?

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

The Cave of the Drifting Sands, Roh

The Cave

@Spiffy@Dog@Timemaster

Even with her elven eyes, Gwyneria couldn't find any traces of the trail. Nor could Mazur with all his experience and training. Cicero could, trained from long months of campaigning against the very foes they were up against now, along with the extremely lucky Ashe. And so, they lead on their way, with the other two following their guidance, the night sky still shining overhead.

It was as dawn started to send rosy fingers across the sky that they found the trail led them into the desert mountains. Their stony countenance provided shadows against the rising sun, allowing them to continue on their way along the trail. Only at the end did they find, seemingly nestled away from view, a looming cave, black and ominous with the sound of falling sand piercing through the silence. Gwyneria looked up around the cave and found...inscriptions, ornate gold pictographs and calligraphy shining through the sandy dust. She peered to see what she could make out and the most clear ones seemed to be images of a cave, an hourglass, and falling sand over the top of the doorframe. Then above that, was what appeared to be the unmistakable visage of a demonfolk.

She frowned, turning to Cicero and Mazur. "Would this be something our, query, would make?

Kings and Killers: A Classical Fantasy Adventure (Chapter 1)

Gwyneria

Gwyneria looked to Cicero in concern. All this time, from his goofiest moments to his most reckless, he'd been carrying a burden like that on him. How did one man hold that sort of strength? Only at this moment was he obviously exhausted, weary beyond anything her young elven years could even attempt to understand. Not when she had grown up her life knowing that she and those around her would have a long time to go before having to worry about the specter of death. It only struck her then that in all likelihood, Cicero would die before her, whether by the sword or by the slow decay of time. And if they never cleared Cicero's name...

No. She took Cicero's hand, squeezing it closely. "If there's a curse, it can always be broken. If it's merely a pattern, the pattern can be altered." If, When Cicero faced death's specter, he would be at peace, free of the taint on his name and free of the violence that the others in his regiment had gone through. She'd make certain of that, no matter how many times she'd have to heal him from the brink or had to reconcile illogical 'luck' to the fundamental rules of magic she'd learned all her life. This she swore.

The Yurazen Prince - A Tale of Redwall

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