Vandeyr offers to light a torch

Quote from Bartjeebus >>

“In my years as an acolyte, I neglected to learn the Light spell, relying on my dwarven senses.  Alas, I can’t shed this darkness magically.”

Brother Siegfried scans the room for any hidden dangers.  Liches are not known for being welcoming hosts.  He is concerned about possible traps, physical or magical.

Perception:  17  (I think the bonus is +5 but I can’t access the character sheet on mobile right now.)

 There's no obvious signs of danger at first glance--if there are any traps, they're well hidden. However, after acclimating to the darkness, you see a faint green glow coming from below, just as you realize that you hear a creaking of the floor above.

"Friends," Sigi says quietly. 

He points down.  "Unwholesome light comes from below."

He points up, "Something stirs on the floor above us."

Vandeyr looks around for exits both up and down, moving as quietly as he can. 

Stealth 20 

Quote from nschrock >>

Vandeyr looks around for exits both up and down, moving as quietly as he can. 

Stealth 20 

 Apart from the spiral stairs at the end of the room, there are no visible ways up or down, or even out of the room apart from where you entered.

Vandeyr will head up, trying to peer across the room as soon as his eye level reaches floor 

Tor follows Vandeyr up the stairs.

"Could be one of our trolls up there," he whispers. "Eyes and ears open, everyone."

By the light of Van's torch, Tor watches for any further movement up above.

Perception: 7

Rawlings sighs heavily as Vandeyr makes a decision without discussing with the rest.  But then smiles to herself as she just did the same thing entering this tower, and follows Tor and Van up the stairs.

Quote from nschrock >>

Vandeyr will head up, trying to peer across the room as soon as his eye level reaches floor 

 (Everyone who hasn't done so, please roll perception)

The stairs are worn smooth from generations of feet, but you can still see the electrum edging inlaid into black granite steps. There are frescos on the walls along the stairs, but the ages have worn the paint beyond recognition, leaving only the faint memory of opulence.

The stairs lead to a narrow doorway with an arched ceiling and then continue past on to the next floor. Sparse daylight is visible through the doorway. The door itself lies on the floor just inside the doorway, currently at eye level for Vandeyr. It appears made of a once-beautiful dark wood at least three inches thick, but now looks like it would crumble at a touch.

Beyond the doorway, the room is a long hall, around 40 feet long and 20 feet wide, with mouldering carpet of indeterminate color, leading to a raised stage atop which rests a black stone throne, inlaid with gold that glitters in the daylight that streams in from one of a pair of massive windows on either side of the room. Behind the throne another door can be seen, this one with a stone door of the same black stone.

The room is lined with benches and between each bench stands a dusty skeleton dressed in ancient armor, 10 in total, 5 to a side.

Vandeyr perception 13 

Sigi pauses to peek down the stairs for the source of the green light, before following his allies up to the second floor.

Perception: 9

Rawlings steps cautiously into the throne room to get a better look

Perception  22

Brother Siegfried follows Rawlings into the room and grabs an arm.  "Hold a moment," he whispers.  "There are few who would use skeletons as decoration only," he says, pointing at the bones.  "While a lich is perhaps one of the few entities in the Realms that would do so... they are also among those most capable of raising and binding undead defenders.  Let me lead the way... Chauntea will shield us."

Assuming its agreed, Sigi will enter the room, clutching his holy symbol and prepared for anything....

Vandeyr turns to Sigiand considers whether the guardians - if that's what they are; could be deceived 

Arcana? 23 

Rawlings eyes widen a bit as she looks at the skeletons with a new light.  She slightly nods and lets Siegfried in ahead of her.

As the party enters the room, the skeletons' heads turn as one to look at the party. A rasping voice rings out and in lilting common challenges:

"Your way is barred by rhyme and word,

now demonstrate what you have learned.

Name the dead and find the door,

or join them here forevermore.

Stripped of life beneath the soil,

the scant reward of life's long toil.

No courage in these rattling bones,

no lungs to make our wretched moans.

Flesh long gone to worm and age,

our hearts long gone but still we rage."

Van freezes. 

"Perhaps we should go down first..." 

Tor nudges Van with an elbow. "You led us up here, Mr Keen. Name the dead? Is that the wizard who lived here, the town that was drowned? Our meeting party said 'them'..."

He doesn't take his eyes off the skeletons, watching for any sign of movement. His fist clenches around his maul, ready, but he doesn't raise it.

"Riddles..." says Brother Siegfried, "... are regretfully not something in my wheelhouse."

He tries to recall the name of the Empire that once dominated this swampland.

"The riddle is clearly meant for someone in the know. I have no idea who these skeletons are. Or maybe I do, but there's little here to give context. Perhaps the floor below will give some of those contextual clues we need."