As Khessa repeats the ritual, she sees runes appearing at the base of the stairs, revealing the presence of an Abjuration spell.
(Please forgive me, as I wasn't keeping track of the Detect Magic spell. Although indeed more than 10 minutes have passed. I'm still getting used to adjudicating dungeon crawling and keeping track of time.)
Khessa enthusiastically pats Teldrin on the shoulder: "You were probably right to mention the Glyph of Warding, my friend! I see Abjuration runes appearing at the base of the stairs... there's a good chance that's exactly what was cast to protect this place" (she diligently notes in her spellbook what she's learned about those new spells, still so far beyond her reach).
The blonde arcane warrior addresses everyone: "One way to deactivate the spell is obviously with a Dispel Magic... But if we don't have that available, or don't want to use it right away, perhaps we can get by another way."
"We can try hitting the runes from afar with Cantrips capable of damaging them" the tall adventuress speculates. "My magical fire should be able to burn away details of some runes, by damaging the surface on which they are inscribed. I think they lose their effectiveness if their integrity is compromised. And when we think we've deactivated them, I can go first, alone... so if we're wrong at least we don't all get hit by the effect."
Not daring to come closer than the corner where the hallway turns, Xanrym says, "I'm no spell-breaker. If we cannot dispel this magic, then we should try whatever you and Theldrin think is best. Just tell us how far away we need to be while you attempt to disarm this magical ward." But he also agrees that there must be some way around it: "All of the signs seem to indicate that Fadheela came this way, right? Maybe there's a way to pass the Glyph of Warding without triggering it, like just stepping over the stair that holds the Glyph perhaps? Then again, perhaps Fadheela has special powers that enable her to get past this glyph safely. I've been wondering whether we're chasing a powerful sorceress. It seems like Fadheela turned that goblin near the rift to stone, triggered the Earth Node to bring her to the Great Grotto, crossed the Sullen Sea alone, and made it past the Dusklorn guards into the Necromancer's Spike unseen."
Before Khessa tries to disarm the Glyph, Xanrym will move south, into the N-S hallway itself and out-of-sight of the stairs. While his inspiring words expressed his confidence in Khessa, Xanrym thinks that it's best not to take any risks with the magical wards created by the necromancer who somehow triggered explosion that the Pedestallers refer to as the Plagueburst.
(OOC: If Syllen doesn't want to try Dispel Magic, he's fine with Khessa'splan to disarm the Glyph of Warding or, if she wants, to test stepping over the stair with the glyph. I moved Xanrym to his new position in the N-S hallway, hopefully keeping him out of any AoE if she accidentally triggers the spell.)
"Hmmm... yes a Glyph of Warding ," Theldrin nods with a slight grin. "Clever on Fadheela's part, at least that's my guess this is her work." He scowls as he studies the runes intently. "Exploding runes most likely, though it is possible to add another spell into the ward altogether, and that could be problematic."
He sighs, then continues as he rubs his beard, "Well, we could use the Dispel Magic scroll Syllen prepared... though I suspect we may have greater need of that before this is all over... And I could also try to trigger it with Mage Hand from the corner there..."
Listening to the conversation, Syllen will interject at the idea of using a scroll.
“I have come well prepared for this type of situation. I would be happy to dispel this magic so that we could avoid the ramifications of activating the Glyph.”
Khessa smiles at the elf: "Great, Syllen! I believe your solution is the safest".
And if no one objects, the blonde arcane warrior simply waits for the cleric to proceed... then, if with her Detect Magic still active she determines that the magical aura has been removed, she leads the party up the stair.
Well as the spell is level three Dispel Magic just works. You see magic runes light up at the base of the stairs, and then disappear, Khessa senses that the magic in that area is gone.
The spiral staircase leading up lays before you, however, Khessa also noticed when she walked to the stairs that there is the back of another secret door just to the north. If you wanted to keep exploring this level you could go through it, or one of the other doors in this building. Or you could simply keep going up.
If the Company discusses where to go next, Xanrym frets about leaving something deadly behind them, especially if they meet stiff resistance upstairs and need to retreat to the "safety" of the 1st floor. But he votes for taking the stairs: "Generally, if someone puts a lock on a chest, the odds are good that it must hold something valuable or, at least, interesting. I'd apply the same principle here: if someone guarded the stairs a Glyph of Warding, there must be something valuable or important upstairs!"
"Indeed," Theldrin agrees, "it would seem our path is up the stairs, since someone took the time to place such an elaborate trap. But perhaps we should at least take a look behind this other secret door first."
"I don't know Theldrin..." Khessa is hesitant. "I wouldn't want us to run into guardians we've already avoided thanks to the previous secret door. I suggest we just go up".
Obviously, however, the blonde arcane warrior leads the way in the direction most of the party prefers...
"I don't know Theldrin..." Khessa is hesitant. "I wouldn't want us to run into guardians we've already avoided thanks to the previous secret door. I suggest we just go up".
Obviously, however, the blonde arcane warrior leads the way in the direction most of the party prefers...
"That's a good point," Theldrin admits with a shrug, then adds with a grin, "Perhaps Xanrym's curiosity is starting to rub off on me."
"That's a good point," Theldrin admits with a shrug, then adds with a grin, "Perhaps Xanrym's curiosity is starting to rub off on me."
Xanrym smiles and chuckles at that comment, though the sound echoes weirdly in the long dead and silent hallway. He says, "I just hope that some Theldrin's skill with war magic finally rubs off on me!"
While Khessa was casting her ritual Detect Magic, Xanrym finished creating a map of the parts of the Necromancer's Spike that The Company has already seen. He explains his thinking, "A room that can only be reached through a secret door that's behind another secret door would be quite interesting! But we took the west door from the Mausoleum. The other door must lead to an eastern wing of the 1st level of the Necromancer's Spike that we have not yet seen yet." He points to the blank area of his map."It seems somewhat likely to me that the eastern wing wraps around to the other side of this other secret door, which would mean that the other secret door doesn't lead to a secret study. It would just lead to the eastern wing. The Necormancer may have just wanted a way to get to these stairs from both wings of the 1st level."That is, Xanrym agrees with Khessa: the stairs seem to the most promising destination for finding Fadheela.
"Then again," Xanrym smiles, "that ignores the thought of treasure! We took up the quest to recover the Forgotten King's bones from Xeron's cult, but this isn't like Aubrek's job. Toska did not offer The Company any reward if we succeed. Stopping an evil cult and preventing a calamity seem like worthy goals for a Company of heroes like us! That should be our primary objective, of course. But even heroes have to eat." Xanrym reasons that since the Necromancer's Spike has been abandoned and untouched for decades, any of the Necromancer's treasures should still be here for the taking, especially in the areas of the Necromancer's Spike that Fadheela has not frequented. "There are dangers -- to be sure! -- like the spell protecting the mausoleum or the [spells]Glyph of Warding;magical ward[/spell] on these stairs, but taking some risks to explore the Necromancer's Spike might be very rewarding. We might even find something that will eventually help us defeat Fadheela."
(OOC: If the others are interested, Xanrym is willing to poke into every corner of the Necromancer's Spike as they go instead of racing straight through on the path that's most likely to lead them to Fadheela. Xanrym is feeling less time pressure here than he did when The Company was trying to rescue Mayor Ormond from the naga. They need to find out what Fadheela did with the Forgotten King's bones, but she's already been in Pedestal for a week. If she was planning to hand off the bones to some other agent, she's probably already done that by now.)
Khessa smiles at Xanrym's observation about the opportunity to find treasure: "Far be it from me to disdain loot, my friend; I think it's better, however, to reverse the operations: first eliminate Fadheela and then, with our primary goal already accomplished, finish exploring the rest at our leisure, gathering treasure."
"But still," the blonde arcane warrior assures "I'll accept the majority opinion on which approach is best."
[[ OOC: Upvoted the DM's post Khessa would choose. ]]
As Khessa repeats the ritual, she sees runes appearing at the base of the stairs, revealing the presence of an Abjuration spell.
(Please forgive me, as I wasn't keeping track of the Detect Magic spell. Although indeed more than 10 minutes have passed. I'm still getting used to adjudicating dungeon crawling and keeping track of time.)
Khessa enthusiastically pats Teldrin on the shoulder: "You were probably right to mention the Glyph of Warding, my friend! I see Abjuration runes appearing at the base of the stairs... there's a good chance that's exactly what was cast to protect this place" (she diligently notes in her spellbook what she's learned about those new spells, still so far beyond her reach).
The blonde arcane warrior addresses everyone: "One way to deactivate the spell is obviously with a Dispel Magic... But if we don't have that available, or don't want to use it right away, perhaps we can get by another way."
"We can try hitting the runes from afar with Cantrips capable of damaging them" the tall adventuress speculates. "My magical fire should be able to burn away details of some runes, by damaging the surface on which they are inscribed. I think they lose their effectiveness if their integrity is compromised. And when we think we've deactivated them, I can go first, alone... so if we're wrong at least we don't all get hit by the effect."
Not daring to come closer than the corner where the hallway turns, Xanrym says, "I'm no spell-breaker. If we cannot dispel this magic, then we should try whatever you and Theldrin think is best. Just tell us how far away we need to be while you attempt to disarm this magical ward." But he also agrees that there must be some way around it: "All of the signs seem to indicate that Fadheela came this way, right? Maybe there's a way to pass the Glyph of Warding without triggering it, like just stepping over the stair that holds the Glyph perhaps? Then again, perhaps Fadheela has special powers that enable her to get past this glyph safely. I've been wondering whether we're chasing a powerful sorceress. It seems like Fadheela turned that goblin near the rift to stone, triggered the Earth Node to bring her to the Great Grotto, crossed the Sullen Sea alone, and made it past the Dusklorn guards into the Necromancer's Spike unseen."
Before Khessa tries to disarm the Glyph, Xanrym will move south, into the N-S hallway itself and out-of-sight of the stairs. While his inspiring words expressed his confidence in Khessa, Xanrym thinks that it's best not to take any risks with the magical wards created by the necromancer who somehow triggered explosion that the Pedestallers refer to as the Plagueburst.
(OOC: If Syllen doesn't want to try Dispel Magic, he's fine with Khessa's plan to disarm the Glyph of Warding or, if she wants, to test stepping over the stair with the glyph. I moved Xanrym to his new position in the N-S hallway, hopefully keeping him out of any AoE if she accidentally triggers the spell.)
"Hmmm... yes a Glyph of Warding ," Theldrin nods with a slight grin. "Clever on Fadheela's part, at least that's my guess this is her work." He scowls as he studies the runes intently. "Exploding runes most likely, though it is possible to add another spell into the ward altogether, and that could be problematic."
He sighs, then continues as he rubs his beard, "Well, we could use the Dispel Magic scroll Syllen prepared... though I suspect we may have greater need of that before this is all over... And I could also try to trigger it with Mage Hand from the corner there..."
Listening to the conversation, Syllen will interject at the idea of using a scroll.
“I have come well prepared for this type of situation. I would be happy to dispel this magic so that we could avoid the ramifications of activating the Glyph.”
Khessa smiles at the elf: "Great, Syllen! I believe your solution is the safest".
And if no one objects, the blonde arcane warrior simply waits for the cleric to proceed... then, if with her Detect Magic still active she determines that the magical aura has been removed, she leads the party up the stair.
If the party is in agreement Syllen will cast Dispel Magic.
Theldrin nods in agreement, "Seems like the stealthiest way to solve the issue, as well as safest..."
Well as the spell is level three Dispel Magic just works. You see magic runes light up at the base of the stairs, and then disappear, Khessa senses that the magic in that area is gone.
The spiral staircase leading up lays before you, however, Khessa also noticed when she walked to the stairs that there is the back of another secret door just to the north. If you wanted to keep exploring this level you could go through it, or one of the other doors in this building. Or you could simply keep going up.
"Excellent foresight, Syllen!", Xanrym says.
If the Company discusses where to go next, Xanrym frets about leaving something deadly behind them, especially if they meet stiff resistance upstairs and need to retreat to the "safety" of the 1st floor. But he votes for taking the stairs: "Generally, if someone puts a lock on a chest, the odds are good that it must hold something valuable or, at least, interesting. I'd apply the same principle here: if someone guarded the stairs a Glyph of Warding, there must be something valuable or important upstairs!"
"Indeed," Theldrin agrees, "it would seem our path is up the stairs, since someone took the time to place such an elaborate trap. But perhaps we should at least take a look behind this other secret door first."
"I don't know Theldrin..." Khessa is hesitant. "I wouldn't want us to run into guardians we've already avoided thanks to the previous secret door. I suggest we just go up".
Obviously, however, the blonde arcane warrior leads the way in the direction most of the party prefers...
Avery follows, on guard and ready.
"That's a good point," Theldrin admits with a shrug, then adds with a grin, "Perhaps Xanrym's curiosity is starting to rub off on me."
Xanrym smiles and chuckles at that comment, though the sound echoes weirdly in the long dead and silent hallway. He says, "I just hope that some Theldrin's skill with war magic finally rubs off on me!"
While Khessa was casting her ritual Detect Magic, Xanrym finished creating a map of the parts of the Necromancer's Spike that The Company has already seen. He explains his thinking, "A room that can only be reached through a secret door that's behind another secret door would be quite interesting! But we took the west door from the Mausoleum. The other door must lead to an eastern wing of the 1st level of the Necromancer's Spike that we have not yet seen yet." He points to the blank area of his map. "It seems somewhat likely to me that the eastern wing wraps around to the other side of this other secret door, which would mean that the other secret door doesn't lead to a secret study. It would just lead to the eastern wing. The Necormancer may have just wanted a way to get to these stairs from both wings of the 1st level." That is, Xanrym agrees with Khessa: the stairs seem to the most promising destination for finding Fadheela.
"Then again," Xanrym smiles, "that ignores the thought of treasure! We took up the quest to recover the Forgotten King's bones from Xeron's cult, but this isn't like Aubrek's job. Toska did not offer The Company any reward if we succeed. Stopping an evil cult and preventing a calamity seem like worthy goals for a Company of heroes like us! That should be our primary objective, of course. But even heroes have to eat." Xanrym reasons that since the Necromancer's Spike has been abandoned and untouched for decades, any of the Necromancer's treasures should still be here for the taking, especially in the areas of the Necromancer's Spike that Fadheela has not frequented. "There are dangers -- to be sure! -- like the spell protecting the mausoleum or the [spells]Glyph of Warding;magical ward[/spell] on these stairs, but taking some risks to explore the Necromancer's Spike might be very rewarding. We might even find something that will eventually help us defeat Fadheela."
(OOC: If the others are interested, Xanrym is willing to poke into every corner of the Necromancer's Spike as they go instead of racing straight through on the path that's most likely to lead them to Fadheela. Xanrym is feeling less time pressure here than he did when The Company was trying to rescue Mayor Ormond from the naga. They need to find out what Fadheela did with the Forgotten King's bones, but she's already been in Pedestal for a week. If she was planning to hand off the bones to some other agent, she's probably already done that by now.)
Hmm, I don't know how to set up a poll in these forums, maybe I'll just post a couple options and you can upvote the choice you want.
Upvote this post if you want to explore behind the secret door,
Upvote this post if you want to go up the stairs.
Khessa smiles at Xanrym's observation about the opportunity to find treasure: "Far be it from me to disdain loot, my friend; I think it's better, however, to reverse the operations: first eliminate Fadheela and then, with our primary goal already accomplished, finish exploring the rest at our leisure, gathering treasure."
"But still," the blonde arcane warrior assures "I'll accept the majority opinion on which approach is best."
[[ OOC: Upvoted the DM's post Khessa would choose. ]]
(OOC: voting for stairs, it makes sense to move quickly to engage Fadheela first, then do more exploring)