"Rico, Canti, Nikk, do you guys have any idea about this arched thing? Do you know how to activate it or where it leads? Otherwise, I would say lets head on out and continue down the hallway and turn around the corner at the east."
Rico and Canti (and now ArdneK) were already sure that this portal is theoretically functional, but are reassured by the presence of something that looks like a keystone of sorts. These stones are usually tuned to respond to a set trigger, defined by whoever constructed the portal. If the last portal with the drow is anything to go by, the decorations on the portal are probably a hint as to what the trigger is: the image of a dead tree, the branches carved into the stonework of the arch.
"Uhm, silly question, but why would a magic portal be installed in a work room? We have the Dumethoin altar and now a work room that seems more akin to dwarven kind being here. Why a portal here?"
"No idea," Canti says to Pisgah. She smiles. "Let's see if we can get this one going." She reaches into her quiver and pulls out an arrow. "The last one opened when we inserted a coin. This one has a dead tree," she says, indicating the carving. "Trees are made of wood. Essentially, an arrow is a dead tree." She places the arrow shaft against the stonework.
Pisgah puts away his whetstone and axes as he walks up beside the little gnome and slides his shield down on his arm. He will be ready to throw his shield in front of her if it is needed when the portal opens.
As soon as Cantis arrow touches the stonework, there is a crackling in the air. A low hum emerges from the arch, as a blue sheen emerges from the middle and enlarges into a sizeable portal. A gust of wind enters the chamber you're standing in, as two eminently different places are suddenly connected via a magical portal. The air carries with it the vague scent of autumn leaves and the stench of decay.
Through the portal, you see what seems to be the inside of a guardhouse. There are two doors, piled in front of which are broken chairs, shattered benches, and empty chests. A wooden trestle table lies on its side in the middle of the room. An iron chandelier with melted wax candles is suspended from a rafter above it by a rope tied off to a hook near the northern door.
Tucked behind an iron stove in the northeast corner is a dead halfling in leather armor, his face twisted into a mask of horror.
"Where is this place? I wonder if there is anything on the halfling that would tell us where this? I can go and try to check. Canti, do you have to keep the arrow touching the stone for this portal to stay open?"
When the portal opens, Canti can't help herself, and she whoops a little whoop of joy. "It worked!" she says, sounding surprised. When her eyes fall on the halfling, however, she says in a much lower voice, "Oh, no." She continues to hold the arrow against the arch, assuming contact needs to be maintained for the portal to remain open. When Pisgah asks his question, she says, "I'll stay here just in case."
It seems certain that the portal will close when the stick is removed, but perhaps not immediately. Canti can estimate that it would probably take around a minute before the passage is too small for even herself, Rico or ArdneK.
"Canti, if you will hold the portal open, I'll step through and see if there is anything that tells us where this is. The room looks empty but that may be deceiving."
With that said, Pisgah steps into the room. He will look around the overturned table at the center of the room and scoop up whatever is found there and then will pickup the halfling body and bring it back through the portal so the others can look.
PERCEPTION roll of 16
INVESTIGATION roll of 5
If nothing seems to come attack me or try to get through the barricaded doors, Pisgah will use the ear horn to listen in the direction of both doors.
ArdneK is a bit nervous with his new friend going through the portal, but understands the curiosity.
"Should we test it first? I can throw a few ball bearings in?" but it is too late, as Pisgah steps through, so he prepares to send Eldritch magic flying if needed.
Nikk turns to the kobold, the rogue's own voice echoing back at him in a halting dialogue. "Sometimes. Risks. Bear. The. Most. Reward." He readies his staff and aims, waiting to see if anything happens.
As Pisgah steps through the portal, he feels a sudden and strong surge of energy. The rest of the party sees how a large rune appears above the doorway, lighting up like Selûne on a pitch black night.
[Imagine the DM rolling a bunch of dice here, because this is random.]
The rune looks like this:
It looks similar to the rune that Nikkitch had spotted quite some time ago in the first level. First its chromatic in color, shifting like the rainbow. Then it settles on a single color: blue. The magic envelops Pisgah, suffusing his body with arcane energies. The strange magic hones his senses, making the world seem suddenly clearer and sharper than before.
[Pisgah now has the following boon:
Korombos Charm: This charm has 3 charges. You can expend a charge to add a d8 to any ability check, attack roll or damage roll you make. You must decide to do so before you roll. Once all charges are expended, this charm disappears.
After expending its magic, the rune fades away, but the portal stays open like before. A vaguely female voice is being heard, like a faint echo at the end of a long hallway: "Be warned. This portal leads to the fifth level." The voice, too, fades away.
Within the guard room, Pisgah finds the following: Tabkle: Mostly broken tableware, two wooden cups have escaped whatever chaos befell this room. Dead Halfling: The corpse wears a salvageable suit of halfling-sized leather armor. It clutches a silvered shortsword in one hand and a burnt torch stub in the other. It wears a dungeoneer’s pack with spoiled rations and 5 torches remaining, and a small pouch containing 10 gp.
Through both of the doors, Pisgah hears the twittering of birds and the cries of small animals. It sounds like a forest out there. It's also a few degrees warmer here than it was in the previous dungeon, perfect autumn temperature.
Rico comments, "These portals might be a good shortcut for when we're ready to return to the surface, but we probably don't want to use them on the way down."
Hearing the warning from the disembodied voice, Pisgah decides to take a more cautious path and steps away from the barricaded doors. He makes his way to the deceased halfling and picks up the body and the silvered sword then turns to leave the room. On his way to the door he looks at the inside of the arch looking to see if the inside keystone matches the other side. Does he see the same markings on the inner key stone?
He will step through the portal and report to the group "I know why there is a tree branch on the key stone. I heard forest noises on the other side of each door. I am not sure what may have killed this halfling but it looked like he died in terror. I think Rico is right, this may be a fast way to get up the dungeon but we may not want to use it to descend too fast."
C
"Rico, Canti, Nikk, do you guys have any idea about this arched thing? Do you know how to activate it or where it leads? Otherwise, I would say lets head on out and continue down the hallway and turn around the corner at the east."
Rico will examine the portal arch.
Arcana 21
Canti makes an "O" face, then clears her throat and leans in again.
Arcana 17
ArdneK is not proficient in Arcana, but will see if anything stands out with his new patron connection.
Arcana: 13
Rico and Canti (and now ArdneK) were already sure that this portal is theoretically functional, but are reassured by the presence of something that looks like a keystone of sorts. These stones are usually tuned to respond to a set trigger, defined by whoever constructed the portal. If the last portal with the drow is anything to go by, the decorations on the portal are probably a hint as to what the trigger is: the image of a dead tree, the branches carved into the stonework of the arch.
"Uhm, silly question, but why would a magic portal be installed in a work room? We have the Dumethoin altar and now a work room that seems more akin to dwarven kind being here. Why a portal here?"
"No idea," Canti says to Pisgah. She smiles. "Let's see if we can get this one going." She reaches into her quiver and pulls out an arrow. "The last one opened when we inserted a coin. This one has a dead tree," she says, indicating the carving. "Trees are made of wood. Essentially, an arrow is a dead tree." She places the arrow shaft against the stonework.
Pisgah puts away his whetstone and axes as he walks up beside the little gnome and slides his shield down on his arm. He will be ready to throw his shield in front of her if it is needed when the portal opens.
As soon as Cantis arrow touches the stonework, there is a crackling in the air. A low hum emerges from the arch, as a blue sheen emerges from the middle and enlarges into a sizeable portal. A gust of wind enters the chamber you're standing in, as two eminently different places are suddenly connected via a magical portal. The air carries with it the vague scent of autumn leaves and the stench of decay.
Through the portal, you see what seems to be the inside of a guardhouse. There are two doors, piled in front of which are broken chairs, shattered benches, and empty chests. A wooden trestle table lies on its side in the middle of the room. An iron chandelier with melted wax candles is suspended from a rafter above it by a rope tied off to a hook near the northern door.
Tucked behind an iron stove in the northeast corner is a dead halfling in leather armor, his face twisted into a mask of horror.
"Where is this place? I wonder if there is anything on the halfling that would tell us where this? I can go and try to check. Canti, do you have to keep the arrow touching the stone for this portal to stay open?"
When the portal opens, Canti can't help herself, and she whoops a little whoop of joy. "It worked!" she says, sounding surprised. When her eyes fall on the halfling, however, she says in a much lower voice, "Oh, no." She continues to hold the arrow against the arch, assuming contact needs to be maintained for the portal to remain open. When Pisgah asks his question, she says, "I'll stay here just in case."
It seems certain that the portal will close when the stick is removed, but perhaps not immediately. Canti can estimate that it would probably take around a minute before the passage is too small for even herself, Rico or ArdneK.
"Canti, if you will hold the portal open, I'll step through and see if there is anything that tells us where this is. The room looks empty but that may be deceiving."
With that said, Pisgah steps into the room. He will look around the overturned table at the center of the room and scoop up whatever is found there and then will pickup the halfling body and bring it back through the portal so the others can look.
PERCEPTION roll of 16
INVESTIGATION roll of 5
If nothing seems to come attack me or try to get through the barricaded doors, Pisgah will use the ear horn to listen in the direction of both doors.
PERCEPTION roll of 19 to North door
PERCEPTION roll of 14 to East door
ArdneK is a bit nervous with his new friend going through the portal, but understands the curiosity.
"Should we test it first? I can throw a few ball bearings in?" but it is too late, as Pisgah steps through, so he prepares to send Eldritch magic flying if needed.
Nikk turns to the kobold, the rogue's own voice echoing back at him in a halting dialogue. "Sometimes. Risks. Bear. The. Most. Reward." He readies his staff and aims, waiting to see if anything happens.
As Pisgah steps through the portal, he feels a sudden and strong surge of energy. The rest of the party sees how a large rune appears above the doorway, lighting up like Selûne on a pitch black night.
[Imagine the DM rolling a bunch of dice here, because this is random.]
The rune looks like this:
It looks similar to the rune that Nikkitch had spotted quite some time ago in the first level. First its chromatic in color, shifting like the rainbow. Then it settles on a single color: blue.
The magic envelops Pisgah, suffusing his body with arcane energies. The strange magic hones his senses, making the world seem suddenly clearer and sharper than before.
[Pisgah now has the following boon:
After expending its magic, the rune fades away, but the portal stays open like before. A vaguely female voice is being heard, like a faint echo at the end of a long hallway: "Be warned. This portal leads to the fifth level." The voice, too, fades away.
Within the guard room, Pisgah finds the following:
Tabkle: Mostly broken tableware, two wooden cups have escaped whatever chaos befell this room.
Dead Halfling: The corpse wears a salvageable suit of halfling-sized leather armor. It clutches a silvered shortsword in one hand and a burnt torch stub in the other. It wears a dungeoneer’s pack with spoiled rations and 5 torches remaining, and a small pouch containing 10 gp.
Through both of the doors, Pisgah hears the twittering of birds and the cries of small animals. It sounds like a forest out there. It's also a few degrees warmer here than it was in the previous dungeon, perfect autumn temperature.
Rico comments, "These portals might be a good shortcut for when we're ready to return to the surface, but we probably don't want to use them on the way down."
Hearing the warning from the disembodied voice, Pisgah decides to take a more cautious path and steps away from the barricaded doors. He makes his way to the deceased halfling and picks up the body and the silvered sword then turns to leave the room. On his way to the door he looks at the inside of the arch looking to see if the inside keystone matches the other side. Does he see the same markings on the inner key stone?
He will step through the portal and report to the group "I know why there is a tree branch on the key stone. I heard forest noises on the other side of each door. I am not sure what may have killed this halfling but it looked like he died in terror. I think Rico is right, this may be a fast way to get up the dungeon but we may not want to use it to descend too fast."
Pisgah sees that the archway looks exactly the same from the other side, including the dead tree branch and keystone.