The door is in terrible condition, but it won't fall apart simply by opening it... it will just be very easy to destroy it, if necessary.

And indeed, it might prove necessary, because Roxana realizes that turning the handle isn't enough to open it. The door must have been locked some time ago, when it was perhaps in a position to effectively prevent intruders.

Roxana hesitates, realizing brute force is not her strength. She pulls out her Thieves' Tools and sees if she can unlock the door. (Dex Check - Thieves' Tools: 23)

Roxana's manual dexterity more than makes up for her lack of brute strength, and the rusty lock, likely for the first time in centuries, clicks as if the key had been turned inside it.

Now the door can be opened, and the overall view confirms what the Shadow Archer had already observed while peering in: the furniture has long since rotted beyond recognition. Chains for binding prisoners remain, fixed to the north wall at various heights. A pile of gold coins gleams inside, apparently scattered carelessly on the floor.

The room measures 10'x15' and has no other exits.

Quote from OisinmacCameron >>

Conversation with Nesurentul:

Quspira smiles with pleasure at the amethyst dragon's complimentary words.  "Yes, we've been blessed with the opportunity to help several of the creatures of good in their missions on this plane, and even more blessed to have some of them aid us.  There was a hollyphant by the name of Zentromya without whom we never would have been able to bring back Lady Sharnshield's fiancee from an unjust grave.  But the warmest personal pride I can take in life ... ," she pauses and glances wickedly at Darvin a moment, " ... well, ONE of the warmest ... is that pf being entrusted by the gods as the proud foster mother of a wonderful baby couatl we've named Aedion.  I'm actually beginning to wonder why this particular area is such a nexus for attention from the Outer Planes right now.  And of course when a priestess begins thinking that, much less one who's been adopted by a goddess so concerned with protecting the whole multiverse as my Lady Angharradh has grown to be, we can't help wondering if there's a call to action here."  She glances at her husband and her friends wryly,  "We've certainly been thrown into enough of that since the day we all found our various paths converging in Longsaddle."

 ===***===

 

 

Rogue Shapeshifter's lair:

Giving Roxana a thumbs-up to indicate her total agreement with both statements the Shadow Archer has made, Spira moves up beside her to look through the other unoccupied spyhole.  "Absolutely.," she adds in a soft voice.  "You have definitely proven yourself to be a hero since we met you, Mival ... and a useful companion.  In this case what you've told us is most useful.  AND Roxana's right also ... even with an advantage like that its best to check out everything else first, the things you're not so sure about, before you commit to your course of action.  Spares a few nasty surprises that way."   The shadowy blue in her skin seems to grow more pronounced as she quietly listens at the door; but that may simply be an optical illusion produced by the shadows and by the tiefling priestess' words of stealth and caution.

 ===***===

 

...

 

 Perception 19

Spira's sharp eyes dart about the room now that Roxana has so deftly opened the door, looking for hidden threats or opportunities such as traps, concealed ambushers, hidden catches or other evidence of the artificer's trade that might indicate a secret compartment or portal, or essentially anything else of interest.  As she does, she grumbles to herself, "I wish I'd thought to ask the Lady's ghost a little more about the layout of this level.  Though the chains rather limit the possibilities for intended uses of this room in the past."

Dialogue with Nesurentul:

"Foster mother of a... baby couatl!?" The dragon's eyes widen in wonder, clearly impressed. "I've never met one..."

[[ OOC: Here I assume Aedion is still with the party, also blessed by Eldath to be able to breathe underwater, though we haven't had him do much of anything so far. ]]

Aedion then comes out and reveals himself: "I've never met a dragon either! Nice to meet you, Nesurentul!"

The two supernatural reptiles greet each other enthusiastically and seem to quickly become friends, with Aedion recounting the party's exploits and Nesurentul explaining how he accidentally sensed the influences of the Far Realm in these ruins and, despite his young age, decided to make his lair here to try to investigate and solve the problem. From this exchange, it emerges that Nesurentul, though determined and independent, must be a very young dragon, just as Aedion is a very young couatl.

Regarding the 'nexus of attention from the Outer Planes,' the young dragon speculates: "The influence of the Far Realm that I sensed must have been a sort of echo of events from that dangerous dimension that occurred long ago; an echo amplified by the monsters native to the Far Realm that remained here. Now that you have helped me eliminate them, I am convinced that there are not many influences from other dimensions left here."

Room with Chains and Coins:

Spira's experience as an investigator immediately allows her to notice some details that more eager and hasty explorers might have missed... Such as some very thin black lines that... if she looks closely, they look like legs... Yes! The coins have tiny insect legs! And then, looking very carefully, she can see that the coins are actually a kind of beatles whose shells closely mimic the appearance of gold coins. The pile of coins is actually a swarm of strange beatles—which, fortunately, are simply remaining immobile for now... because, considering how many there are, if they were to become hostile, despite their small size, their sheer numbers could make them dangerous.

"What are you staring at so intently, dear?" Darvin remained at his beloved's side. "Did you discover that pile of gold is protected by a trap?"

Otherwise, the bare room doesn't seem to contain anything of note. It appears to be just an abandoned room that this bizarre swarm has adopted as its lair.

"I think perhaps we just close up this door and move on," Roxana says after Spira reveals that what she thought coins was in fact a swarm of beatles. She tries to see if she can lock the door as she shuts it quietly. 

Oh, well, shutting the door quietly isn't a problem for Roxana at all, but the key is still missing... so if she really intends to lock the door again, she'll have to get back to work with thieves' tools.

"Do you think it's worth it?" Gaer comments, however, when he realizes what she's about to try. "The insects can't use the handle, so as far as they're concerned, it's as if the door is locked—but, most important, if they decide to get out, there are already holes large enough for them to do so anyway..."

Meanwhile, however, the more practical Darvin is already thinking about the last remaining door, the one on the opposite side: "And now? Do we want to visit the treacherous creature that lives there too? Do you think it's worth it? Or is it better to avoid it altogether? We've explored the rest of the complex, recovered various riches, and discovered secrets we never imagined. We might as well call it a day and consider our exploration complete."

"On the other hand, we are so many, and so well-rested..." Anita seems more curious. "Why not visit her? Even if she turns hostile, we should be able to defeat her!"

"Or perhaps," Aidwyn reasons aloud "exactly because of how dangerous she is, we should confront her... If we leave her here, free to ambush those who don't know her, she might... kill innocent people."

"I suppose we can just leave the door unlocked," Roxana says. "I was just thinking if anyone else comes this way they might not realize.  Though they could just break the door anyway. I guess locking it doesn't help much. Let's leave it." 

She then looks around at the other door. "There is a deceitful shapeshifter behind that door?" she recalls. "Perhaps we'd best have Aedion ready to help us know her true thoughts."  She then glances to Mival. "Though I suppose you could help as well." 

Unless anyone objects, Roxana will try to open the door. 

Mival nods: "I'll be right behind you, and if there's anything important to tell you, I'll try to whisper it to you."

"No, Mival," Aedion intervenes, "just stay in telepathic contact with me... That way you can tell me instantly what that creature is thinking—and I'll tell everyone else. We'll all know what it's thinking without it even realizing it!"

After this preparation, Roxana opens the door. A room without any other openings reveals itself to her. Against the east wall is a bed. Next to it, along the south wall, is a chest. In the southwest corner is a small round table and chair. Part of the ceiling has collapsed, so this area is now in communication with the upper level, and the northernmost part of the room is littered with rubble (fallen from the ceiling and floor of the level above).

Although the furniture appears rotten—and in some cases shows deep cracks from the breaks it has suffered since the collapse—all of it somehow seems to avoid falling apart.

In the room stands a slender sea elf girl with long wavy green hair and blue eyes, lost in deep thought. However, she, casually turning, notices the newcomers and, quickly recovering, smiles: "Oh, a visitor, I see; and one capable of breathing underwater, to boot. You must be truly determined to seek the counsel of the humble Seyntillua Vaervenor. And you're not alone..." She notices that behind Roxana is a large group of others. "A large company. Oh, you're here too, Blossom; they're your friends, then, I suppose. Blossom's friends are my friends too—and I'd invite you all in, but I don't know if my small room would be big enough to contain you. But will you at least come in, you who are the first?"

Aedion's telepathic comments, given his ability to see the creatures' true nature and Mival's ability to read their thoughts, are immediate: "It's actually some kind of monstrous old orcish female... She looks like an old woman, but with long claws and greenish skin. She invited you in alone so she can isolate you from the others if there's a fight!"

Dialogue with Nesurentul:

As the two young supernaturals get to know each other, Spira leans back with a maternal smile on her face, happy how well her baby is getting along with his new playmate.  A look of growing interest and concentration is there as well as Aedion and Nesurentul discuss the evil that has brought all those in the room together at this point in time and space, as if all were summoned by some unspoken voice to meet the challenge.  At the young amethyst dragon's suggestion that these events are an echo of what passed in the Far Realm long ago, she raises an eyebrow and nods with cautious optimism.  "That certainly sounds like a plausible explanation, Nesurentul, and very well thought out.  I really do hope that's the case.  It wouldn't hurt to be cautious though.  The last fish-creature that we met still alarms me by its similarity to the one that ambushed our paladin friend along with a few of the rest of us when we were on our way to Waterdeep for her investiture.  And I'm still not happy that the arcanoloth that tricked us in Longsaddle is still unaccounted for.  I hope you're right, but ... no, not but.  And.  They're not inconsistent at all.  I can sincerely hope and even think you may well be right, and still keep up my guard in case there are larger events afoot that haven't all been revealed yet.'

Tricksy tricksy ssssshapessssshiffffter<gollum>'s lair:

"Thank you, dear.  We really do appreciate your offer.," Spira interposes smoothly as she steps forward to the junction point between Seyntillua's room and the one to the north, "but we really wouldn't want to incommode you and as you have said, your room is a charmingly cozy one for a private retreat but perhaps not best suited for conferences."   Thinking quickly, she improvises a response that is immediate enough in her mind to seem natural while appearing on the surface to be a natural response to the offer of counsel the deceitful woman pretended to offer.  "Besides, the matter upon which we desire your appraisal and then your wise counsel is quite close; and it is one I'd like to show you in person so your assessment is as up-to-date as possible.  There seems to be some damage to the wall in a room near here; and strange insect-like creatures that look large enough to be capable of slowly gnawing away at the foundations until ... "  She pauses meaningfully, and glances at Seyntuilla's own room as if to imply that it might not be free of the risk of a sudden collapse.  "And they seem ... though I'm no expert ... like they're slowly being altered by some strange magic.  And there's plenty of strange magic down here, enough to be the study of many lifetimes.  But that's secondary to the immediate danger.  Blossom tells us you've lived here some time, enough to know what that room looked like recently.  Would you mind coming and taking a look at it now, for all our sakes, and tell us what you think of its condition as I saw it just now?"

===***===

Persuasion 8 (either to convince  by the arguments adduced; or to pique her curiosity and interest by the teasingly oblique reference to 'strange magics, enough to be the study of many lifetimes' )

As she notes the skepticism stubbornly failing to melt away from Seytuilla's face like dew in the first rays of the rising midsummer sun, Spira reflects on the description of her that Aedion gave, trying to remember if she has heard of such a being before and if she has ... most importantly of all ... what its powers and weaknesses are, and what strategies it is most likely to resort to if its deceits are exposed.

===***===

Arcana 6

"I'm trying. dear, but I just can't seem to remember anything about creatures like you told us this one looks like.," Spira thinks in frustration to the little couatl hidden beneath the practical elvishly-styled vestments she always wears above her armor.  "See if Daddy or anyone else knows anything, especially about what it can do and what would hurt it most if it pushes us into a fight."

Unbeknownst to Seyntillua, a quick telepathic exchange takes place... yet, not even the party members most versed in the arcane sciences or the secrets of nature can come up with any brilliant ideas about what kind of creature the 'sea elf' truly is.

The only, weak and unconvincing, hypothesis comes from Rash: "Perhaps an orc sorceress corrupted by some evil influence?"

Meanwhile, the hostess, unconvinced, replies: "If there are such dangerous creatures at work, perhaps it's best for me not to approach... My calling is contemplation, not violence... It's best for Blossom to go and call the other Lords from Below for a joint attack! After all, a collapse would surely displease them too..."

And this is Aedion's 'telepathic comment', based on Mival's reading of her thoughts: "The reference to 'alterations by some strange magic' made her think of an immense and hideous creature, a kind of repulsive fish with tentacles sprouting from various parts of its body. She didn't believe what we told her about the danger of a collapse, though—she is afraid we're trying to trick her."

(OOC: does any kind of visual picture accompany Aedion's messages or are they just in words?  And if there is a picture, does Spira recognize this one?  Or from the description? (Arcana 5; Nature 12)

Roxana takes a tiny step back, apparently to give Spira some space to also talk to this Seyntillua Vaervenor, though also in part from the telepathic warning. Still, she noted that the relayed message was 'if' there was an attack. Whatever presumably evil being this might be, it did not seem instantly bent on killing them.

However, she was also puzzled by Spira's approach. While it had not seemed to sway the being, she wasn't quite sure what the point would be of luring her out with a deception that would be so rapidly found to be false.  "I think we understand Seyntillus," Roxana adds. "But do you plan to simply be stuck in your little room? I'm not sure when the Lords from Below might be able to come to attend to this."  

She isn't sure if the telepathy relay will work, but she thinks, 'Do we really want to lure Seyntillus out?  To... attack her? Is she that much of a danger?' 

Mival, who read Seyntillua's thoughts, likely had a fleeting image, but since he communicated with Aedion telepathically, he only transmitted words to Aedion. Indeed, such a description is too vague for Spira—who knows what kind of creature Seyntillua imagined...

Meanwhile, Roxana manages to establish telepathic contact with Aedion, and he then transmits her thoughts to the others, so the Shadow Archer's perplexity is quickly made known to everyone.

"In my 'little room,' I find peace and quiet to meditate..." the sea elf replies. "There's so much peace in the depths of the waters... From the way you spoke of this threat, it seemed imminent. If so, I'm sure the Lords from Below will want to act soon. But even if I misunderstood and the danger was more long-term... I'm not the person suited to dealing with danger—if you don't want to inconvenience the Lords from Below, perhaps you could warn any other inhabitants of these depths. Anyone who has a lair here won't be anxious to lose it. Peaceful communication can work wonders..."

Aedion's telepathic comment is immediate: "She doesn't want to leave the room because she has more power there, inside. And she advises us to speak to the monsters in the dungeon not so much because she believes in the power of 'peaceful communication,' but because she's already enjoying the thought of other monsters tearing us to pieces."