The only quirk of this room seems to be that it has the most passages yet of any you’ve seen so far: one to the north (the way you came), one to the east, and one to the south.
Which is just as much as the previous one, isn't it? The one to which the staircase lead? Well, I guess, on we go. Merry would try again to go East first. That should lead somewhere south of the room with sandstone box.
Merry releases a muted sigh that echoes faintly off the seamless walls, then manages a rueful half‑smile. “Our hostess has a flair for pattern,” he mutters, voice low enough that only his companions—and perhaps the omnipresent stone—can hear. “Box number two, same stage directions.” Rolling his shoulders, he steps to the sandstone cube, Bernard hovering close at his heel. With the same patient care he showed before, Merry braces both hands against the gritty lid, slides it a cautious handspan, and lets Poppy’s glow spill into the narrow gap. Every muscle stays coiled for the slightest hiss, snap, or shimmer of arcane mischief, but his intent grey‑green eyes remain fixed on the dim interior, waiting to see what new piece the sphinx has laid upon her sprawling riddle-board.
Inside the stone chest you find a large (4 inch diameter) and beautifully wrought compass. Circular in shape and made of solid precious emerald, with a clear crystal face and elegantly formed golden needles inside, and with a formidable golden chain, it is clearly highly valuable. A quick examination would also reveal that the compass is functional and does correspond with the directional writings on the walls.
"With a compass, it makes me wonder if maybe we will lose the directions on the wall. Or if there will become a point where directions somehow change with magic, and we need to rely on this to help." Unless there are any objections, seeing as she has the light on her, Poppy will take the compass and will regularly refer to it until such a point when she might need to give it up.
Merry dips his head in quiet approval as Poppy slips the emerald compass into her possession. “Hold on to that, Poppy—feels more like a key than a keepsake,” he murmurs, glancing once more at the identical frieze on the walls. “Identical rooms, perfect cardinal marks… someone’s testing whether we can keep our sense of direction when the walls start lying?” With that he returns to the previous room and motions southward, stepping ahead with Bernard padding close and every sense primed (Perception: 14). His fingertips brush the seamless stone as they move, eyes flicking from floor to frieze to shadowed ceiling, determined to catch any subtle shift before it becomes another peril in the sphinx’s sprawling labyrinth.
Heading south brings you to the next octagonal room, this time with only a passage leading East. From that direction you sense the dry, spicy breeze you felt once before.
"Well does your compass tell you to head towards the draft of oncoming doom?" Clearly said in a dry humor tone, Merle assumes a similar situation to the last. "Any wagers on which statue we find alive in there? My money's on the sitting bird man." Merle always found a touch of dry humor went along way in cutting tension while still not affecting readiness. He continues to follow the group as they venture, not wanting to avoid the dangers at his companions expense again.
Merry lets Merle’s wager hang in the air a heartbeat, then answers with a wry tilt of his brow. “If the draft carries us to the bird‑headed fellow, I’ll owe you a drink—assuming we still remember how to celebrate afterward.” He draws a slow breath, nostrils flaring at the familiar dry spice riding the air. “Same scent that ushered in our roaring hostess,” he notes quietly, resting a calming hand atop Bernard’s broad neck. “Feels less like a maze now, more like a funnel—everything narrowing to one last reveal.”
He gestures for Poppy to keep the compass ready, then slips into point, gliding eastward with practiced stealth. Fingers brush the seamless wall for any tremor of movement while his gaze needles into the gloom ahead, keen for the first hint of shifting shadow or buried mechanism. “Stay sharp,” he murmurs to the others, voice soft but steady. “If this is the final piece, I doubt it sits idle for long.”
Poppy summons her owl familiar (which I completely forgot she had from the magic initiate feat) and sends it ahead, looking through its eyes to scout the next room out.
Aulderoot lost in thought follows through the corridor. (Religion 20) is this an afterlife test or the domain of a certain faith. Does the compass mean anything to a specific faith?
Aulderoot lost in thought follows through the corridor. (Religion 20) is this an afterlife test or the domain of a certain faith. Does the compass mean anything to a specific faith?
Great check!
Aulderoot calls on things he’s read, heard, and experienced and starts putting together some pieces. The seemingly supernatural construction of the “maze” or perhaps more aptly described funnel, the desert motif with the oddly shaped human-beast hybrid statues, that spicy air…
This is certainly some kind of test. You highly suspect it all to be related to Oghma, goddess of knowledge, who is known to employ sphinxes to test the mental mettle of adventurers and other supplicants. Few details are known about the nature of these tests, though they are sure to include some manner of puzzle or thinking challenge.
Though whether in the afterlife or no is not clear right now. That roar and the disruption of memories… You feel like the answer to that concerning question could land either way.
Poppy summons her owl familiar (which I completely forgot she had from the magic initiate feat) and sends it ahead, looking through its eyes to scout the next room out.
The owl flies through the dark straight tunnel and emerges into the next octagonal room. As you saw the last time you sensed the spicy breeze, the center of this room is occupied by the great sphinx, sitting erect, staring ahead with that beautiful woman’s face featuring a stern crease of brow and downturned lips. Her eyes flick towards you (the owl) and she gives a sudden grin, revealing sharp feline teeth. Then she reverts back to her forward stare.
"Well does your compass tell you to head towards the draft of oncoming doom?" Clearly said in a dry humor tone, Merle assumes a similar situation to the last. "Any wagers on which statue we find alive in there? My money's on the sitting bird man." Merle always found a touch of dry humor went along way in cutting tension while still not affecting readiness. He continues to follow the group as they venture, not wanting to avoid the dangers at his companions expense again.
Merle stays close behind Merry, who advances down the tunnel.
Merry lets Merle’s wager hang in the air a heartbeat, then answers with a wry tilt of his brow. “If the draft carries us to the bird‑headed fellow, I’ll owe you a drink—assuming we still remember how to celebrate afterward.” He draws a slow breath, nostrils flaring at the familiar dry spice riding the air. “Same scent that ushered in our roaring hostess,” he notes quietly, resting a calming hand atop Bernard’s broad neck. “Feels less like a maze now, more like a funnel—everything narrowing to one last reveal.”
He gestures for Poppy to keep the compass ready, then slips into point, gliding eastward with practiced stealth. Fingers brush the seamless wall for any tremor of movement while his gaze needles into the gloom ahead, keen for the first hint of shifting shadow or buried mechanism. “Stay sharp,” he murmurs to the others, voice soft but steady. “If this is the final piece, I doubt it sits idle for long.”
Merry bravely is the first to head down the tunnel. When he reaches the end, before entering the new octagonal room, he can see much of what the owl noted.
Which is just as much as the previous one, isn't it? The one to which the staircase lead? Well, I guess, on we go. Merry would try again to go East first. That should lead somewhere south of the room with sandstone box.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Poppy continues to follow Merry with her light
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Well in my mind I considered the first room a little different as you had arrived there by stairs.
East leads to another dead end room just like the first East, complete with another stone box and stone lid.
Merry releases a muted sigh that echoes faintly off the seamless walls, then manages a rueful half‑smile. “Our hostess has a flair for pattern,” he mutters, voice low enough that only his companions—and perhaps the omnipresent stone—can hear. “Box number two, same stage directions.” Rolling his shoulders, he steps to the sandstone cube, Bernard hovering close at his heel. With the same patient care he showed before, Merry braces both hands against the gritty lid, slides it a cautious handspan, and lets Poppy’s glow spill into the narrow gap. Every muscle stays coiled for the slightest hiss, snap, or shimmer of arcane mischief, but his intent grey‑green eyes remain fixed on the dim interior, waiting to see what new piece the sphinx has laid upon her sprawling riddle-board.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Inside the stone chest you find a large (4 inch diameter) and beautifully wrought compass. Circular in shape and made of solid precious emerald, with a clear crystal face and elegantly formed golden needles inside, and with a formidable golden chain, it is clearly highly valuable. A quick examination would also reveal that the compass is functional and does correspond with the directional writings on the walls.
Aulderoot continues sketching and following along.
Wise as a serpent and sly as a fox.
"With a compass, it makes me wonder if maybe we will lose the directions on the wall. Or if there will become a point where directions somehow change with magic, and we need to rely on this to help." Unless there are any objections, seeing as she has the light on her, Poppy will take the compass and will regularly refer to it until such a point when she might need to give it up.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Merry dips his head in quiet approval as Poppy slips the emerald compass into her possession. “Hold on to that, Poppy—feels more like a key than a keepsake,” he murmurs, glancing once more at the identical frieze on the walls. “Identical rooms, perfect cardinal marks… someone’s testing whether we can keep our sense of direction when the walls start lying?” With that he returns to the previous room and motions southward, stepping ahead with Bernard padding close and every sense primed (Perception: 14). His fingertips brush the seamless stone as they move, eyes flicking from floor to frieze to shadowed ceiling, determined to catch any subtle shift before it becomes another peril in the sphinx’s sprawling labyrinth.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Heading south brings you to the next octagonal room, this time with only a passage leading East. From that direction you sense the dry, spicy breeze you felt once before.
( I know this may feel a bit “dry” especially in the forums. After the next room you will be 67% done with the dungeon. )
"Well does your compass tell you to head towards the draft of oncoming doom?" Clearly said in a dry humor tone, Merle assumes a similar situation to the last. "Any wagers on which statue we find alive in there? My money's on the sitting bird man." Merle always found a touch of dry humor went along way in cutting tension while still not affecting readiness. He continues to follow the group as they venture, not wanting to avoid the dangers at his companions expense again.
Merry lets Merle’s wager hang in the air a heartbeat, then answers with a wry tilt of his brow. “If the draft carries us to the bird‑headed fellow, I’ll owe you a drink—assuming we still remember how to celebrate afterward.” He draws a slow breath, nostrils flaring at the familiar dry spice riding the air. “Same scent that ushered in our roaring hostess,” he notes quietly, resting a calming hand atop Bernard’s broad neck. “Feels less like a maze now, more like a funnel—everything narrowing to one last reveal.”
He gestures for Poppy to keep the compass ready, then slips into point, gliding eastward with practiced stealth. Fingers brush the seamless wall for any tremor of movement while his gaze needles into the gloom ahead, keen for the first hint of shifting shadow or buried mechanism. “Stay sharp,” he murmurs to the others, voice soft but steady. “If this is the final piece, I doubt it sits idle for long.”
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Poppy summons her owl familiar (which I completely forgot she had from the magic initiate feat) and sends it ahead, looking through its eyes to scout the next room out.
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)
Aulderoot lost in thought follows through the corridor. (Religion 20) is this an afterlife test or the domain of a certain faith. Does the compass mean anything to a specific faith?
Wise as a serpent and sly as a fox.
Great check!
Aulderoot calls on things he’s read, heard, and experienced and starts putting together some pieces. The seemingly supernatural construction of the “maze” or perhaps more aptly described funnel, the desert motif with the oddly shaped human-beast hybrid statues, that spicy air…
This is certainly some kind of test. You highly suspect it all to be related to Oghma, goddess of knowledge, who is known to employ sphinxes to test the mental mettle of adventurers and other supplicants. Few details are known about the nature of these tests, though they are sure to include some manner of puzzle or thinking challenge.
Though whether in the afterlife or no is not clear right now. That roar and the disruption of memories… You feel like the answer to that concerning question could land either way.
The owl flies through the dark straight tunnel and emerges into the next octagonal room. As you saw the last time you sensed the spicy breeze, the center of this room is occupied by the great sphinx, sitting erect, staring ahead with that beautiful woman’s face featuring a stern crease of brow and downturned lips. Her eyes flick towards you (the owl) and she gives a sudden grin, revealing sharp feline teeth. Then she reverts back to her forward stare.
The room is otherwise empty and unremarkable. No sarcophagi. There is another tunnel at the far end of the room.
Merle stays close behind Merry, who advances down the tunnel.
Merry bravely is the first to head down the tunnel. When he reaches the end, before entering the new octagonal room, he can see much of what the owl noted.
Poppy would have confirmed the sphinx's presence before Merry enters the room
After joining more my signature got out of hand so I am now a proud member of the extended signature club!! :)