Onyx shrugged. "It just kind of... looks suspiciously familiar." He cocked his head. "In fact, it reminds me of a chest used in some unholy past ritual--one that had contained an offering of some sort. Whether that's of use to us, I don't really know, but now I'm curious."

Walking towards the chest, he looked back toward the others. "The rest of this wouldn't do much for me. If no one wants any of it, I suppose we can carry on after I grab this?"

(( Onyx will walk over and grab the chest, then walk back to join the others. ))

Arbon walks into the second tunnel and picks up the chainmail, war hammer and the shield, "These might help me make things later on." Then, seeing the book, Arbon points to it and looks to Onyx, "You're not interested in the book, Onyx? I thought that would have been one of the first things you picked up?" and he chuckles.

(( OOC: He probably should have been, but it seemed like these were all items meant for a cleric, and I figured when Arbon picked it up, Onyx would get a look later anyway.

Still - Onyx investigating the book - Investigation Check: 19 ))

Holding the book closer, Onyx saw some imperfections...

Onyx attempts to open and read the book (although if the chain is keeping it closed, he won't break it just yet.)

(( BTW - Nice pic! ))

The book remains closed, however, the chain stretched as metal does. Only slightly before straining, when Onyx opens the pages flutter briefly and a pink dust falls from the pages like sand in an open palm. It blows into the air and disappears, only just momentarily displaying the visage of bats fluttering towards the amulet. 

Scrutinizing the book, and what he'd just seen, Onyx made a face of... impatient confusion? Tortured curiosity? In any case, he put the book and chest into his backpack before suggesting, "Let's see if we can get to someplace safer before we spend more time examining these?"

Arbon watches on and surprise crosses his face as the dust falls from the book and gives off the illusion of bats. "Well that's a little unexpected, Onyx. Let's move on." Arbon rejoins Grahl at the front, keeping an eye out for anything that might be hiding from them as they push forward (Perception: 8).

The ladder at the other side of the room was made of a sturdy type of wood. You can tell that, while they might be able too with their feathered fingers, the bird people have not climbed these. This is due to their fairly pristine condition, having no amounts of slime or grease about the rungs. Their is a clean air noticeable the moment you stand underneath the hole going up no quiet as foul as below. For the last few hours, you've been smelling pretty much damp rocks and blood, but this smells...cold. Like a fresh winter breeze through a forest of mountain pine, it push cooly over you as you ascend.

When you come to the top, you've come to a flat room with four doors and a HUGE gate. You have a sense that you've come to the main chamber of the deeper mine, having gone through quite the journey to be here. Here, the room is lit well with torches only recently ignited by someone wandering through. There is a crystal at the top of the gate that appears to light up, as it reflects some deal of the torch\magic light, but not enough that it displays its true brilliance. 

Each door is marked differently on the front. A plague doctor's mask, a leafless tree limb, an almost entirely eaten apple, and a horse mark each, with the gate taking the gem as its own. 

"Well, none of these doors bode well," Arbon says as he looks around the room at each of them. "Any thoughts friends?"

"Personally, I think the gate and the door with the horse seem like they'd be the least... perilous. Chazrael, Grahl?"

Climbing up the ladder Grahl takes in some deep breaths of the fresh cool air. A welcome change from the foul fumes in the tunnels below. 

Standing in the room with the doors Grahl puts his axeblade on the ground and leans on the handle a bit as he watches the doors. hmm.. Main gate, main enemy he says wondering why dwarves would need such a large door. 

Cut head off snake. 

"I think so," Chazrael says. He watches Grahl go up the ladder. "But then again, that might be the most dangerous door. Demons and devils can be deceptive like that and try to lure you in a false sense of security. Still, that doesn't mean we shouldn't try it."

"Okay, main gate, then," concluded Onyx. He turned to the cleric. "Would you take the lead again, Arbon?" he asked apologetically--the warlock knew that HE wasn't exactly "front-line defense" material.

The metal gate stood before you all, imposing in its size. A good four or five feat above you, the top of it barely moves when pushed against. You try pulling, and not even the edge of the corner of the tip of the door has moved. It stands strong. Eight metals pillars by four metal rows are all that separate you from your destiny, yet the metal denies your progress. 

The gem's ruby red gaze stood ever watchful, gleaming in the room now filled with light.

"Hmm. Perhaps we have to traverse one of the other doors first--or even all of them, heaven forbid?"

Arbon looks at each of the doors. "Hmm... perhaps the dwarves had reasons for each room that might guide us..." he points to the door marked with the doctor's mask, "A sick bay," to the horse, "Some form of stable for a creature they used here in the mines," then to the eaten apple, "A dining hall," then finally to the tree limb, "Perhaps an apothecary?"

He looks back at the others and shrugs, "It is just a stab in the dark, but perhaps the dwarves marked them as such?" He looks again at the doors, thinking hard, "Let's go with the tree limb? What do you think, friends?"

"Yes, the tree limb." 

Onyx nodded. Although he could speculate, in reality he had no idea what the symbols were meant to represent--they'd have to find out through trial and error.

"The tree limb door will work just fine."

Grahl looks at the doors as Arbon describes them.

Bah, stabbing in dark coward act. he replies to Arbons words. 

He nods at the suggestion for the door Grahl will open tree door. Grahl moves towards the door with the tree limb on it and tries to open it.