Mountain Mysteries

As Kalgren, Zack, and Oriander walk out into the darkness... They'll find it takes no effort at all to catch up with Vigil, despite him having had such a headstart!

'Thanks for waiting.' Kalgren said to Vigil before moving past him towards what he believed was the back end of the room.

After 10 minutes of walking... the group still has not reached the end of the room. Oriander narrows his eyes. "...I don't like this." He finally declares, looking around, deeply confused. The goliath grits his teeth and folds his arms.

Zack nods, "Agreed. This is most peculiar." He looks around to look at the room around them, trying to discern if it is the same things they have seen before, or if the room is in fact stretching on.

Kalgren did not like what the others implied. He wanted to test something. He pulled out a piton from his backpack, jammed it into the wall and cast Light on it, making the piton glow a warm orange-yellow. With a firm point of reference, Kalgren kept going forward.

Oriander follows Kalgren still. After a few more minutes, it becomes clear that it isn't that the room is extending, but rather that they just don't seem to be moving forward. The piton and it's light is still just as far behind them as it was when they started.

"Curious," Zack says as the realisation sets in. "Would it be a trouble if I spent ten minutes preparing a casting of detect magic? I'm wondering if there is some magical essence here that stops our progress. Aside from that, Oriander, are there any legends or stories about this part of the mountain?" If no one objects, Zack will set about ritually casting Detect Magic to look around the room for any signs of magical disturbances or alterations.

While Zack completes his ritual, Vigil keeps an eye out for sounds and movements in the shadows.

Perception: 11

OOC: Are we stuck in place or does it only loop when we try to move forward, aka can we return to the alcoves?

Zack's Ritual completes, and there is indeed magic in the place. A form of conjuration magic permeates the area. It seems the party just, doesn't move forward. If you turn around, you can walk back to the entrance without issue.

Oriander hrms. "...The blind lead the faithful, and often reach their goal." He says after a moment, nodding gently. "I believe that is what the old parables claim."

Zack lets the others know of the conjuration magic around them. "The blind lead the faithful..." he recites as he scratches his chin.

Vigil chuckles. "Cute rhyme. What are we supposed to close our eyes and believe it’ll get us to the other side?"

Quote from SavageVince >>

Vigil chuckles. "Cute rhyme. What are we supposed to close our eyes and believe it’ll get us to the other side?"

 'I think that's exactly what we should try.' Kalgren replied with a chuckle.

He dismissed the Light spell he had cast on the piton. 'Kindly extinguish yours as well, Zack.' He said. Kalgren gave a last sorrowful look at his torch before dropping it on the ground. 'If you want to hold hands in the dark, now is the time.' He could not resist adding in with a grin before stomping out the flame.

In the darkness Kalgren closed his eyes, shutting him off from the light completely. A cold shudder went through his body in the absence of it. He held the extinguished torch as a baton in front of him and with small steps began shuffling towards what was supposed to be the end of the room. He did not touch the wall, That would be in bad faith, but he kept close to it within arm's reach just in case.

Zack looked curiously at Kalgren as he suggest extinguishing their light, then shrugs. "Hold onto your butts. Here go nothing." He follows suit, dropping the light spell and blindly walking forward, though he does not try to hold hands with anyone, much as Kalgren suggested, even in jest.

Oriander sets a hand on Vigil's shoulder and motions ahead. "C'mon, Tief-frien'. 'Ave faith." Oriander chuckles as he closes his own eyes and strides into the darkness...

Leaving Vigil on his own in the dark corridor.

Everyone else, however, soon finds that they eventually bump their noses against a wall! And upon opening their eyes, they would find themselves face to face with a massive double door made of iron. Oriander looks over the craftsmanship and nods gently. Once Vigil makes an appearance, he would then say: "...Aye. Tis the gate to 'er depths. Historical accounts 'n all cite this door bein' put up ta stop the not-wanted from gettin' too deep. No legend on this door, jus' a thin' to keep the young from going too deep when they aren' ready."

Zack rubs his nose and recasts light on his dagger to see the door. "Interesting little trick. And this is a nice door," he says as he looks over the door, checking it for any traps and inscriptions or carvings (Investigation: 18).

Zack does not find any traps. There are several carvings, inscribed in old Goliath, that clearly tell a story of "Enter here when you are ready, turn back if you are not" level stuff. And there is a pretty big keyhole on the right hand side of the door, with what seems to be a depress-able plate. 

Oriander, meanwhile, nods. "To unlock it, we just have to prove we are ready..." He grins as he raises his fist. "...Shall we go?"

'Ready as we'll ever be.' Kalgren replied, though he did shuffle a bit back so he would be behind the Goliath.

Zack nods, "Yes, let's go."

Oriander yeets his fist forward into the flat panel, which rings out like a gong. Throughout the mountain, it seems the sound echoes... The ground shakes for a moment, and the door slowly slides open... Revealing a natural cave, save for what was smoothed to allow the door to work, that goes onwards, down into the depths.

"...Somewhere down 'ere, is a cavern. A vale, o' sorts. If these monsters truly des'crate Mother Mouth, it is there." Oriander says, a wild thrill on his face and eyes brightened... and he decides to lead the way, cracking his knuckles loud enough to echo along the tunnel.