“Back to the glowing tiles again?”  Morgan asks with a sigh.  He nods, moving along with the half-elf.  “Remember, I will join you only if you are not blown to bits or something else hazardous to your health.”  Morgan stops at the edge of the glowing tiles, letting the other go first.

As the others work on the tiles again Lilandra will walk with Caelia and place her a bit further away. In case something goes wrong, you will be safer here she says. Removing her from a possible blastrange and also keeping her away from the chalice just in case. 

Lilandra will take a few steps away from the deer and stand sideways to watch both the others but not yet turning her back on Caelia. 

She will try and watch Morthos and Morgan on the tiles to see if she notices any effect as they step on them. 

(Perception 22)

[Mobile response, super bare bones, just didn't want to leave you guys hanging any longer]

Morthos's predetermined path through the puzzle passage went perfectly according to plan. Each of the five foot square tiles he stepped upon sank an inch into the ground and remained there, and nothing emerged from the tiny holes dotting the walls. And once Morgan fulfiled his part of the scheme and all tiles had been traversed in the order Morthos specified, there was a noise from the double doors at the end of the hallway.

There was the sound of stone grinding against stone from within the doors themselves, concluded by a heavy resounding thunk that echoed into silence.

The glowing lights from the small crystals in the center of each tile winked out, and each tile not being stood upon rose back up to their original position. Any weight placed upon a tile would now still depress it, but it would immediately spring back up when that weight is lifted. Aside from that, the tiles did not react to anything.

Thad nods at Morthos, impressed with his work, "Well done Morthos. I'm glad ya did no get hit with whatever was in those holes along the walls. So, are ya thinkin' o' takin' a look through those doors now? Or do ya need a moment?"

"Let's see what is through them."  Morgan says, tugging the doors open to see what all of this hopping on glowing stones got them.  He grips the door with one powerful hand and tugs, his muscles bulging as he tries to open the door.

Morthos is relieved. “Well, I half expected that puzzle to be the end of me, but it seems like we’ve made progress! Yes, let’s continue through these doors and see what we can find.”

He follows behind Morgan as the nobleman opens the heavy stone doors.

Lilandra will follow most of the way but remain a few feet away from the door, not yet passing through. She will signal Caelia to stay near the wall behind. Stay out of sight. She says to her. 

Lilandra will listen to what happens to her allies beyond the door. Meanwhile she will watch Caelia, trying to determine if she is really who she says she is. 

Thad follows Morgan and Morthos through the doors, stopping before entering to look back at Lilandra, "Call out if anythin' happens."

“Oh, okay…” Caelia said hesitantly as she moved to follow Lilandra’s instructions. Once in position, the little deer looked around with noticeable trepidation. “Um… Lilandra, are we not going home now?”

Meanwhile, Thad and Morthos followed Morgan as he pushed his way into the room behind the heavy doors with the grinding of stone hinges ringing in their ears.

 MAP UPDATED:

 Directly ahead of them was revealed to be a large space that opened up to their right. The high 30ft ceiling made the room feel big and grand, albeit with an oppressive tone, as embodied by the huge, spiky wrought-iron chandelier suspended above them just ahead. The ceiling was also criss-crossed by a countless number of chains with links that appeared to be immaculately carved from stone rather than metal. These chains hung and dangled like a gigantic spider’s web encompassing the entire upper quarter of the room’s height.

In front of the group on the opposite wall was a wide bookcase filled with dusty old tomes, while the wall directly to their left was covered in its entirety with an unsettling mural similar to the carvings on the elevator platform – it depicted a fiery hellscape filled with a horde of fiends fighting and ripping each other to bloody shreds in gruesome detail.

To their right, there was a long workbench of sorts covered with obviously magical paraphernalia. Vials of colored liquid, bizarre tools, scattered books and loose pages of notes, and jars with small creatures or other grotesquely mysterious contents covered the table’s surface and filled shelves along the wall behind it. A lit lantern hung from a hook over the center of the table that cast forlorn illumination over the workspace.

Beyond the table was another bookshelf, and on the far right wall was another set of doors. In the middle of the room was a magic circle sketched in chalk, surrounded with some books, notes, and lit candles. Across the room from the table was a short flight of stairs that led to a dark, open chamber.

As the three of them stepped into the room, a rattle of sliding chains greeted them. From overhead, above the chandelier, there was a limp form suspended in the web of chains. A single length of stone links slowly spooled out slack, lowering the figure through the chandelier. As it passed through the flickering light and dancing shadows of the chandelier’s numerous candles, the nature of this figure was made clear.

A skeleton with antique yellow-brown bones descended from the ceiling, hanging from a chain coiled around its neck like a noose. Its skull tilted lifelessly to one side to such a degree it nearly rested upon its own shoulder. The skeletal body tapered off after several vertebra lower than its desiccated ribcage and thus had no pelvis or legs, leaving it with only its torso and loosely dangling arms.

The skeleton was lowered until its head was level with the group. At the same time, a second identical skeleton that had been beyond the range of Thad’s senses glided forward from the far corner, hung from its own chain and drifting to a halt by the circle on the ground.

A deep voice rumbled from the motionless skeleton hanging in front of them.

“Weeelcoome initiatesss. You have paaast your fiinal triaaal. Nooow presssent youur offeringsss aaand secuuure your plaace in the Ooorder of Geeernaaacht.”

Thad clenches a fist but says nothing. He moves across to the desk to look over the notes and books scattered on the table for any information as to who is behind all this (Investigation: 13).

Thad's investigation was immediately interrupted by a warning from the skeleton, who's eyeless skull nevertheless turned to follow the dwarf with a crack of its bony neck. From its position it called out to the dwarf, "Thiiis laboooratory is ressserved for membersss ooof the ooorder. As you haave yet tooo presssent youur offffering, youuu are not yet recognizzzed. Presssent yoour offfering, initiate."

Thad stops and turns, looking at the others. "What do ya propose we do here gents?"

Morgan stays back by the door, seeing this as a clearly magical situation and letting those with more experience with that step forward to deal with it.  He has his greatsword in hand though, ready to start slashing things if it comes to that.  His gray eyes glance to the spellcasters of the group with one black eyebrow raised.

Morthos looks wary and begins drawing his rapier. This otherworldly room of grotesque construction unnerved him a great deal. He mumbles a cheerful song to himself before speaking to the skeleton. 

“What are these offerings you seek?”

 "Youou are required to haave colleeected a trooophy from slaain foooes in your second triaal aaand preessent them here to vaalidaate your iiniitiatioon iinto the ooorder. If yoou haaave fooorgootten yoour troophies, you muuust go baaack and retrieeeve them beeefore you are allooowed to proceeeeed. Maassteer Geeernaachht does not tooleraaate faailuuure."   

Thad pulls out the chalice, "Do ya mean this thing?"

Meanwhile Lilandra moves closer to the door but makes sure she stays behind it, only listening in on whats happening to get a rough idea. 

She will prepare to move in if she hears any trouble but for now will stay behind the door and watch Caelia. 

"Thaaat means noothing to meee," groaned the skeleton as Thad produced the chalice. "I waaas refeeerring to any seevereed body paarts claimed from other initiatessss as per the objeeective of your preeevious triiiaal. That iiisss to beee your finaaal offeriiiing. Hmmmmm..."

The largely inanimate corpse paused, almost as if in thought. 

"Could it beee thaat you initiates haaave arriiiived here by mistaaake? No maaatter. The ruule forbidding membeers of the ordeeer from haarming one anooother does not applyyy to initiatesss, so I suggessst one of you kiiiill the otheers right heeere. That shaaall suuuffice as an offeeeering quite niiiicely. Go ahead. I shall waaait."

[INSIGHT OR HISTORY CHECK - ANYONE]

Thad Insight Check: 9

Morthos sighs, and sheathes his rapier. He turns to his companions. 

"This room and trial is an artifact of the past, when Gernacht was at the height of his power. It would appear that he would have initiate's fight each other to the death, and then sever their dead opponent's body parts as a token of their worthiness. However, we could not do such a thing- I would not even dare inflicting such a fate on our enemies."

He looks back at the skeleton, cocking his head a bit. 

"You seem to be missing something, and for the life of me, I just can't figure out what!"

With a laugh he says, "That sack of old bones can't stop us, chained as it is. Come, let's see what we can find."

He walks over to the workbench to search for anything that could help their search for Caelia (such as something that could hint at the nature of the deer).

Investigation: 8

Insight using Inspiration (for skeleton): 22