Chapter 4:
The sound of a gong being rung and a few more pot-shots taken into the dining room was excuse enough for the party to flee through a passage that headed north into the Halls of Rivior and for a few hours they were lost down lonely dark passages and empty rooms. Finally they came to a door that pushed open into a room that was empty, except for a backpack that had been stowed in the far corner. Looking within they found some supplies: Candles, food and a couple of wine skins. They made themselves a meal of it and Raya placed the candles into her own pack, just in case. A door tucked out of sight in this room lead them into another chamber that was familiar, particularly to Hareton and Kren Ha whose sense of smell were acute.
"We have been here before," Hareton said.
They opened the door in this room and stared down a long hallway lined with white marble statues and on the floor was a strange grey humanoid.
"We have circled around again," Kren Ha sighed.
"I think we are going to have to make our way back to those bronze doors and statues and chance what may," Raya said. So they backtracked down familiar halls to the barracks room with the Green Slime, they took their time to burn as much off the ceiling as they could before proceeding in. They got back to the remains of the crossbow, now a familiar landmark and headed into the chamber with it's bronze doors and statues.
"Hareton will go first," the Calygraunt said, "Magic is less effective on me than other creatures, for Hareton is an enchanted being."
He moved forward and once between the statues felt the floor shift. With amazing dexterity, luck and natural magic resistance he tumbled into the bronze doors as a ribbon of electricity arched between the open hands of the two statues for a few moments and went away. Hareton pulled open the doors and dove through as another arch went between the statues and into the doors themselves. Raya and Kren Ha paused and waited, nothing more seemed to happen. Raya dashed between the statues first, just in case they should shoot their bolts, but nothing occurred. Kren Ha hustled through next, she was wearing the most metal of the two and was sure that she was going to be cooked, but the statues remained dormant.
A long stretch of passageway lay before them, going west with a junction heading south. They decided west, but would try the doors along the passage as they went. The first door Hareton touched there was an audible click in the passage, not thinking about that Hareton pushed the door open, only to have a spear from the wall behind him shoot forward, jabbing him in the shoulder. He yowled and hissed as the spear withdrew into the wall and Hareton slumped, bleeding to the floor. Kren Ha staunched the wound and bandaged the Calygraunt up.
"Hareton," he gasped, "is getting pretty sick of these attacks from behind."
"Shush, we will find a place to rest and get you patched up," Kren Ha said.
The room beyond had been empty, the only notable feature being the large bloodstain on the stones by the door, victims of the trap that had just tagged Hareton.
Another door beside this one was opened very carefully. Nothing happened, what was revealed was a bedroom with a single four-post bed, now slumped at a crazy angle because two of its feet had rotted away. Kren Ha and Raya brought Hareton in here to tend to his wounds.
Hours passed and Hareton; laying upon the floor, noticed a niche in the wall by the bed, something had caught his eye, "Magic..."
"Hmm?" Kren Ha said from her stance of meditation.
"A magic dweomer, over there," Hareton waved gently.
The Flind got up and found the niche in the wall. She looked carefully to see if anything were in there that could be a trap, before gingerly reaching in and pulled out the items stowed there. In total there were three leather-bound books that were rotting away and a couple of vials. She handed the vials to Hareton who examined them.
"This one, allows you to climb like the spider," Hareton said with a smile, "And this one is just water."
Kren Ha took the water, "No you silly feline, there is a divine presence on this water. Holy water to be exact."
They rested and meditated; made their prayers and got some sleep. In the morning Raya performed a healing on the Calygraunt and he took a deep breath and smiled, "That feels much better."
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16 Aug 2025 00:30 CEST
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