Start Date: August 23rd, morning
Start Status: Push the Button
Start Location: Silverstream Mine
Adventuring: Rennard, Jinx, Brigg, Smoke, Zenobe
At the Tulip: Castor, Hagan, Xon, Aaron
The Turn
Left with the mysterious pedestal as the only potential exit (the party believes it to be a teleportation device), the group decides to go for a ride, somewhere. Zenobe leads the group onto the platform and, once everyone is in place, puts his hand on the sphere. As before, the sphere begins to glow and golden sparks of light flow out and surround the group on the platform. The light takes on a certain thickness that obscures the room, then... *woompfh*.
Once the lights fade and the party can see, they are disappointed to find themselves in the same rectangular room with pillared alcoves along each side. "It didn't do anything!" exclaims Smoke, stepping off the platform.
"Didn't it? Look!" Zenobe points to the pedestal in the center of the platform. The sphere is no longer there. In its place, there is a three-sided pyramid of the same polished black metal.
"Maybe we did go somewhere," says Brigg. He steps off the platform and heads for the opening that led to the stairs in the original room. There are stairs here too, but they only go up a short distance before they meet a broad hallway running left to right with double doors across the way. "Definitely a new place."
The group forms up in their usual formation, with Brigg out front scouting. While the pedestal chamber is made of the same stone as the one back in the mind, the hall is a different matter. Its walls, floor, and arched ceiling have been carved from the native granite and have a rough finish (think concrete sidewalk). The double doors across the 20-foot wide hall are heavy iron and have a thick coat of rust on them. The floor is coated in damp dust that shows many footprints running both left and right. Many are human-sized, but some are smaller and appear to have been made by clawed feet. The air is dank and there is a metallic taste to it that catches in the throat.
Leaving the doors, which appear to be firmly rusted shut, the group heads right. The passage immediately opens into a rectangular chamber with a square water-filled pool in the center and rusted double doors north and south.. Smooth black stone pillars support the room's domed ceiling and a statue cut from the same stone graces a small platform that rises from the center of the pool. It depicts a 3-foot high creature with a barrel-like body and three frog-like heads. Three stubby legs support the body, and three pairs of dangling arms that end in three-fingered hands sprout from between the heads. It's a fairly hideous thing, but the statue's eyes are all set with brilliant fire opals.
"Shinies!" whispers Smoke, who appears ready to wade through the murky water of the pool.
"Let's... not play with the demon statue just yet," says Jinx.
"It's not evil," says Rennard, "but I agree." We should get our bearings before we try to retrieve those gems.
The group continues down the hall, which dead ends at yet another set of rusted double doors. These show some signs of use, and the damp dust on the floor is disturbed here as well. "More tracks, all kinds," whispers Brigg.
"Let's backtrack and check the other direction," suggests Zenobe. The others agree, so the group walks back past the pool, the stairs and continues down the corridor. It continues for 80 feet or so, passing another set of double doors on the right before it intersects a natural cave. Beyond the large cavern, it continues another 25 feet and ends in another set of rusty doors.
The cavern is little more than an indentation in the wall to the left, but to the right, it extends out of sight. The cave floor is slick and wet and a few stalagmites and stalactites rise from the floor and hang from the ceiling.
There's also a crude stone statue, this one of a tall and slim humanoid figure. Brigg moves a bit closer to check it out and can see that most of the features and details have been broken off. Bits of stone lie scattered around the statue's base, all covered with damp muck and debris indicating this defacement happened long ago. The cave splits but continues beyond the statue. The floor bears no marks, but water dripping from above would quickly obscure any footprints.
End Date: August 23rd, morning
End Status: Wandering in the dark
End Location: ???
