As Dakath observed but could not inform the rest of you, the chamber is small with one door on the west side, plain and unadorned. Checking, Taglio is unable to find any traps or other problems on the door, but admits that he does not have much skill in this area.
"It seems safe, Si. As the Trojans said to themselves bringing the horse through the front gate." Tag shakes his head. "There are so many traps in this place, someone definitely doesn't wish us well." Tag puts his ear to the door and listens carefully for any sound behind it.
"Did you see any place the dart could have come from?" queries Xania.
Ullar ponders the situation. "Hmm... if it was a trap, perhaps it has something to do with contacts on certain places on the floor."
Ullar points to the place Dakath was 'hovering' when hit by the dart. "If he was there, let's check all directions in edges of 90 degrees around him. I think the dart has been shot from a hole in the wall, but that's just a feeling."
"However, if we are going to continue to explore this place any further, who is going to guard Asif and Dakath upstairs? Perhaps 'demon' Rhune will remove the stone and devour them," he says... a bit cynical on the last part, but quite serious regarding the guarding of the two unconscious men.
Mace in head, ready to descend, Forte pauses to say, "Perhaps Augustus will stay here with them. He can shout down the hole if he needs help. Or maybe we should just wait until Dakath wakes up."
Augustus, clearly disturbed by even being in this place, is almost relieved to hear that he can stay above watching Asif and Dakath while the rest descend.
By Ullar's suggestion, you all begin checking the walls about and sure enough, within a few moments Xania sees an open hole high in the wall. She cannot explore it alone, so asks Forte to assist her. He happily does, being able to admire her while he hoists her up.
Xania sees that the hole appears to have been carved into the stone primitively, and sometime fairly recently. There are two uncoiled springs sitting right next to each other within the hole, though she cannot tell what might have triggered them. Each is large enough to fire a dart, right at the location where Dakath cut the wire.
As Tag looks about, he sees that there is another dart lying on the floor on the other side of the chamber. This one must have missed it's target.
Having prowled about and not finding any other dangers, the group turns back to the door. Taglio boldly opens it, having listened at it and heard no sound. You all look inside curiously.
The walls, floor, and ceiling of the room are so black that they seem to draw light into themselves. Just as black are the pillars, and the hideous fanged statues by the far wall... statues which have just come to life!
Forte slams the door shut and shouts, "Back up the ladder!" He holds his mace, ready to defend the group as they scramble back up the ladder.
Xania takes even quicker action, attempting to close the door first. However, Forte already has his hammy hand on it and is in the process, so she scurries back up the ladder.
Kyo, not as stupid as people think he is, chugs up the ladder behind Xania.
Ullar follows Forte's command. He positions himself with the ladder takes a defensive position. "We got to get up again! Come on!" he calls, obviously nervous from what he has seen in the 'dark' room.
Tag readies to follow after Xania, Forte and Kyo. If there is not time he will give the others time to escape by defending the doorway with Ullar.
Suddenly Xania and Kyo come tumbling back down from the ladder, falling heavily to the ground. They are clearly unconscious, though there are no visible traces of any wounds. Just seconds afterward, Dakath comes falling down after them, followed by a metal plate which comes slamming down upon the hole at the top of the ladder. The door to the dark room does not reopen.
Placing his mace on the floor, Forte climbs up the ladder. Close to the top, he takes out his sword and bangs on the metal plate with the hilt. "Augustus! What's going on up there?!" He stays on the ladder for about a minute, listening for a response, then climbs back down. He re-sheathes his sword and picks up the mace. No response is heard from above.
A few minutes later, Xania and Kyo come to. Kyo was able to see nothing but Xania's backside. Xania is clearly disturbed by what she saw.
Forte turns and looks at Xania. "Was it Rhune? Asif must be still up there. I hope Augustus is o.k."
Xania looks around for Dakath. "Is he still alive?" she asks.
Dakath is clearly alive and still sleeping, not much harmed by the fall.
"Yes, it was Rhune. She had woken up Asif, somehow. She may have killed Augustus."
"I heard some sort of murmuring, in incantation of some sort, I turned to look, and fell unconscious."
Kyo scowls. "Demon trying to kill us? Kyo know helping lake demons a bad idea, but does anybody lesson to poor Kyo? No. 'Demon our friend,' they tell Kyo. And Kyo stupid and say, 'If you say so,' but Kyo know better." He looks at Ullar. "What good idea you have now?"
Thinking on it for a moment, and it's very clear result, Xania knows that it was a sleep spell that was cast upon her and Kyo.
"You heard WHAT?" Ullar inquires. "Some sort of incantation? Now I'm convinced that whoever is f*cking around with us, is not Rhune. For all I know she is a 'common' thief like Dakath and has not magickal abilities whatsoever."
Realizing that the things in the room next to them are possibly still alive, Ullar positions himself for the door, his sword readied.
As there are no things in the room next to you all in this room, rather there are a lot of bones on the level above, Ullar has nothing to worry about, at least on that score.
"I'll guard this place Forte, you guard that ladder. If I'm staying in this position, I'll only have to face one at a time!"
"The ladder going up? There's a steel plate blocking the hole, so I don't think we'll have to worry about anyone coming down without us hearing the plate move." Forte looks up at the barred egress and sighs. "I guess we have to fight those things.... One at a time, huh? Is there room for all us warriors by the door? That's the only way to get out of this room, though I doubt it leads to a nice sunny beach."
Ullar shrugs. "I didn't see any steel plate when I was up, so I guess something spooky happened up there. I don't trust the situation either. It seems we're driven further and further inside this building. I'd feel safer if someone would guard my back as I don't think we can all fight next to each other near the door, can we?"
"Kyo... are you alright?" is the last thing the warrior says before getting into position.
"Kyo fine," the burly savage answers. "Kyo gonna kill a demon and use her bones for my spears when Kyo sees her next."
"Mama mia, it seems Rhune is enchanted, no. The Germans tell tales of a creature called 'doppelganger'. Could this not be Rhune at all, but some 'double'?" Tag is still ready for action.
"If it is a doppelganger, whatever that is, it sure is concerned with Asif. However, I think it more likely that the female voice I heard chanting is likely controlling Rhune in some manner. Or, allied with her." Xania remarks to Taglio.
"A female voice?" Ullar asks, frowning seriously. "Oh... My... God... please don't let this be true...." he says, a shiver running through his spine.
"You sound as if you know something we should all be told, mio amico, Ullar. Come on spit it out!"
Some hours later, as the group sits about wondering what to do, Dakath comes to groggily. He looks about, waiting for the group to explain what the heck is going on now.
Dakath moans once as he comes to. He runs a hand across his face and bald head. He looks around the room as his eyes begin to focus "Bloody trap," he manages to say.
He looks around the room "Where's Asif and Augustus?" he asks Xania, confusion on his face. "And whereabouts are we?"
"Rhune and a female mage are above us. They cast a spell called Sleep on Kyo and I and we fell back down here--they threw you back down as well. I'm hoping they haven't killed Augustus. Rhune was whispering to Asif last I saw her. Worse, they could all be under this mage's control, though I had always heard that elves were notoriously hard to control." Xania shakes her head.
"Looks like the only way out is to fight these nasty statues in the next room. I don't like our options much. Perhaps the lake's warning was true." Xania replies sadly.
Dakath shakes his head "Great!" he says pulling himself up to his feet. "No wonder I feel like I've been pummeled."
"Yeah, I know the feeling." Xania replies. "Luckily for me, I think I pummeled Kyo more than the floor. Sorry about that, Kyo. I didn't mean for you to break my fall."
Kyo puffed up his chest a bit, trying to look bigger than his scant 64 inches. "Kyo not hurt. You tiny, and Kyo strong."
Xania just grins, but wisely remains silent.
"Nevertheless..." Ullar interjects, "...we'll have to come up with something to get out of this place. It seems to me that the ladder-exit sealed, and we got a mage who has Rhune in control up there."
"Which reminds me..." Ullar continues, looking to the ground and shaking his head a little, "...that I need to offer you an apology Xania. I've judged you too soon and I'll try not to let it happen again."
Xania, true to her word, continues to ignore Ullar.
Continuing fast, Ullar tries to make this embarrassing moment (at least to him) last as short as possible.
"I'm not in good health to fight whatever creepy things are outside that door," he says, while pointing to the door which Dakath is checking after the 'conscious' group passed it already. "However, I don't think we have any other possible way to get out of this. Therefore I suggest we rest here several hours and then rush through that room."
"I'm not in top condition either, but will a few hours rest even make a difference?" questions Forte. "We have no healing magic... do we?"
Quickly checking inventory, no one volunteers anything.
He pauses for a moment, shaking his head in disbelief.
"Yeah... I know... it's not much of a plan, but I really don't see any other way. Perhaps anyone else has a better plan to get us out of here?"
"No better plan here," Forte sighs. "We just need to decide how long to wait."
"And where is that little guy, with the ferret. Perhaps his animal can serve us right here! It could scout around!"
Ullar looks about for Amibar, who has been silent for some time. He sits moodily near the ladder. When asked to use the rodent, he chitters to it briefly. It rushes about the room, pointedly avoiding the door to the black room, and then comes back within minutes. It chitters back to Amibar, "There is no other way out," he mutters downheartedly.
Dakath moves to the closed door and listens at it for sometime hoping to hear anything beyond. As with Taglio's earlier attempt, he hears nothing.
"Uh, Dakath," begins Forte, "there appears to be some living statues in that room. With fangs. Not friendly. Everything in that room is black, so we didn't see much before I slammed the door."
Ullar just smiles at Forte's dry comment.
Dakath looks once at Forte, then at the sealed hole in the roof and shakes his head, "Who's idea was it to do this? Remind me again."
"Uh, those 'demons' by the side of the lake?" asks Forte with mock seriousness.
"We should have listened to Kyo," Xania adds dryly.
"Yes, perhaps so," responds Forte with a sigh.
"Everybody say that later... but nobody listens when time is right." Kyo sounds exasperated.
Once done checking the door, Dakath begins to check for any other hidden exits from the room. He finds nothing even resembling an exit. Indeed, the walls here appear very thick, solid earth behind for certain.
"Is there no possibility of us opening the metal cover?" Xania asks.
Kyo slaps his forehead with the palm of his hand and scurries back up the ladder pushing at the iron plate blocking exit.
"Well, I'll try." Forte climbs up the ladder, and attempts to move the steel plate by pushing it with all his might.
Neither Forte with his bulk nor Kyo with his muscle have any luck moving the thing. It appears permanently planted there.
"Maybe Dakath or Taglio can look at it if you're unsuccessful?" Xania suggests, though there is not much hope in her voice.
Dakath moves to stand next to Xania, grinning slightly, and whispers in her ear, "Shhh, don't spoil it for them, these guys love all this type of stuff."
Xania sighs, "Sorry, Dakath. I just don't want to die in a hole." The mage looks oddly anxious as she awaits the results of checking the metal plate.
Dakath placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "Don't worry, did I not promise to get you out of here alive?" he smiles at her.
Xania laughs despite herself. "And what would one call one who believes your promises?" she teases gently.
Dakath grins, "Well that would depend, they would either be completely stupid or extremely shrewd."
"It's not the latter category I'm worried about," Xania smirks.
As Forte, Kyo, etc. are unsuccessful in removing the metal plate, Dakath clambers up the ladder and attempts to find a way to open the plate.
Dakath does not see any hinges or mechanisms at all on this side of the plate. However, it does not budge for certain, so whatever has locked it down must be on the other side.
"Hmm.." says Tag deep in thought. "The female mage must be the 'woman' that the lake elves spoke of. Do you think the evil of this place could have something to do with that wizard in Forte and Dakath's vision? Frankkru I think you said his name was Dakath. If she was a friend of the elves, maybe she is friends with those elves we released from the tombs...err...Esineth and Gailor? Maybe we can reason with her. She may be assaulting us thinking we are allied with Frankkru, si."
Tag smiles to himself, proud of his attempt to draw the pieces together.
Kyo looks at Tag, his eyes glazing over. "Huh?"
Dakath pats Kyo on the shoulder as he walks past him addressing Tag, "I'm surprised you remembered all of that. Since we've been trapped for a couple of hours now I'd doubt if our captors are still above but feel free to try."
Tag looks at Dakath, puzzled by his comments. "Why friend Dakath we Troubadour are well practiced in remembering things." He laughs. Tag climbs up the ladder once everyone else has finished. "We have come to this island in peace, hoping to rescue a friend. We are elf friends and enemies of Frankkru the sorcerer. Those who honor Esineth and Gailor heroes of the light we would be proud to call allies. Please cease your attacks if you are friends...." Tag tries this in Italian and Arabic a couple of times, eventually giving up in frustration, when there is no response.
There are no other sounds coming from beyond the plate. Yelling out, there is no response. Even if Taglio is on to something, there is no way to verify it.