DM/
Sweet William?studies the statue intently. It appears to be made of all one material, carved from a single piece of granite- creature and spear
combined.
The expression on the creature¡¯s face and posture of the body seem to belie a recoil of sorts, as if the creature was caught in mid-action getting ready to dodge.?
Meanwhile,?Flynn?knocks?on
the secret door, and the sound reverberates throughout the chamber.?
K?n?O?c?K?
A latch clicks somewhere below and counterweights within the walls begin settling into recesses, turning rusty gears and grinding stiff pulleys. The floor slightly shudders and painted plaster cracks away from the seams in a dusty, chunky,
noisy mess as a portion of the wall is pulled upward through the floor into the ceiling to reveal a secret passage; its walls glow magenta, bathing the corridor with a ghastly hue. After fifteen feet, the floor drops away to a pit that fills the hallway ahead.
The pit is twenty-five feet deep. Eight large, spidery bushes with thorny stems, white leaves, and enormous yellow blossoms grow across its bottom.
Five feet beyond the nearest edge of the pit is a bronze bar, set level with the floor and embedded in the pit walls to either side. Farther out over the pit can be seen other similar bronze rungs, set at five-foot intervals. On the floor by
the edge of the pit is a scattering of broken, rotting wooden planks.
Sweet William?sees a layer of fresh cinder slag on the weretiger statue. A hot fire was here recently.?North?recognizes
it as fireball residue. Something was burnt to a crisp recently. Looking closer, the Barbarian notes a scar obscured somewhat by the ash, running down the center of the weretiger¡¯s chest with ¡®ice pick¡¯ suture scarring along either side as if the chest was
somehow opened and sewn back together again.
The cat-o-nine-tails that?Cerina?is examining resembles a Drow weapon consisting of a small whip with nine individual ends,
each end having a knot tied on it. Drow typically knot their ends with glass or rusty iron caltrops, but this has no such accoutrements. Handled as a small melee whip, this device wouldn¡¯t have much effect against mail or even leathers but against bare native
skin it would be a painful experience.??It was likely used ceremonially to appease the gods, or mete out justice against slaves captured from rival tribes. It¡¯s made of crudely tanned, braided leather. The craftsmanship
is poor, but then she notices the haft encases a solid pommel. Prying into the knotted braids she discovers an uncut blue-white diamond the size of a field pea.?
Meanwhile,?Tabby?keeps an eye on everyone from her vantage point in the center of the room, far from statues and corpses
and traps and triggers. She watches keenly, but doesn¡¯t notice anything dangerous, threatening, or spooky at the moment.
And what do you do?
/DM
