[IC] Chapter 1-4: Cellars of Hate

[DM Surranó]

"It worked!" Murkatos yells.
"It worked!" Maul echoes.

Soon enough, the three upstairs can hear the triumphant grunt of the dwarf from the cellar. Lugar takes a closer look into the keyhole again and notices that its very structure seems to have changed. He learns that while he tried to pick the lock last time it did not budge because there was a heavy bolt locking the lock itself, in a place impossible to get to without breaking the door down (which would've been quite some feat in itself). Now, the secondary lock open, Lugar could pick the lock with a lucky flick of his two favourite lockpicks.
The spellcasters descend quickly to join the dextrous dwarf, though do that from a reverent distance, staying on flanks from whatever sinister may spring forth from the open lock...

[Silent Giant]

Did it work? Strange. Hm-hm. - he quickly goes down - Let us see is there something valuable hidden or there is something dangerous closed in.

[Lugar]

When everyone is ready Lugar will open the door.

[Silent Giant]

Giant is ready (but hungry and wounded). He hopes there is something eatable inside :-)

[DM Surranó]

The door seems to budge but the resistance of water six feet deep on either side of the door makes it particularly difficult to pry it open. Giant lends a helping hand and with mighty effort the two open the door.

Beyond the door are a few stairs leading up to the same level as the rest of the cellar, followed by a dark and narrow corridor, about 3 feet wide and 15 feet long, closed by a vertical wall of cold iron.
The iron wall features some kind of relief that resembles runes.
There is a passage halfway to the right, a few more steps eventually raising above water level with another iron door being atop the stairs, nice and dry.

OOC - will create a new map on Roll20 and post a picture of the relief later. For now, here's some ascii art...


~ ~ #
~ m ###########
~ M_. G L ~ ~ |
~ ~ ##### > ###
~ ~ #...# = #
Legend:
m - Murkatos
M - Maul
_. - open iron door with hinge. It is a few feet deeper than the rest of the scene (Giant and Maul stand on stairs).
G - Giant
L - Lugar
= - closed iron door atop stairs
| - iron wall
# - wall
~ - water
> - stairs

[Lugar]

Relieved there was no immediate threat hidden behind the door, Lugar pauses a moment and searches for other dangers.  "I'll search for traps before we continue."

Search (1d20=15) +7 = 22 (24 if its stone or metal work)

[DM Surranó]

Lugar finds nothing.

Here is a crude drawing of the relief on the wall.

[Lugar]

"It's clear." Lugar tells the others, then approaches the wall with the strange runes and ponders their meaning.  "Murkatos, can you decipher this?"

Ooc - Can Lugar relate these runes to any of the languages he knows? (Dwarven, Common, Undercommon, Goblin)

[DM Surranó]

"Nope. They don't even resemble to any written language of Flanaess. Maybe some form of ancient elvish before the Twin Cataclysm but I doubt that even." he repies, shaking his head.

Lugar can't recognise the runes either.

[Lugar]

"Now would be a good time to rest before we go any further."  He suggests to the group.  "Or we can see what's behind door number two?"  While the group decides whether to rest or forge on, Lugar searches the door in the dry area for traps.

Search door for traps (1d20=16) +7 = 23