The Wayfarer's Inn

You leave the room with the shattered statue and walk down the corridor until you reach the open pit at the intersection.


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As the group reaches the pit, Kherim stops and assumes a pensive posture. He is recalling everything the group did over the last few days, and what they found on the other ends of this crossroads.
Then he turns to the others:

"Right is where we came from. Both of the other ways gave us hard fights, and both have still unexplored exits. Ahead of us, there's the crawlspace we still haven't quite checked, by that room where two of us were cursed" (he stops for a moment, feeling guilt and remorse). To our left is the room where we fought the demon-lord and where we were teleported away. There is a pillar there with some stairs going up. Atop the stairs there is a corridor, and we haven't checked anything else there. So what do you suggest?"

Ahi listens carefully and says:
"I would check the corridor atop the stairs."

Eilkhan nods and moves slowly up the stairs checking for surprises and such and stops at the beginning of the corridor.

Sol says "It seemed to me that there might be another exit in the back of the tomb room that we have not investigated, but I don't recall for sure. I would go to that chamber, on the left again next. Otherwise, I might suggest going all of the way back to the entrance and checking out what is to either side, both directions were never investigated fully."

Gaderon ponders the words for only a second and then quickly speaks up...

"I say that we deal with which ever is closest on the return trip... Without any insight there is no point in going any direction except the closest one in a maze such as this! How would we even recognize the right path if we found it in the first place? So for simplicities sake let us just head back until we reach a turn we had ignored or a new turn we missed and continue until we must turn again! At least until we find some way to decipher the fiends resting place from all the false trails he leaves about!"

"Uh... that would be left, Gaderon." Kherim says.

Ahi, in turn, comments

"I agree with you in general, Gaderon, but in this, I really don't think we only have those options. See, as Sol pointed, we have two more unexplored ways at the start, but we've thus far neglected them because we found a much more interesting secret passage... under the maybe false assumption that our quarry would be hidden precisely behind secret passages, not wanting to be found and all that...

Besides, of the other two ways that apparently were left to us, one is much more difficult than the other, at least immediately, since we'd have to crawl through one of them and that might leave us totally defenseless against an unexpected attack. So, in this case, we could also pick what seems to offer most likely possibilities of progress: farther into the tomb (thus avoiding the ones near the entrance) and with less probabilities of an effective and definitive attack against us (which rules out the crawlspace until we have no further alternative)."


OOC: you're fast, Steve! =D We are still deciding if we go to the room with the stairs or not and you're already climbing them! :-p

So, I guess we all proceed to turn left. Can we just assume we cross the pit and go to the room?

Carefully, one by one, you cross the pit over its edge and move on towards the hall wherein you battled Aldinach, the demon lord. Nothing has changed here.

In response to Ail's post to my character...

Looking to Kherim first... There is a slight edge to his tone...

"Yes Kherim... I realize that taking such a left will be the next of the paths... I am not saying we should not take it infact I agree..."

Then turning to Ahi... That edge rises a bit but stays cold but almost insulted or indignant...

"And Ahi I hope you don't think I did not consider this point with that in mind... Yes I realize there is a great ruin to explore with dangers at every turn, but we came here to face danger and while caution may keep us alive we should not let it stop us! We see several paths from the same point, we take one, the best of them we can, and it leads to another several paths and we take one as well. We do not know where we are going so until we do we must take the path that is presented. The foul moldering priests spells and mechanisms are constantly delaying our efforts, twisting these paths and giving us dead ends but if we leave something for later we have to waste even more time backtracking to it then if we had just explored it in the first place and it was wrong! By all means choose the best path but if we must backtrack let us not spend more time than needed here searching for an easy path when we may have to tread the hard path anyways and lets not ignore an easy path put before us for the same reasons. Who knows where the final secret that opens to his true coffin will be? Take the first path and if it ends go back to the turn right before the last and take that one!!!"

His frustration slowing a bit Gaderon shakes his head and clears his thoughts biting his tongue for a second... He breathes in and out and looking to them with the same look in his eye and only a slightly calmer voice speaks again...

"I apologize for my tone... I am just ready to end this pompous monster for I tire of these games he plays with us! May we just continue?"

The last is rhetorical and after this Gaderon moves to catch up with the others in the parties lead and remains silent at the apparent agreement and dismissal of his logic... All paths would need exploring true but as to which would lead to the creature remained to be seen. If they were going left then fine at least it was coming up and they would not be backtracking more than necessary...

Since every secret door thus far has led deeper in or into other traps he could not say this path would be better or worse than the last. Predictably they worry about defense but since the group keeps putting off the dangerous areas for more open ones, and more secret ones while ignoring more open paths they have run into traps and guardians still. They simply needed to accept each challenge in order and eventually they might find a clue to the true path the foul Rahotep was on... Just follow one wall until they solved the maze... It was simple but it was all he could think of at the time...

Still his companion Asterion died here... He wanted to make sure his body made it out of here... And would prefer if it was sooner than later.

Kherim gives a pat on Gaderon's shoulder, concerned with the mounting frustration that the mage has show. It would eventually have to vent off:

"now, now, Gaderon, we are all stressed. By all means, don't feel ashamed for having to lash out if that helps you feel better, but please understand that none of was reproaching you. We all feel the weight of this tomb." He fixes Gaderon in the eye then says
"Now just try to bring peace into you. We can only beat these dangers by being focused on ourselves so we are more alert when the battle comes."

As Kherim tries to be as reassuring as possible, Ahi mumbles something to himself. Something like "never again defy a wizard at logic or planning... they're touchy..."