The Master Of Zooz

[karkarinus]

Kalmer is somewhat aghast at the thought of deadly riddles - they have come too far for all to suddenly end now - but in all honesty he is actually quite excited at the prospect of some action. "Silence will be our only salvation from instant death, Kyto. But we shall be eternally imprisoned in the Ossarium. Our only chance to leave would be to break that silence, and suffer the implicit consequences if we err. That course of action is futile. I say we try our wits with the five riddles that just might give us a means of guaranteed egress. Five riddles are harder to answer than one, but at least our lives will not be directly at stake. If all else fails, we are back to square one and the lone Riddle of Doom. Or at least, this is how I understand the predicament."

 

He turns to the group, expectant of their reactions....

[phawk69]

"Aldhelm, do you remember the exact wording your Spirit Contact used? It could be important. I can help you remember if you need." T'skar reaches out and gently touches Aldhelm's shoulder. He repeats what he had heard:

"What there is of me is waiting in the ossuary. Be warned. When you enter the ossuary a door will close with you inside. Anyone left outside will die instantly. When you wish to leave you must answer a difficult riddle. You have one attempt and a wrong answer brings death. There is an alternative. When the tunnel you are in approaches the temple it forms a complete circle around it. Six side passages lead off towards the ossuary but only one leads into it. The others lead to traps and tests but also to five coloured segments which can be used to open the door in the ossuary. I do not know the riddle you will be asked but if you wish to try your luck turn to the right at the end of your tunnel and take the second passageway on the left. If you prefer to get the key, stay out of that tunnel until you have all five sections."

 

T'skar mulls the words over. "Traps and tests sounds a little more hazardous than puzzles" she muses, "but I suppose they may not be as deadly as the riddle. Myself, I think between Baba, Kalmer and I we should be able to figure out any riddle, so I vote for the direct approach." She waits on the others.

 

 

occ> it seems our order is:

1. Aldhelm

2. T'skar

3. Kalmer

4. Tiax

5. Kyto

6. Baba

7. Ani

[Malchik]

Aldhelm again hears Costanta.

 

"I do not recognise these companions of yours. When you enter the ossuary you will be locked within. You must either hold the five key pieces or ask for and answer the riddle. Do not ask for the riddle if you hold the key or you will have to answer it anyway. If you wish to visit one of the other passages to see what you might be facing that will not cause you a problem."

 

OOC> With DragondudeAW facing finals and presumably very busy for the next couple of weeks we can assume he passes this message on to everyone.

[Baba-John]

In my humble opinion, I believe Kalmer has chosen the safest path.

Let us not place all our eggs in one basket, as death is mostly permanent.

I vote we get the puzzle pieces………………………………

[Abramul]

"Perhaps you are right...We will be permitted to confer amongst ourselves before answering, correct?"

[phawk69]

"I agree with Baba and Kalmer, I suppose. If it's not going to lose us anything to go down one of the other passages, why don't we see what's there first, then decide." T'skar waits for Aldhelm to lead them forth.

[Malchik]

The path to the circular passageway is long and poorly constructed. Not one of you escapes without the odd bump and bruise from stumbling or overlooking projecting stones. The wounds are minor but do not improve tempers. At the junction with the circular passage you turn to the right. In order to be properly oriented you go first to the passsage that leads to the ossuary. There is nothing visible about it, or the one you passed to get there, that shows anything special.

 

You continue past the ossuary tunnel to the next. While there is nothing to see you can hear what sounds like a child crying.

 

Proceeding cautiously you come into a space large enough for fifteen to twenty people to stand, obviously a natural cave. Ahead of you is a grille door through which you can make out a second room. This room has three visible doors. In the middle of the room a child is sitting cross-legged and in a flood of tears.

 

The grille appears to be openable but it is attached to a strange mechanism. It is clear that at most two can get through before it closes. Nevertheless you can certainly talk through it to the rest of the party.

 

Calling to the child gets no response.

[Abramul]

"I would guess that we need to calm the child. If so, it would make sense for I and T'Skar to be the ones to enter."

 

Kyto looks for some sort of label near the grille.

[karkarinus]

ooc> Assuming whoever goes in can get back out again, let's do it. If Kyto and T'Skar want to be the ones, then fine. Hoist that grille!

[phawk69]

T'skar studies the mechanism, looking for any obvious traps, or a lock of some type. She turns to Kyto "You could become small enough to get through the grill without opening it, couldn't you? That way possibly three of us could be in there. I would feel better if either Baba or Kalmer were along as well." She waits for a response.