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[Xanmyral]

Jewel nodded at Rurail, pointing at the floor and moving along it as he motioned where the vibrations went to through memory, pointing at the Red Mirror.

"#Yes, I believe so, although I might question the expendable portion of that.#" The earth elemental said with a bit of humor, before trucking the conversation onwards. "#The torches[Sconce] did something with the fountain[Not Stone], maybe if enough of them are messed with something may happen. What is beyond me though.#"

If the crowbar is handed over, the elemental nods with a smile. "#Thanks, friend[Non-Dwarf, Non-Clan, Formal]. Now we don't have to risk a limb to find out if its a trap or not.#" With that, Jewel will tentatively poke at the inset with the crowbar with his gauntlet-clad hand, testing for a response. If nothing, he will motion for the others to continue messing with the torches while he watches it for a reaction, occasionally nudging it or applying pressure to see if something happens.

[Ross Vernal]

"May I ask how the scale works, at least? I can only assume that if someone tries to take more than the beads allow, it murders them in some spectacular fashion should they not return the correct amount of wealth to your vault?"

"It opens things. And each bead has a relative value of twenty-five crowns. If you try to carry more past it,  you physically cannot.  Greed is deadlier than magic. "

As Jewel applied pressure, the rectangular gap would pop open with a shriek of metal, causing the last torch(es)  to turn.  A moment of silence, and the manhole cover would slowly start unscrewing at the same time that the fountain's lower lip would slide back,  causing water to flow towards the hole. The smooth surface of the secret chamber in the fountain would rise,  looking like a pressure plate.

"That's the death trap. "

TRADESPEAK = ON

"Death servants, life water.  Many anger, much hurt.  Solve fast,  or fight hard."

Black,  foul smelling mist would rise as faint curses in Dark Elven would start to whisperecho throughout the chamber...

[GrizzlyAdamz]

His head spun at the sudden metallic screech, but blue's words & the pace of the changes indicated they still had a bit of time. A bit.
With some urgency,
"Shit. Ideas?"
20

[Remuthra]

Make yourselves useful for once and find a way to banish these heretic instruments! Those of you with more worth, with me! Trust in your faith, take up a weapon, and hold them off!

With this said, Thales hefts the nearest two-hander among the piles of treasure and prepares to leap towards the breach, intending to smite them and engage the enemy's attentions.

[Rolepgeek]

Daethwin stood very still, or so it seemed, as he absorbed all of the information and tried to figure out what to do with it. He didn't have time for magic to solve the puzzle, Blue had just said that the scale opens things, but the patterns of the shadows also opened things. Gah, it was effectively a coin toss...unless they did both. Even then, odds were good they would be screwed anyway.

"...Shit. #Jewel, the scales 'open things', beads are twenty-five crowns relative, could you try and see if that's the answer? Thank you.# Sylvari, help Jewel with the scales before we all die, please? Rurail, Thales, I want your help deciphering the shadows; they're spells, have to do with opening and closing, and it depends on how the shadows are oriented. Everyone, stay ready to fight at any time."

As he spoke, he picked up the nearest musical instrument that he could use that was in the room, hoping that it wasn't cursed or aligned against humans or thinking. He didn't need to deal with that right now. Luckily, there hadn't yet been made an instrument Daeth couldn't naturally play, so long as it was physically possible for him to use it (hard to play the water-flute when you can't breathe water). The bard had spoken very quickly, almost too quickly to comprehend, though the inherent magic of bards meant he could be understood perfectly. He continued speaking quickly, carrying on two conversations, effectively, one in Common and one in Dwarven, outlining his theories and observations about the shadows to Rurail and Thales, and the scales to Jewel. He hoped Sylvari could speak Dwarven....

[smurfingtonthethird]

Help out Jewel with the scales.

[Xanmyral]

"#On it!#"

The earth elemental rushed to the scales and looked it over thoroughly, seeing if it has two platforms, the general look of it, and anything that would stick out to him. He'll carefully nudge the platforms of the scales with the 'expendable' crowbar Daeth handed him, and generally looked for any sort of indention or depression on its surfaces, and if his knowledge of stone and masonry gives him any sort of insight. Nudging the scales, he'll test it going up, down, left and right, and even placing the crowbar on the scales itself for a moment to see if anything changes.

If something does indeed changes, such as an indication of more weight being needed for it to work, he'll try to place more weights to see if the reaction is positive. Times like these, he's thankful he carries around a good few stone cubes for rations.

During his examination, he'll speak hurriedly to Sylvari. "Scales help. Metal? I know metal no good--no know metal good, yes."

The elemental was mentally cursing at himself in dwarven for screwing up, he should of been more gentle with the impression! There has to be some way to fix this fast. Jewel would occasionally cast a wary, featureless grey eye towards the moving stone, each time quickening his pace.

[GrizzlyAdamz]

Rurail stoops down and throws a scoop of water onto his face & eyes before proceeding to the nearest wall & peering at the shadows.

[Ross Vernal]

Jewel would fiddle with the scale for a while, engrossed in triggering an effect, until coming to the realization that judging by the pattern and cut texture of the scale's bottom, it was not only the same kind of stone as that in the fountain (one typically found near aquifers), but was, in fact, carved from the exact same stone. It was, unsurprisingly, nearly exactly the size of the recess in the fountain, as Sylvari would notice while studying the scale as well. The half-elf would be the first to notice that one of the scales was slightly and deliberately imperfect (the one with the cubes); a tiny near-chip that would indicate "This is the significant side!" to those in the know. Before being able to say anything, Jewel would physically touch the texture difference and notice it.

Guided by his sense of the obvious (as well as the other senses), Thales would detect many undead below, as well as the general feeling of static-y energy that indicated something big was coming this way. Aside from the current death-mist spreading about, which, although noxious, wasn't damaging - yet. It wasn't so much the sense of "many death" so much as "There is too much Free Magic about". Naturally, Detect Heresy would be shrieking at him.

Rurail would notice the water felt bright and pure, providing a sense of pleasant coolness and relief to everywhere it was applied. Any that was tasted in the splashing would be sweet and nearly intoxicating, providing a slight mana buzz (+1 MP)

The shadows remained. Nothing more would come from them, although they sure did continue to make pretty shapes, only slightly marred by the greasy, foul mist that reeked of cigarette smoke, stale urine, grave dirt, the smorgasbord of decay of a large city, and stale death.  From underneath the raising lid, the echoing howls of the Servitors grew louder and louder as the trapped and maddened Dead sensed the life-force above and could finally lay hands on the treasure they had been coveting from mere feet away for the Gods only knew how long.

For those who could sense it, the tension level and general sense of about-to-burst heightened; the room was figuratively and literally thick with ill will.

[Remuthra]

"The heathen magic is inbound. Any progress on stopping it?"

The thought of free magic gave Thales an idea, something he could do to buy time. Channeling the power of his master, Arnum, god of magic, Thales would reach his arm into the well and attempt to neutralize the hostile magic by siphoning it into the aether.

[Rolepgeek]

"I've got nothing. Hope one of you guys has something, otherwise we're going to have to fight."

Daethwin bit his lip, running through thousands of songs in his head quickly, trying to find the suitable one for his purpose, steeling himself and getting ready to weave magic that might hopefully keep them contained within their cage, bouncing like echoes within a cave. He also stood behind Thales, just in case that didn't work.

[Xanmyral]

Jewel said nothing to the others as he quickly snagged the scales (sending the stone cubes he had set on it scattered to the ground no doubt) and moved towards the recess. He looked at the scales, the chip in the scales, and the hole in the fountain before carefully setting the scales in the recess, chip in first.

Perhaps it fit into something, or triggered something, the elemental knew not, but with the architecture of the room and the attention to detail, it didn't strike the earthen being that it was an accident. Should that fail, he'll quickly rotate it to where the chip faces outwards and then set the scales in it.

[Ross Vernal]

CLICK

CLICKCLICK

Silence, followed by an intense, ear-throbbing, room-shaking grind as the Red Mirror sunk into the floor. Beyond it was the secret treasure of the Red Clan - the absolute pick of thousands of years of war. Pre War of the Gods semi-artifacts. Deadly weapons crafted for the Armies of the Faithful; brilliant protection from those same engines of death. Statues of precious metals and aged carpets, instruments and even fine coral from the Sea Elves.

Although the smoke would remain and the manhole would remain on the verge of "wide open", the aggression of the Dead had stopped. The hostility remained, naturally, but for now, the dead rested.

"As I recall, Red's exact words were "Keep what you find".

Blue smiled. All of his teeth were showing.

If Jewel were to take a moment to examine the fountain before finding the exact treasure he didn't know he needed until then, he'd notice a new thin gap between the fountain and the surrounding floor. Given tháh the notch seemed to point at the Red Mirror, it implied further mechanisms.

[smurfingtonthethird]

LOOOOOOOT!

Sylvari checks to see what weapons are available for, um, 'borrowing.'

[Rolepgeek]

Daethwin's eyebrow raised. He looks at the mirrors each in turn, and wonders.

And then he looks at the manhole and the smoke, and wonders more.

And then he realizes the pun there and barely avoids making it.