Starday Morning, Fireseek 15, 591 Common Year

Indranil asks, “Adelina, it appears your seeing into another creature’s mind involves hearing their thoughts and/or words as well as seeing what they see. Would it possible for you to try and lift out the password to the glyphs from the guards if you have time and focus?”

Newt replies, “Yes, Sir Indranil, I think that would work. I think we could trick them into thinking the password and I should be able to see that. May I have someone to help me do so?”

Rain responds, “I believe we would need to attempt to open the door for the glyph to release. I will accompany Newt to one of the doors for her to do her thing.” She smiles over at Newt when she says this.

Aramek says, “I would suggest that a couple of us get by one of the doors along with Newt and have a conversation about the fact that we need to try to figure out what the password is. Even try saying a few. The fact that we’ll be talking about guessing the password may make one of the enemy on the other side of the door actually think of it.”

Rain chuckles softly saying, “Nice.”

Newt says, “Aramek just summarized my plan.” Turning to Sir Indranil, “My lord, do we have your leave to go try this?”

Indranil responds, “Rain, take Adelina and Aramek and see how creative you can be to procure those passwords. As before, please do not to trip the glyph or try the passwords until we can finalize our plans. Before you go, what is the range that sets off the glyph? Can we get right up to the door without setting it off? Do you have to touch it or try and pass through it to set it off? We will need to know to plant the fuel for the fires tonight. The rest of us will stay here and continue discussing our plans for tonight and tomorrow.”

Rain responds, “Sir Indranil, I would prefer if Father Gar were with us… just in case.”

Indranil nods his assent. “Go ahead Father Gar.”

Newt stops the small party a safe distance from the main door. Speaking in a low voice, “We need to make this look, sound, and even smell real if it’s going to work. That means that one of you needs to kneel near the glyph and fuss with it like you really are trying to get through it, doing everything but setting it off. I’ll be right behind – and I mean right behind that person, trying to see their response. The others will make conversation as Aramek said, suggesting possible passwords or actions. Even if they think the password, I may not react right away. I want to keep focusing on them as long as I can, in case they give more information about the glyph or anything else. If it works, I’ll fill you all in soon enough. Please don’t disturb me unless it’s a matter of some danger. Everybody ready? Who’s going to examine the glyph first? Okay, let’s step up to the door now and make it look real.”

Rain says, “I will kneel in front of the glyph. You can be right behind me. But first I would like to examine one more thing with all of you at a safe distance. I want to make sure it is safe for when you get close to it, Newt.”

Newt says, “No argument from me. Just be careful yourself.”

With arrogant nonchalance, Gar uses his magic to study the glyph, while doubling as Newt’s human shield.

As Gar does this, Rain leans in very close to his ear and whispers ever so softly “Make sure you are all back at least five yards. Protect Newt and be ready with your healing power. I’m gonna disable this fucking thing now and be done with it.”

Gar responds, “Just give me a few seconds more to confer resistance upon us all milady.” Then Gar blesses Rain, Newt, Aramek, and himself as well and then herds everyone 25’ back from the door.

Rain approaches the door, takes out her masterwork lock-picking tools and begins to inspect the glyph once more.

With some urgency in his voice, Aramek says, “Father Gar, I believe we are here to ascertain the password, if possible, not to enter the mound. The last thing I want to do is set off the glyph or otherwise invite our enemies out of the mound while we are still unrested from the day’s efforts. Please don’t do anything that will cause the enemy to come out at this time.”

“Lady Rain is seeking knowledge.” Gar tries to smile reassuringly but utterly fails.

As Rain carefully steps through the nearly invisible mystical traceries of the glyph that are woven over the inset area in front of the door she feels a tingling from the necklace of black scales she had put on earlier. Now standing in the middle of the glyph with her back to her friends she pulls the scales out from beneath her shirt and armor and on the back of one she feels an inscription carved into the scale. Looking at it she sees the word “base” in the Amedi language. Considering that it might be the password for the glyph or perhaps a command word to activate some type of magic she takes the chance and says the word softly. The tingling then spreads over her body. It soon fades into a barely susceptible feeling of being protected, though from what or to what extent she cannot be sure.

Facing the door, tools in hand, Rain smiles wickedly to nobody in particular. Today is a good day. She carefully begins to deactivate the glyph. Lady Sedara had taught Rain that when trying to use magic items or disabling magical traps the main thing was to trick the magic. In the case of using magic devices attuned to those with arcane or divine power or for a particular type of person, the skilled agent should be able to mentally convince the item that its conditions had been met. In the case of disabling a magical trap like a glyph it was a matter of cutting through the magical triggers, finding just the right traceries and clipping or unhooking them with a gesture or better yet one of the clips from the set of masterwork tools she had been given. From a rational point of view it was ridiculous. One should not be able to defuse a trap by cutting through intangible lines, but when magic was involved logic went by the boards.

Unfortunately glyphs are tricky and attempting to defuse one can just as often (or more often) set it off, as Rain does in this case. After cutting the wrong line the traceries suddenly flare into full visibility and then turn into a spray of acid that soaks the entire inset space before the door – searing away all the vegetation and burning lines into the door. Rain stifles a yelp and draws back into the clear space she has found in the center of the glyph as the deadly drops are scattered all about her. When it ends, she finds that she had avoided doom by inches, for none of the traceries directly crossed her body, and the few drops of acid that did fall on her only left a painful red itch but did not melt her flesh away the way it had everything else that was touched by it. The tingling from the necklace had flared up at the same time and is now fading back to a subtle feeling of protection. Harsh laughter can be heard through the door, but the glyph is no more, now that it has been activated. Rain breathes a sigh of relief to find she is alive and in fact unscathed.

Rain casually walks out from the tunnel wearing a wicked smile saying in a hushed tone, “Okay, it’s safe now. Newt, wanna come back with me to the door to get this done?”

Xalakae wasn’t expecting her to actually try to disarm the glyph yet. Rain was only to inspect it or fake disarming it. Still, Rain apparently thought she should do that, so Xalakae keeps to hier’s part and scans the minds beyond the door.

“Shush. Let me focus.” It seems Newt is already trying to do her part.

Xalakae senses the thoughts of one of the Deathwalkers. He is speaking to the others, “Shush, let me hear. I don’t know if it killed one of them or not. I thought I heard someone and the glyph did go off. Eww! You can smell it! Damn, maybe they got out in time! But how? Oh shit, now this door’s unwarded. Quick someone tell the Adept!”

Newt says, “They’re going to tell the Adept that the door is unwarded. I think we may have company coming. Nothing about any password.”

“Newt, run and tell Indranil that I accidently tripped the glyph and what you heard and suspect. The rest of us form up behind the lizardfolk. Now.”

Aramek is increasingly angry at the fact that his concerns, warnings and suggestions have been totally ignored. Rain has shown herself to be head-strong, encouraged by a priest that seems to have no regard for anyone but himself and has decided he will be the one to take down the sorcerer inside the mound, regardless of what harm may come to the rest of them. Aramek was almost beginning to like Gar, but this has gone far enough.

 With a real sense of exasperation Aramek says to Rain and Gar, “What have you done?! Now they know we’re at the door and the glyph is no longer in place. You’ve tipped our hand and I, for one, am in no shape to fight even one strong sorcerer.”

Angry, Aramek turns on his heel heads back up the mound.

Newt runs to tell Indranil. “Sir Indranil! Rain tripped the glyph. Inside they realized the glyph was gone and went to tell ‘the Adept.’ It wasn’t from them, but I think they may be coming out.”

Indranil calls out, “To Arms! To Arms! Chief Rahk spread your warriors around the five entrances in preparation and shot on sight. Sgt Apone have your men wait in reserve at the crown of the hill to see where they may be needed and to provide covering fire. Knights and Father Gar, Rain, Aramek, and Newt come with me to the main entrance.

“Rain have ready an indivisibility potion. Your chance may come to slip behind the debased adept and slay him quickly. Everyone remember, the minute we identify the adept everyone must turn and fall upon him. Overwhelming speed is our only chance.

“By the goddess this is ill.”

Almost as an afterthought Indranil yells as he runs to stand over the main entrance: ”Chief Rahk, have your warriors dump the fire wood that has been collected so far in front of each of the four mid-hill entrances and set them on fire. Hurry! This must be done at once. We have to slow their exit if we are to have a chance of living. Father Gar please help them fire the wood and return as quickly as you can.”

Fingol runs over to Indranil and in Elvish asks, “Sir, who should take the second invisibility potion and serve as back up to Rain?”

The fires are started and everyone waits in their positions, but after all that nothing happens. Nothing and no one stirs from inside.

Xalakae is getting nothing from inside the mound, at least not from the main entrance. Assuming that s/he checks the other entrances, she does pick up thoughts from there – restless anticipation, wondering if you are all going to break in through the main entrance now that it is no longer warded. Wondering if the Adept or Reece will set a new ward just inside the main entrance.

Newt returns to the entrance and resumes watching the door. In a few moments she moves to look at the other doors, each in turn.

Almost tonelessly, Newt says, “They are restless, waiting, wondering. They wonder if the Adept or Reece will set a new ward inside the door.” Blinking as if waking up, she questions, “Does that mean that Relikez can’t cast spells?” then turns back to the doors.

Aramek, still seething at the way he believes Gar engineered this entire fiasco, uses his magic message to quietly say to Indranil (and only Indranil), “Now we’re for it and this could have been avoided, were it not for Father Gar’s meddling. I’m angrier than I have ever been and if I survive this, it will be no thanks to that ridiculous excuse for a self-serving priest.”

“Good Aramek, you are right, this is ill timing. We will get to the bottom of this. I will want everyone to speak their mind plainly and without reservation to all the knights and Chief Rahk so that we may make fair hearing so please when asked don’t hold back your observations.”

Indranil exclaims, “By the Goddess! Knights, Chief Rahk, Father Gar, Rain, Aramek and Newt follow me to the crown of the hill. I want a word. The rest will remain on guard and at full alert.”

Indranil before leaving says to Lt. Ahsk, “please lay the wood in front of the main entrance and fire it too. The fires must now remain lit.”

Fingol runs over to Indranil and in Elvish asks, “Sir, who should take the second invisibility potion and serve as back up to Rain?”

Replying in Elvish, Indranil quietly says, “You Sir Fingol, you are quick and sure with your blade. Please join with me at council to hear what ill has occurred. I will need your perspective and patience as I am hard pressed to contain my anger.”

Fingol looks around for Aramek. If he is anywhere nearby he wants to get that potion. This is no time to be unprepared!