It doesn't take much to push the boulder. It rolls straight at the skeletons and knocks down all ten. They vanish in a puff of smoke.

The boulder rolls over to one side of the chamber and disappears through a hole in the wall.

A green skull pops up from the middle of the cauldron.

"Good shot! Resetting."

The skull disappears.

Skeletons begin to climb out of the cauldron.

Lisette almost drops her battleaxe in surprise.
"So this is SOME SORT OF GAME??!!" She looks at the others incredulously and sighs and sits down against the wall of the tunnel. "This is unbelievable, what kind of weird dimension is this?"

Lurel collapses into helpless laughter - after the attack earlier, and the tension of being in this maze he simply cannot help it.

Wiping the tears of laughter from his eyes he says as soon as he is capable of speaking again:

"Well, that was unexpected! Princess Siffli, have you ever heard of anything like it? But I suppose we should get out of here...in case that boulder appears behind us, and we'll end up as the ninepins!"

ooc> good spot, Lurel's empathy skill improves to include semi-sentient beings; Ford's problem solving skills improve, the Princess can 'see' a little further ahead (now three junctions in a straight line).

You return to the junction you left just as the boulder trundles down the passage in Indiana Jones' fashion.

Turning left you reach the crossroads. As you expected turning right would lead to the box you avoided. The path ahead Siffli can tell goes some way. What you can see is a path going off to the left, the usual distance ahead. To your immediate left you can barely make out the end of the tunnel. And each time you look it is different. At first sight it appears to be a dead end but perhaps also a 'living' end.

You update your map.

OOC: Does Indiana Jones even exist in this crazy dimension?

IC:

Lisette sat down again. She did not feel the immediate urge to press on anymore, if the rest of the maze was all fun and games she would be quite alright. She allowed the battleaxe back into a dagger and spoke up. "I reckon that we should turn left here" she said, "if there's something unpleasant at the end of the tunnel, we'll be able to see it and turn back, it looks like the obvious route to go deeper into this maze as it heads away from anywhere else that we've previously been".

Siffli looks at Lurel. "Ah, no, not that I know of," she says. "Then, of course, I have lived a rather sheltered life. Please forgive me if I spare you the consequences of striking up a conversation that winds up with all of us thinking in the gutter. I suggest we split, before we wax poetic and get caught in the return."

Siffli lets a wry smile come to her face, the first one since she got in here. Was this going to be so bad? Or was it the madness of the one who should not be named that created this.

Lurel frowns.

"Err... of course, Princess."

He turns to Ford and whispers: "What on Zorlon is she talking about? Did you understand a word of what she just said?"

With a shrug, he turns to Lisette. "Well - we have been told that the way out of the maze is to the south. But I think there's more to this maze than just getting out... like meeting that dog, Laca - I have a feeling that was important."

He stares at the dead end to their left. "What is going on there?"

Perhaps the encounter with the skeleton ninepins has made him incautious, but he takes a few steps into the dead end passage to the left, to get a better look at the end wall.

Ford whispers back to Lurel.

"I have no idea. I think she's starting to loose it."

He looks down the passage to the left as well.

"Why do I start to get the feeling we'll end up having to head north to go south?"

Lurel can sense no problem in the passage. As he gets a little closer to the wall he can see it is made up of a design of lips all opening and closing, and changing shape and type.

In the lead, Lurel hears the following message in his head.

"This leads nowhere. But don't forget, when you reach the switches, quick march!"

There is nothing further and nothing else to see but the whispering wall.

Lisette turns left and walks a little way, waiting for the others.

Looking forwards and straining, she can make out little in paticular. She turns around an, hand on hips - perhaps a gesture to conceal anxiety, looks at the others with one eyebrow raised.
"Well, are we going or have you been hearing voices in your head or something?" she smiles at her own amazingly sarcastic wit.

OOC:

"Be careful," Lurel warns, choosing not to respond to Lisette's remark. "We're getting close to that box, and we should stick together - especially after what happened at the last one. Though -" he interrupts himself, the frown which has almost become his customary expression since they left Levdia on his face once again - 'we've explored a lot of the area surrounding the box, and there can't be many hiding places for attackers left. Midge - is your spoon working again? Is it still showing danger?"

He looks at each of the others in turn. "Should we ignore the box, or investigate, even if there's danger? "

At the point where you are standing (i.e. you have not entered the passage leading to the box) Midge's spoon is neutral.

OOC> Other things beside your group can move. That a passage or room was empty last time you looked doesn't means it need stay that way. At this very moment someone could be creeping along the passages you have seen intent to turn you all into shish kebabs! However, unless specifically directed otherwise you will not need to go more than once to any place.

"Hmm... well all the other times the spoon has turned silver it's been a very definite danger."

Ford points to the gash on his leg that the undead body possessor kindly inflicted on him.

"If we do try to open it I suggest we do it with a very LONG stick."

"Princess Siffli, can you sense any attackers near the box?" Lurel asks. "If you could provide some warning at least we won't run right into an ambush."

He draws his dagger and starts to move towards the box - walking very slowly, and cautiously, listening out for sounds a potential attacker might make.

Lisette frowned as her leg started aching more vehemently as she watched Lurel approach the box. She still did not considered her vow fulfilled - she concentrated the her dagger turned back into a battleaxe.

No one can see or sense anything in the passage and you can see beyond the box but Midge's spoon gets brighter as you advance. It may be the danger is the box or something in one (or both) sides of the crossing passage.

"Lisette," Lurel asks, "can you keep an eye on those side passages, in case something hostile is lurking in them? Ford, can you guard our back...we don't want to get surprised again, like we did last time. Midge, does the spoon change in brightness when you hold it out towards the side passages?"

He pauses for breath, then continues: "Princess, can you sense anyone in the side passages? And would you be able to open the box telepathically, so we can all keep a safe distance in case it is trapped?"

Lurel is trying not to let his anxiety show - is it safe to open the box? Is it even worth it? But if they don't, how will they know? He clutches his dagger tightly as he advances another few hesitant steps towards the box.

Ford nods.

"Well, ok."

He draws his sword and turns around so his back is to the others, keeping an eye on the area ahead of him.

Midge's spoon becomes a beacon as he moves towrds the southern passage, less so as he moves to the northern passage. The first has no light, the second has a strange glow similar to those you have seen elsewhere in the maze. No sound comes from either.

There is certainly something in the southern passage. You can sense it. The air is cold and makes your flesh creep.

When you reach the box you see it is heavy and gold coloured. It is also open and contains nothing. It is resting on what could be a loose stone because the edge of the flagstone is clearly visible. Indeed it is slightly lower than the other stones that make up the floor at this point.

Lisette glances nervously at the dark passages and glances even more nervously at the shining spoon. Her battleaxe held at the ready, she takes a few steps to approach the box and scanning the passages to her sides. She has not spotted anything as of yet.

Siffli tries to push out again. If I had known that this was going to happen, I would have listened to my psi-trainer better. she thinks to herself. She tries to figure out how to get attuned to the spoon, so taht when it goes off, she can instantly feel what is affecting it in that way. Perhaps if she tried REALLY hard....

(that was me, guys, I had Melisande over and she posted in Arcangel, forgot to log out before I went back in to here again....sorry)

Siffli is only just beginning to realise that the reason her skills are constrained is that the magic is not that of Avelyssia. And yet as far as she knows there have never been any dwellers on the dimension but Avelyssians.

There was that - human - in the tunnels though!

She can sense that it is safe to turn to the right, towards the light.

Her attempt to see to the left is blocked not only by the magic but by a physical stone doorway. To judge from the spoon it would be a bad idea to let whatever lurks behind the doorway escape.

But if there is a mechanism to open the door it is not immediately apparent. It would be disastrous to trigger the door by accident.

The only strange thing in the area is the box on its sunken stone.

"Hmmm." Lurel looks at the box, and the stone it is resting on. "Call me paranoid, but that looks like a trap to me. The box is pushing down the stone, it appears, and who knows what we'll trigger if we move it. Perhaps we'll even release whatever it is the spoon is warning us about. I think we should leave it well alone - and watch where we put our feet."

He turns towards the northern passage, and the glow coming from it.

"Of course, the box and the stone could have no purpose at all, and it is by walking towards the glow that we spring the trap....."

He sighs. "Well, I shall explore the tunnel to the right. It can't be that long, to judge by the layout of the maze. The glow reminds me of the faces we passed earlier - perhaps here the faces will tell us something."

He turns to walk towards the northern passage, carfull not to step on the flagstones around the box, and proceeds slowly towards the glow.

ooc>as I'm off home in 30 I'll post now. I don't think I can put two attachments on one post so it'll be two I'm afraid.

As Lurel expects there are more glowing faces, these etched into the grey rock of the celining of the mall room. There is one in each corner and one in the centre. They say and do nothing no matter what you try.

You return to the junction where the box sits on the plate and update your map.

Lurel returns to the others.

"Well, that didn't go anywhere - just more faces. Does anyone really want to see what lies to the south of this box, or shall we go back to the last junction, and then turn south?"

Ford turns around to the others.

"Hmm. I think we should just go back. This area is obviously just a trap."

Lisette glanced at the box. "How much do you reckon it weighs?" she stared at it for a moment and then looked at her axe. "You reckon about the same as my battleaxe here?" She smiled mischievously.

OOC: please forgive my LONG absence



"That wouldn't be such a great idea.... perhaps if i..." Midge pulls out a dagger and hurls it at the box.

"Get ready"

Lisette quickly dropped her axe onto the plate as the box was thrown from it by the dagger. She closed her eyes and tensed waiting for some kind of horrible death but it didn't come. She looked at the others and crouched down by the slightly dented box and started working at the lock.

OOC> I have already stated the box is lidless and empty.

Lisette can quickly see that the box is gimcrack rubbish, made out of cheap if heavy metal. The stone is still depressed by the weight of her axe. But for the second it was released you heard a door begin to move.

It is now clear the pressure plate holds the door closed. If Midge's spoon is so bright with the door locked in position...

Midge retrieves his dagger to find he has caused a nick near the top, reducing its effectiveness.

Lurel, Ford and Lisette feel more aware of the tunnels seeming to be communicating with them. As if they had passed a test by recognising the trap.

You understand that to succeed you must show intelligence and honour.

Lurel releases the breath he caught when Midge threw his dagger.

"Did you hear that noise?" he asks, trying to mask his alarm. "First of all we need to find out if whatever was behind that door is still trapped there. Princess, can your 'sight' tell you anything more now than it did before?"

He pauses, briefly.

"Just in case we have released something we shouldn't have, we need to establish the best way to get away from it - pointlessly running around this maze won't do us any good. Midge - we need you and your spoon for that. Can you go back to the last junction, and see if the way south is safe? Ford, can you go with him - two pairs of eyes are better than one. "

'At least that will give them a headstart, if we have unleashed a monster.'

"We can't leave without your axe, Lisette - you're going to need it. And we can't take it until we put the box back. And before we do that we need to know by just how much that door moved. I'm going to have look. Princess, perhaps you can cast your mind beyond the barrier now, and find out just what we're dealing with?"

He looks at the others. "If you hear sounds of battle, run. The exit is south. I'll try to buy you some time, if it comes to that. I don't think the door opened by much. But then we don't know what size of gap whatever was behind it can get through."

He swallows, and slowly proceeds towards the barrier. He doesn't intend to go any further than he has to...

"Don't go being a hero Lurel. I'd prefer to get out of this without any of you dying! I still owe you for getting me out of that prison, after all."

Ford smiles then nods to Lurel and then motions to Midge. He proceeds with Midge to the junction and checks the south corridor.

Lurel turns around and grins.
"I'm not a hero - I can just run pretty fast when I have to."

Then his attention is back on the passageway - and whatever is - hopefully - still blocking it.

The door to the passage is still in place. It can only have moved a fraction. Yet trapped and presumably severed Lurel sees an arm that resembles that of a human. However it has three hands all with huge talons. As he listens he can hear something moving inside. It sounds enormous but sounds can lie.

Ford and Midge return to the junction and turn south to the next - a path to the left. From this vantage point they can see the present tunnel continuing. There is a turn off to the right further on and they cannot see much beyond. Looking to the left, there is also a turn to the right visible off that passage too. The path goes beyond into a faint luminescence.

Midge's spoon is at what you come to realise is 'be on your guard' level. There is no indication of special danger.

You update your map. Note only Ford and Midge are at the new point.

"Hmm... well doesn't seem to be anything specific."

Ford turns around.

"Come on Midge, let's go."

He heads back to where the others are.

"No specific danger to the south back at the other junction... the spoon seems to maintain it's normal 'be cautious' glow."

Lurel grabs the longest thing he can lay his hands on - his sword - and cautiously pokes at the arm. If it is severed, he tries to drag it through to junction with the box. Rather than risk touching it, he uses the sword to push it. If it isn't severed, he leaps back and waits for a reaction before returning to the others.

The bloody arm comes away from the wall. It is very much as a human arm would be, severed just above the elbow. The three hands are grotesque. The talons are hard as diamond and so sharp Lurel would draw blood simply by touching them.

Lurel leaves the arm in the passageway, and shudders with revulsion.

"That thing would have shredded us in no time," he says, to no one in particular. "I have no idea what kind of creature is behind that door - and I certainly don't want to find out. It sounded big..... and I don't want to find out how many other arms like this it has."

He turns away, nods towards Ford and Midge. "Just coming - south it is. Lisette, it should be safe enough to get your axe - then let's go."


More than ever Lurel is convinced that this maze is a test - but who is testing them, and what are the criteria? Compassion? Honour? Caution?

Lisette, hearing the familiar voice, drops the box onto the plate while retrieving her axe with her other hand at the same time. The plate wobbles but remains in the same place. She gets up, turns the axe back into a dagger, and looks at the others. "Well? Where to?"

You proceed to the point where Ford and Midge had scouted. To take the left hand passageway will be taking you along the boundary of the maze (you can tell from the section you have covered so far). To go straight on will leave areas unexplored right and left. This will not matter as long as you remember where you miss in case you can't get out.

Which way do you turn?

"Somehow I feel more comfortable staying closer to the edge of the maze," Lurel says, "and so far... well... the dead ends we've explored along the boundary have been preferable to the traps and attackers we've met in the centre. Of course, there's no guarantee that it will stay that way, but still - I'd like to see what's down the left-hand passage."

He looks to the others, to see if they agree with his decision.

OOC> I'm off for the weekend so I'll assume you follow Lurel's suggestion.

You take the left hand passage as far as the next junction. Siffli is able to tell that ahead is a dead end. It has a glow not dissimilar to those you have seen before but brighter and perhaps more welcoming.

The passage to your right, parallel to the one you just left extends beyond the point Siffli can sense. She tells you there is a crossroads just ahead, then a path to the left and then another crossroads. The path continues south but she will have to move nearer to tell you more. There are noises - strange ones hard to identify - coming from one or more of the side tunnels. Unfortunately she cannot push her sensing skills around corners.

Checking your map it would appear that at the next crossroads the left branch has to be a dead end.

You update your map, though the knowledge of the side tunnels is at present a best guess.

"What is that noise?? I hope it's not more psychos."

Ford looks around the tunnels.

"Um, mind if we head north first? At least it's well lit."

" I agree... i would feel much safer if we continued on straight, strange noises usually are a bad thing"

"Let's see what that glow is, first, even if it isn't leading anywhere." Lurel suggests. "It looks... well... less alarming than some of the others we've seen. Then again, this could well be another trap...."

He shrugs.

"Midge? Can you sense any danger in the direction of that light?"

OOC> Sorry I've been away sick for a couple of days!

Midge does not sense danger but has an uncomfortable sense that there may be more to it than they can feel. You move half way along the passage to see better. The room is a rectangle. The glow comes from the short sides. You will not be able to see the presumed faces without going in.

Lurel hesitates.

"It feels odd," he says softly. "I'm not sure about this place. But if you can't feel danger... Princess Siffli, can you perceive what's in there?"

He waits for the Princess' response.