The suffocating dust of the tunnel finally gives way to a wide, natural cavern. The air is cool and smells of wet slate, a welcome relief from the stale, magical decay of the Spire.
Garth
The ground feels solid for the first time in hours. We are making good time.
Derick Force
The tunnel ends here at a massive iron portcullis, likely the final gate before the lower reaches of the mountain.
The Ash-Wrapped Sentinel
Beyond this gate lies the root of the mountain, and the place where we must finally anchor the stone.
Kellan
It is quiet. Too quiet. Even the mountain seems to be holding its breath in anticipation of what comes next.
Joi trots to the iron gate, her nose twitching as she lets out a low, inquisitive whine. She paws at a recessed lever hidden in the masonry, her eyes fixed on the darkness beyond the bars.
+ Scene Quest Added
Pass through the iron portcullis
“"Haha! Good girl, Joi! "You chuckle, walking to the lever. Before pulling it, you ask anyone about any injuries.”
SUCCESS (Great Persuasion, rolled -1)
Derick Force
Haha. Good girl, Joi.
Derick Force
Before we proceed, check yourselves. Is everyone holding up? Any injuries I need to know about?
Garth
Just a few scrapes, Derick. Nothing that keeps me from swinging my blade.
Kellan
I am sustained by the stone. My strength is not my own today, but it is enough.
The Ash-Wrapped Sentinel
The weight of the ages is a wound no salve can heal.
Derick Force grips the moss-covered lever. With a resonant, grinding groan of protesting metal, the portcullis rises slowly into the cavern ceiling.
“Walk through the portcullis, and look for anything interesting or dangerous”
SUCCESS (Legendary Perception, rolled +3)
Derick Force steps through the threshold of the lifted gate, his boots crunching on ancient, calcified debris. Joi trots confidently at his side, nose twitching as she picks up a scent.
Derick Force
The air here is thin, tasting of ozone and forgotten copper.
As he sweeps his gaze across the cavern floor, a flicker of movement catches his eye. Tucked behind a basalt pillar lies a pristine, obsidian-hilted dagger resting atop a pedestal of smooth, white marble.
Garth
That is no mere relic, Derick. Feel the hum of it in the air.
Kellan
Be cautious. The pedestal is trapped to discourage the greedy, yet it seems to recognize the crest on your shoulder.
Derick Force reaches out. The moment his fingers brush the obsidian hilt, the marble pedestal glows with a soft, inviting azure light, confirming his lineage and rendering the trap dormant.
Quest Complete
Pass through the iron portcullis
Skill Upgrade: Persuasion Great→Superb
+ New Item Acquired
Obsidian-hilted dagger