The group split up attempting to achieve a couple of things. Those of fey ancestory, Etienne, Kaileer, and Renn, headed for the west end of the hall to look for the entrance to the hidden room. Blacky, Aloysius, and Arachne took the lantern and went back to the room that Heydrus had indicated was the dungeon level storeroom. The remaining four, Falgout, Jana, Lasiar, and Rumer, returned to the shrine. Lasiar cast a spell that caused the dim light of the stars to shine down from the ceiling of the shrine. It was enough to see by to clean, barely, and the stars winking down were actually quite pretty.
Blacky opened the door to the room only to be set upon by a rat, a foot and a half in length, which promptly tried to bite his ankles. It didn't succeed, however, and Blacky made short work of it before it had a chance to try again. The room was literally filled with junk. By searching around for a while, the three came up with four torches, one new and three which had already been burned to some degree.
Around the time the group in the storeroom finished looking around and headed back for the shrine.
"Let's get back to the shrine, so they have some more light." Blacky said as he lit one of the burnt torches and headed to the shrine.
Etienne found the outline of a door and what was likely the catch to open it.
"Well, I did go right past that section," Rennirolas said softly as he smiled. "Should we report back to the others with what you have found Etienne?"
Rennirolas patted the belted longsword Kaileer had loaned him. "My thanks for the use of your blade Kaileer," the elf said as he brought a closed fist up to his chest with a slight bow also. "Should we return to the cache of weapons, I shall retrieve my blade from there."
"Stargazer shall take the lantern and see if anyone from the shrine wishes to assist with this door." He turned to walk back to the shrine, then stopped. Looking back over his shoulder at the fey folk, he said, "Er . . .don't start without me." He then proceeded to the shrine.
"Have no fear Aloysius, I have no intention of doing that," Renn said with a slight smile. "And I do hope Etienne and Kaileer share my intentions.
"But hold a moment, if you please Aloysius," Rennirolas said, as he dug into an interior pocket and retrieved a small copper coin. "I shall try to center a light upon this metal, perhaps it shall be of use. When you asked earlier, I was not sure how needed this light would be, but I shall try," Rennirolas explained.
Rennirolas quietly prayed to Corellon. The copper piece started giving off light.
"Excellent!" exclaimed Aloysius, as he saw the light. "I shall take both the coin and the lantern to those in the shrine so they too shall have a source of illumination. If Rumer shall return with me, perhaps she can determine if there be any traps on this door."
He grinned at Rennirolas. "At a more appropriate time, perhaps thou wilt tell me more of thy lord?" He headed back to the shrine.
Etienne watched the mage run off with the glowing coin, "Curious....He can cast his own sort of magic but gets more excited by a light glamour placed on a coin."
He quietly waited for the others to return.
When they did Etienne spoke up, "How did Ranchefus get into bedroom? We only found 2 doors. One was blocked by the large bookcase. The other was the one that went down with the goblins. I think we missed something in there."
Meanwhile, Lasiar's spell ended, leaving everyone in the shrine in the dark.
"Beautiful," Jana muttered in the darkness. "Just f@*% beautiful."
Rumer giggled, "I'm glad you know more than one cuss word."
"Falgout, are you still there?"
"One of the advantages of growing up in mercenary camps," Jana replied lightly.
"You would have liked the gypsy camps too then," replied Rumer, with a hidden smirk.
Jana laughed quietly. "Their campfire stories were probably more realistic."
"I'm still here," Falgout muttered in reply.
Blacky arrived in the shrine with a burning torch shortly after Lasiar's spell went out. He placed it the nearest sconce and set two slightly used torches down nearby. "That should hold you guys for awhile. I'm going to see what our elven friends found at the end of the hallway." Blacky said as he stuck an unused torch in his backpack and headed off down the hall.
Aloysius, carrying the lantern, poked his head into the shrine. "Rennirolas hath located the secret chamber. Perhaps one or two of you should join us afore we open the door? These chests may be guarded by something. Rumer, wouldst thou inspect the door for traps?"
"Yeah," Jana said. "I'll come."
"Are we done here?" Rumer asked in reply.
The room was obviously going to take at least another hour to clean, and that was probably an underestimate. Lasiar looked like he intended to stay and clean, if someone would give him a light source. Falgout didn't comment one way or the other.
"Nay," said Aloysius as he glanced back down the passage. "I simply thought it most efficient if we attempted to complete multiple task simultaneously. If this door be mechanically protected in some manner, I suspect that thou art the best suited amongst us to discover it afore it can cause one of us harm."
He looked over at Falgout. "Determined am I to restore this shrine as best we can afore we leave this dread keep."
Jana, having already told Aloysius she'd go, went with Blacky.
A couple of minutes later, Aloysius, Jana, and Blacky returned from the shrine. Aloysius placed the lantern on the ground about 10' out from where Renn had said the door was. "Now, let us see about these chests," he said, drawing a pair of daggers.
"What would be the most prudent way to address this door?" he asked the others. "If Rennirolas could point out where exactly it is, perhaps Eric or Janathell could open the door whilst the rest of us cover it with missiles if the need should arise."
He glanced back at the shrine. "'Twould appear that the gypsy comes not."
Seeing that Blacky left the torches behind, Aloysius held onto Renn's glowing coin.
Aloysius looked at the door for a moment, still clutching Renn's glowing copper coin. "I have a suggestion. If someone can open the door, Stargazer shall toss this coin inside. That way, we shall immediately be able to see, and if anything lurks therein, mayhap it shall be distracted by the light."
