There was not much for Cynil to do but keep vigilent. So her eyes went to what was around them, and to the sky above, least some winged hunter come along. She wondered if there would be time for her to take some food up the the lioness on the ledge. She cats were alone in bringing up their young, it would save her from leaving her cubs as she went hunting.

Yes Rayne that is exactly what I was thinking when I followed along with Cors idea that someone else place their hand near the door. I am watching to see if there is any change in the shape or size of the hand print as other hands come hear.Also you may be right The little hole may well be a key and not a trap, but I think we need to determine who might be holder of that key by determining who the door wants to open it. So again unless someone can think of another way to try to deterimine who may be the key holder we need to each come up and place our hand near the door I will proceed after Divot if all others are afraid.
he throws out that kast sentence not really as a insult or a taunt, but just a way to try and get the others to either come forward to try their hand or think of another way to solve this puzzle. So again the little halfling watchs the door very intently as his brother Divot moves his hand ever closer to the print on the door.Trying to be ever vigilent so he could knock Divot aside if there seemed to be any type of danger as he comes closer to the print.

Rayne turns to Thor, "Well Thor, I am glad you are willing sacrifice yourself and give that a try. I will refrain myself, because I am the only other of us who can bring back the dead." Rayne offers by way of explanation.

"There is no way of knowing except by trial and error. It is to be hoped that our errors are few. I do not think though we should risk Althena in any way until other options have been tried."

"Ahem" Cor cleared his thraot. "There may be more than you can bring back the dead my dear."

Cor looked again at the depression in the door. "Seems to me to be a bit of a hand shape and one of more to human sized but not exactly human sized. Perhaps there is one of us who is near to human but not truely human?"

“You can all try your hand but I fear none will work. There is strange happenings going on here and I think that it is only the hand of the Lady Althena that will open it.” Conall then looks at Althena, “Live or die you are the key.”

With Conall having stopped Althena from touching the door, the impression of the hand quite visible to all the party members, talk turned to its meaning and purpose. With Cor teasing the others on possibly being right, it perhaps being a push door after all, no one at first seemed to have any ideas. Divot, the gambler of the family, was the first to speak up.

The halflings eyes skimmed quickly from face to face and, at the moment, it did not appear to him that there were any too very eager to put their hands near the door. "Mmmm," the scrappy little halfling deliberated for an instant before offering a shrug and returning his axe to its slings, "Okay... I figger it beats the boots offa standin' here scratchin' me arse whilst I wait fer the thing ta pop open on its own, eh? "But," he said, grinning from ear to ear even though there was a look of deadly seriousness in his eye as he winked at Cor, "If this theng kills me an' ye cannae convince Thor ta bring me back, friend Cor, I'm kickin' yer arse when we get ta hell."

With that said Divot approached the door his hand held up before him to find that the impression in no way changed its size to fit his hand. In truth as he gained a closer look he saw that Cor’s first suggestion it was sized for Althena was in fact wrong. The impression at least as large as that of a big boned human, twice the Valar’s size.

With a look to Cor and the rest, his eye cocked in an Hmmm interesting sign, he returned to his place beside them. More idea’s were tossed back and forth between them but in the end no matter the person the impression for whatever reason did not disappear or change in any way the door awaiting the first person brave enough to place their hand upon it.

Then it was Conall who spoke what all were surely thinking in one way or another, that Althena was the key, but was the Paladin correct or was this the true trap of the door. There was only one way to find out.

(OOC: OK short and sweet just a hint in this situation talking will get you nowhere.
So whose goes first?? N.P.N.W)

I have a spells that can raise the dead. I would suggest that Cor with his wand of healing and I with my spells stand by you. Perhaps we should give a vial of antitoxin to whoever tries it just in case. However, Lady Althena, I believe your are the one this door will open for, You are the last of your kind if anyone has a chance to breech whatever traps and defenses this place has, it is you.

"If we want to make darn sure before the lass goes about sticking her hand on that door we can wait until morning and I can pray for another augury spell. At least we would know if her touching it was a good or bad thing." Cor shrugged, "Or we can just hope for the best."

Cynil looks up, "That is a good idea, but I could at least see if putting my hand near it will do anything to activate it. I can cast Bark Skin on myself."

If she could do nothing else, at least she could give the door a try. Other than that she was beginning to feel a bit useless, and would be even more so once they got underground.

As they all debate whether Althena was going to be the only key to the door Ulthok watched as Divot placed his hand near and it seemed as if nothing happened once Divot had backed away from the door Ulthok true to his word moves forward and will also place his hand as close as he can without touching it and see what if anything happens.
(from what we have seen so far I am taking the liberty of saying that nothing does happen, if wrong I am sure you will let me know.)

After he places his hand close to the indent in the door and nothing happens he is listing to the banter between the others when Cor says If we want to make darn sure before the lass goes about sticking her hand on that door we can wait until morning and I can pray for another augury spell. At least we would know if her touching it was a good or bad thing.
Well that sounds like the best idea of the day so Ulthok will put his two cents in. You know of all the things that have been tossed about so far I think Cor's idea of another Augury specificly asking if Althena touchs the door to open it is a good thing or not. I do believe we can all wait till morning to proceed hopefully one more night won't make or break our mission.
So with his piece spoken Ulthok begins to prepare to bed down. What watch am I taking tonight He asks as he rolls out his bed roll.Then sitting cross legged on his bed he gets out Babcocks blessed book where he keeps his spells and proceeds to start to study the spells he wants for the next day.

Spells
level #1
Burning Hands x2 / Chill Touch / Magic Missle x2 / Shocking Grasp x2 / Detect Magic
level #2
Melf's Acid Arrow x2 / Mirror Image x2 / Rope Trick x2 / Spectral Hand / Summon Swarm
level #3
Fire Ball x2 / Lighting Bolt x2
level #4
Monster Summoning 2 / Polymorph Self / Wall of Ice
level #5
Cloudkill/ Cone of Cold x2

After this he will bed down untill his time to watch

Kenji listened to all the talk about how they could open the secret door while he waited on the Lady Althena to response to his question about if she had anything that might be a key for the hole in the hand in the surface of the door.

He watched as others tried to put their hand up by the door and nothing apparently happened. He did not offer his hand up but stood by ready to go if they found a way to open it. He scanned the surrounding area occasionally just in case something snuck up on them while they were trying to gain entrance to the mountain.

"If we want to make darn sure before the lass goes about sticking her hand on that door we can wait until morning and I can pray for another augury spell. At least we would know if her touching it was a good or bad thing." Cor shrugged, "Or we can just hope for the best."

Well that sounds like the best idea of the day so Ulthok will put his two cents in. You know of all the things that have been tossed about so far I think Cor's idea of another Augury specificly asking if Althena touchs the door to open it is a good thing or not. I do believe we can all wait till morning to proceed hopefully one more night won't make or break our mission.
“I am not the leader here but…” Kenji says with a sigh, “It seems a lot of time to waste just sitting around on a dangerous mountainside when we could be exploring the interior.” He shrugs and turns away, bored with all the talk, planning and apparently getting nowhere from all of it. The Samurai was a man of action and all this standing around was a big waste of time in his opinion. But as he had said, he was not the leader and he would have no choice but to abide by the decision of the others.

He walked towards the edge of the group and stood watch over the approaches to the area before the secret door.

The frustration of having found the door only to once more be faced with another riddle was hard for some to take. Some spoke to spending another night and Cor suggested a second Augury spell be used. But for all that nothing really was decided and it looked as if all they would do till morning was talk. But one among them was not ready, or even if so, not willing to spend another night out doors. With no thought to the danger of the moment Divot boldly walked up, placed his hand flush inside the impression, and waited for something to happen.

He did not have long to wait as he felt the prick of a needle sized blade puncture his index finger. When after a few minutes nothing happened he removed his hand from out of the depression, a small hole in his index finger leaking blood, turned to face the rest of the party with a cocky smile and fell over to hit the rocky ground hard. The moment for the rest of the party seemed to last forever the halflings body lying upon the ground, eyes wide open, but clearly seeing nothing. Divot Rydenham, the smile yet plastered on his face, was dead.

(OOC: OK there you have a short yet deadly post. Eol as you did not post I went off of what you posted in the Q/A. For all intents Divot is dead how or if you can bring him back is yet to be seen. N.P.N.S)

"Well, apprently it isn't a 'push' door after all." Cor said flately as he watched Divot fall. There was no need to check on him for one look confirmed that he was indeed dead. "For the second time rash actions have cost us dearly. Hopefully we eventually learn." Cor grabbed his blanket and spread it over Divot. "There is naught we can do for him this eve. We shall keep watch over the body this night and tend to him on the morrow. I suggest we leave the door alone for a bit, at least until we clerics can prepare the proper spells. A dispel magic, neutralize poison and of course raise dead should do the trick. That is assuming his body can withstand the shock of the resurrection."

Cor turned and walked a short distance before dropping to a knee to pray for the spells needed to attempt to restore his friend to the world of the living.

OOC: Raise dead in the empty 5th lvl spot and the approriate healing spell in the other empty spot. All others remain as stated.

Cynil pulls away from the door, a deep sadness filled her face, She had always enjoyed Divot's antics and humor, even in battle. She would miss him.

"Bad idea," she commented to not one in particular. She then move off to the side and sits on the ground with her head down. Tears dampen the ground beneath her. She could do nothing to help Divot, had he indicated that he had been punctured by a needle she might have used delay poison, but now there was nothing she could do.

Despite the several plans they had discussed and Ulthok good idea about using a augury in the morning. Ulthok's irrepressible brother had his own ideas. SHe walked up to the door and stuck his small hand into the sunken hand print in the door. HE stood there for a while and then took his hand way, glancing at it for a bit. Rayne couldn't see what he was looking at. It seemed the the plucky halfing was going to get off scot free from his ill advise attempt.

"Well good for him," thought Rayne.

Divot turned to the party with a cocky grin on his face and then fell hard to the rocky ground. Rayne raced over to him pulling out a vial of anti toxin as she did. Quickly she got to his side and rolled him over to check his breathing and heart beat. When she got there, however, she was too late. he was gone, She put the potion away since it does not work on the dead.

"I am sorry Ulthok, he is dead. I have Raise Dead but he will need more that just that spell."

Rayne turns to the others I have raise dead memorized for today but not neutralize poison. I will have to wait until tomorrow as well unless those of us have healing spells have memorized those spells we need to do the whole healing he needs.

"Somebody please get me his bedroll or blanket. We will put him in it and keep him covered this night and protects."