Once healed and ready to move out Ukthok takes his place at the front and even though movement is slightly slow, no one complains, he thoroughly checks each and every foot of their path to make sure their passage is safe. He will pick up the empty vial if it is not broken when he passes it. Then after a couple of twists and turns they once again face a closed door.

Doing his thing the door and surrounding area is checked and declared safe. Finding the door to be unlocked Ulthok uses the handle and swings the door open to reveal a 30x30 room totally empty of anything but a single glowing bluish red globe floating in its center. The glow about it pulsating as if in rhythm to a heartbeat, it sat quietly doing nothing. To the North a second door was visible to all.

Turning to the others Well here we go again. Does any one even want to try to venture a guess at what lies next, or do we just move in and make for the other door trying to ignore the pulsating globe, like that will be possible.

"Well brother, at the risk of sounding reckless I say we move on in. Somehow I doubt we will find the answer here in the hallway and it isn't like we are going to turn back. That leaves moving into the room as the only option. Haha, me act reckless, what are the chances of that happening?"

((Sorry, I meant to do this earlier, but I had to check first about Niamedris' hp and such, so this is partially a back-post))

Haila's body quivers with the effort of coughing, to remove any remaining noxious gas within her lungs. Niamedris, however, merely looked up at her with questioning eyes.

"Don't you dare drop me." Niamedris thought to Haila warningly.

"Whatever that was... that was not nice." Haila murmurs, her body feeling slightly unsteady with the damage it had sustained.

"Now, is there anyone else who knows they need some healing before we continue on , it would do us no good if one of you dropped because you could not withstand further injuries when I have healing to give.."
"Yes, please." Haila says, "That would be wonderful."

"What's all the ruckus about? Are you all allergic to greenish air?" Niamedris wonders vaguely.

Haila raises an eyebrow, "You weren't affected?"
"Well, it was harder to see if that's what you mean." Niamedris replies, yawning, "So, when do I get to catnap? Or eat?"
Haila rolls her eyes yet again. "Cats..." She murmurs in exasperation.

Putting that aside, although now she was beginning to wonder if it would be worth being able to polymorph into a cat... no, put that aside! It's one thing to assume a shape, but after a while the shape assumed begins to alter one's thinking, and she did not want to end up thinking like Niamedris.

"Why not? It IS very relaxing isn't it?" Niamedris interjects.

Ignoring him, Haila finally thinks about what she is supposed to be thinking of: a possible order for everyone to move through the corridor... except that was already taken care of while she was side tracked.

Oh well, nothing to do but move forward...

In the second room, Haila pauses, contemplating, "An azure and red heart?"

"I presume it'll do something as soon as we go to open the next door, so we have a bit of time to prepare." She thinks aloud, "But if that's a heart, what is it the heart to? Unless..."

"Perhaps we're just supposed to leave it alone?" Haila suggests, "It's a bit eerie, but it hasn't done anything yet, and for all we know, it could be designed specifically to only retaliate when provoked. So long as we don't provoke it, perhaps we'll be fine."

Yes let's just see if we can move through the room and continue on right through the next door. I do think we need to take the time for me to give it a quick check for traps first and that will take a little time, so what does everyone say should I go right for the door and start checking it out?

Kenji listens to the others suggestions and nods to Ulthok’s plan.

“I think we should enter and go to the other door,” he says, “but I think we need to try and hold this door until we know if the other will open.”

Turning to the others behind him he continues, “I think Ulthok and I should go across, the rest of you stay here in this doorway while we check it out. If we can open the other one then others can come across and once that door is secure we can discuss this heart thing further.”

He eyes the glowing pulsating globe wearily. He doesn’t like this thing and it feels like another trap to him.

“If this not be the thing we seek,” he says to all, “I think we should not mess with it.” He turns and eye down to where Divot stands and raises an eyebrow questioningly, knowing the Halflings obsession for trouble.

(OOC Thought: Would say something against the Cowboys but fears for his character’s life. )

Cor listened for a bit before speaking, "Try you rplan of moving quickly thru the room but I have no doubt it will not work nor will we be able to open both doors at the same time. Is it a trap; perhaps but it certainly is a test. We know we must go forward to find the item we seek and so we have little choice but to face each test in order."

Yes of course we know each is a test, but since we don't know what or how each test will present itself, we should proceed as we normally would, for all we know the test here could just be to get past this thing without disturbing it,so I say lets use Kenji's plan.
Si if all are ready as the others stay near or in the first doorway Ulthok and Kenji make their way across and as they cross the room Ulthok will even though it will slow their progress down check each step to make sure they don't trigger some trap as they cross to the second door where Ulthok will at once start his work of checking the door and area around it for danger and traps.Once tat is done he will check to see if the door is locked if not he will announce so and then wait to see what the party will deceide is their next move.

They had successfully passed the first test but not without a bit of humbling and now they were off to the next.

As the party began the trip thru the tunnel, Cor prepared one more action. As Althena passed he tapped her shoulder with the staff of curing, "May the grace of Odin keep you safe." Althena offered a soft smile at the touch of Cor’s staff and murmered “and you also my friend”

The group, now headed by Ulthok, proceeded down the dimly lit corridor after he checked the way by rolling an empty vial ahead of them.

The way seemed clear and harmless…for the moment.
Divot, amazingly energized after Cor’s cure light, continued checking the way ahead of them. After 20 minutes or so they came to the first of 2 turns which led them into a tunnel with a door much like the one before. Ulthok stepped forward to check for traps as they anxiously waited. To their surprise it was unlocked. Althena’s sigh of relief was not lost on the others but she knew after the last test, this couldn’t be as easy as it seemed.

"In times of need you know what is mine is yours."

“As it is with mine.” Conall then gave a respectful bow to his brethren, for Conall knew that here and now they were more like brothers and less like teacher and student. That some how made the chance of survival more likely.

Conall heard he is to go last in the walk and was about to make protest when he remembered his teachings of his youth. ‘Go forth into battle as if your life was the one who will safe the rest and all will walk in the glory of Valhalla.’ The words of teachers can have little meaning until they are truly needed.

With it decided and agreed to by all Ulthok and Kenji carefully made their way across the room to the opposite door. Finding no traps or any other hidden danger the pair reached it without trouble only to find it magically locked, a single doorknob with no key hole to pick set into the door. With the door’s seamless fittings, there was nothing the Halfling thief could do to open it from this side.

As the pair had moved across to the far side, the globe had done nothing or moved in any way, its rhythmic glowing never changing in the least.

(OOC: Ok there’s this weeks post yes I know its short but to move you forward in any way at this point without character input I think would be unfair. So as always N.P.N.S.
Oh and YeOlde, since you did not say anything about my Cowboys I allowed you to miss being the main course at the Goblin Asian buffet . However, feel free to harass as both Keeper and Kyle do so on a weekly basis each football season, as both are Non-Cowboy fans.)

Posted on 2008-09-14 at 00:36:16.

Cor watched and waited. After a bit it was reported that there was no way to open the far door from the inside. "As I said before, there is not likely to be a bypass for these tests. Each will have to be faced in its own right. I suggest we all move into the room and allow the near door to close. I suspect that will trigger the next test and we will either figure it out and move on or Connel and I shall sit in Valhalla this afternoon."

"What did they find Cor? Can my brother handle it or should I go and help him?" Divot took one step forward and the look on Cor's face convinced him that wasn't the best choice. "Perhaps he can take care of himself. Besides, someone needs to keep you all safe."

When Cor finally suggested moving into the room, Divot agreed. "Yes move in, move in. That is what I suggested."

Kenji stayed close behind Ulthok, stepping only where the Halfling stepped, as they made their way across the room. He too hadn’t thought it would be that easy, but you never knew till you tried. He nodded to Cor’s suggestion that they all enter now as they could not go back.

The Samurai stayed alert and moved slowly away from the other door, just a little bit to give him some room in case something decided to burst out from it. He stood guard as the others began to file into the room, the glowing ‘heart’ in the center of the room the object of their attention. He kept his gaze moving around the room, looking for any clues or sign of trouble.

Oh how he hoped this was not another riddle where gas would seep out to try and kill them all; he longed for a standup fight. Only cowardly magicians dealt in this strange way of trapping and killing people. He began to wonder what was so important to risk such peril. He still wasn’t sure why the needed this object they sought, he only knew they needed his help and he would give it because for now it felt like the right thing to do. He only hoped now that he would indeed be able to help; thus far he had not been of assistance.

(Edited to add thought: Hmm.. Cowboys play tonight.. GO EAGLES! )

(Edited again to remove lousy score. Darn Eagles! But it was a great game, a veritable slugfest! )

"Maybe we have to shut the door we came in to have the door on the other side open. Remember, the idea is to move forward."

"It might be a good idea to be ready for that orb to cause some sorth of effect."

Dungeons were no place for a Druidess, there was little she could do to help them with magical traps, or with physical traps. Maybe there might be a time her skill would be needed, but until then all she could do was offer suggestions.

Conall looked as if he were holding the door open as Cynil moved past him and stepped into the room. Conall then took a deep breath, “Well here goes nothing.” As he too stepped into the room…