Do you want to
What are you talking about? You don’t have any money left!
Suddenly, [NAME] starts fingering through the debris and in short time uncovers astone slab with two rusty, iron handholds. Do you want to lift the slab aside?
There’s a stone slab with two rusty iron handholds set into the floor. Do youwant to lift the slab aside?
The slab is simply too heavy. Working on his own, [NAME] hasn’t got a prayer.
[NAME] and [NAME] are flirting with a hernia, but the slab is just too heavy to lift.
The slab is extremely heavy, but in the end, [NAME] and [NAME] manage to push it aside.Underneath, there is a small cavity about one pace deep. There is a small casketlying at the bottom.
Do you want to get the casket out?
[NAME] lowers [NAME]self into the cavity with [NAME] holding on to [NAME] legs. In this way,the two of them manage to get the casket out. Inside, they find a thin knifemade of a dark red, shimmering metal, as well as five coins struck from the samematerial.
[NAME] lowers [NAME]self into the cavity with [NAME] holding on to [NAME] legs. When [NAME] hitsthe pit wall, two blocks of stone suddenly come out of the side walls and pinboth [NAME] arms. Enduring extreme pain, [NAME] manages to free [NAME] arms, but no matterhow much you strain, it appears impossible to move those stone blocks back intothe walls. Looks like we’ll have to leave that casket where it is.
The tiles are unbelievably hot - before you realize what’s happening, your clothescatch fire. You find yourself stranded in a veritable sea of flame, engulfingeverything. Then, you don’t see anything anymore.
The tiles on the floor of the corridor start to glow softly when you move along.
When you move along the corridor, the tiles on the floor light up in a fieryorange color.
[NAME] prefers to turn back.
I guess there was a passage here once, but it seems to have been bricked up.You take a closer look at this particular section of wall and knock against ita couple of times for good measure as well.
Whoever did this knew his job well. This piece of wall is solid. There’s justno way for you to get through here with the means at your disposal.
After a short examination, [NAME] takes the double-bit key, puts it into the lock,and turns it.
The chest is unlocked. There’s a plaque on the front:
“Take the God’s as longas you need it, though don’t use it longer than the need demands!”
Do you want to put the leathers back?
The chest is filled almost to the brim with jewelry, gems and coins. The contentsof this chest must be worth more than anything you’ve ever seen before.
Do you
pillage the treasure
or add some coins of your own?
How many Silver Crowns do you want to put into the chest?
There’s an ikosahedral stone of fist size lying in the chest. It is streakedwith delicate yellow and red veins of ore and set in a silvery metal.
Do youwant to pick up that stone?
“That is the Salamander Stone. A beautiful piece of work, is it not?!” you heara voice commenting from next door.
“If you want to, you can swap it for yourartifact.”
Do you want to
swap it
or would you rather just take the stone?
“You should only take what is rightfully yours,” the Golem says from the background,but he makes no attempt to stop your blasphemy.
Behind you, the cave entry collapses with a tremendous amount of noise.
There’s no way you’ll ever get out of here with the means at your disposal.
[NAME] also makes use of this opportunity to wash the soot from [NAME] clothes and clean[NAME] face.
Taste the water?
Examine the grate?
The water is cool, refreshing and thirst quenching. Your mood lifts markedly,and after filling your water skins, you are ready for whatever fate might throwat you again.
It’s easy enough to move the grate from the hole in the floor, although [NAME] managesto get thoroughly soaked in the process.
Getting the grate away from the hole in the floor is easy enough. [NAME] has a lotmore of a problem staying dry in the process.
Do you want to examine the opening?
Try as [NAME] might, [NAME] finds it is impossible to examine the hole without gettingwet.
It appears to be just an everyday hole in the floor used to let the water fromthe basin run off.
Do you want to put the grate back across the opening?
As [NAME] is already soaked through anyway, [NAME] pushes the grate back on top of theopening again.
[NAME] slips and finds [NAME]self sitting beside the opening… in the water basin! Witha sour face and a tired gesture, [NAME] pushes the grate back on top of the hole.
Without much of an effort, [NAME] puts the grate back on the floor hole.
Smiling, [NAME] leaves that duty to [NAME]. The grate is back across the opening withinmoments, but [NAME] gets soaked to the skin doing it.
[NAME] offers to do the job for [NAME]. Without much of an effort, [NAME] pushes the grateback on top of the hole.
The patterns and pictures remind you of the drawings on the vellum sheets youfound inside that chest.
Do you want to use an item?
Who’s going to use an item then?
And what item is [NAME] going to use?
[NAME] puts the torch next to the smooth round spot. After a while, it starts toshimmer. The effect grows stronger until it glows like fiery lava. Suddenly,the wall section is gone.
Nothing happens.
The stone portal is closed again. On this side, you are standing in front ofa smooth wall.
Do you want to
try to open the door
or cast a Foramen spell?
You look for an opening mechanism, but you can’t find one.
Who will cast the Foramen?
No effect.
Gradually, you realize that you are trapped down here - looks like you’ll haveto spend the rest of your lives keeping the Golem company.
Suddenly, the floor you’re standing on starts to vibrate. You hear a loud butslow stomping, and from the passage to the east of the hall, a being of petrifiedmud with a stocky build vaguely reminiscent of a human appears. The Golem hasa height of three-and-a-half paces. It comes towards you. In his right hand,he is holding a giant sledge hammer with a long heft. Do you
Attack?
Flee?
Wait?
You hand the Golem your stone medallion. He looks at the coin for a while andturns it around in his hand. Then, he disappears in the adjoining room for amoment and returns with a small powder bag.
The Golem pours the powder from the bag out into the hole. Down in the depth,there’s a lot of noise. Slowly, fiery magma climbs up the hole and turns thecrater between the pillars into a bubbling sea of lava.
The temperature in the hall continues to climb.
The Golem silently stalks tothe pile of ore in the northwest of the hall, and shovels big lumps of ore intothe lava, followed by charcoal from a different pile. Then he steps next to thehole and almost casually tosses the coin into the fiery lake. There’s a tremendousamount of hissing and gurgling from the magma, and a bright orange flame appearsabove it, so bright in fact that you are forced to turn your eyes away. At thesame time, the heat becomes unbearable.
[NAME] can hardly breathe anymore as the heat seems to choke [NAME] with a savage fury.
Vaguely,[NAME] notices the Golem pick up a big pair of iron tongs. It fishes a glowing whitelump from the fire to work it upon the anvil standing next to the hole. Theneverything turns black in front of [NAME] eyes, and the only thing [NAME] senses is theimmense heat that consumes [NAME] body until nothing remains but a small pile ofashes.
[NAME] can hardly breathe anymore. The heat seems to choke them with a savage fury.
Vaguely,they notice the Golem pick up a big pair of iron tongs and fish a glowing whitelump from the fire to work it upon the anvil standing next to the hole. Theneverything turns black in front of their eyes, and the only thing they senseis the immense heat that consumes their bodies until nothing remains but a fewsmall piles of ashes.
Sweat is cascading off your brows. The Golem picks up a large pair of iron tongsand fishes out a glowing white lump from the fire to work it on the anvil standingnext to the hole.
“Do take a look around. This will take some time,” the Golem murmurs in yourdirection. “In the chamber to the east, you have the opportunity to leave a presentto Ingerimm for this piece. There are some excellent forgeworks there, too, piecesfrom Ingerimm’s own hand.”
The Golem is still busy forging. With slow but strong blows, he works the coolingpiece of iron. So far, there’s no definite indication as to what the Golem intendsto forge from it.
The Golem silently finishes his work. It’s a sword from a dark red, shimmeringmetal. He clears his throat, then he puts it inside the chest in the southernchamber.
“The piece is finished,” the Golem states suddenly, and holds out a sword ofdark red, shimmering metal in your direction with a self-satisfied face. “Takethis Sword of Ingerimm’s.”
“…and now, silence must return to Ingerimm’s forge.”
He looks at you demandingly.
As you put back the clothes into the chest, you hear a loud, grinding sound froma distance.
As you have taken the clothes from the chest, you suddenly hear a thunderousbang from a distance.
We finally found the Salamanderstone - deep inside the Finsterkopp. Now let’sget out of here without getting harmed too much…
her
his
You find [NAME] as well.
There’s nothing left to grab here.