As the trio of adventurers recovered from their near death experience, the team went about assessing the current situation, recovering from their wounds and just supporting each other. The weight of the matter was starting to slowly settle in, that the further they went, the more dangerous things were getting. This moment of calm allowed them the chance to catch their breath and recover, now alone in a dim, quiet room.

It was a pretty bare room, nothing really sticking or standing out as important. Using the information gleaned from their exploration, Cyran decided to cast a spell while Cirice and Gerhart prepared for the next leg of the dungeon. A dome of magical darkness form overhead, blacking out the entire room and preventing the group from being able to see. It was an empty void, bare of any light what so ever. Except for Cyran and Cirice, for while Gerhart peered into nothingness, the other two could see very feint, blue color whisp of light floating above the three exits.

The center door bore the glowing image of an eye, similar to the one they had seen in previous rooms. The right passage way bore the feint glowing symbol of a key, while the left doorway had the image of a lock. For the entire duration of the spell, Cyran and Cirice would be able to make out these images, all the while Gerhart being completely oblivious.

---

Notes:
Its dark, you see the images of an eye, key and lock above each door.

-Cirice- 0 Wounds
-Cyran- 0 Wounds, one blind eye
-Gerhart- 0 Wounds, Chest and leg hit preventions used up

Gerhart is immediatley tomato red at the cheek kiss, quickly trying to refocus his brain as they are pulled into a hug. Cyran and Cirice are both given a firm hug in return, a show of returning resolve.

"As much as fun as an inside joke is for friends, let's hope I don't have to join you......that being said next time we have to look into a door it's my turn." He gives a small smile, turning to get a look around the room.

When the darkness falls he laments that no dungeon ever just had a sign saying 'go this way.' Stupid puzzles. He closed his eyes to further hopefully help with this only the blind can see the truth.

"Do you two see anything? How am I the one with two eyes left, but I can't see anything? Starting to think this dungeon has a thing against eyes."

"It just might... But I don't want you to lose an eye too.... When we get out of here I'll pray to Mother Moon to allow me to heal this. But for now..." Cirice responds with a sigh, wiping her face and looking at the doors. "I'll have Ur go take a closer look." She summons the little rabbit-like creature again¹, having it hop down the right hall with the key and she steps forward hesitantly to look down the center hall with the eye above it, closing her good eye to take a look. 

---

1 Summon Minor minion

Once he’d seen what he wanted to, Cyran retracted the darkness. The lights were still on, which he was still curious about. He had a feeling these red lights meant something, similar to the ones in the room before. The door with the eye hovering over it seemed like the obvious choice given how the other rooms had operated so far. But he didn’t want to jump into a hasty decision right away, especially when they had time to figure things out, and always picking the eyes might have been another trap to lull them into a false sense of security.

“There’s an eye, a key, and a lock.” Cyran explained to Gerhart, pointing to the rooms that each of those symbols had corresponded to so Gerhart knew what they were dealing with. It was curious that even blinded, he hadn’t been able to see them. Only Cyran and Cirice had… and they were both the ones that lost an eye so far.

Gerhart closed his eyes, hoping that perhaps the trick might reveal something else, while Cirice sent Ur out through the hall with an eye above it. Both seemed like solid ideas, but Cyran was still fixated on those three lights. First, he checked the illustrations on the wall, curious to see if they might hold any kind of visual clue to what they were supposed to do to gain safe passage in this hallway. After he determined whether the drawings were useless or not, Cyran would try putting out all of the red lights above the three doors at once, curious to see if anything might change.^[1]

---

1. Remove Light

Cyran dropped their spell, allowing the view of the room to come back into full focus, the three red lights still illuminating the chamber. Cirice started by summoning her shadowy pet once again, sending it to inspect the key room while she peered down the center room herself without fully entering it. Gerhart steadied himself, trying to understand why he was unable to see things that the other two could. However before they had time to process things, Cyran used a second spell, this time fulling extinguishing the lights, once again engulfing the room in darkness. Gerhart would once more be unable to see anything, a veil of darkness his only view. However the other two would be able to see the ghostly symbols appear once more above their doors.

Cirice's minion would have entered the hall towards the room marked with the key. The room itself was pretty bland, a small square room much like the one they stood in now. There were no other doors or windows, just a single stone pedestal in the center of the room with a large metal key resting on it. The center room however was a tad different, as Cirice peeked inside, she could not make much out, an empty square room, also with no doors or windows. However instead of a stone pillar with a key on it, there was simply sand.

The paintings revealed nothing, as well as nothing new able to be seen from the new darkness. The minion returned to Cirice, indicating that at least the halls and entry into the rooms were not rigged with some kind of traps. Once again the trio stood there in the darkness, quiet, three different door ways before them.

---

Notes:
- Center room is just an empty room with sand in it.
- Right room has a metal key resting on a stone pedestal
- Left room has not been explored yet


-Cirice- 0 Wounds
-Cyran- 0 Wounds, one blind eye
-Gerhart- 0 Wounds, Chest and leg hit preventions used up

"So, I have to guess there's something more going on here huh?" Quite an obvious question, but with his lack of sight there wasn't much that Gerhart could really do to contribute at this point.

After hopefully having the rooms explained to him, he'll put his hands on his hips and take a moment or two to think. "Grabbing the key is the obvious answer, but I don't think this place likes the obvious answer.....Are the key and the lock even important? Maybe the sand is covering up like a hidden tunnel or something and magic is keeping it from flowing out.....Seeing is not always believing you know?"

Ginma's blessings he hoped the others had actually good ideas.

Cirice managed to figure out what was in the room marked with the key, as well as the one with the lock. Cyran listened as Gerhart proposed that they grab the key or investigate the sand. Extinguishing the lights hadn’t revealed anything new- Cyran had the feeling that they would need to make a decision, and they needed to make something happen. “I feel like the path forward to the center lies in the room with the eye.” He admitted. “But first, we should figure out what’s in the third room. Don’t snatch the key just yet- it might be trapped.” He wondered if they could use Ur to grab the key just in case…

But for now, while the other two were puzzling over what to do, Cyran would head down the hall with the lock overhead, trying to figure out what might be inside. He had a feeling that they would need to unlock something to gain passage through the center room, and he wanted to make sure he knew what they were unlocking before they made any decisions. He moved slowly, mindful of any traps as he made his way to the room. The spirit hovered behind him, ready to protect him from damage if anything jumped out at him.

Cirice frowns at the center door. Maybe its a weight thing? Should they wait for what Cyran can see down the locked room? Should she have Ur dig in the sand and see if anything is beneath it? Its likely hiding something, be it creature or door. She steps back, barley outside the door way and has Ur approach the pile of sand carefully while she stands at the door. He doesn’t touch the sand, just is there to see if getting close to it will trigger another snake attack or something similar.

The team had slowed down, now taking their time to figure everything out before making any rash choices. This tomb was proving to be highly dangerous and extremely well protected, designed to keep anyone out. There was little information to go off of, and after experiencing the first part of the tomb, it made sense why the three were so hesitant to just rush forward.

Cyran started by slowly making their way down the final path, the left doorway marked with the lock image. After a few steps, they were able to see into the dim room, a empty square room with no doors or windows lay before them. The only thing that stood our were five small key holes carved into the walls, seemingly going no where. There was one key hole on the wall directly across from the doorway, as well as two more key holes on each of the side walls, making five in total.

Above each key hole was a letter etched into the stone, a random letter with no other context. There were five letters, I, Z, U, V, and E, each belonging to its own keyhole. Cyran however was able to see more, not through their good eye but through the damaged one. In ghostly, faint wording, on the floor of the empty room was the phrase...

Take heed, this tomb belongs to the man you seek, and only those who weed out the lies will unveil the truth.

Meanwhile, back in the main chamber, Cirice set her minion out to investigate the center room, inspecting the sand for any clues or hints to danger. While it stood their, it found nothing, just staring at a floor covered in sand, nothing remarkable happening at all.

---

Notes:
- Center room is just an empty room with sand in it.
- Right room has a metal key resting on a stone pedestal.
- Left room has 5 key holes, each marked with a letter I, Z, U, V, and E.


-Cirice- 0 Wounds
-Cyran- 0 Wounds, one blind eye
-Gerhart- 0 Wounds, Chest and leg hit preventions used up

Cirice once again summons Ur and has him go and grab the key and bring it to Cyran

By the time Cirice had Ur bring him the key, Cyran had a fairly good idea of what he had to do here. From his blind eye, he could make out the riddle in the room, and he had a feeling that he understood what he was supposed to do. The spirit still hovered behind him, ready to protect him if anything popped out at him- and if he got this wrong, Cyran only assumed that would be the case. He held his breath as he put the key into the first lock.

Z

He tensed, waiting to see if anything would happen after unlocking that particular lock. If nothing did, then Cyran would hesitantly move onto the next letter-

I

And the next one,

E

And finally,

V.

Once he completed spelling out the name of the sultan who was supposedly buried here, Cyran would wait to see what happened, ready to run out the door at a moment’s notice if it looked like he’d gotten this particular riddle wrong and any trap might spring.

Trying their best to understand the puzzle that this set of rooms presented, the trio set out to continue solving things, what they were soon to realize was that the moment of peace and calm they had was about to end, as the minion Cirice summoned would set into motion a chain of very deadly events. The shadow minion entered the room with that housed the key, instructed to pick up the key and bring it to Cyran. As the summon lifted the key, it became very obvious that something had been triggered. The stone pillar that the key rested on suddenly lowered itself into the floor, as an eerie, familiar sound of stone scrapping against stone suddenly filled the room. Everyone present, regardless of what room they were in would be able to hear, see and notice that the ceiling was now lowering itself, racing towards our heroes.

Cirice's minion picked up speed, aware of the lowering ceiling, racing towards the key hole room and handing off the key to Cyran. It would have been extremely obvious at this point that they only had a limited amount of time before being crushed to death. In the rush to solve the riddle and leave this place, Cyran quickly placed the key into the slot marked with a Z. With a quick turn and a pause, they waited to see if anything would happen, but nothing did. Not wanting to waste time, they then moved to the second key hole, marked with an I. Another turn, another pause, and nothing, only the sounds of the ever present ceiling filling the room. Unsure if the lack of action meant anything, Cyran moved to the third key hole, this one marked with an E. However, unlike the first two holes, as Cyran turned the key, a click could be heard, followed by silence.

Preparing to move to the finale key hole in an attempt to finish out the riddle, Cyran found themselves unable to move. They willed their legs to walk, but nothing happened, as some kind of resistance could be felt against their feet. Looking down, they noticed the surface of the floor they had been standing on was now a weird, almost liquid like clear substance. Whatever had happened was now preventing not only Cyran, but Cirice, her minion and even Gerheart from being able to move, they were stuck to the floor as if caught in some type of adhesive substance. Panic began to fill the trio as they each tried to figure out what just happened.

What the group did not realize was that Cyran had just activated three wrong keyholes. The most obvious outcome was this strange substance, which was extremely sticky and strong, with even Gerhart unable to pull his feet free. But there were two more things going on, two things the group would not be aware of.

The first was a clear mist that had filled the room, a result of turning the first key. It was clear and odor less, allowing the group to breath it in before realizing anything had happened. This mist was not very dangerous, but cut off each of their mana supplies, halting their abilities to summon magic and use spells. This would not be realized until someone attempted to cast a spell, finding the spell to do absolutely nothing.

The second thing taking place, at the same time as the clear mist, was a visible layer of purple fog now rising up from the floor. Within seconds of being in its presence, the group would find their vision begin to blur, sounds muffled and their breathing slowing. This would signal that something wrong had happened, but what they would not know was that a poison had just filled the chambers, a poison that hindered their senses, and in a few moments would begin to take effect.

It was a cluster fuck to say the least, as the trio was now stuck to the floor, unable to breath, see or hear clearly, as well as access to their magic supplies completely cut off. Oh, and the ceiling continued to slide downwards, quickly cutting off their standing room.

---

Notes:
Wow, a lot happened.

- All three of you are stuck to the floor by some weird goo
- Gerhart still cant see anything
- All three of you can not cast any spells or use magic
- All three of you feel dizzy, faint and sick
- Ceiling is lowering towards you

- Magic nullification: 1/4 post duration
- Poison: 1/2 post duration (will receive a wound at the end of the duration)
- Sticky floor: 1/2 post duration
- Lowering Ceiling: 1/3 post duration (will receive a wound at the end of the duration)


-Cirice- 0 Wounds, one blind eye
-Cyran- 0 Wounds, one blind eye
-Gerhart- 0 Wounds, Chest and leg hit preventions used up

A lot did happen indeed. Gerhart is more than annoyed at the sudden situation they are in, but no time to complain. As he begins to cough from the poison, he pulls his shirt over his nose on mouth. “Poison, cover your faces.” Another sharp cough, it was probably too late to do much, but less poison is better than more.

He tried fruitlessly to wrench his feet free from the goo, even considering ditching his boots. Gerhart does use one sword to reach up and tap at the ceiling. Maybe it’s just a big illusion, a girl can dream right?

Cirice bends down and hugs her legs, shivering in fear and helplessness. Cut off from Mother Moon's power she feels small and lost.For the first time since leaving her home she regrets her decision to become an adventure. Guts, gore and viscera, pain and suffering, fear and loathing, all had become known to her in her travels but now, for the first time since childhood does she fell wholly alone in her own head and that terrifies her more than the ceiling about to crush them. Dying here would mean failing in everything she believed in and failing all those she cares about. She looks at Cyran, eyes leaking fresh tears. In this moment more than any she is just a girl. A girl in way over her head. 

"Cyran... Gerhart.... I'm sorry...."

By the time he noticed the traps he’d incidentally unlocked, it was already too late to stop the poison that had already affected all of them, and the goo that trapped them helplessly in place while the ceiling slowly sunk lower and lower, threatening to crush them all. Despite the haziness from the poison, Cyran suddenly realized the exact moment he’d messed up- the right locks weren’t the ones that spelled out the name of the sultan. The right answer was the lie. In his carelessness, he’d messed up and endangered his friends and loved ones by subjecting them to this trap.

“Damnit!”

There might still be a way for him to fix this. Cyran currently held the key in his hands, and if he could just make his way over to the U lock on the other wall, he might be able to open the entrance in time for them to get out. Their chance would be slim, but if they managed to get out of the slime, then they could make a break for it before the room crushed them. And getting to that lock- opening the exit for them- all that pressure lied on Cyran’s shoulders.

In the end, it was Cirice’s crying that served as the straw on the camel’s back. He’d never seen her look so lost and defeated, scared out of her wits without any access to her magic. The situation may have seemed hopeless, but Cyran had to try.

“Hold on, you two, I’m going to try and get out- we can still make it towards the exit in the room with the eye!” He called out to them, hoping he sounded calmer than he felt. Without access to his magic, he couldn’t exactly blast his way out of the goo- as he was taking stalk of the situation, an idea occurred to him. He summoned his wings, which had already saved him in this dungeon before- with any luck, they’d save him again.^[1] The goo on the floor was preventing them from moving, but if he could just find a way to get out of this goo then he could fly over to the U lock without any problems.

He pulled out Cold Steel, his dagger with the ice rune enchantment, a last ditch attempt to free himself. If this was some liquid-like substance, then attempting to freeze it with the ice cold blade might weaken its structural integrity, right? Cyran attempted to cut himself out from the goop with the dagger by freezing the area around his feet, all the while using his wings to hopefully give him the extra strength and momentum needed to escape this trap.

If he could manage to get free, then he would immediately fly over to the U lock and unlock it. He wouldn’t have time to wonder if that was the right solution or not- all he could do from there would be to fly over to Gerhart and Cirice and help free them so they could all make their way to the exit.

---

1. Bat Wings