Chapter 3: Thistletop

Grim notice that two hidden iron portcullises are recessed into the ceiling around the polished section of floor. The polished section looks to be a pressure plate of some kind. He also can see strange joints in the statues, indicating that the arms can move. He also spots a few drops of blood that seems recent, though someone has gone to the trouble of cleaning it up.

You realize that the hallway on the other end won't room you all. Either you need to open the southern door and place people there or have people on the other end of the trap when you initiate your assault into the room. You can fit probably no more than 3 people in the hallway before you start to get in each others way.

The door open with a loud creak of metal on metal. The doors could definitively have benefitet from oil. As it creaks several hounds start baying at once.

You see wide stone ledges of red marble line the curving walls of this room, which is well lit by four burning skulls that sit in each corner. Three chairs rest within, and both stone ledges are covered with old books, scrolls, teeth, bones, scrimshaw artwork, jars of deformed creatures soaking in brine, taxidermied animals and limbs, and other strange objects. To the north, a large round fountain filled with frothy blue water fills the air with the gentle sound of bubbling.

Around the room stands four more hounds and beyond them a woman that fits the description of Nualia stands. She turns towards you. "Who dares disturb me?"

Grimwulf rushes inside and slashes out with his maul. One hit one of the hounds right on the head, the other avoid the worst of the attack, but is still shaken.

Then Khel stands in the doorway and fires a bolt of ice at one of the other, and it fall over with a pitiful yelp.

"The heroes of Sandpoint," Nualia says with derision in her voice while she draws a bastard sword. "Once I’m finished with you that whole town will burn."

She rushes forward while she casts a spell, as she does, a medallion around her neck in the shape of a seven pointed star starts glowing. Once she reaches Grimwulf she strikes with her sword.

It hits Grimwulf hard, as it does she says a short prayer to Lamashtu.

The wounded hound withdraws from melee, running to a corner to hide. The other hound however, lets loose a terrifying bay that almost makes the wall shake.

Shalelu shakes off the hounds howl and rushes forward into the room and tries to take out the howling hound. But the baying seems to effect her more than she would ever admit.