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Delirium A. Belring began speaking in one of the southern languages from the list of those he knew. Seeing no response, he switched to another, and then to yet another. After another attempt, a group consisting of two people and one large ogre emerged from behind the wall of one of the houses.
The bald man growled something in his own language, and then burst out laughing.
"This is D'Lek, the leader of the locals… the common folk," the Marquis introduced his companion to the group, and then continued talking with him.
Alaria waits for the Marquis to finish his conversation with the locals. However, she doesn't rush to relax. It's hard to do so when a rather unsettling-looking ogre is standing nearby.
Nice corridors. I'm guessing that both of them are empty and ultimately lead only to the central room, where the final test is located, giving magical circles (or whatever they are) that need to be inserted into the pedestal in room 1 so that we can leave the palace. Although, if we're lucky, we might find something good. Or we might lose even more stats.
Added after 4 hours and 20 minutes It's a pity I can't use cartography in the palace; then we would know if it's worth exploring the corridors.
This post was supposed to be written before the exploration of the corridors began, but I wasn't feeling very well at the time.
When the doors of the three rooms finally opened, Celiad sighed with relief. After solving intricate puzzles and fighting endless battles with ghosts, he wasn't sure if they would succeed. Giving the rest of the group time to gather and rest, he approached Castor. -I know that my words may mean nothing to you, Master Celen, but I still wanted to thank you for your help on behalf of the entire squad. Although I didn't directly participate in selecting the group, I don't think anyone, even in administration, could have predicted what specific skills and abilities would be required to explore this palace. Unlike some other members of the squad, Celiad didn't feel any outright disgust or dislike for the official. Perhaps he would have been ashamed and uncomfortable if he had changed his opinion of him only after the trials they couldn't overcome without his help, but fortunately, his protection had been his task even before this, so the dark elf's conscience was clear. As for the task itself... it was necessary to reconsider the initial approach to the "usefulness" of certain members of the group. It's unlikely that anyone in their right mind could have predicted this. He himself didn't believe it until he saw it for himself. In the army, he was prepared for many unexpected situations, and even in this case, the group's combat effectiveness was almost flawless, as he had originally planned, but, as it turned out, the palace required more than just simple battles. The lack of information, even if unintentional, was partly his fault. The one who takes the risk and responsibility for the lives of others will always be to blame. Then Celiad made a few short notes in his notebook.
Date, day, year Mission curator: Castor L. Celen Group leader: Celiad Covencrar Current squad members: list
Main task: -Exploration and clearing the emperor's palace of potential threats; Additional tasks: -Preservation of the cultural heritage of the Empire; -Ensuring the safety of the mission curator;
[Confirmed:] the imperial palace is indeed filled with dark magic of the highest level of danger. Upon arrival, the group found itself in a small hall [approximate sketch]. After overcoming the trials of the hall*, the squad managed to break through to the next parts of the palace.
As a result of overcoming one of the trials, one of the squad members voluntarily sacrificed himself.* The condition of the rest is satisfactory. There are no serious injuries. Many are in a depressed or frightened state.
*Approximate strategy for completing the first room of the palace: At that time, the room contained: four torture devices, four pedestals with unknown geometric symbols, nine statues depicting demonic creatures with holes for stones; an obelisk [text]; a gold disc; three doors to the west, north, and east. It is not possible to open any of the doors or leave the castle [magic and weapons are useless]. a) The first step in overcoming the hall is to use at least two of the four presented demonic devices. The group tested a helmet with a chair [instant death for the wearer], as well as a skull with a knife [voluntary? sacrifice of a living person's eye]. Presumably, a dragon's maw requires the arm of a living person; for the statue of a king, the palms must be pressed [effects unknown]. [Information about the need for a voluntary sacrifice of a living creature or deactivation of the devices after activating at least two of them is unverified]. For the first activation of a torture device, four special stones fall onto the gold disc [stone names], and for the second, five more [stone names]. b) The next step is to correctly distribute the nine stones among the demonic statues. For each incorrect sequence, the group will be attacked by a squad of nine skeletons and a ghost. [Notes: Skeletons are armed with melee weapons and do not pose a great danger; the ghost is distinguished by its high speed and agility, as well as dealing high damage to multiple targets at once.] If the second step is successfully completed [correct sequence of stones], the squad can gain access to the three doors from the first hall. (The following is an approximate decryption of the solution, belonging to the curator of the assignment.)
To effectively complete the room, a squad of at least five to eight well-trained people is required. -Effective use of highly skilled mages and clerics is recommended; -Also, a few scholars or researchers with knowledge of history and skills in deciphering puzzles would be useful; -At least one person to activate the torture devices; [recommended... many strikeouts... prisoners for particularly serious crimes, sentenced to death, terminally ill (voluntarily?), enemies of the Empire]. -Each visitor to the castle must have a high level of emotional stability and stress resistance; -In the event of death in the room, the deceased will be resurrected as an undead. Therefore, the effectiveness of healers and high-level healing potions is proven to prevent this situation. Perhaps this effect applies to the entire palace [unverified information].
The group continues to carry out the main task.
[The request to increase payment has been withdrawn. Due to new circumstances, the assistance of the mission curator turned out to be invaluable to the squad. Assumptions about the potential usefulness of the participants in the assignment turned out to be too unpredictable and will not be used in the future. Lack of information is the main threat to the squad's work. Accordingly, even in the event of a failure of the assignment, maximum efforts will be made to deliver all reports to reliable hands or at least preserve them for future visitors to the palace. Also, some difficulties may arise with the correct reporting of the time spent in the structure.]
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The bald man growled something in his own language, and then burst out laughing.
"This is D'Lek, the leader of the locals… the common folk," the Marquis introduced his companion to the group, and then continued talking with him.
Heroist
