Chapter 4: Preparations

[cybersavant]

Andrew, delegate from Delos

Andrew watches from above, and upon seeing what transpires, reaches into his shoulder bag and takes out a torch of his own. He lights it and starts down the stairs as well. "Good thin i literally carry most of my possessions wherever i go. Is it just one trapped stair, or are there more?"

a set of humble clothes (tunic or dress), a pair of cheap sandals and a hat
a long, walking staff
a belt
a knife or hatchet
a shoulder bag, containing:
a blanket
a wooden cup
seven days of rations consisting of pitas and hard cheese
a bundle wrapped in waterproof waxed cloth containing:
three torches
tinder and flint (to start a fire or light a torch)
a pair of warm, fluffy socks

[Leitz]

"I only felt one shift, but that may be because I fell." Bran said. As his eyes adjusted, and the torch appeared, he took stock of the room; its contents and construction.

[tibbius]

In the flickering light of the torch, Marcus spied another peg protruding from the side of the stairwell, three steps down from the first one. The two steps with pegs, and the two between them, were of a lighter color than the others in the flight. Andrew was about to step down from the uppermost of the four lighter colored steps - the one that Marcus had locked in place by moving the peg.

As Andrew descended the steps with the light, augmenting the torch that Marcus held, Bran glimpsed shadowy piles of objects that nearly covered the floor of a room with a six foot ceiling. The bottom of the stair was at the near side of the room and it continued for about thirty feet in the same direction. The room was between fifteen and twenty feet wide.

[Mr Stereo1]

"There's some trap here, Bran." Marcus explained, not knowing how to express what he was seeing. "I can't imagine any other reason to keep these steps on pegs like I see. Be wary for more."

He carefully rose to his feet, keeping them on two different steps. With the torch held aloft he points out the tricky steps to Andrew and his father, Bakthos.

"Perhaps you should remain above, father, in case something happens?" The champion suggests gently, not wanting to unman the sturdiest man he knew.

[Leitz]

"I don't see a danger here," Bran said. "Yet. There are things stored."

As the light came in, and the torch came down, Bran moved forward to discover what could be seen.

[cybersavant]

Andrew, delegate from Delos

"Are there any doorways?"

[tibbius]

As Marcus stood on the top two steps, he definitely felt that he was balancing. The top step bounced a little, down and then up against the bronze peg and down again, as he shifted his weight onto and back off his foot on the lower step. As the top step went up the bottom step went down, and the other way too.

Just for giggles he shifted all his weight onto his lower foot, and the top step bound up against the post. Gingerly he moved a step lower, and as he put about half his weight onto the third step down he felt it start to fall away while the lowest step moved upward. He regained his balance on the second step, and the third step and lowest step pivoted back to their places with a "clunk."

Bran saw no doors below.

[Mr Stereo1]

Marcus scowls at the complex arrangement of the staircase. Yes, he would ask the King to place some planks to form a ramp over them. His ancestors ingenuity certainly impressed him, but he saw no use for these trick pegs defending Aegium.

At last Marcus joins his friend below, holding his torch out to see the basement properly. "No doors that I see." He calls up to Aegium's honored guest above. "We'd best be wary." He mutters cautiously to Bran.

[Leitz]

"Well, let's see what we have. Hold the torch, and stay back. We might not be done with the tricks," Bran said. Wary, but not sure against what, he went to search a likely stack of something.

[cybersavant]

Andrew, delegate from Delos


"Before you touch anything, do you see any more symbols anywhere? On the walls, floor or ceiling?"

[Leitz]

"Good point!" Bran said. "Marcus, lets check each bundle, and the walls, ceiling, and floor. One trick means they could do another."

[tibbius]

Careful inspection, using the flickering orange light of the torches, revealed no markings or symbols. Bran and Marcus found bales of spears, bundles of axes, a pile of shields, and several racks of swords. All were in good condition.

Bakthos called down the steps: "Lend a hand with the lumber for a ramp, boys!"

[Mr Stereo1]

"By the Gods, Andrew, what a horde we've found! When this is done we must search the archive for others!" Marcus calls up the stairs and can't help but laugh at the treasure laid out before them, left abandoned and forgotten for so long. What else must be lying beneath the streets of Aegium, if only they set out to search for it?

"Be careful for more traps here, Bran. We should get more light here before we move anything." He cautions then returns to aid his father setting up the ramp.

[tibbius]

In his eagerness to aid his father, and excitement about the hoard of weaponry, Marcus paid little heed to the four trick steps. The lowest of the four was solid under his foot, and unthinkingly he stepped onto the next one up.

It pivoted away beneath him as he took his weight off his back foot, and the lowest step slammed against its top peg with a clunk and clang as Marcus fell. As he caught himself by his bruised elbows on the third step up, the heavy lower steps pivoted back partway to their starting position, the upper one jamming painfully into the backs of his thighs. He felt nothing beneath his sandals but dark air, and no solidity to the stone that swayed beneath his buttocks as he breathed and tried to scramble back up from his precarious dangle. The lower two trick steps had him wedged against the underside of the upper two.

"What's up m'boy?!" Bakthos exclaimed, gazing widemouthed at Marcus. He set down his shoulder-load of old wood at the top of the stairs and started cautiously down. "What should I do to help?" he asked. He seemed suddenly helpless, out of command in his alarm at his son's predicament.

[Leitz]

Dismayed at his friend's plight, Bran ran over to see how he could help.

[cybersavant]

Andrew, delegate from Delos

In the small space of the stairs, Andrew withdrew to let those more physically able to help Marcus. He searched above for any rope that might help.

[tibbius]

Marcus remained pinned by his legs and propped on his elbows. His shoulders were starting to ache and his legs were getting numb.

If you can figure out a solution to the pivoting steps, and confidently describe it, you'll automatically succeed. Otherwise each of you can describe your character's next action and roll [1d6][1d6][1d6] to see whether your character figures out a solution. (I won't necessarily use all of the 1d6).

[Leitz]

Going off the description as I understand it. Rolled anyway, in case there's a question.
[1d6] = 6[1d6] = 2[1d6] = 3

"Hold tight!" Bran studied the problem for a moment. It seemed that Marcus' own weight was the force that held him in place. Relieve the weight, and Marcus could be extracted.

"We'll need long planks, or a stout log, if this doesn't work," Bran said to Bakthos. "That, and rope, or nets, would be useful anyway. Marcus, hold tight, I have an idea."

Careful to straddle the four tricky steps, Bran was thankful for his larger frame and muscles. One foot on a step above the tricks, one below, he stood sideways and close beside Marcus. "I'm going to reach down as far as I can, and lift you up. If these things are levers, your weight is what is pressing them together. With less weight, you should be able to push the steps apart, so we can pull you up."

With one hand inside Marcus' thigh, and the other on Marcus' chest, Bran braced himself and lifted.

[tibbius]

... The experiment did not work. Taking up Marcus weight with his own strong back, Bran found that the lower pair of steps still clamped Marcus' thighs against the upper steps. But his failure gave Bran another idea. If it was not Marcus' weight that kept the steps pressed toward each other, then perhaps it was the weight of the lowest step?

Hopping down, Bran tried heaving up the lowest (fourth) step toward the bronze peg that stopped its motion. Indeed, that action released the pressure of the next higher step against Marcus' thighs, and the warrior was able awkwardly to scramble up the steps out of the deep hole he had dangled over.

Releasing the lowest step with a groan, it swung quickly down and clunked into place as the third step swung up and likewise thumped into position. Bran noted that, like the bronze post at the uppermost step, the peg above the lowest step could be moved to a lower hole so that it would press against the step. He did so, carefully tested his footing going up the steps, and found that the trap had been disarmed.

Meanwhile Marcus limped around the area above the steps, vigorously rubbing the backs of his thighs. Bakthos came down the steps to where Bran was, and picked up the torch that Bran had set down on the steps. "I'd like to see what's down here, now," he said, and proceeded into the lower chamber before Bran could stop him.

There was no disaster.

After careful searching for other traps, the four men determined that the chamber was safe. They began to inventory the contents. Scores of spears and axes, dozens of swords and shields. Even a pile of several dozen helmets! Enough to fully equip the militias of Aegium and Elaionas, for sure.

[cybersavant]

Andrew, delegate from Delos

"Do you want me to help carry these up, to another building? Otherwise i will go back to the Scriptorium and continue to search through the records."