[Gameplay] 3. The Sanctum

Khadi doesn't detect anything of note, and your searches find that these areas have little else of interest.

You can head north through the doors, or east into the central area.

Tabat nudges his head toward the northern doors and places a hand on them, ready to push (or pull) them open once the others are prepared.

The doors are marked with ancient Osiriani.Iseret notices scratch marks around the lock as he examines it, telltale signs that someone recently tried to pick the lock. Tried and failed, as the door is still locked at the moment, and not trapped that she can tell. Some careful attention by Iseret and she opens it.

Ready for any surprises, you press inside.

The sparsely furnished room contains a bed frame bolted to the floor in the southwest corner next to a lacquered end table. On the opposite side of the room, a wooden desk has partially collapsed against the wall. Doors exit the room to the north and east.

Tabat takes a moment to look through the collapsing desk before carefully testing to see how easy the northern door will open.

Khadi joins Tabat at the desk but also give a cursory glance under the bed, her eyes still glowing is a second sight.

Khadi finds nothing of interest in the room. It was either bereft on anything of value, or picked clean.

The other door is also locked, but not beyond Iseret's art. After messing with it for a minute or two, she opens that one as well.

It opens to a short narrow corridor leading to another door on the opposite end. While it appears safe enough, Iseret's careful searching reveals a pressure plate halfway down. Easily avoidable when marked.

The opposite door leads to an octagonal room. It's empty except for a large metal chest against the eastern wall. A series of hieroglyphs are inscribed on the wall above it. Another stone doors is set in the northern wall.

A faint, bloody set of boot prints leads from the northern door to the door you just came through. Recent blood.

Khadi translate before musing out loud.'The Good Magister, that sound like Nethys, this place is associated with him after all.' As she speaks her eyes fall on the fotprints.

'I know we already thought it, but someone was definitely here. The question is whether they still are ...

"The blood's fresh," Tabat says, motioning to the footprints, "and the door was locked behind us. Seems to me they're still here, but also they locked up behind them - they don't want anyone following them. I doubt not there will be a fight before us." Tabat looks closer at the footprints, trying to get a read on how many individuals may have passed through here recently.\\

Tabat thinks the dust is disturbed more than just the trail of blood, but he cannot tell how many or which way they are going.

Iseret tightens her grip on her short sword at the idea that there was someone else here.

Tabat takes a peek at the chest - if it seems subject he'll see if Iseret might take a closer look at it before opening and checking inside.

"It's been quiet here, but we now know there is someone beyond this door. Unless there is disagreement, I say we can search the areas we passed by at a later time, once we secure this temple of the danger ahead. Let us see who these others are." He reaches a hand to the door and checks over his shoulder for assent.

The chest is unlocked and empty.

Opening the northern door, you see that it turns to the right and descends into a lower level. The dust is thicker here, and you can plainly see on the stairs that multiple people went down the stairs, and the bloody tracks of one came back up after.

'Well, this doesn't look good... We should move quickly. If our bloody friend hurt someone down there... Khadi grips her symbol. She wanted to rush, in the off chance people may be hurt, but their previous experiences were enough to have her hold. It would aid no one if she ran into undead or a trap.

"Yes, absolutely," Tabat says. He let's Iseret check the way ahead, but otherwise leads forward, into the depths of the temple, with haste.

Down the stairs you go, into the crypts of the Sanctum of the Erudite Eye.

A stone bench sits against the eastern wall of this octagonal chamber. Black tiles line the floor, walls, and ceiling. A short passage to the south ends at a gate of bronze bars.

Iseret notices faint bloody footprints between the gate and the stairs.

Iseret holds a finger to her lips and points to the footprints.

Tabat nods and points in agreement. He moves slowly and carefully south.

The bronze gate will need to be disabled, certainly within Iseret's expertise (with enough attempts or a take 20). You can see through the gate into the next room which is entirely empty except for a statue of Nethys against the far wall. Pairs of stone doors exit that room to the east and the west.

Interestingly, the quarterstaff of the statue lightly radiates magic.

Iseret takes a moment to carefully examine the quarterstaff. Can it be removed from the statue's hands?

When Iseret disables the lock on the bronze bars, you move them up and out of the way. However, it is when you enter the room that the statue animates and begins to move to attack. Iseret may indeed get a chance to examine that quarterstaff as it is whistling toward her teeth.

Iseret and Jaware may act before the guardian attacks.