Act 1. I've got your back

Legolas hesitated at the heavy southern door, his hand inches from the iron handle as he waited for Zyra’s agreement.

Meanwhile, Zyra examined the silver-forged tongs. She ran her fingers along the tool’s length, checking for pressure plates, unusual grooves, or hidden latches—anything that might suggest the tongs themselves were a trap trigger. Then she turned her attention to the workbench, scanning the wood and stone for recessed switches or release mechanisms.

Nothing.

The tongs were exactly what they appeared to be: a masterfully made and expensive forging tool. No tricks, no obvious enchantments. The space on the bench hadn’t activated a device either—it had merely been clean, waiting.

Zyra straightened, a faint frown on her lips.

This wasn’t about the tongs, she realized. Someone—or something—was watching. It saw what we did. Judged it. And then, somehow, they unlocked the doors.

Dwarf is no goblin. Goblins set them to hurt and delay. Dwarfs to protect. That's what I've red back home. Reality could differ from a book anyway Legolas share his opinion while waiting patiently.

/I agree. Dwarfs would set traps to protect, doesn't mean they are any less lethal. Zyra looks around the room trying to determine if the choice of door will matter...

Legolas,I believe our actions are being judged. Before we decide which door to open first, lets see if the marking on them give us a clue to what lies beyond each.

Zyra points to the doors closest to Legolas and indicates he should look there and then moves to the other doors to see what she can deduce.

I made my decision already. But I lack your expertise. Legolas steps away from the door and patiently wait for Zyra to choose the doors.

Zyra circled the room with deliberate care, her sharp eyes examining each of the three doors in turn. The iron-bound slabs were nearly identical—heavy, reinforced with thick bolts and steel bands, built to withstand time or siege. She ran her fingers along the rims, searching for etched runes, worn reliefs, or telltale discoloration. But there was nothing. No inscriptions. No pictographs. No worn footpath indicating favored use. If the dwarves had marked the way, they had done so in a language of craft too subtle for human—or even elven—eyes to catch.Nearby, Legolas remained still. Moments later, heavy footfalls thudded down the stone steps, followed by a deep voice grumbling with effort. The flame of a lantern came into view, revealing the broad silhouette of Grusk, the blacksmith and rightful owner of the forge. His leather apron still bore streaks of soot, and a hammer stuck out of one of its deep pockets.

Trailing behind him was a much smaller figure—a gnome barely past Zyra’s hip, his cap tattered and patched, his wiry hair dusted in soot. His eyes sparkled with curiosity even as he tripped on the last step and muttered a curse.

"Ah! There you are!" Grusk boomed. "Brought help—this here’s Orryn Fiddlefield, clever with gears, alchemical items, and the like. Zyra, Legolas, meet your reinforcements."

---

Grusk raised a brow at the tight grips on weapons and the way the elf and tiefling stood apart from the doors. "You both look like you’re expecting the forge to eat you. What’s got you spooked? The clicking? Bah. That noise isn't in this room—it’s further down, I’m sure."

But the moment he said it, a click answered from the shadows beyond the forge—soft, deliberate, and unmistakably close.

Grusk froze mid-step.

Sure it was. Legolas smiles and indicate with his relaxed mannerism that there is nothing to be afraid of at the moment Grusk. You came just in time - would you share what's behind each of the doors, please. Zyra is in a process of prioritization.
Orryn, appreciate your support.

Orryn bends his hat at the two, his other hand patting for the assuring edge of his crossbow. Gaze darting between the dark patches of the room.

"Forgive us if we skip further pleasantries. I'm sure we can continue it in relative safety later. Have ye learned anythin' about that clickin' thing?"

If I may. Did you see the "clicker thing"? putting the stress on see and thing obviously suggesting that he is questioning if clicking sound comes from a thing.
I hope you could tell me I'm wrong to believe that this whole place it the thing and he turns to Orryn It has learned about us more than we learned about it.

Greetings Orryn, so far we have managed to by pass the trap above. She hands Orryn her sketch of the entrance to the stairwell which has annotations to the release mechanism and everything else we had found so far. we have been having some distant interactions with whatever is making those sounds... Zyra goes on in details about her speculations (see OCC thread) and then describes the silver tong incident (see above).

We were just now trying to figure out which door led to what when you came down. Gruskjust saved us some time on that effort. But suffice to say, I think we are being observed and what we do will dictate the watchers reaction. I wouldn't try to pocket anything and that's in my nature.

Orryn looked over the annotated sketches as Zyra filled him in on her current speculations along with the peculiar encounter they had with the entity only moments ago. Whatever the thing was, it wasn't simply attacking intruders.

"Hm, so this thing was testing how ye'd react to pricey items. Used yer words as a template to instruct ye as well. If it's a helper, that could explain it's control over the rooms."

He hands the paper back to Zyra and makes his way over to one of the pillars, still faintly glowing with dwarven runes.

"Ever figure out what these mean, Grusk?"

For that matter, did any of these symbols look like ones he had dealt with before?

Grusk shook his head, rubbing his chin. "No, I never figured out what those mean."

Orryn crouched beside the carved pillars, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he studied the ancient markings. "Ah, these are magic runes," he said, voice low and reverent.

He pointed to the first rune, which glowed warmly, like a tiny sun trapped in iron—a swirling spiral of molten orange fire, flickering softly as if holding a spark waiting to burst free. To Orryn, it seemed alive, whispering of heat and fierce energy.

Beside it, the second rune looked sharp and precise, carved in twisting lines that interlocked like tiny gears. Its edges clicked softly, as if echoing the movements of unseen cogs. Orryn imagined it as a secret code written by a master tinkerer—full of promise and sharp wit.

The third rune was etched deep into the stone, shaped like rippling waves frozen in time. Its surface shimmered slightly, carrying the distant echo of voices long past. Orryn felt a faint chill, as if hearing the faint footsteps of forgotten dwarves wandering these halls.

Finally, the last rune crackled faintly with tiny sparks of blue lightning, its jagged lines zigzagging like the erratic dance of a storm. Orryn’s hair prickled with static, as if the rune itself was restless—eager to leap free and race through metal veins.

Orryn relayed what he could to the others. Though his descriptions brimmed with mystical properties and wonder. What they didn't answer, however, was to what ends the runes accomplished.

"Now I'm no expert on magic. But I've been around the block enough to recognize the handiwork of a master. If there was any doubt. We are standin' in the workshop of true talent. Come, if the southern door leads to an alchemy lab. I might be able to determine what sort of experiments were going on before this place ceased production."

He nods to the dark patches where the clicks seemed to originate.

"So long as we are allowed to, of course."

Legolas nods as Grusk share his knowledge and though say nothing his ayes say thanks for sharing, appreciated to blacksmith.

Just as silently Legolas stare at Zyra when Orryn is about to go though the same door Elf was about to enter a moment ago. Was it seventh sense or coincidence - does it even matter? He is sure that's the right thing to do right now, but want to let Zyra take her time.

Grusk, are you staying? It is not safe still. But... If we can't find a way to release the ghost of this place, it might be better you try to befriend it. Legolas suggest to consider all possibilities.

Well whatever that thing is, be it guardian or helper or some other strange manifestation, it invited us to go deeper by unlocking the doors.
Lead on Legolas

After you - Orryn.