Round 9 Transcript

A distant shout from the ruined gate echoes across the ash‑choked road, and a lone city guard strides onto the third stone, his boots crunching over broken cobblestones. As he steps, a faint hiss erupts from the stone beneath him, and a thin plume of black ash curls upward before dissipating into the storm‑dark sky. The guard’s eyes widen as the pressure plate’s hidden mechanism clicks, but the invisible sigils Silra etched keep the main trap dormant, allowing him to pass unscathed.

I step forward with a casual, non-threatening posture and call out in Common, 'The dust here is thick—you might want to watch your footing. There's old city traps about.' I'm trying to make us seem like harmless travelers who stumbled into the wrong place, not people actively scouting a trap line. \"Watch the stones, friend! This road's got teeth.\"

The guard stops, hand on his sword hilt but not drawing it yet. His eyes narrow as he scans us—three women in worn travel clothes standing near an obvious pressure plate that just failed to trigger. I hold my ground, expression neutral and open, letting him draw conclusions.

I step forward and place myself between the guard and Silra, raising my hands in a calming gesture. 'We're just lost travelers seeking shelter from the storm—as you can see, we've had rough travel.' My heart hammers against my ribs; even if Silra's sigils hold, this moment feels fragile as old glass.

I draw my unholy symbol and cast Detect Magic, the arcane energy washing over the ash-choked stones in visible waves that reveal the pressure plates' intricate layout beneath the surface. The spell maps a web of trap runes etched into the cobblestones, each connected to mechanisms buried deeper—some primed with old city explosives, others merely alarms designed to summon patrols. I move forward with deliberate steps while holding the rusted key prominently; it gleams faintly with an enchantment that feels wrong somehow, like metal that remembers blood. The spell's radius shows me a clear path through the trap zone, and I signal Silra and Sister Hale with small gestures to follow my marked route. \"The runes are old city work—trap lines designed for larger patrols, not just lone guards.\"