Round 3 Transcript

Merrin crouches low, her eyes skimming the moss‑touched stones; she discovers a shallow depression in the floor, its edges lined with a faint, almost invisible rune that would trigger a hidden spike trap if disturbed. The pressure plate’s mechanism is now known to include a secondary spike pit beneath the gate.

Jeane raises her hand, palm extended toward the gate and its revealed pressure plate. She closes her eyes briefly, concentrating. "Detect Magic," she intones softly. The air shimmers around the trap mechanism as her spell activates. Runes flare into brief visibility—faint symbols that pulse with dark energy along the plate's edges and deeper in the stone beneath it. She notes their configuration carefully, committing them to memory for future reference or potential counter-spell preparation.

I take my position near Merrin but out of her way, my hands already moving through the sacred gestures as I begin the incantation for Protection from Evil. The words come easily, a steady rhythm against the creeping dread of this place. Let this shield hold firm against whatever unholy power animates these guardians.

Merrin carefully traces the outline of the hidden depression with her fingertips, trying to determine its exact dimensions and whether it's part of the pressure plate mechanism. The shallow groove in the stone is barely visible beneath the moss and lichen, but as she follows its path, a faint tingle of magic prickles against her skin. She risks a glance up at Jeane's "Detect Magic" spell still shimmering in the air, noting how the runes along the depression pulse in sync with the sorceress' divination. Biting her lip, Merrin gently probes the edges of the depression, looking for any sign of a pressure point or secondary trigger that might activate the trap she's trying so hard to avoid.

Seraphine kneels beside Merrin, studying the revealed pressure plate and secondary spike pit with intense focus. She pulls a small, ornate compass from her robes, one of her own enchantments. It hums with power as she holds it over the trap mechanism. "This will map the immediate interior," she explains quietly, her eyes scanning the device's glowing runes. The compass spins rapidly before settling on a single point - the center of the gate itself. Seraphine nods, noting the location of a powerful arcane ward before rising and motioning for the others to remain still while she completes her scrying.

Varrika moves closer to Merrin, offering her a small, sturdy wooden wedge from her pack. 'Here. Might help pry that pressure plate up enough to disable it.' She glances at the gate's rune-covered surface warily, ever watchful for any sign of magical wards or further traps.