Chapter 1: Sellendelline's Secret

The whole group reaches the great door. It's a big, round dirty stone with runes carved into it, resting in the archway. The wind and rain can't reach you if you stay close to it. You can even hear people when they speak.
Both Pharra and Secret seem interested in the runes. Having given them a look over, Secret sits down on a rock and closes her eyes, apparently concentrating. Pharra leans on the door and addresses you thusly: "I'm a dialect speaker and this is ye olde spelling, but essentially this is not a secret tunnel or something; it's a tomb wherein they did seal a foe of civilisatione possess'ed of most dire... blah. They couldn't kill it, they locked it up, only a stupid person would open it."

Anyone can take an action.

"Excellent, well, I nominate Theorid opens it. He seems qualified enough, given the inscription."

Theorid eyes Fynn, folding his arms.

"I'm not opening it until I'm sure this is where we need to go."

He glances up at the sky, watching the rain. "... Admittedly, we may not have much of a choice."

Talons wretchedness overpowers her sense. "Does anyone know how to get in?"

Secret speaks without looking up. "Stick the key in the middle. I didn't know what it was for, just that it would be here. Apparently we're just expected to deal with any danger that's still inside and will be our way down, even if it was built as a prison. Gods can be so... you know. Pharra, I'd tell em now, before we do anything dangerous."

Pharra looks awkward. "Ok. I really don't want any of you to take this the wrong way, and if you're not interested, it's no problem, but I have something to give you before you set out, if you want it." He takes some papers out of his pack. "These are contracts. I wrote them up. It's always a um, soul for a service, but in this case, the service is keeping you out of the hands of other devils, who will get you if you go to hell. Means if you wouldn't go anyway, I'm not performing my service, the deal is void and you go wherever else you're going. What's in it for you is... well, I don't think I'd. Eh." He's clearly very uncomfortable.
Secret finishes for him. "He's not going to fuck you with hot knives or something."

Theorid nods. "With no gods left in power... Who's to say the Astral Realms are safe for souls, any more?" He takes the contract Pharra offers him. "Where do I sign, then?"

"Right... can I have out of the contract if we win? Nice safety net, but if the net's not needed, I'd rather get my cupcakes and sunshine for saving the multiverse."

Pharra nods. "Like I said, the service is keeping you out of the hands of other devils who'd claim you. If you don't go to hell, no service, so the deal's void. If you do go to hell, even if you fix the world, you're in hell. You can't get out. I don't know what's happening in there, but there'll be some kind of order and the contract will be valid. There's some things you can be sure of in hell." He takes out what looks like an odd metal quill. "Theorid, prick your thumb and sign on the line at the bottom. Not the one above, that's for me."

"Fine, if it'll make us leave faster. I have no intention of failing anyway." Fynn makes to do the agreement.

Talon looks shocked, then affronted, then accepting. "I thank you for the offer Pharra, I know you mean well by it, but I cant accept. Heaven and hell are not something my tribe think much about. When i die my soul will either become the earth or be bound to it in spirit form. I cannot make a deal for the part of me that is most sacred".

Pharra produces another quill for Fynn. "That's ok, Talon. I didn't expect you to take it. Just as long as you understand that it doesn't matter where your tribe normally ends up. If you act like us, maybe even once, we own you and to us souls aren't sacred in the least."

"Again I thank you for the warning, but i have no intention of falling from grace" She smiles now, amused, "There are still other forces at work than those of evil. Else why would we be trying?" She clasps him solidly by the hand in a gesture of goodwill then steps away to examine Secret's face, and the door.

Pharra smiles too, but in an embarrassed way. "If it was just evil left, I wouldn't be offering this, would I? But I will point out that evil would definitely save the world. We want it."

Secret's eyes are closed. She's frowning slightly. As look at her, She blinks a few times and stands up. "Ok, people, I can't really get much about what's ahead for a little while. Just darkness, cold and stone walls and things, and I already knew that was coming. Let's open this door."

Pharrammurinion nods. He collects his contracts, pulls a round stone out of the very centre of the door, then shoves his key into the hole it left. "Get ready."
With great effort, he turns the key, muttering swearwords in infernal dialect. With a last grunt of effort, he locks it into place and the door splits in half, vanishing into the archway.

Revealed is a 10' corridor, with a smaller door at the end, covered in golden symbols.

Theorid has left the contract unsigned after Talon's words, seeming almost distracted by that. Looking up to Pharra as he reclaims the stuff, he hands it back, unsigned.

"She has a point. Call me crazy, but I think I'd like to take the risk." He smiles, faintly.

When the door is opened, Theorid frowns, moving towards it as he unhooks his maces. "Keep an eye out, everyone."

Pharra nods. "It's not a problem. Doubt it matters for you anyway, you don't seem the type. I think this is where I leave you. I'll sit under here until the rain stops. Good luck."

Fynn heads up to the door, attempting to make heads or tails of the symbols around it.

Perception - Roll(1d20)+11:
9,+11 Total:20

Fynn- you see golden glowing runes of some kind, they look like they're for some kind of warding, to keep things getting in or out. You don't know the specific magic that's been used here, but it seems both simple and strong.

Theorid examines the runes in turn, trying to see if his knowledge of the divine will assist him in deciphering their meaning.

(Religion: 9 + 9 = 18.)

Theorid- You can discern no divine meaning here. It's a jumble of different symbols have no meaning to you. Probably more the territory of the wizard.

Fynn- You've learned what little you can from the door. It looks like a magic seal, possibly intended to make it hard to get in, but the fact that the glowing symbols are on this side suggests that somebody thought a huge stone wheel and this wooden door with big nails in it wouldn't be enough to prevent an escape.
Oh dear. Looks like the reason you've never seen it before is that it's not really a warding at all. It doesn't work, it never has done and it never could.
Normally, you'd assume stupidity on the part of the ritual caster, but there's a few symbols here that don't belong at all and if you ignore the others, they make a perfect circle.
It's magic for banishing darkness. Could be an innocent light source, but it could just as easily be a flame thrower, or an undead repellent, or it could kill anybody who touches the door unless they're a shining paragon of goodness. There's not enough information here for you to tell. The ones you really need to look at are probably on the other side of the damn door. Why do they always do that?

Talon stands very still, watching her companions. She scans the corridor for any tell tale marks, footprints, scorchmarks.

Talon- You see no such things.

Talon summons her spirit companion, a huge Kodiak bear. He huffs contentedly as she scratches behind one of his ears. "Well, if we cant read it I suppose we'll just have to open it". The bear wags its head in agreement and bounces on its front paws excitedly.

Theorid nods. "Indeed, we're wasting valuable time here."

And without further ado, he presses his palm to the door, before feeling around for any handle to open it by.

Secret nods. "We should go in this way. I'm sure of it. We have to do something."

Theorid- The handle rattles. The wood feels warm.

And thus Theorid turns the handle and pulls (or pushes, as appropriate), other hand going to a mace!