Dragon quickstep

[Anastasia]

The paper is ancient but intact, only crumbling to dust once you read it.

Please return the gem once it's done, we'll see that the barrier restores itself. Unless Imix dies, in which case you may keep it secured.

[Corwin]

Ah yes. She'll fight with Imix to the death, but if he survives somehow, Seira will be sure to cordially return the gem to him. And try again?

[Anastasia]

I think that's a subtle suggestion that we win.

[Corwin]

I'm trying to find the battlefield before this becomes a comedy of errors! Would a helpful sign be too much to ask?!

Still, there's nothing to it but heading down that stairway. She'd explored all the rooms in both corridors, and if nothing stood out to someone of her ability, just how many people could've done better? A finite amount, no doubt, and probably able to be counted on the fingers of both of her hands. So that leaves this stairway down, the trio of guarded rooms two levels below, and the absolute bottom with the gold and other resource rooms that she had bypassed. Therefore, it stands to reason to cover this section before heading down to try looking for another path.

[Anastasia]

Donald grins at that as you go down. This stairwell leads you deep. To a short hallway that leads to another stairway, this one going up. Two doors are here, both open. In one you can spy rack after rack after rack of glass bottles. In the other you can spy great heaping piles of what looks to be goblets - all made of gold, thousands of them.

[Corwin]

Traps, alarms, magic the works! Seira detects all! And also confirms her suspicions of the bottles being potion bottles rather than wine. Donald would probably guess wine. Sanzha, too. So wouldn't it be nice if they were potions? Ranbar will probably back her up on this.

[Anastasia]

Ranbar will. They are potions - nice little potion bottles, preserved and protected.

No traps or anything here, at least.

[Corwin]

With a happy fist pump, Seira proceeds to collect them! The potion bottles and the golden goblets both! May a fresh passage be revealed once they have all been removed!

[Anastasia]

For once, there isn't. There's only the stairs up that you found along with them.

[Corwin]

Seira leads the way up after this!

[Anastasia]

A long stairway up. The way up is lit better as you go, until at last it comes to a doorway. The door's firmly shut and a quick check says that yes, it is trapped - from the other side with alarms. From this side it's entirely safe to open.

[Corwin]

Seira opens the door!

[Anastasia]

An open room, well lit. Several doors, all with signs and directions - as well as a further stairway that goes up. Here a golem of lava and flame stands guard, impassive.

[Corwin]

Seira takes a glance at the signs, first!

[Anastasia]

The signs read, respectively: Books; art; unsorted; Fire minerals, religious texts.