Erelis bent over the trapdoor " Hey guys" he called out to his trio " There is something peculiar about this barrier." The psionic gently poked his dagger along the cracks of the squared seal. " It is silver that holds this lid shut." The others examined the door more closely and soon discovered that 28 sterling nails, accompanied by larger, blunter wedges of shiny grey, were smashed and pounded into the grooves of the wood.
" Werebeasts." spat Teflar in distain. " Foulest of foul creatures.
Damn our luck!!"

Nanith stroked his fingertips over the nails. " Werebeasts or vampires, this was put here to keep evil in." The hobbit stood slowly " We should tread carefully if we decide to venture forth." He glanced at every member respectively and shrugged, " But, I cannot think of a good enough reason to continue. We don't have the power to defeat such heinous creatures." He eyed the silver-bound trapdoor. " We would surely die down there."

Teflar reflected an opposing view " In nature, there are timid flowers and animals that protect themselves by taking on the appearance of something dangerous or deadly. If you wanted to hide something important, you wouldn't just put it behind a locked door. You would make it unappealing for the person looking for it. A precious ring hidden under a pile of copper coins is just as valuable when hidden under a pile of horse dung." The ranger pointed to Loten " Paladin, what can you sense of this matter?"

Marks nodded and knelt over the portal; his mind searched for understanding. Seconds later, he replied " I cannot perceive anything from up here. If I am to witness evil firsthand, " he paused uncomfortably " We need to remove that door."

Erelis responded flatly " Listen guys, let me try and discover something that may help us in our decision." The psionic then bowed his head slowly and seemed to fade into a trancelike state. A minute rolled by and then another, all the while, Erelis grunted in frustration at something internal. The three sat expectedly waiting for him to break his petrifaction. In the room above, a drone of conversation took place. Meadows then raised his head; beads of sweat rolling freely down the sides of his face " I am spent...mentally." He coughed, walked dizzily forward, and said matter-of-fact " What lies below will aid us in our quest. What we may face is of malicious creation. That is all I know." The psionic wiped his forehead with the arm of his sleeve and lay down in exhaustion.

Nanith uncorked his waterskin and offered it to Erelis, but the psionic rebuffed the gesture with a polite wave. The hobbit then walked over to the trapdoor and tapped his foot against it.
" Are you saying that whatever it is, it's evil, but that it can help us?" Nanith turned towards the psionic, " Or is there something down there that could aid us, but to get to it we have to pass some corrupt embodiment?" He frowned, " Could you determine any of this Erelis? We should at least tell the others about these latest developments."

Meadows rolled over on his right side " I cannot think that anything beneficial would coexist with devilry. I couldn't tell anything more than expected risk and reward awaiting us."

Loten watched Erelis with interest as he reported his findings. � I agree that the others should be informed. I wonder if Aramil will accept that our desire for exploration does not lie in greed, but in finding the shard.� Standing under the first trap door, he elevated his voice to the group above. � I�m coming up.� With a brief pause to make sure his sword was properly sheathed, the paladin grabbed the rope and started climbing. Passing through the ceiling, he told the guard trio of what had transpired.