"Was that guy a hero? Did he fight for a good cause?"
When Kelkzar gets to the top stair the bas-relief sculpture animates and says
Kelkzar pauses in his approach and looks at the sculpture, signaling with his hand for everyone to get ready. Straightforward or riddle? Well these were the forces of law... "Zosiel." he replies flatly.
After saying Zosiel, the image fades back into the wall and the chamber grows still. The sarcophagus before you up to this point was completely sealed with no seam showing. As you say the words a bright blue light shines around the sarcophagus lid, fading a few moments later. Looking at it again there now a seam revealing the lid.
Kelkzar makes a thorough examination of the sarcophagus.
"Well, shall we see what is inside?"
Rowena will help open the sarcophagus, once Kelkzar deems it safe.
The lid is not trapped and Rowena and Kelkzar remove it with ease.
Inside lays a couple of items:
A slight silver diadem inscribed with Zosiel personal glyph.
Two long slightly curved black horns with red tips.
A pewter box inscribed with alien writhing letterforms. The metal holding the box together has melted in the past making the box sealed.
"Disturbing. There is something very wrong about that box, but I'm not sure what it is. And those horns...they look to be those of the creature that slew Zosiel. I expect we have all sorts of magic here, but let me see."
Knowledge: Religion:
"Lamashtu!" Rowena spits, almost as a curse, pointing to the glyphs on the box.
Sorry that was supposed to be planes, not nature!
The diadem is magical
The horns are not
The box is not, but you are getting the sense of strong magic inside the box
"Of course. Guess I have some studying to do to keep my demon lords straight. Shall we see what's inside?" Kelkzar looks for a way to open the box.
The metal around the box is melted not allowing it to be opened normally, but you could break it open pretty easily.
Trevor shrugs as it seems he talked to himself: "Nevermind..."
As the coffin is opened: "Were are his remains? Shouldn't we leave his last possession buried with him? What right do we have to pick those, like some low tomb robbers?"
"What Kelkzar said made it sound like he was disintegrated by a demon, so there'd be no body. Remember the pictures on the walls downstairs? The war between demons and Bralani? I think these things belonged to the duke, and were left here for other people to use in the war."
"Aw yes. Makes sense... But were not in any war. So maybe they should be left undisturbed?"
The haunted look in Quintus' eyes that had been absent for the past couple of days returns. "Aren't we? Oh, no armies marching around, but every one of us was called from--from whatever we d-did be-, before--by the hands of the Gods, and I have to think it was for a reason. The things we've learned about what's happening here, and we've only started to look...yes, Trevor, we are at war." Goddess, keep me from fighting evil the wrong way...again. The cleric's hands tremble and he clasps them together, as if trying to hide it.
Rauno is not sure what magic the diadem contains.
Made up your mind on breaking the box to see inside?
"I agree with Quintus, there's a reason we're here. And leaving the items now with no guardians is sure to see them fall into someone's hands before long." Kelkzar attempts to open the box.
Kelkzar breaks open the box and inside is a long handle attached to an adamantine loop. When detect magic is used on it, it radiates strong transmutation magic.
"That looks like the talisman in the picture. I guess Zosiel's army finished off the demon and took this and its horns for trophies."
Ok, so you made it to the true tomb of Zosiel. You still have the sections with turning sarcophagus left to examine or return to town.
"I agree, let's see if we can find other passages. We can always sleep in the entrance as we did previously."
"I've used up most of the Dawnflower's grace for the day, but I still have my sword. Let's go on." As the party leaves the cenotaph room, the priest turns one last time to look at the sarcophagus. Rest well, Your Grace. With the Gods' help we'll do what we have to.
You head back down to the "False Tomb" room with the lanterns. A couple of you push the sarcophagus clockwise and it "clicks" on the blue lantern alcove with nothing happening. Searching around you find no change so you decide to push it again. It rotates again, stopping with click on the Indigo alcove.
Like the yellow alcove, a small chamber rises from the floor with doors opening. The chamber isn't empty this time, numerous crushed bones and some moldy clothes are on the floor inside the chamber.
"I don't like the look of that at all," Rowena says.
"That is a good idea Rauno. Anyone have a waterskin they don't mind using for this? I seem to have forgotten mine, but we could use my shaving kit."
"I am still in pretty bad shape, and our magic and my alchemy are largely depleted. I think it would be prudent to camp and recover before we explore anything new."
"I have one. Quintus passes over a partially-filled waterskin.
You place the waterskin in the chamber, ready to pull your hands out if anything happens, but nothing does. You push the sarcophagus all the way around. None of the other alcove except yellow have a cylinder and nothing else happens. When you get it back to indigo, you see the waterskin is crushed like the bones and clothes.
"It seems the indigo alcove is just a trap for the unwary."
You search it and realize the chamber isn't really a chamber at all, the top and sides just slide down crushing everything inside. (as opposed to the yellow chamber which the whole thing moves up and down.)
"That is just a nasty way to go," Rowena comments, looking slightly green around the gills.
She pokes at the clothes to see if there is anything of worth among the remains.
Rowena pokes around and discovers under the clothes is a pouch, Dragging it out and opening reveals 35gp, 15sp, and a ruby worth 50gp inside
Probably a tomb raider from the clothes, definitely not a child.
"Is that it? What do we do next?" Trevor has lost interest at some point. He hangs around to help moving the dial, but it looks as though his feet have started to hurt again.
"Let's check out the chamber that comes up when we move it to the yellow lantern. Indigo is a trap. Green was broken, but revealed that area we explored initially. Unless Yellow is another trap, it must take us somewhere."
OK, rotate the sarcophagus to the yellow alcove and the chamber pops up. You search the chamber carefully and discover no traps. Only one person can enter at a time, who will go first
Rowena insists that they test it with an object first. Assuming it doesn't come up a crushed smear, she will volunteer to go first.
"I- I like Rowena's plan!!!"
Waterskin #2 survives the journey intact
"Well, it looks like waterskins are safe at least." says Kelkzar with a light chuckle. "I'll go ahead and take the next ride down after you Rowena, unless you and Lessien want to try to scout ahead of the rest of us a little first."
"I'm willing to scout, but if I find something in my current state, my only reaction is going to be to run."
"Why don't I head down after Rowena then. After that, you, Rauno, Quintus, and have Trevor come last. We'll wait to scout until we are all down. Sound good?"