Aarakess Halcorn |
Kilthan, how long would it take you to move those stones in the second alcove if you were much larger? I can many you twice your current size - or Justin. If that would speed things up. It only lasts about a minute, but should give you additional strength which might let you move any big stones.
GM Blood |
Kilthian judges it would take at least weeks to make any progress on the rocks, enlarged or not.
Skipping ahead a little bit.
You go back up that stairs and search thoroughly spending about 10 minutes in each alcove.
What you find is that hidden in the patterned bands that run along the walls up above there are little holes. The strange whispers that you hear up here and that stops at the stairs leading down, come from the holes. Anyone that listens and knows celestial understands:
Three words you are able to make out are "hopeless", "sacrilege", and "enemies"
Other than that you don't find anything else hidden.
Aarakess Halcorn |
Interesting, this noise from these holes are like tiny voices. What I can pick out are "hopeless", "sacrilege" and "enemies". Oddly enough, these words are being spoken in Celestial, the language of the angels.
Does the stone finger appear as though it would fit in the holes?
Kilthan Hammerstone |
Clearly nervous about voices in the walls, Kilthan looks at Arakess, and asks "What's doing that? Some sort of trapped spirit? And can we tell if the warning is about what we're doing... or is it some sort of alarm as to something that has already happened?"
Aarakess Halcorn |
Well, I am at a bit of a loss on how to proceed. Perhaps we should return to Allustan and see what he knows about the missing red lamp.
After saying this, Aarakess stops and thinks for a minute: Or, we could attempt to create a replacement for the lamp. If we could find sufficient red materials, I bet we could make a similar lighting effect. From what I can tell, the lamps are not magical. Therefore, I would have to guess that whatever they do is caused by the color of the light, not by the lamp itself. If we were to hang something emitting red light in the seventh alcove, it might trigger whatever occurs next.
We have two torches. While I do not have access to any light creating spells at present, there are two which I know and could cast with a few hours of rest. Can anyone else create similar magical light? We will need six total as the green lamp appears to be permanently on at present.
GM Blood |
Here is the map with the Lanterns specified
You go back down and start to study the alcoves. Each alcove is about 30' long with 20' high ceilings. At the end of the alcove the ceiling goes up to 40' and a chain hangs and ends with a hook for a lantern. The hook is about 7' up off the floor and with a lantern hanging there is about 6' above the floor. Directly underneath where the lanterns are or would hang is a 5' diameter circle on the floor.
The southwest and east alcoves do not have a lantern in them. as noted on the map. The northeast alcove with the blue lantern is slighly different as the ceiling at the end with the chain goes higher than 40'. The green lantern in the north alcove has an everburning torch in it.
With this decroption I assumed no one going near the sarcophagus and just circling the outskirts of the room in a clockwise manner checking each alcove
Justin D'Rite aka Sluuth |
Justin shakes his head and begins to concentrate on the sarcophagus for a half-minute to get maximum information about any evil auras.
"I wouldn't do that right now."
"From watching rainbows, red in the southwest alcove, indigo in the east."
Justin retrieves the burning lamp and puts in the correct place, even if he has to give Kilthan a boost to do it.
Dryn'taka Devilschild |
"Don't worry, I'm sure she'll be all right. Though she could've let me help too." Dryn'taka looks abit pouty as she says it, though she does prepare a couple chemicals in case somethign does come out of the chest.
Not readying an attack, as I don't want to hit Ingrid, but ready.
Aarakess Halcorn |
I cast Detect Magic and begin to scan the whole area.
Once done with this, I walk over and stand next to Justing prepared to cast Enlarge Person should he need it.
I would have preferred a little more testing and searching before we invaded the sarcophagus. But, if our archeologist thinks this is ok, I am not going to stop her.
Kilthan Hammerstone |
Kilthan sets the lamp in place, thankful for Justin's assistance.
He says, "If you think it best. I just worry that we need all the lamps in place to open that safely."
GM Blood |
At the center of the chamber is a raised platform, upon which sits a sealed sarcophagus. The lid bears a white stone relief of a tall figure cloaked in a simple garment of flowing cloth. It's difficult to say why, exactly, but the outfit conjures thoughts of ancient times. The figure at first looks human, but a cursory examination reveals that it is about seven feet tall, completely hairless, and is of indeterminate sex. Its arms and hands rest at its side. The left hand curls upon itself in a fist, but the right is placed palm up, with he thumb turned in and all but the index finger held parallel to the arm. The index finger is broken off.
The figure wears a scarab-like amulet around its neck with an unusual glyph inscribed on it.
The sarcophagus rests upon a small raised platform carved in the shape of a stylistic arrow, with the tip aligned with the head of the relief figure upon the lid and a short "shaft" extending from the foot of the sarcophagus. The "arrow" is currently pointed towards the orange alcove.
Ingrid examines it with her skill as an archaeologist and with using detect magic finds a magical trap around the lid of the sarcophagus. She is sure trying to remove the lid would set it off. and it is a magical trap
Kilthan Hammerstone |
Kilthan notes the broken finger on the lid and compares it to the one he found in the pile. "I think we found where this came from. Maybe we should give it back?"
GM Blood |
Kilthan The finger is indeed from this statue. It is broken off and you see no way to reattach it.
Ingrid rigs up the rope and grapnel and pulls off the lid about a foot. Flames shoot out from the lid shooting out in all directions. Luckily everyone was far enough away to not get hit. Justin's rope starts to smolder next to the grapnel, but neither side caught on fire or was damaged.
Rope Save vs Fire Grapnel end 1d20 ⇒ 12
Rope Save vs Fire Other side of sarcophogus 1d20 ⇒ 18
Kilthan Hammerstone |
Kilthan approaches the sarcophagus carefully, saying, "I'll search it -- Maybe you can keep an eye out or try to figure out what's with the voices?"
He steps up onto the dais, and takes a deep breath, Odd that it would be empty... unless we need the lanterns to be lit first? This is odder than a tin battleaxe.
Perception (Search) -> Take 20 + 7 = 27
As he looks, he wonders aloud, "Maybe it's already been looted? Someone prying open the lid would explain the broken finger."
GM Blood |
You take your time searching the inside and there is nothing hidden there. Looking around the sarcophagus you notice faint scuff marks on the floor in a circle around it. (The scuff marks touch from one corner of the arrow base to another)
One other piece of info I forgot in the examination of the alcoves
In the blue lantern alcove next to the lantern on the floor is a skeleton lying in a heap. Examination of the bones many appear crushed or broken, probably from a fall.
GM Blood |
Aarakess The other chains hang from the ceiling 40' up which can be barely made out with light. With your low light vision you can tell the ceiling is 50' up. From down below you can't tell if there is somewhere up above.
Ingrid The arrow platform seems stuck as it hasn't been moved in a very long time. I need a strength check to move it. And I need which direction you push it as well. (Clockwise or counter)
Ingrid Anika Nina Jones |
She'll turn it to the next one (Yellow or Red?), I think each turn is a STR check, and I'll do one at a time, to check her theory about the arrow
STR check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (20) + 2 = 22
"I'm going to have to thank Oma Lara for that strength training she put me through during my childhood again."
GM Blood |
GM Blood |
After checking out the blue alcove Dryn'taka comes back to everyone to report her findings.
Ingrid studies the arrow platform and determines it should be pushed clockwise. Finding the right leverage point, she pushes it until it rests at the yellow alcove. (It naturally comes to a stop there once it starts to turn) As soon as it rests there you hear a great rumbling coming from below the chamber you are in. Amazingly, the stone circle below the lantern rises up until it is just below the lantern. A 5' diameter cylinder is below the circular stone and as it rests, two thin doors open revealing a small empty chamber inside.
GM Blood |
Having been in the blue alcove it appears the easiest way to get up there would be to climb the chain, though the walls wouldn't be impossible to climb.
DC 15 climb for the chain, DC 20 for the wall. Once up there there might be something to attach the grappling to. Someone would need a boost up and would take 6 non failure climb checks. 15+ successful, 11-14 no progress, <10 fall.