Ash looks at Roldare with a sad smile I know how you feel, if anything does happen trust me when i say it gets better. Keep your mind, be brave it's what she would want yes? Ash pulls out a bedroll and a thick winter blanket laying down for the night Wake me for last shift, if i'm not up already.
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Fonzy wakes up feeling rather refreshed considering the circumstances. He begins dismantling the barricade and says, "So we ready to do this? The swim Roldare spoke of, I believe it is behind the door in the first room of the crypt. Or we could continue this way and see where that leads us. What do you guys wanna do?"
"I'm not much of a swimmer. Let's try the other areas first."
Very well then, let's move there's work to be done.
Belasara readies her things once the group has decided on a course of action. After she packs and breaks her fast with a bit of trail rations, she eyes Roldare critically for a moment, then addresses him. "You'll be fine here on your own. Right?" she asks, partly to judge his mental state and partly to find out whether he intends to wait in the room for their return.
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The group cautiously makes their way to the door around the corner from where they spent their night. With Fonzy leading, he's keeping his eyes peeled for anything that may seem out of place. As they come to the door, he inspects it every way he knows how before seeing if it's locked. But waiting to open it.
"I'll be alright," Roldare says. "To tell the truth, nothing much has really come along but you folk. Even the bones stopped looking after a while." He sounds shaky, but he adds "And if something does come, I'll just barricade the door shut. There's plenty of food and drink here. If someone gets hurt or you decide you need a rest, come on back for a spell."
***
Of the two hallways, you quickly discover that one leads to a door that does not open, despite your best efforts. The second door, however, opens quite easily.
The room that the door opens to is mostly empty, except for the body of a villager in its center. Perched atop the corpse is a man-sized brown and yellow beetle, trying to push the corpse into the corner where a pile of trash and filth awaits.
Upon entering the room, the beetle turns and flares it's wings at you, mandibles clicking. Currently, Fonzy and whoever is directly behind him are the only one's that see this giant insect, but the clicking noise is audible to everyone.
Bela draws her father's longbow and nocks an arrow as Fonzy clears the doorway. The sheer size of the beetle draws her up short, and for a moment she can't decide whether to fire on it or follow the archer back they way they came. "Gods, what is that?!"
The beetle's clacking mandibles and aggressive posturing decides for her, and she looses her arrow at the overgrown insect.
They're just bugs, Ash states calmly, drawing her sword and attacking.
The giant beetle raises up on it's hind legs, screeching, mandibles clacking. It scuttles on the body before leaning back, it's maw gaping. Suddenly, a spray of acid jets forth from the bug, covering Ashling and Belasara.
It's attack complete, the beetle's legs dance around. Currently it has 2 arrows sticking out of it, and a gash from Ahsling's attack is leaking a strange yellow-green goo. It's doubtful that the bug can stand much longer.
Currently it has 2 arrows sticking out of it, and a gash from Ahsling's attack is leaking a strange yellow-green goo. It's doubtful that the bug can stand much longer.
"Varkha! Circle around behind!" Sir Bleeparolo shouts. The wolf surges forward and moves around behind the beetle.
Sir Bleeparolo smashes at the beetle with his morning star.
Varkha growls and snaps at the beetle.
The dynamic duo move forward to attack the giant beetle, but Sir Bleeparolo's morning star bounces off of the insect's tough exoskeleton. Vharka bites and grabs onto one of the beetle's legs, pulling, but ends up being shaken off.
The beetle lets out a yell, and as terrible as it seems, it is no closer to death than it was a few seconds ago.
Quick reflexes and her knowledge of what the smaller bombardier beetles are capable of keeps Bela from taking the brunt of the damage from the insect's acid spray. But the acid burns on her hands clearly affect her accuracy, causing her next arrow to go wide of the beetle.
Ashling dodges a majority of the acid, the liquid barely burning her hands as she continues to attack
The beetle screeches and lunges forward to bite it's most recent attacker, Ashling. The warrior maiden easily blocks with her sword, deflecting the sharp mandibles to the side.
The beetle is oozing goo quite heavily now, but still it stands, defiant and ready to defend it's nest.
Sir Bleeparolo nudges Varka to the south.
He calls to Ashling. "Ashling! Get on the other side of it!"
Then he says to Varkha, "ვარხას! დაველოდოთ იგი მეორე მხარეს და თავდასხმა!"
Varkha nods and moves to the side.
Sir Bleeparolo and Vharka prepare to flank the beetle with Ashling, but while waiting Fonzy unleashes another torrent of arrows. One of the arrows scatters off the back of the beetle, but the other finds a chink in the beetle's armor. With a gurgled scream, the beetle collapses on top of the body it had previously been consuming.
With the plight over, you have the chance to examine the room. It's difficult to see, but beneath the garbage and muck that's accumulated, you can see carvings on the wall.
Before you lie two paths. A door that opens to the south and deeper into the tomb, and stairs that ascend to the east.
The body is chewed up and covered in acid. Any feature it had that could be used for identification was destroyed by the beetle.
Ash gives her own quick look around the room
, before readying to proceed
As Ashling survey's the room, she notes nothing exceptional about the carvings on the wall.
"Gods, what a mess."
Sir Bleeparolo looks around to try and see if there is anything interesting here.
He looks down at Varkha. "სუნი არაფერია საინტერესო, ვარხა?"
Varkha sniffs around.
Following the story along the walls, you watch this knight fight alongside his companions. You see him take down bandits, fighting deeper and deeper into the tomb until his wounds bring him down. The images depict a burial, bringing you to a life size carving of the gnome holding a morning star.
However, a closer examination shows you that there's an indent in the wall wrapping around the carved handle of the morning star.
Sir Bleeparolo chuckles. "Hmmm... what do you know. Does anyone think this carving looks like me?"
"This seems to be a record of the Kingts of the Black Bough... or at least one of them. It shows him falling in battle, and being buried here. Well, now at least I can prove that the Knights are real and not just an invention of my father's as everyone seems to think."
"Wait, there seems to be an indentation here..."
Sir Bleeparolo looks at the odd indentation behind the handle of the depiction of the morning star, and then looks at his own morning star. He then tries to stick the handle of his morning star into the indentation. If that does nothing, he tries one of the points of the morning star.
"Fonzy... you're good with this sort of thing. What do you think?"
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"Hey! Looks like your dad wasn't crazy after all Bleepy! Wow! A real knight! That's pretty cool."
Following Bleepy's motions and realizing there was something off about the morning star in the carving Fonzy begins running his hands over the indention pressing on anything that might give way. Then uses his own morning star to try and fit it in like a puzzle piece in every position he can think.
A closer inspection of the carving shows that there is enough space for someone to grab onto the handle of the carved morning star.
[Spoiler=Perception (Morning Star Carving) DC 20] This "carving" doesn't seem to be a carving at all, or at least not one of stone. In fact, as you look at the handle, you notice it's hardened and seasoned leather and the points are metal.
Sir Bleeparolo ponders for a moment. Then he mutters something and makes a pass with his hands. His eyes begin to glow faintly.
"Ah! Apparently this is magical. It looks like a tiny version of a real morning star."
Sir Bleeparolo pulls out his bootlace, and threads the loop behind the handle of the morning star. Then he pulls.
To both Fonzy's hand and the bootlace, the morning star doesn't react.
"Somehow I think this is meant for me to pull. Stand back..."
Sir Bleeparolo, now fairly certain there isn't a trap, tries to pull the morning star free of the wall.
There is a flash of magic as Sir Bleeparolo grips and tugs at the morning star. Dust and stone crumble around where the weapon had been set as a voice fills the chamber.
The enemy rises to attack again,
To destroy the land of Kassen.
Heroes brave and fighters bold
Make use of these weapons of old.
Our legend shall be renewed again
As we fight with you to protect Kassen.
Despite it's apparent age, this weapon is in marvelous condition. As you heft it, you see the gnomish script engraved on it above the crest. 'The Black Bough.'
As Sir Bleeparolo examines the weapon, the group is left to decide which way to continue? Deeper into the tomb, or further exploration to the west?
Belasara takes an awe-filled glance around the chamber after the disembodied voice fades. "Do you think this has something to do with the dreams we had?" It certainly seemed, to Bela, as if the spirits of the founders had more in mind for them than simply obtaining the Everflame. Indicating the door to the west, Bela says, "Should we see what lies beyond here before venturing deeper into the crypt?"
It's possible, dreams have meaning. Though i'm beginning to think they were visions, rather than dreams... Ash states having had little to say about the current events. We should explore this...i feel that something is wrong, The trial has never gone like this.
With Fonzy leading the way, the group travels up the stairs and through a tunnel. It doesn't take long before you emerge in another room, covered in the carvings that are scattered across each and every wall.
One half of this lofty chamber has a lowered floor, with stairs on either side to reach the bottom. Standing opposite the door is a tall wooden statue of Kassen grasping a gigantic wooden shield in each hand. One of the shields is inscribed with the word “home,” while the other reads “family.”