"Tik'Klik!"
The small golem's eyes whirl purple again, and he begins to slowly move forward, looking carefully.
"Hmm. Some kind of symbols carved into the walls here... interesting. Possibly a clue as to the identities of these cadavers..." Aston squints, leaning closer to the nearest symbols and comparing them to his knowledge of heraldry and religious iconography.
the order stirs, disorder is life, we bring wind to the dead
Taicho looks round to see if he can see the symbols Aston is referring to, but he is distracted by the stirring of the dust and the vibrating of the cobwebs caused by the door opening. In his flat baritone he declares, followed by his his Tian Xia tenor.
Death, the finality of order, Sha' we continue on ouw' way?
as he continues to move between the cadavers he will search them for signs of misuse and any potential baubles.
Moving into the corridor, through the darkness you are able to see that the corridor ends in double doors some 60 feet straight ahead of you. The alcoves continue the entire length of the corridor and, so far as you can see from your position just inside the double doors from the antechamber, each alcove is filled with the linen-wrapped bodies.
Moving into the corridor, you are struck by how incredibly silent the area is...the dust and cobwebs tell of how long the bodies interred here have rested undisturbed.... Cautiously proceeding into the corridor, the group stops for a short time at the first alcove whilst Taicho sniffs and stares at the wrapped bodies.
The deathly quiet, sporadically broken by the sound of breathing and footfall against the stone floor, is suddenly disturbed as an object falls from an alcove some ten feet ahead of you. Horrifically, it appears that one of the linen wraps has disintegrated with age disgorging it's contents on to the floor...but what may have been skeletal remains many centuries ago virtually explodes to dust as it crashes to the floor. As the dust settles, you can see that, whilst all of the other bones have been destroyed, a single skull has survived the fall....
"Tik'Klik!"
The golem's arm whirrs and humms as it points the open end at the skull, watching for additional movement. The golem approaches slowly, also watching the alcove it fell from.
what the heck was that
Taicho disappointed that he didn't find anything of value tears off a small piece of the linen wrap and tucks it in his pouch. He jumps from the disturbance of falling objects and out of habit jerks a chakram from its pouch ready to let fly.
Aston cautiously raises his crossbow, though he does feel a bit silly jumping at the sight of a mere skull. He quickly checks to make sure he has loaded the weapon, just to be safe.
"More old symbols here," Aston reports, keeping his eye on the skull. "I should like to take a moment to make a few sketches- for later translation, you see." He frowns at the skull, then glances around the hall, his expression darkening. "...though it might be wiser to wait on that."
As the surprise of the linen wrap falling to the floor abates and silence returns to the corridor, the tension eases a little.
Moving forwards slowly towards the skull, the small golem stops suddenly as a crab like leg some eight inches in length, suddenly appears from the eye socket of the skull...time appears to stand still as the skull turns and swivels with a further seven legs protruding and then straightening, pushing the skull to a slightly raised position...in the very same instant an insectoid chattering noise issues forth from the skull and is echoed back from a number of the alcoves along the corridor...including the alcove that Taicho has been examining for the last few minutes...
Taicho, seeing the skull sprout legs, immediately releases the chakram that he drew sailing it toward the chattering perversion.
In his Shackles caw he delares
Oy, we's got a bloody skully buggy problem, wroight?
hearing the chatter echoed by the cadaver near him he steps back waiting to see what new diabolical perversion reveals itself...
"Tik'Klik!"
The golem's eyes stop glowing purple, and switch to red instead.
The golem's open ended arm pops up and points at the spider skull, a whirring humm is heard, and the bits of his hand that form the collar around the end of the arm begin to spin intricately.
Tik'klik's bolt fizzes against the side of the skull, cracking long dead bone but not slowing it's skittering advance towards the group - Taicho, also stood near the front, throws his chakras but misses...the skull proving to be a small and elusive target.
...and then, as the chittering noise increases, a further pair skulls climb from their 'resting' places and move towards the group - living flesh clearly provoking them to attack: Taicho is suddenly aware of crab-like legs climbing his legs as a partially wrapped skull climbs from the alcove next to him...
Scuttling in and around leg, stingers start to lash from the gaping eye sockets of the skulls...
A further creeping skull, climbing along the wall, approaches from the far north of the corridor.
"Tik'Klik!"
Tik'lik's morning star hand comes down on the spider as it tries to climb up his body and bide him.
Seeing the morningstar is not working, Tik'Klik takes a five foot adjust and fires another arcane blast at the spider.
"Oh, for the love of..." Aston grumbles as the skull-spiders swarm his comrades. He hefts his crossbow, but realizes it might be a little difficult to hit one of the creatures crawling on Taicho or Tik'Klik.
Taicho attempts to rake the skull as it comes near
As he feels the other skull bite his leg, he quickly attacks it with his undivided attention
Stepping back, Tik'klik scorches the bone of the skull spider again...again though, the force of the blow isn't strong enough to end the peril.
Meanwhile, Taicho, a whirling dervish of feathers and claws, shatters two of the creatures - a pulpy mess spilling out of the smashed skulls... And Aston, standing well back, sights the wall crawling spider in his crossbow - and unleashes the bolt that spears it through... It falls from the wall, the skull's hemisphere splitting to reveal the crab-like creature skewered within...
Approaching the final skull spider in eerie silence, Graham smiles at the ferocity of the attacks that Taicho shows off. Raising his lucerne once again, he attempts to strike the creature rather brutally;
The remaining spider, slightly smouldering from the golem's arcane bolts, is smashed into hundreds of pieces by Graham's brutal hammer strike.
As your adrenalin subsides, the wreckage of the fight is there for all to see. The smashed skulls and the bodies of the creatures who had made this tomb their home are spread around the corridor. Some of the linen wrapped corpses have been disturbed as the creatures scurried from their alcoves to attack.
Looking ahead, you can see that the only exit from the corridor, other than retracing your steps, is straight ahead through a heavy wooden double door.
Taicho looked at the skull spiders for a moment, leaving their remains where they lay; he goes to the heavy wooden double door and listens carefully as he searches it for traps
Aston sighs in satisfaction at the conclusion of the battle. "Well, that must have been satisfying, Graham," he says, giving the fighter a friendly jab in the arm. "Well fought, friends. This catacomb does keep one on his toes, does it not?"
He watches carefully as Taicho gives the doors a once-over. Hopefully, the tengu's senses were as formidable as his claws.
Taicho carefully feels his way around the door, looking for traps or other unpleasant surprises - when he is satisfied that it is safe to do so, he gently pushes on the double doors. As the doors swing open, the light from Graham's gore stained hammer illuminates a vast room...
The ceiling of the cavernous chamber looms some twenty feet above you, forming an architectural wonder unsupported by any visible columns or buttresses. Stretched out before you, and disappearing into the gloom, is a wide stone bridge with an elaborately carved railing. Approximately forty feet below the bridge lies an amphitheatre constructed of a central area surrounded by tiered steps rising ten feet from the floor of the chamber. A wide ledge circles the room at this level (around thirty feet below the bridge). As you move onto the bridge, you are able to see that heavy wooden doors with a brass inlay lead from this chamber, to the east and to the west, at this lower level. The bridge that you stand upon has no obvious connection to the chamber below you, instead leading to a set of heavy wooden doors that lead to the north.
The only other significant feature of this room, upon first viewing, are the eight larger than life statues standing, evenly spaced around the room's circumference - seven carved from white stone, and the eighth from a granite like black material.
"Oh ho, what have we here? These folks look important, don't they?" he asks as he slowly progresses forward with Tik'Klik, just slightly behind him. "What do you suppose the significance of the 7 to 1 ratio is?" he asks curiously.
now this is how to design a room
As Taicho slowly walks out onto the bridge keeping a keen eye out, he says in his flat baritone
Black, white, bridge, pit, doors, puzzles
followed by a Shackles caw
Now 'at's what I's yappin' 'bout, bloody well wroight
then in the Tian Xia tenor
Crimb down a rope to froor berow? Or go frew the rarge woodren doors?
Taicho, looking at the statues from your position high above them, you see tiny indentations in the floor adjacent to each of the plinths...almost as if the statues were intended to be slid to one side.
Taking in the grandeur of the room, you are able to further notice that the seven statues carved from white stone would appear to be made of very fine marble. Each statue portrays a different figure, though they are all exquisitely detailed and all display an imperious manner. The various statues depict:
- A tall man with gems set in his forehead, wielding a flaming glaive
- A beautiful woman with wild hair, holding a ranseur
- A voluptuous nude woman wielding a two-headed guisarme
- A short, smiling man, holding a longspear
- An obese man with rotting flesh, wielding a scythe
- A handsome, bearded man in extravagant clothing, wielding a Lucerne hammer.
- And, an imperious heavyset woman holding a mirror and a halberd.
- The tall man with the flaming glaive is Karzoug, Runelord of Greed
- The wild haired woman with the ranseur is Alaznist, Runelord of Wrath
- The nude woman with the two-headed guisarme is Sorshen, Runelord of Lust
- The short man with the spear is Krune, Runelord of Sloth
- The scythe wielding obese man is Zutha, Runelord of Gluttony
- The man with the lucerne hammer is Xandergul, Runelord of Pride
- The woman with the mirror and halberd is Belimarius, Runelord of Envy
The statues themselves are in a perfect state of repair, as if they had been carved and polished mere days ago.
The eighth statue, in the south south-east corner of the room, is actually carved from dark diorite and is threefold in form, portraying a tall woman with three faces looking in three different directions. One side has a kind face and cradles a baby in its' arms, while a second side displays a more stern expression and holds an hourglass. The third face has a crazed look; it's hands are empty, but thornless roses twine up both arms.
For a moment, Aston stands, slack-jawed, as if in reverie. "Marvelous," he mutters. "Simply marvelous. If only I could capture this image to show Abigail upon my return..." Regarding the identity of the figures represented in the towering statues, Aston has a strong theory, but can't quite commit to voicing it. "Although clearly the most obvious path is that which lies directly before us, I must admit I am tempted to venture downward into the amphitheater and inspect these statues more closely. Do you see? It would seem they can be moved, though I suspect their weight to be considerable. Fascinating, this... were we not in the midst of a mission, I could be lost in this place for days, taking it all in. Regardless, we must keep on the trail of this blaspheming grave robber."
"What say you, friends? Straight ahead, or a bit of spelunking? Either could lead to the lair of our culprit. And look, Graham, that handsome devil there even has your hammer." He gestures to the bearded statue and smirks, a sarcastic twinkle in his eye. "A relative of yours, or just a fellow enthusiast?"
"Tik'Klik!"
The golem's head does a complete 360 degree spin. The purple eyes focus on the statues one by one. "Tik'klik! Klik tik kik.. kik... gik.. gik... maklik... klikmag... magklick ick lick magklick... Magic agic ic klick agic klick..."
Then it points to the black one, and it's head does another 360 degree spin. "Tik'Klik! Klik kick tik! Magic Tik ick gic! Tik Tik klick ick magklick mag.. mag... mag... ick klick magic gick ick tik klik! Tick! Tick! Tickno! Notick! Notick notick notick!"
what Is he trying to communicate?
Taicho, stops walking toward the doors on the opposite end, watching Tik'Klik point, he cast detect magic to see if his guess is right.
Taicho, you don't detect any magic on the doors at the end although, turning and looking at your allies, you see an aura of magic emanating from each of the statues...
well I'll be a two-faced goblin
Taicho being able to slowly identify faint auras as he watches Tik'Klik point at the statues and listens closely to what he is saying. He mimics a few of the phrases
klick magic gick ...Tickno! Notick!
then in the shackles caw he observes
I's'l be a bloody one footed crows I will, 'e's startin's ta elucidate in tha common vernaculars, 'e bloody well is
continuing in the flat baritone
yes, friend Tik'Klik we should notice the magic
switching to the accented tenor
an that you our speaking in the common ranguage
as Taicho looks at the statues again he explains in his baritone
the white statues elicit an'Evocation' aura, but the black is different
turning to Tik'Klik he asks in the caw
I's'l be buggered If I's can tells what tha Aura from tha blacky one is; can you's tell?
"Tik'Klik!"
"Tik'Klik Tickno.. no... Notick ick ick tickno notick no no..."
"Fascinating. It seems our little wooden friend's language skills are improving at a remarkable rate. Perhaps we should investigate that black statue more closely? I don't like the sound of an 'evocation' aura coming from the other statues; there is a chance that this black statue might be less dangerous... or more. Caution is advised in any case."
Aston swings his pack off his shoulder and begins snooping through it, gathering his rope in the event the others with to climb down.
Graham takes note of the Lucerne as everyone obviously worries about the magical nature of the statues. "Ah, a Lucerne... well. He obviously merely enjoyed smashing his fores from a distance, just like I did. Though the weapon does far better things in the hands of someone who lacks the frailty of such a... standing." he points out as he looks around.
"Evocation is the type that blasts people about isn't it? I've little experience with wizards, apart from Necromancy that isn't quite evil... what's the chance that touching these doesn't cause us to explode?" he asks.
"Though... "Blasting" in a ossuary just seems strange."
all things come to those who wait
Taicho points to the doors, declaring in a caw
I's'l investigate tha doubly-doors if'n we enie-meenie's 'at ways wroight
then in he flat baritone
door or rope I am satisfied with either
pausing and switching voices
if we go down sharw we come back up again?
while team decides to descend into the pit or go through the double doors; Taicho investigates the double doors for traps or a lock, just in case.
- the double doors at the other end of the bridge appear to be unlocked and, so far as you can tell, are devoid of traps or other nasty surprises.
Taicho, waiting for the others to decide what they wanted to do, opens the double doors at the other end of the bridge, just to see what's behind them, and takes a look around
Pushing the doors open whilst waiting for Aston and Graham to decide on the next move, Taicho finds a featureless corridor stretching out before him for around thirty feet before reaching a 'Tee' junction that heads to the East and to the West.
"Hmm... Perhaps we should continue onward for the present. There is a good chance that we might loop back around to these statues should we maintain our present course. However, I have a suggestion..."
Aston attempts to tie off his rope and lower it down to the area below, just in case they do find themselves coming back through there; this way, they can simply climb up the rope as a shortcut back to the bridge.
"We do have more rope amongst us, do we not?"
"I've 50 feet of it on my person in my pack. I've never been one to not be prepared for this sort of thing... most of it was picking up dust in the reliquary whenever they sent me the letter to embark on this adventure." he says with a chuckle. Looking onward, he realizes that this place is pretty damned symetrical. "You know... I get the funny feeling that this place is mostly symmetrical. It makes sense for an ossuary to be like that, though... Though if I had a preference I wouldn't leave that rope here. Worst comes to worst, something crawls its way up, and we give whatever we're here for the opportunity to escape underneath our eyes." he explains.
up, down, forward, left or right, so many choices, where is a coin
as Aston ties a rope to the engraved railing and he and Graham speak of the value of leaving a rope; Tachio smiles his Tengu smile and walks down the hall. Casting light on his hat (which will turn off the light on Graham's hammer) illuminating Taicho at the end of the hallway. Taicho will then quickly look both ways for any sign of disturbances.
if there is no sign of disturbance he will flip his coin letting it fall to the ground, once he sees how the coin lands he point to the right, looking back over his shoulder and says in his shackles caw.
Tha bloody fella on tha shiny says we's goin' 'at a ways, wroight
He then waits for the rest of the team to catch up. Still smiling his odd smile.
"Tik'Klik."
Tik'Klik sees that the beaked organic is moving on while the other two talk, and after looking between them for a few seconds, the golem begins moving forward again.
At the intersection, the golem bends at the waist and sticks it's head just barely around the corner. It's eyes turn purple, and it's head spins 360 degrees on it's shoulders, looking in both directions.
To the West, the corridor continues for approximately fifty feet before disappearing into the gloom...at the periphery of where the corridor becomes too dim for normal vision, there are two doors facing each other across the corridor...one to the North and one to the South.
To the East, the corridor continues for some forty feet before ending at a heavy wooden door. From your position at the Tee Junction, it appears that the corridor to the East also veers off to the South next to this wooden door.
As you peer into the darkness to the East, you are greeted with a bizarre sight....a disembodied head held aloft with bat-like wings is repeatedly crashing into the heavy wooden door...it continues to do this for mere seconds before it becomes aware of your presence...and turns, hissing with malevolence...
Taicho turning to the east sees a disembodied head held aloft with bat-like wings in just enough time to watch it turn and hiss malevolently. Moving forward a few feet while he drew a chakram he returns he hissing sound to the best of his ability then speaking in his shackles caw
Hisssss..... hissss, 'ats bloody well wroight, come on blokes, lets get tha little winged bugger!
"Tik'Klik!"
Sparks begin to arc off the golem's open arm, and it points in the direction of the flying skull. With a sudden SNAP crack of electricity, a small jolt of energy arcs between the golem and the flying creature.
The crackle of electricity and smell of ozone fills the air briefly as the flying head is caught by Tik'klik's bolt...it shudders slightly in flight but is far from defeated...
Taicho's bladed disc bounces from the wall as he gets too much spin on it...it misses your enemy by a fair distance.
Graham hears the sudden level of distress in everyone's tone, and the now-usual worried noise of the construct they're with. With little speed, he moves only 20 feet, standing to Taicho's left. He somewhat hides his lucerne's hammer behind him, in hopes that the Vargouille will come into range of attacking. Provided it does, he readies a chance to smack it, and then should it move once more, he'll strike it again... Yes, that's always worked out nicely. His superior reach always gave him that luxury, didn't it?
Clued in to the sudden panic in the hallway, Aston hefts his crossbow and hurries after the others, and his face twists in disgust as he sees the abomination awaiting them.
– the creature, whatever it was in life, is now a zombie – a near mindless automaton animated with vile necromantic energies.
…with the creature’s true nature identified, Aston passes judgement on the creature – it’s clumsy flight is evidently affected by Aston’s attack as it starts to carve a wobbling trajectory towards the group.
…flapping, with a blackened tongue lolling stupidly from it’s mouth, the creature swoops at Taicho…attempting to evade Graham’s swinging hammer - it’s biting attack is terrifically ineffective.