Seeing little to be gained from further examination of the relief, Raj quietly moves to examine the doors and then listen at each one in turn.
1d20+4
1d20+4
From the left door, you hear
From the right door, you hear
(But Karrik might have something to add when he gets the opportunity to post.)
(But Karrik might have something to add when he gets the opportunity to post.)
"There are no arcane auras that I can detect in here. I'll keep the cantrip running as long as I'm able, though, in the case that one presents itself." Karrik takes in the footsteps in the dust, looks at both doors, and shakes his head. "The footsteps make me think this was one person who entered the door on the right, and then later exited through the same door."
He looks back at Kendra with a look of frustration, "Suddenly I'm very perturbed that we failed to interview the Sherrif regarding the details of your father's death before beginning this particular trip." He looks back at the door on the right as if he can see through it, "Might have proven incredibly useful."
Dragomir halts suddenly, this fist that had been making obeisance to Pharasma, goes to swiftly to his head and his sword tip drops suddenly, just halting above the floor.
The large man blinks sharply as he exhales, then his eyes shoot back and forth, re-orientating himself.
Pharasma's Grace, he whispers as his blade comes back up to guard position.
Right when Dragomir halted, Theron had also halted and momentarily stared at the statue of Pharasma with a slightly confused look on his face, as if he was seeing something that wasn't there before. Noticing that Dragomir been making a sign and now seemed disoriented, Theron looks back and forth between the man and the statue and tries to figure out the connection.
I didn't detect any magic... but something happened just now. Did Dragomir just...
"Dragomir, are you alright?" Theron calls out, just loud enough so the man can hear him from the back of the group.
I... am fine, Dragomir replies softly and a little hollowly. The Lady of the Graves walks by my side this night - but I am not sure what this means other than I am meant to be here.
I will speak no more of it for now, he says with conviction in his voice.
(But Karrik might have something to add when he gets the opportunity to post.)
"There are no arcane auras that I can detect in here. I'll keep the cantrip running as long as I'm able, though, in the case that one presents itself." Karrik takes in the footsteps in the dust, looks at both doors, and shakes his head. "The footsteps make me think this was one person who entered the door on the right, and then later exited through the same door."
With detect magic, Karrik actually can see through the door, after a fashion. He does not find any further magical auras in the crypt--even if he walks right up to a door.
He looks back at Kendra with a look of frustration, "Suddenly I'm very perturbed that we failed to interview the Sherrif regarding the details of your father's death before beginning this particular trip." He looks back at the door on the right as if he can see through it, "Might have proven incredibly useful."
I didn't detect any magic... but something happened just now. Did Dragomir just...
"Dragomir, are you alright?" Theron calls out, just loud enough so the man can hear him from the back of the group.
Let me make a Spellcraft roll for you as well, just to work out how much I can tell you:
Yup, that will do: there is a magical aura around Dragomir now that is definitely divine in nature. As you stare at him, you discern a powerful but benign enchantment has been placed upon him. He seems at peace.
"So then, shall we take the door to the right, if that's where the foot prints Karrik sees lead?" Rose is concerned for Dragomir's strange words, but unwilling to confront him on the matter.
"I hear only silence behind either door. Might as well follow the fresher trail." He motions for quiet, hides the glowing stone in his sash pocket, opens the door cautiously, and peeks through the crack.
I... am fine, Dragomir replies softly and a little hollowly. The Lady of the Graves walks by my side this night - but I am not sure what this means other than I am meant to be here.
I will speak no more of it for now, he says with conviction in his voice.
Theron focuses on Dragomir for a moment, and finally manages to pick up a divine aura. The inquisitor's blood goes a cold as he realizes just what has happened and can't help but glance again at the statue. A blessing! For a moment Theron desperately wants to ask Dragomir more, but he holds himself back. "...You're a lucky man Dragomir."
After thinking for a moment, the inquisitor realized that there was at least one person who should about what had just happened. Theron moves forward and taps Walter's shoulder, and whispers to him.
"Dragomir just received a blessing after making a sign to that statue," he says quietly, not wanting to disturb Dragomir or cause a commotion. Theron points out the specific statue of Pharasma that was responsible. "I thought you would want to know."
.
"I hear only silence behind either door. Might as well follow the fresher trail." He motions for quiet, hides the glowing stone in his sash pocket, opens the door cautiously, and peeks through the crack.
1d20+8
1d20+3
###
As Raj puts the lighted stone in his pocket, Rose sheathes her sword and everything is plunged into blackness again. Raj lifts the latch on the door carefully and pushes it open a fraction. Beyond--more darkness.
Raj, barely able to see his hand in front of his face, but knowing Karrik would be able to see him just fine, gestures to the half-orc.
Karrik comes forward quietly and peers through the crack Raj has opened. Raj closes the door just as quietly as he opened it, takes the lighted stone out, and raises an eyebrow in mute question.
Both doors open to the same area, says Karrik. There is a single wide set of stairs leading down to another area, but I was unable to see what that room might look like. The tracks continue down the stairs. I detected no magical auras.
Kendra pipes up. I can't sense any undead presences either.
Realising there's nothing for it but to press on, Raj opens the door and everyone files through.
###
Room #2
The stairs on the other side of the door descend a further fifteen feet or so into the depths of the earth, making this new chamber very tall indeed--it is almost fifty feet from the flagstone floor to the highest point of the vaulted ceiling.
The room is around fifty feet wide by forty feet long. The floor is paved with the same flagstone, but the walls have been tiled over the granite, the tiles then painted largely with geometric variations on the Lady's spiral. It makes for a dizzying view if you gaze at it too long.
The walls have the same empty sconces meant for torches as the first room, but this room has something else: small alcoves that run around every wall, from floor to ceiling. See the second picture on this page for a bit of visual inspiration.
At the far end of the room, upon a foot-high dais, is a large stone sarcophagus. Kendra stares hard at it for a good half a minute, but reports nothing. Even in the shadowy light, you can see her knuckles whitening as she grips the dagger Raj gave her.
###
You are all still on the stairs, in the marching order mentioned from the Discussion thread, i.e.:
Rajuna.... / Rose
Dragomir / Karrik
Flori....... / Lem
Kendra.. / Walter
........ Theron
I am assuming that, since this is not a combat, you are not taking up your full 5 ft. space, so you can all fit on the stairs (which are only about 15 ft. long) just fine.
You can find a map here. I don't intend to use this map for combat, but it is handy in quickly explaining the layout. The 'S's are statues. The orange lines are doors. The red squares are the sarcophagus. Darker shading indicates increasing depth below ground level.
That should be about it! Have at it. : )
Oh yeah, nearly forgot:
With a cat's aversion to crossing the center of an open room, Rajuna sidles along one wall, inspecting the niches and art as he makes his way to the dais holding the sarcophagus. He circles it from a distance, examining both the dais and sarcophagus carefully before approaching.
"Not sure what bothers me more - the empty shelves or the possibly full sarcophagus."
As the light sprang back into view, Lem looked at the statues and then at Walter standing near the stone book.
He is young, unsure of himself, but so knowledgeable about lore. He is everything I am not. The holy man looked back and forth between the two incarnations of Pharasma. Is that why the professor chose us? To compensate for each other's weaknesses?
He looked around at his companions, pairing them up in his head as he became lost in thought.
Dragomir and Rose, our skilled warriors. The one so rash, passionate, guileless. The second guarded, untouchable, having seen much and more.
Karrik and Flori, the arcanists. Both half-orcs, but that's all that have in common. Karrik is logical, methodical, educated, and cynical. Flori is world-wise and wears her heart on her sleeve.
Rajuna and Theron, the "problem solvers". Rajuna the mysterious loner. Theron the church's divine instrument here in the mortal realm.
Finally, he looks at Kendra.
And of course, the Lorrimor's--Petros deceased, Kendra alive and grieving. What was the professor's plan in all this?
Lem thinks about what he's learned about Pharasma and tries to recall if the numbers 8, 9, or 10 have any significance in the teachings of the church.
As Rajuna stalks around the rooms edge, Karrik calls out in a voice pitched just loud enough to carry to the Varisian. "When you're satisfied it's safe, I'd love to come take a look. The footsteps -- whether they're the Professor's or not -- terminate at that far sarcophagus then head back out."
His nerves begin to show in the form of a quickening staccato beat lightly tapped out on his long coat by his bare blade. The sound is ominously loud in the room.
With a cat's aversion to crossing the center of an open room, Rajuna sidles along one wall, inspecting the niches and art as he makes his way to the dais holding the sarcophagus. He circles it from a distance, examining both the dais and sarcophagus carefully before approaching.
"Not sure what bothers me more - the empty shelves or the possibly full sarcophagus."
The dais looks like...well...a dais. You also see nothing particularly unusual about the empty niches--save for the fact they're empty, and they should contain bodies. The tiles similarly are mere decoration.
The sarcophagus, however, is clearly more than it seems--the lid isn't just placed on top; a glint of reflected light from Raj's stone alerts him to the fact that the lid rests on a pair of runners. Theoretically, one could approach it and push the lid from the side until it slid away, allowing access to whatever lies within. Presumably, it would be just as easy to slide back again.
As the light sprang back into view, Lem looked at the statues and then at Walter standing near the stone book.
He is young, unsure of himself, but so knowledgeable about lore. He is everything I am not. The holy man looked back and forth between the two incarnations of Pharasma. Is that why the professor chose us? To compensate for each other's weaknesses?
He looked around at his companions, pairing them up in his head as he became lost in thought.
Dragomir and Rose, our skilled warriors. The one so rash, passionate, guileless. The second guarded, untouchable, having seen much and more.
Karrik and Flori, the arcanists. Both half-orcs, but that's all that have in common. Karrik is logical, methodical, educated, and cynical. Flori is world-wise and wears her heart on her sleeve.
Rajuna and Theron, the "problem solvers". Rajuna the mysterious loner. Theron the church's divine instrument here in the mortal realm.
Finally, he looks at Kendra.
And of course, the Lorrimor's--Petros deceased, Kendra alive and grieving. What was the professor's plan in all this?
Lem thinks about what he's learned about Pharasma and tries to recall if the numbers 8, 9, or 10 have any significance in the teachings of the church.
1d20+5
Raj looks more closely for any sort of trap. Hmm. It doesn't look trapped. O' course, that's what everyone says just before a monster eats their face off.
"This lid is designed to slide. Maybe our goods are in here. I'm gonna pop it. Be ready to run from a AVDM."
Raj places his light-stone on the sarcophagus, near the edge he plans to push - hoping it will illuminate the inside when opened. For good measure, he pulls out the Alchemist's Fire. Holding the chemical in one hand, he uses his other to hold his knife and lightly shove the lid open with the pommel/handle.
Aye-Vee-Dee-Emm? Dragomir says quietly with a note of inquiry in his voice.
"I would venture a guess at A Volatile Dangerous Monstrosity." Rose offers up, hoping a little levity will ease the building tension, though she feels no mirth at the attempt, instead tightening her grip on her sword.
Nifty. Now--where is everyone? Have you made it into the room yet or are you all still on the steps, with Raj opening the sarcophagus all by himself?
And yes, the 'no traps' rule certainly still applies. : )
Raj gives Rose a wink, seeing as she caught on to his game. He jokingly tsks their ignorance and smiles.
"All you learn'd folk and none o' you heard of Acid-Vomiting Devil Monkeys? They always jump outta Pharasmin crypts on dark n' stormy nights... at least in the novels of Ailson Kindler."
Karrik grunts out a nervous chuckle from the base of the stairs, "From Of Tales of Worms, Bears, and Hell-Cats, if I remember correctly. Though I can't seem to recall how it turned out for the heroes... might never have finished that one, actually."
Theron smiles and tries to think of his own AVDM acronym, but stops smiling as he realizes that he either isn't creative enough or doesn't have a good enough sense of humor to come up with one.
Lem will walk forward and refresh the Virtue spell on Raj, then back up and level his crossbow at the sarcophagus.
Go ahead Raj, we have you covered. You have the favor of Lady Luck as well.
"Dragomir just received a blessing after making a sign to that statue," he says quietly, not wanting to disturb Dragomir or cause a commotion. Theron points out the specific statue of Pharasma that was responsible. "I thought you would want to know."
Walter was surprised. He looked at the statue, tried to think if it meant something or not. Either way, if it had just cast magic... he'd said blessing, so what was the meaning of that? Walter nodded, demurely, making a note to look-- but the lights died as the door opened, and he found himself following along with the group into the next room.
"All you learn'd folk and none o' you heard of Acid-Vomiting Devil Monkeys? They always jump outta Pharasmin crypts on dark n' stormy nights... at least in the novels of Ailson Kindler."
Babau demons, he thought. He wanted to correct Rajuna but it was too tense in the room.
The sarcophagus lid moves easily aside as Raj gives it a nudge, sliding back on well-made runners. There is a moment's peace--and then all hell breaks loose.
A veritable tide of spiders surges out from inside the sarcophagus, boiling over the sides and making straight for Raj.
At the same time, preceded only momentarily by Theron's shouted warning, three large spiders drop down from the ceiling, chittering in anticipation at the meal that has walked into their lair.
###
Team PC
Raj:
Dragomir:
Rose:
Karrik:
Flori:
Lem:
Kendra:
Walter:
Theron:
Average: 16 (PCs round up)
Team Vermin
Spider #1:
Spider #2:
Spider #3:
Spider Swarm:
Average: 13 (enemies round down)
PCs win! You guys get to go first. Theron, you can attack twice as you are the only one who made the Perception check to spot the spiders in the first place (i.e. you get a 'surprise round').
###
See the updated map. Hopefully it's clear what is what: s1, s2 and s3 are the three spiders, ss is the spider swarm.
The swarm is currently entirely contained within the sarcophagus. Throwing the alchemist's fire into the sarcophagus would cause an automatic hit with no chance of splash damage to Raj, but might damage whatever is inside (presuming anything inside is flammable--you don't know if there's anything there yet because if there is something in there, it's covered in spiders). Then again, Lem does have create water at his disposal, if he memorised it.
The dais counts as higher ground relative to the rest of the room, as do the stairs.
Raj is not yet engaged and may move anywhere he likes without causing an AoO.
Rose and Dragomir are both engaged by their spiders (#3 and #1 respectively). Neither of them may move without causing an AoO (but they can take a five-foot step).
Spider #3 appears completely oblivious to the PCs on the stairs. It is looking at Raj.
The rest of you are free to act.
###
Spider #1: Healthy
Spider #2: Healthy
Spider #3: Healthy
Sp. Swarm: Healthy
###
###
Go Team PC! (I will have Kendra act last.) When you post, try to take into account whatever actions have happened before you posted. I would prefer not to have to rewind repeatedly in my mind!
Post attack and damage amounts simultaneously. If you think you're flanking, include the attack bonus and sneak attack damage as appropriate (it's easy enough for me to subtract it later). Feel free to add whatever bits of narrative colour you like about your intentions (e.g. "I swing my sword, aiming to chop the spider's legs out from under it") but I'll narrate the results in hopefully a coherent fashion when I post. : )
This combat round will end at 7am Melbourne time on Monday morning, or when everyone has posted (whichever is sooner). : )
At the same time, preceded only momentarily by Theron's shouted warning, three large spiders drop down from the ceiling, chittering in anticipation at the meal that has walked into their lair.
Walter felt like things were suddenly slow. His heart pounded once in his chest and he was moving. He stepped in front of Lem to protect him from the spider. Walter felt the voices start, hissing at first and then screaming. He could see a flickering fire just behind his eyes, and he held his forehead with one hand.
He could see strings, in his mind's eye. Glowing, blue, ethereal quicksilver. He reached out and plucked them with a white hand. The sound reverberated, a bass throb that he could feel in his bones, in his blood-- that he was sure everyone could feel.
Summary -
As the adventurers began shouting instructions to each other and the sounds of battle rang out, Lem shouted above them all.
With Walter's blessing washing over her, she feels a strength surge through her, a resolve to win. "This is it, my chance to prove myself. I shall defeat a monster for the first time once again." As she prepares to strike the creature, she first engulfs her blade in a magical aura. She quickly darts in, slashing across the front of the creature before taking a step back and unleashing a stinging bolt of frost, hoping to quickly finish the creature.
Raj doesn't hesitate. Take them one at a time. He leaps to the other side of the dais and pushes the lid shut, trying to contain the swarm.
- Walter
- Lem
- Rose
- Rajuna
Yet to act:
- Dragomir
- Karrik
- Theron
- Flori
- Kendra
###
Brief tactical updates below; I will write something more engaging when the round is over.
Rose smushes her spider. She smushes it good.
Raj dances around the spider swarm (stamping on a few for good measure) and manages to shut the lid without any adverse effects. The swarm is contained, save for a few dozen of the little blighters you can effectively ignore.
###
Spider #1: Healthy
Spider #2: Healthy
Spider #3: Bleeding Out
Sp. Swarm: Healthy but contained
You will need to use a move action; it's probably around 15 feet of movement to get around the other side of the sarcophagus.