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GM Rolls:
As if to prove Lueck's words, the Iron Cobra rises up and feints at first one opponent, then another, until finally lashing out at Indus, striking too fast for him to avoid. The injury leaves another bleeding bite wound on Indus' arm, but he does not feel the burn of poison.
GM Rolls:
The crowded burial chamber erupts in chaos as the Smokin' Bask Brigade (and a summoned enemy turned ally) all surge forward and engage the iron cobra. Sobekhotep feels the poison burn in his body and it seems to affect his aim. Indus is too focused on his daring leap onto the chest to avoid exposing himself to an attack from the cobra. Even with Lueck's Touch of Chaos, the metal serpent manages to strike the young explorer, and the sudden pain makes him miss his own attack Diorio barely manages to leap onto the stone sarcophagus, struggling to maintain his balance. Fortunately for him, the iron cobra is too busy attacking Indus to exploit his moment of vulnerability, but his own clumsy attack does not even come near the snake. Seben-en-Ra summons a familiar beetle ally back from to life. He fights valiantly, but in vain, while Seben enhances her archery with magic.
GM Rolls:
The grippli's long tongue lashes out and strikes the metal snake, but rather than deliver a healing spell, it sows the seeds of chaos within the mechanical serpent. However, at this time chaos seems to favor damage and destruction, as the cobra launces another strike at Sobekhotep, this time much deadlier. It lashes out with lightning speed, tearing deep lacerations into the wizard's face and pumping another dose of venom into him.
GM Rolls:
Initiative:
As Sobekhotep examines the content of the room with help from Indus, both adventurer's miss the faint red glow of a pair of eyes that flicker to life in the shadows behind the sarcophagus. When Sobekhotep bends to take a closer look at the chests in the corner, a distinct rasping sound of metal on stone is all the warning he has before he feels a sharp pain on his left upper arm. While the physical injury is minimal, the burning sensation spreading through his arm indicates that the bite itself is only part of the attack.
The hidden assailant soon becomes apparent to all as a metal cobra rises to it's full height of about a foot, interlocking iron scales reflecting dully in the torchlight. As is sways from side to side, its red eyes seem to seek for more targets to attack. Knowledge (Arcana) DC 12:
This is an iron cobra, a simple construct made out of metal. The iron cobra is typically used as a bodyguard or guardian of treasure, though its magical ability to unerringly locate creatures means it is also used as an assassin. An iron cobra’s poison reservoir can contain multiple types of venom, and usually has enough for a handful of bites before needing to be refilled. Like most constructs, it is somewhat resistant to physical damage (hardness).
Got it! There’s a good chance you’re done before you leave. Provided, of course, that you do a bit more exploration than just step inside the room.
As he moves closer to the sarcophagus, Indus can see the close resemblance to the other images you have seen throughout the tomb. This appears to indeed be Ahkentepi's final resting place.
With everyone healed up, the Smokin' Bask Brigade move carefully through the narrow passage behind the secret door. The passage is undecorated stone and ends in another stone door, featuring a large relief of Ahkentepi standing before Anubis, his heart perfectly balanced with a feather on the Scale of Judgement. After determining that the door is neither trapped nor locked, Sobekhotep pushes it open and peers into the room beyond. A sarcophagus covered in gold leaf rests on a raised stone platform in the center of this chamber. The casket’s cover is carved the likeness of an adult man with his arms crossed over his chest, and covered in thick coat of dust. Two ornate chests sit beyond the dais in the northeast and southeast corners, and between them stand two large funerary urns. It seems Sobekhotep's knowledge of Ancient Osiriani tomb construction and burial customs was right on the money in this case.
With most of the party injured, Lueck gathers everyone in a circle around him. He intones a prayer to Sekhmet and raises his bronze battleaxe. Two pulses of golden healing light flash over everyone in the room, curing all traces of the cockroach bites.
While the group recovers, Sobekhotep carefully cracks the secret door open to take a quick peek behind it. He sees no further signs of danger, only a long narrow corridor leading east.
Sobekhotep detects no magic auras at the moment.
Displaying much bravery, the grippli warrior priest charges the swarm and starts smashing. No doubt pleasing his bloodthirsty war goddess in the process. The mace slams into the stone floor with little effect, only managing to squash a roach or two. However, immediately after Luecks' attack, the entire remaining swarm dissipates as suddenly as it appeared. Spellcraft DC 17:
The disappearance matches that you see in summoned creatures. The magic trap likely involved a summoning spell with a short duration.
Another burst of flame roasts hundreds of cockroaches, but there is still enough left to form a coherent swarm.
In a dazzling display of acrobatic agility, Diorio manages to both escape the swarm and inflict further fire damage. The floor of the chamber is scorched in several places, but the dead roaches seem to evaporate as soon as they die. The swarm is still thick enough to be a threat, though.
GM rolls:
Unfortunately, Lueck is unable to match Indus' accuracy with the thrown weapon and the flask sails short of the swarm, almost striking Neith. Again, droplets of liquid fire rain everywhere.
Agitated by the rain of fire and loss of most of their food sources, the swarm surges through the small room, settling on the direction of Seben and Diorio. Their eleveated position does little to help as masses of roaches chew their way up their legs.
While Diorio’s torch only manages to catch a few stray roaches, Indus’s hurled flask of fire makes a significant impact on the swarm. A few stray droblets of red-hot alchemical substance sear both Sobekhotep and his faithful familiar.
Seben can move on top of the crate as a move action, but her shot has no effect.
With plenty of fresh food available at their current location, the swarm does not pursue the two retreating adventurers, but instead surge towards Diorio and Sobekhotep.
When in doubt, roll the dice!
So, Lueck and Diorio both have a flask of liquid fire.
I’m certainly not going to penalize anyone for making a high-perception character. I’m just mindful that it does not result in the game becoming boring and trivial. So when the party is exceptionally good at finding traps, I’ll have to compensate somehow. As mentioned, the trap you found in the last room was really cool and elaborate. Triggering it would have resulted in one of those memorable moments that are among the top highlights when you look back at a campaign. In contrast, finding and disabling five traps in a row is not particularly memorable or exciting. I’ll do my utmost to be fair, but at certain points the Rule of Cool is going to trump RAW. After all, I have to keep you all on your toes.
Fair point and noted for future reference. I doubt these little jitterbugs will inflict lasting damage. Be warned, though…if I start to get bored because you auto-find and disarm all the interesting traps, I’m likely to get creative with wandering monsters and such :-)
I was going by the values for Take 10, not Take 20 on perception, as indicated HERE. The DC to spot the magic trap was just high enough for Sobekhotep to miss it. Besides, what's the fun in tomb raiding if you find ALL the traps :-)
GM Rolls:
Initiative:
As Sobekhotep pushes the secret door open, he realizes that his normally thorough examination has not been enough this time. Hidden arcane runes illuminate and there is a distinct rushing sound before the floor in front of the secret door suddenly erupts in a writhing mass of cockroaches. The insects begin to crawl all over most of the Smokin' Bask Brigade, nibbing at every inch of exposed flesh.
Once Indus unlocks the secret passage in the hallway, you find a rough earthen passage that connects to the secret door you found earlier in the tomb of Ahkentepi’s mistress. It looks like a way for the priests to exit the tomb after the burial. The passage shows signs of beetle activity, with multiple tunnels, but the warren seems to have retreated after your earlier fight.
None of the chests and boxes in the room are locked, as the items within them were the most personal to Akhentepi, and his soul might want to have immediate access to them. Most of the goods in the chests, such as once-fine clothing and sealed jars of food, no longer have any value after the passage of centuries, but among the spoiled and ruined grave goods are several salvageable items of value, including:
Checking the walls of the chamber, Sobekhotep spots a secret door on the east wall. It does not appear to be locked or trapped. The various containers in the room contain more grave goods for Ahkentepi to enjoy while his soul awaits judgement in the afterlife. All of the containers seem to be unlocked and untrapped. Detect magic does not register any magical auras in the room.
Duty to the BPS always take priority. We’ll manage Seben and the Ibis in your absence. My own trip actually got canceled at the last minute (I was literally in the train on the way to the airport), so I’m back in full swing. Someone do some tomb raiding, so I can work my GM magic!
Gathering in the usual formation, the Smokin Bask Brigade ventures into the hidden hallway. Ignoring the locked secret door for now, you move down the stairs and open the double stone doors after Indus and Sobekhotep declare them safe. This room holds several neatly arrayed chests, boxes, and urns. The dust of centuries covers every surface. The only apparent exit is the set of stone double doors to the south where you entered.
With a bit of effort, Indus is able to unlock the secret door and wrest it open. He uncovers a dusty hallway that turns north down decending stairs after about 20 ft. The usual careful search reveals a secret door on the south wall, which is locked, but not trapped.
With some effort, Sobekhotep pries open the eastern secret door to reveal a small 10 x 10 ft chamber filled with about a dozen human-shaped bundles wrapped in linen. Each wears a small medallion with Pharasma's spiral around its neck. Knowledge (Religion) DC 20: According to ancient Osiriani burial customs, common slaves were rutinely executed and buried within the tombs they were forced to build, to keep them from revealing secrets about the tomb.
Close and careful inspection of the central dias reveals a series of inter-connected pressure plates that would likely trigger a trap if anyone stepped onto the raised platform. However, when Indus begins to disarm the trap, he finds that metal bars are holding the plates in place, preventing them from activating.
Still moving clockwise around the room, Sobekhotep and Indus examine the northern doors. Like most of the other doors in the tomb, they are solid stone and appear to be unlocked, but stuck. Moving further along, the searching duo finds another secret door on the east wall. Unlike the western door, this one does not appear to be locked. Completing their inspection of the walls, they find nothing else of interest.
After a bit of effort to get the ancient stone loose, the torch holder slides neatly down. Nothing happens. Perception DC 25:
You can hear the very faint sound of metal grinding against stone, but can't determine exactly where the sound is coming from. Moving on around the room, Sobekhotep and Indus reach the west wall. Here, their combined efforts uncover another secret feature. Among these intricate carvings, there's a particularly detailed hieroglyph that depicts Anubis guiding a soul into the afterlife. This hieroglyph cleverly conceals a secret — a keyhole. This keyhole is ingeniously integrated into the design, hidden in plain sight. It is crafted within the scepter that Anubis holds, a symbol of power and protection, blending seamlessly with the surrounding carvings. The scepter's details mask the keyhole's outline, making it virtually undetectable to the untrained eye. Once you find the keyhole, you are quickly able to spot the outline of a secret door among the carvings. Careful examination reveals no traps, but the door is locked.
Knowledge (engineering) DC 20:
As you have already established, the tomb contains both traps and secret doors. The torchholder could reasonably be some kind of bypass switch to either open a secret door or disable a trap. Given it’s location, it’s unlikely to be a trap itself. It seems to require more force to activate than just placing a torch in the holder.” Knowledge (religion) DC 20: According to ancient Osiriani burial customs, common slaves were rutinely executed and buried within the tombs they were forced to build, to keep them from revealing secrets about the tomb. For royalty and other high-ranking individuals, this also included the priests who performed the funeral ceremony, but it is unlikely that Ahkentepi was important enough to warrant this. Instead, the priests would have some way to exit the tomb safely after interring the bodies of the deceased.
GM rolls:
Moving with extreme care, the members of the Smokin's Bask Brigade spread out into the large burial chamber. The stale air of the tomb is thick with tension and even the careful footsteps seem to echo louder than those of a trampling elephant. While the rest of the group keep careful watch, Sobekhotep and Indus methodically examine the chamber's walls, moving west from the doors where they entered. At the first torch holder in the south-west corner, Sobekhotep notices a subtle sign of irregularity. Tiny scratches, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, run in parallel below the torch holder, indicating that it can be pulled straight down.
Pushing the double stone doors open, Diorio discovers a short 10 x 10 ft descending stairway blocked by another set of doors. After Indus and Sobek declare them untrapped and unlocked, the swashbuckler opens them to reveal another short 10 x 10 ft section of stairs ending in yet another set of doors. Repeating the process, he opens the final pair and discovers a large octagonal room, by far the largest in the tomb so far. Torch raised, Diorio carefully steps through the doors, illuminating the entire chamber. The center of this room is a raised square platform a few inches above the floor, with a stone pillar at each corner. A gold-trimmed sarcophagus sits in the center of the platform, flanked by two statues of humanoid beings with canine heads, each of which holds an ankh in one of its crossed arms. Besides the southern double doors through which Diorio entered, stone double doors exit the room to the north. Like in the other rooms, torch holders are mounted on the walls.
With the mining beetles defeated, injuries tended to and more ancient treasure recovered, the Smokin' Bask Brigade retreats from the partially collapsed tomb of Didibastet, priestess of Niut-Shaes and mistress of Ahkentepi. Returning to the hallway with the tapestry of Pharasma's spire in the Boneyard, they turn their attention to the northern door, which bears Ahkentepi's name. Have they come at last to the final resting place of the once proud and respected general?
Well, if you all behave nicely, perhaps I will run that after we finish this AP. That is, if old age or dementia don't get me first, which is most likely. The image gallery is updated with a picture of the lash.
Gingerly, Indus kneels and begins to shovel sand and dirt away from the darkwood chest. Keenly aware of the danger of being buried alive in case of a collapse, he takes his time. Slowly, he inches the chest loose and pulls it free. Backing up the stairs, he sets the prize down and brushes away the remaining layer of dirt to reveal intricate snake carvings matching the holy symbol of Niut-Shaes found on the wall murals. Dilligent examination confirms that the chest is neither locked nor trapped. Opening the lid reveals the following content: - A compact book bound in what appears to be snakeskin.
Examining the book - Linguistics DC 12:
Written in ancient Osiriani, this book contains detailed descriptions of the duties and rituals of the clergy of Niut-Shaes. There are numerous colorful illustraions and given the obscurity of this particular deity, it represents a unique source of historical and religious knowledge that could easily fetch 500 gp if sold to a scholar. The book also describes the use and powers of a lash of Niut-Shaes. Identifying the whip - Spellcraft DC 17: Lash of Niut-Shaes This exquisite +1 whip is crafted from supple leather. Its handle is meticulously shaped to mirror a horned viper, symbolizing Niut-Shaes, the serpent form of the goddess Mut. Serpent Sanctuary: Once per day, as a standard action, the wielder can spin the whip in a mesmerizing spiral. This creates a warding effect within the whip's reach, compelling snakes and snake swarms to make a DC 11 Will save. Those failing are repelled, unable to enter the zone, and any within the area must retreat. The effect lasts for 3 rounds and ceases if the wielder makes any attacks, but the wielder may use non-attack spells or otherwise act without ending the effect. Venom Ward: Once per day, upon command, the whip can grant the wielder a +2 sacred bonus on saving throws against poison effects for 3 minutes. At any time while this bonus is in effect, the wielder can end the effect to reroll a failed save vs a poison effect. The saving throw bonus does not apply to this reroll and the wielder must use the new result, even if it is worse. In the hands of a devoted servant of Niut-shaes, the Lash of Niut-Shaes is not just a weapon but a symbol of divine power and serpent's cunning.
The badly bleeding Indus musters all the swordsmanship skills he possesses and prays for Bes' favor. The result is a strike so perfect that it neatly slices the beetle in two identical parts. After a few tense moments, it becomes appearant that no more beetles are lurking in the immediate vicinity.
Taking a closer look at the end of the stairs, Indus can see that a larger chamber beyond is almost completly filled with dirt and sand. He can barely make out the corner of a sarcophagus in the center of the room, as well as a small partially buried darkwood chest that has likely been pushed towards the stairs by collapsing earth. Knowledge (engineering) DC 10:
The digging of the mining beetles has severly undermined the integrity of this chamber and caused several cave-ins. The small chest can be safely removed with extreme care, but further digging or attempts to clear the sarcophagus without special mining equipment and expertise could trigger a catastrophic collapse throughout the entire tomb. Detect magic: The source of the magic aura is inside the darkwood chest
The fiesty beetle continues its fearless defense of brood and warrens.
Diorio makes his way down the stairs and attempts to stab the beetle, but the tight figthing conditions hampers his form.
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