Keeping his shield raised Khalaban moved slowly across the bridge, just in case he'd missed something. If he makes it all the way across he checks the door, eying the statues warily.
Vixie readies her hands on her bill and walks forward, just behind the kineticist.
Max will recover their rope and put it away neatly as the party stats to advance, keeping an eye out for anything special or in particular.
Bertrand dusts his hands off smugly and proceeds across the bridge. "Simple enough."
"The warmth of life grows closer--let them come. This time, I am prepared."
As the porcine warrior & the kobold approach the brass doors, they swing open with a sudden gust of wind. "I see you, interlopers." A hollow, harsh voice echoes through the chamber. The voice doesn't sound like it's ever belonged to a living being--more like a perversion of one.
Beyond the brass doors is a vast crypt. The only light emanates from a torch mounted above the crypt, flickering with a pale golden fire. Tall pillars march across the chamber, ending at a dais on the far side, on which is set a large stone sarcophagus. A single form rests beside the coffin, that of a comely woman in tattered clothing. She appears to be asleep or unconscious, and likely the latter due to the cuts & bruises marring her face.
Standing tall & proud, flanking the approach to the sarcophagus are two pairs of blue-eyed skeletons in battered chain shirts, holding their longswords aloft in a salute. They do not make a move to attack the party, standing rigidly at attention.
Looming before the sarcophagus in the back is another skeleton, its eyes blazing with hateful blue light. Dressed in dark black chainmail with a tall, brown helmet & a long, sharp sword in its bony hands, this one glares at the party as they approach. "You are bold indeed, to trespass into our final resting place once more. Was your greed too great, even when it cost you too many of your little band of looters & raiders? Or is this about vengeance?"
"If you seek plunder or power, you will find neither here. Speak quickly, for my patience grows thin." It levels its blade at the party, and the skeletons standing at attention turn to stare the party down.
Raising his shield, Khalaban eyed the creature and its accompanying guards cautiously. With Max drained by the earlier fights, this was going to be...challenging. But whatever there plans, the woman was alive and that was what mattered.
"We have no wish for this crypts riches, nor its powers," Khalaban replied, "But the girl, well, that is another matter. Her loved ones await her safe return, and we shall ensure that. Let us take her, and we shall leave in peace for now." For now. That vengeance part he mentioned was certainly something Khalaban also wished. But the girls life came first, and if they could save her and then rest...well. All well and good.
Max sighs as they approach the doors. "They're waiting for us."
...and then the doors swing open.
"Don't you think it's time you went to a well-earned rest? After all, we're ONLY carrying the Everflame from Kassen, it's not like we needed to loot the place or anything. Going back to sleep for a while is good, yes?" the little dragon offers with a far too casual air.
We're gonna all get murdered horribly, but hey, we're here on a mission, right?
The skeleton pauses as Khalaban & Maxilla address it. "Rest?"
"There can be no rest, not for me." It sneers, but it puts its sword down. "Not when the grave of my worthiest foe has been defiled."
The skeleton looks down at the unconscious woman. "This one knew much about the outside world... how it's changed. How its people have grown. How Kassen's legacy endures, even today." It looks at the lantern hanging from Khalaban's shield. "It appears she was telling the truth."
Vixie knows to keep quiet when her betters are talking-- and as this seems to be going relatively well, she puts her bill down to mirror the skeleton's disarming, in a show of good faith. Her eyes stay focused on who is presumably Bianca.
She considers the potion and the oil in her bag. Part of her wonders what Miss Shyla would do, were she here.
"What would it take to restore and cleanse the grave in question, and would you allow us to do that? We are NOT affiliated with whatever idiots came in here to rob and desecrate -- we're here as part of a ceremony that Kassen performs in honor of the past." Max inquires.
...we're not dead yet? Wut??
Khalaban nodded. "We had no idea that the Crypt had been attacked like this, nor that you and your warriors had risen. Allow us to complete the ritual to honour Kassen, as you have seen, and take that girl home. We will help cleanse any damage done as well, if you can explain how."
The skeletal leader looks at Maxilla, the blue fire in its eyes dimming slightly. "Kassen and I... I fear that what's been done to us is beyond your power to restore."
"Two things alone were taken from us. Two amulets, each a piece of a whole."
”O-oh!” chimes Vixie, before she can restrain herself from talking in the presence of Serious People. ”W-we saw th-the murals w-with those!”
"Yes. A monument to Kassen's finest hour... or, so it has been said." The skeleton champion plants its sword, tip down. "Keys to an old vault, ones that Kassen, Iramine & I fought & bled to acquire."
"And someone managed to loot these amulets from yourself and Kassen?" Khalaban frowned. Whoever could do so without the undead stopping them was likely powerful.
"Yes. They stole them from us before we even had a chance to awaken. Or, at least, before I had a chance to awaken."
The skeleton champion looks at the other skeletons in the room, still standing at attention. "This crypt... it was built as a memorial to those who fell when Kassen and I finally met in battle. I still commanded the loyalty of my men--they rose to my side, even in death. We do not know why they stole our amulets--only that a great injustice had been committed against us."
"We lashed out, the only way we knew how." The skeletal Asar Vargas steps aside, leaving the way to the everburning torch clear.
Looking at the others, Khalaban began to mildly regret being the one to carry the Everflame. Still...it was the only chance that they were going to get to finish this without fighting, at least for now. Taking a deep breath he moved forwards, keeping the Everflame on his shield for now, so he had a free hand to summon his weapon as needed.
Khalaban takes a tentative step forward.
Nothing happens. The skeletons don't move a bone.
Another step. They remain standing still.
A few more steps, and he finds himself at the foot of the sarcophagus. The skeleton's blue-fire eyes are all looking at him, but none of them move to attack.
He raises his shield to the everburning torch, opening up the Everflame Lantern... and the lantern's glow fills the room.
A chill wind blows through the crypt, carrying with it the sound of a weary sigh... and as Khalaban steps back, a ghostly-blue form coalesces into being before him. The ghost's features are very distinct, albeit devoid of colour--long, neatly-combed hair, a full beard, and a pair of gently curved horns sweeping from his temples. His blank white eyes look upon the gathering with sorrow, lingering upon the skeletal leader.
"How tragic it is that we must be roused from our rest like this, Asar." The ghost of Kassen sighs.
Vixie leans over and whispers to Bertrand, who seems most likely to know. ”D-does, uh... d-does this h-happen every year?”
"Speaking from a purely draconic perspective, someone stealing from a hoard of any sort earns the ultimate punishment, and it usually takes years for it to fully sink in. Dad and I are on-board with willing to help you out with this, but we're kinda young and kinda new to this adventuring thing and it might take us a little while to get to a level capable of handling the thieves. Do we have that much time, or are there other dangers here you are not telling us about?" Max offers respectfully, atempting to suss out the situation.
"Our apologies for waking you from your slumber," Khalaban replied, bowing slightly. "As you can see, the usual...events...for this celebration have taken a turn for the unusual. Do either of you object if we check on the young lady?"
Asar & Kassen look down at the unconscious young woman. "Do what you will with her--she is of no more use to me." The skeleton champion says.
"And as to how long you have to investigate this..." Kassen turns to Maxilla. "...I believe you have as much time as necessary."
"Rest assured, Asar won't get up to any more mischief. Not while I'm keeping an eye on him."
Vixie bolts like a dog suddenly free of its leash, at Bianca’s side in a moment. She peers over her, looking for signs of life.
”M-Miss Adriana? C-can you h-heal her? Sh-she’s still b-breathing!” she announces.
Moving up to the woman after Vixie, Khalaban mumurs, "We can take her to that fountain in the resting area before we go and see her brother."
Looking to the two undead, he asks, "I assume that the Crypt will be unsafe until your amulets have been returned to you? Can we aid in there return?"
Asar's eyes harden, the blue fire darkening to an unsettling stygian shade. "Those amulets belong to us. We cannot rest until they have been returned to us."
"...but you can return them to us." Kassen continues. "We are bound to this place--and so, we cannot act. But you can."
"Before you go... I have something for you."
In a rare moment of clarity, Vixie squeaks a quick ”Oh!” and grabs her waterskin, filled with water from the healing spring. She dribbles some into Bianca’s mouth.
If Bianca awakens, she may have a complaint about the taste of the halfling’s finger propping her mouth open, but that is neither here nor there.
After the first few drops of fountain water fall into Bianca's mouth, her bruises fade to nothing and her eyes fly open. She takes a sharp gasp for air and starts coughing.
Kassen's ghost looks down at his sarcophagus and reaches an ethereal hand inside, rummaging around before producing a few items:
--a leather bag that looks to be untouched by the ages, held shut with a thick red string;
--a metal heavy shield with an image of an elk's head on it, clearly beaten in several places but otherwise well-worn;
--a pale blue gem;
--five metal scales that appear to have come from a suit of scale mail armour.
"A bag of mine, to hold great treasures. A shield, strong enough & magicked to break skulls as well as blows. A gem imbued with a living soul of pure water." Kassen intones. "And finally, a blessing of my own. A scale from my armour--one for each of you. Hold them close, and my favour will be upon you."
Max quietly accepts the scale offered.
They then nod soberly, hanging onto it tightly so as not to lose it.
"We will try to not be too long, having to be awake for long periods is really rough." they offer in a hopeful tone. "Do you wish us to inform the townsfolk of Kassen of your current situation, and ask for their aid as well?"
"Speak to them of our plight, if you wish. But our hopes rest on your shoulders." Kassen says, with Asar nodding in assent.
"So...you created undead...controlled wolves and what is probably a giant snake to attack nearby travelers trying to get your amulets back...can you described the people who robbed you? Anything you can tell us about them would be helpful."
Vixie politely reaches her hands out for whatever Kassen is giving, and comes back with a shield strapped to one of them and a scale in the other. "Th-thank you, M-Mister Kassen!" she squeaks. She looks quite at home with a shield on her forearm, and a little relieved. She's a little disappointed when she tries to balance her bill in one hand, though, and soon swaps it back out for her trident.
”This is certainly a unique occurrence, to my knowledge.” Bertrand leans in eagerly. ”You are in luck, spectral friend! I’ve never met a case I couldn’t solve, especially with help from a talented group like this one. Tell us everything.”
Kassen's eyes look over to the western half of the crypt. "A band of brigands came to raid our final resting place. I did not recognize their clothing, their colours... but two of their leaders wore a peculiar mask. One escaped--the other was thrown to us to allow it."
Asar walks over to the western half of the crypt, and comes back dragging a corpse swathed in grey robes and wearing an iron mask with black highlights around the eyes, lips & cheekbones. A pale violet jewel is set in the mask's forehead. The skeletal champion looks oddly pleased with itself--impressive, considering a skull's normal lack of ability to express anything.
"I strangled this one to death when my amulet was lifted from my neck. Perhaps, in hindsight, it would've been a bit more prudent to only strangle him half to death--I could've interrogated him then."
"Help yourself to his effects. He won't need them anymore."
The dead man's body has the following items:
--a yellowed map leading to the crypt, along with a note scrawled in its upper corner in a delicate hand: "The amulets are entombed with Kassen & Asar."
--the man's iron mask;
--a slender length of birch wood;
--two steel bracers, engraved with images of shields;
--a small iron bugle;
--354 GP in newly-minted coins;
--a spellbook.
"Our tales and legends tell of Asar and Kassen, but scarce little of Iramine. Do you know anything about Iramine that might be useful to know? Did they have family? Did they have a cache of notes hidden somewhere? What race are they -- some tallfolk live a REALLY long and annoying time -- no offense!" Max inquires as they try to pry out some of the information from their own brain-meats.
"I'm not strong on the magic items, but Razmir has been called 'the Living God'... The masks like that one are a sign of their devotion and them giving themselves up to the cult -- Supposedly along the northeastern side of Lake Encarthan. Why a buncha cultists would think it smart to come here I couldn't tell you, though? Was there something the keys protected?"
Bertrand considers the items carefully. "Nothing looks familiar to me. But a cult, you say? That checks out... they do love their mystical amulets."
"Iramine..." Kassen's expression turns wistful, but Asar's eyes harden again.
"An elven warrior who could blend might & magic into a wondrous combination. She fought alongside us--but after the vault... we ended up going our separate ways. Neither of us ever heard from her again."
"As to what the amulets protected..." Kassen begins. "...it's been a long time. I remember they were linked to a great vault hidden somewhere in the world, but I fear that time has not been kind to my memories."
Vixie thinks a moment, then gathers up the unidentified magical items and stands beside “Mister Kassen” as he speaks. Once he’s finsishrd, she pipes up:
”M-Mister Kassen, d-do you know w-what these are?”
She plans on getting back to Bianca in a minute.
Kassen looks upon the items.
"...the bugle is enchanted to billow forth gouts of obscuring mist when someone blows into it. Otherwise... I'm afraid I forget what the others are."
"Better than we managed," Khalaban replied with a small shrug. "We shall see who can aid us in town. Now...if we are to help you retireieve the amulets, can you tell us anything that might identify them beyond the images we've seen? Something on the back, perhaps? And is there anything else you can tell us about the people who took it, beyond the mask?"
Vixie chimes her thanks, then returns to the woman on the slab, who hopefully is doing better by now.
”G-good morning, M-Miss Bianca! W-we’re going to b-bring you back to M-Mister Roldare in a f-few minutes, b-but uhm, are you f-feeling okay?
”A-and would you h-happen to know what either of th-these are?” she asks, holding up the remaining magical items.
Bianca blinks in confusion and stares at Vixie. "I-I-I feel... better. Hungry."
She shakes her head at Vixie when she asks her about the magical items.
"The amulets are of a gold in colour, and shaped like oval slivers. They were designed to be joined in a triune pattern at their tips." Asar says. "You'll know them when you find them."
Max offers Bianca some of their trail rations. "Eat slowly, though. You don't want to get a bellyache from eating too much too fast."
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Handing Bianca some fruit juice to wash it down, Khalaban nodded. "I cannot promise we will retrieve them, but I, at least, will attempt to right the wrong done here. In return, I ask that you not leave the Crypt. I wish for no harm to befall anyone else."
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"We should reunite Bianca with her companion. I'm quite ready to be rid of this..." Bertrand stops and glances back at the skeletons, smiling nervously. "...lovely...place....that I love."
Bianca eats & drinks slowly, though you can tell that she's fighting temptation to scarf everything down.
Asar bristles when Khalaban requests that the undead soldiers do not leave the crypt, but Kassen shoots him an icy glare that quiets any objections he may have had.
"We will not leave, I assure you." Kassen says.
"Thank you," Khalaban addressed both with a short bow. "I am sorry to ask such, but as there have been losses both for your own people and the people who came to prepare the crypt I wish to avoid any more harm."
Looking to the others, he added, "I feel it is time to return."
Vixie nods in vague agreement; she’s busy inspecting her shield (and checking on Bianca), but she’s ready to move.
The party gathers up the shaken Bianca and begins their trek back through the winding passages of the Crypt of the Everflame. Kassen's ghost looks on with a wan expression as they depart, his head bowing and his ethereal form fading back into his sarcophagus.
Asar's eyes burn into the back of the party's heads as they leave, but he makes no move to pursue them. The skeletons at his command stand, unmoving & unflinching, waiting for his orders.
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Roldare is quite overjoyed to have his sister returned to him in good health. The battered, sandy-haired young man that almost became beetle food looks quite dazed, but is able to get on his feet long enough to accompany the party outside.
The sheep have remained at the top of the gorge leading to the Crypt, grazing and milling about. One sheep stands tall above the rest--the sheep who tasted the blood of wolves. This one stands with a tranquility that keeps the others calm, and when the party returns up the hill, he leads his flock to follow them home.
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Starday, 6th of Neth, 4700 AR
The festival of the Everflame is going in full swing when the party, sheep & shaken crypt-goers in tow, returns to town.