"The patterns are truly astounding, are they not?" The small conjurer whispers to the cleric, not wishing to disturb the surly man as he works on the lock. You'd think proper keys to these things would be somewhere. Perhaps Malik could investigate at the library once they were done for the day.
After his failure and subsequent assistance, Brennan and the others are able to get past the lock on the western double doors. When opened, they reveal a small space in comparison; a hallway ten feet wide, by fifteen feet long. This short hallway narrows sharply to the west, descending to a set of stairs that abruptly ends at a rough rock wall.
As the doors open, Chephren looks on expectedly, awaiting the new wonders that that tomb may have instory for them.
A look of disappointment soon comes to his face as he stares down at the rough rock wall only a short disance inside.
------------------------------------
On Going Effects: Strength Damage -4 (-2 Str penalty);
Malik enters the chamber, checking his footing for anything unnatural.
If nothing happens, he follows the southern wall to the blocked stairwell, taking a look there, as well.
Andrei waits patiently as the lock is fussed over, then snaps to attention as the door is opened. When no threats reveal themselves, the paladin again waits for the trapsmiths to pronounce the way safe.
Andrei considers the obstruction. "Not a lot of 'secret' in a secret door told this clearly. I wonder at the play here. Be wary of a trap, friends."
"You ain't wrong on that score, Andrei." Brennan was cautious as he looked for both a secret passage and any traps that may be found.
"A secret door... really? How do you go about finding one? I have heard of such things in tombs, but I have never actually seen one. Will you teach me the techniques and skills to locate them, Brennan?"
Chephren moves into the small hallway and tries to mimic the actions of others.
------------------------------------
On Going Effects: Strength Damage -4 (-2 Str penalty);
"Secret doors aren't really that tricky. You just look, feel, and listen for things that shouldn't be there...and sometimes things that should."
Elneiros curious to the blocked passage way searches around the wall as well for anything out of place.
As Brennan discusses the vagaries of obvious secrets with Chephren and Andrei, both Malik and Elneiros descend to check the blocked bottom of the stairs. Malik is able to tell that the rubble isn't a cave-in as much as unfinished work. It appears that the work was just halted here before it was completed. The losse rubble and tunneling actually looks to not be the work of pick and shovel.
Atop the landing, even as they discuss secret doors, Chephren and Brennan notice one outlined in the northern wall right before the wall slopes toward the stairs. The odd thing, though, is there is no sign of it being openable from this side. Whatever causes the secret door to open, most likely exists on the other side of the door, with the secret door leading into this small room.
"Malik's companions, this tunnel is unfinished, not broken. Perhaps these denizens that have been encountered halted further work?" Malik looks to the others, who seem to be studying the northern wall. He folds his arms inside his robes, the model of patience as he awaits their discoveries, or lack thereof.
Brennan held up his hand to stop Malik's words, and listened carefully. "There's something here" he said quietly. Something's scrabbling about in the walls. Sounds like the biggest rats I ever heard of. Also, there's a door here all right, but it looks like it only opens from the other side. If we're to get on that side of the wall, we'd best find another way."
"I hear crunching sound also, are you sure it is coming from rats? Maybe it is more of these same creatures as were in the Shrine of Anubis behind us. Either way I think we should stay on our guard," Chephren says to Brennan quietly.
"If there is secret way to return back to here, does that mean that there is a danger that would prevent us from returning the way we initially proceeded in? We should be even more weary of traps as we continue."
Chephren backs into the room with the Pharasma symbols carved in the floor tiles and waits for the others.
------------------------------------
On Going Effects: Strength Damage -4 (-2 Str penalty);
Malik follows the priest, keeping his loaded crossbow at the ready as he backtracks to the Pharasma room. His years in the library had definitely not been kind to his nerves, as he felt quite the wreck right now.
"Sure? Of course I'm not sure. I said it sounds like big rats. It could be a fecking ten-legged horror from the ninth layer of hell come to say hello."
Malik's eyes widen, flitting back and forth and all around. The librarian wasn't sure what horror Brennan was talking about, but he had read about the Nine Hells and figured that none of them could be a good thing.
Andrei smiles at Brennan's vivid description. "If so, we'd best say hello right back. Wouldn't do to be impolite, would it?"
Chephren waits to see if further investigation of the noises in the unfinished hallway will occur or continuation of progress through the remaining closed doorway.
Surubi listens intently as 'he' finishes packing away the tools left out from unlocking the doors.
'His' eyebrows knot as 'he', too, hears the small noises. "Now that scarab shield, too large for Mister Gigglephizz but just the right size for Mister Chephren, with protections against creatures that come in multitudes, will be handy!" 'He' looks Chephren over, startled and dismayed at not seeing the scarab shield. "Surely we did not leave it upstairs in the pile of rescued treasures?!" 'He' squints and peers deeper into the room, then draws 'his' bastard sword and steps quietly up into the open doorway.
Both Malik and Chephren move out of the room as word of scrabbling from the walls is mentioned. Meanwhile, Suru and Andrei seem more than willing to step up and face them, whether they are what Brennan suggests or not. As the group moves around one another, two large insects about the size of a small dog, emerge from the rubble strewn walls at the bottom of the stairs. They each sport a hard, shiny, black carapace and an odd glow around where their eyes are, and look ready to try and bite into Elneiros, who still remains on the stairs.
"Mister Elneiros! Fall back! Mister Constantine, can you hold them off?" Surubi looks down at 'his' chewed leg apprehensively, then sheathes the bastard sword and readies 'his' bow. "This one will support you from the rear." 'he' says, readying an arrow and stepping to the side.
Malik recognizes what are known as mining beetles. They are avid burrowers, and use the light source produced by a gland to see. They can often be kept alive as pets to miners.
As Suru switches out weapons to try and avoid crowding in the small space, the lead beetle lashes out at Elneiros' leg ineffectually. The second beetle just waits for space to move past the first, so it can move forward and join the attack.
"They are just some pesky beetles, nonetheless moving is still the best course of action for me."
Elneiros attempts to nimbly move away from the beetles. The action of creating the bomb takes to much of his thought though as he stumbles up the staircase. Once he reaches the top of the stairs he throws his bomb to the bottom hitting the first beetle. Alkahest erupts onto the beetle and the area surrounding it.
As Elneiros stumbles up the stairs, trying to get a little distance before his throw, the lead beetle is able to nip at him with its mandibles. This nip caught the back of Elneiros' thigh, leaving a healthy gash in the muscle.
It isn't enough, however, to put the elf off his mark with his quickly created concoction. He throws the vial square in the face of the first insect, but because of this direct hit less of it reaches the second creature. The acidic solvent begins to tear apart that which holds the creature together, seeping between the chitin.
After Elneiros moves back, the second beetle clambers right over the first as it writhes under the chemical burn, and follows to bite at the prey. It also is unable to sink its mandibles into the elf head on.
Malik, not being skilled at blasting magic into a frantic melee, instead retreats to a corner of the room to stay out of his companions' way, holding his crossbow at the ready in case one of the beetles breaks off for him.
Coolly sizing up his foes, Andrei hefts his greatsword and takes an experimental swing at the closest beetle
Chephren calls upon the blessings of Anubis to help the group.
------------------------------------
On Going Effects: Strength Damage -4 (-2 Str penalty); Bless, +1 morale to attacks and vs Fear (party), 10 rds;
Brennan held a dagger in each hand, but had no desire to fling himself between the two beetles. "Back up and let them come to us. Otherwise, you'll be fighting them by yourself."
Andrei and Brennan hold their weapons at the ready, prepared to strike the bugs once Elneiros clears out. Chephren lends aid in the form of prayer, bolstering the new allies with a sense of bravado. Malik, on the other hand, decides to not risk hitting any allies with his spells, and instead backs into a corner so he can fire on any of the bugs that escape the warriors to come at him.
"Mister Elneiros, watch out! The bugs down here bite really hard!" Surubi winces while talking about 'his' still-injured leg, quickly pulls an arrow from the quiver on 'his' back and fires it at the further bug, then--faster than expected--repeats the motion a second time. "I'll move out of your way Mister Elneiros! Just be careful getting here!"
;
;
Surubi sends a shot over the crowded warriors at the front toward the furthest beetle. The arrow just plinks off the steps beside it. 'He' manages to fire a second shot right on the tail of the first, to include a minor course correction, but even hitting the carapace of the thing is not enough. The arrow bounces off its hard shell, despite the way it seems to shake and wobble from the hit of Elneiros' flask. The task of lobbing the shot over the others caused a loss of power.
The bug leans into the steps, and digs into them, a slight rumble and tremor nearby as it burrows into the ground.
Elneiros takes a quick swing at the beetle before moving behind his comrades to avoid getting bit again.
"You are correct, they do indeed bite harder than expected."
Elneiros swings behind him as he dances away from the bug. He dings the thing in the head, but not that hard, before he finds himself safely behind Andrei.
The beetle just moves on to the next target in line, which just so happens to be the paladin. Before it can even strike, however, Andrei and Brennan are prepared for it, swinging as soon as it gets close. Not that it matters, as its mandibles got nowhere near the man.
Brennan lashed out at the beetle as it approached Andrei, but the angle was bad and the chitin tough.
Round 2
Chephren seeing possibly have some difficulty with the beetles, he steps up and calls upon Anubis, "Great Anubis, lend your strength ans wisdom to this 'Thief', that he may see the errors of his ways and help defend the Tomb of Akhentepi from the preditation of these vermin."
He finishes with a touch of his hand on Brennan's shoulder.
------------------------------------
On Going Effects: Strength Damage -4 (-2 Str penalty); Bless, +1 morale to attacks and vs Fear (party), 9 rds; Guidance (Brennan), upto 10 rds or used;
Surubi shoots twice more at the bug, trying somehow to squeeze two arrows between all the bodies blocking the way.
;
;
Surubi looks around the room and hisses a whisper to the others "Where did the other one go?!" 'He' backs up a few paces and holds an arrow ready to attack.
Despite the preparations, both Brennan and Andrei were unprepared for just how hard the chitinous shell of the beetle was considering its size, or how nimble the thing was as well. Both attacks were therefore, ineffective.
Chephren in turn steps up and prays that Anubis forgive Brennan's trespass to allow the man to show reparation through the death of the beetle.
Malik continues to wait at the ready for any proximate threats, though none seem forthcoming just yet.
Suru once more fires two arrows in rapid succession at the still visible beetle, but they are still not enough to get past both the collective melee and its hard exterior.
Right after firing, Suru sees the other beetle emerge from the floor beside Elneiros, Chephren, and himself. The thing snaps its large mandibles at around Elneiros' ankle, tearing into his lower calf, before it ceases moving altogether.
Elneiros winces and hunches over slightly after being bitten into by the beetle.
"I think its best if I back out temporarily to recover. These beetles seem to have done quite a number on me."
Elneiros retreats slowly, fumbling with his alchemical items as he moves. He creates a concoction and downs it quickly.
plus
Brennan took advantage of the others distracting the beetle and tried to dive behind it. Balancing on the balls of his feet, he drove his dagger at the juncture between thorax and abdomen.
The mild librarian curses the tight confines of the fighting area, wishing he could be of more help. With all the hopping and springing and swinging and jumping, he was just as likely to hit his fellows as the low-lying beetle, so he continues to hold the shot, peering around the room to ensure there are no new enemies coming.
Round 3
If Chephren sees either of the beetles still twitching and moving with life, he calls on Anubis aid once more and then moves to touch a bettle. If neither bettle lives, he will check on the others and provide healing assistance as needed.
------------------------------------
On Going Effects: Strength Damage -4 (-2 Str penalty); Bless, +1 morale to attacks and vs Fear (party), 8 rds; Guidance (Brennan), upto 9 rds or used; Bleeding Touch, Held Spell;
Brennan moves around behind the last still moving beetle, and manages to drive a blade between the pieces of its shell that cover the thorax. The blade pierces the shell, and fleshy body underneath, stopping the bug in it's tracks. Both beetles slowly start to contract their legs up underneath them, aided by Chephren's magical touch, but the life has not fully left them.
Regardless of their state of health, the glow from around the beetle's eyes remain. Malik is reminded that it will continue to glow for up to a few days after their death. The light is weak, and not much better than a candle, and not even as bright as a torch.
Brennan takes his dagger and slams it into the joint between the head and thorax of each beetle, just to make sure they stay dead. Then, he wiped the blade and looked around. "Where were we?"