The lid certainly seems solid – and heavy.
Nothing new presents itself – no ring pulls or anything of the sort. The culture that built this tomb were a fairly primitive, warrior based culture, who valued brute strength – its likely thats what it will take to move this.
Alton looks around the room, and walks slowly around the plug. 'Perhaps we could try to leaver up one side whilst pulling from the other.'
Keildrithe searches the surrounding walls again for signs of a hidden lever that might have been missed.
Alton, there is a narrow gap, about an inch, between the edge of the floor and the stone plug – possibly enough to get a crowbar or something down there. Also, it appears that the plug only sits in a shallow depression in the floor (presumably with a hole in the centre of it), so you can almost push it aside rather than lift it.
"Contrary to common opinion, some times brute strength is the answer," Kajetan muses and then puts his flail frame against the stone and gets ready to aid who ever is feeling like doing an impression of Atlas.
Strength check to aid other
Kajetan strains so hard that a little 'pip' escapes his behind.
Pharris does the same next to Kajetan.
Pharris does the same next to Kajetan.
"Contrary to common opinion, some times brute strength is the answer," Kajetan muses and then puts his flail frame against the stone and gets ready to aid who ever is feeling like doing an impression of Atlas.
Strength check to aid other 1d20-1
Kajetan strains so hard that a little 'pip' escapes his behind.
Laithe is taken by surprise for a moment when Kajetan steps forward, ready to help, and getting surprising strength out of his slight frame. He quickly moves into help, getting down low and doing his best to take what weight he can.
Nicholai hastily hides a smile at Kajetan's straining frame. He then raises an eyebrow at the wizard's success.
"Meddle not in the affairs of wizards!" He mutters wryly.
Not to be out done by the skinny mageling, he rolls up his sleeves as he steps forward.
"Well, sometimes the direct route is the best." The dandy acknowledges to Kajetan as he gets low and pushes.
After a few false starts, Laithe makes a determined effort, his muscles bulging, and heaves the plug over the slight lip, then with assistance from the two mages (surprisingly determined in the case of Kajetan), the three of them slide the heavy plug aside over the stone floor.
In the centre of the area formerly covered by the plug, a five foot diameter hole yawns down into darkness, the odour of damp air and something faintly more unpleasant wafting upwards.
Suddenly, the horrible voice of a woman issues from the carved demon face on the stone plug. It utters just one word: “Tamaich!” A moment later a chilling moan from below answers the call, echoing up the shaft.
After a few false starts, Laithe makes a determined effort, his muscles bulging, and heaves the plug over the slight lip, then with assistance from the two mages (surprisingly determined in the case of Kajetan), the three of them slide the heavy plug aside over the stone floor.
In the centre of the area formerly covered by the plug, a five foot diameter hole yawns down into darkness, the odour of damp air and something faintly more unpleasant wafting upwards.
Suddenly, the horrible voice of a woman issues from the carved demon face on the stone plug. It utters just one word: “Tamaich!” A moment later a chilling moan from below answers the call, echoing up the shaft.
"Aww, c*@^!" curses Laithe at the yell from the statue and the answering moan from below. He peers down the hole cautiously, though not expecting to see too much in the darkness.
"Can we get some light down there?" he asks.
Nicholai starts to smile in triumph, but freezes at the sound of the screech. The horrible woman's scream issuing from the carved demon's face somehow more upsetting than the answer from below. He nods in response to Laithe, (whether agreeing with the curse, or the request is unclear), but drops in one of the 2 glowing copper coins. He watches it descend with morbid fascination.
“Tamaich?” Nicholai murmurs softly, as if trying to memorize the word, or trying to remember why it sounds so familiar,...
Nicholai glances at the leering stone face on the plug with a frown, as if it had somehow betrayed him.
"So much for the element of surprise. And I usually pride myself on subtlety,..." He says wryly, and straight-faced.
As it happens, you all heard Keildrithe mention the name Tamiach yesterday morning, the first time you came down to this tomb.
Could this be a burial cairn of the Sya-Negan?
The Sya-Negan were a tribe of savage narog raiders, fierce warriors who were even more fearsome given their knowledge and use of necromantic magic. They dominated this area some seven centuries ago, under the leadership of the infamous narog sorcerer-warrior Tamiach. Their power faded after Tamiach was slain by the Karandic chieftan Turiew, who, legend has it, was assisted in his battle against Tamiach and the Sya-Negan by his lover, the elven maiden Deleflin and the unicorn Iriandel.
Laithe appropriates one of the glowing coins and approaches the shaft. As he nears its edge, a great gust of foul smelling wind blows up from below and fills this chamber, blowing away loose items and bits of debris, tousling hair and billowing clothes and cloaks.
Four figures, glowing slightly with silver-green ghostlight rise up out of the dark shaft. The four transparent figures appear to be skeletons with strips of dried flesh hanging from their bones, clad in rotten furs and rusted barbaric armour. They reach out with clawed, skeletal hands, malice seeming to emanate from them.
Will: +4(class) +1(wis) = +5
Keildrithe's face turns pale and his eyes widen as the visage on the plug screeches, the moan from below is heard, and the spirits begin to rise. He seems paralyzed with fear...
Nicholai's eyes widen like pie plates at the appearance of the specters.
"Aw,... Cr@p!" The normally verbose dandy manages to mutter.
The spectres reach forward with grasping claws, seeming somehow far more frightening than even their horrific and supernatural appearance would imply.
Most of the heroes, while frightened, manage to master their fear ... but it gets the better of Keildrithe, who shakes off his momentary paralysis, drops anything he might be holding to the floor, and dashes off into the darkness, back towards the throne room, wailing in sheer abject terror.
Laithe cops the full-force of the foul wind in the face which unsettles him for the sudden arrival of the spectres in it's wake.
Laithe cops the full-force of the foul wind in the face which unsettles him for the sudden arrival of the spectres in it's wake.
Initiative
Figure I will throw some knowledge rolls at them as well, before I react.
Knowledge (Arcana): +14 (+4 Int, 7 ranks, +3 Skill Focus Feat)
Knowledge (Religion) : +7 (+4 Int, 3 ranks)
Kajetan:
In the events of the last dozen seconds or so, you can identify a number of effects that may well be caused by magic spells rather than a haunting, though it is difficult to say for a certainty what the true cause may be. The cry from the stone face could be replicated with a magic mouth spell, the gust of wind could be, well, a gust of wind, the almost overwhelming fear could be caused by various necromantic spells, and your recent encounter with the illusionary shadows leads you to wonder whether the apparitions before you might be illusionary as well.
Of course, if they are in fact as they appear spirits from beyond the grave, well, your studies of religion suggest several likely possibilities. At the worst end of the spectrum are ghosts and spectres – incorporeal spirits, normally hostile to the living and normally very dangerous and hard to destroy. At the least dangerous end of the spectrum they may be phantoms – similar in appearance to ghosts or spectres, but with very limited ability to manifest for long periods or interact with the living, except to cause supernaturally powerful fear. Somewhere in between the two extremes are haunting, which may manifest phantom like images and a host of other dangerous effects.
Pharris eye's go hard as she enters the Blade of Death. The greatsword comes up and the elf maiden looks ready for battle. One leg poised forwards and graceful, about to sell her soul dear.
The first skeleton that comes near Kajetan will be the target for her blade. Stepping in front of the mage to stop their attacks.
"I am death, the blade is death," she murmurs.
Alton is somewhat heartened by the inactivity of the skeletons. He steps forward and slashes at the closest one with his enchanted dagger.
Kajetan stands firm in the face of the spectres and stares them down, "You are not real," he states calmly, "begone!"
If they are illusions I think I get a save now, if they are real, you get me flat footed.
Will: +4(class) +1(wis) = +5
Blinking away his initial surprise, Nicholai raises his hands in a warding gesture, matching the specters almost motion for motion. An uncertainty has crept into his thoughts, and he's leery about wasting more valuable spell-power on what might be essentially harmless phantasms. But he also would rather NOT find out that they're real the hard way!
When Keidrithe turns and bolts, screaming, Nicholai reacts almost instinctively, reaching out to grab the bard before he can flee the room.
"Easy Keildrithe! Don't go running headlong down the hall! You might run into something worse!" He cries as he attempts to get a decent grip on the bard's clothes. He is still trying to restrain Keidrithe when he is hears Kajetan's declaration. Surprised, he turns to glance at the mage.
"Um, Kaj? Are you sure about,...?" He starts to ask, then clamps his mouth shut tight.
'Stoopid! Don't distract him while he's trying to disbelieve an enchantment!' The dandy berates himself, turning his attention back to the frightened bard.
Keildrithe's sword clangs loudly on the ground as he turns and runs from the spectres, but finds himself unexpectedly collared by Nicolai. "Let me go -- everybody run, or we're gonna DIE!!!!" he cries out in terror, struggling against the dandy...
Keildrithe's sword clangs loudly on the ground as he turns and runs from the spectres, but finds himself unexpectedly collared by Nicolai. "Let me go -- everybody run, or we're gonna DIE!!!!" he cries out in terror, struggling against the dandy...
Though he feels fairly shaken himself, Laithe reaches out a hand to Keildrithe a moment after Nicolai makes a grab at him.
"Easy Keildrithe, the fear is not real" he says, his voice soothing, laced with magic. "Ehlonna will protect."
Keildrithe drops his grandfather’s sword to the ground and turns to run in terror – almost running straight into Nicolai, who grabs and holds the panicked bard despite his frantic cries and struggles to get away.
Pharris and Alton step forward to engage the floating spirits with their blades – Pharris, perhaps still slightly unsettled by their appearance, simply misses her target, whilst Alton’s dagger plunges through the middle of one of the spirits – to no discernable effect, other than a cold chill that runs up his hand and arm.
Laithe speaks soothing words and reaches out to touch Keildrithe, the power of Ehlonna flooding his friend with soothing energy.
For his part, Kajetan steps forward and boldly confronts the spirits – or illusions if his suspicion is correct. The floating figures do not appear to react to him.
Kajetan:
In fact, the figures do not react at all ...
Laithe's soothing words subdue some of the terror that welled in Keildrithe's breast. He ceases to struggle against Nicolai, but still seems somewhat rattled and unsure of what to do. He turns around and looks at Pharris, Kajetan and Alton with admiration as they confront the phantoms. Then, his eyes fall on his grandfather's sword, a few feet away.
"I don't know what came over me," he murmurs to Laithe and Nicolai. "I am so ashamed. Please forgive me. I am not a coward, and know that I would not abandon my friends so easily..."
Everyone seems to hesitate, not sure how to deal with these scary looking, but somehow forlorn seeming spirits ... or whether they are ‘real’ or mere illusions. After a few more seconds, the spirits fade away into nothing, leaving the dark hole in the floor unguarded.
Nicholai arches an eyebrow at the specters inaction, tensed and ready, and breaths a sigh of relief when they fade. Then he realizes that he is still holding onto Keildrithe's shoulders. With a small grin he releases the bard.
"Don't be absurd! Nothing to forgive!" Nicholai says jovially as he smooths away the wrinkles he caused on the bard's garments.
"Magic is both powerful and fickle. There is no shame in being affected by such a spell, or spirit, if indeed that's what it was. You were merely caught by surprise. I have no doubt that properly prepared you probably could have canceled the effect with your own charms!" He says with a grin and a final pat on the bard's shoulder. Satisfied with his handiwork, the dandy turns back to the others and cautiously approaches the now apparently unguarded well.
He edges in between Kajetan and Alton, peering warily over the lip with the others.
"So. Was it a spirit? Or a spell-trap?" He asks softly, primarily for Kajetan's ears. He continues to peer over the lip warily, glowing coin somehow still in hand.
"Don't be absurd! Nothing to forgive!" Nicholai says jovially as he smooths away the wrinkles he caused on the bard's garments.
"Magic is both powerful and fickle. There is no shame in being affected by such a spell, or spirit, if indeed that's what it was. You were merely caught by surprise. I have no doubt that properly prepared you probably could have canceled the effect with your own charms!" He says with a grin and a final pat on the bard's shoulder. Satisfied with his handiwork, the dandy turns back to the others and cautiously approaches the now apparently unguarded well.
Laithe also shakes away Keildrithe's apology. "I felt the same unnatural compulsion and only just managed to shake it off." He bends and picks up the bard's treasured blade, flipping it over to offer him the handle. "Take up your sword without shame. You joined us down here though you had no wish to. It is by such actions that we judge you, favourably, not by actions taken under magical compulsion."
He edges in between Kajetan and Alton, peering warily over the lip with the others.
"So. Was it a spirit? Or a spell-trap?" He asks softly, primarily for Kajetan's ears. He continues to peer over the lip warily, glowing coin somehow still in hand.
Joining the others at the hole he says "I'm not certain about the spirits, but I have a feeling the moan we heard upon first opening the way was not attached to them. I think we will face something much more substantial if we venture below, so let us proceed with caution."
He casts the glowing coin into the hole, as he had been about to do before the arrival of the spirits.
Keildrithe takes his sword back from Laithe and nods in silent appreciation at the druid and Nicolai, though he still seems disappointed himself. He then joins everyone around the sinister hole, gazing down the shaft...
The coin drops some thirty or more feet to land with a dull clang on the dust covered floor below. The light from the coin illuminates a conical chamber, perhaps twenty feet in diameter at its base, its sloping walls rising up to a short shaft that opens up into the hole you peer down. There appear to be four passages or tunnels leading away from this chamber, one in each of the cardinal directions. There is no obvious way down, other than dropping (or climbing down a lowered rope). The air down there is cold and still.
NIcholai gazes down the hole into the chamber, then briskly rubs his hands together.
"Right! So. Who wants to go down the dark, creepy hole first?!?" The dandy asks with a wide-eyed smile.
NIcholai gazes down the hole into the chamber, then briskly rubs his hands together.
"Right! So. Who wants to go down the dark, creepy hole first?!?" The dandy asks with a wide-eyed smile.
"By saying 'want' you may well exclude all of us" Laithe responds wryly to Nicolai's smile. "However, I'll head down first. Do we have the luxury of your excellent lift spell, or do we have to slum it with a rope?"
"Yes. Laithe, you go first. I'll follow."