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Neferteri finishes his examination of the vermin and collects his one unbroken arrow. As he does so he begins to tell the group about the creature. Our attacker was a Ghost Scorpion, so named for its translucent carapaces. These things are are nocturnal desert hunters and really should not be out and about in the day. I understand they can see well in the dark and even possess what is called tremor sense. They are quite tough (high Fort) and possess the usual resistances associated with vermin. This one likely outweighs me by a few stones. I wonder if there are parts good to eat?[/b
As he finishes Alexander slumps over. Neferteri calls out [b]Alexander! begins to push Holbrecht towards the man. He is hurt. Help him.
After Alexander recovers consciousness Neferteri restocks his quiver from Holbrecht's backpack, replacing the two broken arrows.
Nulyth nods to Neferteri as he pierces the critter's heart. "A most disgusting creature." He turns to check on Alexander when the older man suddenly collapses to the ground.
Nulyth immediately runs over to him, dropping to his knees beside the wizard."No! Alexander, wake up!" 'Dawnflower... do not let me fail already...'
He grabs Alexander's shoulders to shake him, but just as he puts his hands on Alexander... the older gentleman wakes just as suddenly as he had dropped. "Welcome back, Alexander. Holbrecht, perhaps a bit of healing is in order for our friend."
Holbrecht tries to tend the old man when he drops, worried about the poison's effect. He studies the injuries to see what he can do to help. He can't tell whether it was the sting or the poison that made the old man black out, but he still seems to be in decent health. "Calm down folks, he's still alive, and that creature is dead. I don't know why he blacked out, but I'll channel since I know Nulyth got hit as well." He holds his holy symbol up, closes his eyes, and the slightest inkling of a tick-tock sound is heard as a wave of healing washes over the group.
After studying the dead specimen Neferteri retrieves some of his arrows from Holbrecht.
Holbrecht calls on his deity to channel healing energies across the group after checking on Alexander's wounds. The poison looks to have run its course. After the healing all that remains are superficial wounds.
The pony that Lin had summoned disappears in a puff of smoke as the duration of the summons runs out.
While the group tends to the wounded Alexander at ground level. A sparkle of something metallic reflects sunlight at the base of the wheel, just inside the track. Neferteri goes over and with a couple of thunks from the but of his morning star he manages to break the item free. Looking at the item it seems to be a belt buckle that had been hammered into place making the wheel more difficult to move. Someone wanted to keep something inside instead of keeping something out. The belt buckle still held its shine and did not seem worn by that much age. Someone had been here within the last six months or so by the looks of it.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Tomb Antechamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 8:33 am, Temperature: 93 (Outside) 88 (Current Location) degrees
"Thank you all," Alexander says, as he rises with brittle dignity. He bows his head to the rest of the party. "Not my finest hour, to be sure. Let us hope I do better the next time."
When he sees the belt buckle, his face clouds over. "I have said it before, and I will say it again. The Voices of the Spire must have been very busy -- and possibly with good reason. I suggest we keep weapons to hand from here on in. Still, we can now use this buckle to jam the door open behind us, at least."
Lin frowns and wordlessly pockets the buckle for later. Joining with the rest, she presses her shoulder against the wheel to force it open.
"I meant we should use it to jam the door open behind us," Alexander says, calmly.
The group grabbed where they could and set about moving the stone slab. Faces reddened and squinting in effort, it seemed like they might have to call it quits, only for the stone to suddenly give way and roll slowly towards the east, lining against the wall. Inside of the square room was a square shaft that sunk into the floor, dipping into darkness. The rays of sunlight filtering in from the doorway they had opened failed to reach into the depths of the shaft. From it a strong and terrible rotting odor came up, mingling with the more natural one they had originally encountered. Near the northeast corner of the shaft a single steel piton had been hammered into the stone, a length of rope still dangling from it into the darkness below. Unlike the ante-chamber, this room lacked any decoration.
The room ahead is considered low light since it benefits from just the rays of sun that pierce through the 5 foot opening left by the stone.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Upper Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 8:34 am, Temperature: 93 (Outside) 88 (Current Location) degrees
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The bard conjures a set of dancing lights that flash forward exploring and illuminating first the sparse room and then the pit. Unless there are secret doors I think we are in for a climb. He beings to search the floor at the entrance to the new room. I have the north side of the room Lin. he says as he searches.
Neferteri moves into the low lit chamber checking for traps carefully as he goes, moving around the pit to the north. Casting dancing lights and sending them into the pit. The dancing flickers of light shown against a bare sandstone floor some sixty feet below. The rope that dangled from the piton into the shaft only extended for five feet before ending, a sharp and clean cut signifying it had been cut. Both the piton and rope look unworn from age. The smell of death and decay coming strongly over the open pit now.
Moving on around Neferteri finished checking each space for traps and triggers before signaling that the north side of the room was clear.
Updated Map
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Upper Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 8:52 am, Temperature: 93 (Outside) 88 (Current Location) degrees
Lin sits, concentrates and draws out Kachu again from the outer planes. The little creature looking enquiringly at the new wound in Alexander, she presses her memories into him and he nods. Turning, he joins in with the search of the room as Lin stands near the entrance.
Alexander mutters a Word and makes a gesture, conjuring four more globes of light, which he sends down into the pit to light the way.
"I may need some help here," he says, apologetically. "I am... not very physical."
Lin spends the next minute doing a strange ritual to recall Kachu. Once she is finish the strange blue monkey animal reappears in a puff of smoke. He quickly searches the southern part of the pit room opposite Neferteri. Kachu also gives the all clear once done.
As the sun rises outside and the temperature of the day keeps increasing so does the heat inside the tomb, now reaching over the 90 degree mark both outside and inside.
Alexander moves to the pit and cast his sparkling orbs once again to send them down the pit. Looking down you can clearly see the bottom that is 60 feet below. The tunnel extends for 50 feet and then opens into a chamber with the floor 10 feet below that. Alexander notices the piton and cut length of rope already attached to a corner of the pit. The smell of death overwhelming from the pit.
Neferteri meanwhile looks down into the pit opposite Alexander silently calculating the falling distance and damage it might cause. Trying to hold back his breakfast as the stench is overwhelming. Swallowing hard he looks up at everyone else.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Upper Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:02 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees
Holbrecht is afraid to ask the question, fearing the answer, "Do we have another rope? I thought only Alexander had rope.... certain neither Nefer or I had one... maybe Lin or Nulyth do, but they didn't say anything earlier when I asked Alexander for his... Oh, a piton still in place? Let me have a look at that."
Holbrecht moves to the corner with the piton to check and see if the thing will likely hold any of them climbing it.
Nulyth pulls a scarf up over his nose to help block out some of terrible smell wafting up from the hole. "With a tomb this old, these smells should not be this overpowering." He also looks down the pit, not needing the lights used by Alexander.
At the mention of rope he removes a coil from his backpack and hands it over to Neferteri. "Lin, can Kachu see in the darkness down there? If not, perhaps I should descend first without the lights. I can see 60 feet in pitch darkness and may have advantage over any potential enemies."
Holbrecht is relieved to see the rope come out, and once they are tied together, offers to easily knot them with the spell he didn't need after they removed the buckle. "I can make the top half knot itself, which will likely save us much time. It will be some time before I could get this much rope altogether to knot as one. I also have the natural dwarven ability to see a fair distance in the dark."
Neferteri examines the piton that has been driven into the southeast corner of the pit. Not seeing any signs of tricks or traps except for the piece of rope still attached to it.
Holbrecht also goes over to the piton and checks in for stability and also finds the piton well secured into the stone.
Nulyth moves over to the pit and tries to peer down into the darkness. But even with his acute vision he can see nothing but the same. The pit continues down 50 feet and then opens into a
chamber below. Sixty feet to the ground below. That leaves a drop of 10 feet feet from the bottom edge of the pit to the floor. Nulyth then removes his silk rope from his gear and hands it to
Holbrecht.
Holbrecht goes to work, saying a prayer as the two silken ropes begin to knot themselves, the two ropes intertwining. He then cuts the old piece of rope free and ties the new knotted rope to the
piton and chunks its length down the hole. The two ropes being tied together and knotted gave them 80 feet of knotted rope. More than enough to cover the distance.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Upper Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:04 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees
Lin walks over to the hole and bends over, gripping the rope and pulling it, testing its strength. "Well-held."
Wordlessly, Kachu leaps over the side and grabs onto the rope, scampering slowly down into the darkness below. "Let him go first." Lin looks worriedly for a moment, muttering another short prayer for good luck.
Repelling down the shaft, Kachu could feel the eyes of his master upon him with each hop he took, Holbrecht and Nulyth standing by to catch the rope should the piton fail and give way. Coming free of the shaft he hung limp in the air for a brief second, before landing softly on the floor of the chamber below. Mirrored images of a warriors profile, facing inward, were carved on a pair of ornate stone doors set in the west wall of the room. Prepared for battle, the figure carved into the stone was a fearsome one, an ancient warrior of Osirion. His shield faced Kachu, a scarab set into the face of it, a large curved Khopesh raised above his head, wearing naught but padded armor.
Slowly the monkey like creature took in the room, his heritage letting him pierce through the engulfing darkness. . A crumpled body lay in front of the doors, a strong scent of rot and recent decay filling the entire room, The body having only been dead a few months at best. Moving slightly closer, Kachu saw a dried stain underneath the bones, one that marred the stone floor under it. Finding the room clear other than the body, he called up to Lin telepathically letting her know that it was ok to come down.
The characters in the upper shaft room are considered to be at the edge of the pit. We are no longer tracking movement in the upper shaft room.
The lower shaft room has now become the trackable map. Please be advised as the layout has changed.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Lower Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:06 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 88 (Current Location) degrees
"I do not have a longer-lasting spell of light prepared than Dancing lights," Alexander says. "Unless whoever goes down first has some light magic of their own, we may wind up travelling partway in the dark."
Kachu telepathically contacts Lin and tells her "Whoever this was that died down here, it looks like his legs are both broken. So I guess he fell, or was killed since the rope was obviously cut."
Neferteri carefully climbs down the rope into the darkness below. Once he is down he cast dancing lights and instructs an orb to take up position in each corner bringing the room to full light.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Upper Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:08 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees
"If someone could give me a hand...?" Alexander asks, apologetically, as he fumblingly puts his cane through its loop on his belt, and struggles to get down the rope.
Nulyth will follow behind Neferteri and before Alexander. "Do not worry, if you fall I will catch you." He tells the older man in an attempt to calm his nerves.
Before descending, the paladin sheathes his blade and straps his shield to his back. His armor still makes climbing more difficult, but with the knots in the rope he successfully climbs down into the room without difficulty.
As soon as Nulyth's feet touch the ground his sword and shield are drawn and equipped. He looks at the body. "At least we have determined the source of the smell. This is quite foreboding."
Alexander pulls a handkerchief out of his pocket and holds it in front of his mouth, coughing at the stench. He tries to find out anything he can about the dead body, but the smell is actually so bad that it makes his eyes water, so instead, he simply makes the sign of Pharasma's spiral and mutters a prayer to her in Ancient Osiriani.
Nulyth makes his way down the shaft followed closely by Alexander, Nulyth doing what he can to aid the older gentleman. It takes a few minutes but both reach the bottom safely.
As the dancing lights sputter, Neferteri recast the lights again having them take up positions in each corner.
Alexander covers his mouth with a handkerchief and tries to inspect the body as best he can.
From this perspective, the purpose of the shaft rooms becomes evident—they’re deathtraps without a mechanism. Creatures that descend the shaft without a reliable means to climb back out are effectively trapped, permanently. The opening in the center of the ceiling is 10 feet up with no adjoining walls, making it next to impossible to climb back out without a well-secured rope at the top of the shaft, flight, or magic.
The body in front of the doors is still in the early stages of decay and is quite bloated and horrific looking. The corpse’s gear is somewhat intact, it looks as if the gentleman was wearing normal hot weather clothes but no armor, even Alexanders simple efforts at a search yields a couple of metal pitons and a usable hammer, as well as two vials of alchemist’s fire that have remained miraculously unbroken. Underneath the corpse is a strange object made of metal tubing and wood that is partially sticking out. Alexander takes a closer look but does not touch the body to roll it over so the item can be removed. Alexander immediately recognizes the item as it was something his deceased brother was into, it was what was called a firearm. A pistol if Alexander's memory served him well as to what his brother had called it.
Then it struck him. The grip of the weapon that was sticking out from under the corpse had.... no it couldn't be. Alexander looked again under the flickering lights.
It was the Pierpoint family crest emblazoned in the wood grip of the pistol. This was Timothy's weapon. What was it doing down here, and who was this man that had it.
The doors do not appear to be trapped, they are heavy and stuck a little.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Upper Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:12 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees
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While others are still climbing and while they look at the body Neferteri begins to search the walls and floor of the room. He is in no hurry, taking 20 and starts in D1 moving down the D column. He will pause as needed to renew his dancing lights. You know Alexander, perhaps you should memorize a regular light spell since I know the Dancing Lights spell.
Alexander's face twitches as he sees his own family crest. As gently as he can, he puts his cane under the body and nudges it aside to get at the pistol.
Should the corpse twitch of its own accord, however, the old man backs up in a hurry...
Nulyth glances over at the body after he takes a few steps closer, near Alexander, but he is unable to determine anything about it. He remains close as the older begins to lift the body with his cane, cautious in the event of a trap .
Neferteri begins his thourough search of the lower shaft room, being pethodical and checking everything, he then begins to study the images carved on the doors in the lower shaft room.
Neferteri studied the intricate carvings, looking for any signs or information to be gathered. Mirrored images of a warriors profile, facing inward toward each other, one on each of the stone doors. Prepared for battle, the figure carved into the stone was a fearsome one, an ancient warrior of Osirion. His shield faced outward toward anyone facing the set of doors, a scarab set into the face of the shield, a large curved Khopesh raised above his head, wearing naught but padded armor. Though they showed incredible craftsmanship and skill, Neferteri thought that they might be a representation of Akhentepi, though there was no certain indication to make it clear. They did not seem to be trapped nor did they seem to have a locking mechanism of any type.
Alexander meanwhile carefully rolled the bloated body just enough to retrieve his brother's pistol. The stench was almost unbearable as the corpse is disturbed. After inspecting the pistol Alexander was almost sure it was loaded so he needed to be careful with it. His brother had told him once about the thing, about the trigger. Just point and shoot Alexander remembered his brother saying. He also believed his brother had called it a flintlock if he remembered correctly.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Lower Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:44 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees
"This was my brother's," Alexander says, softly, while he very carefully assigns the flintlock to a spare loop on his belt. "And now I must wonder whether this man stole it from him or travelled with him. Regardless, I can do no less than this."
Making the spiral gesture of Pharasma again, Alexander starts to intone the monotonous prayers for the fallen, the standard Pharasmin ritual of burial to put the dead to rest. After the last word in Ancient Osirian is spoken, the old man mutters a brief hrase in Draconic and looks at the door.
Lin taps her mace and it begins to glow with a soft and steady white light. Strapping it to her belt she descends the rope
and drops to the floor. She swallows and holds her nose as she steps closer to the body. She shoots a look at Alexander but otherwise says nothing. Drawing a deep breath she bends over and expertly frisks the corpse.
Alexander tried as best he could but could detect no magical auras on the corpse, or anywhere else within the confines of the spell.
Lin slid down the rope next adding more light to the room with her spell. Seeing the corpse she moves to fully search the body.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Lower Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:48 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees
Holbrecht finally makes his way down the rope. Being the last member of the group to descend down the hole. Looking around he takes in the site.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Lower Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:50 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees
"Hmm? Oh!" Alexander says as he notices Neferteri look at the journal. "I quite missed... Ahem. Nevermind. May I be of assistance?"
Scanning through the journal you learn that the deceased fellow was named Ahrend and it seems that he worked for, or with Alexander's brother Timothy. Not a whole lot to go on as it seems the journal was just recently started. It seems like Timothy and Ahrend was on the hunt for a artifact (The journal never names it, just calls it the artifact). Timothy had enlisted the aid of a necromancer named Nebta-Khufre and the trio had gotten pretty close to knowing where in the necropolis this artifact was located when Timothy suddenly was killed. It seems that Ahrend was told by a letter of some sort that was delivered after his death, to come to this tomb in search of answers if something unfortunately happened, as Timothy believed that Akhentepi was related to the Pierpoint bloodline in someway.
Upon finding the right location of the tomb Ahrend and Nebta-Khufre had come here looking for answers. Once they had got inside the two men had discusses going down the shaft and had drew straws to see who would go first. Ahrend was selected so he said he would go down and scout the area while Nebta stayed up top......
That was the last entry.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Lower Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:51 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees
"I shall have to arrange for this gentleman's proper burial," Alexander says, his lips thin and pale, his eyes full of dark fire.
The old man thumps the heel of his cane against the ground, louder and louder, his knuckles white due to the force with which he grips the handle. "Nebta-Khufre," he says, his voice rough and hoarse. "A Necromancer named Nebta-Khufre. Yes."
Alexander's other hand grips the cloth covering his upper chest.
"I... I must say, in all honesty, that I had no idea I might have relatives in this area of the world," Alexander goes on to say, once he has regained a bit more of his self-control. "Living or dead. This is all... all rather surprising. Ahem."
Distributing the Pitons, Hammers and flasks along to the people able to carry them, Lin looks sympathetically at Alexander for a moment before turning to face the door. Kachu presses against its side and begins searching it for traps.
Time.... sands... minutes... seconds....hours..days... must take action. Idle people... bad smell.... must keep moving.
Herbrecht steps over the body glancing down to look for cause of death.
He looks up at Alexander "He's either a male human or half-elf, both legs broken." looking up. "He fell from up there and then crawled to these doors and expired." he then turns his attention to the group "You might want to drag that body out the way."
Holbrecht then grabs the door handle and throws his shoulder against it. Swinging the doors open wide. "Here goes nothing."
Resolved to press forward, Holbrecht put his shoulder into the door. Sliding open with greater ease than the doors above ground, they groaned and creaked as they rolled across the stone floor, exposing the hall beyond.
The corridor beyond the doors was roughly ten feet wide. On each of the walls were identical brass bas-reliefs. These carvings depicted two great armies crashing against each other, leaders standing out as they were emblazoned with small shards of gemstones. Generals lead their armies from chariots, overrunning their enemies, the sheer expression of terror on the face of those rundown disturbingly realistic. At the far end of the hall in the dim light cast from the lower shaft room was another pair of stone doubled doors. The engravings on the insides of both sets of doors resemble those in the lower shaft room, except that the man in the engravings is depicted as an older man riding in a chariot. He carries the same scarab shield, but his other arm points at his own reflected depiction on the opposite door.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Lower Shaft Room, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 9:51 am, Temperature: 98 (Outside) 93 (Current Location) degrees