Alexander draws a bead on the arachnid not currently floundering in grease, and raises his rapier again. "Manus arcanorum," he whispers -- and the sword flies off again, stabbing at the little horror before flicking back to its master's hand.
Holbrecht is unsure of what else he can do to help while he stays prepared to heal Nulyth. He decides that he could at least switch to a ranged weapon.
Scampering up to take Holbrecht's place, Kachu shrieks a challenge and lashes out with his paws at the wounded spider. Lin carefully aims a splash of acid to scorch its chitin.
Holbrecht straps his waraxe back to his back and pulls out his sling and some sling bullets. Alexander draws a bead on the arachnid not currently floundering in grease, and raises his rapier again. "Manus arcanorum," he whispers -- and the sword flies off again, stabbing at the little horror before flicking back toward its master's hand. Unbeknowest to Alexander the swordcane had picked up some of the grease druing the attack and on its return trip slipped from his grasp and the handle knocked him in the gut, doubling the old man over. Scampering up to take Holbrecht's place, Kachu shrieks a challenge and lashes out with his paws at the wounded spider but the creature quickly jumps out of the way of the attack. Lin carefully aims a splash of acid to scorch its chitin. As the acid is released from Lin's hand a magical energy surge unlike anything Lin has ever experienced goes along with it almost blowing her backwards in the process. She watches as the acid hits the wounded creature in front of Nulyth and the acid eats right through its hide and then what is left of the creature turns to solid stone.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Preparation Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:29 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees
Round 3
Nulyth notices the strangeness of the creature turning to stone suddenly; however, decides to ignore it until after they have finished off the remaining... thing. His blade whistles as he strikes at the remaining arachnid!
Nulyth notices the strangeness of the creature turning to stone suddenly; however, decides to ignore it until after they have finished off the remaining... thing. His blade whistles as he strikes and slices into the remaining arachnid! The creature withers for a moment in the pain from the blow. With no better view of the remaining creature Neferteri moves down the stairs and readies and waits for an opening.
The remaining creature slashes a lone claw at Kachu and the other at Nulyth and tries to bite Nulyth but both Kachu and Nulyth easily avoid the attack. The creature retreats back cautiously not to slip on the grease.
Neferteri seeing the opening as the creature moved away from melee took his shot. The arrow sailed true, right past Kachu and right into the creatures left eye with a solid thud. The remaining creature goes limp.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Preparation Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:30 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees
Alexander's breath explodes out of him with a 'Whoof!'-noise as he doubles over. For a few minutes, the old man just stands like that, visibly in pain but waving people off if they try to help him. Finally, he straightens up again, breathing shallowly as he sheathes his blade.
"This has been a rather painful day," is all he says as he limps towards the petrified arachnid and looks it over.
"Lin," Alexander says, beckoning to the Tien woman, "Neferteri. Come have a look. Do you see what I see? Almost as though... something hitched a ride on that Acid Splash and turned this creature to stone. This is puzzling..."
Holbrecht looks sheepishly at the others, "Sorry for stepping back. That thing had put a good hurt on me when it hit, and I wasn't sure I could stand up to another one. Especially with all the claws and mandibles it had been gnashing. Anyone else have an injury besides me? I don't want to expend the positive energy if I'll be the only one benefiting from it." He replaces his now unneeded and loaded sling, and this time draws his warhammer before he begins to look around. Maybe he will be ready the next time they are surprised like this.
If no one else needs healing, he will make his way into the room slowly and carefully, heading straight for the altar as he watches his path.
The spider like creatures look to have made a nest on the other side of the altar.
The masks also function as torch holders, and their eyes would glow when a light source is placed within them.
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After studying the bugs for a moment (luck stops lingering) Neferteri fails to understand the implications that Alexander points out but nods in wonder at his observation.
Studying the masks the archaeologist again comes up blank. {ooc]Sigh. [/ooc] He replaces his spent arrows from the stock Holbrecht carries.
After considering the masks he begins to search the new room in earnest starting in E9 and then going along the wall E10-K10.
I wonder if these masks are worth anything?
"I wouldn't touch those until we know who or what they actually depict, my friend,"[b] Alexander says. [b]"Moreover, an altar usually implies a shrine. I don't know about you, but I'd rather not rob a temple."
As an afterthought, the old man renews his spell of Dancing Lights.
Lin blinks and studies her fingers, looking for an answer. "...huh. Was... was that me? The source of that 'powerful magic' I mean."
Hesitantly, she shoots another blast of acid at an undecorated section of the floor away from everyone else.
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Right. We will certainly not desecrate the place. But the priests of Pharisma have authorized us to remove items of scholastic and financial value if you recall, as they believe the dead no longer need them. While I am primarily here to study, I must support myself. Neferteri explains.
He watches with interest as the acid sizzles on the stone, polishing it.
Holbrecht takes the place in, before he finally figures out what it is they are looking at, "Wait, it's not an altar per se...well, maybe technically an altar.... given the inclusion of Anubis... but would it be more of a table.... or in this case.... a workbench... It's a preparation chamber. This is where they probably prepared Akhentepi and the cats in the other room, and whatever else may be buried here. Not any more religiously specific than the rest of the tomb itself. Wouldn't imagine there is too much of value in here, beyond possibly what those masks may fetch."
Noticing the nest behind the 'altar' he adds "It seems those bugs may have been in here a bit. They've settled. This makes me think there may be another way in or out beyond the doors above. Albeit, maybe only big enough for these things to squeeze through."
The newly formed adventuring company found nothing of value or further interest in the preparation chamber and prepared to move on.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Preparation Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:38 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees
Alexander slowly follows Neferteri, making sure to stay at the back of the group as it advances. He casts and re-casts his two cantrips as he goes, scanning and illuminating the area ahead.
Neferteri moves to study the door to the west.doors and cast dancing lights while Alexander waits for everyone else to leave the preparation chamber.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Preparation Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:40 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees
After what happened last time he was up front, Holbrecht moves to join them at the other doors, but a little more protected. He moves up to the northwest corner, draws and loads his sling, and waits for Nulyth to be ready to open the doors. He warns, "When I looked earlier, it was just a set of stairs, but I also didn't see the bugs in the other room. Be prepared ... I know I wasn't... don't think I'll go in another room unarmed... not after that... well, not all rooms... just in places like this... it would be odd to enter a library or inn armed... it could make things worse even.. I'm ready."
"I am sure we all understand your meaning perfectly well," Alexander mutters.
Nulyth wipes the gore from his blade and remains close to his comrades while they examine the pillared room. Once they have finished with their examination he follows behind Neferteri and waits until the halfling gives an all clear on the door. "Just say the word and I'll open."
Banishing the petrification from her mind for the moment, Lin looks up and nods. Kachu scampers along the floor over and joins Neferteri in searching for traps on the door.
Given the all clear by Neferteri, Nulyth opens the doors.
A flight of steps gradually descends to the west down this passage. Halfway down the stairs, small holes and burrowed tunnels riddle what remains of the passage’s southern wall. Earth and sand have spilled over the collapsed masonry, covering the stairs with dirt and rubble. Stone doors engraved with a golden scarab, its wings open beneath a golden sun, stand at the far end of the stairs.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Broken Stairs, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:39 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees
Holbrecht peers around the corner of the wall, down the stairwell. "So, there's the stairs I saw, anything else? If not, I would say we shut the doors and go north. If this place is as symmetrical as it has appeared thus far, there should be another room both north and northeast that mirror the.. well, mirror room, and the preparation chamber back there. There would also be a set of descending stairs up there. I would posit that we should establish everything at this level before moving any further down."
"Note the little tunnels," Alexander says, "and the debris in the centre of the stairs. I rather think there might still be... something... burrowing around in here."
The group paused momentarily to decide on which way they wished to continue.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Broken Stairs, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:40 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees
Nulyth examines the strange cave-at the stairwell. "Agree, Alexander. It does appear as if something large has been borrowing through here. Perhaps we should secure these doors and clear the rest of this floor before continuing further down..."
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Broken Stairs, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:41 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees
Holbrecht is pleased to see that others at least agree with him in securing the current floor first. Keeping his sling out, he waits while they wrap up blocking the current door, then moves out with the rest to the other doors across the tapestry room. Once they have gone up, he will take a position of cover around the corner at the top of the stairs and reload his sling.
Alexander follows behind the others, leaning against the wall with one hand so he can keep his swordcane drawn. The slender blade gleams in the light of various spells; it dances and wavers whenever Alexander pauses his forward movement to renew the Dancing Lights and his spell of Detection...
Once the decision was made to check each floor in its entirety before moving further down, Nulyth back tracked into the room with the mummified feline guardians. He takes up a position in front of the doors and waits for the rest of his companions to line up in whatever order they prefer. He looks to them and awaits their readiness.
Once all is in order, the paladin nods and pushes open the doors and immediately brings up his shield as he looks into the darkness of the next room, searching for danger.
The group of tomb explorer's decide to close and secure the doors leading down the broken stairs as best as possible. They then return up through the tomb foyer and immediately feel it warmer again as they head for the north set of doors leading from the room. The doors being already checked earlier by Neferteri are presumed safe so Nulyth swings them open and they see the staircase leading down. Neferteri carefully makes his way down the left side of the stairs checking over everything and then the next set of plain smooth stone doors at the bottom. They are plain stone doors that were identical to the ones you found across the way that led to the chamber of reflection. After checking them over Neferteri gives the all clear as he steps back to let Nulyth work on opening the bottom doors. Once open Neferteri cast dancing lights into the room for illumination.
In the center of the chamber sat a large and brightly painted chariot. Beyond the immovable vehicle, a large canvas stretched between two stone columns. The skins of several animals - antelopes, great cats, and crocodiles - now faded and deteriorated with age, were tacked to this canvas by bits of steel pins, the heads showing no signs of rust or wear. A wooden chest, lacquered white and trimmed with gold inlay, sat by itself in the south. At each corner of the room a small stone shield was molded into the masonry, exquisite workmanship making each a lifelike representation of the classical shields used thousands of years prior, lifelike if only for their slightly smaller stature and odd hue.
A hallway continues to the east.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Chariot Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:50 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees
After Alexander has scanned for magical auras, Lin and Kachu hesitantly inch their way into the chamber. The chariot coming into view, she lengthens her stride and lets loose a low whistle. "Beautiful; so different from the Tien style and design..." Kachu begins searching the walls and room for traps.
"So would Akhentepi continue to ride his chariot in the afterlife," Alexander says, as he leans against a wall to take in the full sight. "By taking it all with him -- including, presumably, his hunting trophies."
He does, just to be safe, renew his cantrips to illuminate the room and check it for magical auras.
Nulyth looks around the room in appreciation and marvels in the fact that the chariot and chest have not rotted into oblivion. "I wonder how they preserved such wonders. Surely magic must be involved?" He looks over at their resident scholarly wizard.
After that room is checked for traps, he moves forward to get a better view of the next hallway...
Searching for magical energies, Alexander detected some preservative magic coming from the chariot and chest, as well as very faint and minor magical energies coming from inside the chest but could not determine their schools. With awe, Lin Zi had note that the room opened to the east. Striding into the room, Neferteri and Kachu began to search every inch for traps, pressure plates and the like. The chariot itself looked as if it could be dissembled by someone that had knowledge of carpentry or driving.
A tunnel connected the room to another, four funerary masks hanging on the walls of the short hallway. They stared down with silent expressions of condemnation, the tomb explorers would be needing to get closer if they wanted to appraise them. Alexander could say with certainty though that they were not magical. In the room beyond was a table with a three-dimensional diorama displayed out on its top. Along the walls where three different shields with varied designs, while a weapon rack collected weapons on the southern wall. Arrayed around the room were five small chests and a clay urn. From this room Alexander felt only a few flecks of magic, none coming from the chests or urn, but from one of the shields on the wall and from the diorama on the table itself.
Bending low over the first chest they had discovered, both Kachu and Neferteri were able to determine that it was indeed trapped, and quite cleverly so. Should any thief attempt to pick the lock, a nasty looking blade would jut out and jab the thief in the hand. Both had seen such designs before, and it was not uncommon for the blades to be dipped in poison, as the wounds dealt would be superficial but the poison deadly enough to finish the job. Though it barred their entry to the contents of the chest for the moment, the trap was actually something of a positive, as Neferteri knew it would increase the value of the chest itself in the eyes of collectors, the ornate chest already looking to be worth quite a bit.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Chariot Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 11:06 am, Temperature: 101 (Outside) 91 (Current Location) degrees