Malik moves to the side allowing Anset to move should he need to do so, then he reloads his crossbow.
Saedue thrusts her sword into the beetle's chitinous armor, trying to pierce its defense, her sword clanks hard off of its carapace but it does not pierce it.
Bjoern seeing that he is not in a position to do much with the other beetle keeps a watch over the far end of the passage to make sure more beetles do not show up, shield at the ready.
Amal awakes to a flash of light, his wounds sting, yet in a hurried fashion he kick-flips to his legs drawing a blade from where he dropped.
Anset’s scream echoes in the chamber. Blood soaking into his robes, he steps around the corner, weaving from side to side as he does his best to avoid any further attacks from the mining beetle.
Dumah steps into the space that Anset cedes, engaging the monstrous insect before it can inflict further harm on his allies. Unfortunately his axe glances off the wall, interfering with the swing as his weapon misses its mark.
As Anset steps away and Dumah engages the beetle spins and launches a bite at Saedue, the insects mandibles again tearing flesh as they bite. Saedue's knee and upper right thigh erupt into a fountain spray of blood as the mandibles pull free.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: False Burial Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:50 am, Temperature: 101 degrees outside the tomb,66 degrees in current room.
Bjoern is ready to swap places
Amal gets up and shouts to Dumah, " Aright, make some room after you attack. We need to down it, there might be others! " he seemeed poised to leap in with just his one shortsword.
Malik rises his crossbow aims and shoot. "Die! Damned beetle!"
Anset steps onto the steps to achieve a direct line of sight of his companions. He assess their injuries, ready to use his god’s final gift of channeling positive energy for the day.
Dumah presses his attack, trying to take advantage of the bug's taste for Saedue.
To hit
Damage
Malik rises his crossbow aims and shoots trying his best to avoid hitting Dumah who is in combat with the beetle unfortunately trying to avoid hitting the dwarf cost Malik a good shot as the bolt smashed against the wall and shattered behind its target.
Saedue moves back away from the beetle as best she can taking up a position behind Bjoern.
As Saedue moves out of the way, Bjoern moves up to take her place, using his shield 2 handed to bash in the beetle, Bjoern defends Saedue's retreat. Bjoern's shield smash comes down hard against the beetle as he flattens it against the floor. Beetle guts squishing out in several places as it goes limp.
For the moment the only thing remaining in the hall was the dead beetles and their glowing light glands, which still glowed even after death and the party adventurers.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: False Burial Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:51 am, Temperature: 101 degrees outside the tomb,66 degrees in current room.
Amal slightly limps to where his other sword flung to the ground and picks it up, haggard but alive. He chuckles slowly less afraid and more amused. " Well then.. Everyone or he most part okay? Bjoern, I think you might have to explore this portion for me.. I'm a little 'torn up,' heh making a bad joke to lessen his condition, the suggestion however was quite sound.
Taking the lightrod from the elf Bjoern looks around the corner of the corridor. N3
Saedue was holding her bloody leg, her face pale
That hurts! I'm starting to believe the beetles hate my legs...Or maybe they love my legs too much!
Amal looks back to Saedue when she mentions this, before following behind Bjoern to N2
[heavy breathing]
After he makes sure everyone is within thirty feet, Anset’s voice calls out ”Lord Ra, hear my plea for your radiance once more! Let your energy heal us and soothe our wounds!” He claps twice, and light flashes from the holy symbol in his right hand.
Wielding his spear once more, he says, ”Lord Ra’s blessing is always with me, but my limitations to use his gifts for healing has reached an end.”
Touching her now uninjured leg
Hey, I feel better! Could you thank Ra for me next time you pray to him, Anset? I'll give a few coins to his temple when we get out of this place.
Bjoern peers around the next corner only to see more broken passage that turns south after a short distance.
Anset moves a short ways down the secret passage where he can see alll parties and once again calls for the healing from his god. The surge of divine energies rushes over everyone in the group as wounds close, cuts and scrapes fades and soon everyone has no signs of injury except for what bloodstains remains on their gear and clothes.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: False Burial Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:51 am, Temperature: 101 degrees outside the tomb,66 degrees in current room.
Amal checks himself, mostly unable to find any sign he was hurt in the first place save for the torn clothe. He becomes exceedingly careful however and takes time searching areas as he follows behind Bjoern.
Malik joins the advancing group while thinking "We have a week to explore this tomb we must not be foolhardy. Still let's not stop quite yet. We can go a bit further."
Dumah let's Amal take his place toward the front. With the recent surprises, he takes up a rear guard, making sure no one gets separated from the group and that nothing nasty gets to the others before it goes through him.
”Any donations to Ra’s temples will be welcome,” he says to Saedue.
Anset takes a moment to cut out the luminescent organs from the beetles. ”These remind me of Ra’s light, strange as it sounds.”
There will be three drawings, each a week apart so each team will get three sites total and will have up to a week to explore each one in turn."[/b]
"I agree. Let's push on just a bit more and see what lies ahead before we consider retiring for the day."
Amal nods his mask a bit disheveled from the fall, adjusting it. " We have a week I believe but considering both these passages were hidden and this one along with the other had not been traveled in many a time its safe to say we are getting somewhat close.. I guess we just have to be a bit more careful. "
Anset removes the two light glands from the beetles.
The group proceeds through the secret tunnel until Bjoern comes to a dead end. The wall ahead has a handle set into the middle of the wall. Obviously a exit from the secret passage.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: False Burial Chamber, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:52 am, Temperature: 101 degrees outside the tomb,66 degrees in current room.
" Well a door, this should mean good things.."
Taking his time bjoern checks for traps.
Let's hope there is no more insects coming. This is the second time we meet two beetles and two beetles only, maybe they live in "couples"? I'm afraid I don't know that much about insects and their.. way of live.
Dumah grunts in agreement with Saedue. "The vermin making their way into the tomb seems almost as bad as the tomb guardians themselves." Though after saying that, Dumah takes a deep, deep breath. Just because he can now.
Anset keeps about three strides between Saedue and Amal. ”We can consult a naturalist if you wish. I am curious about why they have a gland that glows,” he speaks in a low voice.
Amal quips " Is not the common vermin around the beetle? I believe a significant organization uses the creature as it's symbol of power as well. Vermin are not too unexpected with this expedition. Though they hurt to be sure. "
Waiting on the results of Bjoern's search.
Malik nods in agreement with Amal: "Indeed, beetles and scorpions are common in the desert, and they have been used as symbols too, and like most creatures used so, they're dangerous." Malik moves onward with the group, there's little for him to do.
Bjoern checks for traps on the door and doesn't find a sign of anything out of the ordinary.
He then opens the door to a familiar area of the tomb....
This short hallway narrows sharply to the west, descending to set of stairs that abruptly ends at a rough rock wall. The area at the foot of the stairs was never excavated, though a few small tunnels pockmark the stone.
Two dissected mining beetles lay on the stairs and to the east is the room with all the spiral tiles inlaid into them. You had been here before but must have missed the secret door somehow.
With a little reasoning you can determine that this secret passage was constructed so the priests who interred Akhentepi in his burial chamber could bypass the false tomb.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Secret Passage, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:54 am, Temperature: 101 degrees outside the tomb,66 degrees in current room.
"Ha... I think we get closer. The real tomb should be close!"
" Yes Dangerous beasts to be sure, but it seems like if we need to carry something, at least now we will not NEED to rush through the tomb that is clearly false. This means we have one more door to explore the one originally north of here. Come Bjoern, everyone, lets see what could possibly be the final resting spot of the toms owner. Amal shrugged and moved to awaiting Bjoern, but making sure to be careful, checking to see if the door was both trapped and locked.
Amal makes his way north to the remaining door that has been unexplored and checks it for anything unusual while he waits on the others.
The set of double doors are unadorned and unremarkable, smooth sandstone like the others that have been encountered. Nothing seems unusual about them and they do not appear to be locked.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Secret Passage, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:56 am, Temperature: 101 degrees outside the tomb,66 degrees in current room.
If theses doors open on the pharaon's tomb, he must have been quite humble...
".. Or intelligent. Have the grave-robbers dismiss this as the real tomb, trap the one that seems authentic. Will we find out is up to Bjoern, I dont have enough strength to open this on my own " He jokingly taps his foot.
”Humble indeed,” Anset says. He returns to whispering prayers to Ra as he waits for the doors to be opened.
"Indeed, full adorns can be put inside after all. Still me and my companions have made it here, so perhaps not quite so smart." Malik is happy with the possibility of finding the tomb and is acting a bit careless.
If Amal and Bjoern are reasonably confident that there are no traps, Dumah will advance to help open the sandstone doors. If they are entirely smooth without even handles, he'll get out his crowbar to help get purchase.
With everyone in position, Dumah and Bjoern take the lead from Amal and prepare to open the doors.
As the doors grind open to reveal what is on the other side the group is surprised to see that this room holds several neatly arrayed chests, boxes, and urns. The dust of centuries covers every surface.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Chamber of Grave Goods, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 10:57 am, Temperature: 101 degrees outside the tomb,66 degrees in current room.
"Steady... Steady!"
Bjoern will slowly start checking for traps then checking for secret doors. Take 20
" I know.. I know! But this is clearly treasure, the first we found next to the trapped room from before. Amal said almost jittering, he readied his blades but assisted as best he could.
As Bjoern and Amal search for traps, Anset quietly enters the room. He scans the walls and urns for religious iconography, looking for any symbols he may recognize. He inhales deeply, feeling the history of the place. ”This place is most invigorating.”
Satisfied with the opening of the door, Dumah smiles as Amal and Bjoern set to checking their find. He quietly resumes a rear guard for the group while they have their attention on the new find. He moves to the top of the stairs and keeps an eye around the corner, axe and shield ready.
Saedue fingers taps on her bandolier nervously, as if she's already trying to figure which vial to use
Hope we'll soon get something worthy our troubles. Let's stay alert.
Malik waits for the trap experts to determine the room clean before entering, but keeps taking peeks from his place in the corridor. Yes, but let's not assume we're out of danger just yet. If this is his tomb I think there will be even more gifts for any visitors.
Bjoern spends the next fifty minutes checking the room for both traps and secret doors before he will let anyone else enter. He finds a secret door in the middle of the eastern wall unfornunately the secret door has a arcane trap set upon it.
After being given the all clear for the rest of the room and the chest, the rest of the party descend on the room to see what treasures that it may hold.
None of the chests and boxes in the room are locked, as the items within them were the most personal to Akhentepi, and his soul might want to have immediate access to them. Most of the goods in the chests, such as once-fine clothing and sealed jars of food, no longer have any value after the passage of centuries, but among the spoiled and ruined grave goods are several salvageable items of value, including two vials of silversheen, a masterwork longbow, 10 cold iron arrows, a gold scarab clasp, an onyx and silver holy symbol of Pharasma, a silver hand mirror, and a wax-sealed clay urn of nard perfume.
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Current Location: Tomb of Akhentepi: Chamber of Grave Goods, Date: Wealday, Pharast 26th, 4714 Time: 11:47 am, Temperature: 101 degrees outside the tomb,66 degrees in current room.
Saedue gots all excited
An arcane trap? Great! that means that we are-probably- not far away from the true tomb! Especially with that kind of treasure right here. Look at that exquisite bow!It's worth an hefty sum! Malik, could you try to discern what kind of magic was used? Maybe it could help our trap experts... I suppose it not of an explosive kind, because the king wouldn't have took a chance to destroy his own most precious treasure. I know a few things about mechanisms myself, but i'm not sure i'd be able to disarm an arcane trap...