Cole takez the Potion of Heroism.
This may come in handy. Fin, ya ought to keep hold of that dagger.
Fin takes the dagger and gets ready to lead when the group is ready.
Aldelenna heads to the northwest door, and gives a good listen to see if she can hear anything behind it. Likewise she checks to see if it is locked.
Fin sets his hunting trap in front of the door, in case they need to retreat backwards. Then, he opens the door leading the troop.
The door opens, and Aldelenna's dancing lights reveal a long corridor. On either side, flanking the passage, are a series of alcoves, holding a row of statues on each side. The statues are designed to resemble your town founder, Kassen, and each one holds a long sword in front, perhaps in some archaic salute. The sharp blades of roughly half the swords are wrapped in leather padding.
Finlogan packs up his hunting trap waiting for a statue to animate. Then, he'll lead the troop down the hall.
"Pits full of pillows..." Aldelenna says, and then points at the leather wrapped swords on the statues. "Seems to me like Roldare and his friends were trying to soften this place for us, which makes me think these statues are another trap. Why else wrap the blades in leather?" Aldelenna steps carefully looking around for pressure plates or tripwires that might be used to set off some swinging statue blades.
"I might be able to get by these statues myself if you want me to take a look ahead and see if there is anything that warrants the rest of you hazarding this hallway?"
Venssa studies the hallway. As someone who has sheltered in burrows and caverns for much of her life, she has a keen sense of place within the burrow. That translates well enough for her to guess that you've come pretty close to a full circle with only one or two rooms between the end of this hallway and the door on the western wall of that very first entry room.
There must be another door somewhere, perhaps whereever this hallway leads, that goes to the center of the tomb, and, if the mad ramblings of Roldare were understood, to a second level of the tomb below. But it may be as easy to get there by going quickly through already traversed hallways rather than taking the time to disarm, trick, or otherwise squeeze through this harrowing hallway.
Finlogan is stopped by Aldelenna, who is determined to check for traps before you head down the hall. Gratefully it seems, as she is quite sure the hallway is indeed trapped.
Venssa seems to be occupied puzzling over the spaces between the statues and the walls, and making quick phantom sketches on the ground, as though trying to help her picture something.
Cole seems inclined to wait for Aldelenna to finish her work.
Rankev is strangely quiet...
Hearing about the plates in the floor that Aldelenna found, Finlogan will lead down the hall very cautiously watching for triggers. He points any out to the group.
"Careful Fin! There's a pressure plate about halfway down the hallway. I'm positive these leather-wrapped statues aren't just here for looks. Let me take a look at it." Aldelenna says, and then creeps up slowly and carefully to the trap mechanism. She, once again, pulls out her small tool set and looks for the best way to disarm the trap's trigger.
Cole aids Aldelenna in her attempts to disarm the traps, as he chooses the appropriate tool for her use at any given time in the process.
Here, lass, try this one on that lever there, once ya expose it.
With a little timely help from Cole, Aldelenna is confident that she has managed to disable the trap! There is a moment when the careful work on the pressure plate threatens to slip for a moment under the heavier armored members of the group, but you manage to traverse the hallway, which leads you to another door.
It is unlocked.
Aldelenna indicates, quietly, that she hears nothing beyond, but all of you note the smell and have been attacked by too many dead things to feel completely comfortable with simple quiet... for indeed, the dead can be so very quiet.
Finlogan sets his trap, and with Cole ready behind him, opens the door. The precautions prove unnecessary.
This chamber is large, much like the one with the statues from which you came, but it is on a single level, with a large pool, mostly drained, in the center. On the wall, feeding the pool at barely a trickle, is the figure of a weeping maiden holding the slain body of a man too well represented throughout the tomb for you to mistake as anyone but Kassen, despite the fact that the figure is missing its head.
A single corpse, ripe and beginning to smell, is face down near the pool. The figure is holding a bag, half full of keys now scattered across the floor. From his position, you can guess that the undead that haunt the tomb slew him from behind as he was scattering the keys into the pool.
A voice booms from the darkness: "Magic is the key."
Other than the pool, the corpse, and the keys, the room is empty. There are two doors on the southern wall (you entered through the westernmost of these), as well as a door on the east wall.
Finlogan collects his trap and advances into the room with shield and magic dagger ready.
He looks around the pool, corpse and keys.
"Okay, this "puzzle" is just insulting. "Magic is the key?" Seriously. Obviously the key we need to get further into the crypt is going to have a magical aura." Aldelenna says, with an air of indignance. "Sadly I don't have the capability of casting any spells that detect magic. Rankev, do you?!" She asks, pulling her oft-misbehaving wisp of red curls behind her slightly pointed ear, and then kicking over the corpse of the dead Kassenite. It is clear that the continued mixture of actually dangerous undead, amidst the sometimes foiled attempts of their own people to soften the place, has clearly rankled her nerves.
Cole enters and examines the corpse.
Cole tries to determine what beast could have caused thd injury killing the villager.
"Didn't we find a key already? Anywhere obvious where it might fit?" Fin offers while searching.
Rankev shakes his head. "Aye. You have the right of it, fair lady. But I fear we shall not know the truth of it. I never had the knack for detection of magic, and for us sorcerous folk, the knack is the power." He glances at the pool again. "We can hope your skills solved this one for us already. A magic key for a magic treasure—if we're lucky that was the way of it. I dislike these foolish games. Did they die just to make us play at being heroes?"
This body looks like it was clawed from the inside out, like the skeleton clawed its way out.
Venssa glances over the body and looks at the keys.
"It does seem very silly. Risking their lives just to make this trip more of an adventure...what is the purpose?"
”As opposed to trying all these keys, do you want to try that key we found in that door over there. If it doesn’t work, then we’ll have to go diving for keys”
“Ranked, can you ask your guys to give this guy a proper burial?” Finlogan suggests.
Seeing the face of the body as she kicks it over, Aldelenna recognizes a quiet, kind, generous regular at the Seven Silvers, and suddenly the room gets colder, lonelier, more doom and gloom, and less adventure. "Damnit." She mumbles a curse under her breath, but keeps her face calm and confident; she does not want her companions to know how frustrated she really is. "Well, maybe it's time we take a short rest, and see if any of the magic items that were placed in that treasure room can benefit?"
Rankev nods at Finlogan's suggestion, whispers a question to Venssa about where she thinks they are, and goes to the door in the east wall.
"Attero! Stop that lazing about! We have a body in here that needs burying. No, not one of us! How dare you suggest we be so careless! Send in the boys to remove the poor man and give him a proper rest with the others."
Rankev's servants come in at the ageing Attero's direction, and remove the body. The youngest looks very pale as he sees the wounds, which are rather more gruesome than those from the entry hall.
The smell in the room improves quickly once the body is removed, though a subtle stink of rot lingers.
Wondrous item, common, (requires attunement)
While you are playing this musical instrument, you can create harmless, illusory visual effects within a 5-foot-radius sphere centered on the instrument. If you are a bard, the radius increases to 15 feet. Sample visual effects include luminous musical notes, a spectral dancer, butterflies, and gently falling snow. The magical effects have neither substance nor sound, and they are obviously illusory. The effects end when you stop playing.
Wondrous item, common
This horn has 4 charges. When you use an action to blow it, one creature of your choice can hear the horn's blare, provided the creature is within 600 feet of the horn and not deafened. No other creature hears sound coming from the horn. The horn regains 1d4 expended charges daily at dawn.
1st-level abjuration
Casting Time: 1 minute
Range: Touch
Components: S, M (25 feet of rope, which the spell consumes)
Duration: 8 hours
As you cast this spell, you use the rope to create a circle with a 5-foot radius on the ground or the floor. When you finish casting, the rope disappears and the circle becomes a magic trap.
This trap is nearly invisible, requiring a successful Intelligence (Investigation) check against your spell save DC to be discerned.
The trap triggers when a Small, Medium, or Large creature moves onto the ground or floor in the spell's radius. That creature must succeed on a Dexterity saving throw or be magically hoisted into the air, leaving it hanging upside down 3 feet above the ground or the floor. The creature is restrained there until the spell ends.
A restrained creature can make a Dexterity saving throw at the end of each of its turns, ending the effect on itself with a success. Alternatively, the creature or someone else who can reach it can use an action to make an Intelligence (Arcana) check against your spell save DC. On a success the restrained effect ends.
After the trap is triggered, the spell ends when no creature is restrained by it.
I will use the HD on a short rest.
Rested and more confident in the abilities of your new items, you have returned to the room with its half-empty pool.
The single remaining unexplored door on the west side of the southern wall must surely lead to the center of the tomb, and then down. That is where Roldare's missing sister Dimira is sure to be. Frightened and alone, with only this 'voice of death in ancient mail' for company, she must be terrified and hungry.
Rankev looks into the pool. "A fools errand, this. Even if we could gather them all, none of us can determine the correct one. I hope Alde had the right of it and that this key was to the treasure her skill had already granted us." He scatters the keys strewn on the floor with a swift kick. "They have us playing games and died for it. And next is a poor frightened lass."
Holding aloft the potion he took from the treasure room, Rankev grins broadly. "I have a surprise for this voice of death. Fire, fire and more fire. I'm done with games."
He seems ready to burst through the door himself, but instead glances at Finlogan. "Best to continue with caution, as much as this bastard deserves to burn."
A single passage continues south from the room.
Finlogan studies the painting. It seems rather odd, but the mercenary and Kassen are both wearing oddly shaped medallions on simple gold chains. While not identical, they are extraordinarily similar.
The passage south continues about twenty-five feet past the room and comes to a door.
Finlogan, now comfortable leading, pushes into the room after hearing nothing at the door. He cautiously advances to let the group enter the room.
When he studies the room, something looks odd. "Look at the painting. The mercenary leader and Kassen are both wearing oddly shaped medallions on simple gold chains. While not identical, they are extraordinarily similar."
"Hmmm...have you ever seen anything like them before...maybe in the town?"
The gnome asks as she looks at the painting.
For 1 hour after drinking it, you gain 10 Temporary Hit Points that last for 1 hour. For the same Duration, you are under the effect of the bless spell (no Concentration required). This blue potion bubbles and steams as if boiling.
To save you from having to look up bless
A bless spell has the following effect: Whenever a target of the bless spell makes an attack roll or a saving throw before the spell ends, the target can roll a d4 and add the number rolled to the attack roll or saving throw.
Rankev studies the image. "Nay, lady. I've seen many images of Kassen, hero that he is to the town. But ne'er a one as has the like of this medallion." He gets close to the image and then shakes his head as though to clear it.
"Kassen is long dead. Let us not lose ourselves so much we join him. The missing lass must be terrified, surrounded by undead as killed her neighbors, her friends. Like as not she thinks her own brother dead. This is just more games. Remember it, I shall, but neither shall I dwell upon it."
"Aye, I agree with Rankev, we've seen everything noteworthy here, let's move on." She prods Finlogan with her rapier, gently, to get him to take the lead down the adjoining passage.
The passage runs south about twenty five feet, turns east and comes to a door. It is solid wood and when tested proves to be unlocked.
Venssa follows along, keeping a close watch on the walls and ceilings for anything that might prove to be dangerous to the party.
Finlogan takes the lead. Sets his trap. Listens to the door. And slowly opens the door.
This circular room is dominated by a stone pillar in the center that supports the wide, domed chamber. The pillar is surrounded by a pit, but a stone bridge crosses it on the southern side.
Dozens of arrows jut from holes in the pillar, facing in every direction.
There is a door in the south wall.
"Um, that thing looks like a trap." Finlogan states the obvious of the arrow bush. He looks around for the triggers, like in the floor as per his Indy films.
"Careful Fin, that definitely looks like a trap." Aldelenna says and then looks around in the most logical places for a trigger mechanisms as well.
Venssa too looks around for anything that might set the trap off.
Perception: