Ajkanir ponders the horrific sea of bones surrounding the platform, then muses aloud, "The first parts of the riddle - the dark and the light - attacked us. The second set, the elements, gave us temporary powers, and robbed us of some of our own abilities at the same time. Neither of those options sounds very attractive, if it has anything to do with these bones. We may get to fight them, we may get to become them - any preferences or predictions?"
Shrugging his shoulders, Ajkanir follows Khol out onto the stone walkway.
Khol and Ajkanir follow the stone walkway around. The wall is smooth stone, uncut--the path as well--as if this room were formed from the living rock, much like the rest of the pyramid.
There appears to be no exit visible, and the darkness that clings to the central platform seems impenetrable at this distance.
"I wager that when we make it to the platform, these walkways will collapse. What do you think?" Khol said idly, looking over the structure of the room for mysterious mechanisms as he got closer to the shadowed platform.
"I think I should have liked to have a flight spell handy," Natasha grumbles as she cautiously makes her way after the others, Sand right on her heels.
"While I suspect the platform is our only choice, I'm going to check the walls for any other ways out." Zahur carefully inspects each section of the surrounding wall for openings.
Zahur carefully walks the outer ring of the room, but finds no markings or openings.
the central platform remains shrouded in darkness, no matter what part of the outer ring the party moves to. Across the fifty or so feet or bone-filled chasm, it may as well be miles away.
"Well, we either turn back and search for paths we've missed or press on. I think its time we head out, as ominous as this looks."
"I agree, Zahur, it's time to investigate that platform. Can one of you provide a little lighting out there? And does anyone have suggestions for getting to the platform, other than walking across the sea of bones?"
Natasha picks up a pebble - or a bone, if no pebbles are handy - makes a brief pass over it with one hand and mutters a single word. In response, the item starts to emit a bright, cold light.
"Best I can do right now, I'm afraid," she says as she hands the item to Ajkanir.
"Thank you, 'Tasha. Let's see what we see, or find out that this darkness is as stubborn as the stuff we ran into earlier."
Ajkanir tosses the pebble towards the center of the room, aiming to land it on the platform.
Ajkanir's pebble lands on the platform--a good toss. The path of the light illuminates what looks to be small jars. Lots of them. Covering most of the surface of the platform, lining low shelves. The pebble lands among the jars, and the shadows thrown on the ceiling and walls appear to be animal heads.
Ancient Osirion had their organs removed during mummification. these were usually placed in canopic jars. they were often decorated with the heads of important animals. Jackals, hawks, crocodiles, etc.
"Hmm, well now we can see a whole bunch of canopic jars. Likely with the organs of ancient Osirions inside them. When we step onto bones, will we get to fight a bunch of undead hearts, livers and brains? It seems we still need to get across to the platform, as no other option presents itself - but I don't imagine it ending well."
"Do we actually need to go there at this point?" Natasha asks. "We might be better advised to seek another exit from this chamber. Remember the poem and its mention of a 'lord of death'. Disturbing these canopid jars might unleash some baleful undead."
"I've already looked all the way around. We could go back and see about ways out of the other rooms. Or if we want to take a long time, I could go over everything even more closely."
With no options left, the party one by one descend into the pit of bones. The dried and ancient bones crack and shatter underfoot, but they hold...
a long moment passes after they settle on the bone surface, but nothing stirs; no reaction comes... So they press on to the center.
Reaching the pillar that hods up the platform, the party finds the ledge to be roughly fifteen feet above them.
"I'm afraid I don't usually have the strength to climb, but I'll see if I can scramble up here. Salt, follow."
Maybe it was just settling after the party walked over it, but nearby, the bones appeared to have shifted slightly.
The pillar itself is of an unnatural smoothness, and as such, unaided climbing is virtually impossible. The ledge could be reached with a boost, however.
Zahur tries unsuccessfully to find a purchase on the smooth pillar before quickly realizing the task is impossible. He turns to Ajkanir and Khol, "I think I'm going to need a boost, but who should go firs..." when he spots something awry in the path they just crossed. "Um, we might have trouble. It looks to me like the bones over there just moved."
"If there is something in the bones, it'll pick us off if we try to flee to more stable footing. Form up around the pillar."
"I can fly, if it comes to it," Natasha says. "I only have three more attack-spells prepared, though."
"I have a simple spell that damages the undead, but I'm worried about bringing all these to life. Is it better to know what we're facing or to try to avoid it?"
"If the pattern holds, we'll have to defeat it," Khol said grimly grabbing his bardiche.
The party converges around the pillar, weapons gripped tightly, eyes wary for any sign of attack...
but nothing comes. At least not yet. The sea of skulls and bones remains undisturbed.
"Whatever is down there will probably attack if it perceives us trying to ascend," Natasha says, grimly. "It must be some guardian creature for the... remains."
"You might be right and we might all get caught in different places if that is what happens. I'll try a strike where I thought I saw those bones move." Zahur raises his hand and a golden ray flies toward the bones.
Zahur's spell dissipates on the bony floor. Taking another long silence as a sign that all is clear, the party one by one push themselves up onto the center dais.
The diameter of the stone dais is maybe thirty feet. In the center, several iron shelves are arranged, each laden with dozens of canopic jars, as visible from the distance. They are decorated with animal heads and heiroglyphs uniformly, Hawks, Jackals, Cranes and Crocodiles for the most part, with the odd Hippopotamus or Scarab beetle as well.
Several other dot the floor in odd places, seemingly at random. As before, despite the age of this place, there is no sign of dust, nor the passage of time. They remain immaculately preserved.
Zahur carefully examines the canopic jars (without touching them yet). At the same time he searches his memory for anything more about these jars and their relation to the Usij.
Natasha mutters a brief cantrip and scans the platform and everything on it, her brow furrowed in concentration.
"It does not seem normal for a burial place to be so seemingly haphazardly arranged," she mutters.
Ajkanir pauses to recall anything he might know about the burial traditions on display here, then responds to Natasha’s comment, ”Little about this place has struck me as normal, for a burial place or anything else. I fear what looks like a haphazard arrangement may be yet another strange trap for us. What do you think? Pick a jar and open it? Have Khol knock over all the shelves?”
"I wonder if you have something there Ajkanir. Did one of these animals have more significance to the pharaoh or the Usij than others?"
Four canopic jars were used to store specific organs. What the rest are for is unclear.
Hawks - these jars held the instestines
Jackals - these jars held the stomach
Baboons- these jars usually held the lungs
Cats - the liver.
Picking through the jars slowly, the party realizes that there is only one jar bearing a scarab. It appears no finer, nor more intricately wrought than the rest, but it rests on a shelf between two other jars, a Hawk and a Cat.
"That one," Natasha says, pointing at the scarab jar, "is out of place. I do know that the scarab is one of Pharasma's symbols. That, also, seems odd for the Usij."
"I agree. The sign of the Usij is that of Ahriman. A black circle with a thin sliver of light. They see it as the darkness overcoming light. I prefer to think of it as the light overcoming darkness. But, it is not a scarab. Do you think this jar could be the one that would end the curse?" Zahur carefully inspects the scarab jar, then casts detect magic.
A very slight aura of ancient necromancy clings to this jar.
as Zahur finishes the quick spell, a cascade of whispers, an odd harmony of two identical voices, one in some ancient and indistinguishable language the second in unaccented common, washes through the minds of the party members. It lasts but a second, and is relatively painless.
I think perhaps that you are the ones that are out of place.
"Oh, how jolly," Natasha says, her voice flat. "By the aura of ancient necromancy that clings to this scarab jar, might I assume you are of the undead persuasion?"
Again come the cascade of whispers, the dual voices, the two languages.
Undead? Undying? Cursed to live out eternity in an unflattering clay jar with a ridiculous insect on it? Semantics.
"And if we release you from your unflattering jar, to seek out a more suitable vessel," asks Ajkanir, "will you do us any harm in the process, or will you leave this place?"
"Or will you simply go see Pharasma in her dreary home?" Natasha asks. "A silly question, I know, but I felt I should at least ask."
Zahur frowns as he awaits the answer. "Perhaps you should even begin by telling us who you are and why you are here."
"I'm frankly still worried about whatever was in the bones," Khol says from the edge of the platform where he is still looking down. He was content to allow the scholars and holy-men handle the ancient jar spirits.
"A good concern Khol. Shall we move them before dealing with the jar? It might take a while, but would ferret out any crouching foes."
"Ah, yes, is this what you hoo-mans refer to as sarcasm? A defense mechanism, correct? My apologies if my intolerance of unknown factors has offended you. Perhaps you should ask the jar if there are any guardians in this room," Khol said, showing Zahur a smile with far too many teeth in it.
Zahur smiles thinly, "It seems to have sealed its lips, but if you would speak again our ancient companion in this tomb, perhaps you can answer that as well."
the voice begins imperiously before trailing off: I am... Well, I don't quite remember that part. It's been a while since anyone asked me that. Or anything for that matter.
The Usij weren't the type to leave a room unguarded. They did so delight in drawing up new and imaginative ways to punish the unworthy. Do be careful, I'd hate for the first conversation I've had since they put me in here to end so soon.
"Are you the guardian?" Natasha asks. "The last person we met here who lamented the lack of good conversation turned out to be such."
Thankfully no. Or maybe it's 'Sadly, no' A purpose would be nice, but sadly I've no idea what brought me to be in this condition.
Something slams against the side of the platform, shaking it violently. A few of the jars fall from the shelves, and those on the ground go spinning away. A few falls to the bone floor far below, shattering audibly.
I think that might be the aforementioned guardian...
"I knew it," Khol muttered to himself and backing away from the edge with his bardiche at the ready.
"Lovely," Natasha says, her voice rich with sarcasm. "Now we're stuck on an island in a sea of bones, and the shark is circling us."
Staying away from the edge, Zahur looks out at the bones to see if be can spy any sign of the now unruly host.
"Wait for him...or take the fight to him?" Zahur murmurs an ancient Gozran prayer to ward against evil.