Aerathiel's acid melts another bit of the Sandling as Kheled's divine healing mends wounds. Myron tries his luck at getting clear but is sent back to the floor for his efforts. Pherenike moves in and tries her flail but leaves no mark upon the creature.
Ahkenaten continues his encouragement, urging his comrades to finish the beast.
The Sandling lashes out once again at Mus'ad...
...but the dwarf is finding his rhythm in the fight and easily ducks the maw as it snaps nothing but air.
Monotonous and rhythmic are the Pahmet's movements as he seeks to land his warhammer in sandling flesh once more...
Warhammer: for
Slowly but surely Aerathiel's projectiles of magically conjured acid eat away at the sand creature's body as another one of them connects with a soft hissing sound and a brief acrid smell.
*bleeds on the stair steps*
Kheled reaches into himself, calling upon his innate spell powers to summon forth a spell of curing. He then walks over cautiously to Myron and touches him, releasing the spell.
Mus'ad's swing is wide, but Arathiel continues to burn the Sandling with acid. Kheled moves in and stabilizes Myron. Between the blows and the acid the Sandling now appears to be struggling to hold its form together...
I was actually more worried about Mus'ad in the combat right now with 2 hit points getting critted and getting dead. I wasn't betting on the prone halfling deciding to try and get up and draw the AOO.
In my 30+ years of gaming I haven't seen that succeed once :].
You always get hit by the AOO...
Even though Pherenike's blow misses the mark, the Sandling suddenly collapses to the floor and disappears amongst the sand and debris littering the stairs. After a few tense moments waiting for it to reappear, you figure it has had enough punishment and has fled.
Mus'ad picks his way through the rubble and sand down the stairs. After briefly examining the burrowing tunnels in the southern wall he continues down to search the doors ahead. Satisfied they are untrapped and unlocked, he waits for Myron to be attended to before opening them.
Myron gets 1 point back.
Well Myron you have successfully almost run me out of healing. 2 bursts or healing and one spell left. Please try to stay out of harms way.
Myron looks pale and a bit embarrassed.
I'm sorry. It surprised me, and once you healed me the first time, I just wanted to avoid getting in the way. I'll be more careful.
As Kheled settles in for an hour to treat Myron's wounds, Mus'ad takes a few minutes to sit against a wall. Using his knuckles he massages his temples and sighs before leaning against the wall with eyes almost closed to rest.
After Myron was tended to, Mus'ad opened the doors engraved with the golden scarab revealing a rectangular chamber beyond. A tapestry hangs from a frame against the south wall of this large chamber; it depicts an otherworldly vista where the souls of the dead, shepherded by strange beings, enter an ethereal river ambling through space toward a landscape dominated by an impossibly tall spire. Columns sculpted in the shape of Osirian warriors wielding khopeshes stand in all four corners of the room. The floor is tiled in a white spiral pattern on a black background, and this spiral pattern is repeated on the stone double doors to the north and west that lead deeper into the complex.
Mus'ad crossed the room and repeated his now familiar routine on the doors to the west. He found no trap but discovered the door was locked. Pulling out his tools he got to work...
...and unlocked the door a minute later.
With a check over his shoulder to see that everyone was ready, the Pahmet pushed the door open to reveal a short hallway that narrows sharply to the west, before becoming a descending to set of stairs that abruptly ends at a rough rock wall. More burrowing tunnels can be seen at the bottom of the stairs.
Mus'ad also immediately noticed a hidden door on the wall to his right.
Well fought. I can only apologise that my knowledge of the Sandling was not put to better use the Professor complimented/apologized.
Aristedes carefully examined the tapestry for fine details, anything hidden behind it and its value.
Noticing the hidden door, Mus'ad checks it for traps and seeks to open it.
Ahkenaten concludes that the tapestry is meant to indicate that this room serves as a transition from the outer tomb chambers to Akhentepi’s final resting place. Though in a fragile state currently, if the tapestry was restored it could probably fetch 100 gold coins in the antiquities markets.
Meanwhile, Mus'ad quickly determines that the secret door is not trapped, but was specifically designed not to be opened from this side, having no accessible hinges or lock mechanism.
Best take the tapestry, then- have to live up to my new decoration... Ahkenaten said with a smirk, tapping his brand with one hand. Its worth more than anything else we've found in this place, as an antique. I'll restore it with a cantrip later. Ahkenaten told the others, clearly not intending to carry it himself.
|
Pherenike looks skeptically at the size of the tapestry. Almost ten feet wide and nearly as high, it looks to be an awkward burden; even taken down and rolled up, it's not going to tuck neatly away in anyone's backpack. "Perhaps we could just leave it to pick up on our way out," she suggests diplomatically. "After all, you wouldn't want to risk it getting any more damaged while we're swinging around with weapons and flasks of acid."
Mus'ad nods "Aye... best see all of tomb before decide what worth taking." pointing to the secret door he found before making to move forward "Only open from other side... could break through, but maybe not worth effort."
"Through those doors then?" Myron says, pointing to the doors opposite the tapestry.
"Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I believe the saying goes," Aerathiel says softly, his remark followed by a short string of arcane syllables and a brief gesture with his left hand. A small brass key is held in his right hand and, pointing at the secret door, the elven wizard moves it as if using it to unlock the door, albeit from afar.
The secret door trembles ever so slightly at the application of Aerathiel's arcane manipulation but ultimately resists the effort.
In places such as these... I believe we should prioritise the hidden doors first. Can you get it open, Mus'ad, Pherenike?
Unlimbering his warhammer Mus'ad shrugs "Have to use special key... stand back." before slugging it repeatedly to force it.
Crunch: then then then then
While Mus'ad hammers away, Myron keeps careful watch, in case the noise attracts more nasty critters or other threats.
Mus' ad hammers away at the secret door but his blows barely scratch the hardened stone. As he pauses to evaluate whether to continue the effort Myron spies movement at the bottom of the stairs. It is gloomy so far from Kheled's light and he calls for silence. As everyone halts what they are doing and listens, a scratching noise can be heard from below.
I had a feeling the noise might draw something lurking out. Well, all the better to face it now... Stand firm.
Myron slips a bullet into his sling staff and takes position to fire on whatever emerges from the darkness.
Frowning slightly at something, Mus'ad simply slips his shield from shoulder to arm.
Kheled casts Light on his shortspear. Once the door starts to open he will cast Guidance and resistance on himself.
It's always exciting to crack open the door to a tomb. he says eagerly.
Per my previous post I keep light on my shortspear just in case I want to send it forward. Kheled will toss it about 10-15 feet ahead toward the source of the noise. As a move he will draw out his crossbow.
As everyone braced, Kheled tossed his spear down the unfinished stairs. As it clattered to a stop near the bottom it illuminated numerous burrows in the walls, ceiling and floors. Debris littered the stairs. After a few tense seconds, some of the holes lit up with an eerie glow just before a number of large beetles emerged from within and scuttled up the stairs. Pherenike loosed her arrow, striking one but doing little to deter it as the arrow failed to penetrate the hard carapace very deeply. Myron slung his stone...
...but missed the mark.
At least three beetles remain to face.
The words come easily to Aerathiel's lips, the same with the necessary gestures, and an orb of acid flies flies towards the large beetle, making a small hole in its protective carapace.
Mus'ad waited for an opening to strike while Aerathiel's acid struck the lead beetle in the head, melting it off. The remains of the beetle continued forward, its legs carrying out the last instruction given, before collapsing upon the floor at Pherenike's feet.
The beetle behind the lead one surged forward, mandibles open...
...catching Pherenike's leg and clamping down with surprising force before she wrenched it away.
The third beetle followed the second while yet another beetle emerged from the holes at the bottom of the stairs and unfolded a set of wings...
Myron reloads and sends another sling bullet flying, but with the cramped quarters and the Pherenike locked in combat with the front beetle, the shot goes wide.
Reluctantly, he steps back to allow Pherenike an avenue of retreat.
The Professor made a surprisingly good shot with the crossbow he had only recently been trained in.