The next morning dawns clear and perfect, waiting for you to embark on your first expedition.
The necropolis is livelier than it has been in many years, but the stillness is such that you can hear every movement you make through the streets.
Eventually you come to the place designated on the instructions from the Pharasmans.
A rectangular stone mausoleum sits alone in what appears to have once been an actual cemetery. The trunks of a few dead trees poke out of the sand around the tomb, and a hot breeze whistles through their desiccated branches.
A set of massive stone double doors is affixed to the northern side of the structure, beneath a facade bearing the likeness of an Osirian man. Windblown sand is heaped around the crypt, partially burying the doors that lead within.
Rameth passes out the flasks then takes a look at the door.
Percep to find traps
Connor takes the flask and also looks around for traps.
Hmm, I havent being to this parts before. Albus mumbles storing the acid flask.
The doors are remarkably solid, and what you can see is covered in hieroglyphs that aren't immediately familiar to those who speak Osiriani.
Perception 15+
To get a better look you'll need to clear the sand away from the entrance.
Perception 20+
There are also telltale traces of mortar along the seams which indicate they weren't meant to be opened. But you can tell that at some point a tool was inserted into the seam between the doors.
It appears that someone has been through here before...
Linguistics using an inspiration
You try, but you can't really make out the hieroglyphs.
Rameth
As the scholar of the team, feel free to take 10's and 20's while your party brute forces the door or digs out the door - the door should take about an hour of work so it's not like you don't have time to look through things.
You're also the only one with Osiriani so it's important for you to read tomb warnings.
Rameth
On the doors you see the dates of Akhentepi's life - born 2416 AR and dead in 2488 AR, which means he died before the Plague of Madness hit the city.
So it seems that our friend here died before the plague of madness hit. Not sure what that means we will find inside.
Azubah closely reads the engraving on the doors, squinting hard as he does. "I am afraid that I do not understand anything of it."
Linguistics
If anyone should be looking at Azubah's feet he would notice a curious phenomenon. The sand around his feet moves away as if being pushed by intermittent breezes until he is standing in a small depression. The oracle himself seems either unaware of it or unconcerned.
I agree with Rameth, it would appear that somebody has been through here, but I wonder why somebody would have taken the time to seal the doors so thoroughly? Should we proceed?
Of course we should and we will.
Rameth pulls out a flask and takes a swig, well one of your musky types yank that thing open!
Rameth draws a dagger and a club and nods
"Yes, I am ready." Azubah grips his morning star in a ready pose and stands just to the side of the crypt's outer corner.
Dwalindor strains at the door but they don't budge even with his impressive efforts.
Sumak withdraws one of his daggers from his belt and readies himself for the tomb to be open, expecting anything to come out. His eyes, betraying his stoic appearance, show shear glee, reminiscent of a child on their birthday awaiting presents and cake.
The doors swing open after Dwalindor's heaving the crowbar, an audible groan escaping the stone doors. You can see there aren't any handles on the inside of the door - clearly the tomb was never meant to be opened.
Sunlight streams into the room in front of you for the first time in years, and you can see dust and sand swirl through the distrubed air.
Inside, the rectangular room is empty save for some engravings and fixtures upon the walls, the pair of heavy stone doors to the north you opened and an immense stone wheel against the south wall. The air is stale and the dus and sand lay thicker on th southern part of the the room.
You do see engravings and hieroglyphs covering all four walls and stone faces are affixed to the walls at about shoulder height in each corner.
The stone wheel to the south is engraved with a large spiral and set in tracks in the floor and ceiling.
Rameth
The hieroglyphs warn "Akhentepi's tomb is well defeneded and those who defile it tempt the wrath of the gods."
Underneath you see a smaller group of glyphs that state "The only thing that the Lady of Graves despises more than the grave robber is the unsuccessful grave robber, turn back while you can."
"Aroden will see us to victory here."
Whelp, here is the warning folks. "Akhentepi's tomb is well defeneded and those who defile it tempt the wrath of the gods." though these smaller glyphs here say "The only thing that the Lady of Graves despises more than the grave robber is the unsuccessful grave robber, turn back while you can."
Rameth seems utterly unconcerned, he screws the cap back on his flask and puts it away.
The smaller heiroglyphs seem to have been made at the same time as the original glyphs. One of the builders seems to have had a dry sense of humor.
Rameth carefully enters the room, then he moves over and examines the wheel
Well lets get this thing started.
You take a closer look at the stone wheel and see the tracks that should allow it to be moved, although there does not appear to be any sort of locking mechanism.
The spiral on the stone wheel is vaguely familiar as are two of the carved faces in the corner .
Obviously you need to move the wheel, and there is enough room to allow up to four of you to try to push the wheel aside.
You don't notice any traps or other features in the simple antechamber.
Knowledge (Religion)
Azubah closely examines the carved faces to see if they are in any way familiar to him.
religion
Rameth steps next to Azubah and looks at them as well
"Fascinating isn't it, that they would put such detail into their tombs?"
Never though the priests had a sense of humor. Angel Eyes says looking at the hieroglyphs and then enters the room. I think it will take all of us to move that wheel. He walks to it and position himself to be ready to push with th others.
Azubah and Rameth
Two of the masks represent Pharasma, as does the spiral on the stone wheel, but two of the masks represent Anubis - ancient Osirian god of burials and mummification.
Closer examination reveals them to be decorative torch holders, such that when torches are placed with them a corona of flame surrounds the deities' heads.
Albus as you push you feel a give in the wheel. However without more help not even your prodigious strength can use the cleverly designed capstone.
Azubah informs the others of what he discerned from examining the carved icons.
Between Albus and Dwalindor, the capstone moves away from the entrance however as soon as you let up pressure you feel the stone start to move back into place.
You need some way to secure the stone or else it will seal the tomb from the outside world.
Rameth places two lit torches behind the masks
We are going to have to jam this thing open. Angel Eyes says dismayed when the capstone closes back.
"There must be some loose stones around that could block the wheel, if not in here, then perhaps outside."
Azubah will search for appropriate rocks inside the crypt and outside near buildings that are close by.
Rameth looks closely at the stone looking to see if there is a catch built in, after all the builders must have had a way out
Sumak is gleeful when Azubah shares the information, The thought of finding artifacts of a lost god!
Indiana here I come! shouts Sumak before he goes off to help Azubah find something to block the boulder
Can we make that check untrained? Usually you can do untrained to 10
Int +inspiration
You find a piece of sandstone that should, at least for now, wedge the wheel in place. Most likely the builders had something they used like this as well.
The square room beyond the capstone is starkly devoid of any markings or adornment. In the center of the chamber’s floor, a square shaft drops straight down into darkness. A faint musty odor rises from the pit. A single piton has been hammered into the stone floor by the northeast corner of the pit, and a dusty length of rope dangles from the piton into the darkness of the shaft.
In that case my roll is an engineering roll so I made the 10 :)
Did anything happen when the torches were placed?
Rameth takes one of the torches and extinguishes it and carries the other, carrying a club in the other hand.
Once the stone is secured Rameth gestures to Dwalindor Care to take the lead muscles?
Rameth drops the torch down to see what happens when it hits. He will follow taking 10 also.
The torch falls for a few seconds and burns at the end of a long, vertical shaft. You estimate it's about 60 feet down to the next room.
When Sumak hears the torch hit the floor he makes a loud gulping noise.
That seems like quite a long drop, especially if one would fall. Sumak leans close to the edge and peers down, before he gives a quick shiver and steps back.
So who wants to go first? Sumak asks as he attempts to hide his shaky voice.