Casts light and detect magic, then carefully inspects his location for magical auras, traps or possible ways out.
If needed
I am fine, but our new accommodations seem a bit more cramped than that inn at Absolom. The bed is hard as granite as well. I do not believe I shall rate this more than one star I fear.
Kiorec pauses for a moment, hands on the lid.
The lid does not appear to be secured, shall I open it or do you wish me to wait a moment?
Be heck if I opened this and something bad was on the other side. Nice to have competent backup this time, instead of frightened villige "toughs".
I don't see a reason not to try it. Fluffy can earthwalk, so he is going to slip through the stone and hopefully be able to tell me what is outside.
The earth elemental goes to walk through the stone to see what is going on outside of the coffin.
Fluffy reports no other living things. He is actually impressed at the man-cave, but fails to mention anything but the architecture. He can hear trapped "Squishy People" through the thick stone of other sarcophagi. OH, ya, that's what you're in.
When Silas realizes that there is open space outside, he would work out with Fluffy how much space it would take to get out of the coffin.
The recessed floor in the center of the mausoleum is an earth-tone mosaic of complex geometric designs reminiscent of Qadiran artwork, with a scowling medusa’s head in relief at the hub, 15 feet wide and made of iron, a larger version of the vertical head at the entry wall.
The only door is in the north, down a small hall.
Alright everyone, I'm out, you should be able to get out, these looks like stone sarcophagi. Fluffy can give you a hand if you need the extra strength.
Silas will use detect magic, and start scanning the chamber, checking the rods and such as well, going to gather them together. Remembering the poem that he was given, he will pull it out and read it.
The door is the only thing that pings as magical.
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Veritas panics. Not when she realises where she is - but when she realises that Kal isn't with her. she yells telepathically, rocking inside her confinements. She thrusts her wings out to the sides, ignoring the pain when they hit only hard stone.
Hearing her summoner's voice in her head only enrages her. Silas' words just registering,, she pushes against the lid of the box with all her strength.
Not yet, but its ok. We are all together I think. Sort of a reception chamber I think. I am out, and Fluffy is here. I'll have him try to help you out Kal.
Fluffy comes over, and gives a heave ho against the opening to Kal's sarcophagus.
Relax, calm down big girl, he is fine, no need to panic. That normally comes later, if we are not dead or under attack, everythings going to be all right.
Val's lid explodes off her sarcophagus and flies across the room. Kiorec has no trouble with his, and is far less dramatic about it. Kal, on the oher hand, seems to be stuck. He fails to budge the lid, even with assistance.
"Veritas, He is over here in this one. I am having a bit of trouble getting the lid off though. Think you could led a hand?"
Silas stands back, letting Fluffy try to help her.
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Standing even as the lid goes flying, Veritas immediately charges across to where Silas is indicating, single-minded in her determination and paying no heed to the fact that Kiorec's is now free as well. "Stand back!" With that, she grabs the lid of Kal's prison and shoves it aside as hard as she can.
The lid to Kal's sarcophagus flyer back and impacts the far wall, leaving a sizable indention in the marble. The thunder of its impact echoes about the room.
Silas smiles softly and sighs. "Alright, now that we are all together..., lets see about what we can find around this place."
This octagonal chamber is made of fine, polished white marble. The domed ceiling peaks twenty-five feet overhead, decorated with frescoes of people in billowing robes, hands joined, looking down with pity on those below. Braziers along the base of the dome filled with flickering flames faintly illuminate the chamber. Twelve carved stone sarcophagi lie beneath the dome, surrounding a large carving on the floor of a leering medusa’s face.
The lid of each occupied sarcophagus is carved with the enclosed person’s name, year of birth, and the current year (as in the year of “death”). At the foot of each occupied sarcophagus is a 9-inch-long funerary baton, similar to that provided by Hanoris, but made of polished brown stone.
The recessed floor in the center of the mausoleum is an earth-tone mosaic of complex geometric designs reminiscent of Qadiran artwork, with a scowling medusa’s head in relief at the hub, 15 feet wide and made of iron, a larger version of the vertical head at the entry wall.
The only door is in the north, down a small hall.
There are four round holes in the iron medusa face that look like they match the brown batons.
Commenting as he investigates the baton at his feet.
Determined and single minded, she reminds me of my wife.
Silas chuckles a bit at Kiorec's comment, and goes to gather up the rods from by the coffins, inspecting them carefully before heading over to the medusa head that is missing them.
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Kal sighs, rolling his eyes, but grins at the eidolon, briefly hugging her around the waist. "She is a bit," he beams at Kiorec, "but I wouldn't have her any other way." He pushes the wing aside gently, then follows Silas, glancing down at the earth elemental that follows the wizard.
"So this is... 'Fluffy'?" he asks, crouching down and looking the creature over curiously.
Silas gasps in mock offense. "Surely you would not wish to hurt Fluffy's feelings. Just because he is all rock and vines and earth doesn't mean he doesn't have feelings."
He chuckles a bit and looks at Veritas. "He isn't always stone and earth. Just most of the time. And yes, this is my friend and companion. Fluffy. He is very nimble and light on his feet..., for an earth elemental of course."
Silas - The rods look to be the perfect size for the holes in the madusa head. As you go about inserting them, they each click into place much like the other baton did. When all are placed, the head moves slightly as if on some kind of axle.
Silas blinks quizzically. He looks as he slides in the rods in place, he starts to look at the head. "Hmm..., this seems to turn this way like this..., everyone get ready. No idea what this is going to do, but there is some magic on this door. Let me know when you all are ready..."
Silas tries to examine the rotating head to make sure that there are no additional magical auras on it after the rods lock into place.
No auras, but the head is very heavy. I'll likely take all of you just to get the thing to turn.
With most of you helping, the madusa head turns. Slowly. At the 45 degree mark it suddenly stops. Youall hear a grinding sound followed by a thud coming from the area of the only door in the north. Sounds like something has either been unlocked or opened. Or sealed...
Silas looks at her. "No dear one, I do not think you broke it but you might have caused something to lock into place somewhere else. Or caused something to unlock. We need to check the doors and such around the place."
Sensing his cue, Kiorec investigates the doors.
While checking the door, a hand brushes the madusa carving in the surface. The door suddenly begins to grind downward at about a foot per second, taking about ten second to fully recede into the ground. Beyond is the landscape you saw earlier. The open spaces of the Necropolis stretch out for hundreds of feet. In the distance, perhaps 200 feet away, is a tall, grey stone building. Half way between here and there is a wreck of some kind. Looks like a coach. Beside the paved path that leads directly from this building to that one and stretching out in orderly rows are hundreds of exposed sarcophagi and many headstones of varying design. However, where there should be a bright, shining day outside stands a nighttime vista bathed in the silvery light of the moon.
Silas blinks. "Quite an interesting find you have made there friend. Perhaps we should press on then everyone?" Silas heads out to start, bringing up detect magic so he can examine things as he walks slowly.
Kiorec follows in a nearby position to the front, as best to intercept problems and keep an eye out.
Silas would be taking it carefully, trying to keep an eye out for anything dangerous as he heads for the wreck of the coach.
As soon as Glade alproaches the carriage, a vision overwhelms all of you.
The carriage hearse barrels along a hard dirt road, drawn by four frothing, maddened horses driven forward by your frantic whipping. A quick glance over your shoulder tells you that your mounted pursuers are gaining ground in the hazy moonlight.
“Aroden save us!” shouts a beardless old man sitting beside you as he desperately clings to the wooden seat.
“We no longer serve fools, Parsimus,” you growl with irritation. “Best get that through your thick skull.”
You glance behind again, this time to the bed of the hearse, where the fine silver coffin lurches dangerously, despite the five straps of stout leather securing it in place.
“Forgive me, sister,” you think. “It was I who was the true fool.”
You hear a dull thud as an arrow strikes the seatback. Another arrow sinks into Parsimus’s shoulder, knocking him from his seat to the hard ground below with a cry of pain. As a third projectile thuds into the carriage, you cry out to the starlit sky.
“Asmodeus! Have you abandoned me?”
With the cry still in your throat, a strange shimmer surrounds the hearse and the scene about you flickers
and fades. The dirt road is suddenly replaced by a paved walkway, and the surrounding woodland by a graveyard. Startled by the sudden change, the horses shriek and careen to the left. As the carriage leaves the road, the shimmering bubble of energy that encompasses it crushes the tombstones in its path. Suddenly, the horses seem to smash into an invisible wall, and their cries of terror abruptly cease. You are propelled from your seat, hurtled through the air as you and the carriage crash to the ground. You feel bones break, and as your neck snaps with a nauseating crunch, you hear a sinister voice behind your ear, whispering with an intimacy that terrifies.
“No, my puppet. I never forget a bargain.”
Lying face down on the hillside near the tree is the strangely mummified body of the driver, dressed in a carriage driver’s livery. His right index finger bears a gold ring etched with the cross-eyed medusa emblem. Clutched in the corpse’s left hand is a horsewhip.
The skeletons of the horses lay in a jumbled mess in front of the carriage. They must have died on arrival like their driver. The body pings as magical. The auras soon resolve into several protective items.
Silas gasps as the vision passes. "Nethys's eyes, what happened in this place. The Prince of Lies. Something more sinister happened in this family history than we know."
Silas cautiously moves closer towards the fallen body, scanning it with detect magic as he tries to examine the fallen body.
As soon as the body is touched, a shimmering form appears above the bones. It's clothes are that of a Carriage Driver. He does not attack immediately, but he does eye you hostilely and demand in an unnatural voice Who dares enter here, the Necropolis of my forebears!
Silas takes a step back, looking at the man quizzically. He holds up his hands, preparing himself just in case things do not go so well.
"My name is Silas. I am here on behalf of one Hannoris Dellum, a distant descendant of the Adella family. Our services were retained in order to recover the sword, Infensus Mucro. He believes that the rumors and evil that was alleged against the Adella family was false, and that the sword is the key to exonerating and clearing the Damnatio against the family."
Damnatios cannot be cleared, fool. It is a Purge, not a gag order. I give you this one chance. Leave. Now. Keep anything you have already found among the graves of my family, I do not care. Only depart.
Silas grows a bit concerned, taking a couple of steps back, looking at the undead creature. Everyone, ready yourselves. I fear that we may have a fight on our hands.
Silas looks curiously at the creature. After a moment of thinking, he replies carefully. "Damnatio has not yet been completed. And there still exists a record of truth, that could be used to revive the name of Adella. Infensus Mucro. It stands witness to the truth of the Adella family. Stand aside, let us pass, and bring peace to your family and restore their good name."
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Kal whistles as he looks over the moonlit scene of the necropolis, eyes shining with wonder. "This is incredible! What sort of magic do you suppose did this?"
As the vision overwhelms him, he drops to his knees, clutching his head and moaning. "Asmodeus?" he asks shakily, finally pulling himself to his feet. "Silas, what does it mean?"
When the carriage driver appears, he takes a step back in alarm, for once allowing Veritas' protective wing to sweep in front of him. "I don't like this," he mutters to no-one in particular.
Veritas's offer is received more like a challenge. The ghost houls and releases a wave of flame and corruption. Silas's magic kicks in and removes him from the radius of the burst, but it envelops the rest of the party.
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Kalderasha manages to throw his cloak around himself, just as his eidolon's immense wing sweeps in front of him, protecting him from the majority of the blast. "Veritas?" he sighs, unwrapping himself from the cloak as the fire clears, "I appreciate your help, but I don't think he did." With that, he rests a hand on the eidolon's back, muttering under his breath, watching as her form starts to flicker.