Teos tries to grapple the snake, but it slithers away!
Seherab circles around, trying to set up tactical positioning while he draws his blade!
The snakes rears back, its metallic hood flaring as it stikes, but misses the dodgy monk!
Ankhef will go ahead and cast bless.
Teos strikes out with his mighty (and fiery) fists, and then moves back to allow his companions egress.
+
Ankhef blesses his party!
Teo punches at the snake twice, but only lands the first blow. He damages the snake, but not as much as he would have expected!
Seherab stabs at the snake!
Seherab stabs, but misses the metallic snake!
Harkuf whacks the snake with is staff, but doesn't seem to damage it!
The rears back and strikes at Harkuf, but misses badly!
Not quite sure he can actually hurt this thing, Seherab continues to stab in frustration nonetheless.
Anhkef stabs at the iron snake from back here.
Seherab and Ankhef both miss with their strikes at the metal snake!
Teos crawls up onto the sarcophagus and attempts to grab the snake.
Teos makes a move on the snake. It strikes at him as he closes, but misses and the monk gets the snake coiled around his beefy hand!
Harkuf whacks at, but misses the snake!
The snake attacks the hand that holds it, but misses!
Ankhef will attempt to said Teos's attack.
Teos will attempt to squeeze the snake.
Acting in futility, Seherab stabs at the snake.
While all his companions miss, Teos manages to keep hold of the snake and begins trying to strangle it!
The snake twists its head and sink hypodermic fangs into the monk's hand!
Teos squeezes the tiny mechanical guardian again.
"What's that saying about trying the same thing expecting a different result? Remind me to look it up later."
Anhkef will ready to aid the AC of whomever the snake attacks.
Teos squeezes the creature, doing a little more damage.
Seherab stabs it, but doesn't leave a scratch.
Ankhef aids his party!
Harkuf attacks the snake, but misses again!
The snake tries to strike once more, but can't reach the monk!
The veins on Teos sunburnt face start to bulge as he squeezes yet again... but this time to no avail!
"Pin it cousin."
Ankhef makes his own attack.
Teos grunts in acknowledgment.
The party attacks the snake, but from what sounds suspiciously like a hissing laugh, you realize your not really damaging it.
The snakes has as much luck as the party, then Teos pins the creature under his foot!
Seherab draws his blade across the creature's throat body?
After Teos pins the snake, the party descends on it, smashing it to smithereens!
Looking around the room, the gold leaf decorating the sarcophagus is worth a total of 100 gp, if enough time is spent to salvage all of it. Inside the sarcophagus, Akhentepi’s mummified corpse wears an exquisitely crafted gold funerary mask worth 500 gp. One of the chests contains Akhentepi’s armor. It is finely made and seems it could be magical. The other chest holds a disintegrating cloth sack filled with 500 gp, as well as a small, well-preserved darkwood coffer worth 50 gp. Inside the coffer is a potion of darkvision, a potion of lesser restoration, an ornate lapis and carnelian pendant worth 70 gp, and an assortment of carnelian, lapis lazuli, and turquoise semiprecious stones worth a total of 55 gp.
"Akhentepi was surely a well-respected citizen to be buried with such treasure. Doubtless it will aid us more than it will him, though."
Seherab spends a few moments taking notes of the room before saying, "We should make one final look over the whole tomb I suppose."
Ankhef examines the armor, but can't discern its properties. Going back through the tomb, the party eventually finds a secret door that leads to a roughhewn tunnel that leads back to the area where the sandling was encountered.
Retreading step to make sure they didn't miss anything, the party finds nothing more, other than the master weapons and the exquisitely made shield that was seen before in the armory.
Gathering all the spoils, the party leaves the tomb and find lodgings at the Tooth and Hookah, a local inn, where it appears all the other adventuring parties have taken up residence as well. Sitting around the common room, you listen as the parties, five others in total, trade tales.
After a while, you are able to glean a bit of information about the groups.....
The Cryptfinders: Members of this group hail from all over the Inner Sea region, and include a Chelish cavalier, a Nexian summoner, a Qadiran cleric of Sarenrae, and their leader Falto, a bravo from the streets of Absalom. They claim they were assigned the tomb of an important government official and hint at the wealth they brought out of the tomb after defeating a mummy inside the tomb.
The Daughters of the Desert: This all-female adventuring party follows the lead of Sigrun Firehair, an Ulfen of the Linnorm Kingdoms who claims to be descended from a genie. The group also includes an exiled Rahadoumi cleric of Iomedae, a barbarian from one of the nomadic desert clans of Thuvia, and two Osirian witches, twin sisters who always wear veils. Sigrun has journeyed south seeking adventure, hoping to pen an epic tale of her exploits to take back north. The Daughters were assigned the house of a wealthy pawnbroker to explore; they encountered several traps, but little else in the way of opposition. The women are cagey about what treasures they may or may not have found in the tomb, but Sigrun is very interested in hearing the stories of other groups’ experiences, possibly for inclusion in her nascent manuscript.
The Dog Soldiers: This group’s membership is composed entirely of halflings and their pack of trained Katapeshi fighting dogs, led by the loquacious and hard-drinking “Mad Dog” Marrn. The Dog Soldiers were sent to explore an abandoned tannery, where half of their dogs died fighting a gelatinous cube they found within. Mad Dog is broken up over the loss of several of his favorite pets, but he proudly shows off the magic sword he salvaged from the cube after slaying it. He is interested both in a potential buyer for the sword and in purchasing replacement dogs from a respected breeder.
The Sand Scorpions: This party contains no fewer than three rogues, along with a single magus for combat and magic support. Each rogue specializes in a different area of expertise, whether, locks, traps, or, in the case of their leader, a mysterious woman called Black Kiss, poisons. The Sand Scorpions keep mostly to themselves and do not volunteer any information on their exploration site and the treasures they found there.
The Scorched Hand: Led by a Taldan Osirionologist named Velriana Hypaxes, this group is dedicated to the pursuit and acquisition of knowledge. With the exception of the hired mercenary Idorii, the members of the party are all devout followers of Nethys, from whom they take their name. Native Osirians Azaz Arafe and Khelru round out the group. Velriana is quite vocal in her disapproval of the Grand Mausoleum’s refusal to assign specific sites to groups that requested them. It seems that the Scorched Hand was denied a petition to explore a site sacred to its members’ faith, and was instead allocated what turned out to be an ancient brothel. Although the group easily dispatched the nest of zombies in the brothel’s basement and even managed to recover a few minor treasures from the site, it’s evident that the group’s members are disappointed with their first foray. Velriana makes a point of asking everyone present at the gathering whether they have learned of an ancient temple or shrine being assigned, or heard any rumors of something called “the Erudite Eye.”
Seherab mumbles to his companions, "The Cryptfinders are full of shit."
Seherab will make his way over to Sigrun and the Daughters of the Desert. "Good evening. Seherab Menedes Glyphkeeper, at your service," he says by way of introduction with a bow. "I hear you are penning a tale? An author like myself, then! Although I tend to pen more scholarly works, I am still interested in hearing your tale. The tale before the tomb and the tale of the tomb, that is."
After hearing Sigrun's tale and sharing with her their own finds in the tomb of Akhentepi, Seherab makes his way to the Scorched Hand and their leader Velriana. "Ah! A fellow Osirionologist! Nice to meet you." After introductions, Seherab begins, "I hear you were disappointed with your first delve. I am sorry to hear that, I hope you have better luck next time. Did you perhaps find anything interesting in the site you explored though? I've found that even the most mundane sites can often hold secrets of the past. We were assigned to a tomb of a man who gained renown as a warrior after his family passed. I can share my findings with you if you'd like."
Teos does not co-mingle with his fellows in the tavern. Instead he takes a small amount of gold; half he gives to beggar children in the streets, the other half he donates to a temple of Pharasma. He spends a few hours after performing manual labor under the direction of the priests there, fetching water and helping to move the sickly. He returns to the inn as night falls, and spends the rest of his time awake meditating in the common room. He chooses to sleep on the floor of the common area, if there is space to be had.
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Harkuf raises an eyebrow at Seherab, "Full of it, are they?" He saunters over to the Cryptfinders' table with his pint in hand. He leans over with an expression of mock amazement declares, "Well, faced a mummy did ya!? Found some wealthy government coffers, eh? Then I say you blokes have the next round. Whaddaya say!?"
Harkuf then quickly empties his mug and calls for another, "Care of the most amazin' group of tomb raiders this side of the Realm of the Linnorn Kings - The Cryptbreakers!"
Also, at some point in the afternoon Teos signs to Ankhef, seeing is the oracle will accompany him to the temple to deliver the body of the half-elf thief/adventurer.
Sigurn enthusiastically scribbles in her journal, taking notes of Seherab's describes the party's adventures. "That is wonderful! I promise that this story will figure prominently in my epic. I'm calling it ..."There and back again, A Ulfen journey". What do you think?" She then goes on to describe a little about her group's delve. "We didn't encounter much, just a few traps. Nothing of real value, hopefully the next one will pan out better." She says wistfully.
When the investigator ambles over to the Scorched Hand, the leader, Velriana leans in close to talk. "I find reprehensible that they Church of Pharasma won't let us pick our sites. We wasted our time in a brothel when we could have been using our expert talents somewhere more worthy!" She says with an air of elitism. She smiles at the dwarf. "Yes, tell me all about the tomb you where in. Perhaps I can shed some light on some finding? Did see any references to the Erudite Eye?"
When Harkuf approaches the Cryptbreaker's table, the men try to ignore him at first, but then glance around the room to see how many people are watching when the the druid calls for a round. The leader sheepishly digs out a coin from his pouch and flips it to the server, then begins to stare into his tankard.
When the investigator ambles over to the Scorched Hand, the leader, Velriana leans in close to talk. "I find reprehensible that they Church of Pharasma won't let us pick our sites. We wasted our time in a brothel when we could have been using our expert talents somewhere more worthy!" She says with an air of elitism. She smiles at the dwarf. "Yes, tell me all about the tomb you where in. Perhaps I can shed some light on some finding? Did see any references to the Erudite Eye?"
"Yes, I understand your frustration. There would have undoubtedly been squabbles over the best sites though. Perhaps this was the fairest way they could determine. Although I will certainly keep you in mind if I find anything that might interest you and I hope you will do the same." Seherab flips through his notes for a moment. "I do not recall any references to your god in the tomb we explored. Well, let us hope that both of our parties will have even better luck as the digs go on."
The woman smiles wide. "Wonderful! Take care and good luck on your next delve!"
Anhkef will make some small talk with the other groups but nothing substantive.
Seherab is satisfied with the connections he has made with the other delvers.