"Right, lets go."
You head down the stairs you find, Mouser checking for traps.
Two wide alcoves flank the eastern portion of this room, the floor of which is inlaid with the symbol of an ornate warhammer. Each alcove contains a large iron brazier and is crammed with a variety of baubles and trinkets. Beyond the alcoves, the chamber narrows and a flight of wide steps climb to a vaulted recess. A great stone sarcophagus, its lid pushed to one side, lies in this space beneath a large translucent panel in the ceiling above. A smaller alcove stands on either side of the stone coffin. The northern alcove holds a five-foot-tall iron cage, its bars bent and twisted out of shape, while the southern alcove contains an elaborate iron candelabra covered with drippings of dried purple and red wax, which holds dozens of melted candle stubs.
Suddenly behind you, you hear the door slamm shut at the top of the stairs!
Balmir steps into the large chamber, glancing at the inlaid design on the floor. "This is it. It must be." He gaze sweeps across the room searching for the intruders and the ones who have been vandalizing the tomb.
At the sound of the slamming door he grunts. "What's this? A trap?" He pulls Agrimmosh free of the belt loop and readies himself for action.
|
Mouser frowns at the door slamming shut.
"If it is a trap, it's probably not a very good one. There's bound to be another way out, and if not, I have yet to find a door that can keep me out," he says, patting his thieves' tools at his waist.
He moves to examine the door to see if it is locked or otherwise barricaded.
"A trap indeed but maybe sicne we came this way it won't be as trappish?" Derrik says holding his shield high to light the room more. "Someone is living here with all those melted candles."
"Maybe a trap to keep us in. That will probably be a mistake."
Somer moves so his back is against the wall with an arrow ready.
"Unless we can reopen the door we better start lookin' for another way out," opines Tam. "Don't think we'll find a lot of food down here."
As you look around, you realize Tamxander has made an excellent point. It seems you are trapped in here.
Nargrym Steelhand’s remains lie within the open sarcophagus. Although the skeletal corpse still wears armor, its right arm ends in a stump and Nargrym’s legendary steel hand is nowhere to be seen. A heavy
helm lies next to the shattered pieces of the giantslayer’s skull. Derrik notices that the dwarf’s beard seems to have been crudely hacked off and that many of the bones are damaged and even display tooth marks. Even more disturbing, all of these injuries were made post-mortem, suggesting deliberate desecration of the corpse.
Mouser notices a rolled up rug with a number of strange lumps in it. It might be treasure...
Mouser doesn't discover a trap, per se, but the rug does contain a yellow mold that you will need to be careful with.
Above you, peering through the transparent ceiling, you see a dwarf with a steel hand and long spear glaring at you. "Ha!" you can see more than hear him taunting you.
Noticing the dwarf Somer gives a little start in surprise.
"You ancestor might be awake up there."
"Anyone know about this mold that Mouser found?" Derrik asks avoiding the carpet. Derrik looks up as Somer mentions the dwarf above. "I doubt that is him since he was skeletal in the crypt and this Dwarf is not skeletal and fairly ugly."
Balmir starts looking carefully at the sarcophagus and the remains inside. "This just makes my blood boil, you know. So much disrespect." Out of the corner of his eye he spots movement through the transparent ceiling and his mouth opens in shock at the taunting creature. "What? Oh! You're going to pay for this!" He grabs his hammer and starts banging on the ceiling.
After a few futile slams he looks to the others. "We have to get out of here."
Noticing everyone focused on the moldy cloth he adds, "I don't know anything about that. If it's not something I can attack, I usually ignore it."
Mouser does not find another way out.
"Well, what are all the walls and the floor made of?" says Tam. "Can we break out? Melt it with acid? Smash it with hammers?"
The walls are made of stone, good solid dwarven construction. With enough time, you could probably tunnel out, but it won't be easy.
The door that was locked is sturdy (hardness 8, hp 45; break DC 28).
"I have another idea," says Tam. "Everyone gather around and keep your voices down. We can barely hear our captor taunting us up above, so he probably can't hear us too well either."
Whispering, the gnome explains, "I know a spell that can make us all invisible. If I say that I'm going to try to teleport us out of here - loudly - and then make us all disappear, he might get upset and run down and open the door to see what happened. Then we run out while the door's open."
"Intresting plan. Worth a shot I would think."
"Sounds sneaky. I don't really like sneaky but it might be our only way out of here." The scowl on Balmir's face deepens. "But then when I get my hands on that guy..."
"All right. Just gather close together. You won't be able to see each other. Hopefully the fellow will open the door, then we have to rush out before it closes again."
Tam claps his hands together and says loudly, "I'm going to make a magic circle. Everyone needs to be inside of it! When I finish the spell, it will teleport us to freedom."
He laboriously moves in a slow circle around the assemblage, making mystic passes with his hands and droning on. Finally he stops and speaks a short enchantment, pauses, looks up at the onlooker above, flips him the bird, and then casts his final spell.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
As this is going on and just before the spell goes off Somer will use prestidigitation, subtly, to make the air shimmer a bit.
Derrik moves to where Tam indicates. Standing as still as possible so their ruse goes through.
Balmir joins the group in the circle. He tries to maintain eye contact with the assailant as Tam casts his spell. Just as the magic starts to take hold he raises his hammer and shakes it at the dwarf.
The dwarf above meets Balmir's intimidating gaze with his own, but as the air shimmers and the party disappears, the dwarf howls in rage! "NO!!!!""
He storms around the room for a bit, and then all goes quiet.
After 7 minutes, the spell fades. There is no sound at all, and no sign of the dwarf.
It seems the ruse worked. Did anyone lock the front door?
"So what now?" Derrik whispers
"I guess we go up and see where this villain and defiler went too." Derrik says.
The lock softly clicks open, and you are able to push the door slightly ajar. There are no lights in the room beyond.
Derrik stays close to mouser keep an ear out for anything coming.
"Darkvision up front," whispers Tam.
Balmir moves to the front of the group so he can keep an eye out.
Derrik will dismiss his light spell nodding for Somer to do the same. Once they are out Derrik will follow up and cast his spell again once they have engaged the enemy for those like himself who cannot seein the dark
Not liking the idea Somer dismisses the light spell and whispers.
"Lets get going with this. Ancestor or Tomb Raider it did not look friendly."
Suddenly having a thought Somer quickly cast mirror image on himself making him one of six Somers. He takes another moment, just before the door opens to spend an arcane point to make his bow shocking.
Balmir readies his hammer and then nudges the door open. He steps through, his eyes scanning for any sign of the miscreant.
Umlo, who doesn't need a light source, volunteers to take the lead on the stealthy hunt of your devious foe. Finding an unexplored door, he leads you down the hall to an unexplored room. Inside the room, you come across the dwarf. He has a steel hand, and carries a large and impressive spear.
A nauseating stench of filth fills this chamber. Various items of broken furniture are sloppily piled into curious arrangements throughout the room. Among the piles of wreckage are toppled statuettes of jade and serpentine, shards of clay and porcelain urns, and several crushed drinking steins. The western wall of the room bears several large cracks and a few small holes where it meets the floor.
This chamber also contains a double crossbow on a heavy wooden base which sits near the south wall opposite the door to area A5, loaded and aimed at the door (which Lokmorr stands in front currently).
Derrik will double move to keep up
Able to see just fine Ingrahild moves into the room and continues moving accros the room to swing at this abomination in the room. As she moves she yells in dwarven.
"You descerate this noble tomb of our ancestor. Vial betrayer."
Somer recasts light on Derrik and waits for him to move into the room. Once Derrik is on the move Somer follows and moves near the crossbow on the base.
"Anyone want to shoot this at him?"