Laknir shrugs and joins the search.
Taking 10 if allowed for 19.
Sure I suppose. I also defeated my dinner last night. Valiantly I may add. He jokes.
Much to your chagrin the rubble strewn about the floor holds no secrets, though looking up from the destruction, you do see that the hallway opens up further ahead, into what appears to be an at least partially outdoors walkway judging from abundance of sunlight.
|
The dwarf starts to walk to the "outdoors" walkway when his partners are finished with the pyramid remains. He checks the floor for every possible trap, including but not limited to: pits, spiked pits, killer statues, arrow traps, murder pyramids.
He mutters to himself "I dinnae know what to expect from the rest of this place, but it sure sound we'll get some nice stories"
As you work your way out of the tunnel, you see that it becomes a walkway suspended forty feet above a sand-filled courtyard below. Above you, a wall (the same wall you saw from outside) rises thirty feet high, barring entrance to all. Beyond your position a pair of heavy stone doors carved with images of rampant sphinxes stand at the terminus of the long causeway.
You do not find any traps along the way.
I'd whistle if that was something I could do. Who wants to help me with the door?
He starts trying to push one open.
As the doors slowly grind open, Korim notices too late that the ground he's standing on is actually a different texture than the rest of the walkway. When he places his full weight upon the panel it drops away, spilling the two adventurers into the darkness below.
Laknir is able to leaps forwards just in time to avoid falling, however Korim does not fare so well. Korim falls thirty feet and lands, prone on the stone floor, with a sickening crunch.
Korim! Hang on!
Pleasedon'tdiePleasedon'tdiePleasedon'tdie
Braena curses that she let the dwarf take lead. "I thought your kind had a nose for ferreting out strange stoneworks. Let me toss down a rope so we can best assist." Braena pulls out her rope, takes it in her left hand, loops it behind her back, then drops the end down through her right hand to Korim below.
"I've heard dwarves are dense, hopefully you don't pull me down as well!" She leans back and braces, ready to assist Korim's ascent.
The going is slow, short as Korim's legs are (and the ankle isn't helping), but he is able to climb all the way out of pit with the assistance of his compatriots.
Dot.
Braena smiles as she reaches out her hand and helps the dwarf up over the edge. "Well Korim, next time no more taking a dive down into the earth. I get you came from there, but no rushing back, okay? Now, can we be on our way?"
Braena moves past the gap, looking through the doorway beyond.
I'm sorry, Korim. Are you able to continue? Laknir will follow Braena shortly if Korim continues.
When Braena peers into the chamber she sees that tall, pink granite columns, carved and painted to resemble palm trees, stand around it's perimeter, supporting the barrel vault of the ceiling. Slabs of the same pink granite line the walls. A stone sarcophagus stands alone on the limestone floor in the center of the room. Beyond, a dark doorway leads deeper into the pyramid to the west.
So... Alright then. At Korims astonishing recovery.
Lets go maybe we'll find a killer tapestry next.
You are about to continue down the hall, when you notice you were about to step on a rat sized scorpion, of a shocking blue coloration, which scuttles sideways to avoid your boot. You expect it to sting you in retaliation, but it starts waving about its pincers instead, scuttling to and fro almost as if it were dancing. As it does so, the scorpion’s chitinous plating shifts from blue to a vibrant green, and the plates almost seem to rearrange themselves into a distubing likeness of a smiling human face.
One of the pincers points urgently down the hall, the plates rearranging again and forming an expression of profound horror.
Fran sat in a tight dark place trapped with little but her rapidly spinning mind to keep her company.
What.. what just happened? I mean obviously something but really, I go through all this effort to get into here in a way the Pharaoh would not have thought to defend and look where it gets me. And of course I'm going to die like an idiot in some trick that is embarrassingly easy to spot from a different angle. I'm going to become that skeleton that all the looters laugh at on the way out. What a lovely day.
Fran laments the unfair nature of her predicament driving her to want to laugh. Though her form at the moment prevented that.
At least I get a few minutes to think about life before I turn back to my normal form and die a horrible death. Here lies Fran K. Aster, fool who thought she'd steal flowers from a dead man without issue.
Laknir will help Korim with the catching.
Could be a ruined haunted house. I went to one of those once. The other kids thought I was part of the display.
You experience some difficulty in deciphering the meaning of the arachnids dance, as it begins scuttling down the hall towards the sarcophagus.
Heh. Interesting, that's for sure.
Looking at the other two, she sighs and shrugs, "so, we are really about to follow a dancing spider, eh?" Keeping her maces at the ready, she cautiously follows it down the hall.
The scorpion stops in front of the sarcophagus. Its practically jumping up and down by the time you reach it.
The sarcophagus is of fine make, sporting an assortment of fine gems and embossed with solid gold.
Braena, you can hear what sounds like a muffled screams coming from within.
Hearing the terrified yet muffled cries, Braena throws caution to the wind and pushes the heavy stone lid off the sarcophagus.
Braena finds that she is unable to force the lid open. In fact, when she tries to reposition her hands to gain more leverage she realizes that they have become stuck fast to the stone surface. A crack appears on the side of coffin, widening to reveal a slavering maw filled with rows of wicked teeth.
Die foul miscreation!
Laknir heads over to flank with Braena, striking out at the mimic creature.
He takes his combat stance, making use of combat expertise.
The creature's form distorts as writhing tentacles transform from the gold that once seemed so solid. These tentacles lash out, striking Braena and wrapping here in a sickening embrace.
Fran had not been having all that great of a time for the past few moments as it It seemed that whatever had her caught was alive if the shower of digestive acid she was receiving to be an indication.
Which was around the time the room turned and she could hear voices.
"He-Hello!? Is someone out there? Please tell me you aren't gnolls I don't want to escape a death trap only to get enslaved."
A somewhat muffled but obviously terrified and in pain voice calls from the innards of the traitorous box monster.
Xabu clacks angrily at the concerning monster in front of it. Trying desperately to think of something it could do to help its master.
Cursed animate death box didn't really ring any bells though.
Terrified by the horror befalling her, Braena tries to wrest herself free from the grasp of the alien monster.
Laknir belts out loudly, declaring his challenge, both the ability and actual yelling for the mimics attention.
Laknir heads over to flank with Braena, striking out at the mimic creature.
Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (14) + 12 = 26 Including flank
Damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
He takes his combat stance, making use of combat expertise.
Laknir’s blade sunk into the beast's undulating flesh, drawing forth a trickle of black ichor. Thinking quickly, he immediately withdrew his rapier, fearing it would share the same fate as Braena.
ouch...
Terrified by the horror befalling her, Braena tries to wrest herself free from the grasp of the alien monster.
escape artist: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (8) + 9 = 17
HP 13/26
Stuck as she was to the creature's body, Braena merely struggled against the binding tentacles to no avail.
Reflex: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (17) + 6 = 23
The following assumes Laknir can still attack with his Rapier. Also, if I'm activating Challenge now, do I add the challenge bonus Laknir gets to saves to this roll as well? If so, add 1 to the total.On my Honor, I demand you fall! Laknir belts out loudly, declaring his challenge, both the ability and actual yelling for the mimics attention.
Attack: 1d20 + 12 ⇒ (1) + 12 = 13 Still including flank.
Damage: 1d4 + 6 ⇒ (2) + 6 = 8
Well, at least I still have my weapon. Also, AC 23 now vs. the mimic.
Seeming to realize that it's prey was going nowhere fast, the mimic oozed towards Laknir. Unwinding it's tentacles, the aberration attempts to slam them into Laknir, but he sidesteps just in time causing the alien to slam harmlessly on the stone floor.