An intense sadness seems to settle over most of you as Hepsubia quietly reveals just how these poor souls must have suffered in life, subject to the cruel whims of the former master of this place. But while they received no mercy in life, you do think that you can at least offer them some peace in death.
Based on what you’ve seen here and what the group collectively knows about restless spirits you all suspect the whispers in the room could be put to rest by casting Bless, Consecrate, or another similar spell. Alternatively, sprinkling the area with holy water to perform a small ritual would likely suffice as well. That said, it certainly can't hurt to give the bones a proper burial or cremation once you finish your explorations as well.
|
| 2 people marked this as a favorite. |
Maria doesn't waste any time having recently studied a ritual that might help the tortured souls pass on. She elicits help from her allies sprinkling holy water (from her backpack) on the bones and then recites a simple burial rite from The Bones Land in a Spiral.
"And... that should do it. Back to the column creature room? I sorta figured we'd have to get through there to search the whole area, but it was worth looking for an alternate route."
|
As the incessant whispering abates, Rumble looks on in awe. Maybe I should have payed more attention in school... They might have tried to teach me something that could help others like this. Damn, the years wasted. Maybe... Maybe I'll have to spend a night or two reading of those tomes too. Or... or make amends with Miss...
He gulps hard before getting into formation, ready for the columns. "Say tha word an' aye'll geh Sledge ready fer sum crushin'," he says, a little less enthusiastically than normal. What things did I refuse to learn to be better with Sledge?
________
|
Parison offers up a silent prayer for the tortured souls as Maria performs her ritual to give them release from their bindings and allow them to move on into the afterlife.
"When we are done here, I would like to give these remains a proper burial," the cleric speaks huskily. "But we should discover what else lies within this place first."
Parison looks around and notices what appears to be a way out of the chamber opposite of where they came in. "I would like to keep going forward, but if we want to face the columns, I'm ready to do that."
|
|
Maria shrugs as they make a plan, "I guess the main question is do we attempt to destroy them before they activate or to try to sneak past. I'd vote to just take them out from range and then move past, with Rumble up front in case attacking them triggers their activation." She thinks for a bit, "As for surprising them, no clue. Probably get a free shot in, but I'm not sure if they have specific weak points to target. It's a big stone object after all."
Focused Shot is 4 precision damage and doesn't work if the opponent is immune to Sneak Attack or Crits.
After considering whether or not sneaking past the columns would be a good idea, the general consensus seems to be that it'd likely be more trouble than it's worth. So the six of you troop back to the chamber and stop on the raised walkway in the southern half of the room, with Rumble and Zithembe standing at the top of the short set of stairs leading down.
The statues remain standing still, staying silent, gazing impassively at you.
Hoping to take advantage of their stillness, you make what preparations seem prudent...and then those of you choosing to use ranged weaponry open fire!
Maria fires a shot at Red that connects against the column's ear, chipping a few pieces off! Though it seems as though her increased focus on the opening shot was effective, she's still trying to fire arrows into what is basically a solid hunk of marble - it'll work, but it'll be slow going.
______________
Effie
Hepsubia
==============
Red Column
==============
Zithembe
Maria
Rumble
==============
Yellow Column
==============
Parison
Active Conditions: None
Environmental Conditions: None
Effie, Hepsubia, Zithembe, Rumble and Parison are UP in the Surprise Round!
|
|
As his companions open with their offensive strikes and battle cries, Parison takes a more quieter approach to the fracas and grasps his holy symbol.
"Goddess, please be with us and give us courage in the undertaking we must face," he murmurs as he presents his holy symbol where his allies can see it.
Effie takes aim at Red also and fires off a shot from her pistol, easily connecting and sending another small spray of marble shards flying in all directions! Meanwhile Zithembe adopts a defensive position while Rumble calls on Torag to specially enchant Sledge so that he may better smash these silly statues. Parison contributes as well, asking for Sarenrae's blessing and granting everyone a little additional combat prowess.
______________
Effie
Hepsubia
==============
Red Column
==============
Zithembe
Maria
Rumble
==============
Yellow Column
==============
Parison
Active Conditions: Bless
Environmental Conditions: None
Hepsubia is UP in the Surprise Round!
Hepsubia attempts to fling a surprise bomb at the nearest column - Red - but even with the aid of Parison's spell and the element of surprise, the bomb flies off-target and splashes just behind and to the side of the target. And yet...the few drops that DO splash Red seem to do some damage!
And now made aware of their attackers, the statues finally begin to rally and move...but they're still slower on the draw than Effie and Hepsubia!
______________
Effie
Hepsubia
==============
Red Column
==============
Zithembe
Maria
Rumble
==============
Yellow Column
==============
Parison
Active Conditions: Bless
Environmental Conditions: None
Effie and Hepsubia are UP!
Ready to fight, Effie reloads her cartridge and offers up a little freestyle poetry to inspire herself and her companions
This time, Hepsubia remembers to say the magic word as she tosses another bomb and by golly, maybe Rumble was right! The bomb slams directly into Red's chest and explodes in a fiery blast, sending shard fragments flying in all directions.
As the smoke clears, Red appears seriously worse for the wear as it stoically plods forward and up the stairs. Having no weapon, the crumbling statue instead swings a heavy marble fist at...
...Rumble!
The punch hurts, but Rumble's definitely had worse.
______________
Effie
Hepsubia
==============
Red Column
==============
Zithembe
Maria
Rumble
==============
Yellow Column
==============
Parison
Active Conditions: Bless, Inspire Courage +1/+1
Environmental Conditions: None
Zithembe, Maria, and Rumble are UP!
|
|
Maria aims her bow and attempts to take out the column so her allies can move up to deal with the second, "Good work, keep it up! Few more hits and they'll be rubble."
for
for
As Zithembe taps into the fury of the tomb's lingering spirits he swings the longsword in his hand at Red in a single, powerful arc...and even the inherent strength of the marble is no match for him! He cleaves the column's head clean off and it tumbles backward down the stairs, coming to a stop when it hits the opposite wall of the chamber.
Seeing this, Maria quickly shifts her attention to Yellow who has yet to close the distance. Advancing closer, she fires a single arrow with deadly accuracy and even though it's not as powerful of a shot as she'd briefly expected, it's still enough to chip a noticeable piece of marble away!
Finally, Rumble hustles forward and swings Sledge at Yellow's...base? Knees? Somewhere lower down. The warhammer connects with a satisfying *CRACK* and more marble shards go flying! In a matter of seconds, Yellow has gone from looking mildly battered to on the verge of falling apart!
______________
Effie
Hepsubia
Zithembe
Maria
Rumble
==============
Yellow Column
==============
Parison
Active Conditions: Bless, Inspire Courage +1/+1, Seance (+2 damage on non-spell attacks for allies within 30 ft. of Zithembe)
Environmental Conditions: None
Parison is UP at the bottom of Round 1!
|
|
As the remaining column took damage, Parison weighed his options. He knew that everyone, including himself, were keyed up to hit the monster in the weak spots in its stone hide. That made his gift of Sarenrae's direction in discerning a foe's weak points useless. Standing behind the choke point, holding his scimitar, the cleric felt utterly inept with no offensive spells that could affect the column. If only he had a ra-
All of this went through Parison's head in two seconds as he remembered his crossbow. Whether it would be effective would be another story.
He dropped his scimitar, clattering as it hit the stone floor. In one fluid motion, he reached over his shoulders and behind his back and brought forth his crossbow. Taking careful aim, he pulled the trigger for the firing mechanism and heard a clicking sound and the whoosh of air as the projectile streaked toward the stone adversary....
.....and sailed over the creature with three feet to spare between them.
Though Parison gives it a good try with his crossbow it's still harder to aim with the thing than a layperson might expect, and the shot flies much too high.
______________
Effie
Hepsubia
Zithembe
Maria
Rumble
==============
Yellow Column
==============
Parison
Active Conditions: Bless, Inspire Courage +1/+1, Seance (+2 damage on non-spell attacks for allies within 30 ft. of Zithembe)
Environmental Conditions: None
Effie, Hepsubia, Zithembe, Maria and Rumble are UP!
With only one seriously battered, damaged caryatid column and six of you, the outcome of this little scuffle is largely a foregone conclusion. Though the arrow that Maria fires misses its mark this time around, Rumble and Sledge do not. The dwarf handily connects against the construct's center mass with his weapon and the entire thing finally shatters and crumbles into a pile of dust and shards!
Combat Over!
And with the columns taken care of, the way north is now clear...
|
|
There is a flurry of activity from Parison as the fight ends. First, the cleric reloads his crossbow and stows it away. Second, he retrieves his scimitar and sheathes it. Lastly, he breaks out his PSI wand of cure light wounds and taps Rumble with it.
"Those columns might be made of stone, but they're no match for a man of the mountain like yourself, my friend," he says to Rumble.
"I'll admit I was concerned, even with us getting the drop on them, but everyone handled themselves well.....except for that crossbow shot, of course," the cleric adds with a rather sheepish grin.
|
|
Rumble beams with pride and looks happily at Sledge. "Faith is all ye need," he says, rubbing the ruin chiseled into the hammer's granite head until it stops radiating light. I hope I do Torag proud. He grants me power, but I pray he also gives me the strength to use it right.
"Aye agree wit' Effie, these 're no normal guardians. Surely there's sumthin' deeper in worth guardin'." Ready head further in, the Dwarf stands by the next door with Sledge over his shoulder.
________
You take a few moments to mend wounds and for Zithembe to catch his breath before soldiering onward into the complex. Though Rumble takes the lead, as usual, Hepsubia is quick to slip into the shadows as you get started again - perhaps in anticipation of more trouble.
Luckily, there doesn't seem to be any trouble that's immediately obvious as the group proceeds into the next chamber. The walls, ceiling, and floor of this room are covered in elaborate patterns of countless tiny tiles. The tiles also form three images on the west wall: one depicts a woman in a cloak hovering above a pile of skulls; another depicts the same woman kneeling before a massive fiend; the third shows her in the company of a godlike figure standing before a massive pyramid.
You recognize the fiend as Ahriman, Lord of All Divs.
Scattered about the room are many items of value, or that once held value, for they are heavily damaged. The items include gold-plated idols of the pharaoh, which are heavily dented; a lacquered box of stale incense, covered in tooth marks but unopened; a ceremonial platinum dagger, snapped in half; dozens of pieces of pottery, all smashed to bits; and half a dozen scrolls, now illegible because they have been chewed up, formed into spitballs and stuck to the ceiling; and numerous objects of gold and silver, all dented, battered, and broken a dozen times over.
Even as broken and battered as many of them are, you’re still able to determine that these items date to the reign of the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues.
Leading out of this chamber and back to the east is a short passage that opens into a second, dead-end chamber. A well-preserved wooden chest sits atop a platform against the south wall of this room. A series of arcane glyphs burnt into the top of the chest forms a spiral. Iron bindings reinforce the chest, and it has no apparent lock or key. A series of heavy latches keep the lid tightly shut.
Much as you suspected, the caryatid columns did seem to be intentional set to guard these two chambers.
|
|
Maria carefully slips in once nothing attacks the group to begin her investigation, "Well there... there is a lot to unpack here. Also, I'm pretty sure we should NOT unpack that chest in the back room without more information. Could hold something really nasty."
"The fiend in the second tile image is Ahriman, Lord of All Divs. Not sure about anything else."
"And while they have been trashed, a lot of these items seem to date way back to the reign of the Pharaoh of Forgotten Plagues."
The wiry elf sighs, "I was hoping we would find answers. But it seems we need to track down that Div to learn more."
|
|
"We can retrieve the treasure for the archaeologists," Zithembe says. "It may be a while before they can convince their workers to enter this crypt again, even once we have dealt with the div."
The shabti walks to the bound chest and squats down to get a better look. "Interesting," he muses and holds out a hand toward the container.
|
|
"Any luck Zithembe?" Rumble asks the Shabti. Feel so useless in situations like this... Fighting is important, certain death if we didn't have someone dedicated to the frontline and blessed by the best god of war, but we couldn't make any progress towards our missions if the others didn't know about stuff.
________
Though it's certainly disappointing to see the sorry shape that all of these objects are in, you're able to take a small bit of comfort in knowing that most of them can probably be magically mended over time.
Over in the far eastern chamber, Zithembe carefully examines the mysterious chest that boasts latches but no locks. What quickly becomes clear is that this chest seems to be a rather unique item, specifically made. The shabti is able to discern that the runes on the lid of the chest read thus:
Herein are kept the banished memories of the one who would defy his master. Let him wallow in ignorance for all of eternity!
Radiating through the chest are three magical auras, a mixture of transmutation and divination.
|
|
"I'm not sure.....but weren't Ahriman and the Pharoah of Forgotten Plagues allies in some sort of conflict a long time ago?" Parison asks.
"I wished I'd paid more attention during my history lessons," the cleric ruefully adds. "This place. It's evil. I'm all for discovery of the past, but a place like this should have stayed buried."