When it starts moving, Eisalka will double back and land on Man's shoulder. "I do wish I had a wand of magical missiles. I only have one of those spells prepared today... with a wand, we could easily whittle it down."
Akri grips his weapons.
"Fear not, friends. Fear is fruitless. Perhaps you've got another magic trick to toss this old pile of bricks."
Khairam, watches as the mini pyramid activates, "I have no defense against this, unless..." he pauses. "Get ready Akri, lets see if I can stop it in its tracks. I will spit, it might just get stuck." With that Khairam takes two vials and mixes them, drinking the tarry looking mixture. He nods at the dwarf, waiting for the object to get within range of his spit.
Akri nods, weapons ready.
"If you can stick this thing where it is, we can get by it and into the tomb- but let's remember it might still be here when we get out... so let's plan for now. Getting into the tomb is most important. Getting out is our final concern."
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Round 1
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Akri moves up to meet the pyramid, while Eisalka flies back toward Man and Khairam prepares a sticky problem for the animated stone. The stone pyramid lifts up slightly, revealing its stone rollers, and trundles down the hallway at a threatening speed. It reaches the space just in front of the Pahmet dwarf just as the explorers have time to react.
Initiative!
Eisalka alights on Man's shoulder. "We have little to fight that thing. I will throw some missiles of magic at it, which at least should chip away a bit!"
Eisalka starts to move her wingtips in a complex gesture, while saying something arcane in Draconic.
While Eisalka makes a show of casting the spell herself, Man's lips and fingers move almost imperceptively.
Eisalka is obviously attempting to make it look like she is casting the spell herself, but Man is actually the one doing the casting.
Three missiles seem to coalesce in front of the two, and shoot off at the pyramid.
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Round 1 cont'd
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Sionnach considers calling on the Hierophant's gluttonous deity for guidance, while Eisalka seems to conjure forth a barrage of force that strikes the pyramid! The three missiles strike the same spot, leaving a small crack in the pyramid's stone.
Initiative!
Khairam moves up behind Akri, "Stay here Akri, I'm about to spit." says the investigator, his cheeks bulging on alternate sides as he moves the spit from side to side. He waits until the pyramid is within range as he puckers up, before spitting out the adhesive. A large dark brown globule, that seems to expand as it flies, leaves Khairam, until it splats onto the ground and rails between the dwarf and the pyramid.
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Round 2
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Khairam moves up and spits a wad of magical muck on the pyramid. The gunk clogs up the rollers, but it rocks back and forth, managing to avoid being stuck to the ground entirely.
Now seems like as good a time as any to jump, climb, fly, or scramble over the pyramid if want to do that!
Initiative!
Akri shouts to the others-
"Khairam has slowed the thing down! Well done, lad- now let's storm it and get to the gate before it can recover and back us in!"
Akri tries to climb over the pyramid, and it bucks around trying to smash him as he scrambles.
The dwarf is too quick, though, and easily vaults over to the far side of the stone pyramid without injury.
The pyramid then spins its rollers furiously, trying to charge down the hallway toward Khairam. The goop prevents it from getting up to a good speed, though, and it simply rolls up in front of Khairam and tries to crash into him. Khairam takes the brunt of a stone edge as it runs into his shin.
Initiative!
Eisalka visibly sighs, which is kinda strange to see coming from a raven. "Come on then."
She flies over the pyramid again, and Man follows, trying to jump across it.
Akri waits until his allies scramble past the pyramid, shouting encouragement. Once the last one is past, he hustles up the causeway.
With his shins smarting from the live pyramid, Khairam jumps high in the air, before tucking into a ball and somehow seems to get forward momentum to roll over the top of the model building. Once landed he moves quickly to the real pyramid door. "Keep it off me whilst I try and get this door open." he growls at his companions.
"Follow Khairam, be ready for anything! I'll take the rear guard."
Akri draws both Ghoulsplitter and Skullcrusher.
The former, in his left hand, is a Dwarven waraxe, pitted and nicked but still brightly polished and wickedly sharp. Osirian hieroglyphs curve along the blade, and 3 falcon feathers dangle from the spike at the bottom of the weapon's handle. The latter is a gilt light mace, smooth and devoid of any decoration save a dirty shroud wrapped around the haft, bound with sinew.
"May the souls of the sands guide us. Honor the dead, serve the living."
Khairam easily clears the pyramid, with Eisalka flying over and Man scrabbling through the opening between construct and wall as well. Sionnach has a little trouble, but manages to get over on a second try. Akri stands ready with his ancestral weapons.
With all others having moved away already, the pyramid tries to attack Sionnach, but it can't move fast enough to slam through his armor with lethal force.
The explorers rush down the rest of the causeway, leaving the pyramid in their literal dust. It won't stay gunked up forever, though. At the end of the causeway is a set of double doors, stuck shut with age and sand.
You pull the doors open with a team effort, and are rewarded with the sight of a dark room ahead, sunlight filtering into the last 20 feet of hallway ahead of you. Those of you without darkvision can just make out some pillars - maybe stone trees? Those of you with darkvision can see the tree-like pillars and what looks to be a sarcophagus in the middle of the room.
Akri eases into the room, settling into darkvision, his eyes falling to the sarcophagus. His ears prick up, and he turns to the doors.
"If we close them, maybe our mobile friend will not pursue us? Otherwise, we best make haste in case the guardian can navigate the tomb."
"Yes, close the doors, for the gods' sake!" Eisalka practically squawks.
El Akriban starts toward the room ahead, but there is a small 'click' sound. The ten-foot square section of the floor directly behind the doors suddenly swings out beneath him, and he tumbles 30 feet down into a dusty pit. The bottom is hard stone.
The rumbling stone pyramid continues to approach!
"Sigh, we should have seen that coming, I think. Give me the end of your damn rope, someone!"
Man does not carry rope, but hopefully someone else does, and Eisalka can take it across to the other side of the chasm and find a place to wedge it tightly.
Khairam calls out, but too late, "No Akri!!" as he watches the dwarf fall into the trap. Instead the investigator takes a couple of steps back before running forward and attempting to jump over the pit. "Everyone across the other side, then we'll get Akri out, someone provide light when you get across." he shouts as his dusty clothes stream across the pit into the dim pyramid.
Once there he gets his rope from out of his pack and lowers it down for Akri to use to climb up. "Everyone help me get Akri up."
Man attempts to jump across as well...
Unfortunately he misses the edge and topples into the pit as well.
Then he dusts off his robes and tries to climb up after Akri.
Luckily he's much better at climbing than jumping, for some reason.
Eisalka berates him the entire time he's climbing. "Idiot! You should have let someone help you across! If you get yourself killed falling into pits, how on earth am I ever going to get back to my own body?! Ugh... I really need to work on a spell to let you fly around!"
Despite three people falling down the pit trap, Khairam provides a rope and the explorers scurry up as fast as they can. The curmudgeonly alchemist just pulls up his rope as the stone pyramid comes speeding down the hallway, free of the sticky spit and hurtling toward him! It speeds toward the open doors, and plunges into the open pit, its stone cracking as it slams into the walls of the pit and clunks down to the bottom. The crashing sound of hundreds of pounds of stone echoes through the hallway and stone rooms briefly, before fading away. The pyramid lies on one face at the bottom of the pit, its rollers making a faint sound as they spin furiously in search of traction.
The dark room beyond waits, silently.
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"Well, my friends, we certainly know how to make an entrance," Sionnach says with a delighted grin spread across his face as he looks at the wreckage in the pit.
Then, turning to his fellow adventurers, he asks, "Now that we've indulged in wreaking havoc, who wants to indulge in some of the Pallid Princess' healing?"
Khairam just slowly moves his head from side to side, his lips slightly turned down in disappointment at the failure of the others to jump across. Under his heavy breath he sighs, "Amateurs!!" He looks around once more to peer into the dim light inside, almost annoyed in a staccato voice he says, "Can anyone produce some light?"
Akri dusts himself off and chuckles.
"Khairam, do not be so disappointed! You were invited to this little pit-y party I threw myself!"
"Dear Sionnach, I've learned that allies are found under all banners, stars, and faiths. I'd be happy to receive some healing."
"Eisalka! I hope your pet can climb better than he can jump!" Akri grins, elbowing Man in the ribs.
"Just kidding, Man. Too bad you don't bounce like a Dwarf! OK, let's continue on. After you, Man."
Akri watches the mini-pyramid roll in through the doors and crash into the pit, ticking the distance of the echoes reverberating throughout the darkened hall.
"Well, we'll know if anyone tries to follow us, I suppose."
Akri turns to Khairam. "You might be the first human I've explored a tomb with that has not carried a torch. Eisalka, does Man have a torch or a bit of a stick we could fashion into one? Anyone else? Perhaps your voices, Sionnach, can provide a touch of magical light for our trapsmith to see by?" Akri fishes a bladder of oil and his flint and steel from his pack.
"Fear not, Khairam, we will be sure your steady eyes are ready for this tomb. We will need them." Akri says this as his own darkvision scans the room, silently wishing he could see traps like his companion does.
"Man could use some healing. What an oaf." Eisalka berates him.
As you stand in the ten-foot wide entrance and light washes over the room, you see that it is thirty feet wide from east to west and forty feet deep from north to south. Ten tall, pink granite columns, carved and painted to resemble palm trees, stand around the perimeter of the chamber, supporting the barrel vaulted 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 north.
EDIT: You can also feel free to sketch out your own map for reference, too, if you just want a map that's not a battle mat ;D
At Akri's words Khairam's nostrils flare, "Of course I have a source of light, do you think me stupid, bah! Dwarves..." With his spleen vented, he talks in a more controlled and relaxed manner, "But it's always a good idea to know where the other sources are, just in case..." For a reason you don't understand, mainly because it seems utterly pointless, Khairam starts to brush down his cloak and readjust his outfit. Yet the cloak still remains as dusty as it did before. Once satisfied his clothing is now set correctly, he looks around the chamber.
"Hmmm, now Akri, well the lot of you, it is very strange that the first chamber is 'the' burial chamber. That sarcophagus may well be a trap, don't go near until I've had a look round. You may look more carefully if I don't find any traps or engineering dangers." As the investigator looks up at the vaulted ceiling.
Khairam tries to remember the architectural name for this kind of chamber - it's on the tip of his tongue - he thinks it starts with an "h" maybe?
His sweep of the room reveals no traps. The pink slabs of granite do reveal more about Pharaoh Sekh-pa-Mefer III. Ancient Osiriani writing lists his many, MANY titles. A large amount of them are pretty generic royalty and deity comparison ones, but many also refer to his power and wisdom gained through his association with and domination of Sphinxes. Elaborate painted carvings show the Pharaoh engaged in a number of great military victories with his Sphinx-bolstered armies. One in particular shows him defeating a large army of dwarves who resemble Akri, who are later incorporated into his forces.
Two large sections of the walls on the east and west sides seem suspicious. Khairam carefully checks for booby traps, but it turns out that they are actually (untrapped) concealed doors!
Akri nods to the investigator. "Of course, Khairam, it's just that we dwarves need not a source of light; I should have assumed one with your experience would come prepared."
Akri keeps a guarded stance, scanning the room for any clues or information regarding its construction, potential hazards, or unusual stonework (stonecunning)as Khairam searches for traps and such.
"Khairam, I admire your thorough approach. Very sensible."
"Before we move on, Fox, there is a section of the Pharaoh's legacy I must digest. It is here, where the beards of my kin are defeated and enslaved."
Akri studies these hieroglyphs after Khairam has cleared them, if only to commit them to memory. He steps away from them, dissatisfied.
"Khairam, what of the sarcophagus? If this is the tomb of the Sphinx King, we should assume every room is a riddle."
"Well it seems safe here, now let me look at the .... hmmm!!! .. " scratching his chin, Khairam walks around the sarcophagus deep in thought. "I suppose now is the time to see what's inside." he face twisting in "So the question is will we find treasure or a guardian ... or both!" He goes to the stone structure and spends time studying it.
"Well, I've looked it over, now its up to you friends to move it and see what lies within." the investigator smiles at his companions.
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"Ahhh, you're going to tell us it's okay and then step back and let us rush in in case you're wrong. Clever. I can respect that."
The Urgathoan hierophant flashes a smile at the grumpy investigator. Then, Sionnach begins checking his sickle to make sure it's ready to go and moves closer to the sarcophagus.
Khairam cannot locate any traps as he investigates the sarcophagus. As he turns to address his fellow explorers, though, slithering tentacles emerge from the bottom of the sarcophagus. The lid's seam splits and the lid pulls up, revealing rows of needle like teeth and a thick, flapping tongue!
It swings a tentacle at the unsuspecting Khairam, making hungry, gleeful sounds.
The strange limb hits Khairam and wraps around his waist. It's covered in some horrible sticky substance that won't let go!
It produces a strong adhesive that allows it to grapple its prey, then crush it to death. Weapons that strike it also have a chance of getting stuck to it. This adhesive can be dissolved by universal solvent or strong alcohol.
It is immune to acid damage.
It is also a fairly slow creature, so one could outrun it very easily.
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Initiative!
Man will wait for Eisalka to tell him what to do. Delay.
The creature slams another tentacle around Khairam, squeezing the life from him. Khairam goes unconscious from the onslaught, and the thing drops him and swivels to face the other explorers. Its fleshy tongue flaps about greedily.
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Initiative!
"Blast! Vile impostors at every turn! We must get Khairam out of that thing's grasp and ourselves to safety! Do we risk one of the concealed doors, or head through the north portal?"