At the sight of the fallen grave robber, Menedes proceeds to kneel down next to him, as if offering a prayer.
"We may yet learn from this man's mistakes."
Marcus peers into the corridor. "The chamber beyond marks the first room where it is likely that this one," he says, indicating the pile of bones, "Has yet to tread. Be alert for un-triggered traps as we proceed." He shrugs. "And either way, we can send this one ahead of us," he remarks, gesturing towards Darude.
She grimaces as she takes in the shattered legs, obviously a result of having tumbled down the shaft. "Looks like he was a human, maybe a half-elf; I'd guess he's been down here maybe a year or so. Poor soul must have fallen and managed to drag himself over here before he died." She shivers slightly, though there is no chill or draft. "What a sad, lonely death...tomb robber or no."
Ninevekhti's eyes are cold. "He was a grave robber. He sought to despoil the heritage of my people for profit. He deserves no sympathy."
She listens to Marcus' plan. "That is sound thinking, Bale. And if your minion should fall, One has creatures that will perform a similar function; although perhaps not as effectively." The young woman unconsciously veils her face behind a lock of her long black hair for a moment as she speaks, before letting it fall free again.
Alayi picks up the other Alchemist Fire, checking its weight, before speaking in a calm tone.
"Someone with a good throwing arm should take this. I know I will be resistant to its effects." She puts the alchemist's fire back down next to the corpse, nodding at the corpse of the man, before standing.
She then draws her scimitar before moving ahead into the room, checking for traps.
Alayi speaks after taking her first step into the hallway.
"Wow, maybe who ever this person was, maybe he was a soldier of some sort? Just look at the walls in here."
Marcus insists on sending Darude at least fifteen feet ahead of the group, even when Alayi gives the all-clear.
Despite not seeing any traps, Darude marches to the end of the corridor. Marcus's caution is vindicated when a the sand construct steps on a concealed plate. Six-inch darts fire from concealed points in the walls. Alayi is able to leap back in time to avoid the trap, but Darude is not so lucky. Several of the spikes punch through the construct's body, straining the link on Marcus's fetish.
Alayi watches as this guardian walks forward into the hallway, she turns to Marcus to speak, but before she could, she hears a click, she jumps back away from the hallway as the trap activates. She looks back, seeing many darts sticking into the guardian's flesh. She looks at Marcus with stern eyes before speaking.
"You know... Traps don't have to be at the place it triggers. It could activate someplace else." Alayi points back towards the hallway before she continues. "You said you have knowledge of traps, I just hope you know what you were doing when you sent your pet to become a pin cushion in all but name! Almost with me as well! But, I will say thank you since what you did help discover that trap. So please excuse me so I can check the floor for traps again, okay~? Thank you." As she finishes in a huff before turning back to the hallway to find the trigger.
"I think I see the trigger there, I might be able to disable it."
Alayi gets out her thieves tools before moving softly to disable the trap.
"Ah, تلخه."
"Ah, Crap."
Alayi does spot the trigger, a 5x10 hair-trigger pressure plate in front of the stone doors, but her clumsy attempt to disable it only activates the trap again. Metal darts once more fire from the walls, although only a few graze the nimble ifrit.
Alayi lets out a yelp in pain.
She limps back into the room, pulling a dart from her rear.
"So, anyone else good at finding traps?" She tosses the dart away before rubbing where she got shot. She speaks in a mumble, "I am so going to see about masterwork tools as soon as I can. Don't want to get shot in the rear by something worse."
"I am a travelling priestess and papyrus-maker. Traps are not my specialty," Satati points out, mentally reprimanding the Ifrit. "However, should you need it, I can tend to any wounds they inflict. Those are mere scratches, though." Rubbing her chin, she asks, "Could you try again? Perhaps learn from your mistakes?"
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Marcus shrugs. "It was not my idea for you to follow him so close. He is expendable, you are not." Turning to Satati, he comments, "I'm sure you won't be surprised to know that your healing arts will not help my guardian. Save them for the living."
He kneels, and inspects one of the darts. "We are fortunate these were not poisoned. Perhaps they were, once, and time has worn it away."
Marcus produces his set of tools. "Perhaps we should work together. I will wedge the plate open. See if you are able to reach the mechanism and jam it." As he begins his work, the rabbit doll on his shoulder hops down to the floor, taking a small mirror from the kit and using it to reflect the torchlight to provide a better view.
The doll on Marcus's shoulder jerks violently when the sand-creature is struck, though, as though feeling the impacts itself.
Darude does not seem to react to the darts, standing still on the far side of the corridor. The darts have punctured large holes in his sandy flesh, but his movements are as relentless as ever. After a moment, Marcus commands him to move to stand between him and the dart-shooters, and he shambles over.
Alayi sighs before she assists disabling the trap.
"Well, okay, but if I get hit on my rear again, I will be rightly upset. Also, the trap resets.
Aware that this is not her area of expertise (and certainly not in a position to be hit by even a single dart), the young woman keeps her distance. She looks at the carvings in more detail, trying to understand them.
With a click, the trap is disarmed. Opening the doors beyond reveals a foyer with two sets of stone double doors leading to the north and south. A faded tapestry hangs on a wooden frame on the western wall of this chamber. Faded and delicate, the banner depicts a middle-aged Akhentepi, accompanied by a woman and two children, with a small estate in the background. To either side of this are two small pedestals, upon which sit two dead and preserved cats.
Alayi moves up to the doors once the trap is disabled, then peers into the room, wary of any more traps that there may be.
Noticing the tapestry, she tries as best she can to figure out what it means.
Alayi turns back down the hallway to speak. "The trap has been disabled, but I am not sure about this room. It should be clear. Anyway, we got a tapestry in here that might have something related to Akhept- Akhet- Akhentepi. There are two preserved cats in here too. Kinda creepy."
Alayi tilts her head a bit to the side when she listens to Salomae explain Akhentepi.
"So this is a tomb for a military person, and not a family tomb? Well, that is good to hear. I would not want to go into a family tomb to loot, would just be wrong."
"None of us are 'looting,' Alayi," chides Marcus. "This is an archaeological expedition. The purpose is to learn of this man and the role he played in Osirion's history."
"This room seems clear. Either way..." Marcus once again commands Darude to march forth and stand by the north door, keeping the rest of the group out of the room until Darude has cleared the chamber.
Assuming it is all clear, Marcus takes time to inspect the mummified cats and carvings within, taking notes as he goes.
"It's eerily calm here. I feel as if we may encounter another obstacle soon."
"If that was the only defense the ancients thought Akhentepi's eternal rest deserved, I would be quite surprised," remarks Marcus from the other side of the room, crouching down to inspect a particular carving on the wall.
Alayi lowers her head slightly when Marcus chides her.
"Okay, poor choice of a word. But you know what I meant. So, any chance you can tell Mr Sandman to open the doors over there?" As she points to the northern doors. "Might as well see if anything can be lured into this big room. If there is anything." Alayi points with her scimitar tightly as she grimaces, rubbing where she was stuck with a dart.
"Do you suspect there to be something living here?"
"Bugs." Alayi shivers a little bit. "But there could be who knows what else could be here. Maybe the original owner of this tomb as well!" Alayi then sighs a bit, looks about the room with the tapestry again before speaking. "There might just be vermin, or a guardian we are not expecting."
Ninevekhti is still studying the carvings, ignoring the chatter from the others. Speculation about what might or might not be down here seems idle - either they will triumph, or not.
Eventually, she comes to the end of the hallway. "Interesting; the carvings depict Akhentepi at different times in his life. The ones in the hallway show him riding a chariot and commanding an army, although he still wields the scarab shield and wears the padded armor. It is not clear which particular battle this scene portrays."
Roused from his concentration by Alayi's suggestion, Marcus stands. "Yes, of course. Darude's time with us is limited, after all." He turns to the creature. "Open those doors," he commands, gesturing toward the north doors.
"Er... I agree Salomae." Alayi sighs after making her comment. "But I guess it is what might be expected? We are in the Half-Dead City. The Necropolis. So I wouldn't be surprised if we did see something like Mr Sandman walking around."
Alayi tries to peer around the corner of the room to look down the hallway that Mr Sandman opened.
"If the power of unlife does disturb Akhentepi's rest, we shall send him swiftly back to it," Marcus intones.
Darude pushes on the stone double doors, revealing a short set of stairs leading down to another set of doors. Behind those is room containing a brightly painted chariot mounted in the center. Beyond the vehicle, a large canvas stretches between two stone columns. The skins of several animals - antelopes, great cats, and crocodiles - now faded and deteriorated with age, are tacked to this fabric. A wooden chest, lacquered white and trimmed with gold inlay, sits in the southeast corner. In each corner of the room, a small stone shield is molded into the masonry at shoulder height. An open hallway leads to the east, ending in a room filled with more objects.
Alayi moves up next to Darude to look down the stairs for traps.
She crouches low to make sure there are no traps in sight.
Alayi doesn't find any traps.
Alayi stands from her crouch and turns to the rest of the party.
"Looks like there are no traps on the stairs. Mr Sandman can go down without having to worry about getting any more darts stuck in it."
Marcus once again sends Darude ahead of the group, only following after once the area seems to have been cleared. He has the sandy creature wait before entering the farthest chamber, though.
Marcus himself inspects the entryway into the chamber beyond the chariot room, but as usual, relies on Alayi's eyesight.
"That Chariot looks like it would be fun to ride. But I bet time worn it down to a flimsy bunch of wood at best." Alayi says as she moves pass to check the path to the room that Marcus and Darude were standing next to.
"Okay, lets see if there is anything we need to worry about." Alayi looks along the ceiling, walls, and then crouching on the floor to examine for any sort of traps.
Alayi stands up after examining the path ahead and turns to Marcus.
"Looks like it is clear, can you send Mr Sandman ahead again? I really do like it being the one that gets stabbed then me." As she says with a grimace.
"No one is going to be "stabbed", Alayi. A more pressing concern would be being crushed, or impaled. Or perhaps devoured by rats."
Alayi turns and gives Menedes a stern look before looking forward into the next room. She then looks at Darude, kinda appraising it before turning to Marcus. "So, how long does Mr Sandman stick around for anyway? It does seem very useful for the most part."
Four funerary masks hang on the north wall in the short hallway between the two rooms, staring as if in judgment of those who pass. The faces portray a bearded man, a woman, a lioness, and another man carved with the beard and crown of a pharaoh. Each of the masks is plated in gold.
Beyond the hall lies a square room containing a table displaying a three-dimensional diorama. With sculpted landscape and wooden statues, it portrays a battle between the forces of Wati and an unknown enemy. Three shields with different designs are displayed upon a rack against the east wall, while various weapons hang from another rack along the south wall. Arrayed around the room are five small chests and a clay urn.
Menedes examines the masks.
"Abadar and Pharasma, and two of the Old Gods. Sekhmet and Osiris, I believe."
Marcus again commands Darude to advance. "Stand by those urns."
Turning to Alayi, he responds. "Depends on how long he is needed. If I devote enough energy to it, I could maintain him for more than an hour. Such a lengthy summons would require much of my concentration, however."
"I see..." As Alayi appears thoughtful. She then turns to the room that Darude just went into, and walks into it to check it out for traps or anything unusual.
She then notices the diorama and walks over to it to check it out.
"Oh, this is cute, little toy soldiers! I wonder how much these might be sold for?" As she looks at the toy soldiers, she appraises them.
Ninevekhti follows the others at a cautious distance. Her gaze sweeps over the brightly painted chariot and the wooden chest. "Is anyone going to try to open that?" She points.
Moving onward, she regards the four funerary masks with some interest. "These first two carvings are Osiriani representations of the new gods Abadar and Pharasma; these last two represent Sekhmet the true Osiarian goddess of war - and Osiris the true Osiarian god of the afterlife."
She studies the diorama and the three shields, trying to decipher what they mean. She keeps a wary distance from the five small chests and the clay urn, uncertain as to what they contain.
Moments after Alayi asks her question, one of the toy soldiers swivels its head to look at the ifrit. Three others do the same, which is all the warning the Circle gets before they leap off of the table, miniature spears in hand. One stabs at Alayi, punching through her armor with the strength of a grown man.
The shields on the wall are likely trophies taken from defeated warlords, although the shield in the center, shaped like a scarab, looks like the shield carried by Akhentepi in every depiction you've seen so far.
Blinkig in surprise, Ninevekhti takes a prudent step back from the soldier menacing her, before muttering an invoication to Horus as she does so.
A winged creature appears from nowhere in the space now created between her and the nearest soldier: a celestial beast. It claws at the soldier.
In the temporary safety of the creature now protecting her, the arcanist looks at their enemy, trying to study them to determine what they are and any possible weaknesses.