"Wow, now these are some interesting items right here. Collectors will fight over that urn, I'd wager. And that scarab is quite beautiful, isn't it? We are getting deeper into the vault. I'd expect the traps and guardians to get even more lethal, though," the little gnome warns.
Alzaar speaks ominously.
No kidding. I haven't found any traps down that passageway, but they way this place has been, I don't even trust me on that...
He crouches at the door, using the hand mirror to try and see under it if possible, and listens intently for a few moments.
Jalal moves in after Alzaar. "Just no more cockroaches, ok?"
Alzaar opens the door. A sarcophagus covered in gold leaf rests on a raised stone platform in the center of this chamber. The casket’s cover is
carved the likeness of an adult man with his arms crossed over his chest, and covered in thick coat of dust. Two ornate chests sit beyond the dais in the northeast and southeast corners, and between them stand two large funerary urns.
Alzaar's keen ears pick up movement from behind the sarcophagus and he is not surprised when a small, metallic cobra appears, its body made of overlapping iron plates and its eyes pinpoints of red light.
Rhade moves forward 10' and launches a little glob of acid at the cobra.
Ranged touch
Damage
Which square Rhade?
Rhade's acid glob hits, melting some of the scales off the construct. The cobra moves up to E1 and attacks the wizard, biting him in the arm, injecting its poison!
Round 1: Iron Cobra
When the snake lunges forward and bites Rhade, Alzaar shouts
Rhade! Get out of there!
He then darts down the room, nimbly leap/sliding over the sarcophagus, and to the back wall, where he sends his whip snaking toward the metal serpent, intending to yank it away from his friend.
Frt save
"eh! I feel a bit woozy...
Rhade again tries to hit with his acid.
Ranged touch
Damage
"A golem! Or..kind of." Anka tries to identify any of the creature's weaknesses. She then moves forward, swinging her blade with both hands. for
to confirm for an extra
Jalal leaps up onto the sarcophagus, bringing his sword down onto the metal snake.
Fort save
Fort save maybe takes a minus one on this one, depending on last save.
Fort save maybe takes a minus one or a minus two depending on last two saves.
"Anyone want to check that sarcophagus for traps? That might be the mother lode of items in there. And we still have that one room that was trapped that we avoided, if I remember correctly. Do we want to clean that one out as well?"
Alzaar takes his time searching the room for traps and hidden treasures. He leaves no stone unturned, no crack in the walls or floor uninvestigated.
Be wary. If this is indeed the final resting place, there are likely to be more guards than a simple metal snake...
"I suspect you're correct, Alzaar. They wouldn't leave his final room with only a small golem. And Rhade, we'll want to clean out the entire tomb. Leaving any part of it un-investigated goes against what the Church expects of us!"
Jalal casts Detect Magic and sweeps the room.
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Alzaar finds no traps so with assistance, he lifts the sarcophagus lid. Inside the sarcophagus, Akhentepi’s mummified corpse wears an exquisitely crafted gold funerary mask worth 500 gp.
One of the chests contains Akhentepi’s armor, the magic suit of padded armor he wore in life (See Discussion Thread). The other chest holds a disintegrating cloth sack filled with 500 gp, as well as a small, well-preserved darkwood coffer worth 50 gp. Inside the coffer is a potion of darkvision, a potion of lesser restoration, an ornate lapis and carnelian pendant worth 70 gp, and an assortment of carnelian, lapis lazuli, and turquoise semiprecious stones worth a total of 55 gp.
Jalal is stunned with pleasure when he sees the gold and gems. "Pharaoh's blessing! Look at all this! And we even passed up other chests we haven't even opened yet! We should hire some men to help us remove everything."
"Definitely. A small crew would be worth hiring to help with transport. We need to catalog everything beforehand. Sticky fingers and all..."
I do believe we are the professionals, but I agree as well. There is far too much here for us to carry out. Even the chests here have monetary value...
He trails off as he looks into one of the gems, and then sighs with pleasure before tossing it into the air, catching it, and smiling to Rhade.
Well Rhade, it seems like our past is finally behind us. No more Rhade's folly, but instead our success will be the words spoken of us!
Rhade grimaces at the words of his friend. "Ah um, yes...with luck that will be the last time those words are spoken," he smiles meekly.
Yeah.... Me too. he shrugs his shoulders as he raises to a standing positions, having secured the valuables from the chest and grins. I think, tonight we shall have quite the feast, hmm?
"Tonight? Feasting, drinks, and who knows what other tomfoolery we might be able to get into!". He glances around at the ladies. "Respectful fun, of course," he adds with a flourish.
Anka pauses, staring at the treasure heap with wide eyes. "There's...there's just so much of it. We're going to be rich!" For a moment, she forgets the reason for the visit and just laughs before shaking her head.
"The Church will be very pleased. I'd...prefer if we sell these artifacts to people who will understand their importance and not just melt down the gold."
"Of course, Anka. Those who would truly appreciate the fineries we have discovered. Those should be our target market. Not just the boorish gold-hungry masses."
"Quite right. The Church should have choice to acquire any artifacts they desire. At a fair price, of course. But then we should be able to sell what we wish."
"Now, let's find us some workers to help remove things before the night is through. Rhade has promised tomfoolery, and I fully intend to partake!"
"That's what I like to hear!" Rhade extends his fist, ready for a fist bump.
Alzaar laughs at the exchange, and says
Jalal, you struck me as a more... serious sort. Now I'm looking forward to our celebrations tonight!
He puts the more valuable items in his pack, securing them tightly, and starts to lead the group out of the tomb.
No need to leave behind the more tempting items... Let's grab anything we missed and get back to the city!
A few hours later, after completely searching through the Tomb and secure that you have collected its treasures, mapped the place and disarmed its traps (or at least noted where they are), you exit back to civilization. A representative of the Church of Pharasma meets with you, catalogs and appraises your treasures, and advises you that the Church will happily buy the relics from you. You make arrangements on what you're going to sell or keep.
By the time you're done with the Church, it is late in the afternoon and you retire to the Tooth and Hookah to celebrate. At the inn, there are other adventurers boasting as to their exploits and relating stories of their adventures.
You see representatives of the Cryptfinders (all hail from Inner Sea region), Daughters of the Desert (all female group), Dog Soldiers (all halfling group), Sand Scorpions (band of 4 cutthroats from the look of it), and Scorched Hand (group of 4 in pursuit of knowledge).
You hear a few claps when you walk in, as a bell rings! "Another group survived!" screams the barkeep. The patrons drink and go back to telling their stories.
A rather handsome human who hails from Absalom by the name of Falto, leader of the Cryptfinders, grabs everyone's attention. "Well, we were assigned the tomb of an important government official and you should see the wealth we found, after we defeated a mummy inside the tomb. It was dangerous but we persevered!" He raises his glass to the tavern and basks in the admiration from the other patrons. He looks to the party for your reaction.
"Defeating a mummy is pretty impressive, no doubt. But you should have seen the many traps that our tomb had all over the place. It took all our scout could do to keep us safe from harm! Electricity,,acid, falling rocks, everything you could imagine. And the vermin! Bugs as big as this bar defending the tomb. I bet it could have swallowed three mummies and had room for more! Quite a harrowing experience, believe you me," Rhade boasts, stretching the truth a bit. Or a lot.
Alzaar thoughtfully draws on a hookah while pondering the man's claim, and then speaks after Rhade.
It takes mighty string magic to create a mummy, no? You must have had a really high profile set of ruins to explore... As my friend Rhade said, we encountered mostly vicious traps, and more than a few golems, the last being a giant cobra! There many times we were nearly overcome, and would have been had it not been for our healers here. Our might proved the stronger though. Our wits as well. And you should see the treasures we brought back!
He pulls one of the gems out of his belt, and holds it high, the light striking it and casting a red tint over the entire room.
To think... This was the smallest of them all, and only a fraction of our haul!
He winks at Rhade when he's done.
"A mummy? For real, Falto? With wrappings and everything?" Jalal just shakes his head and laughs. "You're lucky to be alive. Rhade has the right of it. Giant bugs in one room and swarm of vicious cockroaches in another."
Jalal stands to show off his new shield. "And this was a shield worn by the great General Akhentepi himself. May his spirit protect me as well." Invoking the name of the General, Jalal thinks he sees something out of the corner of his eye, but when he turns it isn't there. He nods to some absent spirit next to him and takes a drink of ale.