Alzaar closely inspects the mummified animals and the area behind the tapestry.
Jalal studies the animals for the religious significance. "Perhaps it's a simple shrine. There may be little else to this."
"Wow, there is some beautiful work down here," the gnome oohs and aahs, as he looks at the animals and the tapestry.
Perception
The animals on the pedestal are mummified cats. Perhaps to accompany him on his journey to the Great Beyond?
Kakra takes a look at the tapestry and announces to the group that the various symbols and hieroglyphs suggest that Akhentepi’s family befell some tragedy, possibly murder or sickness, and he was left widowed.
Nothing else is of note in this chamber, other than the strangeness of it all.
Alzaar will inspect both sets of doors while the group decides.
Realizing this to be Akhentepi's family who died before he did, Jalal offers up prayers to the dead. He prays for the souls of Akhentepi's wife and children wherever their bones may lie. He prays for Pharasma and Anubis to look after their souls in the afterlife.
Standing, he looks at the others. "It can't hurt, right? At least pay some respect to the man's family. It's what sets us aside from common tomb robbers."
Alzaar finds no traps at either door and they are easily opened.
"We will have to end up clearing this whole place, but why don't we head to the north first? After we clear that area, we can come back and go to the south."
Alzaar will nod to Rhade, and slowly opne the door to the north, looking into the passagway to see what hideous thing is going to happen to him next.
I'm inclined to agree, Kakra, plus as Rhade said earlier, we are licensed by the city, after all.
"We are here on behalf of Pharasma to return lost relics to the world. The history of these deceased souls can remind us of ancient heroes and villains alike. Of course, it doesn't hurt to make a profit while we're at it..we won't be breaking down tapestries, busting statues or otherwise desecrating this sacred place. That is what separates us from tomb robbers, much like Jalal said."
"Precisely. We shall liberate items from the tombs of course but we shall do it with honor and respect. We will catalog things for the church and the city and make a profit doing so. Shall we?"
As long as I find out what kind of power the ancients possessed that was capable of destroying Rhade's and my last group, I'm ok with any of the rules. The dead do deserve our respect though. I'll not willingly desecrate anything, simply out of respect.
The north door opens without difficulty onto short stairways that descend to additional sets of doors. After checking them for traps and feeling safe, Alzaar leads you through the doors.
A brightly painted chariot sits in the center of this chamber. Beyond the chariot, 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 canvas. 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.
As you look down the hallway, you see four funerary masks hang on the walls of this short 10' long hallway, staring down as if in judgment at anyone standing in the corridor. You recognize Pharasma and Abadar as two of the masks.
At the end of the corridor, a table displaying a three-dimensional diorama occupies much of the north side of this room. 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.
"Oooo, this is what I'm talking about! Look at that chariot. It's beautiful." The gnome waits for Alzaar to check it for traps, but he was clearly ready to jump into the thing and look more closely at the craftsmanship.
Alzaar will check the chariot for any traps, seeing as Rhade is beside himself with excitement, and he's afraid Rhade may accidentally set something off in his giddiness.
He hen does the same thing for the chest, and the area surrounding it.
Look here! A chest, and quite possibly our first find of the expedition! Let me check it out for anything unpleasant before we open it...
Alzaar can tell time has taken its toll on the chariot, such that using it as a vehicle would be dubious at best (though a Make Whole spell would fully restore it). It is not trapped to the best of your ability to determine. As for the chest, it is quite beautiful and locked. You do not detect ant traps on it.
Knowledge (religion)
"I expect those masks spit fire. Or darts. or noxious fumes..and the chest looks like a trap too." Anka moves to the corner of the room where she can see the masks and away from the chest.
for traps on the masks.
Anka recognizes the masks of the other two gods as Osiris and Sekhmet, ancient gods of the afterlife and war, respectively. Anka detects no traps on the masks.
Alzaar sets to work on the chest, after cautioning Rhade.
Careful... It's not trapped, but it is in serious disrepair. I'll work on this and get it open.
Alzaar tries but the pick slips from his fingers at the last second and he cannot open the lock.
"Im in no hurry, Alzaar. Take your time and don't scuff that pretty chest. Between the chest, chariot and masks, there are some real antiquities down here."
Alzaar opens his pouch and pulls out a longer, and thinner piece of brass than he used previously, and gently slides it into the lock, using a smaller, round piece of wire to twist and pry the insides of the lock.
This might take a moment longer, please be patient. The craftsmanship in this tomb is amazing, I must say...
Alzaar disables the lock and opens the chest. Unfortunately, he fails to see until the last minute, the envenomed blade that pops out and nicks him!
Alzaar quickly reacts, as he was taught, and sucks the green poison out of the wound, before it can reach his bloodstream, and then spits it out. Other than the wound itself, no other harmful effects.
Inside the chest, are three potions that radiate magic. Also inside the chest are two books with thin, gold-plated metal sheets for pages. The first is a brief biography of Akhentepi, and the second is a list and description of the various military campaigns conducted by the nation of Osirion between 2350 and 2450 AR. Nothing else inside.
Owww! How did I miss that?! Alzaar yelps when the blade slices his hand, and he jumps backward and begins treating his poisonous wound. When he's done, he wraps the cut in a small strip of cloth from his backpack and peers into the chest with the rest of the group, tossing the potions to Kakra and the books to Rhade.
Think you know what these could be, Kakra? He asks, and then turns to Rhade. Here, these are right up your alley. They look valuable, too.
"Let me see those." Jalal closes his eyes for a moment and when he opens them, they flash blue for a split second. He peers at the potion vials.
Afterwards, he turns his attention to the biography of Akhentepi. "This would fetch an excellent price from just the gold, but being such an artifact, it could well be worth several times that."
Jalal identifies two of the potions as Cure light wounds but cannot make out the last one.
Kakra is able to recall her spellcraft training and determine it is a Potion of Darkvision.
Rhade detects magic, making sure there was no more magic hidden in the chest. "Glad you are okay, Alzaar, me boy! Be careful down here.". The gnome takes a look at the biography, seeing if it might give any clues to other traps down here. "This whole place is one big trap...I wonder if everyone else is finding the same thing?"
"The other masks are for ancient Osirion gods, Osiris and Sekhmet."
Coming over and glancing over Rhade's head at the books, Anka whistles. "Yes, I do not doubt a collector or museum would pay well for those. Beautiful and full of knowledge. The metal would have stored the information in good condition."
She'll look to the masks and take a hesitant step forward, then pause. "Do you think the shields are anything important?" She'll ask while pointing to the shields in the corners of the room.
Alzaar slowly makes his way down the hall, checking it for traps and nasty surprises, heading toward the racks of shields and weapons.
I really hope those chests aren't trapped... So far, this place has beaten me at almost every turn...
The books are heavy and each weighs about 25 pounds and you can tell they are valuable if sold to a collector. The shields are actually just torch holders.
Alzaar heads down the hallway past the masks but thankfully, for him, they are just decorations and nothing fires from them. However, when he approaches within 15' of the shields and weapons, at the edge of his light, Alzaar sees three tiny wooden dolls in the diorama spring to life and start to move toward him to attack!
Round 1: Chucky attack!
The three dolls, no taller than 6 inches each, rush Jalal and enter his square and jam him with their fists and/or spears! Alzaar cries out as he is repeatedly struck, his blood flying everywhere, as he collapses to the ground in a heap of bloody mess! The dolls look up and see who their next target will be!
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Seeing the tiny dolls stab Alzaar repeatedly, Jalal screams an ancient battle cry. He draws his kopesh and rushes the little dolls.
"Alzaar! Shit, talk about unlucky. Jalal, don't go rushing them, them! We can hold them off at the-- " Anka sighs and trails off as the oracle rushes past the masks and toward the dolls.
Rather than rushing headlong into combat, Anka draws her blade and spins it around in her hand. Her eyes turn black and a thin flicker of black mist rises from her blade.
Rhade moves forward 5', taking the spot Jalal abandoned. "If we let them come to us, I can try to burn them!" He dared not move any closer, seeing the havoc they had unleashed on Alzaar!
Anka's arcane training reveals that the warrior dolls are most likely tiny animated objects (constructs). As such, they have darkvision 60 feet; immunity to all mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, patterns, and phantasms); immunity to bleed, disease, death effects, necromancy effects, paralysis, poison, sleep effects, and stunning; and they do not breathe, sleep, or eat.
Round 2: Chucky attack continues!
The warrior dolls 5' step into Jalal's square and the elf lashes out with his sword, but the dolls are small and agile and they evade the blow!
The three dolls then enter F2 and attack the elf, punching him once!
"I have them!" Jalal yells. He slashes at one of the tiny dolls with his kopesh, then he backs up towards the rest of the group.