Huge stone panels line the walls of the northern chamber, each depicting a carved scene, but all of the panels have been damaged or defaced in some way. Hundreds of footprints crisscross the dusty floor. Two doors exit the room to the south.
The party will determine that this room pays tribute to Nargrym’s life and deeds, carved as images into the stone wall panels. The images primarily commemorate Nargrym’s battles, but the final panel depicts his tragic betrayal and murder. You will notice that someone has chiseled out Nargrym’s eyes in every single image. An engraved bronze plaque above each panel identifies the illustrated deeds with Dwarven titles, such as “The Slaying of Drogmalak the Terrible” and “Victory at Hrothbad’s Mines.” The final plaque is covered in dried fecal matter, rendering the title illegible.
Anga recasts detect magic and looks at the plaque. If nothing is detected she, using prestidigitation, cleans the plaque to read it. If magic is detected she tries to work it out.
Ragnir's face reddens with anger at seeing the carvings defaced, Who'd be goin' about doin' this! They'll be meetin' the business end o' me axe t'be sure." He runs a reverent hand over some of the carvings and sighs, saying quietly, "I'll be seein' ye restored.."
After Anga cleans the plaque, it reads in Dwarvish characters, “The Betrayal of Lokmorr.” She will not find anything that radiates magic in the room.
Lokmorr, was Nargrym's best friend. Who through jelousy and spite ended up stabbing him in the back, if I recall who was who properly.
Leira does not find anything of use on the engravings, but she checks the room nevertheless for secret doors and other details left behind.
Then while others discuss about Nargrym's deeds she checks the SE door and unlocks or disables traps if needed.
Ingrahild will look at the floor, "Very peculiar. Thar feet prints are all the same size, as if from the same feet."
Leira will not find either a trap or a lock on the southeast door.
tombs are unquiet places at the best of times. Let's be about this.
Ragnir casts an eye at Ingrahild, Can ye be trackin' the footprints out o' this place, so we can follow this betrayer?
Ulfgard smiles."I can do! Let me check!
If the tracking fails, Leira just opens the southern door and goes in once everyone is prepared.
"Let's see what lays behind"
Ingrihild will study the tracks, "Thar mostly be goin' to and fro thar door." She points to the southeast door.
Leira opens the door to see a twenty foot long hallway, leading to another chamber . Four statues of idealized dwarves stand against the walls of this chamber, next to stone fonts. A dusty film covers the fonts, and their basins are inscribed with Dwarven runes. A massive stone panel on the room’s eastern wall bears a bas-relief likeness of dwarven warrior garbed in a suit of scale male and wielding an oversized spear. The carved figure is unadorned with the exception of its right hand, which is leafed with silver.
Ingrahild will recognize the basic relief stone panel as being of Nargrym at the pinnacle of his fame.
Leira will notice a small gap between the stone panel and the wall. It is a secret door.
These be the statues of Torag, and his younger siblings.
He then points out each as he labels them.
Angradd, the Forge Fire, Dranngvit, goddess of Vengance, and his older brother Magrim, the Taskmaster, guardian of the underworld.
Haskyll makes the basic dwarven observance with each, and then looks at the runes carved into each statue.
Anga looks at the statues. Then nods her head in respect.
Kaos will not find anything that radiates magic in this chamber.
Ingrahild will look at the tracks, "Thar tracks be all over, from both doors to Nargrym's stone panel."
"Look what I found, this seems a secret door" Leira points to the hidden panel and slides it open.
"We should have a look there before continuing"
Ragnir follows Haskyll's lead and makes the ritualistic signs for each of the statues, paying special reverence to the statue of Torag, reading the blessings for each.
Now let's go be cleavin' in the skull o' whate'er blighter i'is tha' be defilin' this place!
Haskyll turns and looks at the others after Ragnirs statement.
I Agree, let us be removing or crushing the head of those that defiled this place.
Kaos and Leira notice a corridor that leads to steps heading down.
Leira does not detect a trap.
Leira feels full of pride when Kaos compliments her skills, she advances and keeps looking as she has made before "Let me be your eyes here" as she descends the corridor with the warrior.
Haskyll follows along with the group, keeping an ear out, while leading the mule even deeper into the tomb.
Ingrihild, Umlo and Droja follow deeper into the Tomb.
Ragnir follows the group down into the tomb.
Ulfgard happily trots along, his best friend resting on his shoulder. Well the other best friend.
Anga follows along, ah wonder how far this tomb extends?
Leira checks for traps as she ventures deeper into the tomb. She will not find any along the stairs or the door at the bottom. The party follows along. Haskyll is slowed a little by helping the mule through the narrow stairway. The door at the bottom is partially open. When the party goes in they find two wide alcoves flanking the eastern portion of this room, the floor of which is inlaid with the symbol of an ornate warhammer. Each alcove contains a large iron brazier and is crammed with a variety of baubles and trinkets. Beyond the alcoves, the chamber narrows and a flight of wide steps climb to a vaulted recess. A great stone sarcophagus, its lid pushed to one side, lies in this space beneath a large translucent panel in the ceiling above. You saw this area through the translucent panel from above. A smaller alcove stands on either side of the stone coffin. The northern alcove holds a five-foot-tall iron cage, its bars bent and twisted out of shape, while the southern alcove contains an elaborate iron candelabra covered with drippings of dried purple and red wax, which holds dozens of melted candle stubs. You are in the tomb of Nargrym Steelhand.
"I wonder what all those candles and iron cages stand for" asks Leira looking at Haskyll for perhaps some religious ritual explanation.
"Let me check the way" the girl advances and looks the way to the sarcofagus is clean.
Once next to the coffin she takes all the time to check it out.
I know of no reason right now for all of these candles. unless they are to allow someone to remember him.
But what I am more worried about is that cage.
Haskyll points his spear in the direction of the destroyed cage.
He looks around with interest as he slowly approaches to sarcophagas.
Haskyll and Ragnir both will quickly identify the inlaid Warhammer on the floor as the symbol of Torag.
Leira study's the remains of Nargrym Steelhand. She is disturbed by her findings. Although the skeletal corpse still wears armor, its right arm ends in a stump and Nargrym’s legendary steel hand is nowhere to be seen. A heavy helm lies next to the shattered pieces of the giantslayer’s skull. Leira notices that the dwarf ’s beard seems to have been crudely hacked off and that many of the bones are damaged and even display tooth marks. Even more disturbing, all of these injuries were made post-mortem, suggesting deliberate desecration of the corpse.
Stashed around the alcoves with the braziers the party will find in the northeast alcove a rolled up carpet. In the southeast alcove there are a pair of boots, a clay vase on an iron stand sculpted to look like a coiled dragon, three chunks of azurite, a golden yellow topaz, and a small leather-embossed casket holding 2 pp, 35 gp, and 150 sp.
Kaos will note that the boots radiate magic. But he will also note that the scale armor, still worn by Nargrym Steelhand, radiates magic too. You will recognize that this thick coat of scale mail is crafted from waxy cales of varying sizes with a sickly, jaundiced color—the grime-stained fingernails of dead hill giants.
Suddenly the party hears from up the stairs a scraping sound follow by a loud "thud." This is quickly followed by a click. Kaos continues to have his bad feeling.
Someone be there Anga said, spinning.
Anga will not receive a reply. She does not hear or notice anyone on the stairs leading up.
Looking at the items Ulfgard kneels down.
"Mighty Nagrym, ancestor hero of the past, we came to your tomb to find those mighty weapons of giant destruction to again use them to wreak havoc on those foul beasts. Give us your blessings, so that we can use them to slay them, coat them again in their blood, and cry victory cries in your name!"
Umlo will look at Ulfgard, "Aye. The great Nargrym Steelhand would approve that we use whatever we can to defeat the rise of the Giants in our time. It honors him."
Ulfgard will have a sense of peace with the decision.
I don't like the fact that these bones have been chewed on. I suspect ghouls
Haskyll starts looking around hard for anything, and is startled by the noise.
I think we have been sealed in. but let no one check alone.
Haskyll wraps the sharp bits in a blanket, then into a sack.
He then drops all the coins statuary and the rug into the bag.
Nagrand Steelhand, we implore that your spirit stay at rest, as we have to use these items to lay the scourge of giants to rest again.
Kaos will recognized the boots as Boots of the Winterlands.
Haskyll will know a little about the Giant’s Nail Scale Mail. Legend has it that Nargrym Steelhand himself crafted this scale mail coat from fingernails pried from the hands of hill giants he had slain.
Kaos heads back up the stairs, but the doorway out has been sealed.
Brandark will notice that the door has a tight stone seal with no visible handles or mechanism to open the door from this side.
Brandark and Kaos will push on the door, but it will not budge. The door is locked, and apparently the mechanism is on the other side.
Suddenly a loud tapping comes from the glass over Nargrym Steelhand's sarcophagus. A wild-eyed Dwarf stands above the glass tapping it with the butt of a massive spear. He appears to laughing and pointing at the party below, as if taunting the party.
Someone in the party will notice that he has a steel hand.
"Jolly good, you came to give us the items we are looking for. Now be a good boy and hand them over, before you hurt yourself!"
Looks like we be findin' our graverobber. Ragnir looks up Get yer scrawny, flea ridden arse down here so we c'n be usin' the weapons the way Nargrym be intendin'
it's nay problem. I can dimension door us out.
She points at the spear wielder.
hand it over! she says, then snickers.
oh, that's funny
There be ways to get out
Haskyll comments
He then looks at the grave robber
He looks awful handsy with that gear that is not his
Haskyll drops the lead to the mule and moves up to the party.
Torag grant us your servants an assist at this time.