Ishia produces one of her scrolls of summon monster from her pack, just in case there is danger in the next room.
It appears that much of the banter goes over Petra's head (she's a dwarf! Haha!) but she is vaguely aware there is banter happening, and directs slightly confused glares back at the banterers as she looks up from examining the shortbow and its long-rotted bowstring. Not a bad weapon, but she fears she would be unable to draw it. The dead man was mighty, in life.
"This is no place for jesting," the dwarf complains, gesturing to the statue of Anubis (to whom she duck a brief-but-reverent head). This is likely to be a complaint she will reiterate many times to come in the days ahead.
With her own bow retrieved, Petra follows in the center of the group. She draws her keffiyeh more closely around her head, having been discomfited by the sight of her own burnt visage gazing back at her from the mirror.
Petra sobers the mood and the group decides not to leave a room on their floor unchecked. It turns out this was a wise decision, because...
Pillars line the walls of this rectangular chamber, interspersed with stone jackal heads extending from the walls. A stone altar, covered in a layer of dust, sits at the eastern end of the room. To the west, a set of stone double doors stands slightly ajar.
Two tan-colored creatures resembling ten-legged spiders scuttle out from behind the altar and attack, their oversized jaws grinding together slowly beneath beady eyes.
Mirri
Ishia
Petra
Say'ri
Ibrahim
Combat! First up: Ishia, Say'ri
Blue
Petra, Mirri
Red
Ibrahim, Ishia, Say'ri
These vermin are solifugids and are vicious predators, with sharp claws and teeth (bite and two claw attacks)
Above, plus when they get ahold of their victims they can rend their prey’s flesh (rend).
The funerary masks on the walls depict Anubis, patron of embalmers and guardian of tombs.
You find tracks in the dust on the floor similar to those from the mirror room.
Mirri just shook her head with a low (for a small, slightly squeaky-voiced female halfling) chuckle as Petra reinforced her grumpy image. Say'ri's hair mussing elicited a feigned-indignation Hey! from Mirri as the burglar went to work searching the east door for traps. Finding none, she waived the group through.
After Say'ri opens the door, Mirri began checking the floor just inside the room for traps as the two spider-beasts rushed forward.
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This time Say'ri is much better prepared for combat, with both khopesh and shield ready in front of her. The spider-creatures are unpleasant to look at but don't seem too fast. Say'ri grins, this she can do.
"Ibrahim, Petra with me!"
As she calls she breaks into a sprint towards the nearest spider (blue), aiming a mighty blow between its milky eyes.
Her new khopesh slices right through the spider like a knife through butter, slicing into two eyes and onwards to remove four of its legs in a spray of blood and viscera.
Ishia's foresight was good--seeing two vicious predators in the newly-opened room, she intones a spell from her scroll, seeking to summon celestial aid.
Say'ri charges into the fray, nearly cutting one of the vermin in half. It rears up in its death throes, trying to bite Say'ri but only clamping down on her new shield before it collapses. Akhentepi's weapons seem to live up to his legacy...
Next up: Petra, Mirri
Red
Party
Petra grimly moves forward past Mirri and sends an arrow at the remaining spider-ish beast. "Get out of this place sacred to Anubis."
Momentarily distracted while looking for traps, Mirri froze like a wild animal for a brief moment as the spiders appeared. Say'ri racing forward and cutting one of the beasts in half shook her out of it though, and she quickly grabbed her sling and proceeded to whip a bullet at the remaining opponent. Whizzing across the room, the bullet lands squarely in one of the spider's many eyes.
1 +
Mirri's shot is just wide but Petra's finds its mark, the arrow burying deep into one of the beast's eyes. It responds with a flurry of attacks, biting Say'ri's already wounded leg. When she stumbles backward from the pain the creature slashes her unprotected neck, sending arterial spray everywhere as the stout warrior falls to the ground, unconscious and bleeding to death.
Next up: Party (Ibrahim goes first technically, then Ishia's summons pops in and gets to attack, then party).
Distracted by noticing tracks on the floor, Ibrahim reacts a split-second too slowly when the action happens, and Sayri pays the price. Gritting his teeth, the warrior leaps into the fray to protect his comrade.
"Sayri! Medic! Now!"
Ishia continues her incantation, calling upon the powers of the heavens to send them assistance. The air near the solifugid begins to shimmer and distort, and from the darkness steps forth--a tiny paw, and then another, as the shadows coalesce into a frog, smaller than Mirri or even the insect before them--it is only notable because its skin is like the starry sky, constellations shifting across its body.
The frog hops forward towards the solifugid; the creature is mostly preoccupied with Sayri, and does not notice it's approach. The frog's tongue darts out at the insect, but as it is far bigger and heavier than the frog, it is not dragged towards the frog--instead, the frog is propelled towards the insect, and when it reaches it its jaw bites down on the leg its tongue attached to.
The summoned frog launches itself with reckless abandon and drops the spider-thing next to its mate, twitching and dying.
Petra hurries to Say'ri's side, hand outstretched.
"Anubis, it is not yet time for this one to pass!"
Grunting, Petra then more leisurely pulls out a scroll and reads it over Say'ri's body.
Once Sayri has been attended to by Petra, Ishia draws her second scroll of summon monster and follows behind the others down the stairs they had passed before.
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Say'ri finds herself standing alone in the previous chamber. The room is empty except for the doors and the mirror which stands in front of her. In it she sees the form of Akhentepi, not the young warrior but the older grizzled general. He looks her up and down and nods once.
Say'ri quirks an eyebrow at this. "Coming adventures? I assume since we're having this conversation my adventures are done."
The general smiles outright this time. "Yes, I do like you, you have the soul of a true Osirian. For what it is worth I name you heir to Akhentepi - now return. Lord Anubis is not ready for you yet."
As he speaks a light glows from one side of the room and Say'ri feels herself being pulled sideways, back past the faint outlines of Mirri and Ibrahim and into her own body once more. As she opens her eyes al'Janah screeches triumphantly. Instinctively reaching for her throat she finds no trace of the gash the solifugid left there. When she tries to stand however her leg gives way and she finds herself back where she was on the floor.
"Thanks everyone. I don't think I'm going to be a lot of use with my leg like this though." She looks round, trying to muster a smile for Mirri although it comes out more like a grimace.
Petra's face is drawn into a concerned grimace. "... I am only an acolyte in Anubis's service," she says with an embarrassed duck of her head. "My own prayer was not... very potent."
"Has anyone else any means for the healing of the injured?"
Petra unrolls a second scroll and reads it over Say'ri in a hoarse mumble, again petitioning the Guardian of the Tomb for life's blessings, so that Say'ri may not join the endless rest yet.
Mirri had visibly cringed as the 2nd spider creature ripped into Say'ri, leaving the woman crumpled in a growing pool of blood. This (she told herself) caused her shot to go wide. Fortunately, Petra followed through with a well-placed arrow. The frog that finished the spider was surprise...magic is just weird!...but Ishia's spell worked like a charm: the spider was dead and the frog winked back out of existence like it was never there.
As the combat subsided, Mirri rushed over to Say'ri with the rest of the group, but unlike Petra had little to offer in way of aid. Is..is she dead? Petra's spell casting told the halfling that Say'ri still lived, but just. Mirri ignored Petra's apologies though as the combined magic of spell and scroll brought Say'ri back to consciousness. Yea! You did it! The halfling then threw her arms around the dwarf in a full-on hug of thanks. She then quickly turned back to the human woman, helping her up as best she could. Mirri offered her a weak smile in exchange for Say'ri's grimace of pain. Yep, you'll be all better soon...no need to worry!
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Say'ri breathes a sigh of relief as the glow washes over her for a second time, the bloody gash down her leg sealing itself, leaving behind a spectacular bruise. She pushes off from the floor and manages to stand securely this time.
Looking down at the bruise she shrugs "That's from the dolls earlier. I can fight like this - we'd best conserve our resources for a bit." After retrieving her khopesh and shield she murmurs briefly before heading for the door.
Breathing a sigh of relief that Say'ri is brought back from the brink of death, the group presses on, but stops suddenly at a warning from Petra.
She's seen stonework before, and her share of sand, and the sand at the bottom of the stairs is too...serpentine.
A moment after Petra's warning, the sand coalesces into a monstrous shape as some elemental force rises to strike!
Next up: Mirri, Say'ri
Sandling
Party
Mirri
Ishia
Petra
Say'ri
Ibrahim
This elemental is resistant to bladed weapons (DR 5/Bludgeoning)
Above, plus: Water can harden the sandling, making it sluggish (Vulnerable to water)
Above two spoilers, plus: As a creature of Earth and sand, it can navigate the soil easily (burrow speed and tremorsense).
"An elemental! Your blades will pass right through it--and be wary, it can hide itself beneath the soil and will still be able to sense you on the ground. Water--water could slow it down!" shouts Ishia as the sand rears up to attack them.
In the now, Petra gaped, her reactions slower than the rest of the group.
Mirri either did not notice or did not care as Petra reacted awkwardly to the halfling's hug, and both were quickly on to the next area with the rest of the band. No one seemed interested in dallying in the mirror room. Moving through the next door again, she eyed Petra warily as the dwarf stopped and gave an odd look to the stonework. Mirri knew that look, it was the same in almost anyone and it usually meant something bad was about to happen. In a blink the halfling's sling was in her diminutive hands. As the sand creature rose up, she dimly heard the calls to throw water on it. Water is precious, bullets, not so much Sticking with her instinctual plan, she whipped a bullet at the creature as it forms.
1+
Mirri launches a sling bullet at the creature as it forms, blasting a handful of sand off the creature's face. Say'ri slashes deeply but the sword passes through without inflicting any damage.
The creature strikes without hesitation, delivering a would-be devastating blow if not for Akhentepi's shield!
Next up: Party
Petra hurriedly draws the flail of Anubis and thrusts it forward. "Will this help?"
Trying to figure out what "general" Sayri is murmuring about, Ibrahim is yet again caught unawares and is late into the fray.
Seeing Petra start to advance, he snaps to attention and calls out:
"Here Petra, fall back and use these. I was never to great with them myself, but they should do the trick. Me and Sayri can distract the beast!"
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Scanning the creature desperately for any weak spots Say'ri drops her khopesh and thrusts one hand out behind her as Akhentepi's shield rings with the force of the sand creatures blow. Petra slaps the flail into her hand and Say'ri brings it up in a brutal underhand blow just as al'Jannah launches himself at the snakes head, bursting through the cloud of sand to no effect.
Say'ri's blow on the other hand strikes the sand monster underneath it's head sending a great spray of sand across the corridor.
Al' Jannah flies towards the sandling's head, trying to distract it, but the force of nature is ready for the bird. It's sand jaws snap shut, crunching feather and bone and dropping the bird to the ground.
Say'ri uses the moment to her advantage, pulverizing a substantial chunk of the elemental's mass while Ibrahim uses his blade to the best of his ability.
Still up: Ishia and Mirri
Ishia watches as her allies attack the creature of sand--and a realization occurs to her. Ishia was quite familiar with elementals--and unlike the creatures they had fought before, it was not mindless. Her spells might actually be able to affect it. Unfortunately, her line of sight was blocked by the Ibrahim and Sayri--if she were to cast her spell, one of them would be caught in its effect. Biting her lip, Ishia moves forward regardless--if this worked, then the time it bought them would be worth accidentally effecting one of them. She looked at Ibrahim and then at Sayri--well, she had only just met Ibrahim...
As she approaches Ibrahim and the sandling, Ishia motions her hands in the air, whispering in Ancient Osirion--and then a blast of flashing lights spreads forth from her arms that launches at Ibrahim and the monster.
Ishia calls upon her magic to once again launch a bolt of bubbling green fluid at the sandling attacking them.
The sand creature was barely holding itself together after the force of Say'ri's strike. Ishia finishes the job decisively, blasting apart the elemental with a glob of acid. Where once the sandling stood is only a small patch of molten glass.
Petra blinks warily at the elemental falling before she has a chance to so much as attempt the blunted arrows. She hurries forward to the little bird, feeling at its tiny pulse and one cracked wing with her own thick fingers.
"...the bird is dying," Petra informs Say'ri in a grunt, her eyes, dark and serious, flickering up to the warrior-woman's face.
"I can call upon Anubis and our scrolls again, but what we use now, we may not have in the future. Already you have nearly died, Say'ri. Anubis preserves those who are careful with their own lives, and do not squander his gifts."
"I admire your bird's tenacity. What can I do to help?"
As the sand creature dissipated, Mirri breathed an audible sigh of relief. The element of surprise (or at least quick action) had allowed her an opening to injure the foe, but the halfling realized that she had little to offer afterward. Thankfully Ishia's spell put paid to that concern.
Mirri's exhale was almost thoroughly drowned out by Say'ri's scream as she cradled her familiar's mortally wounded form. The halfling frowned a bit as first Petra and then Ibrahim came forward to try to save the bird. She then shrug and walked forward next to the distraught human woman.
Ah, Say'ri, I'm sorry about your bird. But don't you worry! I know just the place in Midwife where they sell hawks and such like this. With all these valuables we can buy you any bird we want!
Actually believing her words would be soothing, she added, So, we ready to move on? The question was phrased rhetorically, and Mirri spoke while searching the area around and just past the sand creature for traps to allow such to happen.
Though al'Jannah's breathing is ragged, he clings to life desperately and his condition seems to stabilize for the time being.
Say'ri places her familiar gently in her pocket and the group continues.
A tapestry hangs from a frame against the south wall of this large chamber; it depicts an otherworldly vista where the souls of the dead, shepherded by strange beings, enter an ethereal river ambling through space toward a landscape dominated by an impossibly tall spire. Columns sculpted in the shape of Osirian warriors wielding khopeshes stand in all four corners of the room. The floor is tiled in a white spiral pattern on a black background, and this spiral pattern is repeated on the stone double doors to the north, east, and west.
Mirri searches for any hidden signs of danger and finds none, but discerns that the northern and western doors are locked.