Petra gazes over the little hawk as its chest rises and falls in shallow fashion. "...I think it will live," she says solemnly.
She takes up her place in the group again, flail back at her belt, bow in hand, waiting for Mirri to open doors.
Mirri's deft hands get the job done quickly, unlocking both doors without incident.
Ibrahim breathes a sigh of relief at Petra's assessment of al Janah. He holds out his quiver for Petra to take some ammo before slinging it across his back. Scimitar in one hand and sunrod in the other, he looks around and tries to remain cheery.
"Right is always right, right?"
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"I suggested that we turn right as a general rule. It makes sense to me." Say'ri has been even more solemn than usual since al'Jannah nearly died, although she does make a point of returning Petra's flail with thanks. Readying shield and khopesh she gently pushes open the northern door once Mirri has unlocked it and stepped back.
The center of this large octagonal room is a raised square platform a few inches above the floor, with a stone pillar at each corner. A gold-trimmed sarcophagus sits in the center of the platform, flanked by two statues of humanoid beings with canine heads, each of which holds an ankh in one of its crossed arms. Stone double doors exit the room to the north and south.
Yep, it’s Anubis again
Petra again bows her head reverently to the statue, a pang somewhere in her chest. The many representations of Anubis here do nothing to make her feel better about her role in all this. She had told herself the previous nights that these were not the favored dead of Erekrus-- not those humans who had been deemed worthy of true rites, so.... in the grand scheme of things, it was probably not too great an affront to accompany upon this tomb-robbing.
But every representation of Anubis, with his serene-but-stern gaze down her, makes her feel a touch guilty all the same. Perhaps Akhentepi hadn't been worthy of Erekrus, reserved as it was for the noblest of Pharaohs, but he had been buried with all the rites observed, and with the expectation that his tomb would be undisturbed...
Petra takes a deep breath, trying to put it out of her mind. The true desecrator is Thurzen. If one wants to hunt a worm, it is possible that one has to get dirty. And she still believes in the prayer she had offered to Anubis when she had entered the tomb to begin with: that the dead are to be buried with great honors, yes, but in time, the needs of the living come first. These souls have already moved on to be judged and weighed on Pharaz-mat's scales, their soul against the feather; the things with which they were buried have accompanied them down the river already, in the spiritual sense. What is left is merely material.
"...let us remember to be respectful," she mutters all the same, another reminder, as she nods towards the gilt sarcophagus. "Anubis watches. Talk of profit once we are out of this place."
"I will help-- but let Mirri look over this sarcophagus, also, I think."
Petra does pray as she approaches, gazing intently at the sarcophagus.
Right-o boss! Mirri's response to Say'ri's request seemed fully genuine. Whether she had not heard or simply chose to ignore Petra's prior sentiments was anyone's guess, but the halfling looked around the room in an appreciative but not especially reverent fashion. A smile and wave to one of the Anubis statues seemed to sum up her attitude.
Mirri checked the door first, while Petra used her magicks to scan the sarcophagus. Afterward she moved over to the coffin to check it, noting the presence or absence of any traps should they be found.
Mirri heads over to inspect the northern door, finding it stuck, while Petra and Say'ri ascend the stairs to the platform.
Petra's divine gifts reveal the presence of magic, but before she can learn more, and before Say'ri's outstretched hand even comes into contact with the sarcophagus, all hell breaks loose.
The door from whence you came slams shut, and Ibrahim and Ishia hear the sound of sliding metal coming from the internal workings of the door.
Simultaneously, bolts of electricity arc between the pillars on the central platform, blasting around and through Petra and Say'ri.
To make matters worse, the sarcophagus opens of its own accord. The lid opens and shuts, snapping at Petra and Say'ri like the maw of some great beast!
Hero point rules--they're better when you use them pre-roll
This construct is resistant to damage (hardness 5) and can swallow its victims whole!
Above, plus you know that it is vulnerable to cold damage.
Combat! Up now: Ishia (someone needs to bot her) and Petra
Sarcophagus
Party
Mirri
Ishia
Petra
Say'ri
Ibrahim
Sarcophagus
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"Another construct! It will resist our weapons--but cold could harm it! Venture not too close--it will attempt to devour you!" says Ishia, as she begins to call upon her magic. As the electricity surges through Say'ri and Petra, Ishia can tell they are in grave danger--and she reaches further into the Great Beyond, hoping to summon a creature beyond her normal ken to assist them. The air in the room begins to take on a slight chill as the space around the sarcophagus begins to warp...
[dice=Knowledge: Arcana]1d20+8
"Another construct! It will resist our weapons--but cold could harm it! Venture not too close--it will attempt to devour you!" says Ishia, as she begins to call upon her magic. As the electricity surges through Say'ri and Petra, Ishia can tell they are in grave danger--and she reaches further into the Great Beyond, hoping to summon a creature beyond her normal ken to assist them. The air in the room begins to take on a slight chill as the space around the sarcophagus begins to warp...
** spoiler omitted **
Petra cries out as electricity rips through her and Say'ri both. She tries to throw herself back from the arc of energy, and manages an adroit dodge, but lightning still convulses her muscles painfully.
Knowing that Say'ri is likely to be the next target of more pain if there is more lightning or if the maw bites her, Petra desperately calls on Anubis again, one hand thrust out towards Say'ri.
The sarcophagus slowly shambles up to Say'ri, trying to grab her and trap her within. Failing that, it instead drives into her ribs and knocks some air out of her lungs.
Next up: Party (but please let Say'ri, Ibrahim, and Mirri go first before Petra and Ishia)
[dice=Damage] 1d6 + 2 [/dice
Mirri's head whipped around as she worked searching door, as the sound of crackling energy burst into the air. Seeing the sarcophagus snap at Say'ri, the halfling darted towards the creature, her small knife in hand.
1+
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"Duck!" The commanding voice speaks out of nowhere and Say'ri's battle trained instincts kick in immediately. Dropping into a shoulder roll she gets low enough for the lightning to arc overhead, one hand curled protectively over the pocket where al'Jannah is.
Coming out of her crouch behind Akhentepi's shield Say'ri is immediately hit by a thudding impact which knocks her back a step to feel a warm glow spreading between her should blades from behind. Scooping up her khopesh Say'ri bares her teeth. "No-one dies today."
Ibrahim drops his sunrod to free up his off-hand for balance, leaping into the fight and trying to cut through the animated tomb.
"Ha! The old false sarcophagus trick! Come ladies, we can destroy it!"
Petra and Say'ri escape the worst of the lightning trap, but no one can find any weakpoints in the construct's armor. Then Ibrahim advances upon it and chips off a bit of stone, inspiring his companions.
Meanwhile Ishia reaches out with her arcane power, entreating on some unknown force. As if in response to her plea, the northern doors fly open, revealing a hidden aqueduct and sending water rushing into the chamber.
At the same moment that the power of the River Sphinx rushes into room, a rift opens up from some other plane. A creature of ice with a serpentine lower body slithers through the rift and drops down behind the sarcophagus, striking at it.
The connection to powers unknown leaves Ishia drained.
Up now: Ishia and her icy pet and Petra
Sarcophagus
Party
Ishia falls to the ground as her power reaches out into the Great Beyond. For a moment she fears that her spell has failed--or that it has gone wrong in some way she could not predict. But then the creature made of ice and snow falls from the rift from the aqueduct and strikes at the sarcophagus--though its attack is wild, and Ishia fears it may not successfully damage the construct--hopefully it will at least distract it.
She rises back to her feat--and opens the scroll she had been carrying. She had felt a part of her power fading when she had successfully cast the spell--luckily she had the scroll ready for just such an occasion. And so she begins to chant again...
Wheezing a little still from the effect of the electricity, Petra digs out one of the remaining scrolls from her pack, worried that one of her allies is likely to fall in short order.
"Anubis, aid me..." she breathes, trying to think through the pain.
The ice creature, disoriented from its planar travel, can't find its mark. Meanwhile, the sarcophagus snaps at the only foe that has managed to damage it: Ibrahim. The swordsman lunges back before he is trapped within the snapping coffin, but he, like Say'ri, is also battered.
Petra is ready, though, calling upon Anubis in his sacred realm and healing Ibrahim of all damage.
Next up: Party
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The water flooding into the room occupies Say'ri's mind for a brief moment before the coffin's truncated movement presents her with an opening.
Lashing out with her khopesh Say'ri leaves a gash in the side of the coffin. The mark isn't deep but it gives her hope that this fight isn't impossible.
"Ishia, get back, up the stairs. You have to get out if we can't!"
"Door's locked behind us. Mirri, we've got this! See if you can find a switch or a lever to close the other door before we're all drowned!"
Ibrahim swings mightily once again (flanking if possible)
Mirri needed little encouragement from Ibrahim to dart away from the fight. She had noticed how the animated coffin seemed to absorb blows, and was concerned none of her attacks would be of much assistance. Ducking to make herself even smaller, she backed away from the chest to the west, and once out of the foe's reach made a beeline for the south doors, already mentally searching for a way to reopen them.
As she finishes her incantation, the scroll in her hand begins to flake into black dust, as if it was slowly burning away--but the ash flows through the room on a silent wind, coalescing next to Say'ri, taking the form of a hideous black bird with too many wings and eyes. The creature shrieks out as if in pain before launching itself at the construct. The ice elemental slams itself at the construct--and this time, it hits, and a layer of ice begins to form on the animated object.
Her power expended, Ishia drags herself towards the door--but mechanical devices are not her forte, and she knows it will be futile for her to try to open the door on her own. She raises her hands weakly above her head again, a bolt of green acid launching at the sarcophagus--but missing it by some distance.
Petra's head whips to the side at hearing Ishia's words.
"...what blasphemy..." she begins, but decides this is not the moment to focus on it. Grimly, she lifts the bow in her free hand and takes a shot at the sarcophagus-- it's a crowded shot but she will risk it.
Sure enough, the arrow goes very wide. Shifting her grip again, Petra draws their last, precious healing scroll-- praying to Anubis it is not needed.
Mirri ducks under the coffin's reach, tumbling around the platform and landing safely into the rising water with a splash. She high steps to the southern doors and searches for any clues for how to exit as the water level reaches nearly to her waist.
Ibrahim and Say'ri carve chunks of stone from the object with powerful strikes as Ishia calls forth another create from the void between planes. The ice creature punches the sarcophagus solidly, spreading a layer of rime on its joints and slowing its movements considerably.
Petra, disturbed by the summoner's blaspheming, cannot find her mark. The sarcophagus strikes at the elemental, but its frozen joints are too slowed to be effective.
Party up! After Mirri, Ibrahim, and Say'ri, the water level rises another 6 inches.
Ibrahim 5 ft moves up to flank with the birdie, while wordlessly swinging with determination.
Splashing through the water as fast as she could, Mirri reached the doors and examined them for some mechanism of opening.
Unfortunately, the increasing water appears to distract the diminutive halfling, and she is unable to locate much of anything.
Muttering to herself, Petra tucks the scroll away again , re-shifts her grip on the bow, and tries another arrow.
Petra's arrow manages to snake between the others and strike!! But leaves no sign of its impact, bonking off to hit the floor.
Petra's electrical burns heal a little bit more.
The ice elemental and the eagle continue to attack the sarcophagus; the elementals' blow is true once again, and the sheen of ice on the construct begins to spread. The eagle's attacks, however, are largely ineffective; it hits, but is barely able to chip the sarcophagus before it fades away, back into the void from which it came.
With her greatest magics drained, Ishia turns to her second greatest magic: her crossbow. She draws her weapon and loads a bolt, firing at the sarcophagus--but so being so drained of energy, her shot is nowhere near the creature.
The missile weapons bounce harmlessly off the statue’s exterior , but Say’ri and the conjured ice being strike in concert. As the stone cracks and freezes over, the other-worldly eagle claws at the center of the damage, collapsing the sarcophagus into a pile of rubble.
The water continues to rush into the chamber, rising dangerously high on Mirri as she continues to search for a means of egress.
With the sarcophagus destroyed, Ishia desperately scans the room, looking for some way they might escape before they are drowned. She whispers a prayer to Newet to herself, calling upon her magic to help her search.
"White is a good color for a funeral, I suppose," she mutters, as the water continues to rise. "And this is already a tomb...
There is no time to rejoice at the fallen creature-- later. Petra hurries over to join Mirri, sloshing through the water, to join in looking for some sort of switch or trick or device. "I do not wish to drown to death," she says unhappily.
The water now heading well over her waist, Mirri frowned as she continued to look around for a way to open the door. Oddly she did not seem afraid, but continued glances back toward the water did appear to serve as distractions.
The stalwart adventurers, cursed construct dispatched, desperately search for a way to escape. The stress of the situation impedes their search but, mercifully, after a few more seconds the water stops flooding the room. It remains at a depth of two feet before draining into the ground and disappearing after two minutes. At the time, the northern doors close and there is another faint sound of metal sliding, as the doors become unbarred.
Drowning threat averted, the group has time for a more thorough search, finding two secret doors.
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Say'ri sloshes through the water to Mirri, ready to lift her out of the water if need be. Thankfully the water stops rising and Mirri is spared the indignity of the "Say'ri Hoist".
As the others search the room Say'ri first checks on al'Jannah, who is still breathing shallowly and then looks around for the source of the voice that warned her. It was familiar somehow...
Her musing interrupted when the secret doors were located Say'ri sizes them both up. "As usual I suggest we take the right hand door first. Mirri, is it safe?"
Soaked to chest high levels, Mirri looked gratefully back at Say'ri as she made her way over to the halfling. She appeared more than ready to accept any hoisting on offer, but simply let a wide smile cross her face as the water receded. See, it all worked out! Chipper if soggy, Mirri then busied herself searching the room. After the secret doors were located, she searched both for traps.
Mirri finds no traps, signaling as such to Say'ri. The warrior finds the eastern door to be unlocked, and opens it, revealing a small room beyond.
This small room is filled with human-shaped bundles wrapped in linen. Each wears a small medallion around its neck.
The medallions around their necks are small wooden holy symbols marked with Pharasma’s spiral.
These corpses are likely Akhentepi's slaves, possibly interred here to protect the tomb's secrets.
Satisfied that there is nothing of value here, Mirri unlocks the western secret door, though that takes a bit more of her time and effort.
The adventurers bypass another set of doors and descend a staircase to find yet another room, but not before Petra notices a hidden secret door.
This room holds several neatly arrayed chests, boxes, and urns. The dust of centuries covers every surface. The only exit is a set of stone double doors to the south.
"I suppose the funeral will have to wait for another day," says Ishia as she follows the others out of the room. "We best tread carefully; we have endured much this day, and my power is almost completely drained."
"More symbols of Pharasma. These were most likely Akhentepi's servants--here to guard his secrets, I suppose." says Ishia with a shiver in the eastern room.
Undeterred by the seemingly mundane array of boxes, urns and the like, Mirri commences a search of the room, including the walls and any other items of note.
After searching the room, and the party being happy to leave, Mirri will return to the secret door. Good job, Petra! Mirri's cheer seems both sincere and likely to annoy the dour dwarf. The halfling will then search the door for traps, and assuming she finds none lets the other know it is safe to open.
None of the chests and boxes in the room are locked and most of the goods in the chests, such as once-fine clothing and sealed jars of food, no longer have any value after the passage of centuries. Among the spoiled and ruined grave goods are several salvageable items of value, including two vials of silversheen, a masterwork longbow, 10 cold iron arrows, a gold scarab clasp worth 50 gp, an onyx and silver holy symbol of Pharasma worth 100 gp, a silver hand mirror worth 35 gp, and a wax-sealed clay urn of nard worth 75 gp.
Satisfied with her search, Mirri returns to the secret door and finds no traps, but it is locked. She picks it skillfully to reveal a passage. In contrast to the rest of the tomb, this rough earthen passage is not lined with masonry. At various points along the tunnel, sections of the walls have crumbled, as if something had dug small tunnels in the walls that subsequently collapsed.
Petra of course points out the door she spotted, mildly pleased her years in Erekrus with its many secret passages are serving well in that regard. She looks bemused by Mirri's continued effervescence.
"You should all know that this last scroll is the last healing I may provide today," she says somberly. "We must proceed carefully. Like Ishia, much of what power I have is drained now."
The room with its many valuables earns a long blink from the dwarf. "So. These treasures are to be reclaimed now by the living, to further the work we must do."
Peering into the darkness of the tunnel Mirri has discovered, Petra squints down at the holes.
The dwarf shrugs and steps back, then looks dourly at Ishia.
"You invoked the power of one you called the Black Pharaoh," she says slowly. "I have studied the line of all the rulers of Osirion. That name is not known to me. What god heard your prayer?"
"Perhaps this tunnel was created by the elemental that we fought on the stairs. The other guardians have all been constructs--it might've been as much of interloper as we are," says Ishia. "As both Petra and I are so weakened--perhaps we should consider resting for the day. If we encounter another guardian, there will be little that either of us can do to help."
"I--I do not know. The power I called upon was--much greater than what I have summoned before. I have communed with elemental spirits before--spirits of sand and flame and wave--but never have I felt a spirit so--so cold as the one I called when we fought the sarcophagus." says Ishia to Petra, a visible shiver going down her spine.
"The second creature I summoned--when I invoked the name of the Black Pharaoh--I believed that I was reciting what was written on the scroll. But the power that overtook me--I cannot say for sure. I have not heard the name of the Black Pharaoh before as well. And the creature that I called forth--it was--unsettling."
Ibrahim is genuinely enthralled by the discussion of the Black Pharoah and creatures from untold locales. Ever the intrepid explorer, however, Ibrahim offers a dissenting opinion at the mention of resting.
"I'm not too keen on sleeping in a tomb. At least not until I'm dead. Especially not when it looks like the previous explorer of this place met a gruesome end. Besides, I'm feeling right as rain now thanks to Petra. What say we press on? I'll take the lead"