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Stanley nods in eager agreement, but makes no move to turn the thing. He is fully aware that his physical efforts are much less likely to help than any of the others. He asks Adoven, "If someone used this before us, would they not be in the orange way, and not the green? Though there was a light in the green, the sarcophagus was pointed at orange, and not likely to be turned after use."
"That makes sense.... I'm still trying to work out the significance of the light being lit...."
"Maybe they just needed a light. Which one might not have mattered to them." She turns toward the stone for another push, but pauses and looks around.
"If someone came here and opened a door by turning the stone, how did they close the door once they were inside? Did you see something in the metal room to do that, Adoven?" She walks over to the cylinder and cautiously peers in.
Realizing this is not her strong point, she shrugs, "Sorry, I will let you do the thinking." She walked back to the sarcophagus and braces herself for another spin.
"It looked pretty blank. We should all do the thinking, you will have insights we couldn't begin to get to girl. Ready?"
Ellantera and Adoven push the sarcophagus again – this time it swings very easily clockwise. As soon as it swings away from the alcove with the yellow lantern, the metal doors hiss close, and the metallic cylinder with its stone cap retract back into the floor, leaving little trace other than a faint circular outline in the stone floor.
The sarcophagus ~clicks~ into place pointing towards the green lantern alcove. As it comes to rest, a cacophonous creaking of stone against stone emerges from the ground below the green lantern, very different to and far harsher than the low rumbling heard when the sarcophagus pointed towards the yellow lantern.
"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea."
Adoven straightens up, and draws his sword.
Dohrlok takes a fighting stance.
Ellantera grabs up her hammer and strides toward the sound, thinking to be within a step of a rising cylinder.
Tyvall grimaces at the noise, "What the hells is that? Is the machinery broken?"
"Turn it! Quickly. Something may be broken, and we alerting everything denizen of our presence. Maybe the light was a reminder or warning." Stanley breaks his characteristic calm, rushing to the side of the sarcophagus to try and turn it himself. As can be expected, his sensible shoes just slide along the floor, as he pushes his own weight back, without budging the sarcophagus.
Stanley fails to move the sarcophagus. The grinding noise continues. From where Ellantera has moved close to where she assumes the cylinder may rise, before the green lantern, she can feel the stones beneath her feet vibrating.
"Is something with this one broken, or jammed?"
Tyvall moves to the opposite corner of the sarcophagus from Stanley and pushes. Working together, the two men heave the sarcophagus around until the arrow-shaped pedestal clicks into place pointing towards the alcove with the blue lantern. The rumbling, grinding noise stops and the tremors that Ellantera could feel in the passageway near the green lantern die away.
Apart from this, nothing else happens when the pedestal points towards the blue lantern – there is no noise, and no cylinder rises from the floor. As everyone looks expectedly into the alcove, you do notice that there appears to be something lying on the floor below the unlit lantern.
"Ohh, what's that?" Though curious, Adoven doesn't move any closer....
Ellantera responds to the move of the sarcophagus with, "The ground stopped moving when the noise stopped." She shifts her position (and the grip on her hammer) when Adoven peers into the next alcove.
Adoven can't tell what it is from his current position.
"That one looks dead, are you going to try the next?"
Ellantera will go help move the sarcophagus again.
Stanley looks at the others expectantly, before huffing, "Here, let me have a look at it." Moving forward, the glowing tip of his lit quarterstaff before him, Stanley approaches the thing in the blue alcove.
Stanley moves closer to get a better look at whatever lies near the end of the alcove; it is a pile of bones, strewn about and mixed amongst the rotten remains of what may once have been clothing.
Stanley looks worried once more, concerned that this may be another peek back into his past that fueled his guilt-ridden career. He looks for any sign that this may be who he's afraid it is. He looks for age of decay and any identifying features that would indicate age and gender.
The bones have been scattered and gnawed at by scavengers by the looks of things – the skeleton is in disarray and incomplete. It is certainly humanoid, and a relatively small one – most likely a young or small human, elf or half-elf, though possibly an atypically large halfling or gnome. A definitive identification of age, race and gender cannot be made. The bones seem to have been here for at least a decade or two. Nothing remains of the person’s possessions apart from some ripped, rotten and faded remains of clothing.
Although the bones have been gnawed, Stanley does not think this person was killed by animals; a number of the bones appear to be cracked as if from some heavy impact rather than by teeth or claws.
Stanley reserves his assessment as to the history of the deceased, at least until he can find more clues. Instead, he heads to the end of the alcove, and looks up as far as he can with his light. Maybe the poor thing had fallen if this alcove had an opening like the others.
Stanley looks up. As with the other alcoves, the lantern chain extends downwards from a shaft extending upwards at the end of the alcove, but unlike the other shafts, whose tops were within the radius of light from his spell, Stanley cannot see the top of this shaft - it disappears into darkness.
Stanley points out the difference to the others, but does not seem to want to do anything with the information just yet. He indicates that the others are welcome to spin the sarcophagus once more, continuing their investigation.
Dohrlok peers up the shaft. "Shall I climb again?"
Adoven will have a quick look at the first two, I expect the others will then move the sarcophagus again.
Adoven notes the same things that Stanley did in regards to the bones, but can't add any additional insight as far as the identity of the dead person or their cause of death. If they had any valuables at any point they no longer appear to be around.
He glances up the shaft, but is more focused on the bones and doesn't pay much attention; Adoven can see further than Stanley in the lantern light, and notices that the ceiling of the shaft is about fifty feet up, but doesn't notice anything else of note.
"This one's a bout 50ft Dohlok, fancy that climb? I can't see much?"
"I can see."
Dohrlok tests the chain with a couple of tugs and begins to climb.
Dohrlok climbs steadily up the thick chain.
Ellantera will wait until Dohrlok has reported back to move it, but she will prepare to turn the sarcophagus once more.
Her feet slide out from under her and she falls. Blushing furiously, she gets up, dusts herself off, and braces for another go.
This time, the loose sand doesn't catch her by surprise, but she makes no progress on moving the ancient stone, either.
She stands, hands on her hips, and looks around at the others. She'll try again, but she's trying to breathe deeply and find her calm center first.
Dohrlok calls down. "Passage at the top."
"Big enough for people? We didn't investigate the room, should we note this and come back to it later?"
Tyvall shakes his head, "If this is the only way forward I may have to stand guard down here. Not so sure I'd make that climb and jump on my best day. Today is not my best day."
Stanley looks up the shaft and chain, his thoughts mirroring Tyvall's. "If Dohrlok can hold the chain to him from the passage, so as to be against the wall of the shaft. That should ease the climb. Or, if someone has a length of rope, those above could pull up those of us with little skill in climbing." Turning to respond to Adoven's question, he suggests, "The mystery of an open passage poses a greater threat than that of what may lay beyond a closable portal. Thus far, the only portals out of this room have been the hidden door that rose with the sarcophagus, and the way we came in."