"Ai'sha, think you could tap G'nock with the wand? I don't want to have to carry him."
Watching Aliva try the doors, Irakelesh makes to open the eastern doors. "Are we all ready?"
"I think so yes, these doors are locked. G'nock I have a single healing daught left, I was hoping to save it maybe but if you are in dire need." Aliva says handing over the healing vial.
Aliva moves to take the lead again.
"Ah whoops."
After Ai'sha heals up G'nock, Irakelesh opens the eastern door. There is a wide hallway that leads to the east and the south.
"Ha! I knew it!" Irakelesh steps into the hallway, his eyes fixed on a slight opening in the northern wall. "See here? It looks like a secret door. I think this is the way we should go."
After Irakelesh opens up the secret door he finds a small room on the other side. A stone effigy of a humanoid figure stands at the north end of this room, its arms spread in a gesture of supplication, or as if commanding an object to rise in the air. The figure’s face is devoid of detail, with only vague contours where the eyes and nose should be. An extensive series of hieroglyphs covers the western wall, opposite a stone bench that stands against the eastern wall.
"Is that blood on the floor? Is it fresh?" Khufu asks.
"It looks like something was written on the door? An inscription perhaps?"
"Not my expertise that ancient scribble. But the blooded foot print I find very interesting. I thought everything in here doesn't bleed any more or never did?"
Haji tries to determine the direction the foot prints came from and/or are leading.
Haji examines the tracks. It looks like the bloody tracks lead from the door into the room toward the statue and then back out again toward the room you just came from.
Haji follows the tracks and inspects the statue then looks back at the inscriptions. He has no clue what anything means.
"For Norgober's sake, can someone tell us what this stuff means? Why would you hide a statue behind a secret door?"
"Looks like this door was scribed with a glyph of warding that exploded in someone's face when they opened the door."
"The glyph is gone fully now? Or could it return?" Aliva asks, before leading the way through the secret door.
"I would think it is gone now." Khufu answers Aliva.
"It would be complicated to make something like that recurring."
"We should be on our guard for more traps like that on secret doors down here now that we've seen evidence of one."
"We should also be on the lookout for whomever set it off."
"If they are exploring ahead of us, then they must have had a way past the guardian that just beat us to a pulp."
"Maybe they came prepared with a sack full of appropriate holy symbols?"
Irakelesh notices the drops of the blood on the floor but ignores them. His attention is pulled to the ancient writing on the western wall. He spends a few moments working out the meaning of the ancient hieroglyphs while the others converse about the blood and door. Finally, he turns around from facing the wall. "Well, dire predictions and threats and all that. It looks like this was some sort of shrine to the thrice-divided soul, whatever that is."
He turns to scrutinize the statue, especially the face. "Do you think that maybe there used to be something there? Maybe some gems for the eyes? Or..." A light of recognition comes on. "Maybe there was a mask on the statue. Maybe that guy," he points to the blood drops, "knew about the mask and came in to get it."
Irakelesh shrugs. "Just a thought. I guess we'll find out when we press on ahead."
He points and winks at Khufu. "Now that's a good idea. I should just carry around a whole bag of them. Or you know what would be perfect?" Irakelesh walks out of the room, passing his companions. He's clearly interested and intrigued and wants to press on. Over his shoulder he answers his own question. "Some sort of magical holy symbol that could be reshaped at will into any symbol."
"DO people carry around sacks of Holy Symbols?" Aliva asks at the odd statement, "It would seem odd to me but I guess it might happen. I will keep an eye out for tracks as well as everyone else should as well. We are supposed to be alone in this building."
"You're thinking too complicated. Just draw one on a piece of paper. A symbol is a symbol. Doesn't have to be wood or iron or gold or whatever."
"What? Wait? Would that work? Irakelesh stops up short when Haji mentions drawing a symbol on paper. "Seriously? That's a brilliant idea!" He starts drawing in the air, trying out some shapes of holy symbols, obviously lost to the moment as he starts to go through a mental inventory of the holy symbols he's learned about so far.
As the others discuss the blood and the hieroglyphics Aliva steps into the room. As soon as she does something moves behind the statue. The soft scrape of bone reveals the long, sinuous skeleton of a large snake, its head a humanoid skull with a snake’s jaws.
"Look there, it's a Necrophidius. Don't let the name fool you, it's not undead, it's a construct."
"Don't look it in the eyes or it will entrance you magically."
"The bite is venomous as well."
He flicks a bit of acid at the monster.
(touch attack)
Aliva moves a head, growling a bit at she does. "This place is well guarded."
Aliva swing her Morning Star at the creature.
"Great, yet another guardian creature. So why didn't our intruder find it?" Irakelesh wields his bow then shoots at the necrophidius.
G'nock stands by not sure what to do just yet, while the others jump to action. Aliva advances toward the creature and attempts to bash it with her morning star but misses. Khufu conjures some more magical acid which he lobs at the creature and it burns away at it. Irakelesh lands a well placed shot at the thing but it doesn't appear to leave a mark.
The snakes starts swaying back and forth in an almost mesmerizing motion.
Ai'sha jumps in close to the creature and strikes it.
Haji moves forward, his maul high and crashes it down on the strange thing.
Irakelesh starts to sway back in forth with the rhythm of the creature but before he can be fully trapped by the mesmerizing gaze, he pulls himself out of it.
Aliva closes her eyes, swinging out at the snake construct again.
Ai'sha steps up to attack the monster but doesn't come close to hitting it. However, Haji moves up and bashes the thing with a solid blow from his Maul. G'nock and Khufu just stand there in a daze, mesmerized by the creatures entrancing swaying. Aliva closes her eyes as to not be effected by the snakes ability, however even if her eyes were open she would have missed the thing. Irakelesh manages to avoid the creatures effect but with no more room to move up and attack her waits to act.
The snake, now well aware of the threat Haji posses strikes out at him.
It bites into Haji, nearly right into his neck. He can feel the poison seeping into his veins.
Feeling ineffective Aliva, takes a breath to steady herself before swinging again with her eyes closed.
Is this another construct? Haji swings his maul again.
Irakelesh sees the snake bite Haji. "Uh oh. That's going to be a problem." He runs up behind him. "Haji, that snake bite, it could paralyze you. If you are overcome by the poison, I'm going to pull you back so you don't keep getting attacked."
After a few seconds it seems that Haji's movements aren't restricted at all. "Whew! You seem to be in the clear."
Irakelesh, draws another arrow on his bow and shoots at the construct.
Ai'sha goes into a battle dance and tries for another strike.
Ai'sha tries to strike the construct but she misses it by just a bit. After the serious bite from the thing Haji's muscles tense up a bit as the poison courses through his veins, luckily he manages to push through it an attacks, but the poison seems to have some effect as he doesn't even get close to hitting the creature. G'nock and Khufu continue to stand there in a daze. Alive keeps her eyes closed rather than risk the snake mesmerizing her and tries to hit it, but while not looking she misses instead. Irakelesh takes a shot at the thing but misses as well.
The snake stays focused on Haji and tries to bite him again.
It bites down but just glances off his armor rather than penetrating his skin.
The poison he srugged off seems to have gotton to him still.
This may be a 1on1 fight for now, but Haji is not getting forward.
"Keep it coming!"
Irakelesh keeps an eye on Haji, alert to spot any poisoning. He pulls an arrow back on his shortbow and fires between he comrades.
Feeling Emotionally Drained from this day and the entire idea of going through these tombs Aliva Thinks of the Roses that Milani keeps. The idea of protecting those who cannot protect themselves.
Ai'sha tries attacking the construct again but fails. Haji doesn't do any better as the poison seems to have thrown him off even if it didn't effect him directly. G'nock and Khufu continue standing there in their dazed state while Aliva lands a solid blow on the creature. Irakelesh takes another shot but with everyone in the way and in the heat of battle he misses the creature.
The thing bites into Haji again, injecting him with some more poison and nearly dropping him to the ground.
not again! Haji heals himself and swings his maul again.
"That was my last heal..."