The wraith's sarcophagus contains a body clad in a mnemonic vestment. Its bony hands still clutch a maximize metamagic rod. On the left hand is a platinum wedding band set with a ruby, and on the right a ring of force shield. The body wears a pair of slippers of spider climbing on its feet. the sarcophagi don't hold anything of use or value.
There's absolutely nothing else here, and so you head back the way you came. When you arrive in the room where you had to turn the statues of the archers, next to the room where electricity jolts through the brass floor, you notice something's changed: on the other side of the brass floor a secret door's opened, leading into a new room.
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Raising a brow with a tilt of his head, Ery looked to Locke.
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Ery pilfers the maximize rod. "Yoink!"
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Upon arriving to notice the new room...
"huh." He offered, looking to the ranger. "So... Gonna do what the human who hates humans do? Y'know... check the new room for death?"
A jolt of electricity runs through the brass floor separating you from the new room.
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Ery watches Tereze and Urbar.
"Did not see that coming." Ery said aloud, raising a brow.
The elf walked carefully to their destination. He gave Urbar a wink and a thumbs-up on his way by.
You all make it across without trouble, arriving inside a small circular room with a spiral staircase. This staircase descends to yet another small circular room. On the wall opposite the stairs, a large white slab of stone with a keyhole in it has been fitted into an archway, blocking passage entirely.
Fitting the brass key from Bassy into the stone slab, turning the key, then removing the key causes the slab to grind down into the ground, providing access to a huge, elegant domed chamber that houses a single marble sarcophagus at its western end. A mosaic of a black dragon decorates the floor. The ceiling is covered by a vibrant fresco of armored soldiers fighting a host of dragons, with a blonde woman of noble mien at the center, rallying the troops with her sword. In circular alcoves to the north and south stand life-sized statues of this woman, standing in a pose of triumph over the head of a defeated dragon.
"And who might this be?" asks the ghostly voice of a woman when you enter the large room. "A new generation of dragonslayers sent to gather my treasures? I sense this among your thoughts, yet I must first ask a favor. My husband's spirit was unquiet in his tomb - lingering out of guilt for my death. You have already vanquished his shade, for which I thank you, but would you return to me his wedding band? In return, I shall grant you my blessing to take up arms from this crypt."
"Please place it inside my sarcophagus," the ghostly voice answers.
You approach the sarcophagus and come to a stop in front of it. "It's alright. You didn't have issues opening the others, did you?"
You lift the lid off Lady Tula's sarcophagus and see her remains, a skeleton still wearing her +3 breastplate of luck. Her +1 keen composite longbow (+2 Str) lies at the body's left side. Her famed weapon Wyrmsmite (a +2 dragonbane transformative longsword) lies atop the body under the crossed arms. The right hand holds 10 +1 dragonbane arrows, and the left just a single shaft - an arrow of dragon slaying.
"You may take my equipment. These items will be my gift to you, to aid you in slaying the dragon."
After you've taken all the valuable gear, you gently place the wedding band in Lady Tula's hands. You then place the lid back on the sarcophagus.
"Adventurers," the ghostly voice of Lady Tula then continues. "I thank you for what you've done for me, but I have troubling news. I sense that you possess strength, but in your current state you're nowhere strong enough to slay a dragon. You must train yourselves to become stronger, else you are doomed to fail."
"I can feel the watchful eye of the dragon you're wanting to slay loom over the area surrounding my tomb. He will not allow you to leave the area, not under any circumstance. It is however within my ability to offer you a way to escape."
"You've collected a great many items from all over my tomb. Items that used to belong to my companions and me, all dragonslayers. These items are powerful, but replaceable. You are the reverse, but have the potential to become powerful. If you are willing to give all of the items up, I can use the magic stored within them to teleport you to an area outside the dragon's reach. Once you're outside his area of influence, you must train yourselves to defeat him and obtain new equipment. Then return, once you're ready to deal with him."
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"Well... What's fighting undead without giving up the loot in the end?" Ery sighs as he prepares tea for himself.
Once prepared, he simply places the cup to his lips after putting away the remaining tea equipment.
His eyes dart to his companions with hidden smirk.
"Anyone else excited to be done of this place?"
"There is nothing I can do for the people of Belhaim. Since I have passed I am a dragonslayer no more. So use your time wisely, adventurers."
As per the instructions you're then given you make a pile of all the loot you've found in the tomb, and stand next to it.
"Before you go, there is one more thing. I will use my own powers to give you a blessing that will aid you once you do face the dragon. It is all I can do to help you. I hope it is enough."
You feel a gentle breeze, followed by a feeling of empowerment that last a brief moment. When the feeling subsides, Lady Tula speaks once more: "Call upon the emotion you just felt once you face the dragon. Now go, and grow stronger. Good luck, dragonslayers."
The items you've piled up begin to glow as the magic is sucked out of them and takes a physical shape. The soft blue strands of magic that ascend from the items come together in the air above the pile, where it becomes a whirling mass of bright, magical power. Two red spots light up inside the mass, and they stare at you. The mass starts to move, rapidly, taking the shape of a winged reptilian that lets out a soundless roar. The dragon circles around you, creating a vortex of the same soft blue magic it's made of. As the dragon goes up in the vortex, it closes around you and swallows you up. Then, abruptly, you find yourselves standing in the middle of a forest clearing. The moon looms over you in the sky, watching you silently on this cloudless night.
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Locke is slightly fascinated by the magic that put them outside again, yet keeps a clear head about it.
"Well it obviously worked, we're not in the dungeon anymore.
I can only start guessing where we are, but probably the woods near the town?"
Locke looks at Urbar.
"You found your wolf in the woods, so you might be our best bet of finding the way back."
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Gwen looks around and then to the sky, checking to ensure an undead dragon doesn't suddenly swoop down upon them. When she feels it is safe to lower her guard she looks at the others. "Well, I suppose all we can do at this point is start to make our way back to Absalom and report our findings." She pats Fiona on the back. "I am sure we will know when we are ready. Worry not about those items, you've got me remember? Just make me big again and I'll yank that bastard out of the skies and bash his head in!" She grins.
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Urbar looks around and tries to discern their location.
He looks around for a while before finding the way they need to go.
"I think we need to go that way."
The burly ranger says as he starts moving off, ignoring the talk about what is about to happen.
"If we need to get stronger then we'll need to move."
Urbar takes a good look around and discerns you're still still in the Verduran Forest in Taldor, but a considerable distance away from Lady Tula's tomb and the town of Belhaim. Despite the moon looming above you in the sky you decide to cover at least some more ground today and start walking south. It doesn't take long before you reach the forest's southern edge, and you see the river that leads to the Inner Sea only a mile or two west of you.
Urbar knows the second largest city in Taldor, Cassomir, can easily be reached in half a day from your current position. You'll just need to follow the river south to get there. From Cassomir you'll probably be able to catch a ship to Absalom. After some deliberation you decide to make camp for the night and head for Cassomir the next day.
While you're busy setting up your camp Fiona spots a shadowy figure approaching you: Maffei, the shae you freed from the manor's secret basement.
"Greetings, my mortal friends," Maffei says as she floats into your camp. "The bright flash I saw earlier this evening drew my attention. When I arrived at the clearing from which it originated I saw some tracks that could only be yours."
Maffei turns to Urbar. "It is fortunate that I meet you here. I did some research on how to boost your companion's prowess." She nods at Ulfa.
"It is a type of magic that will cause your companion to experience permanent physical growth. However, such sudden growth is painful. The druid who gave me access to this magic said that in order for your companion's growth to not be stunted while the magic runs its course, you will have to take the pain upon yourself. Doing so will also prove your willingness to care for your companion. Is this acceptable to you?"
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Urbar doesn't even blink at the thought of taking the pain on him. His trustful companion is worth it in his eyes. He sits on the ground and nods to the shae to proceed.
"Do it."
He starts to frown and his hands clench into fists, beads of sweat form on his face from the effort not to scream out at the feeling of every joint in his body stretching.
Ulfa at first starts to growl at the shae as the process begins. A few moments later she moves over to Urbar and starts nuzzling him whilst whining.
Urbar passes out after a minute, a sheen of sweat covering his body and his clothing soaked. Ulfa lays down next to him, the wolf seems to have grown quite a bit in only a few moments.
Maffei floats over to Urbar once she's done with the incantation and the spell's run its course. The large wolf next to the ranger growls protectively and the shae comes to a halt, staring at Ulfa until the wolf notices Maffei doesn't have any bad intentions. Maffei picks Urbar up and lies him on the bedroll the ranger had already unpacked.
"If only all humanoids were as kind," Maffei says while looking at the unconscious ranger.
The shae moves back to the treeline, turning around one last time before she leaves. "I cannot thank you enough for what you've done for me. I hope we'll meet again, my friends. Some day. May fortune guide your paths in the meantime."
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Tereze watches wide eyed as the whole thing happens and gasps as Unfair suddenly grows.
As the Shae moves away leaving Urbar unconscious on his bedroll Tereze moves over to the pair of them. With the efficiency of someone used to triagiging someone for injuries, she quickly checks both over and determines that they are not in immediate danger.
Without looking up she says in a voice that holds more then a hint of command:
'Zey are not injured but will both be weak for a bit. I will do what I can to help zem. You all have Guard Duty tonight.
She sits cross legged at the head of Urbar and Ulfa and starts to take care of them.
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Ery stumbles out of some brush, covered in twigs, grasses (more so than one would expect) and leaves. His pants have tears and his cloak, strung and tattered. His shirts had seemingly been torn about the chest though his flesh seemed unscathed save for a couple Knicks on his cheek...likely from twig assaults.
In one hand, a staff made of hardened vines and wood, something the elf apparently used as support. The other hand held his tea cup...though caught in actively shifting vines, sprouting from his arm a bottle of an amber liquid dangled carefully over his tea cup. The look in his eyes was bitter accusation.
"You all left me in trees!" His voice seemed to snap with disdain. He pointed accusingly at the now enlarge wolf after he realized it was in plain view.
"Especially you! You were even able to hear my shouts for help! I saw your ears twitch every time!"
Although its is easy to be assured that Ery only carries tea on his person, the bottle of amber liquid he adds to his tea cup seems to suggest he is addled...and not per his usual crazy self. Where did he get the booze?
"I admit...I may be more emotional about this, being abandoned, business then I would be normally... But I'll live. I think. Oh! I tracked you all down using what I can only imagine being my tree senses... So that's neat." He said stoically placing his cup to his lips again.