"We may find some yet! OH- Do be careful, there was an arcane trap on that door until recently." He helpfully informs, before trotting along with Shmick in tow.
Moving on to the sanctuary...The ceiling rises to a high dome 40 feet above the main f oor, forming the primary cathedral of Nethys. Three flights of short, steep steps climb up to a large platform elevated 5 feet above the floor. At the rear of this platform, a 15-foot-tall statue of Nethys, half white and half black, stands atop a raised octagonal dais. The top of the main platform is tiled in black marble, while the octagonal dais is a striking white, and the ring that separates them is tiled in red. The statue is incredibly well sculpted, and unusual in that it appears to have been fabricated from two differently colored types of stone fused together with magic to create one solid statue.
Off to the left, you see one exit.
Malavine looked at the statue. "It occurs to me we should probably give thanks to Nethys before we start plundering the place." It might not help much, but it couldn't hurt either. "Anyone know the right prayers?" As ironic as it was for a Divine caster, Malavine knew little about many of the gods beyond her Patron.
Hickle would probably be aware enough of Osirion ritual to spout something appropriate.
As Hickle does so, he scans the area for magic. Unfortunately, the answer is YES. Enchantments of all sorts are visible on almost every surface of the room, including the door to the left. It makes it very difficult to discern any specific aura, which may have been the designer's intent.
Malavine took a look around for traps.
"Magic here..."
"mᎪᎶᎥᏟ ᏆhᎬᏒᎬ."
"Magic magic, everywhere!"
"ᏟhᎪᏁᏟᎬs ᎪᏒᎬ, Ꭵf ᎽᎾu'ᏒᎬ ᏞᎾᎾᏦᎥᏁᎶ ᎪᏆ sᎾmᎬᏆhᎥᏁᎶ ᎥᏁ ᏆhᎥs ᏢᏞᎪᏟᎬ, ᎥᏆ's ᏢᏒᎾbᎪbᏞᎽ mᎪᎶᎥᏟ."
"Most of it useless, mind. An ominous mist clinger on the curtains, a self-polishing enchantment on the floor, and an ominous door opener on the doors. Though, that one appears to be inactive. Or is it triggered when you're trying to knock?"
The gnome considers the thought for a moment longer, before shrugging and moving along.
There is one aura that reads as ever so slightly stronger than most of the rest. There is a high level Necromancy aura on the door to the left.
Malavine looked at Hickle. "Problems?" She really needed to learn to sense magic...
He's still, having losy some of the mirtb in his eye while observing the door. "This one... Seems to be becromantic. Strong we then the other enchabtments here."
Hickle's pretty sure looking at the necromantic magic around the door that it's a magical trap.
Unfortunately, he is unable to tell precisely what spell is involved, but it's definitely necromancy, and powerful at that. Opening this door without disarming the trap would be foolhardy.
Hickle approaches the door with an air of skepticism, and feels about the area as he tries to find ways to dismantle the enchantment by hand.
Malavine watched from a few feet away. She couldn't help, but she could rush forward to help if things exploded.
Fortitude saves for everyone!
Zelda:
Zelda and Malavine suffer 18 HP of damage as a wave of energy flows over the entire room. I believe that drops Zelda into the negatives.
A spellcraft check would surmise the effect is similar to a Symbol of Death spell, but much weaker.
"Oh, bum." Malavine moved over to Zelda to try stabalize her as best she could. "Did we ever get a negative energy wand so that we could heal her?" she asked as she worked.
The gnome swears, and rushes over. "Drat! I completely overlooked the central binding matrix, damnit- I'm not used to the purely arcane ones."
He notes Malavine's words, and tries to search through Zelda's things in hope she had a potion or a wand on hand.
Hickle finds the last potion in Zelda's bag, and returns her to consciousness, barely.
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. An extensive series of hieroglyphs covers the western wall, opposite a stone bench that stands against the eastern wall.
The entire room has a dim magical aura, centered on the effigy.
Well, this was likely to be interesting. Malavine looked around as best she could. "Can you read the hieroglyps?" Malavine asked Hickle.
In a darker corner of the room, Malavine notices a large chest. It is the only other feature in the room aside from the faceless effigy and the writings.
Hickle can, in fact, decipher the Ancient Osiriani hieroglyphs on the western wall. They are written in a poetic style: Woe to you who would plunder the Reliquary of the Thrice-Divided Soul. Turn away, lest the harsh judgment of the Forgotten One fall upon you and your descendants for a thousand generations. Turn away, for his ka cannot be appeased and it shall call forth legions of the dead and the damned. Turn away, and may the All-Seeing Eye and the Lady of Graves take pity on you, for if not, the Forgotten Pharaoh shall consume you, body and soul.
Hickle mouths the words out lout, before turnign to Malavine at the end. "Well... That certainly sounds foreboding, now doesn't it?"
Until recently, the room held a source of necromantic power of overwhelming strength, centered around the faceless humanoid effigy.
Looking at the effigy, you notice subtle indentations around the figure’s ears and chin, as if something was supposed to be placed over the figure’s head or upon its face.
Around the room, there are some signs that a battle of sorts took place here, not long ago.
He frowns. "Whatever was here, no longer is. If I was to hazard a guess... I'd say if may have been a mask worn by that statue. There was a fight here... Defenses perhaps?"
"Likely," Malavine said, looking around. "Well, I'm not sure taking the mask ourselves would have been wise. We'll have to report that the tomb has been plundered. Let's see if they left anything. Be wary of still active defences."
Moving around the area with caution, Malavine tried to see if any plunder remained or clues as to who did plunder this place.
Both master and companion take a look around as well, in hopes of there being aomething worth salvaging.
The final item in the reliquary is the large, locked chest. The chest appears untouched by the previous intruder. Inside (just assuming Hickle can eventually get the lock open, as it is untrapped and there are no threats) you find:
a large stone tablet (an inch thick) covered in the letters of three different languages, three scroll tubes containing a scroll of align weapon, a scroll of halt undead, and a scroll of knock, a wand of lesser restoration (20 charges), and a mummified hand hanging from a leather cord.
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You are left with a feeling of vague dissatisfaction that your party did not discover whatever artifact covered the face of the effigy, as well as a foreboding you can't quite identify, almost as if there will be further ramifications to the missing mask in a later...chapter of your lives.
END Part 1
Level up!
Mummy's Mask, Chapter 2 - Empty Graves
Having completed the alotted site explorations, the group had been preparing to leave the Half-Dead City in search of further adventure. As the group made their preparations to leave, however, they received an invitation to a great auction being held at a local auction house known as The Canny Jackal.
Taking the opportunity to check on some bargains and maybe sell any items they still have in their possession, the team decided to extend their stay another day.
The Canny Jackal hosts many of Wati’s richest collectors and historians, from local nobles to representatives from An, Tephu, and even Sothis. Auctions traditionally begin an hour after sunset, with a complimentary reception beforehand for the attendees to mingle with one another and enjoy refreshments. This evening, the Jackal is offering cheese-stuffed figs, hard-boiled peacock eggs, onion bread, onion-stuffed squid, fresh and dried fruit, spiced wine, and a sampling of 2,000-year-old honey recovered from one of the tombs.
A couple dozen other attendees are there aside from your group.
The collection of exotic items and strange people was a sight to behold. There was enough money flowing that Malavine was glad she was wearing a better set of clothes than normal, including toe rings and chains. Well, if you weren't going to wear shoes, you needed something fancy.
Examinging the food on offer, Malavine selected some of the spiced wine and bread with honey. Because squid was a horrifying nightmare of a creature and when else was she likely to get 2000 year old honey?
Malavine would like a Starknife with Returning. I'll bond that and make it my Automatic Bonus weapon.
Sounds fair.
[ooc]Even removing the fact that it's a +5 weapon...
I'd allow a +1 version for 14,660. If you are short, let me know, we might be able to work it out.
And the squid is fabulous.
Hickle enjoys himself by looking at the sights and tasting every single piece of food he came across, even the plate of chocolate covered scarabs that most the visitors were avoiding. Shmick was run ragged chasing after his master with every new thing catching hiss attention, each one more dangerous then the next. It tickled Hickle's gnomish senses to have such a large variety of cuisine, and the many interesting arcane artifacts about intrigued him immensely. His pockets felt a little light the moments he caught sight of the price tags, however.
Munching, Malavine started eyeing the exhibits. A shiny starknife caught her eye, and she moved to look at the price, hoping she had the gold.
The gnome smiles, and snaps his fingers. "Funny you should mention that- Shmick my boy, come come!"
The robotic being had been carrying a long box shaped object wrapped in bandages, and approaches the group. "Ꭵ sᏆᎥᏞᏞ ᏆhᎥᏁᏦ ᎳᎬ ᎳᎬᏒᎬ ᎠuᏢᎬᎠ. ᎳhᎾ Ꭺm Ꭵ ᏆᎾ ᏆᎬᏞᏞ ᎽᎾu hᎾᎳ ᏆᎾ ᎳᎪsᏆᎬ ᎽᎾuᏒ mᎾᏁᎬᎽ ᏆhᎾuᎶh."
Ignoring his companion by grinning and waving him closer, Hickle merrily takes the package and starts to unwrap it. "You need to have more faith in me, I can smell magic a mile away you know! You might have your doubts now, but ohoho, you'll be in love with it before you know it!" Though Shmick left it unsaid, his posture told everyone just how much he doubted that.
Finally uncovered, a beautiful musket emblazoned with imagery of lighting and storm clouds is drawn. "I've been meaning to pick up a little something to remind me of home as well, and by the grace of Brigh she saw fit to drop this on our laps–" "fᎾᏒ ᏆhᏒᎬᎬ ᏆhᎾusᎪᏁᎠ ᎶᎾᏞᎠ." "–The Stormchaser! Capable of producing over A hundred and forty decides with a single well timed shot. I'll be outfitting him with it tonight when I have some time, but for now it still remains quite a beautiful piece."
The evening goes buy, and you're all happy to have successfully outbid your competitors on the items you wanted. All, that is, except Kephry, who is drowning her sorrows on the free spiced wine. It is rather humorous watching as the cat-woman loses control of her tongue the more she drinks. At one point, she bumps tipsily into Ptemenib, the Pharasmin priest, as he leaves the auction.
As the event ends and the attendees mill about, paying for their purchases and gloating over their acquisitions, a frantic pounding comes from The Canny Jackal’s front door. As a servant moves to open the door, it suddenly collapses, reduced to splinters, and a horde of zombies shambles in, hungry for the blood of the living.
Malavines eyes widen as the blurry, shambling things enter her vision. "This is not the kind of evening entertainment I was expecting." Holding up her shiny new Starknife in preparation for fighting, she gets ready to fight or run as needed.
Frowning, Hickle dusts himself and stands up on his seat. "My word! I don't believe we invited them, it's rather rude of them to barge in like that isn't it?"
"ᎽᎬs, Ꭵ'ᏞᏞ bᎬ suᏒᎬ ᏆᎾ ᎪsᏦ ᏆhᎬm ᏆᎾ bᎬ ᏁᎥᏟᎬᏒ ᎥᏁ ᏆhᎬ fuᏆuᏒᎬ ᎪfᏆᎬᏒ Ꭵ'ᏉᎬ shᎾᎳᏁ ᏆhᎬm ᏆhᎬ ᎠᎾᎾᏒ." Shmick sighs, annoyed and exasperated with this turn of events. He hefts the Stormchaser in his hands, making sure it was loaded properly and starts to take aim.
After nodding his approval, the inventor takes note of the less equipped still in the room. Magic starts to gather in his hands as he addressees the crowd."Aw, yes... Everyone, I believe this is the part where you're supposed to take cover."
"Why do we never take cover, then?" Malavine asked in a vaguely curious tone.
Zelda:
Zombies:
Initiative Order:
Zombies
Malavine
Hickle
Zelda
Kephry is quite tipsey and hasn't even noticed anything's going on yet.
These zombies seem a bit more spry than your traditional variety, and are moving into the crowd and attacking with alacrity. They act first in the round, but are not directly adjacent to the PCs, so we will move on to Malavine's action.
Green dots are bystanders, blue dots are dead bystanders.