Hickle takes out his pipe, starting to fill it with a rough blend. "No, no... This is certainly his final place of rest. Remember, there was another path we were free to have taken. I feel as if that one would've led to this chamber as well, entering in the door opposite us. We can go through it after we have a look around just to be certain."
With his long winded explanation complete he, he takes a deep puff of his now lit pipe, before exhaling it into a ring of smoke. "Let's have a look around, shall we? But do be careful, this room likely has far more in way of unpleasentries then before."
Hickle starts by weaving a finger in the air, casting magic into his eyes in order to detect the auras around him.
The room itself is devoid of magic, though there is a minor aura on the other side of the northern doors. According to Hickle's knowledge of Ancient Osirian architecture, that's where, mostly likely, the burial trappings (canopic jars and the like) as well as any items the departed used within life, would be kept.
The sarcophagus itself most likely contains a burial mask, which would certainly have resale value to the Pharasmin priests back at the mausoleum or an outside collector.
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"We shouldn't take chances. Remember the cats?" Payn says as she stares at the cyclopean* statues. She starts firing bolts of frost at them, first one, then the other, alternating her fire, until both are badly chipped and marred, so IF they return to life, they are already dead...or at least badly off.
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Payyyynnnnnn! Kephry whines at the mage as the statues are marred by magic, we don't know that they were hostile, they could have just been perfectly harmless statues you just destroyed! Maybe we could have even come back later with a work crew and a crane and taken them to sell to someone!
Hickle grumbles in despair as beauty is tarnished, "What a waste, what a waste... You really need to show some hesitince girl, it's not as if the world is trying to kill you!"
"That's where you're wrong master. By definition of being alive means you'll one day be killed. The world is the number one method of killing people who live."
"There's no need for such depressing metaphors my boy, honestly... There was no magic lingering over those statues, or even most of the room. However, i feel a trace of magic behind the Northern doors... If I recall my knowledge correctly, that's where the burial jars reside. The sarcophagus itself likely has his burial mask, but ah..
Do be careful if wish to take it off. Be sure to ask politely first."
"We're grave robbers. Why should we be asking a corpse if we can steal it's mask."
Malavine winced. "We're here to reclaim treasures from these tombs the dead no longer need. I'd really rather not annoy them too much. I've heard of oracle who suffer hauntings, and I don't want to add to my woes."
Malavine moved cautiously towards the sarcophagus.
Secret roll:
Just as Malavine is about to step onto the upper platform, she notices the rock is raised in such a way that something obviously lies underneath. It's most certainly a trap of some sort.
Hickle starts to take a look around the room, when he spots Malavine hesitate at the platform. "Hm? Is something wrong, dear?
Malavine paused, and pointed towards the raised stone. "Some kind of trap trigger, probably." She glanced around. "I'd say we should just avoid it, but if we have to fight in here..."
He raises a fuzzy brow, cusping his chin to hide his grin. "Oh? Are you doubt my ability, hmmm?"
"No," she replied, "I'm just not underestimating the kind of people that can build a trap that still functions thousands of years later. Better to avoid it if we can."
"Very wise, very wise. These people were indeed truly masters of their craft. But I'm a master of my craft as well!" He says with confidence, approaching the platform while instructing Shmick to aid him with his work. The construct does little more then hand off the tools rattled off at his master's call, as the gnome seems to have some strange keen understanding on how this trap operates and how to properly turn it off.
Hickle easily succeeds in bypassing the trap. The plate will now not be activated by stepping on it, from this angle, anyway.
The sarcophagus itself is made of stone, but it does not appear to be sealed in any way except pressure.
Watching as the Gnome disables the trap, Mavaline nods in appreciation. "Very nice work, Hickle, very smooth." Still, she moved around the area to the sarcophagus...just in case. Looking at the heavy stone, she looks at Kephry and Schmick. "Feeling mighty? I think I'd snap my arms off if I even tried."
The robot crosses his arms, looking over the heavy stone coffin. "Ꭵ fᎬᎬᏞ suᏢᎬᏒᎥᎾᏒ ᏆᎾ fᏞᎬsh ᎪᏁᎠ bᏞᎾᎾᎠ bᎬᎥᏁᎶs ᎥᏁ ᎪᏞmᎾsᏆ ᎬᏉᎬᏒᎽ fᎪᏟᎬᏆ ᎾᏁ Ꭺ ᎠᎪᎥᏞᎽ bᎪsᎥs. buᏆ Ꭵf ᎽᎾu'ᏒᎬ ᎪsᏦᎥᏁᎶ mᎬ ᏆᎾ hᎬᏞᏢ mᎾᏉᎬ ᏆhᎬ ᏞᎥᎠ, mᎪᎽbᎬ ᎽᎾu shᎾuᏞᎠ ᎪsᏦ ᏆhᎬ ᎳᎬᏒᎬᎳᎾᏞf ᎥᏁsᏆᎬᎪᎠ."
Her odd eyes turning to Hickle, she asked, "Was that a no?"
Hickle puffs on his pipe for a moment, an amused gleam in his eye. "As confident as he is in his own abilities, I know as his creator what he was designed to do and what flaws he possessed. His skill with a crossbow is mechanical and precise, but as a whole he's not meant for close combat or feats of strength."
The party has little problem moving the stone "lid" once they get together. Inside is a mummified body with an intricate death mask. Looking at it, Payn discerns it's worth about 500 gp, either the the Pharasmin priesthood or to a collector.
The magic glow from the northern doors still beckons.
Well, that could have gone much much worse, Kephry says with an almost audible release of tension, pretty mask too. Let's try not to melt this one,
she adds with a wink to Payn.
So should we go see what's behind door number five?
Malavine nodded, "That's what the priest pay us a moderate amount to do," she said cheerfully as she carefully lifted the mask from the remains, really hoping that the body below wasn't going to move.
Assuming it didn't, she carefully packed the mask away in cloth.
Buckle used his limited knowledge of ancient osirian customs to try and offer the corpse some sort of formal apology for removing the mask. "We may as we be curtoues and replace the lid as well, wouldn't do to make his spirit too angry st us for disturbing it's body."
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Payn studiously concentrates on damaging the statues, putting her energy into the frigid spells.
When at last the stone edifices are cored enough to be a burden should they animate, she states in her characteristic monotone, "We came down here on a rope and will have trouble transporting and liquidating a tapestry. To speak of work crews to remove cyclopean statuary is a non-sequitur."
Moved at last to take notice in the death mask, she declares the value, fairly confident of the evaluation. "To speak of appeasing the spirit seems redundant. If it was angry, it would already have attacked. But if you want to be eased, I can be moved to do deeds of goodness for your benefit."
She raises her hands to send a bolt of frost into the corpse. It's good to help.
Malavine backed away as Payn attacked the corpse. "For the love of Desna! You have got to stop doing that!"
Hickle and Malavine are able to confirm there are no traps on the northern doors.
This small room has four human-shaped bundles wrapped in linen. Each wears a small medallion around its neck. Akhentepi’s grave goods also appear to have been placed in this chamber in several neatly arrayed chests, boxes, and urns. Finally, two ornate chests sit, one each in the Northeast and Southeast corners.
Once again, Malavine used detect magic, and hunted for any obvious signs of traps or guardians.
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In her neutral monotone, Payn asks for advice. "Do you want me to destroy those four mummies, or do you want one of us to be horribly eaten, screaming for mercy from souless talons that unhesitatingly strip flesh and sinew away from bone and tendon, making the warm, supple flesh of the living into a messy red pulp, giving the wailing, crying victim only time enough to think back to this very moment when salvation was freely offered, but a hand was stayed from neutralizing the threat for some ephemeral perception of appeasement of spirits that are so far removed from their corporeal bodies that they would care about its further destruction as much as we would about an ant stepped on in the Elemental Plane of Earth.
So, it could go either way.
I'll stand over here until you see things my way."
True to word, she stands motionless.
Completely, weirdly, unnervingly motionless.
Hickle briefly looks over at Payn, "Hm, did you say something? Sorry, I was concentrating on my spellworking." Indeed, like Malavine he seems to have cast Detect Magic and is carefully surveying the area.
"ᎠᎾ ᎽᎾu ᏆhᎥᏁᏦ ᏆhᎬᏒᎬ ᎪᏒᎬ ᎾᏆhᎬᏒ, mᎾᏒᎬ sᎪᏁᎬ, ᎪᏒᏟᎪᏁᎬ ᏟᎪsᏆᎬᏒs ᎥᏁ ᏆᎾᎳᏁ ᏦᎬᏢhᎽᏒ." Shmick says, though he does have his crossbow ready and loaded in the event the mummies do spring to life.
The magic you were sensing previously is coming from one of the two crates (the one in the northeast corner). Inside, you find a suit of padded armor, from which the aura seems to originate. The magic is of moderate strength. There is also a helmet, but it seems mundane.
Payn waits (anxiously?) for one of the mummies to come to life, but they seem content to retain their death-like state.
The second chest contains:
1000 gp worth of ancient Osirian coins and gems, a potion of lesser restoration, an ornate pendant worth 200 gp.
Assuming no one wants to do anything else in this room you can take the booty and adjourn at this point to return the living city. Alternately, there was another direction you could have taken from one of the earlier rooms. There might be more minor trinkets (and potential danger) that direction, if you want to be thorough.
Bagging up the goods, Malavine looked around. "Is everyone good to continue?"
"Quite right! I'm still fresh as a daisy, so let's plunder this tomb for what it's worth, what?" He nods resolutely to himself, and turns to leave this area of the tomb.
The explorers, now quite exhausted from a long day's work, travel back up the damaged stairs into the mirror room, which they are only mildly surprised to find still holds the disapproving image of Akhentepi gazing out at them. The doors to the east of this room (opposite the stairs) are not locked, and a thorough search reveals no traps.
Inside, pillars line the walls of this rectangular chamber, interspersed with stone jackal heads extending from the walls. A stone altar, covered in a layer of dust, sits at the eastern end of the room. Suddenly, you spot movement.
Two tan-colored creatures very similar to spiders, but with 10 legs, shuffle out from near the alter, their oversized jaws grinding together slowly beneath beady eyes.
Creatures:
Hickle:
Malavine:
Payn:
Zelda:
Kephry:
Map updated at top of page.
Kephry acts first, followed by Malavine, then the creatures.
"And suddenly, murder spiders." Malavine hurled another Starknife.
Malavine's attack misses. As Kephry considers her actions, the two spider-like beasts move forward. One attacks Kephry, the other Zelda.
On Kephry:
Bite:
On Zelda:
Claw:
Rest of the party, including Kephry, may now act.
Zelda shreds into the one that just attacked her with a solid bite and claw, though one claw misses. The creature is still alive, but heavily wounded.
Not enough additional damage to down the creature, but every bit counts.
"Aha, there we go!" He chiperly exclaims, aiming a crossbow towards one if the creatures.
Shmick follows suit, launching his bolt and readying his next.
Hickle kills the one Payn and Zelda had already injured. Shmick gets a lead on damaging the second one.
Holding on Kephry's action for round 1. The creature still alive is right next to her.
Kephry breaks from her concentration and considerations and springs into action, taking a heafty swing at the horrible creature inhabiting the tomb that attacked her.
Having destroyed the two vermin, the explorers are left alone in the odd room.
Pillars line the walls of this rectangular chamber, interspersed
with stone jackal heads extending from the walls. A stone altar,
covered in a layer of dust, sits at the eastern end of the room.
There do not seem to be any other exits from the room. Would anyone like to do anything specific in here, or do you want to move on to the final two unexplored rooms to the north?
Malavine moved to the alter, careful not to touch it. Traps, traps everywhere.
Hickle casts his magic outward in search of arcane auras as has become habit, taking time to carefully examine the room for anything out of place or interesting.
Kephry, a little giddy after the quick combat, decides to get uncomfortably close to Hickle and play with his ears while he's trying to concentrate on magic, batting at the little points the small thinks come to as if they were little balls of yarn or small rodents.
Malavine finds no traps on the alter; it's hard to tell much about it through the dust without touching it, but once she's sure there are no traps, she finds on dusting the top off that it is covered in a brown stain, probably ancient blood.
The only other thing of interest in the room are the jackal heads on the wall, which Hickle believes is some sort of ancient Osirian deity or other; he's not part of the current cosmology.
Hickle realizes this place is probably the preparation room, whereby the parts would have been removed from poor old Akhentepi for storage in the canopic jars you found earlier.