The elf follows silently behind.
Amarekashu took up his usual place in the rear guard, glancing around as usual with his oddly coloured eyes.
Namtar follows his masters, but staying watchful as always left
They come to harm in this accursed place.
Namtar follows his masters, but staying watchful as always left
They come to harm in this accursed place.
[dice=perception]1d20+6
As Zummabu's company pressed through the tight tunnel, Namtar hung back to let the others go ahead. His wide shoulders would have special trouble in that space. While he waited, he cast about and saw a corner of old leather sticking out from amid the refuse. With an easy tug he pulled free a backpack, stiff with age and bearing the sign of an eight pointed star. It held an elaborately carved lantern, its zigurrat-shaped metal frame inset with indigo glass, a carved armband with a repeating motif of swamp rushes, and a carved marble finger, broken off just above the second knuckle.
Following Tribim, the company came to a large chamber at the intersection of the alcoves and hallway. To the south, just past the limit of the light, Arundel and Dommer's saw the bodies of three jackals sprawled across the floor.
Now that everyone is here it's safe to look around.' Tribim begins to look around noticing that Namtar has a new pack he asks "Namtar what did ya find?"
After Namtar shows everyone what he found, Tribim looks carefully at the backpacks sigil and other items to see if he recognized them.
Now that everyone is here it's safe to look around.' Tribim begins to look around noticing that Namtar has a new pack he asks "Namtar what did ya find?"
After Namtar shows everyone what he found, Tribim looks carefully at the backpacks sigil and other items to see if he recognized them.
[dice=knowledge: local]1d20+5
The indigo lantern matches the green lantern still lit and the others about the chamber. The broken finger looks like it would fit neatly on the figure atop the sarcophagus. The swamp rushes are a common Untheri theme that doesn't really tell Trib much.
Tribim doesn't recognize the sigil, but it sounded a great deal like the one that Arundel spotted on Kassu's ring back at the dragonchess parlor.
Masters, there are some dead jackals. How.. did they get here?
There are dead jackals that I didn't see." Turning quickly Trib looks the direction Namtar indicated, "Jackels where?" Looking back in the general direction Namtar indicated every so often, Tribim observed, "The lantern matches the others in the chamber and I think the finger fits the figure atop the sarcophagus. Has anyone else noticed anything?" Waiting for any information from the team he asks "Shall we inspect the Jackals?" Making sure he stays near his large friend Namtar. 'I don't want to face any carnivores alone
There, the jackals. - Dommer points, as Tribim asks - They were clearly brought here, and since the bodies are still here... Not through conjuring magic. - he finally answers Namtar.
The Dwarf steps near the two of them. His features are on its usual "bear-like".
Let's investigate them, but everybody, please stay on your toes. This might be a trap.
"One of the groups down here may have brought them, perhaps through a portal." Amarekashu considered for a moment. "Gnolls use such creatures as guard dogs and attack animals, I believe?"
Regin takes up a guard post over the bodies and intones his own spell. Another set of dancing lights similar to Trib's appears over the bodies and helps spread the light around a little more evenly. Let's do this quickly. I'd like to check out that green light as soon as we can.
Zummabu's Company set out down the hallway, amid the whispering and sighing, and came on the jackal corpses in short order. They had been dead long enough to be missing much of their flesh, but what remained bore sharp, deep gouges. They looked as though they'd been slashed to pieces, dismembered, and then crudely arranged to show off the fact.
'That's quite the warning.' holding his dancing lights over the dead jackals, Trib let his eyes wander over the methodical way the corpses had been placed. "Well somebodies just showin' off, do you blokes think it may have been the blind Neanderthals we met earlier?"
"Hard to say" the elf says with a slight frown. He glances around the area to see if there is anything else of note or any signs of danger.
He will also cast Detect Magic, and look about the room that way, looking for any signs of magic. While he's at it, he will also look at the items Namtar found, to see if any of them are magical.
"Hard to say" the elf says with a slight frown. He glances around the area to see if there is anything else of note or any signs of danger.
[dice=Perception]1d20+11
He will also cast Detect Magic, and look about the room that way, looking for any signs of magic. While he's at it, he will also look at the items Namtar found, to see if any of them are magical.
Arundel found no traces of spellcraft about them. In the distance, away from the green light, he could see that the hall intersected another.
Given it was the most obvious sign of life, Amarekashu gestured to the green light to see if the others wanted to check it out first.
Regin nods and leads the way toward the mysterious light.
Passing through a curtain of thick cobwebs, Zummabu's Company soon find themselves in an immense, domed chamber. Seven short tunnels branched out in all directions, progressing some thirty feet before coming to their ends. In each, a long chain hangs from the ceiling. On five dangle colorful lanterns in the shapes of ziggurats. Opposite the entry stands one of green glass, the source of the light. It throws strange shadows across the chamber, reflected off chips of glass and metal inset in the dome like so many stars. Beneath the dome's peak, a long dais held a marble sarcophagus adorned with a milky white relief of a larger-than-life man, grandly bearded and holding one hand forward, palm up and fingers together. One of the fingers has been broken away.
'well we know where the stuff came from now.' as he walks into the chamber, Trib shrugs his shoulders, "I guess our predecessor with the pack was just a thief as well. But we did find a Sarcophagus, what would make this a tomb right. I wonder who is buried in it."
Tribim goes to the sarcophagus, and inspects it.
Regin looks around in wonder. This is it? We actually discovered an undocumented tomb? On our first try?
I have a bad feeling about it. - says the Dwarf, getting ready to investigate the walls himself.
"I'm not sure if this is a full tomb or simply someone's grave. It does seem rather unlikely..." Amarekashu stared at the resting place, remembering that the last person they knew had been here was now dead, and approached with caution.
'well we know where the stuff came from now.' as he walks into the chamber, Trib shrugs his shoulders, "I guess our predecessor with the pack was just a thief as well. But we did find a Sarcophagus, what would make this a tomb right. I wonder who is buried in it."
Tribim goes to the sarcophagus, and inspects it.
Trib gave the sarcophagus a thorough looking over. The figure was clearly antique Untheri work. He wore a personal seal on his belt, done in such detail that it was clearly meant to be a specific mark rather than just suggest one. His close examination also revealed fine, almost invisible, etchings around the edges of the lid. They were just the sort of mark he would expect of a dangerous warding.
Stepping back from it, the halfling also realized that the dais the sarcophagus rested upon had the shape of an arrow, the tip aligned with the figure's head. He suspected the whole thing might be built to rotate.
'Antique Untheri, how very interesting.' stepping back from the sarcophagus, Tribim points first at the seal "This sarcophagus is clearly antique Untheri, tha bloke has a seal on his belt, so's we can know who he is. Two other interesting points." Pointing at the etchins around the lid and then the dais, "The coffin is warded and I believe tha whole dais is rigged ta be able ta spin." Pointing around the room with his walking stick, "It may be in our best interest to find a switch before we open tha coffin."
Before Trib begins to look around the room he inquires. "Does any one think what we's found in tha ruck sack relevant to getting tha coffin open or was it a coincident?"
Coincidence or not, we should probably act like it is important until we discover otherwise. Still, I'm not sure what to make of all this.
Amarekashu nodded. "Replacing what was taken might be a start."
Tribim doesn't see any obvious signs of magical discharge, but he knows there are spells that strike without scorching rock or blasting splinters from it. Some wardings just lock their victims in stasis, summon foes (often also kept in stasis, but sometimes summoned anew) or teleport them far away. There's a chance it might be a slumbering curse which would have no clear effect when triggered, but strike at some later time when least wanted. Simple misfortune would be the most common of those, but come curses wither limbs or deliver magical plagues that reduce their victims to undead horrors that shamble back to the tomb or slay their companions.
Scratching his head, That's one potentially nasty trap, if anyone has any good ideas I'm willing to hear them." He then begins to look around the primary room, then the alcoves.
Tribim makes a thorough search of the tunnels. Each was much the same as the last, made of close-fitted stone with minimal decoration. The seams were cunningly hidden, but he spotted round cuts in the floor of each just below where the lantern hung. They described a circle five feet wide. Only the green lantern was lit, a bronze bar within burning with cold flame. All tunnels save the blue had arched ceilings that rose up forty feet. In that tunnel, any ceiling was lost in the darkness above. There also, Tribim found a skeleton laying in a heap on the floor.
Amarekashu shook his head. "Such traps are beyond me. If they will trigger for any pressure, perhaps a length of wood or some such could be used to set them off, and we can do as we need before they reset? Assuming that is not instantaneous."
Trib inspects the room, pointing out the cunningly made round cuts on the floor, asking 'What would happen if we lit all tha torches?" Once he finds the skeleton, he inspects it carefully asking "Can anyone tell what killed this fella?"
Trib inspects the room, pointing out the cunningly made round cuts on the floor, asking 'What would happen if we lit all tha torches?" Once he finds the skeleton, he inspects it carefully asking "Can anyone tell what killed this fella?"
Tribim can tell the unfortunate didn't die of old age. Half the bones he could see bore numerous cracks and a few were shattered outright. A particularly nasty one had caved in part of the skull.
Walking around the skeleton, looking from the skeleton toward the open area above it and then back at the skeleton, Tribim asks "Do you blokes think this fella may have fallen?"
The elf shrugs non-committedly, not being very familiar with the subject. He will examine the area using detect magic also, to see if we are dealing with magical traps or any other magic things.
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[dice=heal]1d20+1
Walking around the skeleton, looking from the skeleton toward the open area above it and then back at the skeleton, Tribim asks "Do you blokes think this fella may have fallen?"
[dice=heal]1d20+1
Walking around the skeleton, looking from the skeleton toward the open area above it and then back at the skeleton, Tribim asks "Do you blokes think this fella may have fallen?"
The sarcophagus lid has a magical trip.
Arundel considers all the clues before them, brow furrowed in concentration. "So the one tunnel that is not intact is the one from which our lantern here was taken - that would indicate that we do not want to remove any more lanterns... It would seem that some thief came in here, broke the finger off the sarcophagus, and stole the blue lantern from that tunnel, presumably causing the collapse. That was deadly for one person, but not the thief, who made it out with his loot. Why take the finger and the lantern though? None of this really makes much sense..."
Regin grows tired of the speculation and tries to push the sarcophagus around to see if it moves easily or not.
Regin grows tired of the speculation and tries to push the sarcophagus around to see if it moves easily or not.
Regin gave the sarcophagus a solid heave and it turned, grinding stone on stone for a moment before settling into what felt like a groove which pointed the arrow at the yellow tunnel. A great rumbling issued from there and the floor rose up, directly beneath the unlit lantern. It was carried aloft by a cylinder of burnished bronze, which turned as it ascended. The two came to a rest and doors slid open to either side of the cylinder. It looked to be large enough for a grown man, or a halfling or two, to stand within.
Moving over to the newly opened doors, Amarekashu glanced through to see if there was any sign of something beyond.
'What an interesting contraption.' Tribim watches as Regin Ald pushes on the coffin turning it to point at the yellow tunnel, and watches as the burnished bronze cylinder rises to floor level. "Do you think someone is supposed to get in it?"
It should be large enough for one of us to stand within. - said Dommer, confused with the whole thing - Do you notice anything else, Amarekashu?
Moving over to the newly opened doors, Amarekashu glanced through to see if there was any sign of something beyond.
[dice=Percetion]1d20+5
Amarekashu could see straight through the cylinder. Its interior formed a small chamber, open on either side courtesy of the sliding doors. It was quite bare within.
'What an interesting contraption.' Tribim watches as Regin Ald pushes on the coffin turning it to point at the yellow tunnel, and watches as the burnished bronze cylinder rises to floor level. "Do you think someone is supposed to get in it?"
Amarekashu reported what he saw, and suspicious of how bare the room was used his abilities to see if there was any sign of magic.