Tribim, spotting the coins through the shallow water, keeps releasing his floating device to reach down and pick up the coins, shrugging his shoulders as he fills his pockets, "Wet money still spends!"
As Amarekashu grabs the lantern Trib calls out, "Make sure you grab the ring, we may need it for further study too."
Paddling back to the steps Tribim grabs his pack, and gets ready to follow Regin back, frowning slightly, "If you don't mind I'd like to skip the dying part for a while, I'm really very young!" He then toddles after the party.
Zummabu's Company return to the sarcophagus chamber and put all the lanterns in their places. They light each in turn and rotate the sarcophagus to the blue tunnel. Howling wind issues down from it for a brief moment, just long enough to stir the hair on their heads, before silence and stillness resumed.
Looking at the others, Amarekashu moved to the entrance of the blue tunnel and took a look along it.
Looking at the others, Amarekashu moved to the entrance of the blue tunnel and took a look along it.
[dice=Perception]1d20+6
Amar saw nothing untoward where the blue tunnel met the sarcophagus chamber. The blue lantern, further down, didn't even sway from the recent breeze.
Tribim, feeling the odd breeze also, walks down beside Amarekashu and looking also asks, "Do ya see anything interesting? I guess height does have some advantage right? Lets to take a look-see."
He then begins to cautiously head down the tunnel.
Masters, Should I explore the area? Or, should I climb the chains?
Amarekashu shook his head to Tribim, replying, "Other than the other lantern didn't move it seems normal enough. I'll take a look, if Namtar wishes to join me." The bulky humanoid moved down the corridor, wary. He wasn't sure what the wind failing to move the lantern meant, but he wanted to be cautious.
Namtar grins and follows Amarekashu.
Tribim, feeling the odd breeze also, walks down beside Amarekashu and looking also asks, "Do ya see anything interesting? I guess height does have some advantage right? Lets to take a look-see."
He then begins to cautiously head down the tunnel.
[dice=aid another: perception]1d20+8
I wonder if the mouth opened up in the upper tunnel. Looking around the group, Tribim asks as he points to the upper tunnel. "Do you think we should go back to the tunnel up there?"
It's worth a look at least. Let's do it.
Nodding, Amarekashu grabbed the rope and headed up.
"Should just one of us take a peek before the others? Might be better to scout it out before we all head up."
Looking up at the tunnel, "That's a good idea Arundel, and whoever it is may want to tie the rope to themselves just in case."
Masters, I offer myself as scout. I cannot see in the dark, but I am the least valuable. It will be honor to die in your service and defense to explore dangerous places so that you will not be harmed.
Looking up at the tunnel, "That's a good idea Arundel, and whoever it is may want to tie the rope to themselves just in case."
Zummabu's company take their precautions and Amar climbs up. He finds the stone face completely gone from the tunnel, revealing further passage beyond.
'Offer myself...? Ok now it's just getting deep in here.' Tribim stops watching Amar climb the rope as Namtar plays the martyr. "Really Namtar? Honor to die? Since when is it ever an 'honor' to die?"
Hearing the way is open he then toddles over to the rope and then slowly climbs up. "And stop calling us Masters!"
Once at the top he sends his dancing light forward down the tunnel and follows Amar keeping a keen eye out.
"It looks safe," Amarekashu called down. "The windy face is gone for now. I guess that's what lighting all the lamps did." He was a little worried about what might happen if one went out, however. Pounding through the rockface could take some time.
Zummabu's company made their way down the tunnel above the blue lantern, past where the screaming face once stood. They came at length to a long, dark room with no floor. A beam perhaps three feet wide reached off into the dark. Ten feet below lay a great mass of bronze spheres. Reliefs that suggested blowing wind stretched across the walls on either side, regularly swirling into great whorls that spread across the arched ceiling.
Amarekashu eyed the whorls. "I suspect that we may see more wind here, unless opening the door deactivated this too." Glancing down into the dark, he looked at the others. "Rope chain?"
Tribim looks over long dark room then looking at Amar, "What's a rope chain?" He then calls up a light breeze and sends it blowing to the other side and watches to see if anything changes.
"Tying each of us to the other in a long line, so if one gets blown off," Amarekashu nodded at the wind patterns, "The others will anchor them and keep them from falling, and can pull them up. It should stop any of us plummeting down to...whatever is below." He remembered some of the fallen dead they'd seen below, and suspected he knew where they'd come from.
Namtar points at the balls. What happens if you land on one of the balls?
Tribim looks over long dark room then looking at Amar, "What's a rope chain?" He then calls up a light breeze and sends it blowing to the other side and watches to see if anything changes.
[dice=perception]1d20+8
The Art faded away before Tribim felt anything stop it or interfere with its working.
A beam perhaps three feet wide reached off into the dark. Ten feet below lay a great mass of bronze spheres...
Tribim shrugs, "My breeze didn't reveal anything to me. We may as well try the rope thing."
Taking out his own silk rope, he begins to tie the end around his waist. "I may as well go first since I'm the lightest. If it's ten feet to the bronze spheres should we tie off at about nine and a half feet?"
After he hands the rope to Amare he sends his dancing lights down the beam to see as much of it as he can see.
Namtar grabs the other end of the rope with Amar. Do not be afraid, Master, we will keep you safe!
All tied up, Tribim set out down the beam. About halfway across, just as his lights showed a rather plain wall with a heavy stone door at the beam's end, he heard giggling almost directly into his left ear.
'Giggling, who would be giggling' Pulling his dancing lights back so he could get a good look around. "There is a stone door down there. Oh, does anyone else hear giggling?"
He then turns towards the 'giggling' and in Ancient Untheric says, "Well I guess I would rather hear giggling than crying, I'm Tribim, Any chance you would like to talk to someone?"
Amarekashu looked around with concern. "No." If there was a creepy child in a white gown they were going to have to run quite fast...
'Giggling, who would be giggling' Pulling his dancing lights back so he could get a good look around. "There is a stone door down there. Oh, does anyone else hear giggling?"
He then turns towards the 'giggling' and in Ancient Untheric says, "Well I guess I would rather hear giggling than crying, I'm Tribim, Any chance you would like to talk to someone?"
[dice=diplomacy (just in case we have time)]1d20+8
When Tribim spoke, the giggling grew louder. He received no other answer.
'well that's disconcerting.' Tribim attempts to quicken his pace, addressing the 'giggler' in a slightly louder voice, hoping one of the others who know ancient Untheric hear him. "Well I hope your giggle being louder means you find me entertaining. Of course that's even assuming your understanding the words that are coming out of my mouth. I've never expected to speak this ancient language with someone who actually knows it first hand. Any chance you will talk with me instead of just laughing?" He wipes the sweat off of his brow. "Not that I'm not happy that you find me entertaining."
Tribim spoke again as he reached the beam's far end. Again no answer came for a moment. Then someone spoke in modern Untheric.
"You talk funny."
Tribim quickly glances at the others behind him, then looking around for the speaker smiling.
"I sorry, I assumed because of the age of this place that you would speak an older version of our language. But at least you found the old language humorous. I've always considered myself rather entertaining instead of threatening."
He stops inspecting the door, and give a polite bow the direction of the voice. "As I said my name is Tribim. I was born and raised in the city of Dalath. Which, as you probably know, is not a great distance from here."
He makes a motion to the others. "These are my associates and we are friends to a seeker of knowledge named Zummabu. He asked us to come here. May I ask your name and the reason you are here?"
Namtar leans over to the others. "Masters, do you who he is talking to?"
The voice sounded youthful, perhaps an adolescent boy.
Tribim quickly glances at the others behind him, then looking around for the speaker smiling.
Tribim didn't see anyone.
The door appeared to be locked somehow and he doesn't see a means to open it.
"I sorry, I assumed because of the age of this place that you would speak an older version of our language. But at least you found the old language humorous. I've always considered myself rather entertaining instead of threatening."
He stops inspecting the door, and give a polite bow the direction of the voice. "As I said my name is Tribim. I was born and raised in the city of Dalath. Which, as you probably know, is not a great distance from here."
"I grew up in Dalath. Master Ninshabur owned me; the meanest whip hand in town!"
He makes a motion to the others. "These are my associates and we are friends to a seeker of knowledge named Zummabu. He asked us to come here. May I ask your name and the reason you are here?"
"I'm Eluti. I died here."
"We are sorry to hear that," Amarkeashu said carefully, slightly nervous of ghost children.
Tribim looks from the door back to the others, "I'm sorry to hear that Eluti, Can you tell us how you died? Is there anything we can do to help you?"
Tribim looks from the door back to the others, "I'm sorry to hear that Eluti, Can you tell us how you died? Is there anything we can do to help you?"
"I fell into the balls. Could you...take my bones to my family? I'll open the treasure door for you."
Amarekashu looked down, and at the spirit. A slave driver who would send a child into this...RThe monk shook his head. "Which bones are yours? How can we tell which of them belonged to you?" Although perhaps it would be wise to simply gather all of them. Most of them would deserve some kind of burial...
Master Ninshabur, I will have to remember that name.' Tribim loses his smile as he thinks about what he would like to do to Eluti's master. He composes himself and asks. "What year did you come here, Eluti? And what is the name of your family or what part of the city are they from? I will do all within my power to retrieve your bones and take them to your family." Sending his dancing lights toward the balls He asks, "Where did you, err, die?"
Tagging starts scanning the balls for matching remains.
Ever am I reminded of the evilness of these rich masters...
Not much shows on Arundel's face as all this transpires. He listens with anger and sadness, but remains calm and allows Trib to continue to handle things. When the others begin to search around the remains, the elf joins in.
Master Ninshabur, I will have to remember that name.' Tribim loses his smile as he thinks about what he would like to do to Eluti's master. He composes himself and asks. "What year did you come here, Eluti? And what is the name of your family or what part of the city are they from? I will do all within my power to retrieve your bones and take them to your family." Sending his dancing lights toward the balls He asks, "Where did you, err, die?"
[dice=perception]1d20+8
"Here," a translucent, slave child clad barely in rags appeared just below the door, pointing into the spheres below. His head hung limp to one side, the neck bent like a hinge with bones sticking out at the joint. The boy was hairy and emaciated even by the standards of a slave, so much of his skeleton shone through his skin. The scars of the scourge marked his exposed shoulders and back, the most horridly solid and substantial part of him.
It was some work to shift the heavy balls and find Eluti's remains, but they were there. Dry tatters of flesh clung to them, but little else.
Namtar grimaces. "Some masters are very cruel." He slips down to collect the bones. "I can carry them, Masters. You are freedmen and should not touch the dead"
No, Namtar. As a priest of Ishtar I can lay the bones to rest. I'll need some help getting them out though.
After the bones are extracted Regin wraps team carefully in cloth and says a few prayers over them.
That should be good as long as we get to the surface relatively soon to bury them under the sun.
Amarekashu nodded. Despite his powers, he wasn't terribly religious - he firmly believed they were simply part of his true Draconic nature - but hopefully Regin's help would let the little spirit rest.
Namtar visibly relaxes. He wasn't too keen on carrying the bones of a ghost. "Does anyone know this Ninshabur?"
'I'm not familiar.' Tribim shakes his head, "I don't know of him yet." He gives what can only be described as an 'evil' smile, "But I will."
Tribim then toddles over to the door, inspecting it, waiting to see what happens.
Smiling at Tribim, Amarekashu nodded. Well, the corners of his lips moved and his teeth were visible. It was possible it qualified as a smile. Somewhere.
[dice=knowledge: Local]1d20+6
'I'm not familiar.' Tribim shakes his head, "I don't know of him yet." He gives what can only be described as an 'evil' smile, "But I will."
Tribim then toddles over to the door, inspecting it, waiting to see what happens.
"I'll just-" Eluti stopped himself and turned his sideways head back toward the company. "I'll show you I can open the door. Then you can take care of my bones. I'll know when that's done and open it before I move on. Otherwise, what's to stop you from running right through the door and leaving me here forever?"