Namtar looks at it but shakes his head. "Forgive me, Master, but I am unlearned in these things. My previous masters have not required me to read or know these things."
The place where Eluti and his family labored was long a ruin, sand blown in drifts against the walls of a large house that must have been fine in its day. Whatever hovels the slaves had were buried or fallen away. It took a few minutes to pick out where Zummabu believed the burial ground likely was. Only a few stelae still marked it, most long since fallen, shattered, or carried off for other uses. The work was made harder still by the several large pits and piles of loose sand that had just begun to slide back into them as the wind drove it. A few abandoned shovels lay nearby, not yet buried.
Leaving the arm for the others to examine, "I'll be right outside." Tribim wanders back out to the 'graveyard' inspecting the several large pits. He carefully looks to see if any of them had been dug up by a large creature or if they had been dug up with a shovel. He then tries to determine which pit the arm may have come from.
The place where Eluti and his family labored was long a ruin, sand blown in drifts against the walls of a large house that must have been fine in its day. Whatever hovels the slaves had were buried or fallen away. It took a few minutes to pick out where Zummabu believed the burial ground likely was. Only a few stelae still marked it, most long since fallen, shattered, or carried off for other uses. The work was made harder still by the several large pits and piles of loose sand that had just begun to slide back into them as the wind drove it. A few abandoned shovels lay nearby, not yet buried.Leaving the arm for the others to examine, "I'll be right outside." Tribim wanders back out to the 'graveyard' inspecting the several large pits. He carefully looks to see if any of them had been dug up by a large creature or if they had been dug up with a shovel. He then tries to determine which pit the arm may have come from.
Tribim thinks the arm is too fresh to have been taken from one of the excavated graves, all of which have discarded shovels or other signs of thinking hands at work in the digging.
Arundel can't place the mark on the arm.
'Hhhhhmmmm,' While he looks at the excavated graves, Tribim ponders the mark on the arm.
Arundel shakes his head in frustration. "I can't place it".
[dice=knowledge: local]1d20+6
'Hhhhhmmmm,' While he looks at the excavated graves, Tribim ponders the mark on the arm.
Thinking it over, Tribim realizes that the tattoo is the mark of the former Pit Lord Gazualum. Rubal Sumbar bankrupted him a few years ago and took all he owned, which came as a relief to the many slaves that Gazualum worked to death. Sumbar is a cruel master himself, but Gazualum often had his slaves tortured for his amusement and -so Sumbar says- occasionally ate them while they still lived. Gazualum vanished shortly after losing everything. Most believe he met an unhappy end and mutter darkly about how Sumbar got so fat. Some of his slaves are now among Sumbar's most trusted and serve him as enforcers and overseers.
tribim toddles around outside until the others join him. Pointing at the graves he shrugs, "I can't make heads or tails of the graves, looks like they were all dug up with shovels or hands. The arm is way to fresh to be from any of them anyways."
Throwing his finger in the air, "Oh speaking of the arm I realizes that the tattoo is the mark of the former Pit Lord Gazualum. Rubal Sumbar bankrupted him a few years ago and took all he owned. Maybe when we get back we can speak with Sumbar."
"Might as well," Amarekashu replied with a shrug. "Once we are done here we can look into this."
While looking about, Tribim picks up one of the shovels. Walking over he hands it to Namtar, "Here put this with your pack, we don't know when we might need a shovel."
He then looks around, asking. "Does anyone see a ten foot pole?"
Namtar dutifully pushes it through his pack's straps. He also starts looking for the pole.
Namtar dutifully pushes it through his pack's straps. He also starts looking for the pole.
Namtar dutifully pushes it through his pack's straps. He also starts looking for the pole.
Smiling at Namtar, Tribim shakes his head and adds, "I was just kidding Namtar. If we need a pole we can purchase one at the market on our way out of town."
Once the child was in its grave and everything was sorted, Amarekashu prepared to return to the prison tomb.
Namtar rubs the back of his neck. "Oh. sorry, Master."
Tribim looks up at his friend and sighs shaking his head. "And stop calling me Master."
Tribim looks up at his friend and sighs shaking his head. "And stop calling me Master."
Amarekashu consigned the child's bones to the ground, repeating the prayer from earlier.
Amarekashu consigned the child's bones to the ground, repeating the prayer from earlier.
The bones go into the ground without incident.
Continuing the mission, Amarekashu headed back to the temple prison crypt thing unless someone else had something they wished to do.
Arundel, after reflecting briefly on the tiny bones going into the hole, steels himself to return. "We have work to do; let's get it done."
Quite as they intern the child's remains to the grave. Tribim Looks up at Arundel, nodding his head, and silently toddles after his friends as they return to the crypt.
Quite as they intern the child's remains to the grave. Tribim Looks up at Arundel, nodding his head, and silently toddles after his friends as they return to the crypt.
Zummabu's company return to the Cairn of Whispers without incident, finding it as they left it hours before.
Amarekashu moved through the ancient place, following the fastest path to the ghostly guardians and hoping that the protectors of the protectors had returned.
Tribim follows along behind Amarekashu as quickly as his little legs will carry him. keeping a keen eye out as they go. As the move he asks, "Should we use the scroll on the one on the right and then surround the one on the left?"
Zummabu's company made their way back to the the brink of the true tomb, the sphere-filled chamber with the narrow bridge across where they'd met undead Eluti and agreed to restore his bones to the company of his family so he might pass on.
There the ghost child remained, floating above the bridge and waiting.
"Something's wrong," he said without preamble. "Did you put me in the right place? With Mother and Father?"
Wait. Mother and Father? Did you mention them before? Because I don't remember you mentioning them before.
"Apparently we did not," Amarekashu sighed. "Are you certain that they were interred as we placed you?"
"We made sure that your remains were laid to rest, in an appropriate place. Is there someone you would like us to tell about where we buried you?"
After his description, Tribim asks, "Was that not the right place, give up more information and we will dig up your bones and try again."
After his description, Tribim asks, "Was that not the right place, give up more information and we will dig up your bones and try again."
"It sounds like it should be right," Eluti said. "Did someone steal my family?"
'I don't have a clue' Tribim looks from the ghost to the others, shrugging his shoulders. "There were unmarked graves and some graves dug up. Since your family isn't there maybe they were the ones dug up. We can go back and investigate when we leave again. Can you go with us to help us find them?"
'I don't have a clue' Tribim looks from the ghost to the others, shrugging his shoulders. "There were unmarked graves and some graves dug up. Since your family isn't there maybe they were the ones dug up. We can go back and investigate when we leave again. Can you go with us to help us find them?"
[dice=sense motive]1d20+1
Eluti floated past the company, giving them a wide berth, and stopped dead just past the balls.
"I can't go past here. Still," he said.
'How sad, we need to help Eluti.' Shaking his head sadly, Tribim continues, "We will use the scroll we brought, then when we are done. I will go investigate what happened to your parents bones. Then either return them to where yours are, or take yours to them." He then starts to head to the door to where the elementals were. Keeping a keen eye out for any traps.
"We will need to look through the records," Amarekashu noted, sounding less than enthusiastic. Reading musty scrolls and tombs of bookkeeping was not his idea of excitement, but a promise was a promise.
Indeed. We will see your bones laid to rest. That was the promise.
'Well here we go.' Drawing his short sword, looking at the others to wait for any preparations. "Well, I guess I'm about as ready as I'm going to get."
Arundel appears to be in thought for a moment. "I could provide a little bit of preparation before the battle. Would it be helpful to use an Enlarge Person spell on someone before we begin?"
As the elf is making this offer, he pulls a scroll out and casts a spell on himself.
"Enlargement would aid me," Amarekashu agreed. He would also cast Shield of Faith on himself and anyone else who wished it.
Regin casts Comprehend languages on himself, then braces. I'm ready.
Arundel embiggens Amarekashu with a few quick gestures, and gladly accepts his Shield of Faith casting in return. With that accomplished, he readies the scroll given to them to deal with the air elemental, and indicates his readiness.
Amarekashu nodded his thanks, returning the favour and preparing for battle.
Regin raises his shield and hopes his luck holds out.
Tribim looks down at his short sword, then to the other members of the team, Moving over near Namtar, he asks, "Now what? I'm still sort of new at this."
Arundel moves within range and begins reading off the scroll, focusing his arcane energies on banishing the elemental on the left.