Shomari silently appraises the amazon's scar, or perhaps her hip, and nods approvingly. Her clothes are not particularly shocking to him, being quite modest compared to what the people of his own tribe wear in the long, hot summers. Before he can remark on the pride mark, the old man comes in, with a big northerner and....
He gives the big man a wide smile and nods his head agreeably. He has had experience of northerners and their pride. Their desire to stand between him and the weapons of his foes had made them useful on more than one occasion.
"Is good. You safe now," he says slowly, thickening his accent dramatically. He put his hand to his chest. "Shomari protects you."
"Well met Shomari," Thresh says as he thumps a fist to his own chest. Turning to Tenzin he adds, "for a southlander this one speaks well."
Namunda, who has been speaking mostly to Dubaku since leaving the Crimson Sun bursts into his now characteristic smiles. "Well met! I am Namuda of the Ivory Savannah. It is nice to see that one is not alone in this inhospitable city", he says looking at Shomari. His words provoke a cough from old Makish, but the shopkeeper does nothing more than that. The third Ivory Savannah tribesman seems less confident than his more outgoing friend. He nods at the two newcomers but not much more. Rika, the young woman who joined the escape from the Crimson Sun, falls somewhere between the two. Not expressing the jovial nature of Namuda, neither sharing in the silence of Dubuku. ”Where are you escorting us?” she says with a tentative tone and looks around the rom with uneasy eyes.
"Through the tunnels and out of the city," Shomari says, no longer struggling with the language. He gives his countrymen-and-woman a broad smile. "From there, it is a question of fate."
"Through the tunnels and out of the city," Shomari says, no longer struggling with the language. He gives his countrymen-and-woman a broad smile. "From there, it is a question of fate."
"Our path makes no difference to me as life is but a journey," Thresh says which stuns anyone that knows him as it is the only profound statement he's ever made. "I read that on a piece of paper I found on a Southlander Priest that I just killed on a raid when I was a lad. I don't know what it means." Thresh finishes with a shrug.
"Then let us waste no more time". "Torches ready"?
"Ah yes, torches!" Makish says and scurries back down the hall with surprising speed for a man of his venerable age. He returns shortly thereafter carrying three torches and a tinderbox to light them. "You must forgive me, in my age things slip so easliy from my mind. Here, can you hold this?" he says and gives the items to Tenzin. Then the old animal peddler graps a hold of the bed and drags it aside with some effort. Sweeping aside the straw Makish exposes a loose stone slab on the floor. With another effort the stone slab is set aside as well to reveal a stair case leading down into the dark. "There you go. Follow this symbol and you'll get to outpost beyond the city wall", he says and indicates three white horizontal lines on the first step of the stair case. "Once you've arrived to a wooden trapdoor. Tap two times in rapid succession and three times in slow succession and someone will open the door."
"Let's go see what's at the end of the tunnel, hopefully it will be something that needs killing."
Tenzin had listened to the exchange with a slight smile on his face..when Thresh had boasted of killing 20 he had held up 4 fingers behind the northerner to show the true figure.The monks face held a trace of amusement as the warriors conducted the,he now realised, necessary verbal testing of each others wills.
Accepting a torches and lighting one, he descended into the tunnel sword in hand.
Bella follows the Monk down with a shrug, counting on his torchlight to light her way, and allow her to use both hands for fighting.
Thresh shoulders his way past the Amazon and takes a spot directly behind Tenzin. "Archers behind real fighters, ha ha ha."
Bella frowns for a bit, then collects herself. "No problem at all". "I do not carry a shield to protect me from missile attacks, so you'll serve nicely". She then turns her brightest smile on the big barbarian.
Charisma Check , Persuasion untrained.
Namuda laughs at Bella’s jab and happily accepts one of the other torches. ”With both of you infront I feel so much safer”, he laughs and decends the stairs after the amazon. The big man’s spirits have been soaring steadly with each step past away from the Crimson Tavern. Dubaku follows his fellow tribeman, although with much less zeal. Last follows Rika and Gaius, who takes the last torch . ”There you go. Remember to follow the symbols and you will be fine. The torches should keep anything that bites at bay. Good luck and remeber that old Makish has favorable prices of steeds and camels!”, old Makish says and slides the stone slab in place behind you. ”What did he say? What things that bite?” Rika asks sounding distressed and starts to look nervously at her surroundings.
The stairs continue down for about 20ft before leveling out. The air in the tunnel is cool, a welcome change from the sorching weather of the surface. Not so welcome is the tangible smell of refuse. Somewhere these tunnels connects with the city sewer system. The tunnel stretches for for another 50ft before merging with another tunnel to create a T-crossing. The light from your torches doesn’t reach far enough to illuminate the new walkway but you think that the floor might be moving, unless your eyes decieve you.
"Okay Escorts, which way now?"
Thresh grabs one of the torches and moves ahead to investigate the 'moving' walkway.
The movement starts to pick up in activity when Thresh and the torch moves closer. A shriek from Rika carries through the tunnels when the torch reveals a swarm of scarabs scattering across the floor. Some are as small as a nail while the biggest stretch out to a full grown man's palm. The flee in all directions as the light comes closer. "What are those things?!" Rika demands in a shaking voice and looks down at her naked feet.
Gaius follows behind Thresh while the quiet Dubaku does his best to calm the frightened girl. When you illuminate the T-crossing you reveal a similar stone paved tunnel. To your right a few yards into the passage you can see a crude barrier made up by cracked and rotten wooden boards. A few years ago it might have provided some kind of hindrance, but now the thing is barely holding together. Streams of beetles flow back and forth through holes in the obstacle. You can also see some bones scattered on the floor. To the left the passage stretches forward into the darkness. Gaius searches the walls for a few moments before removing some debris by the opposite wall. "Here's one of those symbols that the old man spoke of. That must be the way", he says and points down the left corridor.
"Then let us take it..the sooner we are out of these bettle infested tunnels the better..let us hope that they are the worst of our worries"
Tenzin steps off down the left hand passage his eyes searching for further signs.
Bella follows the others, eyes peeled, ready for action...
"Then let us take it..the sooner we are out of these bettle infested tunnels the better..let us hope that they are the worst of our worries"
Tenzin steps off down the left hand passage his eyes searching for further signs.
"Beetles! There's no honor in fighting beetles...I hope that we find something exciting to fight....it has been days and days since I rescued you all by slaying a regiment of the king's guard. That was a good fight. Do you remember it friend Tenzin?"
Shomari walks along, following the marks, an eye peeled for danger.
With the flickering torchlight to guide the way you continue to delve deeper into the tunnels beneath the independent city of Teyerana. It is not long before yet another tunnel intersects with your path. Some searching reveals another symbol which shows the way. Following the symbols takes you through a veritable maze of tunnels. If you did not have the symbols to go by you'd been lost some in no time. Unfortunetly each symbol becomes harder to find, as the paint used for the symbols become more and more faded. Appearently the trail is far less travelled than old Makish let know of. Although you're not sure of it you do get the feeling that the swarm of beetles are following behind you.
Unease rising, Bella shushes the others and looks around intently.
Notice; WD
Shomari loves the paranoid feeling he gets underground.
Total 7
Thresh notices his guides stopping so he stops too and looks around.
The search for the exits continues through the maze of tunnels. Though the symbols are hard to spot, your combined keep you on the correct path. The clattering of small legs follow you through the halls as Thresh spots something in the corner of his eye. Two faint smatterings of red reflect in the torchlight as the group passes a yawning portal. Shadows dance to reveal the outline of three bodies lying scattered around a ornade stone sarcophagus. Inside, just out of view, glimmers the reflections that caught the northlanders eye.
"Southlanders wait...Thresh Darkon has spotted something interesting. Let's take a look." With that said, Thresh ducks through the discovered portal.
Dust scatters at the barbarian's feet as he enters the small chamber. The debris together with the state of decay of the three bodies suggests that the room as been left untouched for years. The sarcophagus takes up most of the rooms space, leaving just enough space for a fully grown man along either side. Inside the stone coffin lies the dried and bandaged husk of a tall human. Two blood red rubies, each the size of a walnut, rests in its eye sockets.
Shomari draws an arrow and puts it to his bowstring. He does not enter the room with Thresh.
"Look at the shiny things!" Thresh says with excitement as he tries to pry the rubies out of the sockets.
Eagerly driven by the promise of what price the two gemstones would fetch in a marketplace Thresh atempts to pry them loose. The rubys offer little resistance and the northlander is easily able to remove them from the corpse.
Bella takes a quick breath as she sees the Barbarian pull the gems from the eyes of the corpse. She frantically looks around to see what disaster this will bring down.
Knowledge: Legends and Lore (6)
Ace
WD
Bella recalls the legend of a vile necromancer known as “The King of the Sand”, his real name lost to time. It is said that a thousand years ago the king emerged from the Red Desert with a following of unliving soldiers. With the dead under his command he conquered armies in an ever extending campaign of conquest. He was finally stopped by a brotherhood of Jademen monks, who managed to trap his soul in two blood red rubies.
Before Bella can relate the story or stop Thresh a chill gale sweep through the room carrying etheral voices of lament . Moments later a hand cold as the grave shoot up from the sarcophagus towards Thresh. Bony fingers ending in wicked black claws grasp for barbarian’s robust neck. Trusting in his instincts Thresh is able to predict the attack and save himself from a mauling. . Still, the surprise causes the northlander to drop the gemstone which clatter to opposite sides of the small burial chamber. ”Juuughaaal”, the dried up corpse rasps with a voice from the grave. Of in the distance the faint but distinct sound of insect wings draws closer.
"Spotted something interesting, did you?" Shomari growls at Thresh. He draws his bow, aims carefully and shoots over the big northerner's shoulder at the ancient corpse.
Before Bella can relate the story or stop Thresh a chill gale sweep through the room carrying etheral voices of lament .
"What manner of foul creature are you? Let's see how well you do with no head on your shoulders!!!"
Spirit
Wild
Tenzin stands his ground before the undead monstrosity
Spirit Roll
WD
Ace
Bella laughs out loud at the danger. "Fool"! "You have awakened the King of Sand"!
Tiger's Horn (Bow) attack
Wild Die
Damage
1d6 Spirit Roll
1d6 WD
1d6 AceBella laughs out loud at the danger. "Fool"! "You have awakened the King of Sand"!
1d10+1 Tiger's Horn (Bow) attack
1d6 Wild Die2d6 Damage
"Why's he called the King of Sand? Is he made out of sand? Can we make him into sand castles?"
The mummy rises from its coffin producing a terrified scream from Rika who backs up against the tunnel wall. Shomari show signs of great marksmanship as his arrow files past Thresh and lands in the shoulder of the undead being. A second later Thresh has grabbed his axe and delivers a forcefull blow to the chest, sending the abomination flying out of the sarcophagus . The mummy slams into the opposite wall with a dull thud and disappears behind the stone coffin.
Gaius steps up in front to protect the terrified girl. Dubuka and Namuda pick one direction of the tunnel and ready their spears for any incoming hostile creatures.
It doesn’t take long for the hollow husk of the Sand King to rise again. The mummy stretches out its hands and speaks words of power. Thresh is surprised when another bony hand grabs his ankle. The dead skeleton lying next to him has come to life! Moments later his two partners rise and advance on Bella and Shomari, rusty swords in their hands.
Down both ends of the tunnel the buzz of insect wings grows louder and closer.
Thresh throws himself at the Mummy. "Prepare to die Prince of Dirt! Bane is coming to slice you into brick sized pieces."
Discarding her bow in favor or her more personal spear, Bella advances to meet her attacker.
Fighting
WC
And spending a Benny
Fighting
WC
As if... Spear
"Ugh". "You brought these things forth with your foolish greed, so make good on it and get this thing off me".
Bella fires a well aimed arrow that finds its mark next Shomari’s missle. It draws a snarl from the mummified necromancer but fails to hinder him. Instead it only seems to focus the undead abomination which opens its gastly maw in a bone shrilling scream. A cloud of wasps emerge from the mummy’s throat and dart towards Bella, the creatures ferocity guiding the insects as they swarm the amazon . Thresh starts to advance on the mummy leaving his back turned to the newly risen skeleton next to him. As the skeleton reaches to claw the barbarian’s back Tenzin intervenes and trips it, causing it to fall down in a heap of flailing bones and rusty armor . The two remaining skeletons advance on both Bella and Shomari, each slashing with rusty curved blades. Bella easily avoids her attacker’s swing, but her comrade is not so lucky. The wild swings threatens to leave a nasty cut across the tribesman’s chest .
”What is that?”, Rika cries out as the buzzing of insect wings grows even louder and a large swarm of beetles engulf the the party. The swarm fills both tunnel and chamber, the constant buzzing is disorienting to the senses. The shadow it casts from the torchlight create a crimson shadowplay on the walls near the two dropped rubies.
Thresh throws himself at the mummy and once again beats it to the ground with two forceful strokes of his axe.
Free Vigor roll for Bikini Heroine.
Soak...which both adjust to -2
Benny 1
Soak
Ace.
Ace.
Which is a 17-5 = 12
Bella panic's at the sight of the bees, and as they sting her all over, she begins to feel her throat swelling shut with the poison. As she falls to the ground, her small ampule of Krotia extract falls beside her, and with her last breath, she laps up the ampule, and crushes it in her mouth. She gasps, and lays on her back as her lungs begin to refill with air.
She croaks "Run you tools"!
And now the spirit roll for being in a swarm.
Spirit roll.
Ace
Free Vigor roll for Bikini Heroine.
Which is a 17-5 = 12
=8
Hand to hand isn't really his thing, but shooting a skeleton who's in his face isn't going to work, so Shomari draws his sword and shield.
Tenzin shuts out the intense buzzing of the insects swarm and focuses on his enemy. His blade strikes the shoulder of the skeletal warrior but fails to hinder the undead. It turns around and ignores Thresh for the moment in favor of the jademan monk.
Namuda steps in to fill the gap that Bella left in the entrance to the chamber. Standing side to side with Shomari the two tribesmen battle the skeletal remains of two unfortunate adventurers. Hampered by the continuous presence of the insect swarm Namuda’s spear fails to hit its target. Inside the chamber the mummy rises again, despite Thresh forceful blows. It lashes out with its wicked claws but the northlander is able to parry it easily. The skeletal minions follows suit and swings at their opponents: Namuda, Shomari and Tenzin. All seasoned warriors who rebuke the attacks. ”What do we do?” Rika cries out with panic taking root in her voice.