A mighty sarcophagus lies in the crypt behind the former door, almost filling the chamber, being 8 feet by 8 feet and 4feet tall. Its lid bears a strange image. It seems to depict a spherical, limbless being with a large tooth-filled mouth and huge single eye. At the top of the sphere are stalks or tentacles, tipped with eyes.
Confronted by yet more tentacles, Akahale struggles to apply logic.
The smoke still rising from the broken door must be clogging Hadarai's vision...
Akahale believes it to depict a beholder, or eye tyrant, an aberrant lifeform that tries to dominate those around it. They are cruel, malicious beings, obsessed with power. Its multiple eyes can create a variety of magical effects.
Akahale hisses.
"As I have suspected from the outset, this cult has affiliations with the Far Realm. We must move with all speed to quell it."
"Dare we open it and turn its bones to dust before it awakens."
"It will not have bones. Chitin is a more likely substance. However we can hope that it is susceptible to demolition."
Akahale is back to his pedantic self.
"Inspecting the interior of the sarcophagus will at least ensure that nothing will be sneaking up on us later."
Hadarai will move in and check on the sarcophagus. He pokes the lid a few times with his sword (). If there's no give, he would lean into the lid with his shield.
Based on Akahale's reaction to the creature imprinted on the lid, Hadarai is a bit reluctant to actually touch it with his hands... so he's making every attemp to keep his weapons between it and him (paranoia must be contagious).
Hadarai feels that it would give with a great deal of force (such as several of you pushing). There isn't very much room, which is to say, not very much at all.
"If the inhabitant rises, we will be ready for it. In the meantime, let us proceed. This is merely a distraction to our greater goal."
Akahale spins slowly, surveying the selection of exits on offer.
:)
"You may hit them with your fist, or blast them all to bits, and they'll none of them be missed, they'll none of them be missed!" Manny sings under his breath as he readies his staff for when they get the large sarcophagus open.
"My list is quite extensive," remarks Akahale.
Grafire finds himself hummong along with Manny. Then he snaps to attention when the mage readies his staff. "Perhaps this is not yet the time for blasting, mage. We are moving along, no?"
"Yes."
"Awww,... Alright,..." Manny pouts as he lowers his staff. Barely.
The group heads into the next blade room. Again, there are landings to the east and west with stone doors. a corridor heads south and then west.
"One moment friends. I will be right back."
Waiting for the bridge to be moved again, Manny begins humming and singing under his breath,...
"With aspect stern and robe too loooong,... We're going to trip on our saroooooong,..."
;P
"Pray tell, are we to leave this door to the west of here, in the last room, unchecked? There could be more Grue there, or better yet some loot."
"Onward then!" Manny cackles as he gleefully takes the lead,... In the wrong direction.
"This way Mage." Grafire tugs on his friends sleeve.
"Right. I knew that. Just testing you,..." Manny grumbles indignantly as he graciously allows the dragonborn to turn him in the correct direction.
Despite his best efforts to remain focused on the task, Hadarai can't help but let out a little chuckle over Manny's actions. He shakes his head in humor and then quickly collects himself, focusing on the corridor ahead. Sword and sheild ready...
The group heads down the corridor, Manny having lightened the mood somewhat. At the end, a door is set in the western wall.
Akahale approaches the door and pokes it with his rod.
The door remains sullenly stony and solid.
Hadarai gets close to inspect the area around the door and try to listen through it...
"Hmm let me take a look see."
Thievery -
The door appears not to be locked.
The paladin listens and hears nought but air. Thin air...
"This way, Mage Mandrake."
Akahale indulges in some preparatory eye-whirling.
"Seems as safe as anything in this place."
Hadarai opens the door.
Twisted humanoids hunch around the outside this circular domed chamber. Dominating its center is a carving of a vast dreamstone eye that stares up from the floor from within the folds of eyelids. A chain from the ceiling stretches down to put a hook through the eye’s iris. This chain connects to others in the ceiling and must run down through the walls to the winch and levers across the room. You catch all this in a glance and then the huge stone eye grates around in its socket to look at you with a jangle of chains, and the creatures hiss and gurgle as though noticing you for the first time.
"Forget what I said about appreciating the architect of this structure..."
"More abomination!" Akahale's tone is a mixture of triumph and justified paranoia.
"Good god look at that eye. Eweee it has hooks in it. We should go pull on them..."
Init -
Akahale and Grafire
"Egg brother, we should go first."
Akahale shoves himself unceremoniously to the front.
Very firmly, "Charging in is probably not your best personal course of action. Stay behind me. Or behind your bigger, armor clad brother."
Hadarai still tries to keep his shield between the twisted shapes in the room and Akahale.
He wonders what jumped up the warlock's robes, the little lizard has always been so cautious and kept to the back before...
"Have care all. These creatures use telepathy, you can tell based on their behavior -- Gird your will! I believe these foul wretches will attempt to use it to dig into our minds."
"They're welcome to take peek into mine if they wish." Manny mutters with an unusual, dangerous, smirk.
"But they never want to stay and play,..." He adds pouting.