Demetrio> The lid to the sarcophagi resists your efforts at first then with an audible hiss of escaping air, the lid suddenly releases and slides back and off the side of the coffin. The smell of resin, and spice reaches your nostrils, then just as you think this might not be such a good idea, the glitter of sparkling jewels is revealed in the flickering torchlight...adorning the mummy wrapped up and laying inert in its place of interment.
Intrigued himself, and being of a larcenous nature as well, Barnabas joins Demetrio in peering into the sarcophagus.
Septimilius looks back over his shoulder. The two men he met this morning are looking into a sarcophagus! His mouth opens wordlessly in disbelief.
”What are you doing?” he hisses. ”This place is dangerous enough without looking for trouble. It could be cursed. Besides, we’re not grave robbers, right Greyfeather?”
He turns to Mirian for support.
Septimilius' words seems to break Demetrio's hesitation. He shakes his head, and closes the sarcophagus.
"Indeed. Quite right. I'm a scholar now."
He took a deep breath. "Sorry about that. I was mostly just curious."
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"Of course we're not. We're explorers that made a hopefully valueable find", Mirian says and join the crew around the sarcophagus. "That gem looks valueable."
The bounty hunter shakes his head when the gem is mentioned. ”I want no part of a curse. If you want the gem, you take it. I won’t ask for any share of money if you sell it.” He shifts his stance and holds his shield as if he’s expecting the sarcophagus to explode in a shower of splinters at any moment.
"It really is probably for the best if we leave it alone. Curses are tricky things."
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Mirian smiles to Septililius. "Don't be like that. Your superstition just talked your way out of a hefty sum of gold." She reaches down to open the sarcophagus again. "So, Demetrio. What can you tell me about this corpse. Anyone you know of?" Mirian asks as she studies the coffin for hidden openings that could contain darts or similar traps. If she finds none she'll poke around the gems with her rapier. Unless something happens Mirian will pick up a gem from the bottom of the chest, around the mummy's feet.
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Barnabas grins at Demetrio's unease, then grins wider at Mirian, helping her move the sarcophagus lid. He also examines the coffin for any signs of devious traps.
Notice
Wild
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Demetrio> You know that some cultures bury the dead with their favorite jewelry. This seems to be what this is...the final resting place of a fairly wealthy family.
Also, What you can decode is only a family name...Condatos.
Nobody messing around with the corpse detects any traps...but they are fortunate this time as none exist. (After all who would disturb the dead?)
You find a fancy necklace with an emerald and 8 diamonds. Matching emerald earrings, a plain gold band ring, and a ring with two small diamonds on the same finger.
Do you remove the jewelry?
As Septimilius opens the doorway, all is quiet from both ends of the corridor.
Mirian's eyes glitter with joy as she discovers the jewels. She greedily collects the gems and puts them into her slingbag.
"Has anyone heard of the Condatos family?" he asks as he ignores the items being looted.
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Mirian's eyes glitter with joy as she discovers the jewels. She greedily collects the gems and puts them into her slingbag.
Mirian is able to pocket the jewelry with no issues...except for the corpses finger coming off with the rings. She is able to place it back with little damage however.
As the party continues down the passage they come to a place that the cobwebs, and dust that line the passage seem to have been disturbed recently. Looking closely at the floor, you can see the tracks of one human, and one dog. The tracks seem to go into a dark alcove and back out again. Upon exploring the alcove the party finds a lavish tomb, that has been broken raided.
The door to this "T" shaped tomb was broken down long ago. The floor of the main corridor is littered with broken clay urns, and the ashes of the dead mingled with the dust of ages. In each of the two alcoves at the end of the corridor stands a stone sarcophagus, it's heavy stone lid broken and shattered. The mummies within have been stripped of all valuables and jewelry; pieces of decaying cloth hanging in tatters around their ill treated bodies.
Assuming the party continues following the trail they arrive at the tomb of Ikhtanabu Xul.
The door to the tomb is still sealed with a heavy stone slab. The necromancers name and title is chiseled into the door, but more obvious is that the door is carved with the same black runes as found on the silver knife.
Notice
While the door is still sealed, tracks lead to a roughly dug tunnel just around the corner which seems to lead into the crypt.
"There are tracks leading to what looks like a side entrance into the tomb. We should try there."
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[dice=Arcana]1d8+2
[dice=Wild]1d6+2-Posted with Wayfinder
Hakketh could have told you before he left the party, that the runes identify the Necromancer by name, and that he died several hears back, and was interred here. That's about all he could figure out, even after consulting a sage.
Watching Mirian pocket the baubles, Barnabas comments "My dear, you've set my heart aflame with your larcenous ways!" He laughs and follows the others out of the tomb.
Looking up , Barnabas scowls at the runes carving Xul's tomb slab, seeing if there's any way to dislodge the large stone.
Notice
Wild
"He's not going to use it so it feels like a waste to just leave it here. The cripple and the damn sorcerer both wanted something lifted from here, why should we go empty handed?" Mirian answers with a glittering smile, childishly overjoyed with the bounty. While following in the footsteps of Hakketh and his dog Mirian looks greedily at every side door the party passes but manages to keep her greed in check and stay the course.
"We won't know what we'll find in there until we look", Mirian says and starts to sneak down the tunnel to enter the tomb, painfully aware that her torch is quite likely to give her away.
Barnabus> The black wax sealing the tomb could be chipped away, and several workers with pry bars might be able to budge the stone.
Mirian> I believe your group still has two unlit torches. Other than that you don't see anything.
So is everyone following Mirian? If you're all sneaking then I need stealth rolls.
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Mirian> I believe your group still has two unlit torches. Other than that you don't see anything.
Septimilius follows Mirian down the passage. He steps lightly and keeps his shield and mace close to his body so they don’t knock against the walls.
As Mirian is making her way slowly and carefully down the hall, Septimilus follows her banging his shield first on his knee then in reaction on the side of the tunnel. As Mirian turns to look at him he simply shrugs.
Mirian> You do not see any light source from down the tunnel, but as you turn around from looking at Septimilius, a smelly furry creature barrels into you at full speed. After a moment of untangling, and dodging wet licks you recognize...dog... No lights come from the tunnel ahead, but you can faintly here the sounds of a struggle of some sort...and of course the odor of death and rot and what-not.
Barnabas doesn't bother with sneakiness with all of the noise Septimillius is making, but his sword is drawn quickly as the shape barrels into Mirian.
With relief he sees it't the sorcerors mutt.... but where's the sorceror.
"Yes, I missed you to", Mirian says while trying to fend of the Hakketh's dog. "You should try and announce yourself, I almost stabbed you!" Then the pirate grows silent. "There is something up there in the dark. Come on, and try to be quiet", she says with a meaningful stare at Septimilius, then continues down the dark tunnel.
After the loud clatter, Demetrio sighs and follows as well, he is clumsy and awkward, but moves up to Mirian being slobbered by Hakketh's dog.
"I do not know your sorcerer friend well. But he didn't strike me as someone who would leave behind his companion. Something must be very wrong."
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Mirian turns to give Demetrio a knowing look over her shoulder. "Be quiet. There is something up ahead" she whispers through clenched teeth.
”Here dog,” Septimilius whispers soothingly, petting the dog’s back and rib cage. He kneels and whispers into the dog’s ear, ”Give Greyfeather peace. We need to be quiet. Like she said. Where’s your master?” he asks as Mirian continues down the tunnel.
Septimilius rubs the dog’s head between the ears then follows Mirian. He pays extra attention to his shield, making sure it doesn’t scrape the wall by holding it in front of his body.
Dog disentangles himself from the others, runs about to the edge of the torchlight, stops and whimpers a bit, then barks looking back at the others as though he wishes them to follow him.
Moving forward with a little more alacrity, the group squeezes through the narrow roughly cut, and smelly tunnel to the dug out entrance of a larger chamber. Rubble, and broken stone from the wall liter the area directly in front of the tunnel, and a horrific sight greets the explorers.
In the dim light of the sputtering torches reveals a large and ornate chamber about 30' x 30' the door is on the south wall, and the tunnel is on the west wall about 10 feet from the south wall. On a raised dias in the center of the North wall sits a broken sarcophagus, the lid shattered and covering the ground around the object. You can also detect bones and scraps of once fine cloth in among the remains.
On your side of the dias, dog runs to a familiar looking body, lying face down in a pool of blood. The handle of a familiar looking black dagger protruding from between his shoulders. Standing between him and the sarcophagus stands the opulent body of Otto. In the South-east corner of the room are the un-moving bodies of two ghouls much like the ones you fought earlier.
As you take in your surroundings, the flickering light, the shock of former friends apparently slain, the odor of death beneath the sickeningly sweet odor of burial herbs, you detect the source of the struggling sound. Otto's face is beet red, and he flails about the room his own hands around his throat, apparently trying to choke himself to death. The front of his sleeping shirt and his hands are covered in blood. Dog looks up at him and growls.
And now it is time for actions:
Septimilius: 5S
Mirian: JS
Barnabus: 5D
Demetrio: 10C
Dog: AD
Shade of Ikhtanabu Xul: 10S
So:
Dog
Mirian
Demetrio
Xul
Septimilius
Barnabus
Everyone must make a spirit roll to enter the room, or they will be shaken upon encountering this gruesome sight.
Dog who has already overcome his fear due to his faithfulness to his master, pulls on Hakketh's robes, and attempts to drag him a bit, before turning his attention to the struggling Otto, and snapping at him ineffectually.
Notice
As Hakketh's body is moved, there is a flash of red from beneath his body of a different shade from his blood.
Notice: Raise
Hakketh seems to be cradling a red book of some sort to his chest.
Let round one commence...
Barnabas follows the dog, more bemused than anything.... until the sight of the tomb brings him up short.
Spirit.
Wild
Keeping his wits about him, Barnabas takes in the scene...
Notice
Wild
Preparing herself for almost anything Mirian is unfazed by the grisly scene, but she is quite puzzled by the situation. With no standout opposition she is unsure what to do. Never the less the pirate spends little time mulling things over. Leaping into action she sheathes her rapier and darts towards Otto, trying to pry his hands from his throat. ”By Mithra, what is going on in here?” she exclaims while wrestling with Otto.
Demetrio enters the room, sees the horrific sight and manages, just barely, not to be overcome as he takes everything in.
"There's something wrong with Hakketh's blood," he exclaims. "That's so peculiar, why would his blood color look so unnatural -- oh, right! Choking man!"
Demetrio attempts to aid Mirian.
Demetrio> You may re-roll using your fighting skill as well. All hand to hand combat uses fighting.
If you read the spoiler carefully you'll find that the comment doesn't make sense. His blood is the normal color, but there is a flash of something of a different color from beneath his body...not blood.
Otto continues to flail about the room trying to choke himself out. You hear in his voice "Help me". Then in a mocking accented voice "They cannot help you". "nobody can". "They will join you soon however". He then careens into the wall, and begins to slump down it.
Septimilus and Barnabus are up.
"That's odd," he exclaims. There seems to be something hidden by Hakketh's blood, just peeking around the sides there, and I think -- oh, right! Choking man!"
Demetrio attempts to aid Mirian.
"There's something exceedingly wrong with this fellow."
Initiative 5 of Clubs
Casting an arched eyebrow at Septimillius, "That's our fellow, I presume? Acting a bit strange, eh?"
Barnabas steps forward and addresses Mirian, "What's up with your friend, Mirian? Why's he talking all strange?"
Septimilius looks into the room and grits his teeth. This is one of the strangest things he’s ever seen, but now isn’t the time to be faint of heart. Hakketh appears to be cradling a book in the midst of dying. Mirian rushes to help Otto followed closely by Demetrio.
He adjusts his grip on his mace. If there was one thing Septimilius learned as a bounty hunter it was how to hit men in the head to knock them out. ”Sorry about this Otto,” Septimilius says as he attempts to hit Otto with a glancing blow to render him unconscious.
Initiative 5 of Clubs
Casting an arched eyebrow at Septimillius, "That's our fellow, I presume? Acting a bit strange, eh?"
Barnabas steps forward and addresses Mirian, "What's up with your friend, Mirian? Why's he talking all strange?"
"How should I know?! Just hold him down!"
Demetrio> Demetrio approaches the fat man that Mirian seems to be trying to embrace, and going in behind him puts him in a full nelson.
From the shifting look in his eyes, and multiple voices you assume that he is possessed by something.
Miriana>Mirian rushes Otto and attempts to wrestle his hands from his throat, forgetting that he has an immense belly which thwarts her attempts...and is distracted by questions from Barnabus.
Septimilus> Continuing his mighty ways Septimilius steps up and precisely hits Otto in the right place to render him unconscious with a smile and deep bow.
With Septimilius's great shot he would normally get a benny, but since he forgot to roll damage, I'm just going to rule that he aimed a precise enough blow that it incapacitated Otto, without going through the damage process...so rewarded a benny for the great roll, and spent one for the damage effect??
Barnabus>Barnabus calmly walks into the room like it's something he sees everyday, seemingly unmoved by everyone else attacking the fat man and seeming panicked.
Otto/Xul>As Septimilus's blow renders Otto unconscious his weight is too great for Demetrio to support, and the fat man slumps to the ground, almost pulling Demetrio with him. As he lies there his body convulses and a thick black fluid begins to seep from his mouth.
The great quantity of liquid seems almost viscous and as if flows out it takes on a winged humanoid shape, and rises into the air flying towards dog. As it approaches Dog takes a bite at it, which it seems to welcome as it dives down dogs throat.
Dog's eyes start to glow and he turns to the party barring his teeth and growling menacingly.
Demetrio unceremoniously drops Otto to the floor. He stares in horror at the beast that took over the Dog.
"Well, you don't see that everyday. "
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"By Bel, what is that?!", Mirian says and draws her rapier and takes a defensive stance.
”And by Mithra are we supposed to fight it?” Septimilius says angling his shield to intercept a dog's attack.
Tripping is a guess by the way. I know that in order to disarm you must make a called shot to the arm and then the defendant must beat the damage with a strength roll. I guess something similar can be done to trip.
Demetrio> This is not a demon. You think it's some kind of undead.
Knowledge Religion: Success
This is what is known as a Haunt. A particularly nasty, and persistent type of ghost.
Knowledge Religion: Raise
Haunts are usually anchored to a location, and can only travel so far from that location. In addition if they are destroyed then they usually reform the next day. Most of the time they have vested their soul into an object of some sort, and can be permanently put to rest by destroying that focus. There are also some spells designed to destroy evil that can permanently dispel them.
Mirian> I like your interpretation of tripping. Also, thanks for the called shot help.
Barnabus draws his shortsword as everyone else seems to think they should have their weapons drawn, and looks to see what develops.
Dog growls one more time, then whimpers and turns around running from the room into the tunnel.
You are all now standing in your sputtering lights in this room. Otto and Hakketh are lying on the floor...Hakketh in a pool of blood, and Otto slumped with a large egg shaped bump on his head, and bruising about his neck.
What is your next action?
Unable to identify the creature, Demetrio instead turned his attention to Hakketh to see if anything could be done for him.
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Septimilius watches the dog run away then sighs in relief. ”I don’t like fighting dogs. Spiders, sure. Sometime, I’ll tell you about working for my uncle Giffedo, the Spider Man of Tarantia, as he called himself. For now...” he looks down at Hakketh and Otto. He kneels and listens for Otto’s breathing.
”With some luck, I might be able to carry Otto on my back. Obviously if we get attacked I wouldn’t be able to react right away. If that thing comes back in another body, maybe we could trap it in a sarcophagus?”
Mirian follows the fleeing possessed dog with her gaze until it slips out into the tunnel. ”Is that good?” she asks and moves quickly moves up to the still body of Hakketh. She tucks her hand into her sleeve and grasps the hilt of the dagger, making sure that it doesn’t make contact with her skin, and pulls it loose. ”Is he alive? It would be very helpful if he could make sense of all this, Mirian says and flourishes the ceremonial knife. What is he grasping?”
”With some luck, I might be able to carry Otto on my back. Obviously if we get attacked I wouldn’t be able to react right away. If that thing comes back in another body, maybe we could trap it in a sarcophagus?”
"Then we need to find away to keep that thing in the body or else it will just leak out and all our work would have been for nothing. Is there something in the sarcophagus that can help?"