Tetsu no Kurage no Haka - Tomb of the Iron Medusa in Minkai (Inactive)

Game Master Dreaming Warforged

Ukyou's chains continue to swing and wrap themselves around the medusa, attempting to keep her entangled.
Chain of Perdition to entangle 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (10) + 21 = 31
Round 3/14

Ukyou retreats from the pool, disappearing around the corner past Jiro. Double move just past Jiro (m0 or m-1, can't quite tell, but right next to wall in corridor). Will come back into view and snipe again once he has re-established stealth. Can't do it this round though because of the double move.

Jiro, unfortunately cannot fire on the creature, but moves into the room and readies his attack if an opportunity presents itself.

The paladin strike inexorably, each stroke a masterpiece worth years of teaching for whoever would be able to witness it, though it remains occulted by the blood wisps dancing in the waters. The Iron Medusa is opened cross the torso and her gray entrails float comically.

The Bralani enters the waters and arrives just in time to see Tihn's darts punch through her eyes and leave her lifeless. A single bubble escape her lips and floats up while her body sinks in the gaping maw of Ukyou's spell, to be chewed with a crunching sound.

The Iron Medusa, the genial architect of the Hanado's Necropolis and servant to the Black Daymio is dead.

Combat Over.

Hearing the sounds of battle fade, Ukyou walks back into the room. "Well, isn't that a shame. Looks like she just became a meal for my pit. Anyone want to take a look at what's left of her?"
Once Ukyou is certain that she is dead, he will dispel the pit to bring her back up to the surface.

Before surfacing, Akiyoshi grabs the medussa, now lifeless and sinking, by her snake hair, and uses his blade to sever her head from the rest of her vile body. Erupting from the water with a splash, he pulls a sack from his pack and stuffs the head into it.

Then alighting on the stone floor next to his companions, he drops the bundle on the ground, shakes the water off as best he can, and then pulls out his wand to begin healing his wounds.

10d8 + 30 ⇒ (2, 5, 2, 3, 2, 5, 4, 3, 8, 5) + 30 = 69
10 charges used. Back at full hitpoints.

"Is anyone else wounded? I can help tend to you."

"I am well my friend. As is Mikko."

On that que, Tihn will let Mikko know it is safe to re-emerge from his pouch.

You search her body and the room. Her bracers are made of fine dark leather, embossed with dancing devils. She wears a ring or rusted iron, depicting a turtle snapping. Her bow is made of exquisite loquat wood from the forest south of Kasai, adorned with sigils and runes from an age past. All of these items carry powerful enchantments you can easily discern.

+7 bracers of armor
+3 axiomatic longbow
ring of protection +4

A secret door to the northwest hides a small room that contains a large circular bed, five fine silk dresses (worth 200 gp each), and six potions (cure critical wounds). A small shrine to the Black Daimyo sits in the northeast corner, on top of the shrine lies a single piece of parchment.

"Interesting. I could make good use of the bracers or ring."

Once the matter is decided on parsing out the items recovered, he will go to the shrine and see if the parchment has any writing on it.

"As could I Tihn-san. The ring would be most helpful, but if Akiyoshi or Jiro could use it, I would defer to them. How about the bow?" Ukyou joins Tihn by the parchment as they speak.

"I cannot make use of the Bracers, and I as I prefer the blade, I think others might be able to make more frequent and effective use of the bow than I. As I have been taking the lead, I humbly submit that I might benefit most from the ring. If this is acceptable to all, I would take custody of it until this mystery is resolved."

"Akiyoshi, please take the ring and bow. I understand your primary tactic is the use of your blade, but there may come circumstances where we cannot get you to a foe and you need to assault from a distance; this will help, and I believe the enchantment is inferior to Jiro's current weapon."

"Jiro, why don't you take these bracers for now. Other than Akiyoshi, you are the most likely amongst us to engage an enemy closely. These should aid you without interfering with your training."

"I need nothing from this place as payment for our work. The bow is not mine and would never feel right to me. As for the other items, please help yourselves, I have need of none."
With a bow he smiles and continues to keep watch

The scroll Tihn unfolds is of simple make, with no special glyph or seal. A quick examination determines that the paper is of an amazing quality, usually used by the wealthiest of families.

The handwriting is mastered and strikes by its lightness and simplicity.

My dearest Saotomi,

My heart burns at the thought of you being whisked away and married to this dreadful merchant. He does not deserve a symbol of perfection such as you.

I stand here on the edge of the lake as we once stood, by the side of the inn that will soon be yours, that was ours for a moment of simple perfection, and my tears drum on this parchment, mimicking the frogs diving in the blue waters of the lake. The cherry blossoms are swept by the wind, as you've swept me, but I see them now dangling in mid-air, caught between gravity and lightness. Am I a petal, swept by you and brought down by my father?

He's reassured me you will receive enough wealth to raise our child, and will keep the Sleeping Lion Inn, though I can never recognize him as mine, as you understand. It breaks my heart, but it is what is right for our clans.

Remember me always, as I will you,

Your Bouncing Trout

Knowledge (nobility)

Looking over Tihn's shoulder when he struggles at identifying the signature chop on the scroll, Akiyoshi checks to see if it might be one that he knows.

Knowledge Nobility: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (20) + 4 = 24

"I need nothing from this place as payment for our work. The bow is not mine and would never feel right to me. As for the other items, please help yourselves, I have need of none."

With a bow he smiles and continues to keep watch

"Not payment or reward, my friend. Merely to help us survive the rigors that this place is presenting. Upon returning to civilized lands, you can turn them over to our heir benefactor."

Knowledge Nobility 1d20 + 20 ⇒ (5) + 20 = 25

Rolls a 5 vs. my Natural 20 and he still beats me. :p

"Jiro, Tihn-san speaks with great wisdom. Clearly there are great dangers in this tomb and we need all four of us. Use the bracers for now and Akiyoshi can take the ring and bow."

Knowledge (nobility) 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (2) + 11 = 13
Well you both clearly know more about the history of these families than Ukyou does :(

"He does; and it reflects my feelings as well, for I would not otherwise associated with such tainted things. But there is a mystery here that we are trying to get to the bottom of."

Jiro bows and takes the bracers.
"Thank you. I will bow to your wisdom Tihn-san ."

Examining the parchment, Tihn comments "Saotomi almost certainly refers to Hanado Saotomi. She was one of the last members of the clan. And the reference to the inn... I cannot help but feel that this fragile document, morose though its content may be, is the link we seek to allow our benefactor to make his claim. Or at least, a strong link in the chain we must build."

Edit: To correct pronoun gender.

Saotomi is a she.

After everyone has a chance to look at the letter, Tihn will pull out one of his spellbooks. He'll tuck the letter into the middle of it. Then he'll return the book to his waterproof bag, then the bag to his backpack. "I think that is as well protected as we can do for it now."

"Shall we search this chamber for other clues before we move on to the next?"

Take 20 to search the room? Ukyou leading with the rest aiding him?

The search of the room reveals nothing more of note. You've also made sure that you've searched every inch of the maze. It seems there is no other way but cack up the secret stairs, and back to the Necropolis.

"We should also take the other valuables from this foul demon's lair. They too may aid the young innkeeper's son in his quest to restore honor."

So, we have a total of twelve structures in the necropolis. We have five small buildings left to investigate (the two to the west of the crematorium, the two to the east of the crematorium, and the one in the northeast corner. In addition to those, we have three teleportation circles, one each in the three structures in the center of the north row. If I am correct in all of that, then I say we continue to check the five small buildings. Maybe start with the one in the northeast corner, then the one directly south of it. Then the one west of that one. Then (moving past the crematorium again) the one west of it, and finally the one in the southwest corner. Any thoughts? Anything I missed?

Edit: And to refresh myself on our goals, we were told by the young man: "I have no need for the crypt's treasures, save for Hanado Barotome's sacred sword Jigoku no Mucuro and any information about the family's history that would help me confirm my family's connection to the clan and perhaps redeem my family's name."

Agreed.

That sums it up!

You make your way back to the surface, still shrouded in eternal night, with the same moon casting mysterious shadows across the field of the Necropolis, whose architect you've just sent back to hell.

The investigation of each smaller monument reveals nothing of import. They are all very similar to the ones you've searched before, with the exception of course of the central one.

Only the three mausoleums, with their teleporting circles, are left unexplored...

To your right is the Sarado mausoleum. To your left, the Dalano, while the Voshu mausoleum lies in the middle, all similar in their design, but for the decorations inside.

Tihn points to the left mausoleum. "That belongs to Dalano, which was lead by Hanado Barotome. It sounds like Barotome was behind the clan's downfall, from what the noble patriarch told us. And it is his blade we seek for our young benefactor. Do we charge on to where he may be, or investigate the others first in hopes of finding additional evidence? I must say, my inclination is toward caution and thoroughness would lead me to start with perhaps Sarado, then Voshu, and finally Dalano. Would you gentlemen prefer a bolder course and start with Dalano?"

"I am content to begin with Sarado. We should be thorough and investigate all three regardless of what we find." Ukyou scratches his chin for a moment, "You answered the question of who Saotomi was, but the parchment suggests another question. Who was the Bouncing Trout? Another noble of importance surely if he speaks of recognition. It seems our young man has two noble ancestors."

"Very well, then. Sarado it is. Are we content moving forward now, or shall we rest for a while following our engagement with the medusa?"

I've used a few of my more powerful spells, but I'm willing to press on if no one else feels a need to recoup.

Edit: I just checked, and I actually am still good on spells.

"I have refreshed myself after the battle, and I have yet a great deal of my strength yet to offer. I would suggest we press on now, unless there is anyone who needs the chance to rest."

I've still got 4 Smite Evil's and 12 Lay on hands left. I've just scratched the surface of my work day so I am good to press on. We only had the one encounter since our last rest, and while it was a boss fight, not even everyone could get involved due to the water, so I suspect we are all doing pretty good.

You make your way across the field to a tall building of green marble, with a black curved rooftop. Its entrance is carved to mimic the maw of a ravenous lion.

The portal opens as you touch it, revealing a vast empty room. Its walls are adorned with delicate depictions of crude carnal scenes. The centre of the floor is occupied by a 10-foot-diameter medusa’s face. The medusa is howling, indicating a link with the Sarudo branch of the Hanado clan.

As you recall, the medusa depicted on the floor appears to be a teleportation circle.

Ukyou looks down at the circle and shrugs, "Circles it is. Shall I scout ahead or would you rather go as a group?"

"I think perhaps we should go as a group. We have no link between us that would tell us if you run into trouble on your own past the circle."

"I agree. If something happened we could waste time waiting for you to return."

"These reasons as well as the fact that we do not know for certain we will be able to return the same way. If a person failed to return, we would not know if they were safe, or facing a threat by themselves and unable to return to us. Best we go together so we might watch each other's backs. I suggest that we surround the circle on all four sides and then step backwards into the circle together. That way we will be facing out when we appear."

You synchronize your stepping backward. For a moment, nothing seems to happen, then your ears pop and in the blink of an eye, your surroundings are replaced...

You find yourselves in a great, domed chamber, roughly oval, 100 by 70 feet. It's walls are home to hundreds of funerary urns of every description, housed in niches. The air feels ancient and choked, and there is no lighting beyond yours.

The domed ceiling thirty feet above is decorated with images of aristocrats engaged in passionate debate, locked in sword duels, or poring over great tomes together.

A carving of a medusa’s face decorates the floor in the room’s center, flanked to the sides by two trios of stone sarcophagi. A narrow archway at the tip of the oval configuration opens into another room.

Standing in place, Ukyou slowly turns his head, taking in the surroundings and looking for threats, living, dead, or traps.
Perception 1d20 + 28 ⇒ (6) + 28 = 34

As Ukyou begins his inspection, Tihn will cast detect magic. Is the medusa face in the center of the floor magical? Conjuration and likely a teleportation circle? Are there any obvious exits to the room? Tihn will also scan the urns and the ceiling for magic.

There are no immediate threats.

Tihn notices a magic aura, very similar to the other circle they've just left.

"I believe this teleportation circle is indeed a two way enchantment. We should be able to return the same way we arrived." Upon a cursory scan with detect magic, he adds "Perhaps this is merely what it seems; a resting place for the ancestors. But we have time; shall we be thorough? We shouldn't have to actually disturb the remains of anyone to do so."

Take 20 to search the building, with Ukyou leading and the rest aiding? We would avoid opening any urns if that is considered taboo in Minkai culture. If so, aid another 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (7) + 4 = 11, Mikko aid another 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (9) + 1 = 10, with Scent ability.

"I believe that we should check, yes. We want to have all the pieces to this puzzle, if we are able."

Akiyoshi looks about as well, using his ability to see the auras of evil creatures to determine if their might be any unseen threats.

Aid another with Perception: 1d20 + 14 ⇒ (15) + 14 = 29

"Best to be thorough. Hate to think we missed something important due to our haste."

Perception: 1d20 + 21 ⇒ (14) + 21 = 35

The sarcophagi are actually full, meaning they are just carved rock. They don't have a place to hold a corpse. They seem to serve a symbolic and decorative role only.

Stranger still, an examination of the medusa carving reveals the following unusual aspects of the medusa seal: a keyhole in its right eye; a starburst indentation in the left eye; a thin slot in the mouth; and an oval indentation in the chin.

"Perhaps the iron key we found earlier might fit it? But the starburst, slot and oval?"

The iron key does fit quite well. You also found a mundane but lovely tanto (dagger) that would also fit the slot perfectly.

"Could we have missed these other implements, or have we yet to cover the places where they could be discovered? The oval might be a jewel, but the star? A rod or scepter perhaps? It's hard to guess. He may have difficulty deciphering the purpose of this chamber until we find them."

We already took 20 on a search in this chamber, right?

Right. There is a narrow doorway still.