Albretch, having taken the time to study ancient Osiriani beforehand, easily translantes the hieroglyphics.
Hmmm... Ze writing seems to give a bit of history... ze occupant is a old general of sorts, Akhentepi... preditctable warnings about "vell (well) defended, tempting ze wrath of ze gods, turn back vile you can, yata, yata, yata... Oh, and apparently Pharasma likes succesful grave robbers. Wait, no, it's more about hating unsuccesful ones.
Albretch carefully scans to room to find any signs of the previous group that managed to break in. He's curious, and would rather avoid whatever (might have) killed them.
Fatima steps across the room very carefully to the stone wheel. She places each foot toes first, slowly applying pressure and walking only on stone. If she is forced to walk on sand, she will try to sweep it away first.
"I have begun to think that a broom might be very helpful considering the amount of sand that is everywhere."
Fatima speaks ancient Osiriani but keeps silent as Albrecht has translated the heiroglyphs.
"So we need to move the big wheel and make sure that we don't make the Mother of Souls angry, is that what I'm hearing?" Raziya cracks her knuckles and then follows Fatima toward the wheel.
As the group looks around, there seems to be indication of a previous group in quite some time. Raziya approaches the wheel.
A translucent creature with large claws and a wicked stinger has followed you in from the outside and has stalked you. Fatima and Albrecht
Initiative
ORDER OF ACTION
Surprise round (std only)
Albrecht
Fatima
Scorpion
ROUND 1
Albrecht
Fatima
Raziya
Scorpion
Dusty
Albrecht and Fatima realize there is a scorpion in the room.
Albretch's eyes bulge out. He scoots back saying Scorpion, scorpion! . He then takes out his sling.
With all of her attention drawn by the stone circle before her, Fatima realizes her mistake too late to do anything other than draw her bow. She stands carefully where she has been interrupted, prepared to let loose.
The scorpion attacks Dusty.
The surprised cleric takes
Entire party but Dusty to act full round actions!!
The scorpion seems ghostly with a translucent carapace and internal organs are visible. It claws and sting dusty with its venomous tail. The cleric struggles to resist.
ROUND 1
ALL BUT DUSTY
scorpion
Dusty
Raziya turns, seeing the scorpion, and jabs at it with her spear, trying to scare it off, then stalks around Fatima toward it to draw its focus.
Albretch loads his sling & fires it.
Placing an arrow to her string, Fatima slowly breathes out, seeming to speed the arrow on its way. Without hesitating, a second follows the first in a blur of motion.
Fatima narrowly misses hitting a vital spot of the translucent scorpion and damages it slightly. It does not seem affected by Raziya.
RECAP
The scorpion claws and stings Dusty. Fatima wings it while the alchemist misses it and Raziya tries to shake it with a display of prowess.
The scorpion lunges for Dusty again.
A claw hits her ankle and the stinger hits an artery in the top of her leg. Poison is the least of her worries as Dusty passes out from the massive wounds.
ORDER OF ACTIONS
Round 2
Albrecht
Fatima
Raziya
scorpion
Dusty (unconscious and prone)
Albretch 5-foots and attempts to stabilize Dusty, performing first aid.
He looks quite worried at her condition.
The shock of real combat shocks Fatima to her core.
Did I truly think that inscribing my name in the Temple of the Sun would make me a hero on the order of my ancestors? An attack by a single animal and one of my companions is critically injured? Who am I to join the ranks of those who have performed great deeds?
Fatima desperately restrings her bow and grabs another arrow, prepared to fire at the next opportunity.
Raziya roars at the scorpion stabs at the scorpion with her spear.
Raziya splatters the scorpion, hitting an exposed vital visible through its translucent shell.
The cleric is still unconscious, beyond your methods to revive her!!
"We'd best expect more like that. In the desert, all things seek the shade to escape the sun. How is the priest?"
Ay, ay, ay. Vith my limited medical knowledge, I cannot revive her. I believe ve vould do better to return to zat priestess of pharasma. Maybe miss Raziya could stay behind and guard ze tomb? You seem tougher than most of us.
RECAP
The fight with the ghostly scorpion left Dusty stable and out. Luckily the barbarian hit it before it did any more damage to others.
Considering your options, you can probably get to the temple of Pharasma in an hour, and get back in another hour. Since you started early, you would probably have time to continue your explorations.
Fatima steps forward, "She is not dying, but if we stay here long enough, she will. We must get back to the temple immediately and if they are unable to help her, we must nurse her until she regains consciousness. I may have just met each of you a few hours ago, but you are my companions now and may the desert swallow me if I'll leave you to die."
Fatima bends down, picks up Dusty as carefully as she can, and walks out the door headed for the Temple of Pharasma.
The dwarf solemnly proceeds outside carrying Dusty in her arms and heads back out of the ruins. The load is considerable, but the dwarf bears her burden without complaint.
I vill follow! Ve must keep ze patient stable!
"I suppose I'm staying here, guarding our job."
Fatima returns to the temple carrying Dusty. Before she can reach the Temple of Pharasma, Sebti the Crocodile, priestess of Pharasma and conductor of the lottery meets Fatima on the way. She has a look of surprise and concern.
"What has happened here?", she says quickly and with a tone of one who is not often refused answers to her questions.
"We were beset by a translucent scorpion and my companion grievously wounded. Although without much coin, I will pledge labor or goods in exchange for assistance. Can you please help us?"
I have some small talent vith alchemy, and I will parlay it if necessary
Sebti looks with concern at the fallen priestess.
Sebti begins to cast multiple spells restoring dusty to her original condition.
After completing four castings of restorative magic, she states with sincerity:"You owe your debt to MY LADY--PHARASMA. I would not short her if you return successfully from your exploration with riches."
You manage to return to the site without incident having lost less than two hours.
With the scorpion stomped on to make sure he is no further trouble, the group examines the three ton wheel six inches thick and ten feet in diameter. On this side it turns out the two of your strongest are able to roll it to the side.
This square room (20'x20') is starkly devoid of any markings or adornment. In the center of the chamber’s floor, a square shaft drops straight down into darkness. A faint musty odor rises from the pit. A single piton has been hammered into the stone floor by the northeast corner of the pit, and a dusty length of rope dangles from the piton into the darkness of the shaft.
The shaft is 10 feet square and
The shaft drops 60 feet down to the floor of a chamber below (sheet 2 on spreadsheet). The rope extends only 5 feet into the shaft before ending, having been cut at that point.
After helping to roll aside the giant stone, Raziya will move forward into the room, her slitted yellow eyes having no trouble with the darkness. Her eyes narrow at the sight of the piton. "Somebody was here before us."
She'll drop flat onto the ground and wriggle forward to peer down into the darkness of the shaft. "I can just barely see the bottom. That will be around 10 men deep. There's a rope attached to a piton here, but the rope is only a spear's length. Piton might still be stable, though, so we could probably attach our own rope."
Moving sideways toward the piton, Raziya will yank on the rope segment to see if the piton is still firmly in place.
No light! No light! Albretch takes out & fires up a torch, providing some light for himslef & others.
Ya, ya, it has been quite clear since the first door zere have been folks here before us. Hm. I hope ve have enough rope, ze masonry has been built to be especially difficult to climb.
Fatima cautiously walks around to the other side, using her darkvision to guide her. Pulling out the 50' rope from the dungeoneering kit, she ties the end to the five foot remnant.
Fatima then pulls on the rope as had as she can to test both the not and the piton. She then slowly swings herself over the edge and cautiously lowers herself into the hole.
Fatima slides down the rope without trouble, rapidly approaching the bottom.
Fatima climbs down without incident. At the bottom....
Mirrored images of a warrior in side profile, facing inward, are carved on an ornate pair of stone doors in the west wall of this square room. The figure is depicted wearing padded armor, with a scarab-shaped shield on the arm facing the viewer, and a raised khopesh held aloft in the other. A crumpled humanoid body lies directly in front of the doors. A hint of decay hangs in the air, and a dried stain mars the stone floor under the body. A square shaft in the ceiling leads straight up into darkness.
From this perspective, the purpose of the shaft rooms becomes evident—they’re deathtraps without a mechanism. Creatures that descend the shaft without a reliable means to climb back out are effectively trapped, permanently. The opening in the center of the ceiling is 10 feet up with no adjoining walls, making it next to impossible to climb back out without a well-secured rope at the top of the shaft, flight, or magic.
Seeing no threats, the dwarf looks around and notes...
The shaft climbs 50 feet up to the ground floor level area above. The carvings on the doors depict Akhentepi as a younger man. The body in front of the doors is mostly skeletal, with a thin layer of desiccated tissue.
Male human or half elf with two broken legs from a great fall. Sadly he managed to crawl to the door before expiring!!
"Everyone please come down. It appears to be safe here, assuming we do not wander too far from this area.
After making sure to watch the dwarf climb all the way down without incident, Raziya will follow carefully, bracing herself against the wall as she climbs down into whatever chamber lies below.
Albretch does not look very confident, but decides to try. First he says [b] look out below! Torch! And throws down his torch. THen he attempts to climb down.
"I'd say ... he's not going anywhere anytime soon. Seems to be rather corpsified."