Halstadt will catch the scroll and attempt to unfurl it though it may well be up to Gandel to read it as Hal's training does not extend to the deciphering of ancient script.
Halstadt will catch the scroll and attempt to unfurl it though it may well be up to Gandel to read it as Hal's training does not extend to the deciphering of ancient script.
-
He's got it!
Technically since it's a scroll case, not a scroll, he'll first need to pop the lid off - presumably there's a scroll inside. However, that's no obstacle. There's no lock on the bone case and while the lid is a water-tight seal, it's nothing Hal can't handle with those powerful dwarven mitts of his.
Just want to check that there's no hurling of flaming bombs or big-man worldly beat-down coming before I reveal what's inside.
Sooron will refrain from throwing bombs if Xerissa will agree not to cast and divination spells.
Hurgah is ready to strike at the man, but for now he just blocks him and maintains concentration on his detect magic.
Sensing urgency, Halstadt reaches into the scroll case and pulls out the faded roll of parchment inside. He then begins to separate the roll, by pulling apart the two bone sticks weighing each end.
He has to read the glowing runes emblazoned on the page twice before he can believe what he is seeing. Truly this is an exceptionally rare work of divine scripture. It appears to be a perfect replica of the Mortuos Suscitate Duo, a legendary theological inscription, long theorized to exist, but never before actually seen.
When Hal looks up at the man who threw him such a gift, he discovers--
--he's gone!
--he's gone!
-
Well, perhaps not exactly. The old man suddenly winked out. One moment he was there, the next he was not. It was as though he vanished in that moment where your eyelid closes during a blink. You didn't all blink at the same time did you? Invisible, hide in plain sight, dimension door, he was only a phantasm, who can say?If you do Let me know and I'll send you a private message.
Hal is excluded because he was reading the scroll at the time.
Good on you, if you can pull that off. Let me know and I'll send you a private message.
Sooron will refrain from throwing bombs if Xerissa will agree not to cast and divination spells.
Nice try. I make no promises. Though I probably won't blow away the nice man who brings us gifts. For now.
. Don't have Knowledge (Religion)
Spellcraft check:
Knowledge Religion:
Hal turns to the others, "Where did he go? Can we trace him with magic Potentate?!"
Reverently Hal rolls the scroll back up in its case and places it into the scroll tube. "A great gift has been bestowed upon us. I wonder if there is a specific purpose for which he intends us to use it?"
Hal explains what is on the scroll he just opened and closed.
Spellcraft:
Knowledge Religion:
Sooron is taken aback for a moment, and then Detects Magic around the area again.
Sooron is taken aback for a moment, and then Detects Magic around the area again.
-
A quick 360 degree spin turns up no magical auras unaccounted for. The Dune Squad is stacked with magic and Hal's new scroll is definitely magical, but there's no sign of the stranger.
Hal turns to the others, "Where did he go? Can we trace him with magic Potentate?!"
Reverently Hal rolls the scroll back up in its case and places it into the scroll tube. "A great gift has been bestowed upon us. I wonder if there is a specific purpose for which he intends us to use it?"
Hal explains what is on the scroll he just opened and closed.
"If he means for it to be used by us for us, I shudder to think what's around the next corner!"
Xerissa is checking for secret doors or trap doors, in case the old dude's done the old escaperoo. Parenthetically, for no reason, I note that breath of life is a touch spell, did I mention that Xerissa has been hanging out near Hal a lot lately? Like within 5 feet? ; )
Sooron speaks up, "I've seen that before. The creature teleported away, in the same fashion as fiends and celestial beings. Not a great surprise, that old man was certainly more than he appeared to be."
Although Karek's attention is most likely focused on the elderly, bald-headed man approaching him with that candle and scroll case, there are a few other details worth noting.
This wider arcing corridor that the Dune Squad is presently in seems to terminate in about another 60 feet or so. It reaches a nondescript dead end.
But before that, perhaps about 40 feet away, there is a square archway on the right-hand wall. A branch leads off, headed southwest.
-
I know that was like heavy. But, ah, anybody do'n stuff?
Hal turns to his comrades, "I suppose the we must simply move forward, the mystery of that strange figure will hopefully reveal itself as we move further into the Pyramid. Gandel any hieroglyphs that you can see that may help us unlock some of the puzzles in this place?"
Karek nods, and presses further down the hallway. Assuming nothing jumps out at him from the stone archway, he will briefly examine the nondescript dead end before turning his attention to the next room.
Hal turns to his comrades, "I suppose the we must simply move forward, the mystery of that strange figure will hopefully reveal itself as we move further into the Pyramid. Gandel any hieroglyphs that you can see that may help us unlock some of the puzzles in this place?"
"That strange encounter is rather unsettling. Wandering old men, who are probably not of this world, that bestow gifts inside pyramids of doom do not instill one with a sense of safety. Shall I bring forth our servant Anyo and send him forward like before, or is stealth preferred."
Hall looks around at his companions, "Is stealth even an option with this collective group? Better I think to be forewarned, summon Anyo that he may light the darkness as our journey into this strange place continues".
"Nah, he was just an ol' man who had nothin' better ta do but ta walk the halls of these forsaken place. And yeah we ain't sneakin' up on anyone, so ya might as well give us some light."
Fair enough! And I see I neglected to indicate that Xerissa did not locate any trap doors.
It appears though that Donkor's report is all Karek will get.
Karek nods, and presses further down the hallway. Assuming nothing jumps out at him from the stone archway, he will briefly examine the nondescript dead end before turning his attention to the next room.
-
Karek advances 40 feet, the Dune Squad in tow, reverting back to their standard marching order.Nothing does jump out at the dwarf as he passes the stone archway. That affords Karek the chance to explore the dead end ahead. A quick peek with his darkvision through the archway as he passes by it though reveals another tight corridor, this one shooting southwest.
Karek travels another 20 feet.
The nondescript dead-end, is largely that. It's only feature is that the corridor continues to gradually wind to the right-hand side before it finally terminates.
One possible, minute exception - probably only one of interest to a dwarf. The stone in the bottom left-hand corner shows signs of trans-radial stress fractures. That's only of interest because the surrounding flagstone and the blocks in the rest of the corridor walls have a dorsal-radial stress fracture pattern. The significance is largely meaningless, other than the builders must have elected to use a slightly different stone in that one particular spot, one with a miniscule differential in its hardness gradient. It registers a slightly different heat signature for those who notice such things.
The stone layer probably just ran out of raw material and had to substitute a near-identical looking stone. Lazy really. Humans generally lack pride of workmanship when it comes to erecting structures. It's why none of their buildings ever seem to last. Or perhaps this explains the origin of the human phrase "cutting corners".
In the meantime, and in more important news, Moonpate has re-cast unseen servant. Gandel combines the four glowing motes of his dancing lightsinto a single glowing outline of a humanoid form and overlays it upon Moonpate's apparition. The layered effect gives us: Anyo 3.0!
'Old ub. Karek sighs, and gets down on his knees to examine the cornerstone further
As I had indicated earlier it is nothing.
It's just a slightly different block of stone in the floor. I suppose it doesn't fit as tight as the other interlocking stones. Perhaps it could even be drawn up if one had a thin enough tool to reach into the crevasse, or very strong fingers with which to pry.
Either Karek is distracted by the smallest things or he's on the ground on his all-fours practicing the latest yoga pose.
Karek tries to pry it up.
It takes some doing, but Karek is able to slide the block up out of the floor. Beneath it is a small hollow compartment.
Bathed in the pale lavender light of Anyo 3.0, Karek can see that inside the compartment is a small jade statuette. It is not altogether unlike the tiny jade statuettes the Dune Squad spent last night staring at in the chamber with the dais and weight scales.
This particular one though depicts a slave pushing a large stone block. On closer inspection, Karek can see that the miniature stone block contains an inscription in hieroglyphic characters.
The inscription reads:
Hal turns to his comrades, "I suppose the we must simply move forward, the mystery of that strange figure will hopefully reveal itself as we move further into the Pyramid. Gandel any hieroglyphs that you can see that may help us unlock some of the puzzles in this place?""That strange encounter is rather unsettling. Wandering old men, who are probably not of this world, that bestow gifts inside pyramids of doom do not instill one with a sense of safety..."
"I'll keep an eye out for more hieroglyphs," Gandel replies in a distracted tone as he keeps staring at the spot from which the old man disappeared. He glances toward Moonpate and nods in wide-eyed agreement when the wizard states that the disappearing old man was probably not of this world.
Bathed in the pale lavender light of Anyo 3.0, Karek can see that inside the compartment is a small jade statuette. It is not altogether unlike the tiny jade statuettes the Dune Squad spent last night staring at in the chamber with the dais and weight scales.
This particular one though depicts a slave pushing a large stone block. On closer inspection, Karek can see that the miniature stone block contains an inscription in hieroglyphic characters.
The inscription reads:
Gandel chuckles with genuine delight as he translates the inscription on the jade statue for his companions. "Well there you have it! Looks like we found number twenty-four!"
"Is there anything else in there Karek? I suppose we should hold onto this since we found it no?"
Anuchro Hed would wand'id. Is id magic?
Gandel casts a cantrip to reveal magical auras and studies the jade statuette.
Is there anything else there?
Gandel casts a cantrip to reveal magical auras and studies the jade statuette.
-
Gandel detects no magical auras.Does studying it mean he will touch it?
Is there anything else there?
-
No, only a hollow cavity in the floor.
Gandel chuckles with genuine delight as he translates the inscription on the jade statue for his companions. "Well there you have it! Looks like we found number twenty-four!"
"My father, Auraraun, would have appreciated that kind of a conundrum," she says to Donkor as she looks at the 24th piece. "Let's hope we somehow find him here and he can handle the rest of the Pharaoh of Numbers' tricks for us.
-
Heh, the fair and reasonable pyramid dungeon is down the hall and to your left. This one's the arbitrary and lethal.
This one's the arbitrary and lethal.
You're telling the group who got half it's members turned to stone from some nasty trap-of-infinite-monster-summoning before making it down the first corridor. Well, no duh!
Aight. Moving on. Well, Karek will wait to see if Gandel touches the thing. But then he'll move on into the next room.
Aight. Moving on. Well, Karek will wait to see if Gandel touches the thing.
And while Professor Trapspringer -or any other member of the squad who is brazen enough to come forward- is at it, they might also clarify if they intend to:
a) take the statuette, because it's clearly a priceless relic and this is exactly what they came for in the first place; or
b) be sure to leave the horrible cursed and dangerous property of the Four Pharaohs of Ascension right where they found it because they are not fools courting death; or
c) pocket it securely because it's obviously the key to deactivating the trap and accessing the treasure chamber in level 12(c) of the pyramid; or
d) intentionally gloss over this detail and later insist they chose whatever is at that point the most advantageous.
But then he'll move on into the next room.
Technically, as far as Karek knows there are no more rooms per say, just a choice between a new skinny corridor headed southwest (via the square archway), or tracing the wide arcing corridor in the opposite unexplored direction.
I take this to mean Karek surmises the skinny corridor obviously leads to a room somewhere and that's where he's taking the Dune Squad next.
Turning around from the dead end, the Dune Squad retraces their path along the wide curved corridor, heading back towards where the mysterious old man gifted them with the powerful scroll.
Now on their left-hand side is the unexplored archway Karek noted earlier. It leads to a slender passageway of precise interlocking stonework. (It is free of the ubiquitous hieroglyphs).
At Moonpate and Gandel's combined direction, Anyo 3.0 steps through the archway and into the passageway beyond, headed what you believe to be a southwest direction. By now your ability to confirm your relative position on the compass should be completely lost, but as the three dwarves all remain like-minded, you maintain some confidence that you still have some appreciation for your relative position.
(Also, Gandel might have a wayfinder. . .)
According to Xerissa's map, you are headed back towards the direction of the semi-circle shaped chamber of the Portalman.
Another 40 feet and Anyo 3.0 slips inside a small rectangular chamber. It is hard to see without entering, but it appears to be a repository of vertical hieroglyphs. There is a great deal of writing in there, separated into groups of panels. But other than that, this is an empty room with no apparent function. It also has no other exit, other than the plain opening that Anyo 3.0 just stepped in through. A quick circuit by the Dune Squad's unseen servant does not reveal any additional information.
Karek's going in!
"Sounds like a job for our translation team in there. I'll cover the hall! Call if there's trouble."
-
Correct, an approximate 30 x 40 foot rectangle, with the opening on the northeast 30 foot side.-
You believe that is correct. Gandel reported that he was unable to detect any magical auras.
The hieroglyphs along the wall are as impressive as they are numerous. There appears to be a broad-brush chronicle of the development of Tumen’s system of above and below ground aqua-ducts. The science displayed is centuries ahead of that of any known desert culture. If true, it represents an unprecedented achievement of civic engineering. There are similar dissertations on agriculture, and on even what might possibly constitute sub-surface mining. However, as impressive as these records are, they are just window dressing:
Now that the Dune Squad is no longer novice pyramid explorers, both Gandel and Donkor immediately key into the fact that the southeast wall contains an inscription of another account involving the Pharaoh of Numbers. It is there that their attention is focussed. It is astoundingly detailed:
----------
----------
When Breach enters the room he is stuck with a potent sensation of deja vu. He feels like he has been in this empty room before.
Then he realizes, it's not just a sensation - he has!
This is the same room Breach went into by himself yesterday - by leaping through the Portalman while Karek and Hurgah had him pinned.* He did not stay there long.
It appears the Dune Squad has now gone all the way around and found another way inside.
The rest of the squad now remembers viewing this chamber through Ro Ap Han's chest while he was bound. Presumably Gandel's elemental explorer was here yesterday as well.
*See post of Feb 2, 2013, 12:24.