Lyan is unaccustomed to negotiating.
Lyan's words fail to carry conviction.
Akemi makes a warding sign.
"I abjure thee with the Seven Sigils of Efficacious Jade." she intones.
Akemi calls on all the knowledge of her masters and bows low, honouring the tortured dead and speeding them on her way. As her words fade away, the phantoms likewise dissolve, pausing only to bow to the companions on the bridge before passing onwards at last to their rest.
Norrin stops for a moment, and using the sword wraith's blade as a focus, says a prayer to Avandra beseeching her to guide both the tortured dead and the sword's former owner towards the Raven Queen.
Norrin's gesture is rewarded. A faint figure, just identifiable as the wraith he befriended materialises before him.
"Search above, beyond . . ." it murmurs cryptically, before it too vanishes.
Norrin smiles in appreciation for the final piece of advice.
He turns to Lisbarr, "And thus the torch of evil-vanquishing passes to us!"
"Well, now, that left me with some questions. 'Search above, beyond', does it mean something specific to all of you? Is it a suggestion to not only search beyond, but the space ABOVE beyond. Is it a two part direction, to search both above and beyond simultaneously. Is it nothing more than religious rhetoric, to look inside oneself or to the heavens? Or, was it specific instructions to find something we will need before we advance further?" Rothel rambles, half asking aloud, half mulling it over for himself.
Norrin smiles in appreciation for the final piece of advice.
He turns to Lisbarr, "And thus the torch of evil-vanquishing passes to us!"
"And who better?" replies Lisbarr. He is in deadly earnest.
The glow of your good deed continues to hang over you as you make your way off the stinking bone and flesh bridge and into a fresh set of corridors. These are finely worked and free of the necrotic seepage that has dogged so much of your journey. Ahead, an archway opens up, leading to a chamber. Even at this distance, it is possible to see that it seems to be a mausoleum.
"Tread lightly, my fellows, the sight ahead offers to challenge us again with the walking dead. I would suggest that those with the special attacks and or defenses against them to move to the fore." Rothel suggests.
"I will call my former self early, and try to go unnoticed on top of it." He adds.
Rothel leans close to the wall, and crouches a little bit, but beyond that his attempt at hiding falls short. Meanwhile, Rahz-Ahk, snarls and growls in the space above Rothel.
Rothel and Rahz-Ahk approach the archway and peer into the dank mausoleum. The chamber consists of a succession of alcoves, filled with plain, but sturdy tombs. There is no sign of either life or undeath.
Lyan moves up beside Rothel, not attempting stealth.
Lyan moves alongside Rothel and his spirit companion and glares at the sarcophagi.
"I do not like the general appearance of this place. Last time we encountered sarcophagi they were protected by the dead warriors." Rothel reminds, "The way this place appears to be designed, who knows what we can expect. Does anyone have a suggestion for how we should proceed?"
"It looks safe enough." He adds.
Rothel senses nothing particularly untoward, and even Lisbarr's superbly trained perception spots nothing amiss.
Norrin walks to L10 and examines the sarcophagus left of him.
As Norrin advances and touches the sarcophagus, there is a grinding thump and the stone tomb collapses in on itself, leaving a 10 foot pit filled with rubble.
Curious, the ranger goes and pokes the tomb to the right, from a safe distance of course.
This sarcophagus also collapses.
Seeing the false sarcophagi collapse, Rothel moves into the room, and to the right to test the two in the corner.
Rothel prods two more of the tombs and the thunderous sound of collapsing masonry greets his efforts.
Hearing all the crunching noises, Lisbarr moves to M13 and examines the broken sarcophagus and also looks towards the whole one to his left.
"Interesting. Are we supposed to cause all of them to collapse do you think?"
Through the masonry dust, Lisbarr is satisfied that the pits conceal nothing of interest.
"I sense a pattern here. I wonder if what our ghostly friend was telling us was that we should look up instead of down."
The ranger does just that.
"Yes, that makes sense. 'Search above beyond', as in, within the space 'beyond' we should 'search' the area 'above'." Rothel agrees
He then begins examining the ceiling as well.
Norrin and Rothel both gaze upwards and Norrin spots a slight discrepancy in the stonework on the ceiling ahead.
Rothel moves forward, trying to get eyes on whatever it is that Norrin noticed.
Norrin eases closer to the trap door and stops himself from falling just in time as the ground beneath the door falls away. The drop is unpleasantly deep and spikes line the bottom of the revealed pit.
The door responds to Norrin's shove and opens into a narrow crawlspace. Ahead, all is in darkness.
Norrin lights the way with his other glowing sword, which has been relegated to torch status.
Norrin sees that the crawlspace extends for about 40 feet (8 squares) and then seems to open out.
Lyan follows.
Rothel proceeds to follow Lyan, reasoning that the closer he is to what they find next, maybe he can lend his knowledge to figuring out how to move forward accordingly.
The crawlspace widens out at the far end and drops 10 feet into a hexagonal chamber. A central panel is surrounded by four grinning faces of the Devourer, each sculpted from a different coloured stone.
"Him again . . ."
"Him? Who is this him of which you speak? Is there danger ahead, and should we be preparing for battle? Please, my good man, you must give me more to go on than that, I cannot see past you and the Half-orc to discern what is going on up ahead." Rothel prattles on.
"Orcish-Chelaxian actually, and 'him' refers to our acquaintance Mister Hungry Face."
"Don't offer your hand, as he'll bite it right off."
Norrin moves into the room so Rothel may see for himself.
Lyan follows Norrin on in.