Silas fries the last spider with a jolt of energy.
Sigfried would watch as the final spider fell, his lone eye on the target for a moment before sheathing his blade. They had won the fight after quite the struggke, but Sig didn't have to many remaining spells. Be that as it may, he did what he could, converting one of his last spells to heal his allies, starting with Sindri who had been injured pretty badly, followed by Lucius.
"Thanks there. It was a nasty bite. I can heal myself though. "
Sindri bows before Sig.
"Thank you Sig." Sindri rubs his shoulder, the pain fading, the bites were still fresh.
Sindri examines the ogre spiders, with empty bottles he attempts to milk them for venom.
Sindri is able to collect some venom from the huge spiders.
Following the stream, it takes some time to clear out of spider webs with flames and blades to move forward into the cavern. The bones of numerous rats and other large creatures litter the floor.
Many of the bones look like they belong to some kind of deer, which is very strange considering how deep underground the spiders lair must be.
Making it to the other side of the cavern the stream leads through a wide passage, from which can be heard a great rushing sound, like a waterfall. The reverberations off the sides of the passages make it hard to tell how large the falls might be.
"Pride: Think nothing of it friends, it was the least I could do," he told his companions, his strange manor of speech betraying his true feelings on being able to be of assistance.
Pushing onward through the webs, the passage following the stream is wider here, and soon a light breeze can be felt. As the last of the webs are burned away the passage opens into a deep drop off.
Looking out over the drop off the stream tumbles down 100' or so, the noise of the falling water as it strikes stone on its way down, and at last ends in a large lake echoes back up to the passage.
Before the group is a vast underground cavern. Lines, slashes, dots and specks of a dim yellow light reaching your eyes. Some of it reflecting off the ripples of water in the lake below the falls.
"I've got fifty feet of rope here. " and he rummages about in his pack to take it out.
"I have no rope, but I can use magic to descend."
As the group carefully makes their way down the side of the cliff, the change in perspective of view causes the dim light to shift and alter. And upon nearing the bottom it can be seen that there are large mushroom like plants growing all over the floor of the cavern, and underneath the mushroom canopy is a luminescent fungi providing a dim light in the mushroom forest.
That sense of pulling continues to tug at you, leading you into the forest, the lake at your right. Other than the immediate area near the water fall the lake is nearly still, only small ripples reverberating from the waterfall across the lake into the distance.
A small herd of deer like creatures off to the left scatters. The creatures look sickly in the pale yellow light.
After traveling for several minutes the forest opens up around a small stone structure, perhaps 40'x40' in size. A single passage leading inward from the center of the north wall. To either side of the passage, engrave in the wall is a large symbol.
The symbol is that of Lamashtu, the demon queen.
Silas featherfalls down.
"Deer and mushroom forests, we must be deep underground. I can feel it in my bones."
Once Sindri gets to the stone structure he will scope it, seeing if there is anything odd about the stonework.
"Should I lead the way?" Sindri asked nervously.
"Feel free. You're a good sneaky fellow. "
"It looks like soome sort of shrine to the demon queen Lamashtu, watch your step."
Sindri takes a tentative step into the passage leading into the small structure. A short narrow passage leads 20' in before ending in a door. As the svirfneblin makes his way forward towards the door he notices two thin circular lines - half circles, or hemispheres against either side wall. And before the door itself a pressure plate.
Unless someone has a very long reach they will need to step on the plate to open the door.
The constructs eye would remain on the symbol of the evil deity for quite some time. He could easily recognize such a symbol and it made him feel a foreign feeling of uneasiness to be down here with it present. He and his companions had likely stumbled into a terrible mess.
"Inquiry: Shall I open the door first and check for any enemies?" he asked, unaware of the pressure plate but still choosing to offer up his sturdier body as a shield for the group.
Lucius activates his telekinesis, pushing the door inward with a slight scraping sound on the stone floor.
Beyond is a room with a ornate sarcophagi resting in its center. Carved into its stone sides are strange and twisted looking creatures, feasting on their prey. Hounds with great spines protruding from their backs, serpents with forked and stingered tails, bloated and pustulent looking beasts in a pit with mouths gaping upward as humanoids are pushed into the pit from above.
On the back wall of the room is some kind of mural, but the black and white of darkvision makes it hard to decipher what the image is.
Silas moves up to the edge of the pressure plate.
OK. Lucius will hop over the plate into the room and look around.
Seeing his companions leap, he could only imagine he had seen something the construct had missed. Following suit, he would move and leap over it as well.
Lucius leaps over the plate, followed by Sig. From closer up, and with a proper light source, they are able to make out the mural. It actually extends all the way around the room, and appears to depict progressive scenes.
Staring to the right of the door is a scene of a knight in shining armor battling grotesque and twisted creatures. A sword of purest white glowing as the knight shears through the creatures. A city lies behind them, with white towers, and white banners streaming in the wind.
The next is the same knight, though this time there is a splotch of red on his armor, at the left shoulder. Again fighting against the twisted creatures, this time the background is a steep mountain, wispy clouds of white touching its peak.
Third is another scene of the knight fighting. The patch of red on the shoulder remains, and now his blade is more of a dim yellow. The background is a thick forest, within the dark of the forest can be seen more creatures lurking in the shadows.
The fourth shows the knight again as the previous, but now his armor is tarnished, no longer reflecting the light of the day. The background is a dreary wasteland, and dark storm clouds gather in the distance.
The fifth shows the knights blade now a blood red. The landscape is not natural, but appears as a writhing mass of muscle, and fountains of blood spurt from holes in the ground.
The sixth, and final scene, the knights helmet has been removed, and half the knights face is missing, blood pouring from a now empty eye socket. His sword hand is surrounded in flame, the hand blackenend. But above him stands a likeness of the demon god Lamashtu. Strings run from her fingers down to the knight as though with a marionette. All else is a twisting blackness.
"Looks like he had a lousy life. All fighting, and for nothing in the end. "
Silas hops over the trap.
Silas joins Lucius and Sig inside to get a look at the murals.
Sindri makes a running start, jumping over the pressure plate.
"Information: The mother of monsters is known well for corruption. She is a demon queen that other demons both fear and detest," the construct told the group, his lone eye scanning the mural in its entirety. "Observation: If a mural like this is here, our care should be doubled. This place could be desecrated ground that could warp our minds and bodies. Correction: Your bodies," he added, his blunt and slightly inappropriate statement at the end unnoticed by the automaton.
"Bet we need to open the sarcophagus. Who wants to do it?"
"That sounds like fun..."
Sindri walks up to the mural examining it.
"Could the city by Coran?"
turning his attention to the sarcophagus, he will examine it, looking for traps or oddities in the stonework.
Sindri looks over the sarcophagus for traps, or other things that seem amiss, but finds no hint or sign of danger.
"Guess I could open it if nobody else wants to. " and he starts to shove the top off.
Sindri looks at his arms and back at Lucius,"You've got it Lucius, looks safe enough to me."
Lucius pushes the stone covering from the sarcophagus. Inside is a set of finely crafted full plate. A skull can be seen behind the visor.
A greatsword rests, point towards the feet, in the hands of the armor. A small chest inlaid with gold at its feet.
"Oooh, nice armor. Just gotta get the skeleton out of it. "
Then, not being quite as dumb as he generally sounds, uses his TK to try and take a part off probably a gauntlet.
Silas will Detect Magic.
Sigfried would also cast detect magic, his lone eye glowing brighter as he scanned the corpse and its hidden treasures.
Sindri steps on the tips of his toes, peering into the sarcophagus.
"Are you sure we should be taking gear for this dead knight? Seems suspicious that his body is this far underground."
Sindri chants over the skeleton knight.
"Pahinga sa kapayapaan, kabalyero."
"As I see it, he's not using the armor anymore, and I really could use a better suit. Of course I'd have to get it fitted, but that's just a matter for an armorer. "
Sindri still grasping onto the sarcophagus, eyes barely making it over the lid. He looks to Lucius and begins to mull it over.
I suppose that's not a bad point, could it be cursed?
"I mean the dead don't need their items in the after life. What if it's cursed though. It's never a good idea to cross the dead." His voice carries worry, but Sindri does his best to hide it.
"True, that's a disturbing possibility. Maybe one of the magicky folks can scope it out. "
Sig and Silas both study the armor for a moment with their magical sight. The suit is definitely of a magical nature, another 10 seconds of study and Silas is able to determine its purpose.
The greatsword emits no magical properties.
As Lucius then goes to begin removing the armor Sindri spots something else. Beneath the head, waist, and feet there is a very slight indentation in the stone. Three small pressure plates held down by the weight of the armor.
"Put it back, it's a trap!" Sindri kicks off of the sarcophagus, hopping backwards in case Lucius isn't quick enough to place the armor back.
Lucius stops his TK when he hears the outburst and then moves back.
Sig wouldn't step back, instead attempt to investigate the strange trap that hid beneath. He had no foolish thoughts of disarming such a trap, but it would certainly help his group acquire the treasure they had discovered if they could at least know what they were dealing with.
Sig isn't able to determine anything about the trap beyond the obvious weight of the armor holding the pressure pads down.
"Embarrassed: I am unable to identify the workings of this mechanical trap. My apologies," he told his companions, feeling a bit awkward at his inability.
"Well we can stand back and I can pick up the armor to see what happens if you like. "