Ulysses follows suit.
The center of this large octagonal room is a raised square platform a few inches above the floor, with a stone pillar at each corner. A gold-trimmed sarcophagus sits at the center of the platform, flanked by two statues of humanoid beings with canine heads, each of which holds an ankh in one of its crossed arms. Stone double doors exit the room to the north.
There are hidden doors on the west and east walls, though the method of opening is not immediately obvious. A DC 20 Disable Device check will be required to open them.
Nevai steps into the chamber and looks around.
He sees nothing out of the ordinary.
Ulysses can barely contain his excitement. "There are secret doors here!" He laughs and claps his hands. Seeing Melech's unamused look, he adds, "But perhaps we should look at this sarcophagus first."
Melech follows Ulysses to take a look at the coffin.
As soon as Melech and Ulysses step onto the raised area in the center of the room, three very important things happen.
First, the door they entered slams shut with a resounding that makes Filibus scream in a most un-manly fashion.
Second, crackling bolts of electricity begin to arc between the four pillars around the sarcophagus.
Third, the doors at the northern end of the room burst open, and what looks like an endless torrent of water begins rushing into the room. Nevai, who had gone over to inspect those doors, gets struck with the full force of it.
Never particularly steady on his feet to begin with, the aasimar gets knocked back five feet and thrown to the floor by the force of the water's initial rush.
Did I say three things? Sorry, I meant four.
The sarcophagus leaps to life and attacks Ulysses.
[color=green]
Melech (6/13 hp)
Ulysses (3/10 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Sarcophagus (0 dmg)
[/color]
The electricity leaps down to lick Melech and Ulysses, scorching their bodies.
The sarcophagus is made of somewhat brittle components; it looks like extreme cold would severely damage it, and bludgeoning weapons would bypass at least some of its hardness.
This trap is a doozy. It's designed to slowly fill the entire chamber with water. The electricity will continue arcing around this central platform, striking anyone on it. It may be best to get off it as quickly as possible. Each round it will continue zapping anyone on it (Ref half DC 15). The water is another issue entirely. It will keep pouring in; it looks like it's likely connected to an underground aqueduct. You'll have to close those doors eventually, but for now the animate sarcophagus would make trying to shut them problematic to say the least.
Ulysses shouts, "Stay off the platform!", as he steps back to the top of the stairs behind him. He quickly constructs a bomb and tosses it at the "sarcophagus".
Melech's body seizes up as the electricity runs through it. Once it passes, he begins to run forward to attack the coffin-with-a-mouth, but then he hears Ulysses's warning.
Dammit.
He takes a moment to scan the creature for weak spots, then steps back, falchion at the ready.
"Nevai! Heals!"
The bomb strikes the sarcophagus unerringly, but seems to do no more than scorch the paint a bit. Ulysses can tell that unless he hits it with supreme accuracy his bombs are going to do absolutely nothing to the sarcophagus.
Filibus stumbles back from the oncoming water, and draws a crossbow that he bought yesterday in-town. He's not very good at it but it's better than the dagger, anyway.
[color=green]
Melech (6/13 hp)
Ulysses (3/10 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Sarcophagus (7 dmg)
[/color]
Nevai staggers to his feet and immediately channels healing energy.
The sarcophagus bounces toward Ulysses. It would be almost comical if it wasn't so horrifyingly deadly. Thankfully the gnome nimbly dodges its clumsy attempt to "bite" him.
[color=green]
Melech (7/13 hp)
Ulysses (4/10 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Sarcophagus (0 dmg)
[/color]
Lightning crackles over the sarcophagus' body but seems to do nothing to it. The water is now up to everyone's ankles (12 inches). It has no effect now, but soon it will become difficult to move easily.
Ulysses sees his bomb fail to do anything and notices how quickly it's going to be hard to move around in this room. Let's keep this thing off of us. He takes another step off the stairs, pulls a tanglefoot bag off of his belt, and tosses it at the creature.
Melech sees the goo spread over the sarcophagus and smiles. That clever little gnome. He swings his falchion at the creature, then steps back to avoid a counter attack.
The sarcophagus doesn't even seem to register something unpleasant is coming at it. It stands there and gets splattered by the tanglefoot bag, and the goop instantly hardens and sticks it in place.
Meanwhile, Melech's falchion continues to chip away at it.
Filibus finally gets the crossbow loaded and fires wildly, missing the sarcophagus spectacularly.
[color=green]
Melech (7/13 hp)
Ulysses (4/10 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Sarcophagus (12 dmg, entangled)
[/color]
Nevai slogs through the steadily deepening water and channels again on the way.
The sarcophagus stands there stupidly, struggling against the goop, and does not move.
[color=green]
Melech (9/13 hp)
Ulysses (6/10 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Sarcophagus (12 dmg, entangled)
[/color]
Electricity continues to arc over the sarcophagus, leaving long black scorch marks along its surface, but otherwise leaving it unharmed.
The water has now filled the room up to two feet. The entire room is difficult terrain.
Ulysses knows Melech needs to get right up next to the creature and knows that Nevai is struggling with the stress of the situation. He flicks his wrist and his new wand shoots out of its sheath and into his hand. He taps it on Melech's shoulder. "Finish it off!" he yells over the din of the rushing water and crackling electricty.
Melech nods and pushes through the water back up the stairs towards the platform. Thankful his sword is still above water, he brings it down in an overhead strike.
Several of Melech's wounds seal up as the bone-deep itch of rapid healing flows over him. He chops down on the sarcophagus and chips off another chunk, but the thing doesn't seem to be slowed down by it.
Filibus lets fly another bolt, but seems to have particular trouble hitting it while trying to avoid hitting Melech.
[color=green]
Melech (13/13 hp)
Ulysses (6/10 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Sarcophagus (16 dmg, entangled)
[/color]
Nevai raises his holy symbol and a burst of divine power washes over the room, invigorating everyone it touches. He then moves further around, drawing his mace as he goes.
The sarcophagus stops struggling and lashes out at its newfound targets. The arm on the sarcophagus lid detaches and slams into Melech, bashing him right in the mouth, jangling his teeth and tearing a gash on his face.
Then the lid opens and clamps down on Nevai's torso and grasps him firmly. It looks ready to snap him up and hold him inside.
[color=green]
Melech (6/13 hp, blessed)
Ulysses (6/10 hp, blessed)
Filibus (0 dmg, blessed)
Nevai (4/11 hp, grappled, blessed)
Sarcophagus (16 dmg, entangled, grappled)
[/color]
Ulysses, barely able to touch the floor, touches Melech again with the wand.
Melech knows it will be much harder to swing his sword once this creature is under water, not to mention the fact that his companion is literally being eaten. He takes another desperate swing.
Despite being a clumsy blow, Melech still lands his blade hard on the sarcophagus and cracks its veneer, thanks to its vastly reduced defenses from Ulysses' goop and the fact it is currently attempting to eat Nevai.
Despite its lowered defenses, however, Filibus still can't get a solid shot off on it. He's clearly not well-trained for this sort of thing. At least he hasn't accidentally shot anyone yet; that's a plus.
As the battle rages on, the water gushing in from deep underground... begins to peter out. The room stops filling. Ulysses is fairly certain that wasn't supposed to happen. Perhaps 2,000 years without maintenance has been unkind to Akhentepi's death trap?
[color=green]
Melech (6/13 hp)
Ulysses (6/10 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Nevai (4/11 hp, grappled)
Sarcophagus (21 dmg, entangled, grappled)
[/color]
Nevai, seeing that he's on the verge of collapse and knowing this thing is way too strong for him to break away, grasps his holy symbol with his one free hand and channels energy.
He looks up irritably at the ceiling as if to say, Really, Horus??
The sarcophagus lid bites down on Nevai, and Melech can hear several of the cleric's ribs crack. Nevai's eyes roll into the back of his head as he falls unconscious from the pain, and the sarcophagus gulps him in. The lid slams shut.
Its weird, swivelly arm swings out at Melech again, but the slayer easily ducks to the side of it.
[color=green]
Melech (13/13 hp, blessed)
Ulysses (8/10 hp, blessed)
Filibus (0 dmg, blessed)
Nevai (-2/11 hp, swallowed, unconscious and dying, 3 rounds of air left)
Sarcophagus (21 dmg, entangled)
[/color]
Having watched in horror as Nevai is ... swallowed? ... by the creature, Melech takes another desperate swing.
Ulysses pulls one of his iron pellet grenades off of his belt, lights it, and tosses it to the middle of the platform .
Electricity continues to pass over the sarcophagus to no effect.
Filibus continues his very exciting life as a complete failure.
The sarcophagus slams Melech in the chest with its "arm" and cracks a couple ribs.
[color=green]
Melech (9/13 hp, blessed)
Ulysses (8/10 hp, blessed)
Filibus (0 dmg, blessed)
Nevai (-2/11 hp, swallowed, unconscious and dying, 2 rounds of air left)
Sarcophagus (29 dmg, entangled)
[/color]
The grenade explodes. Dozens of iron pellets bounce harmlessly against its surface and gocareening in multiple directions.
Melech is screaming as he continues to wail on the creature, almost oblivious to the pain in his side.
The scene is almost surreal at this point. The electricity continues to leave slow, licking arcs that burn and blacken the paint of the false sarcophagus without actually harming it. Filibus continues to fire uselessly in the vague direction of their enemy. Melech continues to wail repeatedly on it without destroying it. But it's so close now. It's cracked and creaking, chipped and scored all over. Surely it has to be close to destruction...
... But not yet. It slams its "arm" into Melech once more, this time bashing into his gut and knocking the wind out of him momentarily.
This is it. Nevai's air is about to run out. There is no more time. It's now or never.
[color=green]
Melech (7/13 hp, blessed)
Ulysses (8/10 hp, blessed)
Filibus (0 dmg, blessed)
Nevai (-4?/11 hp, swallowed, unconscious and dying, 1 round of air left)
Sarcophagus (35 dmg, entangled)
[/color]
Melech screams madly as he chops down with all his might, and the sarcophagus shatters, its many cracks and chips finally weakening the structure until one last telling blow destroys it.
Nevai falls onto the platform among the pieces--directly into the water. The level is just high enough to cover his head. Meanwhile, the electricity continues to arc overhead, threatening to blast him at any moment.
Ulysses taps Nevai with the wand under the water, hoping that the cleric's god sees fit to heal him to consciousness.
Nevai's eyes flutter open, and his head bursts from underwater as he gasps for air. Seeing where he is, he yelps and stumbles off the platform, just as electricity leaps down at the water, sending a painful shock through the pooling liquids.
The party backs away from the platform, and after a few more moments, the electricity peters out. After a couple minutes, the water slowly drains through the sand and gravel into the floor.
"Well that was bracing," Nevai says hoarsely.
He raises a feeble hand to his holy symbol and channels once more.
Filibus barks a painfully loud, awkward laugh, before plopping down in the draining water on his butt.
As the dust water settles, and the party realizes they have narrowly escaped death, they feel invigorated, stronger...
... levely-er.
Furious, Nevai blasts the room twice more with holy energy until everyone's wounds finally heal. He shakes his head in exasperation. "Unbelievable. I do not know what I did to piss off Horus, but hopefully it is out of His system."
He looks around the chamber. "That is the last of my channeled energy, though I still have my spells. Do we carry forward, or go back and rest?"
Filibus shrugs. "I'm okay to keep going. I think I have the hang of this thing." He waves the crossbow absently with an optimistic, doofy grin.
Ulysses waves the wand and smiles. "That's why we bought this. We keep going! Ha!" He takes a few moments to return the wand in his wrist sheath, then checks that all of the seals on his alchemical materials kept the water out. Then he carefully checks the sarcophagus and surrounding platform again.
He approaches the secret door on the west wall and attempts to open it.
Melech lets the oddly pleasurable pain of the healing magic flow over him, then shakes his head. "This room almost killed us. I hope it was worth it." He inspects the sarcophagus and platform.
From what Melech and Ulysses can tell, there was nothing of actual value in this room. It was clearly a false burial chamber meant to murder would-be tomb raiders.
His eyesight may not be spectacular, but at least Ulysses' fingers still know how to work their magic. The west wall opens with an audible click! and swings inward slightly. Through the sliver of light pouring through the ajar door, he can see what looks to be a hallway leading further west.
There is still the hidden door on the eastern wall, as well.
Melech waves Ulysses along and inspects the short hallway and as far as he can see into the room beyond.
Ulysses follows suit.
The party steps into the corridor beyond. A staircase leading up can be seen banking off to the right. Both Melech and Ulysses thoroughly inspect the area.
Thankfully, there are no traps. However, Ulysses does find a secret door in the south wall!
Ulysses asks for Melech's help to check the secret door, then attempts to open it if neither of them find any hazards.