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Wallaces eyes narrow as Ketra calls out a warning. "I see them too. Those Mites are gone, but something is causing them to stir... Ready for battle, I suspect we aren't in the clear yet!"
Hefting his shield in front of him, he cautiously marches forward once the others have steeled themselves. I am the first into battle...
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"Something that killed some little blue guys. Maybe bone bugs. They seemed vicious enough. Could be something worse though..." Ketra lets Wallace advance first, but aims to follow close behind him. She spins the machete in her right hand every so often, letting the rote movement settle her nerves.
You cautiously step into the room, the smell of corpses unpleasant but not overwhelming--it doesn't seem like they've been dead for more than a day, and the cool still air in the tomb seems to be keeping the worst of it down. The piles abruptly grow still, whatever is rooting around beneath the bodies suddenly aware of your presence. Looking about, you spy no other creatures, though the altar and strange symbol-tiles beckon from the western end of the room.
"Hmm...many bug come with us," Rudgib says from the doorway, pointing to the crack splitting the eastern wall. You can see that it averages about eighteen inches wide and seems very extensive--it winds out of the room deeper into the stone and if it leads to another chamber or cavern you cannot see it. "Much bug like eat dead thingy, very handy. Much warrior die when we defeat awful statue-thingy." Rudgib scowls, the victory and his subsequent ouster clearly not a happy memory.
Ketra is not exactly excited to be leaving these wriggling piles of dead mites sitting around. She calls back to Rudgib "How do your handy bugs react to living people that don't smell like you?" She peers at the eastern crack in the wall. "And where does that go?"
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"Rudgib, can you command the bugs to grant us safe passage?" Wallace asks, piggybacking onto Ketra's list of questions. "Looks like Mites might be able to squeeze through there, but we'll certainly have to try another route..." he says, broadcasting his thoughts out loud. A testament to the fellow's character that he hasn't just abandoned us at this point. A hole only he can fit through, all his former allies dead. I can respect his tenacity, even if it is coming from a despicable place.
Silvia takes a few steps toward the altar, keeping her eyes on the corpses on either side. "Anyone know what these runes say?"
Garret follows Silvia, saying, "I have taken some rudimentary training in linguistics--I am by no means well-versed, but I might be able to pull some meaning from the runes."
Sanduro joins Silvia and Garret in trying to make sense of the symbols near the altar.
"If we can figure out what they say, maybe we will something about the object that killed Rudgib's people."
"Right! I almost forgot! Where's the shiny death rock, blue guy?"
Rudgib waves his hands vaguely at Ketra and Wallace's questions. "Them all attack-bugs, but lots of snack right now. Maybe leave you alone unless poked?" He makes a jabbing motion with his left hand to illustrate. "Big crack go long way, all the way back to Mag Tureah. Us walk very long time to come here."
The mural at the east end of the room depicts several warriors wearing the distincitve crested armor of Knights of Ozem. You notice the same warrior whose likeness has been scattered throughout the tomb--Roslar, presumably--clasping shoulders with another man in brotherly affection. The second man is bearded and helmless, revealing a nose crooked from being broken too many times.
Before the altar is a set of nine slightly-raised stones forming a 3-by-3 pattern, each stone bearing a symbol. The row closest to the south depict a mailed fist, a tree, and a tower. The middle row depicts a heart, a rapier, and a skull, while the northernmost row depicts a horsehead, a crested helm, and a pair of feathery wings. In the floor before the raised stones is engraved: "The Path of Devotion is Harsher to Those Who Falter Than to Those Who Do Not Attempt"
The winged rapier symbol was the personal mark of Arazni the Red Crusader, former Herald of Aroden before her death at the hands of the Whispering Tyrant. The various symbols on the stone represent motifs common in the rituals of the Knights of Ozem at the time.
Rudgib's just out his chest indigantly at Zsofia."Ghosty has big head, think her boss?! Deadly shiny not here, duh!"
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Wallace gasps softly as he recognizes some of the symbolism in the nine stones. Pointing to each in turn, he says, "A winged rapier was the personal symbol of Arazni, the Red Crusader! The other marks are all relevant to the Knights of Ozem, but that's about all I can make of them..."
He pauses to think for a moment. "The rapier and wings are a likely pair, considering Arazni, yet I'm uncertain what the third component would be. Any other ideas?"
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Ketra takes a long look at the "Big Crack to Mag Tureah", the hairs on her neck standing up as she gets a strange anxiety about the passage. Quietly, she muses "Since when was Roslar's Coffer anywhere near a place called Mag Tureah? Is that... somewhere in the Darklands? Is Roslar's Coffer sitting atop some Darklands place...?" Her ignorance about the Darklands only makes her thoughts more ominous.
She decides to head to the western end of the room to hopefully focus herself on something more productive. At Wallace's comment, she says "Symbols important to the Knights of Ozem? I won't question their design choices, but it seems like an odd sort of decoration. The tiles on the floor, that is." She walks up to the set of panels and then to either side. "They kind of look like they could be pressed into the ground. The little ditty about paths of devotion makes it sound like some kind of riddle, huh?"
Ketra inspects the area around the 3x3 grid to see if there's anything obvious that connects or is related to the stones.
Silvia steps around to look at the raised stones from another angle, thinking. "Well, assuming it's some kind of 'pick 1 from each row' sort of puzzle, the rapier and the wings seem like obvious picks. Not sure about the other one, though."
Your examination of the stones and pedals don't turn up the usual clues complex mechanisms leave behind, which suggests magic is involved. You also notice the tiny seams of a hidden panel in the altar, but there's no obvious way to open it.
The passage referencing the "path of devotion" makes you slowly raise your gaze. You suspect your theory about choosing one image from each stone is correct, with the order being west-to-east, towards the altar.
You frown a little as you read the word "Devotion" from the engraving. Thinking back on the various murals you've seen, you realize many of the images are hinting at aspects of courtly love. Roslar kissing Arazni's hand. Arazni looking down adoringly at a praying Roslar. The long-dead knight's affection may have been more than merely religious, as strange as that sounds.
"So that leaves the fist, the tree, or the tower? Do any of those make any sense? They are inscrutable enough that they could almost be images from a set of harrow cards."
Zsofia sticks up a hand in Rudgib's face and glides up to Sanduro.
"What are you looking at there, boyo? Oooh, a puzzle?"
She rolls her eyes. "Knights of Ozem? It figures - tough guys, but goody-goody. See, that winged rapier is the symbol of Arazni, who was the herald of Aroden before he died and screwed everything up. And they used those other symbols, too."
"Shouldn't you already know all this, big guy?" She grins smugly at Wallace, then turns back to Rudgib and shouts, "And you are NOT THE BOSS OF ME!"
The passage referencing the "path of devotion" makes you slowly raise your gaze. You suspect your theory about choosing one image from each stone is correct, with the order being west-to-east, towards the altar. You don't think there's anything about the puzzle that requires a plate from the southmost row to be pressed, though neither can you rule it out entirely.
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Wallace pokes at the inscription. "Devotion. Based on the murals we've seen, I get the feeling this is a not so subtle clue for love, assuming it was reciprocated, or an unfortunate infatuation if not..." he shares. Doesn't seem right, but I only know these figures from history, where they would have known each other personally.
"Perhaps the heart has something to do with this?"
Silvia stops dead in her tracks with realization. "I think that's just it! The heart must be the key here." Here goes nothing.
She rushes around to the beginning of the puzzle, and presses down on the tile with the heart symbol, before moving on to the rapier and finally the wings.
"Devotion? It could also be related to those interred with Roslar, or intended to be interred with him, at least. Those he was devoted to and those that were devoted to him." She points at the tiles "The horse - his steed, the helm - this allies, and the wings..." As she mulls this over, she notices Silvia jumping in.
She calls out "Wait!" as she stretches out a hand, but her warning is too late.
Sanduro winces when Ketra calls out foe Silvia to wait. "No, don't wait if you've started! Remember the warning and do NOT falter!"
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Silvia steps out onto the heart-stone, which depresses with a click. The rapier and wing-stones follow...then silence. After a few heartbeats the altar shudders slightly and a pair of panels pop open with a hiss of air. In the gleam of light from where Wallace is standing you can all see the glint of metal within.
Inside is another arming stand--this one bearing a shining silvery suit of breastplate armor, and a smooth steel shield. Both are emblazoned with a red-winged rapier, the holy mark of Arazni. "Ooooooohh..." Rudgib says from behind you, his eyes bulging with greed.
Garret shakes his head, looking at the treasure and the boldness of his companions with equal measure of wonder. ”Well done! I know little about the crusade, but thankfully I have capable companions.”
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Silvia carefully lifts the breastplate off of the arming stand, taking the time to appreciate the craftsmanship and iconography. "Incredibly well-made," she says, turning around and holding it out to the others. "And clearly meant for us, or someone like us, to take with them."
She turns the breastplate around again, looking at it with a thoughtful expression. "Wallace, I think you're the only one with much expertise using shields and, much as I'd like to wear it, I think this breastplate should go to Ketra. I try to keep my distance, and you're a bit more likely to need something that'll stop a knife."
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Wallace, dumbfounded, puts the point of his sword into the ground and takes a knee. Resting his head against the pommel held in his hands, he prays. "Inheritor, we are unworthy of this bounty. May our coming actions honor the trust you've placed in us," he whispers.
Rising, he takes the offered shield. Looking at his own, the crimson and gold paint chipping already, he lovingly slings it across his back and straps the new one to his forearm. I will honor your memory, Arazni, the Red Crusader.
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Zsofia charges through Sanduro from behind, then turns to glare at him face to spectral face. "Hmph! Why do they get the fancy armor, while you're still wear your cousin's patched old leathers? Don't they know how valuable you are to the group? And more important, what happens to me if you get yourself killed because you won't stand up for yourself and claim some of that..."
Ketra is as stunned as Wallace. "Nice." She shakes her head, then grins "I'm sure mister Roslar's not going to mind if we take these. We've got a messed up tomb to survive after all."
She sizes up the armor, turning it over in her hands and comments "This is... really fancy. Looks really sturdy too. But I'm not really used to wearing anything hard and bulky like this. I could give it a try. Might take a while to get a hang of."
Once the armor and shield are distributed, Ketra examines the unopened southern door. "If our streak of luck keeps up, when I open the door here, there'll be stairs to the surface right around the corner!"
Sanduro rolls his eyes. "Because, Zsofia, if I were to wear that much metal it would cut off my connection to the world around us. I've explained this before. That means no more spells, and you could just sit in my head forever with no chance to come out. How does that sound?"
The phantom snorts and goes back to searching the room for more accessible shinies.
Sanduro smiles at the other duskwalker. "Ketra, Wallace, that's certainly some fine looking armor, and as far as I'm concerned you're welcome to it. Just remember - you two need to stand in front when we go through doors from now on!"
"I hope you're right," Silvia says, coming up behind Ketra. She peers over the barkeep's shoulder and (hopefully) into the room beyond.
With the armor newly donned and the shield strapped to Wallace's arm, the attention of the group turns to the southwestern door. Ketra's examination doesn't turn up any signs of traps, though the latch on the door has been broken. "That room for death-shiny," Rudgib says distractedly, never once taking his eyes off Ketra's gleaming new armor. "Hope bad thing not happen," he offers insincerely. Behind you, the other mite has come to the door way leading into the puzzle chamber and is watching all of this.
The walls of this room are carved with strange sigils in broad circles laid over a mosaic. The center of the room contains a stone pillar with a large wedge of crystal atop it emitting a sullen red glow; the pillar and the floor around it are covered with more of the strange glyphs. Curled up next to the pillar is the dessicated husk of a small blue humanoid. The only door in this room is the one you've just opened.
One mosaic depicts a crimson, ghostlike figure menacing a town, seemingly immune to the swords of the defending knights. Another shows three robed figures presenting a crystal to a Knight of Ozem, and a third appears to show the ghostlike figure begin drawn into the crystal, held overhead by the knight.
The rings of glyphs are designed to contain something wicked, but the magic from them has faded. You can't detect any clear flaws in the circles.
Silvia quickly looks over the mosaics and connects the dots. "So...I'm guessing that something nasty is trapped in that crystal..."
Ketra spends a moment to doff her studded leather and put on the mithral breastplate in its place. "You'd think an ancient tomb for a bunch of dead guys would hide armor sized for one of them. Y'know, a little broader, especially in the shoulder. But this fits just right. I wonder if it was supposed to be a gift to that Arazni that Roslar was into."
Once the room to the south is revealed, Ketra eyes it with curiosity. "The whole glowing red thing and the dessicated blue guy really add the the ambiance. And considering the other decorations, you're prolly right Silvia. Still, the blue guy didn't get zapped 'til he was right up against it, so we should be able to-" Ketra pauses mid sentence.
"Oi Rudgib! Did you see anything leaving the gem when your friend touched it? Maybe whatever was trapped inside already got free?"
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"Thingy leave crystal? Hmmm..." Rudgib's misshapen brown furrows as he thinks about this.
"Tell 'bout scary face!" comes the voice of the other mite from where she's been lurking in the room you defeated her. "WAS 'BOUT TO!" Rubgib hollers back, before turning to you again. "Gem make a scary face, like ghosty but worse," he says matter-of-factly, pointing at Zsophia. "Vullu shake-shake-shake, then dry up like leaf in fire." He gestures to indicate the shriveled mite crumpled next to the pedestal. "That Vullu. Him dead."
"Well, Vullu's not going anywhere, so I doubt killing him was part of an escape plan. Rudgib, did Vullu actually touch it when it killed him, or was he just close to it?"
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"Oh him grab it, them him make very surprise face. Then dead." Rudgib shrugs elaborately. "Rudgib not surprise, Barpple am terrible leader, no plan grab shiny. Rudbig be much better at grab shiny, then us go home!" He half turns and loudly announces the last bit, clearly wanting the other mite to hear.
"Ugly and stupid!" she calls back.
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"Whatever is in there is clearly dangerous..." Wallace says. "Think we can communicate with something inside without touching it? I'm loath to meddle with what was clearly imprisoned within. Especially if it was used by a Knight of Ozem. Yet given our current circumstances, I think at least an attempt is worth it," he suggests. If only to prove to our guide here that this is folly.
With a prayer to Iomedae while tracing the symbol of Arazni on his shield, he approaches the crystal. If nothing happens, he gently but swiftly taps it with his sword, his shield raised.
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Ketra realizes that her new allies are all act first, think later (or never) people. She blinks at Wallace touching the gem, not quite sure if she needs to grab him and wrestle him away before it does something.
Surprised at his sudden action, Silvia looks at Wallace with a raised eyebrow, reevaluating her estimation of the knight.
Sanduro moves towards the entrance to the south room and peers inside, wincing at the dead mite. His eyes widen when he sees the crystal.
"So there's something actually trapped in there? That mural isn't a metaphor or something?" He raises his bow and nocks an arrow.
He casts a quick glance at Zsofia and shudders, imaging what she would be like after centuries trapped inside a gem, itself buried in an abandoned tomb.
As Wallace walks towards the crystal, the druid calls out, "Wallace, are you sure that's a good idea?" When the warrior taps it with his sword, Sanduro adds, "Ah, all right then. So, um, do you see anything in there?"
He starts to lower his bow, then notices the tension in his comrades and raises it again while they wait to see what happens.
The phantom gives Sanduro a grin and floats into the south room to get a better view of whatever is going to happen to Wallace.
The tip of Wallace's sword taps the crystal with a glassy tink, and immediately a dark mist begins to swirl in the crystal, followed an instant later by the vague outline of a face appearing in one of the facets. The imprisoned shade screams silently at you, but after a moment the face and mists fade.
"Well... that was creepy." Ketra relaxes the fighting stance she took at the moment the crystal's mist began to swirl. "Not sure whether to be glad its still trapped or not."
"Looks like it can't get you if you're not touching it. So we just need an over mitt or a pair of tongs and a nice lead-lined sack." She looks back to the north "Want to check those other rooms first? Maybe there's something that can help us there."
"Sounds reasonable," says Garret, looking warily at the crystal. "I'll follow along and offer what magical support I can," he adds.
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"Agreed. I didn't know what being is held within, but I couldn't just leave something of unknown power at our rear," Wallace explains. Even if it meant my life. When my time comes, I know it is the Inheritor's arms that will catch me. Not like General Arnisant would have let any of his soldiers take the risk before him either. "If it needs to be touched, then we are relatively safe. Let's hope it doesn't have any tricks to get around that..."
Heading to the room Ketra indicated, he hefts his shield to center of mass and readies to enter.
Garret is fine following along in the back, as most of his spells work from a distance.
Ketra heads straight after Wallace, ready at the north-western doorway. She gives it a once over to look for any traps or hazards that might trigger.