You awaken. There is no sound. You open your eyes. All is darkness and cold stone. You have a vague recollection of going to sleep last night yet you awaken in a dark, stone box only a few inches larger than you in each direction. The cool scent of earth surrounds you. You can feel that you are wearing your typical clothing and can also feel that your gear is with you.
Etgar
Donovan
Niu
Agnimitra
Round 1 The Awakening
Agnimitra 13/13 Donovan 12/12 Etgar 9/9 Niu 7/7
You may take your turn when the check mark is on the line with your name.
Niu ✔
Agnimitra
Etgar
Donovan
"Hee hee hee. Have I died yet again?" Niu feels around himself, noting the texture of stone.
"Stone? I would have expected simple dirt or some scavenger's belly."
Niu casts Light on one of his fetishes and looks around more throughly.
Calling out, he says, "Hello!? I'm not quite dead yet. At least, I don't think so."
The light reveals that you are inside a sarcophagus.
Niu
Agnimitra ✔
Etgar
Donovan
Slightly startled by the lack of any kind of noise at all, Agnimitra bumps her head trying to sit up before realizing that she is trapped on all sides. "Sarenrae's breath," she mutters, getting her own breathing under control. Shouting out more, hoping to be heard, she adds, "If this is someone's idea of a joke, it's in poor taste!"
Waiting a moment in silence to see if anyone responds, the young ifrit takes in her surroundings, hoping that the jokester left a means to free herself.
Niu, being awake hears you. He may respond to that on his next turn.
Niu
Agnimitra
Etgar ✔
Donovan
Etgar sighs after he realizes where he had ended up, seemingly resigned. Well...this was bound to happen sometime. He thumps on the adjacent surfaces to him, trying to see what sound came back. If it was a dull thud, he may be buried underground and, well, there's no way out of that one. If not, then maybe he can find a latching mechanism...
He's searching specifically for some way to unlock this box in which he lies.
It looks like a sarcophagus. There appears to be a slight groove around the top as if it has a lid. No dull thud.
Niu
Agnimitra
Etgar
Donovan ✔
Donovan’s eyes snap open, and he tries to sit up bashing his forehead against the lid. ”Yikes!” he drops his head back and takes in his surroundings, closing his eyes he tries pressing up with his arms and legs.
Donovan slides the lid of his sarcophagus revealing a dark room.
Round 2 The Awakening
Agnimitra 13/13 Donovan 12/12 Etgar 9/9 Niu 7/7
Niu, Agnimitra, Etgar, Donovan ✔
Round 2, moved to group initiative now that you are all awake.
"Joke?! Hee Hee. Perhaps. There are those who think it is funny to leave people for dead. Hee Hee Hee.
Perhaps if I get out of this sarcophagus, I'll be able to find the joker."
Niu pauses for a moment, then asks. "Are you real or in my head?"
Placing his hands on the stone in front of him, he weakly attempts to shift the lid of the sarcophagus.
It does not budge.
Niu
Agnimitra, Etgar, Donovan ✔
Thought I heard something...maybe not. Etgar hesitates a moment, listening intently, then simply calls out. Hello? Not wanting to waste time - if there were a person out there, it could be the same person that put him in here - he sets to work, running his fingers along the edge of the lid. His nimble digits look for some sort of hidden latch that he could trigger...or maybe un-trigger?
The then begins to rock slightly from side to side as he does, seeing if perhaps he's up on a stand...maybe if he topples it...
Etgar is unable to locate any latches. The stone enclosure does not budge.
"Joke?! Hee Hee. Perhaps. There are those who think it is funny to leave people for dead. Hee Hee Hee.
Perhaps if I get out of this sarcophagus, I'll be able to find the joker."
Niu pauses for a moment, then asks. "Are you real or in my head?"
"If I'm in your head," Agnimitra responds, agitation creeping into her voice, "Then I'd hate to meet the one in mine. Does anyone know where we are?"
While she's talking, the inquisitor tries to apply force to the sarcophagus lid.
Agnimitra's lid slides open revealing a dark room.
Thank Sarenrae!" Agni gasps out, as she tries to make her way out of the confining contraption. If/when she does , she tries to get her bearings, looking around the dark room.
A move action to slide the lid. Double move to stand inside sarcophagus. I will describe the room and give you a map link when all are free of their final resting places. There are six sarcophagi in this small room. One lid other than yours is out of place.
Niu, Agnimitra, Etgar
Donovan ✔
Donovan sits up and looks around, once he realizes he was in a coffin he starts to scramble out not really paying attention to the muffeled voices. Until he hears another lid slide.
"Is someone there? Where am I?"
Donovan manages to get out of his tomb making quite a bit of noise as he does so in this previously silent venue. He sees a female ifrit with hair that appears as flame looking away from him as the voice she heard was from the other direction. She hears him and her head snaps to see a male aasimar staring at her.
Round 3 The Awakening
Agnimitra 13/13 Donovan 12/12 Etgar 9/9 Niu 7/7
Niu, Agnimitra, Etgar, Donovan ✔
"Who are you?" Agni asks the young man, suspicion on her face. Her hair almost seems to mirror her agitation. "I don't suppose that you had anything to do with our being here. There's someone else in this sarcophagus over here."
She keeps an eye on the stranger, but she moves over to the one on the end and tries to open it.
Agnimitra heaves her weight into the lid of the occupied sarcophagus. It does not move.
"If you're in there, you're going to have to help open this thing up," she calls into the sarcophagus.
"Oooooh... more voices. You have competition Neb-en-toti."
He begins thinking about how he wound up in this position, with a sinking feeling, wondering about the young man he traveled from Vigil with. "Etgar, is that you out there? I say, I don't think the voices find this to be funny at all. Let me out of here, please."
This time, Niu tries to use his feet to shift the lid.
The lid begins to move and then not. Niu strains and the lid slides so that he may exit.
Light floods into the dark chamber and a puff of sand rises from the sarcophagus as the lid shifts off. Quickly standing, Niu looks around and sees a flame haired woman helping to shift the lid out of the way.
He reaches out to poke her arm, seeming surprised to find her solid. Giggling, he apologizes. "Sorry about that. I needed to be sure."
He glances around, noting the black haired man. His cracked lips curl into a smile, but still seems unsettled. "Has anyone seen an elf? I was traveling with one before... whatever happened."
Agnimitra takes in the strange human as he exits the sarcophagus. "I have seen no elf," she finally replies, "but I think that there was another voice speaking nearby. They could be in one of the other sarcophagi."
Donovan stairs back ad forth, more than a little stunned. at the mention of another person trapped he moves to help open the lid of the sarcophagus.
Etgar pounds on the inside lid of the coffin, then winces and grabs his now throbbing fist. He raises his voice as much as he can without shouting...he rarely shouts. Hello out there? I could use some help...if you don't mean me to die in here.
He pushes up on the lid, hoping that someone can possibly help from the other side.
Another sarcophagus opens.
End initiative.
Donovan looks around at these strangers, "Who are you, where are we?" remembering back he moves over to the sarcophagus to look for his gear.
Hearing the voice coming from another sarcophagus, Agni goes to help, but finds that the elf inside is nearly out by the time that she gets there.
"Is that it?" She asks, looking at the remaining two sarcophagi in the room. "Is anyone one else stuck?" She takes a moment to see if any other voices respond before she turns to the others. "Now can someone tell me what we're doing in this light-forsaken place? Does anyone have any idea what happened, or where we even are?"
She finally takes a good look around the room, hoping for some kind of answer.
Etgar moves up in the sarcophagus and sits there for a few breaths as his eyes adjust. He focuses on the only light in the room. Niu? Thank the scales; at least you're here to share the misery.
He tenses as he sees others within the room, but seems to ease slightly at their similar, questioning natures. Etgar; Etgar Nostrum, Junior Historical Verifier. Nui and I had travelled out of Vigil, come to see the tomb. Looking around at his surroundings, he once again allows his pessimist nature to seep in. What else did we think would happen...
I can't say I understand how I got here, or where this is. He speaks as he steps out of the sarcophagus and gathers his gear. Does anyone remember anything about being captured and interred?
When Etgar stands straight, you can see that he's incredibly tall, but terribly slim. He typically has a habit of hunching over, which he does after stretching out from the cramped sarcophagus. He's simply dressed with little flair or adornments at all. His black elven eyes are large, and ears long, jutting out from under stark white hair. He pulls a long branched spear out of the sarcophagus, along with a few javelins
Niu looks around at the stone walls and the row of sarcophagi, and very helpfully offers, "We appear to be in a crypt of some kind."
He begins examining the sarcophagi and walls for and writing as a large beetle crawls out of the collar of his tunic, shakes off a bit of sand, and taps him on the cheek. Niu looks around to his shoulder as the beetle stretches its mandibles outward repeatedly.
"Hmm? More? More what?" He glances up to the ifrit again. "Ah, yes, I am Niu. The elf there is Etgar. We were travelling from Vigil to Roslar's Coffer and camped for the night. How someone managed to move us from there to here without waking us or why they left us with our equipment, I have no idea."
He begins knocking on one of the closed sarcophagi before shrugging and heading for the hallway. "We should probably check the other caskets to make sure there aren't more people or equipment left behind."
At the door to the hallway he stops again to look for any writing or imagery that will shed light on the mystery.
Donovan is a bog lad, he seems to wear his inexperience on his sleeve. At first he seems to want to shrink down in the face of the strangers but as if hearing a voice from his past he stops and stands straight. He is a big man with at least some Kellid in him.
"I am Don, eh Donovan" using his full name seems an afterthought. "I came into town to trade for some Ale and sundries."
He is wearing odd padded clothing, that is likely an arming doublet for wear under some heaver armor.
"Hold still Mister" Donovan says to Niu, he begins to move towards him. "You got yourself a little friend, I can get him.
Other than the sarcophagi, the only other furnishings in this room are drop cloths covering a square object. Various relief carvings on the north wall display several heroic figures. The words “Red Shrikes–Noble Companions in the War against Evil. Rest Well, My Friends” are inscribed above the carvings. The lids to the sarcophagi bear carvings of Red Shrikes. The first is a human male in full plate. The second is a human female in cleric's garments. The third is a male aasimar dressed as a Paladin. The fourth is a male elf holding a branched spear. The fifth is a female ifrit with hair of flames. The sixth is a human with dark skin and white hair. A scarab is on his shoulder. While the carvings eerily resemble each of you, the faces indicate they are not you.
The eeriness of the carvings entraps Agni's attention momentarily, before she responds to the introductions of the others. "Agnimitra Ellfire. Inquisitor of Sarenrae, out of Roslar's Coffer." She doesn't turn her face to the others, still taking in the strangeness of this room. She moves towards the drop cloths and moves them aside to see what's underneath.
As the large man approaches, the beetle scurries back into its satchel under Niu's tunic.
"Don't mind him. That is Neb-en-toti, a teacher given to me by the ancestor who saved me from the desert. He stays pretty quiet usually."
Pointing out the pictures to the others, Niu retrieves a well used book from his pack and begins muttering "Red Shrikes" as he attempts to cross reference information
Etgar nods to those seemingly sharing his fate, in turn, then studies the carvings. He searches his memories to see if he's hear of these "Red Shrikes."
The drop cloths cover a crate that stores a a crowbar, flint and steel, three common lamps, two hammers, one hooded lantern, eight pints of oil, and a dented pewter mug.
Niu knows that Roslar commanded several servants and retainers, but his most elite companions composed a group of troubleshooters called the Red Shrikes. They survived The Shining Crusade and lived long lives.
Agni and Donovan recognize this room. They have both been here several time as they toured Roslar's Tomb. It should be lit and you really never paid great attention to the haunting carvings. Were they always like that or have they been changed? You do not recall.
Agni and Donovan are also well educated on Roslar and the history leading up to present day.
A little over 1,500 years ago, the ancient wizard TarBaphon—slain by Aroden millennia earlier—returned to Golarion as a powerful lich known as the Whispering Tyrant. He ruled an empire of the dead, bringing much of central Avistan to heel for 5 centuries before Taldor finally launched the Shining Crusade to halt the Whispering Tyrant’s conquests. The paladins of the crusade carved a slow, steady swath into the Whispering Tyrant’s forces, and summoned Aroden’s herald, Arazni, to finish her patron’s work. But Tar-Baphon had grown more powerful on stolen secrets and borrowed glory than anyone suspected and struck the archon down, throwing her lifeless body before Taldor’s armies. The soldiers’ resolve broke and the Shining Crusade nearly turned back before the young paladin Iomedae and general Arnisant rallied their forces and renewed their assault—this time as a battle for vengeance. The Shining Crusade brought their war to TarBaphon’s doorstep: Adorak, the city of the dead. There, and at the Whispering Tyrant’s tower fortress of Gallowspire, Arnisant and Iomedae confronted the lich while wielding the artifacts Aroden had used to strike down TarBaphon’s mortal incarnation millennia before. Insulted by his enemies’ presumptions, Tar-Baphon cast a wish spell, wishing for Arnisant’s heart to appear in the palm of his hand. However, Tar-Baphon didn’t realize that the shield of Aroden wielded by Arnisant had the ability to direct deadly magic into itself to spare its wielder harm. The shield shattered into twelve pieces, Tar-Baphon’s own wish spell embedding one shard into his withered hand, where it burned with righteous light. Surprised and severely weakened by the artifact, the Whispering Tyrant fled deep into the dungeons below Gallowspire. Members of the Shining Crusade realized the danger of hunting Tar-Baphon within his own lair, and instead constructed the Great Seal to bind the Whispering Tyrant in the shadows beneath his own capital forever. The Great Seal, empowered by three lesser seals hidden across Avistan, remains in place today, still binding TarBaphon in a prison of his own making.
Ervin Roslar was a Knight of Ozem and one of the greatest heroes of the Shining Crusade, 900 years ago. A valiant paladin, Roslar was particularly devoted to Arazni, a divine warrior serving as the herald of Aroden. He threw himself into the fiercest of the fighting and died a hero. An extensive tomb was constructed to honor him and his associates, near the town that would later bear his name.
"This is inside the tomb, We should not really be in here." he looks around a bit.
"I think that should be the way out."
Etgar nods simply, seemingly unaware of much of the history of this place. Already wearing his own, far lighter armor, he moves to one of the two sarcophagi that still have the lids shut. He murmurs to himself as he pushes the lid to take a peek. Wonder if there are more of us in these.
That sarcophagus is empty.
Seemingly focused, Niu looks up from his book and examines the carvings again. Tapping the book, he shares his discovery.
"Here it is. The Red Shrikes were the elite of Roslar's warriors during and after the Shining Crusade. Apparently, one of them had a scarab beetle as a friend as well. That... is far too specific to be a coincidence.
I am fairly sure someone is setting us up, though the elaborateness of this situation speaks to months of preparation. How could anyone know I would be coming to Roslar's Coffer months ago."
After Donovan shares that they appear to actually be inside of Roslar's Tomb, he looks back and forth between the carvings and Donovan several times, then giggles nervously before turning his attention to Agnimitra.
"Is it usual for a crowbar and hammer to be in this crypt? And so much oil? Perhaps we should take some of those items with us?"
"We should take them for sure. Maybe this is some sort of test, Ma is getting tested all the time. Not like this, or maybe exactly like this..." The Paladin trails off realizing that he is running on.
"This is inside the tomb, We should not really be in here." he looks around a bit.
"I think that should be the way out."
Agni nods in agreement with Donovan. "Something is definitely off, here. I've been in the tomb before. I can't say that I remember every detail, but I don't recall this," she says as she motions to the carving that eerily looks like her.
"I'm not sure why this gear is here, either," she continues, "but we should probably take it with us, just in case."
She also spends time getting her own equipment ready.
"I'm not about to stand around and find out why we were brought here. Are you gentlemen going to join me?"
Etgar's lip curls up in anger. A test? A sick joke more like it. Perhaps this is a prank? He looks questioningly at Niu. Well, indeed...I suppose we may need them for something.
Etgar will start to gather some of the items - hanging the crowbar and hammer from his backpack if possible and tucking the flint and steel and mug inside of it before lighting and raising one of the lamps. He then nods his readiness and moves to follow Agnimitra.
A stone door to your west the only apparent exit from this chamber.