Tekumbray emerges from the shadows at the back of the room and releases another arrow at the wounded ape in an attempt to quickly put it down. He then drifts back into the shadows.
Myev's attempted strike is massively off balance, despite the half-orc's efforts to replicate the lessons learned from Utsuri. Fortunately, before the wounded ape can strike back at her, Tekumbray's arrow whistles by her ear and solidly into the beast's forehead.
Once more Silas prays to Lathander for his protection, his faith manifesting as a burning flame to singe the flesh of the remaining ape.
Utsuri lands two crushing blows to the ape's ribcage as Silas's latest burst of radiant energy singes the creature's fur.
Baheera slides to her right, lining up a clean shot at the ape's back with another eldritch bolt, landing the thunderous bolt directly into the creature's spine.
Badly wounded and angry, the ape lashes out the closest being that had actually harmed it, clubbing the silver-skinned monk and dropping Utsuri to the ground with a massive blow before turning its attention the maul wielding half-orc and landing a nearly as massive strike on Myev.
Tek unleashes another arrow from the shadows doing his best to help take the creature down because it causes any further harm to his companions.
Myev winces at the hit and snarls as Utsuri goes down, trying with all her might to make her blows connect with an enemy.
Myev takes another heavy swing, narrowly missing the massive ape. Unfortunately for the ape, the slight shift in its weight to avoid the blow put it directly in the path of Tek's latest arrow, ending its life.
Silas rushes up beside the fallen monk, looking over the wound upon the monk's head. Reaching down, he places his hand gently upon his head and prays.
"Lathander, guiding light. Bring this shining one back upon the right path." The wounds upon his form would heal, albeit not enough to bring him back to consciousness.
"He should recover, though it will take time for him to become conscious. He should rest longer as well."
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Tek walks over to search the area being guarded by the big apes. Having seen Myev struggle once again to land a blow upon the enemy, he does his best to give her an encouraging smile.
"Perhaps an offering to Tymora would help." He says speaking of the goddess of good fortune in all seriousness before proceeding to his search.
"Gods, I'd do just about anything at this point for a little luck on that end." She covers her face with one large hand and huffs a frustrated sigh before assisting Tek with the search.
A search of the silvered sarcophagus does not reveal any form of traps nor any form of a locking mechanism. Beyond the sarcophagus, the paintings on the walls, the dead apes, and the party, there is nothing of note in the chamber.
Not being one for disturbing the dead, Tekumbray doesn't investigate the sarcophagus. But he won't hinder anyone who wishes to do so, instead he'll simply ready his weapon should the dead person take offense at the intrusion.
Baheera pulls a small vial from her robes and contemplates which of Utsuri's two mouths to administer the liquid to. Ultimately,bshe chooses the one on the strange monk's head.
"It is not much, but it will get them on their feet again."
As Utsuri's eyes flutter open the genie-bound woman quips, "You seem to make a habit of this."
Myev holds out a hand to help Utsuri up, should they so desire the help.
To Tek, she says: "I am not interested in disturbing the dead more than we have to. Let's head back to the other hallway we passed...around the room filled with mummies and stuff." Myev suggests, heading toward the door should there be no protest.
"I genuinely wonder how those apes ended up down here. Or survived all this time for that matter." Baheera muses as Myev helps Utsuri up.
Once Utsuri is back on their feet and ready to depart, Tek follows Myev back down the hall to the other unexplored chamber.
"While I am in agreement at usually leaving the dead unbothered...we are preparing to battle a terrible fiend. Anything of just monetary value, we leave. Anything that could be used in the fight to come, we should use." Silas meekly offers, in conflict about what was pragmatic and what was sacred. He would approach the sarcophagus, a hand brushing it off for a moment before he would try to open it.
"Well, you make a good point..." Myev shrugs, hauling out her maul. "Hopefully I can hit them."
Seeing Silas and Utsuri begin to open the silver sarcophagus, Tek hopes for the best, but slips into the shadows while setting arrow to bow and readying himself for the worst.
Tek takes cover as best he can as Silas and Utsuri go about the business of opening the sarcophagus under the watchful eye of Myev.
Prying the sarcophagus open reveals the mummified remains of a Cynideacian man wearing plate armor, with a sheathed longsword clasped within his desiccated hands. A closer inspection reveals a faint glow coming from top of the scabbard, implying that the blade within is the source of the glow.
Still wary, but breathing a sigh of relief that whatever resided in the expensive coffin didn't immediately unleash the hordes of hell upon them, Tek whispers from his only partially shadowed spot at the back of the room.
"So is there anything but moldering bones and long dead worms?
While the corpse literally had a death-grip on the blade, Utsuri's brief struggles prove to fruitful as the mummified hands crack and break, releasing the blade.
Unsheathing the sword from its scabbard, you find that it is indeed the blade that is creating the faint blue glow.
Silas looks over the body as Utsuri does his very best to remove the shining blade from their grip. He eyes the finely made armor and looks back at Myev for a moment to study their various difference in height and build.
"While it may be a bit...uncomfortable...I think this armor could potentially fit your form, Myev. I would need to help you adjust it, of course, but it would provide you ample protection." His eyes return to the body as he places a hand tentatively upon its brow. "I am not of your faith but...I wish to give you prayer for continued rest."
The cleric closes his eyes and gives a quiet prayer, espousing death to be like the setting sun; only a temporary darkness.
"I mean, I won't say no to new armor." Myev says, shrugging. "Does feel a little weird trying on armor that's been on a dead body, though..." She tugs at her bottom lip a little bit, looking it over. She glances at the small cleric and shrugs, finally nodding. "Yeah, we can give it a go. I would appreciate the help, Silas."
Silas takes his time, unstrapping the armor carefully from the body. He gives it as much reverence as he can as he takes it off of the warrior, one beloved enough to receive its own sarcophagus. With the armor off, he takes a bit of water to wash away the remains that linger and the dust that had accumulated.
He acts as a second, strapping the plate armor to her mighty form before he gave an approving nod. It looked proper on the warrior, bringing a small smile to Silas's face.
"There. If they are a proper defender of this temple, they will understand you using their armor." He offers, cinches the gauntlet to her form. "You look ready for battle. I'm excited to see you in action."
With Myev freshly re-armored in the ancient plate mail, and with a new-to-you magical blade, the party sets back out of the chamber, returning down the corridor beyond the room housing so many skeletons.
Your travels east along the corridor place you in front of a wooden door, some fifteen feet before the corridor turns south. A quick investigation reveals no traps and no locks on the door. In fact, it does not appear that the door has any sort of lock at all.
Opening the door, you see an apparently empty room, save for an oddly shaped mound in the southwest corner of the room. The other key feature of the chamber is another wooden door on the eastern wall. Rustling and faint squeaking noise seem to come from the mound.
Silas takes his time, unstrapping the armor carefully from the body. He gives it as much reverence as he can as he takes it off of the warrior, one beloved enough to receive its own sarcophagus. With the armor off, he takes a bit of water to wash away the remains that linger and the dust that had accumulated.
He acts as a second, strapping the plate armor to her mighty form before he gave an approving nod. It looked proper on the warrior, bringing a small smile to Silas's face.
"There. If they are a proper defender of this temple, they will understand you using their armor." He offers, cinches the gauntlet to her form. "You look ready for battle. I'm excited to see you in action."
"Thanks for your help, Silas...Maybe this will help with my swings. I've never been this bad at hitting things before." She adjusts things slightly, stretching out here and there to test the fit and the right tension on the straps. "I do hope it helps."
In the next room they enter, Myev will defer to Tek with his trap-sensing expertise before moving about the room.
Stepping quietly into the room, Tekumbray looks around for any hidden traps or dangers. Hearing the odd noises coming from the mound, Tek stays clear of the mass. Taking a moment to assemble his long poking pole, he cautiously jabs the mound a few times to see what, if anything, happens.
"If anyone thinks it is a good idea, I can blast the strange mound from a distance to see what happens." Baheera offers, looking at the odd squeaking pile.
Tek pokes and prods at the mound, the sound of squeaking increasing in volume as he does so. Moments later, a multitude of rats pour out of the the pile of rags and refuse. Tek, shocked by the shear numbers of rats drops his pole.
"Tek! Behind me!" Silas shouts, stepping in front of the skilled gnome and brandishing his holy amulet. Focusing for a moment, his faith kindles like a flame deep inside of himself. He whispers a prayer of purity before clasping his hands together and pulling them apart. Within them was almost a miniature sun, one that he blew into for devastating effect as a cone of flames encompassed the rat mount and the swarms erupting from it.
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Utsuri rushes in and with a sweeping kick sends a number of rats hard against the wall of the chamber. Silas, shooing everyone behind him unleashes gouts of flame from his hands, searing rat flesh and creating a rather unpleasant smell of burnt hair in the air.
The few remaining rats scurry into small holes in the base of the wall in an attempt to escape the same fate as their brethern.
As you search through the remains of rats nest you find four identical pieces of alexandrite worth roughly 100 gold each.
"Man, didn't even have a chance to miss anything!" Myev says jokingly, sliding up behind Utsuri to assist the monk in peeking.
Peering around the corner both Utsuri and Myev see a long southward leading hallway. Thrity-five down the hallway, you see what would appear to be another wooden door in the western wall of the hall into the chamber the others are still standing in. Twenty feet further down the passageway a is a golden door on the eastern wall.
Ninety feet beyond the golden door another passageway opens to the west, sixty feet further down the hall is what appears to be a black iron door in the eastern wall. Finally, twenty feet beyond the iron door, the hallway turns west.
A quick examination of the wooden door reveals that it indeed leads into the same chamber in which you just faced the swarm of rats.
Myev chuckles and gives Utsuri a friendly punch on the shoulder, grinning widely. "I'll grab the others. Golden door time." Myev walks back to the others and gives a thumbs up, gesturing for them to follow.
Tek warily follows Myev and Utsuri up to the golden door and gives it a good looking over before attempting to open it.