Anset carries some of the treasure, his pack as heavy as it can be. Sweat streams down his face as he follows Saedue who struggles under her share of the burden.
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”I agree that separating for extended periods of time in the tomb is not ideal. There could be obstacles we haven’t discovered that will impede us.” The cleric of Ra regards the treasure and artifacts they have discovered, imagining the time needed to haul it to the surface.
”What unusual guardians,” Anset says squatting to examine the dolls closer. He pushes pieces, fitting them together while the adrenaline fades. ”I prefer to abstain from the hookah, Bjoern. I agree, leaving with what we have recovered would be a good idea.”
Anset squeezes between Dumah and Saedue, ready to smash a clay figurine if it nears him or his companions.
Hearing Saedue’s words about the shield, Anset’s surprise is evident. ”Mwangi? There is so little contact now, I wonder what relations ancient Ossiria had with ancient Mwan—agh!” he says as his speech is interrupted by clay figurines becoming animated and attacking his companions. He pulls out his morning star in a hurry, holding it in two hands and ready to attempt to smash the figurines into the floor.
Anset studies the funerary masks on the wall, interested in their craftsmanship. He doesn’t touch them, but he gets inches away from them to note any details such as if they all belong to the same person or have any identifying hieroglyphics.
“That is beyond my abilities,” Anset replies as he approaches the animal hide display. He keeps his hands behind his back, not wanting to touch anything by mistake. After doing a brief catalog of the animals, he turns his attention to the chariot.
Present and ready.
Here’s hoping your Christmas season continues to be successful! I have no problem putting an excellent game on hiatus. I plan on returning when you off-hiatus the game, unless offline life intrudes too much for me. Take care everyone. Happy holidays and see you towards the end of the year!
Anset stands near Bjoern, whispering a prayer to Ra, as Amal checks the final door for traps. Holding his longspear in one hand, he angles it so the tip doesn’t scrape the ceiling.
”Scraping the gold leaf could be done during our next rest. We should all take turns so it doesn’t feel too boring,” Anset says. ”Why don’t we investigate that final door?”
Anset wields his morningstar in one hand and Ra’s holy symbol in the other, ready to confront an enemy if it appears.
Anset regards the armor once more. ”I think you should have it Amal. You’re more likely to be attacked.” He nods in satisfaction. ”The old dead must remember their oaths. They must be counted and added to the great book,” he says in reply to Saedue, his voice sounding like he’s repeating something he’s said thousands of times in his life. ”Then they will slumber peacefully.” He sighs contentedly. ”Honestly, some of my sect think this can’t happen soon enough. Many of the younger ones think what’s an hour or two more after thousands of years? Of course, we don’t know when death will come so I try not to put off anything that needs to be done. I say we open the sarcophagus now.”
During his turn at watch his gaze returns repeatedly to the armor and darkwood coffer box. The craftsmanship is superb. He can’t imagine himself in the armor. He’s never worn something as fine as that. Anset opens his eyes after an hour of prayer and kisses Ra’s holy symbol. He then moves to the center of the group and channels positive energy into their bodies to heal them. He pays particular attention to Amal since he hasn't regained consciousness yet.
”I can cook,” Anset says bringing out the cooking pot from his backpack. He removes some rations and begins making a small fire. ”It won’t be the best you’ve ever had, but a warm meal after a trying day lifts one’s spirits. I have lizard and gazelle jerky. Some dried fruit too. Soup will be ready in about twenty minutes,” he says eyeing the flames licking the pot.
”Should we use the healing now? They are stable at the moment. Why not save the magic for an emergency? After our rest I can heal us with Ra’s benediction and generosity.” Anset spreads out his bedroll and sits on it. ”I’ll take a portion of the watch. Is anyone hungry? I could use a meal.”
”I will take a portion of the watch detail as well.” The cleric of Ra spreads out bed rolls and attempts to make Amal and Bjoern comfortable.
”We do need rest,” Anset says wiping blood away from Amal’s face.
”I’ll do my best,” he declares as he kneels over Amal and Bjoern. He binds their bleeding wounds. As he does so he realizes that each person while near death, won’t die at this time. He gives a sigh of relief.
”That was harrowing. The ancients knew how to guard their tombs well,” he says as he takes off his boot. The puncture wounds are vicious. Two near the top of his foot and two near the big toe. The bleeding has stopped, leaving fresh scabs, but it’s clear that each step will be painful until he can heal himself. Glancing at Amal, he notices one of the bandages isn't as tight as it should be. He hobbles to the man and reapplies the bandage.
Anset slides past Malik and Saedue back into the chamber. The situation is dire. Both he and Amal are near death. ”Amal, flee.” He touches the dwarf on the shoulder and prays: ”Lord Ra, guide this dwarf’s weapon!”
After stepping further back into the tunnel, he places one hand on Saedue’s head while raising his holy symbol in the other hand. “Lord Ra, deliver your guidance to my companion,” Anset says.
Bitten twice and reeling in pain, Anset holds his spear for parrying as he steps backwards and drops from the other end of the sarcophagus. ”You don’t have to tell me twice,” he groans.
Anset climbs onto the sarcophagus to make space for his companions to enter the chamber and attack. Then he thrusts his spear at the metal snake.
”Snake! Snake!” priest of Ra calls out. Swinging his long spear clumsily at the metal snake, he attempts to deter it from attacking him.
Anset strides to the opposite side of the sarcophagus as Amal does. He looks at the ceiling and walls, wondering about the people that built this. His fingers trace the man’s likeness on the sarcophagus’s lid, wiping away some of the dust. ”What beautiful craftsmanship. Done with reverence of the old gods, no doubt.”
Anset waits respectfully as Saedue prays, holding his holy symbol as the ancient words fill him with reverence. He moves to the doorway, just behind Amal again. He scans the room looking for hierogylphs to read.
Anset looks over Amal’s shoulder as he sweeps the light around the newly opened room.
Anset treads lightly into the corridor. He runs a hand along the wall. The craftsmanship was impressive. Leaving a gap for someone to be next to Amal if he needs help, the cleric mumbles another prayer to Ra.
Anset swallows nervously as he looks down the corridor. They were so close. It hadn’t been easy to get here. This looked almost too simple. He cleared his throat. ”My lips are always ready for praise. Ra, your light shines within my heart. Centuries ago it filled the Ossirian’s hearts. We are coming to the final resting place of a great man. We seek not to harm or defile. I want to bring forth the treasures here to show the world what greatness was achieved when the populace worshiped you, Anubis, and the rest of the ancient pantheon. My companions have different motives but they are noble in their own way. Guide us and keep us safe.” He sighs peacefully then kisses his holy symbol. He grips his long spear, ready to defend himself if any undead creature charges them.
As Anset puts the gold scarab clasp into his belt pouch, he tries to remember any specific legends or history of ancient Ossiria related to creatures affected by silversheen or cold iron.
You do bring up good points, Amal. My chief concern with the three weapons was the added weight. Anset is under medium encumbrance and who knows how many skill checks he’ll fail with the −3 penalty. Of course losing two of the weapons wouldn't get him to light encumbrance. All in all, just another aspect of the game to consider and have fun with.
Moderate encumbrance!! Thank you Bjoern, Dumah, and bwatford for the help. I didn’t realize that about the oil and rations. I’ll remember not to get too close to fires ;) I won’t worry about the weight any more since he’s not going to be my longterm character. For example, Anset has three melee weapons. That seems a bit like overkill. Another odd choice was the unused wrist sheath. Was the original player expecting to find a dagger in the tomb? *shrug*
”There’s no harm in giving a gift to the Pharasma temple. That’s an excellent idea,” Anset says to Saedue. He shifts his grip on his long spear as he waits for Amal to finish with the trap. He is about to get a drink from his water skin when Amal announces the trap is disabled. “Praise Ra,” Anset says. ”Well done Amal. That’s clever,” he says as he inspects the wall and crack in the sandstone. He steps back to allow someone else to open the door. "Exploring more is my vote."
I added the items’ weight listed on the character sheet and found a 12 pound discrepancy. It’s still a medium load for encumbrance aspects. I’m slightly perplexed why there is this difference. I added (and rechecked) a weight of 77.06 and the listed is 89.06. Did HeroLab make an error? Did I? Another issue I don’t understand: Anset has a dexterity of 8, so −1 modifier to skill checks. He’s wearing Studded Leather armor, giving another −1 to skill checks. That should be a −2 when checking acrobatics, ride, and stealth. However the total modifier listed by these skills is −4. Is there a rule I’m forgetting?
Anset looks over the salvageable treasure. ”I have no use for the bow and arrows, nor the Pharasma item. The urn is nice. I’d like the scarab however. May I take it for now?” The cleric stands clear of the others as they investigate the arcane trap. ”Such knowledge is beyond me. May Ra’s light illuminate the answer for you,” he prays then continues to mumble a prayer to himself.
As Bjoern and Amal search for traps, Anset quietly enters the room. He scans the walls and urns for religious iconography, looking for any symbols he may recognize. He inhales deeply, feeling the history of the place. ”This place is most invigorating.”
”Humble indeed,” Anset says. He returns to whispering prayers to Ra as he waits for the doors to be opened.
Anset keeps about three strides between Saedue and Amal. ”We can consult a naturalist if you wish. I am curious about why they have a gland that glows,” he speaks in a low voice.
”Any donations to Ra’s temples will be welcome,” he says to Saedue. Anset takes a moment to cut out the luminescent organs from the beetles. ”These remind me of Ra’s light, strange as it sounds.”
After he makes sure everyone is within thirty feet, Anset’s voice calls out ”Lord Ra, hear my plea for your radiance once more! Let your energy heal us and soothe our wounds!” He claps twice, and light flashes from the holy symbol in his right hand.
Wielding his spear once more, he says, ”Lord Ra’s blessing is always with me, but my limitations to use his gifts for healing has reached an end.”
Anset steps onto the steps to achieve a direct line of sight of his companions. He assess their injuries, ready to use his god’s final gift of channeling positive energy for the day.
Anset’s scream echoes in the chamber. Blood soaking into his robes, he steps around the corner, weaving from side to side as he does his best to avoid any further attacks from the mining beetle.
tomtesserae here as Anset (II). Thanks for choosing me. I’ll do my best to play Anset as closely to his original character as I can. Expect an in character post later today. |