Addy - After a thorough search, you find three notable things amongst the room's decor. First - you note there is a metallic smudge just in front the two burial vaults. You'd guess there was a large metal stand or tripod placed here at some point, and someone removed it. Second - you note what looks like a fitted trapdoor just behind that mark on the floor. Third - there looks like there's also some kind of a door in the right corner opposite the door. It does look like it was recently opened, but now there's no apparent way to do so now, although there's a glyph nearby that might help.
Herral - The man's facial features mark him as looking more like a Cheliaxian than Taldan, not unusual given that Azlantis seemed to have features akin that. The crystal face and hands feel slightly warm to the touch, not unlike flesh, and the light from within accents that feeling. The gentle warmth of the figure seems to only reaffirm your fatigue, but you manage to move beyond it. You notice that the vault lid has been sealed to the actual marble box with a silvery material - but it might be possible to peel it off. Overall, the thing has been very well crafted and well prepared for its occupant's final resting place.
Mal- Herral can confirm this from his angle, but the sword and staff look removalable. Without deeper examination, you'd guess they were made of the same brassy steel material that dominates the burial lids.
Your mind seems to wander a little more than usual as you gaze around at the murals - a contemplative mood seems to settle on you. The noble man and woman in the images around seem truly devoted to one another. You note that while they defeated a great evil to save their kingdom, it came at the cost of the queen's life. A final image shows the old king sitting alone pondering the empty queen's throne beside him.
You hear a woman singing part of an old song as you stare (is that Kyleen's voice???):
No cutlass will mark thy face
And those who hunt thee down will fail
and you will be my ain true love
Will- Based on the assesment of your knowledge and information you discovered so far, whatever enchantment has been placed on the room is designed to calm the individuals in the room. While the theft deterent quality may have been a side-effect, you get the idea the effect is intended to encourage reverence and contemplation - likely of the buried dead in this room - almost like a consecration effect. Azlanti burial practices are only vaguely known. It may be something you can adjust to (as you stifle another yawn), but there doesn't appear to be any switch to turn it off short of a counter-spell or effect.
Simon -
Despite the fatigue, you feel there is a holy quality to the room. The effect gives you pause and you consider your time in Qadira again. You remember looking upon the old courtyard you could see from your prison and feeling Sarenrae's breath for the first time - even if you didn't know it then - as the dawn rose. As if in reaffirmation of your success against the Destroyer, a warmth breath seems to press against your cheek.
Fortitude:
Ahh well...still in the fatigued category.
Malatar looks around the room, his gaze lingering on the murals. An odd look comes over his face, and he shifts his head as if trying to hear something, his eyes narrowed. The he shakes his head sharply and looks down at the floor, massaging his forehead with one calloused hand.
Simon yawns into the back of his gauntlet.
"The strangest thing... I know little about Azlanti history, but I must say this is likely a most holy place. Quite at odds with the unholy carnage we ended in the central hall. I could almost feel the Dawnflower's warmth on my cheek, this deep into the pyramid."
Then he shakes his head sharply and looks down at the floor, massaging his forehead with one calloused hand.
<Yawn> "Yes Simon. I agree. It IS very,... relaxing. Almost like a consecration effect. Since we know so little about the Ancient Azlanti it does seem reasonable that they allowed or even encouraged visiting their departed dead, and placed an enchantment that 'encourages' contemplation and reverence. Still makes me sleepy though."
Will notices MAl's interest in the tombs themselves. "Oh, what'cha got there Maaaa<yawn>l?"
Mal looks at Will, blinks, his jaw clenched – perhaps stifling a yawn, or perhaps something else? After a moment he answers.
“Murals,” he states laconically, nodding towards the embellished walls. After a moment he adds, “The King and Queen. They loved each other.”
A study of the murals seems to bear out Mal’s comment – the artwork seems to depict a real devotion between the rulers it depicts, and a sadness and loneliness is evidently portrayed in the king’s countenance after his queen dies, apparently saving the kingdom from a great evil … but it seems an odd comment to be made by a man as seemingly sardonic and frugal with his words as Malatar Kane.
Addy - After a thorough search, you find three notable things amongst the room's decor. First - you note there is a metallic smudge just in front the two burial vaults. You'd guess there was a large metal stand or tripod placed here at some point, and someone removed it. Second - you note what looks like a fitted trapdoor just behind that mark on the floor. Third - there looks like there's also some kind of a door in the right corner opposite the door. It does look like it was recently opened, but now there's no apparent way to do so now, although there's a glyph nearby that might help.
"Hey guys, come check this out. There's a trap door here, in front of the vaults. And another door over here, opposite the door we came in. Looks like that one just had some folks go through it not long ago. Have no idea how to reopen it, but maybe that glyph there gives an indication. You wanna take a look, Will?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, sure." Will agrees laconically. The enchantment taking the edge off of even his excitement for studying the ancient writings. He does seem to perk up a bit when he nears the glyph though. He tries to read it without getting TOO close, since it might be a triggered ward,...
"Oooh,..." Will perks up considerably as he studies the writing,...
"Oooh,..." Will perks up considerably as he studies the writing,...
The glyph looks to be partly an illusion effect in conjunction with an enchantment. The glyph itself won't harm anyone, but it creates a "false" doorlock - preventing common lockpicking from opening the door. The person trying to tamper simply cannot tell if the tumblers are real or false. Aside from direct dispelling, you have the impression there's a key designed to bypass the effect - if you could find it.
Addy-
As you pause to relax and let Will examine the glyph, you realize that you've gotten hungry. You suddenly have a craving for spiced wheatcakes - something you haven't eaten in years.
In fact - you can smell them in the air. A warm, comforting odor of cinammon and nutmeg that accompanies your father's voice from that small kitchen as he tries to keep them from burning. It is not an unpleasant effect.
Herral-
As you lean against the vault, it's mild warmth reminds you of Uncle Emberdig's old potbellied stove. On winter nights, he'd tinker and tamper with it until the room got so warm you'd fall asleep and didn't even mind when the occasional coal shot out of the thing. The room around you looks less like a tomb and more like that old house - you can barely make-out his comfy chair and smell the tobacco from his pipe.
Addy looks over the lock on the door very closely, looking to see if the door is trapped in any way. . Partway through, she stops a moment, and sniffs the air. A smile creeps across her face ... "Anyone else smell that? Making me hungry."
Will looks at Addy with a confused look on his face. He bends his head to his shoulder and takes a surreptitious sniff.
"Um,... Sorry?" He says, completely unsure what she is talking about.
"It, uh, seems to me that the simplest solution would be to just find the key to this thing. Presuming it's still here, somewhere, of course."
He looks over to the biers of the king and queen, trying to bring his fuzzy thoughts into focus.
"It couldn't be THAT easy, could it?" He mumbles, and walks over to the caskets,...
DM
Herral-
Nope - nothing changes.
You still half-believe you are in your uncle's old house. The feeling of warmth is comforting and relaxing enough to make you doze, if you wanted to.
Addy looks over the lock on the door very closely, looking to see if the door is trapped in any way. .
Good news is your find nothing that looks like a trap, and the glyph itself hides what looks like a door lock. The bad news is that even as you watch it, the lock seems to change its shape - first rounded then square. Even as you focus, it seems to shift constantly.
He looks over to the biers of the king and queen, trying to bring his fuzzy thoughts into focus.
"It couldn't be THAT easy, could it?" He mumbles, and walks over to the caskets,...
The caskets remain as immovable as when you first entered. As mentioned, the figures in repose atop each casket are carved of metal and crystal - faces given a semblance of color and warmth that give them the illusion of merely sleeping. You do note that although there is a seal around the lid, it looks like someone in the past has tried to pry it open - but with no success. You also note the trap door Addy mentioned in the floor - it looks like a heavy stand of some kind covered it at one time.
Will -
As you study the caskets, you feel as if the room itself is changing around you. The walls seem to come alive with the story depicted on them - something Mal says rings true in this vision. These things around...all those books you studied in the library at the Arcanimarium...the relics...it all seems to elicit joy in you. You could stay in this room forever and learn such secrets!
From somewhere behind you, you hear Silas Tyr's voice utter in sarcasm: "Come now, William...the ladies await our attention..."
As Will examines the objects in the grasp of the king and queen depicted on the caskets (trying to figure out how to remove them without damaging anything, and to see which might be a key to the disguised lock), a change comes over him.
Will raises his head, a look of reverence, almost awe, comes across his features, and he grins like a kid in a candy shop. He turns his gaze to look around the entire room, the same beatific look on his features. Suddenly he frowns slightly. "Maybe later,..." He mumbles, and continues to gaze around the room. MAl has seen that look before, when he and Will first walked into the Venture-Captain's office and the mage couldn't decide what object in the captain's collection to examine. First.
Mal nods. “You see it too,” he says to Will, a statement not a question. He lowers his voice and leans close to the mage. “Do ... do you hear the singing?” he asks, hesitantly.
As Will examines the objects in the grasp of the king and queen depicted on the caskets (trying to figure out how to remove them without damaging anything, and to see which might be a key to the disguised lock.
Without actually touching them, they seem to be removable. However, you get the impression they are made of the same steel and brass material like the actual lid - which implies heavy and bulky. It looks like you'll have to actually remove them to make anything happen.
...and look how detailed they are! The style implies an Azlanti baroque style mixed with simpler Colonial lines of design. Just one touch perhaps...maybe there's more details you've missed!
Herral sits down and pulls out his wine and pipe mumbling something about how warm it is. He grins at the rest, "seems a good place ....break....and stove's good too."
"Singing, what singing?" Will mutters distractedly. He examines the top of the beirs intently, leaning so close his nose is almost touching the figures on top.
"Maybe if I examine them, the other sides could have even more details,..." He mumbles as he reaches for the spear,...
Mal nods. “You see it too,” he says to Will, a statement not a question. He lowers his voice and leans close to the mage. “Do ... do you hear the singing?” he asks, hesitantly.
Addy turns to Mal. "No singing in here. But I'll be damned if that isn't the smell of spiced wheatcakes. Let me guess, I'm the only one who can smell it?"
Looking at Herral, she notes his less-jovial demeanor. "Break? I wouldn't be breaking out the good stuff yet, Herral. C'mon, get yourself back up. And we wouldn't want to give ourselves away with the pipe smoke, now would we?"
Herral does as Addy suggests and frowns as he puts the pipe away and stands again. He pulls out some water and splashes some over his face.
Then he goes back to searching with the rest. "Anyone found anything interesting?"
Mal squints thoughtfully at Addy for a moment. “Some sort of magic?” he asks, glancing at Will for confirmation. “We all experience what we desire...” His face falls into its usual frown, perhaps a little more dour than usual. “Stay focused. Let’s not get distracted, it’s not real. Now, the trap door you found, can’t get it open? We could try to smash it.”
He looks rather in the mood to smash something.
Will's head snaps up, not at Mal's warning about it not being real, but at the mention of smashing.
"Smash,... Wha,... NO! You can't do that!" The wizard cries fearfully.
Will's head snaps up, not at Mal's warning about it not being real, but at the mention of smashing.
"Smash,... Wha,... NO! You can't do that!" The wizard cries fearfully.
Mal turns to face Will and quirks an eyebrow, his face otherwise expressionless. Will probably knows the warrior well enough to know that this is Mal’s ‘please explain’ face ... or more accurately, his ‘give me a good reason why not before I start hitting things’ face.
Simon pulls out the key from Neheshru's pouch.
"If we are certain it's safe, we could perhaps try this?"
"Trapdoor could be heavily magical with all kinds of nasties set to explode when you smash it, Mal. Let my halfling fingers and eyes take a gander."
Herral sighs and yawns as he finishes, "nope, its clean as a halfling's plate."
Will opens his mouth, obviously ready to unload on Mal all of the reasons that smashing things in here would be a TERRIBLE idea,...
Simon pulls out the key from Neheshru's pouch.
"If we are certain it's safe, we could perhaps try this?"
Will's mouth snaps shut, and he facepalms himself instead. He slowly drags his hand down his face to mumble through his fingers.
"Yes. Perhaps we could."
Simon pulls out the key from Neheshru's pouch.
"If we are certain it's safe, we could perhaps try this?"
Addy laughs. "What else are you hiding in there, tall-dark-and shining?"
Addy laughs. "What else are you hiding in there, tall-dark-and shining?"Simon pulls out the key from Neheshru's pouch.
"If we are certain it's safe, we could perhaps try this?"
Simon grins, stifling a yawn.
"Naught but my secret love of knitting and flowery poems. I didn't believe they would be useful, given the circumstances."
"Not as useful as a KEY at any rate,..." Will grumbles to himself. Mostly.
He blinks, and slowly turns to look at Simon.
"Knitting?,..."
"Not as useful as a KEY at any rate,..." Will grumbles to himself. Mostly.
He blinks, and slowly turns to look at Simon.
"Knitting?,..."
"It's a joke, William. You have those in Absalom, yes?"
“Don’t worry ‘bout it Simon,” says Mal, clapping the cavalry-captain on the shoulder. “Makes you no less of a man,” he adds with a twitch of his lips. “Now, how ‘bout we try that key before this room puts us all to sleep or sends us mad.”
He blinks, and slowly turns to look at Simon.
"Knitting?,..."
"It's a joke, William. You have those in Absalom, yes?"
"Of course." Will sniffs.
"I just don't think that Knitting and Flowery poetry go together, that's all. But then I'm more of a Hai-Ku person myself." The mage says with a look at Mal that plainly says if the warrior doesn't put the key in the lock, soon, he will take it and do it himself!
"You knit?" says Herral, "and poetry?" The halfling throws some more water on his face to try to wake up properly.
A couple of things happen...
As you all ruminate about the source and nature of the experiences each of you has, Will's contact with the tomb lid's staff seems to immediately bring the sensations to an abrupt halt. You are left with memories of what you experienced. Despite general fatigue, there's a certain lightness back in your step as the experiences provide you with a positive effect.
As Simon reaches out, the effect on the lock seems to briefly melt like ice from a flame...and the true lock is seen. The impact seems to only surround the key, so otherwise the illusionary distortion is still in effect. The key fits surely into the opening, and a simple turn causes a door to appear seamlessly from the wall. It reveals another corridor that continues due east, and is relatively clean of debris. A series of faintly glowing globes along the wall provides illumination for 60' before it drops away.
Proceed ahead or do you want to investigate any further in the rest of the room?
"Whoa,..." Will mutters as the sudden absence of the weariness magics causes him to sway.
"Well now, I don't believe in coincidence." He says brightly, eyes once more clear and focused on the staff in his grip. He glances over as the secret door is swung open, and almost steps towards it. But he manages to stop himself.
"One thing at a time." He says, and reaching a decision, tries to pull the staff from the effigy holding it.
"One thing at a time." He says, and reaching a decision, tries to pull the staff from the effigy holding it.
Will finds the metal staff doesn't move easily, but slide it does. However, halfway through slipping it out of the figure's hands, the staff stops moving - extended but immovable. From somewhere in the room, a distinctive click is heard that coincides with the staff's movement.
You could possibly use force to try and pull the staff out of it's placement, because at this point casual effort won't be enough if you want to remove it.
Addy whips around, looking for the source of the "click". "Why don't we hold on moving anything else, Will? I'd hate to have something fall on us, or open up under us, or just generally be bad to us."
perception +1 for traps
Addy whips around, looking for the source of the "click".
The noise came from the floor - somewhere in the vicinty of the two burial vaults. No further noise or movement is noticed after the initial click to indicate anything has or is happening as a result of Will's action.
"Did something to the trap door?" Mal asks, looking at Addy ... but not moving just yet.
Herral tries to find the source of the click, waterskin in one hand.
"Yeah ... that click came from near those vaults, in the floor. Nothing else seems to be moving, though. Let me take a closer look."
Addy will creep closer to the vaults herself, hopefully while Will freezes in place for a moment. She'll check them out, maybe even see if something's loose see if anything else has changed with them.
perception
Addy whips around, looking for the source of the "click". "Why don't we hold on moving anything else, Will? I'd hate to have something fall on us, or open up under us, or just generally be bad to us."
"Yeah. OK. Sure, sounds good." Will replies wide-eyed, having frozen in place like a statue himself, one hand still on the staff of the bier.
As Addy creeps around, she doesn't find anything unusual - except maybe Herral's furry feet standing on the source of the sound. Desna's blessing shines on Herral first in this case. He manages to pinpoint the sound as having come from the trapdoor (still sealed) on the floor between the two vaults.
Otherwise, nothing else moves further. The secret door remains open, although the illusion still shifts and moves around the perimeter of the door arch.