| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"I will be fine al'Adhaa, just a bit shaken up by that creature."
"You are welcome," Gorn mumbles unheard in the direction of the beautiful warlock. Surely he is beneath the attention of one so in touch with greater powers as that. He should not think on it. Such thoughts only take him further from his connection with Gorm.
Baheera also takes the opportunity to step out of the chamber and rest, leaning back against the wall as she sits with her eyes closed, trusting her imp companion to warn her should the need arise.
As the others complete the process of retrieving items from the crypt, al'Adhaa flits alongside her, whispering the details of what had transpired once she'd collapsed. Walking over to the large man in the beetle shell armor…Gorn….she addresses him. ” My companion here tells me that it is you I have to thank for keeping me among the living. It is most deeply appreciated.” she says with a warm smile and a bow of gratitude.
"Aethorduil, do you want help to don the royal plate armor?" Emenius offers.
Feeling a bit better after a chance to rest and regain his mental and physical strength, Tekumbray pulls himself back to his feet and cautiously watching the removal of the former king's gear from his bones. He suppresses a shiver at the sight of Aethorduil slipping into the death armor.
Since when did you become so squeamish Tek? Mari chuckles in his ear. We're you always this way or did Sokor really mess you up that badly?
He ignored the bard's ghostly comment. She knew quite well that answer to that question.
Oh...right. Sir Domingo's death was rather grim wasn't it. And that involved some dead noble's armor didn't it. She says quietly, her visage growing solemn as the ghost ponders that dark memory. You're probably right. Best not to think about it. Onward into the depths then. That right my gnomish friend?
He really didn't want to think about Sir Dom. It was the screaming and the absolute helplessness of the rest of the crew. That was the worst thing about it. How they had to just leave him there.
Do you think his head is still there screaming? Mari asks quietly. Tek simply shrugs his shoulders. He really, really did not want to talk about it.
"If that's the last of it, then I think we're ready to take the fight deeper into the depths of the city." Tek says to the others while avoiding eye contact with Aethorduil until he's pretty sure the armor isn't going to shear his limbs off like an oversized gold plated cigar slicer. "There was a ramp leading further down not too far from here."
|
” My companion here tells me that it is you I have to thank for keeping me among the living. It is most deeply appreciated.” she says with a warm smile and a bow of gratitude.
Gorn beams under the gratitude, even if his words bely his pride. "Oh, um, me? Well, yes, ah, think nothing of it, ah, ma'am." He tries a slight bow that ends up being neither slight nor a bow.
After the moment it takes to open the coffin and take the crown to secure it for proper historical records (it's not as if it's a relic of Gorm, afterall) he takes his rest, rousing with the others.
"Yes! Good sir Tekumbray, please do lead the way. If we have been this successful so early against so dastardly a foe, what force can stand against so shining a force as we?"
"Aethorduil, do you want help to don the royal plate armor?" Emenius offers.
It would be an honour.
As for going deeper? It is another step in the unraveling of this puzzle. Fighting some sort of demon god at the heart of it makes it so much the more satisfying. The fact that the inhabitants of this place are willing to join with us means that others will too.
Cayde awakens from his rest and sees the others in the room, the Royal greatsword still unclaimed. He says, ”I would consider it a great honor to wield the royal greatsword, though it seems to best match the armor you now wear, Aethorduil.”
Tekumbray glances at the sword which runs about as long as the gnome is tall. Giving the big barbarian a smile he waves a casual hand at the over sized weapon.
"I think such a blade fits your own mighty stature much better than my own." The gnome says adding a friendly chuckle.
With armor and sword properly accounted for and everyone mostly recuperated from the encounter with the dead king's angry spirit, Tekumbray nods in agreement with Aethorduil's words and heads for the entrance to the lower levels.
Accepting the mighty blade with a smile, Cayde humbly suggests, ”It wouldn’t do for you to not have a magic weapon should you need one to affect another ghost or similar foe. Here, Aethorduil, take this magic war pick I recently came across against just such an eventuality.”
Cayde offers the one-handed weapon to the warrior haft-first.
The elf takes it carefully with great care, unfamiliar with it but not wanting to offend. He's used a pick before but only for digging field fortifications during his time serving Evereska's militia. He could use it as a makeshift weapon but the concept seemed distinctly... dwarvish.
Very well but I prefer to think I am holding it in trust for return to you. As for the great blade? It suits you. You will wield it with distinction I think. On to the Queens chamber I think, then down.
Going back across to the northern wall of the false tomb, you open up what was a previously hidden door. Opening the door reveals a ten foot wide corridor leading north that after thirty feet turns west, leading to a golden door with delicate silver and platinum inlays in the southern wall.
Beyond the golden door is a simple room, that the party's veterans are familiar with. The walls of the chamber are plain stone. An oblong box made of stone slabs lies in the center of the room. The box is three foot high, seven feet long, and three feet wide. Written in several languages - including Cynidicean, a trade language not too dissimilar to the modern common tounge, elvish, celestial, among others - on the side of the box is "May the curse of darkness destroy all who dare desecrate my resting place."
Emenius admires the secret door when they go through. He looks around the room and examines the box looking for clues or traps or anything interesting.
Tekumbray didn't like curses. Not one little bit. Nothing good ever came of the things. Plus his mother used to threaten him with a variety of curses as a child. Eat your fungal loaf, or I'll put the curse of Grimador on you. I doubt you'll like having cacti growing in your armpits every full moon. Having one of the premiere witches of Gulthmere Forest for a mother was not always helpful, especially one who's fungal loaf always tasted like feet. Suppressing a shudder at his memory of past family meals, Tek slowly creeps into the room letting the native explorers search the area where his earlier attempts had failed.
Cayde moves into the room and reads the threat on the sarcophagus. He waits for the others to do their investigation, and he looks for anything out of the ordinary himself.
Finally becoming impatient if nothing is found, he volunteers, "Well, I can see fine in the darkness. I'll open the grave if the supplies within give us a better chance against the minions of Zargon--if nothing else, it will keep them from using it against us."
If no one finds anything, he will open the sarcophagus himself and look inside. There is, after all, no room for caution in a life lived to the fullest...
The elf stands ready to cast a spell if needed.
Moving into the room, Baheera stands ready to respond to anything that might suddenly attack.
The stone slab is difficult to move, even for the powerful barbarian, but ultimately it does give way. Inside the box is the corpse of a once beautiful woman, dressed in noble finery and wearing golden crown set with rubies.
As soon as the stone slab hits the ground, the woman's eyes quickly open and just as quickly she lunges at Cayde, clawing at the barbarian. Cayde is able to avoid one claw, but the other rakes across the man's face.
Recoiling from the creature's claws, Cayde draws the magic greatsword and stabs down at the corpse in the box, hoping to thrust completely through the decayed corpse!
Baheera unleashes a blast of thundering violet energy at the undead queen.
Seeing another undead, Emenius attempts to his with a bolt of fire.
Having already used the holy water given to him by Kanadius, Tekumbray pulls a flask of oil from his pack pocket and tosses it at the much-to--active-for-being-dead former queen. The gnome does his best to time his toss to coincide with Emenius' fiery bolt.
Magic missile
After the corpse springs from the sarcophagus and rakes Cayde with a claw, the full force of the party pummels the undead queen with a combination of weapon strikes, spells, and oil to end the creature just as quickly as it sprung back to life.
On the remains and inside the sarcophagus you find the Queen's gold and ruby crown and her scepter - a gold gilded shaft set with mother of pearl.
Emenius ritually checks them for magic for potential use in the fight with Zargon.
Cayde steps back after the combat and looks at the dead queen. He asks, ”I’m all for leaving the king and queen with their crowns if such things are not useful for us, but with the bodies unprotected, the items will likely get looted sooner or later. How can we honor them by leaving them with their crowns yet keep them from being looted?”
|
|
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Gorn shakes his head sadly at the honorable barbarian. "Such things are not possible, my son. Look about you."
Gorn waves his hand at the underground surroundings. "We are in a fight for our very survival. There is a city, a full city, full of wonders and treasures, just above us, that we are not able to populate, and have not for a very long time, all because an evil unlike the world has seen, tries to not merely break out, crush us, and all we live for, assunder.
These crowns have purpose. O, we might see that they are placed in the right hands for safe-keeping, perhaps to display on some noble's mantelpiece, and in trade they will give us some advantage we can use.
After...after the evil is vanquished and we have again seen the sun, then we will have luxuries. But now? Well, unless it is an artifact of Gorm the Mighty, Gorm the Brave, the Gorm the World-Healer, then, nay, we must needs use all crumbs and alms that cross our path.
Besides, it is ours by the Right of Conquest and the 34th Rule of Acquisition. We canst not go against such powerful writ."
When checking the contents for magical auras, Emenius sees that the Queen's scepter contains moderate levels of necromantic magic.
Kingdoms rise, and fall. Great kings are here but a moment then are history. Take the crowns for safekeeping if nothing else. Perhaps you can hand them on to the next rulers once this is done.
Tek is perfectly fine leaving the Cynidicean artifacts to the Cynidicean's. Crowns just make one a good target. The gnome believed. Judging by the number of kings and queens who didn't die of old age, the evidence clearly proved his point. Or they turn perfectly sane, rational people into crazed power hungry power grubbers. Just about every history book ever written could back him up on that point. People wearing crowns just breed people who want to take them away.
"Probably better off just melting them down to make coins or bracelets." The gnome says looking at the former royal paraphernalia. "Seeing those could send the folk upstairs into all kinds of fits to gain the supposed authority imbued in those things. They'll be at each others throats before you can say Zargon three times fast."
Emeritus announces that the sceptre is magical. He needs another dozen minutes to determine what it is.
Cayde will wrap up the king’s and queen’s crowns carefully and stow them, saying, ”Once we defeat Zargon and the remaining factions agree on a new king and queen, we will present these crowns to the new leaders. Giving them to any one faction now could play into political games I am not ready to navigate.”
Emeritus announces that the sceptre is magical. He needs another dozen minutes to determine what it is.
Emenius marvels at the queen's scepter with a gold gilded shaft set with mother of pearl. "Her scepter can paralyze people. I'm probably the best to carry this in her honor. Where to next?"
This wand has 7 charges. While holding it, you can use an action to expend 1 of its charges to cause a thin blue ray to streak from the tip toward a creature you can see within 60 feet of you. The target must succeed on a DC 15 Constitution saving throw or be paralyzed for 1 minute. At the end of each of the target's turns, it can repeat the saving throw, ending the effect on itself on a success.
The wand regains 1d6 + 1 expended charges daily at dawn. If you expend the wand's last charge, roll a d20. On a 1, the wand crumbles into ashes and is destroyed.
Baheera listens in amusement as the warriors quibble about the 'ethics' of claiming objects once belonging to people long too dead to care. Objects of value, only held value to the living, and served no purpose locked away in a tomb or vault unless exceptionally dangerous.
She watches as Emenius picks up the sceptre, studying it before declaring it's purpose and claiming it. She needed to remember that these new allies only true interest was whatever factions held their loyalty.
|
|
Cayde will wrap up the king’s and queen’s crowns carefully and stow them, saying, ”Once we defeat Zargon and the remaining factions agree on a new king and queen, we will present these crowns to the new leaders. Giving them to any one faction now could play into political games I am not ready to navigate.”
Gorn, having already secured the King's crown when no one else showed an interest in it, places a gentle hand on the Queen's crown before the fearsome and stout barbarian can claim it as his prize.
"Stay thy hand, friend. What you say is a truly a noble goal, and, perhaps in time, it may come to pass.
But alas, we few poor souls are in no position to cling to such lofty goals.
You see the rags I am wearing now?" Gorn makes a motion to his leather-and-bug armor. "This is poor stuff to slay a devil, would you not agree? Had I the coin, I could afford something better, something that would preserve my life in the coming trials we've yet to see.
Would you trade my life so that some noble can be given something he might not even -like-? Who among our betters has been clamoring for these things in pristine condition and with goals similar to thyself?
Nay, friend, nay, you put too much stock in this pretty and old jewelry. Let us sell these and divy up the goods so that we might make ourselves stronger and more able to set the evil to rest."
Gorn shakes his head solemnly. "My friend, do not make plans for coronations yet to come before we have even faced the full might of the evil. Do not think that we are in any position for such luxuries. We are poor, quite poor, and must needs take any advantage put before us."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Shrugging, Cayde says, ”Yes, perhaps if we make it that far, the king and queen may want new crowns,” though he does not look completely convinced. Looking at the sword in his hands, though, he cannot deny that the tomb’s treasures have increased their chances against the Zargonites.
He allows Gorn to take the other crown with no further comment.
"We cannot sell these crowns. Only Zargon could afford them." Emenius replies to Gorn.
Seeing the attention from the veiled lady, he looks at the Queen's scepter. "Baheera, would you use this scepter to fight Zargon? If you would, please carry it."
Baheera looks up in surprise as Emenius offers her the sceptre. Perhaps she was to hasty to pass judgement. In fact the way the sceptre was supposed to work was right in line with her usual tactic of dealing with enemies at range, keeping a safe distance between them.
"Thank you, Emenius, may it keep us all alive." she says accepting the queen's sceptre.
She couldn't quite put the feeling into words, but she was acutely aware of her Patron's pleasure in her coming into possession of a long lost, ancient treasure.
Rain comes when it comes, says the Elf translating a saying that roughly was equivalent to No point in worrying about an uncertain future. Carry the crowns in good faith. If is needed and the opportunity presents itself? It is an easy matter to decide then.
That said Aethorduil seems eager to continue to new challenges.
My capacity to manifest magic is depleted but I can manage a trick or two if needed before we rest.
|
|
Gorn nods sagely and wraps the Queen's crown in an empty bag before placing it, gently, next to her husband's finery.
'Now at least they are together,' he thinks, with a touch of irony.
He nods at Aethorduil. "I have no need to rest, but neither am I in a hurry. Glory and victory will come to us when we reach for it. No sooner and no later. I am content to press on, or catch breath, as yourselves will it."
With the King and Queens's tombs searched for anything of usefulness, and the crowns safely put aside for whomever the next ruler of Cynidecia would be after Zargon is dealt with, you are ready to move out again.
”Perhaps we should explore the rest of this level first,” suggests Cayde now that the issue of the crowns has been dealt with—or at least so he thinks, ”Then we can find a place to rest before exploring the next level.”
"That would likely be best, leaving nothing dangerous or of use behind us before moving on." Bahera agrees.
"What? There's more here?" Tekumbray looks at the scribbled markings he'd made on some scrap parchment. It appears to be a rough map, but with several inaccuracies. Sighing the gnome flips the parchment over and begins once again sketching out the general twists and turns of the lower sanctum as best as he can remember. Eventually he ends up with something looking like a twisted cross between a garden rose and the innards of waterdavian sewer rat. A shake of his head. A snort of frustrated disgust at his own inability. Finally a heavy sigh and shrug of his shoulders as he crumples the wasted paper up and tosses it aside. The gnome simply nods his agreement to finish the job on this level properly and then marches out the door toward the next unknown tunnel.
Going back to where the boulder had tried to crush the party into a meaty paste, you follow the hallway west, before the hall turns north. Three other passageways off to the west - the northern most leads back to the room full of skeletons you found a day ago, the other two loop back on each other.
In the southern most of the east-west passages, is a silver door in the south wall of the hallway.
Searching the door, you are satisfied that it is not trapped. Opening the door you see that the walls of the room show paintings of scenes of a man signing documents and organizing tax collection. A wooden coffin that has been smashed open is lying on the floor. Six pale-skinned humans stand around the coffin, picking through the splintered wooden fragments. They all have pallid skin and sport wounds grievous enough to kill a normal person.
As the door opens, the obviously undead creatures turn to regard the change in their environment. Lifeless eyes greedily leer at you, seemingly regarding you as their first meal in the gods only know how long.