Dhakira sends a curious look about Ammons cat charm an whispers ''Does that have a religious significance?''
Dhakira wakes up early and after her ablutions, she spends an hour creating a spiral with little stones she has in her bag while praying to Pharasma to grant her magics for the day.
Then she goes down to rejoin the others towards their tomb.
''Anyone understand those inscriptions? Otherwise I can ask for Pharasma's help.
She notices how the door works and the signs of crowbar.
She helps in the digging. ''Wow that is a big door, Ammon do you think you're strong enough to open it? I can give you a little bit of Pharasma's help, but not much. Anyone has a crowbar?
Ammon, who'd brought a shovel to help the digging, as well as a second water skin, pauses a moment to look up at the huge stone door, specifically designed not to be opened again from the outside.
He cracks his neck so the side and wipes the sweat from his face with a piece of cloth. "When we're done digging? Probably, though it would help if you all pushed with me."
he rummages in his pack for a moment, and produces a crowbar, handing it to Jamie who stood there looking pretty and wondering why the sand didn't clear itself. "Here, hold this. When we're done digging, we'll use that for leverage and push with everyone. But until we're ready, I don't suppose anyone could double check if there is some hidden switch somewhere to open it instead, or failing that, some other way in?"
Jazadi obsesses over the engineering of the structure.
"Yes, they do swing out..." She replies, absent-minded.
"This Ahkentepi apparently perished during the Plague of Madness. So perhaps there'll be some artifacts from that time within!"
Dhakira wonders about the Plague of Madness
Jamie grunts when Ammon hands her the heavy crowbar, its weight causing the little halfling to stagger slightly. Still, she keeps a stiff upper lip, scouting around for alternate entrances while the others dig.
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Ammon looks your way upon being asked. "Ah, you've noticed. This is a depeiction of Bastet. The ancient lioness goddess of the Osiriani pantheon. She was thought to be the source of all luck, and a defender of the pregnant and newborns, among other roles. I suppose you could say I'm praying to the mother of chance to nudge us in the right direction."
DC 15:A cult of Lamashtu released a plague among Wati's populace 2200 years ago. Many of whom the fever did not immediately kill were driven to insanity and over half the city died.
DC 20:
The above and - most of the survivors fled Wati to make new homes elsewhere, but a stubborn minority remained behind, determined to reclaim their city. Even once the plague had run its course, however, their livelihoods collapsed and their floundering community struggled against recurring outbreaks of the undead from the city’s many abandoned buildings-turned-tombs.
It took almost half a millennium for Wati’s fortunes to reverse thanks to the church of Pharasma. Over the next 30 years, they recovered the bodies of those slaughtered in the Plauge of Madness from their hasty, makeshift graves and the Pharasmins walled off that portion of the city hat thad been abandoned, transforming it into a metropolis of makeshift tombs and creating the necropolis.
-----
The sand clears much quicker when Ammon begins to physically help Uthe's magical efforts. The sun is starting to beat down already just an hour after sunrise. Today is going to be an overwhelmingly hot day, and physical exertion is tough. Jamie scouts the edges of the small tomb but finds no other entrance; clearly this was designed to not be touched after the deceased was interred.
After clearing the sand, Dakhira leads the way in opening the door alongside Jamie's baffled use of the crowbar and Ammon's strong shoulders. Upon opening the door, it’s apparent there are no handles on the inside of the doors either.
The rectangular room you have revealed before you is empty save for some engravings and fixtures upon the walls, a pair of heavy stone doors that you have just levered open lay open to the North, and an immense stone wheel against the south wall. The air is stale, and a layer of dust and sand covers the floor, lying in a thicker layer to the south. All four walls bear sunk-relief engravings and hieroglyphs, while small stone faces are affixed to the walls at about shoulder height in each corner. The stone wheel to the south is engraved with a large spiral and is set in stone tracks in the floor and ceiling.
An additional warning advises, “The only thing the Lady of Graves despises more than the grave robber is the unsuccessful grave robber,” followed by a final admonishment to “turn back while you can.”
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The above and - The other two faces have a likeness of Anubis, the ancient Osirian god of burials and mummification. Closer examination of the faces also reveals them to be decorative torch holders, such that when torches are placed within them, a corona of flame surrounds the deities’ heads.
-----
Jazadi peruses the Ancient Osiriani heiroglyphs. "From the looks of these, Akhentepi was Wati's military commander prior to the Plague of Madness consuming the city. I suppose people were inspired enough by his example that a minority stayed behind to try to keep their livelihoods going... even with the undead doing their best to ruin it all for them."
"Also, that spiral symbol is definitely that of Pharasma--not surprising, considering She and Her clergy are the reason Wati is now a city that people can live in instead of an entire necropolis. It says here that Akhentepi's tomb is well-defended, and defilers tempt the wrath of the gods." Jazadi tilts her head at the other symbols. "Those, I'm not too sure about... but it feels like it's on the tip of my tongue..."
She then notices the addendum in the heiroglyphs and snickers. "Looks like the old builders had a sense of humour. 'The only thing worse than a grave robber is an unsuccessful grave robber.' Oh, and it also says 'Turn back while you can'."
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"Good work team!" Say'ri says brightly as the doors open. "Hmm, warnings, warnings, if you're going to do this then do it properly... cheerful stuff."
She reads the hieroglyphs without a second though, apparently not even aware that it's a different language. Being brought up in a highly ritualistic household has a way of skewing your perceptions on some things.
Then confronted by the dark interior of the tomb she says something that sounds like 'Jackal rat disease'. "Did someone bring lights? I've got good eyes, but not good enough to see in the dark." Then, all business, she pulls a sword and prepares a small shield that sits of her fore-arm. "Ammon, shall we lead?"
Slightly out of his debt when it comes to actually studying the markings and hieroglyphs, Ammon just nods along with Jazadi and assumes she knows what she's talking about. "Impressive, Miss Jazadi! Well, considering it's the curch of Pharasma who let us in again, I assume this earlier warning of her wrath is moot so long as we stick to the rules and respect the dead."
He spreads his arms towards the ceiling and smiles, then makes some quick reverant gestures. "And it surely were the Ancient gods themselves who led us here in the first place! Why else would the daughter of the high priest of Horus be led to us and immediately make it through the lottery?"
When asked, he beams. "Of course! It would be an honor to accompany you at the front. As for the light, I brought a lantarn, a sunrod and some torches, so we can pick. I guess the lantarn is most efficient. I've brought lots of chalk too, but now that I'm here, I wonder if drawing simple markings on the walls to keep us from being lost would count as desecrating the tomb? Hm. Well, also got some papyrus and charcoal. Someone in the back could draw a basic map with it instead?"
He produces all these items from his rather stacked backpack with gusto, pumped to get going! It's fairly obvious he must have been shopping like mad yesterday.
"We won't let a few ancient words stop us right at the entrance, will we?" Jamie says with a smirk. "Now, hold that lantern up so I can take a look at this wheel!"
With a moment of focus to grant herself guidance, the halfling inspects the room, particularly the wheel.
"Seems safe enough. I believe we'll have to turn this to proceed."
''Jazira, do you agree that the faces over My Lady's symbol are that of Anubis? It seems that they could hold torches that would produce a halo around them. Would that show respect to this old God of burials and mummification?'' She starts to rummaged in her backpack, looking for torches.
Not finding any, she turns an expectant look towards Ammon. ''It seems that I'm not as well equiped as your are sir. Since the dark doesn't impair my vision to much, I did not think of bringing torches, I only have a candle, and I don't think it would do the trick in that situation.
And I agree with you that the Lady of the Graves approves this endeavor, as long as we respect those that are in eternal repose.''
"ANUBIS! That's what those symbols are of! Of course!"
Ammon places some torches in the brackets and a halo of light indeed does form in the room.
Figuring the stone needs to be pushed, Jamie leads Say'ri, Ammon and Dhakira to roll the stone aside. This stone must be over 5000lbs and takes everyone's full strength to roll aside.
As the stone starts to give way, Uthe feels a sudden sting in her behind and lets out a startled cry. Behind Uthe is an outsized scorpion with a translucent shell that has clearly followed you in!
Jazadi wheels around, her whip already in hand, and snaps it at whatever just stung Uthe to trip it up!
"OH MY GOODNESS!"
'Ah, so *that* is what Anubis looks like! Should probanly remember that... wonder if he was involved with my death as well?"
Ammon grins and rummages through his backpack, taking out four torches. "Who am I to refuse such a knowledgable lady? I imagine that these holders were made that way for a reason, so might as well treat them with the proper respect," he replies to Dhakira, and conjures not one, not two, but all four required torches!
"Truth be told, I wasn't quite sure we'd need this many but the salesman of these 'dungeoneering kits' was adamant I'd buy at least five! Yet another lucky coincidence in our favor, wouldn't you say?"
He hands two of the torches to Dhakira and the other to whomever offers or help, or failing that, takes them to the holders himself. "Anyone against lighting the torches?" he asks, just as he already lits the first one.
When no one objects, he says a quick prayer to Anubis (and the rest of the Osirani panthron a a whole) and aids with pushing the humangous stone.
Not long after, he whirls around at the sound of a cry of pain!
'Was that the wrong prayer?'
''Oh my Gods! It's a scorpion, it could be venemous''
She steps towards Uthe ''Uthe, are you OK? I'll try to help you, can I touch you?'' She step towards Uthe and places a hand on her arm and starts praying. ''Please Pharasma, help my friend Uthe fight this attack.
The scorpion goes to sting Uthe again attacking her with its claws, and its sting heading straight towards her waist.
Luckily, Uthe is fairly nimble, and manages to dodge all but one attack.
"Stop stinging her already!" Jazadi cracks her whip again!
"Uthe, fall back!" Jamie says in a commanding voice. She draws her crossbow and fires once she has a clear shot.
She then steps towards Ammon to touch him in turn ''Please Pharasma help my frien Ammon vainquish our ennemy.''
Seeing Uthe mauled in the back, rage enkindles within Ammon and he storms forward to strike, guided by Pharasma's blessing! "ENOUGH!" he cries, just as his spearhammer lands.
The scorpion is split in two equal parts by Ammon, and its guts spill out onto the floor.
Finishing opening the stone door, another room is revealed that is starkly different to the first.
This new square room is starkly devoid of any markings or adornment. In the center of the chamber’s floor, a square shaft drops straight down into darkness. A faint musty odor rises from the pit. A single piton has been hammered into the stone floor by the northeast corner of the pit, and a dusty length of rope dangles from the piton into the darkness of the shaft. The rope only extends 5ft into the pit before it has been hacked off deliberately.
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"Well, struck, Ammon!" Jamie says. The halfling lower her crossbow and moves to give him a pat on the back. Unfortunately, she misjudges her height, and she winds up giving him a slap on the butt instead. Her cheeks flush crimson. "Right! Uh, well, somebody should tend to Uthe, then we should continue on."
Jamie then goes to look down the pit, unable to see much in the darkness. "Dhakira, can you see the bottom?"
"Oh, my..."
Jazadi looks at the piton in the pit, then to the rope. "Goodness me... was someone sabotaged? This rope looks to have been clearly cut!"
Ammon withdraws his weapon, dripping in scorpion brains and guts. About to call out to Uthe himself, he swallows the words as his derriere gets tenderized from behind.
He blinks and turns around to find the culprit, to find only Jamie blushing. "Now now, miss Jamie. What was the saying from your country again? I believe it was 'business before pleasure' or some such, correct?" he asks, grinning.
"That said, are you all right?" he then asks Uthe, while pulling out a cloth to start cleaning his Lucerne Hammer.
He sits down next to Jazadi to inspect the rope. "Hm. Could be sabotage, but the rope is very dusty. Probably quite old. Maybe the priests of Pharasma just came up here then cut it themselves to make it even more difficult for whatever's down there to get out again. The one-way opening doors support that, I think."
Then, he takes a moment to glance around the room, wondering how they'd overcome the possibility of sabotage after they descended.
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"I think its more likely that whoever opened this tomb before had a partner. They went down together, one came back up, hoisted up the loot and then dropped his partner back down to rot." Say'ri says. "Nasty little story but you hear about it happening a lot."
She gives the piton a kick or two. "Pretty solid, I think we can use it. Just how far down are we talking?"
Jamie's blush deepens at Ammon's jest. "I wasn't... I didn't... Hmph!"
She gets to Uthe's side. ''I don't have any more magic to help with poison, but I hope that this helps.'' She prays ''Please Pharasma help me treat my poisonned friend''
She starts to treat Uthe's wound.
''Well, I've done everything I could'' ''Sorry Uthe that I don't have the magic to heal any damage it's already done.''
She moves on to the next room and looks into the hole. ''Let's see what in there''
The rope looks like it might survive it you used it to drop yourself down, but if you tried to untie it the knot, it will most likely crumble.
Anyone with Darkvision looking down the shaft can see only a sandy floor at the bottom approximately 60ft away.
''I see sand down there, so it's not more than 60 feet deep, but not much less either.'' She takes a prudent step back. ''But even with Pharasma's help, I don't know how I'm gonna get down there. I'm not very good at climbing, even if I remove my armor and my backpack to be more agile, it's still gonna be iffy. I do have a rope that can go almost to the bottom.''
At the request for light, Uthe doesn't say anything as the others bring out their lanterns and torches. Once they've gone through the effort, she hisses a few quick syllables and the end of her staff begins to glow with an steady light.
~~~~~
"Aiiieee!" the sorceress screeches as the arachnid makes its presence known in a very aggressive way.
"Of course we're not ok. We've just been stung in a very sensitive place," the catfolk snaps back at Dhakira.
"Aiiee!" she cries out again as the thing seems fixated on her for some reason.
Once the nasty little thing is finally dispatched, Uthe puts a hand on Dhakira's shoulder. "We apologize. You were helping us and we reacted poorly. Thank you."
~~~~~
"No, actually we feel a little woozy," she responds to Ammon. "If someone had a means of magical healing, we wouldn't mind being the recipient."
Ammon joins Dhakira near the edge and scratches his chin. "Hm... we could tie our ropes together so that it covers the full length down, and tie the very end of it around the middle of one of us. The rest could lower that person down one by one. I'll climb down last and by myself - I have... ah... some experience climbing ship ropes, and I can probably carry most of you alone. Just let me make some knots in it to use as handholds for my turn first."
He takes out his own rope and starts knotting at regular intervals."I'm worried more for the way back, however. What if someone were to cut the rope if we went down? I suppose one of us could go back outside, report that the tomb was broken into and that rope had been cut before, and request permission for someone to check on us if we're not back in a day. Could ask my friend Hadji from the tavern."
He throws a side glance at Uthe and still sees her bleeding from her wounds. "Um, Lady Dhakira, I am no physician, but perhaps her wounds themselves need treating rather than just the poison? Or do the priests of Pharasma possess no healing magic for common injuries at all?"
"That would take too long. I am certain we will be fine!" Jamie says confidently. "Go on down, Ammon. We'll be right behind you."
She smiles warmly at her '' No need to apologize, one never knows how they're gonna react when under attack. I'm glad that the poison didn't seem to affect you.''
''You're right, she was more wounded than I first realized. Though healing is not my spatiality, Pharasma does grant me some healing powers.'' She grabs her healing symbol and closes her eyes. '' Pharasma, I implore you to lay your healing hands on my companions.''
Then she looks at the knotted rope and pitons and says ''If someone strong can take my backpack,'' she looks up an down Ammon's muscled frame appreciatively ''I should be able to manage the climb, but it won't be fast!.''
A first hesitant but eventually trusting in the gods to protect them against a simple cut rope from ending their glorious destinies so early, Ammon continues knotting his rope and adds it to Dhakira's, making it long enough for everyone to climb down to the floor of the pit. He hammers one of his Pitons in next to the already present one in the room and climbs down through the hole, further encouraged by Jamie and throwing unneccesary (?) caution such as a messenger to the wind!
Seeing the rope is secure and holding, he reaches back up with an arm and easily slings Dhakira's backpack (which may or may not contain her armor), along with whatever other goods the party wants him to carry over his shoulders before descending.
Acting on an idea from Sai'ri, he then swings to a side wall just underneath the hole in the floor, grabs an outcropping rock and hammers in a second piton to secure the rope there as well.
He continues downward, not seeming to have much trouble with the rope itself.
He sets down his lantern next to him and steadies the rope, looking upward and mentally bracing himself to attempt to catch whoever might still fall.
Lowering yourselves into the room, down the rope didn't take too long. Ammon makes sure he has a torch with him at all times.
Mirrored images of a warrior in side profile, facing inward, are carved on an ornate pair of stone doors in the west wall of this square room. The figure is depicted wearing padded armor, with a scarab-shaped shield on the arm facing the viewer, and a raised khopesh held aloft in the other. A crumpled humanoid body lies directly in front of the doors. A hint of decay hangs in the air, and a dried stain mars the stone floor under the body. A square shaft in the ceiling leads straight up into darkness.
From this perspective, the purpose of the shaft rooms becomes evident—they’re deathtraps without a mechanism. Creatures that descend the shaft without a reliable means to climb back out are effectively trapped, permanently.
Pushing the door open, reveals a ten-foot-wide corridor.
The walls of this corridor feature bas-relief carvings of great battles. Armies with spears and shields clash at the direction of generals, while other leaders direct troops from chariots that are ruthlessly overrunning their enemies. Engraved stone double doors stand at either end of the hallway.
Jamie notices a pressure plate on the floor in front of you just as Say'ri was going to step forward. Looking around, she notices this probably fires a volley of traps up and down the corridor from both ends.
Jamie holds out her hand to stop Say’ri. ”Hold! There is a trap ahead! Never fear, Jamie is here.”
The halfling takes out her new thieves’ tools and sets to work disarming the trap.
"This is the one that tried to climb back out," Uthe points out needlessly. "See? His legs are broken. He probably died of thirst."
The sorceress grabs the two vials of alchemist's fire and stows them on her bandolier.
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Say'ri turns to the sorceress. "You'll be careful with those, right?" She asks and its not hard to see that the scarred woman is genuinely worried about something. "Wouldn't want you losing your pretty fur."
She's still nervous as she moves down the corridor, but luckily Jaime is on hand to help her avoid anything too lethal.
"With these?" Uthe questions, indicating the bottles of alchemist's fire. "We are always careful." She indicates the other three that are already strung on the leather strap hanging diagonally across her slender chest.
She glances down at her own fur. "We do thank you for the compliment, but we still have no desire to see you naked."
Dhakira puts her armor back on. ''Thank you Ammon for bringing my things down.'' with a smile.
''I concur with you Uthe. And his body been here for decades. Turning to Ammon ''I wouldn't be worried about any of his companions coming back, they're long gone.''
Once Jamie's taken care of the trap ''Good catch Jamie!'' she follows the others down the corridor, watching the back to make no other desert creature attacks them from there. She has a dagger in one hand, the other is on the symbol of her goddess.
Dhakira puts her armor back on. ''Thank you Ammon for bringing my things down.'' she says with a smile.
"My pleasure," he responds with a smile of his own. "I should have figured I shouldn't have worried - the gods would have protected us from such a fate anyway. Poor guy, though. He was betrayed by his comrades and unlucky enough not to die instantly from the fall. Judging from the stains and the mess his legs are in, the bone splinters probably pierced his legs and made him bleed out as he crawled. Broken bones can do that to a person."
He shudders, then rummages through his pack and withdraws a small wooden carving of a sitting jackal, and places it in what's left of the corpse's hand. "May Anubis grant him passage to the afterlife and may Osiris judge him fairly for his sin," he recited. "Or the Lady of Graves in their stead, of course, if his faith was thusly inclined."
Rising, he looks at Jamie rummaging along the floors and walls with instruments he couldn't even begin to fathom their use of. "Thanks from me as well, Miss Jamie. I suppose I owe you a drink - or something else, if that is more your fancy," he adds with a wink.
”A drink will suffice,” Jamie says, basking in the praise from her companions. ”Make it two.”
Jamie works deftly to disable the trap and notices there are no signs that these darts were ever fired before, so it is a possibility that you are the first visitors that have made it this far through the tomb.
A faded tapestry hangs on a wooden frame on the western wall of this chamber. Faded and delicate, the tapestry depicts a middle-aged man, accompanied by a woman and two children, with a small estate in the background. To either side of the tapestry are two small pedestals, upon which sit two dead and preserved animals. Stone double doors exit the chamber to the north, south, and east.
Looking closer at the portrait, it looks as if the tapestry is a portrait of Akhentepi, his wife, and two children, depicted standing before their family home.
You can discern several symbols and hieroglyphs that suggest that Akhentepi’s family befell some tragedy, possibly murder or sickness, and he was left widowed.
Jazadi and Dhakira know that the animals on the pedestal are mummified cats, most likely former pets. They will have been killed and then mummified so they could accompany their owner to the Boneyard and his soul’s final destination.
The north and south doors open without difficulty onto short stairways that descend to additional sets of doors. Heading left down the stairs, reveals a doorway that opens easily to the next room.
Opposite you, a massive mirror stretches across the southern wall of this chamber, flanked by two statues. The statue to the east depicts a tall, gaunt woman in a flowing, hooded gown, holding an hourglass. The figure to the west is that of a jackal-headed man carrying a scepter or staff in his hand. Stone double doors, standing slightly ajar, lead to the east and west. Torch holders sculpted in the shape of bird skulls are built in each corner, and a thin layer of dust covers every surface.
Looking into the mirror as you enter the room, you can see yourself and your companions reflected back —along with the likeness of Akhentepi as depicted elsewhere throughout the tomb: a human man with bronzed skin in his forties, wearing white ceremonial robes and a headdress. He appears stern and disapproving. You get the feeling as if you're drawn to keep staring at it.
10 - The statue on the left is a likeness of Pharasma.
20 - The other statue is Anubis.
15 - Turns up evidence of tracks in the dust between the east and west doors.
20 - They are vermin tracks.
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"Ouch." Say'ri says, examining the tapestry. "I can't make it all out but something horrible happened to his family. Plague maybe? I think he outlived them. That's sad. They were probably buried here first and then he joined them later."
The next room makes Say'ri curious rather than scared. "Weird." She says, head cocked to one side rather like a bird. "He looks like my father." Indeed, there is a slight resemblance between Akhentepi and Say'ri, something in the line of the jaw and the shape of the nose. It could just be coincidence though.
"Tracks into both doors." She reports after tearing herself away from the mirror. "Let's keep the method and do this one first." She points to the east door. "Jaime? Check it for us?"
Jamie finds nothing as she checks the very-slightly-ajar door for inevitable traps and peers through the small crack seeing a chamber with stone pillars.
Opening the doors wide, reveals a rectangular chamber with pillars lining its walls, interspersed with stone jackal heads extending from the walls. A stone altar, covered in a layer of dust, sits at the eastern end of the room.
As Say'ri and Jamie go to check out the room further, a scuttling sound comes from behind the altar and two tan-colored spiders with ten legs come clicking their jaws threateningly.
Not inferring anything extra from the statues or the tracks, Ammon just nods and walks along with the group. There's a nagging feeling he should know more about the jackal he just saw at the entrance, but his head was perhaps still a bit fuzzy from the events of last night, and preoccupied by wondering why his set of sandals seemed to be that much nicer than the one he wore yesterday. Hm...
When Say'ri notices the resemblance, he smiles. "I'm not surprised. Akhentepi lived around 2300 years ago. If we look at the last ten generations alone, each of us carries the blood of over a thousand different mothers and fathers. That there is a visible resemblance between the two of you even now is proof of a strong familiy connection - as expected when your father is High priest of Horus, god of Pharaohs."
Walking into the next doors and noticing they are jumped, Ammon moves up and attacks the spider closest to Jamie. "Fall back, little one!"
”Little one?!?” Jamie bristles. Nevertheless, she steps back and fires at a spider.