The Age Of Worms (3.5) IC Team A

[Jair Barik]

The Age Of Worms

OOC Thread (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211896)

Since the beginning of history, humanity has measured time in Ages. Ages of Glory, of Dreams, and even of Great Sorrows mark the human tally of years, giving a sense of order to the events of past centuries. Butone age has yet to occur—an age of darkness, of decay, and of writhing doom. Witty bards and wrathful preachers know it as the Age of Worms, weaving it into the peripheries of their passion plays as a mythic era of destruction that could begin at any time. Astrologers, diviners, and the servants of Fate know more. The canniest among them fear that the Age of Worms has already begun.

Idle chatter around the village speaks of a trio of richly dressed adventurers who frequent the taproom of the Feral Dog, Diamond Lake’s most notorious tavern. The confident heroes of the Free City spoke of hard-won battles on their journey to Diamond Lake, and of their intention to explore the longabandoned Stirgenest Cairn on the lake’s distant southeastern shore. You, being natives of Diamond Lake, know that cairn is oft explored by the community’s youth, who always find it completely empty of marvels and perfectly harmless. Not so another cairn within a day’s ride of the village. This cairn lies near an iron mine that went dry about 50 years ago. The mine’s charter lapsed when its manager died a few years later.

Situated in a sort of no-man’s land, the cairn was all but forgotten, its yawning entrance overgrown with weeds and choked with debris. Rediscovered by a curious teenager a decade ago, the cairn has since been a sort of community secret held by Diamond Lake’s youth, who dare each other to disappear into its cyclopean entrance to prove their bravery. Occasionally, when the wind is just right, haunting, almost magical tones emerge from the depths of the forlorn tomb. Those who know of its location call it the Whispering Cairn. If adventurers from the Free City expect to discover hidden passages and riches within the Stirgenest Cairn, it stands to reason that the Whispering Cairn might also hold a genuine opportunity for profit. In the rough-and-tumble mining village of Diamond Lake, where desperate folk slave in dank tunnels to profit wealthy masters, an opportunity for profit is an opportunity to escape.

It is to here that you have travelled with your fellow adventure seekers and townsfolk, just short of a days walk from home. The yawning entrance to the Whispering Cairn is a wide monolith-lined portal partially obscured by underbrush and boulders about 20ft wide. Not much to look at from the outside, but then if it was something more grandious and impressive it would likely have been thoroughly looted many years ago.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert gazes a little dubiously at the shrub-shrouded gap in the rocks. The place had the smell of something ancient, but unregarded holes like this one were perfect locations for animal dens ranging from the harmless to the horrible.
"This must be the place," he opines, his voice cracking slightly from disuse. He hadn't been sure how much stock to put in the half-remembered childhood lore that this expedition was based upon, but lo, here it was.

Tolbert hasn't been drawn much into conversation on the trip; wherever possible, he has kept his gloved hands stuffed in his pockets and his tongue behind his teeth.

The young man who has represented himself as a guide doesn't instill much in the way of awe; even though his trail-worn moccasins say "traveler," his frame and bearing say "peasant," even down to the mended shepherd's crook that serves him for a walking stick.

There is also a 1200-pound camel standing nearby, watching with an expression of latent contempt on its face as Tolbert does a slow walk around the underbrush nearby, looking for trampled grass or sign that might point to this cave being occupied.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Alec readjusted his the straps of his backpack for the hundredth time. He had never been the strongest individual, and a day's walk with a heavy pack had taken it's toll somewhat. "I can't believe you would walk this far as kid's on a dare." He says to Dozla and Sybana as a mild complaint, before looking at the massive structure.

"This place is massive. Can you imagine how long it must've taken them to build it? I wonder who deserved such an important grave. Yet it's completely forgotten now.", spoke the accountant, standing back as he saw their guide examine the area for wildlife that might be using the cairn as a handy home. He wasn't sure what he thought of Tolbert yet, though he seemed to know his way about the wilderness, a place where Alec felt at odds. Surviving of a city street he could do, but not in the middle of no where.

Raising his head up to the sky to see where the Sun rested, he said, "Shall we go in for a quick peek before we make camp, or save it for the morning. There's still a fair bit of daylight left I'd say."

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

The young woman laughs. "On a dare? I've walked farther, just to get away for a bit." She didn't add that, after that one night dare, she'd been too scared to do it in this direction.

But the cairn seemed awfully quiet now. Could it have just been youthful uncertainty that had scared her so? "Let's poke our heads inside, at least. If we can scare any animals out of the entry, it'll give us a little cover from the elements overnight." She casually slung her bedroll off to one side, looking curiously up towards the gaping maw of the cairn.

[Cardea]

Trage unsecured his backpack from his body. He set it down Sybara's belongings, along with his own bedroll, and stood next to her. He looks at the opening, and turns back to the others, his grin spread wide. "Now I know why its called the 'Whispering Cairne', heh. I certainly wouldn't have been brave enough to get this close to it, as a lad." He looks back to the entrance, and takes his mace from his back. A wicked thing, it helped keep others at bay before, and after, a fight. "And maybe clear off anyone who might already be here; children come here still, so I'd rather not be the cause of their night terrors."

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

"It looks smaller then how I remember it... and once you were out here, there was no point in not going in." He doesn't loosen his pack, merely standing as he looks over the cairn's maw. "No worse then the deeper mines, I think." His eyes were already getting used to the dark as he looked inside. That had probably been a bit of an advantage back then.

"Lemme take a look then, I'll holler if I see anyone." He hoped he didn't though. The more people that know about this, the less chance that there would be treasure, he figured. Still carrying his pack, moves to the entrance and peaks into the dark.

OoC
First look inside, as far as his darkvision will take him:

Spot [roll0]

[Jair Barik]

Natural light dimly illuminates a long hallway extending north into darkness. A faint breeze brings with it sibilant whispers that sound almost like sighing breath. It must be a trick of the wind, but the effect is almost lifelike.

The walls bear horizontal bands of deceptively simple geometric patterns at waist level. In places the bands reveal startling detail, but in others the walls look as though they have been hacked apart with weapons or eroded by the rigors of time. Flakes of ancient paint, brilliant purple and a dull mustard hue, still cling to the walls in places, hinting
at what must once have been a riot of color. A thin coat of dust coats the floor.

Just inside the darkened tomb, the hallway branches into shallow alcoves to the east and west. Here the walls bear the most significant damage. Dozens of clumsy etchings mar the beautiful ancient masonry like graffiti on a city wall. A clump of soiled cloth about the size of a halfling rests in the rounded terminus of the western alcove. Outside, the wind picks up, and a chorus of almost human sounds rises from the darkened hall.

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

Sybara shivers slightly at the sounds, bracing herself. There was nobody here last time, was there? She fishes a torch from her discarded sack, then stands beside Dozla. Weighing whether to light it, she queries the half-orc. "Do your mine-trained eyes see anything in there?"

Readied action: if there's any movement down the tunnel, she casts "Light" on the torch so the humans can see.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Upon no immediate warning from the nature expert or the miner, Alec slowly moves closer to the mouth of the cairn, until he is peering over the shoulders of Dozla and Sybana. He represses a slight shiver at the realistic sounds the wind makes through the stone. "You two had stones as kids if you spent the whole night here. I don't think I'd have been able to hack it.", he said, trying to break the mournful aura the location gave off with some light hearted comments. He only hoped that he could brave this place as adult. If that wailing sound continued the whole time they were there, he'd be heading for a drink, or two, or ten, as soon as they got back to diamond lake. "So, did you stay in this entrance chamber when you were kids, or did either of you go deeper in? Looks like some kid left his blanket here, must've ran out in the middle of the night as fast as he could after seeing a bat or something."

If he's given the okay by the half-orc, Alec will move towards the two alcoves, examining the graffiti and what remains of the original stonework, checking to see if he can find some purpose in the scrawl, and giving a examination of the cloth if it doesn't smell too rank.

[roll0]
If applicable:
[roll1]
[roll2]

[Jair Barik]

Examining the patterened bands Alec finds thin hollow tubes hidden amongst the patternwork. The strange whispers filling these halls seem to emit from the tubes. From the look of things the tubes likely extend to the surface, emrging from the earth on top of the cairn. As they catch the wind they cause the whispering noises within.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Smiling, Alec stands up from his crouched position examining the wall and points out his discovery to the rest of the group. His heart feels slightly lighter with the discovery. "Whoever built this place was pretty ingenious in trying to keep intruders out. Something like this to make people think the place was haunted, probably worked better than a couple guards standing at the opening. We'd best keep an eye out for more hostile mechanisms and construction, I doubt this is the only line of repulsion, and probably the most benign."

[Jair Barik]

Up ahead somewhere further off down the passage everyone but Dozla can make out a vaguely flickering green light, at this distance impossible to make out in any real detail.


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

"Pipes? Guess its the little things you don't notice as a kid." Admittedly, he now felt he'd missed a lot of subtle things on his first visit. Now was a bit late to realize that this place was bizarre. "I think I just wandered a bit further then the entrance, it just seemed like a big cave... But it was a long time ago." He focuses on the lights for now. Were those always there? Damn, why don't I remember any of this?

"Yeah, looks like a blanket, but it's sort of lumped up." He leans a bit closer, stepping inside and squinting at the light. "Huh... Hey Tolbert, is green light natural around these parts? It looks like there's a candle or something flickering further down."

He nods over to the others, Alec was already in, so might as well go inside. He goes over to the clump of cloth to get a closer look.

[Cardea]

"Well that's a relief," Trage says. He walks back to his backpack, retrieving a piece of chalk, before heading in after Dozla. Keeping the chalk in one hand, and his weapon in another, he follows Dozla as he heads towards the cloth. "Hopefully this entire trip will be full of pleasant surprises, yeah?"

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

"Hehe, yeah." Taking note of Trage, Dozla loosens his shield from his pack and readies it. It slightly helped his balance, but there's only so much that you can when you're carrying more then 60 pounds. "Something plenty valuable at the end is what I'm hoping for."

[Jair Barik]

The cloth is empty. At one time it likely served as a bed for a child, indeed very few went deeper into the cairn than this when dared, but it has not been used in a long time.

[Cardea]

"I'm praying for something that won't cause us harm. I can remove wounds, but only so much of them at a time," Trage says, inspecting the cloth. He holds the chalk in his lips, and lifts it up.

[Jair Barik]

Lifting up the blankets a few wood chips fall out but otherwise it is completely empty.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Taking a cue from Trage and Sybana, Alec leaves his own heavy backpack and bedroll, giving much needed relief to his shoulders, before walking between Trage and Dozla. Alec too had noticed the light, and upon seeing the others begin pulling out shields and weapons, he pulls out his own shortbow before saying, "It's probably just a crack in the rocks that's letting some light through. Maybe it's glinting off a piece of coloured glass, or something more valuable if we're being optimistic. I say we give it a quick look, if we're done examining an old blanket. Sybana, do you want to light up that torch?" He says with a small barb to the paladin, but at the same time hoping that the rest of the group stays very close as he begins to step deeper into the darkness of the cave.

[Cardea]

"Sounds like a plan." Trage drops the blanket back down, and puts the piece of chalk into a pocket. "Perhaps we can make camp inside this first room, instead of outside?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert
Tolbert finishes his sweep of the cave, apparently finding no sign of animals. Perhaps the eerie noises kept them away as well. The short, stick-like man take a few tentative sniffs of the cool, dank air.
"I wouldn't guess there's been anyone here recently..." but he stops as he spots the glimmer of green light in the distance. It was singular, that. The hills weren't known for being thickly-forested this high up, so it was unlikely that the wind was causing trees on the hill to dapple the light from some chute in the rock. If it had been a smooth, constant glow, he could have believed some directed natural light was causing it, but flickering as it was...
Tolbert scowls and taps the tip of his walking stick against the soft carpet of scattered moss and leaves that lie strewn upon the floor.

"That light... it puts me in mind of a flame, how it dances. But green? No, I shouldn't say that's natural. Take note, for future reference; things that glow green are usually not natural. Did you not mark the light in your first acne-addled journeys here, or is this something new?" His tone is characteristically sour.

He snorts at Trage's comment. "While I'm glad to see you've conquered your night terrors, I don't think there's much to be gained from trying to sleep here; maybe I'm just the light sleeper, but I don't think I'd get much rest with this whistling racket going all night long." He subsides a little. "Besides. The weather should remain fine enough for a few days yet for even you city-folk to bide well enough in the wild."

[Jair Barik]

Looking towards the light you note that the tunnel continues onwards another 20ft or so from these alcoves before branching. The main tunnel appears to continue on into the darkness towards the green light whilst two side passages, each the same width as the main one, branch off to the left and right.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"I think we can worry about our sleeping quarters after some exploration. If there's something dangerous just a little deeper, that could decide easily for us." Alec replies to the paladin's suggestion. Moving closer to the crossroads, he takes a careful examination of the area to see if either of the three paths, or the crossroads itself, hid any other little tricks like the air tubes.
After his examination, he asks the others, "Well, we have three ways to go, any preference? I'm for checking out exactly what that light is, our wilderness guide has made some good points to suggest it may not be natural.

[roll0]

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn


Being a bit of a night owl, Sybana had no qualms about venturing a little deeper, so she kneels and lights the torch, carefully striking her flint and steel. "I'd as soon check out the light first if it is something unnatural," the girl opines. "Let's head that way, and check out the other paths later." Truth be told, she was more concerned with 'threatening' than 'natural', but she didn't see a clear distinction in the moment.

She loosens her morningstar slightly on her belt, indecisive as to readying it or a spell. After a moment, she shrugs to herself and holds the torch higher, eyes straining towards the flickering light.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh

Tolbert sighs and gazes pensively down each passage in turn, his unshaven jaw working slowly from side to side.
"I doubt it matters. Anything here will have smelt or heard us by now. If you see an animal in here though, have a little courtesy, will you? We're trespassers, after all, if this is someone's home."
He taps his staff against the wall leading to the passage on the left with a dull thunk of wood.
"How about this way? It's as good a way as any."
With that, having established a course of action, Tolbert ducks out of the main chamber back outside for a moment, and after a few muted words returns sans camel.
"Well. Shall we?"

[Jair Barik]

Moving up to the junction you can see down each passage by the torchlight.

The western hall extends perhaps forty feet, ending at a small marble platform raised about six inches off the floor. A strange, shattered arcane apparatus rests upon this platform, its curved ovular frame giving the appearance of a noble’s dressing mirror. Only a third of this frame remains.

Fifteen feet down the east passage, a huge pile of collapsed rubble blocks the alcove from top to bottom. It looks like it would take weeks to tunnel through the densely packed debris.

The north passage continues further on towards the flickering light.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Looking to the passages to their left and right, Alec disagrees with the Druid, "They both look like dead ends, and this close in, there probably isn't anything too valuable about them. We can look into them on our way back, I'd rather make sure that light is nothing sinister first, wouldn't want it causing us any grief while we look about or rest."

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

Dozla shrugs. "If it's all the same to everyone, Alec's making sense. Lets get a good look at that mirror on the way back though, once we see what's making that light." If there's no objection, he'll lead the way down the northern passage.

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

"Agreed," Trage says, moving up and walking next to Dozla.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

The girl holds the torch high as she follows close behind the bulk of the half-orc.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert shrugs. "Fine, whatever. Just mind how you go." The young man draws his coat a little closer about himself. the chill had a way of working itself into your bones down here. Wordlessly, he follows after, stick still tapping on the ground as he walks.

[Jair Barik]

The central hallway opens into a large chamber with wings leading to the east and west. Across the chamber to the north yawns a twenty-foot-wide open arch draped from top to bottom in translucent cobwebs. An eerie green light flickers from beyond the webs, casting strange shadows about this room. The place smells of animal spoor and wet fur.

The sibilant, almost human whispers present in the passage become a chorus in this massive chamber, eerily echoingoff the walls.

@Sybana

The whispers in the air seem to have changed their tone. Where before they were inconsequential noises blowing through tubes you are certain you can now make out words amongst the wind.
Sacrilege... death....

Before you can really examine any of the chamber in detail you spot a group of three wolves bearing down on you from the eastern passage. Two of the mangy curs look as if they haven’t eaten in days, the third wolf is a little larger than the others and does not look hungry in the least. A straight line of scar tissue bisects its face from forehead to muzzle. The beasts eagerly charge into your front ranks with teeth bared. The first of the wolves runs at Dozla, leaping up onto his body it sinks its fangs deep into his throat, ripping and tearing flesh as it hungrily snaps at him in famished fervour (8 damage). The bigger wolf runs at Alec who dodges its advances, his armour protecting him from its vicious teeth. The final wolf leaps at Trage, gripping his leg in its teeth and pulling him to the ground (3 damage and knocked prone).

Initiative is yours post actions in any order.

Map

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc97/dragonhunter55/hungergames1-13.png

Brown is the caved in area, blur indicates a passage that you can't see the end of, coloured dots respond to name/speach colour.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Wondering whether the druid was actually annoyed or just griping as usual, Alec was somewhat distracted as they moved deeper into the cairn, an almost fatal mistake as the wolves charged forward. At a lose whether to curse or thank his lucky stars as he saw the biggest and healthiest of the wolves move toward him, but who's snapping jaws found purchase only on the metal chain links of his armor, he quickly jumped back from the creature, gripping his knife tightly. Knowing he didn't have long before it probably tried to jump at him again, he reached into the pouch at his side, fingers quickly searching for one of the many small pouches of sand he had prepared. Pulling it out, he bite off the string that held the small bag closed, muttered some arcane phrases and thrust the hand holding the arcane component towards the wolf in front of him. Arcane light consuming the material in his hand, a cone-shaped burst of dazzling, nauseatingly bright color issued forth to cover each of the wolves.

Five foot step back to K12
Color Spray straight forward to effect all three wolves. DC 14 Will Save. I'll let you roll effect cause I don't know the wolves Hit Dice.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
With a mumbled curse, Tolbert takes a step backwards as the wolves tear into their front ranks. Lifting one hand, he performs a complex series of gestures while chanting an unhurried litany of strange syllables in his weak, crackly voice.


Take a 5ft step to L13,
Burn prepared Traveler's Mount to Spontaneously cast Summon Nature's Ally I.
apply feat Sudden Extend to spell (2 rounds).
Wolf to appear at K9 when spell is cast.

[Jair Barik]

Both of the mangy looking wolves drop into a state of unconsciousness as the wave of colour washes over them. The stronger looking specimen however merely barks angrily at the display.


[roll0][roll1] [roll2]
[roll3] [roll4] [roll5]
[roll6][roll7] [roll8]

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

"Gah!" Dozla frantically tries to hold the wold back or push it away, succeeding only after the flash of color makes it stop fighting back. He felt an urge to return the favor, his hand reaching for his mace, but with the big one was still left. If it has as much bite as the others, this could end badly.

Ignoring the wound, he grabs his mace. Shield raised, he keeps it ready to block another lunge and brings the weapon down on the beast.

No movement (J11)

Move: Draw Mace
Swift: Punishing Stance (-2 AC, +1d6 Damage)
Standard: Stone Bones Strike (Normal attack grants DR 5/Adamantine on a hit)

Attack (Stone Power 1): [roll0]
Damage [roll1] + [roll2]

HP: 6 + 2 THP / 14
AC: 16 + DR 5/Adamantine

[Jair Barik]

Try as he might Dozla cannot land a hit on the final wolf as it side steps the mace.

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

That was just part of our first round, right?

Sybara shivers at the ever-expanding litany of sounds, trying to focus on the immediate danger. She recoils from the surprise of the attack, and fumbles through her spell-pouch.

Seeing the other spells go off, she steps abreast of Dozla, and, with a harsh outburst of Draconic, throws a wave of fire across the line of wolves.

Sybara 5-foot steps to I-11 and casts Burning Hands across the line of wolves, just in front of Dozla and Trage (also 15 feet deeper into the cavern, not that this matters).

Damage: [roll0]
Reflex Save for half damage (DC 14)

[Jair Barik]

The flames burn the two unconscious wolves and the one that still stands but unfortunately it manages to dodge the worst of the flames.


[roll0]

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Relieved to see his spell was effective on the lesser wolves at least, Alec shouts words of encouragement to his allies. "Those two should be down for a little bit, concentrate on the one with a scar."

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

Trage fell to the ground, shaking the wolf off of his leg. He lays down there, his weapon still in his hand. About to swing, he stops, as the wolf in front of him falls unconscious. He stands, and brings his mace down hard on the wolf.

Move action: Standing up from prone.
Standard: Attack.

Attack: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1]
Crit confirmation, if necessary: [roll2]

AC: 13
Health: 11/14

[Jair Barik]

As Trage stands up the wolf lashes out at him digging deep with its teeth and knocking him to the ground once more (7 damage and knocked prone). From his position on the ground the paladin is unable to hit his mark and the wolf moves off to hunt the creature that burnt him. Grabbing Sybana by the leg with its teeth the beast tries to pull her to the ground but she nimbly manages to escape, though she suffers horrible injuries in the process (5 damage).

Initiative-You guys

[roll0] [roll1] [roll2] [roll3]
[roll4] v [roll5]

Map

http://i214.photobucket.com/albums/cc97/dragonhunter55/hungergames1-14.png

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

The girl winces as she pulls her leg out from the wolf's bite, staggering backwards. With a deep breath, she repeats the spell, hoping that it--or her allies--can down the beast.

After a 5-foot step to I-12, she'll aim it up (on the map), so it'll hit the big wolf and (if needbe) the unconscious one underneath.

[roll0]
Reflex save for half, still DC 14.

Should I be making a second roll for the unconscious one?

[Jair Barik]

This time the wolf is not fast enough and catches the full brunt of the flames, slightly singing his fur.

(OOC: In general for AoO damage spells the damage is rolled once and all creatures suffer that result)


[roll0]

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

Watching as the wolf tears into Targe and Sybana Dozla gets ready to strike again. "This thing's damn vicious!" He tries to smash into it with a backhand from his shield before bringing his mace down it, as before.

Standard: Wolf Fang Strike (Attack with 2 weapons at -2)

Mace: [roll0]
Damage: [roll1] + [roll2]

Heavy Shield: [roll3]
Damage: [roll4] + [roll5]

AC: 14 (Punishing stance, Shield Bash)
HP: 6/14

[Jair Barik]

Dozla manages to land both strikes against the wolf knocking the beast unconscious as it hits the ground with a yelp.

(Party is now out of initiative order as there is no active threat)

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert pauses, mid-chant, and with a wave of his hand dismisses the spell.
"Oh."
He taps his stick on the ground, looking at the unconscious and bleeding wolves, as well as his barely-conscious allies. He doesn't share his thoughts on the matter, but something about the aftermath of this battle seems to have made Tolbert especially tense.
"We must fall back for now. I'm not prepared for this. Come!"
With that, he turns and begins to walk briskly back for the main entrance to the cairn.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

The sorceress sags against the wall, relief and pain and fear mingling. She watches their guide stalk toward the cairn mouth, uncomprehending. Her eyes seek out Dozla and Alex, her longtime comrades from town. "Do we, ah, need to do anything about them? How long until they awaken?" She motions to the wolves. "And can either of you see what the green light was?"

[Jair Barik]

Looking around Sybana can note three exits to the chamber in addition that which they entered by.

Across the chamber to the north yawns a twenty-foot-wide open arch draped from top to bottom in translucent cobwebs. An eerie green light flickers from beyond the webs, casting strange shadows about this room. To the west, three short stairs lead to a wide marble dais, but the far end of the wing is obscured by darkness. Huge slabs of cracked masonry and irregular piles of scattered debris choke the eastern wing, giving the appearance of complete collapse.

@Ellisande

The voices continue to call.
enemies, hopeless, death

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

Sybana watches the flickering shadows, then speaks again. "You found those tubes, Alec, but I could swear these whispers are saying things. Death, sacrilige, that sort of rot." She shivers slightly, looking down at her still-open wound. "Screw it, I don't think I am up to much exploring with this." She could almost feel her hopes for finding hidden wealth slipping away. "Let's wrap our wounds and see how we feel around a campfire."

If the others assent, she'll head out after Tolbert with them.

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

Once the adrenaline fades, Dozla puts his mace away and brings his hand to his throat. "Damn it... Those were new, I'd remember getting mauled by wolves. I second the question Alec, how long's 'a little bit'? If these things catch us off guard again, I reckon they'll want another bite or two."

This was not a good start, and all because of some hungry animals. "Yeah... a campfire sounds good about now. You all right Trage?"

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

Trage kneels, the scent of blood in his nose. He inspects his leg, the wolf marks running deep into his leg. "You know, some of my fellow brethren, from the Free City, are able to heal their own wounds with but a mere touch. Astounding, really. I think next time I meet them, I'm going to ask for the secret to such an ability." He says, his smile returning, though pained. He stands up, using his Mace to help him, as he tries to stay off his injured leg.

"But yes, I will be alright, as long as I give this wound some attention."

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Not long. If we're to make sure they won't bother us again, we should act fast. By their starved look, we'd be doing them a favor."
Looking at the retreating druid to make sure there were no objections, Alec sets his bow to the side and draws his knife, moving up to the wolves and, as cleanly as possible, cutting their throats. While a bigger animal than he was used to, the mage had no qualms over ending the life of an animal. When you lived on the streets, you got pretty used to knifing a cat or dog, or rat, for your supper, this wasn't much different.
Cleaning his blade on the fur of the animals, Alec puts his items back, and takes a look around where they stand. "I didn't notice anything of the sort with the tubes in the atrium. Perhaps there are some others here, with a different pitch. But I can't say they sound much like words to me, just moaning and wailing." He responds to Sybana's inquiry. Upon seeing most of his allies wish to head back, he makes a brief protest, "I'd like to get a better look at this room and that light if it's alright. Sybana, could you lend me that torch, let's see what's behind these cobwebs that's causing that light."


If Tolbert does make a case against killing the wolves, Alec will wait. Otherwise, a couple coup de grace's should do it.

Also, giving a general search of the room, not so much the corridors to the east and west, but the main area and especially where the light is coming from, using the torch to burn away some of the webs if Sybana lends it.

[roll0]

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

The sorceress hands over the torch, curious but a little nervous about what her coworker was going to find. "Take care, there might be more of these buggers in there."

[Jair Barik]

Burning aside the webs a few spiders fall out of them, harmless little ones not the monstrous kind you might have heard of in legends and tales at the bar. A wide stairway descends from the cleared area into an immense domed chamber, across the other side you can make out the flickering green light hanging stationary in the air, though it looks like it is held inside something.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Fighting back his curiosity, it is enough to know that there doesn't appear to be a present danger from the light that he can see. His allies are injured and the day's hike would take it's toll on them if all of them didn't get a good rest. "It looks clear enough for now. We should be able to check it out in the morning. Let's just check out those earlier side chambers before we make camp." Alec says, retreating with the rest of his companions.
When they have reached the earlier crossroads, Alec will once again take time to search, doing a thorough search, of first the eastern, collapsed passage, then the western one with the strange arcane device.

Returning to the Areas described in post#26 (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showpost.php?p=11672954&postcount=26), Investigating the collapsed passage first for anything of interest then the western passageway with the marble platform and apparatus. Unless something intervenes, Alec will believe these a relatively safe area and will take 20 on a search check for both, giving a 27 result on each.

[Jair Barik]

Fifteen feet down the east passage, a huge pile of collapsed rubble blocks the alcove from top to bottom. It looks like it would take weeks to tunnel through the densely packed debris.

The western hall extends perhaps forty feet, ending at a small marble platform raised about six inches off the floor. A strange, shattered arcane apparatus rests upon this platform, its curved ovular frame giving the appearance of a noble’s dressing mirror. Only a third of this frame remains. An unusual arcane glyph about the size of a man’s head has been delicately carved into the baseplate of the support platform.

A thorough search by Alec turns up a few shards of an unidentifiable shiny black substance that feels like stone. It is slightly cold to the touch. Inspecting the frame he discovers numerous runes and glyphs carved into a slot on the inside of the frame, where the “mirror’s” glass would have been held.

The glyphs don’t seem to be formed from a common alphabet, although they are reminiscent of arcane symbols representing elemental air. The glyph seems to represent a name, referring to a single individual. The letterforms look similar to an ancient glyph-language called Vaati, which some unorthodox scholars consider the original written form of Auran.

(OOC: some information has been repeated from earlier, this is to help make sure it is taken in the correct context.)

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Pocketing a few of the strange black shards, Alec gives an inner curse at not having the forethought to have brought along some paper and writing tools to take note of these symbols. His mind had been occupied only by the possibility of material treasure, not thinking about the treasure of knowledge that might also lay here. It would be worth it to have a sit down with Allustan about the meaning of the glyphs.
Returning to where the others had decided to make camp, Alec shares his discoveries. "Nothing much so far. The one chamber that contains the mirror-like object is certainly fascinating, however, apart from discerning that it is broken and has some interaction with the Plane of Air, or something similar, I cannot fathom it's function. To excavate the eastern passage would surely take weeks, if we're forced to take such action to derive value from this cairn, I think we'd be better off working at Diamond Lake."
"I didn't give a very thorough search of the passages to the left and right of the wolf den, however once again the east appears to be collapsed. I say tomorrow, if we feel ready, we examine the western room, and if that leads to nothing, put to end the mystery of that green light."

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
As the group converges on his position, Tolbert has not been idle. Heading out into the watery sunlight, he has retrieved from the Bored-looking Charles a heavy-looking roll of canvas; durable stuff waterproofed with animal fat and time.
This he has spread out to form a rough mat, and on this he has placed an oilskinned bundle that smells strongly herbal. Mumbling to himself, the wiry young man adjusts his leather skullcap and starts clearing an area some 50 yards from the cairn's entrance. He looks up at their approach.
"Mmm. Have a seat there, Miss. And you too, bruiser." He nods to Trage and Sybana, then indicates the canvas.
"A wolf's mouth is usually clean; but you'll want me to look at the bites anyways."
He sniffs, then says To Alec, "You two; gather up some wood. We'll need the fire later."
He waits for his... suggestions... to be heeded before continuing.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"Something with the Plane of Air? Do you suppose that there's a connection with the whispers of the cairn? Maybe we--you and me and Tolbert can look at it, see if our heads together can make sense of it."

As the last of the party straggles out of the cairn mouth, she doesn't have to be asked twice to sit on the Druid's mat. "Usually clean? I always hear about rabid wolves..." For all her brazen talk in the city, the unfamiliar wilds did intimidate the girl.


@GM:
Have the voices faded back into the original 'whispers' as Sybana left the tunnel?

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert
"Feh. Don't mess with the raw elements of the world. They say that they're the raw spirits of nature given form, And that they're just like nature. Fickle. Harsh. Powerful. Uncaring."
Tolbert stands and wanders over to where Charles as apparently decided that the remainder of the day's activity will not include standing. The young man fetches a wooden bucket from the odds and ends of the camel's burden and brings it to the tarp. With a few muttered syllables and a gesture, the bucket fills with cool, pure water.
He sits and takes a critical look at Sybara's leg. The druid wrinkles his nose.
With some reluctance, Tolbert pulls the thick leather gloves from his hands, revealing long, thin fingers. However, the skin itself is mottled, tenebrous, and uneven, as if his hands were sculpted from the flesh of pomegranates.
"Right." He starts to work washing and dressing the wound, moving his hands with exaggerated care.

Take 10 on heal check for a 16

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

"Elemental Plane of Air? That's biza- oh, yes, right away," Trage stops himself, to take a seat beside Sybana on the mat. "But that is truly bizarre. Perhaps luck will find us in its favor then, as I 'venture that anything with that kind of power backing it up will run for many gold."

As Tolbert takes off his glove, Trage makes note of the man's... distorted... skin. Perhaps in private, he'd find out, but it did cause some concern. Was it due to disease, or ailment, that Trage could not see, nor sense? Did anyone else have something that harmed them as well? Such things he could not heal, but a prayer never hurt anyone, as long as it wasn't done against wishes.

[Jair Barik]

(So are you guys resting then? You regain 1hp per HD, heal checks restore no hp unless they are for long term care.)

@Ellisande

Exiting the deeper parts of the cairn the whispers faded back to normal.

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

"Firewood... alright." At the moment, there wasn't much else to do. If luck was going to grant them favor, as Trage said, he was waiting for it, or at the very least, for less wolves.

The bite had been heavy, and stung, but didn't slow him down. As long as he was careful with the neck at least. "Well, lets take the east passage in the morning then." At least everyone was still able, so that was a plus.

Any check needed to bring the firewood?

If there's a need to set up a watch, Dozla can volunteer as much as needed.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"I don't think there's any power backing it up now, though I did not cast a divination for any magical residue. It seemed well and truly destroyed, and even when whole, it may have only served as an elaborate focus for a spell, instead of a magic device itself. Still, there may be worth in its parts, perhaps the strange black shards. In any event, I am sure we will have opportunity to put our heads together and see if we can come to a better conclusion."
With that, Alec sets off to complete his task of gathering firewood, a bit thankful to get away from the camp as the Druid examined the wounds of his comrades. He had truly been lucky to avoid similar damage, and he hoped they would be alright. Some of those wounds seemed very deep and messy.

[Jair Barik]

Resting outside the cairn for the next day everyone is healed back to full health with the aid of Tolbert's healing skills and magics. Come the evening you all feel much better and are well rested and have encountered no wild animals or bandits but much of Tolbert's magic has been expended.

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

Sybara stands and stretches, marveling at Tolbert's handiwork. Her leg seemed as good as it had been before the mauling. "I didn't expect a recovery this quick." she opined, not adding or at all out loud. And with the previous night's horror a little more distant, she takes another puff on her pipe and asks, "With the beasts in the cairn out of the way, surely there's no harm in looking bit deeper."

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

While he had understood the necessity of such a long rest, so that Tolbert could heal the wounds caused by the wolves, such a long wait after they had barely entered the cairn had gnawed away at Alec's patience. He tried to busy himself by keeping watch to allow the others a better chance at rest, but he made sure to still get enough rest to allow his mind to prepare the magics that would surely be needed for when they did enter into the cairn once more.

Hoping that they could get much further this time, Alec was pacing by the entrance to the cave, ignoring the strange whispers and sounds caused by the clever devices. "Well, if we're ready, let's check out the broken arcane device, then look down the far west passage."

[Jair Barik]

Returning to the apparatus it hasn't changed since the last visit.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

@GM
She doesn't know it, but Auran runs in her elemental blood, and she can (unwittingly) read it. Does that give any insight to the proto-Auran Vaati? Assuming not:

"You're right, there's not much of a hint here to figuring it out. Mirrors always make me think of scrying, but who knows." Sybana was, if anything, even more puzzled than Alec had been. "Interesting, but let's go see the other hallways." She mentally braced herself against the voices she predicted might strengthen again.

[Jair Barik]

@Ellisande

Whilst the words may have some slight similarities to languages she knows they are too old and foreign to be anything intelligible.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
For his own part, Tolbert attends to the healing with a degree of quiet, tight-lipped competence. When dawn comes, The wiry young man quietly excuses himself, uttering dire threats against anyone following him for the next hour or so.

As he passes by Charles, Tolbert raps his knuckles against the creature's tough hide once, and then heads off into the woods.

Charles
The smell of all that blood had bothered Charles at first; it spoke to something in his animal hindbrain and made him edgy. But after a while, he was able to realize that it didn't matter very much that they were bleeding, and the camel was able to concentrate on grazing once more.

==============
Tolbert O'Greigh
Trudging back from his secretive druidic ritual, Tolbert reflects on the trip so far. It wasn't that he minded healing people, precisely. What he minded was healing the boo-boos and sniffles that people whined about whenever they'd been bitten by a wolf or cut with a knife or something. It felt disrespectful to use the power of nature to that end; subverting the natural progression of survival. The real way to heal was to give the body the tools it needed to recover on its own, over time.

If it came down to it, Tolbert knew everyone deserved a fair shot at survival, but at Some Point you had to survive because you were tough or stubborn enough to simply not die, not because you had an ally that could draw up power through the ley-lines and decide to make you walk again. Crude symbiosis? Perhaps. After all, the lot of them at least took those poor starving beasts down before he personally had had a chance to cast a spell.
==========
Tolbert O'Greigh
As the group considers its next move, Tolbert taps his fingers on his walking-stick. He was almost completely drained of power right now.
"Fine, we can go. Keep your eyes and ears open, though."

[Jair Barik]

Headed down the eastern passage it is blocked off in a similar manner to the earlier passage, however unlike that one a hole has been clawed out in the rubble by animals leading to the other side. This hole is big enough for a halfling or gnome but anyone larger would need to get down on hands and knees.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert frowns at the hole that's been scrabbled through the dirt. Wolves could dig, but they weren't big burrowers, usually. He takes a moment to think what animal might have dug that hole.

[roll0]

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

Sybana crouches down, her eyes failing to pierce the dark. "Do you think a little light back there will show us anything?" She picks up a pebble and tests it for weight.

If anyone assents, she'll cast Light on the pebble, then toss it down the hole, hopefully illuminating anything down there.

[Jair Barik]

Judging from the marks it looks as though the tunnel probably was burrowed out by the wolves. The pebble lights up the other side and reveals that the 'burrow' is in fact only a tunnel through the rubble and that the passage widens back out to its natural width and height on the other side. A few bones can be seen littering the ground in the wolf den but you can't fully see the den from this side of the cave in.

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

Dozla wondered how long it would have taken that bite to heal normally, or how much a doctor would have charged him. "Tolbert, thanks, I owe you one."

---

"Well, I don't think many kids would crawl through here on a dare..." He stops mid way, shaking his head. "Nah, they probably would, but odds are that section has seen less people then this side."

He crouches down and takes off his pack. Holding instead just his shield and the mace at his side, he takes a look into the small tunnel. After a bit of thought, he pulls a rope out of the pack and ties it around the straps, taking the coiled end. "Unless anyone's against, I'll go get a better look at the other side. I'll holler if anything comes up." That said, he gets on his knees and crawls to the other end of the tunnel, shield ready to go up if needed.

OoC
The bit with the rope is just that that he can pull his back through the tunnel once he's on the other end.

[Jair Barik]

The far side of the rubble is rank with the smell of wild animals. Irregular piles of rubble litter the den, as do hundreds of bones and bone fragments from the creatures’ past meals. Most of these belong to animals, but a few are unmistakably human. There are no other exits out of the den.

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

"Dead end, be back in a few minutes." Shaking his head, Dozla uses his mace to move the bones and rubble around as he searches the room. Afterwards, he picks up the stone Sybana's stone, one of the human bones, and anything else that may have been of interest, and crawls back through to tunnels to join the others.

"I guess we were lucky, there were some human bones in there." He hands the stone back to Sybana and goes on to undo knots he'd just done with the rope.

OoC
Taking 20 on Search checks to cover the room, which amounts to 20 with a +0 mod.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"Some of the kids may not have come home after all," Sybana murmurs as she looks at the skull.

Slightly shaken, but still determined, she continues, "Let's check the other passages anyway. The green flame's room next? Or a side hallway?" Though most curious about the flame herself, she looks mostly to Tolbert, who's gruff manners hid the wisdom that kept them alive last night.

[Jair Barik]

Performing a thorough search of the den Dozla finds a number of interesting things. First of all beneath a pile of bones in the northern area of the den he finds an old leather backpack. Inside of this is an elaborate lantern of indigo metal inset with indigo glass panes. After this he finds an intricately carved armband of unmistakable elven craftsmanship, bearing a repeating leaf motif on the opposite side of the den. Finally, hidden amongst the rubble itself he finds what appears to be a marble index finger cracked off a statue.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Well, if the pattern of the rooms proves true, the west passage should be another dead end that we can quickly search through before continuing on to discover the mystery of that green light." Alec says in response to Sybana's query. With the wolves vanquished and the horrible whispers just being a wind device, he was much more at ease in the place. Assuming no more wild animals nested here, they may be able to get through quite safely and find an object or two of value to sell.

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

"There was also a purple lantern, a leafy armband and a little stone finger..." One way or another, this was what they were here for, and if you were already trying to loot an ancient cairn, then you might as well loot more recent bodies. "Hope they're worth a bit, and who knows, maybe the rest of the statue is further inside."

He tosses the finger in his side pouch, and slings the old pack with the lantern and bracer over his shoulder. If anyone wishes t look at them though, he'll hand them over. "Well, lets see if you're right Alec."

[Jair Barik]

Headed to the western passage it ends in a dias. The wide dais spanning the back half of the western wing calls attention to a faded fresco upon the south, west, and north walls. From a vantage point at the center of the dais, the wall painting makes it look like you stand within a massive room with seven short hallways radiating outward from a central point. A chain dangles from the ceiling at the end of each hallway, and each chain bears a gleaming colored lantern. Clockwise, the colors are red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, and violet.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

As they get closer to the room and able to behold it more clearly in the torchlight, Alec cannot keep his admiration of the peculiar design from being vocalized. "Interesting. Most interesting."
He mutters as he paces slowly around the room, examining each feature of the room, but focusing mostly on the fresco and the chains. "A mysterious green light, a purple torch, and now a room with rainbow colours. Some sort've significance. A puzzle perhaps?"
After his initial walk about, Alec head's over to the indigo torch and examines it again, giving a pull on the chain that holds it, before beckoning to Dozla. "Mind bringing that lantern you found in the wolf den over here Dozla?"

Taking twenty on a search for 27. If the chain appears safe, totally giving it a good strong experimental tug.

[Jair Barik]

There is nothing untoward about the picture but as it is just a picture it cannot be interacted with.

(in case it was unclear the fresco is of the seven passages, with each picture of a passage having a chain/lantern at the end of it.)

[Ryuuk]

Dozla

Dozla puts the pack down and takes out the indigo lantern. "Here." The room was not really what he expcted in an old tomb. What he hoped to find, sure, but not what he expected. As he hands it over the lantern from the den, he starts trying to figure out how much each of the others would sell.

OoC
Just to make sure, there would currently be two lanterns in the room then? One hanging from the chain, the other being the one we found in the wolf den and carried in here?

[Jair Barik]

((no. the chains and lanterns are paintings on the walls. there are no passages leading off of this room nor any objects. only the paintings on the walls))

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Taking the lantern from his companion, the mage compares the design of the real lantern with that depicted on the wall. "I don't think there is much to do in this room, but I reckon we've just found a valuable clue to match this object Dozla found in the den, which I have a hunch may be an important key in exploring this cairn. And if my hunch is right, we should be finding another of these lanterns soon." he says excitedly. This was fun, seeing ancient ruins and what he hoped was an equally old puzzle, though he had fears that he was reading too much into it. He would look like a fool if proved wrong, but he was, mostly, in the company of friends, so it was a risk he was willing to take rather than keep quiet. Well, share the reasonable part of the hunch. I have no idea why I suddenly feel we'll find some powerful magic ring at the green lantern. What a strange thought.

If no one else shows a particular interest in the fresco room, Alec leads the way to the main hall and the green light. "Let's get to the bottom of what that green light is now."

Oops, yeah, I thought the lanterns were something separate.

[Jair Barik]

Returning to the central passage and brushing aside the webs Alec finds a wide stairway that descends into an immense domed chamber. Seven short tunnels branch from the room in all directions, extending some thirty feet before ending in rounded walls. At the terminus of each passage, a thick chain dangles from an unseen high ceiling. Five of the chains bear colorful lanterns, but two hold nothing at all. Opposite the entry stairs, a bright green lantern containing what looks like a torch casts a weird, murky light about the room. Countless chips of glass and shiny metal inset into the chamber’s domed ceiling reflect this light, giving the impression of starlight and falling snow. The dome starts about ten feet off the ground and reaches an apex about thirty feet over the center of the room.

Below the dome’s peak, a long dais holds what appears to be a marble sarcophagus. A milky white bas-relief figure, perhaps of a human, rests passively upon the sarcophagus lid. Unlike the rest of the tomb, this room is completely silent.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert can only shake his head at the sight of this tomb.
"So much effort and so much space, all so that the lid of the coffin has something nice to look at for eternity? Sometimes the civilized world just doesn't make any sense." As a point of interest, he considers the stars and snow overhead, tapping his staff on the stone reflectively as he does.
"What do you suppose chains meant to these people? Seems to be a common thread in the ornaments around here, along with the colors."

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"Do the chains mean anything? It's just a handy way to hang a lantern, isn't it? It's the rainbow pattern that's the key." After marveling at the sight for a bit, she walks up to the green lantern that perplexed them so, looking around its alcove and up towards an unseen ceiling. "Who keeps them lit? And could we climb it, you think?"

By the pattern in the painting, which colour lamps are missing? Are the five remaining lit, or just the green one?

[Jair Barik]

In total there are eight passages (including the one you entered).
Starting at 12 o clock these are as follows.
The glowing green lantern.
A blue lantern.
An empty chain.
A violet lantern.
The entrance tunnel.
An empty chain.
A orange lantern.
A yellow lantern.

Only the green lantern is lit, the others have no torches. Moving to examine the roof above the green lantern Sybana can just make out the chain it hangs from originates at the roof of this tunnel, 40ft of the ground.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"Wonder where the red one is," Sybana muses. "Think a more fortunate explorer found it? Maybe it's still around here somewhere..."

She'll start a search around the room for it or anything they're missing, taking 20. Or if someone else starts, she'll Aid Another on it...[roll0]

[Jair Barik]

Examining the sarcophagus in closer detail the party will note a number of things. The lid bears a white stone relief of a tall figure cloaked in a simple garment of flowing cloth. It’s difficult to say why, exactly, but the outfit conjures thoughts of ancient times. The figure at first looks human, but a cursory examination reveals that it is about 7 feet tall, is completely hairless, and is of indeterminate sex. Its arms and hands rest at its side. The left hand curls upon itself in a fist, but the right is placed palm up, with the thumb turned in and all but the index finger held parallel to the arm. The index finger is broken off and missing. The figure wears a scarab-like amulet around its neck, inscribed with a rune similar to that you encountered earlier. The sarcophagus rests upon a small raised platform carved in the shape of a stylistic arrow, with the tip aligned with the head of the relief figure upon the lid and a short “shaft” extending from the foot of the sarcophagus. This 'arrow' points at the orange lantern's tunnel.

The ceiling of the tunnels is 10 feet off the ground, but the alcove ceilings at the ends of the tunnels extend 40 feet with the exception of the ceiling above the blue lantern which cannot be seen in standard torch light. Beneath the blue lantern a skeleton lies in a heap on the floor. Examining the floor beneath each lantern (or beneath the chain where the alcove lacks a lantern) is a circle of about 5ft in diameter carved into the floor.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert proceeds along the floor of the grand internment chamber, his attention caught by the sad, sorry heap beneath the blue lantern.
"Well well," he muses. "Another potential looter meets an end. One wonders why here, though? She couldn't have gotten lost, and if animals had got to her -like her likely companion- I'd expect the bones to be more scattered. Let's see now..."

[roll0]

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Truly an amazing construction. But there must be some significance to all this as well. Perhaps a mechanism triggered by the weight of the lanterns on the chains, or the different colours of light being present and reflecting off carefully angled pieces of glass in metal in the domed ceiling." he exclaims as he looks at the ancient architecture. "Well, or it could be nothing. But I think we should try to perhaps recreate the original scene first before taking the torches and calling it a day.", and following his suggestion, he will place the indigo lantern in it's appropriately empty space. "Dozla, you said you found a stone finger, does it match with the sarcophagus?"

After placing the lantern, Alec joins Sybana in the search for the red lantern in the room, but also trying to examine some of the stranger symbols and circles of the room.

Taking twenty on the room search for 27, if that reveals anything new. Doing knowledge arcana on the circles by the lanterns and for anything else particularly arcane about here, like the burning torch, and a decipher script for the rune on the coffin.
[roll0]
[roll1]

[Jair Barik]

Checking the body Tolbert can determine that the skeleton has a number of broken bones suggesting they fell from a great height.

The circles seem to bare no arcane significance and Alec can't determine the meaning of the coffins script. The finger does look like it would be a perfect fit on the coffin though.

(Place the lantern where?)

[Pink]

((How are the other lanterns connected to their chains? Is it not possible to attach the indigo one in the same fashion?))

[Jair Barik]

There is a hook on the end of each chain by which the lanterns are hung to the ceiling.

(which hook do you place it on I mean)

[Pink]

(Between the Blue and Violet lanterns)

[Jair Barik]

The lantern clips onto the hook but nothing happens.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
"Hold it!"Tolbert's voice rings out in the stilly air as he straightens up. Something didn't feel right about this.
"Something's wrong here. This unlucky fellow fell from a great height. No one meddle with things in this room for a moment."With that, Tolbert cranes his neck upwards to look at the hidden ceiling of the blue lantern section.

[Jair Barik]

The darkness extends beyond Tolbert's vision the chain that the lamp is attatched to reaching up into the darkness and out of sight.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

A little disapointed that nothing happened when he returned the indigo lamp, though it would figure without all seven little would happen, Alec starts at Tolbert's warning.

Moving over to where the druid and the skeleton were, Alec recites a quick incantation and with a flick of his hand, sends forth four glowing orbs up into the air above the blue lamp, sending them higher and higher to illuminate the way.

Casting Dancing lights, moving them up to their maximum height of 110' unless they reveal something.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert relaxes, slightly.
"Ah. I feared there might be magic afoot, but it looks like the poor bastard slipped trying to climb. I can see why he'd try; this is the only such passage in this room. But what purpose can all this color nonsense serve in a tomb? Some magical thing, do you think?"

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

"It seems like magic. Might just be a trick of the light, though." Sybara opined. "If we found the red one, we could try. Hell, if mundane, any lantern would do in that spot, wouldn't it?"

[Jair Barik]

The dancing lights fly up illuminating the roof. The ceiling over the blue lantern, is 50 feet high. At the top of the shaft, another passage leads to the northeast, a thin passage compared to those you have previously encountered only 5ft wide.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert frowns up at the darkness.
"I'm no architect, but what possible reason could there be for this tunnel? perhaps it leads to the place where those whispering tubes were installed, or something. Because if they were trying to guard grave goods, there wouldn't be a chain there...unless it's trapped of course," he adds, looking down thoughtfully at the skeleton at their feet. "I didn't think to look, but I wonder if the looter has alerady been looted?"

[Jair Barik]

The skeleton has no belongings on it.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"A peculiar tunnel indeed Tolbert. Since it seems to be the only way further into this cairn, I'd say it deserves a look. Anybody a skilled climber around here? I have a fifty foot length of rope back at camp, if somebody had a hook or some pitons to hammer into the wall, we may be able to get up there and have a proper look. Could be where the missing red lantern is." Alec says, his spell fading after a minute. A human could easily move through an opening of that size, though maybe a bit cramped, but he certainly wasn't the strongest climber, even if he wasn't wearing his chain shirt.

[Jair Barik]

The wall itself is flat but it is close enough to the chain that it could be used to climb.

(DC 0 for knotted rope with wall to brace against)

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Actually, it looks pretty easy to climb up there. I wonder why this guy fell." Alec says, giving a careful search of the chain. Determining it safe enough, he turns to Tolbert and, with a bit of a roguish smile, says, "Catch me if I fall okay?" before carefully making his way up the chain and wall.

Taken twenty searching for traps, 27, if no trap found climbing up to the passage. Taking ten on climb check, and exploring with Caution to the wind~!

[Jair Barik]

Finding no traps Alec climbs to the top of the chain and into the passage above. A thin passage extends into shadows to the northeast quickly widening to 20ft by 20ft and extending on into the darkness past the limits of your vision.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Securing himself safely within the top passage, Alec gives a shout down to his fellows below, "Everything seems safe. It widens out quite a bit up here, so we should all be able to come up. I can't see far enough to be sure, but this could go quite deep."

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert doesn't laugh.
"Can't think why you're so concerned about the red lantern. They honestly don't look all that valuable. And mind how you go!" He calls upwards,
"I can't heal a broken neck, nor to I wish to have to on account of clumsiness."
He frowns down again at the skeleton. It seems to interest him far more than the tomb that houses it.
"It might have been treachery," he muses. "After all, the skeleton is picked clean. I wonder if two robbers found something rich in the tomb, and one thought to eliminate the other with a tumble town the shaft."
He purses his lips as the ghostly jingle of alec's climb filters down from above.
"But wouldn't a dagger in the back serve as well? I suppose it might have been an accident. But if there were a lot of arms or armor or ungainly loot, I might have expected some scoring on the floor here. Hmm."

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"Well, I've no treachery to fear from Alec." Sybana hands Tolbert her torch. "I'll take a look for myself." She grasps the rope and begins pulling herself upward, feeling much more comfortable than she had on the way into the cairn.


Climb, take 10.

At the top, she'll cast light (on the stone again, since she has it), to shed some light on the area.

[Jair Barik]

The thin passage extends into shadows to the northeast. Perhaps seventy feet away, the passage ends in what looks like an enormous stone human face, its mouth open in an angry scream. The physiology of the face is identical to that of the near-human sexless figure depicted in bas-relief upon the sarcophagus in the room below. The screaming visage dominates the entire 20-ft. by 20-ft. wall at the end of the corridor.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Remarkable!" exclaims Alec as Sybana brings light into the dark room. "This is much more than just a maintenance room for the whispering pipes. And yet another dead end, not the continuance I hoped for."
Thinking these thoughts aloud, the young Mage begins a careful search of the room, hoping that it was more than just an angry visage.

More taking of twenty on a search for 27, looking specifically for a secret door of sorts.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"There must be something more. Who would build a tunnel up here, just to put a carving at the end?" She carries the light behind Alec, assisting in the search.

Aid Another: Search: [roll0]

[Jair Barik]

Before beggining down the passage Alec and Sybana find several long scratch marks as if something had been dragged along the floor towards the lip leading 40ft down back into the main chamber.

[Ellisande]

"Something" like "moving heavy furniture" or "something" more like "claws or fingers trying to find purchase"?

[Jair Barik]

Closer examination suggests they were caused by a weapon of some sort being dragged along the ground, wether they were trying to find purchase is unclear.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Alec observes the strange scratches and begins to give a careful examination of the room and hallway for any devices that may be the source of them, continuing forward to the carving if his search reveals nothing. "I wonder what strange history this room must hold."

continuing to take twenty, keeping an eye out for traps.

[Jair Barik]

Taking about an hour and a half slowly search every portion of the tunnel a little at a time Alec eventually finds a large pressure pad about 60ft down the passage and just in front of the stone face that looks like it covers all the ground between where you are now and where the corridor ends. It appears to be rigged up to produce some form of magical efffect when activated.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Alec gives a nervous smile as he finds the trap. It was more than just mechanics protecting this place, there was magic as well. "Sybana, there is magic poised to go off if anyone enters the space within ten feet of the relief. I am going to try to disarm it to examine the wall. However I cannot assure your or my safety in doing this. I suggest you retreat back to Tolbert."

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"I wondered if the bloke below was the cause." In a tone that might be callous or simply darkly humorous, she continued, "Still, his loss, our gain."

She takes his advice partway, retreating to the edge and watching from there, ready to flee but too curious not to look. She calls down to the allies below, "It was a trap! Alec's going to disarm it."

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Taking out his lockpicking tools, Alec selected three item from the leather container, a small hammer, a small chisel, and a crystal prism. Disarming magical traps was a tricky science, but he had picked up a few things, magic was all the rage amongst the rich in protecting their valuables, but there were things to get around them. Some magic mechanisms were delicate, and a certain amount of magical interference could cause them to be bypassed, or rendered inert, or, if you were really lucky, change the parameters of their setting to whatever you wanted.

He started by using the hammer and chisel to carve several various runes and arcane symbols into the stone floor nearby. Nothing particularly magical, but any symbol of significant arcane power collected a small amount of ambient magic about it. Usually not enough to be detected, but sometimes enough to make a magic trap inert. After carving a few into the stone, he returned the chisel to the leather pocket of the tool kit, and then held the crystal over the mystic pattern, and gave it a solid tap with the hammer. If it worked correctly, the crystal should gather the magic of the symbols, and the vibration should send it out at the correct frequency that would make passage through the area safe. If it wasn't correct...

Okay, disable Device time.
[roll0]
If I get a result that is "Good, but not good enough." Alec will try again, feel free to just roll for me until I either succeed or set the trap off. If he sets off the trap...well, we'll see what happens.

[Jair Barik]

@Ellisande

Up ahead you see Alec tinkering with the pressure plate. After a short time you hear an audible click and upahead you make out the stone face coming to life. Its mouth opens and begins roaring, a terrible wind striking you and preventing you moving. At the same time as this the eyes of the face snap open and colours spiral out of them and down the passage in colours of red, orange, yellow, blue, violet and indigo. Up ahead you can make out Alec's form frozen unnaturally in place where he stands. The winds get worse and you are knocked to the ground and still Alec doesn't move as the eyes and mouth continue to press against you. Finally as the wind strengthens once more you can finally resist no longer and you are blown out of the passage and into the main room. Cracking your head against a wall as you go (4 non lethal damage) it appears that the end is in sight as you plumet towards the ground but reacting quickly you manage to grab a hold of the chain that the lantern hangs from preventing your fall. A few seconds after this Alec's body flies out of the passage, motionless no more. Unlike you though he is not quick enough to grab the chain and crashes to the ground his body lying still beneath you, a pool of blood begin to form but his chest still rising and falling implying he is not quite dead yet. As he hits the ground the roaring of wind from the passage comes to an end and the lights darken to nothing.

@Pink

Tinkering with the pressure plate you find the mechanism more complex than anything you have seen before. After a short time you hear an audible click and ahead of you the stone face comes to life. Its mouth opens and begins roaring, a terrible wind striking you and preventing you moving. At the same time as this the eyes of the face snap open and colours spiral out of them and down the passage in colours of red, orange, yellow, blue, violet and indigo. As the wall of colour hits you your body tightens, your joints frozen in place and incapable of movement or even speach. The wind begins to worsen and you fall to the ground, still unable to move. You suddenly realise that the wind is still getting stronger and your still frozen body begins to move backwards down the passage, bashing against the walls as it goes (2 non lethal damage). You finally manage to snap out of whatever magic has held you in place but it seems to be all for naught. By now the winds are of strengths unlike anything you have ever felt before and you fly down the rest of the length of the passage bashing against walls, ceiling and floor as you go (10 non lethal damage). You can feel yourself beggining to pass into unconsciousness as you fall from the corridor and towards the ground. You can make out Sybana holding onto the lantern chain and briefly attempt to do the same but you miss horribly and continue to fall towards the skeleton below, well aware now of how he met his end. Thankfully you pass out before feeling the pain of hitting the ground (you take 12 lethal damage, this puts you at -6, you are now bleeding to death).

The Rest of the party
Shortly after Sybana calls out about the trap you all hear an unearthly roaring fill the deathly quiet chamber. It is accompanied by a light breeze that fills the entire room and those of you looking at Sybana see her begin to stumble and lurch as well as a strange plethora of coloured lights that emenate from the secret passage. As the roaring gets louder so does the breeze get stronger and you see Sybana fall over. Still the noise increases and the young sorceress flies from the passage only just managing to catch the chain by which the lantern hangs to halt her fall. Shortly after she falls from the passage the battered form of Alec also flies out but unlike Sybana he seems incapable of catching the chain and crashes to the ground atop the skeletons bones. His form is motionless, except for a few signs of breathing and his wounds are extensive, a pool of blood forming around him as he begins to bleed out. As he hits the ground the lights from the passage vanish, the breeze ends and the room falls back into a state of silence.



Sybana
-Fall reflex [roll0] [roll1]
will saves [roll2] [roll3] [roll4] [roll5]
-Fort save [roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8] [roll9]
[roll10] [roll11]

Alec
-Fall reflex [roll12] [roll13]
will saves [roll14] [roll15] [roll16] [roll17]
-Fort save [roll18]
[roll19]
[roll20] [roll21] [roll22]
[roll23] [roll24] [roll25]

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

In his mind, he ran through different verses of prayers to Cuthbert. One for power. One for protection. One for duty. One for the law. And one for himself, so that he did not repeat his flaws. They were ingrained in his memory, but they still demanded the proper times. Finished, he rises, then runs, as he hears a terrible roar come from the chamber where most of his party had went. He steps through, just in time to see Alec fall out from above and down to the floor. He runs to the man's bleeding side, panicking. So early, and a bad way to start the day. "What in the Saint's name happened?"

Taking Aid Another action on Heal to help Tolbert. Hoping for nine or more for this to work. If the result is 10 or more, Tolbert gets a +2 on his Heal Check.

[roll0]
Edit: FFFFFFUUUUUUU

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

After sliding down the rest of the chain, Sybana rubs the rapidly-developing bruise on her forehead. "An impressive magical trap. Lights in these colours"-she gestures at the seven lanterns-"froze us, and wind blew us down the hall... The skeleton's fate, no doubt. Will Alec be ok?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert winces as he starts to hear the wind rush from above and see the flicker of lights. He glances down at the skeleton at his feet and takes a few hasty steps backwards.
*Crash*
The shock fading from his face, Tolbert grimaces and adjusts his leather skullcap with ill-humor.
Kneeling down, he takes a look at the still, bleeding form of Alec.
"Well," he says, finally, "no broken neck that I can find. Probably shouldn't move him though."
Grumbling, Tolbert sets about the frantic work of saving the young mage's life.
[roll0]

[Jair Barik]

Tolbert's attempt fails to stem the bleeding and Alec's body fails to stabalise on its own, thankfully he isn't dead yet.
(Alec takes 1 damage from bleeding).


[roll0] low is bad

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert takes a deep breath and brushes a little clammy sweat from how brow. No need to rush now, he chides himself, Take it easy. You have the skills and you have the tools, and he's not dead yet. Do it right.
Taking a bit more care about his work, the scruffy young man sets to work once more to staunch and stitch.

take 10 on heal for 16 to First Aid.


Meanwhile...

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english2010/photo/2010-02/21/13182294_11n.jpg
outdoor Charles. happy Charles.

[Jair Barik]

Taking his time Tolbert is able to stem the bleeding and stabalise Alec.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert sits back on his haunches.
"There. He's not dead."With that, he climbs to his feet.
"C'mon," he nods glumly to the armored warrior at his side. "Let's get that sheet for a stretcher. He can be moved now, at least."He spares a glance for Sybara, giving her forehead a critical look, but then he nods, satisfied.

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

"I guess we'll settle in for a bit. A relief that Alec'll be ok." Still feeling a bit stunned, Sybara finds a corner to curl up in as the party rests. She chooses the niche with the orange lantern, as it had piqued her interest before.

As she starts to feel better, she'll start looking around the niche--taking a very slow 20 to notice anything peculiar (total 22)

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert heads out after a few gruff medical instructions, grumbling as he make his way out of the cave and back to where Charles sat, contemplating a rock.
"Come on, Charles," he says, patting the beast. "Let's find some food for the cubs, eh?"Some time later, Tolbert returns with a few handfuls of bitter, edible greens and a small hare. Setting back down on the canvas, he takes a perfunctory glance at Alec's condition.
"mmm. Yes, I'm fairly certain he'll at least make it until morning."He sets about building a small campfire.
"Tell me... have you all been out in the wide world before? I'll admit I wasn't expecting magical traps in a barrow like this, but none of you seem to have a lot of caution."

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

That certainly hit home. Trage sat down opposite the small campfire from Tolbert, and his mace out in front of him. "I... no, to be honest. The Teachings guide us away from the ways of the lawbreakers and the unjust, but not against a Wolf."

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert sighs and tugs off his leather skullcap, sweat from the day's work plastering his stiff, brustly hair to his head. He passes a gloved hand across his brow.
"Mm. That's how it is; kids hear stories of fortunes to be had out in the great beyond, and they forget to wonder why no one else has claimed the riches already." He begins cleaning the hare, preparing to flense it for skewers over the fire.
"Remember those bones in the den? and the bones that that fellow yonder almost donated his own to? All people who came before who weren't so lucky in their allies." He pauses again to wipe his brow, blood glistening on the dark edge of the flint knife Tolbert seems to use for cleaning meat.
"Think on that a spell. Nature's might all channelled to let you heal in seconds what would have taken weeks on its own, even If someone were playing nurse to you." He gestures with the knife, expressively.
"Do you appreciate the wonder of it? Now think; why is that power available to you? For no other reason than you're lucky in who happens to be traveling with you. How Fickle is fate, eh?"

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

"I'm afraid you mistake, sir. I didn't come here for fortune and fame or for the stories that I am only told about; I'm here as part of my order demands it. It is a penance, of sorts; I have to know people, have to know their stories and intentions. So many are quick to see only the face of things, without knowing reason. Thus, I am, well, here. Though, between you and me? The establishment that claims to know my God is nothing but a sham, if you ask me."

"Indeed, sir, I do. What you can do is a miracle in and of itself; to do what midwives and physicians try and do in months, you do in seconds, channeling a primal force through your body, to stitch together flesh and bone. I am grateful for it. It is very similar to one of my Instructors, Sir Colin. He knows how to bend the light through his hands, to push the healing of the body through mere seconds, just like you." Trage couldn't help but smile at the man. It was refreshing to talk of matters of decency again.

"I'm slowly beginning to know just how fickle she can be, sir."

[Jair Barik]

Other than the stone circle on the ground Sybana finds nothing unusual at the orange passage. Resting over night Alec's condition improves but he remains unconscious.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert rises early, as is his habit, to greet the dawn. Returning to the campsite, Tolbert reflects on the rituals he performed every morning. It had taken him some time to get it right, and while he could feel the rush of power that pressed around his body as the first rays of the sun crested the hills... it felt somehow unfulfilling. He'd seen some of his colleagues complete their rites and then nearly glow with vigor and energy, and others it brought a mystifying calm and focus for the first few hours. What was he missing? They said the connection got stronger, somehow, but Tolbert could never get them to say how or why it did.

Kneeling once more by Alec, Tolbert checks his vitals.
"Hmm. Well, I'll get him back on his feet, anyways."
Tolbert Raises his hand, Then begins a low chant. With surgical precision taps Alec on the throat, the chest, and then once between the eyes. A low thrum sounds, and the druid sits back,
"There. He'll be about in a minute or two."

Sudden Extend Lesser Vigor, +22 hp over the next 2 minutes.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

It was dark. Cold. Alone. How Alec hated his dreams when he fell asleep sober. Reminders that he'd been abandoned, his family taken away. If he had just wanted to be a merchant like his father, his parents wouldn't have needed to travel to such dangerous places. It was his fault, he deserved to be alone. That was what the whispers always seemed to say, and this time it seemed worse, as if they were actually inflicting physical pain.

Alec's eyes fluttered open. He WAS in physical pain. Rapidly he tried to piece together the jump in time to how he now came to be lying upon the healer's mat, hurt but at the same time, the pain was slowly lessening. Giving a try at getting up, but groaning as bruises and honestly protested the moment, for now, he spoke from where he lay. "What happened? How long have I been out?"

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert looks down at Alec as he struggles back to consciousness. It was a triumph of life, it was.
"What happened? You tripped a magic trap and then fell thirty feet onto hard stone is what happened." He sighs.
"Don't worry; it's not really your fault. They're designed to be hidden, so it's not really a surprise you blundered across one."
He hands Alec a handful of cold cooked rabbit wrapped in bitter greens.
"Some breakfast. You've been out a whole day, after all."

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"Glad you're ok, Alec. That was an impressive fall." Somewhat rested, she rejoins her companions. Incorrigible (and at least a little bit impatient), she continues. "How're you feeling? Not disheartened, I hope!"

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

The experience comes back to him. The whoosh of air and the blast of colours...but not every colour.
With a sheepish smile, and feeling completely cured after a moment of sitting there, Alec responds, "Actually, it was sort've my fault. I found the trap and could have backed away, but I tried to bypass it, and it was beyond my skill. Thank you Tolbert, you've surely saved my life."
Taking the cooked rabbit, Alec takes a few minutes to prepare his mind for casting magic throughout the day, and then returns. "I don't suppose the rest of you found the red lantern down there while I was out did you? I noticed something when that trap went off. I was assaulted by beams of red, orange, yellow, blue, indigo and violet energy, but not green. Green was the only lantern that was lit below. As we've found no further way through the Cairn, save by digging through rubble, I think that the lanterns hold a way to bypass the trap, if all seven are lit and on the chains. There may be a way further in past that trap if we could disarm it."

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

"No luck finding the lantern." Sybana's voice is a little discouraged, as she thinks back to each of the other rooms. "Do you think lighting just the other five would do much? Weaken it enough to get by?" She falls silent for a moment. "The only place we haven't searched is the sarcophagus itself, isn't it?" Thoughts of trying to manufacture their own red lantern have faded from her thoughts--she assumes they are magical after the trap.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"It's hard to say. We may be able to weaken it enough with all but the red lit, but I don't want to take that chance if we don't have to. I think, as disrespectful as it seems, we may need to break into the sarcophagus to see if the red lamp is within there. If it isn't, then we'll have to try to see if we can get by the weakened trap. Does anyone object? Alec says to the rest of the assembled group

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert shrugs. "More disrespectful than trying to loot the tomb in the first place? Well, carry on then. But if there's traps in the hallway, you can bet there'll be one on the sarcophagus itself."

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

Sybana didn't really give a fig for the ancient dead; she knew she had to push forward, for herself and her family's sake. Forestalling any other objections, she proposes, "I bet we could break off a spar of the arcane apparatus as a prybar, if nobody has anything suitable."

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Well then, what are we waiting for." Alec says, still riding the high of the healing magic, he doubted that Tolbert would cast it for recreational purposes, but it might be worth asking when the adventure was finished and it was time to celebrate. Maybe there was a way to get a potion of it from a temple. The temple of Wee Jas would probably sell one for the right price.
Heading back to the sarcophagus room, Alec casts a spell to allow him to see into the arcane spectrum, to see the colour of magic, and after observing the stone coffin, takes a glance down each alcove towards lantern and chain before the spells duration runs out. Once satisfied, he carefully searches the area around, and the sarcophagus itself. Once again he asks, "Dozla, can I see the stone finger you found from the wolf den?

Detect Magic cast. Take 20 search on coffin.

[Jair Barik]

None of the lanterns radiate magic, only the green torch itself does that. The coffin also radiates magic and a thorough search reveals that the lid of the coffin is in fact booby trapped.

[Ellisande]

Sybara

"Something nasty in there, huh?" She gazes at it speculatively, wishing she had Alec's trick of seeing magic. "Well, can't be worse than the trap above, can it?"

In a curious moment, before the sarcophagus lid gets moved, she takes the broken stone finger from Alec and holds it in place on the relief, looking upward to see where it points.

Anyone got an idea other than smashing this thing open?

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Another magic trap. Right enough Tolbert." Alec says, casually circling the bed of the dead. "Right. Let's see if we can put as many things in our favour as possible."

While he may look a bit silly, Alec starts his procedure of what may or not be safeguards. He starts by removing the magical torch from the green lantern and inserting it into the Orange lantern that the arrow on the coffin points towards. He then takes the stone finger from Dozla to insert it back into place in the carving. Then, hoping there is some significance in the matching rune from the apparatus chamber and the scared adult the relief wears on its neck, Alec steps back from the coffin, beyond the circles on the floor, and shouts in a powerful voice meant for arcane words, "Vaati, Vaati, Vaati!"

If his actions procure no results, Alec will sigh and pull out his trap disarming tools once more. "What we subject ourselves to for money. Give some good distance guys, don't need more than one person caught in this if it goes off. Tolbert, I hate to damage your handywork so soon afterwards, but there's no going forward if we can't get past these traps. Don't think me too much of a fool." Then, with a flash of a smile, he tries to disarm this latest trap.

Here's hoping I don't hurt myself, again.
[roll0]

[Jair Barik]

Attempting to disarm the trap something goes wrong. A wave of flame washes outwards from the sarcophagus, singing Alec who avoids the worst of the fire (2 damage).


[roll0] [roll1]

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Jumping back and clutching his burnt arm while trying to put out the flames on his sleeve, Alec cursed himself. You drew the circle of Who'di'nae, a classic charm for getting past magical locks and traps, widdershins, not clockwise.
Turning sheepishly back to the rest of the party, the mage says, "Well, at least this one isn't as bad as the other. I umm, wasn't exactly at the top of my game there, I could give it another try, or we could just tough it out and brave the flames to smash it open."

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

Her scheme with the finger already forgotten (and convinced by Alec's show of stoicism), she thinks out loud. "If that's as bad as it gets, does it matter? Take another shot at it, or we can find a hammer."

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Alright then. I'll give it another try or so, and when I'm too burnt up we'll let the muscle take a try at it. In fact, there's always the chance that it's been damaged by time and will only go off once...But better not take the risk."
Once again wielding strange tools in strange ways, muttering half-incantations under his breath, the beguiler tries to disarm the trap without setting it off.

[roll0]
If I get close but neither disarm it nor set it off, I will continue until I get one or the other result.

[Jair Barik]

The trap is set off again scorching Alec once more (1 damage).


[roll0] [roll1]

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Alec swears, curses, jumps around a little to lessen the sudden pain, and then decides to give it one more try before calling in the muscle. It was getting personal.

[roll0]
Once again, if I do not take damage, I will continue attempts.

[Jair Barik]

Again the trap goes off (2 damage).


[roll0] [roll1]

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert merely stands by and watches, shaking his head between flinching at each flash of magical fire. He knew magical traps weren't trivial to put in, but it seemed odd to him that the one on the sarcophagus should be so far less deadly than the auxillary one. Unless the coffin were a fake, of course, and the real tomb were deeper in the complex.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

He had tried. He had tried three times and had only burns and singed clothes for his effort. Glaring at the chest, as though shooting daggers at it with his eyes, Alec packs up his tool and turns towards Trage and Dozla. "Your turn. Smash it to pieces please."

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert clears his throat, ready to voice his misgivings.
"Have you considered? This trap... you've triggered it three times and ended up with a few burns. The other trap, you triggered once and very nearly died. Does it not seem odd? If this sarcophagus is the resting place of the most important person in this barrow, would it not have a more deadly trap to stop looters or vandals, e.g. us? It makes one wonder if this isn't a decoy tomb, or if that space you were poking about in earlier wasn't more important, somehow."

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

While pulling off some parts of his clothes that are merely burnt ash at this point, Alec ponders the Druid's words. "There could be many possibilities, it is true. However, unless we are to solve the puzzle of that trap, that area is most definitely beyond our limits to venture into. I will certainly agree that something more important must be guarded that way, but I think first we should solve the mysteries that just give us little burns instead of threatening us with death." he replies, indicating the sarcophagus.

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

"Just... smash it? This is someone's grave, and I... well..." Trage says, pondering the idea of defiling someone's resting place like that. Then again, it did occur to him that a resting place would be so... open, if a place were built around it. "If the lid is booby-trapped, is the mechanism inside the sarcophagus? Or is it somehow put forth from the ground? Perhaps we could push it away from its current position, and discover something underneath?"

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"There's more to the place than just this coffin," Sybana agrees. "The secret passage above makes that clear. But how do we find it? Isn't this the only place yet to look?"

"Trage, I tried to spin it. Pretty odd that it points at this odd angle, no?" She indicates the orientation toward the orange lantern's niche. "You can give it another shot, of course."

How many torches do we have between us? Sybana just brought two, and used at least part of one... could we make more, if needed?

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert shrugs.
"Hard to say. I wouldn't expect there to be much in the trapped sarcophagus; a few treasures and a skeleton to satisfy lazy treasure hunters, perhaps. Possibly ancient diseases or cursed things as well, of course. But by all mean, crack it open, if you wish."
he continues,
"I suspect that the answer will only be towards the end of that trapped passage up above. It might, of course, be that when they were building it they had a way to bypass the trap. the lanterns could conceivably be a way of doing that, even if they aren't magic."

[Jair Barik]

(OOC: Looking through the thread I don't seem to recall Sybana ever trying to spin the coffin)

[Ellisande]

(OOC: Looking through the thread I don't seem to recall Sybana ever trying to spin the coffin)
(OOC: Doing the same, I think you're right. I mentioned it in the OOC thread, we've been messing around with it a fair bit, but I don't see it done explicitly.)

Sybana Umarn

"Pretty odd that it points at this odd angle, isn't it, Trage?" She indicates the orientation toward the orange lantern's niche. "No reason we couldn't give it a spin." She steps up, ready to give Trage a hand.

[Jair Barik]

What direction are you trying to move it in, clockwise or anti-clockwise.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
"mmm. While you're manhandling the trapped coffin, perhaps I'll stand over here, in case someone starts dying for a completely unforeseen reason."
Tolbert shuffles to the entrance of the chamber, tapping his walking stick against the cold stone floor, fretfully.

[Ellisande]

Sybana

"Somebody's got no spirit of adventure." Sybana has as much humour in her voice as the frustration of the situation allows. "Let's point it towards that lit green lantern, if it'll turn. We can always try the others later."

If it does set the trap off, Sybana will pause and reconsider, but I figure we'll try pointing it at each of the niches we can spin it to, otherwise.

[Jair Barik]

With some effort Sybana and Alec move the coffin pushing it to face the yellow lantern (the lantern between the orange and the green). Before they can move it on to face the green tunnel though there is a clicking sound as it comes to rest in place and a great rumbling from below the chamber can be heard as the circular stone at the end of the tunnel rises eight feet into the air, pushed up by a 5-foot-diameter metal cylinder that seems to arise from the ground itself. Seconds after it comes to a rest, two thin doors slide into the sides of the cylinder, revealing a small empty chamber.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

An immense feeling of relief washes over the girl at their success. With a bit of a smile, she peers in through the open doors to the newly-revealed chamber. "More to this trap than meets the eye," she quips.

[Jair Barik]

The cylinder is completely empty inside with smooth walls, floor and ceiling.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert's eyebrows raise as nothing whatever catches on fire.
"Well! I'm pleasantly surprised. It looks like some kind of... moving vault? Empty though; looks like it's been looted already. Still, an interesting find."

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

"Looted already?" Her heart sank. They'd come so far, surely there must be more than this. Something, anything, to forestall Mother's fate. "There must be something, just has to be!" She cries, halfway to despair. "Come on, help me look!"

She'll step into the chamber and give it as thorough a searching as she can--taking twenty, or aiding another on any superiour searcher who might come to her aid.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert approaches the strange vault. Frowning, he taps the interior wall with his staff.
"Smooth walls and floor. Strange sort of vault. Big enough to hold a person... Wonder if it held a sarcophagus of its own at one point. Odd that it should move, though; Hidden doors are sensible, but this... is elaborate."

[Jair Barik]

As Sybana steps inside the doors slam shut again before Tolbert can reach the 'vault'. The cylinder then slides back into the ground , the stone circle clicking into the floor and giving no indication that it had ever moved.

@Sybana

The doors close on you leaving you in darkness. You can feel the cylinder moving and, after about 3 seconds, it comes to a halt. The doors slide quietly open again but the room before you is not the one you entered the cylinder by.

The walls here are covered in bas-relief images similar to the slender figure upon the sarcophagus lid in the chamber above. Nearly a dozen androgynous, hairless humanoids stand in poses of deference, almost as if they are paying homage to the viewer. Many extend their hands in adoration, their faces awash in adulation. Several of the statues lack hands, arms, heads, or anything else easily hacked off by long absent tomb robbers.

About fifteen feet to the south, a dark passage extends from an elaborately carved arch. Only a little of this hallway is visible, however, as a large stone block obscures most of the passage.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert pauses in the act of knocking on the door of the chamber.
"Oh. It was another elaborate trap. Well, that was pretty ingenous. She's been crushed to goo or plunged into boiling water, I shouldn't wonder."
He sighs and crosses his arms.
"Any of you keen to recover the body, then?"

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

Meanwhile, below, Sybara steps curiously out of the chamber. That must be what teleportation feels like, she thinks to herself. I always thought it would be more dramatic, with glowing circles of arcane might at the nodes. She slowly inspects her surroundings with more attention, starting with the subservient statues. She'd figure out how to reverse the teleportation chamber after sating her curiosity, of course.

[Jair Barik]

You all hear a slight rumbling and then the stone cylinder rises up from the ground as it did before. The doors slide open again but Sybara is not indside.

@Sybara

OOC: Please spoiler anything you post until the others meet up with you.

Stepping out of the shaft the doors slide shut behind you and then the entire apparatus ascends leaving a groove in the passage beneath the rising cylinder. Everything in the room is covered in a thin layer of dust and close inspection reveals little other than a small stone button built into the wall next to where the cylinder came down.

[Ellisande]

OOC: Sorry! I really should have thought to spoiler it myself.

Sybara will be waiting a little bit, to see if the others come down (clear of the "landing zone", lest someone teleport into her).

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert frowns.
"Well. I wouldn't expect a hideous deathtrap to be self-cleaning as well."
He taps his fingers on his staff once more and then leans forward to bang the tip on the metal wall.
"Hello? Can you hear me? Still alive, are you?"

[Jair Barik]

Banging the staff on the inside of the cylinder causes no response.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert thinks a bit longer.
"Well. She's either dead or unable to reply. Might be she'll find her way back to us if we wait for a minute or two. Any chance you can tell if the thing is magical, Alec? Might give us some clue if we're looking at a magical trap cylinder."

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

Finally losing patience, Sybara tries pushing the button, standing carefully clear of where she hopes the chamber will appear.

[Jair Barik]

After a little while the doors close and the cylinder descends back into the ground.

@Ellisande

The cylinder descends back down the shaft and its doors open again shortly after you press the button.

[Ellisande]

OOC: This is the first character I've had in forever who hasn't carried writing materials!

Sybara Umarn

Sybara chews her lip, thinking of what might convince the others to follow her. She does a quick search of her belongings, and finds the most characteristic item she has, her long-stemmed pipe. Surely Alec would remember it! She tosses it in, and waits for the teleporter to send it back to her companions.

(if it doesn't after a few seconds, she'll try pushing the button once more.)

[Jair Barik]

Almost as soon as it has descended again the cylinder comes back up again. This time there is a long-stemmed pipe in it that Alec remembers as being Sybaras.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Although initially worried when Sybana doesn't reappear, hope grows in Alec's heart as the chamber returns with Sybana's pipe. "I don't think it's a trap, nor is it magical. I think what we're looking at is a complex mechanism that might be a form of hidden transport. Still, it is odd that Sybana doesn't return herself. Perhaps some trap below restricts her movement."
Alec frowns for a moment, before giving a smile and heading into the chamber, "Something this complex needs a good examining."

[Jair Barik]

As Alec steps into the chamber the doors close and it descends into the ground.

@Alec


The doors close on you leaving you in darkness. You can feel the cylinder moving and, after about 3 seconds, it comes to a halt. The doors slide quietly open again but the room before you is not the one you entered the cylinder by.

The walls here are covered in bas-relief images similar to the slender figure upon the sarcophagus lid in the chamber above. Nearly a dozen androgynous, hairless humanoids stand in poses of deference, almost as if they are paying homage to the viewer. Many extend their hands in adoration, their faces awash in adulation. Several of the statues lack hands, arms, heads, or anything else easily hacked off by long absent tomb robbers.

About fifteen feet to the south, a dark passage extends from an elaborately carved arch. Only a little of this hallway is visible, however, as a large stone block obscures most of the passage, Sybana is waiting here in the chamber.

@Sybana

After a little while the chamber descends and the doors open revealing Alec standing inside.

[Pink]

@Sybana & GM
Alec blinks his eyes to adjust to the difference in lighting, before stepping out and making sure Sybana is alright. "Thank goodness you're alright. I don't think I could ever find rest if Tolbert was right about this being a trap, and I'd just gone to my death with a careless step. Why did you only send your pipe back up?" he says, handing her the item.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

@GM and Alec

"I knew you'd understand," Sybana says cheerfully, taking the pipe and lighting it with a puff of a cantrip. She meant it, her doubts completely forgotten. "I just didn't have parchment to write a note. Watch this!" She gestures to the button and presses it. "I wasn't sure if we could get back down if I went back up, but with this button, the teleportation chamber works, no problems. No heavy sarcophagus to spin, either."

[Pink]

@Sybana & GM
Shaking his head with a wry smile, Alec replies, "Fair enough. You know, I must seem the real fool right now, getting myself half-killed with those traps, and you just push a coffin and find something amazing like this. Well, I'll head back up and invite the others down. We might as well start exploring this way. Who knows what pointing the arrow at the other lanterns might do as well. This could be a huge construction afterall."
With that, Alec will press the button, and try to head back to the others.

[Jair Barik]

The cylinder rises back up then quickly comes back down again. It then comes back up again this time with Alec inside.

@Alec/Sybana

Pressing the button once the cylinder rises up again, when Alec presses it a second time it comes back down. As soon as he steps inside of it the cylinder rises back up.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

Stepping out of the chamber, Alec waves over the rest of the party. "Everything is fine. Sybana is good, she was just testing how easily we can get back and forth. There's a whole 'nother chamber down there. This place has many secrets to explore, hopefully some that will be uncovered for the first time by us. Anyway, come on."
And with that, Alec moves back into the elevator and back to Sybana, hoping the others will follow.

[Ellisande]

Sybana


"Welcome back." Sybana pushes the button to send the device upward once more, intending to get all the adventurers to these chambers.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
A look of mixed relief passes over the young man's face. He'd rather liked that woman, he realized, and didn't want to see her compressed into goo.
"Hmm. All right. Lead on."
He follows Alec into the chamber, but he still views the thing's polished interior with some suspicion.

[Cardea]

Trage Weaver

Trage sighs in relief at seeing Alec and Sybana again. He follows Tolbert, but stops short of the cylinder. "I, uh... I think I'll wait for this to come back up. I don't want to find out if this device has a weight limit."

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert snorts.
"Don't be such a nelly. I'm in this dratted thing, and I've been proven to value my life far above what the average person on this expedition values theirs. Just get in the damn probably-not-a-deathtrap already."

[Jair Barik]

There is only really room for two people at a squeeze in the chamber and as soon as anyone enters it it descends/ascends. However thanks to a button in the lower level it can be repeatedly sent back up and the party can congregate on the flow below.

Upon entering the cylinder the doors close on you leaving you in darkness. You can feel the cylinder moving and, after about 3 seconds, it comes to a halt. The doors slide quietly open again but the room before you is not the one you entered the cylinder by.

The walls here are covered in bas-relief images similar to the slender figure upon the sarcophagus lid in the chamber above. Nearly a dozen androgynous, hairless humanoids stand in poses of deference, almost as if they are paying homage to the viewer. Many extend their hands in adoration, their faces awash in adulation. Several of the statues lack hands, arms, heads, or anything else easily hacked off by long absent tomb robbers.

About fifteen feet to the south, a dark passage extends from an elaborately carved arch. Only a little of this hallway is visible, however, as a large stone block obscures most of the passage and a stone button is on the wall next to the cylinder.

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"So I didn't see much in here, just these statues. Didn't go down that hall." She gestures towards the obscured opening. "Shall we take a look?" Her courage buoyed by her companions' arrival, she goes to the passage and gazes down in.

OOC: I assume we're all down here now?

[Jair Barik]

It is impossible to gaze down the passage in its current state as the stone block completely obscures it bar a small niche ablove the top of the slab that you can't reach from where you are. If you were to climb up it is possible that a nimble person might be able to squeeze through this but otherwise the stone slab prevents any further exploration.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Nice and cozy." Alec says as the whole group crowds into the small area. "Well, I hope it isn't as difficult to climb over that block as it looks. It'd really be nice to make some progress in this place for once. But I suppose that other chambers may also hide secret rooms like this too. If we can't get any further this way, it may be worth spinning that stone coffin full circle to see what other discoveries we find. I figure this wall probably has gems in the relief, and they were hacked out by past groups. Let's hope we can be the first to solve the riddles of this place and really get into the treasure trove though.", Alec says, making small talk as he gives a thorough examination of the small area

Usual take twenty bit for traps and other unusual devices.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert makes a noncommittal noise at the prospect of treasure troves, but he does join Sybana at the stone block. He regards it for a moment, seeking to determine whether the block could have moved or had moved in the past
[roll0]

[Jair Barik]

Whilst far too heavy to pick up it seems possible that the stone block could be pushed over as it doesn't seem to be anchored to the floor in any way. Examining it closely though Alec notes that there is a pressure plate beeneath the block that it is holding down.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"More bloody traps." Alec says, cautioning the druid before Tolbert gives a good shove at the block.
"The question is, what purpose does it serve? Has it already been set off, and the block lies on top of some poor soul's corpse? Is it a set up, to catch people unawares if they try to move it? Is the pressure plate already weighted for the block and the extra weight of a person climbing the block will set it off?" Alec wonders aloud, scratching his chin. He had horrible luck disarming traps here, and the wounds to prove it. But this was what he was hired for. "Shall I give a try and disabling the pressure pad?"

[Ellisande]

Sybana Umarn

"Give it a shot. We'll push the rock out of the way if needbe." She thought Alec was being a little bit of a worry-wart, but after that bump on the head he took, he deserved a break. And perhaps a little caution was warranted.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Alright, give some space." Alec said, getting out his tools once more. Saying a silent prayer to Boccob that the young mage would have many years left to learn the knowledge of the world, not that Boccob cared, he began to attempt disarming the pressure pad.

[roll0]
Keep trying till success, failure, or I know its beyond my skill.

[Jair Barik]

The first attempt produces no response but the second causes something to click. After a few seconds green gas begins pouring out of the statues mouths and flooding into the room, quickly dispersing but causing you all to cough (Alec and Trage both suffer 1 point of strength damage).


[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]
[roll8]
[roll9]
[roll10]
[roll11]
[roll12]

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

It's a good thing Alec is coughing, because otherwise he'd be letting off a litany of swears that he'd regret saying in the company of new friends and a lady. Well, not that Sybana was a lady really, but it still wasn't the thing to do. Fed up with trying to subtly disarm traps, he was ready to see what brute force could do to get them deeper into the death trap filled dungeon.
"Well, I gave it my best shot. If that's all there is to worry about, even if we do trigger it it's not the worse thing in the world. I just feel a bit tired really. Anyway, big guys, let's see if you can move that block aside."

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

Sybara scowls at the statues, not noting her good fortune of being unaffected. Perhaps a few more statues should be headless in here!
After a moment, she turns her gaze to the stone block and her co-worker. "Can you see what set it off, Alec? Could we just crawl over the top?"

OOC: She'll help push the block, if that's the consensus.

[The Great Skenardo]

Tolbert O'Greigh
Tolbert coughs, the green gas causing him some pain even if it deals him no lasting damage. He backs unsteadily towards the brass elevating machine, his haggard face showing annoyance and a little fear.

[Pink]

Alec Cartwright

"Hard to tell. I'm not the best of climbers, but if somebody else could get up there, they might be able to see if we can squeeze past and then lower a rope to assist the rest of us. I suppose it boils down to who we have to volunteer trying that."

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

"I'd give it a shot, but I'm not much of a climber." She eyeballs the rock, trying to figure out if it fell from above, or had been placed in the opening by the creators. "Maybe we should just shove it."

[Ellisande]

Sybara Umarn

"Well, let's see what we can do." The girl steps forward and surveys the block for a moment, then murmurs a few arcane words, and an oily liquid oozes around the base of the block. "Give it a shove with me."

Sybara casts Grease around the base of the stone, to make it slide more easily, and then strives to push it just far enough to slip around one side. Hopefully that's still on the pressure plate.