Tomb of Horrors 3.5 (IC)

[Abemad]

You have traveled many miles from the city of Greyhawk, through the Duchy of Urnst, turning south towards the Bright Lands. You haven’t been able to gather much information about the tomb itself, except that some great evil still lingers there.
All the rumors you have heard of previous expeditions say that none have returned, but that has only made you more determined, after all, that leaves more treasure for you.

Two days after you crossed the Abbor-Alz, just before nightfall, you arrive at a small cluster of hills. All your sources say that this should be the location of the tomb of a long forgotten sorcerer-king.
You make your camp at a nearby hill, under a small withered tree. Early the next day you set out towards the largest of the hills.

A low, flat-topped hill, about 200 yards wide and 300 yards long, protrudes from the earth. Ugly weeds, thorns, and briars grow upon the steep sides and bald top of the 60-foot-high mound.
Black rocks crown the hilltop.

[Eledragon]

A scarred dwarf with thick, oiled black hair with a voluminous braided beard travels besides you. He wears a shining suit of plate mail with the distinctive light blue color of dwarven adamantine. on his back, he wears a seemingly oversized dwarven urgrosh that crackles with flames from the spear end and seems to vibrate with electrical energy from the blade. He is loaded down with what seem to be innumerable pieces of gear, all obviously meant for survival.

"Ach, There's the bloomin' place. 'can practically smell how infested that place is. By the Seven Stones, that'll take forever to clear ou'!"

"I hope all of ya aren't too bigga wusses to mole outta' this, eh?"

[Goldfly]

The Goliath walking beside Singrad lets out a booming laugh, shaking his finely crafted full plate, and causing the huge black greatsword clasped to his back to crash against the shield also carried on his back. He looks down on the dwarf, brilliant blue eyes shining.

"You do not need to worry about that from me, Singrad.
He smiles widely before continuing.
I love a challenge."

[OMG PONIES]

A bespectacled man in his fifties walks between the two hulking masses of muscle, seeming gaunt and emaciated by comparison. He reads from a thick tome, deftly stepping over boulders and tree roots that would hope to trip him. "Now boys," the pedant clucks, "while I admire your bravado, do try to be a bit quieter once we reach the Tomb itself. You see, it's quite simple, really: the vibrations of your voice can carry and echo off the stone, causing unintended consequences. While you may wish to rouse the ire of any beasties dwelling in the dark, you could also trip any taut trapwires or cause a cave-in if there are any loose stone structures." The old man lists the possibly fatal consequences matter-of-factly, as if he had encountered them many times himself. "So, if you don't mind," he says as he arches his eyebrows and glances over his glasses, "let's begin now with our indoor voices, yes?"

[Eledragon]

"Ach, do ye nae' think I kno' tha'? I been clearin' tunnels longer than you been a man, lad!"

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor simply shrugs. "Your curriculum vitae is unknown to me," he says with a smirk. "The only empirical evidence I have upon which to make an assessment is your current behavior, which seems to indicate that you may not be aware of such possibilities. I'm not disputing the longevity of your dungeoneering career; simply its efficiency and tolerance for risk."

While the group hasn't been travelling with the Professor for long, even in this short time you've all come to realize that he's not the type of man to ignore a rhetorical question or recognize sarcasm. He never uses one word when five will do, and he can't wait to explain something--regardless of whether or not his intended audience already knows the information being delivered. Still, there's a strangely endearing quality about the old kook, as his treasure trove of useless information has occassionally been of great use.

[Goldfly]

"One's voice may also cause landslides- that doesn't mean you should keep quiet on a plain.
Tallfighter pauses.
You are correct, though. It would be best to keep quiet in the tunnels themselves."

[Eledragon]

"och, aye, but he dinnat need to say it like he was the smartest bloomin' thing in the world!

and ye look a bit scrawny as well. lemme tell ye, when you've been in the tunnels as long as I have, ye tough up or get eaten. I've stared devils in the face and spit in their eye. can ye say as much?"

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor puts a hand to his chin. "Can't say I've done anything that blatantly foolhardy, no...I'd hate to have such a long-lived, unabashedly evil creature hold a grudge. But still, it's not as simple as 'toughen up or get gobbled up;' my good boy, it's much easier and more profitable to smarten up." A sparkle fills the old man's eye; it seems that he quite enjoys exchanging barbs with the dwarf. "On a more serious note," he adds with a wry laugh, "your muscle and my brains make quite the complementary pair, and each will need the other to survive within. Have you heard the tale of Phinneas Flatsby?"

[Eledragon]

Singrad looks at the man consideringly for a moment, then breaks out in a smile. "I think, we'll get along just fine, lad. I can't say I have heard the tale, though no doubt I won't want to either." he chuckles.

[stanleyindraven]

Having been unsettling quite since the sun rose, Dramethian walks with steady gate beside the others. The sigils floating lightly around his brow cause glinting lights off his mithral shirt. His walking staff makes light tapping noises with every step. "My dear dwarf, I believe you have now started the begining of the story. I know that it will have some anecdote that will prove to be useful at some point. But the matter at hand will be worriesome." He finishes by pointing to the top of the mound.

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor chuckles, clearly not hearing the dwarf's plea to stop the story. "You see," he says and looks off into the middle distance, "old Phinneas Flatsby was a reknowned physicist many moons ago, did all sorts of fascinating treatises on the mathematics of movement. He developed an equation that could calculate the changing speed of a falling rock, and paid a local strongman to bring the biggest boulder he could find in order to test his hypothesis.

Sure enough, the strongman brought the rock--the chap even tied a rope around it and threw the other end of the rope up to Phin's loft so the scientist could hoist the rock up for the first test. Granted, Phinneas' arm was barely strong enough to hold a quill, so the physicist found himself unable to get the rock off the ground. He stormed down the steps to ask the strongman for help, but the chap had already left. When Phinneas got to the front door, he found it shut fast despite his having undone the latch. It turns out the strongman had lacked the mental wherewithal to place the boulder anywhere but smack in front of the door.

Old Phinneas remained trapped in his home until he eventually starved to death. Pity of it all is that he never saw his greatest hypothesis proven. You see, it's not enough to have Phinneas' brains or the strongman's brawn without the other."

[Eledragon]

"Ach, aye, I agree wit' tha'. We used to work in pairs, a warrior and a mage, to tackle things that needed strength or magic. turns out, however, tha' the mages were all wimps, and burrow'd outta thar as fast as a gnome on fire. and we realized how silly it was too. Why in the name of Moradin would we pu' anything magical down a shaft? nothin' magic's needed fer down in the mines tha' can' be accomplished without a strong back and a good pick! if there wer' any magic down in the mines, one wizard weren't gonna fix da problem."

You can tell that Singrad does quite enjoy his job, and leads a relatively happy life. around a fine silver chain on his neck hangs a strange amulet.

[Goldfly]

"My people make sure to always send groups out to perform tasks, and vary who does what each day. That way, we not only have more bodies in case of an emergency, but we have a variety of skills to do what is needed. A druid may look at things differently than a warrior, and can lead to better results.
He smiles at the three downlanders, before continuing.
Also, there tends to be less fighting among members of the tribe, as they will likely have to work together eventually."

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor shrugs and states matter-of-factly, "I've found that it can be a bit limiting to narrow yourself to one vocation. I've always found myself a constant student, and I've been the better for it. If you fancy yourself a fighter, learn to fight. If you want to be a 'spellcaster,'" he says with a droll tone and a roll of his eyes, "learn their tricks. One can never amass too many valuable skills."

[Eledragon]

"aye, I'm not arguin' that it's not effective, I'm just sayin' that for my job's needs, all you need is a good thwackin' arm and a strong set o' armor."

"and arguin'? ye think this is arguin'? this is some friendly conversation! ye ain't seen an argument 'till ye seen a dwarf get mad!" he boasts, seeming proud of his races' rather....volcanic nature.

[Abemad]

The Professor
Looking at the hill, you realise that if one were to see it from the air, it would resemble a giant human skull, the piles of black rock appearing as eye holes, nose hole, and the jagged teeth of a grinning skull.

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor stops, a perplexed look on his face. He closes his eyes and raises his hand, tracing a small pattern in the air in front of him a few times with his index finger. His eyes shoot open, and his raises his finger skyward. "Eureka!" he proclaims, "We may have found the location of the Tomb. If viewed from above, this hill bears striking similarity to a human skull; the black rocks representing the eye sockets and nasal orifice. I recall a passing reference to Skull Hill in one of my texts..."

With this, the Professor begins to leaf through one of his books at breakneck pace, finally stopping as he silently reads one page. His mouth moves without sound as he reads to himself.

[roll0] (burning a point of Inspiration)

[Eledragon]

Suddenly, Singrad dwars his oversized urgrosh with a twirl and booms "IT'S TIME TO HUNT!"

he switches to a slightly more combat-ready stride, after muttering a swift prayer to his necklace, which, strangely enough, is engraved with a suit of armor.

[Goldfly]

Tallfighter silently reaches back and unties his shield, which begins to rotate slowly around him.

[Abemad]

The Professor

... Dead Mans Hill, also known as Skull Hill, is located in the north-western segment of the Bright Desert. It is believed to be a tribute to Wee Jas, although some, unconfirmed, theories state that it may in fact be a tomb of some sort...

[stanleyindraven]

"So, it is time," Dramethian states plainly as he continues his deliberate stride.

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor stops suddenly on one page and raises a finger skyward. "Aha! I had it indexed as Dead Man's Hill; mea culpa. While some believe it to be a tribute to Wee Jas, all scholars agree that it actually serves as a tomb. Precisely whose tomb is a topic of some debate, though." He closes his book for the first time all day and adds, "Shall we settle the matter?"

[Eledragon]

Singrad grins wickedly
"Aye, I believe it's time to do what I came for. Tomb you say? ach, that means that there will undead floatin' around, mark my words. Evil and tombs don't go together."

[stanleyindraven]

"Lucky for us we brought along some holy protection," Dramethian chimes in as he touches his holy symbol.

[Goldfly]

"Let us hope for good luck, then. We may need it.”

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor grins and shakes his head slightly as he chuckles, "Divine protection, magic, luck, call it what you want--we need skill to survive. Luckily, my precursory analysis has proven that we have it in spades." He sets off toward the hill and calls back over his shoulder: "Our first test of this skill will be locating the most preferable method of entry, no?"

The Professor gets to work snooping around the hill, taking his time to mull over any soft spots of soil, blades of grass bent askew, and other things that normal people would ignore.

Take 20 on Spot = 40 to find an entrance.
Take 20 on Search = 43 to visually locate traps on said entrance.
Take 10 on Disable Device = 33 to disable said traps (if found).

Burning Inspiration points 2/4 for this "encounter" to Spot the entrance, 3/4 to Search said entrance for traps if an entrance is found, and 4/4 to disable said traps if any are found.

[stanleyindraven]

"Hmm, I would assume the 'eyes, nose or even a mouth' would be the most likely entrances to such a tomb," Dramethian states as he makes his way carefully up the hill.

[OMG PONIES]

"Aye," the Professor says without looking back at Dramethian as he shakes a small bush and stomps on the ground, looking for hidden entrances. "But the most likely entrances are also the most deadly, no? I'd rather we spend the time finding an unsecured back door than charge blindly to our doom."

[Abemad]

After finding what you believe to be an entrance, the others help you remove the rubble hiding it. After about an hour, you have cleared enough of the passage to make it through without incident.
Inside is an unlit tunnel. You can barely make out a pair of double doors at the end, about 60 feet in.

The professor slowly makes his way into the tunnel, visibly checking the floor, walls and the ceiling.

The Professor
About halfway in, on the eastern wall, you think you've discovered two seams in the wall. It could be sliding stone...
Closer in, you find what appears to be the trigger mechanism. While you do not believe you can disable the trap, you can mark the trigger, a 10 foot area spanning the hallway.

[stanleyindraven]

Dramethian will quietly tail the Professor as he decends into the tunnel. He will stand by the 'sliding stone' part of the wall, standing just to one side of it.

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor holds up a hand to stop the group. "Does everyone see the sliding stone?" he asks, pointing out the seams to the group. "Would everyone please assemble on the inside of the seams? I'd hate to separate us this soon." He then pulls a strange, red chalk from his pack and draws an X immediately before the trigger mechanism on the floor. "Finder's chalk," he says, barely above a whisper, "I'll be marking our path. X is for hazards. This 10-foot section seems to be trapped."

The Professor stows the chalk back in his pack and pulls out a strange cylinder. Pulling on the ends, he extends the cylinder until it is an eleven-foot pole. He reaches deftly over the trapped 10-foot area and taps the ground on the other side, checking to see if there are any triggers after the main trigger. Clever dungeon architects, he muses to himself, even think of ways to kill the careful. Assuming there are no traps triggered by his pole, the Professor inhales deeply, closes his eyes, and hops the 10 feet across.

OOC: Jump, taking 10 and burning an Inspiration Point for a result of 20, which should auto-succeed on clearing a 10-ft gap without a running start. Please let me know how many points of Inspiration I used finding the entrance, and any time we reach what you'd consider a "new encounter," as that refreshes my Inspiration.

Having cleared the gap, the Professor once more retrieves his chalk and marks another small X, giving wide berth to the triggering mechanism itself. The marks of the chalk soon fade into the stone, becoming very difficult to see. "Just a hop, skip, and a jump, eh chaps?" he says with a laugh to the others. "Do avoid that section."

[Goldfly]

Tallfighter looks across the section of stone, straight at The Professor.
"You may want to move back a bit."
The goliath looks at the floor for a second, then jumps across, and lands with a crash.
Taking 10.
10+11=21

[Eledragon]

"Ach, This is gonna hurt."

Singrad calmly paces back down the tunnel, then suddenly runs roaring towards the pad and leaps. He just barely makes the jump, but comes crashing down on the floor. he staggers to his feet, then groans:

"Ach, anybody got any ale? drank the last of mine this morning, and I know I'm gonna get angry if I keep having to do jumps like tha'."

He trundles off towards the others.

well, I take 10 with a running start for a total chekc of ten, just enough to clear the gap. man, I should have really put ranks in jump, what was I thinking!

[stanleyindraven]

"It would appear that I do not possess the requisite skill for this attempt. Allow me but a moment," Dramethian would call to the others. Dramethian then activates his Magic Sensitive feat and scans the area. (He can detect magic at up to 25 ft)

[Abemad]

Dramethian
Standing just before the spot the professor has marked, you scan the tunnel ahead.
While the tunnel itself does not radiate any magic, the double door at the end radiates weak illusion magic.

[stanleyindraven]

"Hmmm, it would appear that door is the trap," Dramethian says as he points at the double door behind his companions. "I believe I will try this one," he says as he walks over to the sliding stone and pushes on it.

[Eledragon]

"Ah. Clever, tha'. Think they gotcha when you jump over tha stone, and hope tha' you don't check the door."

"AND WHAT IN THE NAME OF MORADIN DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING THERE! YE DON'T GO PUSHING THINGS LIKE THA'! BY THE FORGE, I HAVE A POLE IF WE NEED TO POKE THINGS!"

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor plugs his ears at the sound of Singrad's outburst, but nods his consent. "Aye, chap," he says in a much more calm and balanced tone, "'tis better to lose a foot of wood than an inch of bone. Let us tread with caution, yes?"

[Abemad]

Dramethian begins to push the sliding stone, but nothing happens. Either he is not strong enough, or the stone is designed to go the other way...

[stanleyindraven]

"Hmm, well, if one of you wants to come here and help then we may get somewhere today," Dramethian replies as he steps back and stares at the wall. He then looks at the floor to see if there are any indications of the way this stone slides.

[Eledragon]

"Ach, fine, fine, heave over, lemme try this"
Singrad moves to the opposite side of the stone and heaves with a massive force.

taking 20 on a strength check for 23.

[OMG PONIES]

The Professor shakes his head and chuckles under his breath as his compatriots push against the sliding stone with all their might. "If you'd care to hear my hypothesis, chaps," he chides, "the trigger lying farther in that the stone, coupled with your lack of success in pushing the stone, leads me to think that the stone is designed to slide inward, blocking off the corridor. In the trapmaker's ideal situation, a raiding party comes to the Tomb with a scout at the fore. The scout wanders deeper in than the rest of the party and accidentally springs the trigger."

"Voila," he says with a snap of his fingers, "the scout and any others in the fore are separated from those in the rear, and any unfortunate souls stuck in the middle suffer death by blunt force trauma." The Professor nods to himself, as if agreeing with something he has not said aloud. "Yes, yes, a rather clever deterrent for adventurers. Separating a party carries both tactical and psychological import. Whoever designed this Tomb took their time...let us do the same. Shall we carry on with a mite more caution?"

[stanleyindraven]

"Indeed, you may want to examine that door," Dramethian agrees as he points at the double doors again.