Acererak Claims Your Soul: 5e version

[LastCenturion]

"Somewhere under a lost and lonely hill of grim and foreboding aspect lies a labyrinthine crypt filled with terrible traps and not a few strong and ferocious monsters to slay the unwary. Rich treasures both precious and magical fill the crypt, but in addition to the aforementioned guardians, some say a demilich still wards his final haunt. (Be warned that tales told have it that this being possesses powers that make him nearly undefeatable!) Accounts relate that adventurers have an extremely low probability of ever finding the chamber where the demilich Acererak lingers, for the passages and rooms of the tomb are faught with terrible traps, poison gases, and magical protections. Furthermore, the demilich has hidden his lair so well, that even those who avoid the pitfalls likely will not locate their true goal. So only large and well-prepared parties of the bravest and strongest should even consider the attempt, and if they do locate the tomb, they must be prepared to fail. Any expedition must be composed of characters of high level and varied class. They must have magical protections and weapons, and they should equip themselves with every sort of device possible to ensure their survival." - The Legend of the Tomb of Horrors

You are an esteemed and capable group of such adventurers who have, wanting to test themselves against greater and greater challenges, gone to the lengths of discovering what is supposedly the location of the Tomb. It has been a long and arduous road to this secluded hill in the Northern Tundra, but your true challenge awaits.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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. The north side of the hill is fronted by a 20-foot-high crumbling cliff of sand and gravel. A low stone ledge overhangs this eroded area, and shrubs and bushes obscure it from observation at a distance.

[Gillric]

Tyren

Seeing nothing obvious, Tyren pauses to more closely consider their surroundings.

Perception: [roll0]

[AvatarVecna]

Treorri peers around curiously.

Perception: [roll0]

[AvatarVecna]

"The architect must've had a sense of humor..." Treorri muttered as he continued looking around.

Investigation: [roll0]

[LastCenturion]

Treorri's search of the gravel cliff reveals a dimple in the wall: A tiny recess that looks almost identical to the wall around it. Some poking and prodding exposes an entrance, through which one can barely see what looks like a stone corridor. No other details can be observed, but you estimate that it would take six man-hours of digging with swords and hands to uncover an entrance. Alternatively, a narrow crawl space could be opened in just half of a man-hour of the same work.

[prufock]

Cruz

Taking in his surroundings, Cruz notes Treorri's investigation of the obvious points of entry to the legendary tomb. He speaks loudly so his voice will carry the distance. Surely a being as devilishly clever as this lich is purported to be would not leave positions of ingress so prominent on the landscape? He walks around slowly and carefully, surveying the hill.

Investigation: [roll0]
Perception: [roll1]

[LastCenturion]

While seeing nothing out of the ordinary, Cruz is able to reveal another, apparently identical, indent - this one on the opposite side of the cliff.

Here's the roll20 room (https://app.roll20.net/join/1911714/wJjtDQ)

[prufock]

Cruz

Circling back to the rest of the party, Cruz reports his findings. Naught on the leeward side but a duplicate passage, similarly occluded. I can conceive no alternative but to unearth one of the two channels.

Did any of you have the foresight to bring excavation implements?

[MenhirRocksolid]

Fabio averts his gaze from the flowers he has just been picking to the one posing the question about possessing a shovel. Well, uhm, I brought a steel shield at least with me? I can use that reasonably well as a digging tool if it's just dirt.

[JNAProductions]

I brought mules, Celina says. But I don't BELIEVE I possess any digging tools.

[Irish Musician]

Aprianna Sunleaf (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1059144), Apollo's Fire
Aprianna lets the others look and dig around, trying to find an entrance to this Tomb. She wasn't a stranger to hard work or manual labor. But she did prefer it if other did it, instead of her. Her eyes wandered around the indentions the others had found, looking for a trigger or some sort of switch that might help them open the doors, instead of having to dig them out. "May there is a switch of some nature, that might let us bypass all this digging? That seems like a lot of work, and I'd rather not us tire ourselves out before we even get into the Tomb full of undead horrors." A smirk grew over Aprianna's face, Apollo help us if we have to dig the whole way down, she thought.

perception [roll0]

Investigation [roll1]

[Gillric]

Tyren

Tyren moves to examine the small opening better in hopes of finding a way in without digging. There must be a way in without digging. Adventurers must brave the ruins often enough that the passage wouldn't be completely blocked.

Perception: [roll0]
Investigation: [roll1]

[LastCenturion]

It would take four of you digging for an hour and a half to clear out of the passage, using your weapons and your hands. It would take two of you fifteen minutes to open a passable crawl space with the same method.

[MenhirRocksolid]

Fabio hums "dig, dig, dig a tunnel" as he prepares to cast an unseen servant while the lazy smart persons continue their conversation.

[prufock]

Cruz

If an alternative exist, it is beyond my perception. I could conjure something to minimize the caloric expenditure, but I would prefer to reserve my magical potential for the certain menace that awaits on the interior.

With that, Cruz sets about slowly moving stones and dirt away from the supposed entrance. He empties his crossbow bolt case and uses it as a sort of pail.

[LastCenturion]

Half an hour of unassisted labor later, there is a small crawl space open in the eastern indent. Through it can be observed a stone tunnel, square-ish and 60 feet long. Two separate doors are dimly visible at the end of this roughtly worked, plain stone corridor.

http://i.imgur.com/rggAd2k.jpg

[Irish Musician]

Aprianna Sunleaf (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1059144), Apollo's Fire
As the others dig, Aprianna uses this time to familiarize herself with the surroundings. She starts to look at the hill in front of them. She wasn't overly good at puzzles and the like, but the more she looked at the hill, the more something started to take shape. Finally, it hit her. "The hill is laid out like a skull! Imagine looking at it as if you were above it. The rocks make eyes, a nose hole, and teeth. Truly this place is a place of great evil, if even its topography is giving signs of death." She then looks over at the hole they have dug out, at the entrance. "Doesn't seem to be overly large. That might pose a problem in times of a quick escape." She sighs, rolls up her sleeves, takes off her shield, and starts digging out more so that the hole turns into something that you wouldn't have to squeeze through.

[LastCenturion]

Expanding the hole by that measure would take five and a half further hours of work, alone.

[prufock]

Cruz

Settling in to help clear the entryway a little more, Cruz remarks Pareidolia. People see shapes, especially faces, in random patterns. The site is evil by legend, but its vague resemblance to a human cranium, whether by architecture or by happenstance, is not a reflection of its true nature.

As he digs, Cruz fixes his gaze on the far doors. There appears to be some sort of inscription bordering the uppermost edge, and some pictographs on the bisecting framework. Can you make it out?

Intelligence Check for the inscriptions: [roll0]
Add 4 if it falls under Arcana, History, or Investigation.

[JNAProductions]

Need a hand? Celina asks.

[Irish Musician]

Aprianna Sunleaf (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1059144), Apollo's Fire
Aprianna stops digging for a moment and looks up at Celina, "That would be lovely, thank you", then goes back to digging and shoveling.

[LastCenturion]

The runes are words you do not know in a language you cannot read.

After two hours further of digging, the entire entrance is revealed. The hallway is as it appeared at first, although it now is better lit.

[prufock]

Cruz

Sitting to catch his breath, Cruz gazes around at his companions. It would behoove us to formulate some sort of procedure before we begin our spelunking. I have read what legends exist in print regarding this labyrinth, but there is precious little. The majority of those who make this attempt do not return, and those who do delved but shallowly.

Kneeling now, Cruz collects his crossbow bolts and refills his case. For my part, I seek what knowledge can be attained within the tomb. I have knowledge of some spells, but I would best fit the roll of adviser to support the group through my various bits of information.

[Irish Musician]

Aprianna Sunleaf (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1059144), Apollo's Fire
Aprianna gets up, holding her shield, after they've dug out the entrance. She looks at her clothes, hands, and shield and lets out a sigh. She then looks over her comrades, eyes resting on both the wizard and the bard, "Could one of you help clean me up, please? I'd at least like to start this adventure not completely covered in dirt. It would be very much appreciated."

Once she is, hopefully, cleaned up by one of her new companions, she continues the conversation with Cruz. "Apollo's fire and light will be joining us down in the tomb. As well as his healing," she nods over to Tyren. "If.....or rather when....we run into the dangers in the tomb. We will be here to incinerate them and purge the evil from them, as well as help heal the wounds that they give to us all. I will make sure that Apollo lends us his fire, to purge the darkness."

[Gillric]

Tyren

Tyren moves into the passage and examines the doorways.

Perception: [roll0]
Investigation: [roll1]
Does anyone recognize the script even if they don't recognize the language itself? Many languages use the same alphabet at least.

[prufock]

Aprianna Sunleaf (http://www.myth-weavers.com/sheet.html#id=1059144), Apollo's Fire
Aprianna gets up, holding her shield, after they've dug out the entrance. She looks at her clothes, hands, and shield and lets out a sigh. She then looks over her comrades, eyes resting on both the wizard and the bard, "Could one of you help clean me up, please? I'd at least like to start this adventure not completely covered in dirt. It would be very much appreciated."

Cruz

Cruz regards Aprianna with a flat expression. Your degree of cleanliness is unlikely to affect our probability of success in this endeavor, nor to persist once we are inside. He claps the dirt from his own hands. However, if you insist... His words change to an arcane chant as the dirt slowly lifts from Aprianna's clothing and falls to the ground.

Once done, he turns to Fabio. I believe I observed the workings of an unseen servant spell? I am likewise capable of conjuring such an entity. Rather than rush in headlong and heedless... He looks down the hallway at Tyren, and begins the ritual casting of unseen servant.

The ritual casting won't use a spell slot, but takes 10 minutes.

[MenhirRocksolid]

Fabio looks up to to Cruz then takes a hard long look as if he's trying to think of something smart (or simply trying to understand what Cruz was saying). He suddenly brightens up. Yeah, that's a good idea too! Maybe give the unseen servants something to drag along behind them so they can trigger any traps that might be there? A rock in a bag tied to a very short rope? Fabio subsequently proceeds to also cast an dust-disappearance cantrip to make himself look all Fab again.

OOC: My unseen servant was also cast btw as a ritual (hence the word: prepares).

[LastCenturion]

As Tyren approaches the doors, flanked by invisible investigators, there is a rumble, and part of the wall begins to roll out across the hall, cutting off everything else. The ceiling also begins to shake, but no movement is detected. Elsewhere by about ten feet, one of the servants opens a door. Behind it is only a blank wall.

DC 18 Dexterity save, anybody within 10 feet of the partition. Success indicates that you can choose where to stand as the partition closes.

[prufock]

Edited from previous actions.

Cruz

Sending his unseen servant down the hallway with instructions to open the doors, Cruz starts as a hidden wall rolls out of the hallway, cutting them off from the doors! The servant would complete its task, but now there was no way to tell if the door hid a passage, a trap, a monster, or a thing beyond imagination.

I want to see if Tyren makes his save before taking any further action.

[LastCenturion]

I'm sorry. I should have checked first. I meant Tyren. Edited.

And yeah, 10 feet away from the doors is where the trigger area is.

[LastCenturion]

Nobody is close enough to stop the wall from closing Tyren inside the Tomb. The last thing anybody sees is his panicked expression as he runs for the door, too late to escape the closing hallway.

As the partition slams shut, the disturbances in the air flicker out. You can breathe in here, and there's a little bit of light coming through the cracks. Not enough to escape by, but enough to see by. As you turn around and examine your cage, the ceiling rumbles and begins to descend slowly. You estimate that in 30 seconds you'll be crushed against the floor.Shortly after the partition slams on your friend, the hall beyond it begins to rumble. You can barely make out Tyren calling for help.

[Gillric]

Tyren

When the roof starts to descend upon him, Tyren quickly scans the area for a way to disable the trap. If nothing presents itself, he moves to the partition and begins to shape the stone to open a passageway back to where the others are.

Perception: [roll0]
If nothing presents itself, Tyren will cast Stone Shape twice to escape from the trap.

[prufock]

Cruz

Cruz shouts down the hall. Tyren! Do you require assistance to escape your predicament? Please respond in the affirmative or the negative! Cruz listens carefully, ear cocked down the tunnel.

Not taking any action unless Tyren requests it, in which case I'll blow a couple dimension doors.

[LastCenturion]

As Cruz listens, the stone seems to melt away in front of his ear as Tyren emerges, seconds before the ceiling of the room comes crashing down. This was not the right path.

[prufock]

Cruz

Cruz evaluates Tyren, who is just a little dirty for the experience. I am most pleased that you escaped this nefarious device without requiring the expenditure of my valuable arcane energies. What's say we abandon this apparent misdirection and attempt entrance at the alternate site?

Cruz sets about a ritual casting of unseen servant once again, his previously summoned factotum now crushed within the false entrance.

[MenhirRocksolid]

My poor invisible friend... Fabio thought. So, uhm, we went into the wrong hole? What a queer thing to do...