3 - Shraevyn's Tomb

[Lord Foul]

"Aren't we looking for a magic sword? And one of these depicts a magic sword. I'd put that one the way we want to go."

[Sellsword]

Having puzzled out the nature of the obstacle, if not the correct resolution, Amarandé begins ordering the group about to place the golden vessels in specific locations around the 8-pointed symbol in the center of the chamber. Some of the vessels require creativity to maneuver without coming to physical harm or other mishaps, but you carefully arrange them per his instructions. Amarandé holds the last vessel until all others are in place before stooping to carefully insert it.

At the center of the symbol, a golden cylinder of arcane energy manifests, connecting the floor and the ceiling. Within the cylinder you witness a swirl of elemental energies--a whirlwind of sand pummels the arcane barrier while a snake of fire wreathes a wisp of steam. The elements possess human-like characteristics, tiny clawed arms angry faces can be seen within the chaos. Fortunately, the barrier restrains the elemental-kin--surely this is a clue what may have been released had the puzzle been solved incorrectly.

Instead, however, the golden cylinder recedes into the floor, taking the elemental-kin with it. At the same time, the same aureate radiance begins to frame the door across the chamber. The metal doors creak and groan as they swing inward, hinges shrieking through the complex as the heavy doors finally slam against the wall with a hollow *thud*.

A now-familiar voice ponders your actions, coming seemingly from nowhere and everywhere at once. "One would hope that noise alone is not sufficient to wake the dead." The voice fades, and whether triggered magically or if you are indeed being watched by Shraevyn's ghost, no further comments are given.

Beyond the doors is a 30-foot corridor ending in a T-intersection. At the far end is an alcove. The corridor stretches north and south into the darkness, but your attention is drawn to the marble statue before you. The sculpture is of a young woman wearing leather armor and wielding a pair of short swords. She is smiling gleefully, and her boyish demeanor seems to illuminate the shadows of the hallway. Around her neck is a large metal disk suspended by a silver chain.

Both Theoath and Amarandé, as well as perhaps others in the group, recognize it as a symbol of Tymora, the Goddess of Luck. Engraved on the disk are the following words:

Turn right or left, front or back,

There's no saving you from your own stare.

Whether gold be piled by bar or by sack,

There's seldom enough change to spare.

The ambient crimson light that has been prevalent your descent into the tomb so far ends here--corridors lead to the north and to the south, each shrouded in darkness.

OOC: Posting an updated map of the complex for your benefit, see below. The alcove is the area marked '5' on the sketch. There is nothing to distinguish either pathway at the moment, both are more or less 10' wide corridors that lead into the darkness.

[cybersavant]

Quote

Divination is the school of learning, enhancing the senses and revealing information

Kordannaghlan Penniesaver (gnome f2/th3) AC 09 Hp 16 thac0 19

 

"Well, we need information. He has a large library - information. I thought maybe his clues were asking us to ask for information, but i'm not versed in the mystical arts. It was just a thought. You know the subject better then i."

 

Show this

broadsword thac0 19, 1att/rnd, 2d4/1d6+1, spd5; dagger thac0 19 2att/rnd, d4/d3; shortbow thac0 19, 2a/rnd, d6

gnome, common, giant, goblin, kobold

 

wi/10' unsafe walls 1-7d10 9 9traps 451d100 33 33traps 451d100 33 33traps 451d100 33 33traps 451d100 33 33traps 451d100 33 33traps 451d100 33 33

 

[Excior]

After the commotion of the door's opening subsides, Valandil remains cautious, nocking an arrow as he enters the hall. He positions himself with his back against the north wall, traversing down the passage with quiet steps. As he reaches the corner, he pauses and carefully peeks around, first looking down the north hall and then turning to survey the south hall.

Valandil's sharp elven eyes scan the corridors, searching for any signs of movement or threats. His posture is tense but composed, his bow ready should the need arise. With each passing moment, he remains vigilant, awaiting the arrival of the others before proceeding further into the unknown depths of the tomb.

[Lord Foul]

Mandons follows close behind Valandil, doing his best not to smirk at his friend's ever-present seriousness. He knows the elf means well, and restrains himself from his customary mockery.

Reaching the crossing, he shines the beam of his bullseye lantern down the passage in either direction, to see if his light reveals any more details.

 

[Sellsword]

Feeling confident that no immediate threat lies in wait, Valandil waves the group forward. With the light of Mandons' lanterns, both corridors appear at first glance to be equally nondescript. Both corridors terminate in a wall at the very extent of the light provided by the lantern, and based on the shadows you can see that each corridor has a turn to the east.

If it were not for one small detail, it would be almost impossible to make any kind of educated decision. That detail, however, only reveals itself after Mandons peers very carefully down the corridor to the north. What appears to be a boot is visible, still attached to a leg. The body to which the leg belongs is prone, the majority of it being hidden by shadow and obscured where the corridor turns east.

[Lord Foul]

Mandons communicates what he has seen to the rest of the party and calls up the thieves to check the way is safe.

[cybersavant]

Quote

Divination is the school of learning, enhancing the senses and revealing information

Kordannaghlan Penniesaver (gnome f2/th3) AC 09 Hp 16 thac0 19

 

The gnome nods, briefly glances north, and then cautiously heads south, scanning for possible traps and missteps. If he detects nothing he continues on to the corner. He stops before the corner, kneels down and peaks around the corner.

 

Show this

broadsword thac0 19, 1att/rnd, 2d4/1d6+1, spd5; dagger thac0 19 2att/rnd, d4/d3; shortbow thac0 19, 2a/rnd, d6; backstab x2

gnome, common, giant, goblin, kobold

wi/10' passage slope 1-5 d6, wi/10' unsafe walls 1-7 d10, open locks 60%, find traps 45%, move silent 40%, hide in shadows 30%, detect noise 25%,

climb walls 70%

 

trapstrapstrapstrapstrapstraps

 

[Arbuthnott]

Pausing at the statue, Amarandé places a hand on Tymora's elbow and smiles softly. "May I introduce you all to Lady Luck; pray she is watching over us." His smile dims as he reads the inscription, but he turns away from it without comment.

While Kord begins blazing our path south, Amarandé crouches at the T-junction and peers into the gloom of the northern route. "Heads up," he calls out as he reaches into one of his belt pouches. Retrieving a single marble, he squeezes it tightly until it shines with warmth to his infravision, before rolling it down the northern corridor and watching its journey into the darkness. He pays particular attention to the gradient of the tunnel, whether it slopes at all in any direction, and whether it knocks against or catches on anything that would be otherwise unapparent.

[Sellsword]

The glowing marble glides smoothly down the northern corridor, towards the rather foreboding leg and boot that you assume might be attached to a corpse. The cavern floor, while not perfectly level, is remarkably well made, and no resistance is encountered. The small, glowing globe clacks gently against the far wall before rolling back slightly, finally coming to rest not far from the leg.

Nothing stirs at the sound or the presence of light. However, one more detail can be made out in the illumination--there is also what appears to be a sword sheath, perhaps belted to a hip. Only the last third is visible in the light.

Meanwhile, Kordannaghlan scouts the southern corridor, checking carefully for anything that might signal a trap. The floor and walls are well-made and reveal nothing that would indicate danger, so he continues carefully until he reaches the corner. The faintest blue light can be seen as he approaches the corner, presumably coming from something beyond the turn. Crouching carefully, the gnome peeks around the corner.

Beyond the corner, the hall opens into a vast chamber that is 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. In the center of the room lies an ornate coffin with brass trim. The lid has been tossed to the floor and lies broken some distance away.

As soon as Kord's eyes adjust to the light, he sees a remarkable sight: a figure hovers over the coffin. The form, a human clad in shimmering robes and suspended above the casket, makes no movement. Its head and shoulders are slumped forward, almost as if it appears to be sleeping. Though it wears a helm, gray hair hangs from beneath, and what skin is revealed seems old and leathery. A faint blue light radiates from the coffin. Overhead, globes of soft white radiance shine down, giving the center of the room an eerie appearance.

As for the rest of you--the whole time you have been in the tomb, you've had the feeling that you were being watched, reinforced by the occasional interjection from who you can only assume to be Shraevyn. Whether it was indeed Shraevyn or just lingering magic he had placed upon the tomb to taunt and test would-be graverobbers, you can't be sure, but it did not seem to be overtly malevolent.

Standing in this part of the tomb, however, you notice a change. The sensation of being watched still remains, but the feeling of it being an almost fatherly arbiter has been replaced by something colder, more feminine, and certainly more baleful.

[rauhric]

THEOATH "THEO" GRANGER
Human, LG, Paladin of Chauntea [3]
AC 5 | HP 16

---

Theo follows Amarandé and digs his fingers into his coin purse. He fishes out enough for each of his companions and leaves it at the base of Tymora's statue. He says a little pray to her to bless them as they venture into the unknown. He asks that she be kind as much as Fate would allow.

Following his companions down the hallway he can feel the otherworldly presence of something watching them. He steadies his resolve and continues his match forward. While not at all accustom to the supernatural he finds this experience both exciting and haunting. As the unknown presence becomes more prominent he tries to bolster his allies with a prayer to Chauntea: "Courage unites us today under a single pennant, and our hearts are filled with the love for our Earthmother."

---

 

OoC: He has his aura of protection 10' so stay close friends. Evil -1 attack.

Edited April 26 by rauhric (see edit history)

[Lord Foul]

"Jack, d'you fancy checking out the north passage for us? Whoever that is lying down there it just feels wrong to ignore them and go the other way without even taking a look."

[Chaz Hoosier]

Jack Coldwater

HP: 23/23 AC: 6
 

---

Jack heads up the north passage slowly, stopping to inspect the spot he steps before setting his foot down all the way.

 

 

 

OOC

Find/Remove traps: 95%
Detect Noise: 85%

 

 

 

 

[cybersavant]

On 4/22/2024 at 2:54 PM, Sellsword said:

Turn right or left, front or back,

There's no saving you from your own stare.

Whether gold be piled by bar or by sack,

There's seldom enough change to spare.

Quote

Divination is the school of learning, enhancing the senses and revealing information

Kordannaghlan Penniesaver (gnome f2/th3) AC 09 Hp 16 thac0 19

 

"We have a tomb here, open, and what appears to be a resting spirit, shimmering in blue light."

 

Show this

broadsword thac0 19, 1att/rnd, 2d4/1d6+1, spd5; dagger thac0 19 2att/rnd, d4/d3; shortbow thac0 19, 2a/rnd, d6; backstab x2

gnome, common, giant, goblin, kobold

wi/10' passage slope 1-5 d6, wi/10' unsafe walls 1-7 d10, open locks 60%, find traps 45%, move silent 40%, hide in shadows 30%, detect noise 25%,

climb walls 70%

 

traps1d100 80 80traps1d100 80 80traps1d100 80 80traps1d100 80 80traps1d100 80 80traps1d100 80 80

 

[Sellsword]

While Kord returns to the group to share his findings, Jack creeps along the northern corridor to investigate. He warily approaches what does indeed turn out to be a corpse--lying on the ground, prone, is what appears to be the remains of one of Randal Morn's Freedom Riders. The man is wearing a suit of chain mail, and a longsword lies on the ground not far from his hand. Though he is lying face down, you see the ends of several long darts which apparently struck him in the chest.

Looking to the room ahead, you can see that it has been thoroughly torn apart. Chests and coffers lie broken open among heaps of rotten and torn clothes, and it is doubtful that anything of value survived whatever onslaught caused such destruction.

From the corner of your eye, you catch a glint of something shiny on the ground near an archway on the southern wall of the room. Your first thought is that it might be a plate or piece of armor.