3 - Shraevyn's Tomb

[Excior]

Valandil peers closely at the symbols etched before him, his keen eyes studying them intently. As he examines each symbol, a flicker of recognition crosses his face, and he raises one eyebrow in realization.

"These symbols represent the elements Earth, Air, Fire, and Water," Valandil declares, his voice calm and measured. He traces each symbol with his finger as he speaks, his touch gentle yet deliberate.

[cybersavant]

 

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

 

The gnome stops on the edge of the room as others enter. He gazes up at the ceiling, taking not of anything that may be a seam or loose object. After a brief pause, he'll walk toward the circle, making sure not to step on anything colored differently, patterned or otherwise different from the corridor floor. If he gets close enough, he'll look at the first indentation to see if there are any markings inside or around it.

 

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

 

[Lord Foul]

6 hours ago, Excior said:

"These symbols represent the elements Earth, Air, Fire, and Water," Valandil declares, his voice calm and measured. He traces each symbol with his finger as he speaks, his touch gentle yet deliberate.

"Four elements... and perhaps the four para-elements that lie between them?"

"Be careful examining those pots," he says to Amarande. "Some of them might be a little hot to handle... or cold, I suppose!"

He tries to remember the more obscure ones... "magma, ice, smoke... and ooze!"

 

[Sellsword]

Kordannaghlan spends a few moments in careful investigation of the ceiling, floor, and the circle etched or carved into the flooring. There is nothing to indicate any danger from the ceiling, the cracks that run throughout the stone do not appear to have reduced the integrity of the structure. Nor is there any other sign of traps, shifting walls, or areas of the flooring that might seem unsafe. If the room is indeed trapped, it is beyond his ability to ascertain.

Amarandé approaches the first alcove on the southern wall, nearest the entrance to the large chamber. The golden vessel in this alcove seems to glow brighter as he approaches, so Amarandé exercises caution, leading his approach with his staff. Before he can get close enough to touch the vessel, it disappears. Taking another tentative step with staff raised, there is a light contact where the vessel was but a moment ago. Though not visible, it appears to still be present.

Reaching forward tentatively, Amarandé reaches out a hand to feel the contours of the vessel. It is cool to the touch, and has the feel of finished ceramic. As far as anyone can tell, nothing untoward seems to happen when the vessel is manipulated.

OOC: You are each free to investigate the alcoves, just specify by letter which (if any) you are approaching. @Arbuthnott's post was perfect in terms of what helps me keep the game moving. Or you can continue to use him as the guinea pig, that makes sense too!

[cybersavant]

On 4/9/2024 at 12:11 AM, cybersavant said:

 

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

 

If he gets close enough, he'll look at the first indentation to see if there are any markings inside or around it.

 

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

 

 

[Arbuthnott]

"Mmhmm, that's it," he mutters as he retreives the pot from its alcove. "I didn't notice anything particularly untoward about this particular urn, save the obvious," he waves the invisible pot around some. "If your theory proves accurate, I'd wager a silver piece on this element being air."

With the same precautions as before, perhaps slightly less cautious of danger save for the mild expectation of it bursting into flames, Amarandé approaches the second alcove.

[stonedzep]

Lirion Eldermist

Lirion stands still and puts great attention to what's happening, for the moment he does not feel like undertaking any choice so he observes

[Chaz Hoosier]

Jack Coldwater

HP: 23/23 AC: 6

---

Jack nervously approaches alcove J, dagger drawn. He first inspects it for traps, then gently taps the urn with the tip of his dagger to test it for danger. The he taps it with his finger gently.

 

 

 

OOC

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

 

 

 

 

Edited April 13 by Chaz Hoosier (see edit history)

[Sellsword]

Amarandé sets the invisible vessel back into the alcove before moving onto the next. This vessel appears identical to the first, except this time the lid to the jar is propped slightly to one side, slightly ajar. The first vessel had a similar lid, but it was seemingly built into the vessel--it did not turn, move, or open. Amarandé approaches cautiously as he did before--nothing happens when prodding the vessel with his staff or when rests a hand upon it. When lifting it to peer inside it, however, the lid shifts, opening slightly more.

Suddenly, for Amarandé and all those near him, all items that are physically fastened together unbind themselves. An obviously magical vibration emanates from the vessel, causing backpacks to fall off of backs, sword belts fall to fall to the ground. Lids to Lirion's waterskins suddenly fall off, causing small amounts of liquid to spill until they are turned upright. The tops of Amarandé's scroll cases fall to the ground, causing the documents within to spill forth. Anything that can be closed, clasped, or otherwise bound is suddenly loosened and undone, causing a moment of chaos. No harm is seemingly done, and once the lid has been replaced the items can be secured and sealed once again.

Across the chamber, Jack heads to the alcove opposite the first one examined by Amarandé. Twin bands of blue-white energy travel up and down the surface of the jar, crackling and popping as they move. Jack could almost swear he hears a low hum emanating from the container. Even bringing a hand close to it causes the electricity to jump and arc--while not necessarily a trap as Jack knows them, it is obvious that moving the vessel without coming to physical harm will take some creativity.

Kordannaghlan doesn't notice anything else about the alcoves or the engravings that stands out. Whatever the nature of this obstacle might be, Kord's examination seems to prove the original assumptions correct. There are 10 alcoves containing vessels and 8 receptacles for them, one at each point of the star engraved on the floor. What properties each vessel may possess or how they are to be aligned, however, remains a mystery.

OOC: Sorry for the slow response. I wanted to give time for others to chime in on Thursday, and then Friday got away from me. So far alcoves A, B and J have been investigated. Please let me know what actions, if any, your characters are taking!

[cybersavant]

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

 

The gnome slowly walks around the etched circle, careful not to step over any part of it, looking in each depression as well as around the points for any indication of which urn is to be placed where. "There are more urn than receptacles - perhaps it's not where they're placed, but in what combination?"

 

 

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

 

open locks 60%, find traps 45%, move silent 40%, hide in shadows 30%, detect noise 25%, climb walls 70%, backstab x2

 

 

[Arbuthnott]

"I hope that you're wrong, master gnome, or else that you find some clue to support that theory. Ten vessels, eight receptacles... there would be more combinations than we could achieve within the narrow window of our rescue attempt."

"This pot's pots enchantment has the scent of transmutation, not evocation, so perhaps this is one of our outliers? It could be ooze, I suppose..." he trails of glumly, before repeating his investigation in first alcove C, and if he survives unscathed then also alcove D.

Edit: it is probably safe to say that he is becoming slightly less cautious with each investigation as they prove to be benign. Still cautious, mind, just perhaps a bit less twitchy about it

Edited April 16 by Arbuthnott (see edit history)

[Lord Foul]

Mandons realises he is out of his depth with all this magical elemental stuff, so he is content to stand guard while the magicians and thieves do their thing.

He will, of course, offer suitable moral encouragement... "Come on, we haven't got all day!" 😊

[rauhric]

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

---

Theo looks on as his companions navigate this ingenious trap and tries to understand the concept. It is obviously magical in nature and its knowledge is arcane to him; he doesn't have a clue as to how to solve it. "I am afraid I am out of my sphere of knowledge here. The jars or urns hold elements and we need to place them in the right spot. It seems like a riddle for mages, no? Does this pattern follow any order that is taught to casters as an arcane formula or theory?"

---

 

OoC: Theo is really out of his depth here, but maybe a random INT roll to see if he can grasp at straws? Otherwise he would just need to observe until it seems clear to him. If he doesn't get any clues then he will wander to alcove I to investigate.

Edited April 16 by rauhric (see edit history)

[Sellsword]

While Amarandé continues to evaluate each alcove in turn, Theoath wanders to evaluate the alcove adjacent to the one just examined by Kord, who has decided to let sleeping bears lie and not disturb the vessel as it crackles with electricity. As the gnome turns back towards the center of the room, Theo focuses on the contents of the alcove.

A fire-emblazoned shield appears on the front of the container. As Theo gazes at it, the fire turns a deeper red, flares up in a burst of light, then subsides. The shield glows brightly, then vanishes. Whatever the effect may have been, the golden vessel is cool to the touch and displays no other properties, leaving Theo with more questions than answers.

Meanwhile, Amarandé approaches the next alcove in turn. The surface of this jar shimmers for a moment, then reveals the area outside of the tomb. The tall statues still stand silent, gazing across the broken landscape. The glimmering silver door remains open. In the distance, you can see your horses tied to trees where you left them in the grove. Small shrubs rustle in the breeze, and the occasional bird passes through the scene. Touching the jar, the surface ripples as though it were water, however Amarandé feels only the smooth, solid ceramic jar.

Moving on to the next alcove, the golden surface of the container moves and jumps, and Amarandé finds himself gazing upon an intricately crafted weapon. Runes of power are etched across the steel blade, and the whole sword glows with a flaring azure radiance. After a minute or so, the image begins to move. Slowly, it pans from the tip of the blade downward, and you can see every detail of the blade's superior workmanship. When it gets to the hilt of the sword, the image shows what appears to be a piece of paper tied to the weapon with common string. After another moment, the picture fades, leaving only the urn.

Kordannaghlan is perplexed by the areas in the star where the jars are presumably to be placed. There are no marks or other forms of identification, each is just a shallow divot in the stone that matches the size and contour of the urns. That they are to be placed there seems obvious, but the arrangement--as well as what to do with the extras--is still a mystery.

OOC: No intelligence rolls! Only a few alcoves remain unexplored, I'll wait for actions from you to determine the order in which they are explored. If there are other actions, please let me know.

[rauhric]

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

---

Theo tells his companions, "This one here seems, or seemed, to be associated with fire. Its cool to touch so I don't think it will burn me if I pick it up. Considering I don't know where it goes I'll just stand here next to it until one of you figures out where to put it in the design."

---

 

OoC: As a player I'm assuming the eight points take the four main elements and then maybe four quasi-elements associated with them. For example, if fire is near water then the quasi-element might be steam, of if fire is near earth then the quasi-element might be lava, and if fire is near air then the quasi-element might be hot air(?). Anyways, that is my contribution to this puzzle.

Edited April 17 by rauhric (see edit history)