Bel's Age of Worms [IC]

[redzimmer]

Seramal

Sniffing the goop, Seramal scoops up a fingerful and pops it into her mouth.

"Trssmgroo," she says with a full mouth.

[Debatra]

Tobul just stares blankly at Seramal for a few moments. "Do... Do you have any idea exactly what you just ate?"

[redzimmer]

Seramal

"I dunno. Kinda bland."

Spoiler: So let's just roll a Fort save...

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(1d20+2)[19] What's the worst that could hgrrrkkgrgbl?

[BelGareth]

You eat it and are surprised that it tastes like porridge with a hint of cinnamon.

You feel very satisfied.

[redzimmer]

Seramal

The half-orc retches and dry heaves until the paste is expelled from her system.

"Bleh! Who the Nine Hells eats tree bark? What am I, an elf?"

Spoiler

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[Deophaun]

Rose

"Now that you mention it, your ears are unusually pointy. Were they always like that?"

Eyeing the treasures of the next room, she notices the large egg thing on the pedestal. "So, before I get close to that, does anyone have anything that they'd like to tell me, such as 'That's the clutch of a hellspawn that will kill you if you get close.' Because I like to know those things beforehand."

Spoiler

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Take 10: 23
Roll: (1d20+13)[14]

[rax]

Narl

"Well done, mistress Seramal! You tumble most elegantly!" Narl laughs and offers his hand to help Seramal get up from the floor. As the mold shrivels, he makes his way into the last room. "Well now, this is very interesting. I wonder who these people were? They're like nothing I've ever seen be-... No, wait a minute. That's not right. I know this! I know who built this tomb," he suddenly exclaims.

"I should have realized when I saw the glyph in the bedchamber! These glyphs we've been seeing everywhere, they're similar to an ancient language called Vaati. Some scholars think that Vaati is the original written form of Auran, and the word Vaati is Auran for "Wind Duke". The Wind Dukes, of course, are famous for forging the fabled Rod of Seven Parts, one of the great artifacts of the multiverse. So it stands to reason that the tomb builders were Wind Dukes, and that staff the statue is holding would be the Rod of Seven Parts! Or at least...a representation of the rod..." Narl trails off, his eyes alight with excitement.

[Deophaun]

Rose

Sizing up the quarterstaff and the egg, Rose is somewhat satisfied that there is no mechanical device rigged to either that will bring ruin upon her. "Anyone think this statue would mind if we borrowed its weapon? From Sir Narl's description, I'm sure our patron would be interested in this seven parted rod." She reaches out to remove the staff.

"That leaves just the egg. That glyph makes me think of some mystical ward. Can anyone see magic auras?"

[redzimmer]

Seramal

The half-orc takes the ribbing with good humour. So far she's had the time of her life in this haunted deathtrap.

"So what's it worth? Are we rich?"

With a gesture, she casts detect magic on the egg.

[rax]

Narl

"Sadly, such magic is beyond my capabilities Mistress Rose," Narl replies with a slightly embarrassed shrug. "But I can tell you that the glyph on the egg isn't the same kind as the other glyphs - it's not Vaati. The glyph in the bedchamber, and the others we've seen in the complex, are name glyphs. They each represent a single individual, but I don't know if it's the same with this glyph. Could be a name, a date, a warning... well, anything really."

[BelGareth]

You reach out to retrieve the staff with a certain amount of trepidation, I mean, this place has been nothing but open and welcome to you, right?

The staff unlocks the from the statue with a twist, a *clunk* noise sounds as you release it, and all is quiet while you all wait for something to happen.

Nothing.

Seems like not everything is trapped.

(you have a masterwork quarterstaff)

The egg.

The egg itself is not magical, however there is an aura that is connected to it...and the rest of the room, also the entire ceiling radiates with a strong magical aura, so much, that you have to shield your eyes.

[redzimmer]

Seramal

"Ten teats of Tiamat, THAT IS BRIGHT!"

Seramal dispels the divination, motes dancing in front of her eyes.

[rax]

Narl

"What did you see, mistress Seramal? Is there dangerous magic on the orb?"

[BelGareth]

The egg does not radiate a magical aura, however it looks like it could fetch a hefty price if sold, as well as the small pedestal that it sits on.

If you want to leave the egg alone, there is nothing else to see in this area. (more pushing the sarcophagi around!)

[redzimmer]

Seramal

"Well I think I'm blind. This whole room is a big ol' pile of magic. The egg ain't magic though."

Bored now, Seramal heads back to the lift.

[DrK]

The young priest looks around as they return to the room with the sarcophaguse and the rainbow lanterns. Moving closer he stops to take a look in each of the alcoves looking around cautiously to see if any have strange markings or anything else that would indicate anything of notre before turning back to the others. "Does anyone have a favourite colour to try?"

[rax]

Narl

"Well, better safe than sorry, I suppose," Narl says with a shrug, then follows Seramal and Cyrius back to the room with the sarcophagus and the lanterns.

(responding to Cyrius)

"As a late arrival, I'm curious to know if anyone has already investigated any of the alcoves besides the one we just came from?"

[Deophaun]

Rose

Rose lets out a sigh of relief. Caution prevails over greed and curiosity. Who would have expected? She makes a mental note regarding the symbol to ask their patron about it when they finally meet in person.

If they ever will.

She rejoins the party in the center room. "Beware that green one. Something wasn't right when we pointed the sarcophagus at it. This whole place shook."

[rax]

Narl

"Well, it seems there's one passage that's missing a lantern, and having a lantern in each passage seems like it could be significant. Have we any clues as to where it might be? And are all the passages the same, or do they vary in some manner?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Going by earlier posts, we're missing a red lantern, right? And it should go in the first passage to the left of the entrance to the chamber?

[BelGareth]

With the party moving up to the sarcophagi, it takes a little playing with, and, avoiding the green alcove, you test each one hesitantly as each one could shake the cairn apart.

Red alcove -
Nothing happens, you keep it pointed at this alcove longer than most, and still, nothing.

Orange alcove -
This is the alcove it was pointing to when you arrived.

Yellow alcove -
The elevator you used to come backup to the room.

Green alcove -
Skipped, previous party members remember a loud rumbling sound.

Blue alcove -
Nothing happens. There is a crushed skeleton at the end of this alcove.

Spoiler: heal or knowledge nature DC 15

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The skeleton looks like it fell from a significant height, which is the cause of its current disposition.

Spoiler: spot check DC 15

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You notice the light does not illuminate the top of this alcove, and that is has to be higher than the others.

Indigo alcove-
Another elevator appears from the floor like the one from the Yellow alcove.

You can easily see crushed bones and rags on the bottom of this elevator. A quick search reveals a small pouch containing 35 gp, 15 sp, and a ruby.

You point the sarcophagi to Violet after a few seconds.

Violet alcove -
Nothing happens

[redzimmer]

Seramal

Spoiler: Spot

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(1d20+1)[13]

Seramal looks at each alcove with mild interest, the shiny rocks getting most of her attention.

"Wow! This is great. I can buy my own Tribe on the Spine of the World at this rate."

[rax]

Narl

Examining the alcove with the blue lamp, Narl notices the crushed skeleton at the end. "Now that's curious," he says to no one in particular. "This poor fellow looks like he got this way by falling from high up, but I don't see where he could have fallen from. Do you suppose there could be something up there worth checking out?" he muses as he stares up into the darkness above.

"And you know what else? Even though our experiments have shown that having a lit lantern in an alcove doesn't guarantee we'll find another marvellous contraption like the one we descended in, the lamps still seem significant to me. I really think we should try and find the red lantern. Perhaps some new wonder will reveal itself when all the lanterns are returned?"

Spoiler: Skill checks

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Spot: (1d20+2)[8]
Heal: (1d20)[17]

[Debatra]

Tobul will look through the pouch, dividing the coins evenly among those present (five gold, two silver each). She will keep the one silver coin left over for herself.

She will then present the ruby to the group. "Does anyone have an eye for gemstones? I'm usually better with steel or leather."

[Deophaun]

Rose

With some help, Rose points the sarcophagus back to the Indigo alcove. The crushed bones raise her suspicions and she gives the tube an extra pass.

Spoiler

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Search:
Take 10: 23
Roll: (1d20+13)[17]

That done, she moves to the Blue alcove. "A fall would mean there's something up there worth climbing to," she says, agreeing with Narl. She takes her sunrod and tosses it up into the air, aiming for where the ceiling would normally be.

Spoiler

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Attack: (1d20+4)[16]
Direction: (1d8)[7]
Spot: (1d20+4)[9]

"We could use some of this sand to rig a rope and pulley on the lantern chain. Should provide safety for climbing so we don't meet this fellow's fate."

"As I see it, we have three options for where that red lantern could be. It might be above here, down that tube," she motions to the Indigo chamber, "or we can risk the green. I don't think a trap caused that shaking. We had too much time to spin the sarcophagus away, and trap makers aren't that considerate. Maybe there's one of those tubes down there but something's blocking it."

[BelGareth]

As the sunrod is tossed up, you see a small opening leading away from the sarcophagus at the very top of the ceiling, about 50ft up.

[J-H]

Casper

Casper looks around. "Who builds a tomb like this? This is more of a temple than a tomb."

[rax]

Narl

"Oh, that's very interesting!" Narl opines when Rose's sunrod exposes the opening in the ceiling of the blue alcove. "But I admit I'm somewhat confused. How do you propose to use sand to rig a rope and pulley, Mistress Rose? And do we even have a pulley?"

"As for the whereabouts of the red lantern, I'm no expert on traps, but your deductions seem sound to me. It does seem unlikely that there's a trap in the green alcove, or if there is, it's probably not functioning correctly. Do you have a suggestion on where we should start?"

Responding to Casper, Narl says: "Well, in a way it probably is. If you think about what we found below, those were the quarters of an architect or sculptor. He probably lived here while building the place, but I don't think it's the architect's tomb. And there are two other name-glyphs, remember? From their description, the one our friends saw on the broken mirror probably represents the most important individual, likely the same person as the unfinished statue below. I believe that this particular Wind Duke was of high rank among his people, and if this is his final resting place then it is most certainly also intended to reflect his greatness. So one could well say that this is a temple of sorts."

[redzimmer]

Seramal

"Well that leaves just green then! Let's go lads, stronger pusher gets to buy me a drink at the Dog!"

The half-orc begins to push the sarcophagus towards the green lantern alcove.

[Debatra]

Tobul will position herself at the mouth of the green alcove.

[rax]

Narl

Gripping his flail firmly, Narl steps up beside Tobul and waits as Seramal begins to turn the sarcophagus.