Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

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OGRE MAGE
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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#61 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Gronda continues checking over walls and floors as the huge group slowly makes its way inside the room.

Once she notices the skeletons, she watches the faces of the newcomers very closely, hoping that they will reveal whether they know anything about this new place or not.

"What do you know of this place, Amethu?"

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DadsAngry
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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#62 Post by DadsAngry »

Mako:

"Roan, it's hard to see through the swarm of people but it looks like the room is filled with sand. Like the first room we came into on top of the pyramid. Half buried in the sand are the remains of two begins maybe man. I think I heard someone say they were lovers. They hold each other in death. If the group moves forward into the room I should have a better view."

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hedgeknight
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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#63 Post by hedgeknight »

Roan, Son of Rune, grunts in response to Mako and keeps watch on their backs.
He's eager for more bloodshed and hopes something tries to attack them from behind...though he wouldn't voice that to his companions....
Winter is coming...

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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#64 Post by Inferno »

The Hall of The Serpent. Third Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Two. Afternoon. 14th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia




Usemhotep, Verulian Grand Magus of Uthoth, had told them, "You must walk the floors of Hell, the serpentine path of the righteous.
"...Anyway, I believe that's how it goes."


In the ageless, fire-opalled corridors of The Serpent, the explorers of the Great Pyramid discover an immense stone colossus of Sutekh and turn left.

Image


Zahra pulls open a door and Attila, Garrin, Gronda and Loche slowly enter a chamber where Sutekh is portrayed weighing a man's soul. The others wait for the scouts' findings.




Attila inspects the dry bones without touching them. The barbaric nomad thinks they might be hundreds of years old.

Garrin begins searching for secret passages and finds none yet. He invites Loche to check the southern, red door. The Pict thief advances on it with an "Aye!"

Gronda notes the sand floor is completely smooth, or at least it was before they entered.

Suddenly, SLAM!

The door shuts hard, of its own volition. Attila, Garrin, Gronda and Loche are inside the room. Everyone else is still in the hall. Then, from within the door itself, come sounds like heavy bolts being thrown.

Inside the shut chamber, a deep rumble of ancient engines reverberates from high above, followed by the loud groan of iron. An avalanche of sand floods down from the towering ceilings onto Attila, Garrin, Gronda and Loche and every square inch of the room!



The roaring, torrential deluge of sand douses Attila's torch, plunging the four explorers into a darkness absolute. The unyielding barrage threatens to knock them over and bury them alive.


Actions?! Attila, Garrin, Gronda and Loche please Save vs Strength on 1d20. Failure means you are knocked down by the falling sand and can't take an action.


Map:
Image
The door to 17 is shut. Lighter areas show visibility. All else is from memory.


Image


PC Status:
  • Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/6, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl
    Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 2: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 5/12, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
    Attila: Hyrkanean Nomad Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 1, HP: 10/21
    Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 5, HP: 11/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
    Gronda: Zembabweian Savage Ranger/Thief 1/2: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 6/17
    Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 4/7, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
    Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 6/18
    Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 4/6, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, Light spell
    Roan, Son of Rune: Vanir Northman Barbarian 2: Move: 15", AC: 4, HP: 17/23, Torch
    Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 2: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/16
PC Magic:
  • Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
    Healing Mists of Osorus (All except Amethu and Zahra): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."
    Light (Mako): Duration: 13 rounds
PC Resources:
Last edited by Inferno on Sun Oct 27, 2019 3:01 am, edited 1 time in total.
DM:
The Horror at Briarsgate (1e): Lovecraftian Gothic Horror (N1, homebrew)
Lost City of Eternity (1e): Hyborian Age Sword and Sorcery (B4, JG102, homebrew)
Once and Future Earth (1e): Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Dungeon Crawl (X1, B1, ASE1, homebrew)
Sauron Victorious (1e): Dire Saga for the Fate of Middle Earth (homebrew)

Player:
Agax Gryyg: Gamer of Urth, Ravenloft
Azoth Al-Aziz: Lovecraftian Cultist, Tamoachan
Blodget: Foolish Young 9th Level Hobbit, Dark Clouds
Dredd Doomsmith: Dwarven Deathtrap Engineer, Tomb of Horrors
Elijah Crowthorne: Marooned Prophet, Pirates
Jack in the Green: Ancient Child, Giants
P.T. Codswallop: Larcenous Impresario, Dimwater
Sir Ugghra: Bestial Half-Orc Aristocrat, Brotherton
Swilbosh: Savage Lizard-Warrior, Keep
Tantos Vek: Failed Paladin, Under Streets
Ulfang Chainbreaker: Barbarian Liberator of Slaves, Tharizdun

DM bio is here.

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Zhym
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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#65 Post by Zhym »

"Stand back!" commands Arthfael. He steps to the door and places one ink-covered hand on it. He closes his eyes and calls to the spirits in the wood. "Cuimhnigh nuair a bhí tú crainn," he whispers. "Sín amach do brainsí arís. Análaigh, agus briseadh saor in aisce do bhannaí."

Cast warp wood.
Cimmerian: "Remember when you were trees. Stretch your branches once again. Breathe, and break free of your bonds."

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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#66 Post by Spartakos »

Zahra was on the verge on crossing the threshold, when the door slammed shut in her face. Startled, she immediately tried to re-open it, but could hear the locks clamping down, and her surprise became alarm.

She was about to set her shoulder to the door and call for aid, when the strange tattooed man told her to stand aside. She rounded on him, a retort on her lips, but it fell away when he began his dweomer-work. Edging back away from him, she stood straight and tried not to show her unease.


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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#68 Post by SocraticLawyer »

Save vs. Str (13) [1d20] = 13
W00t :)


Garrin struggles in the sand, but manages to move. He does his best to help any of his companions stuck in the sand, and returns to the door. "Open the door!" he shouts to his companions on the other side.
How do we know you're not a donkey-brained man?

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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#69 Post by wordoftheoracle »

Loche will try to look around the seemingly sealed room.

Save vs. Strength: [1d20] = 3

Or maybe not...
Last edited by wordoftheoracle on Wed Jul 26, 2017 4:01 pm, edited 1 time in total.
PC History:

Ioriston Erudleaf - Level Three Elven Wizard, Hedge's Adventures in the Realms (5e)
Loche - Level Three Pict Thief, The Lost City of the Pharaohs (1e)

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OGRE MAGE
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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#70 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Gronda finds herself right back in the path of danger and death. While luck is normally pretty good to her, ever since she set foot into this accursed temple, she has found herself in a very dark place, figuratively and literally. She tries to climb up the accumulating sands as they fall, hoping to make it back towards the door eventually.

Her recent luck holds true as she starts being crushed and enveloped by the torrent of falling desert now filling the room. She finds herself unable to move through the blasting of the sands.

Strength save (13) [1d20] = 19

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tkrexx
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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#71 Post by tkrexx »

OOOFHH! Atilla falls!

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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#72 Post by Inferno »

The Hall of The Serpent. Third Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Two. Afternoon. 14th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia




SLAM! A trap is sprung. The hourglass is running out for the captured adventurers.

"...'the serpentine path of the righteous'...," Amethu muses idly. "Hmmm. I wonder. Do you think we were supposed to take the right path at the statue?"

Arthfael the druid steps forward. "Remember when you were trees. Stretch your branches once again. Breathe, and break free of your bonds,” he utters in a language understood only by him… and the wood.

Impossibly, it replies.

The thick planks of the door creak, moan and growl. They pop and crack as sudden and loud as hammer blows. Hairline fissures crawl the length of the door’s surface, following the unforgotten grain. Splits widen. Boards rupture. And then they burst free.

The wood façade collapses in a heap of twisted timber, revealing an incredible iron infrastructure beneath.



Ingenious clockwork mechanisms of the ancients are revealed; housed on this side of the metal door, away from the reach of the deathtrap's victims. Deprived of their wooden protection, the advanced, delicate gears are exposed and vulnerable.

Kiri the man mountain grabs hold of those inventive, marvelous cogs and rods and, with his astonishing strength, pulls them asunder with his bare hands, freeing thick bolts from their locks. The iron door is pushed open by the wall of sand, waist high and growing, that falls out of the yawning maw.

Meanwhile, inside the chamber of death....



...blind and deaf, selfless Garrin flails his arms around him and feels nothing solid except the wall. Bracing himself against it, he follows it until he finds Loche in the midnight cascade, blindly running his hands across the red door in the southern wall, realizing it is a false door.

Garrin guides Loche through the dark, back the way he came. Both men stagger into the light, ducking under the open door frame and tumbling down the growing sand dune that pours out into the hallway, rejoining the others. The coughing, splitting pair escape certain death.

No one follows them out of the desert avalanche. Of Attila and Gronda, there is no sign.

Sand without end continues to fall. Higher and higher it grows.

Still inside and isolated from each other, Attila and Gronda had faltered beneath the landslide. They fell under its crushing weight. All is dark now. The relentless sandfall roars in the distance. They can’t breathe. They feel themselves being buried alive... by the desert itself. (-1hp each)


Actions?! Attila and Gronda, please Save vs Strength on 1d20. Failure means you can't take an action.
Anyone entering chamber 17, please Save vs Strength on 1d20. Failure means you are knocked down by the falling sand and can't act any further.



Map:
Image
The door to 17 is open. Lighter areas show visibility. All else is from memory.


Image


PC Status:
  • Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 6/6, Spells: 3/5 1st lvl
    Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 2: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 5/12, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl and 2/3 2nd lvl
    Attila: Hyrkanean Nomad Barbarian 2: Move: 12", AC: 1, HP: 9/21
    Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 5, HP: 11/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
    Gronda: Zembabweian Savage Ranger/Thief 1/2: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 5/17
    Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 4/7, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
    Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 6/18
    Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 4/6, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, Light spell
    Roan, Son of Rune: Vanir Northman Barbarian 2: Move: 15", AC: 4, HP: 17/23, Torch
    Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 2: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/16
PC Magic:
  • Protection from Evil (Garrin): -2 to AC and +2 to saving throws against evil, in a 10 foot radius around Garrin.
    Healing Mists of Osorus (All except Amethu and Zahra): All lost HP recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 HP per hour. Duration: "months."
    Light (Mako): Duration: 12 rounds
PC Resources:
Last edited by Inferno on Sun Oct 27, 2019 3:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
DM:
The Horror at Briarsgate (1e): Lovecraftian Gothic Horror (N1, homebrew)
Lost City of Eternity (1e): Hyborian Age Sword and Sorcery (B4, JG102, homebrew)
Once and Future Earth (1e): Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Dungeon Crawl (X1, B1, ASE1, homebrew)
Sauron Victorious (1e): Dire Saga for the Fate of Middle Earth (homebrew)

Player:
Agax Gryyg: Gamer of Urth, Ravenloft
Azoth Al-Aziz: Lovecraftian Cultist, Tamoachan
Blodget: Foolish Young 9th Level Hobbit, Dark Clouds
Dredd Doomsmith: Dwarven Deathtrap Engineer, Tomb of Horrors
Elijah Crowthorne: Marooned Prophet, Pirates
Jack in the Green: Ancient Child, Giants
P.T. Codswallop: Larcenous Impresario, Dimwater
Sir Ugghra: Bestial Half-Orc Aristocrat, Brotherton
Swilbosh: Savage Lizard-Warrior, Keep
Tantos Vek: Failed Paladin, Under Streets
Ulfang Chainbreaker: Barbarian Liberator of Slaves, Tharizdun

DM bio is here.

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Spartakos
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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#73 Post by Spartakos »

Impressed by the sheer strength of her new companion, Zahra tries to press forward, to help if she can.
Seeing what is happening in the room, she looks to the men, saying, "Rope! Does anyone have a rope?"

If anyone will produce a rope and secure one end, Zahra will take the other end and wade in to dig out our comrades. I'll roll the Str save when I get off work and back to my home PC.
Last edited by Spartakos on Sat Jul 29, 2017 2:04 am, edited 1 time in total.

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OGRE MAGE
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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#74 Post by OGRE MAGE »

Gronda has come to the conclusion that she simply will not survive the many horrors of this cursed pyramid. She has had stretches of extremely bad luck in her lifetime, but has always been able to keep her head up and wait for better days. "Tomorrow is another day" and all that. However, ever since she set foot into this accursed place, something has gone wrong for her at every single turn.

She begins to hear the birds off in the distance chirping as she lies next to a nice cool stream of babbling water that washes over her naked, tired feet.

Strength save (13) [1d20] = 15
If you want me to roll a low number, just ask for an attack roll instead. :lol:

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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#75 Post by SocraticLawyer »

Spartakos wrote:Impressed by the sheer strength of her new companion, Zahra tries to press forward, to help if she can.
Seeing what is happening in the room, she looks to the men, saying, "Rope! Does anyone have a rope?"

If anyone will produce a rope and secure one end, Zahra will take the other end and wade in to dig out our comrades. I'll roll the Str save when I get off work and back to my home PC.
Garrin's first reaction is to be the one to go into the sand-filled room to find their companions. He recognizes Zahra's greater strength, however, and realizes she is a much better person for the job. He produces his rope. "I'll tie one end to you, and several of us will have the other end. Give two sharp tugs and we will pull you out."
How do we know you're not a donkey-brained man?


sirravd

Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#77 Post by sirravd »

Amethu contemplates the door for a few seconds: then he takes one of his leathern flasks, pours the oil out onto the ground, and tries to jam the largest gear with the now-empty flask –– first using the flask's body, then its lip. If even the lip is too large, he will try to rip the flask into pieces and use them to jam the gear.

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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#78 Post by Spartakos »

Zahra gives Garrin a sober nod, then--tying the rope around her waist--forces her way into the cascading sand, in search of Gronda (or, should she find him, Atilla).

Strength check: [1d20] = 7

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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#79 Post by DadsAngry »

Mako:

Mako stands watching the other with greater strength attempt a rescue. The best he can do is hold up his glowing staff to help light the way.

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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#80 Post by Zhym »

Arthfael stands back and watches the hallway for any inconvenient visitors.

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