Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

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

#81 Post by wordoftheoracle »

Coughing and sputtering, Loche pauses to get his bearings straight. He's just grateful that he wasn't buried alive.
Last edited by wordoftheoracle on Wed Aug 02, 2017 2:12 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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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#82 Post by tkrexx »

Atilla struggles.
WMMFHPMMFMM!!

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

#83 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




Image

Beneath the inexorable sand, the ancient, desiccated skeletons patiently await the newcomers who will soon be joining them for eternity.

Beneath that same sand, Attila fights for his life... to no avail. Gronda, however, goes without a struggle. The Zembabweian savage closes her eyes and resists no longer. She can lay down her burden at last.

The massive weight of six feet of sand crushes and suffocates them both. (-10hp) Their last seconds of consciousness fading, both doomed explorers sense a malevolent intelligence in these twilight regions of the mind. Lurking. Watching.

Image

Then they succumb to the darkness of oblivion.


In the corridor outside, Garrin of Argos urgently ties a length of rope around Zahra's waist and secures the other end.

Amethu tears apart a leather flask and jams the shards into the remaining functioning cogs in the wondrous door, to prevent it from suddenly shutting again of its own desire.

Kiri the wizard-warrior and Zahra the amazon climb up the sliding sands, and wriggle through the one foot gap between the top of the dune and the top of the door, entering an unceasing inundation of roaring, granular earth.



Inside the deathtrap, a curtain descends, striking Kiri and Zahra deaf, blind and mute. Atop the growing sand mound, they are too near the ceiling, the engine of the sandstorm, to stand. They crawl together on hands and knees, holding their breath against the blizzard of sand, feeling in all directions for their companions, without aid of sight, speech or hearing.

They find no one.

Their friends could be anywhere. They could be beneath six feet of sand. A frantic minute of searching passes like an eternity. Neither Attila nor Gronda are found. The sandfall does not relent. Soon there will be no crawlspace between the top of the sand and the ceiling. Kiri and Zahra must leave at once or else be pinned, buried.

Then Zahra's left hand detects the contours of a sinkhole. She plunges her hand down into the center of it and finds a warm, human arm deep below. She taps Kiri with her other hand to signal him. Time is running out.


In the hall outside, the dune in the portal keeps growing. Garrin's line of rope runs from his hands up into the shrinking gap at the top of the doorway.

Then Roan gets his secret wish. Arthfael, Mako and Roan suddenly hear something to the east. A faint, low rumble coming from the darkness behind them.


Actions?! Kiri and Zahra, please Save again vs Strength on 1d20. Failure means you can't take an action.
Pulling a body out of the deep sand will require a second Strength Save. Last chance to act, before the sand reaches the ceiling.



Map:

The door to 17 is open. X = unconscious. Lighter areas show visibility. All else is from memory.


Rolls and Rulings (non-required reading):
Perception/Intuition is a function of Wisdom. Blindness gives a -4 modifier. Buried under six feet of sand gives another -2 modifier (a -1 for each of the two failed strength saves of the explorers).
Kiri and Zahra: Perception saves: searching for bodies buried beneath six feet of sand while blind and deaf: Save vs Wis -6: [1d20] = 4, [1d20] = 1 Zahra succeeds!
Zahra finds Gronda (1) or Attila (2)?: [1d2] = 1 Zahra finds Gronda.
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: -1/21
    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: 10 rounds
PC Resources:
Last edited by Inferno on Sun Oct 27, 2019 3:09 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

#84 Post by Spartakos »

Zahra had lived all her life beneath the desert sands, but never had the stark reality of her world been brought so brutally to her attention. Eyes shut tight, trying not to inhale sand and choke to death, she fought her way through the torrent of grit and dust, searching fruitlessly for their lost companions.

She was on the verge of giving up when she found the gap and seized a slim wrist. Clamping it in a grip of iron, she tried to haul the unconscious person, whoever it might be, from the clutching grip of the sand. But strain however she might, the crushing weight of the sand did not yield, and she was unable to free her discovered victim. As she felt the sand threatening to bury her, Zahra felt a surge of despair and released the arm, consigning her newfound ally to a sandy grave.

She was on the verge of giving up when she found the gap and seized a slim wrist. Clamping it in a grip of iron, she tried to haul the unconscious person, whoever it might be, from the clutching grip of the sand. But strain however she might, the crushing weight of the sand did not yield, and she was unable to free her discovered victim. As she felt the sand threatening to bury her, Zahra felt a surge of despair and released the arm, consigning her newfound ally to a sandy grave.

Strength check to move: [1d20] = 6
Strength check to rescue Gronda: [1d20] = 19
Last edited by Spartakos on Thu Aug 03, 2017 12:57 am, edited 2 times in total.

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

#85 Post by DadsAngry »

Mako:

Hearing the faint rumbling noise Mako says to Roan, "please tell me that was your stomach?"

sirravd

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

#86 Post by sirravd »

Amethu senses the deaths of his two companions; he is reminded, suddenly and violently, of his father, and he sneers involuntarily. Then he hears the noise; he silently prepares to expend his charm person, should the approaching thing be humanoid.

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

#87 Post by ChubbyPixie »

Kiri realizes how foolish he was to enter here - but it doesn't matter. How could he live with himself if he didn't try? Would his friends not do the same? He begins reaching for the figure beneath the sand when suddenly he is broadsided by a cascading wave of the relentless, falling death. It envelops him. His strength, for the first time in his life, will not save him - there's nowhere to move. He clasps the medallion of his grandfather...

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

#88 Post by wordoftheoracle »

Loche braces himself for an encounter from the east knowing that he narrowly escaped death in that same room.
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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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#89 Post by hedgeknight »

Roan, Son of Rune suddenly snaps out of the shock of losing two of his companions when the sound comes from down the hall. He glances at Mako and then back to the darkness of the tunnel. Memories of watching Gronda waddle along in front of him, her ass swaying and jiggling, mesmerizing him, filling his loins with...
He shakes himself and snorts in frustration and anger. He hefts his axe, ready to take his anger out on whatever is coming. He can't help but grin, eager for the bloodletting that is sure to come.
Winter is coming...

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

#90 Post by Spartakos »

Zahra started to struggle back to the door, but realized she could no longer feel the massive presence of the powerfully-built man who had come in with her. She hesitated, and then felt his large hand groping at her leg. At first she felt an instinctive revulsion at a man pawing at her, but then realized he must have somehow become trapped beneath the sand, his desperate flailing a plea for aid. Unwilling to lose yet another life, she frantically tore at the sand, managing to find his armored torso. Locking her own sinewy arms around him, she gave two sharp tugs on the rope...the signal the handsome man had said would cause them to pull them out.

All her life she had been told men were false and untrustworthy. Now, for whatever reason, she was placing her faith in them.

Strength check to hang on to Kiri: [1d20] = 5

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

#91 Post by ChubbyPixie »

When he feels that somehow, miraculously, Zahra's leg has come into contact with his hand, Kiri grips her ankle tightly and yells as loud as he can. "PULL US OUT!!" He wonders if it's even possible for the others to hear over the dull, endless roar.

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

#92 Post by Zhym »

Arthfael readies his spear and waits for whatever approaches from the east.

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

#93 Post by SocraticLawyer »

Garrin feels the tug and starts pulling. He quickly realizes that he needs help.

"Help me reel them back in!" he shouts back at his companions.

Sorry for the delay, got super busy with RL stuff! :shock:
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

#94 Post by hedgeknight »

Torn between what is coming down the hall and the desire to help save his companions, Roan, Son of Rune, growls and gnashes his teeth...and then dashes back to help Garrin.
"Mako! Help the druid hold the line! And pray to Mitra you don't fall in battle, or the sonuvabitch might carve you up for a late night snack!" the Vanir says as he pushes back toward Garrin.
Sheathing his axe, Roan grabs the rope and pulls with all his might.
Winter is coming...

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

#95 Post by DadsAngry »

Mako:

Mako quickly moves into line behind Roan. He drops his staff to allow both of his hands to grip the rope tightly. The thought of becoming Garrin's dinner fuels his energy as he pulls with all his might.

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

#96 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






Alas, Attila of Hyrkanea and Gronda of Zembabwei are buried alive, entombed with the pharaohs for eternity.

Kiri and Zahra courageously enter the deathtrap avalanche to rescue their companions, to no avail. Feeling their way through the relentless, blinding sandfall, Zahra finds Gronda. Blind, deaf and mute, she can touch Gronda's arm but cannot save her. The brave dark sister, that inspired Zahra to take up arms against cruel Zargoth, dies within reach of the amazon's fingertips.

Suddenly, gigantic Kiri collapses beneath the unceasing landslide of desert, seemingly doomed to share the same grim fates of Attila and Gronda. (-1hp) Fierce Zahra grabs hold of Kiri but cannot move the mountainous warrior. Risking her life to save that of a man's, the amazon tugs the rope so that another man might save hers.

She yanks, and nothing happens for a long moment.

Image

Outside in the corridor, Amethu and Arthfael watch in the direction of the towering stone colossus of Sutekh, god of chaos and death, whose realm they dared invade. No sound or movement is detected from the east.

South of them, at the base of the slope pouring out from the open door, noble Garrin feels the signal on the rope and calls for aid. Roan, son of Rune, puts aside his ax, gives his torch to Loche, and grabs the taut cord in his thick hands. The two stout warriors cannot budge the line! Mako drops his glowing staff and urgently joins the effort.

Garrin, Mako and Rune pull. They haul the rope with all their might. Backs straining, teeth clenched, hands raw, fearing the line might snap at any moment, they finally pull Zahra and Kiri through the top of the wall of sand that now completely fills the deathtrap's entrance. The two rescued rescuers tumble down the large dune, gasping, coughing, spitting. Alive.

Attila and Gronda are not with them.

The temporary hole, that birthed Zahra and Kiri, closes. From beyond the dune barrier, the roar of falling sand stops. A dull clang of iron is heard. Then a distant ticking sound, like that of a mechanical clockwork apparatus.


Actions?


Map:
Image
The door to 17 is open but completely filled with sand. X = Dead. 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
    Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 5, HP: 11/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
    Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 3/7, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
    Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 6/18, Torch
    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
    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: 9 rounds
PC Resources:
Last edited by Inferno on Sun Oct 27, 2019 3:12 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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Re: Chapter 7: In Search of the Pharaoh's Tomb

#97 Post by DadsAngry »

Mako:

Mako drops the rope. He is happy to have helped rescued Zahra and Kiri, but very sad to see Gronda and Attila did not make it. He lowers himself down to pick up his staff trying to hide his face for it bares tears for the fallen Gronda. Just hours ago he nursed her back to health twice with the special font from the fountain. This time the life giving properties of the magical waters will not bring her back. He prays for her safe journey in meeting her god in the afterlife.
Last edited by DadsAngry on Sat Aug 05, 2017 6:34 am, edited 1 time in total.

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

#98 Post by ChubbyPixie »

Gasping, Kiri slowly stands up, covered in dust and grit. He looks straight ahead, betraying no emotion. Glancing once at the sand clogged door, he turns to Zahra, places his hands together in front of his chest and bows, holding for a moment, then rises. "I thank you," he says. "I am indebted to you, and, given the opportunity, will return the favor, even should it result in my death." He then lifts his amulet regards it for a drawn out moment, as if listening, then places his shield and trident on his back and draws a wicked, foreign looking, long-handled two-handed sword.

"Had I followed my instincts this morning and studied the portal sealing spell my grandfather suggested, I could have stopped the flow of sand - Gronda, at least, would yet be alive," he says flatly. He absent-mindedly wipes sand from his forehead. "Let's go kill that demon now."

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

#99 Post by Spartakos »

Zahra rises to one knee, coughing and drawing great gasps of air. Brushing and from her eyes, she stands and shakes her short hair, more sand flying free.

"I...I am sorry, I could not save the others." Though her eyes are dry and she maintains a stoic attitude, Zahra's youthfulness is clear, as is the fact that she has probably never had anyone die due to her actions.

Her hidden distress is set aside, though, when Kiri offers his formal thanks. "I acted to save a comrade-in-arms, nothing more need be said. Any true warrior would do the same." She flushes a bit, and stands straighter, then looks at Garrin and Roan. "My thanks to you both. Even had I not been aiding the large one, I'm not sure I could have made it out without help."

Without waiting for a reply, she bends to retrieve her weapons and ready herself once more for combat.

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

#100 Post by hedgeknight »

Roan, Son of Rune, says nothing. Sweat from exertion drips from his chin and his jaws hurt from gritting his teeth. He flings the rope to the floor, grabs his torch from Loche and picks up his axe, and stomps his way to the back of the line.
"C'MON HELLISH BEAST!" he shouts to the darkened corridor. "MY AXE IS THIRSTY!"
Winter is coming...

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