Chapter 10: The Crypt of Everlasting Life

[ravenn4544]

Amethu follows the group - while the nightmare is still fresh, he is somewhat more confident in that his spells have been replenished.

"If the boulder is now stuck and impedes are path, it is possible, that with time to study, I could cast a spell that reduces the size of the object"

[Monsieur Rose]

Soruk

He turns to Mako with a smile in his voice "Thee knoweth, I never very much bethought about that. I hath felt that he just setteth the stage for madness and chaos, and gazed as others did create things or mutated into monsters." Soruk suddenly turns mirthless "Bethinking that he is actively controlling all of this is most terrifying."

He moves to the door, standing ready outside.

[Inferno]

Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Four. Morning. 16th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia







The explorers of the ancient tombs creep toward the titanic boulder, wondering if the wrong step will send it hurtling back upon them.

As the warriors stand guard, Loche the Pict and Xorzen of Osorus carefully examine the open portal for lurking dangers and find none.

Once the all clear is signaled, Garrin of Argos peers into the doorway, tensed and ready. By the light of Arthfael's lantern, the Atlantean paladin discovers a chamber filled with rows of open, empty sarcophagi. (40)



There are 17 antique coffins; the number of mummified, undead guardians that besieged them last night.

All is quiet here.

Xorzen softly pads to the boulder. He cannot budge it but finds it can be crawled under, single file, to access the western corridor.




Actions?


Map detail:



Map:

Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 7/10, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl
  Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 17/17, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl, Lantern
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 18/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 12/12, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
  Soruk: Verulian Osoran Cleric/Fighter 1/1: Move: 12", AC: 6(5), HP: 9/9, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 8, HP: 12/12
  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."

Player Resources:

• The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
  Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
  Hieroglyphs (the story so far, in images)
  An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[wordoftheoracle]

Loche checks out the empty sarcophagi for stuff. He also keeps an ear out for talking skulls.

[ChubbyPixie]

”We should check for half scrolls, Amethu. Whole ones would be nice, too,” says Kiri. He enters the room and begins peering in the sarcophagi Loche hasn’t checked yet.

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorzen wants to crawl his way under the stone to have a look at the next passageway.

He spies around at the floor and wall area of the corner first, in case this is one of those traps that just keeps on trapping.

He takes a long listen before attempting his crawl.

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin stays alert. He checks the room for secret doors.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu nods silently at Kiri's suggestion. He also cautiously enters the room and searches for anything interesting among the open coffins.

[Zhym]

Arthfael joins the search.

[Monsieur Rose]

Soruk

An empty room full of empty coffins does not capture the interest of Soruk. He moves to the boulder and watches his brother listen at the floor. If Xorzen moves past the boulder, Soruk will follow.

[Urson]

Zahra

Zarhra watches Xorzen crawling under the boulder, shaking off a sudden image of a beetle crawling under an uplifted boot. She enters the room with the sarcophagi, providing protection for the searchers and making a round of the perimeter. At a sudden thought, she looks up, examining the ceiling for holes where the monster larvae might enter the room.

[Inferno]

Fourth Tier of the Great Pyramid
Lost City of Khemsa, Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Four. Morning. 16th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia







In the silent halls of the dead, Loche no longer hears the distant, eerie beckoning of the whispering skulls.

The Pictish thief joins the other explorers as they quietly creep into the shadowy crypt (40) to investigate the 17 empty sarcophagi of the undead guardians, sworn to service even in death.

The coffins are adorned with eyes...



...that their inhabitants may see outside them during their eternal slumber.

Suddenly, Zahra gets a creepy premonition and looks up with a start. But she finds no tunnel mouths of the leviathan grubs there.

Here they only find the valued possessions from the servitors' mortal lives, lived countless centuries ago. Entombed with them for the afterlife are ancient Verulian coins, utensils, musical instruments, pottery, facepaint and jewelry.





No scrolls are found, nor secret passages.

Outside the mass tomb, Soruk gets a torch alight as Xorzen crouches down on hands and knees and patiently examines the crawlspace under the boulder. The pale, masked monk finds no traps, nor hears any sounds emanating from the unseen corridor to the west.


Actions?


Map:

Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.


Map detail:






PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 7/10, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl
  Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 17/17, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl, Lantern
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 18/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 12/12, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
  Soruk: Verulian Osoran Cleric/Fighter 1/1: Move: 12", AC: 6(5), HP: 9/9, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl, Torch
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 8, HP: 12/12
  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."

Player Resources:

• The Struggle To Survive (the story so far)
  Mysteries Strange and Deadly (player clues and notes)
  Hieroglyphs (the story so far, in images)
  An Age Undreamed Of (maps and realms of the World of Hyboria)

[wordoftheoracle]

Loche subtly pockets some of the more expensive looking jewelry...

If another PC comments:

Whit urr ye keekin at? ah see masell as a liberator! thae trinkets hae bin trapped 'ere fur centuries. Thair beauty wid be mair appreciatit` oan th' surface. Forby, it isn’t lik' thair afore owners need thaim.

Translation: What are you looking at? I see myself as a liberator! These trinkets have been trapped here for centuries. Their beauty would be more appreciated on the surface. Besides, it isn’t like their previous owners need them.

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorzen turns to his Osoran brother before crawling through.

"Lendeth I thow torch large brother, so I may see better what lie beyond. And pull me back through if I should needeth thy aid, won't you?"

The monk crawls under while the others all plunder.

[Monsieur Rose]

Soruk

He chuckles at Xorzen's request to be pulled out. "Here thee go. Of course I shall pulleth thee out if it be true did need. Just doth not needeth it very much apace, thou art not as lighteth as when we were children."

Soruk gives the torch to Xorzen and kneels down to watch him crawl through.

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin squeezes his way past the boulder, ready to head down the western path once the others join him.

[Urson]

Zahra

Zahra scowls at Loche, but says nothing. She is certain that Loche will receive justice in the afterlife. She continues her watchful waiting, ready to provide a strong arm if anything attacke her sword sisters... brothers!

[ravenn4544]

Amethu will join the group at the boulder if nothing remains to be found in the crypt. "Perhaps we should seal this door somehow and those behind we have explored to prevent attack from behind?"

At the boulder, a hand examining he boulder - caressing it almost- he reflects on how the power of magic can literally reshape the world.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri will rejoin the others in the hall near the resting boulder. He declines to pocket any of the funeral riches, not from any superstition or from a desire to honor the dead, after all, the dead just tried to murder them all, which is not very respectful of the living, he just figures they can pick stuff up on the way out if they survive. If not, they’re unlikely to need it.

”Maybe Soruk and I should roll it back up the hall from the other side so it’s out of the way if we need to retreat back this way quickly...” he offers. When it is his turn he will crawl through.

[Urson]

Zahra

When the others have left the room full of sarcophagi, Zahra will join them in the corridor. She will be last through the crawl space.