[Continued] - Bertram/Dwarven Ruins - 19 April, 1 VC

[Dogma]

Martin slips his hand into the shield straps and grasps the shaft of the lance. He makes a few thrusts with it, though a bit awkwardly as a lance wasn't really part of his martial training. "Someone else may get better use from this than I."

Can Martin tell if either the lance or shield is magical?

[Zhym]

I think we just had some miscommunication on that one. I shrugged because ultimately it didn't make much difference. Let me know if you want to do detailed cartography and I'll slow you guys down appropriately and provide more detailed information.

Well, that's what I mean. If doing detailed cartography means slowing everyone down without making much difference, then it's probably unnecessary and likely to be unappreciated by anyone other than the dwarf (and his player...) who's obsessed by detailed mapping.

Whether it's useful in this tomb depends on whether we want to make this a dungeon crawl through the tomb or just grab the best obvious loot and follow the clues leading northeast. If we want to make sure we don't miss any part of this tomb, I'd start making a detailed map. If we want to grab loot from the places we know about and move on, we don't need a map to do that.

[Keehnelf]

Well, in the case of the small tomb you'd already got through about 90% of it and I knew there wasn't anything hidden to be found.

In this case, there's still a LOT of unexplored territory and something unexpected might happen that makes you wish you had a map in process...just my way of saying, it's not a foregone conclusion that a map is useless if you just want to hit the highlights. That being said, I think you've articulated the situation well in general.

---

Martin is totally unable to tell what constitutes a magical lance, as he isn't all that familiar with how a non-magical one feels and handles. The shield, on the other hand, has an enchantment of +1 on it.

[Zhym]

In that case, if everyone else is okay with the delay (or if he can do it while his companions are doing other things), Ulf will get out his pen and paper and start mapping the tomb in as much detail as he can manage. He'll pay attention not only to the dimensions of the rooms, but the thickness of walls (if relevant to the map).

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram found nothing else of interest, thought the sarcophagus itself does have a number of precious-looking gems set into it.

Whoa, whoa...that's certainly something of interest
Bertram will pull out his dagger and try to pry out some of the gems while his dwarven companion pulls out pen & paper.

[Keehnelf]

Bertram easily pulls a handful of gems out of the stone--a half dozen, diamonds and sapphires, that are all flat and square-cut. They are of remarkably similar dimension and design to the gem found inside the chest outside the entrance to the tomb.

[Zhym]

Here's a rough "Zork map" that I think hits all the areas of the tomb we know about:

Code: Select all

                 ENTRANCE
                    |
                    |
                    .
                    .  (Lots of branching tunnels)
                    . 
                (~200 ft)
                    .
                    .
                    .
                    |
                    |
"WAITING--------MAIN HALL--------DINING
 AREA"              |          (70' long, 
(20x30'             |           w/Jeweled
 w/Jeweled          |          Sarcophagus)
Sarcophagus)        |        
                    | 
                    .
                    .
                    .  
               (Ex-Crivit)
                    .             (40'x100' 
                    .            w/statues & 
                    .            sarcophagi)
                    |                ^  
                    |                ^ 
                    |             |  |  
                  --+-------<<<<--+--+  
                    |             |  |
                    .
                    .          "OLD TOMB"   
                    .
                    |
                 AUDIENCE
                  CHAMBER
              (12 Sarcophagi)              

We're in the "waiting area."

[Dogma]

Martin, human cleric

"If no one minds, I'll keep the shield for now. The lance would better serve someone with more skills in weapons than I. Bertram, maybe you or Mokatah?"

[Zhym]

"I've been thinking about what happened here," says Ulf.

I'm assuming Bertram, Abi, Krysta, and Galen told everyone else enough about the previous expedition that we all know about the previous expedition with as much detail as is in the forum thread.

"First, this place is huge. The chamber where Fangir tried to bury his son may have had 50 or more sarcophagi, and it was one of many chambers. There may be hundreds or thousands of dead dwarves entombed here. That means it would take us a very long time to search all those tombs and take their treasures. More importantly, it's unlikely that all the residents of this tomb got up and left like those who used to occupy the vaults we've raided so far. Although this tomb seems quiet, I think many dead remain.

"Second, the first sign that all hell was about to break loose was the sound of metal striking stone then a gem rolling across the floor. That was immediately followed by crashing stone—possibly sarcophagus lids crashing to the floor. I suspect that Quirin pried that emerald loose, waking the dishonored dead. Fangir said that they were 'bound with powerful rituals to protect their honored kin from desecration or befoulment,' did he not? Maybe they went after Quirin not because he was an elf, but because he defiled the tomb. So although the tomb has so many gems that if we could collect them all we'd be rich enough that the Archduke would come asking us for money, we should be careful what we try to take. Items and maybe even gems from opened sarcophagi may be safe to take, but I'd leave anything that's still intact alone.

"Third, if the ghouls were the dishonored dead, where are the bodies of those who rested in the sarcophagi we found open? Surely they were not dishonored. No, I think it's more likely that Fangir invoked the blood curse, which forced his ancestors to arise and follow him. Fangir had a long and noble lineage, so maybe the most honored dead of these halls were his ancestors. But I'd guess that not everyone in this tomb is his ancestor. That's another reason to think that many dead remain in this place.

"With that in mind, here is what I propose. Let us investigate the dining hall to see if the sarcophagus there is also open. Then let us seek out the old tomb to make sure Fangir's body doesn't lie there. I don't think it does. I also think we'll find a handful of sarcophagi open there, but not many. Let us retrieve what treasures we can from those open sarcophagi and leave the others alone. Then let us leave this place and find where Fangir and his army of ancestors may have gone off to. Maybe we'll even find Seadu on the way."

Ulf looks around and realizes that he ended up giving a speech. "Sorry to go on and on," he tells Bertram. "This is your mission, and I'm with you whatever path you choose. These are just my thoughts."

[KingOfCowards]

Bertram is taken aback by the amount of information Ulf has collected. He must have interviewed all four of the survivors to gather such level of detail.
"In fact that was a secondary purpose to visiting the ancient hall where we last saw Fangir. I too expect to find no sign of him and expected as much when we found the chest outside."
He runs a hand through his beard, and knuckles at the corner of his eye as he goes on. "Your theory makes sense. The dead now walk, and their lack of presence here could be explained by them following Fangir out. I do disagree with you about Quirin, though. I don't remember him desecrating the tombs. Even so, I will agree not to open any tombs that aren't already open. We are in enough danger as it is. Let's finish up here and see what we can do about Seadu."
With that he begins to move onward again. He'll test the lance that Martin found if no one else does, thinking it could make a nice replacement to his spear.

[Keehnelf]

So is the next destination the dining area or the old tomb?

Bertram takes up the lance and finds its light weight at first distracting, but then realizes that its rigidity, if it is also strong, would allow him to quickly pivot and address attackers from multiple sides where a long spear would traditionally require a defense in one direction against an agile or mounted foe. It's basic enchantment is +1.

Lots of magical treasure indeed!

[KingOfCowards]

Lots of magical treasure indeed!

Now we just have to get home with it
I was going to skip the dining area, but at Ulf's suggestion we might as well give it a look. Bertram will be especially careful going through the great hall after their conversation about the walking dead and their feelings towards looters.

[YamItheonly1]

Seeing as we already have a load of treasure I think it'd be most wise to leave this tomb, but Mokatah will follow the leader, what ever his decision.

Mokatah will grab the full helmet crafted to look like a dragon's maw, with horns that curl up and around on each side, and see if it will fit on his head. If it fits and he doesn't feel anything strange coming from it Mokatah will slide it onto his head carefully.

[Keehnelf]

Mokatah doesn't feel anything strange about the helmet when he wears it, though it only weighs about half of what he expects it to.

edit: fixed some spelling and grammar. Stupid early-morning phone posts.

[Keehnelf]

April 24, 1 VC - 12:40pm

The party heads toward one of the last previously-identified locations on their return tour of the dwarven tombs, the dining hall. The chamber opens up before them, empty apart from a lone sarcophagus lying open with the lid off to one side, cracked down the middle. The rough-cut benches and tables that once adorned this hall are missing: only a smattering of dropped or discarded silverware and a single plate with the ash-caked remains of a half-finished meal offer testament to the purpose this place once served. The doorway that leads on to the kitchen proper from here is closed and marked with rough vertical scratches along its middle section that create ridges of soot.

The party takes a break from exploration to down a hasty lunch.

[Zhym]

"I hope you are right," Ulf tells Bertram over lunch. "But from what you told me of the events in the old tomb, you heard the sound of a small metal object against stone, then the gem rolled down the hall from the darkness, followed by Quirin. You said he told you to go ahead so he could gather rope. Maybe the elf also wanted to collect a treasure but suspected that it would offend either you or Fangir, so tried to do it out of your sight?"

"It doesn't matter," he concludes. "Someone pried the gem loose, and it woke the dishonored dead. Quirin is gone. We need not debate the guilt of the departed."

When he's done eating, Ulf peers into the open sarcophagus.

[Keehnelf]

The sarcophagus is empty save for a half-rusted metal gauntlet.

[Zhym]

"Assuming no one wants a half-rusty gauntlet, shall we go back to the old tomb?" asks Ulf.

[KingOfCowards]

You make a good argument. However, with Bertram being the only survivor from the group that accompanied Fangir into the old part of the tomb, any stories passed on about that part of the adventure would come through him. Consider any details that may incriminate his friend, Quirin, in the death and dismemberment of party members; Crivit and Quirin, officially expunged from the record.

Bertram checks the markings on the door. If he had to determine whether they were caused by a weapon, dire wolf, or ghould, which would he think most likely?

[Zhym]

Fair enough.