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

[Keehnelf]

Gotcha, sorry:

Yeah, the sword and shield from the first sarcophagus are still untouched in this manner.

[Keehnelf]

Bromric gives the ornate sword a few swings and determines that it is non-magical, but the round metal shield, which appears to bear a +1 enchantment, seems to glimmer faintly as he straps it on.

[KingOfCowards]

"If no one else has an opinion on the matter, I say we keeping exploring until the point it becomes too dangerous."
After it appears that the contents of the sarcophagi have been removed, Bertram readies himself to move on. He'll lead the group back to the main hall and then towards the quarters where they had been temporarily housed during past adventures.

We'll do an even split at the end of the adventure. Normally we pick lots, and if two or more want the same item we dice over it. So don't feel like you've missed out just yet.

[Keehnelf]

If there is no objection from others, what will the next destination be?

[YamItheonly1]

Seemingly unheard by the dwarves, Mokatah decides that not that much can go wrong and grabs the serrated long sword and gives it a few twirls testing the balance and length of the strange blade.

[Marullus]

Seemingly unheard by the dwarves, Mokatah decides that not that much can go wrong and grabs the serrated long sword and gives it a few twirls testing the balance and length of the strange blade.

Determining that the ornate sword has no dwoemer, Bromric packs it with the other treasure so as to not damage it. He straps on and keeps the shield for their continued delve.

He is intensely interested in inspecting any other swords as well, and responds to Mokatah's request (with whatever information Keehnelf provides). He interprets any engravings as he (covetously)handles the items of dwarven antiquity.

(Whether you want to have wielded it first or not is up to you.)

[KingOfCowards]

If there is no objection from others, what will the next destination be?

The room where Bertram and company were temporarily housed in their first adventure.

[Keehnelf]

The serrated sword's markings have a confused and chaotic feel, like they were inscribed by a number of different crafters at different points in time. The most organized looking set of inscriptions seems to be a binding of some kind, perhaps fusing a force or power to the blade. The key-rune of the inscription seems to be a proper noun but the letters are wildly unsayable. It reads: "CZDAXYG".

The other runes and inscriptions appear to be minor wards and enchantments of various kinds.

[Marullus]

Mokatah - this sword has trouble all over it... if you don't mind, I'll have Bromric act in greed and wield it first as I kinda dig him getting bound up in a ancient-dwarvish-blade's issues. If you want to have a go at the storyline, then just post that you wield it first after he translates for you and we'll move forward either way.

[hedgeknight]

Krysta frowns at Ulf as he snatches the throwing hammer and tests it. With a shake of her head, she turns to the scroll cases (the bone and steel ones) and tries to open them to see what is inside. Assuming she is not blown to pieces, she examines their contents, attempting to discern anything written or usable.

She also puts the elven ring on her finger to see if it has any properties, concentrating on it and rubbing her hand across it.

Finally, she examines the holy symbol, turning it over in her hands, asking Pelor to help her identify its maker.

"We are continuing onward into the hold, yes?" she asks, looking at Bertram expectantly.

[YamItheonly1]

Mokatah does a dismissing gesture towards the strange blade and Bromric, seeing the glee of discovery in the dwarven eyes "I never was one for the blade myself, you'd probably make better use of it than I could"

Mokatah will check his bolts as crossbow as he waits for the rest of the party to get moving again. He will also look at the broken bolt and plan on how to fix it as best he can when he gets the time.

[Marullus]

Bromric wields the strange sword experimentally, trying to say the unpronounceable word several ways. "Come, we will avenge our kin together," he says to the blade reverently, then takes his place at the front of the column with Bertram, ready to continue on.

[Keehnelf]

I'll get to the ring and scroll cases later.

When Bromric picks up the sword and invokes the names of his dwarven ancestors, the room is immediately sunk in a powerful chill that seems to emanate from the blade.

Ulf is unpleasantly reminded of his recent illness as the two dwarves begin to feel hollow and somehow weightless. There is a soft glow behind the darkness that they are suddenly aware of, not a real glow but an energy suffusing the very air. The rest of the party shiver and hear a vague faint sound of metal scraping against metal echoing from all around them, a cacophony of shrieks and groans that seems to stretch on and on before finally fading into the silence of the tomb and the odd glow perceived by the dwarves fades away at the same time.

Eventually the comparative warmth of the torch's fire returns, casting sparkling reflections off the fresh heads of condensation on the group's weapons and armor.

[Keehnelf]

In the bone scroll case are a thick sheaf of vellum scrolls, upon which are inscribed various benedictions and incantations (clerical spells).

They include:

Cure Light Wounds
Light
Detect Magic
Speak with Animal x2
Striking

The steel case includes what is clearly a map of the surrounding region, drawn by a skilled mapmaker (I apologize that my crummy map skills can't adequately reflect this) with legend and markings all in dwarven.

Map, only for those present:

Map.pdf

(45.96 KiB) Downloaded 42 times

[Keehnelf]

The gold ring with elvish writing on it is cool as one would expect from an item that's been sitting in a tomb--but despite its coolness it radiates a sense of peacefulness and harmony that is at odds with the uneasy silence of this ruined tomb.

[Marullus]

Bromric looks eminently pleased, admiring the blade. "Surely our ancestors walk with us! Come, we will avenge our kin together,"he says to the blade reverently, then takes his place at the front of the column with Bertram, ready to continue on.

[Keehnelf]

Oh and mechanically the sword acts as a +2 long sword plus whatever else it has going on.

[Keehnelf]

April 24, 1 VC - 11:50am

The party examines the valuable-seeming items from the various sarcophagi around the room, taking some in hand and stowing the rest in their packs. As Bromric looks around at his companions, he realizes that the handle of his new sword grows warm to the touch whenever he sees one of them packing away their newfound treasure, and a prickle of irritation runs across the back of his neck. He shakes it off and takes up his position at the front of the party.

Little consideration is given to the massive wolf corpse--indeed it must have been one of the black wolf's lieutenants from the look of it, and is best left where it lies.

Bertram and Bromric take point in leading the party back through the tunnels and toward the first chamber in which members of the party were housed on their visits to the hold in the past. Along the way, the torch begins to sputter, its fuel spent, and the party needs to light another. Along the way, they are certain that they hear the sound of distant footfalls or metal striking stone, but when the group pauses, holding its breath and trying to hear past the crackling of the torch, they can hear nothing more. They move on with renewed vigilance, stopping before every turn to scan forward and ensure they are not going to be ambushed by ghouls or other dangers.

Finally, they reach their destination and find themselves in a large, square room heavily decorated with statues and ornate cornices along the top of the walls. The room has a low vaulted ceiling and is dominated in the center by a massive carved sarcophagus that appears to have been hewn out of the native rock of the hill itself. The lid is shattered into a dozen massive fragments on the floor between it and the doorway.

Someone please deduct a torch.

[hedgeknight]

Krysta grins eagerly at the contents of the bone scrollcase, knowing she can put these to use if needed; she plans on showing them to the other clerics in the group when they take a rest.

To Ulf and Bromric, she shows the map, asking, "Do these names mean anything to either of you?"

All the while, she rubs absentmindedly on her new ring, feeling somewhat at peace for the first time in days.

[Dogma]

Martin gingerly steps over the broken chunks of stone and carefully peers into the sarcophagus. "Wonder what could have caused this?" he ponders out loud.

Can Martin determine if the lid was broken from the outside or if something was inside and broke its way out?

Also I have deducted 1 torch from Martin's character sheet