Ch. 6: One More Time Around

[Zhym]

After seeing what the skull did to Odilo with just a look, you take the loot and run. The dust thing makes threatening motions, but does not follow. The skull remains where it is, motionless.

As you leave, Skarlos raises an uncomfortable fact: you were sent here to retrieve that skull. What will the Grand Vizier's men do to you if you come out of the tomb empty-handed?

There's also the question of how to escape the tomb. When you entered the tomb, you went through an arch and ended up in a small room with a statue and only one exit, which was not the way you came in. In other words: you don't actually know how to get out of the tomb yet.

-----
Status: Quinn (B13(F7/T8)): 33/78; Urdak (Dwarf F10): 14/75; McCloud (F6/MU6/T10): 13/40; Skarlos (C10): 29/56
Effects: Protection from Evil 10' (Quinn): 12.5 turns; Mirror Image (McCloud): 8 rounds; Unseen Servant (McCloud): 11.7 turns

[Stirling]

McClouds' will summon Penfold to him and in the safety(?) of the corridor go through the loot from the bag. "I could still send Penfold back in the get the skull, put it in the sack and take it to the king-what's-his-name. let him open it and do with it what he will." To get back to the one-armed statue room is a long long way through other dangers, a couple of adders lurking about, the shaking room, stone elephant and who knows if the impatient efreeti will want to come back, useless big lummox that he was, promised lots' delivered little". McClouds' looks around just in case a puff of smoke appears and some flamestrike comes his way.

If all agree McCloud will tell Penfold to go bag up the skull in the satchel. "Hey we don't have to carry the skull, just kick his head around the tomb like a ball"

[tkrexx]

We gotn t'getn d'skull?? Urdak belts. Ya seen wut it done to poorn Iloilo!

[Mondego]

"I guess see what happens when Penfold lifts the skull?"

[Zhym]

Unseen Servant has a maximum range of 30'. So the plan is to stay out in the hallway at maximum range, 10' from the door to the vault, and tell Penfold to put the skull in a sack?

[Stirling]

"Well we need to use Penfold while I still have him" says McCloud, "okay you guys stay back, perhaps divide up some of the treasure goodies we found and write a last will and testament...don't think I ever to got write everything I wanted on those mithril doors. Okay Penfold please return to yonder tomb room and put the sack over the head of the skull and then bring it here." McClouds gesticulate to the seen and unseen party members.

[tkrexx]

Urdak busies himself trying to un-stick the spear from his hands.

[Zhym]

McCloud has Penfold dump the treasure in the sack to empty it. "Okay you guys, stay back," he says. "Perhaps divide up some of the treasure goodies we found and write a last will and testament." He sends the Unseen Servant back into the burial vault with orders to bag up Acererak's skull. The sack, carried by the invisible force, seems to float into the vault. You wait in the hallway outside, watching the doorway with trepidation, wondering what will come out.

A tense minute passes. Then the sack floats out of the door, looking like it contains something round, about a foot across.

Then you realize: the sack is upside down. And floating eight feet above the floor.

I gave Penfold a 1 in 6 chance of successfully getting the bag over the skull before it could rise up and away.

Penfold sack race (Skull in bag on 6): [1d6] = 6

But getting the skull in the bag and keeping hold of a bag full of Acererak are two very different things...

-----
Status: Quinn (B13(F7/T8)): 33/78; Urdak (Dwarf F10): 14/75; McCloud (F6/MU6/T10): 13/40; Skarlos (C10): 29/56
Effects: Protection from Evil 10' (Quinn): 12.5 turns; Mirror Image (McCloud): 8 rounds; Unseen Servant (McCloud): 11.7 turns

[Zhym]

You stand frozen, transfixed by the horror of what you know floats before you.

A red light flickers from within the bag. Quinn collapses to the floor, his body rotting and corrupting to nothingness before your eyes. The bag floats back through the doorway.

Actions?

-----
Status: Urdak (Dwarf F10): 14/75; McCloud (F6/MU6/T10): 13/40; Skarlos (C10): 29/56
Effects: Mirror Image (McCloud): 7 rounds; Unseen Servant (McCloud): 11.6 turns

[Stirling]

McClouds, "ahahahahah....(scream of death wailing and general panic)....".

Pulling himselves' together for respect and shaking with fear, McClouds', half naked and in fright will flee the corridor back into the 'efreeti room, calling Penfold to "drop the bag". If the room elevates downwards, McCloud will instruct Penfold to retrieve the bronze key and hand it over. "perhaps we can lock Acererack away to rest undisturbed in his tomb. Just collect some treasure and be off through those doors of mithril Urdak."

McCloud is glad that his old drinking buddy Urdak has survived and will mourn for Quinn who saved him on a few occassions.

"Now where do we go?"

[tkrexx]

Yeh, the wide-eyed Dwarf eagerly agrees and follows close with nary a comment.

[saalaria]

Skarlos closes his gaping mouth.

"Well I certainly don't have anything to fight against that! I can't think of anything we can try to beat it either. I think maybe retreat is in order but where too!?"

Has the skull retreated back into the treasure room? If so I assume we can leave it alone now.

[Zhym]

Having lost another of your companions to Acererak's appetite, you decide that you have no way to defeat the demi-lich and that survival is the better part of something-or-other. The skull has returned to the vault and shows no signs of further action at the moment. It's also become obvious that the dust-creature is no threat.

You were sent here to retrieve the skull. The royal family needs the skull or they will all die of extremely early old age. But if it's them or you...well, "King" is just a job title, and thrones rarely stay empty for long. The Grand Vizier might not be too pleased to find that you have abandoned your mission to save your lives, but the treasure you've accumulated—including two massive mithril doors, if you can find a way to convert those to cash—will pay many mouths to stay closed.

You gather the treasure Penfold had dumped on the floor and retrace your steps back to the room where you had freed an efreeti.

Only one problem remains: how to escape the tomb. You know of at least six possible exits: corridors that continued on unexplored, doors that remain unopened, and mist-filled archways that you have not yet entered. Perhaps one of the green faces is your exit from the tomb, or there might yet be a secret door that remains undiscovered.

Or maybe there is no exit. Why would Acererak make it possible for you to escape with both his treasure and your lives?

To simplify the process of deciding what to do next, here's a map of the tomb as far as you've explored it. The yellow circles indicate unopened doors, archways, corridors that go on past where you've explored, etc.

Screen Shot 2015-05-11 at 3.20.49 AM.png (540.76 KiB) Viewed 711 times

-----
Status: Urdak (Dwarf F10): 14/75; McCloud (F6/MU6/T10): 13/40; Skarlos (C10): 29/56
Effects: Mirror Image (McCloud): 7 rounds; Unseen Servant (McCloud): 11.6 turns

[tkrexx]

Halfn-Elfn Cloud, whichn ways do we gon?

[Stirling]

McCloud wants to wait to see if the elevator room descends. If so he, or Penfold if still unseen but around will retrieve the key.

In the safety of the efreeti room, McCloud will spill the gathered treasure on the floor so we can all take a few items of choice. It is a good distraction from losing Quinn, though McCloud refrains from muttering "more treasure for the rest of us!". What do we have?

[Zhym]

How will McCloud know if the vault descends when he's standing in the room with the sarcophagus? Or will he go back to the vault?

On the floor in front of you rests a tremendous treasure hoard. On top of uncounted gold and platinum pieces lie nearly a hundred small gems. Three more huge gems nearly make Urdak's eyes pop from their sockets: a periodot the size of a green quail egg, an emerald as big as his fist, and a stunning black opal as big as an emu's egg. There are also a dozen potions of various colors, half a dozen scroll cases, a platinum ring with four pearls, a jewel-encrusted rod, a staff bearing mystical symbols, a small onyx die or cube, a crystal and silver amulet, a bone case of the size that typically holds playing cards, three swords, and a spear.

You were able to collect everything listed above except the coins and weapons (aside from the cursed spear Urdak picked up).

[Stirling]

"Eeeny mean miney moe", McClouds place the treasure trove on the floor and begins to seperate it. It take his mind off thinking about floating and gloating satchels with skulls shining through them. McCloud anticipates that as the sack has not followed us down the corridor it will remain in the tomb room, so here he will divide some treasure. "Urdak, your eyes gleam at these pretty gems, can you evaluate them at all?" McCloud offers the emu, quail and fist sized jewels out. "Skarlos can you divine what these potions are. Perhaps we need a bit of a tasting session?" McCloud will look for runes and carvings that might indicate what magic the other rods and staves and amulets hold.

[tkrexx]

Urdak oohs and ahhs over the jewels a few minutes before the evaluation process begins.

[Zhym]

McCloud is unable to decipher the writings on the staff. The scepter and amulet are devoid of writings, although the amulet is inlaid with a pattern.

staff.jpg (10.71 KiB) Viewed 641 times

scepter.jpg (20.99 KiB) Viewed 641 times

amulet.jpg (7.66 KiB) Viewed 641 times

What you really need is someone skilled in lore, like a bard...oh. Oops.

Urdak estimates that the peridot is worth about 10,000 gold, the emerald is worth about 50,000, and the black opal is worth about 100,000 gold.

The rest of the gems are mostly beneath notice, worth about 10 gold each. Six of those gems are worth more than the rest: three are of better quality and are worth 50 gold, two more are worth between 100 and 150 gold, and a rather impressive specimen of tiger eye is worth about 500 gold.

[saalaria]

Skarlos will look over the magic items to see if he can discern anything about them.

"I think it will have to be a tasting session for the potions - I have no way to determine their contents."