Chapter 4: Verulia in Darkness

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

"I don't know Loche. You see this symbol here..." Mako points to the raised sarcophagus "that is the same as symbol in which opened the door. I can only assume if we were to press it the door would then shut. As for the other I don't have a clue what they are for. Perhaps false buttons to deter unwanted entrants. There's another panel at the far end. If it's like this one, with the same symbols it should work the same. I don't think it has anything to do with travel along this passage. But that doesn't mean we shouldn't be cautious. I'd still check every inch of this hallway be for stepping forward."

[OGRE MAGE]

Gronda smirks at the uncomfortable expressions from at least 2 of the other men in the group, happy to be on the positive end of judgement for a change.

She stays silent now and begins studying the metal panel for anything that might resemble a trick or trap. She then takes a close look at the floor to discern if there may have been movement through this hallway recently.

[Zhym]

Arthfael wrinkles his tattooed brow at the hieroglyphs. Whatever their meaning, it escapes him.

"I can ask the spirits of the stones to tell me where pits and snares are," he offers. "But I can only do it once today."

[Mant72]

At Arthfael's suggestion, Garrin offers, "Let us wait to see if those with talent at locating machinations are able the find anything before we employ your skills, eh? Besides, I would hope the Hawkmen would have warned us of anything precarious along this hall."

[Inferno]

DM:

Gronda the Zembabweian scout moves to the front. She examines the bronze panel of hieroglyphics and detects no dangers lurking there.

Then she crouches on her haunches and finds that the floor has no secrets to tell. Dustless, it's possible this hall has been sealed for years. Yet, it's not filled with bad air. Like other areas of the Pyramid, this corridor has thin air vents woven throughout the etched wall designs near its high ceiling.

[tkrexx]

Curse it all, I can't see if anything is coming from this way! Throw a torch! Atilla's bow arm is suffering fatigue while those with brains try to decipher wall art.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri throws his torch down as gently as possible where Atilla indicates, to avoid extinguishing it. He then examines the buttons Mako pointed out - are they arranged in any particular fashion that seems to be a clue as to their operation? He suspects they must be a means for the knowledgeable to disable a readied trap along the corridor.

[Inferno]

Third Tier of the Great Pyramid, Lost City of Khemsa
Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Two. Morning. 14th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia



The explorers hesitate before a panel of ancient hieroglyphs that their friends, the Sons of Osorus, had sent them towards.

Kiri of Kambouja gently tosses his torch into the corridor beyond the monolithic door. No surprises are uncovered in the wake of the receding shadows. The bend in the northwestern corridor prevents the explorers from seeing further from their current vantage.

Kiri examines the bronze tablet of cuneiforms (T).



The eight pictoglyph buttons are a vertical column in the center of the panel, reading from top to bottom:

• • The Serpent
  • The Cat
  • The Spear
  • The Ankh
  • The Hawk
  • The All-Seeing Eye
  • The Ibis
  • The Sarcophagus
    
    

Actions?


Map:

X marks the front rank of the adventurers. T = the twin bronze tablets.





PC Status:

• Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 2: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 12/12, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Attila: Hyrkanean Nomad Barbarian 1: Move: 12", AC: 1, HP: 12/12
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 5, HP: 18/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Gronda: Zembabweian Savage Ranger/Thief 1/2: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 17/17
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 7/7, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, Torch
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 6/6, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Roan, Son of Rune: Vanir Northman Barbarian 2: Move: 15", AC: 4, HP: 23/23, Torch

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): All lost hit points are recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping for less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 hit point per hour. Duration: "months."

PC 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)
  Men of the Hyborian Age (races of men)

[hedgeknight]

Are we still positioned at the first "t" or are we all the way down to the second? I'm asking because, unless the door at the second "t" is open, we wouldn't know about the darkened corridor beyond...would we?

Roan, Son of Rune, frowns at Gronda's implications of rape...not something he is keen on. Plus, he's never ran dry of women willing to warm his furs.
When the first door is opened to reveal the strange markings, Roan lifts his torch and gazes at them, seeing if he can somehow decipher what they are trying to say.
Detect magic (30%): [1d100] = 56

He also peers down the hallway, looking carefully from wall to wall and floor to ceiling.
detect illusion (10%): [1d100] = 76

[Zhym]

"The doors are open. The path is in front of us," declares Arthfael. "Let us follow it. We can play with pictures later if we have to."

[OGRE MAGE]

Gronda agrees with the tattooed druid.

I just love the way that rhymes. tattooed druid dude

"I see no traps here. Let us see what is at the end of this passage, and beyond that."

[tkrexx]

Atilla grunts and allows others to pass, relaxing his bow arm.

[Jernau35]

Loche sees that the rest of the group is ready to press on. He's uneasy, but since no-one can be sure if the hallway is trapped, or how, sees that the only thing to do is keep going. He resumes his tight grip on the wooden stave he's using to check for pits, and casts his skilled eye over the walls and ceiling. Then he advances warily down the hallway, tapping as he goes.

"If ye hear me scream, it means a've fun a trap" he calls back over his shoulder.

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

Mako falls back into line and will proceed in his arranged position with the group.

[Inferno]

Third Tier of the Great Pyramid, Lost City of Khemsa
Forgotten Kingdom of Verulia, Great Eastern Desert, the World of Hyboria
Day Two. Morning. 14th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia



Roan smells no foul sorcery or illusion here, and Loche no traps. The explorers of the Great Pyramid slowly creep forward, advancing 50 feet up the length of the newly revealed corridor.



Kiri retrieves his torch as inlaid statues of the Verulians of Old seemingly watch this invasion into these ageless territories.

The adventurers safely reach the northwestern end of the hallway and an identical bronze tablet, also covered in hieroglyphs.



The same eight symbols are again arrayed in gleaming buttons, in the same vertical sequence:

• • The Serpent
  • The Cat
  • The Spear
  • The Ankh
  • The Hawk
  • The All-Seeing Eye
  • The Ibis
  • The Sarcophagus
    

Beyond the other open stone portal is another single button set into a wall beyond. Except this one does not bear the pictoglyph of The Sarcophagus. It depicts The Anhk.

The explorers regroup there. A hallway, of stonework different than the one they just traversed, turns and continues northwest into silent darkness.


Actions?


Map:






PC Status:

• Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 2: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 12/12, Spells: 4/4 1st lvl and 3/3 2nd lvl
  Attila: Hyrkanean Nomad Barbarian 1: Move: 12", AC: 1, HP: 12/12
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 5, HP: 18/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Gronda: Zembabweian Savage Ranger/Thief 1/2: Move: 9", AC: 7, HP: 17/17
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 7/7, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, Torch
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 2: Move: 12", AC: 7, HP: 6/6, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Roan, Son of Rune: Vanir Northman Barbarian 2: Move: 15", AC: 4, HP: 23/23, Torch

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): All lost hit points are recovered with 8 hours of sleep. Wakeful rest, or sleeping for less than 8 hours, enables recovery of 1 hit point per hour. Duration: "months."

PC 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)
  Men of the Hyborian Age (races of men)

[hedgeknight]

Roan, Son of Rune

Having already checked one set of runes and found nothing, the Vanir stays in the back of the group, torch in hand and watches the corridor behind them...just in case.

[Zhym]

"Let's keep going," suggests Arthfael.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri shrugs. "Perhaps the sarcophagus symbol signifies that this direction leads to death, and the Ankh signifies the way back leads to life? I can make no other sense of it. The purpose of the rows of buttons eludes me. Perhaps if we spoke the ancient tongue all would be clear." He doesn't seem overly concerned. Suddenly something seems to occur to him. "Wait a moment. The symbols of these two doors are repeated in the row of buttons. The hallway lies at an angle that seems to have no particular purpose. Could each of the symbols signify a separate door? Perhaps the hallway itself turns on its center, powered in the same manner as the doors themselves, aligning itself depending on the button pressed." He walks back to the center of the hallway to examine it, looking for signs of a central axle.

Just a hunch I want to check out...

[Jernau35]

Loche looks at the buttons, and then back at Kiri: "So yer saying if ye push yin o' thae buttons, a freish door wull appear?"

"So you are saying if you push one of these buttons, a new door will appear?"

[Mant72]

Garrin:

"Perhaps the buttons are meant to be pressed in a certain sequence? Is it possible that each of the followers of these ancient 'gods' inhabit a certain level of this pyramid? Maybe that is the pattern, the order in which the glyphs must be pressed."