Chapter 10: The Crypt of Everlasting Life

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin winces in pain. As he retreats, the paladin pulls the fallen Amethu with him, laying hands on him as he does so.

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

Mako does not move from the doorway.

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorxen studies the area around the opening as carefully as possible, not wanting to trigger another trap if it can be avoided.

[Inferno]

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





Xorzen the Verulian examines the accidental crawlspace.



To the masked monk, it seems to extend 10 feet, the width of one ancient stone block, before opening onto a larger chamber beyond. Despite the immense block's precarious position, the disciple of Osorus discerns no further diabolical deathtraps of the ancient architects of the Great Pyramid.

Mako the conjurer remains frozen in place as Loche the thief steps closer and deduces that one of the floor tiles beneath the pendulum blades acts as the trigger.

Kiri, Garrin and Zahra slowly crawl toward the fallen Amethu. When they reach the razed sorcerer, they trigger the pendulum blades again, which lower seamlessly from their mounts in the ceiling and swing overhead in deadly arcs, spattering the still-warm blood of Amethu and Garrin.



Safely beneath the deathtrap blades, Kiri binds Amethu's wounds and then Garrin of Argos lays his hands upon him and reverently prays that Mitra will hear his humble plea. Miraculously, Amethu is healed (+6hp) and he awakens.


Actions?!


Map Detail:



Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 5/11, Spells: 5/7 1st lvl
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 17/26, Laying Hands: 0/1, Torch
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 14/14, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Light spell
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 7, HP: 15/16, Candle
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 15/21, 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 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."
  Light (Mako): Duration: 82 rounds.

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)

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

Mako gets down on the floor and crawls to join the party in the room.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu stares at the ceiling and ponders his fate amidst the tomb before pulling himself back to his feet. He does not move forward until the scything blades can be stopped.

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorxen crawls through to the other side, certain that they are close to their prize if it is guarded this well. He watches out for any signs of traps as he moves.

"There is a passage beyond! I will investigate."

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri will crouch below the level of the blades and move up to where Xorzen is now. "Careful, Xorzen. There are bound to be more devious traps in the chamber beyond." He will ready himself to cast Push if it seems someone else is about to be skewered by a pendulum.

[Urson]

zahra

Zahra lies flat, her face twisted in anger at her undignified position. She whispers a prayer of her own and waits for the thief to report back.

[Inferno]

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







The pendulum swings over the raiders of the sacred crypts as they crawl on their bellies, abasing themselves at the feet of the gigantic stone colossi of the pharaoh, his queen and the ageless gods of lost Verulia.

"There is a passage beyond! I will investigate," Xorzen calls over his shoulder. The pale acolyte disappears from view as he crawls through the low gap in the eastern wall created millennia ago by the failure of one enormous stone block to fall into place and seal the tombs of Pharaoh Xuthalhotep and his beloved Ankhara for all eternity.

The faulty stone block, ten feet long on every side and large enough to instantly crush Xorzen dead, is perched directly above him when suddenly Xorzen thinks he hears it shift!


Actions?!


Map Detail:



Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 5/11, Spells: 5/7 1st lvl
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 17/26, Laying Hands: 0/1, Torch
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 14/14, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Light spell
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 7, HP: 15/16, Candle
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 15/21, 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 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."
  Light (Mako): Duration: 81 rounds.

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)

[ChubbyPixie]

Hearing the shift and seeing Xorzen's alarm, Kiri will, if the monk tries to scramble forward, cast Push to give him extra momentum, hopefully allowing him to clear the other side in time, or, if the monk tries to come back, he will try to grab his arm or leg and yank him bodily back into the chamber.

Not sure what I'll need here:
Save vs Dexterity (12): [1d20] = 14
Save vs. STR (18/00): [1d20] = 3

[ravenn4544]

Amethu waits patiently while the blades and the block are investigated. He will study the statues and writings.

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

Mako closes his eyes. He doesn't want to watch Xorzen get squashed.

[wordoftheoracle]

Loche analyzes Xorzen's situation to see if there's any countermeasures he can take.

Does a'body hae a stick or anythin' tae prop that stane up?

If someone has something, Loche will work intently to save Xorzen.

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin waits to see if one of the sneakier types in the group can disarm the blame trap.

[OGRE MAGE]

The masked monk springs forward into the next chamber using his cat like reflexes, happy to accept any help offered him from behind.

Dex check (15) [1d20] = 15

[Inferno]

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







Deep in the bowels of the Great Pyramid, Xorzen hears the monolithic stone block above him shift. Mako closes his eyes so that no more shocking scenes of death and carnage are seared into his beleaguered memory.

Sensing Xorzen's sudden panic, Kiri Khutan quickly weaves an ancient spell of the mysterious East that summons forth an invisible spirit hand not of this world that pushes Xorzen hard as he leaps forward!

Xorzen's candle blows out as he lands splayed upon stone tiles in pitch darkness.

The crawlspace behind him doesn't collapse.

In absolute darkness, the masked albino relights his candle and discovers two more huge stone blocks that cracked into rubble and dust when they were dropped to seal the tombs of Xuthalhotep and Ankhara forever.



The ancient shattered stones obstruct the passage east. It will take some time to clear away enough rubble to forge a path through it or over it.

On the other side of the crawlspace, Amethu examines the statues and hieroglyphs that exalt the gods, the pharaoh and his queen. This ground is sacred for all time.

And Loche, looking to somehow secure the immense block, finds only the stone colossi and the iron braziers of eternal flame in this chamber.


Actions?!



Map Detail:



Map:

One square = 10 feet. Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 5/11, Spells: 5/7 1st lvl
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 3: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 17/26, Laying Hands: 0/1, Torch
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 2/2: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 14/14, Spells: 2/3 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 4: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 12/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 1/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl, Light spell
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 3: Move: 17", AC: 7, HP: 15/16, Candle
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 3: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 15/21, 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 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."
  Light (Mako): Duration: 80 rounds.

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)

[Inferno]

(Moving this here)

Amethu asks "Perhaps we come back to this rubble. We have the southern part of this labyrinth that remains unexplored..."

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorxen looks around the pile of rubble, making sure there are no hidden triggers or tripwires. If he doesn't spot any danger, he begins moving around the larger pieces of the pile, pushing them back towards the opening in case this room needs to be excavated completely.

He uses the butt of his spear to dig around in the soft debris, hoping he can use it to tunnel into the next opening. If it is soft enough, he pushes it through the pile to see if he can judge the thickness of the rubble.

"I believe the chamber we seek lieth just beyond this passage."

[ChubbyPixie]

“Is there anything on your side we can use to prop this crawl space open, Xorzen? I do not trust it,” says Kiri through the gap.