Chapter 10: The Crypt of Everlasting Life

[Zhym]

Arthfael follows along, still contemplating the meaning of balance in this place.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri will kneel and look at the southern wall on this side of the divide for any interesting inscriptions.

[OGRE MAGE]

Xorzen continues searching the door and its surroundings, hoping to find any traps or a means to open it.

"Doth any of thow have ideas as to how this may open?"

[ChubbyPixie]

”Perhaps one must open it simultaneously with the door on the other side? You know, balance,” suggests Kiri. ”...or maybe you just push it,” he adds.

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin has nothing to add when it comes to doors, or balance. He waits, sword and shield ready, in case something nasty comes.

[Urson]

Zahra

Zahra joins Garrin in providing protection for the thieves and wizards.

[wordoftheoracle]

Loche continues to search for anything that tells him anything about this place.

[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. Mid-Morning, 16th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia





In the ageless crypts of lost Verulia, the explorers harken to Xorzen who has discovered the shape of a door expertly hidden within a hieroglyph-encrusted wall.



With regret, Soruk reluctantly leaves the silent multitude of ancient bones in the mass grave, half unhappy they haven't leapt up and tried to kill him.

In the northern corridor, Garrin and Zahra stand guard. Kiri kneels again, emulating the supplication of the countless slaves of Xuthalotep, and discovers another, identical secret symbol woven into the millennia-old wall engravings, below eye level: "Balance" or "Equilibrium." Loche the Pict finds it too.

Xorzen of Osorus locates no lurking hazards around the ingeniously camouflaged stone portal, nor an obvious way to open it. With child-like simplicity, Kiri of the East suggests pushing on it.


Actions?


Map Detail:

Lighter areas are visible. All else is from memory.

Map:






PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 7/10, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl
  Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 17/17, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl, Lantern
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 18/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 12/12, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
  Soruk: Verulian Osoran Cleric/Fighter 1/1: Move: 12", AC: 6(5), HP: 9/9, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 8, HP: 12/12, Candle
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 2: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/16, 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."

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)

[ravenn4544]

Amethu considers the new information. "Perhaps we need to press them at the same time? Or in a particular sequence?"

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin continues his watch, leaving the matter of hidden doors and hidden hieroglyphs to those more knowledgeable of such things.

[Monsieur Rose]

Soruk

Soruk watches his brother play with the door. He stands alert and ready for the next death trap. "Balance. Maybe these halls themselves art scales." Soruk starts to examine the hallway, trying to notice subtle sloping or give in the stonework.

[ChubbyPixie]

Kiri stands from where he is kneeling, looks at the others and shrugs. "Clearly the key is balancing something. I'm guessing whatever is in this room is either many, or very large - to match weight of the dead slaves in the other. One way to find out." He then walks over, kneels and pushes on the bottom half of the secret door.

So many clues, but I can't figure it out. Time to blunder.

[OGRE MAGE]

Making way for Kiri to do his thing, Xorzen moves 15 feet east and south, keeping an eye on the other doorway from the corner, just in case something happens there.

[Urson]

Zahra

From her position at the crossing corridor, Zahra says Is it possible the 'balance' refers to something more spiritual? Someone who follows the Neutral Path between Good and Evil?

[Zhym]

Arthfael shrugs and decides its worth a try. He presses his hand against the symbol of neutrality.

[DadsAngry]

Mako:

"Maybe it would be best to just move on. So far we have found nothing of great value in any room, only death."

[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. Mid-Morning, 16th day of the month of Yuluk, 1279th year of the Age of Aquilonia







In the ancient tombs of the Great Pyramid, the explorers puzzle over the enigma of the hidden hieroglyph of "Balance."

Soruk the son of Osorus examines the timeless stones of the corridor and detects no slope.

Arthfael of Cimmeria moves to Kiri and presses his hand against the secret symbol of Equilibrium. Nothing happens.

Xorzen of Osorus retreats to a vantage point overlooking the door to the mass grave. His candle doesn't illuminate far enough to see the portal. But from those dark, timeless shadows, he hears the long creak of a door opening! (at ?)

Simultaneously, Kiri of the distant East moved to the hidden portal and pressed on it with all his incredible might.



The monolithic slab slides straight inward with surprising ease and suddenly stops after one inch. Then, a deep iron click sounds from three places at once: from behind the stone door, and from under the stone floor at its easternmost and westernmost ends!

Then, alarmingly, the entire corridor floor suddenly moves of its own volition!

As if upon a centered fulcrum, the hallway floor begins to tilt!



On the eastern half, it sickeningly gives way beneath the feet of Garrin, Kiri, Mako and Soruk! At its easternmost end, the corridor has dropped almost four feet in six seconds! Garrin sees a black hole yawning open under the eastern wall!

At its westernmost edge, the floor rises nearly four feet, lifting up Amethu, Arthfael, Loche and Zahra!

So far, in just six seconds, the floor has listed to a slope of 12 degrees, and there is no ending in sight!


Actions?!
(Your next post will cover just one segment, 6 seconds, of activity please (instead of the customary one round or 1 minute).
In one segment, you may move your Movement rate in feet. (ie: if your Movement rate is 9", you may move up to 9 feet in one segment.) Other actions are similarly truncated, including speech.)


Map Detail:

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





PC Status:

• Amethu: Verulian Grand Magus Cleric/Magic-User 2/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 7/10, Spells: 6/6 1st lvl
  Arthfael Griogarach: Cimmerian Northman Druid 3: Move: 12", AC: 6, HP: 17/17, Spells: 5/5 1st lvl, 4/4 2nd lvl and 2/2 3rd lvl, Lantern
  Garrin Locke: Argosian Atlantean Paladin 2: Move: 12", AC: 4(2), HP: 18/18, Laying Hands: 1/1
  Kiri Khutan: Kambujan Easterner Fighter/Magic-User 1/1: Move: 9", AC: 4, HP: 12/12, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl
  Loche: Pict Savage Thief 3: Move: 9", AC: 5, HP: 18/18
  Mako: Khitan Easterner Illusionist 3: Move: 12", AC: 7(5), HP: 10/10, Spells: 2/2 1st lvl, 1/1 2nd lvl
  Soruk: Verulian Osoran Cleric/Fighter 1/1: Move: 12", AC: 6(5), HP: 9/9, Spells: 3/3 1st lvl
  Xorzen: Verulian Osoran Monk 2: Move: 16", AC: 8, HP: 12/12, Candle
  Zahra: Verulian Amazon Fighter 2: Move: 12", AC: 3, HP: 16/16, 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."

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 now understanding the meaning of balance, races to Kiri and locks his arms onto him. "The center! We must all join in the center!"

[SocraticLawyer]

Garrin runs to the center of the corridor.

[ravenn4544]

Amethu runs to the center also as not other option prevents itself. He mentally readies his enlarge spell to try and force the tilting fulcrum to a halt...