Temple of False Gods II: Look Beyond the Necro Door

[DM Bob]

This room seems vast after the other areas of the temple. Frescoes dominate both the east & west walls depicting gruesome, alien features intermixing with various familiar, for the lack of a better word, "parts".

Across the room is a huge black, green and purple painted stone altar set above the floor on a dais, and in front of this raised ground is a large stone sarcophagus. The stone coffin is scrawled in various etchings and dark runes.

Behind the altar are three statues of trolloc-headed figures; the head of one has been smashed. Three pairs of glowing red eyes hover about the statue's heads. You almost can't see them, but the more you look, the more they stare towards the door you stand behind.

Six columns reminiscent of the previous tomb's altar room surround the sepulcher. The only different thing is the lack of mosaic work upon the floor.

You hear an eerie, hissing, whispering noise throughout the chamber as well, as if the very room were a thing alive & breathing.

Only one apparent new door exists to on the south wall, east of the one Quila currently stands behind. She detects traps in the following areas:

-The east fresco

-The sarcophagus

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

The crew might see Quila's eyebrows rise due to the sights she is beholden to.
In a staccato monotone voice she drones what she sees behind the door.

She will also formulate some hypotheses that she shares.

* The trap on this door in front of us seems to be connected to the three pairs of hovering glowing red eyes. Does that say anything to Niachi, as he has knowledge of the shadowy realms?
* The stone altar seems to be painted in the same green and purple colors as we saw Myron wearing in the fresco in the room that lead to this hallway leading me to think this next room might contain the actual sarcophagus

"Any ideas as how to proceed?" she then asks the rest.

She will re-manifest her Clairvoyance to a point behind the new door on the south wall to ascertain what is behind there, but not before she concentrates more on the fresco and sarcophagus to find out what type of traps we are dealing with (magical/mechanical), even though she has an inkling both will be magical.

[DM Bob]

The sarcophagus shows as mechanical. Your third eye examines the fresco and you think there's a passage beyond... there seems to be a mechanical trap just beyond the wall, with a pressure plate in the floor. Extending your senses further the corridor then turns left and ends at another door - this also appears to be trapped, but magically.

The south door from the altar room opens to a pit in the floor, lightly disguised as floor. Below, you can see many creepy crawlies, scorpions and other small poisonous creatures.

Past that pit the is another door, with a mechanical trap by the handle.

So, nothing really to report back. Assume everything is rigged to kill you (as usual).

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- "I guess that eyes will be charring anything that crosses this door beyond recognition, or their strength, with necromantic energy" - tweaking her wisks briefly - "I can try to open a gate through the stone but the wide will be the space between the sarcophagus and will link to the ahead room, avoiding the symbol at the door.

I think it will work, but that widening won't be enough to let you cross in your current size.. Could you do something about it by your means?" - looking at Attilius

[OOC: AC 0 (Barkskin, 5 rnds), 48/48HP; SPELLS 1stLvl(5/5), 2ndLvl(3/5), 3rdLvl(4/4), 4thLvl(3/3)]

[Attilius]

He shrugs while looking down the passage way towards the sunlight "I's can only remove my armor to get smaller."

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- "Unless anyone propose any other way, I'm not looking forward to attempt a disarm in such gate" - pointing to it

[OOC: AC 0 (Barkskin, 5 rnds), 48/48HP; SPELLS 1stLvl(5/5), 2ndLvl(3/5), 3rdLvl(4/4), 4thLvl(3/3)]

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Quila tells more about what she sees as she keeps on scrying.
She first puts her third eye beyond the door at the end of the passage beyond the fresco-ed wall.
She then re-manifests it beyond the second door leading from the south wall.

(OOC: Bob tell me how many rounds to count for Clairvoyance so I can start doing some psp bookkeeping. Might be quite relevant later on. Need to read back a bit myself to do good accounting of PSPs.)

[AthasianLaborer]

'Muiko will take this opportunity to quickly sketch the prior fresco that Quila had requested him to make a copy of. 

Artistic Ability rolled a 7 needing a 12 or less [Success! He will focus on the visage of the living Aman as he had studied it when originally in the room]

After he completes that, he says to Quila "Tell me of the rooms you see and I will log your visions on a parchment"

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Quila drones on while zooming through the temple by third eye in order for 'Muiko to make a makeshift map, noting traps, types of traps, and likely triggers, which will help our roguish companions to later disarm them.

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

"Good luck," says Coden. "If needed I can try to navigate the area by psychic intuition... but disabling the traps is a better plan."

[Attilius]

Attilius shimmies back to the main entrance and looks about for trouble. If none is found he'll pick up and gently carry the corpse and bring him carefully to the main room then softly lay him down.
"Someone want to ask HIM some questions? He may know some secrets about in 'ere?"

[DM Bob]

Most importantly within the priority is if Quila is looking further than what was described. If so, I need to know where to look first.

Perhaps Skrye has the ability to speak to the dead?

I did update John/Quila with time spent and left on her detection magics.

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Apr 4, 2024 8:48:44 GMT -12 Quila Oris (John M.) said:

Quila tells more about what she sees as she keeps on scrying.
She first puts her third eye beyond the door at the end of the passage beyond the fresco-ed wall.
She then re-manifests it beyond the second door leading from the south wall.

These were posted before and count as further explorative prompts / instructions for Quila’s clairvoyance.

[DM Bob]

Apr 4, 2024 13:56:01 GMT -12 Quila Oris (John M.) said:

Apr 4, 2024 8:48:44 GMT -12 Quila Oris (John M.) said:

Quila tells more about what she sees as she keeps on scrying.
She first puts her third eye beyond the door at the end of the passage beyond the fresco-ed wall.
She then re-manifests it beyond the second door leading from the south wall.

These were posted before and count as further explorative prompts / instructions for Quila’s clairvoyance.

I reread it and it made more sense. Will post tomorrow.

[DM Bob]

Beyond the north most door beyond the fresco, there seems to only be a five foot square room.

Two traps are detected, one in the the north wall, with both magical and mechanical aspects. There is an additional magical trap that you can't quite pin down on the east wall, seemingly separate from the first. Odd that you aren't able to divine as much from that.

The south door with the insect pit opens into a hall leading east. Within, this chamber was obviously once used to prepare the deceased for ritual entombing. Brittle wooden tables are covered with empty pots and jars that probably once held embalming oils, unguents, and spices. A pile of linen strips on one table is remarkably preserved. Beside it is a large ceramic flask. Decorative panels along the walls depict ancient burial rituals and alien worship. Again, the faces of a robed figure are carved out or clawed out of the depictions.

A single magical trap is detected on the north wall, closer inspection reveals letters scrawled into the panels there.