Temple of False Gods II: Look Beyond the Necro Door

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Quila will keep droning what she sees in order for 'Muiko to make a good mapping effort.

Quila will relocate her third eye first beyond the five foot square room in the north, and after inspecting the area beyond that door, she will position it beyond the door that had letters scrawled into the panels. She will not inspect those letters any further, having learned from some traveler's tales about reading letters leading to a triggering of a trap.

[DM Bob]

Beyond the hidden door is a large dark shaft that appears to have no bottom at first... it's actual depth is about 90 feet, and it empties into a corridor somewhere below.

This area feels dank, even through your limited senses. To your left (east) a door is found in the north face. Before it, a capstan is set. Similar to a silt ship or sand cart's steering, this is set horizontally instead of vertically and looks more advanced than what you've more currently seen. The old door doesn't seem to have a handle or lock and looks quite secure, even in it's obvious age.

To the right (west), the tunnel is cruder and tighter than the normal corridors here. It ends in a worked stone face... obviously a spot to check for secrets.

No traps are seen. At this point, you have four rounds left remaining on your find traps.

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Rolled for secret doors check for the worked stone face ending of the crude tunnel, success, a 1.

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Apr 5, 2024 4:20:47 GMT -12 Quila Oris (John M.) said:

.. and after inspecting the area beyond that door, she will position it beyond the door that had letters scrawled into the panels. She will not inspect those letters any further, having learned from some traveler's tales about reading letters leading to a triggering of a trap.

After having seen the dank area 90 feet below Quila places her third eye behind the door leading out of the room with the decrepit tables used for embalming bodies to check the area there, thinking they can concern themselves with 'below' at a later stage.

[DM Bob]

Below:

Beyond the obviously secret door, Quila sees a high, vaulted ceiling supported by four carved stone columns. Then, as your eyes adjust to the light, you can't believe what you see: a golden chariot standing amidst dozens of chests, boxes and jars, most of which are broken and rotted. Two alcoves in the east wall each contain a very ornate sarcophagus. Both are etched in runes that detect as magically trapped.

Due to where the secret entrance opens, you're initially positioned right by the southern most stone coffin. The other would be hard to see, but you are able to reposition your third eye in order to get a full grasp of the room. As you do this, you notice a strange pile of coiled serpents. They resemble cobras or dark silt snakes. Part of them seems to be covered with thin webbing. You think they're alive - perhaps sleeping?

One, two , three... at least 5, maybe six serpentine heads are huddled together.

There is a door in the west side of the same wall this secret portal lies on. It is trapped, mechanically.



Above:

Beyond the odd double trapped wall, The 5-foot-wide passage beyond the door leads to a closed door and is lined with two rows of three niches, each containing a corpse, much like the ones that are next to Quila's trance-like body. They are complete with the same wooden symbols upon their necks. Upon this sealed door, arcane writing is seen (and no magic is detected).

[DM Bob]

And Quila looks at the troll statue room's trapped door on the first floor by the spiked pit...

Only to find nothing behind it. Just stone & earth.

Then the trap detection fails.

[Quila Oris (John M.)]

Before Quila will drop her third eye and regain some mental strength again, she will go with her third eye all the way back to the first room they started out in and place it behind the door with the alteration/enchantment sigil.

Strategically that seems important because it is the one place that is behind them that they know nothing about yet. Going forward here, for her means she needs to have covered their backs.

(Edit: you were faster than I was with posting.)

She then drops her concentration, regaining full vision in the niche filled hallway where she sees 'Muiko sketching the final particulars she spoke of.

Then she looks around.

"A gold chariot? Gold? That is insane. I do believe that room might contain the sarcophagi of both brothers. But what is interred in the one beyond that door then?"

She waits and concentrates some more on getting her breathing steady before continuing, "I do have an idea. It seems miraculous that there are so many traps here, both mechanical and magical, but that quite recently there have been movers setting up shop here. Would there be a way to key oneself to the traps that they aren't triggered for certain folk? Could those wooden disks with the symbols have anything to do with that maybe? That you wear one and you can open doors without a problem here? Didn't we hear such stories from HurK and his friends from the time they were in Aman's tower?"

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- Skrye's eyes open widely - "A gold chariot?" - contempting her voice pitch level but not her excitement, which ends by recovering her regular composure - "That sounds like a wonderful tribute to the Lords of earth.."

[Coden Rokos (Jesse H.)]

"Must be massively heavy, even if it's just gold plated."

[Attilius]

Apr 6, 2024 11:45:55 GMT -12 Coden Rokos (Jesse H.) said:

"Must be massively heavy, even if it's just gold plated."

The Murmillo starts looking at the floor in deep thought for his massive brain while absent mindedly tapping his weapon against his greave armor.
*clink* *clink* *clink*
"How're we gettin' home now that Chat'cho's gone?"

[Niachi]

Quila said:

Could those wooden disks with the symbols have anything to do with that maybe? That you wear one and you can open doors without a problem here? Didn't we hear such stories from HurK and his friends from the time they were in Aman's tower?"

"You mean that undead goliath and her tough crew returned to Balic all stinky? Campfire songs about 'em wearing wood sigils on a run up north?
Two Nap spells would do us all some good and put our heads together on ...it's a lot. The Gold chariot. A new nest of slimy crawlies and -you did say something about a deep pit with some wheel contraption?
It's a lot.

Mr. Thessik, How can we help you on all these traps and illusions? How about whoever wants wear a wood necklace, we focus on traps we can handle. Any of that formidable Dwur perception tuned to illusions or magic? We have an Earth Priest, 3 other flavors of magic, good hair, (posing) muscle, and mindbenders plenty.


(whispering and covering his mouth from spies)
The plunder's been good. Considering we're back for more half-forgotten and maybe better forgotten things from a bored ancient undead archmage and his archmage archhole undead-ish brother.

We did lose our mental Traveler. So, yeah Atillius, we go home the long way. In a hidden gold chariot, yeh?"

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- "Through the entrance gates? But I don't think Amman will be happy if we leave without completing the task" - looking at Quila - "He said that we need to open the sarcophagus, if he's in there, retrieve the mask and throw it into the Elemental Hearth alongside the buried tome, so the longer it takes the greater the damage"

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

[Niachi]

Scrye said:

"He said that we need to open the sarcophagus, if he's in there, retrieve the mask and throw it into the Elemental Hearth alongside the buried tome, so the longer it takes the greater the damage"

"Ah true, true. Eyes on the goal."

He waits patiently for the rogue's thoughts. Feeds a chunk of biltong from his kit to the xerichou on his shoulder. 

[Skrye [AC3; 48/48HP]]

- "I'm a dabbler in many things, but although I attempted others before, I don't feel like ready to attempt such magical trap. Perhaps Thessik will be more experienced, as he said he was a relic hunter, or something in that lines.. I can open a gate through the rock though, or I can move to the other side and attempt to open it but it'll trigger something to this side at the minimum"

[Attilius]

Apr 6, 2024 19:33:19 GMT -12 Niachi said:

"...So, yeah Atillius, we go home the long way. In a hidden gold chariot, yeh?"

"Ooof!" Attilius rolls his eyes and goes back to keeping rear security down the sunlight hallway.