[IC]Back to Basics

[Ancient History]

The Story So Far...
For the past week you have passed through the lands of Alfender...fields and factories lie idle while listless freemen line the roads, some with the entire families, many clearly starving. Cash is in short supply, so most commerce takes place with credit and private monies of paper and ceramic bits issued by guilds, goldsmiths, town councils and rich nobles. Prices remain stable by royal decree, though the philosopher-demagogues argue over what cripples the trade in the country...but the king has his own thoughts on the matter.

"The High Queen of the Elven Confederation bleeds us dry. She demands gold and silver as payment for all goods, and our human and demihuman goods are not enough to make up the balance of trade. Already, there is not enough coins left to satisfy the needs of the freemen and merchants, so they are forced to barter and credit or worse, and I cannot devalue the coinage yet again. So I turn to you."

The tall human paces the room, the stout, swarthy half-elf that is President of the Council standing serene to the left and behind the throne.

"In centuries past, our ancestors were entombed in splendor, with their treasures. Now what I must ask of you is desecration. Go to the tomb of Angirus, called the Hierophant, a prince of the old dynasty - and strip it of its treasures. With this influx of specie we can renew our economy, and you each will receive rewards of land and title in excess of the sheer weight of metal you will return..."

So saying, with many other arguments, your group was loaded with provisions, wagons, and draft animals, and began the journey to the remote, near forgotten grave of the old king Angirus...

Now
By the angle of the sun you judge it is but nine in the morning, and breakfast has been completed as the old, uncared-for road you follow has finally ended at a wooded hill - set into the side of which are great stone pillars, which serve to frame a stone door. In the center of the door is carved a great scallop-shell, beneath which is an inscription in the runic letters of the ancient Common Tongue...all that you can make out is the name "ANGIRUS."

[Sam]

Miss Pemberton-Tambling hops down from the wagon, her gear and armor still safely packed away in her knapsack. She smooths out her dress, and wipes the dust from her brow with a pocket-kerchief. Leaving the disposition of the wagons and coachmen to the others, she heads for the doorway.

"Stay back! It may be trapped. And we should hope that it is. Indeed, I cannot imagine it laying undisturbed, were it otherwise. All the obstacles to our success here, may there be many, are but promises that the treasure we seek still lies within this tomb." She says, shooing the others back from the doorway.

(Betsy will search the door, and the scallop shell, for traps and for any opening mechanism.)

[Ancient History]

Betsy finds no traps on the door itself - it all looks solid enough. In the lower-right hand corner of the door she clears away an old mouse nest and finds a small key-hole carved into the door.

[Dean]

Atani finishes tying his mount to a tree and jogs up behind Betsy, stepping back some ways when she flaps he hands at him. Atop his unusually muscular frame bounces a backpack full of adventuring gear of one kind or another that altogether must weigh as much as two men.

"The fact that it says "Anger Us" is a bit concerning... Take a look Bets, maybe uhh get Gilles to help" he points in the priests direction though he doesn't actually look at him. "If it looks like we can get in without trouble shall we make a marching order? Sir Spastis and Guillermo first, myself and ...Gilles second and Betsy and Lord Tim in back seems sensible. If you say it's alright to go that is Betsy."

After Betsy moves to the door he adds just a tad impatiently "Though if you think it's gonna be long we can set up camp. Don't want to be unprepared if we're here all night."

Then a moment later "If you can't find anything we could just see if Guillermo or me can break it down."

[Sam]

Betsy favors Atani with a small glare. "It is Miss Pemberton-Tambling, Atani. It simply will not do to have you calling me anything else. And no, it shan't be long. I can have this open in but a moment."

So saying, Betsy bends over the keyhole, and withdraws a small bit of metal from a pouch inside her dress. Using her left hand to shield her actions from view, she pokes at the inner mechanism.

(Betsy attempts to unlock the door.)

[Ancient History]

There is a click, and then a hiss of air and the clunk of hidden mechanisms. With slow, grinding swing, the door raises, until only the bottom three inches - including the keyhole - are visible overhead.

Yawning before you is a dark passageway of dark stone. It smells of mold and damp.

[Darth Rabbitt]

Gilles stands as if in thought, although he perks up a bit upon hearing Atani mention his name. When the door opens, he heads over to the doorway, seeing if his keen ears and infravision can spot anything (90' range on the infravision if it matters.)

[Ancient History]

(Gilles' infravision reveals that the corridor is cold; not even rats or roaches move. It is about 30 feet long, although not entirely smooth - there are obstructions, though he cannot make out exact details.)

[Silent Wayfarer]

Tim's been silent as he examines the writing and tries to match it up to what little he remembers of his training under the High Wizard. Ordinarily, he wouldn't even be allowed out of the tower until he could at least cast Pyrannaste's Remote Thermal Runaway, but there had been a spot of bother with an irate young man with his obviously pregnant little sister in tow, and he'd taken the master's subtle advice to go on an extended sabbatical lest he be handed over to face the tender mercies of rural justice.

Only, he'd never even touched the girl in question. It seemed terribly unfair to have to go on the run for a crime he didn't commit, but such was life.

Then the door hisses opens, and he resumes normal operations; in the back of the line.

[Dean]

(Ill head down the corridor. Moving past Tim with a smile and a sportsmanlike pat on the back and then downward taking step aside Gilles)
Atani says "Ill be your muscle if youll be my eyes and ears" though quietly speaks the request "in front or beside me"
Atani will move with his bow out, an arrow notched and partially drawn. His swords in reserve if things get ugly.

[Hicks]

Xaxus stands away from the door. He does not want to one of the first, nor does he wish to be one of the last to enter the tomb, instead seeking to be the creamy cleric filling of our adventuring doughnut party. Xaxus is also hungry.

"If no one minds, I shall light a torch. Master Gilles, what do your elf eyes see? "

Xaxus follows after the muscle enters the tomb.

[Darth Rabbitt]

"I don't mind torches, it's the brighter light that's a problem," Gilles tells Xaxus. "Anyways, it looks like the coast is clear." He proceeds to follow him into the tunnel.

[OgreBattle]

Guillermo snorts at the moldy air.

[Can Tracking help me determine if anyone or anything has been down these moldy corridors lately? Guillermo is fine with being in the front or as rear guard, and figures the frail casters should be sandwiched in the middle]

[Ancient History]

[Re: Tracking, yes.]

[Sam]

While the others examine the corridor, Betsy retrieves and straps on her armor, a stiff leather breastplate with accompanying bracers, greaves, and shoulder guards. She also retrieves a long wooden pole from one of the carts. Scorched, scarred, and pitted, this pole has clearly seen better days.

Returning to the entrances, she squeezes past the others, moving to the front of the group. "Ladies first, if you please."

Betsy uses the long pole to poke and prod the corridor ahead of her, making sure there are no obvious deadfalls, pits, or the like. She carefully examines the obstructions in the corridor as they come into range of torchlight and pole.

[Sirocco]

Spastis detects evil intent towards the darkness ahead.

Seeing Betsy taking point, he says "All right, then", before unsheathing his longsword, raising his hooded lantern with his shield arm (on which his small shield is strapped), and starting off after her.

ETA: (Spastis always wears his armor first thing in the morning while in the field.)

[Darth Rabbitt]

"Well," Gilles starts in response to Spastis; it is at this point Betsy makes her way to the front. "Very well, ma'am," he responds, making way for her, "you may go first." With that, Gilles quickly follows her and Spatsis, who has also at this point headed off down the tunnel.

[Hicks]

Xaxus is careful to follow quickly behind Gilles, and keeps a careful eye on Spastis. Always know where the meat shield is and such. Speaking of careful, Xaxus follows exactly behind Gilles, and makes a point to not step anywhere the party has not already trod.

[Ancient History]

Into the Dungeon
With lanterns lit and weapons ready, you step into the dungeon. The smell of damp and mold is stronger here, and the very walls seem to sag - for while floor and ceiling are of well-dressed stone, the walls are plaster, the bright murals that once depicted a prince's burial now almost invisible beneath green and black hair-like growths.

Betsy, taking the lead with her stick and proceeding cautiously, is the first to discover one of the "obstructions" that Gilles had noted about ten feet down the corridor - a pair of corpses, their bony arms still bound by a silver manacles and chains attached to iron rings set into the ceiling. In life, they would have been left dangling with only their toes on the ground...

[Sam]

Betsy turns around, "Sir Spastis, it seems we will not be able to progress without disturbing these remains, one way or the other. Should I try to dislodge the bones, or leave them hanging?" She pauses, considering, "If those manacles are solid silver, they could be worth taking with us on our way out. But silver is a poor choice of material for manacles. Perhaps it serves some mystical function?"

She prods the foot of one of the skeletons with her pole, experimentally.

[Dean]

"They seem plenty disturbed as they are, not the resting place they imagined I'm sure. If the custom is to put them in a box then the best thing to do would be to find some way to get them out as wholly and efficiently as we can"
"Perhaps one of our men in cloth could help"

[Sirocco]

"I fear there is little we can do for these poor souls. May Torm grant them peace," Sir Spastis declares. "It is disgraceful to leave them hanging thusly, yet we should ensure this is not a trap. Try raising those manacles from a safe distance with your pole, and also tap the floor underneath; if nothing happens, I shall take down the remains to lay them to rest."

[Hicks]

"I concur -- this is definitely a trap," Xaxus says flatly, "to sucker in bleeding hearts and avaricious robbers."

What Xaxus says next depends on the exact description of the corpses.

If they are "Corpses with flesh left" Xaxus would explain that flesh would rot away too quickly in this damp, fungus infested environment. Disturbing them would waft a cloud of mold to choke the entire party, and they would probably be zombies who would attack us immediately after.

If they are instead "Corpses that are actually bare Skeletons" that are "hanging" from the manacles, they are actual "Skeletons", like out of the monster manual. Under normal circumstances, a skeleton will collapse into a pile of bones below the manacles because the sinews would have rotted away. Only by necromancy could the skeletons "hang".

The solution to both is to back way up and pelt them with ranged weapons, which would stir up the mold far away from the party and should those things come to unlife, The Reaper will give Xaxus the strength to turn these creatures to our purpose, walking ahead of the party and setting off traps.

[Dean]

"I agree. You seem knowledgeable about these sort of things, ill follow your lead"
Atani will prepare a shot and will fire if and once there is no disagreement

[Ancient History]

The foot of the skeleton on the left breaks off as Betsy prods it with her pole. From the wound flows a steady stream of tiny, white spiders which begin to scuttle over the corpse.

(Gilles recalls that in ancient times, it was common for kings and princes to be buried with still-living slaves to serve them after death; of course, more modern religions know that the rites often lacked the proper necromantic lore to truly bind the spirits to their corpses for all eternity...)