Ahead of them was a hallway filled with moss and vines. Daylight and rainwater filtered down through long narrow artificial fissures in the ceiling. Tracks revealed others had passed this way several weeks previous. The end of the hallway terminated in two passages, left and right. At the center of the "T" was the carved image of a smiling horned devil face. The interior of the smiling mouth was an impenetrable dark blackness.
The iron door began to slowly rise.
"Quickly! Get everyone inside! Don't get separated!" shouted Argent.
Argent, Zeynap, Bramble, and Apparently moved into the mossy hall to allow room for Chak'sa and the mercenaries to enter.
As they did so they absent-mindedly stepped on pressure plates that filled the corridor with a deadly hail of poison darts launched from small concealed holes in the walls. It was a massacre!
All five mercenaries and Chak'sa fell dead. Argent, Zeynap, Bramble, and Apparently were badly injured but managed to avoid the poison.
Orvex, crossing over the slowly rising door, called out, "Whoah! Whoah! Whoah! Shtop moving! Nobody move! There'sh no need to rush! Look! Shee? This door will take like an hour to closhe!"
Argent slapped his head with his scaled palm.
Orvex continued, "Okay, there'sh shomething you should know. I'm not jusht a transhlator. I do have certain.. shkills." He bent down and examined the floor, "Shee? Pressure plates. Let me jusht..."Orvex took out some small tools and hammered a small wedge under the floor. "There. Thish one'sh dishabled."
He crawled upon the floor on his hands and knees. He found and disabled three more pressure plates.
"There, that should take care of that. Now what's she doing?"
He pointed at Apparently, who was bent over examining the dark void inside the devil face's mouth.
She was muttering, "In darkness, it hides." She stuck her head into the mouth to look around.
She was suddenly pulled into the mouth, her legs kicking! She disappeared!
CHAPTER 31, "THE DEVIL FACE"
THE EXPEDITION
- Bramble Wolf - a theran barbarian wise-man (Wildhunt Shifter Druid) searching for the legendary origin of his tribe.
- Apparently Jones - a blue-skinned demijin caravan guide and animal trainer (Air Genasi Ranger) from Akasa, the land of sky mountains. Having failed to find work in Port Nyanzaru as an animal handler, she has joined the expedition to the interior as a scout.
- Xoc-Wik - a b'alam warrior (Tabaxi Fighter) from the jungles of Bres, searching for those responsible for the destruction of his tribe.
- Zeynap Shiravadakar - a Eusebean smuggler (Human Warlock) bearing the spirit of a celestial unicorn.
- Argent Truth-Sayer - a golden azi knight errant of Bhamut (Dragonborn Paladin) in the service of Bhamut, sent on a holy mission to join the expedition to destroy the Soul Monger.
NPCs
- Orvex Ocrammas - translator and guide for hire; rescued from the Fane of the Night Serpent.
Um, What Just Happened?
The unfortunate death of the five guardsmen was momentarily forgotten as Bramble, Argent, Zeynap, and Orvex stared dumbfounded at the impenetrable darkness within the gaping mouth of the green devil face.
"Where'd she go?" asked Zeynap.
"Give her a second," said Bramble.
They watched the mouth. Bramble called out, "Apparently? Do you need any help?"
There was no answer.
The four adventurers exchanged a worried glance.
Bramble sprung into action, "Zeynap, pull out your rope."
As Zeynap dropped his pack to procure a length of rope, Bramble closed his eyes and summoned forth three brown bears from the spirit world. Bramble then directed the others to tie the rope around one of the bears.
At Bramble's direction, the bear crawled into the gaping mouth.
The rope barely let out five feet. Nothing happened.
Bramble pulled the bear back out, "I don't like it. I'm going in."
The bear was confused but otherwise unmolested. Bramble removed the rope from the bear and tied it around himself. He handed the other end to the dragon-man, "Argent, hold the rope. When these bears out here disappear, that means I'm being attacked. If that happens, pull me back!
He took a deep breath, grasped his staff, and ducked into the devil's mouth.
There was darkness.
The Demon of Darkness
Apparently stood in absolute darkness. It was the deepest most profound most oppressive darkness which she had ever experienced. She called for help but heard nothing. There was no sound. She could not even hear the sound of her own breathing. As a creature of the air and sky who was averse to enclosed underground spaces, this was almost too much to bear. The complete lack of stimuli was disorienting. At least she could feel the ground beneath her feet. She reached out her arms in search of- anything.
Something sharp tore at her arms. She recoiled and back into a solid surface. She drew her short sword and swiped blindly into the darkness.
What was that? She brushed against something! It was- furry? Could that be her attacker?
Another slash tore at her from the opposite side. She cried out in silence. The furry thing was gone.
She reached out again, grasping in the dark. She found hands, human hands. The hands were velvety and clawed. Human-ish hands.
The hands were likewise searching the darkness. Both hands grasped each other. She was being pulled. Her unseen attacker slashed at her again, raking down her shoulder and back.
Sight and sound had returned! She was lying on the ground with Bramble. Both the beast-man and Apparently had sustained grievous injury while in the darkness.
Bramble stood up and moved away from the devil face. He summoned a healing spirit and bathed in its regenerative presence. Apparently got up and did likewise.
Argent stood holding the rope, "The bears disappeared so I pulled. What happened?"
Suddenly a dark figure emerged from the blackness of the mouth. It was a black ethereal silhouette, humanoid from the waist up but trailing into a long train of shadow below. It sported dark bat-like wings.
It was a demon of shadow! The demon clawed at Argent, then retreated quickly into the devil's mouth.
Argent's axe sliced through the demonic shadow as if it were made of smoke.
Argent and Zeynap prepared themselves for another attack. This time, when the demon emerged from the mouth they were ready. Zeynap blasted the demon with eldritch blasts. Argent called upon the holy vengeance of the draconic god Bhamut and smote the demon with a mighty axe stroke. The demon squealed in pain and once more retreated into the devil face. It did not return.
DM Commentary-
I'm very proud of how this scene played out! Here's how it worked.
At the beginning of the fight I had these sheets printed up that allowed me to communicate with Apparently's player in secret. I took the player into a different room and explained how this worked. I didn't want separate the player from the table. I wanted her to still sit with everyone and socialize and have fun. But she couldn't tell them anything about what was happening inside the darkness.
I told her I would write down what happened to her that turn and she would choose a course of action, writing down skill and to-hit rolls and damage on the assumption she had hit as well as her current Hit Points.
So while everyone outside was standing around figuring what to do, Apparently's player and I were passing a sheet of paper back and forth.
At one point, Zeynap's player said, "Are you having her fill out 'Mad Libs' or something?" That she was forced to fill out Mad Libs inside the darkness became a running gag.
Anyway, on round 1, she performed the search action, hoping to pinpoint her enemy so she could attack it. She found nothing.
The demon attacked her!
On round 2, she attacked blindly. She missed.
The demon attacked her again!
On round 3, the bear entered the room. I rolled randomly to see whom the demon would attack. It attacked Apparently. Scoring a critical hit! Apparently was down to 6 Hit Points!
On round 4, Bramble entered the room. I took Bramble's player into a different room and explained the rules to him. He got his own sheet.
This time, the demon randomly chose to attack Bramble, scoring a critical hit. Bramble was down to 3 Hit Points!! This caused Bramble to lose his concentration and the bears outside the room disappeared. This was Argent's signal. Bramble searched for Apparently.
On round 5, Apparently searched and found Bramble. The demon got one final attack. I rolled randomly and got Apparently. Uh oh! However, I kid you not, I rolled only 5 damage!
The unfortunate death of the five guardsmen was momentarily forgotten as Bramble, Argent, Zeynap, and Orvex stared dumbfounded at the impenetrable darkness within the gaping mouth of the green devil face.
"Where'd she go?" asked Zeynap.
"Give her a second," said Bramble.
They watched the mouth. Bramble called out, "Apparently? Do you need any help?"
There was no answer.
The four adventurers exchanged a worried glance.
Bramble sprung into action, "Zeynap, pull out your rope."
As Zeynap dropped his pack to procure a length of rope, Bramble closed his eyes and summoned forth three brown bears from the spirit world. Bramble then directed the others to tie the rope around one of the bears.
At Bramble's direction, the bear crawled into the gaping mouth.
The rope barely let out five feet. Nothing happened.
Bramble pulled the bear back out, "I don't like it. I'm going in."
The bear was confused but otherwise unmolested. Bramble removed the rope from the bear and tied it around himself. He handed the other end to the dragon-man, "Argent, hold the rope. When these bears out here disappear, that means I'm being attacked. If that happens, pull me back!
He took a deep breath, grasped his staff, and ducked into the devil's mouth.
There was darkness.
The Demon of Darkness
Apparently stood in absolute darkness. It was the deepest most profound most oppressive darkness which she had ever experienced. She called for help but heard nothing. There was no sound. She could not even hear the sound of her own breathing. As a creature of the air and sky who was averse to enclosed underground spaces, this was almost too much to bear. The complete lack of stimuli was disorienting. At least she could feel the ground beneath her feet. She reached out her arms in search of- anything.
Something sharp tore at her arms. She recoiled and back into a solid surface. She drew her short sword and swiped blindly into the darkness.
What was that? She brushed against something! It was- furry? Could that be her attacker?
Another slash tore at her from the opposite side. She cried out in silence. The furry thing was gone.
She reached out again, grasping in the dark. She found hands, human hands. The hands were velvety and clawed. Human-ish hands.
The hands were likewise searching the darkness. Both hands grasped each other. She was being pulled. Her unseen attacker slashed at her again, raking down her shoulder and back.
Sight and sound had returned! She was lying on the ground with Bramble. Both the beast-man and Apparently had sustained grievous injury while in the darkness.
Bramble stood up and moved away from the devil face. He summoned a healing spirit and bathed in its regenerative presence. Apparently got up and did likewise.
Argent stood holding the rope, "The bears disappeared so I pulled. What happened?"
Suddenly a dark figure emerged from the blackness of the mouth. It was a black ethereal silhouette, humanoid from the waist up but trailing into a long train of shadow below. It sported dark bat-like wings.
It was a demon of shadow! The demon clawed at Argent, then retreated quickly into the devil's mouth.
Argent's axe sliced through the demonic shadow as if it were made of smoke.
Argent and Zeynap prepared themselves for another attack. This time, when the demon emerged from the mouth they were ready. Zeynap blasted the demon with eldritch blasts. Argent called upon the holy vengeance of the draconic god Bhamut and smote the demon with a mighty axe stroke. The demon squealed in pain and once more retreated into the devil face. It did not return.
DM Commentary-
I'm very proud of how this scene played out! Here's how it worked.
At the beginning of the fight I had these sheets printed up that allowed me to communicate with Apparently's player in secret. I took the player into a different room and explained how this worked. I didn't want separate the player from the table. I wanted her to still sit with everyone and socialize and have fun. But she couldn't tell them anything about what was happening inside the darkness.
I told her I would write down what happened to her that turn and she would choose a course of action, writing down skill and to-hit rolls and damage on the assumption she had hit as well as her current Hit Points.
So while everyone outside was standing around figuring what to do, Apparently's player and I were passing a sheet of paper back and forth.
At one point, Zeynap's player said, "Are you having her fill out 'Mad Libs' or something?" That she was forced to fill out Mad Libs inside the darkness became a running gag.
Anyway, on round 1, she performed the search action, hoping to pinpoint her enemy so she could attack it. She found nothing.
The demon attacked her!
On round 2, she attacked blindly. She missed.
The demon attacked her again!
On round 3, the bear entered the room. I rolled randomly to see whom the demon would attack. It attacked Apparently. Scoring a critical hit! Apparently was down to 6 Hit Points!
On round 4, Bramble entered the room. I took Bramble's player into a different room and explained the rules to him. He got his own sheet.
This time, the demon randomly chose to attack Bramble, scoring a critical hit. Bramble was down to 3 Hit Points!! This caused Bramble to lose his concentration and the bears outside the room disappeared. This was Argent's signal. Bramble searched for Apparently.
On round 5, Apparently searched and found Bramble. The demon got one final attack. I rolled randomly and got Apparently. Uh oh! However, I kid you not, I rolled only 5 damage!
Apparently was pulled out of the mouth with only 1 Hit Point. Bramble had only 3 Hit Points. It was a nail biter!
It was fantastic! I had so much fun! The players had so much fun! Everything about the way I did this encounter was original and unique! I was worried about how this would play out but it worked out so well!
It was fantastic! I had so much fun! The players had so much fun! Everything about the way I did this encounter was original and unique! I was worried about how this would play out but it worked out so well!
The Tomb Keeper
The group quickly moved away from the devil face and basked in the comforting aura of Bramble's healing spirit wolf. The hallway opened into the center of a wall of a large atrium. The atrium rose over a hundred feet up. Thin beams of sunlight made their way through tiny cracks in the ceiling far above. Vines and roots dangled down. The walls were covered in carvings of skulls and devil faces of various sizes, creating an uneven surface. Roots and vines and lichens clung to the edges.
A ten-foot wide mezzanine ran around the wall of the atrium. Stairs descended on the far wall to the left. There was another dark corridor on the opposite side of the atrium. There were smaller hallways on the near side of the left wall before the stairs and on the far side of the left wall at the end of the mezzanine.
Bramble looked down and saw that the atrium descended another four levels, each with its own mezzanine.
For a brief second he caught glimpse of a humanoid figure on the next lower mezzanine - a pallid hunched creature wearing a green devil-face mask. The creature was laden down with pouches and tools. The figure was short, about waist-high to Bramble. The figure looked up and made momentary eye contact with Bramble. It then dashed towards the right and out of Bramble's sight.
Bramble pointed out what he saw to the others but made no attempt to follow or track the strange figure.
Don the Mask or be Seen
A ten-foot wide mezzanine ran around the wall of the atrium. Stairs descended on the far wall to the left. There was another dark corridor on the opposite side of the atrium. There were smaller hallways on the near side of the left wall before the stairs and on the far side of the left wall at the end of the mezzanine.
Bramble looked down and saw that the atrium descended another four levels, each with its own mezzanine.
For a brief second he caught glimpse of a humanoid figure on the next lower mezzanine - a pallid hunched creature wearing a green devil-face mask. The creature was laden down with pouches and tools. The figure was short, about waist-high to Bramble. The figure looked up and made momentary eye contact with Bramble. It then dashed towards the right and out of Bramble's sight.
Bramble pointed out what he saw to the others but made no attempt to follow or track the strange figure.
Don the Mask or be Seen
The party moved away from the atrium and carefully made their way past the green devil face. The bodies of the five mercenaries lay in the trapped hallway. Orvex used Zeynap's ten pitons to prevent the inner door from rising. However, the trap floor beyond was open revealing the spike-filled pit.
The corridor past the devil face featured a metal grate in the floor covering an opening from which one could hear slowly flowing water. The corridor ended just beyond in a large gothic window revealing a darkened room on the other side.
Argent and Orvex moved towards the window. Orvex inspected it for traps but found none. The window did not open.
Argent held up his shield, which was enchanted by Zeynap to glow and provide illumination. On the other side of the window he could make out a stone sarcophagus and a room lined with several niches. He could just discern two dark shapes on the far wall.
"Are you going to bust through?" inquired Bramble.
"No, its a sacred space." replied Argent reverently.
"Are you kidding me? This entire place is a death trap! Bust through the damn window!" countered Bramble, impatiently.
Argent sighed and swung his axe at the window. It bounced off the thick glass with a loud reverberating "BONG!"
"See?" he said.
Xoc-Wik rolled his eyes, "Get out of the way!"
Everyone stepped aside and Xoc-Wik sent several magically charged arrows into the window. The arrows exploded, shattering the glass and destroying the window frame.
Bramble took a look around. The beast-man's excellent night vision could see that the two large shapes on the far side were massive zorbos - Chultan beasts that resembled aggressive looking koalas. The zorbos were holding a five foot diameter bronze disk covered in eyes. He noticed that the eyes, although metal, were blinking and looking around the room.
Along the walls were six niches, two on each wall. Each niche contained a throne occupied by the desiccated of an ancient Omuan warrior. Each held a sword and wore a wicker mask.
Apparently reminded everyone of the words from the warning at the entrance, "Don the mask or be seen."
"Right. We need to get those masks. Stay close to the wall. Move to the right," said Bramble as he directed the others.
Bramble and Argent hugged the wall and moved right towards the closest niche. Argent reached out to take the mask. The desiccated body sprang to life. It shoved Argent's hand away and lunged out of its throne with its sword. Argent dodged away.
Bramble, Argent, and Zeynap attacked the animated corpse, quickly destroying it. Bramble picked up the mask and put it on.
The remaining five corpses rose out of their thrones and attacked, two on Argent and Zeynap, the remaining three on Apparently and Xoc-Wik.
As the animated corpses attacked, they would grab at the target's chest, clutch, and pull as if draining the defender's soul from their body. Luckily, none of the party succumbed to the parasitic attack.
On the premise that the bronze disk covered in eyes was controlling the animated attackers, Zeynap directed towards it an eldritch blast. The blast knocked it out of the grasp of the two zorbos. The disk fell upon the floor leaning up against the wall. The animated foes continued to attack!
Bramble noticed that he was completely ignored by the attacking corpses. As additional corpses fell one by one, Bramble instructed the others to don the masks of the fallen.
The remaining corpse guardians were soon defeated and everyone was wearing a mask.
The corridor past the devil face featured a metal grate in the floor covering an opening from which one could hear slowly flowing water. The corridor ended just beyond in a large gothic window revealing a darkened room on the other side.
Argent and Orvex moved towards the window. Orvex inspected it for traps but found none. The window did not open.
Argent held up his shield, which was enchanted by Zeynap to glow and provide illumination. On the other side of the window he could make out a stone sarcophagus and a room lined with several niches. He could just discern two dark shapes on the far wall.
"Are you going to bust through?" inquired Bramble.
"No, its a sacred space." replied Argent reverently.
"Are you kidding me? This entire place is a death trap! Bust through the damn window!" countered Bramble, impatiently.
Argent sighed and swung his axe at the window. It bounced off the thick glass with a loud reverberating "BONG!"
"See?" he said.
Xoc-Wik rolled his eyes, "Get out of the way!"
Everyone stepped aside and Xoc-Wik sent several magically charged arrows into the window. The arrows exploded, shattering the glass and destroying the window frame.
Bramble took a look around. The beast-man's excellent night vision could see that the two large shapes on the far side were massive zorbos - Chultan beasts that resembled aggressive looking koalas. The zorbos were holding a five foot diameter bronze disk covered in eyes. He noticed that the eyes, although metal, were blinking and looking around the room.
Along the walls were six niches, two on each wall. Each niche contained a throne occupied by the desiccated of an ancient Omuan warrior. Each held a sword and wore a wicker mask.
Apparently reminded everyone of the words from the warning at the entrance, "Don the mask or be seen."
"Right. We need to get those masks. Stay close to the wall. Move to the right," said Bramble as he directed the others.
Bramble and Argent hugged the wall and moved right towards the closest niche. Argent reached out to take the mask. The desiccated body sprang to life. It shoved Argent's hand away and lunged out of its throne with its sword. Argent dodged away.
Bramble, Argent, and Zeynap attacked the animated corpse, quickly destroying it. Bramble picked up the mask and put it on.
The remaining five corpses rose out of their thrones and attacked, two on Argent and Zeynap, the remaining three on Apparently and Xoc-Wik.
As the animated corpses attacked, they would grab at the target's chest, clutch, and pull as if draining the defender's soul from their body. Luckily, none of the party succumbed to the parasitic attack.
On the premise that the bronze disk covered in eyes was controlling the animated attackers, Zeynap directed towards it an eldritch blast. The blast knocked it out of the grasp of the two zorbos. The disk fell upon the floor leaning up against the wall. The animated foes continued to attack!
Bramble noticed that he was completely ignored by the attacking corpses. As additional corpses fell one by one, Bramble instructed the others to don the masks of the fallen.
The remaining corpse guardians were soon defeated and everyone was wearing a mask.
The Spirit of Obo’laka
Upon defeating the tomb guardians, the party closely examined each niche. Bramble found that the wall behind the niche on the right wall was false and could be opened. Apparently found the same on the opposite wall but the wall was stuck tight.
Argent moved in and gave the wall a big push. Something metal on the wall scraped along the ground creating a spark. The area behind the wall exploded. The wall acted as a shield and protected Argent from the shockwave and heat but the force of the blast threw the wall and Argent into the middle of the tomb.
After the smoke cleared the party could smell the acrid aroma of some kind of flammable gas in the dark passage beyond. Additionally, they could hear the sound of slowly running water. They made note of this and turned their attention to the sarcophagus.
Orvex surmised that this was the resting place of Obo'laka himself.
Argent was unwilling to desecrate the sacred burial site and had to be convinced to open the sarcophagus. He removed the lid to reveal the ashes of a long-dead zorbo. A ring lay among the ashes.
Argent picked up the ring and put it on.
In response, the ashes rose from the interior of the sarcophagus, swirling in mid-air as if controlled by some kind of glowing ethereal energy. The glowing ashes took the shape of the menacing zorbo. The apparition tried to move into Argent's body but seemed blocked. Argent curled his draconic lips into a sneer. The apparition hovered before Argent as if waiting for him to make a decision.
Argent said, "We apologize for disturbing your resting place."
The apparition made no sound, it only looked at Argent impatiently.
There was an awkward silence.
Argent finally commanded the spirit, "Begone!"
The spirit dissipated and did not return.
The Rusty Statue
Upon defeating the tomb guardians, the party closely examined each niche. Bramble found that the wall behind the niche on the right wall was false and could be opened. Apparently found the same on the opposite wall but the wall was stuck tight.
Argent moved in and gave the wall a big push. Something metal on the wall scraped along the ground creating a spark. The area behind the wall exploded. The wall acted as a shield and protected Argent from the shockwave and heat but the force of the blast threw the wall and Argent into the middle of the tomb.
After the smoke cleared the party could smell the acrid aroma of some kind of flammable gas in the dark passage beyond. Additionally, they could hear the sound of slowly running water. They made note of this and turned their attention to the sarcophagus.
Orvex surmised that this was the resting place of Obo'laka himself.
Argent was unwilling to desecrate the sacred burial site and had to be convinced to open the sarcophagus. He removed the lid to reveal the ashes of a long-dead zorbo. A ring lay among the ashes.
Argent picked up the ring and put it on.
In response, the ashes rose from the interior of the sarcophagus, swirling in mid-air as if controlled by some kind of glowing ethereal energy. The glowing ashes took the shape of the menacing zorbo. The apparition tried to move into Argent's body but seemed blocked. Argent curled his draconic lips into a sneer. The apparition hovered before Argent as if waiting for him to make a decision.
Argent said, "We apologize for disturbing your resting place."
The apparition made no sound, it only looked at Argent impatiently.
There was an awkward silence.
Argent finally commanded the spirit, "Begone!"
The spirit dissipated and did not return.
The Rusty Statue
The party decided to explore the opposite passage. The corridor was narrow and allowed only single file transit. The corridor opened ahead. Argent led the way.
Argent looked into the opening and saw a long gallery. The gallery extended thirty feet to the right before narrowing to another corridor. The gallery also extended thirty feet to the left and ended in a niche containing the rusting statue of an armored knight. Shards and flakes of rusted metal covered the floor around the statue's feet. Argent could feel a powerful magnetic force tugging him towards the statue. He gripped the edge of the wall and backed away from the gallery.
Bramble and Xoc-Wik, wearing no metal armor and carrying no metal weapons, moved into the room to investigate. Xoc-Wik bore metal tipped arrows and two silver daggers. Xoc-Wik could feel the magnetic pull against these items but was able to withstand the force. He touched the statue with one of his daggers, confident in silver's ability to resist corrosion. To his surprise, the dagger immediately turned into rust and fell to the floor in large flakes. Xoc-Wik looked angry, "Hey!"
Bramble charged his wooden staff with the power of the spirits of nature and took a swing. The staff struck the statue with magically amplified force, severely denting and bending it. He continued to strike the statue in this way until it was disassembled and lying in several parts on the floor. Only after the statue was destroyed did the others move through the gallery.
The Magic Fountain
Argent looked into the opening and saw a long gallery. The gallery extended thirty feet to the right before narrowing to another corridor. The gallery also extended thirty feet to the left and ended in a niche containing the rusting statue of an armored knight. Shards and flakes of rusted metal covered the floor around the statue's feet. Argent could feel a powerful magnetic force tugging him towards the statue. He gripped the edge of the wall and backed away from the gallery.
Bramble and Xoc-Wik, wearing no metal armor and carrying no metal weapons, moved into the room to investigate. Xoc-Wik bore metal tipped arrows and two silver daggers. Xoc-Wik could feel the magnetic pull against these items but was able to withstand the force. He touched the statue with one of his daggers, confident in silver's ability to resist corrosion. To his surprise, the dagger immediately turned into rust and fell to the floor in large flakes. Xoc-Wik looked angry, "Hey!"
Bramble charged his wooden staff with the power of the spirits of nature and took a swing. The staff struck the statue with magically amplified force, severely denting and bending it. He continued to strike the statue in this way until it was disassembled and lying in several parts on the floor. Only after the statue was destroyed did the others move through the gallery.
The Magic Fountain
The party continued past the gallery, exploring the passage as it continued on the opposite side.
They found a round room containing a fountain crusted with moss. Three marble maidens stood in the fountain holding jugs from which water slowly poured.
Bramble said, "Well, obviously its a magic fountain! I'm going first!"
Before anyone could object, he plunged his face into the water and took a big drink.
He emerged with a puzzled look. He suddenly fell to the floor, convulsing. Argent rushed to his aid.
Bramble's flesh began expanding and contracting as if inflated and deflated by internal balloons. There was a release of steam and light. The steam cleared. Bramble lay on the ground - transformed.
Bramble was now a female theran!
"What the-?" said Argent.
Bramble coughed and stood up. Argent asked how he felt. Bramble said she felt fine and asked why everyone was staring at her. Argent explained.
"Oh, well. Okay then. I'm going to go again!"
"Wait!" cried Argent as Bramble took another drink. Nothing happened.
Bramble sighed, "Darn. Who's next?"
Argent gulped and stepped forward. He took a drink. He immediately fell to the floor in a nasty seizure. He began coughing up blood and bile. His face looked gaunt and pale. He finally rose from the floor weakened and ill. He looked as if he'd been touched by death itself.
"Well that's no good! Apparently?"
Apparently held up her hands, "No thanks! I already did my stupid thing for the day!"
Zeynap and Xoc-Wik likewise demurred.
The party decided to spend an hour resting and recuperating.
They eventually left the chamber and took a left down the third exit from the gallery.
DM Commentary-
Bramble's player was downright GIDDY at the magic fountain. It's such a classic dungeon staple. He was very disappointed others didn't give it a try. He wanted to know what the other two results were.
They found a round room containing a fountain crusted with moss. Three marble maidens stood in the fountain holding jugs from which water slowly poured.
Bramble said, "Well, obviously its a magic fountain! I'm going first!"
Before anyone could object, he plunged his face into the water and took a big drink.
He emerged with a puzzled look. He suddenly fell to the floor, convulsing. Argent rushed to his aid.
Bramble's flesh began expanding and contracting as if inflated and deflated by internal balloons. There was a release of steam and light. The steam cleared. Bramble lay on the ground - transformed.
Bramble was now a female theran!
"What the-?" said Argent.
Bramble coughed and stood up. Argent asked how he felt. Bramble said she felt fine and asked why everyone was staring at her. Argent explained.
"Oh, well. Okay then. I'm going to go again!"
"Wait!" cried Argent as Bramble took another drink. Nothing happened.
Bramble sighed, "Darn. Who's next?"
Argent gulped and stepped forward. He took a drink. He immediately fell to the floor in a nasty seizure. He began coughing up blood and bile. His face looked gaunt and pale. He finally rose from the floor weakened and ill. He looked as if he'd been touched by death itself.
"Well that's no good! Apparently?"
Apparently held up her hands, "No thanks! I already did my stupid thing for the day!"
Zeynap and Xoc-Wik likewise demurred.
The party decided to spend an hour resting and recuperating.
They eventually left the chamber and took a left down the third exit from the gallery.
DM Commentary-
Bramble's player was downright GIDDY at the magic fountain. It's such a classic dungeon staple. He was very disappointed others didn't give it a try. He wanted to know what the other two results were.
Wandering
The passage took a hard right and returned them to the atrium, left of the previously explored passage and next to the descending stairs. The party took the previously explored passage past the devil face. They noted that the outer door had now closed, sealing them within. The spiked pit now formed a kind of moat between the inner door and the closed outer door.
They also noted that the broken glass has been swept up and the site had been removed of debris. They returned to the tomb. The secret doors had been replaced.
Bramble wondered aloud, "That strange figure I saw earlier must be some kind of caretaker. He's re-setting everything."
They took the hidden door to the left. They found an underground stream and could smell the building gas. They decided to leave without exploring further and returned to the atrium.
They also noted that the broken glass has been swept up and the site had been removed of debris. They returned to the tomb. The secret doors had been replaced.
Bramble wondered aloud, "That strange figure I saw earlier must be some kind of caretaker. He's re-setting everything."
They took the hidden door to the left. They found an underground stream and could smell the building gas. They decided to leave without exploring further and returned to the atrium.
The Wind Tunnel
The party circled around the mezzanine intentionally ignoring and not even looking down the large passage.
Xoc-Wik's player said, "What's down there?"
I said, "Do you look?"
Bramble's player interrupted, "No! No, don't even look! Let's just walk past! Ignore it! Don't get distracted!"
They stood outside the smaller passage. The passage was only five feet wide and fifty feet long. The passage was blocked about thirty feet in by huge fan blades. The walls of the passage were adorned with bas relief carvings of thousands of small birds flying towards the blades.
Bramble transformed herself into a small bird and flew down the passage, passing between the immobile fan blades. She transformed back into theran form at the end of the hall.
The passage opened into a large crypt. Immediately inside the entrance was a deep rectangular pit at the bottom of which rested a stone sarcophagus. The sarcophagus appeared to be one solid block of stone. The top was decorated with a carving of a screaming su-monster holding a mace with a large flat rectangular head. The mace head formed a flat surface in the center of the top of the sarcophagus.
On the other side of the room three human-sized coffins rested on raised platforms. One coffin was made of black onyx, one was made of rusted metal, and one was made of bright silver.
Bramble climbed across the pit and approached the black coffin. It was unlocked. There was a key inserted in a mechanism on the inside of the lid. The key could not be removed. She said to herself, "The keys turn on the inside only." She considered the meaning of the clue and climbed inside the coffin and closed the lid. The key turned but the lid would not open while the key was turned. She turned the key back and opened the lid.
She called for the others.
Zeynap looked at Argent, "You know as soon as you head down this corridor the fan blades will start spinning, right?"
"Yes," was his reply.
Zeynap handed him a crowbar from his pack, "Take this. Try to jam it."
Argent held the crowbar in one hand and took a few deep breaths. He sprinted down the hall.
The fan blades started spinning up, slowly at first but quickly gaining speed. He reached the fan blades and jammed the crowbar between the fan blade and the wall. The blade sliced the iron crowbar in half!
"Well, that's not good!" Argent muttered to himself. He called back to Zeynap who had followed him down the hall, "It's tougher than we thought!"
Zeynap shouted over the rising sound of the rushing wind, "I've got a plan!" The Eusebean called upon his celestial patron and cast a spell of shattering upon the blades.
The spell had no effect!
"Oh shit!" was his response. "Sorry Argent!" He disappeared in a puff of rainbow hued mist and reappeared next to the entrance of the crypt.
Argent gritted his draconic teeth and leaped through the whirling blades. He emerged on the other side suffering several deep lacerations and bleeding profusely. He was grievously wounded but he survived.
DM Commentary - 12d10 slashing damage, yikes!
While Bramble tended to Argent's wounds, Zeynap took his time and destroyed the spinning fan with multiple eldritch blasts. Once it was safe, Orvex casually strolled down the hallway and into the crypt chamber.
Xoc-Wik's player said, "What's down there?"
I said, "Do you look?"
Bramble's player interrupted, "No! No, don't even look! Let's just walk past! Ignore it! Don't get distracted!"
They stood outside the smaller passage. The passage was only five feet wide and fifty feet long. The passage was blocked about thirty feet in by huge fan blades. The walls of the passage were adorned with bas relief carvings of thousands of small birds flying towards the blades.
Bramble transformed herself into a small bird and flew down the passage, passing between the immobile fan blades. She transformed back into theran form at the end of the hall.
The passage opened into a large crypt. Immediately inside the entrance was a deep rectangular pit at the bottom of which rested a stone sarcophagus. The sarcophagus appeared to be one solid block of stone. The top was decorated with a carving of a screaming su-monster holding a mace with a large flat rectangular head. The mace head formed a flat surface in the center of the top of the sarcophagus.
On the other side of the room three human-sized coffins rested on raised platforms. One coffin was made of black onyx, one was made of rusted metal, and one was made of bright silver.
Bramble climbed across the pit and approached the black coffin. It was unlocked. There was a key inserted in a mechanism on the inside of the lid. The key could not be removed. She said to herself, "The keys turn on the inside only." She considered the meaning of the clue and climbed inside the coffin and closed the lid. The key turned but the lid would not open while the key was turned. She turned the key back and opened the lid.
She called for the others.
Zeynap looked at Argent, "You know as soon as you head down this corridor the fan blades will start spinning, right?"
"Yes," was his reply.
Zeynap handed him a crowbar from his pack, "Take this. Try to jam it."
Argent held the crowbar in one hand and took a few deep breaths. He sprinted down the hall.
The fan blades started spinning up, slowly at first but quickly gaining speed. He reached the fan blades and jammed the crowbar between the fan blade and the wall. The blade sliced the iron crowbar in half!
"Well, that's not good!" Argent muttered to himself. He called back to Zeynap who had followed him down the hall, "It's tougher than we thought!"
Zeynap shouted over the rising sound of the rushing wind, "I've got a plan!" The Eusebean called upon his celestial patron and cast a spell of shattering upon the blades.
The spell had no effect!
"Oh shit!" was his response. "Sorry Argent!" He disappeared in a puff of rainbow hued mist and reappeared next to the entrance of the crypt.
Argent gritted his draconic teeth and leaped through the whirling blades. He emerged on the other side suffering several deep lacerations and bleeding profusely. He was grievously wounded but he survived.
DM Commentary - 12d10 slashing damage, yikes!
While Bramble tended to Argent's wounds, Zeynap took his time and destroyed the spinning fan with multiple eldritch blasts. Once it was safe, Orvex casually strolled down the hallway and into the crypt chamber.
The Tomb of Wongo
At Bramble's direction, Zeynap climbed into the onyx coffin, Bramble climbed into the rusty coffin, and Argent climbed into the silver coffin. Each turned their respective keys.
Orvex called out, "Hey! Shome buttonsh jusht appeared on the sharcophagush!"
"Push them!" was Bramble's reply.
Orvex pushed all three buttons.
Zeynap was bathed in life-draining energy. It was uncomfortable but he gritted his teeth and suffered no ill effects.
DM Commentary - no damage on a successful saving throw.
Bramble felt a slight tingle but suffered no harm.
DM Commentary - Bramble, as a druid, has no metal.
Argent was flash frozen and barely survived the ordeal!
DM Commentary - 10d8 cold damage! He made his save and took half damage.
Orvex called out, "Shomething's happening! The sharcophagush is opening!"
The three adventurers reset their keys and opened their coffins. The lid to the sarcophagus had opened, revealing the desiccated remains of su-monster named Wongo, trickster god of Omu!
In Wongo's simian hands was a large heavy mace.
Wongo's mummified remains sat up and looked around. His eyeless face blindly scanned the room. It opened its mouth and emitted a silent scream.
Orvex called out, "Hey! Shome buttonsh jusht appeared on the sharcophagush!"
"Push them!" was Bramble's reply.
Orvex pushed all three buttons.
Zeynap was bathed in life-draining energy. It was uncomfortable but he gritted his teeth and suffered no ill effects.
DM Commentary - no damage on a successful saving throw.
Bramble felt a slight tingle but suffered no harm.
DM Commentary - Bramble, as a druid, has no metal.
DM Commentary - 10d8 cold damage! He made his save and took half damage.
The three adventurers reset their keys and opened their coffins. The lid to the sarcophagus had opened, revealing the desiccated remains of su-monster named Wongo, trickster god of Omu!
In Wongo's simian hands was a large heavy mace.
Wongo's mummified remains sat up and looked around. His eyeless face blindly scanned the room. It opened its mouth and emitted a silent scream.
To Be Continued
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