Aporeu chronicles Issue 82: Exploring an ancient tomb
Stories from the adventurers
This week
Of course a tomb had to have skeletons.Exploring an ancient tomb by Custous
I’ve been quite busy lately, training with Thamior, followed by training some other adventurers in wielding their weapons as magic channelers. I hope I haven’t slacked off too much, as I've seen a quest to explore a tomb. Seems like a perfect quest to get me started again, and check out some ancient tomb architecture. I’m accompanied by Q, always good to have this guy on your side, he surely knows to hit them bullseyes! Quen, Gerolt and Jade also join us, which makes for a good versatile team! Also, a new blue hued lady joins us with airy white hair, but with some anger lingering in her eyes. She introduces herself as Midrina. We are sent towards a grove east of the guild grounds, where an ancient tree stands. A door embedded in its trunk, and several windows randomly scattered. It seems peaceful as birds are chirping and flying in and out of the house through the wide-open windows. I notice Jade changing slightly and making some strange chittering sounds towards the birds. We are greeted by an elven woman in pretty simple and brownish garbs, she tells us that scouts went through the gate to a new location, and ended up in some sort of tomb. In the first hallway one of them already got impaled by a trap, and the rest of the scouts panicked and left. I assure we get the body safe, so his family may give him a proper burial. So, I’m sure I don’t need to explain anymore how the gate works, thus we find ourselves in a decent sized octagonal room with a stone door at the far end. Old cracked oil paintings hanging on the walls. Depicting serene scenic with humans, dwarfs and elves. On the other side of the room, the pictures show similar scenic pictures of dragonborn variants, Halflings and gnomes, and snakelike beings, All of which in a unique kind of city, one floating, the other high in the trees. While investigation these paintings a floating skull in blueish flames appears and starts repeating the words “ Foomm kringach saluuk krifnag? “, Quen casts a spell and translates it into “Whom are you here to seek?”. But every name we mention is responded by the same words “That one is not known!”. As it isn’t hostile, we continue. Though my idea of a calm architectural quest has changed something eerie, a floating skull is never a good forebode! A long stone tunnel leads from the door and we see in front of us the scout impaled by several spikes hanging from the ceiling. As Midrina and Jade free the body, Gerolt lays it down near the gate. I ritually protect the body from turning, and we return the body to the other side of the gate. We continue through the tunnel as Jade and Midrina keep their eyes open for traps, but not as well as they could’ve as when we arrive at another double stone door, the floor falls away, and Jade, Gerolt and I find ourselves sliding down some 200 ft landing on a platform surrounded by filthy smelling and murky water. I hold my hand in front of my mouth and nose as I hold my mace up for light. I can’t even see the walls of this room so big is it! While standing there looking in awe Midrina slides into me and almost drops me prone, I quickly step aside as the rest of the group follows. Quen gets his floating lights up and illuminates up the whole room. At the end of the room there’s another doorway, but it means we need to go through the water. We also see the shimmer of light reflection just above the water level at the far end, and we ready ourselves as it starts to move towards us. Arrows start flying and strange moat of fire erupts from Q’s cape exploding whatever that thing was! It was quite effective! After climbing some stairs, we open a room covered in sand. We stand back as Midrinia and Q walk in prodding their weapons in the sand. I notice some movement under the sand, but just as I want to call out, giant scorpions erupt from the sand and start pummelling into Midrina, who hasn’t even had a chance to realize what’s going on. Gerolt rushes in and starts shielding his comrades, Q goes down, but is dragged out of the room by Midrina, as I quickly stabilize him. But surely, we defeat the scorpions with the combined effort and I get Q back up. We continue with another circular stairs that this time slants slightly back to where we came from, ending into another doorway. Before we want to walk in Q points a subtle rune placed on the door. “alright, get behind me” I tell them as I activate the rune with a grey bony spectral hand. I get blasted burning radiance. * cough cough* “I’m good!”, Gerolt pats me on my shoulder “yeah you are “and a warmth seeps through my body, energizing me. We open the door and look into a huge octagonal room, 4 pillars and a walled platform at the opposite side. Undead stand watch here. Before we can even do something, a mumbling can be heard as a freezing darkness of light whispers starts to surround us, resisting our every movement, as are skin starts to freeze. We quickly make it into the room, and arrows and magic start flying around. Four shambling undead in tattered linen start moving towards us as skeletal archers cover their advance from on top of the 30 ft high pillars. The mummies start gazing at us, but don’t seem to know I’m here. I notice the spellcaster on the platform at the end of the room, and yell out to Q “cover me, we need to get to the priest, when I give you the sign, hit him with your best shot“ Q nods and gets into action. Quen flies into the room and helps me safely advance to the priest by engulfing him in Darkness. The platform disappears in a think black cloud. I keep slowly and steadily advancing, trying to slip away from a mummy next to me, but just as I move away it locks his eyes on me and hits heavily on me back, I stumble forward but retain my footing.“ I’m sure I heard something snap as flashes of pain run through my body with every step I make. My spectral scale of Kelemvor keeps one of the archers on a pillar busy as I lend my support to the rest, and they keep me standing and covered. It takes a little time to get where I need to be “Quen drop the darkness”, as it dissolves, I gaze over the platform “He’s gone!“ I call back, but an arrow shoots to the side of the platform, hitting with a thud and a hoarse moan, an crackling blast shoots back.
I don’t even look back as I quickly make my way to the side, the priest, a skin over bone figure in long faded robes stands hissing at me as he backs away. I slowly move my mace upward following the ground and ending with it pointing at the priest while the words “Kelemvor defendit eritis” echoes through the hall. Ghostly hands slowly start clawing out of the ground and start grabbing its legs as it moves away. I turn around but can’t seem to see Q, I faintly hear a shuffle on the pillar in front of me “Q get ready! It’s done! “His head pops over the side nods in acknowledgement and pulls his bow tight as he scans the platform. With a slow exhale he lets lose. A soft thud marks home, as I hear the priest loudly moaning. “He’s done Custous” Q responds. “No time to celebrate, our friends” we quickly turn around to see Gerolt laying on the floor, Jade dashing around and Midrina swinging blows at the few left undead. With our combined effort we quickly manage to get Gerolt back up and clean up the last walking dead.
After a well-earned rest we collect what we can find and return to back home.
This was not what I expected, though I’m sure it was not my choice. Undead have been more prevalent lately, concisely with me gaining more power. I ask myself what Kelemvor has in mind for me, but hastily shake the thought out of my head. Whatever his will is, I am not the one to question it.
Signed
~ Custous Vita, servant of Kelemvor.
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