"Mine too...don't know why I assumed priests would know all about crypts and such."

Peeking out the door, Wist says to John, "This looks like the woods we saw from the outside. I guess barrows have front and back doors...for some reason."

"Aye" John replied "let us explore deeper" he said as he returned into the barrow and closed the door. He then led the party down the steps and along the corridor. Wary of more traps John travelled slowly. He sheathed his sword and using a spear he prodded the flagstones before he stepped on them.

"These images on the wall don't bode well, but if we are going to find that necklace I am sure this is the way."

Wist follows John, staying two paces behind him. He uses the light from the medallions to watch the ceiling and the walls...he had learned that skeletons sometimes attack from above!

John comes to a wall, with a door to the left and the right.

.      ________
.      o      o
.      |_  J _|
.        |  |
.        | W|
.        |  |
.        |KK|
.        |  |
.        |^^|
.        |^^|__________
.        |        ____o
.  ______|   ____/
. |    o    |
. |    |_   |
. |____| |  |______
.        |^^      {|
.        |^<    __{|
.           |  |
.           |  |
.           |  |
.   ________|  |
.   |          |
.   |     |_   |
.   |_____| |  |
.           |  |
.           |^^|
.    _______|^^|___
.   |             |
.   |__    _______|
.      |  |
.      |  |
.   __/    \__
.

Kerwich gets ready to Turn whatever might be behind the door that John opens.

The stairs and tunnel proved to be safe. John gave a breath of relief then turned to the elf "Wist, do you wish to listen again friend?" he asked.

"If I hear nothing do you think that means more skeletons or an empty room?" Wist asks rhetorically. The elf will listen at each door for any sounds.

Having followed the others outside Kadira doesn't immediately return to the tomb, instead she spends some time cleaning off and inspecting the outside of the second door, much as she did the first.  Only later does she make her way back in and rejoin them just in time for whatever door opening they have in mind, still cleaning the surfaces she walks on in a way that this tomb may never have experienced since its construction.

Both doors are quiet, what lies beyond them, still a mystery.

"I hear nothing...your choice, John...right or left?"

Once again, the elf nocks and draws an arrow, ready to loose it when John opens the door.

"Good" John picked the door on his right and with spear and shield readied he opened it. If anything moved he was set to thrown the spear and close the door.

Kerwich is again ready to Turn if it proves necessary.

John opens the door, inside the middle of the room is a stone sarcophus, with a heavy lid.  Carved into the side are more scenes of bone armies.  A skeleton in repose is carved into the lid.

.        _______________
.        o   K  W _ J   |
.        |_   K_| |     |
.          |  |   |  [] |
.          |  |   |_____|
.          |  |
.          |  |
.          |  |
.          |^^|
.          |^^|__________
.          |        ____s
.    ______|   ____/
.   |         |
.   |    |_   |
.   |____| |  |______
.          |^^      {|
.          |^<    __{|
.             |  |
.             |  |
.             |  |
.     ________|  |
.     |          |
.     |     |_   |
.     |_____| |  |
.             |  |
.             |^^|
.      _______|^^|___
.     |             |
.     |__    _______|
.        |  |
.        |  |
.     __/    \__
.

Seeing no immediate threat, Wist follows John into the room.

"Kerwich, could this be Eligas' tomb? Did the priests give you any way of identifying it? Or should we simply open every sarcophagus we come across?

Doesn't seem a very priestly thing to do!"

Accompanied by Wist an emboldened John approached the sarcophagus. He looked for any inscription or writings in the stonework.

"The lid looks heavy, but I can try" John replied to Wist's suggestion to open the sarcophagus.

"I learned nothing more specific than what they told all of us," replied Kerwich. The cleric waits anxiously as John opens the sarcophagus.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:46, Fri 03 Sept 2021.

"Fair enough. I'll give you a hand, John."

Wist moves to help John attempt to remove the stone lid.

With Kerwich ready John grasped the stone lid and with the aid of Wist tried to slide it to one side.

John puts his weight into the lid, and it slides over with a grinding of stone on stone.    Lying in repose, is a figure in plate armor, from head to toe.  A sword lies next to it.

Once the sarcophagus lid is open, Wist takes a good look at the interred corpse to see if there is a necklace around its neck.

The corpse in noble plate armour did not look like a fiend. John watched carefully for movement and held his spear and shield at the ready whilst Wist looked in the sarcophagus for the relic that they sought.

"Remember, if you see a necklace, don't touch it! I have a bag the priests gave me to put it in to keep us safe from it."

If there was a necklace, it was not seen.  Perhaps it may be within the armor, but nothing but the stench of death and cold steel greets the group.

"I don't see a necklace, Kerwich...it might be under the armour."

Looking at the cleric, the elf adds, "If you can say the rites for him...then I guess I can try to remove the armour to check."

Wist is obviously a little concerned about disturbing the dead if they are not animated or not evil.

---

Not a spell per se, just some blah blah blah, in Latin! :-)

The elf and the cleric were learned and wise, John a commoner from Hordle knew little of the mysteries they were so knowledgeable of. So John kept guide whilst any rites or rituals were performed and any investigation was made of the corpse.