"Maybe they sprung traps" Norajia says, looking at the reptilian skeleton "I wonder how far they got, and why they left their dead behind"

<OOC I assume Mabwe has better low light vision than the humans, which is why he is scouting ahead?>

Mabwe moves to the side of the entrance and waits for the others to bring the light. As he does so he replies to Norajia "Assuming they were coming in and not trying to get out."

OOC: Yes, better night vision, but still needs light :)

The tunnel stops descending and opens up into a large chamber (crudely represented here, forgive my poor ability to convey perspective). You hear a low humming sound.



There are seven doorways, with three on the north, one to the east and three to the south (plus the one on the west that you are standing in). There are curtains hanging from six of the doorways, three of which are in very shabby condition.

There is a bright light partially peering out from the eastern curtain which appears in good shape but is partially drawn back. 

The bone weakly points in the direction of the light from the east and then feels lifeless again.

Also notably--there is no shortage of skeletons littering the floor, belonging to both the lizard men and to some more human looking specimens in unfamiliar looking armor.

Vorrik notes "Rather jolly party, eh? So sorry we missed it." Noting the ground he says "Say, are those power crystals?" 

That's good visuals for an rpol campaign, I like it.

Norajia snuffs appreciatively
" 'Cheer up trooper - raise your eyes' " she says quoting the Stormbull song with a smile. "Maybe there will be a chance to look at them on the way back. Let's get to where we need to be before the lamp burns low or Vanantas runs out of juice. These bones give me the creeps"

"Yeah," says Lemak in agreement.  "They're no use in the Dead Place anyway.  We can collect them later.  The mission comes first."  There's been no tingling to warn of Chaos to date.  He starts towards the eastern door, waiting for Norijia the lightbearer to follow.  Again, he reaches out trying to detect any presence of Chaos.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:31, Tue 13 Oct 2020.

In reply to Lemak (msg # 75):

<OOC
 For this next part, can I get a consensus about marching order and what path you'd like to take?  e.g., straight down the middle of the chamber, approach along the left wall or approach along the right wall?
Vorrik will go wherever you put him>
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:35, Tue 13 Oct 2020.

Norajia checks the level of oil in the lamp

<OOC  marching order is going to be tricky, Mabwe (night vision) Lemak (chaos sense) and Tuari (Varantas) all have a case for being towards the front. I'd suggest Mabwe, Lemak, Tuari, Noragia, Vorric, where we want/need single file, maybe Lemak and Tuari, Noragia and Vorric can double up otherwise.>
{Punctuation on doubling up}
This message was last edited by the player at 16:44, Tue 13 Oct 2020.

In reply to Norajia (msg # 77):

It's a wide chamber so you could easily go 5 abreast but maybe you don't want to do that..

Mabwe casts his eyes about the chamber and snorts at the skeletons "Straight across yes? That way we don't have to pass by other entrances."

"I think that if the dead were going to rise the ones outside might have made a move already", but he doesn't sound too convinced by his own words.

"We go like Morokanth claw yes? I at the tip, Lemak and Tuari at the sides, Noragia is the quick within to be protected and to keep the claw strong and Vorrik come behind to guard her back, sound good yes?"

Norajia nods that Mabwe's idea is fine by her (for what it's worth)
<OOC now I want to see what references we have for Morokanth hand shape. I only see the picture in the Bestiary so far, with as Mabwe says three primary digits, can't see was sort of dew-claw(s) may be behind>

Of there are no objections Mabwe heads to the light in a straight line.

Lemak starts soon after the morokanth, hoping that Norajia will follow up to cast light.  Like Mabwe, he heads straight for the door opposite.  Tactics are not the Uroxi way (unless of course any particular arrangement or layout of skeletons on the floor is suspicious).  The path of the Storm Bull is a charge straight ahead.  If any problem arises, violence must solve it.  Particularly here in the Dead Place.  They must trust to sinew and weapon.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:32, Wed 14 Oct 2020.

You are heading the direction of the arrow, picking your way around the bones of both humans and lizard creatures, as well as their armor and strange weapons on the floor. 
Both the pitch and the volume of the dull thrum you heard when entering increases as you advance. 
As you get to about the position shown here:

you notice that, as Norajia's lamplight reveals more of the features of the room, the human skeletons there are not completely decayed but still have withered flesh, with clothing that is in decent repair, whereas the clothing on the skeletons you first passed has degenerated. This is especially notable toward the south and east.
You also get a better view of the mummified remains of some of the lizard creatures, these have colorful, dried skin wrapped tightly around the bones.

Norajia follows Mabwe and Lemak with the lamp. She raises an eyebrow when the varying condition of the skeletons and corpses becomes apparent.

Mabwe scoops and picks up a crystal from their path, but snorts and drops it again as he moves on. He stays just outside the edge of the light coming from the curtained room so as not to stand out.

As one who uses his claws as weapons, and knowing then what damage can be done to him by someone parrying with a metal weapon, and given that things are not decayed past use he keeps an eye open for and greaves that might fit one so large as he.

"Dragon folk?" he mutters speculatively.

"I wondered the same," says Lemak.  "I heard tales of such things when I was a child.  And if there are crystals lying about, I wonder... does this mean that when this battle took place, they were able to use crystals...?"

He follows Mabwe's lead and stays out of the light from the room.

Drawing closer to the room but staying out of the light, you notice the pitch of the humming is still higher and the volume is louder.
It is clearly coming from the other side of the curtain to the east.
The Bone of Varantas is also now emitting a dull low hum that is dissonant with the loud sound from behind the curtain.
Vorrik clears his throat uncomfortably.
Pausing outside the doorway you don't notice anything else.

Mabwe moves up to the wall and then pulls the drape aside slowly to create a crack between the wall and the drape to look through. He looks through this rather than poke his head around the open side of the drape.

The sound is making Lemak nervous as well.  He also moves up to the wall, but behind Mabwe, dagger-axe at the ready should anything emerge from the room beyond.

Tuari looked at the bone and shook his head, "This is the place isn't it Varantas?" he tightens the grip on his sword and follows Mabwe.

<OOC: Probably technically Mabwe sees all this  but I'll simplify things by just putting the description in the open>



When Mabwe peels back the curtain on the south side light escapes into the chamber, momentarily blinding you.

The light is coming from a single oil lamp burning in the southeast wall. 

On the north half of the chamber you see additional lamp housings but these are not burning.

The floor is littered with broken clay amphoras, a few metal decanters, cracked power crystals, and other debris.

At the southwest of the chamber you see some unfamiliar digging equipment, a couple of holes dug into the earth, small barrels, and several long lengths of rope. 

Against the east wall is a large wooden table, and sitting on the table is a large iridescent object, that confuses your senses and is hard to look directly at for very long. It is vaguely oblong, or maybe triangular, and is very large in area but seems thin in depth, sort of like a shield. It is the clearly the source of the sound which has now risen to a piercing shriek. 


The object has a number of short sticks arranged around it and above it in a kind of precarious spiderweb like pattern.

Finally, at the south of the chamber you see a fully intact reptile person, its back is turned to you and its huge frame eclipses that of a human that it has pinned against the wall.

With the shriek of the sound, Mabwe is not really concerned about making a noise that might disturb the reptilian person, more so about stopping the horrible noise. He describes the scene quickly to the others before pulling the drape further aside and stepping in.

He keeps an eye on the struggle in the corner, not even sure at this moment that the two combatants did not die in that position and are in fact no threat to him. Pointing at the others to keep an eye on them he heads for the table to get a closer look at the likely source of the screech.

The fact that it is difficult to look at it gives him the encouragement to keep looking to the Southeast corner.

As you tentatively step into the room, the two figures at the south end of the room do not shift or move-not even a little.
Approaching the object, you can see that there is a netlike arrangement of short sticks around it in 3 dimensions, with the sticks secured to each other with thin wire.
You also see various small bottles and a vellum scroll with strange patterns written upon it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 17:43, Sat 17 Oct 2020.

"This looks complicated" Norajia says "I wonder if Varantas was here during this fight or if she learned about is as a spirit"

Mabwe doesn't reply to Norajia, but then there was no question. He does though say "That bone spirit shed any light?"

Then he says in spiritspeech "Varantas, what is it that you want us to do here?" as he looks at the strange marks on the vellum. He has heard that some outsiders make such marks as a poor version of Waha's knots. This gives him an idea, and he asks Vorrik "Do these marks mean something?"

"How do you make this damn noise stop?" he says reaching his left claw out to poke it.