Vogh and Kurat step into the tunnel once the command word is spoken and the tunnel opens up. As they walk to the other end, Vogh realizes that the tunnels are all the same length regardless of how far away the destination is. This seems consistent with the Dimension Door aspect of the spell that creates the tunnels.

At the end of the tunnel, before stepping out of it, you can see the area clearly enough. It's a town... or it was. The jagged ruins of a dozen towers reach up to the sky.

In the middle of the town, about a hundred yards away, is an intact building. Somewhat squat and square.

AS Vogh stepped out of another tunnel she checked her surroundings quickly to see if she knew where she was.  Unfortunately, she didn't once again.  Turning to Kurat she nodded towards the only building that seemed intact and said, "I think that is where we will find the boots.  Shall we check it out?  By the way, we haven't talked much as of yet.  What is your profession?  I am a bard, but I have also trained with oracles as well."

Kurat looked over the area at the ruins. Like the place he'd visited before it seemed lifeless and long ruined but they had found sounds of life there a guardian and such. He listened to Vogh's question and thought a moment.

"I'm a mercenary by trade, selling my services here and there throughout the north. Been doing that for a while now. It started when I found my ring among my father's vaults and that led me to a tome. From there I largely taught myself specializing largely in transmutation magic while at the same time making sure I was fit physically as well as mentally," he said.

"Self-taught?  Very impressive indeed." Vogh gave the hobgoblin a smile and then went back to the task at hand.

Nearing the structure, Vogh looked for an entrance or any other signs of ways to get in.


09:48, Today: Vogh Kath rolled 17 using 1d20+13.  Perception check

Kurat watched as Vogh looked about. He preferred to save his magics for when they were needed so he was happy to help look at the moment. He looked about as well hoping to help find an entrance for them to use or at least a clue.

17:08, Today: Kurat rolled 28 using 1d20+13.  Perception.

The first thing  you both notice is the inscription on the front of the building. It identifies the structure as the tomb of Zama Kindu. The wizard was killed by the three dragons that destroyed the town of Ylraphon. This tomb was built by the survivors.

As near as you can tell, the building was built as the tomb itself, not a structure to house the tomb. As such, then, there is no way to get inside since there's isn't anything inside but a body.

However, you quickly realize that the tomb shows signs of having been looted, possibly more than once.

You can see what appears to be the outline of a door. It might have been sealed once, but the seals have long since been broken.

The two-story building has the second story set back from the first story. The base is about 80 feet square; the second story about 60 feet square.

The outline o the doorway follows the running bond of the stone bricks that the building appears to be made of.

There's no obvious way to open it, though.

"Kurat, when you retrieved your item where was it?  Both of the ones I have gone after all I had to say was Green Star."  Vogh wasn't sure if the words would have an effect for the door they were now looking at but she gave it a shot.

"Saying 'green star' only made the guardian leave us alone," Kurat replied.

"We should expect a guardian here as well, though the tomb looks to have been looted. Would that have let the guardian out? I suppose it depends on what the guardian is."

"I suggest just trying to open the door. If that fails, we can look for some secret release button."

Vogh attempts to open the door and if it doesn't she says the magic word, "Green Star".

Saying the words produces no effect... at least, no clearly visible or otherwise discernible effect. The door remains closed.

"Well, that is interesting.  Nothing happened at least outright.  Take a look around and see if there is another way in."  Vogh says as she shakes her head and begins moving around the place and feeling for any new cracks or ways in.

17:14, Today: Vogh Kath rolled 23,14 using d20+13,d20+13.  perception, knowledge engineering.

Vogh can't find any other way in, but after circling it and examining it, she suspects getting in is like a puzzle box. She just has to figure out which blocks to push in the right order. It's either that, or it was never meant to be opened again--the door was the seal to keep out intruders and looters.

After a bit more consideration, she discards the second idea because she can't imagine Esmeralda wouldn't have known that, thereby requiring massive demolition or else teleporting in. If that was the case, why not have the portal tunnel just go inside?

After finding out that there wasn't any way in Vogh turned to Kurat and said, "Looks like we need to figure out how this rather large puzzle box works.  Any idea you might be able to add could help.  Otherwise, I think we just need to attempt working the stones."

Vogh gets in closer to look over the stone patterns and to see if anything looks like it may be more 'used' than the other.

Since I have time I will take 20 for a score of 33 on perception and engineering.If I need a roll then here it is 08:29, Today: Vogh Kath rolled 25 using 1d20+13.
This message was last edited by the player at 07:30, Fri 07 Jan 2022.

Having determined that the tomb was constructed as a sort of puzzle box, generally indicating that only the priests would know how to get back in since only they would have a reason to do so, Vogh has no problem determining which sections can move.

After that, it's determining which way they CAN move. The ones on the edges can clearly only move up or off the edge.

With no other ideas offered by Kurat, it comes down to trial and error.

It turns out to be easier than it looks. The true difficulty was in figuring out the secret in the first place.

The one of the edge slides to the left. That allows the stone above it to slide down into the slot made available. That, in turn, allows the stone over the door to slide sideways. Finally, the door then slides upward to give access to the interior.

It occurs to both of you that it'd be impossible to get out again if the stones were all slide back in place when you were inside.

There's a narrow hallway that penetrates into the tomb... and darkness.

"Well, I guess we should head inside or were not going to recover the boots.  I just hope that the stones don't move while we are inside.  Shall we?"  Vogh had asked and before Kurat could move in Vogh cast a set of dancing lights and moved them inside the structure so that she could see inside.

Cast Dancing Lights

The passage heads in for about 40 feet before it meets a cross hall. Both left and right go about 50 feet before turning further inward.

Somewhat unexpectedly, the walls are covered in frescoes that show a story about a wizard that defeated a dragon but died in the process. The grateful people of the town built this tomb to honor his bravery and memory.

Also somewhat strangely, the story is repeated on both walls, so it doesn't matter which way you go, the story still unfolds in the proper sequence.

Going left, you easily see that the hallway appears to circle the inside of the structure. About hallway down the side hall, there is an opening on the inner wall.

Going down to the opening, you see a chamber beyond. It's completely square, though there are stairs along the left-hand wall going down and along the right-hand wall going up.

In the center of the chamber is black slab pedestal with an hourglass on it. The sands are already running out of the top into the bottom chamber.

Looking at the frescoes on the wall, Vogh moves along the path.  When she got to the spot with the hourglass that was running she looked to Kurat.  "Now that is suspect.  I wonder what that means?  What happens when the sand runs out?"

How much sand has moved to the bottom bowl of the glass?

"Greenstar!"  Vogh said to the hourglass.  She was going to be saying that word a lot just in case.

If nothing happens, Vogh will say, "Shall we head up the stairs first?  This place is so much bigger than it looks from the outside doesn't it?"

"I think it means we have that long to do what we're going to do before the doors close again," Kurat responds after studying the hourglass for a few seconds. "I estimate about an hour."

"I don't believe the hourglass has anything to do with the Green Star Wonder. Remember, this was a commemorative tomb. Esmeralda merely found it convenient to but the Wonder here. No doubt her future-sight showed that it would still be here all those centuries later."

"Up the stairs or down the stairs, we could be wrong either way. It appears larger inside because we've lost perspective. If you were implying that there are extra-dimensional spaces inside the tomb, I don't think so."

He follows her up the stairs.

The stairs go up the equivalent of one level though it appears as if the stone floor of the upper level is a good 3 feet thick.

At the top of the stairs, you are in a room somewhat smaller than the one below. In the center of all four walls is a door that's been swung open. Beyond each door is an alcove or perhaps a closet with three shelves along the back of it. The shelves are all empty.

Vogh will cast detect magic to aid her in finding the boots they are looking for.  It seemed to her that this place may have been raided, but how long ago was unknown.

Vogh will also look down and see if there are any tracks.

Is there a layer of dust on the floor inside this tomb?

There is definitely dust on the floor and Vogh has no problem realizing that the 'tracks' are pretty much just scuff marks that disturbed the dust, and then more dust settled on top of those tracks.

The tracks lead from the stairs to all four doors.

There is also a fainter track that circles the room as if made by someone who was being more careful as they went.

Since she could see the tracks easily enough Vogh made sure not to step in any of them as she went to the first of the doors and checked inside with a more keen eye.  She would repeat this process for every door and once it was all clear she would follow the tracks wherever they went next.

The doors are all open, apparently all meant to be hidden or secret doors. Behind each one is an alcove. Two of the alcoves have a single empty shelf in it, while the other two alcoves hold a square pedestal with nothing sitting on them.

Vogh can't really tell if the two sets of tracks were made by the same person, but can see that they made by a creature with only two legs, so, probably, tomb raiders.

The tracks start at the stairs and always lead back to the stairs.

"Not sure what you expect to find," asks Kurat from the top of the stairs. "Whoever made those tracks clearly cleaned out what was here and left. Whether they got out in time or not is anyone's guess, though the lack of bodies or skeletons here would seem to suggest that they did. Of course, they might have had some other way out."

"Maybe it's a wild guess, but I don't think they found the boots. Esmeralda would have foreseen that, right?"

"So, check each of these alcoves for additional secret compartments. Those pedestals look like they could hold a pair of boots."

Vogh nodded to Kurat and his astuteness.  "You are quite right, I was only making sure what I was looking at here."

Vogh will look over each of the alcoves to see if there was another secret door and for good measure she cast detect magic to help aid her.

06:33, Today: Vogh Kath rolled 24 using 1d20+13.  perception check.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:35, Tue 29 Mar 2022.

As with previous efforts to retrieve the Wonders, Detect Magic doesn't help in finding the item because they've all been shielded by lead to prevent such efforts. If it was that easy, all the Wonders probably would have been looted long ago. Of course, that's assuming that anyone knew about them in the first place.

One by one, Vogh searches each of the alcoves and each of the empty pedestals. Although she doesn't find any secret compartments in the alcoves themselves, she does find one in each of the pedestals. Pushing in at the bottom of the back lets a panel at the top slide down to reveal the compartment on the other side. Although each one has an object in it, none of them are boots.

The items are all jeweled but none are magical, valuable by themselves but probably more valuable as relics.

"I must admit, I'm torn a bit between taking these relics because of their value and leaving them here for the tribute," Kurat commented.

"Not that anyone really needs this kind of ostentatious wealth, but this place has already been looted."

"I guess this means the boots aren't up here on this level. We'd better hurry and get down to the lower level before the place closes up on us."

After exhausting all the possible hiding places for the boots, it does seem likely that they are on the lower level. Then again, if it was obvious, it wouldn't be much of a hiding place.

Kurat and Vogh spend one last minute double checking the floor and ceiling but find no secret compartments, so it's down the stairs to the main level and then down another flight of stairs to the lower level.

For all intents and purposes, this level seems identical to the upper level except that there's a clear red motif here, with fresco murals on all the walls. They all depict someone--the same someone apparently--fighting and slaying some beast or other. While three separate murals are on each of the side walls, the front wall is just one large mural of the hero fighting a huge red dragon. At least, the dragon has been painted in red and is shown breathing fire.

All four doors are at least partly open, though only the one in the dragon wall is completely open. Three shelves and a pedestal can be vaguely glimpsed behind each of the doors.

"Might as well start with the first one," Vogh comments, and proceeds to do just that.

She searches the alcove first, looking for anything that might be a secret door or secret compartment. If she turns up nothing, she'll then examine the pedestal, even to the point of seeing if it'll move. There could be a secret compartment under the pedestal or even in the bottom of it.
This message was last edited by the GM at 20:09, Sun 29 May 2022.

Vogh's search does indeed turn up a secret compartment in the bottom of the pedestal, but, alas, there are no boots there, just a small pile of coins and gems.

It takes a few rounds to search the rest of the room, but Vogh finally discovers a secret door that the previous looters apparently never found... based on the fact that it's still closed whereas all the ones they found were left open.

She finds a bit of ornamentation that swings aside to reveal a long thin slot... about the side of a sword blade. It doesn't appear to have any specific profile, so, presumably, any blade will work.

Vogh took the gold and gems and put them in her pack, when she found the secret compartment she grinned.

Vogh didn't have any other blade beside her magical longsword.  It would be a shame to lose it but it was a chance she would take.

So, Vogh placed the blade into the slot to see what would happen.

At first, it doesn't seem as if the sword will fit into the slot for some reason, but as Vogh fiddles with it a bit, she discovers that the sword has to be aimed at a downward angle. Then it slides in easily though stops at about 2 feet in, at which point she hears a click, and the left edge of the door pops open just enough for her to grab the edge and swing it open all the way.

She has no problem pulling her sword back out none the worse for wear.

Behind the door is another pedestal with an ornately-carved dark wooden box with gold inlays and studded with red gems. It does appear to be large enough to hold a pair of boots if they were laying on their sides.

With a little finagling, Vogh manages to get the sword into place, and as she expected a door opened.  Vogh was thankful that she was able to take out her sword and replaced it in her scabbard. Working her fingers in to open the new door she got it open enough to squeeze in.

Looking in the room she found another pedestal and a box lying up on it.  Thinking to herself this must be it she said the words again.  "Green Star!"

If nothing happened Vogh would look around the pedestal to see if there were any traps or anything.

08:42, Today: Vogh Kath rolled 21 using 1d20+13 ((8)).

Nothing happens when she says 'Green Star', but she quickly finds at least two traps. There's one on the pedestal that will release when the box is moved. It's not magical, so she suspects it's probably a gas trap.

The second trap is on the box itself--opening it will trigger a fireball.

"I was going to warn you," Kurat says, "that this set-up just screamed TRAP, but I see you already figured that out."

"Of course, you know what this means, don't you? The traps are not connected to the Green Star Wonders at all. The Oracle would never have done that. No, this was done to protect the tomb from looters."

"I doubt the boots are in the box, but I guess they could be. My guess is that they are in the pedestal."

"Hmmm, you may be right.  Unless you have a way to disarm the traps I will a spell that is possible to trip the traps while we remain out of harms way."  Vogh said as she prepared her spell if Kurat had no way of disarming them.

Vogh will cast Prestidigitation to open the box lid and trip the first trap.

"I don't think that spell will do what you want," Kurat says as soon as he realizes what Vogh has in mind, "unless you know a version of it that I'm not familiar with."

"I have Mage Hand prepared, though. That'll open the lid unless it's locked, and it should be able to push the box off the pedestal and probably catch it before it hits the floor. Not sure if it can lift it. I've only ever used it on smaller items."

He glances around the room to assess if it's large enough to avoid the expected fireball.
This message was last edited by the GM at 15:51, Sun 26 June 2022.

Prestidigitation can move items that are a pound.  Now if it is more than that Mage hand will work.

Kurat casts his spell and uses the Mage Hand to push the box off the pedestal. He then tries to catch it before it hits the floor. He manages to grab it but it's apparently too heavy for the hand to hold it, and it crashes to the floor, landing on one corner.

As soon as the box moves off the pedestal, the trap releases a billowing cloud of greenish gas. Although it doesn't look like either of you would be safe from the gas, when the box hits the floor, the top is broken open, and the box explodes with a fireball that burns off all the gas before it reaches you.

At the same time, a pair of boots tumble out onto the floor.

As the hand moved the box off the pedestal the gas began to spew forth.  She knew the thing would be trapped and that they would stay back.  The gas was coming out faster than she had anticipated and would reach them shortly.  When the box hit the ground and opened Vogh had to turn away as the bright flash of the fireball happened next.  They weren't messing around with the traps on this one.

When she looked back she didn't see the gas and no flames were apparent any longer.  What she did see though were the boots as she had hoped.  "Kurat, nice one!  It seems we tripped both traps in one go and they nullified each other.  I will grab the boots and we can make our way back finally."

Vogh moved to the boots and picked them up while looking them over.

"That wasn't what I was trying to do," Kurat replied, "but it worked out better than I could have hoped."

"Normally, I'd guess that the two traps weren't intended to go off simultaneously, but sequentially instead."

The boots appear to be made of suede leather that has been dyed a slightly dark blue (or else they were from some blue-skinned creature). What at first appears to be decorative markings in the leather turns out to be decorations made of leaves and feathers, plus the lacing seems to be made of orichalcum filaments woven together.

They definitely detect as magical, with a strong aura of transmutation.

Vogh grabbed the boots and looked to Kurat, "We should get these back and see how the others are doing with their missions.  What do you think?"

The two of you hurry out of the huge pyramid tomb and just as you step back into the tunnel, the tomb closes back up with a grinding and crash of stone. It appears to remain open for about an hour.

The tunnel back is the same distance as it was getting here--about 100 feet long.

You step out the other end back in the monastery. Nothing there seems to have changed.