[IC] Into the Darkness

The expedition begins as planned: a gathering in the weather gardens before first light, then heading south for some hours before angling away from the riverbed and toward the foothills south and east. The former flood plain gives way to dried up scrub with the occasionally stunted prickle-tree managing to thrive in scattered patches along the way.

In those days, the land of Saleska had no king. History left sparse records of previously notable conquerors and rulers, but these records weren't to be found sequestered in libraries and collections of scrolls. They were recorded as features in the land itself; cairns, tombs, old buildings, and such like, left to stand as silent witnesses to ages and civilizations gone by, now reclaimed by the dust of the Earth.

Kel-Berran's tomb now stands as one such monument, and probably the closest to the town of Finn's Crossing. It's carved into the recessed side of a canyon between two of the larger hills. Twin stone pillars frame the large double doors barring the passage into the ancient king's resting place; above them a large mural is cut from the red and white marbled sandstone of the cliff itself. It presumably once depicted the king in all his majestic glory, but time -- and possibly vandals -- has taken its toll. The figure in the deep-cut and larger-than-life mural has been missing its head and one arm since before anyone can remember.

Magnus, however, has other things on his mind as he pulls up his horse and signals the expedition to dismount. The shadows are growing long, but the light of day hasn't yet abandoned our trio to the night and its assorted dangers, leaving the huge doors clearly visible. Magnus is staring at them.

"Uh, guys? Remember that bit I told ye about the tomb being sealed up for ages because I didn't figure anyone besides us would be dumb enough to open it?" He gestures toward the two stone doors.

One of them is ajar.

---

The tomb of Kel-Berran is no longer sealed.

---

From a distance, Mart is struck by the imposing nature of the tomb. He knew the stories about Kel-Berran, but even so it was clear he had been a very influential individual. Would Mart ever be renowned like this? He could only dream...

"That doesn't bode well." Mart concludes when Magnus points out the open door. "Who else knew we were coming here?" What did this mean? Was someone on to their plan and trying to stop it? Was there another person with the same idea as Magnus? "Best be on our guard."

He dismounts and does a quick check of the area in front of the tomb.

"I see some kind of footprints here." Mart tells the others, pointing at the prints in the sand. "It's surely not human, but what creature it is I can't tell. Was more than one though." He says in a somewhat worried voice.

"I can hold the torch." He offers when Magnus offers. "If it comes to a fight, you two will likely need both hands." Mart, not being much of a fighter himself doesn't mind staying in the back to supply the others with light. Although, right now it meant that he was walking in first to light the way.

With weary hesitation he steps inside after Hastali confirms there are no traps.

Magnus hands off the torch and stands aside, taking one last look behind them to ensure they aren't being followed... and to give his teammates room to work.

As the doors are pushed further open, the fading light of day partly reveals the main tomb chamber, a somewhat modest size at 9x12 feet, give or take. An ornate sarcophagus sits in the center: polished stone with some inlaid silver, gold, and copper. The raised likeness on the lid was likely meant to resemble the king entombed within. There are a few recent scratches on the lid, but not enough to suggest it has been recently moved.

An empty groove bored into the lid is probably where the king's scepter once rested. While there are no other exits immediately evident, the shadows of an alcove at the far end of the chamber could bear further investigation.

Magnus enters the chamber last, his knife drawn in an overhand grip. He glances at the sarcophagus, curses under his breath, then adds: "I don't think this is quite what Arias had in mind."

Mart agrees. "Good idea. You never know what trickery is about."
As Hastali checks for hidden doors he uses the light of the torch to find out more about the alcove in the back. He approaches somewhat carefully as there could be clawed creatures about.

"Indeed!" Mart replies. "If I were hiding a scepter I wouldn't put it in the first room either." He concludes from what Hastali says. "We'll need to venture deeper."

He walks up to the stone panel. "You both get ready to attack whatever comes out. I'll open the way forward." He holds the torch in a way that will light up the inside and uses his other hand to pull at the panel. He tries his best to stay out of danger himself.

"Right. Except... I didn't think they were supposed to be hiding it." Magnus peers wistfully at the empty slot where the scepter should have been, then shrugs. "I suppose we'll have to find it, regardless. We've nothing to gain by returning with no treasure."

Sliding a hand over the sarcophagus, he then turns his attention to the alcove panel. The door is situated such that it slides to one side on some kind of track. It opens easily enough, at first, with the quiet scrape of stone against stone. Then it jams.

Magnus mutters and then shoulders his way into the alcove to help Mart force the door. It's cramped; not quite wide enough for the two to stand abreast, but they make it work. The panel resists at first, sliding partially back into place when the pressure lets up. It's as though something were pushing back.

A concerted heave convinces the panel to slide far enough open to admit them; as it gives way the party can hear a wet flop from the other side like a sack of something heavy hitting the floor. Torchlight spills into a large chamber, wider than the first. The walls and floor are too perfectly straight for this to be a natural cavern.

There appears to be a door to the far left. The misshapen body of a diminutive humanoid lays on the floor nearest to the now-open alcove door. And something in the periphery, where the shadows dance beyond the torchlight, skitters away. Heard rather than seen.

Mart bites his teeth while trying his best to get the panel open together with Magnus. Eventually he's relieved that they managed. Though he wonders about the pressure from the panel.

Before going in, he searches for a loose brick or piece of wood to put in the opening of the panel. If it were to slide closed again, at least there will be a sliver left to grab hold of.
"This place is starting to give me the creeps." He says quietly to the other two after hearing the sound of something scurrying away. Was it the clawed creature or just a rat? "I suppose that's to be expected from a tomb. None the less, I don't like it."

"Looks like there's a door in the back. I'll light the way." He says, torch in hand.

[ +- ] Map

Hastali follows the other two companions into the opening, after making sure the block Mart had placed is working.
Then, turning to Magnus and Mart, he tells them to advance cautiously toward the area where the creature disappeared. He does so, swinging his hammer at the ready.
"We can check what the corpse is carrying once we're sure we're not at risk of attack."

Magnus curses low under his breath as he nearly trips over the threshold when the door finally gives way. "Creepy is the right word for it," he agrees with Mart's comment. He nods to Hastali and advances into the room with him, knife still drawn and at the ready.

There is little in the way of loose debris near the doorway, but a loose bit of stone suffices. Whatever was in the shadows continues to retreat with the receding darkness, even as Mart holds the torch aloft. As the light spreads further into the room, the party can see that there is definitely a doorway on the left wall of the chamber, closed by a solid oak door. Aside from the previously secret alcove passage, it's the only other apparent exit from this chamber.

There appears to be some writing chiseled into the otherwise smooth floor of the chamber.

The skittering thing appears to be a spider the size of a small dog; it's halfway up the wall and makes a low hissing noise as the light draws closer.

Magnus freezes, stifling another half-mutter curse as his gaze shifts from the engraving to the spider-thing. "Never seen one of those before. Think it'll bother us if we leave it alone?"

Mart leaves the chiseled writing for what it is and instead focuses on the large spider. "Hmm.." He says while he racks his brain for any information on such a large spider. He's seen many spiders in his days exploring the swamp near his home but never this large. Most spiders are harmless to humans, though. So he's not all too worried right now.

He brings the light a bit closer to take a good look at the color and markings on this creature.

Hastali turns to Mart: "You, who are an expert on beasts and animals, can you tell us anything about this creature? How dangerous is it? Is there a way to handle it without having to fight it?"
It's not the first time Hastali has seen a giant spider. In one of the Hittish Empire's campaigns against the steppe tribes, he even saw them used as mounts. What spells those people used to control them has always remained a mystery.
But even if he's seen larger ones, that doesn't mean the bite of a spider that size isn't deadly. Perhaps it's also the cause of the death of the humanoid in the room.
Hastali remains on guard and doesn't approach the beast, waiting for Mart to say something about how to deal with the spider. But at the slightest sign of attack, he's ready to unleash the full force of his hammer upon the creature.
Meanwhile, he remains near the torchlight; apparently, the spider doesn't like fire. Hastali turns to Mart: "You, who are an expert on beasts and animals, can you tell us something about this creature? How dangerous is it? Is there a way to handle it without having to fight it?"
It's not the first time Hastali has seen a giant spider. In one of the Hittish Empire's campaigns against the steppe tribes, he even saw them used as mounts. What spells those people used to control them has always remained a mystery.
But even if he's seen larger ones, that doesn't mean the bite of a spider that size isn't deadly. Which is perhaps also the cause of the death of the humanoid in the room.
Hastali remains on guard and doesn't approach the beast, waiting for Mart to say something about how to deal with the spider. But at the slightest sign of attack, he's ready to unleash the full force of his hammer upon the creature.
Meanwhile, stay close to the torchlight; apparently, the spider doesn't like fire.

The spider isn't nearly so large as to serve as a mount as observed elsewhere, but it's large enough to sink its fangs if the party turns its back.

As Mart brings the light closer, the spider backs further up the wall toward the darkened recesses of the ceiling. It looks black and wicked in the semidarkness, though rust colored streaks can be glimpsed on either side of its body.

Magnus steps forward as well, staying within the circle of light. "Crypt Spider," he intones. "Got so used to living in the dark that they can't stand the light. Probably best to keep an eye on it just to be safe. Can't say as I've ever seen one that big before." He shudders as the thing creeps further up the wall. "And don't let that torch go out; it might see that as an opportunity for a three course meal!"


Giant Crypt Spider