Anatolian Bronze: Session 6
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The offertory of the Shamash family tomb proved surprisingly peaceful and our heroes rested undisturbed. They decided to resume their exploration with the second of the open doors. This chamber proved to be much like the first and of the sealed chambers on the other side, one bore a similar inscription on its lintel. The other warned the potential intruder to turn back while they still could. Giallos opened it with a prayer after he and Alexo had cast protections upon Holgar and Osina.
An antechamber fronted the burial proper, and an especially large, ornate urn could be seen, flanked by some smaller. As Holgar and Osina noted their blades were glowing, smokey, translucent forms rose from these latter and were met by Osina's devastating double attack. Kerinos cast Shillelagh and stepped up, while Giallos kindled the light of lost memories in a spectre's heart. The recipient of these attentions quickly dissipated.
Without warning, four animated shadows passed through the wall adjoining the unexplored tomb. One struck Alexo, but she remained standing. Holgar interposed himself, but his blow missed and when the shadows touched him, they stole his strength. The remainder surrounded Kerinos and brought him down. Giallos healed him but he retained barely the strength of a child. He turned into a bear as a kind of reflex.
His mistress in danger, Nebu tore through the shadow-stuff like the enchanted blades were meant to do. Osina slew the remaining spectre, as Giallos bathed the shadows in Sacred Flame. Not to be outdone, Alexo finally succeeded in conjuring a Witch Bolt and the bear started bowling fireballs. It was over quickly.
The urn turned out to not be that of Kushu the wizard, but of the governor of a minor province. Furthermore, it had been looted of whatever treasure had been concealed in the casket therein. However, the tomb-robbers had - perhaps in understandable haste - failed to notice that the casket itself was carved ivory and valuable.
After fortifying themselves, the party opened the other tomb, that had also been looted and indeed contained no shadows.
The legend inscribed above the remaining two doors read, "Here lie the great ones of the house of Shamash. Turn aside, all you who wish to live." They were both locked with mechanisms that were not beyond Holgar's expertise. However, the rightmost door revealed a passage ending in a massive stone slab, that had clearly been released from above after the last interment. The other door led to a winch mechanism, guarded by a pit trap that Alexo fortunately detected. She believed that if a fresh rope could be integrated, it would raise the slab. The combination of Osina leaping the pit and holding up Nebu, the cat entering the mechanism, Alexo seeing through her familiar's eyes and using Mage Hand to manipulate the rope proved successful.
The party found themselves on the threshold of a richly-decorated temple to Mot, whose statue stood at the centre bearing a bowl in one hand. Behind it, stood a pair of massive stone valves. Alexo entered, reciting a prayer, then knelt before the statue. "We are not motivated by greed but in great need we seek the god-compass to aid our struggle with those who would destroy the All." She poured a libation of fine wine into the bowl. A tapestry promptly fell from the left hand wall, revealing a locked door. This lock was the most intricate any of the party had ever seen. As Holgar worked at it, Kerinos and Giallos proceed around the back at the statue to examine the far doors. They were attacked by tapestries.
Tapestries proved to be a tricky thing to fight, unless you were a cat. Unfortunately, Nebu's effectiveness was compromised by his urge to play with the unravelling wool. Holgar charged and was nearly enveloped, a fate that shortly befell Giallos. He used Thunderwave to blow it off himself and, regrettably, onto Kerinos, who turned into a bear again. Liberal applications of Sacred Flame, Fire Bolts and arrows put an end to the matter and, having lost his patience, Holgar smashed the lock off the door.
The chamber beyond held a large chest and the writhing, rattling skeleton of a huge serpent with a human head. The bear charged in and damaged it mightily, whereupon it cursed him. Osina shot it, Alexo unleashed Scorching rays, Giallos cast Shatter, and Holgar finished it off. Smashing the seal from the chest, the party discovered a treasure beyond their wildest dreams, which see below.
Alexo was of the opinion that having found what they came for, the party should leave. But Holgar and Giallos represented to her the terrible fate that awaited the village youth, should they leave a single stone unturned. She perforce joined them in opening the final door.
A withered corpse sat upon a stone throne. The gleam of the enchanted weapons was a completely unnecessary herald to its twitching, as Kushu prepared to stand for the first time in a hundred years, Osina shot the wight through the chest and her magical vines bound it to the throne. However, at the sight of Alexo holding the God-Compass, it seized the spear resting at its side and flung it at her. It missed. Holgar picked up the spear and flung it back. He missed. The wight flung it again, this time at him. It missed, but stuck quivering into the statue.
Kerinos limned the Dead in Faerie Fire, Alexo shot it full of Scorching Rays and Osina landed an arrow straight through one glowing socket. Even as it shook off her vines, Kerinos's Thunderwave reduced it to bones and dust.
Alexo insisted upon laying the remains to rest in the proper Hittite fashion. Giallos assisted, discovering in the process the wizard's golden necklace.
As nothing had eaten the donkey in their absence, the party waited until nightfall once more banished the bats to leave the tomb. During this interval, they extricated the spear and may even have collected their rope. They were greeted as heroes by the villagers, to whom proper tribute and a preserved peryton were given. The journey back to Bithnia was uneventful, where Thothmoses was pleased to receive the other, as well as the artifact.
The God-Compass. An ebony rod terminating in the likeness of a human hand. It enhances a wizard's casting abilities in addition to whatever its grander function may be. May possibly be given to Alexo once Thothmoses has finished with it.
Ring of Swimming. Carved of lapis lazuli. Given to Kerinos to enhance his animal forms.
Luckstone. A polished tiger eye. Given to Osina.
Fillet of Night Vision. Bronze inlaid with silver. Given to Giallos.
Spear +1. Forged of actual steel. Given to Holgar.
Golden necklace. Worth 100 gp and retained by the party as capital along with the 30 gp sapphire and the 50 gp casket.
Two golden arm bands. Given to the village headman on the way out.
A silver chalice and ewer. Given to Shalamash, the priest of Mot, in recognition of his valuable assistance.
*http://hounworks.deviantart.com/art/Wraiths-Concepts-444849747