[D&D 4E] Tomb of Horrors: Game start!

[Agent Sinistra]

Characters

• Username:Mackie the Knife
  Link: Kriv
  
  
• Username:Rain Yupa
  Link:Jomjom
  
  
• Username:Dion Necurat
  Link: Marek
  
  
• Username: Arcanist Angus
  Link: Adran
  
  
• Username:Arc Vembris
  Link:Makaria
  

It was years ago when you first heard of it. Whether it was through whispers of a terrible crypt filled with untold treasure and the occasional tale of brave heroes who went off to find its fabled location, only to never return, you are familiar enough with its name. However, you likely never considered it to be someplace you'd actually seek out- that is, not until a few months ago.

Earlier this year, you were each approached by an agent of your current employer and financier. You have never actually met him face to face, but... His coin is real enough, and perhaps that's really all that matters to you. For the past few months, you've been primarily left on your own with a generous allowance from the man who hired you; your only instruction being that you take the next few months to do as you wish- so long as you come when you are inevitably called.

Only days earlier, you received word that the Tomb had finally been found deep in the Witchlight Fens. With only a short amount of time to gather up whatever supplies you might need, you were instructed to then make your way to a small settlement upstream from the Fens and to bring along the enclosed token. There, you were able to meet with the rest of your party, using your identical tokens to identify each other. Along with your fellow party members, you were also joined by a local man who had been hired to guide you through the Fens.

In two rowboats, your guide navigated the Fens with a growing unease. As you went further in, the normal sounds of the swamp began to quiet, leaving you in relative silence. Any attempt to talk at all was met with a nervous look around and a motion for quiet from your guide.

Suddenly, you were able to see it- a large hill that rises suddenly out of the murky water. It is enormous, and the more perceptive of your party recognized the hill's strange shape- that of a skull. Your guide brought your boat in to shore and almost anxiously began to set up his own camp.

"This is as far as I go." He said in a hushed tone."If you get out of there within the next few days, I'll be here... Otherwise, you'll be on your own." The man glanced over you all, as if to take one final look before returning back to work on his campsite.

On the hill, there are a number of suspicious looking mounds of dirt and rubble that may be of interest, though there's a particular part of the hill that attracts the attention of the entire party, save a certain gnome. High on the hill appears to be sprawling ruins that are in somewhat better condition than the others that had been passed on the way up. It seems likely that the entrance to the tomb will be inside or near them.

((Perception roll from everyone please? ))  

[Rain Yupa]

Quote:

Perception +4 = 9

"Don't worry, Mr. Guide. If anyone is going to make it back out of this alive, it'll be ol' Jomjom." the gnome boasted, before clapping his hand on the small of the man's back (the best he could do on short notice).

There was a pause, before a loud guffaw betraying the small gnome's size. "Okay, that's a bleedin' lie." Looking at the others, each in turn, he would scratch his head. "What're you blokes gawking at?"  

[Lord of the Vine]

((+9 to Perception gets me...28. Not bad at all.))

The stoic Deva stood, not phased by the man's words. Marek had heard rumors of the Tomb, and knew that it would be no easy trek...for this adventure may very well take his life.  

[Mackie the Knife]

((Perception: 1d20 +9 =18 ))
Kriv looks up at the hill. "This is the place I was shown. You have done well, boatman. I hope you achieve the reward you desire."  

[Cunning Witch Angus]

[Perception +10]

Adran's keen elven eyes easily point out the skull-like shape ahead. He nervously fingers a tune on his flute and he steps off the boat. "Well, this is the place, alright. You did well, boatman." The bard palms a couple silvers (two of them) into the guide's hand for good measure.

Adran turns back to the skull shaped hill and his eyes pass over the sturdy ruins with a mixture of interest and a twinge of anxiety. Once again the bard fingers out a quick tune on his flute to steady himself.  

[Arc Vembris]

The tall tiefling woman stands, four wicked horns adorning her head with the aid of her horned helm, some of them must be her own. She grins and toys with the hilt of her large blade, kept scabbarded loosely behind her hips. "It's about time, this place doesn't look so scary." Her thick tail twitched back and forth in antici. . . pation.

((Perception @15))  

[Agent Sinistra]

Your guide appears to not be particularly believing or appreciative of Jomjom's joking. He appears even less appreciative of the gnome's loud laughter. "Keep it down!" He says in a low hiss. "The undead can hear as well as the living."

The guide does, however, appear to appreciate coin,as he is more than willing to take Adran's silver. "Thank you kindly... May all the good gods watch over you while you are in that place." He makes what is an easily recognized gesture to ward off evil. He pauses for a moment before pulling out a fine silver necklace,which carries an intricate symbol of Pelor, from where he'd hidden it under his shirt. He then offers it up to Adran."Take it. Think you need it more than I do." Unless anything else is needed from him, he returns to his business.

---

To those who look around the ruins, it appears that there's no reason to look too hard to find a way in. On the left side of the ruins is a large set of descending stairs. While still in bad condition, they look sturdy enough to withstand a good deal of further abuse.

From the top of the stairs, you can see a little into the room it leads into. The tiles that cover the floor can barely be made out. The little of the wall that is visible shows that the room had apparently been carved out of the surrounding earth and stone.

Only the first few feet into the room can be seen. The rest is concealed by darkness or the huge and rather dense collection of spiderwebs that have taken over the room.

In the middle of the ruins lies what might be a less obvious entrance. Unlike the first entrance, it appears to be covered in debris. Enough debris that both Jomjom and Makaria would end up overlooking it, likely thinking that it is yet one more pile of rubble in a ruin that is filled with them. The rest of the party, however, can tell that something doesn't look quite right about it.

Far off to the right of the ruins is a sight that only the perceptive eyes of Adran and Marek catch. Hidden within some high, untamed marsh grass is something glowing a bright red. Neither of you are able to see what exactly is giving off the glow, but... Looking directly at the glow causes strange letters from an unfamiliar and unrecognizable language to form in the air in front of you. Even though you cannot read them, you know exactly what they say-

"Come here."

The moment you blink or look away, the words are gone. However, the distant red glow remains.  

[Rain Yupa]

"Hey, folks! I found the entrance! It's right down these stairs here!" Jomjom would point out, rushing towards them like a pig to slop. He would unsheath his dagger, ready face the dangers within!  

[Arc Vembris]

Makaria is glad to let Jomjom rush ahead, she only did that sort of thing when there was an enemy ahead of her.

"It's about damn time, let's see what kind of treasure this hole has to offer."  

[Lord of the Vine]

Hesitant, Malek drew his staff, sensing the ominous magicks at work. "Be on your guard, comrades. There is dark magic here..."  

[Rain Yupa]

Jomjom halted his advance, looking over his shoulder at Marek. "Wait... dark magic? Do you mean Adran, or myself?" The gnome would look to the Bard, then back at the Wizard.

"Yeah, okay mon. Probably my bad. I'll try to cut back, yeah?"  

[Mackie the Knife]

Kriv unshoulders his greataxe and strides after the gnome, his senses alert for danger (passive perception: 19)  

[Agent Sinistra]

At the bottom of the stairs, one thing becomes rather obvious. Only Jomjom and Adran could easily walk into the room. Everyone else has to duck to avoid hitting the ceiling.

Not that it matters much now, as none of you actually could make it in further than a few steps in. A large, and dense spiderweb covers most of the entrance. Looking through the gaps in the web shows you that most of the room is filled with webbing.

If you want to try to get farther in, you'll need to do something about it.

Kriv's danger senses tell him that the webbing is not the result of a giant spider that would enjoy dining on innards of some hapless adventurers. It is the result of the room being undisturbed for quite some time, and the hundreds of little spiders that live there now. Some of them come scurrying out of their webs when they feel the vibrations from your footsteps on the floor.  

[Mackie the Knife]

((about how big does the room appear to be?))