Raiders of the Lost Tomb Part 5

     Tomb of the Gray King, Veyshan

The puzzle chamber is now opened, and the tiles in the middle of the floor have been fenced off to prevent unwary sages from stepping on them. Nobody is very eager to find out what that conjuration effect is, after all. Fidget is helping keep people away from the tiles as well. Fortunately, the carved depictions of the gods circling the room are getting more attention, with the archaeologists chattering to each other about how the appearances have changed over the centuries. A few have quietly placed folded paper flowers at the base of the statue of Animus, and no one disturbs the offerings.

The chambers deeper into the tomb are also the source of much interest, being resting places for several of Ahlatos's family and close companions, along with elaborate grave goods and offerings. Each one is carefully catalogued and recorded, and the scent of incense is heavy in the air as the Vardamen priests chant a hymn to their goddess, asking for her blessing in moving the resting dead for their reinterment.

At the far end of the hall stands another door, the hieroglyphics denoting that this is the resting place of Mourner Ahlatos, the Gray King, and that none should enter without showing proper respect to His Majesty.

Slixvah stares quietly up at the statue of Animus as the archaeologists flow around her. A tiny white bird rests in her hands, them too looking upon the dead god.

She gives the little bird a stroke on the head before uncouthly jamming them into a pocket in her robes. And off she trots deeper into the chambers. Before the last set of doors, she takes a deep breath and rolls her shoulders. "Proper respect. Sounds easy." A glance to Aewlyn, Slix's wings fidgeting a bit on her back. "I'm shure ya can stomach bendin' a knee just once, yeah?"

The Goblin has been standing by the ancient doors, peering up at the inscription, and carefully eyeing everything around them. "We have followed his path through life. How would we honour him now, properly?", she says, to no one in particular.

"Certainly not taking all his stuff out of the other room, but what do I know, hmmm?"

Irshya huffs and rubs at her chin, eyeing Slixvah. "Is bending one's knee the answer?"

Not being especially religious, Aimarra ignores the statues of the gods as she walks past them and into the far room. Like the others, she stops at the hieroglyphs, staring up at them until someone translates. "Nor by digging him up," she agrees, looking around for any clue what is meant - just in case it isn't obvious.

"None shoul' enter don't mean one can't enter." Carver points out, "Phrasing matter, and this guy already proved to like messin' with folks wot came through his tomb." She crosses her arms, cheeks puffing, blowing out stale air in a huff. "Don't get all the history of this, but maybe one of those walking books behin' us might have a suggestion. Hey!" She turns, trying to wave over one of the sages. "How you make respect for a king anyhoo?"

Aelwyn looked at everyone in the room moving about their activities with passing, but little interest; his own attention stuck on the piece of dried meat he was chewing on. It was hard work to be a proper archaeologist, he has found.

"Tch, this one bends the knee all the time -" The draconian replies to Slixvah with a flicker of his tongue and taps at her ankles with his tail. "Yet usually not with the dead, nor after getting assaulted by their golems." He flashes his teeth and turns his head towards the door. The draconian twists his lips, considering, "This king seems prim and proper and not very imaginative in ways of respect, this one supposes."

At Carver's call, one of the sages -- a fussy looking little gnome with improbably wild spiky hair in a bright green hue -- shuffles over. "Yes, yes, what is it? This is an absolute trove of information, you know. The Gray King will have a wonderful new place to rest, and there'll be entire books written about this tomb." His equally green eyebrows rise up at the door and its inscription, and he hmms. "Well... in those days, one had to, well, salaam -- that is, kneel on both knees, and press your forehead to the floor, before being allowed to approach the king. It cut down on assassination attempts, you see. I wonder if that's what's needed?"

Irshya nods to Aimarra, "Yes, I am still quite uncertain as to the veracity of what we've been lead to believe, here."

She lets out a long breath, "I am well aware that the phrasing is important. It still means we need to understand what the inscription means by respect. He was a Mourner first, and being king, quite an important one. So how would we respect a well known, prominent Mourner?"

The Goblin's eyes widen and she stares after Carver. "Walking books? Yeesh." Her eyes take in Aelwyn, and she smacks her forehead.

After hearing the sage, Irsh takes a few steps back from the door. "Prim and proper are traditional." Her face makes a small grimace of pain as she gets down on both knees. "I would take care even hinting ill at the dead in this tomb. Prim and proper has ways of being exceedingly grumpy, even from beyond the grave." She presses her forehead to the ground before the doors. "Mourner.", she intones gravely.

Slixvah rolls her eyes at Aelwyn, lightly punting at the tapping tail and smiling at him. She looks to the other ladies, scratching her head. "Hmm. Yes. Maybe knockin- ooh, good idea," she hums, seeing what Carver's queries yield.

"Salaam?" she repeats after the green hued researcher. "Well. Tha's a good lead as any. As much as I wanna figure out phrasin', Carver dear, I ain' wanna get cut in halvsies, soooooooo-"

Following Irshya's lead, the egalrin woman steps forward towards the door, goes to both knees, and presses her forehead into the floor. It's a bit awkward. Beak clanking against the floor.

Seeing the others bow, and having no better ideas, Aimarra lets out a long, slow sigh. Civilization is so stupid sometimes, but when one must-

She follows suit, imitating the other two and going to both knees and touching her forehead to the floor.

"Was a King. Was important. Now he's just plastered paint and rules, an' still got you lot bowin'." Carver snorts. "Salami. Heh."

Aelwyn looks at the others, then back towards Irshya, tail swaying behind him. He flashes his sharp teeth. "And prim and proper tend to find many reasons to be grumpy." He reaches out to pat her ankles with his tail. "At least that is what this one has found." He flickers his tongue and steps back away as they start bowing.

The Dragoon lowers his glaive off his shoulders and leans to one hip, tilting his head. "Tch, well, if it works, could be worse than bending over."

The gnome stares at the group, then hurriedly backs away. Just in case, you know? Surely nothing will happen.

But with a majority showing respect, there's a quiver in the air, and a clack as the doors unlock. Silently -- without the creaking or grinding one would expect from a millennia old tomb -- they swing inward. The lights carried illuminate a shadowed chamber that looks quite spacious -- and of course, the gleam of precious metal that reflects back that light.

A tension leaves Slix's shoulders as the doors unlock and open. She looks over her shoulder, a playful grin shining in her eyes. "And would ya loo' at tha', propa respect got us in! And ya thought we was jus' /only/ lookin' silly!" she cheekily chirps before rising back to her feet. Bouncing. "Alright! Let's learn some history!"

Her ears switch slightly as the doors crack open, and she remains genuflective for several long moments, before beginning the laborious process of standing up again. "My knees are telling me I am getting too old for this." Irshya grins broadly, "But that worked! Thanks, sir!" A wave is offered to the sage who explained what was expected.

She snorts at Slixvah. "We've been learning all this time, silly bird. Remember to keep an eye out for oddities."

"There are those who would call us the biggest oddities in the place." Aimarra, too, exhales when the rumbling begins, and the doors open, and she dares to look up. She stares with widened eyes at the contents of the place, shaking her head slowly. "All that - for what. It isn't as if he'll ever use it." She jumps nimbly to her feet and straightens, rubbing the cold floor off of her forehead. "Respect goes a long way."

"Thanks, cheers for that. " Carver says to the gnome, and without kneeling to the earth, strides in. "Gray King, more like... eh, Bright King." She frowns at her stumbled attempt at wordplay. "Anyhoo. Movin' on, you think this is the room where our greed is tested?"

Aelwyn twists his lips as the kneeling actually -worked- and he glances towards Carver. "This one is certain this shan't come back to haunt us within." The draconian rumbles, before picking up his glaive from his shoulders and starting to saunter towards the doorway.

"Careful, lest one crunch a precious relic under those talons." He sticks his tongue out at Slixvah in passing, before he turns, walking backwards with hand spread. "If this where our retribution strikes, do remember our sins fondly." Flashing his teeth, he turns back around and heads in after Carver.

Inside is a vault, a burial chamber fit for a king. The walls painted with bright, startlingly vivid colors, untouched by time, depicting the blessed, orderly lands of the Heavens as imagined by the Veyshanti artists. Ancient coinage is piled around the room, shimmering gold and untarnished silver, a king's ransom left behind for the Gray King, piled around the feet of statues of stone and crystal. And at the far end is a great sarcophagus wrought of black basalt, with the countenance of Ahlatos graven into the lid.

But what immediately catches the eye is that you are not alone. A ghostly form sits at the foot of the sarcophagus, dressed in familiar looking royal garments, looking strangely... unhappy? The shade looks up at you, and with a shock you recognize him: it is Ahlatos, the Gray King -- or at least, his spirit.

"Oh, well, there's always a bigger oddity just around the corner.", the Goblin comments to Aimarra. "And if it does come back to haunt us, well, that will be grumpy making. What's the point of jumping through the hoops just to punish us for doing so.", Irshya says Aelwyn's way.

She goes stock still after entering the room.

"Y.y.your majesty.", she says softly, with a noisy swallow. "Shouldn't you be uhm long in the afterlife, in Vardama's domain?"

Slixvah elbows Aelwyn in the side as they go forth. "Yeah yeah, watch your step too, dancy boy." A glance to Aimarra, followed by a nod. "Yeah. We totes are da odd ones."

"Oh puh-leeease, maybe a test o' greed fo' ya'll, but c'mon, me thinks tha's gonna end up bad fo' us. 'sides, I 'ain't one ta get greedy...-" Her eyes pass over the room. She grinds her beak. "... ok. Maybe a liit- OH!"

The eglarin freezes briefly. Then drops to her knees, bowing her head. "... your majesty." A glance is flicked towards Irshya. As if she was echoing the question.

Rather than drop to her knees, Aimarra simply stops dead in her tracks, freezes, at the shade sitting on the sarcophagus, and frowns. "Something is wrong, isn't it," she says slowly, not answering Slixvah or Irshya. "I think he's here and he's not supposed to be."

<OOC> Carver says, "can i roll knowledge/religion?"
<OOC> Carver says, "determining what sort of undead it might be"
<OOC> Telamon says, "Go ahead and make checks."
GAME: Carver rolls knowledge/religion+4: (17)+3+4: 24
<OOC> Carver says, "if undead the 4 is active if something else its 20"
GAME: Irshya rolls knkowledge/religion: (4)+knkowledge/religion: 4
GAME: Irshya rolls knowledge/religion: (19)+13: 32

Carver crosses her arms, the previously flippant smirk replaced with earnest curiosity; expressed with lifted brow and tilted head. She still is not pressed to kneel, or invoke his title, but instead taps fingers against her bicep as she observes him carefully. "Yous dead, mate. Long time now. By rules of God and Men, you should be in the halls of eternal reward but... this ain't paradise, just some ole' dusty monuments an' hoards of gifted wealths. Fly in honey, innit? What gots you trapped?"

Aelwyn was striding in confidently - which first turns into wariness, and then falters into confusion. That... the ghost... but the others seem to confirm what he was seeing, and he straightens. He bows his head deeply. He steps back to not stand directly in front of potential rage.

... which makes him stare at Carver all the more, and he can't help but to flash his teeth brightly in amusement.

The voice is deep, sounding like it's coming from the sarcophagus, as the ghost rises to its feet. "Majesty... yes. I was a king, once. I strove to be a good king, a fair king." His expression is sour. "But at the end, my servants ignored me. Look at this!" He waves a hand through one of the piles of coin. "Imagine the road, the aqueduct, the school this could build! Piled here, pointlessly at my feet."

The ghost sighs, looking at the party. "You have found my tomb. I bequeath to you all that is here. Please, use it for good works -- if you survive. I am afraid the guardians here will no longer respond to my wishes. The perils of being dead."

As he says this, looking perhaps a little ashamed, two of the crystalline statues begin to move, turning gemstone eyes upon the party as their glittering fists clench and they start to advance...

The first crystal statue strides forward, light dancing off its facets. It's a gorgeous work of art; a shame it's going to try and kill you, as it approaches, its expression blank and unheeding as Ahlatos -does- try anyways. You hear the dead king shout, "Stop! Cease! Desist!" And then a muttered, "This is why I hated golems anyways..."

GAME: Irshya casts Blessing of Fervor. Caster Level: 8 DC: 18

GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/arcana: (13)+17: 30
GAME: Slixvah casts Heroism. Caster Level: 9 DC: 18

"Ah, your heartache at them putting the money here has kept you from moving on?" Irshya looks sad, even as the statues begin to move. "We're with a whole bunch of sages and archeologists. The wish to move you to an entirely new place. One where I think they will have you on display, and also your grave goods, both to protect you and to show you off. Uhhhm, you could probably tell them that they should spend all of this money, and what they might spend, on something far more worthy."

Irshya lets out a lengthy sigh as she sees the statues moving in. "I personally think they should have left this place well enough alone. I was curious about the history here, and those statues are amazing... oh uh, hold that thought a moment or twelve." The Goblin's hand goes to her hour-glass holy symbol, and she beseeches her deity for aid in battle. There's a flash, and those around her feel empowered. "Just going to uhm... look for a hammer..." A few coins spill to the ground as she starts climbing up one of the piles of coin.

Slixvah looks up, sadness written across her face. "I lament it was not put to better use in your wishes, your majesty." She perks slightly. "O-Oh, we can certainly do tha'- wuh. Guardians? Awh maaaan."

She scrabbles forward, holding onto the wall to stare wide eyed up at the golems. Then she cringes. "Shit- eb uroy tsoyr!" she quick chants, pulling an ethereal thread out of the air and looping it around Carver, pulling. "Go get em!" Filled with vigor!

The witch runs around the corner, trying to not slip on coinage as she pulls out a wavy dagger. "Glass golems! Sound shatters! Fire makes 'em fast, cold slows 'em down! No otha' magics good but they WILL MAKE you bleed like hell!"

GAME: Carver rolls weapon8-1: (15)+12+-1: 26
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+7: (4)+7: 11
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2+2: (18)+14+-3+2+2: 33
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2+2: (16)+14+-3+2+2: 31
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (4)+5+9: 18
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (9)+5+9: 23
<OOC> Telamon rolls AoO.
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (10)+16: 26
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d8+5: (12)+5: 17
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3+2+2: (5)+11+2+2: 20

Aelwyn tilts his head. "... tch, to be fair, this one is surprised they brought all this gold here in the first place, Majesty." He flashes his teeth at the spectre of the king - then the golems start to move and he spins around. Eyes rapt, he watches them move behind the piles of gold.

"For a little change, we can safeguard the gold to the needy hands, yes?" The ruddy sith-makar offers and then with needless motion, he swings his glaive around him, slowly sliding closer towards the lumbering golem. Slixvah's warning makes him suddenly grit his teeth and tch, and with yet another needlessly flourish he spins the glaive about his hands. The flames were gone. "Fine. Let us dance with fire another day." He strikes twice, hard, gouging into the golem, his step rhythmic as he slashes at the creature.

"Just like greedy people," Aimarra shakes her head slowly in disgust. "They assume everyone else is greedy, too." When the crashing starts, she sighs and gets to her feet. "All of this is so stupid. Give me a good forest, at least there things are only trying to kill you because they're hungry."

She pulls the morningstar off of her belt, and listens to Slixvah. "Glass, eh? Shouldn't be too hard." With that, she runs at it in a sudden lunge, but it is quicker than she is, and a spray of crimson from a deep and bloody wound sprays gold and treasure alike, the force enough to throw off her own return strike.

GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (17)+16: 33
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (12)+16: 28
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d8+5+2d8+5: (10)+5+(10)+5: 30

The second golem strides forward, kicking its way through a pile of coins as it approaches, the gemstone-studded head turning to stare imperiously at Irshya. The facets of its body glimmer under the dust, shifting in the light, as it stalks closer.

The first golem reels under Aelwyn's assault, but it doesn't fall. Instead, it clenches its fists, and slams them, one after the other, into the makari warrior, gouging deep, ugly wounds that bleed heavily and spatter the floor of the chamber.

GAME: Irshya rolls 4d6: (12): 12
GAME: Slixvah rolls knowledge/arcana: (17)+17: 34

As the golem lumbers towards her, Irshya sighs once more. "I just got up here, you stupid golem.", she grumbles.

The Goblin makes a face as two people suffer under the golem's effects, "Ewh, you weren't wrong... that is an awful lot of blood." Her holy symbol glows again as she invokes her deity's aid. "World Circling Serpent, heed my prayers, aid those in need, seal their wounds."

While some wounds may still remain, the worst of the gushing blood ceases.

GAME: Slixvah casts Ear-Piercing Scream. Caster Level: 9 DC: 16
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+4: (1)+4: 5 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Slixvah rolls 4d6: (14): 14
GAME: Carver rolls weapon8+1: (7)+12+1: 20
GAME: Carver rolls weapon8+1: (8)+12+1: 21
GAME: Carver rolls weapon8-5: (14)+12+-5: 21
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+7: (1)+7: 8
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+7: (6)+7: 13

Feathers press down on Slixvah's frame, making her seem far smaller than she is. Paling as life ichor sprays out from the party. "... Ceiwen, come on babe..." she shudders, glancing to the other advancing golem. She gulps. Then perks. "OI! When theys shiny like that, they gonna reflect magic!" she points out before striking the dagger against the wall. A vibrating tuning fork hums through the air, before she suddenly bites down on it. Inhales. And shouts, "UAKEQ!" is followed by a wordless, silent, straining scream.

Several shards of the gemstone golem shatter and crack on seemingly their own accord!

Carver turns, and with a flurry of shots, leaves her mark on thr golem aiming wherr Aelwyn?s blows had weakened the armor. She moves gracefully despite her awkward physical stature, bobbing as she attempts to stay out of the way of the golem.

GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (6)+14+-3+2: 19
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (14)+14+-3+2: 27
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2-5: (14)+14+-3+2+-5: 22
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (6)+5+9: 20
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (5)+5+9: 19
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3: (2)+11: 13
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3-5: (1)+11+-5: 7 (EPIC FAIL)
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3: (2)+11: 13
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3: (12)+11: 23
GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d8+3: (7)+3: 10

Aelwyn spatters out blood as he gets nearly knocked off his feet - despite his flashy moves and flashier bravado, the draconian was obviously not immune to two huge fists slamming into his gut and leaving him bleeding. Feeling relief surge into him from Irshya's healing, he levels a glare at the golem. "Alright. Let us slide into dance macabre."

Running forward, he swipes underneath the golem, twisting on his heel, bringing his glaive about and slamming into the creature's waist. Chunks of golem material fall, but the thing still remains standing.

GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (15)+16: 31
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (5)+16: 21

It turns out that despite her name, Aim-ing is hard. The veiled and headdressed girl, now spattered in blood, screamed when hit, but before her very eyes, cracks in the glass golem begin to appear, and a spot where she might finally take it down appears.

Sadly, this takes more tries than she might like, but on the third, she finally plants the nasty-looking morningstar right in the breach, and it shatters in front of her into a thousand shards.

She'll be picking glass out of her hair and clothing for a month.

GAME: Telamon rolls 2d8+5+2d8+5: (5)+5+(7)+5: 22

The second golem stalks forward, smooth and relentless. Gemstone eyes lock onto Irshya, and two hammerblows follow, slamming into the goblin and leaving ragged wounds as the construct pummels her. Coins scatter across the floor, and Ahlatos curses loudly in some obscure Veyshanti dialect. "Oh no, they couldn't bind -elementals- which I could at least -reason- with. It just HAD to be golems."

GAME: Irshya rolls 4d6: (16): 16
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+4: (11)+4: 15

Irshya is attempting to stay calm while the golem continues to advance. She huffs out her nose. "Momma said there would be days like this."

She grunts and groans as she's pummeled, and for a very brief moment, stares at the rush of blood. "How the hell do they do that... oh... heh, crystal.."

Another plea is made to her God, Rada.

"So far this mission I have found that channeling is able to do more than just heal wounds. A shame that it seems to be some very... /edge/ cases, though."

GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (18)+16: 34
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (17)+16: 33

Slixvah whoops as the golem shatters. "Heck yeah! Good job ya'll! Keep it ta'gether, we's almosts got it!" She turns- and is sprayed with gobber blood.

Shaken briefly, she wipes her face off. "Don' worry, ya majesty, we'll smash these things inta pieces and make betta use of 'em!"

The witch pivots to the golem, sliding in front of Irshya to cover her retreat. Pauses. "... did you just /pun/ at a time like this?" she blinks at Irshya before laughing. Curling over and laughing. Laughing. LAUGHING.

She lifts her dagger wedged between a thread leading to the golem, and is tied up with her own thread. "Defile that which I CHERISH? PERISH you GARISH GARNET!"

GAME: Telamon rolls 2d8+5: (11)+5: 16
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (17)+14+-3+2: 30
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (12)+14+-3+2: 25
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2-5: (15)+14+-3+2+-5: 23
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (1)+5+9: 15
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (3)+5+9: 17
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (3)+5+9: 17

Carver sees Irysha in trouble, tossing her bow to the side and drawing her axe alongside Slixvah to give her some cover. Despite holding her axe in both hands almost more as a shield than a weapon, the golem has enough raw strength to shove right through and still rend her leather, fur, hide armor and hide beneath that.

GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3+2: (5)+11+2: 18

Aelwyn rumbles a bloodied grin towards Aimarra. "Tch, well swung." The draconian compliments - and then jerks his head as Irshya gets clobbered. "Sharkie!" He sharply hisses, seeing the other golem smashing into their flank. Twisting on his heel, he steps closer towards the group. "Stay behind our blades!"

And with that, he angles the glaive across his forearm, blade pointed behind him - and like heaving a hefty axe, he spins, slams, whirls around and then thrusts the blade into the creature's gut. Powerful blows, but the golem was a stupid golem.

GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (13)+16: 29
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (18)+16: 34
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (3)+16: 19
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (5)+16: 21
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d8+5+2d8+5: (5)+5+(13)+5: 28

A feral grin back at Aelwyn is Aimarra's only response, and something not-quite human gleams in the brown eyes. "We hunt." She clenches her off fist, and beneath the sleeve covering her left forearm, beads of crimson are visible all along the arm from wrist to elbow. It's not much - just enough to be visible - but suddenly, she takes off at an impossibly fast run, dodging around the gold coins to the thing's back. Before she can set herself, though, the gold coins beneath her feet at the edge of pile slide, throwing her off balance and sending the lunge wide.

The glassine golem is rocked by Aelwyn's relentless barrage of strikes, his magical blade and muscles sufficient to punch through its durable crystal skin. But the gemstone eyes lock onto Slixvah, evidently identifying her as the source of its problems, and two long arms drive past Carver, slamming into her. The blows shatter the thin shield of necromantic energy around the witch, drawing blood -- but it could have been so much worse.

GAME: Irshya rolls 4d6: (15): 15
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (7)+16: 23
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (11)+16: 27
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d8+5: (14)+5: 19
GAME: Slixvah rolls feather slap+2+2: aliased to intelligence+BAB+2+2: (4)+5+4+2+2: 17
GAME: Slixvah rolls feather slap+2+2: aliased to intelligence+BAB+2+2: (8)+5+4+2+2: 21
GAME: Slixvah rolls 1d3+7: (2)+7: 9

The pool-shark runs an arm along her nose, leaving a line of blood behind. She once more calls upon Rada, the divine power invested in her closing wounds and easing the pain inflicted by very sharp attacks.

"I appreciate you all, but the more we spread out, the hard for it to get us all..."

"wait..." Irshya pauses to look to Slixvah, getting clobbered once more in the process. She cries momentarily from the pain, but then laughs and laughs.

"These things are a real pain the glass!"

GAME: Carver rolls weapon2+4: (19)+8+4: 31
GAME: Carver rolls weapon2-1: (18)+8+-1: 25
GAME: Carver rolls 1d10+2: (7)+2: 9
GAME: Carver rolls 1d10+2: (5)+2: 7

Carver bleeds through her armor, though the cooling relief of holy magic sobers her enough to retaliate. White knuckling the handle of her woodsman axe, she chips off more of the golem with a pair of swift chops.

GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (13)+14+-3+2: 26
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (15)+14+-3+2: 28
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2-5: (12)+14+-3+2+-5: 20

Slixvah winces as Carver gets, well, carved into. "Shit- girl, we'll get that patched up." Fast movement behind the golem only just manages to get her attention. "Good spot Aimia--" The breath leaves her as sharp gem pulls back from cutting her words off. But just as soon as the blood cakes her white feathers, the wound is sealed up from Rada's grace. Slix gives a sharp nod of thanks to Irshya before the long feathers that waft from her wings braid themselves together in a steel-hard cord. It whistles through the air before it slams into the side of the golem. The witch starts laughing again from Irshya. "Bwahaha, ha! Glass just like-" she yanks the ethereal string connected to the golem, her eyes glaze, "-vanity IS LIMITED. Actions are TIMELESS."

GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (3)+5+9: 17
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (5)+5+9: 19
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3: (14)+11: 25
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3-5: (17)+11+-5: 23
GAME: Aimarra rolls weapon3: (5)+11: 16
GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d8+3: (4)+3: 7
GAME: Aimarra rolls 1d8+3: (4)+3: 7
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (20)+16: 36
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (7)+16: 23

Aelwyn snarls as Irshya runs out, shaking his head. "She better remember this next time she assigns dishwasher duty." The draconian rumbles underneath his breath, swinging his glaive about. Then he glances towards Slixvah. "And Ribbon is not helping - if all three of us are suicidal then who will look after the bar?"

Leaping towards the side, he hops and swings, slicing into the creature -again- and -again-. Solid blows, leaving the creature fractured.

GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (10)+16: 26
GAME: Telamon rolls 1d20+16: (20)+16: 36
GAME: Telamon rolls 2d8+5: (6)+5: 11

So many things are beautiful, and stupid. Take the stunning, priceless glass golem in front of them. All the same, the magic that holds it together and gives it movement makes it far tougher than it ought to me, and even Aimarra getting her feet set properly doesn't help all of them get through a glass that is far tougher than it should be. Still, chips fly, and cracks start to appear.

The golem is cracking, fractures forming and cloudiness appearing in its beautiful body. But it doesn't stop fighting, turning to swing at Aelwyn -- but Slixvah's magic takes its toll, as what should have been a brutal one-two strike is twisted into a merely glancing blow that still draws blood from Aelwyn, but is so much less effective than what might have been.

GAME: Telamon rolls 1d8: (2): 2
GAME: Irshya rolls 4d6: (16): 16
GAME: Carver rolls weapon2+4: (16)+8+4: 28
GAME: Carver rolls weapon2-1: (13)+8+-1: 20
GAME: Carver rolls 1d8+3: (1)+3: 4

"And he had better remember that while HE has been smashing it, SHE has been keeping his insides where they belong, INSIDE.", the Goblin snarls back at Aelwyn. Again, she implores Rada's aid, and once more, divine powers swell up, washing over the wounded, ands stopping up the ungodly amount of bleeding.

"Okay, it's starting to crack and fracture, you're almost there! Smash it, smash it, smash IT!"

Irshya begins to hop up and down. "Come on you big, ol' dusty waste of glass!! Come get me again and see what happens!" She follows up with a few rude gestures that suggest a certain Golem can do some anatomically impossible things to itself.

Carver gives a whoop as her axe really plants into the golem, but the satisfaction is short-lived. The weapon is stuck there.

"I /am/ helping!" Slix chirps back, "/You/ try havin' magic incarnate in ya skull, you'd get a lil' insane too!" Seeing the painful blows coming, the egalrin braces herself, but instead, they become glancing! "See! Helping! What Rish said!"

The witch pants as one ethereal thread attached to the golem tugs at her arm, and she yanks it back, her breath hitches- "Fall! Crawl! Become as DUST!"

She grimaces, shaking it off as her dagger pierces some other thread in the air, and she twists it towards her- a breeze whooshes past Aimarra. A familiar feeling from yesterday of 'woke up on the right side of the bed' firmly settled in. "Lay inta it!"

GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (2)+14+-3+2: 15
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (10)+14+-3+2: 23
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2-5: (17)+14+-3+2+-5: 25
GAME: Aelwyn rolls weapon11-3+2: (19)+14+-3+2: 32
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (3)+5+9: 17
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (7)+5+9: 21
GAME: Aelwyn rolls damage11+9: aliased to 1d10+5+9: (9)+5+9: 23

Aelwyn hisses as he reels his glaive back, teeth bared. The hand holding his glaive angles the blade slightly - and furiously he slams into the creature with a (unnecessary) twirl of his hips. "AND this one is grateful!" The blade slides back, reeling down with alarming strength, chopping off a large chunk of the precious golem. "Equitable trade!" And he runs forward, slicing his blade diagonally upward, momentum spinning him in place.

The crystal golem shatters as the large missing chunks cause it to careen, but Aelwyn's attention was on Irshya. "Excuse this one for looking after his friends." He gestures, then knocks his head to the side, looking at Slixvah. "Though this one is, grateful for the help." He rumbles with a low growl, almost as if he didn't want to say it - then spits a gob of blood to the side.

Once the last golem lies in a shattered ruin, Ahlatos's spirit looks upon the tableau sadly. "Blood and gold," he says. "It seems to be a truism of the world, even now." The ghost looks at you. "Do what you will with this treasure, though I ask that some of it be used to improve my beloved Veyshan. All I did was for my goddess, and for my nation."

The ghost wearily walks back up to the sarcophagus, and sinks down into it, vanishing from sight.

Soon the archaeologists arrive, shocked at the sight of treasure, blood, and shattered guardians. A few mumble about the destruction of 'priceless artifacts' but are swiftly hushed (and in one case, kidney-punched) by their fellows. They take your statements, and soon High Inquisitive Salah is there as well to listen to your tale.

"That sounds right, my friends," he remarks. "Ahlatos was not known for his miserly ways when it came to public works, and he was not one for grasping at wealth. There'll have to be a commission, of course, to decide what to do -- but some of it will go to museums. And the Gray King will be brought back to the necropolis to sleep alongside his fellow kings."

Salah smiles, as he looks down at the carved image of Ahlatos, severe and stern. Patting the basalt image on the shoulder. "I suspect he won't mind being in their company, in somewhat humbler surroundings."