Reversal of Fortunes, Pt 2

It's the day after the deadly attack in the streets by the apparition of the khazad warrior, Mordak Forgelighter, seeking the the apparent return of his grave-robbed axe. Ironically, the person that possesses the axe (Vezik Forgelighter, rotund, quasi-mumbling dwavern scholar-magi) is not only a direct descendent of Mordak, but he was looking to find the lost tomb of the fallen warrior to return the axe when he was attacked by the mindless-rage driven spirit. You find yourselves gathered around the Fernwood Pub while Vezik scours the Academy of Sages records, discussing how to find the tomb. So far the only real bits of information that you have is that Mordak was an acclaimed warrior that was struck down by Altima nearly eighty years ago and the last person to sell the exquisitely made magical war axe was an adventurer named Jerik over ten years ago.

Schneider is drinking heavily and eating heartily also, enjoying the pub's fare as the matter is discussed. "Have we asked any bards yet?" he wonders between greasy mouthfuls of meat sandwich. "They know all kinds of things that happened ages ago that no one cares about anymore."

Vuk isn't exactly fond of libraries, because some old man glared at him last he visited, that and he isn't -quite- sure what to even look up..but he -does- have his own idea! He can ask the Adventurer's Guild if they heard of Jerik and if they might know where he is!

Verna answered the call to gather and awaits, with company. In addition to a tome, which is in-hand, open, and hardly a surprise to those familiar with her, she was also accompanied by another Mourner. A soul that cannot or will not journey to final judgement is a dire matter, afterall.

Rhodes comes in with Verna to help with this task of the spirit and so comes to the Fernwood Pub. He looks around at the others but doesn't really say anything, but merely nods to the others as he settles into a seat.

A few moments later there is a crash at the door. One look over and you see Vezik, in all his Girthiness, splayed out face down on the floor, a few books and rumpled scrolls scattered around him. "I'm fine!" He calls out, rising to his knees to gather the documents, red faced from equal amounts embarassment and exertion. He finally gathers it all and plops down into the seat, causing it to groan in protest. The scrolls and books are treated with a bit more care, stacked up neatly in front of him. "So, have you decided on a course of action yet?"

Vuk wasn't to excitable today..at least not yet, but he does move to help Vezik! "My dear sir! Allow me to help you as we discuss our course of action!" Vuk will even offer to pour a taste of brandy from his own flask for Vezik. "I believe, it may be most wise to simply inquire to the whereabouts of one Jerik. If he still alive, he may be able to simply tell us where he located the axe in question."

Schneider looks around at the silence, and shrugs. "Anyone? Don't be afraid to speak up. All I know is fire wasn't hugely effective, and so I'm not too useful at that point." He looks up at the crash, and chuckles at the dwarf's misfortune. He doesn't actually offer to help, and the fellow's seated himself quickly enough, with Vuk's .... help. "Depends what you've found out, already," he replies. "I don't think we've asked any bards for old stories about any of them, have we?"

Rhodes quickly gets up at the crash, but goes to help him get up and clean up from the scrolls and books. He doesn't offer any suggestions at this time, allowing those that have more experience with this to have their suggestions about what to do.

"Are there any indications in your materials, Vezik," Verna queries, "that suggest where Mordak was interred? If not, the library or the temple's records may hold some morsel of information."

Vezik shakes his head, bearded jowls wobbling. "Oh no, not yet. This is just what I've narrowed down, what I could borrow and what I had an unseen servant and two scribes copying since this morning. If I can get a helper to sort out what I have here, I should be able to come up with something, this is all the census and tax records of dwarves that lived and operated businesses in Alexandria around the period that Mordak lived. I was hoping that you could could access the burial archives at your temple to see what you could find there. There is also Jerik to find, and perhaps someone could ask around the city for information about Mordak. There are some amongst the gnomes, elves, and dwarves that would be old enough to remember first hand! We just have to figure out a division of labor and we can find my great great uncle's tomb and sort this all out..."

GAME: Vuk rolls diplomacy: (7)+2:

GAME: Rhodes rolls diplomacy: (9)+8: 17

GAME: Schneider rolls diplomacy: (10)+3: 13

GAME: Verna rolls knowledge/history+2: (11)+7+2: 20

It doesn't take all that long. A few hours collectively, and the lot of you meet back up.

Try as he might, Vuk managed to corner what he thought was a learned gnome sage and listened to his many stories of Altima's time. Unfortunately, it was just an old, very short human with dementia. Whoops! But he got some hard candy and individually wrapped salt packets from the local diner!

Verna's research turned up rather fruitful. While the incident and cause of death was not documented, a small entry in the attending embalmer's daily ledger all those years ago note that the remains of Mordak Forgelighter were physically intact with no obvious cause of death, that he was successfully embalmed, and his remains released and signed over to a brother named Hulgan Forgelighter.

Schneider is no scholar, but he manages to help Vezik paw through all the notes, mostly by handing him scrolls and turkey legs. But it turns out that there were at least a few Forgelighters in the area, specifically Hulgan and Sons' Masonry. They were on the books as owning 2 quarries and 4 mines, all located along the base of The Redridge Mountains.

Finally, Rhodes does some asking around, hitting up old veteran members of the city watch, a few mercenaries, and some retired adventurers. There are three Jeriks that could have been adventurers back then. One turns out to be in his 60's and is a miller in Alexandria City. Another sailed off to be a mercenary over in the Myrrish colonies last year, and a third supposedly owns a livery next to a roadhouse/traveler's inn a day's ride to the east of Alexandria.

Well, Vuk didn't -find- any thing useful, but it seems he got candy and probably made an elderly, if not deranged old man, feel important and wanted again. This isn't entirely a loss in his book! So he'll be cheerfully sitting around the Fernwood again when people return.

"Mordak's remains," Verna shares her findings as the group reconvenes, "were released to his brother, Hulgan Forgelighter. It does not appear that he was slain by a weapon, as the preparer's notes indicate that the corpse was unmarred. Curious. That suggests magic, toxin, or disease."

Schneider looks up as Verna gives that name. "Hulgan and Sons Masonry owns a bunch of quarries and mines down along the base of the Redridge mountains." He eats a turkey leg.

Rhodes returns with addresses as well. "Well, I found out there are two still in the city, though there was a third, but he went to the Myrrish Kingdoms. One is a miller, and the third lives about a day away from the city." He settles as he listens to the reports from the others.

The rotund dwarf listens to each report, getting more excited with each new addition of information. "This is all wonderful news. Hulgin is in the family registry, let me see here." He goes through his books on the family geneology and flips through the flat-hammered, acid-etched, iron plates with a fervor until he finally reaches the proper entry. "Hulgin Forgelighter, Father of 5 sons and 3 daughters, Brother of Mordak and Axmel (That's my Great Grandfather!)...Master Mason, Master of Keys, Keeper of the Southern Crypts. He died five years after Mordak from cave gas near Khazad Duin. Hrm."

Vuk looks towards Verna when the words cave gas come up, like he expects her to dispel the very notion. "Crypts? Sounds quite likely for a place to inter the dead! Perhaps there's been intrusion into such a place!"

Schneider thinks about things the other way around. "Well, if you're his heir, you've got a right to the axe, yes? Just smack the old ghost around if he doesn't like it, yeah?"

Verna considers the dwarf's words and nods to Rhodes. "That appears the most likely location of interment. Whether the axe never accompanied Mordak, or was later taken from the crypt, I expect that it must be reunited with Mordak's remains."

Rhodes smiles at Schneider but looks to Verna. "I agree. First we should find the crypt first, and perhaps looking into the family will be the first thing to do."

Vezik pales at the suggestion of Schneider, "M-Me?! Oh no, I had the axe last time and it didn't do me any good. I barely passed muster as a militia crossbowman, I wouldn't stand a chance against a warrior of his caliber. Not that I would have claim to such a thing if it was not bequeathed to me direct. No, we must return it to his grave...which if I were to hazard a guess would be somewhere in or near these six properties....we dwarves don't bury our dead amongst human graves if we can help it, not that there is anything wrong with you people, and this livery is here, yes?" He points a sausage like finger to a map of the area which he has unfurled and set out amongst the table. "If that is so, he would be on the way if we take the road here and then cut across here. I can arrange for a wagon and supplies, if you would be inclined?"

Schneider looks a bit disappointed at Vazik's lack of warrior spirit, but he agrees, "If we can find his grave among your family's crypt, yeah, we can toss it back in. Some adventurers will find it a couple hundred years from now, and we'll go through it all again," he says with a laugh.

Filled with purpose, Vezik waddles off, scrolls in hand, "I shall pack and make the arrangements, we can leave immediately!" The immediately turns out to be two hours later, once you meet at the city gates, Vezik sitting in a rather nice looking wagon with two draft mules, a small barrel of ale, a small barrel of brandy, a side of salt pork, 2 caged chickens, rope (never forget the rope), five loaves of bread of various size and kind, a wheel of cheese, a jar of pickles, and a sack of apples. He'd make a proper, if hirsute, halfling. But after a quick ride until nightfall, an uneventful camping for the night, and a full day of traveling, the setting sun gets you to the Greentop Inn, which sits atop a hill surrounded by evergreens. Guess that's where the name came from. Across the road from the inn is the livery, the stablehand pointing you back to the inn when you inquire to Jerik.

Jerik isn't particularly hard man to find, as he is the only angry bellowing drunk that just lost his shirt at a game of cards. Turning to face you as he staggers back to the bar, he is uuuuuuugly. Well, that's not fair, he might have been handsome at some point, but ten years of alcoholism didn't help. Or whatever the hell massive trauma took his left eye out. Probably the same thing that gave him the massive puncture scar atop his receding hairline the underside of his stubbly jaw. In any case, he apparently doesn't bother with an eyepatch, letting his empty socket air out for the world to see, along with the burn scars that run up and down the right side of his neck and down his arm. "What the fuck ya'll looking at?" He scowls.

Vuk isn't afraid of ugliness, he's more put off by an angry drunk, and as such, he moves back towards the door. "Me? No one good sir! These wonderful companions of mine wish to have words with you!" He says, indicating Schneider, apparently Schneider is logically the one most likely to intimidate a drunk.

"An angry man," Verna answers in a literal and obvious sense. "Who we seek is more appropriate. Yourself, if I interpereted some of your prior comments correctly. We seek information, and could compensate you for your time."

Schneider is indeed not afraid of drunks. Nor is he small or harmless looking. He isn't the most monstrous of giantborn, but he's a lot larger than a human. On the other hand, he's not actually there to fight. "You, my friend, have clearly not had enough to drink. C'mon, my friend, let us drink and discuss your proud legacy." He will attempt to corral the fellow back to a table where the smart folk can talk at him. "I think this is your cousin, yeah?" he introduces Vezik to Jerik. "Or have I got things mixed around?"

Rhodes raises an eyebrow at the man but at this point keeps his mouth shut to let the others with more experience on the matters to talk with him. So far though he keeps an eye out and would gladly offer advice if needed while the others speak with him.

Jerik eyes Verna up and down, along with the rest of her companions. He's not a particularly small man himself. Apparently he has been lifting horses as well as tankards of ale these last ten years. But he doesn't put up a fight when Schneider 'guides' him to a back table. "I c'n drink. SPECIALLY SINCE THOSE CHISELIN SUM'BITCHES TOOK MY LAST COPPER!" He bellows angrily all of the sudden at the snickering caravan guards and merchants that took him for all he had.

For a moment he looks like he's ready to get all squirrely and go after them, but apparently thinks better of it after looking at Schneider again..."He ain't my cousin. He'za fucking stubby dorfs. Fat one. Did you eat a halfling?! HAW!" Vezik bristles under the accusation, but sits down at the table nonetheless, looking to the rest of the party to the talking for him.

Rhodes raises an eyebrow at Jerik as he rambles on in his drunk mood. "Too bad we don't have too many prayers that cure drunkeness," he whispers to Verna with a sigh. "We have questions, sir," he speaks up himself. "And perhaps if you answer them, we may be able, as my friend indicated, compensate you. Seems that you are in need of some after all.

Schneider laughs as he sits the fellow down, and calls for a round of drinks, and two for Jerik. "Damned chiseling sumbitches," he agrees. "I'll fireball them, but later," he offers glibly. "But as for you being broke, that's not the case at all. A man with an axe and a will is never broke, is he?" He nods over to the others to explain.

Vuk is staying near the door, unless indicated to do some thing else, because lets be honest, Vuk is neither scary, nor forceful. Unless they need him to put that techno gizmo'd rifle to the man's crotch.

As Jerik appears reasonable, and is seated, Verna places coin upon the counter for his tab. "A decade past, you were in possession of an axe. One attributed to Mordak Forelighter. We are curious as to where you acquired it, and what you know of its history. Its original owner seems somewhat intent on utilizing it once more."

Jerik smiles as the barmaid, who looks like she's had to deal with him frequently from the scowl on her face and the way she makes sure to avoid his grabby hands, when she brings over the clay pitcher of dubious lager and several tankards. He pours himself one and takes several long gulps, the brew running down his grimey unshaved neck before he lets out a halitosis-riddled sigh of relief, "I'm listening..." He looks to Schneider's mention of an axe, "I'm not doing no 'venturing anymore. Not worth the hassle. But I'll drop any shitbird that gives me a hairy eyeball, that you can believe!" The drunk looks over at the card table with a hungry look in his remaining eye...apparently drink isn't his only vice. "Come on, ask your questions and gimme that coin, I got to get my money back."

Verna's question about the axe and the dwarf at first. You can almost see the smoke rising from his ears as the wheels start spinning. Then his face drops, a mask of regret and anger and shame. "That axe. Worst damn day of my life when I got that thing. Ruined me. Fucking ruined me. You see this...This?!" He holds his scarred arm up, crooked finger pointing at his ruined face. "Got that getting that axe...wait, you don't have it with you, do you?"

Schneider smiles now that Jerik is being reasonable. Defined loosely not actually attacking anyone right this instant. He'll take some of that booze and quaff it up companionably, "No hairy eyeballs here. If there are, I'll see they get shaved." He also looks towards the card table. Folks who cheat at cards and have lots of gold ... have lots of gold.

Schneider looks over the man's impressive array of battlescars and injuries. He laughs about the axe, now curious, and he says, "That's pretty impressive. The axe did that to you? Or the ghost that came after it? How'd you get it, anyhow?"

"Yes," Verna nods with Schneider's line of queries, "how did you acquire it? It is regretable that the time brought misfortune. What do you know of its providence?"

"What happened to the axe when you got rid of it?" Rhodes asks as he listens to the story.

If Jerik seemed unsociable before, he's downright steaming now. Between Verna and Schneider's words, his face turns a dark shade of red, face contorting into a mask of fear and rage. He bolts upright, sending his chair flying back into the wall as he grabs the table and leans forward, "YOU THINK THIS IS FUNNY?! I CAN'T SLEEP WHEN IT RAINS CAUSE IT HURTS SO DAMN BAD, I DON'T REMEMBER THINGS GOOD ANYMORE, I GOTTA BUY IT FROM WHORES CAUSE OF THIS!?" The rest of the bar patrons seem to shy away from the situation, familiar with the drunkard moods. The barkeep, now with a billy club in his hand instead of the greasy rag, "Don't need any trouble in here. Take it outside or I'll go wake up one of the Deputies upstairs."

In any case, Jarik doesn't start swinging, but he doesn't seem to calm down any. "You keep your fucking money, you just get the hell away from me!"

Vuk is small, and skulking, but when the man begins yelling, he does subtly shift to cock the hammer back on his long gun and worm his way under an empty table. "Oh no...this just isn't good at all! The Watch will show up and we'll all be in cells by dawn and facing execution! They'll enslave me to an airship engine to be sure!" He squeaks out.

Rhodes stands up quickly but moves over to Jerik. "Please sir, please," he says calmly. "I'll see if I can make something that will ease your pain, free of charge, so that you may sleep at night. Forgive their words and we simply want to talk is all. We will be out of your hair shortly. I implore you, what happened to the axe? You said you once had it, and it seems you no longer have it. We will ensure that it does not bother you again."

Schneider waves off the barkeep with a casual, "We've got this," hooking a nearby chair with a foot and pushing it against the back of Jerik's knees to try and sit him down again. He's interested now in what the fellow went through, to the extent that he forgot about mocking the man's pain. "Yes, what happened. Where did you get it from? If we can put it back, that may calm the spirit that's so restless."

Jerik whirls around, hand up ready to sock Rhodes in the mouth, but his calm demeanor and offer seem to pacify him. Or at least swing him across the to other end of the emotional spectrum. Tears start pouring down his grimey cheek from his one good eye, "I sold it! I sold it for nothing! Just enough to buy that shit hole livery! I had to! He wouldn't let me sleep, that dwarf! He kept hunting me down in my dreams! Then one day I woke up from one of the nightmares and I saw him there holding the axe to my neck, right here!" He holds his tankard up to his neck where there is in fact a thin scar hidden under the dirt and stubble, hands shaking wildly, "I sold it to the first idiot I could find, some marine going out to sea! Why did we go into that tomb? Six of us came in, three of us came out. They dragged me out! I KILLED AN OWLBEAR BY MYSELF AND I GOT DRAGGED OUT LIKE A SACK OF SHIT?!" He screams near hysterically. The rest of the bar was laughing and watching to see what happened, but they are dead silent now, all eyes on him. "Olgin, our Priest. They said the dwarves got him, that's why he couldn't fix me. Why they just had to pull me out like, spear in my fucking head, half burnt like a feast day sausage!"

"Where was the tomb?" Rhodes asks, keeping his voice calm and steady. "Do you remember? We're just here to help is all. If you can tell us where the tomb is..."

"The repurcussions of your act were unpleasant," Verna agrees. "Now, those consequences befall others who are unaware of the item's origins. We seek to rectify the issue, to restore balance. To do so, we must return to the crypt." Her statement is entirely truthful and logical, if not especially empathetic.

Jerik slumps down into another chair, lager sloshing out of it as he runs his fingers through his greasy locks. "I I can't remember. There was a mine. We crossed a river. ThinkThinkThink..." The ex adventurer begins to rap on his head at a manic pace, "There was an oak tree that bent weird from the wind off the mountain. Almost went sideways. A mine. A mine. Stairs. Dwarves. Stone dwaves. They...killed Olgin. Busted his head open like a ripe melon. A tunnel. Everything goes black, fire. I don't remember anymore. I don't remember anything. I don't even know what day it is, Althea help me!" He wails before slumping over to sob into his hands. Vezik, who has been watching the whole thing unfold, jaw agape, fumbles and reaches into his pocket, producing several gold coins. He quietly as possible sets them at Jerik's new table, skittishly as if the ex adventurer might lash out again...which isn't out of the realm of possibility and shuffles towards the door of the inn, gesturing for the rest of you to follow.

Once outside, the dwarf rubs his face, trying to process everything that happened. He produces the map again and studies it..."That narrows it down to these two mines. They are a few days ride, but they are both next to the same river, so we can check both? The sooner, the better. That was...intense."

Vuk likely will -never- return to this Inn, but he does skittishly follow Vezik so he can observe the map. "Perhaps I am simply confused, but even if we find the correct location, how do we exactly place the axe back where it is meant to be? Is there any ritual to do so..or do we simply lay it within the mine and pray to the Gods?"

Schneider tosses a few gold to the barkeep for the drinks, and gives the fellows who won at gambling a menacing look before leaving the poor sap and joining Vezik outside. "Well, that sounded promising," he says with a wide grin. To Vuk, he suggests, "They must have gotten the axe from the ghost's crypt. We'll just find it and put it back." Sounds simple, the way he says it.

Verna will accept the moment of lucidity and follows Vezig and the others outside. "The khazad are methodical. I expect that all the tombs will be marked with their contents. We merely need to locate the proper corpse."

Vezik answers Vuk while he clambers onto the wagon, "I have a book of khazad funerary rites if you are not familiar with our customs," He nods to Verna, waiting for everyone to climb aboard. You get an hour of travel before the last of the daylight runs out, and then a few more by starlight and manatorch before settling down. Best not to sleep at such a sleazy inn when a bunch of drunks know you have an axe worth five digits, waiting to be taken from your rapidly cooling corpses.

But it seems Tarien is smiling upon you. After several days of travel, you find yourselves crossing the river (on a dwarven made stone bridge, a good sign, Vezik remarks) only to arrival at the closest mine. Just as Jerik said, there is a twisted oak that goes almost horizontal. Or there was. Rot seems to have felled it, but it snapped off with the trunk almost parallel to the ground. This must be the place. "This is barely a mine. I should have known," Vezik opines proudly, thumbs in his suspenders, looking all the world like a young George R.R. Martin. "This was listed as a tin mine, but the Redridges aren't known for their tin. It must have been a cover for the crypts! But uh...I have something I must confess that I haven't told you. Hulgan was a Keymaster. For us dwarves, that's not just a locksmith...It's a security specialist. A Keymaster is the highest rank of the guild. Hulgan was a master Trapsmith."

Vuk and his wolf as always, tended to range out, to watch for ambushes..or just find some fresh game to add to the boring meals. Fortunately, the party is blessed with Vuk Aleksy! Gourmand and camp steward! Course when the dwarf comes clean, he pales a bit. "I.. don't suppose we can just sort of lower the axe in and run away?" He's fond of that plan suddenly.

Schneider isn't much for wagon riding, but he's got a long stride and a quick pace, so he keeps up. Maybe some hunting, if he gets bored along the road. He's got a bit of outdoors skill, so maybe he can help looking for terrain features and the like? "Trapsmith?" he asks the dwarf. "So this tomb is going to be full of booby traps? Sweet."

Verna spends the trip seated with a book in her lap. The same holds true for most of the time in camp, as well. She is reading when the mine comes into view and Vezik adds further details. "That information would have been most useful before we departed the city, where we could have hired the services of another trapsmith to assist."

Rhodes nods to Verna. "Unless someone wants to be the trap finder the hard way... Would anyone know anything about traps that is already here?"

Vuk will begin moving to check for some things on his person when they mention some one who -might- know about traps. He finds what he wants and begins to fill a small sack with heavy stone, each a pound or so, he's going to try and get at least ten. "I..I may be familiar with some designs of traps, mah Pa had some at the Inn...and I do understand the langauge of the Dwarven kind." He admits from where he's looking mostly sheepish and like they'll all throw him into a mine shaft.

Schneider says, "Oh, anyone can find traps. The trick is not getting killed by them." He nods gravely. And when Vuk speaks up, he smiles. "That's perfect, then!"

Vezik shrugs sheepishly, "I thought Master Vuk was good at that sort of thing. He looked eh...good with his hands?" Such racism, in this day and age.

The mine itself is as Vezik says. Barely a mine at all. There is a central shaft that runs just at a slightly upward grade before it levels out and finally goes in about 200 feet before it stops. Had the door not been hanging open already, you might have never found it. Pulling it open the rest of the way reveals several sets of bloody handprints, a few cobwebs that have formed up in the years since the last visitors fled, and a dried blood trail heading down a broad set of steps wide enough for two to walk abreast.

The steps continue down at a shallow pace for 40 feet until they open up into a square chamber of old carnage. The twenty by forty room is covered in scorch marks, broken crossbow bolts, a warped sword that has rusted away to useleness, a few broken potion vials, plenty more dried blood, but it is dominated by two shattered statues of dwarves, eight feet tall each. One lies on it's side, clutching a giant hammer that has to weigh a hundred pounds easily. The other has had it's head knocked and shattered into dust, missing another arm. It's hammer is buried into the floor of the chamber, with a breastplate clad skeleton lying down, the hammer lying where its head used to be. This was surely a hell of a fight. The only other thing in the room is a large ten by ten stone door that seems to slide upwards or downwards, controlled by a single lever off to the right. Or that just might be what they want you to think!

GAME: Schneider casts False Life. Caster Level: 5 DC: 15

GAME: Schneider rolls 1d10+5: (4)+5: 9

Rhodes looks at the handprints and then the old blood trail. "I have a feeling this is the place." He doesn't go in first, but does cast Light onto his holy symbol that he wears.

"Jerik did mention a great conflict." Verna notes that increasing evidence confirms their location. Due to the possibility that threats remain, including Margon, she conjures a field of protective force about her person.

GAME: Rhodes casts Light. Caster Level: 4 DC: 15

GAME: Verna casts Mage Armor. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14

Vuk isn't even going to go and check on the skeleton..he doesn't want to risk getting some thing falling on him. "I would prefer if you didn't follow directly behind me..darkness is my greatest aid if you wish to me find the way, and you all make such a dreadful racket." He says and takes his rifle and tries to work the lever from the side with it. So he isn't in the door way when it opens!

GAME: Rhodes casts Light. Caster Level: 4 DC: 15 Vuk isn't even going to go and check on the skeleton..he doesn't want to risk getting some thing falling on him. "I would prefer if you didn't follow directly behind me..darkness is my greatest aid if you wish to me find the way, and you all make such a dreadful racket." He says and takes his rifle and tries to work the lever from the side with it. So he isn't in the door way when it opens! Schneider pauses outside the mine to chant in Jotun. For those that understand it, "Spirits of Blood, I demand your service!" His body bulges like rats were running around under his skin, then all is calm again, and he moves along. As it gets dimmer, he chants again, summoning an imp of flame to light the way."

GAME: Schneider casts Light. Caster Level: 5 DC: -87 Verna is content to remain relatively still and study the room while Vuk employs whatever training he possesses to ensure the path is cleared. Schneider nods as he gets in and sees what there is to see, grunting, "This must have been an awesome fight. And there, a one-armed dwarf. But he looks like he has an axe, yeah?" He looks around. "Well, onwards, yeah? Or what's the plan now? We going to stand around admiring things?" He eyes Vuk, and shrugs, letting him move far enough ahead that he's out of the light. He looks a bit bored, glancing at all the debris and carnage.

Vezik trails behind in the party, but becomes absolutely fascinated by the dwarven statues. "I've read about these. Carytid Columns. They stood right, probably in a pose like this!" He holds his everburning torch in a stoic position, looking utterly silly, "And they guarded the tombs! They must have put up quiet a fight before they were stopped!" It all ceases to be academic once he spots the skeleton, the last victim of the guardian statues before being destroyed and the dwarf growls pale and silent.

It's a little bit of stretch for Vuk to reach the door, but not much. Dwarves aren't that much taller than goblins. With the whir of gears and clacking of chains running along guidelines, moving counterweights and all other intricate mechanisms, the door slides downward, revealing it's two foot thickness as it sinks into it's recess along the floor, with a final *click* that punctuates the actuation.

The magical lights chase away the darkness, revealing a corridor that extends just beyond the reach of the illumination. Ten feet wide by ten feet tall, it is perfectly square. Ominously square. Even more ominous are the walls and ceiling. Every inch is covered with bas relief sculptures of dwarven heroes and craftsman, epic and heroic, stoic and dependable. Had you the time, a scholar could make a career detailing the story told in this unbroken masterpiece sculpture. The floor is made of 1x1 tiles with goldleaf scrollwork inset into each tile, each with a tiny hole small just small enough to put a baby's finger in. Nothing else is in this room.

Oh, except for another skeleton, blackened and charred just at the shadowy edges of the light. It lies on its stomach, one hand outstretched as if reaching for help before whatever doom befell it. Whole lotta doom.

And what's this? It looks like two ivory puzzle pieces with jagged edges on the outside some hair on it. A closer inspection reveals it to be a piece of skull with a perfectly circular hole punches through that has broken in half....You are holding onto a piece of Jerik's skull. Eww.

GAME: Vuk rolls perception: (12)+17: 29

GAME: Vuk rolls stealth: (1)+23: 24

Schneider is hanging back a bit, sort of loitering, though he'll ease his sword from its sheath, carrying it one-handed, just to have it handy rather than with a particular intent to use it. Flames silently lick up and down the edges. "Let me know when something needs to be blown up?" he calls.

GAME: Vuk rolls disable device+2: (13)+14+2: 29

Vuk -did- have to mention he knew about these things, and he'll move slowly, time to get to work..and damn any one who hurries him.. he -could- just make a goblin size path and it would be much quicker, but he's making sure the path is safe for the largest of them too! Slow steady work. "Please don't speak!" he says, afraid of who knows what.

"If the khazad is the master trapsmith as Vezik implied," Verna notes to Schneider, "I expect that any problems will make themselves known in a rather spectacular fashion."

Rhodes walks to the various skeletons of the dead and whispers a prayer over them, hoping that their souls find rest. He does try to keep up with the others, but he keeps his voice low so that Vuk can focus.

You paged Vuk with 'Okay. You poke around through through the tiles. The first 5 rows are just tiles. Then you get into the next set. There is a whoooole bunch of triggers scattered amongst the next 50 tiles. But the bulk of them seem to be set to close and lock the doors, which you can prevent. You disable those tiles easily enough, jamming wedges into them to lock them into place, and you're just about finished when you look up and see two acoustic bowls worked into the stone.'

Vuk pages: ...acoustic bowls? O.o explain?

You paged Vuk with 'You are going to have to move very....very quietly through the whole corridor or it will activate something.'

You paged Vuk with 'Basically dorfy fantasy mechanical sound sensors.'

You paged Vuk with 'You could disable them, but you'd have to get to the ceiling. Quietly.'

Vuk pages: Oh. Uh. I have an idea! Can I retreat and throw a rock from safety?

Schneider nods to Verna. "That's a very good point," he agrees. He chants in Jotun, softly for Vuk, though not too softly, "Spirits of Magic, show yourselves, reveal all to me." And he has a look around at what the spirits might show him.

Vuk was part way through his work, when he decides to come rushing back in his quiet manner. "Shh! They can hear! The traps will go off if we make to much noise!" Oh if only he could gag his own friends.

GAME: Schneider casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 5 DC: -87

Well, if Vuk got back to the previous chamber with out being the cause of traps go off, his next course of action is throw a rock down the corridor from safety! He's ready to flee the mine if need be!

Rhodes looks at Vuk and frowns, but remains silent as he finishes the last prayer. He folds his hands and just looks down at Vuk as he persists that they are quiet.

The rock doesn't make it to it's third bounce. With the first clatter of stone on stone, the entire chamber seems to shake a little, dust shaking down from the ceiling as unseen mechanisms go to work. With the second, spikes of iron begin shooting out from the start of the tunnel in every direction from slits and holes unseen in the walls and ceiling, touching their opposite edge before sliding backwards. The stone is smashed against the wall by iron point, and still the spikes continue on, firing out in a near spiral pattern at a steady pace all the way past the edge of the light's reach. Once the spikes stop, ten long seconds go by before the process reverses itself, the spikes retracting, then another shaking of dust as the chamber succumbs slightly the pressure, presumably resetting itself.

Schneider chortles at the little goblin moving forward so skittishly. And then the trap is triggered. He nods, thoughtfully. He calls out, in defiance of the directive not to shout, "Let me know if you need anything done. Doors opened, levers pulled remotely, that sort of thing."

With Schneider's words the entire process repeats itself.

Rhodes watches the spikes come out, first at the rock, and then at Schneider's words. "I think we should speak as little as possible," he whispers to the giantborn. Definitely quiet as a mouse would be best right now.

"Fascinating," Verna remarks as she observes the process, albeit at whisper. Her hood dips as she nods to Rhodes in agreement. Even then, she will await Vuk's direction on when and how to proceed

Schneider says to Rhodes, "That's going to be boring. And then, what if we need to say something to each other? Better to have found out now, while we're chatting, then when someone coughs while going down the wrong corridor. It'd be better to go shouting all the way, in fact, and trip everything well before we get there." All that said, he'll wait for Vuk to give the all clear.

Meanwhile, Vezik, sitting on one of the dwarven statues legs, has a quill, ink, and book out and is scribbling down notes furiously. He is having a dorfgasm.

Vuk isn't even aware -how- many corridors are trapped like this, so he'll do some thing optimistic at best. "Give me the axe, I will go alone to replace it in the crypt. There is no way to ensure the safety of the lot of you, and I don't foresee our employer giving up the keys to disable these things."

Vezik looks rather sheepish once again from his book, "If I had one, I would...Wait!" He takes off his signet ring, "The Forgelighters are proud members of the Masterbuilder Clan. We often incorporate our signet into locks, mechanical and magical. This was my father's, it might unlock something for you. Try not to damage it, though!" He offers the gold ring up, a heavy band with the simple anvil with the flame gout atop it crest.

Vuk will most -certainly- take that, now he'll go to figure out how to use it. Acoustically activated death spikes be afraid!

Schneider smirks at Vuk, and asks, "What about the undead army and gelatinous cubes? You going to fight them all by yourself?" Or there's the ring do-dad. "Looks useful," he remarks cheerfully. He remains well back, but not so far back that he can't watch in case Vuk gets blown up.

GAME: Vuk rolls stealth: (6)+23: 29

GAME: Vuk rolls perception: (18)+17: 35

GAME: Vuk rolls disable device+2: (8)+14+2: 24

Vuk is going to skulk, blending in beyond the edge of the light as he carefully disables more triggers..or jams them more appropriately, it may become necessary to use them to cover their escape! Then he's going further in, keeping his eyes open for any place to use the ring to -hopefully- disable everything.

GAME: Vuk rolls perception: (8)+17: 25

GAME: Vuk rolls disable device+2: (9)+14+2: 25

Vuk almosts makes a noise in fear when he almost loses a tool, but he's also quick to react, first remembering if he made a noise, he and every one else would be skewered, and secondly, he doesn't want to be skewered. Then he's moving slowly towards that door, his goggles of reddish tinted hue aiding him.

GAME: Vuk rolls perception: (14)+17: 31

GAME: Vuk rolls disable device+2: (17)+14+2: 33

Schneider watches Vuk advance, or as much as he can see of it. He's beginning to look bored, which is never a good idea. He is about to mutter something about dwarves when his glance shifts back to Vezik, and he simply yawns. "You think he's done yet?" he wonders to Verna and Rhodes.

"We could yell to ask, but that could be unwise," Verna offers. "He appears alive for the moment. That is encouraging."

GAME: Vuk rolls disable device: (20)+14: 34

GAME: Hassan rolls 1d4: (2): 2

Vuk panics briefly when the iron spikes begin to cascade going off thanks to a certain person being loud! That and the previous crew in here made a mess of this lock..not that he can blame them as he works on the tumblers and rolls under the door just as a spike impales where he was. Guess he better stay put..and check if the new corridor is also acoustically trapped before trying to get the others here!

Finally free of the death trap, Vuk finds himself in another twenty by twenty room. To the left and right are 2 iron double doors, each with a ring-lock on them, along with many ominous looking runes. A smaller stone door hangs open across the hallway, crude looking compared to the rest of the doors and architecture. The trail of dried blood stops here as to form a large puddle before it moves on to the stone door. Just to Vuk's left is a brass lever built into the wall.

Vuk will ensure talking will not get his new locale to begin spewing fire, death, and destruction on him, before shouting back to the others. "Move quietly! This has to be the right spot! I see blood here!" He doesn't feel bad if any one gets skewered, they almost got -him- skewered.

Fortunately, the spikes are still in the process of retracting when Vuk yells, so the party doesn't have to wait 30 seconds for the entire process to play out, but the gauntlet of silence looms ahead, intrepid adventurers!

GAME: Schneider rolls stealth: (9)+3: 12

GAME: Rhodes rolls stealth: (19)+-2: 17

Schneider saunters across with a devil-may-care expression, heading over to Vuk and giving him a broad shrug.

GAME: Hassan rolls 1d20: (20): 20

GAME: Verna rolls stealth: (15)+2: 17

For being so plump, Vezik is surprisingly light on his feet. Once across, he studies the two iron doors in wonderment before he returns to the doors whence he came. "Oh!" He grabs the lever and pulls it down. And there is a horrendous ratcheting noise, twice as loud as the noise within the main chamber. The wedges that Vuk jammed into place to disable the tile triggers pop out as the crevices between each one shrink down to nothing.

"I think that turns the traps off..."

The click-click-click-click of clockwork from within the lever's housing starts going on...

"For a little while?"

Silly dorf.

Silly dorf.

Vuk winces quite a bit, he isn't sure -if- that clicking is related to the traps he disabled, or some thing far worse..but he intends to try and figure out -which- door leads to the tomb they need to lay the axe into and begin work on those traps and door, what ever else may block them! Rhodes looks around at everything as Vezik seems to trip something. He keeps his voice low but turns to the rest of the group. "We might want to move quickly."

Rhodes looks around at everything as Vezik seems to trip something. He keeps his voice low but turns to the rest of the group. "We might want to move quickly."

The obvious trail of decade-dried blood leads to the crude stone door opposite the doors from which you just came. Unlike the other doors that were finely crafted over years to fit flush with the walls and floors into which they recessed, this is is a much more simply, though well made affair. A simple pivot, the door opens up into a ten x ten room with a stone sarcophagus carved into the floor itself. The stone lid is pushed away to lie on it's side, but carries a simple inscription in Khazad. Sliding on his spectacles, Vezik leans over to read, "Here Lies Mordak Forgelighter, in a grave unworthy of him. He stood fast against Tyranny and stool tall amongst his people. Rest and find solace in the Workshop of the All Father, Reos."

The bones inside are scattered and jumbled. Pieces of plate mail, obviously magical, apparently left due to weight limits, lie in the coffin and across the floor. The room is unnaturally cold, so much that you notice your breath is becoming visible.

GAME: Rhodes rolls knowledge/religion: (9)+8: 17

Verna does not appear to provoke any violent, iron-based impalement. Silence is something that she can manage in most cases. Once she is across and more devices activate, she... moves yet again to avoid some other form of rapid death.

<OOC> Rhodes says, "That is to try and figure out a quick but effective way of appeasing the spirit."

<OOC> Hassan says, "Setting the remains back in rough order along with the armor and the axe, with a reinterrment ceremony would be the best bet, short of powerful cleric magic."

"Well, this looks like it," Schneider says as the sarcophagus is located. "Not sure what it says, but let's straighten things up, eh?" When Vezig reads it aloud, he nods, and whispers, "Yeah, definitely cleanup, here." He'll get to straightening things up as quickly as he can.

Rhodes shudders a bit at the cold, and takes a quick look to Verna before speaking. "Gather up the bones, quickly. We should put the remains back inside, and anything else that would have adorned the dead." He looks over to Vezik, "You said you had something for a khazad ritual?" he asks as he starts to respectfully pick up the scattered remains.

Verna scowls, though her expression is not easily visible in the depths of her hood. "I am not surprised that his spirit returned with vengeance. The crypt and corpse were defiled." She begins to assist in proper arrangement, with care. Predominantly, she focuses upon the remains rather than the armor, due to weigh limits.

Vuk will try to help reconstruct the bones, bones scattered like this, and the increasing cold? He doesn't like the feel of it. He just wants to get out before what ever the clicking is proves to be bad news. "Hopefully they didn't take any thing else."

The portly dwarf nods. "Just a moment." He unshoulders his satchel, and begins digging through the contents. Some more salt pork, a flask (from which he takes a quick nip), personal journal, an issue of Hirsute Quarterly (Ooh-La-La), several pencils...Finally, the tablet. He produces the tin tablet and studies it a moment, "Priestess verna...Do you speak Khazad, by chance?"

On that note, a mist begins forming in the room outside the burial chamber, slowly coalescing into something humanoid...

Schneider doesn't feel the cold, and heavy things aren't an issue for him, so he works more with speed than care, he'll let the others do the fine detail stuff. "We -may- want to hurry, though," he suggests with an eye to the coalescing.

Vezik's hands are shaking a bit now. He never got a good look at his ghostly ancestor before, and now he's watching him be formed from soul stuff, howling skeleton first just yards away. Progress goes well on the reformation of the remains and the armor. The axe is set back into place and the lid is replaced. "Repeat after me! Between my literacy and your godliness, this should work. I hope." The dwarf begins to slowly chant in Khazad, enunciating slowly and clearly. It doesn't seem to have effect at first. Perhaps even the opposite effect. The axe and armor begin thumping wildly against the inside of the lid, held tight only by the efforts of our intriped adventurers. Meanwhile, the skeletal apparition is starting to form ectoplasmic flesh, the walls echoing with Mordak's ghostly howls.

Vuk actually knows Khazad, he is unfortunately, not a priest, and his nerves are about shot when the things they -just- sealed away begin to move, so he'll mentally urge them to hurry their incantation even as he repeats it!

Schneider has no idea what's being said, but he feel the sarcophagus squirming, so he holds the lid down as respectfully as he can manage, leaning into it if he needs to.

While she is not fluent in the tongue, Verna is in many others, and possesses keen ears. She repeats Vezik's utterances rote, while calling upon the Harsh Lady in mind and heart if not voice. This soul deserves judgement, and the reward or pennance deemed appropriate.

The paired chanting of Vezik and Verna are almost drowned out by the bellowing screams of Mordak, almost entirely formed now, combined with the deadly arms and armor that is compelled to rejoin its lonh dead master. Mordak seems much more substantial now in his place of power with all the relics of his past and tools of his trade, no long a dim apparition. The threshhold of the burial chamber seems to offer some resistance to his approach, perhaps a simple consecration that wards the undead creature away from defiling his own tomb with his very existence. But one thing begins to sound out above the rattle of a very visceral doom against the lid of the sarcophagus, above the howls of the defiled, above the funerary chanting. The peal of metal on metal, in perfect rythmn. The sound hammer meeting anvil and the roar of stoked flames calling across the vast gulf of the planes. In a flash of blistering light, Mordak ignites in holy fire, but is not burned. At least not painfully. As his ectoplasm melts away by the fires of Reos' forge, his screams stop and for the first time, you see him at peace. And then all is silent.