City of the Spider Queen

[silentspace]

Seeing the others want to move on, Rashak ignores the stuck door, not bothering to try to open it.

As they approach the other door, in the hillside, Rashak yields to Hazrael's scouting skills. Not wanting to compromise his stealth, he'll follow some distance behind.

OOC: Rashak will generally follow Hazrael about fifty feet behind (his movement speed), in front of the spellcasters.

 

[silentspace]

Rashak will also share with Hazrael the hand signals he uses with Merion and Jyren.

OOC: Hopefully we can use hand signals to do some basic communications such as: Advance (all clear), Enemies spotted (fingers = number), Sneak up (enemies haven't spotted us), I hear something, I see something, Stop/freeze, Back up/retreat, Hide/ambush (enemies approaching), Flee.

 

[Rayex]

Day 1 - At the crypt

You aproach the hillside and see another large pair of stone doors set into it. These are flanked by a pair of column carved to resemble skeletal warriors in full plate armor, their visored helmets open to reveal their leering skulls. The doors are unadorned except for two stone handles, although gouge marks indicate that heavy tools dealt some damage to the doors in the past.

 

[Dakkareth]

Not even sparing the skeletal figures more than a passing glance Merion steps aside for the more physically inclined to open the door and go first. Before entering he stops to adjust his warrior's braid so his long hair has no chance of impeding his sight.

[OOC:

Spoiler

If noone else does, Merion will also produce a torch to provide light to the party.

]

 

[DemonAtheist]

A crypt such as this may well be trapped, that the Drow are using it as an entrance to the Underdark only increases this chance.

Hazrael motions that the others stay back a bit, then approaches the door and inspects it for anything amiss.

OOC:

Spoiler

Search check, if needed a disable device check. If no trap, check if door is locked/stuck/able to open. If locked, Open Lock check with thieves' tools.


Do you want me to specifically say that I am searching every time that we get to a door?

 

[Rayex]

Day 1 - At the crypt entrance

Hazrael moves to the door and start examining it. You are pretty sure the door is safe, and tries to open it. It is stuck. After a few minutes trying to open it, you conclude that the door is secured with a chain wrapped around the inside handles and secured with paclock. After a few minutes more, you succeed in opening the paclock. You push the door open, and the chain clatters to the floor.
A 10-foot wide hallway of stone runs back into the hillside as far as you can see. Right in front of you, five dead drow, two female and three male, lie in front of the tunnel. They have been stripped of arms and armor, but each still wears a black tabard emblazoned with a silver spiderweb insignia. The air here smells strongly of death.


OOC: I can take it for granted that you will search every door before you go through it.

 

[Dakkareth]

Now that's curious.

Merion kneels down beside one of the drow and examines the corpse for visible wounds, spell marks and similar indicators. Let's see what killed them. Whatever it was, it probably did us a favor, but it may well come after us. Looks like sentient killers, so no mindless undead. Probably for the worse, though - the mindless are easy to deal with.

[OOC:

Spoiler

Merion uses spot/search, his heal skill (+9) and if applicable (spell damage or wounds from undead) spellcraft (+22) and knowledge: necromancy (+18) as well. He wants to determine the cause of death, it's time and any other information he can glean.

]

 

[Rayex]

Day 1 - In the crypt hallway

After spending a few minutes examining the corpeses, this is what you find out:
1: Three died of wounds inflicted by small crossbow quarrels still lodged in their bodies.
2: The last two seems to have been killed by blows from blunt weapons.
3: They've been dead for close to five days.

 

[Dakkareth]

It seems, they were killed by weapons - crossbows and maces most likely, see the bolts here and this crushing wound there - so undead are probably out., Merion comments as he handles the corpse expertly, exposing the wounds for the others to see. Pointing at several morbid details the necromancer continues: Judging from the usual signs they've been dead for five days. See how the eyes have been consumed by scavengers and the fingers gnawed at? No rigor mortis and decay has set in. Merion seems quite unconcerned about the disgusting sight. He pokes at the soft flesh thoughtfully and idly tries to remove one of the bolts. Strange. Morn said, there was a raid three nights ago. By then these drow were already dead. I wonder, what importance there is to this ...

The wizard gets up again and carefully cleans his hands on a brown rug.

 

[silentspace]

Rashak grimaces as the chain clatters to the floor. Peering about, he wonders "Was that set as an alarm? If there is just this one entrance, it will be well-defended. Perhaps we should have searched for another entrance."

Rashak takes the chain and padlock, putting them in his pack.

As Merion casually flips over the first body, Rashak breathes an imperceptible sigh of relief. "Well, the bodies aren't trapped, at least."

Kneeling by Merion, he says "Drow favor poisoned hand crossbows. They are also quite devout, in their own way. Perhaps the maces were wielded by drow priestesses. But that would mean these drow were killed by other drow. I wonder why they left the black tabards?"

OOC: Tabards are usually worn above armor, right? So someone removed the armor and then put the tabards back on?