Leo's account
Gutheron’s Tomb.
Hot wind blew accross the desert. The dizzying speed of the conjured horses was as intoxicating as ever. The group now consisted of Cho, Leo, Tarquin, Saphie, Sigurd and Astragard. The others had left to try to rescue the priestess in the Gorge of Osiris. So be it, that was their decision. Frankly Leo had had enough of deserts, sun, dust and heat. The ancient writers had made their experiences much more romantic than the reality. As soon as they had completed the investigation of the fabled tomb then he was going to try to convince the others to leave with him via a teleport spell back to Gaxmoor. Considering their past experiences in this land of Arypt, he couldn’t see them disagreeing.
Enough musing. It was getting towards dusk and their destination could finally be discerned in the distance. As they approached and slowed down Leo drew his breath. It was a most impressive sight. The time-worn remains of a sandstone path led to a large, tall sand dune. Looking out from beneath the sand was the stone sculpture of a human face. The sandstone had been blasted by hundreds of years of desert winds and sand. Yet a vaguely female visage could still be seen. To the right of the pavement were the remains of a colonnade while to the left there was a small pool next to which was a tent with a figure sitting outside.
Leo was disconcerted to find another person outside of the tomb. This place was deep in the Wastes of Gizen. People did not just camp outside the tomb for recreation. However, he kept his thoughts to himself.
Leo approached the figure slowly, making sure to let the other know he had no weapons.
“Greetings. My name is Leo and these are my colleagues. We are going to investigate this tomb. May we know what your purpose is?”
The figure looked human although, as it was veiled, it was difficult to confirm that.
The figure rose, made a strange hand greeting and answered in heavily accented common.
“Greetings. My name is Garric and I am here waiting for some companions who will be arriving soon.”
“Thank you”, answered Leo. “We will set up our camp over there.”
The figure bowed corteously.
The group soon set up their camp. They were going to sleep in their Rope Trick as usual so there was not need for tents but there was still a need for dinner. After dinner, Leo needed Astragard to do something. He hoped that it was going to be agreeable to their employer. However, before this could start there were more distractions. First, Petronius contacted Tarquin from Gaxmoor to let him know that Sigurd and Saphie were urgently needed in the city. Dovistar transported them back, but just before he did, Cho approached Sigurd and dropped a large sack of coins in his lap. Sigurd looked happy. Tarquin also asked that Red Ivy be transported to the desert in the morning to help boost the fighting power of the group. Then, in the distance, another figure could be seen approaching. Leo’s suspicions were aroused. Another lone rider in the Wastes of Gizen? At first he thought this was one of the companions that Garric had mentioned but the course that the figure had taken was clearly taking it towards the group. The figure approached the group and dismounted, making sure it kept his hands well away from the large scimitar it wore. It unveiled itself to reveal a very tall man, in clean Aryptian clothing. He seemed to wear authority like a cloak and his physique suggested he was a warrior.
“Greetings,” the newcomer called out. “My name is Ramu Khem and I seek adventure. May I join your encampment?”
Leo looked at the others. Everyone seemed bemused by the figure with the exception of Cho whose face was showing nothing as usual.
“Greetings,” answered Leo. “My name is Leo and these are my colleagues. We are about to investigate this tomb tomorrow.”
“May I join you,” asks the stranger. “I am a former member of the Order of Horus and a former warrior of the Pharaoh. I would be very useful for your expedition.”
Leo looked at the others. Most of them shrugged their shoulders. Leo thought about it. He wanted to say yes but he needed to test the stranger. Although he didn’t look like it, appearances could be deceiving and this could be a novice warrior who would killed in the first encounter. Leo had no wish to bear the fault of yet another death on his soul.
“We would be pleased to have you join us but before you do, we do need to see the extent of your expertise. Would you be so kind as to have a sparring match with my friend Cho.
Ramu did not look pleased but he stepped slightly away from the group to show he was ready. Cho joined him. The two faced each other in the desert dusk. Suddenly Ramu moved and for a few seconds the two combatants struck each other. Leo had not idea who was winning. The blows were so fast he couldn’t keep track of them. A few seconds later, they two stopped and bowed to each other. Cho had a small bruise on the side of her head. Ramu had fared slightly worse. He had a cut to his lip and another bruise to his cheekbone. Cho walked back to the group and nodded. Ramu came back to the camp where Tarquin attended to both combatants. Garric had left his tent and had approached to watch the sparring match. He watched with interest.
After it was over he turned to the group.
“To be truthful, and my apologies for the subterfuge, my companions are overdue. I would be grateful if I could join your expedition. I specialise in finding and disarming traps.”
Leo thanked providence. That was the one area where their group was very deficient.
“Garric, you would be most welcome!”
Dinner was served and after the meal, Leo turned to Astragard.
“Astragard, I would be grateful if you could now reveal details about yourself, your father and also the details of your last expedition to this tomb.”
Astragard looked at Leo, slightly ruefully but in the end he stood up albeit reluctantly. Leo had to gently probe several times but finally Astragard’s story was told.
“My name is Astragard and my father is Eldir, an outer planar entity associated with charm, suggestion and persuasion. My mother was a mage of some renown. I was born in the deserts Northwest of here and I am approximately 5000 years old. I have been seeking the statue of Akresh or Thunder in the Mountain for hundreds of years. My purpose for it is my own.
As regards my previous expedition, if we go to the colonnade, we will find alcoves filled with demonic statues. Behind the statue of the gremlin, there is a secret entrance, which leads to the burial chamber of Koram the original architect of this pyramid. When we came here last he attacked us in the form of a wraith but we managed to dissipate it although he did weaken me substantially. Beneath his sarcophagus is an opening leading to the interior of the pyramid. That is the way I suggest we go”.
With that, the air around the stout jolly red-bearded Astragard shimmered and another figure stood in its place. This figure was beautiful if totally androgynous. Its outer planar ancestry was immediately obvious.
Leo turned to the others. “Right, now you know as much as I. I want you all to be aware just who we are working for and what we are doing. If anyone wishes to leave the expedition, now is the time to do so”.
No one left although Ramu seemed to have difficulty in accepting Astragard. He muttered under his breath. Leo thought he could hear the words “demon” and “evil”. After some conversation, Ramu admitted he was still a member of the Order of Horus and that he had been sent to stop Astragard from doing “further evil”. Astragard looked exasperated but not very worried. Leo looked at the two strangers who had offered to join them so conveniently and thought. Then he made a decision. Astragard had taken care of himself for thousands of years. He was much better at it than Leo right now and no doubt would be in the future.
The night passed uneventfully and finally the group made ready to investigate Gutheron’s Tomb. Leo could hardly believe, after all the past events, that they were finally going to go inside. The initial stages of the investigation were as described by Astragard. The colonnade was old and impressive, full of alcoves with demonic statues with one exception: one showed a statue of Gutheron himself. Leo looked at the figure with interest. A tall powerful warrior in metal armour, a rarity for this land. Leo assumed this was the legendary Harmonic armour mentioned so many times by Astragard. Garric easily found the secret door behind the statue of the gremlin; Leo sighed with relief. It seemed their new companion knew what he was doing. At this point Leo cast his usual spells including the floating eyes, which had proved so useful in the past. Having done all that, the group then readied to enter the tomb proper. The first thing that Leo noticed was the darkness. It was like a darkness he had never seen before. Inky, a total absence of light, almost like a wall. Fortunately, the group was well provided with light sources. The group made their way through a narrow corridor, with Garric again proving very useful with his sharp eyed searching skills. There was a little bit of excitement along this corridor. Ramu stiffened and hissed.
“There is chaos nearby, a lot of it!”
Leo, who was next to him thought he saw a small goblin like creature slinking in the shadows. The creature realised it had been discovered and quickly ran around the corner.
“Astragard, there seems to be a goblin around here. Is there such a thing as a desert tomb goblin?” Leo called forward, a bit facetiously.
Astragard called back. “ That’s not a goblin. That’s a gremlin. They are a pest. Get rid of it if you can. They are said to be very unlucky.”
Leo scowled. He had never heard of gremlins. He started stalking this one although it was Ramu who actually found it. With his chaos sensing ability, the creature couldn’t hide. When it tried to run away, bolts of force shot from Leo’s fingers and the creature was no more. Sensing chaos could be most useful; Leo filed that fact away for later use.
The group then resumed on their way. First they entered the chamber of Koram the former wraith. A desiccated corpse lay on the ground. Astragard kicked it a couple of times in a gesture of contempt. The chamber itself was quite bare although the sarcophagus was elaborately carved. On Astragard’s instructions it was moved, revealing an opening down into the tomb. If anything, the darkness was even greater there. As usual, Leo sent his flying eyes just to the edge of the light, so that he could avert any unpleasant surprises if possible. Then, using a rope, the group dropped down one by one. The first part of the journey was simple. The main corridor was decorated with the paintings of a funeral procession and split into two branches. One branch led to a series of alcoves, which had a collection of offerings in each one. These were ignored. The main purpose at the moment was to get to the main tomb to gain the idol and maybe the armour. The other branch led into an odd chamber. First, it was illuminated, the first light that Leo had seen in this place. On the floor was a pentagram, inside of which there was a bell, engraved with religious symbols pertaining to the sun. In the ceiling was a small shaft and in the far wall, a corridor led away into the complex. Further investigation by the flying eyes showed the shaft led to two large crystals, which were in a position to serve as “eyes” for the large face outside. The corridor was lined with mirrors and led to a door at its end. A certain amount of discussion ensued. Obviously, something was supposed to be done with the equipment provided but no one knew what. Finally, after some thought and also a wait for the sun to hit the crystals and illuminate the bell, it was decided that the group was going into the corridor and devil take the hindmost. As Cho and Garrick advanced into the corridor, three shapes seemingly made out of shadows came from the mirrored walls and attacked them. Astragard had warned the group that these creatures were acting as guardians. They were demons, not hugely magical but very strong and fast. Garric, wisely, managed to get out of there, leaving Cho in combat with all three. The Westerner was in her element, striking fast and seamlessly into the creatures. They may have looked as if they were made out of shadow but they seemed solid enough to hit. Soon, Cho had spell support coming in and finally, although the fight was tough, the group triumphed and the creatures were sent back to whatever plane of the abyss they came from.
Having finished them off, the group moved down the corridor. As they approached the main door, Garric looked strangely at one mirror but then shook his head and moved on. Then, everyone could hear a hissing noise from behind the main door. It was as if there were thousands of snakes. This was impossible of course. How could the creatures get into a chamber in a tomb that was deep underground and had been sealed hundreds of years ago. No lock could be seen on the door. Garric still seemed to be fascinated by a section of a wall and while the group was discussing what to do next, he exclaimed and unearthed a secret door. Since the secret door was easier to deal with than a door with no lock the group got ready to open it. The door was opened to reveal a small room more than half wreathed in a peculiar smoke or vapour. Leo sent his eyes in there and he could discern a large crevasse and beyond it a small ledge that on which stood a large set of armour which was carved in strange runes and arcane symbols. At the same time, Leo felt as if something was trying to attack him through the eyes. He withdrew them rapidly. There was great excitement in the group. This must be the legendary Harmonic armour. The chasm was a bit of an obstacle until Leo calculated that one of the functions of his ring could create a bridge across. This was quickly done. It was a bit surprising. Not only was it a stone bridge, it also had walls and buttresses. Most impressive. Cho and Ramu went across. All the time they felt as if they were being attacked by something but couldn’t see what. However, the attacks were unsuccessful and the precious armour was collected. Astragard then remarked that the helm did not seem to be there. Many of the armour’s powers were effective only when it was complete. He said that it was most likely that the helm was with Gutheron as a deterrent to robbers.
This left the main door. Since there was no lock Leo had to use magic to open it. The room beyond was quite large with a sarcophagus in the middle. It was also nightmarish. Thousands upon thousands of snakes writhed on the floor, the walls, the rafters, everywhere. There wasn’t and inch of floor that was not covered by a sinuous reptile.
In the brief instant before the door was closed, Garric reported that one of the stone blocks in the ceiling was jutting out slightly from the wall. Apart from that, there seemed to be no obvious exits from the chamber. A discussion was held and at this point, Astragard mentioned that he could summon a fire elemental to burn the snakes. He promptly did so. He also summoned a small repulsive little demon to help him locate his idol. The demon promptly pointed towards the wall with the stone block that was out of place. There were still a few snakes left but Leo cleared those with a useful wand. The group decided to leave this sarcophagus for the moment and they managed to lever the stone block out of the wall. It fell out to reveal a tunnel going into the darkness.
The group organised itself and everyone climbed into the tunnel. With the help of the flying eyes, the group knew that the tunnel led into a large chamber. The floor of this chamber was completely covered in human bones. The unfortunate builders of this structure was what Leo surmised. The far side of the room had a dais upon which sat an elaborate throne. The group was experienced enough to realise that it was likely the undead were going to animate out of the bones. They just didn’t know what else was going to appear. So, cautiously they entered into the room. Immediately, mist appeared and a demon materialised. A foul thing with the head of a fly, moldering wings and runnels of flesh peeling from its body. At the same time, two dozen skeletons animated from the pile of bones on the floor.
“Don’t let it breathe on you!” Astragard called out.
Thus warned, the group scattered with the main fighting force concentrating on the demon. Wise choice. In the next few seconds the skeletons started exploding. Tarquin’s phylactery seemed to be flashing a deeper blue and the cleric was concentrating fiercely. As he was doing this, skeletons were exploding. There was one exception. One of the undead had escaped the effect and had engaged Leo in combat. Finding himself in such an unusual position the wizard took out his staff and promptly smashed the thing to bits. It was the first being he had defeated in physical combat for years. It was an unusual feeling. In the real fight, the demon stood little chance while confronted by three hardy warriors; and so it proved as it was quickly dispatched with little damage to the group.
The group then approached the throne. Garric examined it and discovered after a time that it rotated into an opening behind it if enough weight was placed on the seat. After some discussion, the group put dead snakes on the seat, which activated the mechanism. Upon the rotation, there was a hiss of air and half a dozen thuds, as if missiles were striking the throne. More weight was placed on the seat and it was found that there were no more missiles. So the group used the secret mechanism and found themselves in a dark tunnel leading to what seemed to be a chamber with no ways out. Fortunately, Garric found a secret tunnel on the ceiling. After a quick discussion, Cho and Ramu climbed into the tunnel. Strangely, they passed some carvings of jaguars, spiders, eagles and scorpions which made them feel very unwell. Ramu then came to a plaster wall in the tunnel. He smashed it down and released a stone block, which started coming down the tunnel. Fortunately, both Ramu and Cho were able to run down the tunnel and jump down and out of the way of the hurtling block of stone. Had it caught them, it would have crushed them completely. They then made their way up the tunnel again and this time, they saw a room with four exits, which led to the outside wall of the pyramid and a large open stone sarcophagus. In it was a figure wrapped in cloth, with a primitive idol at its head, a helmet and a sceptre in its hand. This seemed to be the real tomb of Gutheron at last. Leo calculated that this was the exact centre of the pyramid.
The group prepared. Tarquin was able to dispel the strange weakness, lassitude and heavy headedness of the three fighters as they passed the strange unsettling carvings. They then entered into the room. Astragard, so close to his quarry after all these centuries, eagerly stepped towards the sarcophagus. He was followed by Garric whilst the warriors took watchful positions around the room. Both Garric and Astragard examined the inscriptions on carved on the sarcophagus. Suddenly four stone blocks hurtled out of the exits and uncannily stopped just beside the sarcophagus. With supernatural coolness, Astragard held his ground. He then stepped towards the primitive idol, grasped it, and exclaimed:
“Ah, Gutheron, you always were a fool!” He then drew his scimitar and disappeared.
With a despairing cry, the mummified figure sat up, clutching at empty air. It then swiftly rose up and attacked the nearest person, Garric. In his scramble over the stone blocks, poor Garric was not quite quick enough and the creature caught him with the merest of brushes of its hand. It was enough. The spot on Garric’s flesh turned black and the flesh seemed to deaden. At the same time, the Harmonic armour, previously in a sack carried by Tarquin, stood up on its own, trampled over the cleric and moved towards the centre of the room. Tarquin had had enough. He stood up, concentrated and felt the power from his phylactery. The effect on the creature was immediate. It wailed and ran away from the cleric and cowered against the far wall. The warriors made short work of it after that.
Leo felt exhilarated. They were standing outside the dune. Their job was done. The riches of the tomb was now theirs for the taking. The next day, they were going to go back inside and look for other things. Their only worry was Garric, who was looking very unwell. Leo hoped Tarquin would be able to do something about the problem.
It was not to be. When the others woke up the next morning, it was to find that Garric had gone during the night. Leo sighed. It would have been nice to get the rest of the loot but without someone to look for traps, it was too risky. Gutheron’s Tomb was famous for its deadly traps. Never mind, there was the Harmonic armour. Leo was sure Ulfius would pay a pretty penny for it. He suggested to the others that they transport themselves to Gaxmoor now with a view of selling the armour and sharing the money. They agreed.
Gutheron’s Tomb.
Hot wind blew accross the desert. The dizzying speed of the conjured horses was as intoxicating as ever. The group now consisted of Cho, Leo, Tarquin, Saphie, Sigurd and Astragard. The others had left to try to rescue the priestess in the Gorge of Osiris. So be it, that was their decision. Frankly Leo had had enough of deserts, sun, dust and heat. The ancient writers had made their experiences much more romantic than the reality. As soon as they had completed the investigation of the fabled tomb then he was going to try to convince the others to leave with him via a teleport spell back to Gaxmoor. Considering their past experiences in this land of Arypt, he couldn’t see them disagreeing.
Enough musing. It was getting towards dusk and their destination could finally be discerned in the distance. As they approached and slowed down Leo drew his breath. It was a most impressive sight. The time-worn remains of a sandstone path led to a large, tall sand dune. Looking out from beneath the sand was the stone sculpture of a human face. The sandstone had been blasted by hundreds of years of desert winds and sand. Yet a vaguely female visage could still be seen. To the right of the pavement were the remains of a colonnade while to the left there was a small pool next to which was a tent with a figure sitting outside.
Leo was disconcerted to find another person outside of the tomb. This place was deep in the Wastes of Gizen. People did not just camp outside the tomb for recreation. However, he kept his thoughts to himself.
Leo approached the figure slowly, making sure to let the other know he had no weapons.
“Greetings. My name is Leo and these are my colleagues. We are going to investigate this tomb. May we know what your purpose is?”
The figure looked human although, as it was veiled, it was difficult to confirm that.
The figure rose, made a strange hand greeting and answered in heavily accented common.
“Greetings. My name is Garric and I am here waiting for some companions who will be arriving soon.”
“Thank you”, answered Leo. “We will set up our camp over there.”
The figure bowed corteously.
The group soon set up their camp. They were going to sleep in their Rope Trick as usual so there was not need for tents but there was still a need for dinner. After dinner, Leo needed Astragard to do something. He hoped that it was going to be agreeable to their employer. However, before this could start there were more distractions. First, Petronius contacted Tarquin from Gaxmoor to let him know that Sigurd and Saphie were urgently needed in the city. Dovistar transported them back, but just before he did, Cho approached Sigurd and dropped a large sack of coins in his lap. Sigurd looked happy. Tarquin also asked that Red Ivy be transported to the desert in the morning to help boost the fighting power of the group. Then, in the distance, another figure could be seen approaching. Leo’s suspicions were aroused. Another lone rider in the Wastes of Gizen? At first he thought this was one of the companions that Garric had mentioned but the course that the figure had taken was clearly taking it towards the group. The figure approached the group and dismounted, making sure it kept his hands well away from the large scimitar it wore. It unveiled itself to reveal a very tall man, in clean Aryptian clothing. He seemed to wear authority like a cloak and his physique suggested he was a warrior.
“Greetings,” the newcomer called out. “My name is Ramu Khem and I seek adventure. May I join your encampment?”
Leo looked at the others. Everyone seemed bemused by the figure with the exception of Cho whose face was showing nothing as usual.
“Greetings,” answered Leo. “My name is Leo and these are my colleagues. We are about to investigate this tomb tomorrow.”
“May I join you,” asks the stranger. “I am a former member of the Order of Horus and a former warrior of the Pharaoh. I would be very useful for your expedition.”
Leo looked at the others. Most of them shrugged their shoulders. Leo thought about it. He wanted to say yes but he needed to test the stranger. Although he didn’t look like it, appearances could be deceiving and this could be a novice warrior who would killed in the first encounter. Leo had no wish to bear the fault of yet another death on his soul.
“We would be pleased to have you join us but before you do, we do need to see the extent of your expertise. Would you be so kind as to have a sparring match with my friend Cho.
Ramu did not look pleased but he stepped slightly away from the group to show he was ready. Cho joined him. The two faced each other in the desert dusk. Suddenly Ramu moved and for a few seconds the two combatants struck each other. Leo had not idea who was winning. The blows were so fast he couldn’t keep track of them. A few seconds later, they two stopped and bowed to each other. Cho had a small bruise on the side of her head. Ramu had fared slightly worse. He had a cut to his lip and another bruise to his cheekbone. Cho walked back to the group and nodded. Ramu came back to the camp where Tarquin attended to both combatants. Garric had left his tent and had approached to watch the sparring match. He watched with interest.
After it was over he turned to the group.
“To be truthful, and my apologies for the subterfuge, my companions are overdue. I would be grateful if I could join your expedition. I specialise in finding and disarming traps.”
Leo thanked providence. That was the one area where their group was very deficient.
“Garric, you would be most welcome!”
Dinner was served and after the meal, Leo turned to Astragard.
“Astragard, I would be grateful if you could now reveal details about yourself, your father and also the details of your last expedition to this tomb.”
Astragard looked at Leo, slightly ruefully but in the end he stood up albeit reluctantly. Leo had to gently probe several times but finally Astragard’s story was told.
“My name is Astragard and my father is Eldir, an outer planar entity associated with charm, suggestion and persuasion. My mother was a mage of some renown. I was born in the deserts Northwest of here and I am approximately 5000 years old. I have been seeking the statue of Akresh or Thunder in the Mountain for hundreds of years. My purpose for it is my own.
As regards my previous expedition, if we go to the colonnade, we will find alcoves filled with demonic statues. Behind the statue of the gremlin, there is a secret entrance, which leads to the burial chamber of Koram the original architect of this pyramid. When we came here last he attacked us in the form of a wraith but we managed to dissipate it although he did weaken me substantially. Beneath his sarcophagus is an opening leading to the interior of the pyramid. That is the way I suggest we go”.
With that, the air around the stout jolly red-bearded Astragard shimmered and another figure stood in its place. This figure was beautiful if totally androgynous. Its outer planar ancestry was immediately obvious.
Leo turned to the others. “Right, now you know as much as I. I want you all to be aware just who we are working for and what we are doing. If anyone wishes to leave the expedition, now is the time to do so”.
No one left although Ramu seemed to have difficulty in accepting Astragard. He muttered under his breath. Leo thought he could hear the words “demon” and “evil”. After some conversation, Ramu admitted he was still a member of the Order of Horus and that he had been sent to stop Astragard from doing “further evil”. Astragard looked exasperated but not very worried. Leo looked at the two strangers who had offered to join them so conveniently and thought. Then he made a decision. Astragard had taken care of himself for thousands of years. He was much better at it than Leo right now and no doubt would be in the future.
The night passed uneventfully and finally the group made ready to investigate Gutheron’s Tomb. Leo could hardly believe, after all the past events, that they were finally going to go inside. The initial stages of the investigation were as described by Astragard. The colonnade was old and impressive, full of alcoves with demonic statues with one exception: one showed a statue of Gutheron himself. Leo looked at the figure with interest. A tall powerful warrior in metal armour, a rarity for this land. Leo assumed this was the legendary Harmonic armour mentioned so many times by Astragard. Garric easily found the secret door behind the statue of the gremlin; Leo sighed with relief. It seemed their new companion knew what he was doing. At this point Leo cast his usual spells including the floating eyes, which had proved so useful in the past. Having done all that, the group then readied to enter the tomb proper. The first thing that Leo noticed was the darkness. It was like a darkness he had never seen before. Inky, a total absence of light, almost like a wall. Fortunately, the group was well provided with light sources. The group made their way through a narrow corridor, with Garric again proving very useful with his sharp eyed searching skills. There was a little bit of excitement along this corridor. Ramu stiffened and hissed.
“There is chaos nearby, a lot of it!”
Leo, who was next to him thought he saw a small goblin like creature slinking in the shadows. The creature realised it had been discovered and quickly ran around the corner.
“Astragard, there seems to be a goblin around here. Is there such a thing as a desert tomb goblin?” Leo called forward, a bit facetiously.
Astragard called back. “ That’s not a goblin. That’s a gremlin. They are a pest. Get rid of it if you can. They are said to be very unlucky.”
Leo scowled. He had never heard of gremlins. He started stalking this one although it was Ramu who actually found it. With his chaos sensing ability, the creature couldn’t hide. When it tried to run away, bolts of force shot from Leo’s fingers and the creature was no more. Sensing chaos could be most useful; Leo filed that fact away for later use.
The group then resumed on their way. First they entered the chamber of Koram the former wraith. A desiccated corpse lay on the ground. Astragard kicked it a couple of times in a gesture of contempt. The chamber itself was quite bare although the sarcophagus was elaborately carved. On Astragard’s instructions it was moved, revealing an opening down into the tomb. If anything, the darkness was even greater there. As usual, Leo sent his flying eyes just to the edge of the light, so that he could avert any unpleasant surprises if possible. Then, using a rope, the group dropped down one by one. The first part of the journey was simple. The main corridor was decorated with the paintings of a funeral procession and split into two branches. One branch led to a series of alcoves, which had a collection of offerings in each one. These were ignored. The main purpose at the moment was to get to the main tomb to gain the idol and maybe the armour. The other branch led into an odd chamber. First, it was illuminated, the first light that Leo had seen in this place. On the floor was a pentagram, inside of which there was a bell, engraved with religious symbols pertaining to the sun. In the ceiling was a small shaft and in the far wall, a corridor led away into the complex. Further investigation by the flying eyes showed the shaft led to two large crystals, which were in a position to serve as “eyes” for the large face outside. The corridor was lined with mirrors and led to a door at its end. A certain amount of discussion ensued. Obviously, something was supposed to be done with the equipment provided but no one knew what. Finally, after some thought and also a wait for the sun to hit the crystals and illuminate the bell, it was decided that the group was going into the corridor and devil take the hindmost. As Cho and Garrick advanced into the corridor, three shapes seemingly made out of shadows came from the mirrored walls and attacked them. Astragard had warned the group that these creatures were acting as guardians. They were demons, not hugely magical but very strong and fast. Garric, wisely, managed to get out of there, leaving Cho in combat with all three. The Westerner was in her element, striking fast and seamlessly into the creatures. They may have looked as if they were made out of shadow but they seemed solid enough to hit. Soon, Cho had spell support coming in and finally, although the fight was tough, the group triumphed and the creatures were sent back to whatever plane of the abyss they came from.
Having finished them off, the group moved down the corridor. As they approached the main door, Garric looked strangely at one mirror but then shook his head and moved on. Then, everyone could hear a hissing noise from behind the main door. It was as if there were thousands of snakes. This was impossible of course. How could the creatures get into a chamber in a tomb that was deep underground and had been sealed hundreds of years ago. No lock could be seen on the door. Garric still seemed to be fascinated by a section of a wall and while the group was discussing what to do next, he exclaimed and unearthed a secret door. Since the secret door was easier to deal with than a door with no lock the group got ready to open it. The door was opened to reveal a small room more than half wreathed in a peculiar smoke or vapour. Leo sent his eyes in there and he could discern a large crevasse and beyond it a small ledge that on which stood a large set of armour which was carved in strange runes and arcane symbols. At the same time, Leo felt as if something was trying to attack him through the eyes. He withdrew them rapidly. There was great excitement in the group. This must be the legendary Harmonic armour. The chasm was a bit of an obstacle until Leo calculated that one of the functions of his ring could create a bridge across. This was quickly done. It was a bit surprising. Not only was it a stone bridge, it also had walls and buttresses. Most impressive. Cho and Ramu went across. All the time they felt as if they were being attacked by something but couldn’t see what. However, the attacks were unsuccessful and the precious armour was collected. Astragard then remarked that the helm did not seem to be there. Many of the armour’s powers were effective only when it was complete. He said that it was most likely that the helm was with Gutheron as a deterrent to robbers.
This left the main door. Since there was no lock Leo had to use magic to open it. The room beyond was quite large with a sarcophagus in the middle. It was also nightmarish. Thousands upon thousands of snakes writhed on the floor, the walls, the rafters, everywhere. There wasn’t and inch of floor that was not covered by a sinuous reptile.
In the brief instant before the door was closed, Garric reported that one of the stone blocks in the ceiling was jutting out slightly from the wall. Apart from that, there seemed to be no obvious exits from the chamber. A discussion was held and at this point, Astragard mentioned that he could summon a fire elemental to burn the snakes. He promptly did so. He also summoned a small repulsive little demon to help him locate his idol. The demon promptly pointed towards the wall with the stone block that was out of place. There were still a few snakes left but Leo cleared those with a useful wand. The group decided to leave this sarcophagus for the moment and they managed to lever the stone block out of the wall. It fell out to reveal a tunnel going into the darkness.
The group organised itself and everyone climbed into the tunnel. With the help of the flying eyes, the group knew that the tunnel led into a large chamber. The floor of this chamber was completely covered in human bones. The unfortunate builders of this structure was what Leo surmised. The far side of the room had a dais upon which sat an elaborate throne. The group was experienced enough to realise that it was likely the undead were going to animate out of the bones. They just didn’t know what else was going to appear. So, cautiously they entered into the room. Immediately, mist appeared and a demon materialised. A foul thing with the head of a fly, moldering wings and runnels of flesh peeling from its body. At the same time, two dozen skeletons animated from the pile of bones on the floor.
“Don’t let it breathe on you!” Astragard called out.
Thus warned, the group scattered with the main fighting force concentrating on the demon. Wise choice. In the next few seconds the skeletons started exploding. Tarquin’s phylactery seemed to be flashing a deeper blue and the cleric was concentrating fiercely. As he was doing this, skeletons were exploding. There was one exception. One of the undead had escaped the effect and had engaged Leo in combat. Finding himself in such an unusual position the wizard took out his staff and promptly smashed the thing to bits. It was the first being he had defeated in physical combat for years. It was an unusual feeling. In the real fight, the demon stood little chance while confronted by three hardy warriors; and so it proved as it was quickly dispatched with little damage to the group.
The group then approached the throne. Garric examined it and discovered after a time that it rotated into an opening behind it if enough weight was placed on the seat. After some discussion, the group put dead snakes on the seat, which activated the mechanism. Upon the rotation, there was a hiss of air and half a dozen thuds, as if missiles were striking the throne. More weight was placed on the seat and it was found that there were no more missiles. So the group used the secret mechanism and found themselves in a dark tunnel leading to what seemed to be a chamber with no ways out. Fortunately, Garric found a secret tunnel on the ceiling. After a quick discussion, Cho and Ramu climbed into the tunnel. Strangely, they passed some carvings of jaguars, spiders, eagles and scorpions which made them feel very unwell. Ramu then came to a plaster wall in the tunnel. He smashed it down and released a stone block, which started coming down the tunnel. Fortunately, both Ramu and Cho were able to run down the tunnel and jump down and out of the way of the hurtling block of stone. Had it caught them, it would have crushed them completely. They then made their way up the tunnel again and this time, they saw a room with four exits, which led to the outside wall of the pyramid and a large open stone sarcophagus. In it was a figure wrapped in cloth, with a primitive idol at its head, a helmet and a sceptre in its hand. This seemed to be the real tomb of Gutheron at last. Leo calculated that this was the exact centre of the pyramid.
The group prepared. Tarquin was able to dispel the strange weakness, lassitude and heavy headedness of the three fighters as they passed the strange unsettling carvings. They then entered into the room. Astragard, so close to his quarry after all these centuries, eagerly stepped towards the sarcophagus. He was followed by Garric whilst the warriors took watchful positions around the room. Both Garric and Astragard examined the inscriptions on carved on the sarcophagus. Suddenly four stone blocks hurtled out of the exits and uncannily stopped just beside the sarcophagus. With supernatural coolness, Astragard held his ground. He then stepped towards the primitive idol, grasped it, and exclaimed:
“Ah, Gutheron, you always were a fool!” He then drew his scimitar and disappeared.
With a despairing cry, the mummified figure sat up, clutching at empty air. It then swiftly rose up and attacked the nearest person, Garric. In his scramble over the stone blocks, poor Garric was not quite quick enough and the creature caught him with the merest of brushes of its hand. It was enough. The spot on Garric’s flesh turned black and the flesh seemed to deaden. At the same time, the Harmonic armour, previously in a sack carried by Tarquin, stood up on its own, trampled over the cleric and moved towards the centre of the room. Tarquin had had enough. He stood up, concentrated and felt the power from his phylactery. The effect on the creature was immediate. It wailed and ran away from the cleric and cowered against the far wall. The warriors made short work of it after that.
Leo felt exhilarated. They were standing outside the dune. Their job was done. The riches of the tomb was now theirs for the taking. The next day, they were going to go back inside and look for other things. Their only worry was Garric, who was looking very unwell. Leo hoped Tarquin would be able to do something about the problem.
It was not to be. When the others woke up the next morning, it was to find that Garric had gone during the night. Leo sighed. It would have been nice to get the rest of the loot but without someone to look for traps, it was too risky. Gutheron’s Tomb was famous for its deadly traps. Never mind, there was the Harmonic armour. Leo was sure Ulfius would pay a pretty penny for it. He suggested to the others that they transport themselves to Gaxmoor now with a view of selling the armour and sharing the money. They agreed.
