Spiders of the Abyss

As the shadow elf is points up at a canted rectangular opening that rather looks like a doorway on the far wall, illuminated by yellow crystals growing from the rock, the halfling is bobbing up and down nearby, trying to get the attention of the shadow elf and dwarf, without intruding on their conversation or being accused of eavesdropping.

If they deign to notice him and allow him to speak his part, he'll whisper to the two of them.

There were three drow killed in this chamber, so a quick looting of the bodies would yield three sets of gear (packs, armor, clothes, weapons, etc.), and 8 days worth of dried rations, and a total of 23 copper, 16 silver and 13 gold.

Galingal looks at the halfling.

"How do we know we can trust a halfling?" Galingal asks. "Will see if any treasure first then decide."

Perception : 17

Petmailer looks back down the passageway that he came from, listening for a second, his hand goes up to his bow for a moment, he says “A moment.  Just to make sure.  Stay here please, I know their search patterns.”  He walks down the passageway for 2-3 min tops, then returns, more relaxed.  “Nothing.  Thought I heard something.”  He readies his newly found equipment and makes himself ready to travel.  

Stena's jaw tightens as she watches the drow just wander off. She looks over to Neth to see if he wants to wander off as well, and is doubtlessly disappointed.

She'll pass a claimed short sword to the as yet unnamed halfling and says to motivate him,

"If yer fast we can leave the drow behind and ye won't have to worry about splitting anything."

She is more than mildly disappointed when Petmailer comes back before they can get far, and doesn't acknowledge his return.

Once back up on the ledge, Galingal nods at the entrance way then asks the halfling.

"What's through there?"

(He will have scooped up the extra rations and the coins for safe keeping before Jimjar can get his hands on them, unless the group wants to divide them up now).

"You can trust THIS halfling, because he knows where the tomb is!", Fargas excitedly hisses at Galingal.

The drow wanders off down the tunnel for a few minutes as the rest of the party congregates and finishes stripping the drow corpses. Neth sees Stena looking at him as he rubs away at some of the blood staining the shirt. He gives her a crooked smile and maintains unblinking eye contact until it's broken momentarily by him pulling the shirt over his head.

Fargas accepts the shortsword from Stena, juggling it and the hand crossbow and scimitar, before putting them down so he can strap the scabbarded weapon to his side.

The pearlescent young woman approaches Petmailer when he returns, "Hello, I'm Lia... you said you knew Sarith? He traveled with us, for a while... we got separated from him when Sloobludop fell. Him and the others... Lex, Stool, Thom, Shuushar... I'm writing a song about all of those we lost track of... but I haven't been practicing much. You said you were imprisoned with him? Was that in Velkynvelve too? Why'd they bring you all this way?"

She has a distracted air about here, asking questions without waiting for a response. Petmailer gets the sense that she's talking as much for herself as to him. "You said your name was Petmailer Nialo? Am I pronouncing that correctly? Like I said, I'm Lia, you met Stena and Galingal...", she says, pointing at the dour dwarf and surly shadar-kai. "That's Neth, and Kolose, and Jimjar, and Yuk Yuk and Spiderbait, and Fargas.", she continues, pointing in turn at the strange bald blue tiefling, the elderly human who is leaning against a crystal, catching his breath after a not too difficult seeming descent from the ledge above, the deep gnome, the short goblin and the taller, sleepy looking goblin, and finally the eager looking halfling with two swords and a hand crossbow.

Galingal asks Fargas what is through the angled doorway above them, set into the wall opposite the ledge they descended from.

"If my map and research is right, that, my dear fellow is the Lost Tomb of Khaem!"

((Party NPC visual references.))

Stena ignores Lia's ratting them out and waves the halfing on,

"Go on then."

Once Fargas enters the 'tomb', Galingal waits a moment at the entrance, listening and looking for danger inside.

Perception: 13  (Passive 16)

The wall is pretty climbable, and the halfling scales it easily, securing one end of a rope and dropping it down as he takes his glowing pebble from Lia and ventures through the doorway.

He's gone for a few moments, before coming back and peering over the edge.

"The tunnel goes on a ways, but then it intersects with natural rock, and levels out. Hopefully it connects with part of the tomb structure itself, and we don't have to find another way in. I'm going onward!"

He turns and disappears, the glow of his light fading into the yellowish glow of the crystals in the chamber you're in.

((No check needed to climb the rope up to the doorway and follow, if you are doing so.))

In the entrance, Galingal listens... he hears a drip of water, the patter of halfling feet, but nothing that is of immediate concern. The halfling is still alive. He does notice that there are crystal growths here too, though they are shifting from yellow to pink and purple.

((Playing around with a new VTT, Talespire. Unfortunately, doesn't seem to allow (or I can't find) how to put visible labels on the minis.))

Stena gestures for the Drow to ascend after Gal before following herself. She'll say to the others,

"Aye'll call you up if it is clear."

Once up she will stay in the dark, if possible, and watch for danger from the tomb. Once Gal signals it is clear she'll call down for the rest.

Quote from Spiderwrangler >>

"You can trust THIS halfling, because he knows where the tomb is!", Fargas excitedly hisses at Galingal.

The drow wanders off down the tunnel for a few minutes as the rest of the party congregates and finishes stripping the drow corpses. Neth sees Stena looking at him as he rubs away at some of the blood staining the shirt. He gives her a crooked smile and maintains unblinking eye contact until it's broken momentarily by him pulling the shirt over his head.

Fargas accepts the shortsword from Stena, juggling it and the hand crossbow and scimitar, before putting them down so he can strap the scabbarded weapon to his side.

The pearlescent young woman approaches Petmailer when he returns, "Hello, I'm Lia... you said you knew Sarith? He traveled with us, for a while... we got separated from him when Sloobludop fell. Him and the others... Lex, Stool, Thom, Shuushar... I'm writing a song about all of those we lost track of... but I haven't been practicing much. You said you were imprisoned with him? Was that in Velkynvelve too? Why'd they bring you all this way?"

She has a distracted air about here, asking questions without waiting for a response. Petmailer gets the sense that she's talking as much for herself as to him. "You said your name was Petmailer Nialo? Am I pronouncing that correctly? Like I said, I'm Lia, you met Stena and Galingal...", she says, pointing at the dour dwarf and surly shadar-kai. "That's Neth, and Kolose, and Jimjar, and Yuk Yuk and Spiderbait, and Fargas.", she continues, pointing in turn at the strange bald blue tiefling, the elderly human who is leaning against a crystal, catching his breath after a not too difficult seeming descent from the ledge above, the deep gnome, the short goblin and the taller, sleepy looking goblin, and finally the eager looking halfling with two swords and a hand crossbow.

 

“Hello Lia, yes I knew Sarith, but for a brief time.  I was a prisoner in Velkynvelve too, kept in a special area that they had for “traitors.”  I met him one day on work duty, and we would chat briefly when we could.  How I arrived there… that’s quite a tale, perhaps for another time.  I would usually patrol in the Fardrimm, and … something happened. I’ll tell you another time.  They were marching me toward Menzoberranzan.  I shudder to think of what would have happened to me there.  I managed to escape and I’ve been able to give them the slip, because I know their ways.  Like I said, I’ll tell you more, when the time is right.  Let’s see what is ahead…”. He waves to everyone when introduced, saying “Petmailer Nailo, hello.”  Petmailer looks up and says out loud, “The Lost Tomb of Khaem?”  He will ascend after Galingal as directed, his eyes scanning the darkness, listening carefully.

Petmailer climbs up the rope after Galingal when instructed by Stena, finding himself in a worked stone tunnel canted at an odd angle that soon intersects with more natural, unworked rock that extends onward. There are purplish pink crystals dotting the walls, providing patches of dim light in the otherwise dark tunnel, but he has no trouble keeping up with the shadow elf and halfling in front of him.

Stena waits by the entrance, waiting for the okay from Galingal.

Further ahead, Fargas and his light scamper ahead of Galingal, and the halfling gives an exclamation of surprise, that Galingal soon learns is delight. "Look, the rest of the ruins, door! It must be through the other side, give me a hand!" 

He braces against the door, shoving at them to try to get them to open.

Athletics: 17

Galingal looks back the others and shrugs. 

"No point being quiet," Galingal says. "Halfling is very noisy. Looks clear."

He then follows in to see what Fargas is excited about.

At the doors, Galingal looks for a lock or release mechanism or something that will allow the doors to move freely without having to brute force them (Perception 21  )

The rest of the group clambers up, Jimjar drawing the rope up after and coiling it neatly. Ahead of him, Neth and Lia walk side by side, with the pair of goblins and Kolose ahead of them. Further up, Stena catches up with the drow, Galingal and the halfling, and watches this Petmailer fellow carefully from a darkened recess between patches of glowing crystal.

Galingal can tell that the door has not been opened in a long while, and thinks that things may just be binding, especially if this tomb plummeted from the sky as the halfling claims. 

(I should probably look for a proper fitting picture for Kolose... Sometime.)

Kolose seems more intrigued by the architecture and hopefully finding some scripts or something of the kind, as if the man's mind is only now realizing that experiencing things firsthand can be far more enlightening than dusty old tomes. Still, he let's out a word of warning.

"Be careful now, who knows what kind of ancient traps this place may hold!"

((Kolose, if you didn't try a history check when Fargas was first talking about the tomb, you can now. You're feeling much better after your long rest, not nearly as exhausted.))

History: 22

Stena remains watchful from the dark, leaving the opening to the halfling and Gal.

Kolose:

"Oh, good looking out." Fargas inspects the heavy door and its bronze cladding turned green with age. 

Investigation: 6

Satisfied, he shoves at the door again, but it won't budge under his efforts. He thumps a fist against it.

A soft feminine voice sounds out in each of your minds suddenly, faint and distant. <Hello? Is someone there... ? Oh please, I need your help! I have been trapped in the dark for so long... so very long. Please, won't you help to free me?>