You call upon your own memory, T'bitha, trying to recall anything you can on what you've read about the crypt and specifically this Ambriel character.
T'bitha
You've only ever found and read the first and second hand accounts on the crypt itself, while inside Ozemon's library, and that it belonged to an extremely powerful practitioner of blood magic. The journals didn't even mention the name Ambriel. Now that you think of it though, there was a small section in one journal that had some notes jotted down about a celestial, but since none of the other journals mentioned it, you and Ozemon waived it off as another false rumor.
Hadi, the column is ornate in design like the rest of the mausoleum, but there are no markings or engravings on it. The only thing out of place are the three fairly well hidden buttons Tristan had noticed that you're now observing. Would you like to push one?
Khessa retreats, taking cover behind one of the columns: "Dimitri is our trap expert, isn't he? So, if you ask me, I'd like to have advice from him on how to handle this. But if we prefer to experiment at random... I suggest at least to take cover and be ready for everything".
This post has potentially manipulated dice roll results.
"I would think the mage is the one with magic eyes that can see all the traps around us." Dimitri gestured at Hadi sardonically, but pulled out a slender, long tool box out. He picked out two thin and sharp metal rods, then he felt the edges of the buttons slowly in the air, connecting telekinetically to the controls. "Let's pick them and see where they lead to. If this doesn't work, how about we just leave them alone?"
Dimitri, you manage to just barely pop this button out of the column it was hidden in. It's a decent sized button, about an inch and a half in diameter made of marble, so it is rather hefty. The back of the button has a small iron plate on the back of it with a small loop connected to it. There is a metal rod now hanging free that appears to have been connected to the button, but when you pulled it out, it came free. Inside the column is a cluster of gears and rods. None of them moving. It seems whether to button is connected to a trap or something else, it's of a mechanical nature.
Unfortunately, the rod goes back past the initial couple lines of gears, disappearing into the mess of metal in the column.
The other two buttons are still in the column however, and could be used. You might be able to push the metal rod back, as if pushing the button, but otherwise, button three is out of order.
"Well," Dimitri picks up the small rod with his gloved left hand. "Looks like whatever they were connected to, they aren't anymore."
Can he tell what the buttons were connected to? Investigation: 6
Watching the trap specialist apparently puzzled, Khessa comes back and tries to help: "Oh, well Dimitri, I do not understand much of mechanical things, but... just guessing from what I can see... maybe the rod was connected to this... 'thing' ? (Forgive me the non-technical terms). It seems in the proper position... Even if I do not have the slightest idea of what this is... What do you think? Can you come to some conclusion? Or it is a hopeless mess?"
She also tries to keep her blade in a position where its light can grant a better vision of the mess of metal in the column.
(OOC: She is trying help Dimitri and give him advantage on his Investigation check)
The tall arcane warrior anyway reflects aloud: "Since the buttons were concelead, I suppose that at least one of them should be safe and useful... Should all of them be a trap, what would be the point in hiding them, so that an intruder might miss them and go on undisturbed? Maybe one of the buttons is safe and the other two are traps (so even if an intruder spots the buttons, he has good chances to get killed)... or maybe all of them have some use. I don't think they should all be traps".
T’bitha pays no mind as everyone is seemingly enthralled at whatever contraption they are looking at on the column. She cautiously descends down the stairs to get a better sense if the crypt was built or if it descends into caverns.
T'bitha, you descend the spiral staircase, upon reaching the bottom, you're greeted with another small room.
T'bitha (and anyone who follows her down the staircase, ignoring the buttons)
As you reach the base of the stairs and the room below, you're greeted with a few different scenes in one small room. The most imminent being a series of steel spears jutting out of the ground. Impaled on one of them is the slowly decaying body of a humanoid, a scimitar laying on the ground, as if it had been dropped. He's wearing your standard traveler's clothing with a satchel at his side and a leather map case hung over his shoulder. With the amount of decay visible, and some bone, it's safe to assume he's been here for quite a while now. After looking pass this mass of spears, two new scenes take in your eye. One a beautiful gold and marble sarcophagus, the other a marble altar with a humanoid laying atop it. It's difficult to get more detail from your position.
(OOC: If Dimitri would like to make another investigation check, due to the aidKhessa is providing, you can do so.)
Leaving Dimitri and Khessa to work on the buttons, Hadi follows T'bitha down the stairs. Seeing the body slowly rotting away he wrinkles his nose at the smell and says, "Is that someone else Ozemon sent to investigate? I'm a bit surprised that anyone was here so recently. I also wonder how they avoided the watchers above."
The tall arcane warrior anyway reflects aloud: "Since the buttons were concelead, I suppose that at least one of them should be safe and useful... Should all of them be a trap, what would be the point in hiding them, so that an intruder might miss them and go on undisturbed? Maybe one of the buttons is safe and the other two are traps (so even if an intruder spots the buttons, he has good chances to get killed)... or maybe all of them have some use. I don't think they should all be traps".
Dimitri stepped away a little to make room for the blonde warrior to take a look at the button, so they didn't both press their faces together. "They aren't necessary traps, but they could activate something we don't understand. Maybe it's some sort of alarm, or maybe it closes the crypt door and we wouldn't know how to open it." He's inclined to leave the buttons alone, and he turned to glance at the others already stepping down stairs. He made a gesture. "Shall we keep up?"
Even with a 12, it's difficult to say for certain what these buttons would do. You do know that they activate the gears in the column, however. Because as you messed with the metal rod, pulling or pushing ever so slightly, the gears would react in kind. Never enough for anything to happen though.
Leaving Dimitri and Khessa to work on the buttons, Hadi follows T'bitha down the stairs. Seeing the body slowly rotting away he wrinkles his nose at the smell and says, "Is that someone else Ozemon sent to investigate? I'm a bit surprised that anyone was here so recently. I also wonder how they avoided the watchers above."
“No. Ozemon only started actively searching for the urn about a year ago. We are the first individuals he has sent out to seek the urn. Judging by the corpse, it seems that maybe someone else was looking for the same urn or just a random grave robber. Hadi, look. That body has a map case on his person. I’m curious to see what’s inside, if anything at all. Do you think these spears are still active?”
T’bitha cautiously approaches the corpse and attempts to remove the map case from the body.
You can't actually walk up to the body, because it's somewhere near the center of this circle of spikes that run from the ground to the ceiling of this room. But you do reach into the spears, finding grip on the leather case on his back, you pull and continue to pull until it comes loose, taking the corpse's decaying arm with it. The arm falls to the ground, but T'bitha, you do manage to pull the map case free.
(OOC: I'll consider the map case sealed, until you say that you open it)
Dimitri stepped away a little to make room for the blonde warrior to take a look at the button, so they didn't both press their faces together. "They aren't necessary traps, but they could activate something we don't understand. Maybe it's some sort of alarm, or maybe it closes the crypt door and we wouldn't know how to open it." He's inclined to leave the buttons alone, and he turned to glance at the others already stepping down stairs. He made a gesture. "Shall we keep up?"
"Ok" Khessa agrees "let's go with the others. Should we get stuck, we'll know we have these buttons to try"
Tristan nods in agreement "Be careful for traps, the people that built this place did not want people entering nor leaving."
Relighting his sword, Tristan takes up position in the back of the group, watching for anything that might come down after him. And so it begins. Everything about this bodes ill.
You call upon your own memory, T'bitha, trying to recall anything you can on what you've read about the crypt and specifically this Ambriel character.
T'bitha
You've only ever found and read the first and second hand accounts on the crypt itself, while inside Ozemon's library, and that it belonged to an extremely powerful practitioner of blood magic. The journals didn't even mention the name Ambriel. Now that you think of it though, there was a small section in one journal that had some notes jotted down about a celestial, but since none of the other journals mentioned it, you and Ozemon waived it off as another false rumor.
Walking up to the control, Hadi says, “Let’s see what we can find here then eh?” And tries to give it a closer look ((investigation 22))
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Hadi, the column is ornate in design like the rest of the mausoleum, but there are no markings or engravings on it. The only thing out of place are the three fairly well hidden buttons Tristan had noticed that you're now observing. Would you like to push one?
“Shall we?” Hadi says, conjuring his arcane hand to hover over button 3 as he takes a step back and looks to the others.
if there are no objections he’ll push it~ buttons are made to be pushed after all :D
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Khessa retreats, taking cover behind one of the columns: "Dimitri is our trap expert, isn't he? So, if you ask me, I'd like to have advice from him on how to handle this. But if we prefer to experiment at random... I suggest at least to take cover and be ready for everything".
"I would think the mage is the one with magic eyes that can see all the traps around us." Dimitri gestured at Hadi sardonically, but pulled out a slender, long tool box out. He picked out two thin and sharp metal rods, then he felt the edges of the buttons slowly in the air, connecting telekinetically to the controls. "Let's pick them and see where they lead to. If this doesn't work, how about we just leave them alone?"
Thieve's Tools: 12 if Sleight of Hand +2
Dimitri, you manage to just barely pop this button out of the column it was hidden in. It's a decent sized button, about an inch and a half in diameter made of marble, so it is rather hefty. The back of the button has a small iron plate on the back of it with a small loop connected to it. There is a metal rod now hanging free that appears to have been connected to the button, but when you pulled it out, it came free. Inside the column is a cluster of gears and rods. None of them moving. It seems whether to button is connected to a trap or something else, it's of a mechanical nature.
"Well," Dimitri picks up the small rod with his gloved left hand. "Looks like whatever they were connected to, they aren't anymore."
Can he tell what the buttons were connected to? Investigation: 6
Unfortunately, the rod goes back past the initial couple lines of gears, disappearing into the mess of metal in the column.
The other two buttons are still in the column however, and could be used. You might be able to push the metal rod back, as if pushing the button, but otherwise, button three is out of order.
Watching the trap specialist apparently puzzled, Khessa comes back and tries to help: "Oh, well Dimitri, I do not understand much of mechanical things, but... just guessing from what I can see... maybe the rod was connected to this... 'thing' ? (Forgive me the non-technical terms). It seems in the proper position... Even if I do not have the slightest idea of what this is... What do you think? Can you come to some conclusion? Or it is a hopeless mess?"
She also tries to keep her blade in a position where its light can grant a better vision of the mess of metal in the column.
(OOC: She is trying help Dimitri and give him advantage on his Investigation check)
The tall arcane warrior anyway reflects aloud: "Since the buttons were concelead, I suppose that at least one of them should be safe and useful... Should all of them be a trap, what would be the point in hiding them, so that an intruder might miss them and go on undisturbed? Maybe one of the buttons is safe and the other two are traps (so even if an intruder spots the buttons, he has good chances to get killed)... or maybe all of them have some use. I don't think they should all be traps".
T’bitha pays no mind as everyone is seemingly enthralled at whatever contraption they are looking at on the column. She cautiously descends down the stairs to get a better sense if the crypt was built or if it descends into caverns.
T'bitha, you descend the spiral staircase, upon reaching the bottom, you're greeted with another small room.
T'bitha (and anyone who follows her down the staircase, ignoring the buttons)
As you reach the base of the stairs and the room below, you're greeted with a few different scenes in one small room. The most imminent being a series of steel spears jutting out of the ground. Impaled on one of them is the slowly decaying body of a humanoid, a scimitar laying on the ground, as if it had been dropped. He's wearing your standard traveler's clothing with a satchel at his side and a leather map case hung over his shoulder. With the amount of decay visible, and some bone, it's safe to assume he's been here for quite a while now. After looking pass this mass of spears, two new scenes take in your eye. One a beautiful gold and marble sarcophagus, the other a marble altar with a humanoid laying atop it. It's difficult to get more detail from your position.
(OOC: If Dimitri would like to make another investigation check, due to the aid Khessa is providing, you can do so.)
Leaving Dimitri and Khessa to work on the buttons, Hadi follows T'bitha down the stairs. Seeing the body slowly rotting away he wrinkles his nose at the smell and says, "Is that someone else Ozemon sent to investigate? I'm a bit surprised that anyone was here so recently. I also wonder how they avoided the watchers above."
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
Investigation (2nd try): 18
Dimitri stepped away a little to make room for the blonde warrior to take a look at the button, so they didn't both press their faces together. "They aren't necessary traps, but they could activate something we don't understand. Maybe it's some sort of alarm, or maybe it closes the crypt door and we wouldn't know how to open it." He's inclined to leave the buttons alone, and he turned to glance at the others already stepping down stairs. He made a gesture. "Shall we keep up?"
Even with a 12, it's difficult to say for certain what these buttons would do. You do know that they activate the gears in the column, however. Because as you messed with the metal rod, pulling or pushing ever so slightly, the gears would react in kind. Never enough for anything to happen though.
“No. Ozemon only started actively searching for the urn about a year ago. We are the first individuals he has sent out to seek the urn. Judging by the corpse, it seems that maybe someone else was looking for the same urn or just a random grave robber. Hadi, look. That body has a map case on his person. I’m curious to see what’s inside, if anything at all. Do you think these spears are still active?”
T’bitha cautiously approaches the corpse and attempts to remove the map case from the body.
You can't actually walk up to the body, because it's somewhere near the center of this circle of spikes that run from the ground to the ceiling of this room. But you do reach into the spears, finding grip on the leather case on his back, you pull and continue to pull until it comes loose, taking the corpse's decaying arm with it. The arm falls to the ground, but T'bitha, you do manage to pull the map case free.
(OOC: I'll consider the map case sealed, until you say that you open it)
"Well let's see what they knew." Hadi says, sending his Mage Hand over to pluck the map case from the body to bring it back.
PbP 🎲: Tyekanik; Moneo Noree; Korba Muris; & occasional DM:
"Ok" Khessa agrees "let's go with the others. Should we get stuck, we'll know we have these buttons to try"
And she joins the others downstairs.
Tristan nods in agreement "Be careful for traps, the people that built this place did not want people entering nor leaving."
Relighting his sword, Tristan takes up position in the back of the group, watching for anything that might come down after him. And so it begins. Everything about this bodes ill.
“I will take responsibility for what I have done. [...] If must fall, I will rise each time a better man.” ― Brandon Sanderson, Oathbringer.