As Merry cautiously progresses down this latest tunnel, he can appreciate a faint yellow light ahead. Nearing the end of the tunnel, you pause as you can see that the next room has something new: an occupant.
A large feline creature sits regally on its haunches in the middle of this next apparently octagonal room. A large feline creature sits regally- except it has a human face, a beautiful woman with a stern expression, mouth bent in a frown, forehead slightly wrinkled. She ? gazes straight ahead, perhaps not noticing you yet. Her body is that of a lion, powerfully built, sitting back on its haunches, front legs straight down in a calm pose. It is she who is glowing softly with a yellow light. You also notice that she is breathing quite deeply, with looong inhalations and then equally looong slow exhalations, and you get the distinct impression that the breeze and scent is coming from this deep breathing.
Merry sneaks back and informs everyone about his find, adding his opinion, "I think we don't have much options. And if an archdevil of Baator would await us there, eventually we must face the only way out of this mess." Unless someone stops him with a better idea, he'd return and approaches the strange creature openly. (How big is it anyway?)
Merle looks at this new creature and back towards the statues... "So that looks an awful like one of those statues back there right? Perhaps it's tied to the statues and we shoukd leave someone at the statues to bang on it to see if it hurts the thing if it turns hostile? And if it's friends then we have someone watch the statues for oddities." He ponders which place he would rather be, alone with the statues and have to walk back all that way...
Interested in how approaching a sleeping lion will turn out Aulderoot simply tries to recall anything about such a creature.
Religion 20 (d20 roll was 17)
You suspect this creature to be a sphinx, an inscrutable being of high intelligence that deals in riddles and mystery. Not known to be overtly violent, yet can ably defend itself or punish those who disrespect it. Usually they have wings though.
Merry sneaks back and informs everyone about his find, adding his opinion, "I think we don't have much options. And if an archdevil of Baator would await us there, eventually we must face the only way out of this mess." Unless someone stops him with a better idea, he'd return and approaches the strange creature openly. (How big is it anyway?)
Taking a closer look, Merry notices several more things:
The creature is large, even in sitting position it is taller than a tall man. With its athletic appearance, you’d hate to get on its bad side.
There appears to be yet another archway and passage at the far end of the room, behind the creature.
Each corner of this room is occupied by what appears to be an upright sarcophagus. The details are obscured by shadows as the light from the creature is not very bright or penetrating, but that was your first impression and now you can’t unsee it.
Merle looks at this new creature and back towards the statues... "So that looks an awful like one of those statues back there right? Perhaps it's tied to the statues and we shoukd leave someone at the statues to bang on it to see if it hurts the thing if it turns hostile? And if it's friends then we have someone watch the statues for oddities." He ponders which place he would rather be, alone with the statues and have to walk back all that way...
Walking to the previous room with the statues is a matter of only 100 feet.
Merry’s gaze lingers uneasily on the shadow‑draped sarcophagi, then drifts to the regal creature whose quiet glow paints ripples of amber across the stone floor. He straightens his posture, lays a calming hand on Bernard’s collar, and advances with measured, unthreatening steps. Stopping a respectful distance away, he bows his head just enough to honor a being of evident power. “Greetings, wise one,” he offers in a low, steady voice. “May the day find you well. My companions and I awoke in these halls with our memories veiled and our purpose unclear. If you know why we have been guided—or confined—here, we would be grateful for your insight.”
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
Traveling for work on 22/05 - might be unable to post today.
You suspect this creature to be a sphinx, an inscrutable being of high intelligence that deals in riddles and mystery. Not known to be overtly violent, yet can ably defend itself or punish those who disrespect it. Usually they have wings though.
Memories shift and flow as images of sphinx come into Aulderoot’s mind. Guardians in many religious texts. ‘Sitting at a desk with a beautiful woman across from him discussing a pyramid, an enormous cyclops and sphinx statue bowing toward the structure…’
Leif in his mind he hears the name whispered a young gnome singing in a large temple, was this him?
Aulderoot shakes his head as his colleagues approach the sphinx.
Merry... “Greetings, wise one,” he offers in a low, steady voice. “May the day find you well. My companions and I awoke in these halls with our memories veiled and our purpose unclear. If you know why we have been guided—or confined—here, we would be grateful for your insight.”
The sphinx looks down on you with an expression of disdain. Then, with a great inhalation of breath, she suddenly rears up on her hind legs, forearms pawing the air, and it seems like she's sucking in all the air in the room. Great translucent wings spring forth out of her back, perhaps made of swirling dust in the winds that have dramatically kicked up in the room. She lets out an unbelievably powerful ROAR which shakes you to your core. Memories burst into recognition inside you, and you know you heard that roar before, it was the last thing you heard before waking up in this place.
When she roars, the winds in the room reverse flow and she starts to fade, as though she is forcefully exhaling her very essence. In a moment, she has faded into nothing and disappeared, and the roar echoes and reverberates in the room, and inside your skulls. As that terrible noise diminishes, it coalesces into words inside your minds.
"FIND ME AT THE LOWEST LEVEL."
And with that, she has vanished. But the reverberations have shaken both you and the room, and indeed the objects in the corners in the room were upright sarcophagi, for now their lids have been shaken loose, and one after another, the lids topple forward and smash into pieces on the ground. Great tall figures step forth out of the opened sarcophagi, stumbling slightly over the newly formed rubble. They are humanoid in shape, and large, perhaps 8 feet tall each, but wrapped head to toe in white cloth bandages. There are 8 of them, one in each corner of the octagonal room, so that there are 2 quite near you already, one on the left and one on the right, only 20 feet away each. They take their first steps, all 8 of them, in your direction.
(Would Merle have seen the sphinx disappear from the room with the statues? He would have planned to stay in there in case the sphinx turned hostile to try attacking the statue.)
(I will probably make a simple battle map for this after all, though it's hard for me to update it a lot as I'm often on my phone, but this next week I may have access to my laptop more regularly)
(I think that accounts for everyone and Merry goes first.)
Merry’s pupils flare as the sarcophagus lids shatter, but in the span of a single heartbeat he reins in the jolt of fear and slips into practiced efficiency. “Back to the corridor—now!” he hisses, voice low but commanding as he swings Bernard’s side‑pouch forward. A leather sack of steel bearings flashes in his hand. “I’ll carpet the bottleneck; keep your footing clear.” With a smooth pivot he paces thirty feet toward the passage they entered from, guiding the big dog beside him, then drops to one knee. His thumb slides the drawstring loose, ready to loose a glittering avalanche across the stone the instant the last companion crosses the threshold. “Someone prime a flask of oil behind the bearings,” he adds, tone clipped but calm. “If these shamblers insist on crowding us, we’ll see how well oiled linen burns when the path turns to marbles.” One steady breath, eyes locked on the oncoming bandaged giants, and Merry waits for the perfect moment to sow chaos beneath their lumbering strides.
Move: 30 feet back into the corridor (perhaps adding a bonus action dash if need be). Action: ready the release of the Ball Bearings to the corridor entrance as soon as the last companion entered and passed the area he is aiming for.
(Would Merle have seen the sphinx disappear from the room with the statues? He would have planned to stay in there in case the sphinx turned hostile to try attacking the statue.)
Initiative: 7
This is one of those things where I wish I had thought of something, because you did, but no, Merle would appreciate no shenanigans with the statues. They appear to be inert and ordinary.
Aulderoot takes a step a spin his right arm and hand contort as he seems to count. A mote of spark launches from his sleeve bursting against the nearest enemy.
Move if necessary to within 60’ of a mummy
Magic Action attack 23 to hit 5 radiant damage. (& dim light)
The nearest target is only 20’ away so Aulderoot doesn’t need to move to reach it. Aulderoot’s spark bursts against a cloth-wrapped figure with white light, shredding some of the bandages. Sand leaks out of the tents, but the thing continues to advance. It will reach you presently if you do not move?
Rollback Post to RevisionRollBack
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As Merry cautiously progresses down this latest tunnel, he can appreciate a faint yellow light ahead. Nearing the end of the tunnel, you pause as you can see that the next room has something new: an occupant.
A large feline creature sits regally on its haunches in the middle of this next apparently octagonal room. A large feline creature sits regally- except it has a human face, a beautiful woman with a stern expression, mouth bent in a frown, forehead slightly wrinkled. She ? gazes straight ahead, perhaps not noticing you yet. Her body is that of a lion, powerfully built, sitting back on its haunches, front legs straight down in a calm pose. It is she who is glowing softly with a yellow light. You also notice that she is breathing quite deeply, with looong inhalations and then equally looong slow exhalations, and you get the distinct impression that the breeze and scent is coming from this deep breathing.
Interested in how approaching a sleeping lion will turn out Aulderoot simply tries to recall anything about such a creature.
Religion 20 (d20 roll was 17)
Merry sneaks back and informs everyone about his find, adding his opinion, "I think we don't have much options. And if an archdevil of Baator would await us there, eventually we must face the only way out of this mess." Unless someone stops him with a better idea, he'd return and approaches the strange creature openly. (How big is it anyway?)
Traveling for work on 22/05 - might be unable to post today.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Merle looks at this new creature and back towards the statues... "So that looks an awful like one of those statues back there right? Perhaps it's tied to the statues and we shoukd leave someone at the statues to bang on it to see if it hurts the thing if it turns hostile? And if it's friends then we have someone watch the statues for oddities." He ponders which place he would rather be, alone with the statues and have to walk back all that way...
You suspect this creature to be a sphinx, an inscrutable being of high intelligence that deals in riddles and mystery. Not known to be overtly violent, yet can ably defend itself or punish those who disrespect it. Usually they have wings though.
Taking a closer look, Merry notices several more things:
The creature is large, even in sitting position it is taller than a tall man. With its athletic appearance, you’d hate to get on its bad side.
There appears to be yet another archway and passage at the far end of the room, behind the creature.
Each corner of this room is occupied by what appears to be an upright sarcophagus. The details are obscured by shadows as the light from the creature is not very bright or penetrating, but that was your first impression and now you can’t unsee it.
Walking to the previous room with the statues is a matter of only 100 feet.
Merry’s gaze lingers uneasily on the shadow‑draped sarcophagi, then drifts to the regal creature whose quiet glow paints ripples of amber across the stone floor. He straightens his posture, lays a calming hand on Bernard’s collar, and advances with measured, unthreatening steps. Stopping a respectful distance away, he bows his head just enough to honor a being of evident power. “Greetings, wise one,” he offers in a low, steady voice. “May the day find you well. My companions and I awoke in these halls with our memories veiled and our purpose unclear. If you know why we have been guided—or confined—here, we would be grateful for your insight.”
Traveling for work on 22/05 - might be unable to post today.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Leif in his mind he hears the name whispered a young gnome singing in a large temple, was this him?
Aulderoot shakes his head as his colleagues approach the sphinx.
The sphinx looks down on you with an expression of disdain. Then, with a great inhalation of breath, she suddenly rears up on her hind legs, forearms pawing the air, and it seems like she's sucking in all the air in the room. Great translucent wings spring forth out of her back, perhaps made of swirling dust in the winds that have dramatically kicked up in the room. She lets out an unbelievably powerful ROAR which shakes you to your core. Memories burst into recognition inside you, and you know you heard that roar before, it was the last thing you heard before waking up in this place.
When she roars, the winds in the room reverse flow and she starts to fade, as though she is forcefully exhaling her very essence. In a moment, she has faded into nothing and disappeared, and the roar echoes and reverberates in the room, and inside your skulls. As that terrible noise diminishes, it coalesces into words inside your minds.
"FIND ME AT THE LOWEST LEVEL."
And with that, she has vanished. But the reverberations have shaken both you and the room, and indeed the objects in the corners in the room were upright sarcophagi, for now their lids have been shaken loose, and one after another, the lids topple forward and smash into pieces on the ground. Great tall figures step forth out of the opened sarcophagi, stumbling slightly over the newly formed rubble. They are humanoid in shape, and large, perhaps 8 feet tall each, but wrapped head to toe in white cloth bandages. There are 8 of them, one in each corner of the octagonal room, so that there are 2 quite near you already, one on the left and one on the right, only 20 feet away each. They take their first steps, all 8 of them, in your direction.
Roll for initiative!
(Would Merle have seen the sphinx disappear from the room with the statues? He would have planned to stay in there in case the sphinx turned hostile to try attacking the statue.)
Initiative: 7
mummy rolls
near group of 2: 7
next group of 2: 14
next group of 2: 1
far group of 2: 1
Initiative tracker so far
(I will probably make a simple battle map for this after all, though it's hard for me to update it a lot as I'm often on my phone, but this next week I may have access to my laptop more regularly)
17 mummy G
17 mummy H
15 mummy A
15 mummy B
12 Poppy
7 mummy E
7 mummy F
6 mummy C
6 mummy D
? Merle, Aulderoot, Merry
Merry's Initiative: 25
Traveling for work on 22/05 - might be unable to post today.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
Aulderoot initiative 17
(I think that accounts for everyone and Merry goes first.)
Merry’s pupils flare as the sarcophagus lids shatter, but in the span of a single heartbeat he reins in the jolt of fear and slips into practiced efficiency. “Back to the corridor—now!” he hisses, voice low but commanding as he swings Bernard’s side‑pouch forward. A leather sack of steel bearings flashes in his hand. “I’ll carpet the bottleneck; keep your footing clear.” With a smooth pivot he paces thirty feet toward the passage they entered from, guiding the big dog beside him, then drops to one knee. His thumb slides the drawstring loose, ready to loose a glittering avalanche across the stone the instant the last companion crosses the threshold. “Someone prime a flask of oil behind the bearings,” he adds, tone clipped but calm. “If these shamblers insist on crowding us, we’ll see how well oiled linen burns when the path turns to marbles.” One steady breath, eyes locked on the oncoming bandaged giants, and Merry waits for the perfect moment to sow chaos beneath their lumbering strides.
Move: 30 feet back into the corridor (perhaps adding a bonus action dash if need be).
Action: ready the release of the Ball Bearings to the corridor entrance as soon as the last companion entered and passed the area he is aiming for.
Traveling for work on 22/05 - might be unable to post today.
|| Oriace - Halfling Bard - Dragon Heist || Valerian - Elf Rogue - Wildnis || b'Reh - Stig Cleric - Humblewood || Rowan - Halfling Giant - Runewarren || Khazela - Spiritfarer Dervish - Tribute || Arista - Frost Sorcerer - Old Keep || Zephirah - Demonic Bard - Sands || Merry - Gifted Surgeon - Short || Marasatra - Blood Mage - Avernus || Lan - Dwarf Dragon - Wuxian ||
This is one of those things where I wish I had thought of something, because you did, but no, Merle would appreciate no shenanigans with the statues. They appear to be inert and ordinary.
25 Merry - moved back and ready to spread ball bearings
17 Aulderoot -
17 mummy G -
17 mummy H -
15 mummy A -
15 mummy B -
12 Poppy -
Merle -
7 mummy E -
7 mummy F -
6 mummy C -
6 mummy D -
Aulderoot takes a step a spin his right arm and hand contort as he seems to count. A mote of spark launches from his sleeve bursting against the nearest enemy.
Move if necessary to within 60’ of a mummy
Magic Action attack 23 to hit 5 radiant damage. (& dim light)
The nearest target is only 20’ away so Aulderoot doesn’t need to move to reach it. Aulderoot’s spark bursts against a cloth-wrapped figure with white light, shredding some of the bandages. Sand leaks out of the tents, but the thing continues to advance. It will reach you presently if you do not move?