Pascal fastens his knives to his belt, “Agreed. Let’s get moving now, shall we?”

"Hildigrim and Vanja are looking a bit sleepy. As soon as the morning coffee has one (or both) of them fully awake, let's pry up that stone tile again and head downstairs."

Hildigrim eats breakfast as if he hasn't eaten in a month. "I had the strangest dreams last night," he admits. "Full of big-eyed monsters, flying books, and animated dead hands." As he says this, he looks almost amused. After breakfast, he checks his bow, his arrow quantity, his rapier, and his daggers to make sure all are ready for more adventure. "I'm ready when you are," he says to the room at large.

In good spirits, everyone heads down the hole, leaving Mavis, Criella, and Beaumont upstairs. In an odd moment, Mortimer (the cat) leaps on to Drusk's shoulders as he drops down the rope. The party assembles in front of the leering skull/secret door. You can go left, down the hall to the blood room and beyond, or right, into an unexplored room with what looks like a dais in it, or you can push open the secret door.

It might be the light spilling down from the hatch behind you, or the cat rubbing itself between your legs, but it seems less oppressive down here today. It's still dank, dark, and covered in evil carvings, but yeah, a little less depressing.

Drusk raises his mace over the cat, then lightly scratches it on the top of the head with the handle. If Criella and Mavis don't feel like holding onto the cat, it would be troublesome tossing it back up there.

"Things seemed to get more dangerous the further north we went. I'd suggest we check the secret door to the east, or perhaps secure the south area, before we go back north."

Hildigrim looks longingly toward the northern passage, but doesn't contradict Drusk's suggestion.

Jorin rests his hands on the heads of his axes and looks north, then south.  "I think we should secure the south room.  It is unexplored and closest to our friends upstairs.  Then finish out the north section, leaving the secret door for last."  He catches Hildi's northward glance and puts a hand on his shoulder saying, "Do not worry my friend, we will bring blade and fire to this whole dungeon."  

Drusk casts Light onto one of Jorin's hand battle axes, like before, and follows him south.

Based on the full map in post 563, we pause at the southern archway, where Hildigrim should look for (and disable) any traps. Drusk will gaze ahead while this is going on, in case he can notice anything further ahead (like maybe an altar?).

(Edit: Jorin has too many axes to keep track of.)

Hildigrim trots a little ahead of everyone, looking for danger by the light of Jorin's handaxe.

Investigation: 12

OOC > For the record, previously, Light was cast on one of Jorin's two battle axes (not one of his hand axes), so I am going to assume you all meant to do that this time, too. He has a lot of axes. :)

The party crowds around Hildigrim as he checks the threshold of the southern room, impeding his search a little, but he finds nothing. A quick scan reveals this room contains nothing more than dusty, empty shelves around the edges, and a sarcophagus in the southern half. Drusk wrinkles his nose at something.

Map:

Drusk will talk to the group while they are carefully edging into the room, but not making eye contact. Wary of anything out of place in the room, and especially the sarcophagus ahead.

"The acolyte training for Life Clerics includes information about the fouler faiths. The markings on the floor, that sarcophagus, and (what the elves describe as) the feng shui of the room... are consistent with the clerics of Velsharoon. It is an Archmage - Lich - demigod from antiquity (ie. pre 5th edition). Needless to say, a bunch of death-dealing donkeys who need to have some mace strikes to their temples to knock some happiness into them.

"I'd like to study that sarcophagus in more detail, once we are sure the room is safe. It may give us more information about the experiments this Carrion guy was doing."

OoC - lol, yes, Jorin has two battleaxes and two handaxes, though one of those handaxes is still up in the north passage among the ooze cube debris

Jorin slowly walks forward, his glowing axe cutting through the darkness of the tomb room.  He spits on the ground in front of him as Drusk says "Archmage, Lich." 

"I do not know that word, Lich" he says, drawing out the sound of the unfamiliar term, "but if it follows mage, then I know it cannot be trusted." 

Hildigrim, heedless of the silly religion talk, will do his best to check the shelves to make sure they are — indeed — empty.

Pascal nods along with this talk, his people are certainly no strangers to death. He will be ready to burn anything that comes out of that sarcophagus.

Hildigrim, please make an Arcana check.

Arcana: 24

A thorough survey of the room turns up nothing, Hildi checks the shelves and finds nothing but dust, and there's nothing hiding behind the sarcophagus. It is a large stone box, with a heavy stone lid, ornately carved and marked. As you gather round it, Mortimer jumps up on top and bats at it with a paw and a little "Mrrr?" Then Hildi shakes his head, takes one sweeping look around, and quirks an eyebrow.

OOC > Given DDP's regular posting schedule (later in the day) the rest of you could let me know how you approach the sarcophagus before he tells you all what his 24 Arcana result means...

Drusk checks the dust on the ground, to see if anything has been approaching or walking away from the sarcophagus. Otherwise, he will check if there is any legible writing on the outside or around it. Investigation: 5 (If this is Perception, add 1. If Religion, add 2.)

(Edit: If the nat-20 results in, "you don't see anything", then Drusk's smile will turn upside down. :-)  )

Drusk does not see any signs that the room has been disturbed by anyone but your own group. :)