Klong looks at Glim, impressed at caliber of his reasoning. He pulls out his rations pouch and offers some to the group. "Anybody want a peanut?"

OoC: Glim wasn't using his mage hand, since a 2' stone rod seemed pretty likely to be too heavy. But 'sokay, we can roll with it.

"Uh, I seem to've broken it," Glim says displaying a sheepish expression for a moment, but only a moment before straightening up his face. "But perhaps this is an opportunity to let one of you feel useful for a change. Klong, dear, do you know how to repair cracks in stone? Once it's fixed, put it in that hole there."

DM Note: It's still in one piece :) Just a little crack.

Fil paws his way up to Klong and meows for a peanut. 

Klong gives a handful of mixed nuts to the shapeshifter and uses Mending to fix the cracked staff.

"Thanks big guy. You just going to leave it there now? Alright, fine, I'll do it." Glim snatches up the scepter (with his actual own gnome hands) and puts it in the thing.

With a click, the 1 foot wide slabs drop, descending to form a staircase down

As the slabs begin to drop Glim does a little hop of glee into the air before catching himself and clearing his throat. "You see? I knew it all along."

He extends a hand toward the staircase, looking toward Klong.

"Klong, are there rocks ahead?"

Fionula smiles at the gnome's hop. She will sidle up to the top of the stairs and peer down there with her 120' of magical dark vision.

The wide stairs open into an odd-shaped room. Set into the wall next to the stairs is a stone lever in the “down” position. Braziers similar to the ones above burn with mysterious blue flames that give off no heat. In alcoves to either side, large dwarven statues stand at attention, saluting the beautifully engraved marble sarcophagus that sits alone against the far wall, which is carved with runes.

"Looks fine," she says. "Go ahead, Klong, we're right behind you."

Glim follows closely behind Klong, leaning from side to side to peer around the enormous bard's legs, staying on high alert for signs of traps.

If the group makes it to the sarcophagus without incident, Glim examines the runes, cross-referencing each one with his mental encyclopedia of magical knowledge.

Arcana: 17

The runes appear to be an ancient Dwarven script

"These runes seem to be an ancient Dwarven script," Glim says. "I can read them with he aid of my spell [Glim had cast comprehend languages before they entered], but only if I touch the box. And I'm always hesitant to go around touching rune-covered objects without doing an abundance of due diligence first. Kelvin, my all-seeing friend, any idea if it's going to kill me if I touch it?"

Looking closer at the sarcophagus, Glim makes loud "hmm" and "I wonder" kinds of noises. "You know, I do believe there's some kind of trigger underneath the lid of this thing. I presume that means it will go off when we open it, but... well, at least I think touching it should be alright. Maybe the inscription can give us some insight about how to circumvent the trap."

He places a single flat palm on the runes, gliding his hand over them to take in their meaning.

Quote from Esker >>

As the slabs begin to drop Glim does a little hop of glee into the air before catching himself and clearing his throat. "You see? I knew it all along."

He extends a hand toward the staircase, looking toward Klong.

"Klong, are there rocks ahead?"

 
Klong nods. "If there are, we'll soon be dead," he points out sagely. With that, he takes the lead and moves down the stairs.

Quote from Esker >>

Looking closer at the sarcophagus, Glim makes loud "hmm" and "I wonder" kinds of noises. "You know, I do believe there's some kind of trigger underneath the lid of this thing. I presume that means it will go off when we open it, but... well, at least I think touching it should be alright. Maybe the inscription can give us some insight about how to circumvent the trap."

He places a single flat palm on the runes, gliding his hand over them to take in their meaning.

You are able to make out the runes, writing in Dethek, an ancient Dwarven script.

Here lies His Noble Majesty

King Torhild Flametongue.

He raised a kingdom in the sun,

Defending it with his dying breath.

"Well, according to this inscription, this should be where the King is buried. One presumes Orcsplitter is with him. We should be cautious, though. I already found a magical trigger inside; can anybody do anything about that?"

Fionula says, "I could try to dispel the magic, but I'm not sure if that would work."