Ch. 7: The Crypt of Acererak the Demi-Lich

[AleBelly]

Xale sympathizes with the Druid, but then asks; "This may be a stupid question, but when you put the bronze key in; did you try turning it either direction?"

"I did not" replies Zoster. "Would you like to try?" he asks, extending his hand, bronze key lying flat against his upturned palm.

[ravenn4544]

Malibran expresses full confidence in this idea.. and then backs up equally confident to wait in the hallway should his prayers be needed.

[max_vale]

Xale takes a deep breath and replies to Zoster saying; "It's only fair that someone else takes a risk after seeing what happened to you." With that, he/she takes the key, puts it in and tries turning it first one direction.....and should it not turn that way; then the other.

[Zhym]

Xale tries turning the key once to the left. Nothing happens.
Once to the right: nothing happens.

[Grognardsw]

Elsa the Fair, fighter

In response to the question of what else the party has, the half-orc roots around her purse. "A few gems and a ring, I think..."

I think I got those back in the room with the asp chests?

"I can try next, if needed," offers Elsa about the key.

[Inferno]

Dredd Doomsmith, dwarven trap-hacker:

The fat ginger dwarf shoots daggers at the keyhole with his beady little eyes, as his mighty brow furrows in epic consternation.

Does the crown or scepter have a protruding segment that might fit?

[Zhym]

Neither the crown nor the scepter have any protrusions that would appear to fit the hole in the floor.

[max_vale]

Xale frowns and then shrugs and says; "Perhaps more than once in a certain direction?" With that, the Dwarven warrior-priest will try turning the key several times in one direction; if nothing happens, try the same thing in the opposite direction. If nothing happens after all that he/she will shrug and say; "I guess somebody else can have a try".

[Zhym]

Xale turns the key once to the left...nothing.
Another turn to the left...still nothing.
Several more turns to the left...nothing, nothing, nothing.

Then she tries turning the key to the right. With the third turn, the room immediately begins to tremble as the center of south 15' of the floor begins to peak and rise, with Xale on top of it!

Actions?

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Status: Elsa (F10): 58/58; Malibran (C10): 37/68; Zoster (F9/D12): 30/76; Xale (F8/C8): 54/54; Dredd (F7/T11): 28/57
Spells in effect: Protection from Lightning (Zoster): 141 hp left

[max_vale]

Xale's eyes pop open wide in surprise and he/she quickly moves/rolls/jumps/falls to the descending part to avoid getting crushed....

[Zhym]

I keep putting the wrong gender in Xale's pronouns. I fixed the last one.

Xale jumps off what is now clearly the roof of a rising mithril vault. Within seconds, the vault fills the south 15' of the chamber, its roof pressed against the ceiling of the room it's in—had Xale not moved quickly, she surely would have been squashed against the ceiling.

There is a door in the center of the vault's northernmost wall, with an inset ring.
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Status: Elsa (F10): 58/58; Malibran (C10): 37/68; Zoster (F9/D12): 30/76; Xale (F8/C8): 54/54; Dredd (F7/T11): 28/57
Spells in effect: Protection from Lightning (Zoster): 141 hp left

[Inferno]

Dredd Doomsmith, dwarven trap-hacker:

"Ah. Well done, sister!" Dredd blusters as he checks the crypt door for traps.

[Zhym]

Dredd detects no traps on the door.

[ravenn4544]

Malibran clutches his holy symbol tightly... and, with a prayer, readiness his mace for the evil likely to come...

[AleBelly]

The Druid smiles at Xale.

"Shall I summon the fire elemental?" asks Zoster.

[Grognardsw]

"Aye," says Elsa, clutching sword and shield.

[Zhym]

Zoster pulls his recently reacquired mistletoe from a pocket and presses it against the wall. With the juice from the mistletoe he begins drawing a doorway filled with intricate symbols that writhe and intertwine. As he draws, he chants. The language is foreign to you all, but you think you can make out a few phrases: "Animatus flambé." "Incendium homonculus." "Ure infantem ardere, disco inferno!"

After nearly ten minutes of drawing and chanting, Zoster steps back from the wall, lights a torch, and touches it to the painted portal. It catches fire as if made of oil—then steps forward as a towering pillar of flame! Something like eyes glow slightly darker near the top of the pillar. Flames flicker from its side in what you might as well consider "arms."

It awaits Zoster's commands.

With no one objecting and AleBelly busy until tomorrow, I assumed that Zoster would conjure the fire elemental.

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Status: Elsa (F10): 58/58; Malibran (C10): 37/68; Zoster (F9/D12): 30/76; Xale (F8/C8): 54/54; Dredd (F7/T11): 28/57
Spells in effect: Protection from Lightning (Zoster): 141 hp left; Conjure Fire Elemental (Zoster): 12 turns

[Grognardsw]

Elsa looks on awestruck. Surely this can defeat the lich, she thinks.

[ravenn4544]

Malibran acknowledges that no apparent traps can be detected. Clutching his revered symbol he steps closer to the portal that may lead to the final reckoning of this quest - or to their doom. Whispering prayers to the Light to protect his comrades in arms, comrades that have fallen in arms, and the noble quest they have undertaken, he then utters, "If Acererak is close, allow the Light to stand with us and lead us on this next step..."

He reaches out to open the portal before them...

[Zhym]

Malibran says a prayer then reaches out and pulls on the ring. The door swings open with a smoothness that belies a heavy but well-balanced mass.

The crypt of Acererak stands before you.

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Mystic symbols are inscribed in the opposite wall of the crypt. At the far end of the room, a stone slab is carved with images of snakes. Pale gray dust lies on the slab, suggesting bones that have disintegrated with the passage of centuries. Only the skull remains intact. The eye sockets of the skull are set with rubies, and mounted in the jaw of the skull are six incredibly large marquis-cut diamonds.

On the floor in front of you rests a tremendous treasure hoard. On top of uncounted gold and platinum pieces lie nearly a hundred small gems. Three more huge gems nearly make Dredd's eyes pop from their sockets: a periodot the size of a green quail egg, an emerald as big as his fist, and a stunning black opal as big as an emu's egg. There are also a dozen potions of various colors, half a dozen scroll cases, a platinum ring with four pearls, a jewel-encrusted rod, a staff bearing mystical symbols, a small onyx die or cube, a crystal and silver amulet, a bone case of the size that typically holds playing cards, three swords, and a spear.

Actions?

Please note that the elemental will set fire to anything combustible in its path.

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Status: Elsa (F10): 58/58; Malibran (C10): 37/68; Zoster (F9/D12): 30/76; Xale (F8/C8): 54/54; Dredd (F7/T11): 28/57
Spells in effect: Protection from Lightning (Zoster): 141 hp left; Conjure Fire Elemental (Zoster): 12 turns