The adventure begins...

[Dogma]

Days ago your caravan left to start its long trek across the desert sands. Halfway across, a terrible sandstorm struck, driving away the pack animals and scattering the people to the winds. When the storm died, only a small band of guards and travellers, and one lucky mule, managed to find each other in the wasteland. The storm had blown your tracks away and the dunes into new patterns. You were lost.

Gathering any supplies you can find, you head east, hoping to find another caravan. Days pass. Food and water start to run low. Tempers flare as hopelessness starts to set in.
Then ahead you see a number of stone blocks sticking out of a sand dune. Running to investigate, you discover the sand is covering the remains of a tall stone wall. On the far side of the wall is a ruined city.

The stone blocks of the city are toppled and cracked with the passing of time. Sand has covered most of the ruins. The exposed stones are worn smooth by the blowing sand. Rising above the ruins is a large step pyramid, its bottom tier buried in the sand. Four more tiers, each 20’ tall, rise above and are topped by 3 huge statues.

The statue to the left is of a strong, bearded man holding a balance in one hand and a lightning bolt in the other. The middle statue is a winged child with two snaked twining about it body. The child holds a staff in one and a handful of coins in the other. The statue to the right is of a beautiful woman. In her hand she holds a sheaf of wheat and a sword.

On the south side of the pyramid, a ramp with stairs leads to of the highest tier. Hoping to catch sight of a passing caravan you climb to the top. Though no caravans are visible on the horizon your disappointment is tempered as a much more curious sight catches your interest.

In the side of the ramp, level with the floor of the top tier, a stone slab is blocked open by the body of a hobgoblin. A large crossbow bolt protrudes from its chest. From the looks of the desiccated body it has been here for several weeks. Beyond the stone slab there appears to be a tunnel leading into the pyramid…

[riftstone]

Lindon Silverheart -

Curiosity gets the best of him and he will try to peer beyond the stone slab, without touching or moving it.

"Just a peek..."

[Alethan]

Peadar drops to a knee in front of the hobgoblin and... searches the body for anything of value. He also examines the wound to see if he can tell if the bolt itself caused the death or if maybe it was poisoned. It might be too long past to tell such a thing, but he looks, regardless.

[NJWilliam]

Jofrid looks more closely at the crossbow bolt in the hobgoblin, especially to see if it would fit his crossbow or whether it came from a larger bow. He carefully looks around to see whether the bolt was fired from a trap nearby, but will not yet enter the tunnel.

OOC: should I roll for find/remove traps or will you roll those?

[Vargr1105]

Unferth is eager to delve into the passage, so he vocies his opinion that some exploration is in order.

"Well, unless someone slew this hobgoblin, left it here and made off I'd say there be someone living in these ruins. That means food...and water."

[thirdkingdom]

Alastor the Bold, Magid-user

"Unferth is no doubt correct!", the mage booms, "for all know that pyramids are a mystical symbol used by the ancient desert dwellers to concentrate and store water! No doubt the figures depicted by these looming statues are ancient Immortals of water, rain and storms; look, one even bears a lightning bolt, a sure sign of rain! I say we venture inside, fill our waterskins to bursting with the water we no doubt will discover within, and rest for the long journey back through the desert. There is likely no threat within, at least not that we can't handle!"

[Dogma]

Peader’s search of the dead hobgoblin reveals little. Its desiccated body gives no clues to the cause of death beyond the obvious bolt in its chest. There is nothing of value on the body. During his search, however, Peader notices several pairs of foot prints leading into the passage, though the desert winds have partially obscured the prints.

Jofrid examines the bolt and, though it is of a different design than his current bolts, thinks it will fire from his crossbow.

As he and Linden peer into the tunnel just enough light shines in through the door that they both see that the corridor leads under the ramp about 30’, and then turns to the left. Set in a niche in the corridor wall opposite the door is what looks to be a larger crossbow.

The elf studies the three statues intently, but they don’t trigger any memories of whom or what they might represent.

[Alethan]

Peader looks up from the hobgoblin and looks into the opening at the niche and says, "It's a trap!"

"There are several sets of footprints going in. Maybe he had buddies."

[Makofan]

Brax is appreciative of the stonework and design. "These people knew how to build! Stands to reason that anything worth having is inside here. I'll go first - if there's a trap, it is probably designed for creatures of man-height."

Unless anyone has any objections, Brax will step over the hobgoblin body and start carefully down the passage, looking for traps, slanting walls, etc.

[thirdkingdom]

Alastor the Bold, Magic-user

"After you, my good dwarf", he says, with a sweep of his arm. Alastor draws a dagger before entering.

[Vargr1105]

Unferth grasps his holy symbol and utters a simple prayer to his deity before following the others into the tunnels.

"Oh Saint Cuthbert, if there be evil within those passages please shield us from harm and help your faithful servant vanquish it."

Satisfied that the proper propitiation has been done, the uncomely man takes up his warhammer and moves forward.

[max_vale]

Lavex 'Slim' Am; smiles and shakes his head just slightly as Unferth goes through his 'benediction'; and just grasps his holy symbol of Rudd in his hand and silently gives a quick prayer to his Goddess of Adventure to look after his fellow party members and himself.

Sliding his shield over his arm and taking a mace in his hand; Lavex takes a laboring breath and follows the Dwarf and the Mage into the pyramid....

[Makofan]

Brax pauses for a second. "Has anybody got a free hand for a lantern or torch? It will be dark in here."

[thirdkingdom]

Alastor the Bold, Magic-User

"I shall carry the lantern, my friends, and with it illuminate the path to water, food, and untold wealth! I am able to cast my potent prestidigitations with only one hand, and can carry the lantern in the other."

[riftstone]

Lindon Silverheart

With spear in hand, he will follow hoping to be behind the stout dwarf. Curious and foolhardy are two different things!

[Alethan]

Peader readies his sling and picks up an appropriately-sized stone for slinging.

[Computer +1]

Rogar stops and wipes the sweat from his brow before walking closer to the opening.
This doesn't look like a good place to me! He's dead and I'm thirsty. Heading in a unknown tunnel isn't going to fill my belly or make us wealthy, just dead!

When he sees Brax moving into the opening.
Well, I'm not standing around here, outta my way let the dwarves do what we do best.

HE pushes past everyone else to get in line behind Brax

[Dogma]

As Brax steps over the body, he hears an barely audible click as the stone floor sinks slightly under his weight. Pausing for a moment, he waits anxiously for something to happen. When nothing occurs, he cautiously continues down the passage, Rogar at his heels. The others follow, bits of sand blow in through the open door are gritty beneath your feet.

As they get closer to the crossbow they see that weapon is not loaded. When Alistor brings the lantern closer, they see that the passage continues another 20 feet to the left before ending in a stone door.

[NJWilliam]

Jofrid examines the unloaded crossbow to see if it can be removed entirely, and failing that, if he can remove the bowstring. He also searches nearby the crossbow to see if there is any more ammunition about.

[Dogma]

You can remove the crossbow, but due to the modification done to it while creating the trap, it will fire at a -1 to hit as it's awkward to hold. No extra ammunition is found.