The Tomb of Horrors

[greyarea]

At this point, it's too dark to see what else is here. This hill is in a clearing that is matted, swampy earth for a good ways around. You recall seeing a woods or forest to the south when you fell to earth, and smoke rising which could be from a house or small settlement that ways. There is no way to see it from here now, though.

Grimes helps stoke up a fire. He searches the "face" at the top of the hill but, regardless of his instance otherwise, there is no daylight. He finds no entrance, but does discover a rabbit hole with one of his big, hairy feet. He's lucky he doesn't twist an ankle.

The night passes without incident. The moon never rose or it is a new moon, but darkness characterized the night. Even the stars seemed less bright than normal.

Come morning, the side of the hill is dewey and a bit slick in places. A low fog hugs the ground, about eye-height for the dwarf and halfling. From the upper part of the hill you can see the small woods to the south and a smoke that leads you to believe there could be a population there. You reckon that it's a few hours hike from here. Every other direction leads to more wastes: low hills, scrabby ground, and streams or small lochs. This might be a great place to harvest peat if there wasn't this whole lich issue to deal with.

The two other entrances that were found seem slightly less daunting in the hazy daylight. It will probably take at least an hour with the whole party working to clear each entrance enough for use.

Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 45/46
--Furuk 59/59
Dieter 27/27 < Magic Missile, Sleep, Continual Light, Stinking Cloud, Fireball, Hold Person >
--Dandy 33/33 < CLW x6, Bless, Hold Person, Delay Poison, Augury, Silence 15'r, Glyph of Warding, Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Protection from Evil 10' radius, Cure serious wounds >
Castinus 34/34
--Shaelyyndenel 22/22 < Charm Person, Magic Missile, Continual Light, Invisibility, Fireball >

[Spanningtree]

Dieter - Mage

Slinging his staff he'll get right into the work, throwing mud when appropriate.

[tumblingdice]

"Be careful," Castinus warns Deiter. First, he'll look for any sign of traps, poking the earth with his long sword. If he finds none, then he'll move in himself and start digging. He and Deiter will look like the two peasants from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

OC: I realized later that Castinus does not have a rope. Ack! He must have borrowed Shae's rope. Something else she can be mad about.

[badams30]

Grimes - Fighter

OOPS. Sorry, totally missed the darkness part, and the other entrances. I thought there was just one. Yikes. Sorry.

Grimes sighs at the prospect of digging and says, "Well, lets get to it." And he starts to dig one of the entrances.

[kjc]

He must have borrowed Shae's rope. Something else she can be mad about.

[greyarea]

The sun eats away at the haze. It's still chilly (although your work has helped warm you) and cloudy, but brighter now.

The second of the three entrances is cleared. The hole opens to a passageway walled with unadorned stone. It is 10 feet high and extends 60 feet into the hill, ending at two huge doors set side-by-side in a wall of stone blocks. Above the lintel hang large horned skulls, similar yet unlike. The skull on the left has a smiling aspect. The eye-sockets are rounded and the teeth appear to be set in a smiling curve. The horns on the skull curl upward at the ends. In contrast, the skull to the right seems forbidding. The eye-sockets are widened and angular, and the teeth are set in a grim line. The horns on the skull point straight down.




Actions?

Hit points and marching order
Grimes 45/46
--Furuk 59/59
Dieter 27/27 < Magic Missile, Sleep, Continual Light, Stinking Cloud, Fireball, Hold Person >
--Dandy 33/33 < CLW x6, Bless, Hold Person, Delay Poison, Augury, Silence 15'r, Glyph of Warding, Remove Curse, Dispel Magic, Protection from Evil 10' radius, Cure serious wounds >
Castinus 34/34
--Shaelyyndenel 22/22 < Charm Person, Magic Missile, Continual Light, Invisibility, Fireball >

[merias]

Dandy, Dwarf Cleric

Dandy stares at the skulls.

"I be bettin' we should open that evil-lookin' door. If I were settin' a trap, I'd try to make it look invitin'. Can any o' you read the writin' over them doors?"

[Spanningtree]

Dieter - Mage

Your logic is sound Dandy... but if I were a lich I would trap them both. Dieter will try to make out the runes on the wall.

[tumblingdice]

Castinus will try to read the runes from where he stands.

OC: Read languages, 80%.

[greyarea]

Castinus peers at the runes, attempting to figure out what it says. Read Languages [1d100] = 37 The words come together and he reads them for the party:

Acererak welcomes you to the theatre of pain. All the world plays the actor.

Actions?