(036) The Remains of the Day

[waysoftheearth]

doctorx wrote:
"I don't see them," says Josiane, a quiver of anxiety in her voice; "A pillared vault, boxes of coins between the pillars, one of the nearer ones spilt - " A gasp of horror; " Sweet Lady, say not that they were so rash as to lay hands upon the coin before they had made safe the hall!"

She straightens up, her fair face pale, but sporting a determined look that Dorgan at least has seen before.

"Living or dead, we must find them. Even slain they may yet be in the gravest danger. I have heard tales of what befalls those who meet their end at the hands of the Unquiet..."

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:
With the crowbar in place, Olaf looks to Dieter and says, "Well, let's try it...letting go!" with that he releases his grip and steps back to see if the crowbar holds.

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
Dieter calls under the door: "Come out, if you're coming!"

Then he too lets go.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
There are no replies to your summons. Only cold, dark silence broods beyond.

Olaf and Dieter let go the heavy door, and it comes grinding down... until the full weight of it presses upon the crowbar -- which strains visibly, but ultimately holds the door up. There remains a 2ft gap beneath the door by which you could enter the third vault.

[waysoftheearth]

tonneau wrote:
"Superb!" cries Gustave, his enthusiasm not quite convincing as the bar holds the huge stone door in place, "Now...who's first...?"

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:
"Well, first is there anything else in here we can use to hold this stone up?" asks Olaf.

"I don't want to go in there and have that crowbar slip."

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
The Second Vault

A quick look around reveals a semi-circular chamber with five entrances -- the one you entered via, the one which is presently held open by the crowbar, and three others.

There is the strange, hemispherical bulk upon the raised dais, and a litter of charred corpses.

There is nothing handy that might hold the door up, unless you care to dig a flagstone out of the floor or knock one out of a wall...

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
"Oh, hells," Dieter says. He drops prone, scoots under the door, and rapidly goes over to check out the charred corpses.

If they're ours, he'll slide them back out. If not, he'll kick them aside in disgust.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
(Sorry Coffee; the charred corpses etc. are in the Second Vault, with you. They were the undead that Ulric nuked earlier. But presumably Dieter goes into the 3rd vault anyway..?)

The Third Vault
(Dieter)

Dieter rolls under the suspended door with surprising agility for a big man in mail, and he is into the third vault!

Inside it is cold and dark. The only light comes from under the door in the second vault (those lamps carried by the others). But as his eyes grow accustomed to the new dimness, Dieter becomes aware that his is kneeling between a double row of bulky, upright sarcophagi. A few of them have fallen down, or stand leaning against their neighbors, but most still stand tall. Between them are crates and chests that appear to contain... coins! There is a yellow glimmer upon them that might be gold!

The nearest box to Dieter has been tipped over, and a small fortune in gold is spilled into the main passage.

It is mostly dark. And cold. And deathly silent.

What now?

[waysoftheearth]

doctorx wrote:
O.O.C: Oh dear... [img]images/smiley/sad.png[/img]

"He cannot go forward alone," says Josiane quietly, speaking almost as if she were quoting another rather than making a statement of her own.

She presses her holy symbol to her lips, drops down and slides herself under the door.

"Brace this as best you can," she whispers as she disappears; "When we return we will have need of haste."

And she is gone into the shadows of the third vault.