Martenin the 26th.
A dozen spears spring down from the blunted stalactites in the cavern ceiling, targeting the area where Finian is attempting to turn the dials. He is impaled twice, but thanks to his plate armor survives where anyone else in the expedition might have fallen. After some healing, the Gravers' Guild determines how to go about the puzzle. Sir Stratton asks Gary to perform some recon and examine the tracks, so the druid transforms into a fat robin and flits about the ceiling, discovering that there are markings which seem to note which of the symbols on the dials to avoid. Meanwhile, Finian recalls several of the dwarf deities' holy symbols and realizes that each of the dials corresponds to a choice involving one of Moradin, Berronar Truesilver, Dumathoin Brightmantle or Clangeddin Silverbeard. He once again clears out the cave and turns the dials, and this time the vast old stone door opens at the seam! The Gravers take a minute or two and then pass through after the Sheriff, just in time before they slide shut! The PCs note that on the reverse side, there are no dials, but instead 12 impressions where runes bearing the same symbols must be placed.
They proceed into the next chamber, with four columns carved into bas-relief of historic scenes, four angelic dwarf maidens atop them, and a red 'X' pattern that joins in the center of the floor. There are three exits, which Mel translates to read 'Stimmy' (to the East), 'Grizzlebeard' (to the North), and then the trio of 'Krennyk', 'Soldergard' and 'Gnarlbottom' (to the West). The historic scenes on the columns seem to represent things like the Annexation of Floivin into the Eidolorn Empire, the assault of the White Dragon Woe upon Wintersbreath, a sole dwarf facing down a titan with but an axe, and a scene of dwarf knights driving robed cultists and demons back across a bridge to an ancient city-keep. On one of the columns, Finian and Stratton notice that the dwarf's axe-head comes loose and is the right size to fit the indentation on the back of the door in the previous area. As it is removed, the dwarf maiden statues twist and come to life as some sort of gargoyle, and a dangerous combat ensues. Sir Stratton traps one of the creatures in his hat, and the other three are eventually brought low, bursting into dust and rock once slain. The trapped gargoyle is also dispatched, and then Stratton manages to use his thieves' tools to open a sliding stone panel at the center of the 'X'.
Within they find an old, sealed stone urn, with Gary opens using stone shape after it proves too stuck and heavy for the rest of the party. It turns out the thing is full of copper coins, as well as a golden statue of Moradin, a pair of black boots with white fur trim, a silver drinking horn, and a flail with a head meant to resemble a fun, its spiked shaped like wavering, sharp sun rays. They empty the urn, deciding to come back for the coins later. Stratton decides the golden statue should be given to the Gnarlbottoms and thus has Oatmeal place it within the bag of holding. Indrid then hoists the stone urn itself from the pit, deciding it could be brought to the Gravers' Guild-house as a decoration. The PCs then choose to travel into the crypt to the west, which is the Krennyks.
Within this area are a trio of alcoves...one empty, one with a sarcophagus, one seeming to have been destroyed by some seismic activity, a natural corridor now crushed open further west. The eastern walls are covered with sepulchral drawers built into the eastern walls. Each is labeled with both a symbolic suite (Axe, Helm, Shield or Sword) and a number, and they are laid out in eight columns. At the bottom of the empty sarcophagi, Gary finds a series of four 'coordinates', or pairings of the drawers that are marked off, and the PCs decide to start opening them in this order...once the first two are opened, and it must be simultaneous, eight more of the drawers open to reveal shambling dwarf zombies which strike at the party! They manage to take down the undead, receiving only moderate damage, and then they heal up some more, finding a new coordinate (symbol and number) in the drawers they just open. As they activate the second set of drawers from the sarcophagi, a robed corpse rises briefly and lays some sort of curse upon the party, holding most of them, except for Indrid, Tess and Sir Stratton!
Try what they might, their fellow party members can do nothing but stare forward, as if they are in some sort of suspended animation. They rifle through the cache to see if there are any items which can help, and ultimately decide to just proceed to the next set of drawers, hoping it might free their friends from this strange paralysis. The next set of drawers also triggers another eight, from which large undead limbs crawl, to form into two giant monster zombies! Oatmeal seems to suddenly break free from his paralysis, but now the smaller party of four is left to deal with these mighty new threats...will the rest of the group come back to their senses in time?
PCs: Finian Redfoot, Gary Greasewax, Indrid Hosspotch
