The tomb had been something of a legend among treasure hunters. A tomb with a hoard of treasure that would rival that of a whole kingdom's treasury. There were many mysterious tombs within the Jungle, but this one supposedly was one with the most promise in reward. For hundreds of years adventurers and looters have searched the jungle for the tomb. Those who went missing were presumed to be the ones who found it and never returned. The tomb's location became common knowledge over the years, but with that also came the knowledge of it's dangers. The tomb itself is said to house the bodies of hundreds of failed attempts at the hidden treasure inside. Few men have entered the tomb and escaped to warn others about it, which in turn would only attract others to attempt. A month ago, a bold adventurer by the name of Nolan Reid had entered the tomb for an entire day before lThe once bold and daring man had been turned skittish and broken by the experience. But there was one thing that this man had brought with him that none other had done before him. He brought back the name "Silas Faust." It was a name not heard for hundreds of years. He was a notorious thief, fascinated with powerful magic and items to help him in his heists. One such heist was that of relieving the proud Inquisition of some of it's most prized artifacts. A rightous blade of fire, said to only burn those judged wicked. Ceremonial armor said to be worn by one of the Inquisitions founders. Finally, a bow who's arrows are created through the sheer force of will it's user possesses, one that only the most determined of warriors may weild. If word reached the Inquisition that Silas Faust was laid to rest in this tomb with all of his treasures, it would surely be sought out.eaving with one less arm than he had before.

Eli had heard the tales and seen the man who emerged after a day in the tomb and yet he was not dissuaded. He stood tall, his chin tipped up, his blank white eyes narrowed beneath angled black brows. In one hand he held a long wooden staff, his other left free by his side. His body coated in a set of matte black leather armor that dressed atop beige colored fabric. The jungle was hot, sweat would have causing his clothing to stick to him, thankfully he knew a portable cooler: Solveig. Staying near her kept him chilly. "This is it," he said, his voice a soft baritone, his head turning as he looked to the others. He couldn't really 'see' any of them, but he could sense their general human outlines, see their auras, sense some of their emotions in shadow, color, and light.

One didn't have to read the bright aura that encircled Mags, to know that she was both anxious and excited at the prospect of entering the tomb. The perspiration upon brow had nothing to do with the humidity of the thick jungle, and everything to do with the various stories of certain doom that was running rampant in her mind. But despite her misgivings, there was an eager smile that cracked open lips to reveal a line of even pearl. Brown leather armor was worn over a red tunic, with bronze fastenings -- providing the service of protection, without costing her in the ability to move quickly or silently if necessary. Pack was a little lighter than normal upon back, providing only the essentials so not to weigh her down. It was the kite shield that could be burdensome but she wouldn't part with it unless an act of the gods told her to, already left arm was bearing it's weight while right was being used to hold an unlit torch. "That wasn't so bad.." cheerful as usual, and seemingly already invoking trouble before the true task began.

<i>Silas Faust</i>. A simple fairy tale that had been passed through the Inquisition's barracks, nothing more than a person whose existence was a lie. Yet when the man without an arm came to them, the church was quick to dispatch three of their members to retrieve the lost items within the tomb. There stood Eli, the blind hunter, Mags, the apprentice hunter, and Solveig, a mage hunter. The aura around her frame to the trained eye was dark blue for the ice that ran through veins, stoic features perceived from beneath spiked helm calm and stoic. The air within five feet of still frame distorted from the sheer difference in temperatures and toyed with perception. Magnhildr's flame would have a hard time living next to her body, its flames choking and dancing, in danger of going out. Morning blue gaze shifted between her company, right hand lifting to unsheathe the enchanted sword from scabbard on left hip. No provisions were visible upon the enchanted Ice Queen's armor, and soon cold, cultured voice broke into the air. "We go. Follow." No game plan was discussed; the three of them were more than capable of defending themselves, and so the white-haired woman led the party to the tomb's opening, seeking to either push or open door, and begin. Mission start.

The tomb was located west of the Jungle's heart, just outside of the territory of the serpents. Upon approach, one would be able to see that the doors of the tomb had long since been broken open. At the bottom of the stairs, the doors could be seen thanks to the light of the outside jungle pouring in. Anyone able to sense magic would be able to feel an abundance of it once entering the tomb. One such example would be the torches lighting up the areas that the jungle's light was not reaching. The fire was not natural. Ever burning. Immediately in front of the group was a narrow hallway. Scattered on the floor of the hallway were bones. The fact majority of them were broken, crushed.

He did not need Solveig to lead him, but he let her, the way one does when they're fond of someone. His head turned back towards the open doors and soon his silent footsteps were taking him through them, and then down a hallway. He couldn't see the lights though he knew of their presence like one knows of the rain soon to fall by the smell in the air. No bones were stepped on, no cracks to be heard in honor of the beast they would soon face, no, Eli was as silent as a mouse. The magic there was so thick it coated him, made his skin crawl, made every hair on his body stand up on end and he found himself frowning despite the great accomplishment ahead of them. When they retrieved these items and broke the tomb he would smile again.

Neither of her two companions were particularly a barrel of laughs, and she was left to trudge after them. First Solveig who would bring with her the chill of the far north to this sticky heat domain, then Eli who moved with the grace of a shadow, and lastly herself who seemed clumsy in comparison as leather sole found bone to crunch under heel into fragments. Gray irises shifting to the burning embers that permitted the usage of her abilities. Unlit torch was shifted to be worked back between straps of pack, as the eerie glow of the torches ahead lit their path. A gentle push was given around the trio, testing for unseen presences and their tattle-tale auras.

By  no means was Solveig quiet. <b>Clank, clank.</b> Armor and mail echoed within the silent cavern to announce her approach, and she cared not to break brittle bone beneath the heel of boot. The press of magic was upon all of them, and those morning blue eyes became coated over in an ethereal hue of white in an almost mimic of being blind; this was not so, but it was also a precaution to avoid illusionary traps from snaring the mind. Slowing to a stop at the hallway filled with broken bones one could not help but assume it was full of traps. Was it pressure plated flooring? Was there a switch? Her attention to detail would serve, as form crouched for moments to retrieve partially broken skull, and toss it into the others.

As the small group pressed forward, the ground would start to rumble slightly. Once they entered the hallway close enough for Solvieg to investigate one of the broken bones, the rather predictable thing happened. The ceiling of the hallway came crashing down in a crushing pillar. It happened in front of them, crushing leftover bones right at Solvieg's feet. Behind Magnhildr, another pillar came crashing down from the ceiling. The pillars would seem to crash down almost at random, but only ever two at a time. Solvieg's attention to detail would likely catch on that the square of the floor they were standing on was relatively undisturbed. There were no cracks there like the parts of the floor that the pillars were smashing down onto.

Suddenly there was a great rumbling of noise and the ground around them began to shake, debri fell from the ceilings followed shortly by columns that toppled over, none of which hit them directly but would have surly crushed them had they proceeded without Solveig's simple toss of a skull fracture. Eli's knuckles tensed as he squeezed the wooden staff he held and drew it in closer to him, a chuff of breath released from his nostrils. With his mind he imagined an invisible wall in front of them, and then a force powerful enough to push it, and anything in its path, forward into whatever lay beyond - and so it was. Eli's muscles tensed, his breathing becoming a mere hiss of motion as the action was performed and the bones and column were shoved back and out to the sides creating a clear path for them to walk on, one which may have triggered additional traps and wasn't guaranteed to be safe.

It wasn't very long that the forward march paused as Solveig called for a temporary halt to examine the area before them for potential traps, which either was divine intervention by their gods or sheer luck when the hammering pillars fell before and behind but mercifully not on. Eli was quick to react with force, as the barrier was produced -- invisible to the untrained eye but a beautiful pale blue to the enlightened. It was pushed outwards discarding bone and other debris, while smashing through rock with the strength of a mountain giant. Mags favored a quick glance over shoulder, judging the distance between herself and what would have been a smooshed Mags. Was anyone surprised that she gave a near inaudible squeak? Returning focus to the pair before her, she would take the necessary steps to shorten the gap between them. "Nice welcome.. mash?" a stab at humor, biting down on lower lip.

The falling of stone pillars in front was expected, but behind them, too? Luck seemed to be within their favor as the space in which they stood was left untouched. Eli's quick thinking was forceful in eradicating the path before them, yet if he had turned to destroy those behind, would icy hand drop over strong shoulder in silent halt. This place was far more dangerous than it had appeared to be... further inspection would leave for right foot to step upon cleared away broken stone, testing for any other surprises... only for a surge of cold that forced ice to gather and travel in a two foot radius of boot, traveling partially up the walls. Mag's attempt at humor was ignored - not out of malice, simply due to Solveig did not understand the use of humor and jokes to alleviate the gravity of any given situation. "Do you sense anything unsual?" She questioned the girl instead, focused on the task at hand.

With the destruction of a number of the pillars that had crashed down, there was a very clear patch on which they can take to get to the end of the hallway. The remaining pillars that weren't down at the time of Eli's attack were still crashing down in their proper spaces, but they would post no threat unless one of the party were to step onto that space for absolutely no apparently reason other than to just give up on life. With the pathway so quickly clear, much more easily than others had if the bones were any indication, the three of them would come out to a large circular room. In the middle of the room was a circular indentation, surrounding by black marks that indicated burns. Above the three of them, a magic construct appeared. Only.. this one had no ill intent. It produced a congradulatory chime of music, followed by strange pieces of colorful paper. "Congratulations on not dying!" A voice spoke from the construct. "I believe no introductions are necessary if you're raiding my tomb. Now for test two you must deal with one of my most powerful of servants! My most ruthless, my most harrowing, the bane of your current existence! Step closer to the middle of the room, if you are ready to face doom!"

Neither Eli or Solveig paid her words any mind, instead focusing upon progressing forward. "No, nothing.. these are just rigged to hammer every few seconds," a small gesture made to the still operational pillars at their back. "I think our troubles will be further in," saying aloud what they knew for truth. As there wasn't any sense in hesitating any longer, they fell into a close march once again. Down the cleared pathway in relative silence, save for the damning pounding of stone that echoed around them. Until at last reaching a section that had been outside of Eli's forceful blast. If he repeated the same maneuver again it would be pretty straight forward, or if they merely timed their passing between spaces until entering the chamber beyond it made little difference to Mags. A searching glance was given to the area as they moved further in, looking for a clue as to what expect but finding nothing that was directly threatening or menacing. Unless you wanted to consider the booming announcement that there'd be additional trials. A shrug was afforded Solveig as once more she failed to get any useful reading from the room. Perhaps there wasn't magic at work here..

As there was no need for Eli to waste his strength, he didn't do so. Instead, he followed after his 'sister', the great wolf, pausing and going when told to. Mags would not be left behind and the three of them would remain together - a pack, if you would. When passageway eventually gave in to room, once more Solveig would pause their advance, carefully considering what they would face within. Scorch marks could mean fire - something that was not good for her, but depending on the severity, could pose no issue, either. If the congratulatory music and words were meant to irritate, Faust would find their reaction lacking. "I will need time to prepare." Inhuman gaze shifted to her companions, which Eli did not give back, for his blank stare was focused within the room. "Mind and warm yourselves." On her own, there was typically no problem with allowing the sheer cold aura she possessed loose, but in company? It had to be minded, save her companions turn into ice statues. The air around Solveig's immeidate person dropped into the negatives, frost forming over silver armor, causing it to glitter in magical light -- it was then that Eli gave a low sigh - while he adored her, couldn't she warm up a bit?

The pompous voice sounded again, a wizard behind the curtain that would get himself killed if he allowed Solveig to get her hands upon him. She was the far less forgiving of the three, whereas Mags would simply arrest the speaker if he surrendered. Fiery gaze had taken note of the strange scorch marks upon the floor, mere moments before they were plunged into darkness. Only Mags was still able to see quite clearly, as the suits of armor came shambling forth from a different doorway with weaponized instruments in hand to regale them with an uplifting song. The light was returned to showcase the source of sound and then more specifically the magnificence of the armor that was supposedly their true target. The auras surrounding the * players was neutral to their presence, but would certainly attack if they drew close. But the one preening for all to see, harnessed the flames. "We'll have to get rid of the heavy metal band first, or we'll never reach the flaming one. They'll attack as soon as we're close." While not as experienced as her elders, Mags was good at reading a room, so to speak. Free right hand would curl around grip and withdraw longsword from sheath. She would await Eli or Sol to give the signal. (six players per snek!) Breath began to mist as Solveig took dominance over their immediate area's temperature, dropping it to uncomfortable degrees. It was bearable only due to the padding worn beneath leather armor to prevent chafing on a normal basis. Mags swallowed but didn't voice complaint, as this was one of the reasons that her instructor was so famous.

Eli shivered at the chill, white puffs of cloud where his breath touched air visible - the change of darkness had no effect upon his senses, and he too could 'watch' the suits dance their way into the room. The music was strange and not particularly his preference, and whomever had chosen it had done so with the intention to cause confusion. Or so he thought, anyway. Upon hearing both Solveig and Mag's words, the blind man took one step forward, a tap of wooden staff to aid in step, already a beginning of power swirling within mind. "If you need time, we will give you time." Hand rose to gesture the young one forward, imagining two large, flat hands of God above the show, armed with powerful force - a exhalation forced the power down, its intention to crush armor and suits alike. His muscles spasmed, leaving him unable to move for several moments, the sheer force of will stopping him in his tracks.
Solveig stood quietly by, the darkness stealing vision, but with no outcome save for dance and song, did not bother to react. Instead the Inquisitor inhaled chilled air and filled lungs, white gaze glowing like the sparkle of sunlight against snow, indicating that she was charging power. Frost crept like strangling vines over stone floor, moving past Eli and Magnhildr as her influence grew - the entire <i>room's</i> temperature was now affected. Forming from frost that thickened into a fine sheet were spikes of ice - menacing in look and purpose - at the same time that the will of the other's attack would bear down upon the area. It would appear to be a pinsir formation, something accomplished only by the experience the two had in working together. [e]

The music stopped with the force of willpower pressing down on the suits of armor like a massive invisible wall. The iron armors creaked and cracked slightly, rendering all of them but the main armor prone. The gaudy armor was forced onto his knee. By now, the armors were very much in a hostile mood. Having been attacked, they would relatliate. The armors took a moment to get up, but the main armor was ready to attack much sooner. That firey magic built up in it's sword as it was raised up and swing down. At the meeting of the sword with the floor, a small wave of fire about three feet in width roared out with intentions to ram right into the three of them to give them burn damage. Meanwhile, the musical armors were completely on their feet again. Lest they were attacked once more, they would start making their way towards the group. Each one of their weapons were melee ones. A mixture of blades and blunt objects.

Eli would advance forward towards the arguably talented musicians, which was really attributed to the mysterious puppet master that pulled their invisible strings; Mags following just behind to create a distracting barrier between Solveig and anything else in the room. The air seemed to hum as the blind one reached out with gigantic hands of pure force to crush their merrily playing opponents, and then the wolf herself would extend the frost into jagged spikes onto which one could become impaled or bottlenecked. An impressive tactic, but now the main event was weighing in as it's fanfare had abruptly ended. Moving in front of the temporarily dazed Eli, enchanted kite shield was raised to protect them both from the worst of the flame for precautions sake. The flames sputtering out uselessly within four feet of the pair, as the antimagic field dissolved the potential into nothingness. A little sigh was expelled in relief, even as attention returned to the approaching band. It would be the same result in the end, provided the armor was completely operated by magic and didn't possess internal gears. Once within the combined range of the pair, as Eli recovered, opposing magic would cease it's function -- evaporating into thin air so to speak. One should always be on guard however, as who knew what sort of craftiness their strange host had.