Project - Cairn Hills - The Tomb of Aelfflaed the Beautiful Part 8 End

Project - Cairn Hills - The Tomb of Aelfflaed the Beautiful Part 8  End

11.

This area represents the hall west of the entrance to Room 10. 

The walls are plastered and in relatively good repair. They appear to tell a story. Starting from the entrance to Room 10 they show Flan warriors in chariots and afoot fighting Elves in green leather armor. The elven warriors are mainly archers and they take a severe toll on the Flan. As the Hall turns north the walls show a woodland glade with burning forest around it. The bodies of many Elves and Flan are scattered about. A group of Flan in heavy armor face a party of Elves who bow before them. At the head of the Eleven group is a beautiful Elven woman whose hands are stretched out while a Flan with a crown puts chains upon her wrists.

As the Hallway turns west again the Hall shows on one wall the Eleven woman holding a bloody knife in one hand an the head of the crowned Flan. On the other wall it shows a pyre with the crowned Flan's body on top while in the background the Elven woman appears to be dragged into an opening in the side of a hill.

As the players reach the sealed entrance to Room 13 they see 2 armed and armored figure bearing axes. These two mumified Flan warriors will attack if they are attacked or if anyone tries to unseal the chamber to Room 13.

12.

This long Hallway has its plaster heavily worn and broken. The roof has cracks in many places that leak a steady patter of small debris. The floor is covered in a layer of small stones and dirt, but is otherwise quite safe.

13. Aelfflead's Tomb Chamber

This chamber is surprisingly barren and unadorned. The walls to east and west are lined with bodies chained to the walls, a dozen to each side. They are dressed in what was once fine clothing. To the west are the bodies of a dozen women, to the east a dozen men. 

As the party enters they begin to move toward the center of the room. They wear iron collars with chains attached to them. The chains play out from the wall with a grinding clank of rusting metal set into motion. When each side nears the center of the room the chain pulls tight and stops  them just out of arms reach from each other. The bodies, dry and desicated, reach pitiously out toward but cannot reach those opposite.

One of the female bodies wears a pair of Boots of Elvenkind.

At the north of the room is a dias with a throne upon it. The throne is made of some type of thorned briar and the figure on the throne is pierced dozens of times with sharp dagger length thorns. From a distance she appears to be a beautiful  Elven woman (identical to the pictures in the Hall at area 11). As the players approach she twists and turns in apparent agony. The beautiful face is strangely frozen, her limbs stiff and frozen.

Within twenty feet the players may be able to detect that she wears a mask of some type, ceramic, porcelin, such as some rich child's doll might possess. Her limbs are similarly constructed. If the mask is removed her face is a horrid visage of rotted flesh, sunken-eyed and broken toothed. Her limbs have been removed and replaced with the sculpted imitations of arms and legs. 

Aelfflaed cannot speak but moans out a wordless plea for release.

The mask and limbs are quite valuable but if seen by Elves from Celene evokes a strong reaction. The story of Aelfflead is still told among the Elves of Celene and inspires a strong dislike for humans Flan or not.