There was indeed mortar in the crevice between the slabs making hte door, but it was old and flaking away - and a seam indicated it had been prised open before. However, grit has filled the gaps and serves much the same purpose. Rand's pick chips away bits of dirt and crumbling masonry, adding to the pile of soil and sand that Tgamo and Nesha are scooping away. It's over an hour's labor to clear the seal<em>and</em>enough sand to hopefully get the door open, leaving the four sweary and dusty.<br/><br/>Because of course, Salimah was busy... "supervising."<br/><br/>There's a heavy<em>thunk!</em>when Nestor jams the bill of the crowbar into the door, a little sandstone chipping off. The Ulfe man braces his feet and heaves on the bar. The doors do not budge, but a shower of grit and ancient mortar rains down from the top of the door, where the tiny Swashbuckler girl could not reach with her tools. Jamming it in again and pushing, the doors shifted, but would not swing outward. More sand was cleared, more mortar chipped away, and this time, Tgamo lent his muscle to the affair.<br/><br/>The bar actually<em>bent</em>a little - not enough to really harm it, but still impressive. However, the doors grated open, enough to hook the crowbar into them further and drag them open the rest of the way. Finally, the adventurers get their first glimpse in, with the noon sun soon to beat on their backs.<br/><br/>A stale smell wafted out of the tomb. Not foul, or pungent... just the smell one might find in a basement, of ancient dirt and air that hasn't moved in ages. There is no light beyond the heavy slab doors, beyond what sunlight is spilling in. That scant light does reveal that the doors have no handles from the inside, and that the itnerior is decorated in some fashion... if nothing else, it's shade against the increasingly hot sun.<br/><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">OOC</div><div class="spoiler_body">It took seven rolls before a strength check actually opened the doors... even with the +2 bonus from the crowbar, another -5 DC from using a crowbar, and +2 from an assumed Aid Another! The E roller is ballsack. Rather than make everyone sit through that silly-ass stuff, let's just say it was a long affair of back-breaking labor. Adventuring isn't always glamorous!</div></div><br/><div class="spoiler_container"><div class="spoiler_header" onclick="hideSecond (this);" role="button">Map</div><div class="spoiler_body">(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v181/Kittenpeeler/Mummys%20Mask/Characters/map2.png)</div></div>