Azarra picks up the key and follows the group. She notices that the key is unusually heavy. Strange.
Re: the map, useful in what way? Will it allow us to view the whole map without fog of war, or does the map show rooms or underground areas that we might miss otherwise? If I see anything like that, I will take note, but if you mean something that I/we may notice in the future, I am happy to keep the map out and keep consulting it as we go. I only said I put it away because I was worried it would crumble from age.
Mal hands the crowbar over and continues to focus on the doorways of the rooms bow with an arrow nocked just in case. As the Paladin takes the lead, the elf remains in the middle of the pack, bow up and ready to slay more Orcs. He grimaces a bit as he realizes that his supply of arrows is running lower than he would like.
Luckily, his pack has a second full quiver!
The knight is ready...
The door to the south has been forced open presumably but the orc and was ajar. You nudge the door open to reveal a long corridor where there had been a battle, with numerous dead orcs and shattered remains of skeletal undead.
Azarra starts searching the new orc corpses for anything useful... like hopefully a nice other-half-of-the-password that they might have found somewhere, but you know... whatever.
Before she starts, she glances up at Zane defensively, hoping that he isn't glaring at her disapprovingly, but then (either way), she gets to work.
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Zane secured the well-made armaments of the mighty orc champion, thinking they would be worth a decent sum back in New Phlan. As the southern door revealed the results of a terrible battle, the priest moved in to cover Azarra, ya know, just in case some terrible haunt tried to rush out and get her.
As she glanced at him, he smiled warmly and with approval...these were enemy combatants and were fair game to the priest. When she appeared to be done, he bent closer, his voice light in her ear as his warm breath tickled her neck.
Ishta looks alternatively at the two doors, not knowing which one to explore first. Finally, she decides that the one the orc came through is already open, so it should be easier to look there first.
Ser Armithia readies to go through the door that the orc came from...
After Azarra finishes searching the orcs, she realizes that Zane is whispering to her. She grins with delight, listening intently, and then she turns around and whispers back.
You're a nerd, Zane. Assigning letters to the doors. She laughs softly, drawing the rooms in her journal to see how his number and letter designations work. ... Well, it does make it clear which one you mean, although I might have... you know... assigned the letters and numbers in some actual order... but F it is. I'll go check. You hold this for safekeeping.
Azarra hands Zane her journal (with the map and music tucked in the back), just in case the ghost can sense his stuff, and slips back into what Zane would nerdily refer to as room 8, and tries the key in door F to see if it opens the lock. If it does, she does not open the door, but instead goes back to tell Zane it worked.
Zane and Azarra hear the sounds of battle distantly from outside, for now it seems the tide of combat is ebbing away from the immediate vicinity.
You can see bloodied footprints coming in from the west, there's a bunch of corpses in the long corridor (room 2). You assume the orc you fought came in that way, perhaps the only survivor?
Ser Armithia looks to secure the orcs entrance...
"Ok, so the two doors to the west here probably lead to the same room while the one down the hall towards the east most likely leads to the chapel room. Those at the south, well, that must be the other tower ..."
Nah. She just wanted any papers (password or mission related, etc.) or magic things. I'll cast detect magic just in case, but if there isn't anything, she leaves it.
Zane chuckled at being called a nerd, just delighted to remain in such close proximity to the lovely half-elf as she started to assign designations on her map. He accepted the papers from her with a grin, mouthing the words be careful to her as she slipped away to rest the key.
After Azarra returned from her brief excursion, the priest handed her the papers back, glad to be rid of them (and also letting his hands linger on hers for a few moments longer than necessary). Teasing or no, she certainly had more of a head for such things than Zane did. As the hallway to the south seemed devoid of living enemies and there were two very interesting doors nearby, Zane gave the one immediately to the west (H) a look-over before trying the handle if he found nothing amiss.
Once the alley is revealed, Ishta checks how it leads to the entrance. She also notices there's another door.
"We could open this door here while watching the main entrance. That way this tower would be fully checked."
Azarra takes her journal from Zane with a smile, and walks into the the room to the south to sketch it, staying near the door, so she can keep an eye on both Zane and Ishta's chosen doors in case she needs to help fight something within either one.
Azzara mutters a spell to reveal any slumbering art. While she detects the same aura covering the whole island, her breath is taken by the strong aura of conjuration magic coming from the key...
Zane doesn't notice anything immediately dangerous and he opens the door to the west to reveal a badly damaged dormitory choked with dust and shattered stones. A pair of recently dead orcs appear to have rifled through the ancient bedding among which they where hacked apart.
Zane took a quick glance around the ruined dorm, eyeing the two deceased orcs with distaste. Presumably the undead had been busy here, as well.
Shrugging, the priest moved into the hallway with Azarra and Ser Armithia, smiling warmly at the half-elf as he passed her before going to the door just inside. He glanced over it, as well, remembering all too well the trap that had grievously injured him not long before.
If the cleric didn't find anything amiss, he would attempt to open that door, as well, knowing time was of the essence before either the orcs or undead won and the group had another problem on their hands.
Once Zane has opened the dormitory, Azarra goes in to look.
Hmm, nothing here...
She wanders back out.
Mal peers into the room
and notices the dead Orcs and nothing more.
Ishta enters the newly opened room after Zane, with the idea of communicating with room 2, but is dissapointed that it ends in a wall. "Okay, we'll have to use the other door, then."
She reunites with the priest and gets ready to open the door that leads to the rest of this tower.
With everyone having thrown a look or two into the room, Kardas doesn't want to be the odd one out and also peeks into the room. "Nothing here but corpses. Let us press on."
The Watchers of Dawn quickly check out the two rooms adjacent to the entrance. They where both once cloak rooms that doubled up as archery stations. A good number of rotted and crumbling arrows are heaped in the corners along with dozens of rotted cloaks that once proudly bore the heraldic arms of Phlan.
Ser Armithia steps toward the door to the south.
There is something wrong behind this door.
"You're right. I can hear someone... moaning? Perhaps a wounded orc, or some kind of specter? Let us check, shall we?"
Um guys, I know this isn't the best time, and I agree with Ishta that we should totally find out who is moaning, if you are actually hearing such a thing.... but I have been examining this key and I think it opens an extradimensional space and that it needs a command word. There, I said it. I know, I know, it seems strange, and I have no idea how to find the space to unlock OR the command word, but there it is.
The door to the south is locked but the door itself is rotten and bears the marks of orkish axes. It collapses in a cloud of dust and debris after a single firm kick to reveal a badly damaged rubble choked dormitory. The floor is covered with moss and lichens thanks to the gaping hole in the ceiling.
To the east a rubble filled passageway leads into one of the largest rooms within the ruined keep. Judging from the long benches and the sagging trestle tables, this used to be a refectory. On the northern wall there is a fresco of knights in shining armor fighting hordes of darkness. Towards the bottom of the fresco in large Gothic lettering is a motto: Samosud est servat honorem.
This room might once have been warm and inviting, but no longer. In the center is a great pile of desiccated corpses. The parts of several hundred individuals are dumped here and worryingly many of them seem to be watching you. The occasional moan of the damned escapes from somewhere within this charnel pile.
Azarra spots a belt buckle in the rubble. She goes and picks it up, and then fastens it to her belt. Just something we might be able to sell later she tells everyone. Has the name "Gilesestri" on it. Does that mean anything to anyone?
After recovering the shiny thing, she realizes that something *is* moaning in the... pile of corpses. She gulps and backs off a little. You don't think that all of these <gesturing to the pile> are going to try to uh... fight us, do you?[/b]
We really, really need the rest of that password.
Ser Armithia approaches the moaning pile of corpses.
The Paladin gives it a scan...
As if confirming Azarra's fear, something from within the pile stirs and appears to be fighting its way out!
"Good Gods above fend..." Kardas then makes a dozen gestures to various gods, hoping that at least one of them is willing to listen and watch over them.
"Ok, I do not know what to do about this. Burial rites and a cremation of sorts seem to be the right way to go at it, but I'm no priest." The swordmage looks at Zane, hoping the man has the answer.
Ser Armithia readies to strike at the evil abomination that seems to be rising from the pile.
By Helm, no evil shall be welcomed here!
The final pass word would be Samosud!
Ser Armithia cries out, "Samosud!" and several things happen at once. The key Azarra found resonated with the word Samosud and started to glow softly... What would happen if it was turned? The stirring in the pile ceases momentarily but then began again with renewed vigor, something vile smelling is definitely climbing out!
Zane's eyes furrowed in consternation as he looked at the pile of bodies, noting the gruesome execution of many of them. Although his grandmother and father had managed to escape from Phlan, it looked like many of its citizens had not. He whispered a quick prayer for the dead, extending his holy symbol forward for a moment as he offered a blessing that was likely fifty years late in coming.
In response to the Rashemi, the cleric nodded. "These people deserve a proper sendoff. In their condition, a blessed funeral pyre seems the best way. In Lathander's view..." Zane's voice trailed off as something stirred within the pile of bodies. It seemed as though someone wasn't ready for their final journey to the afterlife.
The priest's eyes widened as the paladin yelled out the final password and the heavy key that Azarra possessed started to glow. He took a moment to admire her fine features in the soft lighting before turning his attention back to the pile of corpses and the thing that is obviously trying to get out.
The priest's nose wrinkled at the horrid smell as the thing continued to scrabble out of the pile of corpses, but he stood resolute, stepping up beside Ser Armithia. "Morninglord! Please provide your guidance to our brave group as we continue to combat the evils of this cursed place. We seek to end the torment of these poor souls and lay them to rest, so that their spirits can go to whatever afterlife awaits them." The entire group feels a faint warmth permeate their being after Zane's incantation is complete, a bit more confidence and ability ensured with the casting.
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He took a moment to admire her fine features in the soft lighting before turning his attention back to the pile of corpses.
Azarra catches Zane looking at her and blushes slightly before cringing again at the moaning and the vile smell coming from the pile of corpses. She turns the softly-glowing key, hoping that somehow it will help.
Nothing happens the first time, then Azarra tried again, turning the key while saying Samosud and she felt a strange resistance. There was a disembodied KER-THUNK and a livid orange rectangle appeared in front of her, with the key floating in mid air. On a whim she pulled the key and, for want of a better explanation a 'door' floating in mid air perhaps a foot square swung open. Inside this revealed a small musty smelling space, oak-paneled and perhaps two feet deep. Inside is a slender wand made of polished oak and a well-made but rather ordinary looking horn made of some shiny yellow metal. The wand radiates a lessar aura of necromantic magic but the horn radiates a powerful aura of alteration and abjuration magics.
"I have little arcane power left to channel through my sword, companions.."
Azarra doesn't have any magical insight into these objects, but the horn *must* be what they are looking for... how many magical horns could there be in a place like this? She slides the wand into a pocket of her bandolier, and picks up the horn. She backs off so that she has time to pull out the sheet music they found, and begins to play.
Ser Armithia feels blessed to be ready...
Ishta doesn't really know what to do, so she reacts how she's learned to during her wanderings. She goes to where the Ghast might appear, and gets ready to fight.