Úlf cries out in pain as the sword and claw of the skeleton hit hard, ignoring the urge to clutch the bleeding wound as he takes a step backward, reaching into his pack to retrieve a potion bottle, popping the cork and quickly guzzling the contents.
Re-energized by the potion, the wounds from the skeleton's attacks closing somewhat, Úlf brandishes his lucerne hammer once more, this time attempting a sideways sweep as he tries to finish the skeleton off, swinging the hammer with all his might.
No the slash is a mistake..
Ulf..you can attack or drink the potion but not both as drawing and drinking a potion consume your move and standard actions for the round.You can still take the 5' step.
Runa moves forward and strikes at the nearest skeleton (S2)
Smoke and steam pour from Cinder's body with a hiss. How dare this unliving abomination DARE to remain standing after his hammer-blow! Cinder spins around to square 08.24 and attempts a follow-up strike.
Ulf steps back winds up and launches a blow that knocks the Armoured Skeletons skull straight off...much to your surprise the other skeletons collapse like puppets with their strings cut.
FIGHT OVER
Omara nudges the closest skeleton with her foot to make sure it will not get back up, then remembers the big one at the end of the tunnel behind her.
Rushing back to support Ulf you find his fight over as well.
Even in mid-swing, Úlf had begun to brace himself for the counterattack he was certain would leave him unconscious and bleeding out on the floor of the cave. And then, much to his surprise, his swing caught the skeleton directly in the skull, the bone ripping from the body and clattering across the cave floor.
His eyes go wide as he stares at the now-motionless heap of bones lying on the floor of the cave, then he looks backward as the sound of more skeletons collapsing reaches him from behind. It takes him a moment to realize what has just happened, but when he does, the biggest grin they've seen yet breaks across his face and he lifts the lucerne hammer in both hands, mouth open wide in a (silent) shout of victory and triumph. He pumps the weapon up and down several times, head tilted back as he continues the voiceless cry, giving the distinct impression that he's kinda-sorta happy. The only thing keeping his victory howl quiet is the thought of not wanting to alert anything else in the cave to their presence with a boisterous celebration.
His moderately serious wounds momentarily forgotten, he turns to see Omara rushing in. He releases a sigh of relief, realizing that their fight must truly be over. "Skeleton was sitting on large treasure chest by wall over there. I do not know if it is locked or trapped, but either way is your specialty, yes?" he asks her, suppressing the glee in his voice.
It is only then that he realizes he still has a pretty significant sword-wound from the skeleton in his abdomen. A painful one. Using a strip of cloth from his backpack to cover the wound, he looks past Omara to see if Runa is in view and, if so, he calls to her,"Little sister! Have you any healing magics still left to you today?" He then looks back to the skeleton, eager to search the pile of bones for what worthwhile gear or information such a beast may possess.
Watching the skeletons around her fall to the floor, Runa heaves a sigh of relief. Upon hearing Ulf's call she makes her way into the rear chamber and examines the wound upon the Northman’s leg.
"Bravely done warrior. A good scar this will make and a heroic story for you to tell."
She mutters a few harsh-sounding words, and the healing warmth flows from her hands into the wounded man.
"Was anyone else injured??"
"Not my 'specialty,' just something I have practice with. But I will take a look." As she begins examining the chest, she hears Ulf call for Runa. She looks up at Ulf. Looks at Zaladrel, the cleric of Desna, standing right there. Looks back at Ulf. Starts to say something. Thinks better of it, and returns to examining the chest.
"Of course, of course! I only mean to say that you are much more practiced in it than I. I would not notice a trap if it bit me in the leg...which..could really happen, yes?" he asks, suddenly considering the possibility of his own hypothetical. Noticing, out of the corner of his eye, the looks that Omara cast between Úlf and Zaladrel, the big Ulfen man seems to stutter a bit.
"Uh...Zaladrel! I do not suppose you would be willing to use some of your healing magics, as well? Runa's healing was good, but I think that this skeleton did more damage to me than I had first thought..." he trails off, gesturing to the sword wound in his leg. While the bleeding is not as severe as before, it is still clearly in need of more healing.
Úlf will wait for Zaladrel's response, then, whether healed more or not, will kneel down and search the skeleton whose skull he just knocked off.
The chest does indeed look like a chest, you can tell it is made of a rich red wood decorated with dark green (almost to the point of being black) stones of some sort.
There is an obvious lock and looking around Ulf sees within the jumble of armour and bone that was his opponent a key glinting in the light from Zal's shield.
Seeing the glint of the key in Zaladrel's shield-light, he kneels, retrieving the trinket from within the pile of bones. "Omara. See if this fits in lock on chest." he says, tossing the key to her.
Well that was certainly an event.
Zal will move to light the chest fully so when the key is used the contents can be properly noted.
Úlf follows Zaladrel over to the chest, wincing as his still-bleeding leg bears his weight. "Ugh. Zaladrel...I do not suppose you could spare a healing spell for me? Runa's spell was good, but I think the skeleton left me more wounded than I had first thought..."
Zaldrel looks distractedly over at Ulf. Of course my friend! The battle was so fast in its pace I did not take full stock of your state.
Zaladrel will kneel and look over the wound then utter a prayer to Desna to mend his flesh.
Zaladrel nods. You are not in perfect shape but close I think. Let me know if the leg continues to bother you.
The Ulfen man releases a sigh as the healing magic races through him once again. Again testing his weight on his leg, he grins, nodding his head toward Zaladrel. "Is much better now. Many thanks to you, my friend!" he says to the cleric before also inclining his head in Runa's direction. "And thanks to you again, little sister. Now..shall we see what treasure this...thing...was watching over?"
If the key looks like it will fit, Omara puts it into the lock and turns it. "Let us see what all the fuss was about."
Once the chest is opened, it’s obvious that many objects have been removed from numerous slots in the chest’s velvet-lined interior— the handiwork of the Licktoad goblins. However, the chest still holds 15 potion bottles, a wand , a chain shirt, a finely made version of the Tian style sword that the skeletons were armed with it's blade off a dull grey metal, 15 of the tubes the goblins had, 6 larger tubes on sticks, in addition to 3,825 sp, 632 gp,19 pp and various pieces of fine jewelry which Omara values at 840gp
She also values the chest at 325GP
Úlf's eyes widen at the trove revealed by Zaladrel's shield-light shining in the chest, pursing his lips to release a low whistle. "And goblins only took FIREWORKS?!" he asks, his voice sounding just a smidge incredulous. Seeing the sword in the chest, Úlf suddenly remembers the skeleton that he was fighting and rushes back to it, taking a few moments to strip it of any weapons and gear it may possess and bringing them back to put into the chest with the rest of the treasures within.
Cinder takes its share of the treasure an puts it into a pouch. Bulging full of coins he sets it next to the treasure chest.
If the goblins got this far and took things from this chest...did they steal about behind the skeleton leader and flee or do these monsters reform to life regardless of them being broken or defeated?
"The skeletons only started moving when we got close to the chest, or the leader skeleton. There must be something they were trying to protect, even after death. Something important enough to march through the swamp after the Licktoads to get it back. Maybe some of this is magical." Omara will examine the contents of the chest to see if anything seems valuable enough to animate the dead.
Nothing in the chest seems to be valuable enough to be a relic..perhaps there's some magical reason.
"I do not think that the Licktoads would have been able to take fireworks from chest if skeletons had risen then. I am not certain that any of these things look that valuable, though. Perhaps there was something else of importance here?" he asks, taking the skeleton leader's sword from the pile of bones as well as any other gear it may have been carrying. "I think we should carry whole chest back to Sandpoint. We could maybe examine the things better with morning's light. It will be dusk soon and I do not think we wish to spend the night in a cave.
Runa looks over the treasure, and with a single, harsh word, she attempts to detect magic, both type and strength.
Runa casts her spell and the following items detect as Magical.
All the Potions( all faint conjuration in 3 distinct batches)
The Wand(faint Divination)
One Ring(faint Transmutation)
The sword in Ulf's hand(faint conjuration)
She then attempts to identify the items using Spellcraft
Ring Ring of Climbing
Wand Wand of Identify 29 charges which she then uses on the remaining items(4 charges expended)
Sword +1 Wakizashi(broken)
Batch of 8 potions Cure Light Wounds
Batch of 4 potions Lesser Restoration
Batch of 3 potions Cure Moderate Wounds
Ulf also recovers a broken MW chain Shirt from the bone pile.
"I agree with Ulf, we should take it all back to town and examine it there."
Yes, lets get out of this cave and back somewhere dry!"
Fully laden the chest weighs about 75 pounds..
It's easy enough to get out off the cave and a path leads away from it up to the top of the escarpment and out off the marsh.
Once there it's just a matter off walking the three or four miles back to Sandpoint where you arrive just after dark.
"In addition to the treasure in the chest, we have some strange weapons that are damaged. Are they worth repairing, or should we try to sell them as-is? Can anyone tell, or is that something we have to ask Savah about."
"I think is best to let Savah look at everything. If nothing else, weapon that skeleton guarding this chest had is magical. Even broken it must be worth something." Úlf answers, hefting the treasure chest up onto his shoulder with a grunt of effort.
"If we are quick, I think we can be back to Sandpoint before dusk is too long upon us. Do we need to do anything else in cave? Or are we ready to go back?" he asks the group members who haven't yet voiced a viewpoint.
The only damaged weapon is the one that detected as Magic..you have a further 15 fully functional but rusty ones that Omarra values at 30 Gold each due to their exotic provenance
Mhmm if we think we are finished here, and I don't see why we shouldn't be, I suppose we return to town. Ameiko will be interested to know what we found, the mystery starting with ships bearing her family name and all. Perhaps she will have a deeper insight into the nature of these weapons and how they might be used properly?
Úlf nods in Zaladrel's direction. "Talking to Ameiko is good idea. So it seems we all agree is time to go back then, yes?" he asks, gesturing back toward the mouth of the cave.
The group apparently in consensus, Úlf turns to start the trek out of the cave and back to Sandpoint.
The danger apparently over, the form of Cinder begins to slowly fade as it walks just behind Úlf back towards the entrance to the cave. As it becomes more and more indistinct, it begins to drift off of the semi-conscious form of Lissa, like so much smoke on a light breeze. Eventually, nothing remains of the smouldering creature, and only Lissa follows along with the group.
Úlf looks back to Lissa as Cinder simply dissipates from around her, watching the curvy young woman for a moment. "What is it like, Lissa? To be inside Cinder? Do you share its thoughts? Can you talk to it without summoning it? I am curious about how summoning works."
Lissa appears confused, apparently assuming that her companions had seen her summonings enough times and been around Cinder enough so take it as normal.
"It is... difficult to explain. When we are together, it is not like we are two separate people. We are one, bound at the soul." Lissa pauses, seeming to gather her thoughts as she continues to walk along. "Úlf , you know that tiny voice in the back of your head that tells you when you are doing something wrong? We we are bound, it is like that. voice echoes in the back our thoughts, Cinder's does likewise. As near as I've been able to understand, and I'll admit I do not understand it well, it is as near a perfect fusion of two beings in a single form as can be. I've often thought about going to Magnimar or Korvosa to have some of their sages look into it. Probably Korvosa. They're supposed to be especially knowledgeable about summoning. When I was young, I even entertained fantasies about running away to enroll in the Academae." Lissa giggles to herself pleasantly, remembering the thoughts.
The low sun cast's long shadows along the coast and it has barely dipped below the horizon when you reach the gates..The guardsmen admit you at Ulf's call and you reenter the town glad to be safe behind the walls again.
Úlf nods at Lissa's explanation. He'd been wanting to ask more about her connection with Cinder for some time, naturally curious about the arcane bond, but hadn't really thought of asking about it again until just now. "I hope asking is ok. I do not mean to ask personal questions or to make you uncomfortable, Lissa." he says in reply.
...
When the group finally reaches Sandpoint once more, Úlf releases a sigh of relief. "Is about time! This chest is beginning to get heavy. Where shall we go first? Surely Savah is closed by now...maybe we take it to Ameiko? See if she recognizes the way it is made? She should know about ship, too."
"Let us go to the Dragon. We can show her what we found, as well as get a good hot meal and cool drink!" Tofa, soaked and miserable-looking, sneezes and give a slight whine, then yips at the sound of hot food.
Yes the respite after a long day is always the sweetest reward to the tenacious traveler! And I hardly worked at it, not like you my large friend! Zaladrel smiles over to Ulf.
Looking to Runa Zaladrel nods, A warm meal would cap the evening well. Is Tofa well? I know little of animal means but that sneezing would worry me after our travels through the likes of the marsh...
Runa smiles as she looks down at the bedraggled fox. "He is just acting up to try and get some sympathy, and any leftovers off your plate." The fox gives the little witch a firm gaze, then he looks over to Zaladrel and gives a little whine, trying to look as pathetic as possible.
"Now stop that Tofa!", Runa scolds, but the smile on her face, and the shaking of her head show this is an old con the fox has tried many times before.
As if on cue, the conversation about a hot meal causes an audibly loud growl to erupt from Úlf's stomach. He seems to hesitate slightly in his walk, as if unsure of how to react, before releasing a bark of laughter. "It seems my stomach thinks hot food is good plan, also!"
Reaching back to look in his backpack, he checks to make sure the animal bane arrows they found in the goblin chief's hut are still there. Even in his state of hunger, he hasn't forgotten that Shalelu is supposed to be back from her hunting trip by now and it wouldn't do for him to greet her without the gift in hand.