"Undead? Why would undead be in a place as sacred to the town as this?" The question is not meant to argue, but it is mostly in confusion, "Easy on the trees, if you please." He frowns
"I've already got one, thanks," Cotton says at Sa'sori's offer of a club, and she pats Old Trusty, hanging from her belt. "I imagine if a do-badder went into a tomb, Dyrm, then any bones lying around would make a tempting resource for minion-making. Now the question becomes: what would anyone want in there?"
"I hadn't even considered that the skeleton killed the horse..." Vera takes the club, but straps it to her side and keeps her axe in hand. "These will come in handy, but I feel safer with my axe. Who knows what we'll run into."
Moira stealth's back to others as best she can to tell the others. "Someone is in the crypt already. I heard what may have been screaming. Why does everyone have a stick?" she asks confused.
"We found a skeleton and Sa'sori thinks it may have been what killed the horses. Thus, the sticks." Vera gestures at the skeleton and the "sticks" Sa'sori obtained. "That screaming concerns me though. I don't want to to rush in blind, but if there's someone in trouble we can't do nothing."
"Who says anything about going in blindly?" Cotton says, pointing at her swirling, swarming orbs of light. "Lorica magi me induo." A shimmering field of protective force materializes around the little Gnome. "There! Everyone else do whatever you do to protect yourselves from harm and let's get cracking!"
Vera is going to hold off on her protective magics. She only has so many spells and she'd rather keep them for when she KNOWS she'll need them.
"What? Like undead?" Her curiosity turned quickly into panic at the thought of undead. In the blink of an eye she switches the arrow in her hand to blunt one meant for skeletons. "Where?"
Sa'sori move toward her friend Moira, "Not out here anymore.. but possibly inside. There was a skeleton under one of the slain horses, a complete skeleton. Looks like the beast fell on it when it died... but the skeleton was not something that would be left outside the town's sacred Crypt of the Everflame... so it got there somehow... I doubt whoever was here laid it out so perfectly then dropped a dead horse on it. It was likely undead and the horse fell on it when the skeleton killed it!"
"Its all speculation, true.. but seems more likely than any alternative I can come up with. You can check the skeleton's hands and teeth for blood stains to confirm it if you like?"
Sa'sori Draws her Elven curve blade, "Let's do this... find out what that screaming is all about."
" your on point... lead about 30'ft ahead of with her darkvision, then me and behind Vera, your on tail chaser.. with your darkvision. Unless someone has a better idea?"
Vera moves into position. "Sounds like a plan to me."
The dwarf is tending to the tree while the others talk, but when plans are set, he nods, "Very well." and takes his position
Moira doesn't contest the marching order but her nerves begin to fray just thinking about all the different kinds of undead that could be waiting for her in the crypt. It was the one thing she was afraid of most of all. It should have come as no surprise that she would have to face this fear in the crypt but she could always hope. As such she lead the way, a blunt arrow notched and ready. She approaches the door once again and listens. If nothing appears to be just inside she enters the crypt as quitely as possible.
"I'll be putting up lights in any case, for the sake of the middle group," Cotton says. "If there are undead in there, they'll probably be able to see in the dark anyways, so we might as well have light. Let's go!"
Vera does her best to follow suit, but stealth is really not her forte.
As the heavy doors swing open, the faint light from outside reveals a long chamber with risen platforms on either side. A faded painting of Kassen is on the far wall. The room appears to be the site of a gruesome battle, with two bodies piled in the center and a number of skeletons scattered around. An echoing wail can be heard somewhere in the distance, beyond this foul chamber.
After seeing the gruesome sight Moira slowly closes the door and says to the others, "I think we should head back to the town." Her pale face is enough to warn the others of what lays beyond the door. If the others decide otherwise she will stay as far from the skeletons as possible keeping an eye on the group, preferably from the raised platforms.
"We need to at least check the bodies Moira. We need to know who is in there."
"Vera is right, something wrong has occurred here, I think, and we barely know anything about it. We should continue in. Besides, this is a part of the town's legacy, if someone has defiled it, shouldn't we set it right?"
"Shouldn't we check on whoever's screaming before they stop, meaning, before they croak?" Cotton suggests.
"I'm going to go ahead and move in. We don't need a scouting formation for this, but be careful all the same." Vera is going to move in, and examine the bodies, keeping a close eye on the skeletons for movement.
Vera's movement into the room cause the skeletons to stir. Two of them remain motionless while the rest begin to rise.
"Of course," Cotton says, sighing. "Tallyho then, everyone! Go for the joints!" The Gnome takes a gliding step forward and flings out her hand at the nearest skeleton. A splash of acid flies from her fingers, impacting the unnaturally mobile bones. "Stilla acida!"
"Ah. Oh Gods they're moving," Moira yells taking a shot at any skeletons not engaged in fighting.
22 if within 30ft
4 if within 30ft and it is bludgeoning damage
"Vera! Fall back before they flank you!" Cotton shouts. "Back up to us!"
"Whelp," Dyrm says trying to contain any horror in his tone from getting louder, "You were right about the undead."
In the back of the party, and at an odd angle, Dyrm can only really get a clear shot at one of the skeletons. Flame appears in his hand, and he heaves it in a bolt towards the fellow.
"Damn, if only I could channel..."
Sa'sori was not expecting Vera to move in suddenly... she was paying more attention to Moira trying to calm her with gentle words... when the skeletons animate a start to move.
She is caught off guard... but relaxes certain her companions can hold them off while she prepares a spell to make best use of the positioning to defeat the unliving foes...
Cotton steps forward into the doorway splashing the skeleton on the upper landing with a touch of acid. Its bones start to melt as it continues to rise. Dyrm lobs a ball of flame past vera to the skeleton at the back as the creature burns you can see it continuing to rise up in the flames. Moria knocks her arrow to the one by the pillar removing its head from its spine. The body continues to try to rise then the bones fall back down still.
The remaining skeletons crawl up to their feet. Then drag over surrounding Vera, broken scimitars in hand.
"Oh, so you can't get enough? Want more of what Auntie Cotton's got cooking? Have some! Stilla Acida!" Cotton flicks another splash of acid at the skeleton she targeted before -- and she laughs, elated. Slashes of red appear on her cheeks as she casts.
Vera will attack with her axe at the furthest skeleton from the door, and then take a five foot step towards the door.
Dyrm moves behind Cotton and fires over her head, this time with a sling.
"Sorry, I can't really move forward without being rude about it," he explains as he flings a bullet at the one he hit earlier, or the next one over if that one is down.
This was not going well. Vera was now surrounded by skeletons and there was no way Moira was getting a clear shot through that melee. Even worse, the only thing she had that would work against them was her blunt arrows. And she certainly wasn't getting close to them. "Vera. Move it. I can't get a clear shot," was all she could say.
: oops. since that was less than 8 can I use it?
Sa'sori moves... in a very un-spellcaster like fashion to hug the wall as she move to the diagonal square of the skeleton to gain the flank bonus and provide one for the Half-orc cleric.
She yells, "With my heart, I stab thee!"
Swinging her Elven Curve Blade at the skeleton...
She pirouettes in a ritualistic sword-dance as she spins swinging the two-handed blade...
But her swing is a little mis-timed and she does not complete the dance step very well as she simply slams the blade into the skeleton with little grace or finesse..
And her mistiming the blade bounces off the boney foe loosing most of its impact. But at least she has given a flank to Vera...!
Sa'sori moves and strikes swinging well high of the skeleton on the stairs. Vera swings down crushing the skeleton she targeted. Its bones falling limply to the ground. Cotton takes a second spray of acid at the skeleton. Its bones glow green with acid but it remains up for now. Dyrm moves and fires his sling, dropping the one he hit earlier. Moria knocks and arrow aiming at the three remaining skeletons ready to strike.
The three remaining skeletons swing their scimitars at Vera without moving. Two make poor swings that Vera easily dodges. The last connects with its blade before the acid damage coating its bones finally causes it to crumble and fall.
"What ho, mouldy bones!" Cotton cries out as she strikes a dramatic pose. "Still up? Still ignoring me? That won't do! Have what four! Or fore, as the case may be! Still acida!"
Again, the little Gnome sends a splash of acid at one of the remaining skeletons.
Vera will 5ft step to the left, and attack the skeleton on the left,
Dyrm flings another stone at the same one Cotton is going after, or, if that one goes down, switching to the next one.
"For the honor of the Everflame!" The dwarf bellows, as the next stone flies.
The stone careens wildly, bouncing off a wall and nearly hitting a compatriot. The dwarf winces
Moira keeps her bow at a half draw as the fighting continues, waiting for the opportunity to strike. She knows her skills well enough to not try and shoot while Vera is so close to the creatures. As the half-orc backs away from one of the skeletons she quickly goes to full draw, aims and fires.
Hopefully this one is wounded.
Vera slides away and Moria let's her arrow loose crushing the skull of a skeleton. Sa'sori swings her blade down striking the skeleton. Cottons spell comes in splashing the last skeleton and causing it to fall.
"Oops, sorry about that guys. Thanks for the save." Vera turns to the still fleshy corpses. "That aside, does anyone recognize them?"
Moira sinks to her knees, having finally given out. "Undead. Why did it have to be undead? Stupid. Stupid," she says whacking her head with an open palm. "Should have seen that coming. I mean crypt. Come on."
Sa'sori Sheaths her blade across her back an steps over to comfort her friend Moira, "Don't worry, dear... animated skeletons are just weak constructs... they are unintelligent little more than animated sticks of wood."
"It's supposed to be a sacred place, Moira. If anything, the dead are supposed to rest easy here in their state of honor. Don't be hard on yourself," The dwarf glances at the remains of the undead with concern, "Someone has done this."
Searching the room you can see it was the sight of a gruesome battle. The two corpses in the room clearly put up a fight and even managed to destroy two of the skeletons before eventually succumbing to the larger force. Both bodies are badly mauled.
A quick search of the room turns up 2 backpacks. One contains a large pillow and a quiver of 20 more arrows that have been hammered blunt. The other pack contains 2 days worth of rations, a full waterskin, and a pair of smoke sticks.
"Right. Right. I'm fine." After a few deep breaths the Ranger pulls herself back together and helps the others look around for clues as to what is happening here. She naturally goes to inspect the arrows first. "I wonder if they thought this would help against Skeletons? These would still pierce skin. They just wouldn't go as deep. Certainly wouldn't be deadly. And why the pillows but no bedroll or blanket?"
The pillow is large and comforatable but otherwise unremarkable.
"I imagine the arrows were meant for us. I don't recognize these two, but if they're from Kassen, then arrows like that would be exactly what I'd expect them to use against us. If you'd like I can fix them." Vera gestures to the skeletons. "We may need them. But given their equipment I think it's safe to say they didn't expect to run into creatures like this."