Belir doesn't need to tell Ulark twice, as the warrior rushes past the swarm and to the other side. He turns as he does, ready to fish out some flame next turn.
Thuradin chugs up behind Gundar, drawing his axe as he goes
Defensive Abilities half damage from piercing and slashing,
incorporeal form, shadow blend, swarm traits; Immune
undead traits.
Incorporeal Form (Su) As a standard action a shadow rat can
assume an incorporeal form. It can maintain this form for
up to 1 hour per day. In this form, the shadow rat gains the
incorporeal subtype and has AC 15, touch 15, flat-footed 13
(+1 deflection, +2 Dex, +2 size). The shadow rat can still bite
corporeal opponents while in its incorporeal form, but its
attack deals only Strength damage and doesn’t
cause hit point damage or disease.
Shadow Blend (Su) In any condition of
illumination other than bright light, a shadow
rat can disappear into the shadows as a move
action, giving it total concealment (50% miss
chance). Artificial illumination, even a light or
continual flame spell, does not negate this ability;
a daylight spell, however, does.
Strength Damage (Su) A shadow rat deals Strength
damage to living foes it bites. A creature reduced to 0
Strength does not die but cannot move and is unconscious
Melee swarm (2d6 plus 1d4 Strength damage and disease)
Space 10 ft.; Reach 0 ft.
Special Attacks distraction (DC 15)
Disease (Su) Filth fever: Swarm—injury; save Fort DC 15; onset
1d3 days; frequency 1/day; effect 1d3 Dex damage and
1d3 Con damage; cure 2 consecutive saves.
Thozar throws an alchemist's fire, but it gets away from him.
It hits the floor behind Gunder, causing him 1 pt of fire damage. (Right where Thuridin is now, but wasn't there at the time).
Gundar fails to hit anything.
The rats swarm all over dwarves!
Thuradin, Kragmyr and Gundar each suffer:
Make Fort DC 15 vs Disease.
Also DC 15 Will due to distraction, if you are casting or concentrating.
Kragmyr took a five foot step back and swung his hammer again, confident that even if he couldn't do much to the swarm, at least he could keep it occupied while his kinsmen dealt with it.
Gundar feels the filthy, rotting teeth and tiny yellow claws scoring his flesh, and experiences a moment of dread at what kind of illnesses such vermin might carry - but shrugs it off. For the moment, he must fight. He realizes the futility of trying to swing an axe at such foes and switches to trying to squish them with his shield as he moves himself away from the center of the biting mass.
"Spread out!"
Thozar hurriedly chucks another flask of fire and backs away from the horde of zombie rodents. "We can take them, this is nothing after that giant!"
________
Torith moves around Thozar to get a clear shot then fires another blast of earth at the swarm.
"Thozar is right. A few rats is nothing after that big ugly thing"
Spinning back, Ulark sees the others had spread out a bit less than he had expected. Feeling the fool, the dwarf fishes out an alchemists fire and attempts to throw it at the undead abominations.
for
Between the magic axe and the flying dirt, you are able to disperse the swarm of ghost rats.
Breathing heavily, Kragmyr looks around. ”Bloody hell lads. This day will be leavin’ some marks. Let’s hope that be the last o’ these beasties. This would make for a poor tomb.”
"I think a couple of days to rest are in order, haha! Let's go down the wider path before us," Thozar suggests, wiping the sweat from his brow. It's been a long day. I wouldn't have chosen any other group to bash orcs and giants with though! Perhaps I should write my family... The kinship with these dwarves has got me longing for home. Bah, they've probably forgotten about their runaway child, struck my from the records...
Shaking his head, he clears his head and takes a few steps forward. "Let's press forward, until Trunau is safe once again!"
"This day keeps getting better and better, eh lads! I don't think i could even guess at what else we're gonna find down here, but i'm sure it'll try to kill us!" Torith laughs at the prospect of yet another thing trying to kill the hardy group of dwarves.
I avoided people for so long that i forgot what it's like to truly bond with some good companions. I trust these lads with my life. It's like having a family again.
"But Trunau still needs our help so on we go. The wide path is as good as any." says Torith as he steps up beside Thozar.
Ulark follows Torith and Thozar. If rats're the worst thing in here Angradd's smiling on us. On then: make sure there's no orcs hiding about and then finally we can maybe rest our heads for a moment.
Thozar pats his hands against the earth and rubs them together. "Hrm..." he muses, taking out some tiny earth testing equipment and collects a few examples. Holding a vial up and shaking it, he nods his head sagely. Finally, he communes with the very earth itself, humming deeply. "This cavern is precisely..."
________
Thuradin watches as the rat swarm dissipates into individual rats scurrying away. He hoists his axe on his shoulder "Scared them away. he laughs.
"I agree with Torith, I think the main passage is the way to go. Straight on into danger, and all that." he says as he moves along the main passageway.
Dark water, thick mud, and silt cover the floor of this cavern, separated from the rest of the cave by steep cliffs and muddy escarpments. A trickle of water can be heard from the east.
Thozar's best guess is that this cavern system has been here for at least a few hundred years.
A wide ramp slopes down to the floor at the western end of this cavern. Half a dozen huge humanoid skeletons, each ten feet tall or more, line the walls of the cavern, standing in silent vigil.
Luckily, a few of you notice one of the large skeletons moves, and also see an undead rat crawling out of the rib cage of another.
Thuradin casts magic weapon on his warhammer as he moves up to engage the skeleton.
"Looks like the dead rats left one behind. Time to join your little rodent friends!" says Torith as he steps nearer to get a clearer shot.
He focuses for a moment as he forces some earthen matter from the cave floor into a projectile capable of reaching the rodent.
Looks like one of their giants didn't make it then. Ulark says as he stares at the massive skeleton. Still, he frowns and mends some of his wounds as he approaches it.
How many corpses are moving down here? Right under the town - and seems the orcs may've known more about them then the 'folk did...
Torith tries to blast the little guy, and catches him in his corporeal form! The rat survives, but it is looking pretty beat.
The giant skeleton charges down the slope, broken spear aimed at Ulark. As it stabs Ulark in the chest, Belir takes a whack at it's leg. The bony structure is chipped by the axe, but it was not as satisfying as Belir expected.
Thozar scoops up a trio of suitable pebbles and draws his sling. This creature must be sent back to your embrace, grant me the power to do so! The rocks tremble for a moment and then lie still. Perfect...
________
The shadow rat squeaks as he runs to Kragmyr and turns incorporeal.
”Could be in a tavern right now...” Kragmyr wearily raises his hammer to defend himself from the incorporeal threat.
Gundar breathes deeply as the new threats approached. His flesh burned where the rats had savaged it. He brings his axe up yet again...
Thuradin, his hammer glowing with faint magic, swings at the skeleton, it's blunt face rushing bones as it hits. "Use blunt weapons against the skeleton, they're more effective." he tells the others.
That.... Ulark wheezes out as the undead's spear shatters through his armor's scales. The dwarf drops his longaxe. As it clatter to the ground he draws for a simple warhammer and looks defiantly up at the skeleton, a nimbus of divine might momentarily enveloping him.
....that I can do.
for
Hearing the sound of Ulark being struck, Torith decides to move up and take aim at the massive skeletal creature.
Thozar frota his teeth. It is getting dire quickly, we need to quell this threat! He places a pebble into his sling and flings it at the giant skeleton.
________
Gundar's axe does no damage, it seems, but the other weapons are starting to cause some damage. Thozar slams his axe down on the skeletal vermin, ending it's existence.
Using his large spear, he attacks Ulark and then Gunder.
"Hang in there dwarves! We can take this beast down!" Thozar cries as he slings another pebble.
________
Ulark roars in anger as his god protects him from the skeleton's second strike...but Gundar is not as lucky.
Forge-Fire: bring this back to th' dust it came from!
for
for
Despite his wounds, Kragmyr lifted his hammer once more. ”This has been a long fookin’ day.” He grumbled as he swung.
Gundar lets out a cry of pain as the spear skewers him, but he grits his teeth and continues his attack - but more cautiously. This time he uses his shield to try and break some bones.
Between all of you, the giant skeleton is just about finished, when Ulark comes in and blasts the bones to dust!
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”Ha! Well done lads. An’ Ulark, what a blow! Did ye all see how it glowed? A true paladin he be! Hear now his saga!”
”Hear it told | in witnessed tales
How a paladin came | to Trunau land,
No orc of all | on earth above
Could lay him low.
Woeful for this | his vengeance was,
As so they learned | to their sorrow all;
In every land | shall all men hear
How at Ulark’s side | all were slew.
Battle won | men did send,
In unhallowed cave | dwarves to spy,
Thither we came | where no living dare come,
His axe in hand | his might did cleanse.
Great was the clatter | of hammer on bones
When Torag’s sons | through the gateway strode;
The giant they hewed | from all memory then,
And the Paladin’s Light | in the cave did shine.”
Torith starts to gather up some rock to fire at the skeleton as a massive CRACK sound comes from Ulark and the giant creature collapses and falls apart.
"I think all Trunau heard that mighty blow, lad! Well struck!" says Torith as he lets the rock fall harmlessly to the floor.
"HA HAAAA! Ulark the Great!" Thozar cheers heartily as the skeleton crumbles. Now to patch their battered bodies up...
________
Ulark gives a smile as he looks down at the broken bones of the giant. Warhammer still in hand, he steps back towards his dropped longaxe, limping a bit as he does so. Angradd guided the hand well. he says.
Picking up his favored weapon, the warriro looks around again, pensive. Think this was what the orcs were poking about for then? A dead giant to call their own?
"Well struck me lad!" Gundar exclaims at Ulark's killing blow. Then he quickly falls to his knees as disease and blood loss take their toll on his stability. Ashamed as his own show of vulnerability, he struggles to his feet again even before Belir comes around with his wand. The hold in Gundar's side closes up near-completely. Gundar nods his thanks.
"Something to do with the Hopespring itself, I fear." Gundar looks around. "Once we're done in here, might be we should ask old Silvermane about it. Mayhaps he'll stir his tongue for this."
morningstar, masterwork, large
falchion, large (2)
glaive, large
earth breaker, large (2)
warhammer, masterwork, large
dire flail, masterwork, large
Lucerne hammer, large (2)
longsword, large (2)
breastplate, large, masterwork
scale mail, large
banded mail, large, masterwork
adventuring gear, large
Moving on?