With the appearance of the hell hounds the area around the doorway is lit up in flames. There is a sound like a scream of rage, and blood splatters the area, coating the walls and the front of those nearest the swarm. The vortex of spinning blood comes to an end.
With their foe destroyed the hounds move to Cindy and stand close to her defensively.
Ian shields his face from the bloodsplosion. "Hells! Is it dead?" He steps through the carnage to look at what was in the sealed room.
Moving into the room, a glitter of gold in the northeast corner catches the light.
Two long rotted backpacks sit in the corner, a handful of coins shining out from beneath the rotted leather and cloth sacks.
A careful search uncovers 200 gold coins and a ring made of black steel.
Cindy will cast Detect Magic to aid in her search of the room.
I'd like to find some secret door in here. That would at least give us a clear path forward.
Leo is surprisingly unfazed by the blood splattering him as the thing dies. He enters the room with the others, combing through the room using the help of detect magic as well.
"Fiery tales of cinder and haze, caught in the rapture of 10 bloody days, with frightened young Childes and red-running rain, we all must submit to our unending pain." Leo sings softly to himself as he searches around the room, the lyrics from an old poem he read.
"A creaking old door that leads us to hell, miles of blight pimpled land up ahead, we could tell we were strangers to death by the smell, 10 wicked steps further on 'til we're dead."
The ring found detects as magical, but nothing else in the room is.
The ring cold to the touch, colder than the chilly temperature in the catacombs. It is a ring of strength sapping, an item designed to aid those who prefer unarmed combat in defeating their foes.
A careful search of the room does not uncover any hidden passages or other secrets.
Master Hast, still burning in elemental form, gives a mirthless chuckle at Leo's lyrics. "You seem rather grim today."
Leo laughs softly, sheepishly. "Sorry, Master Hast. I tend to sing when I'm trying to concentrate. I'll try to keep it from getting too macabre." he shrugs. "It's difficult to keep the good poems from coming to mind, especially considering the atmosphere here, but I'll try."
Moments of searching later, and his voice begins to whisper out once more.
"A is for alphabetize, B for bureaucracy, C is for catalog, D democratically. E is entropy, undoing our deed, but F-it, it's what we do, to help others read." This is done like a child's song to help learn to read, except clearly written for adults.
He thinks about his old friends in the library, and wonders where they are now. Surely, no where quite as dangerous.
"Well, nothing else in this room... That ring is interesting though. It could be useful. Where to next?"
"I suggest we go back to those monks. The way this room was sealed, and the items in this room have long rotted away, this was not the way the demon that broke the seal came. I would suspect the same is true of the other sealed rooms with the blocked doors."
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Current Effects: dancing lights (lanterns), 10 rds; heroism (Ian), 69 min;
"It is destroyed, it was dead to begin with. Quite a potent foe.
The Cloak of Winds was a savior in that encounter, I may endeavor to include that in my repertoire.
"Agreed, let us see to these monks you spoke of. I would warn the group that my most potent spells against undead went into destroying that mist. Many of my abilities have lesser effects against the Mindless."
"Hopefully whatever else we encounter down here will be more susceptible to conventional means of slaying." Master Hast adds with a meaningful look towards Morvae and Rilumin.
"You f#*&ing said it Hast, let's go."
Leo speaks up before everyone leaves the room. "actually, since I've got an idea of what we're facing down here now, I can prepare additional spells to help us. Think we can spare 15 minutes? I'll make myself much more offensively capable against undead."
"Sure Leo. What are you planning on preparing anyway?"
"Yes. I prefer things that can have holes punched in them."
I have no spell going on, so I think 15mn is better than facing something unprepared.
Hezrog grunts appreciation at Rilumin's sentiment.
The group stops to give Leo time to pray for some additional spells before moving on.
Gathered near the door into the large chamber everyone prepares to deal with the creature and the captive black monks in the room beyond.
"A couple of spells I think would be helpful. I usually let my team be the aggressors while I focus more on being otherwise useful. Down here, however, it might be beneficial for me if I take on a more... Direct method against undead." He shrugs and grins a bit self-consciously.
"More spells like the one I cast earlier, though hopefully this time our enemies won't resist its affects."
I'd like a spot in the middle of the pack for when we enter.
Serelina casts several spells, causing images of herself to shift around her, then says: "Morvae? Ian? I believe this is your area of expertise... Charge?"
Serelina then will hold back where she has a good view of the area without putting herself at risk.
Cindy activates another minute of her scar shield just as the door is opened. She also warns Remember we do not know what manner of creature the speaker was and only saw the undead monks. The speaker could be anything and may not have a corporeal body.
Thoughtfully, Cormick remarks, "Hmmm... so you will have that burst of radiance spell prepared? That did look interesting."
Leo bestows his protection touch upon Ian again for the next minute(+2 to saves)
Morvae prepares by casting both a shield spell and enlarge person on himself.
Everyone ready, the group pushes into the room, those in heavier armor taking the lead.
The room is filled with scores of sarcophagi, arranged haphazardly. Shackled to the top of one of the sarcophagi is a gray skinned emaciated man. Its mouth however is distended, a gaping black hole.
The arrangement gives Morvae, now large in size, some difficulty in navigating.
This is a Kurobozu, also known as a black monk. These undead feed on the breath of others.
Ian will move into the room, searching for a target. For now, he avoids the shackled monk.
"Careful..." Leo warns as people begin to move forward. "These may not be empty..." his voice is low, warning but hushed.
The black monks retain some of their abilities they had in life, able to make unarmed strikes that stun their opponents. While stunned they can steal the breath from their opponents, causing them to fall unconscious.
Their unarmed strikes also sap the targets wisdom.
There is something troubling about a black monk being here. Unlike many undead that can persist eternally, a black monk requires the breath of the living to sustain its own existence.
Issa looks around him, trying to find if any sarcophagi are empty or not
Just before people begin to enter the room, Serelina says Wait a moment...
She throws a glitterdust into the room ahead of the group, getting the area surrounding the Speaker and anyone else in the immediate area but avoiding the party.
If anyone has some sort of spear, I think that would be a good choice for handling the monk. I'll watch this direction while you guys go forward.
Hezrog says, while stepping forward and taking a defensive stance.
Just before people begin to enter the room, Serelina says Wait a moment...
She throws a glitterdust into the room ahead of the group, getting the area surrounding the Speaker and anyone else in the immediate area but avoiding the party.
"These black monks will be problematic. They can attack us without weapons, using their bodies. They can steal our wits, making us foolish, as well as knocking the sense out of us. I've read that once we are stunned, they can... Steal your breath. I'm not entirely sure what that means, but I DO know that they need the breath of the living to stay functioning. They aren't like other undead that can just shamble around for eternity. Black Monks confirm that people have been down here, either to bring them living to feed off of, or this area has accidental explorers frequently enough to sustain them."
"How did your crew get down here?" Leo asks the Merchants. "Was there an unguarded entrance regular people could get into? Maybe the homeless looking to squat?"
Oh, before I forget again, I wanted to do a knowledge check on Horus, and his church.
Rilumin readies an action to fire upon the first enemy that the group attacks.
"Yeah I got some longer weapons...want me to uh, start workin' on those monks, ma'am?" Ian looks to Serelina, still wary of whatever else might be in the room.
I would say the priority is the speaker. Cindy notes from the back.
No particular weaknesses.
Most of the sarcophagi are closed. The few that are open look to be empty of humanoid remains.
Master Hast, Nina, and several others hang near the back of the room waiting.
As Morvae, Hezrog and Ian spread out slightly, Morvae and Ian advancing cautiously towards the center of the room, a voice from the darkness calls out. "I told you not to come this way." Two pinpricks of red light appear from the darkness.
"So be it, it is your own death you hunt then." A burst of blue flame appears around a skeletal figure, then a moment later the skeletal creature is standing in the midst of everyone.
Then there is a flash of light and a popping sound.
Those who failed the save feel a slight disorientation as they feel themselves pulled through space and deposited elsewhere.
Cindy finds herself back in the passage where the great hall was entered from. Leo and Morvae find themselves displaced to the east.
Cormick, Ian, and Serelina are missing.
The black monk has also been removed from its shackles, along with two others. One stands directly in front of Issa, another to the north, and the third to the south of Morvae.
The speaker in the darkness is a crypt thing, though judging by the blue flames coming off its body, this one has more powers than the standard variety.
Crypt things are left as guardians of crypts, and have an aura of fear that causes those that approach to closely to turn and flee in terror.
You find yourself in a passage running north to south. There is a door to your immediate south.
Map
You can hear the sounds of shouting and combat through the door.
You find yourself in a passage running north to south. There is a door at the north end, and a passage branches off to the west towards the south side.
You find yourself in a completely dark room, much like the ones the group has been exploring. A single door on the north wall is the only exit. Two skeletal figures with malevolent glowing blue eyes stand nearby, each holds a scimitar a shield.
Leo casts seering light at the Speaker, and then quickly moves behind Morvae.
Moving to J-27
Hezrog Approaches to attack from I-8, but is too slow in his heavy armor to attack this turn.
(studied target)
Anything special I need to do to hurt this thing Issa?
Cormick moves to the door and checks it for traps and then listens to the combat, searching for his companion's voices.
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Current Effects: dancing lights (lanterns), 9 rds; heroism (Ian), 69 min;
Relieved that she is not too far removed from the group Cindy activates her fly hex and moves back into the large room and up into the air.
Mage armor and Scarshield - current AC is 21
Flight Hex
Leo's spell burns the creature, tendrils of smoke curling up from the bones.
Hezrog positions himself to block the creature from getting closer to his allies and Cindy re-enters the room, floating up near the ceiling 20' overhead.
A quick search for traps reveals nothing.
You hear Hezrog's voice calling out from the other side of the door, asking if there is anything special he needs to do to hurt the creature.
The creature did not cast a spell so far as you could tell, but whatever it was some kind of teleportation effect.