"No need to fear; these ones look docile," Melon comes up alongside Malan, a careful eye on the boney remains before her. "I think."
"If the necromancer's not around to control them directly," Corinna offers nervously, "he'll have left them with commands on when to animate. They haven't independent thought, you know. Since the goblins said they tracked down and retrieved the treasure, we must assume they're been commanded to guard whatever it was the goblins took. If we're lucky, he won't have thought to give them a self-defense command; we might be able to just bash them to dust where they lie without triggering their animation conditions ... if we're lucky."
"No!" Melon rejects the idea vehemently, "if these bones rest in peace now - trampling them brings dishonor to them and ourselves. If anything, we need to take the time to properly provide a grave for them and pray for their spirits to have passed on well."
"I thought the whole point of this miserable trek was to destroy the skeletons so they can't threaten Sandpoint," Corinna replies, bewildered. "Why else are we here?"
"And how is bashing them to bits any different than if they jump up, attack us, and we are forced to destroy them with our weapons?" Tevyn asks Melon. "If they don't get up, you can feel free to bury them at your leisure but if they truly are animated, nothing we do will be greater than the dishonor inflicted upon them by the necromancer."
"You don't know that these bones are undead; they just look plain dead to me," Melon stoically insists. "If they attack first, then, well, they attacked first. I don't want to jump up and down on what might be the remains of one of my ancestors. I mean, we know they are here - it's not like they going to get 'the jump' on us. So if you have a way of determining if they are restless dead with some magic, that'll be real handy right now."
"Yes, because it's very likely that we tracked animated skeletons halfway across the swamp to a cave full of completely unrelated non-animated skeletons," Corinna huffs impatiently. "If casting a spell is a trigger condition for their animation...." She trails off, unable to come up with a threat someone might believe she'd carry through on, and passes her fingers in front of her eyes, muttering syllables to align her vision with magical auras.
Corinna does not detect any magic of any kind from the skeletons. (However, if they were animated by an animate dead spell or similar method, they wouldn't be detected by detect magic since animate dead is an instantaneous effect.)
Seeing how this discussion is going nowhere, Rajah makes his way through the others, continuing on.
"Well, casting a spell isn't an animation trigger," she concludes with no little relief. "I didn't see any traces of arcane energy, but that doesn't mean anything. Once they've been animated, the spell doesn't leave any residue. There is a spell to tell undead from just dead -- before they leap up and start trying to tear you to pieces, that is -- but I don't know it. Not my specialty, you know. Perhaps our clerical friend could.... Here! Be careful, there! Where are you going?" she calls after the Rajah with alarm.
Rajah strides forward into the middle of the cavern, apparently unworried about the potential threat of the skeletons. But the skeletons continue to lie there, unmoving.
"Maybe this room is like a storage closet, for, you know, the necromancer's back-up skeletons?"
Gilfroy follows the other after Rajah.
Rajah stops, turns around his arms wide, "You see? Nothing to worry about. Let us continue on. Now, if you feel it's necessary to rid yourselves of these skeletons, then do so and let us be done with it. The souls of these poor people have long since fled, I dare not think it is of any consequence to them. But if not, then we should move along." He looks to Tevyn, "Alright, good woodsman, lead us the way. Well, right behind Malan and Melon, of course."
"Everyone wait. Rajah, would you please come back as well?" Malan finally says after surveying the area. "I know how we can determine if they are undead or merely dead. However, it would be bad if they were undead and you were in the middle of them when we find out, Rajah."
Disrupt Undead: RTouch
damage
Corinna shakes her head firmly, summoning her dancing lights a little closer as Gilfroy and Malan move away with their illumination. "Something is going to cause those skeletons to get up and move, and I don't intend to be caught in the midst of them when they do," she says, stubbornly staying where she is.
Rajah nods, "Very well, my good elf." Rajah then makes his way back, waiting to see what Malan has planned.
Rajah and Gilfroy move back to the edge of the cavern while Malan aims at the nearest skeleton. A thin beam of light springs from his outstretched hand and shoots over the skeleton, just missing despite the fact that it is lying there unmoving.
For a split second, nothing happens. Then the sound of clattering reverberates throughout the cavern as all the skeletons begin to move.
Order: Skeletons, Corinna, Blue Rajah, Gilfroy, Malan, Melon, Tevyn.
The skeletons rise to their feet, two rising up out of the water. Most begin clanking across the cavern, but one is already right beside Melon, and two others take quick steps to flank Malan.
A claw rakes across Malan's neck, while Melon is slashed on her hand. The other skeletons shamble over, most of them surrounding Malan.
Next Up: Blue Rajah, Gilfroy, Malan, Melon, Tevyn, Skeletons.
"There's your answer."
Also, the one that stood up next to Melon is subject to an attack of opportunity from her as it stands.
Gilfroy casts another bless, giving everybody something to forget for one minute.
Also, Gilfroy is right about the AoO. Melon is flat-footed until her action, so no AoO.
Corinna, not greatly to her credit, looks a little smug. "Do try not to dishonor the bones or yourself, Melon," she advises cuttingly, as she twists her fingers in the air, calling an acidic substance out of nowhere and flinging it toward the skeleton rising out of the water. "I doubt they'll provide a proper grave and a funeral prayer for you." Taken a bit by surprise by the accuracy of her aim, she steps back behind Rajah and Tevyn in case the undead creature is smart enough to try to find where the attack came from.
Corinna's blob of acid splatters over the ribcage of the skeleton, burning through several of the ribs.
Next Up: Gilfroy, Malan, Melon, Tevyn, Skeletons, Corinna.
"Returning them to rest will restore their honor; no trouble there," Melon replies. "Oh wow. Good shot." She's still distracted with the wizard in the back and the sudden boney commotion to the front, so her half-hearted elbow goes wide. She shifts her footing to the wall hoping to create some form of pincer formation.
"Oh dear. It appears as if you have made them mad, Malan. No worries, I can help you with that nasty wound." Seeing the elf get raked fairly well, he calls upon the Dawnflower for healing energy.
Channel Energy (Su): As the cleric ability, save that a merciful healer must channel positive energy, and when she does, she cannot choose to target undead. This ability is otherwise identical to the cleric ability of the same name.
Though Tevyn is unsurprised to see the skeletons rise to their feet he feels the rage at something so unnatural contaminating the world. He carefully draws a bead on one of the skeletons furthest away and fires with his blunt arrow.
Malan steps back (to AG 26). He stabs at one of the skeletons and casts a spell of protection.
Rapier: arcane pool (+1):spell combat
to hit damage
Caster Level DC 17
Light briefly spreads out from Rajah as he calls upon the Dawnflower. The light spreads out, healing the living and harming the unliving. Cracks appear in all of the skeletons, and three of them collapse entirely.
Gilfroy casts a spell boosting the resolve of the party.
Malan steps back a bit and stabs at skeleton #2 while casting a spell, but his blade passes just beneath the bones of the ribcage.
Melon strikes at a skeleton, but does not connect.
Then Tevyn fires an arrow that smashes into the skull of skeleton #7. The skeleton collapses.
Skeletons #3 and #5 step up closer to attack, while #1 moves around to get between Melon and Malan, opening itself up to attacks from both of them.
All the skeletons attack, but their claws either swipe at empty air or scrape across armour. One claw, however, pierces Malan's armour and draws blood.
Next Up: Attacks of Opportunity for and , Corinna, Blue Rajah, Gilfroy, Malan, Melon, Tevyn, Skeletons.
Rapier: arcane pool (+1), spell combat
to hit damage
confirm crit: arcane pool (+1), spell combat
to hit damage
As the first skeleton passes by, Malan strikes. His rapier connects with the spinal cord, but unfortunately just slides off. Melon, however, slams her fist through the neck bones, severing the spinal cord from the skull. The skeleton collapses.
Next Up: Blue Rajah, Gilfroy, Malan, Melon, Tevyn, Skeletons.
Having no clear shot at anything menacing, Corinna delays, keeping an eye on the corridor to the group's rear.
"Thank you, Melon. And here you go, my good elf. This should help."
Rajah casts his spell on Malan.
Next Up: Malan, Melon, Tevyn, Skeletons, Corinna (subject to delayed action), Blue Rajah.
Ooh! Rajah got Malan, so that means Gil gets to tap some Melons...err...Melon.
Guidance on Melon (I think he can reach. But can't see the map myself at the moment).
Tevyn it is, then.
Melon pirouettes around, bringing the back of her fist into the skull of the creature, almost severing it and fly on to the next skeleton's head. She ends again steady and low on both legs, he hands poised oddly sharp in an imitation of snake heads.
Malan and Melon push through the vines. There are small thorns on them that sting as they touch them. Almost immediately, they begin to feel weak. Bile rises in their stomachs.
Caulder's speed is reduced by 5ft until fully healed + 7 days. A heal check to treat serious wounds (requires 2 uses of healer's kit) DC 20 reduces this to fully healed + 1 day.
Gilfroy smacks Tevyn yet again to provide him extra guidance on his next shot.
Next Up: Melon, Tevyn, Skeletons, Corinna (subject to delayed action), Blue Rajah, Gilfroy.
What's a little nausea between friends?
Malan continues to stab while causing Melon to grow in size (Enlarge Person)
Rapier: arcane pool (+1), sickened, spell combat
to hit damage
Malan once again strikes at a skeleton, but his blade slides off the bone without causing any noticeable damage. Melon, however, smashes the skull of skeleton #4 in front of her.
Next Up: Skeletons, Corinna (subject to delayed action), Blue Rajah, Gilfroy, Malan, Melon.