Tevyn swiftly draws another blunt arrow and lets it fly.
Gilfroy renews Tevyn's guidance.
Tevyn lets loose another arrow that flies straight towards #3's head. It smashes through the side of the skeletons skull, knocking the skull right off the neck. The skeleton collapses.
The remaining two skeletons continue their attacks, swiping their claws at Malan and Melon, but do not manage to cause damage.
Next Up: Blue Rajah, Gilfroy, Malan, Melon, Tevyn, Skeletons.
Having nothing to contribute to the fight -- and a very poor view of it from her position -- Corinna continues to delay.
Rajah cast guidance on Melon. "I think it's only fair I take turns, you know." He says to clear up any confusion as to why he didn't cast it on Malan.
Melon's galvanized into action by Rajah, cautiously she writhes along the cave wall trying to keep the skeleton before her from gaining a clear attack. Once she's put the undead creature in a vice between herself and Malan she knees it in the groin - apparently figuring that the thought of groinal harm extends into the afterlife. Apparently it works, as the creature is lifted unceremoniously by the impact, balancing precariously on Melon's knee for a moment before crumbling down to the floor in a quick clatter.
Malan gracefully moves to an advantageous position (AF 25, to allow a flank) then continues to strike at the undead's bony body.
Acrobatics
Rapier: arcane pool (+1), sick
to hit damage
While Corinna continues to wait to see what happens, Rajah and Gilfroy each cast a guidance spell, one going to Melon and one to Tevyn.
Malan quickly slips between the two skeletons, moving suddenly and swiftly enough that they don't have a chance to respond. However, they have recovered enough by the time he stabs at the one he's flanking so that his blade passes harmlessly between the bones.
Melon then slams her knee into #2 and the skeleton shatters into fragments.
Next Up: Skeleton, Corinna (subject to delayed action), Blue Rajah, Gilfroy, Malan, Melon.
With only one more skeleton remaining, Tevyn takes a deep breath, focuses on the skull and releases the arrow.
Tevyn's arrow flies true and slams through the top of the skeletons skull. The skeleton clatters to the floor.
Tevyn nods to himself with satisfaction. "That wasn't too bad. Everyone well?"
"Is that all of them? Are we sure they're not getting back up?" Corinna moves forward cautiously to survey the shattered bones and then smiles. "Did you see that? I burned one!" She seems quite pleased with herself. "The next time one of those necromancy researchers sends a skeleton to hide in my carrel, they'll get it back with missing ribs."
"Yea, I'm good, thanks to Rajah here," Melon rolls her shoulder and nods to the man in gratitude. "What do you usually do to get even with the necromancery types? And what's a carrel?" As she speaks she tries to approximately group the bones together in the way their original owner would've intended, she also tests the cave floor to see if there's a place suitable to act as a grave.
"Well, professors get offices," she responds, "and assistants and staff get carrels. They're like little closets, just large enough for a desk and a chair ... and a skeleton behind the door. I generally don't get even with the necromancy pranksters," she admits, blushing a little. "If I escalated with them, I'd never be able to sleep again without checking under my bed or inside the wardrobe or the cupboards or anywhere. You'd be surprised the places a skeleton can fit inside, not having to breathe or eat and never getting uncomfortable. The best I can hope for is to keep myself from screaming and dropping my parchments, maintain my dignity, and pretend like they didn't startle me at all."
"Quite well, thank you." Rajah responds to Tevyn's question.
"You are welcome, Melon," he nods back.
Smiling at Corinna's excitement, "I most certainly did, Corinna. That was well done, might I add. Now you see? You have a great deal of potential. It's only a matter of time before it escalates. Mark my words." He winks.
"Now, let us continue our little journey and see if we can locate what these pour souls were carrying. Oh! I nearly forgot. Do any need medical attention?" He asks, figuring it's best to take care of any possible wounds before continuing on.
Despite my last post, Malan is down to half hit points.
Seeing how Malan appears to have suffered from a few nasty hits, Rajah takes no chances and proceeds to heal everyone as best he can by calling forth the healing power of the Dawnflower once more.
That's just enough to top me off.
"Thanks to you and the Dawnflower, Rajah." Malan continues on the trail of the large item that was dragged into these tunnels.
Rajah nods in response and follows in step behind the others.
Tevyn looks out over the cavern and begins to move forward, scattering the piles of bones with his feet. "Whatever they brought back with them, it doesn't appear to be in here. I'll see if I can pick up where they took whatever they were dragging."
"Somebody is going to be mad at us for messing up all his pets."
"Necromancers never really run out of pets," Corinna replies distractedly, calling her dancing lights a little nearer, but not so near that there's a long dark corridor looming directly behind them. "There are always more dead people around -- or more people that can be rendered dead. That's a necromancer's idea of fair play: you destroy its minion, you take its place." She gives a little shudder.
Tevyn moves about the chamber checking for tracks. There are two ways out of the chamber, and the first he stops by in the centre of the north wall shows no indication of anyone or anything having moved along it in a long time. The second exit on the west side of the cavern, however, shows a few telltale signs of something being dragged along it.
Tevyn pauses before the second opening, studying the ground carefully and then turns to look back at the others. "Whatever the skeletons were dragging with them," he says softly, "They took it through here."
"Do you want me to light it up before anyone walks in?" Corinna asks nervously. "See what might be waiting for us?"
"Do you want me to light it up before anyone walks in?" Corinna asks nervously. "See what might be waiting for us?"
"Please do, Corinna. One can never be too careful," he says as he moves up closer, attempting to peer down the exit with the drag marks.
If none of the more combat-oriented party members raise any tactical objections, Corinna will direct her dancing lights into the western tunnel.
Corinna's dancing lights move into the passage and around the corner. Rajah squeezes up by Malan to see down the passage and the two of them can see that it opens onto another chamber after about 30 ft. They can make out just a hint of a large wooden chest in the cavern. Malan also notices what looks like it might be a boney foot.
"This looks like what we came here for. It is guarded so be careful." Malan moves into the tunnel towards the chest.
Tevyn follows Malan at a reasonable distance, keeping his bow at the ready, a blunt arrow nocked.
Gilfroy slaps a guidance on whomever he can reach, starting with the people at the front of the line.
"Too many narrow passages and tiny chambers in this cave," Corinna worries, shaking her head. "I'll wait out here; I'd just get in the way if there's anything dangerous, and I ... I don't like tight spaces." She gives a little shudder as she imagines Malan fighting at one end and something coming up behind them in this cavern, trapping everyone in the middle of that constricted passageway. As soon as Malan advances with his light to where her dancing lights are stationed, she pulls them back out and stations them behind her in the large cavern, where she can see anything coming around the corner from outside or out of the northern passage.
"It's only a problem early on," Melon nods sympathetically, "But can't be that much longer. Looks like we finding what we came for. Skeletons and mysterious chests."
Corinna fixes Melon with an accusing eye. "How can you possibly feel it's dishonorable to crush a skeleton that is likely to rise up and attack you but have no problem with taking a box of things that don't belong to you?"
Melon stares at Corinna for a moment without comprehension dawning. Eventually she settles for, "I'm not sure what you mean. I'm not here to take the box for myself or anything. There is a mystery about the box, and I'm curious about finding out what it is. If the box is the cause for these bones to be restless, then maybe we can find a way to help them get at peace."
Malan starts down the corridor, followed closely by the rest of the group. The corridor opens into a long, thin chamber with a pool of stagnant water dominating the wider southeastern end. A large wooden chest with jade framework sits in the room and seated on top of the chest is another skeleton. This skeleton is dressed in unusual chain armour and holds a short sword with a thin, curved blade in its hand.
Behind the chest and armoured skeleton, two more skeletons stand. All the skeletons in the chamber are motionless and do not seem to react to the group's presence.
"Shall we make our opening volley a little more potent this time around?" Gilfroy asks. "Or are we concerned that the guy in armour sitting on the chest might just be a dead body, despite it's erect posture and no sign of a muscular system?"
Melon stares at Corinna for a moment without comprehension dawning. Eventually she settles for, "I'm not sure what you mean. I'm not here to take the box for myself or anything. There is a mystery about the box, and I'm curious about finding out what it is. If the box is the cause for these bones to be restless, then maybe we can find a way to help them get at peace."
"The only way to put restless bones to peace is to smash them," she replies irritably. "As we did. They're at peace now. They're in pieces." She giggles nervously at her little joke.
Tevyn lips curve up into a slight smile at Corinna's joke. "Excellent point. Better to keep unnatural living skeletons apart than to try and bring them back together again. Corinna, could you keep an eye on things from the back? I fear there's about to be more trouble."
He steps a little closer to get a better view.
While Corinna keeps a watch on the previous chamber, Tevyn inches forward, wading into the murky water a little to get a better view. The skeletons remain nonreactive.
"Why don't we just get this over with. What did we do... oh right! We attempted to smash them, or some such. Let us do that again; to where they wake, and then we can end their tortured existence once and for all."
"You're a man of the cloth, Rajah," Melon asks, "don't you know of prayers or rituals to ward against undead and settle them down?"
Corinna snorts. "Yes, Rajah, why don't you just resurrect these poor bones into whoever they used to be, and then I'll teleport all of us to Taldor for tea and cakes? It's quite simple, really."
"I like tea and cakes," Gilfroy mutters under his breath.