Bugsby’s grease continues to stymie the cluster of bandits at the door. One manages to work himself off the grease while the others try to get up and fall back over. Lachna takes advantage of an opening and caves in the skull of the one she struck before. The bandit that maneuvered off the grease continues to display his skills by feigning low, causing Ankih to lower his shield long enough for a cut across his ribs.
Inside, the prone bandit stands up, drawing his bow in a flash and both loose arrows at Sven. With one aimed high, and the other low, a moment of indecision causes Sven to not be able to defend either shot, and they both strike flesh. The one that stepped up the stairs calls out ”Hey Ten-penny, Git yer arse out here and help us or the boss’ll have your hide!” A gruff female voice answers back from the room to the west of Sven ”He said I was ta make ya’ll breakfast as punishment fer talk’n back yesterday’n callin him an idiot. So here I am makin breakfast. Don't like it, make'm tell me otherwise.”
In Kalt’s duel, the bandit notices the grease is gone, and step out of the doorway, finally landing a strike on the lithe ulfen.
Bugsby looks at the carnage around him, trying to decide how best to help. "Itseemswesurroundedourselves!" he states to no one, wondering if they shouldn't retreat a bit to regroup and where Avora's gone to. Shrugging at the uninteresting question, he kisses his middle finger, extends three fingers towards the standing bandit by the door, and holds his middle finger back with his thumb. He then flicks the middle finger towards the bandit, a glowing green blob -tiny at first but growing larger as it rapidly closes the distance- flies through the air towards the dangerous bandit outside the door. That done, he vaults up to the tabletop, moving west a bit more.
Protoplasm effects:
–2 penalty on attack rolls and a –4 penalty to Dexterity and must make a DC 15 Reflex save or be glued to the floor, unable to move. Even on a successful save, it can move only at half speed.
** spoiler omitted **
Kalt accepts the sharp stab from his opponent with a brief grimace, then says, "Ah, thanks for getting out of that damn doorway. It'll make things a sight easier. Watch out now."
Then, his blow powerful and fast, he swings his blade diagonally across the bandit's neck and chest, killing him. As the man falls to the ground, Kalt is already moving towards Sven, saying "Be right there, Sven. Time to wrap this up, so you don't have to catch quite so many arrows."
Reeling in pain, Ankih moves over near the Ulfen warrior, and holding forth his holy symbol, beseeches Sarenrae's aid.
As Ankih tries to escape, the bandit that hit his ribs swings again, cutting a vicious gash across the clerics back, felling him.
The bandit falls in a fountain of blood.
Ankih feels the breeze from a slash across his back, narrowly escaping the blade. Bugsby grins a bit, having seen the bandits arm stick slightly, slowing it's strike just enough to allow the cleric to escape.
Lachna steps into the now empty space in front of the door and takes a swing at the gooey, but standing, bandit.
Take that yer dog! she shouts.
The bandit tries to leap out of the way of Lachna's hammer, but the goo slows him down long enough for her hammer to make a sickening thud as ribs break and puncture vital organs. The two bandits see that two of their fellows have met their ends at the hands of the dwarf, and tuck tail and dash away. The one in front of Lachna tries to flee on his hands and knees, but ends up spread eagle on the ground, unable to do much more than flop around like a fish.
Things are beginning to look up for the party until noises begin to be heard from upstairs. Two skeletons, their bones coated with an unnatural frost leap from the balcony and land next to Kalt, the air around them chilling even the northern blooded ulfen. Behind them comes another bandit, his bow at the ready. Seeing Sven bearing down on his comrade, he fires an arrow at the massive man, which does little more than distract him. Unfortunately, he is distracted long enough that the archer that has already put an arrow in him places one next to his first, sending more northern blood to the floor.
A door behind Sven opens, but nothing comes out. Soon, everyone hears some magical incantations from near Bugsby, and the gnomes feels the wind as... something... rushes by him. Suddenly, the bandits nearby lurch up in unnatural ways, their wounds still pumping blood, and their eyes glazed over in death. "Kill them all." comes a raspy voice. Bugsby and Lachna try to strike out at the undead before they can do anything, but the surprise of everything sends their strikes wide.
Kalt is startled by the sudden appearance of the icy skeletons in front of him, and then sees the slain bandits rise awkwardly to their feet. He rolls his eyes and says, "I hate when they don't stay dead," he mutters. As he does so, he switches his sword to his left hand and unhooks a small, metal-headed mace from his belt with his right. Over his shoulder, he says, "Sven, there's still a damn archer back there. Mind finishing him off so you can help over here?"
He then swings the mace at the nearest skeleton, but the awkwardness of holding his sword in his off hand interferes with his strike.
Avora emerges from the room, now looking fresh and fully healed, spear in hand. She very nearly runs into the undead nearest the door, but recognizes it as such and stabs at it with her spear.
Avora's attack hits, puncturing a kidney, but the zombie barely registers the blow, no longer requiring that kidney to do it's task. When Sven approaches, the archer tries to use his bow to defend himself, but the mighty warriors blow shears through the bow, and most of the bandit.
Yes
Hearing and seeing the weariness from Sven, Ankih approaches and tries to heal him, and hopefully others as well.
Bugsby begins to suspect someone very very very tiny, or very very invisible is nearby when the door opens to no one and someone is murmuring magical incantations. Deciding he does not like being the center of attention for this particular crowd, the gnome does a roll off the table, turning it into a spring over two zombies and into the corner next to Lachna.
Once there, he listens intently to see what he can sense nearby, from his tiny and/or invisible friend, straining with physical and magical senses.
Torag, take them all, Lachna growls as the zombies rise from the ground. She begins to feel the power of Torag flow through her and he blade begins to glow a bit.
She steps a bit to her left to get a clearer shot at the bandit still rolling on the grease and takes a swing at him.
And ye better stay down, she says, as her hammer hits home.
Lachna brings her hammer down hard on the bandits back, and feels his spine break as the bandit goes limp.
The party gains an immense sense of dread and foreboding as dark energies fill the lodge, empowering the undead. Kalt feels the icy aura of the skeletons begin to freeze his flesh, the mere presence of them enough to cause his blood to chill in his veins. In unison, they strike! Kalt fends off many of their blows, but one manages to find flesh. The archer sees the healing done by the cleric and fires off an arrow at him that clatters of the fireplace behind him. The archer then retreats further up the stairs in hopes of preventing retaliation.
The zombies shamble forth, one moving in on Bugsby while another lurches forward to pen Avora in. She manages to dodge one meaty fist, but another nearly caves in her chest, knocking the wind from her lungs. The fiend Lachna moved adjacent to does not question the fortunate situation, and tries an overhand chop at the dwarf. Torag smiles on her as it does nothing but batter against the steel of her shield.
Cursing to himself in another language, at least it sounds rough enough to be cursing, the gnome eyes the undead fellow a few feet away, giving it a friendly smile and a wave, Maybe it wants to be friends... he thinks to himself without much hope. "Avora! Becareful!" and assumes a defiant and ridiculous defensive posture even as his mind works hard to continue to concentrate on his detect magic spell, "Whereareyouvillian!?" he mumbles to the air before him.
Lachna roars in defiance as another bandit is crunched under her hammer and turns to face the undead now before her. She turns more swiftly than you would expect from what you've seen out of her so far, and allows the momentum to add to the strength of her swing, hammer bashing into the first zombie.
Sven feels a small, warm glow in the midst of the icy chill he's suffering from, and recognizes it as the blessing of Sarenrae that Ankih had bestowed upon him earlier. Taking heart from this, he sheathes his sword and holds his mace in a two-handed grip, then draws on the goddess' energy to guide his strike at the nearest skeleton.
Unfortunately, Sarenrae's guidance is not enough to batter through the frozen armor encasing the skeleton, and Kalt's strike does not seem to affect the frigid foe.
Avora feels the blow solidly against her chest.
Three, maybe four ribs. We can't win this fight. No! Mustn't think like that! The others are counting on me!
Avora reaches into her belt pouch and withdraws a small vial of amber liquid. Pulling the cork out with her teeth, she swallows the contents.
Editing my previous post:
Avora takes a 5-foot step into the room behind her and then drinks the potion. It may give her a moment's respite.
No spells to speak of, I'm down to my last potion, and nothing I can do seems to hurt these undead abominations! Come on, Avora! Think! The creator must be around here someplace!
On her next available action, Avora attempts to do exactly that. Channeling her powers, she attempts to exert command over all creatures of the Cold subtype.