Zeb's Crypt of the Everflame PbP

Game Master ZebulonXenos

Bolkin, so absorbed in his examination (despite not doing a very good job of it), was the last one to react to the skeletons rising. By the time he was snapped to attention by the sounds of battle, most of them were already destroyed. Cursing his luck at missing the good part, he made his way to the last one in the slim hope that he'd at least get one shot in.

Bolkin moves to K9. Not much else for him to do, sadly.

Well not much to add after that, but I figure I'll repost the init and make a snarky comment about dogpiling the remaining skeleton.

Round 1:
> 24 Raven
21 Telperion
16 Drosk
16 Garik
13 Skeleton
8 Grukk
3 Bolkin

EDIT: Well, the map wasn't current when I started my post! Since Bolkin already moved where Raven would've gone, just disregard all this below. Raven will just delay her action until Garik's gone.

EDIT: Disregard the following
Round 1, 11 HP, mage armor, AC: 17

Were y'all waiting for Raven's move? I saw the XP posted in the ooc thread, so I thought everything was dead. If the map is still current, I guess one is still standing?

Raven sees that the skeletons pose little threat, but she sprints across the room to help Garik with the last one. Moves to K9, so Garik can 5-ft step to M11 for a flanking bonus.

She realizes her spear thrust is more likely to get tangled up between the bones of the skeleton, so she decides to try to do it intentionally to make him easier for Garik to hit. Unfortunately, her spear misses the skeleton entirely.

Aid another: 1d20 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3 Oh well, Garik can still get a +2 by moving into flanking position.

Telperion sees the others converging on the last skeleton, and decides to cover the southeast door, in case something on the other side was alerted to their presence.

Telp moves to O8 and tries to listen for any sign of movement beyond the door.
Perception roll 1d1 + 6 ⇒ (1) + 6 = 7

Unfortunately, he only hears the sound of his own labored breathing and the pounding of his heart in his chest. "Calm down. Get quiet" he says to himself.

Garik reaches the last remaining skeleton while others from the group also converge towards the same undead.

"Well here's hopin' this many of us poundin' on this one, at least one of us can land one!"

"To the Lady's Boneyard ye go!"

Garik makes a 5-ft step to M11 before making his full attack.

Sorry for the map/XP confusion. I just went ahead and added it to the doc since it was a foregone conclusion at that point. As for the map, probably best to read the thread

The group surrounds the skeleton, and Garik nearly tears it in two as his weapons come in from different angles, cracking vertebrae and smashing ribs. The room goes silent as the dead return to rest.

Telperion, as well as the rest, continue to hear the wretched moaning and wailing coming from somewhere beyond the eastern door.

fyi, you rolled a 1d1 instead of a d20, Tel, so if you wanna try that again feel free to.

Looking at the group's handiwork and instinctive action to help each other, Garik can't help but feel mighty proud and touched.

"Ha! Sorry guys, 'Aunt Beryl's Spice Guardians' don't do no justice to our handiwork here! Hope though we keep this up to whatever else lurkin'n' this crypt! For that matter, what really gives here?! Thought we just be lightin' Bolkin's lantern here."

Garik pauses as he hears again the pitiful wailing coming from somewhere beyond the eastern door."Well I'm pretty sure that moanin' ain't no undead!"

Garik thinks for a moment. "Shall we go ahead and save him or her now? .... On second thought, best be lookin' around here first in case somethin' here might help us or give clearer view on what we're gettin' into."

Almost disappointed at how easy that fight was, Bolkin decided to amuse himself by catching the bottom of one of the skulls with his boot and kicked it as far as he could. He pumped his arm slightly in victory as it landed at the top of the nearby stairs with a clatter and a crunch. "Well," he began as everyone started to celebrate their win, "it's good to know we're better-equipped to handle this than a cobbler."

He listened to the moaning and wailing to tell if it was human or not as he weighed their options. "If there are people that way, they might be able to help us with our task, or at least give us answers. Of course, there could be nothing but more of these monstrosities over there." Bolkin shrugged as he went on, "But we've got no other leads, so we may as well try to play hero for a bit. Maybe we'll even get something nice out of it."

Telperion was quieting down, calming down when the skull Bolkin had kicked thunked against the stairs and wall. Some people are trying to listen for danger, you know", he mumbled under his breath.

But he couldn't blame the human. It was pretty exciting, what they'd done together.

Yet, Garik and Bolkin's musings shared the same unknown: what was making that sound. If the wailing was a person in need, the group, in Telperion's view, should go right away. If it was something else, they should proceed with caution.

With this in mind, he gave an exaggerated mime for quiet to the others and listened intently at the eastern door.

Garik finds pretty much what Bolkin did. The skeletons are chilling in their own right - less so now that they've stopped moving in a hideous mockery of life, at least - but their handiwork with the bodies is gruesome. Some bedrolls have been shoved to the sides of the room, against the platforms, probably in the midst of the original fight. There are three bedrolls and two bodies, indicating there is a survivor.

Telperion, listening at the door, is certain that whatever's making that noise is either human or very good at pretending to be one. There's nothing otherworldly about it.

"Well these bedrolls here indicate there's at least one body here be missin' Me hope's he or she's the one moanin' in the east"

Garik takes one last look at the skeletons that the group finally put to rest then absentmindedly fingers the wolf's fang in his pocket while mulling something in his mind. Then finally shrugged with a slight distaste, "Nah! Too ghastly! Why'd I even think of it? Ugh!"

The dwarf realizes that he spoke aloud. "Ok I'm starting to act like Telp there." With a smile, the young barbarian tries to dismiss his speaking loudly and said immediately, "Well, shall we do some savin'? To the east door we go, I suppose then!"

Grukk mused a half hearted pun in his head as he kicked the bones at his feet "These guys seem in poor spirits now." Returning a reponse to Garik "If you didn't hear before there's a fountain, rather sad one, but water still in the room."

Walking up the stairs back onto the ledge Grukk opened the door to the right allowing everyone to go in first, "Any direction seems good at the moment, we keep looking around till we find this guy. I just hope he's in no serious danger right now. We should go."

Raven checks the corpses of the villagers for herself, though she's less interested in who they are than in who they aren't. Though the ease with which the party took care of the skeletons gave her some encouragement that none of her family members had been present, there were several skeletons, and the villagers likely had no reason to be on guard when they came to set up the crypt. Even her most powerful siblings could probably have been overtaken by skeletons like these under the right circumstances. Well, maybe not the most powerful... I wonder how Karol would've handled them. Maybe a fireball? Telekinesis? Probably just magic missile - they were pretty weak.

Perception to identify that the villagers' corpses don't include members of the Vargidan household: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Assuming they're not...
"Yeah, let's find this survivor quickly. It could be anyone from town."

Telperion nodded along with the discussion, but paused for a moment as he realized the full implication of Raven's comment. His lips tightened into a grimace at the thought.

He made room for Grukk to open the door. When the half-orc did, Telperion peeked in, trying to hold the torch so that it provided light but didn't burn his hair off.

[spoiler=Roll and OOC]:
Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (12) + 6 = 18
Re: Garik's marching order discussion, I don’t think Drosk needs to be in front. The channel has a 30ft radius. I like your first marching order.
For me, I think I'm carrying a torch, but I'd like to review light sources. Maybe we can add a "*" to those on the map?

Holy cow! How did it get to be Thursday already and I haven't made a post since Sunday?

Drosk breathes a sigh of relief as the last skeleton falls. "My first encounter with real walking dead," the young priest thinks to himself. "At least I stayed true to my training. Something's not right here, though. I don't think there would be a yearly pilgrimage here if there were always undead on the loose. I just wonder what other horrors may be lurking here," he muses as another wail rises from the east.

Drosk moves over to examine the bodies of the two slain Kassenites. "I guess it's safe to assume that the skeleton's killed them," Drosk says aloud. "But can anyone identify who they were?" he asks as he begins to compose the bodies to administer last rites.

Bolkin shrugged at Drosk's question. "Doesn't seem like it. The corpses are pretty badly disfigured," he answered, "If you're really curious, maybe this mystery third person can fill us in, if he's still alive."

He took position as the group prepared to continue on, mildly apprehensive of what awaited them behind the next door.

I'm fine with the first order as well.

Knowledge (Local) is what'll let you identify them. Since you're all Kassen locals, I'll let you roll it untrained this time. Bolkin has already tried that, though.

I'll use the * as a light source indicator, sure. Of course Telperion's the only light source at the moment (unless Raven had cast dancing lights or something and I'd forgotten)

Grukk opens the door, revealing a large chamber with a maze of pillars that obscure the far side of the room. Next to the door lies a pile of empty saddlebags and three brooms.

The wailing is louder in this room, and nobody has any doubt that it seems to be coming from a bit further south.

Ah, I didn't realize there weren't any lights in here.

Raven casts a quick spell, and four lights materialize in the air. "This'll only last a minute. So take this time to light some torches." She digs in her backpack for a torch and some flint & steel and lights it. "All right. Ready."

"Ok guys, we seem to have enough lights now to get by"

Garik looks at what the opened eastern door reveals so far and describes them to the group. Then he remembers what Telpererion offered before they entered the crypt.

"Uhm, sorry Telp . . . not to endanger you or anythin' but this room o' pillars seems ideal for settin' traps and you say ye've had some trainin' in sniffin' & disablin' such contraptions, right? Would you like to do some sniffin' ?"

The dwarf barbarian offers the front spot to Telperion before entering the room. But Garik suddenly feels awkward just putting the elf on a spot in this situation and offers an apologetic smile. "But of course it's alright by me if I go ahead and be trippin' first any traps but I just don't want triggerin' somethin' n' the ones at yonder back be the one sufferin' as those adventure tales Grukk tells in the tavern."

Just to have it on this page: Crypt Map

Knowledge (Local) is what'll let you identify them. Since you're all Kassen locals, I'll let you roll it untrained this time.

Knowledge (local) to determine the identity of the corpse: 1d20 ⇒ 1 - not likely with that roll! Are we sure this person is even from Kassen? ;)

As his companions move into the next room, Drosk finishes administering last rites to the unknown Kassenite. As he finishes his prayers he adds softly, "I'm sorry I don't know yer name now, but I'll make sure to find out who ye are. We'll make sure to get ye back to Kassen an' yer kin."

Scanning the hall one last time, the dwarf priest hurries up the stairs to join the other party members.

Telperion nodded assent to Garik, barely able to contain his relief. He’d been unable to see past the dwarf and Bolkin and his curiosity was screaming for a better view.

"I’ll do it", he said as he pushed rudely to the front.

He stepped around them both and carefully surveyed the floor, ceiling and pillars. He stepped into the labyrinth, peering around the columns while moving closer to the door to the east.

Almost tumbling back as Telperion pushes him aside, Bolkin quickly grabbed ahold of a nearby wall, glaring at the back of the Elf's head with slight disdain. After a second or two, he shrugged it off and took his new place in the middle of the group. As they passed various corridors and intersections, he kept and eye out to the best of his ability to make sure nothing was moving at the edges of the light.

"Not that I'm emotionally invested in this new objective, but if we're going to find this third person we shouldn't get distracted." Bolkin felt he was stating the obvious, but he couldn't be sure with some people. He went on the clarify, "Not that we should rush it either, but this crypt isn't going anywhere, and there's no guarantee he'll still be alive for long, if he hasn't already bitten it."

After briefly considering lighting his own lantern, he decided against it on the ground that he didn't plan on going far from the others. "No need to waste perfectly good oil," he thought to himself.

Telperion takes the lead. A glance down the northern corridor doesn't reveal much - pillars, dust, echoes of the continued wailing, now dying down to a low sobbing noise.

The group crawls along the southern row, until Telperion's keen eyes catch the slight, unnatural angle of the stone floor in front of him. Taking a moment to look to his left, he sees another - likely pit traps.

In the alcove just south, both he and Garik notice a lever on the wall.

Telperion takes a moment to examine the levers and pits, seeing if there is a connection between them, and generally getting a feel for the traps.

The lever is unconnected to the traps, both through observation and experimentation.

The traps themselves seem to be standard pitfalls - put too much weight on the 'floor', and you suddenly find yourself taking a spill.

Telperion turns halfway towards the others, only partially including them in his musings: "While it might be possible to avoid the pits by using other paths around the pillars, it is equally likely that those rows are trapped as well. Therefore, I shall try to disable the door mechanism on this pit, allowing egress along a straight line to our previous door."

Without looking, he holds his torch behind him for Garik to take, oblivious to the fact that the dwarf has his hands full with two weapons. After one second of waiting, he says "Take this" and shakes the torch impatiently, eyes still focused on the floor before him.

Garik is pleasantly surprised by Telperion's enthusiastic acceptance to take point and is quite amused with how the elf just stepped through him and Bolkin as if the elf's going to charge into battle.

But the dwarf's amusement was replaced by a sobering realization when Telperion indeed found some traps and . . . a lever? "Desna's will! We're indeed mired deep in an adventurer's tale!"

The young barbarian couldn't place what he's feeling at that moment: a mixture of excitement, consternation, fear, and disbelief that they truly are adventurers! A mischievious smile not unlike Bolkin's seems to form on his scarred face with the realization. And so with all these going through his mind, he quickly put his light mace aside on his belt at an easy reach and accepted Telperion's torch while still holding on to his morningstar.

"Ha! Gladly Telp! Seems we truly are at this very moment livin' an adventurer's life! So ye just get rollin' on what ye do best!"

The dwarf solicitously holds the torch to give light to whatever lighting's needed by the elf's work.

"Just be tellin' me where to place the torch as needed."

I'm going to roll 'secret' rolls here in the thread, I think; it keeps 'em somewhere I can easily remember where they were. Just don't peek at the spoilers. :)

Telperion's deft hands manage to jam up the mechanism and his testing step is greeted by the sound of boot on stone. As he had intended, the shortest means of egress is now secure.

Peering around the corner, Telperion notes that the door heading south is sturdily locked. Examination of the mechanism will show that it's just beyond his capabilities to bypass.

Taking a little liberty with actions here in the interest of keeping things moving. There's a trick to this room. Lemme know how ya'll are going about exploring it and I'll fill in the map as we go. I can roll the Perception checks for any more pits myself as well.

Upon hearing the door was locked, Bolkin thought for a second about how to solve this issue. He glanced at the alcove with the lever in it and considered the possibility. "I'm not exactly an engineer or anything," Bolkin mused aloud for the others to hear, "but this switch was made for something, right? If it's not connected to the traps, then maybe it has something to do with the door?"

Bolkin fiddled with the lever some more, but he wasn't really in a position to see what effect it had. "You guys notice anything over there?" he asked of his companions as he absentmindedly moved it up and down.

Bolkin will mess with the lever until he knows what it does, or until something more pressing comes to his attention. If someone wants him to leave it in a specific position, they should let him know. Clearly only good things can come of this venture.

Telperion harrumphed in mild frustration at the difficult lock. Then his lips began to silently move in an apparent internal debate. After a moment, he seemingly reached agreement with himself by saying to the door, "Yes, I’d do that too."

He turned back to the others to explain the locking mechanism in too much detail and to take his torch back from Garik.

As Bolkin started yanking the lever up and down, Telperion stared blankly at the idiocy of that strategy. But then he recalled his many sparring matches with the rough-and-tumble guardsman. He’d learned that there was a point where idiocy transformed itself into audacity, and that audacity could be quite effective.

He nodded his assent to Bolkin's maneuver and motioned Garik northward up the rows, while taking another to the east.

Anyone listening attentively near the door - Telperion especially - can hear a sound within as Bolkin pulls the lever down, something like a single tumbler being removed from the locking mechanism. However, Bolkin is unable to pull the lever all of the way down without applying more force than is appropriate for something mechanical.

Telperion turns around and immediately notices there was a pit trap behind him. He goes around the pillar and works his way north. The survivor's wailing has now trailed off entirely to loud sobs and the occasional moan. It's during one of those intermittent cries that Telperion realizes he has taken a misstep.

Feeling the panel falling out from under him, time seems to slow as the elf puts his balance back on the leg free of the pit trap and hops backward, looking almost as if he had intentionally triggered the pit trap. The shaft is only ten feet deep, and the last couple of feet is a soft landing - apparently, the villagers had already 'defanged' this trap by filling the bottom with pillows.

The elf takes a detour through the center, notices another trap, hops over it, and notes that there are two levers nearly identical to Bolkin's in an alcoves to the east and north. He finishes the scouting trip with the only other incident being a single pit trap.

I rolled the Perception for whoever's taking the other side; assuming it's anybody who actually has it as a trained skill (Grukk, Garik), this is what happens.

The other party member makes for the north, the trip unnervingly uneventful. At the end, keen eyes find a pair of pit traps near the northern switch.

Google Docs is being a jerk right now so I can't place the last two traps, but they're at R3 and S4.

Obligatory Map Link

"So there's three levers? Maybe if we pull all three at the same time, the door will open? I'll do the north one, Telp can do the east one, and then one of you can do this one next to the door. Just keep the door open for us to catch up. Hmmm, and while you check out what's beyond to make sure we can get back out. We don't want to lock ourselves in there."

"Hmm...alright, sounds like a plan to me." Bolkin volunteered to stay by the switch and keep it held down for the others.

After going north as Telperion directed and thankfully going back again without triggering any of the traps he found, Garik went back to his place and stood just in front of the closed door.

He listened attentively to Raven's intuitive idea. "Ok by me, Raven! Be openin' the door here then while you and Telp pull all those levers we've seen", offered Garik as he kept holding just his waraxe after Telperion took back his torch.

"Be holdin' the door open for y'all. Drosk & Grukk ye be goin' in first when the door opens and look out fer any danger comin' that a way while I wait fer Raven, Telp and Bolkin."

The dwarf tried again to open the door just in case Bolkin's holding down just one lever was enought to make it open.

The door remains closed.

"And if we cannae be makin' head nor tails of those levers . . . ", Garik pauses and looks appreciatively at his sharpened axe with a wicked grin. "then I can always hack this door to pieces if need be! Har!"

Raven and Telperion move to the levers, and after a brief countdown all three pull at once. The levers all slide completely into the down position. Garik pushes the door open, and Drosk and Grukk slide through to examine the narrow hallway beyond.

The levers slowly return to the up position of their own accord, and Garik notices that the door would have re-locked within a few seconds had he not opened it. It's obvious that if it's closed, it will lock again and prevent anyone from approaching from the north. The south side of the door can be unlocked freely.

"One-way door this way," Grukk murmurs, pointing to the west.

"An' our survivor sounds like he's just down the hall here," Drosk remarks, gesturing south.

The door is locked and barricaded. Once Tel has it unlocked, I'll assume two of you can stand two abreast in that hallway, so one person make a STR check to move the barricade and one more can aid him.

Apologies for the silence - work has been crazy hectic this week.

Realizing that he had practically no way to contribute to the disarming of the traps or solving the mystery of the locked door leading out of the room with the pillars, Drosk waits patiently for his more skilled companions to solve the mysteries. "We've each got our strengths and weaknesses, and our own unique ways to contribute to the success of our mission," he silently reminds him self. So instead of feeling useless, the dwarf priest offers silent prayers to Torag, asking the Father of All Creation to keep the wailing person in the distance safe if he or she were truly a citizen of Kassen.

"Drosk & Grukk ye be goin' in first when the door opens and look out fer any danger comin' that a way while I wait fer Raven, Telp and Bolkin."

"Aye, Garik. Sounds like a plan," Drosk replies, readying his warhammer and shield in case anything hostile comes through the door when it opens.

Garik pushes the door open, and Drosk and Grukk slide through to examine the narrow hallway beyond.

"Our survivor sounds like he's just down the hall here," Drosk remarks, gesturing south.

When the time comes, Drosk offers to make the Strength check to move the barricade - praying to Torag for assistance before doing so (casts Guidance).

As soon as it became apparent that the door wouldn't just slam back shut if he stopped supervising the lever, Bolkin joined the others in the hallway. Once Drosk began pushing on the door, Bolkin quickly moved to help him. It looked like the Dwarf had things under control, but he figured another set of muscles couldn't hurt.

It looks like Drosk has got this, but I'll aid him just to be on the safe side.

Telperion drew in a deep, excited breath as the door opened. He beamed a huge smile at Raven in recognition of her successful plan, but it disappeared when he heard another sob from the south.

Moving quickly, he passed by Bolkin, laying a hand of the guardsman’s back to say “thanks” for his help with the door. With his torch providing light, he moved quickly past Drosk to peer down the long southern hall.

I'll assume Telperion took 10 to unlock just to keep things moving.

With the door unlocked, Telperion steps aside and lets Drosk and Bolkin into step. With a great heave and a ho, the dwarf moves the door to about a third of the way open, the fighter's effort nearly being stolen away by the momentum of the shove.

Everything happens so suddenly it takes a moment for the group to realize the sobbing had stopped.

One more DC10 STR check will get the door fully open.

This may seem like a stupid question, but just to be clear: Which door are we trying to get open with the Strength checks?

The one the noise was coming from I assume.

"Hope whoever's in there hasn't gotten themselves in more trouble," Bolkin commented at the sudden silence. After briefly considering the likely scenarios, he decided it would be for the best to arm himself before opening the door.

Bolkin attempted one final shove to get the door open in an attempt to not be outdone by Drosk. After a brief second to brace himself, he pushed forward as hard as he could. Although his footing slipped slightly, his attempt appeared to be adequate.

Sorry for that - we're going for the southmost door currently on the map (I moved everybody over there). Gonna move things along here.

Bolkin manages to shove open the door, and he's greeted by a crossbow aimed squarely at him. He almost instantly recognizes Roldare, the cobbler, standing on the far side of the small room. The man is haggard, eyes sunken and his expression twisted into a disturbing mix of sorrow and rage.

"The angry bones!" he cries, looking down the hall and seeming confused. "Tricks of the dead, the dead who speak," he murmurs, bringing his crossbow up again and letting it drift between Bolkin and Drosk.

Raven tries to peek through the bodies in front of her into the room that's been opened. "Who is it? Who were the others who came up here?"

Sensing that the one inside the room is obviously agitated, Garik chose to keep silent and be as inconspicuous as possible. "If the undead rattled him that much, what more if he sees scarred gargoyle like me in this dark crypt! Better this fairy girl here do the talkin'"

Telperion stepped aside to make room for Raven. He shared a look with Garik, sensing that he too felt that the young woman would do a better job with the frightened villager.

Sensing that no one else wanted to talk to the survivor, Raven pushed through to the front of the group. She sets her spear against the wall and steps away from it.

Diplomacy: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

"We took care of the angry bones. You're the cobbler, right? So I guess it wasn't your leg outside... who else came out here with you?"

Noting Raven's less-than-convincing tone, Bolkin stepped in with a slightly more blunt approach. "You're alone, and judging from the mess we cleaned up you didn't make it this far in a flurry of steel and splintered bones." The fighter let his flail hang down to the floor with a clatter as a sign of nonaggression as we went on. "Fact is, you don't fight battles, you make shoes. It wouldn't take mind games for a bunch of undead to take you down when you're already cornered. Now why don't you stop acting ridiculous and let us rescue you?"

I don't know if this requires a skill check or which skill it'd fall under, so I'll roll Charisma and let you append the mod of your choice as necessary.

Telperion looked back and forth between Raven and Bolkin. "I could have said something that awkward", he mumbled, slightly annoyed.

Mortified that he just might have done so, he looked away from the poor Roldare. He remembered the times he'd taken Holgast's boots to the man for repair.

Swallowing hard in a dry throat, Telperion turned to the hallway to the west. In a desperate attempt to be both helpful and elsewhere, he moved to the door and listened for any danger.

Roldare continues to mutter and jerks a little, his trigger-finger clearly twitching. As Raven and Telperion speak a look of recognition starts to come over his face. "Kassenites?"

Almost immediately he contradicts himself. "No, no, it's a trick, an illusion!" he whips the crossbow up again before Grukk comes in from the back.

"Listen, now! We're the Chosen of Kassen, true adventurers! We pulverized those 'angry bones' into dust, and if you don't stop sniveling, we'll have to pulverize some sense into you!"

Intimidate Check from Grukk
1d20 + 9 ⇒ (11) + 9 = 20

The crossbow clatters to the ground and the man collapses against the back wall. "Ch-chosen?" he says, finally looking somewhat lucid, if haggard. "Thank the gods you're here! Th-the angry bones took them all," he says, hanging his head. "They attacked us two nights ago, midnight. I'm the only one left," he remarks remorsefully. "We only disarmed the traps on this level."

After a moment, his head snaps up and he looks directly at Grukk. "Adventurers!?" he says, hopping to his feet. "You can save her! The voice of death took her! She yet lives, and you can rescue her!" He falls to his knees before Grukk.

The half-orc starts at the man's sudden lunge, looking back to the rest of the group.

"Please, save my sister! Take my crossbow; it's my treasure, but I would give anything to see her alive again." He thrusts the weapon into Grukk's hands.

The half-orc turns, holding the weapon out to whoever wishes to have it. "We, uh, we... we?" Grukk says, looking to the rest of the party dumbfounded.

Telperion stiffens at the sounds beyond the door. He slinks back towards the others, shushing them mid-speech. "There is something on the other side of this door!" he whispered harshly.