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"Good, you're awake. Help me search her, will you?" Tallis begins to rummage through the gnoll's possessions.
Lord shakes his head to clear away the cobwebs and tries to roll the Gnoll off him with Tallis' help. He scowls at the other Monk's quip and says, "asleep! I do belive I'm the one who carried the rest of you through that battle."
He then pulls two potions from his backpack and quaffs them both down, a little colour returning to his face as he does so. Rising to his feet, he then bends over and helps Tallis rummage through the dead Gnoll's belongings.
"No thanks necessary, you can repay me for the curative when your able." quips Bandle with a grin. He gives their rummaging a cursory glance and then moves out into the chamber to have a look around.
"I bet that crazy loon...er commander back at the fort would pay handsomely for her head" he calls over his shoulder with his usual happy aplomb.
Thanks for hanging in there Tarren. It seems you do a better job of running Lord Flash than I do! Maybe I should stay away more often? :)
** spoiler omitted **
"Good, you're awake. Help me search her, will you?" Tallis begins to rummage through the gnoll's possessions.Lord shakes his head to clear away the cobwebs and tries to roll the Gnoll off him with Tallis' help. He scowls at the other Monk's quip and says, "asleep! I do belive I'm the one who carried the rest of you through that battle."
He then pulls two potions from his backpack and quaffs them both down, a little colour returning to his face as he does so. Rising to his feet, he then bends over and helps Tallis rummage through the dead Gnoll's belongings.
Lord Flash:
Searching the gnoll priestess turns up a treasure trove of vials but it is unclear what they contain. Most of them are dark red or brown. Elsewhere in the room, a small alchemical lab and a chapbook of recipes suggests that some of these might be poison, others antitoxins, and others potions.
Her heavy metal steel shield and falchion are definitely quality items.
She is also wearing a holy symbol of Lamashtu's and carrying 65 gp in coins.
Small doors, like the ones you entered through, are spaced evenly around the room. If each of them contains a tomb, you estimate that at least 36 people have been buried in this temple.
A chain of large iron rings hangs down and leads up through a small hole in the ceiling.
"Wow," I say, and then I try to hide my surprise that I was the one to knock the furry priestess to the ground.
"I wonder if these notebooks might give us a clue as to what the potions she was carrying are?"
I examine the books to see if I can understand anything in them.
The book contains various scattered notes including references to Lamashtu's Mercy which seems to be a poison and antitoxins.
More than that would require a Craft (alchemy) check.
Bandle comes back to where Jakie is pouring over the priestess's notes.
"Shall we take her head? It may be of some use. I'll bet that large fellow over there playing with the giant curved knife'd be more than happy to take it" he quips gesturing toward Tallis.
"Is there any magic writings in there? We could use some good gnome magic about now"
He than looks around for a bag or vessel of suitable size for the gnoll's head.
Bandle comes back to where Jakie is pouring over the priestess's notes.
"Shall we take her head? It may be of some use. I'll bet that large fellow over there playing with the giant curved knife'd be more than happy to take it" he quips gesturing toward Tallis."Is there any magic writings in there? We could use some good gnome magic about now"
He than looks around for a bag or vessel of suitable size for the gnoll's head.
"But I don't want to lug around her head..." Tallis grumbles to himself as he attempts to put the scabbard on his belt.
"You don't have to carry it! I just saw you had that big sharp thing and figured it would be easy to cut it off...I think it's too large for me to try." says Bandle somewhat sincerely staring at the vile falchion.
"The Lord will probably be more than happy to carry it" he says nodding to Flash who is eyeing a couple of the vials with suspicion.
"A trophy celebrating our victory over a worthy opponent. I have heard that the Gnoll Priestesses of Lamashtu can be tough opponents on occasion."
He joins Jackie to rumage through the potions and sort them according to their various colours and consistencies. Without looking up from his work he calls to Bandle, "maybe I should flay the skin from it's skull and you can wear the beasts face as a victory helm little one." He smiles cruelly, although noone but Jackie can probably see it.
"Well I'm not sure about beastmen, but my uncle dries and cures various animals skins into masks for celebrations back home. I'm not sure how he does it so I don't think I'll try, I was just thinking it may go a long way in convincing the other beastmen to leave." answers Bandle thoughtfully.
"I think that kook...er general at the fort might give up some gold for it, y'know as proof of our victory. She does have a rather large and ugly melon does she not? I like melons, but not one so large and obviously rotten on the inside. Bad melons are alot like beastmen."
Trying to change the subject, I look up at the hole in the ceiling from whence come the rings, "I wonder what is up through that hole."
Well, there are the ossuaries all around the room. Who knows what is behind those doors. Bones, probably. There's the way you came. There's the ceiling. You see no other way out. Some light comes from above.
I'll take 10 on my climbing check (total 15) and see if I can't make it up the chain to look at the hole better.
LJ climbs up the chains to the small hole in the roof. As soon as his head clears the opening, he sees ...
A small circular domed room about 15' in diameter. A large bell hangs in the centre of the dome. The room is spotlessly clean and dimly lit. Small slit like windows allow some light to enter. Red, glowing eyes hover above one of the windows.
"OOoooH! BELLS AND WHISTLES!" Bandle exclaims gleefully "You don't suppose the creature would trade a rotten melon" he says gesturing at the dead gnoll " for a bit of bell ringing? What sort of creature, a good bell ringer?" He already has his whistle out and clenched between his teeth. "We'll get every donkey between here and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings dancing a lively jig!" Not seeing a shred of hope that anyone likes this idea he goes back to examining the ossuaries with a notable "Hrumph!"
"OOoooH! BELLS AND WHISTLES!" Bandle exclaims gleefully "You don't suppose the creature would trade a rotten melon" he says gesturing at the dead gnoll " for a bit of bell ringing? What sort of creature, a good bell ringer?" He already has his whistle out and clenched between his teeth. "We'll get every donkey between here and the Lands of the Linnorm Kings dancing a lively jig!" Not seeing a shred of hope that anyone likes this idea he goes back to examining the ossuaries with a notable "Hrumph!"
The ossuaries are sealed but the seals can be easily broken. Each one is marked with a different epitaph. Most of them read, "Gifted by Lamashtu, ..." followed by a name such as "Peranchi the Mandible" or "Amardolem of the Third Eye". None of the seals appear to be tampered with.
I try to look for evidence of the various crypts having been opened. Or at least evidence of how the gnoll gained entrance to the place.
Perception: 1d20+9
While you did find a tunnel leading up to this place from the abandoned village below. The only exit to this room is to the bell chamber above. You did not see any exits from that chamber.
Lord looks at the little Gnome and sighs. "I suppose this might take his mind off being annoying for a while."
He bends down and pulls out a Kama, using it to slice into the Gnoll Priestess' neck and severs her head from her body. He tosses the head over at Bandle's feet. There you go. Enjoy your victory little one.
" It doesn't look as if there's any melon toting devices in this vicinity!" cries Bandle leaping back from the ossuary.
"I thought maybe these were closets, as burial customs here seem quite different from those back home! In any case I think this fellow was interred quite prematurely and he doesn't seem the least bit happy about it. I believe he thinks we have some thing to do with it." Dropping the priestess's head for the moment he brandishes a vial from his belt pouch and quaffs it.
"There now fellow! We had absolutely nothing to do with it! It was her." he says gesturing towards the head "And now we've rescued you and beaten back your oppressor! Be a good lad and show some gratitude!" Bandle says sternly
Initiative:
Lord looks up as Bandle cracks the seal and the Ossuary's inhabitant claws his way out. He sighs and shhots the annoying Gnome a withering stare before pulling a small wrapped bag from the sack on his belt and throwing it towards the Ossuary opening.
Pull out a Tanglefoot Bag and throw it at the creature in the opening (Ranged Touch Attack):
Tallis' falchion clatters against the side of the tomb and the creature -- eyes burning with hate -- begins to pull itself forward to retrieve it.
It immediately finds its exit from the tomb blocked and hisses and pulls against the white sticky threads that cover the door of the ossuary but only further entangles itself.
Ten spider like apendages appear from below its shoulders and start plucking at the threads as well.
I raise my crossbow but realize that it will be hard to hit the thing with the others in the way. I think about charging in but realize there is no opening with the three of them surrounding the tomb egress.
With few other choices, I aim as carefully as I can and try to hit it with a crossbow bolt as the others weave around it.
Crossbow attack into combat:
Potential Damage: