Gornak suddenly smacks his head in astonishment. "Holy crow! In all of the excitement, I almost forgot: has anyone seen any signs of Master Quar? For some reason I thought we might find him here. Or what's left of him...<gulp>"
"I guess Shallelu could take the runewell notes to Father Zantus."
Shallelu, do you know anything about barghests?" Aylmora asks the elf ranger.
"I guess Shallelu could take the runewell notes to Father Zantus."
Shallelu, do you know anything about barghests?" Aylmora asks the elf ranger.
Vaclav nods agreement. "That would protect the notes whether or not we succeed and we'll be able to search for this fiend sooner."
Bar guests? Rune wells? Where are these things?" Gornak is having a hard time following the conversation. "Well, wherever they are, I'm sure we can lick 'em. We might want to rest a bit first, though."
Gornak suddenly smacks his head in astonishment. "Holy crow! In all of the excitement, I almost forgot: has anyone seen any signs of Master Quar? For some reason I thought we might find him here. Or what's left of him...<gulp>"
Vaclav explains, "The runewell is the fountain that the monsters came out of when we fought the imp. The barghest is a devil like the imp, but larger and stronger and smarter. They're in many books about devils, but I can't recall anymore than that. I never had an interest in outsiders. Never thought I meet one face to face."
Shellalu opens her mouth to speak, but Vaclav beats her too it.
"All I know about barghests is that they are related to goblins in some way. How I do not know."
Gornak suggests:
(a) getting a rest,
(b) finishing checking out Thistletop (including the room we backed out of), and
(c) going off to look for this barghest
In that order. Any objections?
Thanadros agrees"Sounds like a good idea. Lets start off with the room across from where the wizard and the fallen angel lady were held up in."
First stop, the room you backed out of?
Gornak empowers his hammer with metaphysical power, finding it even easier than before. He also effortlessly adds a lesser amount of power to Thanadros's and Vaclav's weapons, as well as his own garbage hook.
Then he leads the way back to the ominous room.
Marching order and perception checks from people please :D
Gornak takes the lead!
Perception:
Aylmora advances with the group, crossbow loaded and ready to fire.
Perception:
Vaclav walks at the rear of the group. When we get to the room, and are just ready to go in, it's guidance all around.
Perception
Thanadros has his bow ready to strike.
...
From Nuallia you have a +1 bastard sword, +1 breastplate, masterwork (strength +1) composite longbow, and the medallion has mild abjuration, divination and necromantic magic in effect on it: it grants +1 to all saves, and grants the user the effect of false life as a swift action once per day.
From Lyrie, a wand of magic missile (CL 1 st, 38 charges), potion of cure light wounds, scroll of sleep, scroll of comprehend languages, scroll of minor image, scroll of see invisibility, scroll of whispering wind; cloak of resistance + , silver comb (25 gp), fine silk gown (60 gp), everburning torch.
Vaclav views N's gear as tainted. He doesn't covet any of it. Although with a blessing to take the taint off....
That breastplate looks like the best item, and immediately useful. Who can use it?
Thanadros and Vaclav already have bows equivalent or better. I don't think anyone is a b-sword user.
The medallion is intriguing. "It has an aura of protective foresight and death warding." I suggest Gornak as the recipient. Anything to get his will save up. The possiblity of a caster turning him on us is terrifying. And with Albrecht's departure, he's the PC most likely to need extra HP now.
Lyrie's gear is mostly no use to Vaclav. I suggest someone else take the potion of cure light wounds. The cloak of resistance could be useful to any of us. If he doesn't want the medallion, this is a good candidate for Gornak. Can anyone use the scrolls?
Gornak will take the necklace, then.
The door swings open again, and you see the cavern ahead of you and curtain of vegetation through which daylight filters up ahead. Gornak advances, weapon ready, with Thanadros behind him. A slight movement catches the former shoanti's eye, and at the same time Aylmora spots an object out of place on the ceiling that Gornak is just walking directly underneath: It looks like a tangle of roots or tentacles in the ceiling, with a squat, leathery cylindrical body hanging down. Two other tentacles whip out...
Initiative:
The tentamort lashes out with two tentacles at Gornak, one is tipped with a bitter sting.
Attack (tentacle): Damage:
The tentacle is blocked by Gornak's armour.
Attack (sting): Damage: Plus Fort save DC13 or take Con damage.
Attack (sting) Threat confirm: Damage:
The sting darts between the joint of Gornak's helmet and his breastplate and stabs deep...
"What is that thing?" Aylmora cries as she points at the creature, unleashing a powerful ray of freezing cold at the creature.
Initiative: Sweet!
"I don't know."
Vaclav shrugs the bow off his shoulder, nocks an arrow and looses at the ceiling.
(point blank and guidance included) ... damage *sigh*
init:
"Bwuh? What the hey?"
Fort save:
"Watch out for that stinger -- I think it pumped me full o' something!"
If and when he gets to act, he swings his hammer at it.
____________________________________________________________________
"Gornak, watch out!" Thanadros says as she lets loose a volley of arrows at the strange thing.
Aylmora and Thanadros hammer the thing before it can strike. It still lashes out, but it's a death-spasm. Gornak spins and smashes it from the roof. It strikes the ground, completely dead, tentacles twitching.
Thanadros points to the slain beast with the tip of his bow. "That's not the barghest. Correct?"
Thanadros searches the rest of the room.
Perception
Gornak squints at it. "Doesn't look much like a big goblin to me..."
"The descriptions I've read are vague and sometimes disagree, but none mention tentacles or the ability to stick to ceilings. And given their reputation I don't think a barghest would be so easily defeated. We should assume it's somewhere else down here."
"Thought so..." Thanadros says as he begins searching the area.
A search of the chambers divulges a lot of dead seagulls, and a few dead goblins. One still retains a suit of hide armour that has weathered the passage of time well. A brief check reveals it is +1 hide armour, and with it are a masterwork shortbow and masterwork horsechopper. There are no other creatures in here.
Vaclav examines the goods. Odd. These are much finer than normal goblin-make. This must have been a great warrior among the goblins here. Perhaps they sent him alone to fight the beast. Or maybe none of them except him cared that a predator lurked so close to home. ...
"We might do best to turn these over to Gob. Perhaps he could use them to buy loyalty among his new tribe."
"To the room in the basement then?"
"Sounds good to me. Let's find that barghest."
"Sounds good to me!" Gornak rubs the sore spot on his neck with one hand and hoists his hammer over his shoulder with his other hand.
You return to the passageway bellow without incident; the trap is still disabled and the door to the northern chamber hangs open. The door opposite is closed still.
Aylmora carefully examines the closed door, searching for traps.
There are no traps that Aylmora can find. The door opens to a short, ten foot stretch of passageway. The door at the end is also untrapped, and opens to an empty L-shaped room.
The southern wing of this L-shaped hallway ends at a pair of stone doors carved with the depictions of two skeletons reaching out to clutch a skull between them, while to the east the hallway narrows down to frame a circular carving of what seems to be an immense stack of gold coins that rises from fl oor to ceiling. The edges of these coins are carved with tiny, spiky runes.
"What's this? Some tribute to Mammon? If so there's probably some trap or ward against thieves."
"Whatever it is, it can wait. Let us find this Bargest."
Thanadros listens at the southern door and searches for traps.
Perception
If there are noises or traps, Thanadros advises the others. Otherwise he ushers Hogarth over, does a stabbing motion with his bow, and opens the door.
While Thanadros checks the southern door for traps, Aylmora performs a similar examination of the circular carving of gold coins.
Gornak and Thanadros open the doors surrounded by the skull and bones motif.
Four pillars support the domed ceiling of this room. Several alcoves containing standing sarcophaguses grace the walls, and a statue of a stern man wielding a glaive and holding a book stands at the far end of the chamber.
"Whoever these people were, they sure liked glaives. Not my weapon of choice, but to each his own."
Gornak takes a look at the first sarcophagus.
Perception:
The sarcophagus is plain and adorned only with a few of the spiky runes. As Gornak examines it the shadows in the gloom around him shift and ripple unnaturally.
Vaclav frowns at the pile of coins. "On second thought, Mammon's name isn't inscribed, nor is his symbol present. I have no idea what this is."
"Um...guys...there's something funny going on around here," Gornak says nervously as he backs away from the rippling shadows.
Vaclav spins on his heel. "What's that, Gornak?!"
Peering about the sarcophagi, the cleric spins on his heel and moves toward the half-giant.
Perception
Know (religion)
The shadows moves reach toward Gornak, it takes no perception check to see them for what they are now.
Shadows' Initiative:
Init:
Init
Reroll if necessary:
Know (religion)
"GOrnak, get out of there!"