Vuzi looks up at the shimmer and casts Detect Magic on it. "I don't know about Arcana." She turns Zadira in the direction of the shimmer. "Vat iz dat?"
Zadira is unfortunately unconscious because of her zero strength, and cannot answer you.
It's magical
Grethle takes out another skeleton. The footsteps sound like they'd just one left!
The magical shimmer winks out of existence when kayla attacks it, and the darkness envelops everyone again!
Grethle is soon not so glad that she has its attention. She gets a nasty cut and feels the sapping of her own strength!
(You take 6slashing and 1 Str)
Vuzi continues to drag Zadira out of the room.
"Careful everyone."
Simon mutters a call for aid under his breath, hoping that the last enemy is not too close to strike him down.
"Do you hear the rumble beneath?
Can you see what lives beyond?
Do you feel the evil touching the ground?
Come forth, foreigner to this realm,
and help us slaying this evil!"
Grelthe attempts to locate the last enemy by sound...
miss
Unfortunately the hit sapped her attention as well as her strength.
The last skeleton fails uterly to strike Grelthe and is soon brought low. The darkness fades, and you find the room littered with black bones with 12 short swords scattered among them.
Seconds later, one of the skulls starts vibrating and pops itself right off its spine! It bounces over to Vuzi like an excited puppy dog!
Simon weakly looks at Vuzi, curious on her reaction. Otherwise he heavily leans on Emily for support and is busy panting and staying upright...
"That ... Was bad-meouwew."
Vuzi takes a look at the skull.
"Hello. Can I help vu?" She casts detect magic on it before even thinking about touching it.
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As soon as the fight ends, and she is able to see, she goes to Zadira's side, and in her worry, doesn't notice the skeleton head bobbing to Vuzi. "Hmm... I really hope magical darkness isn't the theme for this level... we could be in trouble." She examines Zadira, and casts Lesser Restoration.
Once Zadira wakes up, she will examine Simon too. "I will need to rest to change my spells before I can heal what is ailing you." She looks around at the party, taking in the damage.
She finally notices the skeleton head. She starts hopping from one foot to another pointing at it. "Ahh! What is THAT?!? What is it DOING?? Kill it harder!" She looks like an elephant in a room with a mouse. (pic here. )
It didn't respond but you look at you like a lost puppy.
Once everyone is clear, Kayla kneels down beside her friend Zadira. she looks up to Grelthe, you think she's gonna be ok?
about the comment on the darkness, I was taught that light magic usually works against that stuff maybe we should see about getting some. she adds without really knowing that much regarding magic spells.
Simon, who now uses his bow as a makeshift walking cane, pads Grelthes shoulder thankfully - before toppling over as the one half-ork freaks out because the other one is playing with a puppy-skull.
Despite lying on the ground, lacking the strength to get up without Emilys help, he laughs heartily at the sight.
Vuzi picks up the skull to keep it out of the way of Grelthe's stomping around . "I don't think it can hurt uz. It iz kind of cute."
"Either dat or I'm about to be curse. You never know in dis place." She gives the skull a pat on the head like the lost looking puppy it resembles.
Zadira wakes up. She smiles at Grelthe and Kayla trying to help her.
Thanks, guys. I'm okay. I can move a little, but even my ultra-light mithral armor and my handy haversack seem to be too much. I might need help getting out of here if we are headed somewhere else to camp.
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The big half-orc looks uneasy at Vuzi pocketing the black skull, but ignores it and grasps Zadira's hand to haul her to her feet. "I can probably carry another backpack, maybe two, but can't do much about your clothes. We will take it very slowly on our way out, we should probably make camp and rest until everyone is feeling back up to their old selves. I can prepare two Lesser Restoration spells a day to help the process along."
She mutters quietly "Cowardly skeletons, attacking the people who can least afford it." She looks abashed and flushes darker green. "That is, I mean... not that you..! But, uh... oh why couldn't they have just attacked ME was all I meant!" She awkwardly grabs Zadira's Handy Haversack and Simon's backpack to try to carry them.
Simon gladly hands Grelthe his pack, even pulling his light mithral shirt off himself with what looks like the most strenous thing he ever did...
Then he topples hopelessly over Emily which just barely carries this additional weight...
Vuzi grabs Simon by the arm and tries to help Emily keep him moving.
The party struggles their way back to Vance's "shop". He gasps when he sees you and orders the twins to assist. They bring you in to Saracek's old lair and set you on hastily set up cots.
Vance disappears into his store room and emerges a few minutes later with
I'm afraid that is all I have. What happened?
*** On the way back ***
Simon purrs thankfully at Vuzi's help.
"Its good to have you looking after us, Vuzi-purrrrurrr.
You too Grelthe-purr.
Whoever said that Greenies are bad, should meet you two.
...
Does anyone know what that was-grchii?
Skeletons are not that strong, yes-miii?"
*** Vance ***
Simon takes one of the offered potions from the undead merchant, surprised about the major stock of goods he already has in stock.
The probably very old potion has not lost its effect, maybe it even grew stronger in all that time, and it makes him feel like a proper cat again.
Well, more like a cat weakened from hunger and a very strenuous hunt, but at least like a grown cat, rather than a newborn kitten.
He rises on not-yet-totally-stable legs and breathes in deeply before answering their undead friend.
"Thank you, Vance-pur.
I ... really do not know what it was-grch.
A blackness deeper than anything I ever witnessed.
And it followed us-miaurio.
And with it came undead things that sliced us and sapped our strength with every attack until we could not stand any more-frch."
Zadira smiles after drinking one of the potions.
Thank you very much for the potion she says to Vance.
She takes her bag back from Grelthe and thanks her for helping her, and Vuzi for dragging her to safety.
Zadira is able to wear her light armor and walk around a little more, but is grateful that Grelthe is carrying her pack.
She is immensely grateful to Vance.
"Our group had run into one of those things before... black skeletons. They are nasty by themselves, but last time there was no darkness surrounding them. Catarya made quick work of it, too bad she had other business to attend to."
She inspects the other party members. "Who else had their strength drained away? Do you need one of these potions, or should we also give these last 2 potions to Zadira & Simon, who seem to have been hit worst?"
Kayla was silent the rest of the way back, she had a very worried look on her face that she tries to hide when someone looks.
Back at Vance's place. Kayla sits off to the side, she was not wounded by the creatures but felt so useless. her size prevented her from even helping carry stuff for those to weak.
she pulls out some chocolate and nibbles a bit.
Grethle, black skeletons are formed from good people, usually crusaders, who die on strongly unhallowed ground. They are most easily overcome by powerful magical attacks, but, if that's not available, they must be countered with weapons that are both good aligned and bludgeining on order to be quickly overcome.
I share that info with the group.
Vuzi takes one of the potions, and drinks it. "Thank you Vance. Hey do vu know anything about this fellow here? He volled vight up to me."
Vuzi pulls out her new skeleton and lays it on a table, and studies it. "Vell vat are vu?"
Vance stares at it for a while.
Can't say that I do. You and Zadira probably know a lot more about magic than I do. If not there's always that creepy man up in town.
The skull seems content to stare at Vuzi. Constantly.
Upon Grelthes revelations, Simon looks troubled and sad, his eyes seem to fill all of his face.
"So, those things were good people once-miaur?!
This is so sad.
Does that mean that ... If we ... die down here ...
we will come back as one of those things too-mewiii?"
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While Simon and the others discuss matters of skeletons and evil magick, Emily is about to lay down for a catnap as she catches sight of Kayla, sitting off the group and smelling sad.
Nimble as always, the black pantheress walks over to her side (obviously not in a direct path, but casually sweeps along the walls of Vance's shop until she got to her).
With a single motion, she curls herself around the much smaller gnome such that her head lies across Kaylas legs and her tail closes the black, fluffy circle.
She starts to purr and rub her head against your chest.
You and Zadira probably know a lot more about magic than I do.
Zadira casts detect magic and then tries to identify the skull.
The skull is still necromanticly powered, but you cannot understand Why.
"I have access to a spell that might help us against them in the future - bless weapon - makes one weapon good aligned. But I can only prepare two of this strength of spell a day. Maybe Ullman Dark can find a way to make a weapon oil using my spell? So that way we could all carry one? Or at least anyone with a bludgeoning weapon? I have two, so I could share."
Grelthe's eyes lose their twinkle and appear very far away as she turns to Simon and responds "Yes, that is very likely. Saracek used to be one of the greatest paladins of Tymora, look what happened to him. The greater our goodness, the greater the corruption this place can work."
Looking at the puppy-skull she adds "We might be able to identify who this one was from looking through the skeleton's belongings, but that is a stretch. No idea how long he's been down here."
It takes a few moments, but Kayla is soon scratching Emily's head. as soon starts to smile, I don't think you can have chocolate. but I promise, when we decide to go back to town I'll find a special treat just for you ok?
she starts just confiding to Emily, not even sure if the cat can understand.
I felt so useless in there, I couldn't see, I tried to fight them but I'm not sure if I did anything. and then, I couldn't help carry people's stuff when they were so weak. I really wanted to do my best for them. but sometimes this whole team thing is so confusing.
Simon looks troubled at Grelthes words.
"I ... thought that Saracek-grch became evil while living and then returned-miaur.
But ... you think he actually was good until the end ...
and then turned into that ... evil monster-meeowiii?
That he didn't want that to happen to him-miii?"
@Bless Weapons
"Actually ... I still have some of that oil that Dalkk-purrr made for me way back.
Its good on arrows, but not so good for weapons-meow.
It only works once and you need some time to rub it on the weapon.
Not good for fast and deadly combat-meowor.
Nikki-purr carried around lots of papers with magick-words on them.
Maybe that would be a way to go?"
I should get my bow enchanted to be holy. Then I could just switch to blunt arrows when those things come around. It all just comes down to money, like so many other things.
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"And seeing them-meow."
Kayla was listening to the conversation as she pet Emily, ya know, I had dealings with someone, long time ago, they had ways to overcome that kind of darkness, they used some kind of magic light, I think they called it daylight magic.
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As you whisper the words special treat the pantheress purrs agreeable and licks your hand with her big tongue - it tickles!
Once you lay down your heart to her, she rubs her head against yours and makes you look at the others and meows softly.
It is like she wants to say "They are ok. Its allright."
Grelthe keeps an eye on Kayla, but since she seems to be at ease with Emily, she lets her be for now.
"You are right Simon, I didn't think that the oil would wear off faster. Scrolls are probably a better solution. After we are all feeling back up to our old selves, I can just prepare two of that spell for now, since I think we only have two bludgeoning weapons among us anyway. But that does mean fewer Lesser Restoration I can prepare. I should try to get scrolls or extra potions of that spell too, since we seem to be needing it often."
That evening, Simon walks over to you and sits down beside you.
"May I ask a favor of Strong-Greenie-purr?"
"Well, you see, it's about Emily-purrurr.
She has grown so much since I freed her all those years ago-meow....
And she has gotten strong ... so Strong-Greenie-purr!
Way stronger than myself.
I have taught her how to fight, just like I do it myself-mew: deft, quick moves.
Using tiny openings in the opponents defense for quick strikes.
But I think … What she needs now is another way of fighting-meew.
A way of fighting which uses her strength and size over her quickness.
Like you.
You are the strongest fighter I have ever seen, Grelthe-purr.
Would you … train with Emily for a while-miii?
Show her how to use her bodys strength to overpower enemies?"
When you compliment her strength, she grins widely and puffs her chest out proudly. Grelthe seems surprised and delighted by the request! "My strength is thanks to my god Kurgess. I haven't had the opportunity to work with animals before, but Emily seems to like me alright. I'd be willing to give it a go."
"I know Lesser Restoration. I can do de spell many times if I don't haf to use other spells."
SHe continues to look at the skull. "Dis iz veird, but I'll keep him er her."
"Let us ... Let us rest for a day or two here-meowiii?
Get back our strength, get some sleep and ... pray to our gods-purr.
Once we are ready, we can press on I guess."
Turning to Vance:
"Thank you again for the potions, Vance-pur.
We found a lot of small sword in that room.
Should make a fine addition to your store, yes-miii?"
*** Later, with Grelthe ***
"Alright, thank you Grelthe-purrurr!
I will help you handle her, but you can actually talk to her.
She usually understands - off course that does not mean that she follows every word, she is a cat through and through-mehmehmehmehh."
He laughs at that last remark quite a bit - probably a Catfolk insider?