You make your way through the shop, quickly catching up with the mist before it goes through the next set of floorboards. With a bit of searching, you find the other set of stairs and descend to the basement.
Darius and Variel speak almost simultaneously, catching slight sounds of rustling from armor and weapons. It appears more enemies lurk in ambush for you.
Variel mutters an arcane phrase.
temep qeelak kor
as he finishes speaking, his allies feel lighter on their feet, and their bodies move much more quickly.
well, that should help.
They are out of sight, but you know they're there. Probably to eitehr side of the door.
Jones speaks a command word, and his Wayfinder begins casting Light on the room. Then he moves toward the closest enemy he can see and Studies them.
As Jones wanders into the room, he is slammed from both sides by vampires.
He then studies one of them.
Sledge rushes to the nearest point where he can hit one of the vampires.
Darius moves down the stairs and into the room. He whips one of the vampires.
The vampire tries to retaliate, along with a friend, though Darius cuts him as he approaches. Both swing their longswords.
And one hits .
The two vampires flanking Jones also attack, switching from their lunging stances to step in on him directly.
Sledge charges in and obliterates one of the offending undead fiends.
Variel wills a flame into existence, weaving it around his allies and through their enemies.
DC 21 reflex for half. should hit all of them.
"Right. Let's finish this quickly, shall we?"
Jones begins fighting defensively, while also using inspiration to dish out more powerful blows.
Darius disappears into the same pocket dimension Zin was sucked into.
You slaughter the remaining vampires, like ANEEMALS.
There are doors to the north, south, and east.
Where to?
"Zin? Darius?" Jones looks around and sighs. "Where did they run off to now?"
"I suppose we must keep going. We don't have the luxury of time, and are low on healing potions. Be careful."
Jones inspects all three doors for traps.
None traps exist.
"North. I'll take point."
North is a bunch of storerooms. Notably, in one are three coffins.
There is nothing else of interest.
"I vote we stake the bastards."
"I agree."
You do so, and they crumble to ash. These are the Spawn you beat up a little earlier. The more powerful vampires must have retreated elsewhere.
"Back and east."
There are 9 wooden coffins here, and one stone sarcophagus. In the east side of the room are two hidden doors.
"Let's stake 'em. Jones, check the stone one for traps before we open it."
It's not trapped.
"Open it, and stake whatever is inside. Then we'll check the hidden doors."
You do.
Inside the sarcophagus is a switch to open the doors (and no vampire). One room contains another sarcophagus, the other is completely trashed.
"We'll stake the wooden coffins then deal with the second sarcophagus."
Sledge does so.
The next sarcophagus is empty. The only other notable features of the room are twofold:
A tapestry, depicting Taldan Knights fighting against the forces of the Whispering Tyrant. In the centerpiece is Iomedae (as the mortal Herald of Aroden at the time).
The other content of the room is a statue arrayed in armor identical to that of the knights in the tapestry, carved in an odd pose. It appears to have just completed a sword thrust, but the look on its face is that of despair, rather than triumph. It gives off an eerie, lifelike quality. Everything is carved a little too precisely.
Jones wonders if this unsettling statue is the result of some spell.
It's been a long time, but there are the faint traces of a Transmutation spell at work here, likely an archaic version of the Calcific Touch spell (it feels too weak to be Flesh to Stone or more powerful magic, even accounting for time).
"Can this spell be reversed? If so, we'll have to get a cleric to come through here after we clear the area."
"Yes, there are a few spells that can reverse Calcific Touch. In our case, Restoration would be the cheapest and least risky option."