Elisile: 21 +
Hudak: 21-
Vethran: 21
Camlo: 14 +
Alwyn: 14
The angry dead guy: 11
Illes: 7
"Begone, foul spirit! Return to whichever cold hell spawned you!"
Hudak flails wildly and Camlo uses a more subtle approach, and while they strike.... something, the undead still remains. Alwyn then smites it with the power of Gorum, eliciting a furious shriek, but the creature is still sustained by its hate for the living. It turns a wispy claw on Alwyn, reaching through his armour to chill his vitals.
Illes draws his rapier and holds it in a guard position as he begins to sing a rather macabre hymn of Pharasma's faithful-
"Why should you tary when Pharasma is pleading,
pleading for you and for me?
Why should you linger and heed not her mercies,
mercies for you and for me?"
Normally the song would be low and mournful, but Illes version is amused and sarcastic.
Elisile moves next to Alwyn and dumps the bottle of holy water over the incorporeal spirit.
Slashing the thing with Nualia's Tongue, the hateful spectre is finally despatched by Hudak.
Vethran seems about to loose another bolt of shimmering energy when the creature dissipates, leaving a rather surprised look on the mage's face.
"That was... rather easier than I thought. Hm."
With that, he tucks the unused wand back into his belt.
"A spirit like that is apt to be guarding something likely more significant than just its remains. I suggest a cursory investigation of the room."
“I am glad that our brave warriors are practised at dispatching such evil spirits,” comments Elisile. “I for one felt somewhat useless.” She looks a little sourly (an ugly expression on her boggard's face) at her remaining bottles of holy water.
She'll also make a visual examination of the chamber.
Awyn's face splits into a satisfied grin. "Turns out the Shoanti way - hacking away with your sword - will dispatch ghosts as well as living foes. That's good to know."
"Looks like this is a dead end, which means we'll need to exit through the door we saw earlier. Are everybody ready for some serious ogre-slaying?"
Let's check out that other tunnel then...
oh; and I'm down 16 h.p. from the shocker lizards if a healer type could hook me up.
I would but....
Camlo looks at his companions, seeing hudak's condition, he digs into his pack, pulling out a small flask.
"Ah, here friend, this may err, help, with your wounds." he says, handing the flask to Hudak.
To Camlo; "Oh, thanks friend, but no you keep it. I have a couple of those myself. I'd rather save them in for a jam, because they won't refill tomorrow."
"That'll do for now."
"I think down the earlier passage. This warren of caves is our only retreat if things outside go badly. We should make sure, then, that this warren of caves is bereft of enemies first.
Then we can start attacking them outside. Hit-and-run if we have to."
"I agree with the Shoanti. If this undead spectre resided down here, it's hard telling what else may lie beneath this fort. Better safe than sorry."
To Camlo; "Oh, thanks friend, but no you keep it. I have a couple of those myself. I'd rather save them in for a jam, because they won't refill tomorrow."
"Ah, as you ah, wish." Camlos turns again, and buries the flask back where it was at the bottom of his pack.
"Indeed, I always, ah, prefer to know what is at my back. Well, my errm, flight down here excepted."
"Agreed. Be careful as we cross the bridge again."
Roit roit.
The party backtrack to the room where they killed the shocker lizards, and head east. After about twenty feet it ends at another stone door, while another passage just before it heads north east, slanting down.
"See anything Ellie?"
“I would suppose that this door also leads into the fort,” comments Elisile, looking about with her dark vision, and listening too.
"The lizards can't open doors. Lets see where the passage leads, and then look behind the door."
that's two......
let's check down that long hall then.....
The passage seems to run into a warren of dank, winding passages, bending and narrowing to a gap as small as three feet in places. The floor is muddy, carpeted with mushrooms, and crawls with insects and millipedes.
The passage bears off west, with another branch heading north east but itself splitting south east and north west.
“Look – lizard tracks by the look of things,” says Elisile, pointing into the mud.
While the elf-toad scouts ahead Illes whispers, "Vethran, how do you know if that spirit has been put to rest? I've heard lots of stories where shades rise again on the day of their death, or at midnight, or on the full moon. It doesn't seem right that a tormented soul would give up his unhallowed bones so easily..."
Vethran scratches his stubbled chin for a moment, then shrugs. "Ghosts are not really my area of expertise. Alwyn seemed pretty satisfied that it was dealt with, though, so I'm inclined to follow his lead."
"Too bad we can't just herd all these electric lizards up into the fort."
"Can you tell how many there are of them? I'm a little worried about approaching large groups of lightning-throwing enemies. Mybe we should just leave them alone?"
“Not with certainty,” answers Elisile. “However, Shocker lizards are territorial but, generally speaking, if you make no sudden moves, attack them or approach their egg mounds, they will generally leave large creatures alone. We probably startled the two we have so far encountered, but by moving slowly and looking out for and avoiding their nests.”
Elisile will lead the way west, moving slowly and carefully, trying to be quiet and keeping an eye out for signs of lizards.
West; I'll offer to go first; or maybe Ellie with the eyes and all...
(edit) great minds wot wot
This tunnel ends quite abruptly at a dead end. A small pile of mud and rubbish lies on the floor.
Know, nature:
Elisile backs slowly away, then whispers to the others when she reaches them, “There does not appear to be any way forward, and several of the lizards lurk here. I suggest we not disturb them, and try a different way.”