Once Dravite and Hudak stop thrashing about, Alwyn digs out his healing wand. He also casts a couple of healing spells.
"What we want is down there - and we can't burn that." He looks over his fellow adventurers. "Ready? Let's find Aldern and his cursed acestors and put them all to the sword."
“What has happened? Alwyn, help them!”
"It's psyc..physio..soc... Um, their minds are playing tricks on them. And, as you see, the mind is a powerful thing. I can heal them up with no problems, though."
My. Mind is. Stroooooooooooooooooooooong!
Yeah; let's do it.
The party heads down the stairs.
The stairs end in a limestone cavern. The walls drip with moisture, and swaths of black and dark blue mold grow in spiraling, tangled patterns on the floor, ceiling, and walls. Bits of rubble and broken bones clutter the floor, and a rhythmic sound—as of the breathing of some immense creature—echoes through the cave from three tunnels, one to the north and two to the west. Of the two western tunnels, the southernmost one seems to be a relatively new creation.
Missed the check as well.
Hudak sees things flickering in the shadows, imaginary phantasms. He's getting jumpy.
“Hudak, Dravite, what happened? What did you see? Are you hurt?”
“There are some runes here,” says Elisile, running her hand over the wall, “carved into the stone. I do not recognize their meaning.”
"Huh. I missed those." Alwyn squints at the obscure text. "These runes are ancient, far older than this house. Seems like the the Foxgloves picked an uniquely terrible place to build their manor - these runes are associated with Urgathoa, the deity of undeath. The malign properties of this place might have driven the elder Foxglove to seek out lichdom."
His face splits in a sardonic smile. "Oh, and keep your eyes open for undead things. If course, we already knew that."
Good. Something that I can put honest steel into.
“Hudak, Dravite, what happened? What did you see? Are you hurt?”
“There are some runes here,” says Elisile, running her hand over the wall, “carved into the stone. I do not recognize their meaning.”
Ack! I be fine lassie. Da priest dun fixed me oop good. They be some old runes....I be fine though. Just dinnae be wantin' ta be in dis house much more. Me hook is thirsty fer somefin ta hook that donnae be a spectre or some filthy rodent. There's a reckonin' a'comin' an I'd be hatin' ta be against me on dis one.
"Any preferences for directions? I vote for the most recent-looking tunnel."
"That'll work." Sword out; I'm on it.
Elisile nods, holds her coin with the light spell aloft.
This long cave stinks of rotten meat. The source of the horrific smell is readily apparent in the swath of carcasses strewn about the floor of this place. Most seem to be of small animals and fish, but at least three humanoid bodies and one partially eaten horse lie in the mess as well. At the far end, there is a pool and a shaft leading up, wan sunlight shining through.
“Ware! Giant Bats!” calls Elisile, pointing towards the ceiling of the cavern with her bow.
Spot roll 10
"Your elf eyes are better than mine, m'lady!"
Girding his sword for savagery...
"I see them. Big bastards, they are."
1d20 7=22 Spot. Aye, I sees 'em lassie!
Initiative-1d20 7=16.
Dravite is planning on attacking by stepping forward, dropping his hook and drawing his bow to shoot if they don't swoop down.
Init (if needed) r12+2=14.
Vethran raises his everburning torch instinctively and prepares for the attack.
Initiatives:
Dravite 16+
Vethran 16
Hudak 14 (surprised)
Alwyn 12
Elisile 10
Illes 5 (surprised)
Bats ?
The bats flex their wings, preparing to swoop.
“These bats do not appear natural creatures – more undead I believe,” calls Elisile.
H2. Is it Dravite's turn? Was that all the Bats did on their turn?
The bats swoop down and attack the nearest target - Hudak. However, even while surprised his reflexes are enough to avoid their teeth and claws except for a light scratch on his cheek.
r2....Hudak does the viagra dance.
Dravite sees the big shoanti freeze up and strides forward angrily (D1) to attack one of the large bat-like creatures with his heavy hook of bat-death. 1d20 8=20 to hit, 1d12 5=15 damage. Add 2 damage to that if they are large-sized creatures, I am unsure by the description if they are just big or if they are rule-wise big. I'm a Big Game Hunter.
Vethran waves his hands, and a ball of fire engulfs a bat.
Alwyn throws himself at the other bat.
Elisile's up.
Elisile moves to E3 and hurls a flask of holy water at the bat in C3.
Dravite's hook gouges a lump out of the muzzle of one bat, but Alwyn's nimbly darts aside of his blow. Elisile's holy water causes bat flesh to smoke and seethe.
(Larken, then back to the top as Illes is surprised.)
Larken dives between the bats, cartwheeling through the shallow water. As he comes to a stop, he plunges his rapier into the back of a bat.
Bats again.
The bat the Larken attacked circles and slashes at him with a claw. The other attacks Dravite, its needle-like teeth sinking ito his shoulder as it folds its wings about him.