Jaxom nods his head to indicate the side tunnel "Why don't Jed and I go down this tunnel and see where it leads. I don't want to leave it unexplored so that something can sneak up behind us."
"Friend Jaxom, I think that splitting up may not be wise. However, we do not wish to be taken unawares. Let us all explore the side tunnel, but I shall lean one of my javelins partway across the opening behind us. Something following us may knock it down, a sound that should carry for some distance."
The original purpose of this chamber is unclear, but large mounds of rubble lie strewn on its floor.
Most of the rubble appears to have come from a wall that used to block this tunnel, although the tunnel could have been dug after the wall was smashed.
Norhalo murmurs, "That is the first door we have seen in these tunnels, no? Let us see what is on the other side. Jaxom? Issak?"
Issak moves up to the door and tries it. If it doesn't open immediately, he'll try and force it.
Strength check
The door opens with ease, revealing a hallway which goes 15 ft., then turns to the left.
Thinking about the sort of people who might have a use for unmonitored exits, Norhalo will glance around for Sczarni markings.
Jaxom will move up to the corner of the hallway and take a look.
Norhalo notices no sign of Sczarni marks, but he does notice other, older markings.
Ameiko accompanies Jaxom down the hall.
Norhalo notices no sign of Sczarni marks, but he does notice other, older markings.
Anything recognizable? (Norhalo does know Thassilonian, if that matters.)
"Friend Calathes, I may have. It is not likely to pertain to our current mission, unless there is more to Tsuto than we have been led to believe," he replies with a slight smile. "Here are markings in a Thassilonian runescript with which I am not familiar. We shall have to return later when we have time."
Calathes casts his spell, and reads the runes, which explode.
The explosion echoes through the tunnels, alerting anyone or anything in the area to the groups presence. Also, Ameiko let out a short, but loud scream.
Norhalo shakes his head, ears ringing, and heads through the door to find Ameiko. "I am sorry, my friends. This is a bad place to be curious in...."
Upon hearing the blast, Jaxom whirls around to face a new threat from behind. "What the Hell was that?" he hisses through clenched teeth. Upon hearing the explanation he says "Seems like someone has a warped sense of humor. Oh well, no sense in sneaking around anymore."
Jedech takes the full force of the blast, knocking him against the wall. The huntsman then yells out, "Dawgoneit! Don't be messin' aroun' wif thin's in a place yo' doesn't know! Fry mah hide!"
Ameiko just shakes her head at the group and mutters something...
"Come on. Let's keep moving." And she pushes past Jaxom and heads down the hall. Within seconds, she has disappeared around a corner.
Perception check:
Jaxom will jog to catch up to Ameiko. "Let's check out this side corridor before continuing on." So saying he will tke the lead agian and proceed down the right hand corridor.
Jaxom takes the lead again, this time with Ameiko behind him.
Norhalo has the grace to look somewhat abashed at Ameiko's words, and now that he's at the rear of the party will look back over his shoulder frequently.
The group continues down the passage, reaching a chamber...
The tunnel widens here into what appears to have once been a small shring, for to the northeast steps lead up to a platform of gray stone. Sitting atop the platform is an ancient altar, little more than a jagged block of black marble with a shallow concavity on top of it. This basin is filled with what appears to be filthy water.
"A moment."
Norhalo closes his eyes, extends his arms, and whispers to himself for a moment, then opens his eyes and looks around the room.
Norhalo blanches.
"We should leave this room. Now. The altar seems to be charged with mystical energies far beyond anything I can cast. And we have just had an object lesson in examining the relics of the past too closely, eh?"
Ameiko rolls her eyes and says, "Is the whole room super evil, or just the altar? If just the altar, then NOBODY touch it. Simple as that. Besides, we have these lovely doors behind which we haven't explored yet." She goes over to the double doors and pushes them open.
This huge room looks like nothing more than an immense underground cathedral. Stone doors stand to either side of the main entrance, but beyond this, the walls are carved with strange, spiky runes. In the center of the room is a large pool, a ring of polished human skulls balanced on stone spikes arranged in a circle around the deeper midsection. At the far end of the room, a pair of stone stairways leads up to a pulpit on which sits a second pool, this one triangular and filled with churning, bubbling water that looks almost like translucent lava. Yet while wisps of what look like heat and steam rise from the strange orange liquid, the room itself is deathly cold.
There is a tiny, winged creature flying over the pool at the far side of the room. As the doors slam against the walls of the chamber after being shoved open by Ameiko, the creature yells out...
The glowing liquid in the far pool is bubbling. A long, well muscled arms reaches out of the pool, followed by another, and then a head. It's another of those creatures you faced in the hall yesterday.
The creature finishes climbing from the pool, and glares at Ameiko, then jumps down to the level the party is on.
Jaxom will double move up to the creature (Wrathspawn) and say "You're as ugly as your brother was and probably as easy to kill."
Assuming it's still standing when Norhalo acts, he'll move up to the square above the B13 on the map and cast daze on the wrathspawn.
Issak moves forward and takes a swing at the flying creature.
Glaive to hit
damage
The creature from the pool attempts to bite Jaxom as he moves up to confront it, but the human evades the creatures maw.
Norhalo moves into the room, with his back against one of the doors Ameiko opened, and he casts a spell. Norhalo notices no reaction from the creature.
Ameiko jumps to the side so others can enter the chamber easier, and throws a dagger at the flying creature, missing it.
Jedech moves into the room and fires a bolt, striking the larger of the two targets.
Coming around the south side of the pool, Issak attacks the wrathspawn.
Glaive to hit
damage
Issak and Calathes both move into the room, weapons at the ready.
The flying creature vanishes from sight.
The creature from the pool slashes out at Jaxom with its clawed hands in addition to trying to bite him. The thing manages to slash Jaxom once.
Jaxom will attack the creature before him.
Attack roll #1 (longsword):
Attack roll #2 (shield):
If no one is in the way by the time he acts, Norhalo will advance to the square immediately to Jaxom's NW and cast resistance on him.
Issak takes a swing at the wrathspawn across the pool.
Glaive to hit
damage
Issak strikes the creature solidly. It roars at him in response while evading both Jaxom's sword and shield.
Norhalo moves up behind Jaxom and casts a spell on him.
Ameiko moves up the stairs and swings a blade through the air where the flying creature was. She doesn't hit anything.
Jedech reloads and lets fly another bolt, grazing the creature from the pool.
Calathes also fires a bolt at the creature from the pool, but misses.
From the top of the chamber, you faintly hear something speaking.
The creature from the pool focuses on Jaxom, striking him with a single claw, but managing to bite him across the neck.
Fortitude save:
Will save:
Jaxom manages to push the creature away before it rips his throat out.
Calathes strikes the creature with another bolt, sadly, another grazing shot.
Fortitude save: 1d20+5
Will save: 1d20
Norhalo moves over to stand next to Jedech. He closes his eyes in brief concentration, right hand held in front of his face. As he opens his eyes, the tattoos on his right arm flare an actinic blue, starting from his shoulder and moving down his arm. He reaches out and quickly touches Jed's crossbow; as he does so, the blue light seems to crawl out of his tattoos and onto Bessie, sinking into the crossbow without a trace. (The dramatic effect is ruined when Norhalo surreptitiously wipes his hand on his trouser leg.)
Seething with rage, blood pounding in his ears, Jaxom lashes out at the creature who has wounded him so.
Attack #1:
Attack #2: