Updated spell list for the spectre problem:
0-Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Message, Read Magic
1-Color Spray*(DC 19), Feather Fall, Grease (DC 16), Mage Armor^, Ray of Sickening (DC 17)+, Silent Image*(DC 19)^
2-Blindness/Deafness (DC 18)+, Command Undead (DC 18), Create Pit (DC 17), False Life+^, Glitterdust (DC 17), Mirror Image*
3-Invisibility Sphere*, Magic Circle against Evil (x2), Summon Monster III, Web (Ectoplasmic) (DC 17) (x2)
4-Dimension Door, Boneshatter (DC 20)+ (x2), Shadow Conjuration(DC 22)* (x2)
5-Shadow Evocation* (DC 23), Telekinesis (x2), Teleport
6-Undeath Ward, Mislead*
Ruperta's thoughts concerns how happy she is dancing with the love of her life. She hopes she can keep like that forever.
6th - undeath to death, mass cure moderate wounds
5th - breath of life, disrupting weapon, raise dead, summon monster V
4th - extended magic vestment, anti-incorporeal shell, air walk, restoration x2
3rd - cure serious wounds x 2, life shield, sacred bond x2, searing light
2nd - align weapon, cure moderate wounds, lesser restoration, resist energy, silence (DC 16), undetectable alignment
1st - comprehend languages, cure light wounds (2), divine favor, endure elements, protection from chaos, sanctuary (DC 15)
Pai casts Magic Circle, and is ready for the Teleport. She can cast the spell, if Sial want sot save his for an emergency exit.
Sial returns a few moments later, walking slightly tenderly. He smiles in a business-like fashion and nods to Asyra, who gathers around you. He looks to each of you and raises an eyebrow, waiting for your signal to begin. He touches Paxs and murmurs a prayer, then touches Pai and murmurs the same prayer. He then murmurs a different prayer and a shimmer in the air appears about 10 feet from him. He pulls forth a scroll and reads it and the air around you is suddenly a blur of whirling images.
When it clears, you stand in the ballroom. The music is loud and somewhat disjointed. Ruperta and Slumper dance among the spectral dancers, while above the specter of Death watches. Among the spectral dancers you can see the form of Laori dancing with a pale man. The specter of Death notices you, then swoops in!
Initiative!
Round 1:
25 Ruperta
24 Paxs and Thrak
23 Pai
22 Danse Macabre
20 Corbyn
18 Sial
17 Asyra
11 Slumper
Ruperta dances! She is young, in love, and compelled to dance forever with the man of her dreams! What more should a girl ask for?
Pai casts Undeath Ward, happy she had the opportunity to act before the undead.
"Try to get them out," Pai yells. She also puts in her ear plugs, if they were able to be procured during the shopping trip.
Thrak dashes in and attempts to pull Ruperta out of the dancing throng. While Paxs summons some black tentacles in the path of the monster.
Pai casts her spell, a pale glow settling around her party! Thrak rushes forward, and grabs Ruperta in his jaws, surprisingly gently and pulls her back to where the other wait!
Paxs casts his spell, but the waving tentacles seem to pass through the specter of Death. Death flies toward Pai, but seems to hit a barrier as it does! It presses, and like a bubble popping, it slides through! It seems to hit another barrier, Pai's spell, but it too fails against the hideous Spectre. Its scythe flies toward Pai! hitting for damage plus Constitution drain!
Sial snarls and casts defensively! , snapping off a spell! , but the blast of white light fizzles as it hits the spectre...
Asyra's chains flash! , , and , all land, dealing damage! The spectre takes damage and its empty gaze falls upon the chain devil!
Ruperta fells herself falling, like in a dream, with screaming and tugging around her.
Ruperta suddenly shakes her head and seems to come to herself!
Corbyn will be posting later, so let's go onto Round 2!
Ruperta shrieks at the sight of the ethereal form, grabs her Holy Symbol and prays for Desna protection.
"Night Butterfly, please protect our dreams from nightmares!"
She casts Blessing of Fervor affecting all of her allies.
She stands up, and looks over for Slumper.
"Slumper! Where is he!"
He sees him dancing, and she teleports next to him.
"Hang on my love!"
Pai takes a 5' step away from the undead, and uses her Staff to cast Halt Undead.
DC 19 Will save or immobile for 11 rounds, or until attacked.
In round 1, Corbyn attacks with everything he can unleash.
Pai takes the AC bonus from Ruperta's spell also.
Thrak charges back into the fray and pounces on the specter.
"Ruperta, try to get Slumper free! We need to get out of here!"
Pai's spell has no effect!
Corbyn's attacks lay into the spectre and seem to do full damage to it! Thrak snarls and leaps upon the spectre! His attacks all seem to hit, but they don't do full damage. Still, it's enough to rip the specter into small ethereal pieces. Suddenly the music stops and the spectral dancers disappear, including the soul of Laori!
Slumper shakes his head and looks confused. All he can remember is dancing?
Pai ran over and hugged her two friends that had been sucked in by the monstrous undead. "I'm so glad you two are okay. That thing was just as bad as that mean ole dragon! I wonder if this was one of the Soul Pillars, or whatever those things were called?"
After embracing her friends, Pai turns to Sial and his group. "I might not be all that cracked up about you all, the whole time, but thanks for helping save my friends. I will donate gold to see Laori is raised, if you have someone who can cast the spell. She was my .....friend, too. I want to see her well."
Sial kneels next to Laori and begins to murmur prayers. But to his surprise, nothing happens! "Her soul will not return. This place has trapped it. Without stopping the evil here, I cannot raise her."
"So, if we can stop the baddies here, then we can try to raise her? We have to do it then," Pai calls out defiantly.
Ability drain actually reduces the relevant ability score. Modify all skills and statistics related to that ability. This might cause you to lose skill points, hit points, and other bonuses. Ability drain can be healed through the use of spells such as restoration.
Ruperta embraces and kisses Slumper.
"I was so worried for a second! I am glad you are ok!"
She goes to Laori and shakes her head.
"We won't let her soul stay trapped for long. We will free her, as well as all the other lost souls here."
Finally she reaches into her Handy Haversack and pulls a scroll. She calls Pai.
"Stay still, and let's Desna work her boons over you, my dear friend."
She reads sweet works from the scroll, magic words of soothing and healing, after which she touches Pai.
"Do you feel better now?"
"I shouldn't have doubted that you could do Wonders, Ruperta! I feel much better. If you could memorize that spell tomorrow, Sial could probably use a casting of that. Also, is that undead gone for good, or do we have to preform some sort of ritual?"
"Yes, I have, and I even have the required diamond dust. I hope no one complains we use if on Sial. About the creature..."
Ruperta tries to remember whatever she knows about it...
Know. Religion
Slumper sits down with exhaustion from all of the dancing.
"I can't think of a better dance partner, but I think I may sit the next dance out..."
"Good job Corbyn and Thrak!"
Corbyn nods to Paxs as he cleans his swords.
Slumper wearily gets to his fit gives a rough hug to Ruperta before getting back to business searching for anything that will get them out of there quicker.
A search reveals very little, but magical detection finds something hidden under the floor. Ripping up the dance floor reveals the long-dead corpse of a warlord, identifiable by his coat of arms as Sir Echolt Crommerand of Tamrivena. He wears +2 Full Plate armor, carries a +1 tower shield and wields his +1 holy cold iron longsword. Sial frowns and remembers him as the general who lead the troops along side the hero who slew Kazavon.
You also discover a secret door that leads outside to the wind-lashed rocks around the castle, a bolt-hole no doubt. It appears that you have explored all of the ground floor that you can, and the only way now is up.
"Tomorrow I will pray for Desna to help us undo the creature's damage, let's continue investigating this place, and freeing the poor souls held here, including Laori. Let's go up."
"Look at that sword! That is a weapon that could definitely strike fear into an evildoer! Slumler, Corbyn, can either of you weild that appropriately?"
loot
"Longsword is not my specialty, I can use in a pinch as I used some in the Aren...err war." Slumper trys to quickly cover up his mistake looking at his friends... He looks to Paxs to help fill in the conversation.
Pax says,"A Holy weapon could do wonders in a place like this." As he looks longingly at the exit.
After a discussion on the loot, you gather the items and head back to the courtyard, where you saw stairs going upward. This double door of bronze is so tarnished that it appears almost black. Cast in bas-relief on its exterior are gruesome images of devils and priests cavorting among the corpses and tortured souls of the damned. A skull and spiked chain overlook the entire scene from the center of the doors. A heavy wheel is set into the center of each door. Examination of the door reveals that it has been stone shaped to seal it; the only way in is to break the door down.
Ruperta approaches the door and puts her hand on it. She concentrates to see what is on the other side.
"Maybe I can pray for Desna tomorrow for something that let us open the door, or I can transport us to the other side. Should we rest tonight, before doing it? That way we can restore our bodies too."
She also examines the door to see if there is a small aperture to the other side.
Ruperta lays a hand on the door and sees beyond. The floor of this foyer is tiled in blood-red marble. A altar resembling a skull, its lower section wrapped in iron chains and its top cut off flat to form a level surface, stands in an alcove to the east. A ten-foot-diameter pool of what appears to be stagnant water, its rim fashioned of white marble, sits in the western alcove opposite the altar.