If this is a "swarm," though, it may be resistant or immune to individual damage like this.
Túrante obliterates a single floating skull, but the swarm as a whole seems unharmed.
"Look out--those swarms are trouble!"
Does Selja know anything about them?
Unless she somehow knows they are NOT evil, Selja calls forth magical light against the swarms!
She also pulls out a flask of Alchemist's Fire. "Anyone wanna try?"
Selja recalls that Beheaded are mindless undead typically created as sentries and guardians for crypts or villainous hideouts. Individually, they are a nuisance for adventurers, but as a swarm they may pose more of a threat.
Fortunately, Selja has the right tools for the job. In a blinding flash of light, the swarms of chattering skulls crash to the ground. However, the sound of more chattering emanates down the hall around the corner.
Moira takes the alchemist's fire.
"I could try telling them a joke, but I don't normally work such big crowds..."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Fenchurch steps in front of Túrante and prepares to swing at anything coming down the hallway.
Liamae readies to blast any swarms that get too close with a spray of fire, courtesy of burning hands!
A third swarm of chattering skulls appears from around the corner and moves up the hallway to consume Fench and Túrante. Fench wipes out a majority of them with a mighty swing as they surround her. Liamae finishes the rest off with a blast of fire from her hands, but not without singing her lover.
Skull fragments litter the halls, but the way is now clear.
"Well, well. That was terrifying, but not terrible."
Selja waits for a moment, waiting to see if more swarms will arrive. When the creatures are finally confirmed slain or dispersed, Selja lets her guard down--a little. "Glad there aren't more of them," she concludes, and begins walking forward and looking around, wanting to explore the next part of this level.
Not much to see here other than the debris of hundreds of human skulls lying about. Some tree roots break through the eastern wall, and a stairwell in the southeastern corner leads down again. Another hallway extends to the west, terminating at another door.
"Doors before stairs when clearing a building, ma always said. Anyone get significantly different parental advice?"
"My mother did not exactly give advice about dungeoneering."
Selja opens the door to the west to reveal a sunken chamber. Two short sets of stairs lead down into an open space. Random bones and rubble are scattered across the floor, and again, tree roots intrude through the crumbling walls. Small stone sets of shelving sit along the walls in the lower area.
"Go where your heart takes you, my mama said," responds Selja. "Crazy thing for a slave to say, but I guess it worked?"
Selja finds herself attracted to the shelving and takes a look around.
"Did I know your mom was a slave? We've got quite the social spectrum represented here. My mom was a peasant farmer who liked aphorisms and sayings--not sure where she picked up all her dungeoneering lore, but it's been useful."
Moira peers down the stairs. "We'll take steps later."
Selja pokes around and finds a few items of interest:
A small stone coffer with gold coins with the mark of Ydersius on them, along with a set of ivory dice.
A heavily patinated bronze scroll case with scrolls within.
A wand carved from human bone.
The scroll is Summon Monster I.
The wand is Corrosive Touch and has charges left.
Leaving no stone unturned, the group takes the hall north to complete the loop back to the stairs. Along the way they pass an alcove in the wall with a stone sacrificial altar. Atop the altar lie a heavily tarnished silver sacramental set; a pitcher, basin, and candelabra. Behind the altar there is a rusted iron bar, perhaps it once held a magnificent tapestry, long fallen into tatters.
"Anyone got Detect Magic? That stuff looks suspicious."
Selja looks suspiciously at the sacrificial altar. "Not an expert here, but I'll try to figure out what it is," she says. She casts a spell to search for magic and looks around. [ooc]Detect Magic];
There is an aura of foul necromancy about the place, not surprising. Selja gets a chill run through her spine as she recalls the images from her dream.
Selja gasps. "I saw this! In a dream. This was a place for blood sacrifice." And she recounts the story of her dream to the others.
"We oughta come back and consecrate this place when we're done. That oughta please Shelyn." She considers whether there was anything she could do right now to bring restoration to this evil shrine.
A Consecrate spell would sever the ties to Ydersius, for sure. A little redecorating in Shelyn’s taste and a second Consecrate spell would further help negate the necromantic forces flowing through these halls. However, Selja gets a sense more powerful divine magic is needed to cleanse the objects in question. Fenchurch suggests a thorough eradication of undead from the ruins is the proper solution.
"Better keep movin' then--see if we can take out the undead." Selja leads the way toward the stairs to the Southeast.
Túrante nods and keeps her sword sheathed. "Fortunately I can keep calling upon the magical energies that are inimical to the undead."
May I please bring your attention back to Slide 35.
The stairs descend into a tight stairwell to the floor below. Peeking out of the stairwell, Selja sees a door immediately to the west, and an opening into a room immediately to the east.
"Right behind you."
Seeing one path without a door, Selja visibly points to the East, then starts heading there!
Selja steps to the east and the rest begin shuffling out of the tight stairwell behind her. Selja sees she is at the south end of a long room extending north. Tree roots encroach through the eastern wall, but most significantly, there is a narrow 5ft wide channel running down the middle of the floor, its walls blackened and partially filled with charred material. A set of stairs descends into the channel at either end. A chest sits in an alcove near the northern end of the room.
Selja feels a slight draft which raises the hair on her neck, as if the air is being drawn into this room. There is the faintest lingering smell of burnt flesh in the air.
"Weird, looks like some sort of fire pit," says the half orc. Not trusting this space, Selja begins searching for signs of magic, as well as the source of the draft--perhaps a chimney or the like for this fire pit?
If there was a chimney it has long been collapsed and filled in.
Selja detects the presence of a moderate magic aura emanating from the chest just at the edge of her detection.
"The chest is magical, not really sure what it is though." She looks to the much smarter folks on her team.
Selja proceeds to enter the room and starts studying the weird channel to figure out its purpose and what was burned inside.
Fench is on Selja's heels.
Túrante checks to make sure that Liamae is still close, then heads in as well.
Moira follows suit.
Selja may be horrified to find the bottom of the pit filled with charred and blackened human skeletal remains. As she and the others walk along the edge of the pit and peer in, they notice the smell of burning flesh growing stronger and the rush of air whipping round the center of the room. From an imperceptible distance can be heard the sound of a thousand souls screaming in agony.
Selja wasn't sure what was coming, but she didn't like it. She steps up and prays for the favor of Shelyn in battle!
Liamae reaches out to Selja, causing her to swell in size!
Moira starts singing!
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Túrante gladly accepts the blur spell and keeps her sword-hand free for casting more spells against the undead.
Having no other options, Fenchurch braces for combat.
The air in the room whips itself into a whirlwind, which then ignites into a spectral ball of ectoplasmic fire, emitting the agonizing screams of thousands of tormented souls. The flaming ball appears before Selja and rolls over her.
Selja deftly dances out of the way.
Túrante isn't sure if the screaming ball of spectral fire is an undead creature in itself, or some kind of magical apparition; regardless, she tries to blast it with her cantrip!
..completely missing.