Serra moves up to the woman and cautiously removes the veil, attempting to see if she's alive or just magically preserved.
"How strange. I wonder if she's one of the Ivory Ravens?" Serra said, thinking aloud.
"That is a lot of magic," the cleric muses. Donovan then joins Serra in examining the woman.
DC 22
As Serra touches the veil a magical curse drifts off the veil as an apparition and attaches itself to her literally leaving a ghostly mark on her arm. She is no longer as wise or quick witted as she used to be.
The veil still appears magical. The woman appears to be breathing and in good healthy conditions.
Serra jumped back as the curse hit her. "What the hell was that? Uhn... I feel... everything seems clouded." She shook her head, trying to clear the fogginess, but didn't seem to be able to. She looked down at the mark that had appeared on her arm. "A trap of some sort? Donovan, what do you make of this?" she said as she inspected the mark herself.
The priest beckons Serra to hold out her arm, but takes care not to touch it as he examines her.
"Seems to be a negative energy curse of some sort," Donovan replies.
Serra you think you were just hit by a bestow curse spell, this knowledge and the effects of such a spell are revealed by your K arcana check.
Donovan looks unsure of what it is or was.
The sound of many feet moving, perhaps up the stairs can easily be heard.
There is at least a dozen creatures, likely small coming up the stairs.
The halfling gets up and looks around, "Do you hear that, it sounds like we will be having company soon."
He focuses on his gauntlet and it grows out to be a guisarme. Then he moves over to the door where Flame is standing.
Serra hears Zanthias call out a warning and heads back out of the room in a hurry. "We'll need to figure out how to deal with this curse later," she said to Donovan as she exited the room.
Donovan glances to the door when he hears movement, but halts Serra before she makes it out the door.
"Hold, Serra. I dislike not having more information about its purpose or origin, but my spell should work either way," Donovan says. With a whispered prayer to Abadar, Donovan touches the holy symbol hanging from his wrist to the mark upon Serra's arm.
The time it takes Donovan to attempt to remove Serra's curse. The doors shut to the closet. A dozen fetid smelling bloated humanoid creatures run up to the halfling as he takes one down with his AoO.
Round 1
20 Donovan
18 Xenia
11 Beasties...
10 zanthias
6 Serra
Donovan and Serra are in a room behind the closet. Down the 20 foot hallway you find the door shut.
Serra rushed to the end of the hallway only to find the secret door had closed and trapped them in. "Zanthias! Open the door!" she yelled through the sealed compartment. At a loss for what to do, she searched around for a lever or release to open it from inside.
Serra does not see a lever or release mechanism but you do remember it opens into the closet.
Round 1
Serra runs to the door and looks for a way to open it, not seeing anything like that. Xenia quickly moves to the halfling's side and pulls her weapon as she goes, then she strikes out and misses the creatures before them.
They come at the two of you but only two can reach you at a time. With their clawlike hands they strike out but the lithe and graceful Xenia dodges the attack and Zanthias does the same.
Round 2
20 Donovan
18 Xenia
11 Beasties...
10 zanthias
6 Serra
Round 1
He weilds his guisarme with extreme precision knocking down those who would try to get close to him, tripping them before they can get close.
Continuing to stay in his two stances he employs even more defenses to increase his Armor Class as he fights defensively and strikes out at one of the prone targets, or more likely taking an immediate action to halft his weapon and strike the opponent in front of him, -4 to strike.
[dice=+1 guisarme]1d20+12-2[dice] [dice=damage with PA]2d4+7+6[dice] Reach/Trip
+1 on attacks of opportunity with guisarme.
Combat Expertise (Drawback), -2 to attack, +2 to AC
Combat Reflexes (Fighter 1), 5 AoO
PA (Fighter 2), -2 on attack, +6 damage for two handed or +4 for one handed.
Imp. Trip: +2 on trip, no AoO (Fighter 4)
Defensive fighting only -2 on attack and an additional +1 to AC, total of +3.
Combat Expertise: -2 on attack, +2 dodge AC.
Benefit: While using the Snake Style feat, when an opponent's attack misses you, you can make an unarmed strike against that opponent as an attack of opportunity. If this attack of opportunity hits, you can spend an immediate action to make another unarmed strike against the same opponent.
The halfling drops four of the five abominations before him, then drops the one in front of him as his normal action. His grace seems like he knows where they enemy will strike before they do.
Round 2
Go!
Serra had no luck finding something to get the secret door to the closet open again. "*sigh* Now is not the time for this!" She took a few steps back and then rushed the door, throwing herself shoulder first into it trying to force it open. "We've gotta get this open Donovan, they're fighting out there!" she said, clearly worried about the others.
"Abadar, help me reach the fray!" Donovan says as he brings magic to bear on his own form, infusing his muscles with greater strength.
Thus empowered, Donovan adds his weight and muscle to helping force the door open alongside Serra.
Round 2
Donovan charges the door after inbuning himself, he slams into the door and opens it with his newly strengthened muscles. Serra charges past him to the next door and opens it with her slam as well.
Next round they both should be able to make a move action to be adjacent to your fighting allies.
Round 2
The beasties get up and are struck by the halfling and his reach, though this time they bleed rather than fall. The demons must have a resistance to the metal for the wounds don't seem that bad.
The halfling is a flurry of strikes and seems to stay out of the beasties enlarged claws. Xenia is able to land a great stroke to lance through the beast, luckily the strike hits on a wounded one and it falls.
Round 3
Go!
Donovan wastes no time in joining the fray, taking his spear in both hands and rushing to the line of battle. With a roar he tries to plunge the cold iron point into one of the foes.
Round 3
Xenia is in the doorway as the halfling and now Donovan are just beyond her.
20 Donovan*
18 Xenia*
11 Beasties...
10 zanthias
6 Serra
These are not undead creatures and seem to be demons.
The creatures come at Xenia again as the one besides her holds back the tide of demons. She is graceful enough to dodge the few attacks and the beastie besides her gets poked for his trouble. Between Donovan and the halfling they drop the one beside Xenia and the next one.
Will Serra make a difference this round?
Round 4
Go!
Donovan's memory sparks in recognition at the bloated figures, some description from his temple education...
"Dretches! Demons of the Abyss!" he shouts in disgust and anger. "Flee before the agent of Abadar's might, you curs!"
Donovan then summons up the chastising power of Abadar's Law, making sure to exclude his companions from it's wrath.
Channeling energy causes a burst that affects all creatures of one type (either undead or living) in a 30-foot radius centered on the cleric. The amount of damage dealt or healed is equal to 1d6 points of damage plus 1d6 points of damage for every two cleric levels beyond 1st (2d6 at 3rd, 3d6 at 5th, and so on). Creatures that take damage from channeled energy receive a Will save to halve the damage. The DC of this save is equal to 10 + 1/2 the cleric's level + the cleric's Charisma modifier. Creatures healed by channel energy cannot exceed their maximum hit point total—all excess healing is lost. A cleric may channel energy a number of times per day equal to 3 + her Charisma modifier. This is a standard action that does not provoke an attack of opportunity. A cleric can choose whether or not to include herself in this effect.
Round 3
Donovan does to the dretches unless they save versus his will, .
All of the creatures wheel back in pain and many of them flee up the spire, only the one fighting with Xenia sticks around.
The halfling seems to hold his own and fights well enough to take down another dretch, black blood and puss coming from the felled creature.
Serra may yet have something up her sleeve.
Round 4
Go!
The dretches that lay dead at your feet sizzle as their gore lays at your feet.
I spring into action and follow the dretches up the spire. Cutting them down as best I can as I follow.