Quinn shoves past Brayken to attack a nearby skeleton.
Samuel ends his arcane gestures and points a place inside the room . A celestial eagle appears within the skeletons an starts to shout "Iuuuuuuu!" the beast flies stepping to its left, getting a clear flank with Brayken.
The eagle smites the evil skeleton, beats its wings over the skeleton's skull and hitting him with its talons!
The talons seems to be not very effective slashing through the fleshless bones. But the animal follows up with a big bite.
Samuel makes another movement with his right hand and launches a dart of acid from his hand towards another of the skeletons in the middle of the room "Bloooot! Take that!"
The conjurer moves forward, still breathing deeply because of the huge magical effort, just next to Brayken in the entrance to the room in order to get his magic fired from range.
Quinn pulls up short right next to Brayken (F9) spotting the floor dropping away through the murky water just in time.
With his momentum Quinn decides it is best to swim across. With a leap and a splash he soon realises how cumbersome a large shield can be.
Brayken smirks some at the one skeleton in his reach and tries to slash the buggers spine.
Faunra steps and swings at the skeletal abomination on her right, aiming for the weakest bones just like in her training.
Venedictos moves forward and gives Brayken a bit of luck.
Ei! Merry Chrismas you all! And special positive energy to Kip, I hope the holidays spirit makes to help your daughter and everything is better right now.
Quinn splashes forward into the deeper section, managing to swim across and step onto the far ledge.
Brayken swings his glaive smashing another Skeleton to smithereens the pieces sink into the deeper water.
Samuel's summoned eagle lets out a screech as it appears and attacks one of the skeletons next to Brayken. It's talons slash and grasp at the bones , then it bites down hard on the skeleton's spine breaking its head off leaving the rest to crumble into the water.
Samuel moves into the room and fires an acid dart at the skeleton in the corner. The acid dissolves it's joints and it falls to pieces.
Venedictos moves forward passing some divine luck to Brayken with a touch.
Faunra sweeps her Greatsword through her skeleton, cracking the collarbone and passing through ribs and spine. The skeleton clatters against the wall.
Smug he was able to take out the last skeleton in one go, Brayken sidles forward ten feet and slashes at the one non-engaged skeleton.
Quinn, dripping wet clothing hindering his efforts, nonetheless hopes to cut the skeleton in two, or three pieces given the chance to do so.
Seeing Brayken has the skeleton under control, Samuel pushes the eagle to help Quinn.
The beast flights next to the skeleton and tries to bite the undead.
Meanwhile Samuel tries his best with his spear, moving closer to the skeleton and attacking with reach.
With yet another skeleton down, Faunra assists the eagle with the other skeleton. She weaves her way pass the others and spins to face the undead with a swing to the torso.
Venedictos, seeing that things are mostly in hand, stops his song and lets his friends finish off the skeletons with their own considerable skill.
Brayken, Quinn and Faunra take out the remaining skeletons, the bones falling apart and splashing into the water. The room suddenly quiet except for the flapping of the eagle's wings.
Approaching the wheel Samuel observes "I have no engineering knowledge, no idea how this might work. Perhaps our giant might make it turn profiting his extra strength? " the wizard looks curious at Brayken.
"Me neither, but it probably can't hurt to try it."
Faunra walks up to the wheel to examine it.
"I think this thing is supposed to open the portcullis over there. Someone just needs to rotate enough times."
"Yeah, you are more than probably right! Let's try it!" Samuel places his hands in the wheel and tries to turn it three times as assessed by Faunra.
The wheels bearings are a little rusty and it's a little difficult to turn. Samuel does manage to turn it two full revolutions.
Faunra walks over and gives the wheel another turn.
Samuel further tries to help Faunra to move the wheel.
"That should make the thing." looking around to the party the wizard says "Perhaps we can search that room just to the side in the corridor, there might be something interesting. And we probably want to rest before going through the portcullis. My spell resources are quickly wearing down."
Faunra turns the wheel one more time and the tension of the chain is now so tight that the wheel will no longer turn. Hopefully that portcullis has been raised.
A strange blue fungus covers the walls, ceiling, and pillars of this waterlogged chamber. It's wispy strands stretch out from the wall like roots dangling in the air, twitching and swaying in an unseen breeze. Floating in the water are four decaying corpses, three large rats and one giant frog with strange burn marks all over their bodies.
"Disgusting! I know nothing about nature... and you?"
"Me? Well I know a little bit, but nothing about blue mushrooms. Stay on your toes. I have a bad feeling about this place."
"Well in that case just go through without touching anything. I don't want to get diseased or something."
Samuel follows the party through the chamber and, if nothing happens, suggest checking the area to the south of the bifurcation stone "We might want to make sure the rest room is clear, in case we need it in the future."
"Do we really need to go in there?" Venedictos asks. "Clearly the girl isn't in there, but trouble of some kind is."
Disapppinted to see all of the skeletons defeated and too large bh far for the wheel Brayken lets the group work on the wheel while he stands guard. After a moment or two his enhancement wears off and the fighter gives a sigh of disappointment. With the ride over his usual scowl reappears as he trudges off with the rest of the group.
Intrigued slightly by the burned enemies n Brayken heads for the room. "There's such a thing as being too careful."
With this viewpoint expressed, he takes his glaive and starts to slash at the moss in his way.
"There's such a thing as being too dead," Venedictos rebuts.
Faunra, Samuel and Brayken start to move through the room while Ven and Quinn hang back a little. Waves ripple from their legs and lap against the blue fungus, which sparks and crackles suddenly with electricity. Brayken swings a piece of the fungus that is hanging in the way and suddenly lightning is flashing through the room arcing from the fungus to the water and to Braykens glaive.
Brayken, Faunra and Samuel make a Dc 14 Fort save. Take lightning damage on a fail or half on a pass.
Then the room falls silent the fungus appearing to have discharged all its pent up energy.
As Samuel's body explodes in a bust of electrical burns, he says.
"Ok, perhaps you were right and we should have not comen in... What about going to the rest room to the south and heal?"
The wizard barely stands on his feet.
Venedictos swallows hard as the electricity flashes through the room. Seeing them all still on their feet, but hurt, he steps gingerly into the room and starts channeling.
"Thanks a lot Venedictos. We were so luck you were here with us... I don't know what would happened without your assitance." Samuel makes a reverence to the priest "I suggest we move now to the rest room in order to clean it from any further undead. Both me and Venedictos will largely benefit from renewing our magical powers before going deeper into the catacombs."
"Ouch. That probably should have been me up the front there taking that shock. Sorry that I sort of dozed off into a daydream...And many thanks Venedictos. You're healing is invaluable."
Annoyed more than greviouly injured, Brayken just mumbles something about know-it-all Venedictos and the idea sleep might be a good idea.
As no-one opposed his idea, Samuel walks to the southern room signalled as the rest room after thanking again to Venedictos for his invaluable cares.
A short passageway takes a bend before ending in a small chamber dominated on the far side by a silver fountain quietly burbling perfectly clear water. An inscription above the fountain reads "Kassen's legacy lives on with his people. Drink and be refreshed."
"To Kassen! I sure hope this is good for me."
Quinn scoops up a handful of water, raises it in toast to Kassen, then drinks down what he can.
"It tastes good."
Samuel casts his bonded object spell before drinking the waters, a mage armor spell that should last for two hours.
He then drinks also the water and feels suddenly healed and rested "Oh! That was awesome! Thanks Kassen! I need to keep some of this water with me."
The wizard then sits in a corner and starts studying his spells while the others finish drinking and making arrangements.
Once the party is ready, Samuel will follow to the portcullis.
Venedictos also drinks, and sighs as the water washes away hurts and fatigue.
After a refreshing drink and some time spent preparing spells the party heads back to the blocked of rooms to see if the portcullis has been raised.
The way stands open and you all move through into another catacomb room that has recesses carved into the walls to allow spaces for bodies.. the roof here has been damaged like some upheaval of the earth has created a fissure. Similar to the Giant frog area. Only here the fissure is occupied by hundreds of tiny bats. The bats chirp and flutter as the party's light and movement startle them.
Quinn will move slowly, quietly and carefully so as to not disturb the bats. He will take a sneaky look into the next area.
"Ok guys, it seems we have some bat problem in these roofs. Let's follow Quinn example." the wizard follows Quinn into the next area, trying to not bother the bats.
And tries to discern if they are dangerous.
He advances checking the fissure in a very calm way.
If the party arrives to the next chamber, he checks for anything there.
The bats just seem to swarm in the fissure crawling all over the place and flapping quietly. A couple of them get spooked and flap all around the catacomb but the majority stay quiet as Samuel makes hushing noises that seem to keep them calm. The party moves through the room and up another corridor to a door. Samuel and Quinn don't hear anything through the door and it opens freely when tried.
The vaulted ceiling of this vast chamber shows significant signs of damage, with numerous cracks along its surface. In the center of the room, a 10-foot-wide bridge crosses a deep chasm. On the other side, a pair of stone statues watch over the end of the bridge in front of a set of grand brass double doors. The statues depict villagers holding shields and spears.
Quinn crosses the bridge to start checking the brass door for traps, and then to see if it is locked.
"Those villagers are like us, right? Are the statues are warning that we need shields and spears through these doors? Could one of you take a look to see if they 'offer' us anything else?"
Before Quinn gets to the doors his keen eyes spot the pressure plates rigged on the last ten feet of the bridge and the hidden wheels under the statues.
"Whoa!" Hold back guys. I think these villagers are about to attack us. Give me a minute." Quinn pulls some small tools from his pockets, tools from when he was a 'locksmith', and attempts to dislodge the connectors between the plates and the statues.