"Don't bother joining forces with us either, then..." grumbles Machi-e. "'s a problem we have around Magaambya as well. Over-zealous, ancient temple guardians who haven't gotten the latest tidings."
I'll keep using Channel for damage, then.
"Machi-e is right. You could always simply help us."
"I had my chance, and failed. Others must take up the fight." Gallius' channel again does some small damage to the mummy. Kanjougas then executes another flurry of blows against Nezos; the half-elf easily blocks the first strike, but leaves an opening that the mummy takes full advantage of. The kick lands with bone-crushing force, staggering the fighter. Kanjougas pulls his final blow just short of Nezos' face. "You would fail. Flee and learn from your defeat, and perhaps I will see you again."
Cora moves to grab Nezos by the arm and pull him away from the mummy. "Do you want to tell us what's in there before we go?
Machi-e retreats. "This is the folly of small groups everywhere. Sometimes, I think magic has harmed this world, as it does not allow for the strength of a united community against a threat. Send in the heroes!" He shakes his head.
You retreat down the ladder.
"Preferably somewhere I can tend to Nezos undisturbed."
Cora gestures at the floor. "I can't imagine anything could get in here. This seems like the most secure location we could find."
"Very well, then."
I'll use a few charges of my wand of cure light wounds.
That should put him to 32 points.
Machi-e gazes up at the statue of Irori, shaking his head. "Well, we haven't gone through those doors," he says, pointing to the doors to the west.
"Cora, care to listen at the door for grioth-like sounds? I imagine it's not occupied, as nothing has been in here, I think, but it never hurts to check."
The arcanist dusts off his robes and continues to wonder at the rigidity of Irorians. Detestably stuck up folk!
There are four grioths on the other side of the door, but the party makes short work of them when they swoop to the attack. They each have the usual masterwork crystal kukris. The room itself is a grand hall, nearly one hundred fifty feet long, with a vaulted ceiling twenty-five feet high at its highest point. Niches in the walls frame marble statues of monks in poses of meditation, and thick pillars run down the center of this impressive chamber.
Cora grunts and shakes her head. "That tunnel got me all turned around. Didn't even realize where we were. That's four more grioths down, though, not bad."
Machi-e scans the room for magic and looks around.
"These creatures are parasites," he says, with a tone of disgust.
There is nothing of magic in the room, nor does the arcanist find anything else of interest.
"What do we have left to cover? I don't think we're quite ready to head back to meet that mummy."
For the sake of RP, I assume Cora or Machi-e remind Gallius of that.
"Either one is fine, though that Grioth caused quite a few problems. The longer we push on, the fewer resources we have at our disposal. Perhaps we can take care of the alchemist rather than tackling a foe we've already been bested by?"
"And maybe the alchemist has some spare bombs around?" Machi-e muses, rubbing his chin.
Cora grunts. "Let's go see if we can catch her napping."
The party returns to the spiral staircase in the old dormitory, trudging up the steps past where they'd previously stopped. The next level up is a single room. Tall bookcases fill the impressive chamber. An elaborate fresco on the ceiling depicts devotees of Irori in meditation. Despite its age, the details on the image are impressive--even wisps of incense smoke winding through the scene are still clear.
Most of the books have been ransacked, with only a few relatively valueless tomes and scrolls remaining. There is nothing else of interest in the room, so the party continues up the stairs.
The stairs take the party to a gallery at the base of the bell tower: scattered about the room are coils of thick rope and three large bronze bells. There's no ceiling--the party can see up to the bell tower high above, with the spiral staircase continuing up. A long rope dangles from above, attached to the great bell some sixty feet overhead.
There is a door to the south.
Cora gestures at the door to the south. "We should probably clear that room first."
Machi-e sighs and nods in agreement.
Nezos readies his shield and opens the door. The room on the other side is an atrium, with a wooden veranda running around the edges. A large planter, overgrown with various shrubberies and plants, grows in the center of the area under the open sky. Curled up among the plants is a large serpentine figure. Glittering black scales cover its body, but its head is that of a human woman with white hair. She starts awake as the door opens and addresses Nezos in Common. "Oh! Pardon me, but have you heard any word from Szangi? He's not emerged from his lair since his last visit to that little human village, and I worry for the dear!"
Machi-e bows to the creature.
"Many pardons, star-watcher, we did not mean to disturb your slumber before nightfall. We have received no word. We shall leave you to your rest."
He bows again.
She looks disappointed, but doesn't try to stop the party from leaving.
"...Ah, Lady Thaena, was there something further you wished of us?"
Machi-e racks his brain, trying to remember anything else about the naga. One of three lieutenants. Not 'all there'.
"No...be on your way."
Cora backs out of the room, watching the naga to make sure she doesn't make any sudden moves.
The naga lets the party retreat.
"Cora...did you see how to get into the belfry? That's where your nemesis was, yes?"
Machi-e glances up at the rope. "Not by climbing that, I'm sure."
"...right, the stairs," says Machi-e, as smoothly as possible.
Cora nods, grimacing as she thinks about the woman who had nearly killed her. "The stairs, then."
"I'm worried about the number of foes still around us. We might have a problem if we encounter something serious. We're lucky we got away from whatever that creature was."
Cora nods, grimacing as she thinks about the woman who had nearly killed her. "The stairs, then."
The spiral staircase winds upward to a landing, still a good fifty feet below the belfry. A steep wooden staircase runs up from the landing along the wall, around the inside of the spire.
With Cora out ahead a little ways, the party slowly heads up the stairs. The inquisitor is being rather quiet despite the overall creakiness of the wooden staircase; unfortunately, Nezos is not as skillful, and every now and then raises what sounds to Cora's trained ears like a racket that should be audible all the way to Belhaim. (It's not really that loud.)
Every sense keyed up, Cora reaches the top of the stairs and--before she gets her head too far above floor level--peeks around the floor of the belfry, looking for feet on the floor under the level of the bell. She sees none. The huge bell blocks her view of the opposite side of the belfry, though, so all she can tell is that no one is standing on the floor.