Joll senses that the end of this event is near. Now it is just the damned witch and her skeletons. Just have to lay them down...
With his teeth gritted and his face flush with blood, Joll bludgeons the menacing bones. The blow sends shards of bone and dust across the nearby wall.
Attack
Damage
Sasha waits to see if there is anything useful she can do, but knows her blades are little use against the skeleton. Jask delays to seeing nobody gravely injured and wishing to conserve his healing.
Dragolan comes back down onto the main level and delays pending anyone being badly wounded.
Jack shoots an arrow at the witch and then sidesteps into the adjacent room to avoid her potential wrath.
Jack's arrow goes wide of the mark, thanks to the cover afforded the witch by her skeletal minion. The skeleton claws at Alexite at a barked command from the witch, one skeletal hand sinking into the flesh upon Alexite's forehead and leaving a bloody gash in its wake.
The witch then extends a finger towards Joll and attempts to hex him with misfortune, but the inquisitor's iron will fends off the hostile magic. She then moves to take cover behind the door.
Reeling from the pain of the skeletal claw, the ranger decided to end this one and for all. He yelled at Joll, "Take care of the skeleton! This ends only when the witch is dead."
With that the ranger tried to tumble his way past the skeleton to avoid further attacks.
Failing in his attempt to avoid an attack, the ranger...
He now faced the witch (at I11) and the bloody falchion was once again put to its macabre work.
The ranger then turned around and smashed the skeleton.
If you attempt to move through an enemy’s space and fail the check, you lose the move action and provoke an attack of opportunity.
But the ranger cannot dodge past the skeleton and it claws at him, but catches nothing but air. He then smashes it into splinters with a mighty blow of his falchion.
The skeleton does not attempt to defend itself like a living being. It presses forward heedless of threats, giving Joll no opportunity to exploit any sense of self-preservation that a living enemy would have. Rather than feinting an attack to cause it to hesitate and be still for a moment, Joll simply hurls his bulk behind a great swing of his weapon. But the undead's outstretched claws find Joll's eyes just enough to foil his attack and force him back a step.
Attack
Damage
Joll hurls himself over the pile of bones and at the witch. He is not even cognizant of her face as he crashes his weapon into her torso. The only thought in his mind is Kill the enemy.
New damage roll
Quinta dashes out after Joll and cracks her whip at the Witch's legs.
"Ho, you nasty old cannibal crone!" she yells. "Have some ice to garnish your last meal! Frigis!"
With no further enemies at the door, the ranger was finally able to exit the lighthouse. He looked like a primordial savage, covered in blood and gore, some of which was his own. But his most frightening feature were his eyes, which no longer belonged to a civilized man. The ranger longed for the witch's blood.
He turned the corner and found her lying down, a pathetic, old woman trying to get up and fend off the bloody blade.
Alexite did not hesitate and plunged his blade in her chest with all his force. The woman was impaled to the ground and the ranger had to twist his blade free.
The witch shrieks at Joll, jabbering about her children in infernal as stabs at him with a gnarled black wand. Its touch seems to draw the energy from Joll and leave him feeling drained as the witch's wounds begin to heal over...
The Quinta races around and tears the old woman from her feet with her whip, finding little resistance, and Alexite follows plunging his blade in to her heart and ending her struggles forever.
Silence rings out in sharp contrast and the gentle sounds of the night jungle wash over them, bloody, but victorious in the midst of a scene of pure carnage.
For a moment Joll stands, slightly stooped, over the witch, ready to bash her head to jelly if she moved. The horrible cavity that Alexite had rent in her chest should have been all the assurance anyone needed that she was dead. But the inquisitor had heard tales of witches rising up despite mortal wounds. A moment's consideration gave him certitude that she was now in Pharasma's Boneyard.
Joll clutched his chest and cursed "Filthy necromancy" then kicked the wand away from the witch's body. "I don't hear anything else. It looks as though there are no other enemies close at hand. But Kovack still festers below along with who-knows-what. And we still have not searched the outlying buildings."
He let out a deep sigh of exhaustion and slouched as he looked over each of his companions and then into the doorway of the lighthouse. Oddly, the scene of such carnage turned his mind to the mosquitoes. They will swarm here like sails of black cloth.
"The lighthouse is probably the most defensible building. I am not concerned with giving proper burials to savages, but we would need to move them out if we decide to stay here for the night. All these corpses will attract predators, either living or undead."
"I concur that something must be done with the bodies, and quickly. Since the sea is close by, we can send these fallen to the ghosts that haunt the shore. And now that there is no need to sneak we can light the area up while we work."
The group gets to the grim business of dragging the corpses to the cliff and flinging them over, it takes nearly an hour of grisly back breaking work. The entry way is still sticky with blood, but you use the cannibal chief's malodorous bedding to soak up the worst of it and fling that over the cliff side to. Of course they divest the corpses of any valuables that they clearly no longer need.
23 Red Pearls worth 50gp each.
23 Light Wooden Shields
18 Broken Scimitars
5 Scimitars
60 Javelins
Wand of Vampiric Touch 8 charges
+1 Falchion
Red Pearl Amulet worth 500gp.
That done the group, pull up all the vines dangling down into the pit, drag an assortment of smaller, but heavy items from the strange relic room with the Asmodeus figurehead in front of the door and settle down for a nights well earned rest thoroughly exhausted.
From Jack's description of the unfortunate Captain Jask assures Jack that there is nothing they can do for him now, he is too far gone to save, and advises that going into an apparent ghouls nest in their current state would be suicidal.
Nothing disturbs your slumber and you awaken late the next day eat breakfast and begin to explore the camp. Inside the footlocker in Klorak's room they find rotting bags containing 198gp and 4,800 sp. The large unexplored hut contains little of value, and simply holds ragged bedding which must have served the male cannibals. in the southern unexplored shack the group discover the Witch's lair. It smells foul, a mix of ancient unwashed flesh and monkey reek, but contains four anti toxins, two smokesticks, three tanglefoot bags, six potions of cure light wounds, and two potions of lesser restoration - all neatly labeled in infernal. You also find several vials neatly labeled, "Klorak's Seed Poison, if only you could read you musclebound cretin,"[/b] in infernal.
It is clear that the witch used one room as a bedroom the other as a lab, and anyone who wished to could potentially brew potions or create alchemical items here if they had the skill.
The top of the lighthouse proves to be unfinished. It contains a massive bronze reflector and other unfamiliar equipment that could probably be restored with a week or so's work, less if anyone has an idea what needs doing.
Joll reads the label of the bottles to the others, smirking momentarily as he reaches the last one.
Then he frowns as a thought strikes him. "It is too bad that did not keep one corpse, or a limb from one. We could have used it to lure Kovack to the edge of the pit where Jack and Alexite could have skewered him with arrows while the rest of us rained heavy stones upon him. Of course, he might be unable to climb out of the pit in any event. But it is better to be certain that no enemies are left alive."
"We still have to be wary of Ieana. I half expected to find her here."
Alexite awoke feeling much refreshed and set about discussing with the others their plans for the rest of the day.
"Does anyone know anything about fixing up the lighthouse?
LATER
He then looked at the pile of treasure, "We need to split the loot up so it makes most sense and is fair to everyone. I have already taken the magical scabbard last time so I won't select first. However, I would like to carry one of the healing potions just in case our healers are otherwise occupied. I would also one of the red pearls, as a souvenir of our time here."
EVEN LATER
"If we are all healed and combat-ready, I think we should head down to where the captain was found before we try to fix the lighthouse. I rather face the danger in my time than have to constantly watch my back. Thought?
"Feh," Quinta says when she hears about the 'seed poison'. "No wonder there were no babies, if the big goon was keeping all the women for himself and the witch was making sure his arrows were blunted before he fired them."
When the subject of killing the former captain comes up, the Bard briefly chews her lower lip. "He may be too far gone to turn back," she says, "but is he too far gone to still want release? We could call him to the opening and offer him death, then shoot."
"Screw that. Seal the pit. Whatever soul was in that body is long gone. It's just a filthy shell. Let it rot down there and be done with it. We've got more important things to do, like fixing the lighthouse."
No matter what anyone says, Jack refuses to go near the pit. He spends the next week working in the lighthouse.
"What is there to seal the pit with?"
As the group goes through the spoils Joll asks in rhetorical exasperation "Why couldn't any of these savages have had a damned bow?"
Alexite again swung the magical blade and grinned at the sound it made as it cut through the air, the same blade that almost cut his head off.
He thanked Dragolan for the potion and tucked it in his vest and looked at his reflection in the red pearl once again. He put it away in his pocket and gestured for Tito to clamber up onto his shoulder as he moved to the group.
"While I agree that the lighthouse is our first priority, I just don't feel comfortable working knowing that our captain or whatever remains of him is down there."
He looked at Jack and Ishirou, "Aren't you guys, the greedy treasure hunters, even curious as to might be hidden down there? If these cannibals had as much as they did, who's to say something more valuable isn't down there?"
"I vote we go and explore but, I'm a sensible, and will not go down there by myself. What do you say?"
"There is another point. Kovacks--I will not dignify him by using a title better given to Captain Devers--may know things or hold things that will allow us to better understand who--or what--Ieana is, and what she wants."
"You make a good point, Dragolan. That had not occurred to me but I agree. Even if we decide to examine the cavern we must decide whether to do it before or after we complete the work on the lighthouse instruments. I think the lighthouse should be a priority, given that we don't know how often ships pass by this island. But I am not married to this position."
Jask interjects,
"I am curious what the woman wanted down there, if she engineered our wrecking here as it seems she did what purpose could she have in a ghoul's lair that would make that worth her while? And is she still down there? I would also add that the soul of a ghoul is not at peace, it is not a mindless undead it is a thinking creature, no new intellect has been added there is only the old soul twisted and debased. If I should so fall I would dearly wish to be released from such a terrible eternity."
"So we talk to him first, see what he will tell us and offer him death," Quinta concludes. "Shall I address him? We have never met, the former captain and I, but I do have a way with words."
Dragolan nods. "That would seem the best plan. He may also be able to tell us of what else is in the caves below."
"Yes, questioning a man more often yields benefits than killing him does." This brings Joll's mind back to the office of the Harbormaster in Corentyne. Many were the times when a prisoner seemed only too relieved to confess. Some of them felt to unburden themselves, not out of guilt, but to finally relax after being on edge for so long in trying to commit their crimes.
Provided the rest of the group agrees, Quinta leads them to the covered hole that leads down to the ghoul's lair.
"Ready your bows," she murmurs. Once that has been done, the Chelishgirl throws aside the coverings and shouts down the tunnel: "Alexandru Kovack! Judgement has come for you! If you still desire the liberation of death and the clean judgment of Pharasma, stand forth and answer for your crimes! Give honest answers to my questions, and we shall grant you death! Captain Alexandru Kovack, come forth and perform your duty to your victims!"
But Quinta's calls are met by only silence and darkness from below.
Dragolan, Jask, would your ability to heal at a remove affect the undead the same way that it does the living or would it cause them harm?
The ranger peered down the black hole and frowned. He pulled forth his rope and turned to Quinta, "Here, girl. See if you can light the end of the rope with your magic. I'll then lower it and who knows, maybe someone will come and see what's going on? At the very least, we'll get an idea what's down there."
Jask frowns puzzled by Joll's phrasing but believing he has the gist of his meaning,
"Channeling can be used to harm the undead, but it won't heal at the same time. I will own that I am not particularly keen to go down there, but I am willing to do so you have all done so much for me. But I hope you will understand if I keep to the rear, I am a clerk in truth, not a combatant."
Lowering the light you see the ten foot high obviously natural cavern Jack described before. The floor is covered in scattered leaves, pieces of fallen wood, broken weapons, and bones all liberally covered in dark dried blood. But nothing appears to stir within.
The ranger frowned again as nothing came to the light. He pulled the rope up and promptly knotted it for ease of climbing. He found a stout tree (?) and tied one end while leaving the lit end to go down with.
He turned to his companions, "I'll go down first but I don't relish the thought of being down there alone for too long so please quickly follow. Dragolan should go next as his abilities will be very useful should be encounter the undead again."
He looked at Jask, "It's OK if you stray behind but keep your eyes open. Your help and bravery are noted. You truly are the bravest clerk I've ever met. Thanks."
That being said, the ranger lowered himself after the light. As soon as he hit firm footing, he whipped out his new blade and waited for the others.
Joll watches as Alexite climbs down and waits for Dragolan to follow. While he waits he invokes the power of Asmodeus to shield him from threats. Once the oracle has started his descent Joll descends as well.
Moving with more sureness than one might expect from his bulk, Dragolan climbs down and holds the rope for the others' descent.
For the sake of unity, adventure, liberty, and justice for all, Jack has a change of heart. He comes to the conclusion that everyone would die without his expertise. He slides down the rope just before Jask in the order of things.
"Barghest's bowels," Quinta moans, shivering. Nevertheless, she quickly casts a spell on herself and follows the others. "Remember there are likely two of them, if not more," she tells the others. "Keep your backs to the wall!"
Dragolan invokes magical light on his mace.