"If I just start firing my spells into that lot, I'll miss and lose my ability to contribute," Natasha says, frustrated. "I can't do anything but wait!"
Ajkanir looks out over the sea of bones, scanning in all directions to try to find whatever crashed into the pillar. "Any idea what that is? I'm no sailor, but when a shark strikes a school of fish, I believe they scatter. Let's spread out on this pillar like smart little fish, to make a less convenient target. I don't believe taking the fight to him is the way to go."
He steps away from his companions, and keeps a bit of distance away from the edge of the pillar as well, while racking his brain for anything he can recall about such a creature.
" They also keep on the move. I'll shift apart. Salt, you go over there." Zahur readies his longspear and braces for the creature to come up the pillar.
Another tremor, stronger this time, sends more of the jars tumbling.
There is no shame in running! And since I can't run, there's no shame in taking me with you!
The elongated neck of what could only be a dragon swings up over the side of the lip... or what used to be a dragon... shrouded in burial cloth, with a few dull, bluish scales showing through the gauze; a dessicated, ancient draconian corpse rears back, what sounds like the distorted echo of a roar erupts from its skeletal maw. While thankfully not a full-grown undead dragon, it is still a sizable creature.
Leveling its head at the party, it is obvious that the monsters eyes have either rotted away, or been removed as part of the mummification ritual. Its head weaves back and forth as it seems to be listening for the intruders.
The Pharoah's favorite pet. How could I forget? Now would be a good time for the screaming and the running.
Khol tries to quietly pick up one of the canpoic that was not currently talking.
Ajkanir:
Khol:
Natasha:
Zahur:
dargon:
Khol manages to grasp one of the jars, but the dragon focuses in on the ranger, and roars again.
"Oh, bother," Natasha groans. "Sphaera ignis expandens e manu meu evolat!"
The wizard flicks a tiny bead of flame at the dragon's head -- and it expands into a roaring sphere of flame, which engulfs the monster's skull.
At the same moment, Natasha adopts a ready stance.
Ajkanir drops into his bird-like fighting stance and strikes out at the animated dragon-corpse.
Zahur and Salt brace for the dragon's response as his mind races to identify the foe.
Can you give me an update on those Knowledge checks unless you're waiting till my turn in initiative. I know some GMs prefer to go that route so if that's why you're waiting, no problem. I'll have further actions once I know what I'm dealing with (assuming those are good enough) although I go at the end of the round anyway.
Khol hefts the canopic jar and throws it at the head of the dragon.
"Zahur, Natasha! Get some distance!"
It appears to be a blue dragon, and a mummified one at that. while mummification of beloved pets and even servants was common among the Osiriani; you don't know of any examples taken to such an... extreme.
Ajkanir leaps forward, blade slashing, scoring a solid hit that can't cut too deep, finding little to actually bite into.
Khol follows with the jar, scoring a hit. The dragon reels a moment, and recovers, only to receive a face full of magical flame.
The fireball flies through the air, crackling and smoking, before colliding square with the creature's head, engulfing the mummified dragon in an explosion of flame, the creature is almost instantaneously engulfed, the fire finding the dried out bandages the perfect fuel. It roars, and drops back into the bones, clawing its way beneath them almost instantaneously.
Ajkanir comes just a little too close, however, and takes the brunt of the damage as well.
Ajkanir hisses in pain and snuffs out a small ember on his scorched sleeve, then gives Natasha a withering look. "Dammit, be careful with that stuff!" Looking around, he continues, "It looked like you got the dragon too, at least. But it doesn't seem to be dead. Or any more dead than when we first met it."
Taking a deep breath and looking down at his smoking clothes and a bad burn on his arm, he asks, "Any chance of a bit of healing before we continue this fight?"
"Keshhtek th-tok!" Natasha curses, using an obscure term in Draconic which would probably cause any living dragons to blink, if not blush. "Apologies. I did not anticipate it to combust quite so... vigorously, or you would have remained unharmed.
Speaking of harm, the monster may be hiding, but it was not destroyed. Stay on guard, and keep moving around!"
Putting word to action, Natasha starts to pace around the platform, maintaining her martial arts stance. Eerily, the club dangling from her belt detaches itself and starts to float after her, as if self-animated -- or held by something invisible.
Ajkanir nods at Natasha's response and says "Well, I'm usually a bit quicker on my feet than that as well. I guess dragon mummy wrappings make good fuel - I'm sure you've colleagues who will be interested in that little tidbit." As he says this, he pulls a potion from his belt pouch and drinks it down.
Khol hefts his actual weapon this time and joins the others. "It seemed to be blind. If it comes up again I'll be able to distract it pretty easily if need be."
"Blue dragon. Mummy. Not nice whatever it is. Keep out of a line if you can." Zahur slowly circles the platform looking for a sign of the creature.
the pillar shakes again, violently. More jars scatter across the stones, falling to the bone pit below. The bones churn and crack as the dragon moves below, close to the surface.
No shame in running. None. I wont' tell anyone.
"If we run, it can attack us from below!" Natasha shouts. "Does anyone have an incendiary, anything that will burn and explode?"
"Lest you are packing more magic, I doubt it," Khol said.
"I will distract it, the rest of you find a way out of here," he gave Natasha a toothy smile.
"Trust me."
Ajkanir considers what he has observed, and what Khol noticed about the creature. "If it is blind, it may not be so difficult to defeat. And running across the those bones seems like an invitation to be eaten."
Addressing the strange, talking canopic jar, Ajkanir asks, "Is the pharaoh's pet blind? What can you tell us about it? If you help us defeat it, we can get you out of this place."
"No fire, but I do have holy water." Zahur takes out a flask and after watching and listening for a moment to see if he can determine where the dragon has gone, he tosses a flask at it.
"I still have a flight spell," Natasha says. "I can cast it on any one of us, preferably the strongest, who can then ferry us all towards the exit."
The infernal-blood said it was blind, didn't he? I can't exactly tell being blind myself. I would help, really, I would, but I'm just a sentient clay jar, and the best I can do is be inanimate in its general direction.
A door has opened, opposite to the one that brought you in to this chamber....
"I spy an exit!" Natasha says. "Quickly, who is strongest? Who shall be our flying ferryman?"
"I believe I am the strongest out of us all," Khol spoke up.
Zahur calls out, "Definitely not me. Khol, if you want to try to hold us all, go ahead. Let's make sure we get the jar."
The column of stone lurches again, this time tipping perilously away from the exit. The dragon roars again from below, the hideous sound filling the chamber.
Less debating, more casting!
"Facultam volari tibi done," Natasha chants, and she claps a hand to Khol's arm. Immediately, a surge of... well, buoyancy fills the recipient. The next thing he experiences is Natasha clamping on for dear life, a determined expression on her face. "Hurry and get us all out of here," she says, her voice grating with displeasure.
After a moment of vertigo Khol seems to get is feet under him in a strictly metaphorical sense.
"C'mon! Everyone on board!"
Zahur grabs Khol and well and shouts, "Grab him Salt! Just don't pinch too hard!"
It would almost be a comical sight, if not for the grave danger, and the undead dragon lurking below, but Khol manages to carry the party across the chasm. As he reaches the other side, the pillar they had been standing on finally succumbs to the dragon's assault and collapses into the bones. The exit ahead of them, another long smooth passage angled downward, further into the pyramid.
"That was the only Flight spell I had prepared for the day," Natasha says in a grim tone of voice. "I am also out of active offensive spells. I need time to recover my energies and study new spells."
"Perhaps we'd better see if there is someplace we can rest then. Many of my tricks and talents are depleted as well. A rest would be welcome."
Ajkanir clings to Khol as they fly across the field of bones. As soon as he is set down, he takes a few steps into the hallway before them, saying "Oh good, we get to go deeper into this place. Wonder what other excitement awaits us below?"
Turning to Natasha and Zahur, he says, "If you both need to rest, we should do so. Perhaps we can even do so in this hallway, as long as the dragon doesn't feel a need to patrol beyond his chamber."
"Yes, we can only hope he decides to stay nested within his bones. Of course if he does come this way, he'll be easier for us to get at."
As Khol lands with something approaching grace, shaking the giant scorpion off as fast as he can.
"I can keep watch for a good portion of time and we can move on when you've rested."
The passage is narrow enough that the dragon could not follow, which actually proves to be pertinent information, as the undead beast comes roaring out of the bones, claws sinking into the walkway, clinging there.
The head rears back like a snake, ready to strike.
"Running now!" Natasha shouts, and puts action to words.
"Go!" Khol says, hanging back from the others for a moment so they can get ahead of him.
"Come on Zahur!"
Before Zahur can react, Ajkanir grabs the servant of Gozreh by the shoulder of his robe and pulls him forward into the tunnel, moving them both as quickly as he can.
"Not giving up is he? Thanks Khol! Let's go!" Zahur joins the race down the passage, trying to keep an eye out for any traps while making his way deeper into the pyramid.
The creature roars in frustration, and it hurls itself against the passageway entrance, trying to force itself in. The stone walls begin to crack and give way, dust pelting down on the party as they flee down the passage.
When bigger stones begin to give way, the sound of the dragon's fury vanish beneath the sound of collapsing stone. Finally opening into the largest room yet, the party emerges, followed by a jet of pulverized stone and rubble.
A vast rectangular chamber stretches away from the entrance, the cavernous ceiling held up by crocodile-headed humanoids, nearly identical to those that guarded the valley entrances, save for the ravages of time. Pairs of them, on opposite sides of the room stand as pillars, reaching up into the darkness above with one hand, the other gripping a curved Osirian style blade.
"Given that this affront to architecture is currently free of rampaging mummies, I will deign to enter it," Natasha says as she fussily brushes dust and grit from her sleeves. "Nevertheless..."
The Wizard mutters a brief cantrip and looks around in a suspicious manner.
"Well, shall we take a look around to see if this is a suitable place for Natasha to get some beauty sleep? Khol, care to join me?"
"Certainly," Khol said, leaving his pack with the wizard and the priest.
"Scream horribly if something sneaks around us. We'll do the same if we get in trouble."
"We can only hope...but first, we had better be sure that it is as unoccupied as it appears." Trusting Natasha to find any magical auras, Zahur concentrates on seek g what mundane elements he might uncover with his mundane senses.
The room appears still, no magic auras detected, no noise of any kind. Reaching the centerof the room, a huge bare sarcophagus lies on the floor, with four large metal braziers surrounding it.
"Looks clear as long as anything doesn't come out of there." says Zahur, gesturing to the sarcophagus. "Perhaps we rest on the other side of the room and check it out once we've recovered?"