Ahkenaten clears out of the way and offers words of encouragement and guidance to the others.
Kheled asks the other to wait until he is able to extend his blessing upon them.
Myron waits as instructed.
Pherenike then lets loose and arrow but it misses as she tries to shoot past those in front of her.
Mus'ad steels himself against the expected approach of the centipede.
Myron steps back next to Pherenike, loads his sling staff and whips a bullet at the huge centipede.
Myron's stone sails high and wide...
The musetouched elf flings another glob of acid at the overgrown housepest.
Elrisiel is just able to get her spell past those in the front ranks, landing her acid upon the monster's chitinous exterior. It barely notices.
The extremely long centipede then creeps a little closer before lashing out with bite and tail...
...its mandibles getting through Mus'ad's defences, pumping venom into the unlucky dwarf, while at the same time the tail wraps around Pherenike's leg, welting her flesh. The centipede tries to tug her off her feet with a tremendously strong pull but she somehow manages to just keep her balance.
Ahkenaten continues to provide advice on how best to defeat the centipede.
Aristedes fired his crossbow at the vermin.
I guess this is the tomb of insects...do we need to leave and buy more alchemists fire?
Fire crossbow.
Ha! Take that you overgrown centipede!
Myron steps back again, taking prostion between Elriseil and the building. He reloads his sling staff and fires another sling bullet.
|
Wincing as Kheled sends a crossbow bolt whizzing over her shoulder rather than stepping back to allow her to follow and continue to fire, she drops her bow with a growl. "The dwarf will be dead before we take it out with arrows!" Drawing her falchion, she advances swiftly but cautiously, trying to avoid the whiplike tail and snapping mandibles before swinging at the chitinous beast.
Fort:
The dwarf's physique at least this time does not fail him, quelling the poison before it has a chance to worm it's way into his system. Readying to step back and resume his guard, the dwarf is surprised to see Pherenike tumble past him and into the fray. Muttering in dwarvish he follows suit, stepping forward and driving with his hammer...
Ahkenaten continues to provide advice on how best to defeat the centipede but unfortunately he finds it difficult to achieve himself as his own bolt goes wide.
Kheled tries his luck but has a good shot ruined by those in the front rank.
Pherenike attempts to duck and weave her way into close quarters with the centipede, but it is not fooled, and the long tail flicks out again in response...
...and the plucky fighter rolls out of the way. Pherenike's own weapon bounces harmlessly off of the sturdy bug.
Seeing Pherenike rush past, Musa'd joins her and brings his hammer down upon one of the many legs, smashing it into pulp. The centipede hisses in anger and turns its beady eyes in his direction.
Myron manoeuvres to get a clear lane to attack but his bullet skips off the ground short of the mark anyways.
The musetouched elf incants another phrase, this one in a language of otherworldly beauty. Pinching her fingers together, she makes a gesture at the overgrown centipede as if flinging something at it. Immediately, a shower of golden particles appear in the air about the giant vermin.
The particles don't seem to have the desired effect as it lashes out at both Mus'ad and Pherenike with mandibles and tail...
... with Pherenike easily avoiding the lashing tail, but Mus'ad is just able to get his shield up in time to block the mandibles from clamping down on his head which surely would have killed him!
The jaws of the great wriggly beastie draw a grunt and crunch of tortured wood as they gouge into Mus'ad's shield. Rolling free of the blow, the pahmet spins to deliver a hammer-headed-haymaker...
Myron abandons his sling staff and draws his twin kukri instead, then jumps up and runs over the stone bench in front to him to take up position next to Mus'ad. Knowing this will leave him open, he makes sure to keep his defenses up as he moves.
Kheled attempts to shoot at part of the monster that isn't blocked buy his own party members.
But it hits the ceiling Kheled almost drops the crossbow.
Damned weapons!
Aristedes fires his crossbow at the vermin as he continues to coordinate the battle...
...missing wildly.
Kheled's projectile is just as accurate as the Professor's.
Pherenike and Mus'ad fare much better up close, both landing solid hits that hurt the centipede.
Myron deftly scrambles over the bench to join the other two in dangers while actively avoiding the centipede's attention...
...but Myron fends off the mandibles with one of his kukri.
The desperate battle enters its final stages. The centipede is hard pressed but remains extremely dangerous...
Out of bright ideas, Elrisiel flings another glob of acid at the giant centipede.
Pherenike's aim is spoiled by those in front and engaged with the centipede causing her to miss.
The centipede switches it up, biting at Pherenike and trying to get Mus'ad with its tail...
...catching Phernike in the mid section and squeezing the air out of her lungs with its powerful mandibles. Beside her, Mus'ad gets his shield up just in time again, thwarting the tail from reaching him.
Pherenike's aim is spoiled by those in front and engaged with the centipede causing her to miss.
Myron slashes away with both blades.
Kheled Channels again, hoping to keep his allies alive. He doesn't heal the centipede from the Abyss.
Mus'ad stands with Pherenike and seeks to add his own hammer blow...
Hammer: for
Seeing Pherenike waver and begin to grow pale as the venom seeped into her, Aristedes ceased his encouragement and tinged his words with subtle magic he had often used at the university to draw attention to unruly students. His voice projected out and reverberated through the room as he implored Pherenike with an authoritative tone to .
Aristedes' magically tinged words help Pherenike fight off the effects of the centipede's venom.
Kheled channels, trying to keep everyone in the fight.
A sweeping cut by Pherenike opens a large gash in the soft underbelly of the beast, and when it lowers its body to compensate, Mus'ad bludgeons it in the head, popping it open like a ripe melon. The huge bug's body falls flailing and thrashing upon the sand for a moment before finally falling still.
Rounding the corner you see...
The western side of the estate forms an L-shaped yard mostly given to sand, sun-dried earth, and the ancient husks of dead trees. Stone benches line the walls of the yard, and a large tiled pool sits in the southwest corner, dried and partially filled with sand. A short flight of steps leads between a pair of pillars to a set of stone doors in the west side of the house. At the north end of the yard stands a squat stone building with columns at every corner. At each corner stand columns carved to resemble men and women with their arms crossed over their chests. A set of stone doors stands in the southern face of the building, carved with bas-relief faces of two men. Hieroglyphs are carved into the doors just beneath the faces.
The faces on the doors match the faces on the statues outside the entrance. Two of the building’s four columns also depict the two men. The other two columns depict women. The Ancient Osiriani hieroglyphs identify the building as the “crypt of the House of Pentheru” and warn, “May defilers be cursed by the gods until their day of judgment.”
Dropping his shield from a tired arm, Mus'ad takes his hammer in both hands and makes for damn sure that the bug isn't going to regain it's footing by turning the split head into bug pancake. After he regains his breath he moves to the squat stone building and checks it for sign of traps...
The crypt’s stone doors are heavy, unlocked, not trapped in any way that Mus'ad can detect and look to open easily.
The pahmet retrieves his shield and jerks his head towards the crypt "No trap. Choice of go there or house first."
Myron breathes heavily, then examines the pool while the others rest.
At the crypt, he examines the statues closely, drawing a quick sketch of the crypt in his journal along with a brief note about their various bug fights.
"Well, we probably already face the wrath of the ancinet gods, so we might as well look inside. As long as we remember to treat any remains respectfully and all."
Agreed, we have come this far might as well see if there is anything interesting in there.
Elrisiel nods her agreement. "We're already here...." she says, moving a bit closer to survey the architecture of the crypt.
A search of the courtyard reveals nothing else of value or note. After catching a breather the group decides to explore the crypt. As Mus'ad had determined, the heavy doors open easily revealing a wide steep staircase descending into darkness.
Two by two the Delvers enter and descend the stairs. At the bottom you reach a stone altar etched with Pharasma's spiral symbol sitting upon a raised stone platform in the center of a square room. Caryatid columns carved in the likenesses of male and female figures with their arms crossed over their chests and khopeshes or ankhs in their hands stand at each corner of the platform. Empty torch holders are built into the room’s corners. Another staircase descends from this chamber to the north.
Before you can even get off the stairs a figure rushes out of the darkness to the right. The pallid humanoid creature looks vaguely like an embalmed and mummified corpse wrapped in dirty linen, wispy strips of skin, with bits of detritus clinging to it. A sour stink emanates from its body.
Catching everyone by surprise, the thing lashes out a Myron with a fist...
...hitting him in the chest and knocking the wind out of him. The creature's fist seems to stick to Myron, pulling at his clothing as he recoils from the blow.
Recovering quickly from the sudden blow, Myron draws both his kukri and tumbles past the bandaged shape.
Once there, he slashes at the monster
"What is this thing and how do we destroy it?"
As the dark staircase looms before them, Elrisiel pauses for a moment and a halo forms over her head, radiating as much light as a torch. She follows the delvers down into the depths, and is the first to react when a creature lurches out of the darkness. She hastily fires off a glob of acid at the thing, acting almost more on instinct than conscious thought.
Elsisiel's acid blob misses in her haste to get it off. She also has no earthly idea what the thing is.
Myron just ducks past the monster, his kukri slashing it as he passes. Even though he strikes true, his blade is slowed by the thing's sticky "skin". Not only does he not seem to harm it at all, but feels his weapon actually adhering to the creature!
"Gah. Keep a tight grip on your weapons. My slash didn't seem to hurt it either." Myron says as he releases the trapped weapon.
Stepping forward, Mus'ad attempts to unload the weight of his bludgeon upon the creature...
Flanking-hammer: for
El flings another glob of acid at the critter.
Kheled casts Guidance on Pherenike.
Elsisiel's acid blob misses again as she tries to avoid hitting her companions not to mention having to cast past Pherenike.
Mus'ad takes up a position opposite Myron but his hammer blow is dodged by the otherworldly creature.
Kheled bolsters Pherenike.
With Myron's kukri still stuck to its body the monster lashes out at both Myron and Mus'ad with its fists...
...with Myron receiving a solid blow with only his armor saving him from harm. Mus'ad is able to avoid the blow entirely.
The creature speaks in a mysterious and sinister language...
In truth, the bandaged humanoid defied Aristede's knowledge; it was utterly alien to him; much as the language it spoke was. But the fact it spoke gave him an idea. He forced his enchantment magic upon it, inflicting his formidable magic upon its vocal chords (or substitute) to give in to a hideous compulsion- to fall down laughing uncontrollably in spite of the skirmish that had begun.