Although hampered slightly fighting in the dimly lit edge of Kheled's light spell, Myron's stone struck true, successfully getting the thing's attention just long enough to distract it from the deadly stroke struck by Pherenike. Her blade tearing through the solifugid, bisecting it. The two halves thrash about the floor in their own separate death throes, splattering the two fighters in viscera and gore.
Before the two could celebrate the blow well struck, another solifugid scuttles through the open door, stepping over its former companion and attacks the first thing it sees. Myron.
It manages to nip Myron with its mandibles, but fails to break the skin on his arm.
Head nodding slightly in appreciation of Pherenike's effort, Mus'ad steps to and drops his hammer in a weighty overhead swipe...
...but the beast skitters to the side of his weapon and the only damage is a crack to the stone floor. The pahmet hisses and shakes his head at himself.
The Professor was caught off-guard examining his brand when the attack came, but he saw that his companion seemed to have things well in hand.
Sorry, i've tweaked my skill focus feat once or twice but am finally settling on Knowledge (Nature) as I want to take Fey bloodline powers later...
The Professor remained calm, trusting in the wall of warriors between him and the attacker. Realising he could not get a clear shot from his position, he walked himself over to a position near Pherenike, aimed and pulled the trigger. The shot was a good one- the crossbow bolt piercing the camel spider's torse.
Kheled moves up behind Pherenike and extends to her a blessing from Pharasma.
May death's guardian grant you wisdom to defeat your enemies.
Guidance.
Tacing a few step forward and entering the room, Aerathiel conjures once again a small orb of acid with which to attack the creature menacing them.
Round 2 actions
Ow! Where did YOU come from?
Myron raises his weapons and lashes out at the new threat with both of them, taking care not to leave himself open to counter-attack.
Ahkenaten loosed his bolt into the camel spider, which passed straight through trailing icor behind it before shattering on the wall in the corner. Mus'ad missed but Aerathiel connected with his glob of acid melting away part of its back. Kheled bolstered Pherenike and Myron clubbed the solifugid in the head. Beset as it is, the critter does not go down, but is wobbling from the beating it is taking...
Pherenike's blade cuts a deep gash in the top of the solifugid's head causing the leg's to instantly give out and it collapses to the floor unmoving.
Well as long as you and Myron are at the front leading our charge I am sure we will be okay. Is anyone hurt?
The Professor touched the brand on his forehead in irritation.
I should have known better than to expect reason or dialogue from long-dead spirits he muttered.
Holding a hand up for a bit of quiet Mus'ad takes Pherenike's words at their value and strains his ears for further scuttling approach...
Perception:
Mus'ad strains but hears nothing but silence from beyond the doors...
Relaxing and hanging his warhammer back on his belt loop, Mus'ad moves to the cloven creatures and nudges one with his boot. He muses "This crypt not so closed up if this manage to live... must be tunnel going to sand somewhere."
As Mus'ad muses over the remains of the camel spiders he gets a good look into the chamber beyond the doors they came out of. Pillars line the walls of this rectangular chamber, interspersed with stone jackal heads extending from the walls. A stone altar, covered in a layer of dust, sits at the eastern end of the room. The tracks in the dust lead to behind the altar.
Meanwhile, Myron peeks through the other set of doors ajar on the other side of the mirror room, seeing a flight of steps gradually descending to the west. Halfway down the stairs, small holes and burrowed tunnels riddle what remains of the passage’s southern wall. Earth and sand have spilled over the collapsed masonry, covering the stairs with dirt and rubble. Stone doors engraved with a golden scarab, its wings open beneath a golden sun, stand at the bottom of the stairs.
Not interfering with the other's assessment of the wall damage and any solution to the infestation, Aristedes went into lecture mode as the university professor in him emerged once again.
See here- The funerary masks on the walls depict, and the altar is dedicated to, the ancient Osirian god Anubis, patron of embalmers and guardian of tombs. I suspect this is where Akhentepi’s body was embalmed, and the final mummification rites and interment rituals were performed...
There- behind the altar. Likely a secret door.
Despite the bite he suffered, Myron's fascination with the ancient tomb outweighs his concern for more critters.
"A secret door? I wonder if you're right. I remember several references to depictions of Anubis in my chronicle. Let me check..."
Myron moves over to the embalming chamber and pokes his head in through the crack in the doors, weapons ready in case any more camel spiders come out of hiding.
The group stands around, peering into the adjacent room, debating the next move.
Kheled looks over the altar, religion
agreed, this a large complex! he must have been very important.
Mus'ad considers the room and cautiously moves to where he can see behind the altar. He holds a hand up for pause before any follow him "If more, Mus'ad fall back... kill them at this door"
Mus'ad confirms the room is empty. All that is behind the altar is an empty nest of sorts. He searches for a secret door for good measure...
...but finds nothing.
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See here- The funerary masks on the walls depict, and the altar is dedicated to, the ancient Osirian god Anubis, patron of embalmers and guardian of tombs. I suspect this is where Akhentepi’s body was embalmed, and the final mummification rites and interment rituals were performed...
Pherenike's face twists in a moue of disgust as she glances into the room and imagines what she would have seen when the chamber was in active use. "Ugh. If this was where they prepared him, then maybe they carried him down there," she points back down the other stairs, "to ... put him up."
Finding nothing Mus'ad shrugs his shoulders and nods an assent to Pherenike's musings before making to move below.
"Let's go pay our respects, then" Myron says and follows Mus'ad, weapons ready.
As Mus'ad moves down the stairs, and goes to cross over the spilled sand and earth at the midway point...
vs
...he is caught by surprise as a creature appearing to be a snake comprised of earth and sand explodes up at him. A slit that appears to function as its mouth snaps at his leg...
...solidly connecting with his knee, almost causing it to buckle.
A sandling... gather your courage companions, an elemental stands before us. Pherenike, use that heavy flail of yours, it will serve you better than the sword. Water will slow it down, if you can splash it with enough.
As Aristedes spoke, his calm leadership, confidence and instructions were tinged with magic, extolling his allies on.
Pherenike's thrust appeared to be a good one when at the last possible moment the Sandling's form shifted and the spear found nothing but air where the creature had been but a moment ago.
Wah....what the....
Myron steps down so he can reach the sand creature, the bashes and slashes at it.
Myron slips down a few stairs and uses his momentum to club the Sandling with his staff, knocking a blast of sand from the creature. His follow up with the kukri, much like Pherenike's blow, comes tantalizingly close, but once again misses as the Sandling alters its form to avoid the blow.
In retaliation, the Sandling bites at Myron...
...catching him in the neck and tearing open his throat! Myron staggers a step backward, dropping his weapons and clutching at the ruin of his neck before collapsing.
Ahkenaten tries to rally the group with a words tinged with magical confidence and information about their adversary.
Staggered by the pain and splattered by the crimson fountain opened up beside him, Mus'ad lashes out with his warhammer...
Warhammer: for
...it's heavy head blasting into the form of the creature.
Kheled releases a pulse of healing energy into the group, trying to bolster those that are hurt but excluding the sand creature.
Kheled releases a pulse of healing energy into the group, trying to bolster those that are hurt but excluding the sand creature.
Kheled releases a pulse of healing energy into the group, trying to bolster those that are hurt but excluding the sand creature.
His mind running through his memorized spells quickly, Aerathiel finds nothing that could help him and the others in this fight. Thus, the elf is forced to once again fall back to his tried and true acid conjuring cantrip, at the same time trying to remember what he knows of such elemental creatures like this one.
Mus'ad's hammer and Aerathiel's acid both diminish the Sandling's form causing it to start losing its cohesiveness. The fight is not over yet as Kheled's divine grace washes over the party knitting some of the wounds suffered. Myron stabilizes and regains consciousness but remains weakened and in a perilous position.
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Pherenike is about to take the Professor's advice and draw her flail as she steps over the prone halfling, but at the last moment, he suddenly groans and rolls over in response to the Pharasmin's healing. Still unable to get close enough to use her flail, she steps to the right to attack over Myron's head.
The Sandling easily avoids Pherenike's spear thrust.
Aware that he is useless in combat, and that any serious strain might cause his wound to start bleeding again, Myron lies as still as he can, waiting for a chance to either escape or contribute to the combat.
Ahkenaten cursed his uselessness as a martial combatant inwardly even as he projected an aura of courage and confidence outwardly.
The sandling attacks Mus' ad...
...but misses.
Unwilling to risk the potential danger of stepping into the rough, Mus'ad stands firm and lashes out with his heavy headed weapon once more...
Warhammer: for
Kheled sends out another wave of healing, excluding the Sand Creature.
Mus'ad and Myron feel their wounds stitch together further.
Mus'ad's hammer fails to connect this time...
Lips moving with the soft sound of the incantation and fingers making the familiar gestures, Aerathiel conjures another small sphere of acid that flies unerringly at the elemental creature, burning away a little more of its body.
Bolstered by the healing energy, Myron makes a desperate effort to get out of the way, so he won't prevent Pherenike from effectively attacking the sandling.
I hope this works. I'll either be out of the way or out cold. In any event, I won't hinder the others. Here goes nothing...
Flailing his weapons in a defensive pattern, he stands up and shuffles backwards.
The sandling once again pushes past his defenses to tear out his throat. For the second time, Myron blacks out and collapses.