As Jaed returns to his companions, Finnrick spots movement over the rogue's shoulders. He shouts out a warning as four skeletons jerkily stand and move from where they had been hidden behind the columns. Unlike the previous skeletons, these ones appear to be dripping blood and have tiny burning flames where their eyes should be.
More bloody skeletons? Time to pull out the hammer.
Are these skeletons resistant to my axe too?
Alerted by Finnrick, Jaed turns around to face the ugly looking skeleton. Oh no, not again. "Everyone, fold back to the pillar room! Let's use the door as a bottleneck as we did before!"
Trying to buy some time Jaed swings his sword at the skeleton
and then he runs back to the door.
As the skeletons begin to move Finnrick takes a quick look at his wand.
I've used this Spell before but never with a wand.
With a shrug and a flick of his wrist he fires a ball of flame from the end of the wand. The ball makes a whooshing sound as it goes soaring through the room.
As soon as the fireball leaves his wand Finnrick turns on his heels and follows Jaed down the hall.
Millsy, remembering how she was hurt in their last encounter retreats into the corner and hides content to stay hidden if her dark fur and small size allows it but crouches low ready to pounce if noticed.
Seeing that the majority of their prey had fled and failing to notice the black cat in the corner, the skeletons converge on Etam.
,
,
Jaed whacks at the skeleton before him before hurrying backwards. Finnrick throws a ball of fire haphazardly, hitting the column above the creature and raining down small sparks on it. Then the creatures are surging forward, ready to devour the flesh of the living. Most of their claws fail to make it through Etam's strong armor, but a few blows get through.
"Ah, yes, this is more what I was expecting!" Etam yells. 'Why did I have to be right, damnit.'
After seeing that everyone else has left the room, Etam slowly moves to the entrance, trying to keep the monsters at bay with his spear. Once he's reached his companions, he drops the spear and readies his shield.
I am assuming the skeletons are chasing use out of the room. I will wait at the door and hit them with my hammer. I also dropped the tower shield when I grabbed my hammer.
Anticipating that the skeletons will follow Etam, Jaed starts shouting: "HEY YOU RED EYES! Come here, I have something waiting for you!"
Jaed is ready to attack as soon as any of the skeletons gets in range:
Etam withdraws, dropping his spear and drawing his shield as he goes. Meanwhile Jaed and Artair ready to hit the first skeleton that comes within reach.
As Etam runs into the room with the pillars Finnrick reaches out and touches him on the shoulder pouring his healing energy into him.
That's the last of my healing for the day I am feeling a but drained. Good thing we have the wand.Finnrick says as he pulls out his "trusty" sling.
Millsy, careful not to make a sound crouches ever lower blending her black fur into the shadows waiting for the skeletons to pass.
Any one know how sturdy these things are? I feel a little bit ragey...
Raging will give me a bonus to both my to-hit and damage, correct?
Finnrick heals Etam as Millsy continues to hide. As expected, the skeletons rush after the heroes. Only one skeleton gets close enough to attack anybody. Jaed's held action wounds the creature, but despite that it continues on to strike at the fighter.
The claw goes far wide as the other skeletons line up, awaiting their turn at the living creatures.
I don't seem able to strike one of these things down. I have to think of a different approach.
"Etam, I'll try to distract the skeleton. Hit it with all you have!"
Jaed starts hitting his sword against the wall hoping the noise will distract the skeleton.
"Yes! Perfect, master Zandorias! Let us see how tough these bloody abominations really are!" Etam yells whilst drawing his hammer. Seizing the briefly distracted skeleton, he strikes at the creature:
'Why are these things dripping blood? This can't be good.'
With a mighty blow, the skeleton nearest the group falls down.
Can we configure ourselves so both myself and Etam can strike? I will ready a hit to the next man-bones up...
Looks like a good swing...
Seeing the first skeleton crumbling and Artair's eagerness to jump in the fray, Etam yells: "Master Finnrick, get behind me and aim at the monsters in the back!"
Finnrick side steps and switches positions with Artair and fires off a shot from his sling before reloading it again.
Millsy waits patiently for her prey to enter the hallway before she lashes out at the rearmost skeleton.
The next skeleton eagerly rushes over its fallen comrade to get at the human flesh, taking a strong but not crippling blow blow from Finnrick's rock. He's quickly finished off by Artair's hammer.
Millsy steps out from the shadows to lunge at the skeleton and trap it. Its attack misses though. Seeing an opportunity to get at live flesh, the skeleton turns around and strikes right back.
However, the sudden change in direction throws the skeleton off balance and it likewise misses. Meanwhile, the other remaining skeleton continues to head for Etam.
It does not seem to fair any better than its companion though.
Etam blocks the skeleton's claws with his shield and pushes it forward, trying to make an opening for a risky blow on its head:
These skeletons look fierce but don't seem very smart.
Jaed continues to make noise with the intention of attracting the skeleton's attention away from Etam.
Finally all the practice with the sling is paying off Finnrick says firing off another shot and reloading.
Finally able to take a skeleton one on one Millsy attacks with all of her ferocity.
Biting and missing the skeleton she gets on her hind legs and swipes with both of her gleaming sharp claws
With the latest onslaught of attacks, the two remaining skeletons collapse.
Etam kicks the bloodied bones now laying on the ground. "Master Finnrick, I thank you for your assistance before. Do you believe there is anything we should do about these remains? Perhaps we should douse them with oil and set them on fire?"
Looking around himself and inside the southern room, Etam thinks out loud, half jokingly: "I half expect them to pursue us as soon as soon as we turn our backs."
'This place makes me paranoid. The fact this battle was too easy does not make me feel any more at ease.'
It seems as if they are already fired, I dont know that that will work. Does anyone know anything about the bloody messes? They seem different to me as well and that was too easy. I am waiting for them to jump up and act like the bad guy near the middle of a horror flick...
I am going to see if I can tell anything about the skeletons with a perception check:
Jaed kicks the bones in front of him in a cautious attempt to make sure the skeletons are really dead. How many of these things live in this damn crypt?
"I think it's time we head downstairs. I'll try to sneak first once you are done with these bones. Let me know when you are ready."
Jaed approaches the southern stairs and waits for the rest of the group there.
"Of course Etam being able to heal and thus save a life brings me much more satisfaction than the endless fighting that this crypt has provided us with."
"Though I must admit that taking out those skeletons was fun."Millsy slinks up to Finnrick and purrs in agreement with Finnrick's thoughts.
"I too am weary of this entire situation but I fear if we set fire to these bones it may prove to be more of a danger to us. I vote that we continue on and put this dreaded business behind us."
"I trust your judgement, master Finnrick. I assumed these grisly creatures would put up more of a fight, but I guess despite their rather fierce appearance the threat was very limited." Etam puts his hand on Finnrick's shoulder and speaks in a softer tone: "Be strong, master Finnrick. We need your assistance. It is our duty to bring back the flame and end whatever abomination roams these halls so life can follow its natural way."
Etam grabs his spear and puts his hammer and shield away. "I am ready when you are, men." he says, whilst crushing one of the skulls under his boot.
What Knowledges would id these fowl things? down we go!
As you descend downwards, the air begins to get noticeably more humid. You start to see bits of mold scattered along the stone wall. Small dots at first but eventually growing to cover several inches at a time.
At the bottom of the stairs is a circular chamber with three passageways leading from it. In the center is a small stone pedestal. The sound of dripping water can be heard coming from the eastern passageway, while the stench of rot emanates from the west. A quick look down the eastern passageway reveals that it splits to head both to the North and the South. The floor in both directions is slanted downward slightly and covered in a thin coating of water that gradually turns a couple of inches deep the further along you go.
SO rot, or drips? I vote drips...
Checking the room out:
Etam approaches the pedestal and examines it.
Once he is satisfied, he turns to Artair: "I have no reason to object, master Artair. Northeast or southeast?"
Deeper into the crypt we go, Millsy seems to be enjoying herself atleast, and the company is as good as any I could hope for. I just hope this venture is not in vain. I understand the right of passage that this Quest provides but never has it seemed so perilous, something very dark has awoken in this crypt, if we don't succeed the town itself could be doomed. I can't let that happen to Olmira.
With a renewed since of vigor Finnrick decends the stairs into the darker recesses of the crypt. As he enters the room and approaches the pillar he casts spell on his scimitar. As the energy surges through the weapon the rooms lights up in a warm, yellow glow. Finnrick holds the Scimitar above his head and reads the inscription on the floor.
Turning to the ever stoic soldier Finnrick proclaims.
"I trust your judgment Etam, which path do think we should take first?"
Lets stick to the north east, it looks like things are leaking. Etam, if you think different I will follow you. The inscription says "To the south you might take your ease, to rest and reflect on Kassen’s deeds. To the east lies the wheel, to open the gate. To the west is the resting place of Kassen, hero of the Fangwood." Seems that a decent plan is to head east to use the wheel to open the gate, whatever that means, maybe head south to rest after that, and then on to the resting place of Kassen. Sound like a plan?
Jaed walks around the chamber looking for something outside of the normal.
He doesn't seem to find anything interesting so he stops and listens to Artair as he reads the inscription.
"Mmm, what gate does the wheel open? I have bad memories about touching stuff in this crypt so I would not activate anything until we have explored our surroundings a bit. But that's still a better plan than following that stink to the West so let's go."
Jaed carefully gets into the eastern passageway, then he turns left and walks until the wall.
I am getting my feet soaked and all this water may be covering a trap so I'd better be careful.
The water quickly deepens to 2 feet deep as the chosen passageway ends in a very swollen wooden door, barely contained in its decaying frame. Jaed quickly determines that it seems neither locked nor trapped, though its enlarged form seems to have wedged it tightly, making it difficult to open.
any objections to pushing open the door or can we bust it down?
"At this moment, I would say we can go with master Artair's plan, master Finnrick. I imagine one needs to first open the gate to kassen's tomb where, I hope, we may find the everflame and whatever creature is responsible for all this."
Etam joins Artair and Jaed close to the door and immediately hears the croaking sounds coming from the other side. "Frogs? Down here? That is weird. I just hope those are the garden variety…I am right behind you, master Artair, you can open door whenever you are ready" Etam says, spear in hand.
Strength checks: (doing three in case I miss)