Sa'sori just crosses her arms under her breasts and pouts... petulantly, but will comply to follow and take cover behind the shields..
The tower shields are each big enough to give on person hiding behind them total cover from the pillar. A second person can also hide behind the shield for a +4 Cover bonus. Obviously being outside of the room with the door shut would also grant you total cover. Where does everyone want to be?
Moira looks at Sa'sori's precarious position behind her and realizes this is likely to not work. "You're likely to get shot and it looks like you're one wound away from bringing this whole place down. And I would allow that if there weren't a few innocent lives here. So maybe its best if you wait outside."
Sa'sori wrinkles up her nose, "What's that supposed to mean? I don't have the power to cast ... yet... but I can eventually destroy any door or wall in the way.. as to playing 'trap-games'... I'd just dissolve the door that's in the way."
She gestures and her fingertip glows with a very familiar greenish glow of her spell readied.
"I have no interest in 'bringing the crypt down on top of my own head'... even if that were possible... which it is not without a lot of time to dissolve a lot support structures in here. Waste of time. I'm also wanting to get any innocent lives out of here.. but let's be honest.. do you really think anyone else is alive in here?"
"Eventually is not now, Sassy," Cotton says, eyeing the room with a frown on her face. "Hrrm. I don't like this kind of tricks..."
"There is a t least us and the crazy dude. I don't really know about his daughter but I am hopeful. It might be quicker to just trip the trap. Hopefully it only has one shot and then we can move on."
Sa'sori moves to take cover behind Moira's tower shield.
"Well.. trip it and let's move along..."
IF Dyrm has the other shield, he'll hunker behind it and take a position parallel to Moira
"There room back there for me?" Cotton asks.
"I'm going to wait out in the hall. I don't have the best luck with these things. If it works, I'll follow after." Vera moves into the hall. "Try not to die everyone." Once Cotton picks a place, we're going to close the door.
Cotton decides to stay with Vera...
Sa'sori will snuggle in behind Moira ...cast her own spell.. going prone and total defense.
"Ready to follow your lead, Moira," Dyrm says hunkered behind the other shield.
Vera lets the door fall short. As soon as the door latches a flurry of arrows starts flying from the pillar in all dirrections. You can hear them clunking into the heavy wood of the shields you're hiding behind as well as clinking off the heavy stone walls.
After what seems like 1,000 arrows have come from the pillar it finally runs its supply dry. When it is finally done, you can hear an audible click from the southern door echo through the chamber.
"Everyone still kicking?!" Shouts Vera through the door.
Sa'sori involuntarily, flinches and gasps out a cry of surprise and fear...
{Gasp} "... Eekkk!"
Before anything else said is drowned out by the fusillade of deadly {but blunted} arrows.
When its all done there is a clear space of spent arrow shafts clearly demarked around the prone Sa'sori.
She stands gathering her dignity cheeks in embarrassment at her outburst.
"What a fascinating and terrifying piece of mechanical fiendishness. That would make a very useful weapon in Mendev with cold iron arrows against the flood of demons out of the world wound. May hap our little town has missed its calling as a weapon's manufaturer?"
When the first bolt hits the shield, Moira tenses and holds on tighter. the barrage threatens to shift the enormous shield to the side and expose herself or the half-elf behind her. But eventually it all ends and the door opens. She remains tense for a moment in case there was a misfire but eventually peeks over the shield at the pillar. She sighs and lets the shield fall away as she rubs her aching shoulder. She was holding on far too tightly. She pulls Sa'sori off the floor, a little surprised at her outburst. "Still alive. Come on in," she calls out to Vera. If possible she heads to the door they came in and opens it. Once everyone is inside she opens the door to the south with a new torch in hand.
The doors are one way and can only be opened from Vera's side.
"Don't answer if you're dead, just rattle your chains," Cotton mutters. She then pushes the door open.
"We're okay," he calls out to Cotton, "Though I'm not sure how."
"I am!" Cotton chirps, grinning. "Because you're just that good!"
"Credit goes to Moira and Sa'Sori on that. I mostly hung back with a shield up raised following their lead," The dwarf admits
"And we're sure that the trap is spent right?" Vera eyes the pillar cautiously. "It would seriously suck to have gone through all that only to get caught off guard by a second volley"
Sa'sori steps over to the south door to listen at it... a shimmering field of protective magic shifting about her...
Sa'sori shrugs, "...there are no guarantees in many thing . But the door to the south I clearly heard unlonck.. my spell is still running for the next couple of minutes.. so let's get moving."
Drawing her Elven Curve Blade from her back slung sheath Sa'sori steps to the side of the south door and nudges it open with the tip of her two-handed blade to peek inside...
A continuous carving of mourners runs along the walls here, leading to a staircase on the south side of the room.
"Are we thinking more traps, or should we just head for the stairs?" Vera says eyeing the hallway.
"Let's just head for the stairs.... patience is one thing, but I worry we grow skittish."
Assuming Moira spots nothing, Vera is going to head for the stairs.
"Skittish? Phaw! That won't do!" Cotton says, frowning. She grabs Dyrm's hand and starts tugging on it. "C'mon, c'mon! Let's go!"
"I'm going, I'm going..." He says, keeping up pace with the gnome, which as they both have short legs, isn't that hard to do.
As you enter the room, you spot several skeletons rising up from behind the pillars in the room. The bones of these skeletons are coated in dripping blood as they rise to their feet.
Round 1 order Skeletons, Vera, Cotton, Moria, Sa'sori, Dyrm
Round 1
The skeletons rise to their feet and move towards the party closing in on them without attacking.
Map Update after skeletons turn
"Everyone back up, take them one at a time," Moira says. She drops her torch so she can fire un-impeded. More confident in here ability to miss allies, she fires over Vera's shoulder before retreating to the trapped room.
"Don't trip over me! Don't you trip over me!" Cotton warns as she goes to one knee and fires a brilliantly golden ray between her comrades' legs at the skeletons' limbs before rising again and backing off into the previous room. "Nisil mors, nisil vivens, rescindendum es!"
"Remind me to grab the next shield we find." Vera says taking up a defensive stance.
Dyrm recalls the order to take one at a time, and so he flings a firebolt at one that hasn't been hit yet.
Sa'sori seeing the approaching skeletal dead... and rolls her eyes in disgust.
Taking aim the half-elf sorceress casts at the same undead Cotton targeted... concentrating fire to bring one down at a time!
"Yes, hold the choke-point we can do this all day...!"
Sa'sori frowns, "... concentrate fire on a single target to down it... THEN move on the the next! Hurting them individually means they can ALL still attack us..."
"My apologies. I had merely hoped to soften them up so if and when I could cast my burning hands, more would succumb in mass." He explains, "But I don't pretend to know tactics."
Dyrm fires a bolt of fire and misses the skeleton in his freight. Cotton fires a bolt of necromantic energy to shatter the skeleton. Vera slides back shielding himself from the coming onslaught. Moria fires down the hall and misses. Sa'sori fires a splash of acid and strikes the skeleton.
The skeletons move forward to pursue the party being caught in the choke-point. The two in the corners reach their arms into the hall trying to claw at Vera. One skeleton, burning from acid begins to heal as it follows Vera into the hall clawing at her twice.
Cotton sights between the others' legs and fires another ray of golden, coruscating energy at the skeletons' femurs.
The others seem to be doing a decent job hurling ranged attacks so Vera decides to maintain her defensive posture, blocking the skeletons from attacking anyone else.
Sa'sori aims again casting Acid Splash at the skeleton with the least cover.
"Hey! Did one of those skeletons start regenerating from my acid splash? How's that possible?"
"No idea but I am going to keep shooting until they stop moving."
Dyrm flings another firebolt, this time on a skeleton that's already damaged as was suggested
Round 2 Recap
Vera stands defiantly, defending herself from the skeletons onslaught as acid and arrows fly past her. Cotton flings a splash of acid that comes well short of the skeleton. Moria looses another arrow that the skeleton avoids. Sa'sori flicks acid at the regenerating skeleton and splashes it back for another 2 points. Dyrm fires another firebolt but is also unable to connect with the monster.
Round 3 Order: Skeletons, Vera, Cotton, Moria, Sa'sori, Dyrm
The skeleton in front of Vera continues to claw at her. Slashing through her defense with a heavy blow.
Sa'sori scowls darkly, "Alright enough playing the hell around! That's my friend your clawing you unquiet pile of stinking bones!!!
Sa'sori's as she calls on her full magical power and casts at the Skeleton that just clawed Vera!
A beautiful.. if deadly, display of