The wolves do not get to flee far as you bring your wrath to bear.
After the wolves are slain, Amadeen grins.
"Good practice for taking down that worg, Howl-Of-The-North-Wind! Or getting a bag of troll blood!"
A wanted poster can be seen peeking out of her bag.
Eluvias nodded. ”Good practice, though I let one of them bite me. I suppose that more practice is needed.”
Amadeen stops in her tracks, then turns around to look at where the battle took place.
"You know, I think we may just have taken down the very same worg!"
”And who was this worg to earn such a title? It died like any other.”
"The reason why the likes of us need to be the ones to take care of it.", replies Amadeen.
The rest of this area proves less exciting but you chart the area for the rest of the day.
Heading east the next day it seems much the same, perhaps more fissures in the earth but nothing too dramatic. As you're all exploring an area Barek points out something different about on of the fissures, there's some worked stone in it!
Moving closer you can see inside. The walls of this octagonal chamber are decorated with crude mosaics of simple village life: hunting, fishing, and farming. A thick carpet of guano covers the floor—it’s crawling with insects, and the sharp tang of ammonia hangs in the air. A cobweb-filled tunnel to the east leads deeper underground
"Nice catch, Barek! Let's have a closer look.", Amadeen says as she begins to walk towards the tunnel.
"Wait just a sec!" Johund grunts. "Let's not go racin' int'touble unprepared." He holds a dagger in one hand and uses the blade to prick the palm of the other, producing a drop of his own blood. He reaches his blooded hand out to the others. "Give't here. Ain't no dark magic." He glances at Mong. "Him too."
Amadeen stops in her tracks and thinks a moment on Johund's words. Then she turns to him, offering her right hand.
"Sounds good to me. Do it."
Amadeen notes the large number of bats on the ceiling some who are being roused by the conversation already, likely the group passing through will disturb them further.
”An ancient ruin. I’d bet equal odds that we find a historic shovel, or a horde of undead. Either way, let’s see what we find.”
Barek looks dubious, but supplies a drop of blood from himself and Mong, soothing the confused dog after extracting the drop.
He also calls on the bound between himself and his dog to gain Darkvision for some minutes.
Amadeen suddenly picks a shred of spider webbing and rolls it between her fingers, then raises it to her lips. And puffs.
The webbing darts forward, towards the ceiling where she can see bats in the dark, and explodes.
Four tunnels exit this circular chamber in the cardinal directions. Four large monstrous faces, carved from stone, leer and grimace from each of the walls between the tunnel entrances. A skeleton sprawls facedown in the middle of the room.
You recognize the stone faces as representations of the four winds, incarnated as malevolent elemental spirits.
Johund stops abruptly, holding up a fist. "Them's carvin's ter four winds, rendered as evil spirits."
”Charming. So undead or elementals down here? Well hopefully something worth taking as well.”
"I'm thinking elemental. Either way, we smash them and take their stuff. The museum needs filling!"
"North first!"
As you move through the room black tendrils of energy emit from the mouths of the carvings. All but Barek avoid contact with them.
"Barek! Are you okay?", Amadeen asks just after she jumps back.
”That was close, and quite unexpected.”
"Can anyone patch up Barek? Bloody trap used rays of exhaustion."
Barek slumps to the ground with a groan. "Five minutes with the bastard who set that!" He mutters, "Five minutes when I can lift my bloody arms that is."
Johund shakes his head. "Not 'til ter morrow. How long will't last? Can't we just wait't out?"
"If it's tomorrow, then it's tomorrow.", Amadeen replies with resignation in her voice.
"And Barek, if we find the sod alive, they're all yours. Five minutes, and more if you fancy them."
Amadeen looks about.
"Let's start watches. And keep an ear out for anyone sneaking up!"
Amadeen notices after a while where the flagstones connected to the trap are... it takes up the core of this room. It's unlikely to be wise to camp here.
While most of the skeleton’s equipment has rotted away, a tarnished copper ring of sustenance still encircles one bony finger.
The walls of each dusty chamber are decorated with mosaic scenes of hunting and battle. Six biers line the walls, the resting places of respected warriors... which are roused from their unnatural slumber by your presence.
Amadeen
Johund
Skeletons
Barek
Eluvias
"Oooh! I want that ring."
********
After one look at the skeletal warriors, Amadeen looks to Johund and laughs:
"Johund, you're up!"
Johund's rat tattoo flashes, then a wave of holy energy fills the chamber.
After one look at the skeletal warriors, Amadeen looks to Johund and laughs "Johund, you're up!"
Johund's rat tattoo flashes, then a wave of holy energy fills the chamber.
The skeletons weather the wave of positive energy and charge forward but fail to land meaningful blows.
Barek
Eluvias
Amadeen
Johund
Skeletons Red -1, Orange -2, Yellow -1, Pink -1, Green -1, Blue -1
Amadeen looks to Eluvias.
"Get stabbing!"
Eluvias smirked. Easy foes. Not even worth his time. All he needed to do was...
A skeleton blade lashed out at him, causing him to lose the spell as he parried it. With a look of annoyance on his face he turned to swing at it...
...only to have to parry a second’s blow instead.
”Most annoying!”
"Hrmph." Johund grunts. "Let's try't again." He releases another wave of holy light to burn away with undeath.
"That's nice, walk over to me so I can hit you."
"Or not." He mutters at his feeble strike.
"That's nice, walk over to me so I can hit you." Barek fires his bow. "Or not." He mutters at his feeble strike.
Eluvias smirked. Easy foes. Not even worth his time. All he needed to do was... A skeleton blade lashed out at him, causing him to lose the spell as he parried it. With a look of annoyance on his face he turned to swing at it...
...only to have to parry a second’s blow instead. ”Most annoying!”
Amadeen looks to Eluvias. "Get stabbing!"
"Hrmph." Johund grunts. "Let's try't again." He releases another wave of holy light to burn away with undeath three of the skeletons collapse into dust.
The three remaining skeletons turn all their focus towards trying to destroy Johund.
Barek
Eluvias
Amadeen
Johund
Skeletons Red -3, Yellow -3, Green -3
With the skeletons focusing on Johund, Eluvias was finally able to land a solid blow.
Johund's blades flash as he cuts as the old, dead bones.
"That's the spirit Barek!" , encourages Amadeen - along with a helping of magic.
With the skeletons focusing on Johund, Eluvias was finally able to land a solid blow.
Johund's blades flash as he cuts as the old, dead bones.
"That's the spirit Barek!" , encourages Amadeen - along with a helping of magic.
Barek moves forward and cuts down the last skeleton.
Scimitar x6
"Nicely done! Now, what were they guarding, I wonder?"
Amadeen slips on the ring of sustenance found earlier, and begins to search for valuables and hidden things.
As they prepare to enter the next chamber, Johund whispers prayers, and his daggers glow an icy blue.
"Amadeen, got any juice left in that healin' stick?"
Amadeen finds nothing more of value beyond the scimitars that had been wielded by the skeletons in this area.
"Oh, for sure. One moment."
Amadeen draws out a wand and taps Johund lightly with it. The wand flares, and sputters out.
She glances at it, shrugs, and tosses it aside before drawing a second and likewise tapping it.
"Yeah, we should look out for another. Or...buy one."
"Now, scimitars in the pack and us making tracks."
A very similar room awaits you to the south with six more skeletons but this time your group is prepared with your spells cast.
Johund-
Skeletons
Eluvias
Barek
Amadeen
Johund steps forward, blades dripping with their soft blue glow, and rams the pomels of his daggers down into the first undead's skull. "Keep 'em bottlenecked. Don't let 'em surround ya."
Johund steps forward, blades dripping with their soft blue glow, and rams the pomels of his daggers down into the first undead's skull rendering it down into dust and bone fragments. "Keep 'em bottlenecked. Don't let 'em surround ya."
The undead surge forward trying to overwhelm Johund and Eluvias but the two warriors leave no openings to these feeble attacks.
Eluvias
Barek
Amadeen
Johund
Skeletons