"That does not mean someone got here first or that someone is still there. It could be that the cave was made ready for us. Their could be traps or ambushes in place. We should use the same tactic we did with the kobolds. That way any trap or ambush does not catch us all and we can support one another."
Soris could just think of all the things that could be set up in there. After all thats why he never entered the contest before, you hear plenty of stories about the failures and what did them in.
A similar tactic yes. But slightly different. Two of us more combat oriented up front, one guard the more squishy at the very back. That way the less hitty people get hit less. I would suggest Issac at the back, or maybe Bellows, if he thinks he is up for that. Darius in the lead any myself just behind him.
"In my experiance, never trust the light." Darius eyes widen as he looks at his companions, "Did I say that out loud?"
Very well. I shall protect our less hardy members. We must function as a team if we desire to win this competition and bring glory to Praetor.
"I'll take middle, b'hind th' front line. Try t' keep a lane clear when Ah'm ready t' fire. This 'ere trumpet'll clear a hallway right quick. It's gonna take a little gettin' used to, but if ah tap ye, drop back or kneel down fer a sec so's I don't catch ye in th' blast."
You head down into the cave, the path down is quite narrow, but you are able to fit single file. The path inclines down slightly and as you climb down, the air begins to become warmer and staler. About 100 feet down, the cave walls begin to widen slightly until you are able to walk side by side. You also notice that torches have been lit and are placed in wall sconces.
The cave walls begin to widen even more, and you can see a large room up ahead.
Perception
"Sounds like a battle up ahead. Everyone should get ready just in case."
Perception
Galdor draws his sword. What ever we come upon, I doubt it will be as simple as those kobalds.
As you make your way into the chamber, you see two other exits, one straight ahead and another leading off to the right. At the other exit straight ahead, you can make out a single man facing a total of eight others. You can see that he is quite injured, and he continues to fight on. You notice that several bodies litter the floor. The fighting man stabs another man in the stomach with the dagger in his left hand, and decapitates a second with the sword in his right. However his strength finally gives out as he collapses down on the floor. A few of the other men pummel him for good measure.
You catch the smell of the remaining six men, and the stench is overpowering, rotting meat combined with death. They grab the fighting man and start to drag him to the right exit. As they turn around, you notice that they all have blank white eyes, one is missing his lower jaw, and one is even missing his intestines. All six men are covered in blood and gore. They stop as they notice you.
Soris curses his luck.
"Great now we have undead."
He spits at the nearest zombie.
Acid Splash
RTA
ADmg
"Issac, Galdor, move up an' hold th' line. Darius an' I are b'hind ye. Felisin, ye switch wit me while ah'm reloading."
Cursing his choice of spells for the day, Galdor takes stronger measures, allowing his magic to sufus his blade, but this time far more lingering Galdor moves to the closest of the undead. Taste my blade
Two handed attack
Damage
Initiative (+3)
AC (Full, FF, Touch): 16, 13, 14
HP: 10/10
Saves (F,R,W): 3,3,2
Condition: Arcane Strike, Issacs banner
Spells Prepared:
Daze
Detect Magic
Ray of Frost
Color Spray 1/1
Special Abilities:
Arcane pool XXXX
Tracked Resources:
Days of food: 10
Haha! Now I can display the power of Praetor!
Isaac races forward into the center of the zombies and channels positive energy.
Round: 1
Initiative (+0): 8
AC (Full, FF, Touch): 17, 17, 10
HP: 9/9
Saves (F,R,W): 2,0,6
Condition:
Flag (+1 morale bonus to friendly attack, damage, and saves v. charms and fear. 30' radius.)
Spells Prepared:
Light
Guidance
Stabilize
Magic Weapon 1/1
Shield of faith 1/1
Special Abilities:
Liberty's Blessing 6/6
Touch of Glory 6/6
Channel Positive Energy 4/6
Tracked Resources:
Bolts: 20
Days of food: 5
"Coal frammit! Issac, git the f~@$ back 'ere! Darius, fill tha' breach! Don't let 'em past ye!"
Felisin switches places with Boomer and sees Isaac release a wave of power. She raises her hands and another wave of energy fills the chamber.
Seeing the waves of energy burst forth from his companions, Darius steels himself.
Feeling the energy flow through him, Darius feels his body weaken. Despite this setback, he rushes up next to Isaac, drawing and connecting his blades, and stabs at the nearest zombie.
Soris spits acid on one of the zombies, and the acid begins to smoke. The zombie however remains standing.
Galdor cleaves one clean in half with his blade, the upper torso falling upon the ground with a sick wet splat.
Darius, feeling himself weakened from the channeling, resolves himself and decapitates his own zombie.
The remaining four zombies swarm over the first target closest to them, Isaac.
The zombies paw at Isaac, but his armor saves him from all the blows
Using the momentum from the first strike, Darius spins, slashing at the next creature.
Isaac!!! Felisin unstraps her bow and aims at a one of the Zombies head.
Soris had a dark thought that the zombies could knock some sense into that fool priest. But he spits yet again at the closest zombie, which somehow goes wide. Maybe his jaw was getting tired.
Acid Splash
RTA
Isaac switches to a more conventional tool. He begins pounding at zombies with his morningstar.
>>
Round: 2
Initiative (+0): 8
AC (Full, FF, Touch): 17, 17, 10
HP: 9/9
Saves (F,R,W): 2,0,6
Condition:
Flag (+1 morale bonus to friendly attack, damage, and saves v. charms and fear. 30' radius.)
Spells Prepared:
Light
Guidance
Stabilize
Magic Weapon 1/1
Shield of faith 1/1
Special Abilities:
Liberty's Blessing 6/6
Touch of Glory 6/6
Channel Positive Energy 4/6
Tracked Resources:
Bolts: 20
Days of food: 5
Galdor keeps methodically slicing through the shambling undead, allowing even more arcane power to suffuse his blade
Attack
Satisfaction fills Galdor as he once again connects. The effects of his strike are a little more disappointing.
Damage
Initiative (+3)
AC (Full, FF, Touch): 16, 13, 14
HP: 10/10
Saves (F,R,W): 3,3,2
Condition: Arcane Strike, Issacs banner
Spells Prepared:
Daze
Detect Magic
Ray of Frost
Color Spray 1/1
Special Abilities:
Arcane pool XXX
Tracked Resources:
Days of food: 10
Boomer's eyes go wide as Darius nearly collapses during the bursts of energy. "Bugger." he grumbles.
"Kid, ye git th' hell back outta range o' those blasts. Yer friends're gonna kill ye while they kill them."
Stepping in front of Darius, Boomer hefts his lightweight spear and waits. "Issac, Ah swear t' the gods, if'n ye don't git yer ass back 'ere an' inta formation, ah'm gonna start firin' anyway! Yer right in th' way o' mah shot an' yer puttin' us all in danger!"
Darius strikes true with his sword, felling the zombie in one stroke. Felisin's arrow strikes by and cleaves through a zombies skull and Galdor cuts out the inards of a third zombie. The single zombie remaining continues to strike at Isaac.
The Zombie's attacks bounce harmlessly off of Isaac's armor.
Soris spits again, almost hoping it hits the priest.
Acid Splash
RTA
Seemed his wish made him miss badly.
Boomer thrusts his spear into the walking corpse's neck...
Galdor attacks again.
Attack
Galdor bites back an oath as he fails to connect with the zombie.
Initiative (+3)
AC (Full, FF, Touch): 16, 13, 14
HP: 10/10
Saves (F,R,W): 3,3,2
Condition: Arcane Strike, Issacs banner
Spells Prepared:
Daze
Detect Magic
Ray of Frost
Color Spray 1/1
Special Abilities:
Arcane pool XXX
Tracked Resources:
Days of food: 10
Boomer's spear pierces right through the back of the zombie. It attempts to pry it loose, but ends up falling backwards, driving the spear in farther. It falls to the ground, unmoving.
Soris looks over the man.
"Oh well he is still alive so we cant take that nice gold."
He pokes the man with his foot.
"You alive enough to leave. I think your adventure is over."
Soris, please! Some respect for this man. He is obviously some sort of emissary of Praetor. Good sir, are you alright? What is your purpose here and how may we assist you in it?
Soris gives the priest a deadly look.
"So one life is worth more then another."
His anger finally got the better of him. The fool had spoken once to many times. His face twisted and his voice came out with a sharpen edge.
"Listen well priest. I have had enough of your nonsense. You learn to keep your mouth shut about things you know nothing about or you can go at it alone. Let your contemptible god fight with you. Oh and think of this, why is someone with such well made equipment the last one standing."
He let it sink in for a moment.
"Maybe just maybe its because he was using the others, letting them fight and die for him. Someone that armored should be at the front and among the first to fall. He could have abandoned his comrades. I dont care how holy you think you are, that kind of action deserves netheir respect or pity."
He was tired of the dead weight this boy was bring to the group.
Isaac rises to stand face-to-face with Soris. Bah! That's ridiculous! Obviously this warrior was on a mission for our Lord. Whether or not he was the last alive is meaningless. In fact, whether or not he is alive is meaningless. The only sane thing to do here is to help this man so that we can know his mission and determine if we must continue it.
He ponders Soris's theories for just moment, then continues. Perhaps his comrades were killed in ambush, or perhaps he was alone. You assume much about this man and how dishonorable he must be, but you have not yet made clear why you are any better. From what I can see, you are simply here because you were made to be. Perhaps there is some gold in it for you? At least this man fell for his God! What false god or petty cause do you stand for? Any of you?!
With that, Isaac casts cure light wounds on the injured man.
Soris looks him dead in the eye.
"This is Realinia. We need no one to tell us what is right. We do not kill to conquer or enslave people. We do not tell people how to live. If your too holy then by all means go on. You dont need anyone right, Preator the murdering god is all you need."
Soris was ready to strike the priest if he was foolish enough to do what every priest without a reasonable answer did.
Boomer grunts and seems to make a decision in his head. With the danger over a deadly serious look comes over the dwarf's face and he marches himself in between the two taller men and fires his thunderous weapon into the ceiling to get their attention.
As the ringing in their ears began to fade, the bits of rubble rained down on their heads and the smoke began to clear, Boomer grumbled quietly.
"Yer all gonna listen t' th' dwarf now, a'right? A'right."
"Soris, back off. Ye don' know what the hell this man's 'ere for anymore 'an Issac does."
"Issac, ye need t' git a lot smarter right the f*#& now. Ye ever pull another stunt like that an' Ah walk. Ah ain't dyin' 'cause ye wanted t' show off. How d' ye think yer god would like ye if'n yer damned pride gits one o' us killed?"
"Both o' ye are jumpin' t' conclusions wit out gatherin' facts first. How 'bout ye ask 'im what he's doin' here?"
Isaac makes a face about as near to a pout as a grown man can muster. He mutters, near imperceptibly, Did I not win that fight for us? But then he does drop it and moves over to the (hopefully) now conscious warrior. Brave fighter, what is your mission here?
Soris lets his mind work for a moment.
"If it was anyone else I would not care. Boomer if he does not get his head out of his a** then he can go at it alone. We only have one problem and I am getting tired of looking at it."
He looks at the man.
"No real adventurer is foolish enough to put gold on his armor. It makes your armor heavier then normal and serves as a target for thieves. Only the vain, prideful, and rich do that sort of nonsense. That we both know Boomer."
Part of the contest was taking from the fallen. The dead need nothing and no one ask any questions when you come back with someone else's gear. In that state he would be a dead by sundown and his gold remelted by sun up.
"We'll sort 'im out once we sort this out. Jus' cool yer heels fer a sec."
Boomer eyes the armor with a dwarf's eye for metalwork.
"That ain't real gold. It's basically gold paint. It's called lacquerin' or embossin', an' it's pretty common among knights an' holy orders. Folks like tha' don't worry much about thieves on account o' things like faith and bigger weapons."
Galdor, saved from being forced to intervene by the dwarf, was impressed in spite of himself. He had seen the friction between the cleric and the tattooist and judging by the abilities he had seen Sorris using, he thought he knew the source. Unfortunately, the only kind of interpersonal conflict he was adept at solving was the kind that needed his katana.
The fighting man opens his eyes, restored from healing, and stares up at a priest and a tattoo man fighting with each other about relgion and proper fighting equipment. He sighs slightly to himself.
"If you are all quite done, I would appreciate some assistance in getting up. I've been battling undead for three days straight and I don't have the strength to get up"
The fighting man waits for one of them to assist him in getting up. Once he is standing, he takes his gladius and dagger and slides them back into their sheths. He slightly straightens his armor and cloak before speaking.
"I am Captain Tierce Vraie, of the 8th Legion of Tyrene, as for what I'm doing here and my mission, I will first start off by saying that I have no clue as to where I am. I was dispatched, along with my centura, to investigate reports of disapperances of Tyrene citizens from our southern town of Willowbluff. However, when we arrived, the town was deserted, but blood and gore was everywhere. There was a trail of it that led off to the south east, so we followed it to a large cave system. We were ambushed there by what had become of the towns people, and I was the only survivor. I've been following my attackers through the caves for what I think is about three days, chasing the monsters that killed my men. And this is what is left of them, former citizens of Tyrene." He geatures to the zombie bodies on the floor.
Tierce takes a quick look around. "So if I came from the north passage, and you came from the south passage, where does that go?" He points to the east passage.
Felisin gasps as he recalls his gruelling tale. She looks at the corpses surrounding them All these poor people. She sighs "Yes we should go there may be more of these people that need to be released from their horrible prisons." She gestures to the bodies lying by there feet.
Soris trusted the word of a Tyrene as much as a devil.
Sense Motive
His eyes narrow at the man.
"You sure you want to be leaving things out. If you know more you should say so. Your in Realinia now, this is the annual contest of adventurers. I guess one could almost say your trespassing."
Tierce nods to Felisin, "Thank you for your concern, my lady. I would appreciate the help"
He turns to Soris at his comment and walks up closely to him, almost chest to chest. He looks him up and down. "Where I come from, its customary to keep a civil tongue around newcomers. But I will excuse it, as from the look of you and the sound of your accent, your from Caldin. And a former slave if I'm not mistaken. Tierce moves away from him but doesn't break eye contact. "I've met a few tattoo men from Caldin myself, are those just regular tattoo's, or are they more then that?"
Tierce smiles to Soris. "It's alright if you instantly don't like me due to my ethnicity. I don't like other Tyrene's either." Tierce finally breaks eye contact and walks away from Soris. He removes a flask from inside his armor and drinks the contents. He puts the empty flask back inside his armor.
"As for tresspassing, Realinia is a free and open country, even to soldiers of Tyrene"
Soris did not blink at his words.
"Dont dodge the question. Your hiding something and dispite Realinia being free and open the legion has always been escorted while in Realinia. If the mayor of Cross does not know of you or that the legion may be interfering with the contest directly or indirectly, it should be brought to his attention then. After all your men are dead and only chance spared you from that same fate. It would not be good for anyone if a legion captain turned up dead or otherwise in Realinia lands without anyones knowledge."
Realinia always escorted the legion because they did not trust them. If their mess crossed into Realinia lands then it was no longer their concern. Was it something about Preator that made them soft in the head.
Quietly watches as the exchange between Soris and Isaac. Then Boomer set off his horn. Wow, that thing is loud in here. Then the stranger started to speak.
What is he hiding I wonder? Then watches the exchange between Soris and the stranger. 'More than that?' What does that mean?
Shakes his head, detaches his blades and sheaths them. Let us see what we can salvage.
Isaac moves in to save Tierce from Soris's barrage of attitude. Sir, you said that you were following the zombies. To what end? And why did you pursue them for so long on your own? And why don't you like Tyrenes?
Darius stares at the massive amounts of blood. My child, you know what will sate your thirst. Partake of this glorious scene, and give into the thirst. Shakes his head. No mother, you will not influence me this day. Then he flashes back to the day when he staked and beheaded her while she slept. Well, she deserved it.
Tierce nods to the priest, "I followed them for vengenance, for closure, for answers. And if I returned to Tyr with no Centura and no answer, my life would be forfit."
Tierce examins the priest, "I can see that you are a priest of praetor, so you may think that the homeland is a glorious place. But there is no honor left. Slaves are taken from far away countries when they should be left alone, and made citizens. Our armies are full of mercenaries when it should be full of noble fighting men... You would understand if you were in Tyr"