Lessien swings at the skeleton again.
Better end this before they get lucky. Kelkzar swings his falchion again at the skeleton in the corner, following it up with another attempt at a bite from his tusks.
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16. . (+6 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 4/22
Weapon Equipped Falchion +5 (2d4+6/18-20/x2)
Destructive Smite 4/5 remain
Kelkzar's falchion hits the skeleton, though the bones seem to turn away the blade causing only a glancing blow. Luckily, already damaged by Quintus's holy energy, the skeleton collapses and ceases to move.
- Skeletons, Trevor, Lessien, Quintus, Rauno, Kelkzar, Rowena
Trevor pushes forth, bringing the axe down this time.
Round 3:
Quintus casts a healing spell on the wounded inquisitor in front of him.
Kelkzar grunts as the healing energy channeled by Quintus closes some of the punctures from the skeleton's arrows. "Thanks Quintus. That should keep me on my feet."
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16. . (+6 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 10/22
Weapon Equipped Falchion +5 (2d4+6/18-20/x2)
Destructive Smite 4/5 remain
Trevor puts down the last skeleton.
There are three skeletons in the room with slight deformities, two adults and one young adult.
Each skeleton had a heavy crossbow pre-loaded and scimitars. There is a door to the north that leads farther in but nothing else than junk in this room.
Trevor looks at the skeleton. Heaving his axe, he says: "He must be stopped."
"Look at these warped bones on the skeletons. I've heard of this before. This is a sign of the Red Death. I think we may have located the remains of the Lands." Kelkzar works with Quintus and Trevor to recover the skeletons and store them away for later burial.
Once complete, he helps search the room making sure nothing has been missed.
"We need to get these reburied for Alastor, but since we've already knocked, it would seem a shame to not invite ourselves in."
"Indeed. This defiler must be stopped."
Lessien examines the next door, and works on the lock
"Kelkzar, would you like more healing? Rauno, I see you were injured as well."
Kelkzar looks at the ragged wounds the skeleton's arrows have left on his body. "That would be appreciated Quintus. Their arrows took a toll and I doubt we've seen the last of trouble in this tower." He stands behind Lessien while she ponders the door.
Quintus converts one of his memorized bless spells into another cure light wounds on Kelkzar.
Kelkzar involuntarily groans at the pain of the wounds coming together, but lets out a deep sigh at the relief that soon follows. "Much better Quintus. I thank you. How is that door looking Lessien? Should we just break it down?" He leans forward, eager to put his shoulder into something that isn't hiding behind debris and tables.
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16. . (+6 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 16/22
Weapon Equipped Falchion +5 (2d4+6/18-20/x2)
Destructive Smite 4/5 remain
The door is unlocked and opening the door leads to four simple chambers with a bed, a small open foot locker, and an unremarkable dresser. Each of the interiors are slightly different, but none of the rooms have been used for over a decade at least.
The north west door leads into the observatory tower, while the south west door is stuck and presumably leads to the last area in the side building.
"Let's go straight to the tower and see if we can slip in before the necromancer realizes we're here. We can come back and check these other areas on the way out."
"S-straight?" Trevor swallows, thinking... "I guess it makes sense somehow. Where do you need me? The front? The back..."
You open the door into the observatory tower.
The revolting stench of rotting flesh roils from the open door. In the room beyond, ten chairs surround an oblong dining table situated parallel to the door. Along the north wall, a wide staircase leads to an upper floor. A wooden door below the stairs presumably leads to a slim chamber. Two doors line the south wall. A sagging antique wooden shelf dominates the west wall, looking like it might collapse at any moment.
Three tall candles on the dining table illuminate a sight of terror. There are ten chairs at the table, and with the exception of the place at the western end, each of the chairs surrounding the table holds an awkwardly seated humanoid figure. The nine bodies are in various stages of decomposition. Some sit with splendid posture, paused as if midway through a sumptuous feast. Others slump treacherously close to the floor.
Heaping plates of apparently fresh food sit before each of the diners, but the empty place setting features a clean plate and set of utensils. Several bottles of red win rest upon the table, and each of the corpses sits before a half-finished glass. A fly passes nearby, its there-not-there buzz breaking the eerie silence.
"Be wary. Those bodies are not still," Rowena whispers.
Can they get to the other doors or the staircase without getting too close to the corpses?
Forgot to include the Room
You can skirt the table and be at least 5' away from any of the corpses.
Kelkzar whispers, "Yes, I see. Very creepy, let's see if we can slip past them to the stairs, but be ready for trouble when we get near the table."
Rauno, you are pretty sure these are zombies, but they haven't moved against you despite coming in the room or edging around them. Why that is you do not know, but these zombies are not here to guard the tower in any case.
"Wonder what would happen if I sit on the head chair... Best if I don't I guess..."
Trevor follows in the steps of the others, axe ready.
"Probably turn into one. Best not try it Trevor. Let's see if we can find the necromancer and the last of the Lands."
Circling around the table of corpses, you head up the stairs.
The stairs lead to a massive bedchamber that fills an entire floor of the observatory tower. Light filtering in from the tall windows ringing the chamber catches motes of dust in the calm air. A fine bed with plump red linen sheets squats upon a dais along the southeast cradle of the tower’s arc. A nightstand next to the bed holds a wax-choked candlestick and a black book bound with brown and red leather.
At the midpoint of the eastern wall a strange form stands rigid atop a short wooden stool, as tall as a halfling and clothed in a fine black suit and tophat. Clean cloth bandages wrap every inch of the sentry’s skin. A pair of ash-tinted spectacles rests upon a long skinny nose. The diminutive dandy holds a silver platter as if presenting a meal, and upon the tray rests the freshly preserved severed head of a middle-aged human woman. A platinum piece sits upon her outstretched, purple tongue.
A messy desk rests against the opposite wall, piled high with loose papers. An apparatus holding four long tubes filled with colored liquid peeks out from the clutter. Doors on the north and west walls appear
to lead to small closets. Wide stairs lead above and below. A massive white stone statue of a thin human man with outstretched angelic wings and a beatific look upon his idealized face looms large in the northwest arc of the tower wall. The angel holds a sword in one hand and
cradles a harp with the other. The presentation conjures thoughts of mausoleum peaks or the graves of important men. Tall letters etched upon the statue’s base spell out a single word: “Filge.”
Kelkzar murmurs, "Ragathiel protect us...this is the home of a very troubled man. No sign of him though so either he's further up or not home. I say we go up further and if he's not here, we can look for clues."
Trevor just nods, overwhelmed by the insane scene.
"Troubled for sure. Completely deluded, too, no doubt. Is that some sort of zombie? If it is, we'll definitely be doing it a favor putting it out of its misery." She peers at the wrapped halfling intently, though keeping her distance for the moment.
"Hold Rowena. It could be a trap. Let's deal with the necromancer and then we can put these bodies to rest."
"Really? I thought the decaying dinner party quite charming, actually."
Her lips twitch slightly, but she just can't muster up the humor to laugh at her own joke.
Update much later tonight or tomorrow
A single chamber dominates the observatory's entire upper floor. Light filter through the wide slit in the roof, bathing the center of the room in illumination. Four large mirrors set along the outside wall reflect bright beams into the direct center of the room, a recessed operating theater accessible via two short sets of stairs. The beams specifically target a blue-skinned humanoid figure splayed out upon an operating table, its chest completely opened and pinned back against the table with long metal needles. Two long shelves cluttered with piles of papers, rotting organs and instruments comprise the east and west extend of the operating theater, and are only a few inches lower than the chamber's outer floor.
Four metal and glass tanks, each easily large enough to hold a human, flank the short stairs leading to the operating theater. Each tank is full of yellow liquid streaked with rust. Indistinct, vaguely human silhouettes bob silently in the soupy fluid.
A man, one that looks like the one named Filge on the statue downstairs, says, "At last more bodies for experiments. Arise my beautiful monstrosities!" The glass tanks explode out revealing a scaly humanoid with a large metal pipe. Another creature, with dark fur that doesn't look quite right, also stands near the table with a large metal pipe. A skeleton seems to be following Filge around that has a rusty scimitar.
- Rauno, Lessien, Filge, Kelkzar, Skeleton, Rowena, Quintus, Trevor, Zombies
Knowledge: Religion: once she can see them
"Well, we found Filge and he's got another skeleton, probably the last Land, and five monstrosities that I've never seen before. Trevor, let's make as much room for everyone as we can without getting hit moving around. Ragathiel, help me defeat this twisted wizard and his foul creations!"
Kelkzar hugs the mirror, trying to slip around the first horror.
AC 17, touch 11, flat-footed 16. . (+6 armor, +1 Dex)
hp 17/22
Weapon Equipped Falchion +5 (2d4+6/18-20/x2)
Destructive Smite 4/5 remain
Effects Judgement of Sacred Healing (Fast Healing 1)
"Well, there's more than one kind of zombie!"
When he can, Quintus moves up the stairs and casts bless on the party. "Sarenrae, guide our hands and steel our spirits!"
Kelkzar Of course they can, the terrain wouldn't be stacked against you otherwise :)
Just waiting for Lessien to state an action
Lessien pops her extract of shield, and moves in toward the closest opponent.