Teois punches twice, landing his first blow. The begins to fill with the smell of burnt viscera!
Seherab stabs and leaves a tiny puncture hole in the floating organs!
Brynark fires a frosty ray, but misses!
Ankhef jabs with his spear, but misses as well!
The floating organs continue to drapes its intestines on Teos as it swings a gall bladder at the monk, missing. It then smacks Seherab with a rotting colon!
Seherab nearly chokes on his lunch as the colon hits him. He backs up and takes an extract to soothe his stomach.
"Hurry dwarf brothers! We can end this foul monstrosity!" Brynark yells to the group as he launches another Ray of Frost.
Teos dodges under the slimy liver and pokes at the organ's heart with a two fingered dim mak.
+
It is apparent, however, that perhaps the monk has not actually mastered that technique...
Seherab heals himself as he retches!
Brynark fires a frosty ray, but misses!
Ankhef stabs at the organs, but misses!
Similarly, Teos punches twice and misses twice!
The floating organs deliver a one two punch to Teos, hitting first with the a lung, then following up with a rotting heart!
Teos stumbles a bit, starting to bleed heavily.
He stands his ground and attempts to return the blows, however, fiercely striking out.
+1 vs. su. of undead.
+
Ankhef casts cure moderate wounds and steps up and touches Teos.
"I'm done playing around with these organs." Brynark concludes. "BREATHE ICE PUNK!"
Teos reels from the blows, but then collects himself and lands a heavy blow against the organs, charring them a little more!
Ankhef comes to Teos' aid, healing the monk!
Brynark conjures and hurls another ball of ice! The ice smashes into the organs, freezing them and chipping off the charred parts. The assemblage of decaying organs fall to ground!
Searching the room you find most of the goods stored here are mundane and not worth much money. The most obvious objects of value are twelve ancient bottles of honeyed wine, worth 25 gp each.
Near the eastern door hang cleric's vestments and silver holy symbol of Pharasma, both in good condition. The nosoi, Qasin, begins to chitter excitedly. "Those belong to Ptemenib! Those are his! Oh, I do hope he is alive!"
Ankhef lets out a sigh of relief "I thought we'd never be done with those intestines... felt like they went on for miles... Thanks Bynark, glad you were with us, never thought we'd be fightin' something like that."
Looking over the objects quickly "This sphinx is the Flame-Mother form of Ymeri the elemental lord, quite unusual and valuable."
Ankhef takes a moment to carefully wrap it and put it securely in his backpack. As soon as he puts the backpack on though it seemingly moves of its own accord, flipping over and changing sides.
"Indeed, Ankhef, this is quite a find. Allow me just a few moments to take a few notes while it is fresh in my mind."
After a few quick scribbles in his journal, Seherab cleans himself off as best as possible and nods in readiness.
Ankhef struggles for a moment to find the cure wand and offers it around.
"To the east, his clothes are here! Oh my hopefully that wasn't him just now..."
Seherab looks about the room and excitedly rushes over to dust off an old water clock. He whistles as he points to the maker's mark. "Pheron, a legendary pioneer in Ancient Osirion mechanics. This is worth quite a bit. Let's take it with."
After wrapping it up carefully in a few spare rags, Seherab dusts himself off and follows east.
Heading to the east, the party finds the next room is a large chamber. To the southeast four stone wells fill what is otherwise an unremarkable room. Disassembled mechanical remains lie scattered around plumbing connections in the southeast corner.
To the north, you find what was likely the main workspace of the brickworks based on the large stone mixing basin in the room. The area now appears to have been converted to sleeping chambers as you note eight bunks. A rickety shelf in one corner is crowded with books about Osirionology. The smaller room to the west appears to be a storeroom that has been converted to a makeshift game room.
Seherab takes his time pacing through the room carefully, wary of any traps or hidden foes. As he comes to the southwestern well he makes a double-take and motions to the others. "Come over here, I think we may have found our man. Let's get some rope and get down there to help him out."
Brynark nods as his new dwarf brothers examine the room quickly and efficiently, grabbing expensive items from the room as if they were trained by Norgorber himself.
As Ankhef thanks him, the dwarf blushes a bit. "I'm just doing right by you lot." he says deferentially.
The group moves into the next room and Bryn looks around, trying to find his own expensive treasure to show off, but sadly all he finds is a man trapped in a well.
"Found a person..." he remarks to the rest of them, but he is cut off as Seherab appears out of nowhere with rope and a call out to the other two dwarves.
Teos nods, unwinding a rope and climbing down.
Once at the bottom, he secures the unconscious man and lift him while the others pull.
After the safety of the poor priest has been secured, he looks about at the squalid quarters.
Finally, after several minutes of looking, the monk notices and points out a loose brick on the wall. Removing it, he pulls out some sort of necklace. Puzzled, he offers it to the mighty Brynark for study.
He watches the trio swiftly rescue the old man as Teos exits the well and spots a loose brick just to the left of where Brynark looked. When he pulls a necklace from behind the brick, Brynark scowls. "Drat..."
But the dwarf hands it to him anyway and the arcanist gazes over it with his special eyes to deduce its powers.
"Best for Teos or Seherab, I think. Will infuse you with sturdier skin." he deduces.
Tossing down a rope, Teos deftly climbs down hand over hand to the bottom. There he finds the man is not unconscious, but beaten and fatigued. After Teos and the party get the man to the top and cut his bonds free, the man gives the party a weak smile. "Thank you and praise Pharasma for saving me." Spotting the nosoi flitting about with his dark rimmed, sinken eyes, his smiles grows larger. "Ah, I see I have my friend Qasin to thanks for finding my saviors." The nosi flits about the man's head, then lands on his shoulder. "Are you alright, Ptemenib? At least your alive! I saw you taken by those men and loked around for help until I found these four!" The pyschopomp says.
Reaching out a hand, the man turns his attention back to the party. "Indeed, I am much in your debt and you have my eternal gratitude. Are there still gang members about? It is a bad thing, the Silver Chain serve a new master, a man in a golden mask." Nodding to the east, he says. "In there appears to be where he stays. Have you been confrotned by him?"
Seherab frowns at mention of the gang. "I am glad we have found you but I am afraid there may still be more gang members about and we have not yet assaulted the man in the golden mask but we certainly mean to. What is their purpose? Why are they doing this? Have you overheard anything?"
The Osirion shakes his head, then puts hand to it as if the gesture pained him. "I do not know their purpose. If fact, that is how I was captured. I noticed a member of the gang loitering around the auction at the Canny Jackal. I remember seeing you there." He looks at Brynark for a moment. "Well at least three of you. Anyways, I left early and followed the man. I've known of the Silver Chain for some time, they've always been involved in robbing the dead, so of course the church of Pharasma has always kept an eye on theem. I wanted to see if I could gather some information or catch them in illicit activities." Rubbing an ugly bruise on his shoulder, he continues, ruefully. "I was stupid. Apparently I was spotted. As I turned down an alley to follow, I was waylaid, beaten, and brought here."
He begins to stand, but a hiss of pain escapes his lips. "Blast it! They took my holy symbol. If I had it I could heal some of these wounds."
Ankhef struggles to find his wand before eventually healing the man.
Brynark listens closely, learning about this mission that the dwarves are on as Seherab converses with this new found man from the well.
Ptemenib gives a small sigh of relief as Ankhef heals him. "My thanks. That's a little better."
Teos waves a hand over his face, covering it, and then raises both hands upwards, palms up, in a rising gesture with an evil look upon his beardless face. He follows with a pantomime recognizable from now recognizable as a shambling zombie.
Ptemenib watches Teos pantomime, a look of confusing crossing his face. Turning to the rest of the party, he shakes his head. "What's he saying?" Turning back to Teos, he flushes with embarrassment. "Sorry, I don't understand."
Teos grunts and turns to Ankhef, his fingers flying. Man make dead walk?
Ankhef translates roughly "Have you seen any undead with them? They are robbing graves, are they making zombies or other undead?"
Ankhef will hand the priest his wand
"Even without your symbol you should be able to use this in case things get rough."
The Osiriani shakes his head. "I don't think the Silver Chain are responsible for the undead uprising, nor did I notice any undead before I was put in the well."
He takes the wand with a nod of gratitude.
Qasin, the nosoi, begins flitting around Ptemenib's head. "Dwarves are forgetful or slow witted. I saw your vestments and holy symbol hanging near the door in the other room!"
Seherab digs in his pack while the others talk and presents the man with his priestly garb and silver holy symbol. "Well, they might not be directly responsible but only scholars like us who are trained to deal with sensitive sites should be snooping about in tombs and crypts."
"Thank you, Ptemenib. Stay back and stay safe while we go take care of this golden-masked man."
"Were those his?" Brynark asks offhandedly, not really interested in the answer.
"We should find this golden-masked man. Maybe he has answers as to why I have been summoned here by my dreams." he states resolutely as he begins to test the double doors to the east to see if they are locked.
Ptemenib's face betrays extreme relief as his vestments and holy symbol are returned to him. "Oh, thank you! Thank you!" Donning the items, he says. "Is anyone injured? I am going to channel the power of Pharasma to heal some more of my wounds." He motions for everyone to stand closer, then channels positive energy.
After that, he looks to the eastern room. "I'm in no shape to fight, but I could provide healing if things turn nasty." He says.
Entering the rooms to the east, you see finely crafted antique furniture from many different periods crowds this chamber, and the smell of rich food hangs in the air. Books and charts crowd one cedar table, while a half-finished banquet of fruit and roasted meats sits on another. A living area with a bed and other furniture fills the southern portion of the room. Four men are in this room, one wearing a golden funerary mask. They all look up as you enter. They begins moving, jumping up from seats and setting aside things as the man says. "You are trespassing on Silver Chain ground. Be gone or suffer our wrath!"
Drawing two khopesh blades, the man in the mask strides boldly into the middle of the room and readies himself for combat!
"You'll suffer ours first, I assure you!" Seherab draws his short sword and an extract, quaffing it and causing a magical shield to shimmer before him.
The northern man moves up casting a spell and bathes the party in flames that sprout from his hands.
The other two men move up and cast spells as well!
Brynark growls as he is coated in flames. "I hate fire..." he says dourly as he summons a flurrying cloud of snow engulfs the man in blue robes.
The monk takes the brunt of the flames, but it does not slow him down much. He steps up and repeatedly pounds fists into the blue robed man.
"Good work, Brynark. You seem to be getting the hang of this."
Ankhef's false life absorbs all the the flames.
He will then step back and begin casting SM II
Brynark pats out his flaming shirt cuff, then casts a spell, showering the lead man in a snow flurry. The man reacts quickly, shielding himself from the ice pellets!
Teos steps up and lands to punches to the lead man's jaw, nearly knocking out the man!
As Seherab cheers on the party, Ankhef begins casting a lengthy spell!
The masked man strides to the north and attacks Teos! Feinting high, the man brings the curve of his khopesh behind Teos' leg and trips the monk!
Seherab steps over to help Teos, studying the leader's posture quickly before stabbing!
Studying his opponents posture and movements, Seherab moves in and stabs the leader!
The southern man casts a spell, then tries moving past Seherab. Once his is in flanking position, he reaches out to touch Seherab with a sparking hand. Concentrating on avoiding an attack from the dwarf, the man misses!
The man in red stabs Seherab with a shortsword, finding a weak spot in the dwarf's defenses!
The man in blue stabs at the prone Teos, but the monk is still able to avoid the blow with monkey-like agility!
B-13
R-
G-
Brynark keeps the roil of snow and ice on the man in blue robes as he conjures a stronger blast of ice to deal with the man in green before him.
The Snowball goes wide as Brynark scowls. "Bloody idiots all in melee. Can't seem to find a proper target!"
Ankhef summons a small earth elemental and has it pound on the leader.
Ankhef follows up by causing a skeleton to rise out of the ground and also attack the leader.
Brynark's minature flurry pelts the man in blue, causing enough wounds to drop the man in unconsciousness! Brynark the flings a snowball, but misses!
The ground then opens up for Ankhef, expelling bot an elemental and a skeleton. Both summonees attack, but fail to land their strikes!