The southern door reveals another bell-rope room, seemingly a mirror image of the northern. The south end of the passage is open, turning to the east.
Torrosk continues to the next door in the east facing hallway and opens it.
Jonnie follows mutely.
Torrosk opens the door into what appears to be a well furnished bed chamber, a large bed thick with blankets dominates the room, along with a large somewhat cluttered desk, an armoire a chest of drawers and a large mirror. Several holy symbols and religious paintings adorn the room as well, as does what appears to be a mannequin upon which one might hang a suit of armor.
"One of the priest's rooms. It doesn't look like there's anything else in here." Torrosk takes a quick look and then moves to the next door.
Ravin says with a chuckle, "Press on. Wouldn't be very nice to loot our hosts. "
The next door opens to a stair chamber, with spiral stairs winding upwards, the smell of smoke is more noticeable here, though still not noticeable in the air. Finn and Ravin think they hear some movement and a sound that is almost like laughter in the distance above.
Jonnnie follows the group up.
Ravin whispers, "I hear someone up there. Want me to sneak ahead to get a look? "
Finn gives the nodding go-ahead, but not before touching Ravin on the shoulder and imparting a Bit of Luck to the rogue. "Desna's Luck go with you, Ravin," Finn says quietly.
Ravin picks up a pebble and casts light on it, extinguishing the light his rapier, which he sheathes. He closes his hand around the stone, blocking most of the light and then nods. "Be right back.... If you hear screaming, come running. ". He then mentally maps out where the objects that he can hide behind are, especially doorframes, and begins the process of creeping silently forward from one hiding spot to the next, listening carefully to the voices.
Ravin creeps quietly up the spiral stairs and emerges into a quiet area with the sounds he heard muffled enough that they wouldn't be close enough to be a threat. With that he opens his hand, releasing the light of the stone to see he is in a room with a single door. A bit of smoke is creeping under the door frame.
Ravin rushes back down the stairs, "Empty room, closed door, smoke. Think we found the fire, and possibly the arsonists.". He draws his rapier, then looks up at the bigger folk expectantly.
"Let's go then. Good work, Ravin." says Finn with a nod to the sneaky halfling.
He rushes to the door, putting his hands to it to see how hot the door is before opening. If cool, he will open, standing back so the others can enter first.
If it's hot, he will hold, asking the party how to proceed.
The party climbs the spiral stairs and joins Ravin in the room above.
The door is cool to the touch, despite the increase in smoke.
Opening the door you see a hallway before you, clouded in smoke that billows into the room. The smoke is not so thick as to disturb your vision, but it is enough to create a pungent odor and bring water to your eyes.
Jonnie says:
"My last good magic enlarges someone. It will be Torrosk when it matters. May want to have the alert look for traps or hazards!!"
"Let's keep moving," Radavek says as he begins moving down the hall.
Ravin nods, "Smoke can kill on its own, so being quick is probably a good idea... But let's not walk into an ambush if we can avoid it. One moment."
He steps away from the others a bit, trying to listen for the voices he heard earlier before proceeding.
The voices Ravin heard are now much clearer, though the speak in high-pitched gibberish combine with laughter and howls of frustration.
As you turn the corner you enter the bell tower which extends into the darkness above, at least 60' by your estimation. A stairway beginning directly before you wraps around the inner wall of the bell-tower all the way to the top, with the ropes hanging down the middle. The bell-tower gets narrower with each story that it rises, and you can envision it rising to the high steeple you observed from outside. The smoke gathers more heavily in the bell-tower, obscuring your view beyond forty feet. However, you occasionally see flashes of light within the smoke - as if small bursts of fire were erupting.
From up in the smokey you hear what appears to be voices taunting each other in some shrill jibberish.
Ravin follows, whispering, "They're over that way, and if I didn't know better, I'd say they're taunting each other. "
Jonnie decides it is the time to enlarge the paladin.
"Be large and in charge holy warrior."
Radvek takes a few steps forward to examine the central area.
Finn follows behind Radavek, his heart in his throat, morningstar now in hand, as the voices seem to get closer.
Certain that this floor is clear and that time is still dear, Radavek ascends the stairs.
Ravin follows Finn and Radavek, hoping his sharp eyes and ears find the voices before they find him.
Jonnie follows behind the now giant paladin.
Torrosk grins at the size increase and then moves through the hallway to take a look around the next corner.
As you turn the corner you enter the bell tower which extends into the darkness above, at least 60' by your estimation. A stairway beginning directly before you wraps around the inner wall of the bell-tower all the way to the top, with the ropes hanging down the middle. The bell-tower gets narrower with each story that it rises, and you can envision it rising to the high steeple you observed from outside. The smoke gathers more heavily in the bell-tower, obscuring your view beyond forty feet. However, you occasionally see flashes of light within the smoke - as if small bursts of fire were erupting.
From up in the smokey you hear what appears to be voices taunting each other in some shrill jibberish.
You notice among the smoke above what appears to be some sort of firey creature seeming to be pressing itself into the wall, causing it to blacken and smolder. The creature is up a ways, but you might reach it by proceeding up two flights of stairs.
"There's some creature up there. Something fiery." Radavek hisses to the others. He shifts the torch to his left hand and points with his right. Then he draws his blade and continues up the stairs.
As you move up the stairs and into the smoke, your eyes begin to water but the smoke is still sparse enough not to affect your vision or breathing to much. The larger room below falls away as you begin to ascend into the first level of the bell tower, noting that the higher levels are even more narrow, with only the western wall remaining flush all the way to the top.
As you ascend, the burning skeletal creature on the northern wall becomes more clear. The small humanoid skeletal creature has thin, leathery wings that are alight with flame, small horns, mischievous smile, and is trailing a thick plume of smoke from its legs. It's beating wings seem to be holding it in place against the walls in cooperation with its grasping claws, and the wall it presses against seems to be smoldering strongly. It cackles gleefully as it sees you approaching on the stairs, turning from its incendiary work to face you.
This creature appears to be a skeletal fire mephit, an undead form of an extra-planar fire creature, known to be both mischievous and malicous. It is both undead and extra-planar.
Skeletal fire mephits have the vulnerablities and resistances of both fire mephits and undead skeletons. DR5/bludgeoning, immunity to fire, vulnerability to cold. Also undead traits: Undead are immune to death effects, disease, mind-affecting effects (charms, compulsions, morale effects, phantasms, and patterns), paralysis, poison, sleep, stun, and any effect that requires a Fortitude save (unless the effect also works on objects or is harmless). Undead are not subject to ability drain, energy drain, or nonlethal damage. Undead are immune to damage or penalties to their physical ability scores (Strength, Dexterity, and Constitution), as well as to fatigue and exhaustion effects. Undead are not at risk of death from massive damage.
Unlike normal fire mephits, skeletal fire mephits do not breathe fire. Instead, adjacent creatures are damaged by their fiery aura, as are creatures the mephit strikes with its claws.
Finn, not much of a priest, and therefore not familiar with either the undead or the planes, has no idea what kind of creature the burning winged skeleton is, but he knows it must be stopped.
"The blessing of Lady Luck go with you against that foul creature ahead.' whispers Finn, invoking his shared luck power. He touches Radavek as he climbs forward on the stairs, imbuing him with a mote of luck.
Torrosk advances trying to keep his shield between himself and the creature, slashing down at it with the long sword.
Jonnie yells out to the paladin.
"Use your divine smash on this thing."
The fire creature launches from the wall, trailing smoke behind it as it flies toward Finn. The creature slashes at him once with his claws and the proximity of the fire burns at the priest.
The claw is caught by Finn's armor, but the heat given off by the creature begins to blister his skin.
As the creature approached, Torrosk slashed it harshly with his sword, cutting deep into the bone. If the things had organs, they would have been eviscerated, slaying the thing. However, the skeletal structure seems resistant to the slashing attack. A second slash, however, finishes the creature slicing it into two at the spine - the fire goes out and the remains of the skeletal corpse falls charred to the stairs.
Ravin whistles, "Wow. Well done. Now to try to stop the damage it's caused."
The spot where the creature was is smoking, but not aflame. You believe you hear others in the smoke above and see an occasional flicker in the smoke.
"The heat from that thing...it's intense. No wonder the belfry is aflame. We need to get these things out of here before the burn the whole church down." says Finn in a voice that is rising in pitch from the fevered excitement of the fight. "I believe I am luckier than I realized or I might be a little crispy myself."
Radavek looks at the smoking bones and back up at Torrosk. A quick smile expresses pleased satisfaction with the sword work. Then the young Varisian moves on up the stairs.
Ravin says, "There may be more of them up there... Just when we thought we'd saved the day... "
Radavek again takes the lead, stepping over the smoldering corpse of the creature and being careful not to burn himself. The stairwell turns counter-clockwise up the bell-tower and upon climbing the western stair southward rises into a narrower section.
The smoke is thicker here obscuring vision beyond about fifteen feet and burning your lungs. The mimicking gibberish that you heard before from the fire creature again erupts, this time from two sources to the east and flickering of flames can be seen flashing through the smoke.
Jonnie shoots a frost bolt while sickened.
The thick smoke gets to Finn, who begins hacking and coughing. His eyes streaming tears, he looks for fresher air to breathe and to clear his head. Sickened and half-blind, he still tries to fire his crossbow at the searing flame creatures in front of him.
Coughing in the smoke, the quick elvish reflexes nonetheless let Jonnie get a bolt of frost off in the direction of the fiery creatures.
Despite his coughing and tear-filled eyes, Finn appears to hit the creature directly across from him. However the arrow apparently slid between ribs and through-and-through without inflicting real damage.
Jonnie advances 15' in the difficult terrain to unleash her frost bolt hoping to see a fire beastie. She readies her shot if no fiery creature after her advance.