GM Giuseppe's Price of Immortality (Inactive)

Game Master Giuseppe Capriati

Merephel turned toward the group. [b]"So we will need the shields from the Kassen statues. Wait, wasn't there four statues? And four of us?"

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (3) + 8 = 11

Korech frowns as he looks over Roldare, deeply uncomfortable with the poor man's mental collapse.

"Get shields from statue, then we need key from shadow. Maybe use rope and hook, get key from fire?"

Suggesting we head back to the statue, and then return to figure out wth to do about the shadow and the key in the brazier.

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Calden sits on his haunches next to Roldare, unsure what to do and trying desperately not to think of the fate that had befallen Dimira. What do you say to someone...?

After a while he turns back to the group, scrubbing at his moist eyes with his forearm. "We have to go, find a way down below." He takes a deep breath, trying to think clearly despite the sobbing in the corner. "Roldare must have known the Crypt very well, if he was to prepare it for us. That means that, shaken as he may be, we have to heed his words. We've only found one way down so far, but it was blocked." He starts pacing in the cramped quarters, trying to visualize the parts of the crypt they've visited.

"We've seen a lot of statues of Kassen so far: at the pool, in the corridor, and the wooden one. Only that last one had shields, so I think those are important. Than there is keys. We used one to gain entrance to the room with the wooden statue, and we know there's one near the fire, with the shadow. That key is probably magical as well, so there's a decent chance that it fits the second door in the room with the pool. It has to, because that's the only door that's accessible to us."

He sighs, already aware at what conclusion he would come. "We have to go back to the shadow, to grab the key. " He looks around the group, trying to form a plan. "We have to go in, distract it just long enough to grab the key. And then get out of there, hoping it isn't bound to the key or something. If we have to be quick and able to dodge it, I'd suggest me and Shirzon. Except Shirzon is still feeling the attacks of last time. What about I go in, try to sneak in without being seen. I grab the key, and run like hell before the thing can hit me. I know some tricks to dodge my way out of there."

Sense Motive: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17

Shirzon accepts Roldare's weapon, admiring its fine make. In response to his pleas, she nods with a look of determination. "We'll find her. Just stay here, stay safe, and wait for us."

Shirzon shudders at the thought of confronting the shadow creature again. "I think we do need that key... I should have grabbed it the first time..." Shirzon admits. She looks away, her brow creased in frustration and shame. "I would go, but I don't know how much more of that thing I could take. I can still help, though. I can stand outside the entrance with this." She pulls a bottle of water out of her bag, sealed with wax and silver dust. "Holy water. I think I was pawning these off as a way to banish evil spirits from... well, it's not important what I was doing with them. The important thing is that this is the real deal. Splash this on something as nasty evil as that shade, it's gotta do something."

Calden looks at Shirzon, uncomfortable as well. "Look, I said I should go alone, but I'm done sure whether that is wise. How can I defend myself if I have to grab the key as well? I know I can't really ask you to go in there as well, but between us you're the only one who already knows there the key is." He holds out his arms, as if he can't help it either.

"I know you took a beating from it earlier. I'll do everything I can to keep its attention on me. The holy water might be able to to that. I'll use it if I have to. We can do this, together." He holds out his hand to the half-orc.

"Merephel, do you still have healing magic available? You took care of the worst of the wound in my neck, but it's a long way from healed. If we're really going to do this, I'd rather not take any chances." He feels at his neck. Am I really going to do this, risk my life at some shadow-thing? Who am I kidding. Dimi is somewhere down there, how could we leave her and Roldare."

"If your magic is spent for today, I understand. I'll take Ilimara's potion, in that case."

As said in the discussion thread, I'd like to be at 10 health before going in. Will use the potion, if necessary.

Shirzon eyes Calden's proffered hand, hesitating, but eventually takes it. "Fine. I'll do it. We can do it."

In preparation, Shirzon shrugs off her bag, puts down most of her weapons, and starts to peel off her sweat-soaked leather armor.

Since my armor didn't help last time, I'm going to go in with just my clothes and the magical dagger. That should put me at a light load and my speed back up to 30 feet.

You greet Roldare one last time before getting out of the chamber, leaving the maddened man to his own babblings.

Merephel uses her magic wand to heal Calden before the group can move into action*.

---

In accordance with the plan, Calden is the first to move into the room where the shadow awaits. He takes on a defensive stance, trying to avoid the shadow's foreseeable attack. In the meantime, Shirzon darts into the room and grabs the key near the fire. The shadow does show indeed. It moves towards Calden, trying to reach out to him with his incorporeal hand. Calden nimbly dodges the shadow, his eyes frantically turned to Shirzon. The half-orc has grabbed the key already, and is preparing to leave the room. When she does, Calden tries to draw the shadow's attention by stepping back. Nimbly jumping backward, Calden manages to avoid the shadow. The shadow tries to catch Shirzon before she can flee, but the half-orc nibmly slides her way outside of the chamber. Korech shuts the door, and with a breath of relief you understand that you've made it. Shirzon holds the key in her hand and no one has been hurted by the shadow.

---

Now that you've got the key, it's time to use it. Mentally recalling the Crypt, you go to the chamber containing the pool with keys. There was a door to the south of this chamber you didn't manage to open, even with the magical key recovered by Merephel. When you try the new key, the door istantly opens, revealing a dusty chamber beyond it.

---

A small stone bench sits in the center of this dusty chamber. On the far wall is a faded mural depicting the hero Kassen defeating the mercenaries at the entrance to this crypt, with his blade piercing the chest of the mercenary leader. These figures stand alone in the center of a scene of carnage, with dead villagers and mercenaries all around them.

---

---

Apart from the faded mural, this chamber doesn't seem to contain anything else that could prove useful. As a consequence, you decide to move forward. You walk through a corridor, and find another door. When you open, something unexpected happens.

---

A single pillar in the center of the room supports this wide, domed chamber. The pillar is surrounded by a pit, but a stone bridge crosses the pit on the south side. Dozens of arrows jut from holes in the pillar, facing every direction.

---

You immediately close the door, noticing that it closes automatically, without needing your action. A burst of arrows crashes against the door, and you can hear the sound of their blunt tips crashing into the door.

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* Calden heals 8 points of damage, assuming Merephel spends one charge from her wand to heal him. Otherwise, he will drink his potion, healing the same amount of hp.

Roll20 Map updated.

It's raining XP! You gain 100 XP for having calmed down Roldare, and an additional 200 XP for having overcome the shadow's encounter; even if you weren't able to actually defeat the shadow, you have confronted it two times, suffered from its attacks and recover both the key and the magical dagger contained in its chamber, so I think you totally deserve those XP.

Alright guys. In your next post I would like you to find a way to overcome this trap using your wits and information. Try to include a plan in your post, or, at least, try to specifically agree/disagree with the plan your companions have proposed. I will be going to resolve the action according to your plan, so if you want to further explain your plan you can use the OOC code or simply explain yourself better in the Discussion Thread.

I'll be posting again at 10:00 a.m. GMT+1 (02:00 a.m. for Korech, 01:00 a.m. for Shirzon and Merephel), botting everyone who hasn't acted yet.

Korech slams the door shut and lets out a long breath of relief.

"Good job. Very brave."

With the key in hand, he heads along with the group, an arrow loosely held in his bow as he walks along. He stares uncomprehendingly at the pillar, full of holes before he lets out a yell as the door is closed and the arrows crash against it. He frowns, thinking for a moment.

Blunt tips?

Korech looks to the others.

[b}"They talk about shield, maybe we use shield and hide behind? If arrows not sharp, they no go through shield. Also, we see bodies with blunt arrows. Maybe trap run out."[/b]

Suggesting two ideas - the first is to hide behind a shield and advance. The second is to just use the trap until it runs out of arrows - reasoning that we saw blunt arrows on the bodies. The extra arrows may mean that the trap wasn't fully loaded.

Yes, one charge of the wand is fine. I will save the Channels for combat.

Perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (19) + 4 = 23

"Did you see those medallions? Kassen and that mercenary man were both wearing almost-matching necklaces. They looked like gold...I bet they are important!"

She ponders for a moment.

"Why not both? We try to empty the trap of arrows, and if we can't figure out when it is out of arrows, we can hide behind the shields."

She brightened at the thought of a viable plan.

Shirzon stares at the key in her hand, hardly able to believe that they made it back alive. She coughs a little from the smoke still lingering in her lungs from running around inside the shadow's bonfire room, but soon enough a wide grin spreads over her face. "We did it!" she exclaims, turning to her partner in crime. Before she can restrain herself, she throws her arms around the young shepherd and gives him a tight hug. Realizing what she's doing, she backs off and clears her throat. Embarrassed she averts her eyes. "Good teamwork in there, Ti-- uh, Calden. Couldn't have done it without you."

---

Take 10 on Perception at the mural.

"Huh." Shirzon points out that Kassen and the mercenary leader in the painting have very similar pendant necklaces. "Think they knew each other?"

Her wondering is cut short by the rain of arrows rattling against the door. "I think we could probably run down the trap until it was out of arrows if we had the right cover. Roldare said we needed a shield. Think those big wooden shields are big enough? Didn't they have something sappy written on them, too? Maybe it's a metaphor."

Taking 10 on perception.

Korech finally notices the medallions as well, and stares at the mural for a moment.

"Maybe Kassen and mercenary family who fight. Shield say family. Family wear things from parents. Dunno. Shield for blunt arrows sounds like best plan though."

How much cover can we get from those shields? Could one person crouch and another person to get full cover?

Calden rests with his hands on his knees, eyes watery from the smoke and his body full of adrenaline at the knowledge that they've faced the shadow and lived. He straightens and before he realizes what's happening, Shirzon grabs him in her bear hug. It takes him a moment to recover. "Same to you, Shirzon. I knew we could count on each other." He's about to give her a slap on the shoulder, but reconsiders half-way, considering it too awkward. "Let's see what it got us."

--

Take 10 on Perception.

"You're right," Calden answers when his companions point out the medallions on the painting. "Maybe they were family, or part of the same organization. It doesn't make a lot of sense, though. Why would they be fighting each other, in that case?"

--

Calden nods at the plans that's being formed. "Those wooden shields must be too heave to be used in combat, but they should be perfect for hiding behind. I say we go in in pairs, with two persons behind each shield." He thinks for a moment. "Maybe the amount of blunt arrows is limited, but I'd rather not find out that there are real arrows left in the trap, after those. I think we'd better hurry a bit and try to reach the other door behind the cover of the shields."

He looks at the shields. Will they do for providing cover for two people?

You return to the chamber where you had defetead the wooden statue of Kassen to recover the big shields wielded by the statue*. Calden and Korech pick up the shields and make their way back to the corridor leading to the trapped chamber, together with Shirzon and Merephel.

---

Shirzon and Merephel stand behind Korech and Calden respectively, and once you've gathered your courage, you enter the room. As soon as you do it, the central pillar begins jutting blunt arrows in all the room. The cover provided by the shield is sufficient to prevent the arrows from hitting Calden and Korech, but Shirzon and Merephel, who are standing behind the shields, cannot avoid all of the arrows even though the shield's protection offer them some cover. Fortunately, the only one aiming for Merephel misses her, thanks to Calden intervention: the Kassenite is in fact able to move the shield to protect his companion. Korech does the same with Shirzon, but the half-orc is particularly unlucky, because four arrows are directed against her. Korech manages to protect Shirzon from two of them, but Shirzon gets hit by the remaining two. One of them hits her in the leg, provoking an intense pain but nothing more; another arrow, however, hits Shirzon in her chest, cutting her breath and almost knocking her down **.

---

Despite the arrows, you manage to reach the southern door, but you soon realize that this door is locked. In the meantime, the door leading into this chamber has shut closed.

______________________________________
* These shields function as tower shields; they are poorly designed and weigh 60 pounds each. Anyone wielding one is considered flat-footed in addition to the –2 penalty on attack rolls suffered by all characters wielding a tower shield.

** Shirzon takes 9 points of nonlethal damage.

Roll20 Map updated.

It's up to you now guys! Each of you has a full round to perform his actions. As you can see on our Roll20 map, Shirzon is adjacent to the door and has several options: trying to open the door with one of the two keys found before, or simplt try to pick the door's lock. As for the others, Calden and Korech are protected by the arrows, but slowed down by the heavy shields. Merephel stands behind Calden's shield, adjacent to Shirzon, and can either decide to heal the half-orc or perform some other action.

I'll be posting again at 8:00 p.m. GMT+1 (12:00 a.m. for Korech, 11:00 a.m. for Shirzon and Merephel), botting everyone who hasn't acted yet.

Holding up his shield, Korech runs up to the pillar, using the cover of the tower shield to block any arrows firing southwards towards the door.

"Shirzon! Can you open door?"

Korech is going to run up flush against the pillar. The hope is that the shield creates a cone of safe space for Shirzon to work.

Coughing from the residual feeling of the arrow knocking the wind out of her, Shirzon grumbles about her quickly forming bruises. "I'm working on it, okay?"

Shirzon tries both keys on the door, first the one from the pool and then the one from the shadow, hoping to duck through before she gets hit any more.

Calden makes himself as small as possible behind the shield. He shifts his attention between keeping the right orientation in the room, and making sure that he stays as close as possible to Merephel, to provide her with cover.

"Tell me where you want to go, and I'll move with you." What's that smell?

Merephel's eyes go wide at the sight of Shirzon's bruises.

"I should take care of Shirzon first, so that she can get us through here! Then we should move to have our backs against the wall, I think."

Channel Positive Energy: 1d6 ⇒ 3

I should be able to catch Korech in there too, to get him a bit back as well.

"Err... All right." Calden backs up against the wall next to the door, pinning himself and Merephel close against each other and the shield.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Shirzon tries both her keys on the door, but neither of them opens the door. The pillar continue jutting arrows, and Merephel gets hit by one of them at her belly*. Shirzon seems to magnetize the arrows, and gets hit three times**, even if Korech has done his best to avoid her getting hit with the shield.

______________________________________
* Merephel takes 6 points of nonlethal damage.

** Shirzon takes 17 points of nonlethal damage! She had already accumulated 9 points of nonlethal damage before, but 3 of them were healed by Merephel (please Shirzon, try too keep your vital stats updated). With these additional 17 points of nonlethal damage, Shirzon falls unconcious and takes 12 points of lethal damage. She's now currently dying at -1 hp.

An impressive amount of damage. I'm sorry, Shirzon! Now you have to find a way to get out of this place and possibly past the door to the south. With Shirzon lying unconcious on the ground and knowing now that the both the keys you've recovered do not seem to work, it's now up to you to decide what to do next. Shirzon, please attempt a Con check to stabilize.

It would be best if you could answer to my post in a short time, so as to reduce Shirzon's inactivity period. I'll be posting again at 10 p.m. GMT +1 (02:00 p.m. for Korech, 01:00 p.m. for Shirzon and Merephel), botting everyone who hasn't acted yet. If you manage to post before that deadline, chances are I'll be able to answer you soon thereafter.

"Meph, you have to get her back up," Calden says slightly panicked. "She's our only hope of getting out of here!"

-Posted with Wayfinder

Shirzon grunts and staggers as the arrows hit her, falling over unceremoniously as the keys clatter to the floor.

Stabilize: 1d20 + 2 - 1 ⇒ (9) + 2 - 1 = 10

Now that I'm unconscious, can Korech enter my space so that I'm protected from further arrows?

@Shirzon: Yes, I would allow that. Let's try, however, to use the Discussion Thread for out-of-game contents ;)

Merephel reaches over with her wand, and attempts to heal Shirzon.

"Come on Shirzon, shake it off! We need you!"
Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 1 = 4

Calden draws his healing potion from his belt, intending to feed it to Shirzon if he gets the chance. He also takes a look around his shield. That doesn't make sense. It's AL about the keys, Roldare said so. Where is the key for this door?

Perception: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (16) + 6 = 22

It's a full round action to feed a potion, so not yet for this round.

-Posted with Wayfinder

Seeing that his plan with the pillar completely failed, Korech stands protectively over Shirzon to prevent more arrows from hitting her.

=======================
ROUND 2
=======================

Merephel tries to heal Shirzon, but the half-orc remains unconscious. Korech stands over Shirzon to prevent more arrow from hitting her. This time, only one arrow hits Merephel, crashing against her left foot.

=======================
ROUND 3
=======================

Few seconds after, Calden feeds Shirzon his potion, but in doing so partially exposes Merephel to the arrows thrown out by the pillar. Luckily, only one of them actually hits Merephel**, but that single arrow is enough to knock her down to the ground. In the meantime, Shirzon has gained consciouness again*** thanks to Calden's potion. Staying prone, she extracts her lockpicking tools from her backpack, barely managing to reason.

=======================
ROUND 4
=======================

Another volley of arrows is fired from the pillar. Calden has moved over Merephel to protect her, and Korech is still protecting Shirzon. The arrows crash against your big wooden shields, and you can hear the crashing noise produced by the impact as though you were actually hit by any single blunt arrow. The shield-bearers are starting to get fatigued, but for now they resist. In the meantime, Shirzon draws her potion from her backpack.

=======================
ROUND 5
=======================

Yet another volley of arrows is fired from the pillar, but your shields do their job well, protecting you from the arrows. However, the shields are starting to crack now. In the meantime, Shirzon drinks her potion****.

=======================
ROUND 6
=======================

Yet another volley of arrows is fired from the pillar, but your shields do their job well, protecting you from the arrows again. However, the shields are starting to crack seriously now. In the meantime, Shirzon grabs her lockpicking tools, and stands up, with Korech stepping forward. Only one arrows hits the half-orc as she gets on her feet again*****.

=======================
ROUND 7
=======================

Yet another volley of arrows is fired from the pillar, but your shields do their job well, protecting you from the arrows again. However, the shields are now seriously damaged and only offer partial cover. In the meantime, Shirzon tries to pick the door's lock and...SHE SUCCEEDS! Korech slams the door open and help Shirzon to get in the corridor beyond without exposing her too much. Calden picks Merephel up and runs away, trying to protect the girl from the arrows still being fired by the pillar. In his desperate fleeing attempt, Calden gets hit by two arrows behind his neck******. The last thing he's able to do is to lay Merephel down on past the door before falling unconscious due to the violent impact.

=======================
ROUND 8
=======================

Everything is now in the hands of Korech. The half-orc shields Calden with the remains of his shield and drags the guy past the door, exposing himself to another volley of arrows. Korech is able to protect himself from the arrows though, except for one of them which crashes against his forehead*******. As soon as Korech moves past the door holding Calden in his arms, Shirzon shuts the door closed. Tou can breath now.

______________________________________
* Merephel takes 2 points of nonlethal damage.

** Merephel takes 7 points of nonlethal damage and falls unconscious. She has accumulated 15 points of nonlethal damage, and as a consequence she's now unconscious and has taken 9 points of lethal damage and 6 points of lethal damage.

*** Shirzon is currently at 5 hp, with 5 points of nonlethal damage. As a consequence she's staggered, but can still act. I'm assuming she is using her move action to draw her thieves' tool.

**** Shirzon is now at 10 hp, without any point of nonlethal damage.

***** Shirzon takes 4 points of nonlethal damage.

****** Calden takes 13 points of nonlethal damage.

******* Korech takes 8 points of nonlethal damage.

I know guys, I've botted you a bit here, but I had the feeling that otherwise we would have needed several days to overcome this encounter. I've tried to bot your characters in the best way possibile. By the way, I'm now asking you to calculate your current vital stats and update your vital stats line. Korech and Shirzon may post within 12:00 p.m. GMT +1 (04:00 p.m. for Korech, 03:00 p.m. for Shirzon) to let me know how they plan to bring their companions to consciousness again.

Calden tries to drape Merephel down as gently as he still can, vision blurry and growing dim. At least you're... safe."

Shirzon puts her tools away, scowling. "This way better lead to that flame, or I'm going to have some choice words for the mayor..." she grumbles, gingerly touching her bruises.

Shirzon makes her way to Merephel, and takes the healing wand from her belt. "Let's see if I remember how to do this..."

Shirzon attempts to activate the wand several times, but it sputters out and she holds it up to eye level to growl at it. "Fine! I didn't even want to activate you anyway! You'll change your tune tomorrow." She turns to Korech and Calden: "Do either of you know how to use this thing?"

Sorry, I'm unconscious as well. It's just you and Korech.

Korech shakes his head in denial to Shirzon. Tired and bruised, he keeps an eye on the chamber beyond the corridor.

______________________________________
Korech said he won't be available for the rest of the day in the discussion thread, so I'm answering to Shirzon on his behalf.

With Calden and Merephel still unconscious, Shirzon and Korech decides to use the time at their disposal to rest instead of proceeding further into the Crypt. After some minutes spent resting, Shirzon discovers that the previous chamber, although littered with blunt arrows, is now safe. The pillar trap should have run short of arrows, and once Shirzon takes her time to analyze the trap she can confirm her initial impression. Since the chamber is much larger than the narrow corridor you were in, you choose to clean up the room a bit before laying your companions in the chamber and rest for a bit.

------------------------- 6 Hours Later -------------------------

Merephel slowly awakens. Although still staggered, she is able to stand up and use her healing magic now.

______________________________________
I would like you to roleplay a bit now before I post again Tomorrow morning. I'll be posting again at 10 GMT +1 (02:00 a.m. for Korech, 01:00 for Shirzon and Merephel).

Oh, I was almost forgetting...Please level up gentlemen! When you're done leveling up, please post in the Discussion Thread highlighting the key features you've unlocked. Oh, and also, do not forget to adjust your vital stats according to your new level!

Merephel opens her eyes, blinking slowly.

She climbs to her feet, and draws her holy symbol. She raises it high, to channel energy...and falls over. As several minutes of waving off help, she gets herself back into a sitting position. From the sitting position, she tries again.

Very, very slowly.

1d6 ⇒ 5
1d6 ⇒ 3
1d6 ⇒ 1

That is a total of 9 HP back to everyone; 9 lethal, and 9 non-lethal both.

White-faced and terrified, Korech manages to haul the unconscious bodies of his companions past the pillar with Shirzon. Collapsing, he looks ahead numbly, not saying anything and generally being awful conversation as he just wills them to wake up. After Shizron tosses him the wand in disgust, he looks over the item curiously.

How does this thing work?

He waves it in the air with a little flourish before tapping Merephel.

Nothing.

He jabs her with it a little harder. Her armour makes a satisfying clank, but still no effect.

Resolutely, and with the mentality of one who can see through a brick wall given enough time, he begins to methodically test every possible way he can use the wand, desperately trying to get Calden or Merephel to wake up.

Hours pass, and eventually, Korech despairs and grows bored, letting his mind relax as he begins to day dream.

I am running along the banks of the Tourondel River, barefoot, a bow I've scavenged with some crude arrows I made by hand. The wind blows hard against me, and I welcome the cold. For right now, I am alive, and I am one with the Fangwood. I am its protector.

As he rests, recalling the fond memory, he feels a certain tingle in his hand which rests slackly on the wand. This jerks him out of his reverie, returning him to the stark reality of the Crypt. He beams as he sees Merephel wake up, and the sudden blast of holy energy overwhelms him.

Within him, something clicks, and tapping into the same energy, and focusing on the feeling of being one, and with the forest, he channels it into the wand.

Cure Light Wounds: 1d8 + 1 ⇒ (1) + 1 = 2

Korech leaps to his feet, eyes wide.

"IT WORK! IT WORK! I MAKE WAND WORK!"

He sees the entire party, now awake and healed, staring at him.

"Uh. Here. Have back. But I make work."

Merephel smiles.

"Thank you Korech.You did terrific."

After dragging Calden and Merephel back into the arrow column room with Korech, Shirzon clears a space in the expended projectiles to sit down and wait. She quickly gives up trying to talk to Korech, distracting herself by thinking about getting back to the Seven Silvers. Her room there may be cramped, but at least it has a proper bed. She picks up blunt arrows, whittling them down to nothing with her hard-won magical dagger. By the time the humans wake up, she's created a sizeable pile of toothpicks and wood shavings.

When everyone is awake, Shirzon dusts herself off and gets ready to go when Korech starts shouting about the wand. She breaks into a toothy grin, and claps him on the shoulder. "And here I thought you didn't know how to use those! Glad you figured it out."

It takes Caldan a while to get his bearing when he wakes up. The trap and the arrows! We have to get out! His legs jerk and his hands make slashing motions before he realizes that he had passed out, and that the danger is gone. He runs a hand along his neck, where he feels two large bruises. That explains the headache. He lolls in and out of consiousness, away of Merephel beside him and Korech waving a length of wood at her. "At least I got you... out."

When he has finally rested enough and Merephel is awake as well, Calden takes some water and food. He bruises on his neck seem completely gone, thanks to Merephel's magic. "Wow. I didn't know you could do magic," Calden says cheerfully to Korech, looking impressed. "But then again, neither did you, apparantly!" He laughs sincerely and heartily, for the first time since thhey entered the crypt. That seems so long ago now. Has it been two days?

He comes to sit besides Merephel. "I'm sorry about all those arrows. Ilimara has been trying to teach me the trick to avoid arrows for so long, but I never got it to work. I tried to deflect some of them coming from the column, and I think it finally clicked. Until I took two of them in the neck. I nearly got us killed. Sorry..."

After everyone has woken up, you take your time to gather your belongings and rearrange your thoughts before setting out to further explore the Crypt. Deep in your soul, you feel an uncomfortable sensation: you know Dimira is somewhere in the Crypt, awaiting you to rescue her. You're her only hope of salvation, and the heavy burden of responsibility starts weighing on your shoulders.

When everyone is ready, you venture further into the Crypt, starting from the door to the south of the chamber where you are currently in. Your memories about the chamber beyond the door are blurry, as if you had previously seen what lies in that room only in a dream. In truth, when you came into the chamber for the first time, eight hours ago, you were so tired and bruised that you can hardly recall what the room was like. When you enter the chamber, your past memories suddenly start to refresh.

---

"A continuous carving of mourners runs along the walls here, leading to a staircase on the south side of the room."

---

As you advance through the chamber, you can hear the sound of old bones grinding against even older bones. Just about the time you start to realize what's happening around you, four skeletons step outside the shadows behind the columns and throw themselves against you. These skeletons' bones are bloodstained and unlikely those you've previously encountered, these ones wear no armor nor wield any weapon.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------------- ROUND 1 ----------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------

The skeletons have taken you by surprise. They swarm towards you, their old bones grinding against each other. Two skeletons attack Korech. The half-orc, although surprised, is able to avoid the first skeleton's attack, but in doing so he exposes himself to the second skeleton's attack: the razor-sharp claws of the skeleton open a deep wound on Korech's left arm, covering the skeleton's right hand with more (this time fresh) blood*.

Another skeleton charges Shirzon, but the half-orc avoids the undead by curling up for a moment and then standing up again.

The last skeleton attacks Calden, and catch the Kassenite by surprise. The skeleton's claws create an horrible scar on Calden's left cheek**.

--------------------------------------------------------------------
---------------------- INITIATIVE ORDER ----------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------------

• Skeletons
  
• Merephel
  
• Calden
  
• Korech
  
• Shirzon

** Calden takes 5 points of damage.

Merephel, I need you to level up before you can join combat.

We're in combat again! Good luck guys!

Roll20 Map updated.

A picture of these skeletons has been added to our Pinterest gallery.

I'll be posting again at 08:00 p.m. GMT+1 (12:00 a.m. for Korech, 11:00 a.m. for Shirzon and Merephel), botting everyone who hasn't acted yet.

Calden hoists his packback on his shoulders and helps the others up. "We have to go," he says simply, realizing that the others know that as well as he does.

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Round 1
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Despite this not being his first encounter with skeletons, Calden is shocked at seeing the amount of blood the bones are covered in. Oh Gods, please don't let that be Dimi's. The thought leaves him stunned for a moment, until the sting on his cheeks brings him back to the present.

Knowledge Religion: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (8) + 4 = 12

Remember, smash their bones," he yells while spinning his quarterstaff, a blur of wood that doesn't seem to connect with the skeletons yet.

Flurry of Blows on skeleton 2, skeleton 3 after that. Still suffering -1 to attack and damage from Strength penalty. Those have been included in the dice rolls below.

Attack 1: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6
Damage 1: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 = 4

Attack 2: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (7) + 2 = 9
Damage2: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

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Round 1
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Korech roars in pain, passing hiw bow to his off hand while he unhooks the light mace from his belt. He whips it across, trying to smash in the face of one of the skeletons.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (11) + 5 = 16 Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5

5' step south and attacking Skeleton #1.

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Round 1
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Believe it or not, I was completely leveled...except for changing Cleric 1 to Cleric 2.

Knowledge:Religion: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (6) + 5 = 11

Merephel raises her holy symbol, and calls forth her divine power, attempting to frighten off the skeletons.

Merephel Turns Undead; the DC for the Skeletons 13.

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Round 1
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Shirzon draws her mace, but the weakness in her bones from the shadow's touch still plagues her. She takes a breath and relaxes her grip. Jimes always says that everything's an opportunity. To try being more subtle... Shirzon lets her weapon swing more freely, then whips it out at the blood stained bones as she steps nearer, letting a flick of the wrist direct it more than raw muscle.

Light mace to #4: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (9) + 5 = 14
Damage: 1d6 - 1 ⇒ (4) - 1 = 3

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---------------------------- ROUND 1 ----------------------------
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One of the skeletons flee because of Merephel positive energy. In the meantime, Korech is able to hit one of the other skeletons, destroying it with a single hit.

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---------------------------- ROUND 2 ----------------------------
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As soon as the skeleton adjacent to Shirzon flees, both the half-orc and Calden have the chance to hit it. Unfortunately, they miss and the skeleton gets away without taking any hit.

The two remaining skeletons focus their attentions on Korech and Calden. Both of them get hit by the skeletons.
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* Calden takes 3 points of damage. Korech takes 4 points of damage.

Merephel you need to remove other 3 uses of channel energy. In fact, you used them to heal your companions 2 hours ago.

I'll be posting again at 12:00 p.m. GMT+1 (04:00 p.m. for Korech, 03:00 p.m. for Shirzon and Merephel), botting everyone who hasn't acted yet.

Frustrated that his attacks don't connect and that he didn't manage to dodge the skeleton's clumsy attack, Calden sighs and clenches his jaw. Focus! reverberates the voice of Ilimara in his head.

Flurry of Blows again. I can't see which skeletons are dead or fleeing on Roll20. Please assume targeting priority 3, 2, 4, 1.

Attack 1: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
Damage 1: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 = 6

Attack 2: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (12) + 2 = 14
Damage 2: 1d6 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 2 = 5

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[/b]Round 1[/b]
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Shirzon tumbles around a pillar, getting into position behind a skeleton as she pulls out her other mace.

Acrobatics to avoid AoO: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (14) + 8 = 22

With Calden helping distract the bony attacker, Shirzon flicks out her mace again at the thing's weaker-looking joints.

Light mace, flanking vs #4: 1d20 + 5 + 2 ⇒ (3) + 5 + 2 = 10

She scowls. Her new technique seems to be better, but she hasn't quite gotten the hang of it yet.

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Round 2
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Also not sure which skeletons are up. Korech will whap whatever is most convenient, unless there's an obvious flanking opportunity.

Attack: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 1 = 16 Damage: 1d6 + 3 + 1 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 1 = 6

Ignoring the bleeding wounds, Korech roars and swings out with his mace at the nearest skeleton.

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ROUND 2
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Calden hits the skeleton before him, turning it into a mere mound of bones. Korech is able to hit the skeleton too, completely destroying it with his powerful blow. The last standing skeleton is trying to flee because of Merephel positive energy, but the Kassenite girl is able to reach to it and infuse it with positive energy: this causes the skeleton to crumble at her holy touch*.

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Combat is over!
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With the skeletons finally turned to useless bones, you have some time to discuss about your next move and heal your wounds, if necessary. You can see a stairway descending to a lower level.
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* Merephel converted one of her 1st level spells (your choice) to a cure light wounds spell.

You gain 200 XP!

Okay everyone, so tomorrow is Sunday and we’re going to start venturing into the lower level of the Crypt. I’m willing to give you some time to make some actual roleplay between fights and traps, so I’ll leave you a bit of time tomorrow to accomplish just that. I'll be posting again at 12:00 p.m. GMT+1 (12:00 a.m. for Korech, 11:00 a.m. for Shirzon and Merephel), introducing you to the crypt’s lower level.

Merephel converted Bless.

Merephel was pensive.

"It really concerns me that all these undead showed up. Who brought them?"

She looked around the group.

"How is everyone feeling?"

"I took more hits than I should have," says Calden while dusting himself off from the fight. He feels at his cheek. "I wasn't paying attention when these... things turned up. Ilimara would have something to say about that." His mouth turns into a rueful smile. "Can you do anything about this? It'll turn into a nasty scar, otherwise..."

"It's a good question, though. We can assume that all of the traps we've encountered are a part of the Crypt. Most of them were softened by our fellow villagers, like the pillows and the leather covering of the swords. But the undead definately shouldn't be here. They weren't here last year, for sure." He starts pacing. "So far we've seen lots of these walking skeletons, and that shadow-thing. Roldare talked about the walking bones, which must be the skeletons. And a voice of death. Would that be a necromancer?" He shivers.

To take his mind off the threat that they might have to face, Calden takes off his backpack and spreads out its contents on the floor, before neatly repacking everything. While handling the second potion that he got from Ilimara, he looks up at Merephel. "Might it be worth it to take another look at the potion? I'm not sure how you do stuff like that..."

"Oh, it's not like I think you didn't do a good job last time," he hurries to add.

Although obviously injured by the skeletons, Korech doesn't say much about his injuries, he simply looks at the stairs.

"Maybe deaders already here. Is crypt, right? Something wake them up."