Sophie crushes both bloody skeletons as they try to squeeze out the door, and Niculaie hears a solid "crack" as his blunted arrow hits a skull. It does not eliminate that threat, however.
The bone white skeletal champion tries to swing at Vivian around the door, but just splinters the doorjamb instead.
Pink steps forward to attack Doro, but it is easily turned away.
With the fight apparently well in hand, Pontia delays in case there's a need for magical intervention.
Vivian smashes the undead, giving them the final, everlasting peace of Pharasma they longed for
Sophie steps beside Vivian to get an angle to swing her hammer through the door at the white skeleton, then strikes it. She directs the ancestral spirit nodachi of force to attack the green skeleton.
for
for
Four more skeletons are destroyed. The last two come for Doro. If they were alive, they would have known better.
Niculaie stops singing, but the effects of his inspiring lament linger with the echoes of the final notes. He steps over for a better angle, but holds off firing another arrow as it seems to be unnecessary.
Sophie moves into the house and directs her spiritual weapon to attack the skeleton that is not by the open door.
Gregor continues attacking the remaining skeletons.
Once again, he changes targets fluidly, before it's clear whether his initial target is dead.
Even without Doro's option to help, Gregor makes quick work of the 2 remaining skeletons.
Sophie looks around the interior. The town’s gravedigger used this building as a workroom.
Inside, several barrels hold salt, powdered limestone, and ash. Three open crates contain moldering burlap sacks, each large enough to cover a body. A handful of picks and shovels lean in the far corner, next to a decrepit wheelbarrow. All of the items in this building are in poor condition and of no value.
"Well done. None of them escaped, and we didn't make much noise." After a search of the building comes up empty, the wizard recalls the village layout from her arcane scouting. "Another wide circle, then (F14) and (G)?"
Sophie nods, grabbing the large sacks if they seem still stout enough to hold anything.
"First we should hide these bones and equipment, so the next patrol doesn't see that there are hostile forces about." she sets to work, leading by example,
Then she follows the examples of the others regarding her mount, preferring not to ride it, but mounting up if necessary.
As Sophie starts to clean up, she notices that the bloody skeletons appear to be repairing themselves as the bones slowly realize and refuse together.
Pontia shakes her head. "They are persistent, aren't they? Fortunately, I know how to deal with this." She casts a cantrip repeatedly, sending rays of positive energy into the slowly healing bloody skeletons until they stop regenerating.
Sophie, lacking knowledge of that particular spell, watches and waits
I do have some holy water left, maybe using one will stop these undead to come back? Or should I keep my vials for later? I can't channel positive energy, unfortunatly.
Pontia is pretty confident she has solved the problem, and none of you see anything that leads you to believe she is wrong.
F14. Just northeast of the town square, a squat stone building stands adjacent to a ruined tower, its windows shuttered and its doors hanging open. Dimly lit by torches, the building’s interior has been gutted. All that remains within are several stacks of wooden crates and a large stone vase.
G. Overlooking the town square stand the battered remnants of what must have once been an impressive tower. Now only the tower’s ground floor and half of its second floor still stand, and catapult balls lie scattered about the piles of broken stone and masonry at the tower’s base. Of the top of the tower, only a jagged crest of stone remains; the tower’s roof has been ripped off, and much of the rear portion lies buried in rubble.
"Torches. Someone living has been here, and not long ago."
"I'll follow you into the rubble Doro, but let's not linger here. This building looks like it could collapse at any moment."
Pontia nods and casts a divinatory cantrip, checking both buildings for magical auras before getting closer.
Sophie stays alongside the other women, spear held at the ready
Not sure if that tower is safe..Should I check it?
Pontia can detect faint traces of magic in the building, but not in the tower.
Niculaie follows with the group, silver blunt arrow on the string of his bow.
Doro moves to the doorway of the squat building with the vase and pauses narrowing his eyes and scanning the area for the hint of evil before entering.
The feeling of evil is strong, but not specific to the vase. In fact, the vase radiates no aura what-so-ever.
"I'll stand guard while you watch the crates" Sophie offers
Not sure if that tower is safe..Should I check it?
"We don't want to leave enemies behind us. You go first, and call for help if you need."
Sophie looks away from the crates anxiously at the idea of Vivian checking out the tower alone. "Do you want me close by, girl?" she asks the young rogue
We'll soon know my Fate. Don't get too close, anyway, no need to endanger many of us, if Pharasma calls me. We need to stop the baddies, remember.
Vivian tries to scout the place without being seen
Sophie, anxious at the thought of Vivian alone so far away, moves up to stand along the wall of the tower, close enough to come to the redhead's aid.
Then she motions for Vivian to go ahead
Pontia dismounts and draws a wand, not calling out unless she sees something outside the tower.
Doro stands in the other doorway, reluctant to leave since he detected evil in the room. and glances at the others forming up on the tower. He proclaims firmly to the air in the room and any who may hear. In the name of Iomedae I command you to reveal yourself villain. If you continue to hide I cannot guarantee safety. If you are a spirit or fiend, or the living dead I will send you to your grave
Bow at the ready, Niculaie moves up to join Sophie and Vivian alongside the tower. He whispers, "Should we move around to the doors?"
Most of you see the archers lean over the side and ready to launch arrows, so no surprise there. Doro, however, seems to be temporarily distracted by something, and misses seeing an attacker from the darkness.
The creature lashes out at Doro, and then moves back into the dark.
Only one of the blows manages to get past Doro's passive defenses.
Then he hears a rasping voice. "You will not take this heart. You cannot stop my master from completing his ritual."
Pontia can detect faint traces of magic in the building, but not in the tower.
-----
Sophie casts spiritual weapon and manifests the ethereal nodachi of force from her ancestors atop the tower next to the skeleton nearest to her. It strikes the skeleton
The tower is not tall - it looks like it was once 3 stories, but the top story is basically gone. Sophie moves towards the others, but keeps an eye on her weapon attacking up above.
The archers take aim. They all appear to be terrible shots.
Pontia begins a conjuration, by-now familiar syllables echoing into the gap between the worlds.
Niculaie scowls at the squad of skeletal archers. "Again?" He begins to sing a battle hymn favored by the Iomedan crusaders at the Worldwound.
"Mine eyes have seen the evil
Of invading demon hordes..."
Vivian looks for a way in the small tower-either a door or a partially damaged wall.
If she finds one, she gets inside the tower, hoping to find some stairs
If not, she will use her rope of climbing on the wall, hoping the archers will still aim badly.
Doro felt the freezing claws imbued with the unholy force of negative energy rake into him. He gasped involuntarily and through clenched teeth he said to his allies Foul Undead here. It shall not deny death any longer by Iomedae. Then to the creature. Oh We will, we have the strength of the Sword Maiden behind us. Our cause is righteous. Your master is nothing before that. Then he paused and held his mace up calling upon the celstial spirit to aid him. A swirling of glowing mist occurred and entered the mace which began to emit light and radiated Holiness. and took a 5' step towards the creature.
Mace = Holy Mace -Good Aligned +2d6 vs Evil
+1 Heavy Mace +15/+10 1d8+6 20/x2 B Current-+14+2/+9+2 1d8+5+2+2d6
@Vivian - The only way into the tower is via the front door. Do you take it?