The chanting stops as you peer into this forty-foot-square room. The smooth masonry walls provide excellent acoustics. Featureless stone pillars support the ceiling, and a breach in the west wall leads to a dark cave heaped with refuse. Murky water covers most of the floor. Stairs lead up to dry stone ledges that hug the walls. In the middle of the room, more stairs rise to form an octagonal dais that also rises above the water. Rusty chains with shackles dangle from the ceiling directly above a stone altar mounted on the dais. The altar is carved with hideous depictions of grasping ghouls and is stained with dry blood.
"Well isn't this lovely." Valen readies his blade and shield. "On guard my friends, I certainly don't trust that this room is 'empty'." He slowly advances toward the dias, making certain to stay near the others.
Gail shudders, this frightful room gave her the creeps. "Sylvanus aid us!" she whispered.
"Indeed, Valen" Talus says as he inches into the water at the entrance, then takes the left stairs up onto the ledge.
He slowly makes his way around the side of the room, making towards the breach in the wall.
"Anyone else disturbed by the fact the chanting stopped when we entered this room? Almost as if we were being drawn here." Staff ready Maxthon moves into the room with the others, moving onto the end ledge on the western side of the room, not liking the look no further the water or the breach on the far side of the room.
Valen, Talus and Malthorn enter the room, Valen heading for the dais while the others circle along the edges. When Valen reaches the dais
The chanting rises once more as thirteen dark apparitions appear on the ledges overlooking the room. Each one resembles a black-robed figure holding a torch, but the torch’s fire is black and seems to draw light into it. Where you’d expect to see faces are voids. “One must die!” they chant, over and over. “One must die! One must die!”
Talus considers the apparition closes to him for a moment, then walks over and passes his hand through it, "A harmless vision..."
Then he contemplates their message, "They...or really the house? expects a live sacrifice from you Valen....but to what end? Will that satisfy the house's twisted wants and allow us to go free? "
"The litany of 'one must die' makes me assume a little bit of blood would not be enough." Valen sighs deeply, "It's my duty to rid this place of such a digusting taint." He steps forward again, "There will be no sacrifices here!"
Thete being no obvious foes, Gail quietly asks, "Valen can you sense if there are any auras?" The voices were upsetting her and she wanted to be rid of them!
As Valen makes his proclamation the apparitions' chant changes “Lorghoth the
Decayer, we awaken thee! they begin repeating over and over. In the back of the room, something moves.
Round 1
Valen
Malthorn
Talus
Gail
Lorgoth
Malthorn readies his staff and focuses on Lorgoth the Decayed, pointing his finger at the creature which also appears to be a pile of refuse.
move forward 5-10', true strike has range of 30' Niles.
cast truestrike on mound for 1st round action, advantage next round.
Talus pauses on his journey towards the midden heap, especially since is rose of its own accord at it's naming by the appartitions.
After contemplating the creature for a moment, he calls out the the others, "Hmmm, it would seem Lorgoth is a shambling mound, a plant-monster that feeds on electricity and largely immune to cold and fire as well. Malthorn, I suggest you back away, this is a fight that we should avoid....for now."
"Not planning to go toe to toe with this thing. That's Valen's gig." Malthorn replies, raising his staff as indication of how he is going to fight.
A soft whimper escapes Gail's lips when the horrifying thing starts shambling their way! She shrinks backwards a moment and an idea presented it self, more or less literally, "Er Gents, do you think we could trap the thing behind the portcullis?"
Valen listens to Talus and Gail's advice and agrees with both, "Quickly, head back, I'll close off the portcullis and try to escape as well."
Gail suggests, "Maybe we can hold it open while you do so? I assume the mechanism involves ropes or chains to lift it from above so there should be some slack."
Round 1
Valen moves to the wheel
Malthorn moves and casts True Strike
Talus holds?
Gail Holds?
Lorgoth shambles forward and takes a swing at Malthorn +7 Malthorn is whipped by the vines for
Round 2
Valen
Malthorn
Talus
Gail
Lorgoth
Round one
"Sylvanus aid us!" cried Gail when Malthorn got lashed to within an inch of his life.
She pointed at the abomination and a wave of heat washed over it.
"Malthorn! Just run! This monster will destroy us." Valen waits at the wheel for the others to escape.
Missing the block with his staff as the creature advances on him a loud "Umph!!" is heard from the tiefling. Before he begins backing away from the creature at full speed. Talus,..cough... Valen follow your own words!"
Disengage, moving beyond Gail into the previous room, at least the creature will have to squeeze to get in there
"Valen, come now! You cannot face that thing alone. We raised the portcullis...we can bring it down again!" Talus runs to cover Malthorn's flight from the room, calling out to Valen from the entrance.
Once there, breathing heavily, "Even lowering this gate partially should prevent that creature from leaving."
Round 2
Valen holds?
Malthorn moves
Talus moves to the entrance
Gail casts a spell , damaging the creature.
Lorgoth moves and lashes out at Valen +7 missing him twice.
Round 3
Valen
Malthorn
Talus
Gail
Lorgoth
Valen finally makes the decision to follow his friends out of the room, hoping they can find elsewhere to stop the creature. "Let's mosey!"
"Hurry!" Talus entreats the fleeing Paladin, "Help me try to lower the portcullis!"
He reaches up and pulls on the gate with all of his might, one eye fixed on the approaching creature.
Gail backs away up to the northern wall and seeing Talus struggle she remarks, "No point. Hit and run, It doesn't seem to move that fast." She whispers another prayer to Sylvanus and yet again heat shimmers across the shambling mound!
Round 3
Valen moseys away from the Plant taking an AoO and getting hit for
Malthorn moves away from the creature, making it up the stairs.
Talus grabs on the portcullis, and failing to pull it down he moves away from the creature.
Gail moves away and fails to harm the creature.
Lorgoth slams its frame through the small opening, this slows it down so it cannot catch the heroes as quickly.
Round 4
Valen
Malthorn
Talus
Gail
Lorgoth
Valen's weary breathing echoes through the underground chambers as he continues to fall back, "Quickly, make for the entrance! Hopefully the command of those wraiths will not keep the creature motivated forever."
"Quick up the stairs!" urges Gail. She hesitates for a moment, whispering another prayer to Sylvanus. Yet again heat shimmers over the hideous mound chasing them! Without waiting to see the results she darts towards the stairs.
Talus jumps away from the gated entrance as the vegetable behemoth slams into the doorframe.
Retreating with the others, he pauses for a moment and focuses on the creature, projecting his will into a spear of thought and power, hoping to wound it somewhat.
He then turns as follows the others, commenting, "Perhaps with this thing rampaging around this accursed house won't have time to torment other souls..."
Waiting for the others to make it up the stairs, Malthorn waits with staff ready, aiming to blast the creature as it tries to follow them.
Once the blast is let loose Malthorn moves to follow the others. "Keep it up Talus, we can leapfrog staying ahead, and attacking from range."
Round 4
Valen retreats from the plant creature.
Malthorn waits to blast the creature
Talus hurls a psychic spear and retreats.
Gail casts a spell and retreats
Lorgoth roars and moves to engage the fleeing heroes who would be well out of reach but aren't since they didn't double move. Malthorn blasts the creature as it begins to come into view.
Round 5
Valen
Malthorn
Talus
Gail
Lorgoth
Gail tries one last blast before desperately running up the stairs. Yet again her prayer to Sylvanus causes a sheen of super heated air to envelop the shambling horror.
Valen, weak and having no useful ranged weaponry Valen simply continues to ascend toward the exit.
Round 5
Valen moves up the stairs
Malthorn moves
Talus moves
Gail casts a spell and then moves away from the Shambling Mound and it swipes at her with its vines as she does she easily dodges the creature's clumsy attacks.
Lorgoth screeches in rage as its quarry eludes it, it slams into the sides of the stairwell. You figure it will be stuck for a while.
Talus joins the others at the top of the stairwell, staring down at the Mound slowly thrashing it's way up.
As it ascends, Talus continues to assaut it with his mind-bolts...
If after three attempts, and if the others have let him continue, he will get nervous if it's still ascending, "Perhaps we should move away from here..."
"There are other stairs for it to get caught on if you wish to toss more magic its way, for now I suggest we keep moving!" Valen will retreat all the way back to the secret stairway that led them here if he has no interruptions.
Gail agrees with Valen and adds, "It's not clear if we've done anything beyond enrage it. There must be some way to defeat it, but what?" She follows him.
Valen leads the party to the secret stairs along the same path from whence they came. One thing becomes certain, something has changed. The walls of the basement are covered in mold and filth and what looks like dried blood. Scrawled on the walls are "He is the land" and "The Ancient one is near" over and over. As Valen approaches the secret stair he sees a faint ghostly Thornboldt Durst with his finger over his mouth in a "shuush" gesture.
The entire party hears the boy's ghostly whisper The House is angry. Rose told me not to come back. But the door is open!
From somewhere behind him Lorgoth the Decayer screeches in rage as it forces itself into a corridor. Several other screeches echo from different parts of the basement.
Talus looks up the secret staircase, looking alarmed at the screeching coming from the basement, "If the House is angry, I'd rather not climb all the way up , then all the way down again. Thornboldt, is ther e a quicker way to the door?" he whispers urgently to the ghost.
Gail is surprised to see him but glad, "Thank you Thornboldt!" she whispers. She nods at Talus' question, it was a good one. Once Thornboldt answers she has one of her own, "You say the house is angry, it seems to me it's like a spirit unable to pass on. Is there something we could do to make things right and help it find peace?" As right as things could ever be in this accursed place at least...
Valen smiles at the boy ghost, "Thank you Thornboldt." He waits for Talus and Gail's insightful questions to be answered.
The ghost pauses and then Go! Go! The door is open! the ghost turns away and you hear Alright Rose! I'm coming! before it disappears.
Gail didn't need to be told twice, "Well you heard him, we have our marching orders..." She starts retracing their steps back towards the spiral staircase leading up. She looks back and urges the others onward, "You don't want that thing to catch you do you? Lets go!"
Valen nods to Gail and starts to take the steps up, two at a time.
Talus stares at the place where Thornbolt had faded away, then shakes his head and follows Gail and Valen back up the stairs.
"Don't be complacent, if the House is as angry as Thronbolt says, it may have a surprise or two in store for us." he advises the others.
As he ascends the stairs he focuses his senses, his vision become a bit sharper , his movements a bit quicker.
The heroes climb the secret stairwell from the basement to the attic. When they arrive in the attic they notice the House has changed. Everything looks decayed and desiccated. The interior walls look rife with rot and termites, there are no doors. Where the doorways once stood are rusted blades that spin and slash. Furthermore, all of the windows are bricked up, completely blocking the light from the outside. Gail's light is the only light in the house now.
Gail eyes the new condition of the house with unconcealed alarm, this accursed house was proving to be an unrelenting nightmare. "Sylvanus preserve us!" she cries and whispers a heart felt prayer. Hands glowing softly she touches Malthorne's arm before darting through the door, evading the spinning blades with relative ease.
Valen grimaces, "This isn't going to fun." He attempts to slip past the blades.
And finds himself taking a hefty blow.
Gail passes the doorway without trouble
Valen moves and is cut for Valen is unconscious...
Malthorn studies the doorway
Talus studies the doorway
The heroes are battered, bruised and wounded, but they are now in the next room.