The eastern passage from the exsanguination chamber and the secret passage from the crawlspaces both lead to the same ominous corridor.
The walls and ceiling of this tall hallway are encrusted with dozens of yawning skulls, their mouths open into dark holes in the walls.
A single closed door leads further east near the northern end of the hallway.
I don't trust these skulls.
Nadya sees no sign of the trinkets and nods when Col offers to ward the warrens, "That sounds like a good idea Col. If they were to come up behind us, it could be trouble. We'll yell if we get into any trouble too. Think they're a trap of some sort?" Nadya looks at the skulls from a safe distance.
No doubt shoot poison darts.
"Sebastian should go first. Or maybe the new guy."
Sebastian scowls at Nadya. "Yes, poison darts sound lovely, thanks." Nonetheless, he steps into the room, tensed to react to whatever may come.
Sebastian steps into the room as his companions stare in anticipation. Seconds pass and nothing happens.
You begin to think perhaps we were wrong about the trap...?
But then the trap triggers. The hallway becomes a bath of acid as the skulls begin splitting caustic orbs from all directions.
Somehow, only a small drop comes in contact with Sebastian but it is enough to burn a hole through his armor and into his flesh.
Almost as soon as the spray begins, it is over, leaving the hallway pockmarked with fresh acid burns. However, that was only the beginning of the nightmare. You hear the soft scrape of bone and three of the skulls in the wall detach. The sinuous skeleton of a large snake connects to the back of each humanoid head. Their eyes glow with a hellish red light. The creatures' movements are entrancing to watch.
This creature is a lesser necrophidius. This construct is created by arcane casters to serve as a guardian or assassin and it performs both tasks with great skill. Yes, despite its appearance, it is a construct, not undead. However, like a skeleton, it has damage reduction that is only overcome with a bludgeoning weapon. A lesser necrophidius can entrance opponents by swaying back and forth in a move called the "dance of death". They also have a paralytic bite.
The moment Sebastian begins to relax, the room erupts with caustic projectiles. Sebastian reacts instantly, his reflexes honed by years of Orisini's training. Remember the Five Ds! Dodge, duck, dip, dive, and dodge! The final splash of acid grazes too close, singeing a hole in his leather armor and blistering the skin beneath. More annoyed than wounded, Sebastian checks the damage, poking a finger through the hole. "At this rate I'll need a replacement set of leathers from Cressida before the week is through."
He's just about to sound the all-clear when the skulls slither off of the wall. "What in the Hells!? The necromancer's using snake zombies!" Sebastian's hand goes to the hilt of his rapier, but he thinks better of it. Pulling out his mace instead, he lashes out at the nearest creature.
The recent bloodloss and sudden exertion from the frantic calisthenics workout conspire against Sebastian. As he brings his mace down, he's surprised to feel himself striking solid stone. Looking down at the creature, his vision swims with a double images. He shakes his head to clear the distortions.
"Watch out!" shouts Lucien as the skulls in the wall begin splitting caustic orbs. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees that Sebastian has been only partially wounded. Then, three skulls in the walls begin to detach, forming three serpentine skeletons. I don't know what these things are, but this doesn't bode well at all!
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Two of the necrophidii slither up to Sebastian and bite at him with snake-like jaws. They both clamp down on his limbs and he feels a numbness spreading through his veins to the rest of his body. The third necrophidius is too far away and double-moves forward.
Lucien, his greatsword already out, drops his sunrod on the wet floor and wades into the fray. "I'm right behind you Sebastian!" he shouts out as he swings his greatsword at one of the strange, horrific, skeletal snakes. "Damn, they're quite fast!"
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Ayako casts Bless on the party
Feeling weakened even further by the bites, Sebastian warns Lucien. "The zombie snakes are poisonous!" Retaliating, he smashes the head of his mace against one of the creatures with a satisfying crunch.
Concentrate attacks!
Nadya's witch abilities are going to have little effect on the mindless creatures, so she breaks out her magic missile wand and aims. An orb of energy slams into Sebastian's opponent.
Sebastian slams the necrophidius hard. His mace proves to be very effective against this creature.
The necrophidius that was hit rises up on its tail and begins to sway back and forth, entrancing those that gaze upon it.
Averting Eyes: You avoid looking at the creature. You have a 50% chance to avoid having to make a saving throw against the attack. The creature, however, gains concealment against you (50% miss chance) for the round.
Closing Eyes: You cannot see the creature at all and have a 100% chance to avoid having to make a saving throw against the attack. All opponents gain total concealment against you for the round (100% miss chance).
The other two necrophidii each attack one of the men holding the line. This time the men have rallied their strength and fend the bone constructs off unharmed.
Ayako averts her eyes.
Ayako 5 steps to the west and bashes at the necromandous with her club
Ayako challenges the necrophidous to a dance off.
Lucien diverts his eyes from the creatures, focusing his gaze on Sebastian in order to coordinate attacks with him. "Stay wary!" he cries out as he tries to bring down his greatsword on the skeletal snake once again, hoping for a better luck.
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Nadya divert's her eyes then fires her magic missile wand again. Another missile splinters bone from the snake-like creature.
Lucien's sword smashes into the necrophidius with a powerful chop. The necrophidius' composition absorbs part of the blow but the attack is still strong enough to shatter the creature into pieces. The remaining two enemies are unfazed.
Necrophidius #1 retaliates against Ayako for attempting to hit it with her club and #2 continues its assault on Lucien. Ayako bats the enemy away but Lucien's foe finds a chink in his armor and fangs sink into the soft flesh underneath. Lucien feels the effect of its paralyzing bite immediately.
Seeing Lucien take a bite, Nadya switches her focus to the one attacking him in case the creature's poison incapacitates him.
Ayako keeps swinging her club againstt he skull snake.
"Argh!" cries out Lucien as the skeletal snake bites his flesh, "Now it's your turn!" he shouts out furiously as he tries to swing his greatsword at the skull snake in front of him.
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Ayako continues to struggle to hit the necrophidius on her right but Nadya and Lucien have better luck. Nadya's magic missile pings the creatures and Lucien destroys the rest of it with an incredible critical strike that separates the skull from its snake-like body.
Sebastian successfully bashes the necrophidius once. The construct then rises up and undulates, attempting the deadly dance once more.
Lucien steps to his left, giving a quick but appreciatative look at Sebastian for his tactical wits, closing in on the last skeletal snake. "Die vile being!" he cries out as he swings his greatsword once again. He keeps his eyes closed. Master of the First Vault, guide my blade!
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Ayako closes her eyes.
Nadya avoids staring at the necrophius' dance and aims her wand again. She feels the power building within it but it sputters out before discharging.
Ayako closes her eyes completely.
Lucien tries to avert his eyes but it so fascinated by the necrophius's gyrations that he can't help but steal a glance. Luckily his strength of will prevents him from being incapacitated and he is able to swing at his opponent. Unfortunately his attempts to look away cost him the focus he needed to connect.
The necrophidius ends its dance and resumes biting at Sebastian since he previously smashed it with his club. Its jaws snap at his face but Sebastian interposes his club at the last moment.
"I'm growing tired of these things," Sebastian complains as he averts his eyes. Last time he could feel some strange pull on his mind, and he had no desire to become enslaved to a zombie snake. He swings his club at where he remembers it to be.
Ayako opens her eyes and beats at the snek.
Nadya's earlier luck with the wand seems to have fizzled out as she attempts again and fails.
Lucien keeps attacking furiously, and now that he does not have to divert his eyes, he can focus on his target. "Come on abomination, show me what you've got!"
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Sebastian's mace bashes the skeletal snake to the side and Ayako bashes it back in the other direction. Lucien also comes down on the necrophidius. His greatsword lands the finishing blow, shattering shards of bone in all directions.
Silence returns to the skull-filled hallway. Only your panting breath echoes through the eerie corridor. There remains only one way forward from here. A lone door to the east.
Ayako taps Sebastion with her wand
East I guess.
"Yes. Looks like the only way to go from here."
"Nice fight!" says Lucien drying sweat from his forehead. "With your permission, this time I'll go first miladies" says Lucien as he picks up his sunrod and starts venturing east. He searches the door for traps before opening it.
Lucien checks the door thoroughly and when satisfied that there aren't any more traps he pushes it open.
Wooden tables here are stacked with vials, beakers, and other alchemical gear, although the southern one is heaped with broken vials and leans awkwardly on a hastily repaired leg. Three large cauldrons sit against the east wall, one of them upended. Its foul, rancid contents of rendered fats have spilled over the floor.
Another derro minion is working here, cleaning the place and repairing a table. The derro reacts to your intrusion with shock. He starts pointing and stammering in confusion, unsure of whether he should flee or stay and fight.
Bop him on the head?
"It is much the same..." Nadya immediately focuses her eye on him and attempts to slumber the derro.
Well, this may very well end up like last time. Ayako glances at Sebastion and his sudden stabbiness.[/b]
Ayako waits for Nadya to act. At the very least, we should restrain it.
"I-I suppose we should be attacking him, isn't it?" says Lucien to his allies before drawing his greatsword as he moves towards the derro, waiting for an answer.