Please tell us more about your plan we have no chance of stopping I assume the good Doctor above is not alone in this project, would you have a religious leader?
"Of course the Doctor is not alone in this project. This goes much deeper than you'll ever know. I shall tell you no more. You will meet High Priestess Lady Andaisin soon enough, whether alive or more likely dead. If she deems to tell you more, her will is Urgathoa's will."
"I'd love to make the Lady's acquaintance. Where can we find her?"
"Yes, do tell. I think I feel a death-bed conversion coming on, don't you, Lucien?"
Lucien smirks at Sebastian, and keeps gazing upon the physician. "Very well, you told us much. We're not going to survive anyway, isn't it? Why don't you tell us more about this Lady Andaisin then? Judging from your words, she seems to be a priestess of Urgathoa, but I doubt she can be a match for us. We're just too strong...What powers could she use to defeat us? I think we're going to prevail, after all."
"Lady Andaisin commands the very powers of Urgathoa herself! Your strength is of no comparison. She awaits you within the heart of the temple. Now I have nothing more to say to you."
"Well, thank you very much then. I promise I'll wake you up again when I'll return victorious so that you won't miss the show. Now, goodnight!" Using the flat side of his blade, Lucien puts the physician to rest again.
"Well, apparently we should head towards the center of the complex. Anyway, we have no way to tell which way would be the fastest one to that Lady Andaisin. I suggest we open the double doors first."
If no one stops him, Lucien takes all the time needed in order to check the doors for traps, and if he does not find any, he tries to open them.
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We could try north..oh very well then.
Lucien searches the double doors and declares it safe. However, trapfinding is clearly not his forte because no sooner does he touch the door, a trap goes off.
The two skeletons animate, turning their faces towards the room and exhaling a poisonous gas that engulfs you all. Their scythe wielding arms strike at Lucien as if they were real and then resume their original inanimate position.
The scythe rends through Lucien's armor like a tin can digging a nasty gash.
Luckily most of you resist the poisonous gas but Iolana falls ill. She turns pale and takes 1 point of Charisma drain.
This is Ungol Dust. It is created by grinding the bones of undead skeletons or dry zombie flesh. The initial effect is Charisma drain and secondary effect is additional Charisma damage.
The doors open up to reveal the following sight.
Dozens of the living dead line the walls of this chamber, their rotting faces sneering and broken fingers clawing at each other. A layer of rotting bodies lines the floor, the shattered forms twitching in vain, bones and splintered appendages grasping hopelessly. Yet, rather than some massive, nightmare grave, this horror-show seems instead to be a stomach-churning attempt at art, as the mangled living dead lie trapped behind walls and beneath a floor of thick glass.
Cough cough! Seeing Iolana suddenly look horribly pale, Ayako removes a dose of purgative from her kit and mixes it with a little water from her waterskin
This..is rather disturbing. I can't help but think there is some hazard that will cause them to tumble down on us.
Iolana doubles over in pain. She looks a little green. "I don't want to go into that room if we can help it. That's disturbing. The whole place will need to be cleansed when we finish. One more thing for poor Croft to deal with."
Let us go North then
"AAARGH!"
Luciens grits his teeth, the scyte delving a deep wound in his flesh. "Dammit! They even trapped this place!"
The paladin shakes his head, and asks Ayako for healing. "If we have a few charges from the wand to spare, I could use some healing, Ayako". Otherwise, Lucien will heal himself resorting to the power of Abadar.
"There's no point in turning back, Iolana. The trap could reset soon. I believe we should press forward", says the paladin.
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Nothing happens if you step within the gruesome room. From there, two doors lead north, two doors lead south, and another set of double doors leads further east. None of them are marked with skeletons or anything like the last few.
With Ayako's tending, Iolana fights off the remainder of the poison's effects and color returns to her face.
Ayako molests Lucien with the wand
We will need a new one after this
"Let's try the room to the north. Seems as good as any."
You back out from the trapped doorway and open the door to the north.
Cabinets and low benches fill this chamber. From pegs on the opposite side of the room, the empty black eyes of several beaked plague masks glare with soulless, unblinking stares.
Dark leather robes, high boots, wide-brimmed hats, and solid canes fill most of the cabinets. The doors of one large cabinet against the west wall opens to reveal glass shelves covered in a variety of delicate doctors’ instruments—jars of unguents, syringes, magnifying glasses, and the like—and a medicine jar full of black onyx gems enclosed by another set of glass doors. A small brass lock keeps these doors firmly shut.
There are enough Queen’s Physician robes and other accoutrements to outfit 20 doctors in this room. The collected clothes, boots, canes, and other accessories are well-made and only slightly used. There are also four plaguebringer’s masks here.
There is another door from here to the east.
We should wait until we are done with this place to gather treasure.
"I agree. Treasure gathering can wait. Do you think we will have enough healing until the end of this or is it worth making noise to find out if there's healing items in the locked cabinet? Ayako, you mentioned we need to purchase a wand after this. I have three healing potions with me. I don't know what everyone else has available."
I have my wand, a potion and some magic that can heal.
Let us go east.
You open the door to the east.
Numerous black-sheeted cots fill this room, their satin coverings and overstuffed pillows seeming more akin to funerary trappings than the resting places of the living. Numerous skulls are set evenly within the room’s stone walls. Candles inside them cause them to glow like morbid jack-o'lanterns and cast dim light across the room.
Three unmasked Queen’s Physicians and four men in priest's robes currently rest in this room. Four skeletal servants wait upon their needs. One skeleton holds a platter bearing several goblets and a decanter of rich Nidalese midnight wine. The men are too busy gluttonously engorging themselves that they are unprepared for an interruption.
When you open the door, they drop whatever food or wine they were holding and scramble to grab whatever nearby weapons they've left around.
Ayako Blesses the group to aid their blows
Iolana lets a sling bullet fly at the creature straight ahead of her. Don't line up. Give me some room to work with my cone spells if you can.
"I have a potion," Sebastian volunteers. "It's Pharasmin-made, though. Tastes awful."
As Lucien opens the door, Sebastian slips past into the room and takes a a quick stab at a cultist.
Immediately reacting to the danger, Lucien steps into the room. "Watch out!", he shouts to Iolana and Ayako behind him while he draws his greatsword and positions himself next to Sebastian. "Agreed!" he says to Iolana, quickly turning toward her to blink at the girl. "Let's show them what we're capable of, Seb!"
Lucien then tries to bring his greatsword down on the priest in front of him.
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Ayako blesses the party.
Sebastian steps into the room and stabs one of the cultists. Lucien follows after him and finishes the cultist off. The cultist's look of surprise is frozen on his face as he tumbles to the floor.
Iolana's sling bullet hits into the skeleton straight ahead and cracks into the bone.
The three priests snatch up nearby scythes and cast a protective spell on themselves. A shimmering, magical field appears around them.
Two of the Physicians silently draw clubs and move into flanking with Sebastian. The first misses but the provides a distraction for the second to hit a vital spot, bashing Sebastian for additional damage.
The last Physician hangs back and orders the skeletons to attack. However the skeletons are slow to react. Ayako and Sebastian will get to go before they act.
Ayako steps up and stabs at the one doctor flanking Sebastion (1)
Iolana shakes her head. "No idea what the spell was. She quickly casts a spell and flings a sling bullet at the doctor in the doorway."[/b]
Sebastian blocks the strike from the front, but nearly crumples from the blow to the kidneys. There would be blood in his toilet tonight for a certainty. Adjusting his stance to better respond to threats on both sides, he takes his retribution and plunges his rapier into the offending physician's abdominal cavity.
Keeping his back against the wall, Luciens shouts encouraging words to his allies. “Come on, let’s show them who we are!” Immediately after, he slashes with his greatsword at one of the Queen’s physicians, the one in front of him.
Lucien then tries to bring his greatsword down on the priest in front of him.
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Ayako stabs the Physician leaving a small wound.
Sebastian stabs the other Physician in the stomach. He crumbles over and starts bleeding out.
The skeletons spring into action and surround the men. However, they are completely ineffectual except for acting as a bony wall.
Iolana smacks the Physician in the doorway with her sling stone.
Lucien shatters the skeleton in front of him into thousands of shards and creates an opening to move forward.
The remaining three priests stay back and cast another spell. The scythes they wield begin glowing with magic.
The Physician in the doorway steps forward and attacks Iolana and she gets whacked for a throbbing wound.
The last Physician silently escapes through the door to the south and moves out of view.
Ayako stabbers the man in front of her.
As the skeletons step up to surround Sebastian and Lucien, Sebastian replaces his rapier and draws his morning star, smashing it into a skeleton's ribcage.
I had attacked Physician 1 with the last attack with the intention of keeping him from attacking the girls, but it's a bit much to retcon at this point.
The skeletons claw and Lucien and Sebastian with both their hands but still have little chance of succeeding to injure them.
Iolana steps to the doorway and casts Burning Hands at the skeletons. A wave of cold shoots from her fingers barely missing Sebastian.
"Quick! We must focus on the priests! Sebastian, I leave the skeletons to you!" Aware of making himself vulnerable to the skeletons' attacks, Lucien moves forward and tries to attack one of the priests.
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Lucien injures the priest badly but not enough to kill him. The priest stares back at Lucien with eyes full of pure hate. "I fear not death. Undeath is eternal."
The injured priest steps away from Lucien. With a profane word and touch, his wound closes before your eyes but not fully.
The other two priests finally step into combat. One attacks Sebastian and the other Lucien. However, even with their magical enhancements their martial prowess is no match for the heroes'.
Ayako moves downa nd sees one priest in the back and whispers a dark phrase.He always envied you, remove the threat for glory
How about we turn the Burning Hands on the priest that was in the corner instead of the skeletons? Same rolls just a different place for the 15 foot cone.
Iolana freezes the priest solid and he dies.
Ayako whispers a murderous command at the priest in the back. He glances briefly at the other priest but then turns his attention back on Ayako. As a cleric, his will is strong.
Sebastian shivers as the blast of cold passes by him. "A little more to the left next time, yes?" As Lucien leaves him alone to fight in the cold, Sebastian, bashes in another skeleton's skull. "I will say one thing for the undead - they die cleanly!"
"Where do you think you're going?" Lucien grits his teeth and attacks the priest of Urgathoa once again, his strike filled with holy rage.
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Sebastian destroys one of the remaining skeletons, and we'll say Iolana destroys the last one.
Lucien angrily slashes at another priest. The priest holds up his scythe to block but Lucien cuts right through the weapon and then through the man and he falls over dead.
However, just when you feel like you've almost cleared out this crowded room, the southern doors swing open and the escaped Physician has returned with friends. Six more priests of Urgathoa prepare to pour in, two at each door. The newly arrived priests all are chanting in unison some dark prayer that you can't make out the words to but you can feel the pure evil in the acoustics that fill the air.
Taking advantage of your surprise, Priest (3) fearlessly moves into a vulnerable position to aid his allies and attacks Lucien again with his scythe. Lucien notices the attack too late and is cut with the deadly weapon.
The Queen's Physician also tries to take advantage of the situation but Lucien regains his wits and easily rebukes the second attack.
Iolana hears more priests coming through the door behind her. She moves to intercept them and casts burning hands on them. I hope this works or I'm in big trouble. The gents have enough to deal with in the front room.
Ayaki blows on her hand and sends a cloud of dark motes out at the priests
"Dammit, how many of them are there?!" Lucien grits his teeth and steps back, attacking one of the priests with Sebastian's help. If Sebastian already put down that foe, Lucien will step forward instead, and engage another priest in melee.
""
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BUSY!
Scornful of the priest's audacity to step directly into his line of attack, Sebastian again draws his rapier and buries it in cloth and flesh. "I don't like the sound of that chanting!"