Shutai snarled as she dodged to the side of both skeletons with vulpine grace, reached out once more try and discharge the Positive Energy into the monster.
Touch Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23 Damage:1d8 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6 DC 15 will save to half.
Shelby's swing was considerably more accurate this time, crashing into the ancient armor of her foe and staggering it slightly, just as Hisoka clubbed it from the other side. Meanwhile, Shutai was busy with the other skeletons...
Will 15:1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
...and the one she'd hit just barely managed to endure the burst of positive energy. Skeletons couldn't actually snarl, but there was a definite edge of determination as they continued flanking and swinging out at Shutai...
The Samurai, on the other hand, turned back to Hisoka after his heavy strike and flipped his ornate weapon around before stepping forward and cleaving the weapon through Hisoka and right into Selbarina.
Shelby deftly dodged, glancing to Hisoka to ensure he was ok. Seeing that he was hurt but still game, she fought on, swinging again wildly, feeling that force was more called for than precision at this point.
With the skeleton already damaged it seemed a waste to cast another spell on it - especially since it would likely maul her as she did. Shutai lashed out with the club instead.
The cut took much out of him, but left him standing. For that, at least he was thankful. He had no time to inspect the wound, therefore it was a decision of withdrawal or a race to the finish.
Selbarina's longsword barely missed striking the powerful skeletal samurai, instead hitting his armor at just the wrong angle and bouncing off. Somewhat remarkably, Shutai's attack missed by the same amount, and the damaged skeleton managed to ward off the blow. Hisoka's attack was a good one, though - and smashed into the powerful undead's body. It was definitely getting low on animating energy, now, but determinedly continued to fight regardless - and brought its weapon back around, aiming to cleave through Selbarina and Hisoka again.
The elegant weapon went off-course before it could strike Hisoka, possible because too much force had been put into hitting Selbarina. Even as the weapon moved into the open air after the heavy cut, the other two skeletons were continuing their assault on Shutai.
Shelby grunts as she takes the brutal hit from the skeleton, her brow furrowing with worry at the continuing battle. She calls upon the Inheritor's aid with a whispered prayer, the divine energy quickening her blood and healing some of her wounds.
Fervor:1d6 ⇒ 2
Somewhat refreshed, she steps to the side to try to establish a flank with someone, again swinging heavily at the creature, hoping to put it down.
With the Inheritor guiding her hand, Selbarina's sword strikes true, snapping off a few of the samurai's rib bones. Hisoka followed up with a brutal blow a moment later, and the skeleton samurai was looking very badly damaged now. One more hit (unless it was horribly shallow on Shelby's part) would probably be enough to take it down.
Meanwhile, Shutai had been flanked, and getting out of their range without acrobatics did mean some risk...
The Samurai, on the other hand, simply pointed at Hisoka... and was quite clearly challenging him to combat. The undead whipped out with its wakizashi a moment afterwards...
With a resolve he'd shown only once before in his life, Hisoka remained standing after the deadly strike. Using his daily Resolve to avoid falling unconscious. He is now staggered.
After regaining himself with a heaving breath, Hisoka answers his undead adversary's challenge with his own, swinging the club hard in an attempt to end the battle.
Shutai shifted, trying to avoid at least one of the skeletons while she attacked. It should at least reduce the harm she came to.
Concerned with the limited number of spells she had left, Shutai chose instead to hurl a snowball at the skeleton, hoping that raw damage would over come any resistance it might have.
Five foor shift to try and avoid an AOO from one skeleton Ranged Touch Attack:1d20 + 5 ⇒ (17) + 5 = 22 Damage:3d6 ⇒ (4, 6, 1) = 11
The samurai finally fell as Hisoka - staggered and badly wounded - managed one more heavy blow and sent its bones scattering across the room. Shutai followed with a spell a moment later...
AoO:1d20 ⇒ 4
And though the attack of opportunity missed, the snowball simply bounced off of the undead. Cold, it seemed, wasn't effective against this particular type... but at least it probably wouldn't be too hard to put them down now that the powerful was gone. In the meantime, they continued to maneuver around Shutai, stepping in to keep her between them...
Shelby growled, relieved that the powerful enemy was finally defeated. She walked swiftly to her foster sister's aid, swinging at the closest skeleton.
Free from the immediate threat of his opponent, Hisoka casts a spell of healing upon himself to steady his breathing and enable himself to continue the fight. Casting Cure Light Wounds.
Growling at the creature's stubborn refusal to be good little monsters and die, Shut shifted once more. Summoning up the energies of her divine magic, she prepared to try and dodge the attack she knew was comming while striking with her own.
Five foot shift to avoid another attack and, hopefully, allow one of the others a flanking buddy if I fail to melt this thing.
The injured skeleton blew apart under the force of Shutai's attack - and it didn't take the three of you very long to make short work of the last one, which was quite vulnerable now that its buddy had been destroyed. Whew... so that was good, at least - but things had been far too close for anyone's comfort there. Now you just had to decide what to do with the dropped items, that chest, the key hanging around the samurai's neck... ah, all the little joys of adventuring.
Shelby's chest heaved as the final opponent dropped, her sense of relief palpable. That had been too close. She starts to gather up the equipment of the fallen former samurai and its companions, leaving the key and chest to her companions as she inventoried the loot.
Shutai sighed in relief as the final creature fell. "I am sorry," she said slowly. "I was not expecting...that." She lowered her eyes to the ground. "I will heal what I can."
"It is no fault of yours, we made the choice together."
With a comforting hand on her shoulder, Hisoka channels healing energy into Shutai.
Cure Light Wounds:1d8 + 2 ⇒ (5) + 2 = 7
And then into Shelby.
Cure Light Wounds:1d8 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 2 = 3
When he was finished, he glances down where the fallen warrior had stood, his eyes finding the Wakizashi and admiring the craftsmanship. "So what shall we do with all of this?"
"Examine it," Shutai replied as she nodded her thanks to Hisoka for both the words and the healing. She knelt next to the truly dead Samurai and arranged each of the items the creature had in it's possession. Then she shuffled to the chest and attempted to do the same, unless the chest was locked.
If the Chest is Locked...:
Shutai picks up the key the Samurai had on him, attempting to use it to open the chest.
If the key is not what opens it
Shutai pulled the small roll of velvet containing her tools out, and attempted to pick the lock.
Disable Device:1d20 + 10 ⇒ (13) + 10 = 23
The chest is indeed locked - but the key hanging around the samurai's neck suffices to open it.
Once the chest is opened, it’s obvious that many objects (mostly fireworks and potions) have been removed from numerous slots in the chest’s velvet-lined interior— the handiwork of the local goblins, it seems. However, the chest still holds five clearly-labelled potions of cure light wounds, two potions of cure moderate wounds, three potions of lesser restoration, a ring that glows with the light of enchantment (sadly unlabelled), a wand, a masterwork chain shirt, a masterwork cold iron wakizashi, 11 Desnan candles, and four skyrockets - in addition to 3,820 sp, 421 gp, and various pieces of fine jewelry worth 560 gp total. Of course, that's not counting the elaborate wakizashi used by the skeletal samurai. This may well have been all the valuables that the owners of the ship possessed.
Frowning as she examined the pile, Shutai murmured, "None of this seems to have any connection to Necromancy. Could those undead have another cause?" She also glanced at the wakizashi they had recovered. "Shelby, Hisoka? Could either of you use these?" Shutai prefered fang and claw to attack.
She also held up the ring that registered as Enchantment. She didn't know what it did, but Kitusune's natural Enchantment skills meant she was drawn to it. The candles would be a good gift for Koya...
Shelby shook her head at her foster-sister's words. "I've put most of my training into the longsword, but I bet Hisoka can make good use of it!" The woman's eyes widen at the treasure trove they have stumbled across. She puts pieces of the puzzle together, then offers:
"Perhaps these skeletons attacked the goblins after the goblins raided the skyrockets from this ship?"
Hisoka's eyes widen at the treasure trove, amazed. "There are a number of possibilities, until a search is made we won't know for sure if that was the last of them."
Was there anything magical about the Samurai's wakizashi that I would have seen with Detect Magic, or was it just decorated?
He regards the two weapons with awe, both of fine make. "I could surely use them well but I've no need for the both of them."
Hisoka reaches for the less decorated blade, testing the weight and balance. "Perhaps we can sell the other, and split the makings."
Hisoka's eyes rest on the finely decorated weapon with an enamored look. "It seems to be enchanted, I cannot tell the nature of it, but it also seems to be a bit damaged." He said, indicating the loose hilt.
"Perhaps someone in town may have the skill to repair it, where we can learn more about its magic."
Shelby nods absently. "Perhaps Savah can mend it. She has such skills. Let us see if this place has anything else to offer, be it treasure or danger. I am anxious to be back home."
If the others are in agreement, the follower of Iomedae continues around the rest of the caverns, looking around.
There doesn't seem to be anything else here - you've rather thoroughly cleared out the place. That's probably for the best, too, given the beating the three of you took today.
Shelby sighs, nodding to her friends and allies. "Seems like this mystery is solved. Goblins stole fireworks, undead followed thieves and savaged them, then returned here. With all the trouble we had with them, no wonder the goblins fled. Anyway, let's get back to town and out of this damnable swamp."
Getting back to town took awhile - moving through swamps was like that - but the journey was safe enough and you were able to pass through the southern gates without trouble. The real question, of course, was what you wanted to do now that you were back - besides possibly collapse into a bed and sleep off the pain.
Shelby was bone tired by the time they made it back to Sandpoint, but as they approached the gates a grin worked its way onto her face. At last she had gone on an adventure and proved her worth. Perhaps now she would be viewed as an equal by all the town's militant-minded males.
Not to mention that unless the Sheriff decided to confiscate things she would also be fairly wealthy, along with her foster sister and the newcomer Hisoka. Yes, she was looking forward to things, but first she wanted to check in with Koya to make certain the woman knew she and Shutai were alright and had been successful.
"Shutai, let's go let Mother know we made it back ok." If her sister agrees, she heads home with her, waving a quick farewell to Hisoka.
"Let's talk tomorrow morning about how we will split everything up, ok?"
Rest is truly a wonderful thing, and the night passes by quietly enough. The next day dawns warm but cloudy, with the potential for a bit of rain - but Sandpoint is already rather lively, and upon stepping outside, you can already hear a few rumors about how your little expedition went.
Dressed and cleaned after observing the proper rituals to Arshea, Shutai glanced over at Shelby from behind her mask. "Shall we grab Hisoka and go to the Rusty Dragon? I'd like to see if Ameiko knows more about the things we found in the cave, since her family is from Tian Xia, as well as deal with the treasures we found. And the ears." Shutai glanced around. "Besides, it always feels too small in here with others in the room."
Shelby nods her assent to Shutai's statement, the house becoming rather small for her tastes, as well. She gathers her gear, dresses, and makes ready to go to The Rusty Dragon once Shutai is ready.
Leaving a note beneath Hisoka's door, Shutai heads for the Rusty Dragon, her stomach grumbling lightly from the curse her body held. When they arrived she ordered a platter of cheeses, fruits, cold cuts and such to be shared, since she couldn't eat much herself, and asked to speak to Ameiko.
"Morning, girls!" Ameiko said, smiling brightly as Shutai and Selbarina came inside. "How did it go? I've killed a number of goblins myself, but..." She was clearly interested in hearing the story - which ought to surprise exactly nobody, given her history and the nature of the Inn she ran.
Shutai presented the bag of ears and the chieftans head from the loot pile. "It went...well. The settlement had already been attacked when we arrived, however, by some undead the Goblins had antagonized. We traced the undead back to a shipwreck and some caves, and found a skeletal samurai guarding this chest."
Shutai gestured to the chest, with the wakisashi on top of it, at the side of the table. "It contains some fireworks, which is what the Goblins wee plundering, somehow. I was hoping you might know some more about it, since it seems to come from Tian Xia, and neither Hisoka nor I remember it that well."
Ameiko immediately perked up on hearing the news - and quickly moved over to examine the items. "Yes, this is definitely Tian work..." she said, picking up the wakizashi... and frowning slightly as she hefted it. Carefully, she raised the weapon (being sure to avoid pointing it at anyone) and shook it up and down a few times. "That's odd. This is of outstanding make, but the weight is off." she said. "Was this with everything else?"
"Ah, right away." she said, putting the weapon down. Business was first, after all, and it wasn't long at all before a familiar scent began to drift through the air. "Anyway, the Tian craftsmen are serious about their labors. Weapons tend to be as much works of art as tools of war, so for something to be unbalanced at that level of craftsmanship... doing it as an accident is almost impossible. If it was deliberate, though... who did it, and more importantly, why?" she inquired.
He's going to check the balance for himself, just to sate his curiosity.
"I remember the hilt felt loose when we took it. Sabotage is what this is. No craftsman would vendor nor gift such a thing to a man he wished to keep alive, a defect like this could prove lethal to its wielder. It's sickening."
