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Chuckling darkly, Asar holds aloft their ancient blade and points it at the Samurai in acceptance of his challenge. Striding forth to the base of the stairs, they easily parry Helm's prepared swing before looking down at the exotic weapon, skeletal face locked in a permenant rictus grin.
"A strange thing indeed, though clearly designed to smash bones, let us remove that problem..." The Skeletal warrior hisses as his blade flashes to disarm.
Helm's Sansetsukon is ripped free from the Half-orc's hands as the skeletal followers swarm forward, three stopping to fight Helm whilst the other head up the stairs to his companions above. Even without a weapon, the Samurai is able to turn the broken scimitars on his vambraces.
Helm - Disarmed
Asar
R+B
Pi+Pu
Sesska
Rygel
Pioni
Horus
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Horus raises his Holy Symbol one more time and calls out in prayer to the Sun God Ra. Maybe it is the proximity to the Everflame or Ra's hatred for the parody of man, but the Cleric's holy light burns through the Skeletal Warriors, destroying the four lesser souls in a shower of splintered bone and burning the Champion with a snarl.
Helm - Disarmed
Asar -6
Sesska
Rygel
Pioni
Horus
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Pioni drops as Sesska runs circles around the Skeletal Champion, the halfling's Tonfa cracking Asar's shin bones as she strikes. Rygel holds aloft their own symbol, but their power seems poor in this constructed place, causing a slight sizzle compared to Horus' sunburst.
Resting his hand on the Katana on his hip, Helm draws it and strikes in one fluid motion, a perfect Iaijutsu strike that chips bone, even though some of its edge is blunted.
"Well, it would seem you are Mighty Champions indeed! No matter..."
He then raises his balanced sword to strike back at the Samurai. The Skeletal Champion's Sword bites deep into the Half-Orc causing a spurt of crimson blood to arc through the air. Stepping away from the encircling combatants they wait patiently
for
Helm -16
Asar -18
Sesska
Rygel
Pioni
Horus
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Recognizing that he was gravely wounded and seeing the skeletal champion might best him in melee combat, Helm takes a step back.
"I am trained in many weapons, dishonorable fiend! Let me show you that arrows through your skull will kill you, too!"
He draws his daikyu, and fires an arrow at the monster.
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Rygel and Horus raise their symbols once more in an attempt to banish the fiendish champion of Undeath, their god's power working in Tandem to sear and blacken bone. Pioni manages another sure strike to chip bone whilst Sesska waits for an opportunity that never arises. Battered and bleeding, Helm steps back and pulls back his greatbow, though the Skeletal Champion is able to deflect the arrow after Sesska spoils the aim.
Burnt and with the unholy flames behind his eyes slowly dying out, the Skeletal Champion brings himself to a strong stance. Raising his Sword, Asar chuckles at the retreating Helm before swinging another powerful blow at Sesska. The blow is dealt with deadly aim and Sesska collapses to the floor in a spray of blood...
for
Combat! Bold are up! - Active Conditions: Bless
Helm -16
Asar -30
Sesska -17 (Unconscious, Bleeding at -6)
Rygel
Pioni
Horus
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Horus calls forth Ra's light one more time as Pioni darts in and cracks her Tonfa into the base of Asar's spine. With weapon and holy energy combined, the dark magic holding the Skeletal Champion finally dissipates and the bones crash to the ground in a heap. A dark sigh echoes through the chamber, causing your hairs to stand on end...
Taking deep breaths, you can spare a moment to look around the vast chamber and notice a few things of import. Firstly, a young woman lies at the base of an open sarcophagus, she seems unconscious and hardly breathing. Secondly, there is a large Burning Brazier that can only be the Everflame, the task that first brought you to this accursed tomb.
Finally, while there are many Sarcophagi in here, two stand out. One is Empty and bears the nameplate ASAR, The other is perhaps grander and bears the name KASSEN. There is still a skeleton inside, resplendant in Grand Fullplate and hands crossed over the pommel of a sword.
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With the flowing holy energy from the pair of clerics, Sesska is able to open their eyes weakly as Horus talks about their task here. Awaking with a start, the girl at the base of the sarcophagi looks around with eyes rimmed in fear, yet does not cry out or scream. It takes her a moment for her eyes to focus and she looks over you, clearly trying to work out if you are blessed relief or a cruel illusion.
"Wh-Who are you?" she croaks groggily.
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The stunned young woman looks between you all with blinking eyes and with a croaking voice she speaks. "R-Roldare? My brother is still alive? Oh thank the Gods..." she begins to weep softly from the trails of her ordeal. "I am exhausted, Asar, he-it kept me tlking for days, questioning relentlessly on the passage of time..."
She is about to say more when Pioni steps up to the Everflame and lights a torch, using it to light the Lantern in her hand. As she does so, the Lantern begins to glow softly with the flame trapped within and a ghostly figure manifests from the open Sarcophagi holding the armoured man and stands, looking down at you all
Dressed in resplendant armour, the ghostly figure peers down at you and smiles warmly, his voice echoing across the grand chamber with ease, but holding none of the darkness that Asar's did.
"My thanks to you brave souls for ridding this place of Asar's corrupting influence." he says, before his tone changes slightly,
"Asar and I were once-companions of sorts. Adventurers like yourselves that came upon great treasures. With wealth beyond our imagining, we decided to separate. I am certain that Asar felt cheated somehow by our parting, and organised his bandits into n assault on my old village."
Kassen stops speaking for a time whilst pondering the next thing of importance and letting his words sink in. "A few days ago, several people broke into the Crypt, stealing the amulets around Asar and I's necks. These amulets are part of a key that opens the vault to our Treasure. Where the vault lies I cannot remember, but the Key was split into three and the final piece was given to our other comrade, the elven sorceress Iramine."
Kassen then pauses as if expecting questions.
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The ghostly figure of the town's great Hero smiles warmly and shrugs slightly, an all too human gesture for an apparition. "I know not, but it is possible that their desecration of this place led to Asar and I's awakening. The darkness in his core must have consumed my old friend, turning him into a champion of Undeath." he answers thoughtfully, before reaching down to his own body, lying in the sarcophagi.
Snapping off a few scales from the edging of the exquisite breastplate, the ghostly Kassen holds them out for you all. He starts to speak and then gestures to an amulet he wears around his neck, one that does not lie on his corpse. "The amulets taken resemble this I wear now, they hold magic that can only be utilised with all the pieces, pointing the way to our hoard."
Along with the scales, he also gifts you with a Bag, his old shield and a Deep Blue sapphire, seemingly holding swirling waters within. With that done he fades to nothingness. A quick search reveals a man lying at the base of Asar's crypt, the dark bruising on his neck showing a death by strangulation. The corpse wears grey robes and a mask of iron.
On the body you find an assortment of interesting gear.
his person. Anyone searching his decayed body finds a
map leading to the crypt (along with a note that reads,
“The amulets are entombed with Kassen and Asar”), a
wand of magic missile (CL 3rd, 22 charges), bracers of armor +1,
a horn of fog, 354 gp in newly minted coins, and a spellbook
that contains the following spells: cause fear, enlarge person,
expeditious retreat, false life, levitate, mage armor, magic
missile, ray of enfeeblement, and all wizard cantrips.
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Horus looks to the others.
"Well, that was an interesting experience; it sounds like there is some greater plot afoot. I wonder what is so important about this cache, that it was worth causing so much death and destruction for it..."
He then sighs.
"Come on - let's go get this lady's brother, and head back to town."