Piotr knows the dagger is a sacrificial cult dagger, intended to take the lives of blood sacrifices to the Elder Gods.
"Go ahead, Mikhail. Take the dagger. I did not detect any magic but you never know with these things," says Piotr.
Piotr looks to the northeast before continuing.
"Before we head upstairs, we should explore the room over there. That might be where the haunt came from, but we should not leave anything unexplored behind us."
Mikhail will pick up the dagger and move to check out the last of this floor.
When he reaches the door he searches it briefly for traps and magic before he opens it.
Mikhail unrolls his sleeping bag and lays it down in front of the alter and then uses his sword to knock the dagger onto the mat and rolls it up before picking up the mat and putting it back in his bag and then (assuming nothing terrible happens) he goes to search the door.
"Thank you, Mikhail. I can examine the dagger at a later time," says Piotr. "I am interested in what may be behind this door."
The door opens into a long-disused room whose collapsed wall leads back to the caverns.
The only way forward is down!
"Well, down the dark stairs in the creepy temple in the strange portal? Why not?" Alister summons the balls of light again to move ahead of them as they descend.
Piotr follows Alister to the stairs, and then down. Before he descends, he casts another Detect Magic cantrip.
Memorized Spells
0 - Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Light, Resistance
1 - Mage Armor, Magic Missile (x3), Shield
2 - Glitterdust, See Invisibility (x43)
3 - Fireball (x2), Haste, Summon Monster III
Active Effects
- Mage Armor (5.75 hours)
- See Invisibility (45 minutes)
- Light (45 minutes)
- Detect Magic (6 minutes)
Wand - 3 charges used
As you arrive at the bottom of the stairs, you see a winding passageway whose floor is made up of large flagstones, each 5' across. Each flagstone bears a strange sigil, each slightly different, like nothing you have ever seen before. Piotr detects a variety of magics in his field of view, including Divination, Enchantment and Transmutation.
Aristu peers past Piotr and Alister to see why they've stopped. "That certainly doesn't look good." He calls up his aura sight and tries to figure out what dangers the sigils hold.
"Help me out, please," asks Piotr of Corb. The wizard concentrates and casts Detect Magic on his familiar.
After receiving the cantrip, Corb looks closely at the flagstones and the swirling magical auras.
With Corb's aid, Piotr tries to make sense of the flagstones and the auras. He is hoping to be able to identify what dangers the hallway poses.
Between Aristu, Piotr and Corb, the consensus is that this area is heavily trapped with necromantic magic and negative energy that will sap the life from those who cross it.
"I lack the wards to bypass this effect. I could try and use
a channel to send Positive Energy in to defuse it. Or perhaps if someone has a fly or some means of tricking it into thinking we belong we can try and bypass it in that fashion." Mikhail muses as he looks down at the deadly trap.
"I do not have any ability to remove this trap," admits Piotr.
"However, while it may be a poor use of the spell, I can summon a creature and command it to enter that area. That is likely to discharge the trap," continues Piotr.
"Should I do so?"
Alister has been quiet, looking at the flagstones pulsing with energy. And odd thought crosses his mind. Jehovah starts with an I. He shakes his head, clearing the thought.
"If the summon works, we'll need to move very fast."
Piotr begins muttering the words of a spell, intending to call a number of small creatures. Once the holy rats have arrived, Piotr commands them forward through the warded area.
"Quickly, everyone! Not so close as to be caught in any spell effect but before the magical defences reset!"
Memorized Spells
0 - Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Light, Resistance
1 - Mage Armor, Magic Missile (x3), Shield
2 - Glitterdust, See Invisibility (x43)
3 - Fireball (x2), Haste, Summon Monster III
Active Effects
- Mage Armor (5.75 hours)
- See Invisibility (45 minutes)
- Light (45 minutes)
- Detect Magic (6 minutes)
- Summon Monster III (5 celestial dire rats) - 9 rounds
Wand 3 charges used
Mikhail will race behind the horde of celestial dire rats and see how well this goes.
The holy rats run out onto the floor where horrid tendrils of darkness reach up and suck the life from their tiny bodies. Then you run out onto the same floor, hustling through dark chambers until you reach a door. You can try to open the door or continue on south on the rune-filled path.
"I hope you have another of those for us to get out." Alister looks down the corridor to the south, then turns back. "Open the door. If there are more of those tiles this way, we need to get away from them."
Aristu reluctantly finds himself following rats down the corridor of doom. When Alister indicates that they should go through the door, he quickly flips through his scrolls and withdraws a scroll of Knock, in case the door is locked.
Mikhail tries to open the door and goes through if he can.
The door is unlocked. Mikhail opens it and all quickly file through.
A long, cobwebbed corridor extends into the distance, lit by strange purplish lamps. Corridors and doorways beckon.
Piotr casts another cantrip to scan the area ahead for magical auras.
Memorized Spells
0 - Acid Splash, Detect Magic, Light, Resistance
1 - Mage Armor, Magic Missile (x3), Shield
2 - Glitterdust, See Invisibility (x43)
3 - Fireball (x2), Haste, Summon Monster III
Active Effects
- Mage Armor (5.75 hours)
- See Invisibility (45 minutes)
- Light (45 minutes)
- Detect Magic (6 minutes)
Wand 3 charges used
Alister conjures another set of balls of light and sends them swirling down the corridor on the right.
"What the hell is this place?"
"A deeper and heavily warded portion of a dark temple. Lets go see what they felt was in such great need of protection." Mikhail continues on down the corridor to the first door before calling about Abadar to scan the door and the small alcove to the north for magic. He also takes some time to search the door for mechanical traps and to see if it is locked.
Galen and Mikhail hear the swift, soft sounds of something coming your way. They are not surprised. Everyone else is.
A small crowd of ghastly shades materialize before you. They are only mostly human, as if their ancestors had bred long ago with some stranger thing from beyond this world. Their ears are large and droopy, their eyes wide and staring, their mouths small and filled with needle-sharp teeth. But the are undoubtedly ghostly.
"You tread upon ground sacred to The Dweller in Darkness!" whispers their leader. "We sacrifice you now to appease Its anger and ease Its passage into this world!"
And with that, the leader holds forth a strange sign whose violent energies seem to gnaw at reality all around you, tearing at you from within and without!
Then the ghosts surge around you, reaching for you.
STATUS
Shade Leader
Aristu (3 STR damage) (surprised)
Shades
Mikhail (3 damage)(2 STR damage)
Piotr (4 damage)(1 STR damage) (surprised)
Galen
Alister (5 damage) (surprised)
Mikhail calls upon Abadar for his protection and then slashes through the first of the ghostly creatures.
Mikhail's cutlass slashes into one of the shades, causing it real harm!
STATUS
Shade Leader
Aristu (21/32 hp)(3 STR damage)
Shades (B:6 damage)
Mikhail (46/54 hp)(2 STR damage)
Piotr (19/34 hp)(1 STR damage)
Galen (47/52 hp)
Alister (25/41 hp)
note additional +2 from Bravery class feature if this is a Fear effect.
Galen takes a step forwards, and hacks at one of the ghosts with his magical sword, his other arm holding his shield.
(slashing, magic)
Galen's blade slashes through another ghost!
The vile ghost leader continues to tear at the walls of reality with its incantations!
STATUS
Shade Leader
Aristu (21/32 hp)(3 STR damage)
Shades (B:14 damage)
Mikhail (46/54 hp)(2 STR damage)
Piotr (19/34 hp)(1 STR damage)
Galen (47/52 hp)
Alister (25/41 hp)
Aristu shifts to get a better view, then activates his wand and launches magical force at the leader of the shades.
note additional +2 from Bravery class feature if this is a Fear effect.
Galen continues to attack the ghosts with his magical longsword.
(slashing, magic)
I don't know if they are subject to critical hits or not. But if so, the above attack roll is a critical threat, so here's the confirmation roll (and if successful, above damage of 19 is doubled):