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Eoghan: Slams his sword into the tigh of the undead.
Undead:
Initiative
Round 4
Justin
Eoghan
Undead
Dayo
Snowflake
Vitro
Dayo, Snowflake and Vitro are up!
Vy takes on some of Eoghan's pain and moves up to protect the team in case Eoghan fails to kill that last one
Dayo attempts to dodge through the mayhem...
...and slashes at the ghast from behind!
Dayo's probably got this one, but Vitro tries to splash some acid in from the other side anyway.
But it's kinda hard to get a clear shot with Eoghan in the way.
"Thanks Vy, that scratch barely even hurts anymore. Impressive how you can absorb all that pain constantly. Must be a huge strain on you."
"So, er, let's go on? Dayo takes point, I'm after him?"
Eoghan focuses again and his Shadow Double pops up again.
Dayo nods solemnly and presses on.
[b]"I do it, so I can actually feel of any use. Being told I wouldn't amount to anything does that to you when you are a kid. But I can take it. I can take it."
Vy proceeds then heals himself using a wand.
Dayo pauses, and turns around.
"Eoghan regularly complains he is of little 'use', and you were told the same as a child? Are humans in this land spending any time raising their children? The amount of negativity I've encountered since landing here is truly worthy of its own crusade."
Dayo makes eye contact with everyone.
"I don't know your whole stories. I only know what I've witnessed. And every one of you have proven your worth as a combatant, a scholar and a friend. Whatever sins you've committed in your other lives, take them up with your Creator. Whoever's wronged you in the past, either forgive them now or plan your vengeance. But as long as I walk with you, know that I trust in you and believe in your abilities."
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You continue on and pass a cave opening to your left. The western half of the foul-smelling cavern is heaped with bones, each scarred by the scraping of teeth. Most of the bones have been cracked open for the marrow within. Most likely the Ghasts you encountered earlier came from this cave.
Ahead of you the cramped tunnel opens into a vertiginous gulf, a cathedral-like cavern with a roof arching thirty feet overhead and dropping into a sloshing pool of foamy seawater fifty feet below. A steep stone ledge winds down to these surging depths, its slope glistening with moisture and mold. A stone door stands in the northwestern wall about halfway down the slope.
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Dayo grabs the rock directly to his right, and tosses it into the center of the pool.
"Seawater eh? What do you think the odds are that there's something unpleasant in there? Anyone want to bet that as soon as we walk past there, some tentacle comes out of the water and tries to frag off poor Eoghan?"
Vitro tries to make it sound like a joke but you can hear an undertone of worry in his voice. All this heaving water and slippery ground ahead doesn't seem to agree with him.
Dayo grabs the rock directly to his right, and tosses it into the center of the pool.
The rock splashes into the pool. Nothing happens...
...yet
Eoghan sighs, already knowing (and dreading) what's going to happen. He takes a good look around , and starts walking around on the upper part of the slope.
"I guess Dayo is harder to hit, but at least I have my shadow double that might absorb a blow for me. I'm also strong enough to escape in case a tentacle comes out of the water and grabs me."
Vitro's going to trail a little behind Dayo, trying to keep a clear line of fire on stuff coming out of the pool without getting too close.
You carefully check around you. THen again just to be sure. But nothing jumps, grabs, bites, slimes, or otherwise accosts you while carefully making your way around the big hole.
As you make your way it becomes apperant why nothing lurks here. The ground is slippery with sea water and algea. Luckily the walls provide good handholds.
Dayo and Eoghan find the handholds easily. But for the others it might not be that easy.
For the others, Dayo tries to call out the choicest handholds and point out where the ground is slipperiest.
Seeing the others struggle against the cliff face, Eoghan gets out a rope from his backpack and starts knotting it.
"Would this be of any help? Not sure if there's anything around here to to tie it to, but it's better than nothing, I guess..."
Not an expert by any means, Dayo sets to work hammering in a basic piton setup.
Putting in a few pitons to hold the knotted rope in place, everyone can carefully slip, slide and otherwise make it towards the door.
+1 for traps
Eoghan checks the door over for traps, but finds nothing. However, he thinks he can hear... crying? From the other side of the door.
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Yeah, he's out of spells so.. if he gets possesed by laurie we'll see how long it takes the party to notice....
The air in this damp cavern reeks of a horrific stench—a foul combination of decay, brine, and mold. The cave contains a rickety table, its damp surface cluttered with all manner of what appears to be garbage: empty bottles, bits of clothing, crumpled bits of paper, and more, lying in neatly organized rows. A painting leans against the far side of the table, facing a large leather chair that sits nearby. This chair’s high back and cushion are horribly stained by smears of rotten meat and its arms are sticky with blood. A smaller table sits against the southern wall, its surface heaped with plates and platters of rotten, maggot-infested meat.
The horrific stench of the room seems strongest to the west, where the cave’s wall has been overtaken by a horrific growth of dark green mold and dripping fungi.
At the center, a patch of black tumescent fungus grows, its horny ridges and tumorlike bulbs forming what could almost be taken to be a humanoid outline. What appears to have once been an exquisite puzzle box the size of a man’s fist lies smashed on the ground at the fungoid shape’s feet.
The sobbing is louder, and you can see a pair of feet sticking out from behind the chair, as if someone is hiding behind it.
"It's alright, Justin," Dayo says as he steps into the room, sword in front of him, "The evil here has already been committed. There can only be grace and mercy going forward."
A face peeks out from behind the chair. Its Aldern Foxglove, the man who took you hunting just a few weeks ago. His hair is a tangled, filthy mat. He has streaks of dirt and dried blood on his face, and his clothes are a filthy torn mess.
As he sees you, his eyes widen with fear and delight. He staggers to his feet from behind the chair.
"No! You were supposed to die! You still live"
He takes a few steps forward, hands extended as if he is ready to throttle someone.
Then he violently shakes his head. "NO! NO NO NONONOOOO Leave me alone! I dont want to hurt my friends!"
Aldern falls to his knees, sobbing. "Please, please save me. They will come back and hurt me again. Make me hurt others."
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Dayo closes his eyes, holds up two fingers, and slowly moves them left-to-right.
When Dayo's eyes open, he sheaths his sword and steps up to the man. He kneels beside him and places a hand reassuringly on his shoulder.
"I have heard of you, and the good deeds you have done. My name is Dayo. I am a pilgrim of Apsu, and wish to end the torment that has befallen this land. What can you tell us of your ordeal?"
Aldern grasps Dayo's hand as if was the only thing to keep him from drowning. He remains on his kees, his face twisted in anguish and grief.
"Oh sweet Desna. Its all gone so wrong. I dont know what has been happening. There... there are gaps in my memories. And blood. A lot of blood."
He takes a few deep breaths, getting his sobbing under controll.
"I... I wanted to return to the manor. I had so many bad memories. Of my f... fa... father. Murdering my mother. And.. And he then taking his own life. I was scared. For so long. Scared. I figured. That, that if I made the mansion livable again. I could make it a good place. And those memories wouldnt hurt me anymore."
He wipes his eyes as tears start streaming again.
"And it felt weird at first. Being back. Seeing things from my childhood. But it felt as if the house backed me. That it was supporting my efforts. But money was tight. And then the wedding. My Iesha, my beautifull, pasionet Iesha... She came to me in a storm. It felt like I was finally complete."
Aldern clutches his hand to his chest over his heart. "She filled my days with joy. But the more work stalled, the more I felt torn. I wanted to spend time with her. But the house demanded the work to continue. I left with workers for a few days, leaving the house in her hands. But when I returned with supplies, I found her with another. It... it broke something in me. And... and in anger, something pushed me. In my mind. And then it was all black and then there was so much blood. All her blood. From her and that man... I threw him down the well, and put her in the attic. I didnt know what to do. What happened. My Iesha. My Iesha.
He desolves into wracking sobs.
Dayo looks Aldern directly in the eyes, "You have a curse about you, Aldern. A curse that taints this house, this land, its people and the dead. It's not something I understand, but we know people who may be able to help you. To do that, we have to get you out of here. Will you come with us?"