Seeing his spells having no effect upon the stone monster, Alistair attempts to stay out of the way, and readies his healing to help any wounded members of the party.
Alistair hangs back as Eldramin and Koralyn slash at the construct, but neither is able to land a blow that penetrates the black stone plates of its armor.
Kierdan batters away at the statue, as well, and is finally able to land a telling blow, although the force is blunted by the construct's enchanted body.
Dragomir swings again with both hands but this time with an eye to accuracy (and with the benefits of bless).
for
And
for
Rolen fires at the construct.
Rolen's arrow slams into one of the construct's glowing eyes at the same time Dragomir shatters its slate breastplate with his black axe. For a moment, a cloud of sulfurous yellow energy can be seen within the statue's shattered chest, then the light dims and the construct collapses to the ground.
With the statue no longer blocking the eastern door, you peer into a short, shadowed hall that immediately turns and leads south. It ends 30 or 40 feet later at another door, made of heavy stone and barricaded by a pair of stout iron bars.
Rolen peers down the hallway.
Shall we?
He proceeds cautiously, searching for traps as he goes.
Eldramin searches the construct.
Searching the construct, Eldramin finds nothing that appears to hold more than symbolic value. The stone gauntlets are intact, and would provide a fine trophy if not practical protection. And the slate sword the statue carried is intact, although without the reinforcing magic of the construct, it is likely too brittle for actual combat.
Proceeding carefully down the hall, Rolen finds no evidence of traps. The barred door seems designed to stop anyone - or thing - on the other side from coming this way. The metal is old and rusted, and ever so-slightly bent, as if something powerful battered it from the other side long ago.
The elf also detects a stench, faint but nauseating, that drifts from the hairline cracks around the door's frame.
Something reeks behind this barred door, and it looks like it may be large enough to have caused the damage from the other side tryin' to get out.
"Do you think you can open the door? Looks quite formidable. Is it actually locked, or simply bared?"
Alistair creates light so the group and better examine the door.
Anticipating that Rolen will attempt to open the barred door, Kierdan quickly recites a brief cantrip under his breath. The priest then reaches out to Rolen and says, Please accept Pelor's guidance
It appears barred. I don't know if I can get it open. It may require some brute strength.
"We should be careful, this door may be holding back some foul gas responsible for what little smell leaks forth. And whatever is in there, the people that made this place didn't want it out."
Dragomir, what do ya say you give this door a try. Seems to require a firm hand.
Looking from the barred door to Rolan, then to Dragomir, Kierdan softly intones a brief prayer to Pelor. Placing his hand on Dragomir's shoulder, the priest says,The door looks suspect, to say the least. If you plan on opening it, please accept the guidance of the Sun Father.
Dragomir works on the bar, his limbs given strength by Pelor.
The bars screech and clang before falling in a shower of rust as Dragomir puts his divinely-strengthened muscles to the task. With another grunt he wrenches open the stone portal.
As your torches illuminate the chamber beyond, you are nearly overwhelmed by the foul stench of putrid flesh. The rectangular room, which extends about 60 feet away from the door and is about 40 feet wide, appears empty, however, except for an old, sealed sarcophagus against the far wall on a semicircular stone dais. The source of the stench is not readily apparent.
Korayn looks at the exposed room, a worried look on her face. This does not look or smell good. Let us proceed with the utmost caution.
Rolen slips into the shadows to the side of the room advancing halfway down the interior right wall.
Alistair moves forward with the light shining off the end of his staff.
"Indeed the smell is most horrid! One would surmise that if something died here a long time ago, such an odor would be long vanished from the remains. I think we might be dealing with some form of undead...caution indeed!"
Rolen advances into the room cautiously, but his attempt at stealth is ruined almost immediately as he stumbles into a pile of what appears to be the bones of several small animals. The bones snap like twigs beneath his feet -- peering down, Rolen sees that the bones have been carved with patterns and crude markings, then laid in an intricate lattice on the floor.
You all wait breathlessly for a moment, waiting for some response, but the room remains silent. The pause gives you an opportunity to look about the room. Although plain in construction, the walls have all been carved with some crude instrument, lines of strange script laid over other lines and occasionally scratched out altogether.
The script appears to be arcane in nature, snippets of spell formulae and related notations. It's all a jumbled mess, however, with no real coherent thought or anything resembling a complete spell.
You also see that the sarcophogus at the far end of the room is no longer sealed -- the lid merely sits atop the coffin, closed but with flakes of lead around the rim. The dust settled around the base of the dais suggests it hasn't been opened in some time, however.
As you investigate the room, you are reminded of your conversations with Ramne, the sage in the village of Orlane. This place was supposed to hold the tomb of Dalvan Meir, a wizard thought to have died more than a century ago after constructing an elaborate burial complex for himself somewhere in the Rushmoors.
Meir was known to be a student of soul magic, if not outright necromancy, and had been researching methods of entrapping souls before his death. You had hoped to find something here to help you against the naga worshipped by the cult in Orlane, so that you might somehow isolate its soul and its body to prevent its resurrection after death.
Undead are not know for their pleasant smells, but ghasts -- a form of powerful and cunning ghoul, with paralyzing claws -- are notorious for their nauseating stench.
As you study the chaotic carvings on the wall, you notice a thin, vertical fracture in the far wall, a few yards from the dais -- the tell-tale sign of a concealed door.
"There, on the far wall.. a vertical line. That has to be another door."
Karolyn can make nothing from the marks on the walls and recalls little about undead in the stressed situation.
Rolen notices the crack as well and proceeds to the fracture in the wall.
Eldramin speaks true. We have a concealed door here. We should probably check the contents of the sarcophagus before leaving the room.
Know-Arcana:
Alistair looks about the room, noticing the mishmash of symbols and magical paraphernalia.
Know-Arcana:
The stench reminds him of something about undead, but what it is he cannot seem to remember.
Perception:
Finally his eyes settle on the fractures on the far wall. Others also notice this...the signs of a concealed door.
"Well this place is not quite what it seems. These symbols and items at first glance seem to have some sort of magical significance, but in reality is nothing more than a distraction."
The stench grows stronger as Rolen approaches the concealed door, the reek of rotting flesh so strong he is barely able to stop himself from retching. Clamping a hand over his nose, he leans back in to continue his examination -- just as the door flies open and a feral creature covered in withered gray flesh leaps out to attack!
Rolen jerks back quickly enough to keep the creature from tearing off his face with its jumbled mouth full of fangs, but falls limp at it digs blackened claws into the flesh of his arms, seemingly paralyzed by its touch.
Snarling, the creature starts to drag the elf back through the secret door into the dark chamber beyond, shrieking as its wild eyes fix on you.
"Come to test yourselves against Dalvan Meir? Come to feed me!" it screams, fangs and lolling tongue turning the words to mush.
Pelor protect us!, a startled Kierdan blurts out as he watches the withered grey creature erupt from behind the door. With his left arm, the priest readies his shield. At the same time, he holds up his holy symbol and calls upon the Sun Father to bless his companions in their struggle against this undead abomination.
Eldramin holds his hand flat, and makes a chopping motion at the creature, summoning his typical blade of spiritual energy to assault it.
Dragomir con save
Dragomir has smelt far worse on the battlefield and its aftermath of the battlefield before.
He leaps forward to attack the creature with his magic axe - aim for accuracy.
Attack 1 for
Attack 2 for 19! crits
Rolen's muscles remain locked and immobile as his companions leap to attack. Kierdan calls out a blessing that, while not enough to undo the paralysis, may give Rolen the strength to recover shortly ...
Eldramin, meanwhile, sends a blade of spinning black energy at the undead creature, carving a shallow groove in the rotten flesh of its shoulder.
Ignoring the stench billowing off the monster, Dragomir charges in, hammering it with two well-aimed blows from his axe.
The corpse-like creature seems badly hurt by the attacks, but the deep wounds do not hinder its screaming counterattack.
Ignoring Rolen for the moment, it throws itself at Dragomir, tearing into the big warrior with its fang-filled maw and blackened claws.
The creature gibbers madly as it attacks, an unintelligible rush of words and phrases, among them "immortal," "new body," "mistake" and "prison."
Koralyn starts her blade song as she tried to get behind the creature and attacks.
Shaking of the stunning surprise of the creatures sudden attack, Alistair summons up rays of fire and directs them at the undead horror.
Ray #1 Attack:
Damage:
Ray #2 Attack:
Damage:
Ray #3 Attack:
Damage:
[dice=Con]1d20+2+1d4
Eldramin continues his assault with the spiritual weapon while shooting the creature with his eldritch blast.
Eldramin will also move as far as he can from the creature while maintaining line of sight to it.
Rolen begins to stir, his muscles slowly regaining feeling as Koralyn steps over him to inflict a shallow cut on the undead, as well as delivering a spell.
Seconds later, Alistair and Eldramin bombard the creature with bolts of fire and black force, knocking it backward into the room it emerged from. Clearly staggered, it reels as Dragomir and Kierdan make their moves ...
With a quick prayer to the Sun Father and a gesture in the direction of the foe, Kierdan calls force Pelor's radiant might upon the wretched creature.
Dragomir attacks again, again favouring accuracy over power, knowing he needs to drop his foe.
for
for
[dice="Dalvan Meir" Dexterity save vs sacred flame]1d20+7[/dice]
Kierdan continues the magical assault, scorching the off-balance undead creature with Pelor's sacred flame.
Dragomir gives the monster no time to recover, charging after it as it stumbles back through the doorway. His first two-handed blow with the black axe crunches into the creature's rotted rib cage, causing it to fold over, as if taking a bow. Stepping quickly to the side, the warrior raises the axe, execution style, before bringing it down on the undead monstrosity's neck. The body crumples to the floor, the stained cloak it was wearing covering the stinking mass.
The head rolls back out the door, the fang-filled maw grinning at the rest of the party as its features go slack.
With the ghast-like creature defeated, you have a moment to look around the room beyond the secret door. As your torches illuminate the space, you immediately see that it is smaller than the main tomb -- and filled with treasure!
In the center of the room, lying on a marble table, is a sarcophagus similar to the one in the outer chamber. The lid, which lies shattered on the floor nearby, appears to have been unceremoniously pried from away to reveal the body within -- a body that has been broken and torn apart, leaving little but bone fragments and scraps of cloth.
Around the marble table, four amphorae decorated with gold and silver leaf stand next to a coffer overflowing with gems, jewelry and assorted valuables.
Another pile of treasure containing several hundred coins of various mints and a few other odds and ends sits in the northwest corner of the room, beneath a foot-wide hole in the ceiling.
Finally, while searching the room you find a fist-sized crystal carved with arcane runes that appears to have rolled into a dusty corner. A long crack mars one face of the crystal, which is the color of a ripe plum.
While examining the haul for enchantments, you notice that several items -- as well as the cloak and a pair of rings worn by the undead creature -- bear magical auras.
In the pile near the marble table:
* Four amphorae covered in delicate gold and silver scrollwork, each worth about 100 gp. Each is sealed, and feels as if it contains some sort of liquid, of varying weight and consistency.
* A silver-plated longsword. The hilt is clad in red gold and a diamond is set in the pommel, but the blade is badly scratched and dented after apparently being used as a prying device. (Still, worth about 500 gp)
* A gold ring set with six tiger eye jewels (600 gp)
* A large gold tooth set with diamond chips (250 gp)
* A gold necklace with a flaming heart medallion (About 200 gp in apparent worth, but also detects as magical)
* A gold headband (Apparent value about 500 gp, detects as magical)
* Four silver-colored potions in crystal vials
* A silver-bladed rapier (detects as magic)
* 120 small gems, each worth about 10 gp
* A dozen pieces of gold and silver jewelry, worth an average of 100 gp each
In the pile in the northwest corner:
* A small emerald (150 gp) and an uncut sapphire (50 gp)
* A broken silver bracelet(50 gp)
* 7 pp
* 92 gp (About half are of familar mint and appear to be those you dropped into the sacrificial bowl on the west side of the island)
* 9 ep
* 51 sp
* 356 cp
On the body of the undead:
* Stained cloak (detects as magical)
* Intricately carved platinum ring (apparent worth 300 gp, detects as magical)
* Bronze ring with inset silver bolts (apparent worth 50 gp, detects as magic)
In addition, the cracked, rune-covered crystal also detects as magical.
Rolen picks up the Rapier, an begins to test it out.
"It will take time, but I can identify these items of magic. Well, time and money."