You find the monestary exactly as you left it. The only place you have not explored on the surface is A8, but you feel it can wait...If what the Gnolls say is true, exploring the crypt cannot wait. Following Yazi you make your way to the statue near and down the secret stairs she found. It is pitch black down here. You are likely to be eaten by a grue. MAP UPDATED. what do you do?
Does anyone have torches or a cantrip of illumination? Hajar says, peering into the darkness.
"Son of a stupid camel!" Anjali mutters as they descend into inky darkness. She stretches a free arm out to wave in front of her, hoping to keep from bumping into anything. But more than likely she blindly swipes at other people in front of her.
"I should have thought to bring a torch," she says tightly while groping along for a wall. "Maybe this place already has some and we only need to light them."
Bartan casts light on his belt, as well as on whatever item the others hold out for him. In the case of Anjali, he specifically casts the light spell on her headband, making it look like she has a halo on.
Watching Bartan illuminate the area Hajar says I will go forward, stay close to me. and he moves down the stairs into the crypt.
MAP UPDATED. 30ft light radius. You are definitely in a crypt.
The monastery’s undercrypt is a series of ten-foot-wide rough-hewn passages dug into bedrock. You seem to be in an east-west passage. A few off side passages can be seen in the glow of Bartan's magic light (and Anjali's glowing head).
An eerie silence pervades the cool subterranean funerary network, which must contain the bodies of scores—if not hundreds—of honored worshipers of Sarenrae in shallow niches carved into the walls of every passage.
"We should explore these side passages as we pass them, so as to not let something come up behind us." Bartan says, heading toward the first passage to the South.
Khayal will stick close to Anjali and Bartan. Attempting to intercept any thing that tries to get near them.
Anjali smiles at Khayal, grateful for his comforting presence. She positions herself at the intersection of the main hallway and the first two passages.
While Bartan heads down the southern passage, the healer glances apprehensively down the northern passageway. "Ai! I am a child of the sun and the sands. I do not abide by dark places such as this." Anjali vigorously rubs at her arms to ward off the chill.
Bartan moves cautiously down the passage, trying (probably in vain) to see any threats.
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Upon entering the crypt Yazi and Doc will carefully follow the group, staying on guard and keeping an eye out for anything as the spelunk.
Down here Bartan and the rest of you find an ominous thing: a large boulder has crushed a body. The body is old, in the juicy skeletal phase. But the boulder that fell on his head was obviously a trap at one time. This poor sod must have set it off 10 or 15 years ago by your estimates. You wonder what other traps might have been set by the "peaceful" monks of saranrae.
On the juicy skeleton's finger is a iron ring.
You experience a Moderate divination aura.
"My friends, we obviously must be cautious here, in case there are more traps like that one."
Bartan peers into the North-Eastern-most hallway.
He perceives LITERALLY nothing. He's essentially struck blind. Wow.
Dhavyn follows others into the crypt, staying near the back. He adds a brief incantation ליכט and his necklace starts glowing, adding its own light to Anjalis.
Traps and creatures too. Remember what the Gnoll said.
Remembering how the Gnoll managed to strike his unprotected flesh he also utters מאַגע פאנצער and shrouds himself in the armor of force.
Anjali steps into the passageway to the north to shine light into it. She also looks around to see if there is anything of interest.
As Bartan tugs the iron ring it refuses to come off. A bit harder tug and suddenly the whole hand and forearm bones dislodge from the skeleton. Bartan is left standing there holding the ring by the index and thumb fingers, with the juicy hand and forearm bones hanging from it!!!
Bartan gets very squeamish when the arm comes off, and drops it. "This ring cannot be removed except by the owner of its sister ring. If we find that ring, we can come back and retrieve this... otherwise it's worthless anyway."
You further explore the side passages, finding no treasure. The monks are laid out in the walls with names and dates. Eventually you come to area A20a (MAP UPDATED). There is a shrine here with a sarcophagus. The form reliefed on the cover stone stone is a women in nun habit. The inscription reads: Sister Shaherizad the Youngest, Incorruptible. Youngest Sister of The Order. The date on the inscription is over 300 years ago.
The smell of Roses fills the air.
Dhavyn holds the necklace aloft shedding light to the room and the sarcophagi. He takes a deep breath as the smell of roses hit his nose.
"I don't know about you but it doesn't feel particularly dangerous here. Perhaps the crypt monster was just a story to scare us..."
He thinks for a moment and adds "This is a crypt though. I wish there was a way to determine if there are any undead nearby..."
He goes around the room investigating for clues and holding the shining necklace before him.
Bartan sniffs, appreciating the smell of roses, but then his look hardens. "I worry that this beautiful smell in a place like this could be a trick of some type. Stay on your guard, everyone."
Bartan leads the group into the South corridor.
As you turn to leave the alcove of the incorruptible you hear behind you the sound of stone grinding on stone...
Whirling around you see the sarcophogus slide open. A pale white hand reaches up and wraps it's fingers around the side of the coffin. Then a VERY young girl sits up. Mabe 7 years old. Her eyes remain closed and she sits motionless.
Avenka stands ready to fight, thinking to herself poor girl, so young...
Bartan jumps back, clearly scared of this child-thing. "What... is that? Is she alive?!"
Anjali steps back, swallowing hard. "That is an excellent question." Something tugs at the very edges of her memory, as if a new bit of knowledge struggles to break free.
Staring hard at the pale girl, she gives in to the feeling. Mouthing a few words, Anjali extends a hand toward the sarcophagus and its young occupant.
It opens it's eyelids, looks around with a glassy stare. Mother Saranrae? Is that you?
You detect moderate undead aura coming from the girl.
By all that is holy. How could this happen! Hajar cries his hands going for his weapons.
As Hajar speaks the girl looks toward the sound of his voice. With an eerie hollow "Helen Keller" stare she searches for him...Father? Is that you? She holds her arms out to Hajar. Father, where are you? Hold me!
Anjali shrinks back even farther from the blank eyed stare of the little girl. "S-she is not...is not exactly alive," she says in horror, her hand flying to her throat.
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Yazi's face is one of sadness as she watches the girl get up from her resting place, but soon becomes one of anger as she sees the Icon of Urgathoa. Disease encrusted whore! She manages to hold the insult towards the Corpse Goddess inside as to not disturb the girl as she attempts to gets around her and return the Icon of Sarenrae to its rightful place.
Khayal is uncertain of what to do so he simply tightens his grip on his kukris.
Bartan whispers a prayer to Irez, and draws a card from his harrow deck.
-> The Juggler (Chaotic Good, Dexterity)
"The Juggler indicates that the gods are surely toying with us, sending such a creature to confuse and unnerve us." he says, in a hushed breath. The he speaks up, "If this is an undead creature, she must unfortunately be destroyed. There cannot be any good in her."
You didn't see it comin' until it was too late...as you reach out to touch the idol it triggers a trap!
Radius 30 ft from the wall next to Yazi (MAP UPDATED)
The undead girls' head twists unnaturally 180 degrees to face Yazi. Her jaw drops open 7 inches wide and she screams an undead blood curdling scream! (The Sarcophogus is basically on the letter A)
Anjali lets out a high pitched scream of terror as the girl's head turns completely around.
After negative energy damage he is at 11 HP.
If he can get next to the girl Khayal jumps into action. Swinging his kukri.
Dhavyn cries out from pain as the unholy wave tears through his body shriveling the flesh where it hits it. He staggers back from the creature withdrawing towards others.
"By the gods destroy that thing!" he shouts his eyes hazy and voice filled with pain.
Yaarrgh Hajar's yell of inarticulate rage fills the dark corridor as he moves forward to put an end to the undead monstrosity.
Bartan puts a hand over his partial harrow deck, charging the cards with arcane energy.
He then casts a spell while pulling a card from the deck.
The Desert (Chaotic Good, Constitution)
"May the desert dry you out until you're an evil husk!
Bartan throws the card, and in midair it looks to dry the air around it, while simultaneously taking on a caustic green color. By the time it gets to the vile undead creature, it looks like a mini sandstorm.
plus acid
Avenka goes to attack her.
Anjali hugs the wall, shrinking away from the ghastly undead being as she rushes after Dhavyn. A quick glance reveals that the others have also felt the wave of pain. She wastes no time in countering the burst of negative energy with a healing one of her own.
Standing like a beacon of light, Anjali thrusts her fist up toward the ceiling, her lips moving in the familiar incantation. A surge of positive energy fills the area, bringing with it a comforting warmth and the sweet, powdery scent of heliotrope.
init:
Haunt acts at init 10
First, there is the scream. You all react then Harjar, Bartan, Avenka and Khayal make their attacks...
...and disrupt the haunted girl's spell. Yazi makes a final strike against the poor girl's body.
Then Anjali channel's energy ending the haunt. The girl howls and screams and snarls, then finally falls back. There is silence for a moment as you lean in to see the girl's limp body...then the demonic being posessing her bursts forth from her body, laughing, and flys down the hallway past Khayal, Bartan, Dhavyn, and off into the darkness like this