Falcon as well will follow Alezandu.
:: Rova 31 - Morning - The Pit and Beyond ::
The group heads over to open the door to the west, Alezandu at the front. The chamber beyond the door to the west is buried in a pile of rubble at its far end. Finished walls encircle part of the room but end in a collapse to the south. Three skeletons stand around a forge, arms swinging above anvils as if to hammer something into shape.
As Alezandu enters the room, the three skeletons look up in unison, Mouths parting in a silent scream, they grab aklys from off their belts and move towards him.
Not wanting to receive the brunt of the skeletons' assault, Alezandu fires an arrow at the one closest to him before pulling back behind the party's melee warriors. If a skeleton manages to get to him before he or anyone else can react, he guardedly withdraws instead.
Claustipher moves back.
"Either let them come to this room or push in. Fighting in a doorway makes things difficuly." I am sure they will stay in the way of my spells, like a bunch of kids. Clearly he is getting grumpier about all this moving.
Begone foul undead! back to your slumber
Elyas holds up a symbol of Iomedae and a very dim burst of holy light comes from his body, then sputters out and dies
”I agree with Claustipher. Let’s back off.”
Falcon backs up to allow five feet of space inside the door and readies a trip attack for when a skeleton comes in range.
bludgeoning
Well... that one has potential. Agreeing with me, how nice.
:: Rova 31 - Morning - The Pit and Beyond ::
The skeletons rush forward, storming the door to stop anyone from entering. Slow on his feet, Alezanfu can't get out of the way in time and both skeletons land solid hits on him.
Behind Alezandu, Falcon, Claustipher and Olivia step backward, making room for him to escape and for the skeletons to pour through.
Remaining by the door Elyas channels the power of Iomedae, and hears the screams of the skeletons as ALezandu retreats back behind the group.
As the skeletons charge through the door, Falcon trips one, and narrowly misses crushing its skull with his boot.
Another skeleton runs over its prone companion to stop in front of Falcon. Once there, it swings its aklys at Falcon, grazing his arm.
The last skeleton moves into the doorway and attacks Elyas, missing narrowly.
Falcon takes his AoO against the skeleton that attacked him as another trip attack.
Alas, that likely fails.
For his turn, he attempts to trip skeleton.
He continues his flurry on the same skeleton as an attack.
If either of the prone skeletons try to stand, Falcon can take an AoO against either or both.
I should really try to avoid taking point in the future, Alezandu decides as he staggers away from the skeletons' blows. Once out of the thick of things he takes a carefully aimed shot at the closest foe.
"Much better now we can all see what the fuss is about."
Claustipher hobbles to the south to get a bit more room. One there he raises his palm and unleases a beam of searing heat at the skeleton in front of the door.
vs touch
Elyas swings at one of the skeletons as it comes near him
if it is still standing Elyas hacks at it again. otherwise he will 5' step up to the middle (where Cyan is currently) and swing at yellow
Olivia steps back to get the skeleton in range of her bardiche then brings it down.
:: Rova 31 - Morning - The Pit and Beyond ::
Falcon trips and crushes the skull of the skeleton in front of him, ending its stint of unlife.
Alezandu and Claustiper fire at the skeleton standing front of the door, striking hard and scattering its bones about the area.
Elays and Olivia both strike true on the last skeleton and dismantle it as well.
Noting the lightness of his quiver, Alezandu wonders if perhaps he should have asked Solace for additional ammunition before she departed.
"I could definitely use some healing," he tells the others, breathing deeply to calm himself after the fight.
Once his injuries have (hopefully) been ameliorated, Alezandu heads back into the chamber to get a closer look at whatever the skeletons were forging.
Falcon goes with Alezandru, though he can’t do much for his injuries.
Seeing both Falcon and Alezandu showing some wounds, Elyas prays for help, and a soft white glow fills the room
seeing that Falcon could use a bit more help, Elyas lays his hand on the young man individually, giving him just a little more healing energy
Alezandu nods in thanks to Elyas.
:: Rova 31 - Morning - The Pit and Beyond ::
Alezandu and Falcon enter the room. A few feet in Alezandu is suddenly over come by feeling weak and fatigued.
As the two look around, it becomes apparent that the skeletons were swinging hammers with no heads, which would explain why you couldn't hear them. They also seem to have simply been mindlessly toiling away in a macabre semblance of life, no end goal in mind. The two also notice a master work set of smithing and mining tools near the rubble, and Falcon can see a shield leaning against an anvil by the forge.
Olivia will walk up the room and help with picking up the items.
Seeing his companion overcome with something, Falcon grabs the shield and then shoves Alezandru back out into the main chamber.
Disconcerted by his sudden fatigue, Alezandu allows himself to be pushed out of the room.
Elyas casts Detect Magic and sweeps it over the tools and the shield to help determine if they are worth bringing out right now or not.
"my friends. That is not a good place for breathing. The air is most likely bad. Move quick if action must be taken back out fast."
Falcon darts in, grabbing the shield and departing. Olivia follows as well, grabbing the two sets of tools before exiting as well.
Falcon exits the room, feeling okay. Olivia gulps a bit much inder the extra weight of the tools and feels off. [/ooc]Olivia takes 1 non-lethal damage and is fatigued.[/ooc]
Elyas determines that the shield is a +1 light steel shield. The other tools are simply master work tools.
Claustipher thinks for a bit and determines that airing the room out, or potentially lighting the bad air on fire could clear the room. Alezandu and Olivia will likely have to rest to recover.
"Maybe a torch would help clear the air in there? I do not have any fire magic available."
I do not have anything that would clear the air, but I don't think we need to continue on into that room. lets try the other direction
Still a bit lightheaded, Alezandu comments, "If you're proposing that we try to light the air in there on fire, then I have to agree with Elyas that going the other way seems like the safer option."
Olivia tries to hide any weakness despite huffing and puffing heavily as she exits the room.
"Yes, go the other way now."
:: Rova 31 - Late Morning - The Pit and Beyond ::
The group sits and waits out side the room, Alezandu and Olivia catching their breathes and trying to clear their heads. After about a half hour, the pair feel like themselves again and the group decides to move through the eastern door.
When the door is opened, you can see tiny, intricate carvings line the walls of this room, forming great columns of text. Much of it has cracked and crumbled, and the entire southern wall is fractured, with a yawning cavern beyond. You can hear a faint moaning coming from the room to the south.
Once his head has cleared, Alezandu warily enters the room to the east. Noticing the moaning and not sure what to make of the inscriptions on the walls, he creeps over to the fracture and peers into the cavern.
Wondering why Alezandu is making so much noise Claustipher shuffles in after him, staying near the door. Ignoring the moaning he focuses on the writing, trying to work out what it says or its intent.
Elyas leaves Claustipher to decipher the text that is visible, though his own curiosity is definitely stirred by the columns. However, as soon as he hears a moan his hopes rise that it may be the prisoners and he moves with Alezandu to see what is to the south.
Falcon joins the others at the south wall.
Olivia follows Elyas.
"Hello?", she asks, waiting for a response.
:: Rova 31 - Late Morning - The Pit and Beyond ::
Claustipher ponders the text for a few minutes while the others investigate further south. He identifies the text as being in Aklo, which he is not fluent in, but puzzles through a few of the words he remembers. The text seems to describe the finding of these caves, their settlement and the worship of the "Excavator".
On the topic of the "Excavator" he can clearly decipher the following:
“grandmother, in seeking the Excavator, turned her
eyes to the Stone, and to the Steel, and finally to Woe.”
Claustipher also knows that the Troglodytes don't speak Aklo.
Those looking through the opening to the south can see a few trails going off into the earth. The one furthest east seems to be where the low moaning sound is coming from.
Nothing responds to Olivia's question.
Elyas waits for everyone to get into the current room, then moves forward into the next chamber (the one that is visible now). he looks towards the eastern one, moving slowly, to see if he can spot the source of the moaning.
Alezandu follows carefully behind Elyas.
Falcon stays right with Elyas as well.
"Well this is intresting, though probably only to me not you people of action, its in Aklo and talks ahout an Excavator and a tale about a grandmother. Probably a medaphore, turned eyes to Seone and Steel and Woe." He pauses for a momement before mumbeling "Not from the Troglodytes."
Well I guess we will find out. Wish I could remember more history, maybe it will come back to me.
He follows the others at what he deems to be a safe distance.
Olivia rushes toward the moaning, searching for its source.
:: Rova 31 - Late Morning - The Pit and Beyond ::
The tunnel opens into a long, irregular cavern running north to south. Streaks of purple crystal run along one wall. To the east, the room descends down at a steep angle to a tunnel. A low, ethereal moan rises from the cold depths, and a barricade built of masonry blocks and crudely quarried chunks of stone partially blocks the wide, low tunnel to the south.
It appears the moaning, ominous as it may sound, is likely from air movement up from the deeps.
Over the partial wall, you can see that partial collapse mars the symmetry of this large, circular chamber. Crude carvings of reptilian heads and bodies cover the wall, snaking around empty sockets in the stone walls. A thin, bluish mist hovers in the air, swirling gently. The mist rises about halfway up the walls, like a diaphanous ocean.
Olivia steps back, disappointed.
"Nothing here, really, just the cave playing tricks with us."
She then goes southwest.
Alezandu continues onward, walking behind Olivia. He watches the mist warily.
Make sure we stay together! that sound might not have been anything, but this place is definitely creepy, and there is a lot more stonework than I would have expected. let's hope there isn't something ancient they uncovered that they sacrifice people to with this judging stone of theirs...
:: Rova 31 - Late Morning - The Pit and Beyond ::
As Alezandu and Olivia enter the mist, they notice a small creature off to their right. It seems to be made entirely of crystals and gems. As you notice it, it perks up staring at you intently. The creatures head keeps cocking from side to side as it takes a step towards you.
Claustipher recognizes the creature as a crysmal, a gem creature from the elemental plane of earth. It lives only to consume gem stones so that it may create others of its kind. They are somewhat magical in nature, and ferocious in combat if they think they can find more gem stones to consume. The crysmal is likely why all the veins of gems have been taken from the walls in the area.
Claustipher nods as he speaks, slowly and quietly.
"It feeds on and only cares about gems. Maybe if we leave it be it will leave us be. Stand ready in case I am wrong."