Zed carefully nudges the door open, scanning every dark corner as he enters.
Hundreds of candles fill this shop's shelves, lying in pale lumps of tallow and wax beneath years of dust. Several small copper kettles hang suspended from an iron rack over a brick hearth. Above the kettles, dozens of half-completed candles hang from iron rods.
On a nearby table sit a spool of twisted cotton thread, waiting to be measured and cut into wicks, as well as a variety of wooden molds.
Hazel stands careful watch outside. Through the mist, it is impossible to see any movement though she does hear definite movement elsewhere in the village though it seems unhurried and she is confident the group remains undetected.
Vala grumbles darkly under her breath as the group regards the mists and the empty candlemaker's shop, "I'd prefer a straight fight to all this sneaking around."
As they look around the chandlery, Zed and Vala suddenly hear the stomping of dozens of feet, like soldiers marching extremely close by.
Zed moves further inside, feet soft and eyes sharp.
Standing guard alongside Hazel, Vermundr lets his wolf in just enough to use its powerful senses.
Kazamir stands very very still outside with Vermundr and Hazel, barely breathing, taking in every sight, sound, smell - or more estoteric sensation - that he can.
Success
Fail
Fail
Success
For Vala and Zed, the sound of boots grows ever louder until suddenly it is as if a dozen soldiers are suddenly in the building with you and yet you can see nothing!
Screams of fear ring out around you while grunts of exertion and howls of pitiless laughter accompany like some horrid orchestra.
Vala and Zed are suddenly seized by unseen hands and a woman's voice cries out NO! Please!!! But it is as if it emanates from each of their throats.
The trio are dragged helplessly across the floor and their heads driven down. To the rest of you who turn at the sudden screams, it appears they have just been thrown to the floor but to them they can see the spiritual hands of soldiers seizing them and pushing their hands down into bubbling, hot candle wax.
Kaz's head snaps around toward the door through which Zed and Vala went.
"A haunt...!"
He moves to the door to see the form it will take.
Vala grunts and struggles as her earlier protections burn away. Tearing free from the unseen hands, she growls darkly, "Unhand me!" There's a burst of pearlescent light around her as she focuses a small bit of restorative power on the haunt.
HP: 49/57
Negative Energy Resist 5
AC: 14 (10 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 16
F/R/W: +7/+4/+13 (+2 vs death effects, energy drain, negative energy, & necromancy)
Monstrous Insight used: 0/7
Healing Hex targets: haunt
Bone Ward targets:
Current Wandering Spirit: Bones
Prepared spells
Orisons (4) | DC 15: dancing lights, disrupt undead, identify, read magic
Level 1 spells (4+2+1*) | DC 17: inflict light wounds [ ], know the enemy* [ ], magic missile [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ], produce flame (CL7) [ ]
Level 2 spells (4+1+1*) | DC 18: false life* [X], magic missile (toppling) [ ], spiritual weapon [ ] [ ] [ ]
Level 3 spells (3+1+1*) | DC 19: bull's strength (extended) [ ], lightning bolt [ ] [ ], locate object* [ ], spiritual weapon (toppling) [ ]
Level 4 spells (2+1+1*) | DC 20: ball lightning [ ], fear* [ ], greater magic weapon [X], spiritual ally [ ]
Level 5 spells (1+1+1*) | DC 21: dispel evil [ ], lightning arc [ ], slay living* [ ]
Ongoing Effects
Greater Magic Weapon (Vermundr)
False Life (self): 9 hours
The flesh on the faces and hands of Vala and Zed begin to bubble and burst, horrific black blisters of seared flesh erupt as unseen hands force their heads down into an invisible vat of hot tallow.
Then, struggle as she might, Vala is able to send a wave of healing energy out burning away the spiritual soldiers and their crying victim.
With the cries of pain and rage from within, you also begin to hear stirring and muttered voices some way away. You can't make out what they are saying, but a moment later you hear footsteps coming toward you.
Zed heals off the worst of the burns and moves to investigate the other sounds, still invisible.
Vermundr levels his blade, prepared for who or what is approaching.
Along the walls and ceiling of this building are dozens of strange symbols and glyphs, written in a careful hand using thick black ink
These symbols are very similar to the ones you saw weeks ago on the foundations of Harrowstone Prison. They are possibly for some kind of binding spell.
What was that...? a voice hisses in the fog. Over there, it sounded like it was coming from near the forge!
You begin to hear the sound of several individuals moving around the back of the building.
Zed's disembodied voice floats across the party. "Symbols on the wall, similar to the binding spells of the Harrowstone Prison."
At the sound of footsteps Zed hides inside the corner of the room, invisible and ready to strike.
Vermundr cautiously moves around the building to catch the source of the footsteps.
Vala struggles back to her feet, her skin still scorched in a few spots where her magics hadn't protected her. She grits her teeth and hisses through them as the voices approach. She looks around the room and, unable to see either Zed or Vermundr, she brings a ward up around Hazel. There's a brief scent of decay in the air as the magics settle over the younger Desnan as the former history professor bends the lingering spirits of Feldgrau to Hazel's defense.
HP: 49/57
Negative Energy Resist 5
AC: 14 (10 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 16
F/R/W: +7/+4/+13 (+2 vs death effects, energy drain, negative energy, & necromancy)
Monstrous Insight used: 0/7
Healing Hex targets: haunt
Bone Ward targets: Hazel
Current Wandering Spirit: Bones
Prepared spells
Orisons (4) | DC 15: dancing lights, disrupt undead, identify, read magic
Level 1 spells (4+2+1*) | DC 17: inflict light wounds [ ], know the enemy* [ ], magic missile [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ], produce flame (CL7) [ ]
Level 2 spells (4+1+1*) | DC 18: false life* [X], magic missile (toppling) [ ], spiritual weapon [ ] [ ] [ ]
Level 3 spells (3+1+1*) | DC 19: bull's strength (extended) [ ], lightning bolt [ ] [ ], locate object* [ ], spiritual weapon (toppling) [ ]
Level 4 spells (2+1+1*) | DC 20: ball lightning [ ], fear* [ ], greater magic weapon [X], spiritual ally [ ]
Level 5 spells (1+1+1*) | DC 21: dispel evil [ ], lightning arc [ ], slay living* [ ]
Ongoing Effects
Greater Magic Weapon (Vermundr)
The footsteps move around the back of the building, they make no attempt at stealth. You hear the back door creak on its hinges, a mournful cry of resentment.
Standing in the doorway is a skeleton wreathed in flame, it's eyes are pits of black with just a pin-prick of necromantic light behind them. Behind it you can see two more lighting up the darkness and somewhere beyond in the mist, the soft sound of chanting.
Zed bides his time.
As soon as the door opens Zed and Hazel feel a blast of searing heat from the lead skeleton.
As the skeletons approach, Constantin quickly decides that he has no real way to harm them and settles for bolstering his allies.
Vermundr grits his teeth against the oppressive heat and steps forward to smash the visible skeleton.
Vala gestures and, behind the lead skeleton, appears Petros' shimmering sword cane. It offers a brief nod to Hazel before it lashes out at the undead foe.
HP: 49/57
Negative Energy Resist 5
AC: 14 (10 T / 14 FF)
CMD: 16
F/R/W: +7/+4/+13 (+2 vs death effects, energy drain, negative energy, & necromancy)
Monstrous Insight used: 0/7
Healing Hex targets: haunt
Bone Ward targets: Hazel
Current Wandering Spirit: Bones
Prepared spells
Orisons (4) | DC 15: dancing lights, disrupt undead, identify, read magic
Level 1 spells (4+2+1*) | DC 17: inflict light wounds [ ], know the enemy* [ ], magic missile [ ] [ ] [ ] [ ], produce flame (CL7) [ ]
Level 2 spells (4+1+1*) | DC 18: false life* [X], magic missile (toppling) [ ], spiritual weapon [X] [ ] [ ]
Level 3 spells (3+1+1*) | DC 19: bull's strength (extended) [ ], lightning bolt [ ] [ ], locate object* [ ], spiritual weapon (toppling) [ ]
Level 4 spells (2+1+1*) | DC 20: ball lightning [ ], fear* [ ], greater magic weapon [X], spiritual ally [ ]
Level 5 spells (1+1+1*) | DC 21: dispel evil [ ], lightning arc [ ], slay living* [ ]
Ongoing Effects
Greater Magic Weapon (Vermundr)
Kaz comes around the corner and sends a chunk of debris at the visible skeleton.
Success
Success
Fail
Vermundr's blade smashes one of the skeletons like a hammer. A single blow is enough to decemate the thing and send flaming bones scattering. Vala then sends the shimmering sword cane through the doorway to wrap another on the skull. The head comes clean off and the skeleton wanders about aimlessly for a moment before suddenly exploding!
Kaz flings a stone through the doorway bt it ails harmlessly wide.
Miss
Hit
From out of the mist steps a woman dressed all in black. She continues her whispered chanting and then flings a small gobbit of acid at Vermundr where it sizzles painfully.
Then the double doors at the front of the building fly open and yet more flaming skeletons appear!
Seeing their vulnerable backline being closed in on, Zed changes tactics. He leaves Verm to handle the caster and moves back, arriving out of the ether to club the first skeleton in front of him. As he does so he cloaks himself in defensive and healing magic, knowing he may be holding them solo for a while.
Zed's club appears out of nowhere and the last thing the skeleton ever sees is it's iron-bound wooden shaft smashing down onto it's forehead before the skull is turned to dust.
Hazel bats the skeleton with the flat of her stafknife. Normally it would be largely ineffective to be used this way but instilled with holy power, it explodes against the thing's skull and it falls into a pile of bones.