Marcel steps deftly onto the stone surface, taking care to keep a close eye on the floor and walls. Whoever placed that trap there wanted people kept out. There was bound to be others.
Oberlin continues to spiral the carpet quietly upward once Marcel signals that the pathway upward appears safe.
Kriger positions himself below the carpet and Oberlin spirals it upward. The carpet rotates, allowing you a circular view of whatever room you will levitate into. However, to do so, you nevertheless require to go in the water falling downwards, unless Oberlin is successful in maneuvering the carpet just so...
So hover the carpet for free, then ascend upwards while moving forward until I run out of space, hover to turn around then ascend again, rinse repeat?
regardless
If you want me to make more checks, please let me know.
If you want me to switch skill points to use magic device, I can do that too.
The carpet ascends, and Oberlin manages to keep you mostly dry. Kriger, who is flying under the carpet is mostly sheltered from the rain, which makes him think of an interesting contraption he could invent, where people would carry small flying carpets over their heads to protect them from the rain...
But the ranger's musings are cut short as you emerge into a square room 40 feet wide but only twelve feet high and are received by the deafening shrieks of two older women dressed in armour and brandishing wicked-looking daggers.
The first one goes: "NOOOOOOOO!!! DEFILERS! TRESPASSERS! USURPERS!"
To which the second one wails back: "I recognize them. FRIELAND! MAY GORUM CUT THEIR HEART OUT AND LET GYRONNA EAT THEM TO OBLIVION. MAY THEIR SOULS NEVER LEAVE THIS WORLD AND KEEP THE BONEYARD B!TCH ALONE AND FILTHY!"
Between them, a massive Half-Orc dressed in heavy armour and carrying a veeeeery big sword sneers at you. You recognize Davor Mason, your old companion, but he seems quite angry and filled with bloodlust...
ROUND 1
One of the sisters reacts first and invokes the wrath of Gyronna. Everyone on the carpet feels their stomach churning, while she moves to hide behind one of the pillars lining the walls of the room (cover).
Davor is next and shouts his wrath at Gorum to bolster his strength!
Next are Kalsgrim and Malaswyn.
The sisters somehow seem to see you, though you're invisible. Davor doesn't.
Malaswyn clinches his jaw at the offending words, but nevertheless manages to shake off the worst of this dark litany.
"May the Dawnflower bring light to this forsaken hole!" he shouts and fires his bow at the second witch.
Both arrows sink deeply and hiss as their holy energy attacks the woman's essence of evil. Malaswyn reappears as the woman shrieks in searing pain.
Round 1, continued
The second sister, now with two arrows sticking out of her, continues to shriek, but her voice fills with eldritch power. The room seems to shift slightly and you hear a loud buzzing in your ears. You have a hard time concentrating...
Next are Marcel, Kriger, and Oberlin.
Marcel grimaces as he nears the 'sisters', his body feeling the grip of Gyronna's wrath. His joints begin to stiffen, forcing him to move slowly. He creeps his way along the wall to a spot where he can launch an attack.
Glaring at the traitorous Davor, Kriger moves up near him, preparing to drive his axe deep in his skull.
Oberlin grits his teeth, feeling his joints move like barely softened lead.
He moves through the complex shaping of one of his spells, a waxy, gritty ball first being rolled between his fingers, then rolling along them faster and faster, seemingly under its own impetus. With the last gutteral syllable, he flicked his hand and the ball snapped through the air, landing and rolling. In an instant the 5 foot wide sphere, flames roaring from it smashes towards the sister with the two arrows sticking out of her.
As Oberlin casts his spell, all of you suddenly become visible. Fortunately, Kriger and Marcel have managed to find a hiding spot, so they remain unseen.
Somehow, the clumsy-looking crone manages to dodge the ball of flame!
Round 2
The fastest sister (Sister 2) remains behind her pillar and shouts a profane litany, her spittles drenching everyone around.
Meanwhile, Davor, unaware of Kriger, darts forward and jumps on the carpet, his massive sword aiming at Kalsgrim: "I alway thought you were a weak-ass-king. Now is the time to prove it. May Gorrum flail you in the afterlife!"
Thankfully, what would have been a devastating strike, backed up by the dark powers of The Lord in Iron, ends up being easily read and Kalsgrim just sidesteps the attack.
Kalsgrim and Malasyn are up.
Status:
Kalsgrim is slowed, on the carpet
Oberlin is slowed, on the carpet
Malaswyn is on the carpet
Kriger is hidden near Davor
Marcel is hidden near the injured sister (Sister 1)
Seeing an opportunity presenting itself, the ranger doesn't hesitate to take advantage.
Malaswyn decides to continue his succesful archery strikes.
Davor howls in pain as Kriger sends him on his way. As well, Malaswyn's arrows thunk satisfyingly in the second witch.
This wounded witch is not too happy and screeeeeaaaaaams back at Malaswyn. Literally. The blessed archer's ears bleed from the intense pain.
As Kriger manages to connect, "HA-HA! Take that, TRAITOR! And you'll regret talking to Kals like that, scum!" Kriger then unleashes a volley of attacks at the traitorous half-orc with a focused fury.
Oberlin, remaining steady on the hovering carpet, mentally directs the orb of fire to continue to chase its current target. The mushy orb of fire bounds after the woman, popping and sizzling, steam lifting up off the floor in a ragged curtain as it rolls and evaporates damp patches on the floor.
Oberlin follows up by balancing his dagger on the palm of his hand for an instant, allowing a blue glow to envelop the weapon before it shoots from his hand towards the woman as she casts.
The dagger, snaps back, as if on the end of a long cord, and returns with a soft thump into Oberlin's hand.
Kriger follows Davor on the carpet and plants his axe square between the half-orc's head and shoulder, cleaving the plate armour clean. The impossibly sharp axe dives in all the way to the hip bone. Davor's eyes go blank and he tries to say some final words, but all you hear is a gross burbling.
Meanwhile, Oberlin's flaming sphere engulfs the witch entirely, wrapping her in flames. The witch screams and shrieks in atrocious pain.
Thankfully, the dagger flying from his hand sinks in her throat, ending her dying cacophony.
Realization dawns on the final witch left standing. Her eys go wide, though she misses the real threat behind her...
Marcel shifts his weight forward, gliding as silent as death up to the witch left standing.
The thin blade of the dueling sword slips up under the witch's ribs, finding vital organs. Marcel leans in, placing his masked face next to her ear. "Got another scream for us, dearie?" he hisses as he rips the blade free.
Marcel's blades do some real damage as the witch screams in surprise, pain. And hatred.
Round 3
Davor and one of the sisters are down and dying, if not dead. The last standing sister is close to Marcel, but otherwise about thirty feet away from the rest of you, hiding behind a pillar.
The aura of madness is no longer affecting you.
The last witch standing, filled with hatred, steps back from Marcel and shouts her pain and anger at the rogue.
As she steps back, she is forced to move away from the column, losing cover.
As the half-orc collapses in a heap, "HAAAAAAAAAA-HA!" he laughs mockingly at the corpse. He then turns toward the scream and heads in that direction.
Malaswyn takes aim at the last foe.
Marcel's head explodes with pain as the sonic assault hits. Blood trickles from his ears as he steps forward to continue his attack.
The last witch is swiftly cut down by a barrage of lethal attacks. As she collapses to the floor, her scream cuts short, leaving the cavern filled with a pregnant silence, as though even the rushing water has hushed.
The room you stand in in circular. You notice that the columns are in fact statues depicting well-proportioned Kellid men, each set in a different war-like pose. The walls are some kind of sandy stone veined dark brown with what looks like rusty iron.
A set of double doors leads out of the room and deeper into the hill.The doors are made of rusted iron and depict a terrible battle between Kellids. A thorough inspection of the door suggest that they are neither locked nor trapped.
Oberlin dismisses the flaming sphere and brings the carpet down for a soft landing on the floor.
"Well, that was awful." Oberlin says, sticking one finger in an ear and rubbing vigorously. "I now distinctly recall why I stopped exploring old ruins and dungeons so many years ago." he finishes with a groan.
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Marcel squats on his heels, holding up a hand to stop the others from moving just yet. He places the aldori blade on the floor, bringing both hands up to his ears. Rubbing vigorously, Marcel tries to wipe away the overwhelming ringing that deafens him, but all he comes away with is blood on his fingers.
He pulls down his balaclava, taking a quick breath. "I...I can't hear..." he says quickly and a little too loudly. "The blasted witch wrecked my ears!"
Malaswyn makes a gesture over Marcel, ”Our Lady of Fire, let your light shine in this dark place.”