The Archon looks at you. All of a sudden you get the feeling Esrdras knows about that time. You were young, your emotions ran hot. You've always been at least a little ashamed of it.
Esdras knows about it? How could Esdras know about that?
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Damion sees Esdras's stare, and meets it. The oracle tears up in the gaze. His Morning-star slips from his hand as it begins to tremble visibly. He slips to his knees before the archon.
Then Damion begins to weep silently... for he knows what he did. And the swell of shame, anger was once capped by repression has been undone by a simple gaze.
The gaze of a knowing Archon.
Victor recognizes the banner as belonging to the Band of the Phoenix, one of Absalom’s most famous hunting lodges during the Age of Blades. The banner is worth 100 gp.
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Sniffing... Damion wipes his nose and his eyes. He reaches down and picks up his weapon. He shrugs. Looking at the rest of the party. He looks at Victor, and smiles at Dhampir.
Knowing some might consider him evil, but despite this, Victor moves forwards. Motivated by mere precense, Damion takes out some chalk and marks two lines on the door to the south.
He points to the rest of the party, and gestures to the door to the east or south.
Then realizing he can't quite talk, he writes in chalk above the now apparent tally marks.
"Votes"
The Eidolon walks up to the trap and sets it off, then walk over to the door and opens it.
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Damion blinks Watching what just transpired... completely unaware of the javelin trap. Also, completely surprised the Eidolon would just overlook the vote he was trying to hold just now.
He watches as the eidolon moves forward.
Damion's jaw just drops slightly. The silent man gesticulates wildly at the door's voting tally on the door. He sighs. Closes his eyes and thinks to himself a silent prayer.
The kind of prayer one only would hear at a graveyard. In the eerie silence and stillness of a place unvisited. Where if you listen closely enough you can hear the wind bend blades of grass. The kind of silence where any sound could disrupt loose soil. This is the prayer he thinks to himself.
When he opens his eyes, he looks at Ayana and K'coro and shrugs. He hefts his morning start to his shoulder. His waves his arm outward in an "After you" gesture.
Beyond the newly opened door you see a octagonal room is covered in a fine layer of dust. It’s clearly been abandoned for a long time.
The Archon was headed out of the room but stops. Esdras stares daggers at Haranum, stands still, arms crossed in disapproval.
I will lay waste your cities as well and will make your sanctuaries desolate, and I will not smell your soothing aromas.
Without even a pause, the Eidolon walks through the door, up into the stairwell.
On the next floor the Eidolon opens the door, and tries to walk in.
Two stone altars, one black and one white, sit at either end of this large chamber, which takes up two wings of the tower on this level. The crumbling remains of wooden benches sag in front of each altar beneath rotting ceiling tapestries. Carved symbols and writings snake along the walls. The burnt corpses of two troglodytes lie on the floor in the center of the room. Torch light from beside the two altars provide, lights that are coming from skeletons, skeletons that are beginning to move!
The skeleton by the black altar rushes forward towards Esdras, swiping at them with a flaming, bony claw. The eidolon is caught off guard and takes a savage burning slash that drops them into unconsciousness.
Fire skeleton red
Esdras, 10 hp/-4 neg hp, unconscious, need stabilize check and is adjacent to a fire source (hmmm...)
Haranum
Victor
Damion
Fire skeleton blue
Quogup
Ayana
K'Coro, 3 hp non lethal
Damion, 6/8 hp (dog bite)
K'Coro, 12/17 hp (spider bite), 14/17 non lethal hp (shock), 1 strength damage (spider poison)
Esdras,4/6 hp prior to skeleton strike, now -3/6 hp
Correction on K'Coro's HP, seen above. Back up to full. Still 1 ST damage, though.Ayana touches K'Coro's shoulder before he heads up. " The Night-Hearted bless you." Her eyes flicker with a little magic as K'Coro wounds start to close. Once he is up, she will head up after him.
I stand corrected, K'Coro's lethal hp damage from the spider was healed, but still has non lethal damage from the shocker lizard.
The archon collapses.
As the heavenly eidolon drops to the floor, the skeletal horror's fiery aura continues to blister and cook Esdras.
The eidolon sizzles even more, the outer planes call to them in various spectrums of welcoming light at the end of a tunnel that only Esdras can see.
Fire skeleton red
Esdras, -5/6 hp, unconscious, not stabilized, adjacent to a blazing fire
Haranum
Victor
Damion, 6/8 hp
Fire skeleton blue
Quogup
Ayana
K'Coro, 14/17 non-lethal hp, 1 str damage
The smoldering Eidolon shudders, clinging to life.
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Damion can't hear the conflict happening above him. But sees a piercing light in the hall way. Damion can't see around the twisting narrow stone stair well. However, he senses something. Maybe it's the way the people above him are moving. Maybe it's the struggle to pull out weapons in such a confined space.
Damion closes his eyes and prepares himself to meet Pharasma if this goes wrong. Damion rushes up the stairs, past his allies. He sees the flaming skeleton, and the mighty eidolon laying on the ground. Damion hunches below his shield and places himself FIRMLY against the skeleton's rib cage and hopes aid comes from that which is above. The blazing skeleton all around him, crackles with intense heat.
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Victor, seeing the fear in his allies from watching the monstrous archon go down, decides that his best bet is to inspire his allies to courageous acts, and begins to bolster their hearts with his song. He also pushes forward, hoping his heart-beat like drumming will draw the ire of the other skeleton.
Damion senses the peril his allies are in and bravely rushes forward and attempts to roughly push the skeleton on fire out of the way. The skeleton savagely slashes at Damion on his approach!
The skeleton swings but Damion's furious and courageous jolt of speed carries him nimbly under the strike and into the fiery abomination, successfully knocking the vile thing backward! But all is not entirely well as Damion is covered in flames from his brave tackle.
Haranum sends the burned Esdras back to a better place to nurse their wounds.
Victor, emboldened by Damion's act of sacrifice and courage, takes the opportunity to slip into the room while skeleton is roughly jostled and unable to strike at him. He also begins slapping out an up-tempo beat on his drum, one that inspires and emboldens his allies.
The other skeleton on fire rushes across the room and veers towards Victor, intent on permanently stopping the drum song skillfully orchestrated by the adventuring musician.
The savage slashing of the skeleton almost rips out Victor's throat had he not turned enough to deflect the strike enough to hit his chest instead. But the blow is still deadly enough to drop Victor to the ground, his eyes close.
The drum is silent.
Fire skeleton red
Haranum
Victor, -2/9 hp and adjacent to fire aura
Damion, 3/8 hp and adjacent to fire aura
Fire skeleton blue
Quogup
Ayana
K'Coro, 3 hp non-lethal hp, 1 str damage
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K’Coro hears his allies dropping, and thinks it might be a good time to unleash some fury. His eyes go black as his pupils dilate, his heart beats faster, and the increased oxygen flowing through his blood causes his raging muscles to swell. Running forward into the room, he sees the nearest creature, searching his somewhat currently muddled memory for what they are facing.
Maneuvering past Damion, he stops right next to the skeleton and swings, hoping to connect solidly and powerfully enough to reduce the flaming thing to a pile of scorched dust.
Quogup hops into action, summoning the power of Uskyeria to bring forth a spiked chain of destruction straight from the ground to slash upwards at the burning collection of bones. Unfortunately, where the chains would have savagely ripped tender flesh from a living creature, on this fiery atrocity, it gains no purchase.
K'Coro moves into the room, recognizing immediately these foul attackers as burning skeletons! Their presence ignites a flame of K'Coro's own as adrenaline rushes throughout every fiber of his being as he brings his great sword across the nearest skeleton. But whereas his slash would have ripped open the intestines of a living foe, it proves slightly less effective against a foe with no intestines but damaging nonetheless that the skeleton cracks apart, its flames dissipating.
Haranum
Victor, -2/9 hp, unconscious, not stabilized, and adjacent to fire aura
Damion, 3/8 hp
Fire skeleton blue
Quogup
Ayana
K'Coro, 3 hp non-lethal hp, 1 str damage
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Ayana smells burning flesh in the air. "Not good, not good." she mutters, rushing up to join her party. She see Damion, who is nursing some harsh burn wounds. "Here, let me help you with that." she says, before muttering to herself, "May the night bless you," With a few gestures and more muttering. She places a hand on Damion as the cooling feeling of her spell rushes through him. His burn wounds start to close up....
She looks into the room and sees Victor on the ground. "Hang in there, friend! I am coming to help you when I can!" she shouts.
Ayana invokes powers granted by a mysterious source to imbue life energy into Damion, his scorched skin reverting to a much more fresh hue. The arcane enchantress quickly notes the fallen Victor and vows to aid the injured drunmer.
The other burning skeleton turns its fiery gaze from the victim at its feet and focuses instead on the new intruders.
Haranum
Victor, -3/9 hp, unconscious, not stabilized, and adjacent to fire aura
Damion
Fire skeleton blue
Quogup
Ayana
K'Coro, 3 hp non-lethal hp, 1 str damage
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Damion locks eyes on the flaming skeleton in front of him. He knows that the river of bones needs to claim someone today.
Damion reaches back into his mind, the studies that carried him through his youth.
Damion realizes that he is uniquely equipped to handle this opponent. He prays to Pharasma and lashes out with his tongue. It is coated in cold black crackling energy energy.
Damion, too, recognizes and has some familiarity with burning skeletons, gets 1 question.
The skeleton's jaw opens in what might have been a roar or howl of anger had it still been a living being as it tries to move away from the lightning bolt but Haranum's aim is too keen and the skeleton bursts apart into pieces of shattered bone with flickering flames and arcs of electricity between between the pieces. Some of them land on Victor who hurriedly pats out the tiny embers and sparks.
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Victor stands up, gingerly rubbing his pallid flesh the was, but a moment ago torn open. He rights his drum and brushes himself off. "Thank you friend, for not letting the Lady of Graves take me just yet." he says, looking towards Damion, feeling the obvious wet spot where he was licked.
After taking another moment to shake and clear his head, he says "I do believe that one has the restorative capabilities to rejuvenate our Heavenly friend, yes?" he says, indicating Ayana.