Ian, quicker to react than anyone else, pushes past Cindy on the bridge, his weapon ready.
The skeletons rush towards him, bony claws seeking the death of the living. More than a dozen of the the jostling one another trying to reach the bridge.
Rilumin lets loose a volley of arrows at the undead horde.
Two of the arrows strike, toppling two of their number.
Master Hast moves away from the bridge to leave room for the combatants to deal with the threat.
Before using his powers, Issa tries to know more about the creatures.
These are standard skeletons. Fairly weak undead, resistant to physical damage except bludgeoning.
"The undead appear to be mindless and weak - a bother more than a threat and the Bridge makes an adequate choke point. Ian, if you will deal with them while we focus on the potential threat they may be distracting us from."
Cindy activates her fly hex and takes off looking for a greater threat than these skeletons.
Ian laughs over the melee, "Leaving me with chores?"
After that, he'll Fight Defensively (+2 AC, -4 Atk).
Issa confirms Serelina words and wait for a what will come next.
Ian's blow scatters bones everywhere as the skeleton flies apart.
Unsurprisingly, two shadowy figures rush down from near the ceiling, their forms insubstantial, coming out of the rock. The room grows even more chilly as they do. Small pin pricks of light form their eyes and a palpable feeling of malevolence emanates from them.
The first one flies straight at Cindy as she floats above the area of the bridge. A grasping hand closing around her arm is freezing cold to the touch.
The second one flies straight for Hezrog, but the half-orc evades the attack.
These are wraiths. A dangerous type of undead capable of draining the life energy out of those they touch. Those slain in this manner likewise become wraiths.
Seeing the creatures come down toward the group, Cormick lets out an ear-piercing scream that only the specter grasping Cindy can hear.
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Current Effects: heroism (Ian), 15 min;
Not totally caught off guard by the appearance of the greater undead Cindy resists the worst of the attack but still gives Cormick a grateful nod.
Issa moves and calls for Horus' light against undead.
May Horus' Light be stronger than darkness !
Issa shares is knowledge about the undead with his comrades and allies.
Cormick casts a healing spell and moves over to Hezrog, so he can deliver the effect to the specter.
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Current Effects: heroism (Ian), 15 min;
Serelina casts a spell causing small force missiles to launch from her hands and strike the wraiths focusing first on the wraiths that Cormick attacked.
Rilumin shoots at the nearest wraith.
Shot 1 (two arrows)
Shot 2
Shot 3
Cormick attempts to touch the wraith near Hezrog, but is unable to do so.
Morvae also moves against that wraith and wounds it.
Serelina follows up with her spell, striking the undead unerringly.
Nina for the first time takes some action, unleasing a flurry of damage missles as well, though targeted at the wraith floating overhead by Cindy.
Rilumin fires a volley of arrows at Nina's target, but only scores a hit with the first attack.
Ian fights defensively, slashing at the skeletons in front of him.
Hezrog studies and slams at the wraith that attacked him. If he can easily step to flank with Cormick, he does so.
Hezrog batters at the wraith with his shields. Had this been a living creature it certainly would have fallen under the onslaught, but its incorporeal nature has made it resistant to being put to rest.
Ian shatters the closest two skeletons.
Leo invokes the blessings of his deity upon the group.
The closest skeletons step up to Ian, trying to claw away his skin.
The others begin trying to leap across the river to get at those on the other side of the bridge.
Only two skeletons climb out of the water. The others are pulled downstream 30' distance.
Several skeletons attack Rilumin, having leaped across successfully.
Serelina again invokes a magic missile, this one memorized with signifcantly more power behind it.
Cindy touches the wraith in front of her, delivering positive energy into its being. After the touch she will fly to AZ-199.
Hezrog tries to finish off the wraith, this time flanking with Cormick.
(power attack, bless)
Shot 1 (two arrows)
Shot 2
Shot 3
Shot 3 crit confirm?
Hezrog smashes the first wraith with another round of shield bashes, and the dark form disperses.
Between Cindy's healing hex, Serelina's magic, and Rilumin's arrows, the second creature is also destroyed. Immediately the coldness of the cavern lessens.
Morvae moves to protect Rilumin and Master Hast from the skeletons, smashing one of them.
Master Hast retreats towards the south.
Issa wait to see if any other threat is coming.
Ian moves back across the bridge to A195, guarding Serelina with a readied attack for any skeletons that come near.
Leo moves next to Rilumin and lets loose a blast of positive energy.
A wide swath of holy destruction is the result, leaving only a few skeletons remaining.
"Hells, nice work kid." Ian lowers his sword and looks around.
Well done.
Says Issa, happy that the Light of Horus was able to put at bay undead and cast out some darkness from ancient time.
What next ?
Sighing with exhaustion from the magical efforts she has already put forth today Serelina says, "Let us find what there is to see and begone from here."
Carefully opening the sarcophagi reveals skeletons largely intact. A few have minor items of jewelry adorning them, but if there was anything of greater value buried with them it has been looted.
With nothing left in the dead end cavern to examine, the group returns to the larger cavern with the waterfall and crosses the river. An easy climb up the east side of the cavern places the group once again in a man made passageway. Only a short distance and the passage ends in a door much like the ones that sealed the water flooded room, including a chain to open the door.
Ian sets a hand on the chain and looks to the group. "What'dyou think?"
"Might as well. It'll be a good test to see if it'll jump up at us. And if we don't take it, it'll just end up in Tiny Town coffers."
Earlier by the tombs: "Help yourself..." Ian mutters in response to Rilumin.
Rilumin will swap to his greatsword and attempt to take the jewelry, unless one of the more scholarly types has an objection to it.
Assuming he isn't attacked by the former owner, he will switch back to bow a safe distance away.
Rilumin grabs the jewelry and pockets it without incident.
Beyond the door is a large room, another laboratory, though this one is more elaborate then the previous ones found so far, and also a bit more unsettling in the equipment within.
There are several tables are along the north and south walls with chains and shackles, and a variety of instruments that could be used for examining a cadaver, or torturing the living. Several of them have the remains of the deceased upon them, while shackled to one table near the north wall is a woman who looks up and over at the door as it completes opening. Her eyes are wild. Her clothing is torn in many places, and there really isn't much left of it, revealing a great deal of her alabaster skin. Her mouth, shoulder, and chest are damp with what appears to be blood.
She pulls at the chains around her wrists and kicks at those at her feet for a moment, then lies back down again.
Whatever she may have once been in life, she is now a vampire.
Standing on either side of her are two large constructs of bone, bone golems like the one found earlier that was incomplete. Unlike the other though, these two are fully animated. Their heads also swivel towards the door, but they make no other movement.
There is another door opposite the one entered. It is currently closed.
"The hell were they doing in here..."
Ian makes his way cautiously into the room, keeping an eye on the golems.
"Careful how close you get to either those golems or to that vampire, Ian. I know not what magic, if those shackles are magical, or if she is just attempting a ruse, that would hold her there.
Cindy wonders if her witch powers will have much effect against these golems and is unsure.
Bone golems are somewhat resistant to damage from any weapon that is not both adamantine and bludgeoning. Like all golems they are also immune to many spells and spell like abilities, though supernatural abilities would effect them normally, as do spells that do not allow spell resistance.
Healing energy will slow a bone golem, while negative energy will heal a bone golem. A raise dead spell will remove the golems immunity to magic, and resistance to damage for 1 minute.
Bone golems are also able to make a ranged attack, that if it hits, will imprison the target in a cage of bone. They may also ensnare one creature at a time in this fashion. Those caught in a bone prison can try to damage the prison, or slip their way out.
Vampires are a dangerous form of undead, capable of drinking the blood of those they capture and are able to hold in their grasp. Humanoids drained of blood in this fashion will rise to become vampires themselves, thralls to the vampire that slew them.
Ian moves into the room, and Morvae steps in behind him. As soon as they do the bone golems start moving to block them from approaching the vampire.
Serelina quickly summarizes what she knows of bone golems..