Die!
Again!
Shaeyl had been waiting for just the right moment to strike, a slash with his sword followed by a rapid punch with his balled fist.
Wha?!
Round 7
Sly and Shaeyl both assault the skeletal creature as it squeezes into the room just before Grubgullet heaves the massive stone slab back into place before another can make it in.
Sly swings his tail but it misses the creature who bats it away. Shaeyl moves into strike swiftly, twice, but both attempts are awkward and miss the well armored and swift skeleton.
Aury fires an acid splash
The small blob of acid strikes and sizzles briefly. The skeleton hisses in anger.
The skeleton strikes back attacking Sly
- miss
The other skeletons outside stop their attack on the door. They seem to be talking in some strange tongue, discussing what just happened.
It becomes quiet out there.
Aury tries to climb on top of the sarcophogus to get a shot past Sly.
Shaeyl listens for a moment, wondering what language they are speaking.
Anyway, there's a walking jenga of bones in dire need of rearrangement.
Round 8
Shaeyl 31
Aury'tss 28
Shadow/Skeletons 20
Sly 19
Grubgullet 18
Shaeyl doesn't seem to recognize the language the skeletons outside are speaking in, and trying to focus on it, he seems to miss the well armored skeletal champion.
Aury fires a magical splash of acid, which just narrowly misses the creature, failing to do any damage.
The skeleton takes a swing at Sly again.
- miss
The skeleton again misses Sly who retaliates with a barrage of attacks, but his claws, teeth, and tail all fail to penetrate the undead's armor.
Is this a stalemate? The combat continues!
Having handled the door situation, Grubgullet proceeds to attempt to grab the skeleton.
Aury attempts another shot of acid at the skeleton.
Round 9
Shaeyl 31
Aury'tss 28
Shadow/Skeletons 20
Sly 19
Grubgullet 18
Shaeyl strikes at the skeletal warrior again, his wakizashi missing widely, but he is able to land a solid kick against the skeletal shins.
Aury launches a small glob of acid again, which hits and eats away a small section of bone.
The skeleton hisses at these attacks, but seems to barely notice them.
It strikes out at Sly again
- hit
Sly retaliates again the heavily armored foe once again, but his claws and teeth are unable to penetrate its armor and natural defenses.
Grubgullet, having propped the massive stone slab again in front of the door, leaning it in place, reaches out and grabs the skeleton with both hands, finding it easy to hold onto the bony creature, who weights much less than something of flesh and blood. Grub holds the thing hopefully making it easier for the others to hit it now.
Where's a cleric when you want one?
"How can a skeleton be so durable!?"
If the skeleton is still intact, and Grubgullet is still holding it, he squeezes it tightly, trying to crush its bones.
Round 10
Shaeyl 31
Aury'tss 28
Shadow/Skeletons 20
Sly 19
Grubgullet 18
Shaeyl attacks the skeleton again, his sword missing, but connecting with another solid kick, with a satisfying crunch, minor though it is.
Aury's acid finds its mark again, and eats away at bone as the greenish acid burns.
The skeleton, fights on, and attempts to escape Grubgullet's clutches.
- fail
Grub's mighty arms hold the skeleton fast, as Sly sweeps in and attacks again a flurry of fangs and claws. Sly manages to rake with one of his claws, and focuses more on the blunt crushing power and less or tearing flesh, and smashes several ribs of the skeleton as his heavy blow finally penetrates the armor.
Grub, holding the skeleton tightly wraps his arms around it in a huge bear hug and squeeeeezes. Bones splinter and shatter, and the skeleton, battered and broke bit by bit up to this point finally gives out. The necromantic magic holding it together fails, and it falls to pieces in Grub's arms, bones, armor and weaponry dropping to the floor in a clatter of metal and a cloud of dust and bone splinters.
The group pauses, listening, the skeletons that had been outside the door and stone slab are now not to be heard. Perhaps they are hiding or retreated.
"Maybe we should get out of here until we can spend our time and be careful - there are still the raiders that are attacking the town that need to be dealt with."
Shaeyl takes a peak in the sarcophagus, now that it is empty of combative shadows.
I'd prefer to clear this tomb of anything those same raiders could use. Besides, someone went to a lot of trouble on this place. Twenty minutes and you want to run?
"Well undead last a long time. A really long time, they'll still be here. But the raiders are attacking soon, I just don't want to get there too late to help."
Inside you see the ancient, husk of a body. Mostly skeletalized, pieces of desiccated leathery flesh still cling to part of the bone. Debris, and accumulated detritus from vermin and other things that managed to find their way into the sarcophagus and feast on the dead body ages before have left their remains in here, but for the most part you can make it out as you shine your light into it.
The body is buried in considerable jewelry. One particular piece, a large jewel on a pectoral chest piece, is quite attractive.
Shaeyl waves his hands and casts detect magic.
The large jewel is magical. After several rounds you sense rather strong Transmutation magic as well as some Necromancy.
Shaeyl pulls out the mundane jewelry, score!.
The magical piece he takes more care with, not touching it directly as he studies it some more. This beauty is a bit more interesting, transmutation and necromancy magic.
Anyone else want to take a crack at what this does?
Neither of you are able to guess what it does.
"Hey, lemme see!"
Aury you still aren't sure either, but there seems to be something missing. The particular item seems to be a master control item, and it would be associated with other magic items. Perhaps that is why it has been so troublesome in discerning what it does.
Bag it until later then. Let's see where those other skellies went to?
Grubgullet gives Shaeyl a nod, then unblocks the door once more.
Pocketing the large gem and the rest of the valuables from the body, the group prepares to exit the chamber. Grub hurls the giant slab from over the door, and the group waits for a moment. Hearing nothing, they open the door and find that the other skeletons have disappeared somewhere else back into the underground dungeon.
Shaeyl nods, very odd. I've not heard of undead behaving like this, unless... they are controlled by something powerful.
"Maybe the bones is scared of us now. You know what happens when people is scared of you, right?"
Grub doesn't seem to be directing the question to anyone, but after he poses it, he turns to Shaeyl for confirmation.
The group moves back out of the room cautiously. Returning to the antechamber with the large four polished urns, sealed and untouched. The group still hears no signs of the other skeletal guardians. They appear to have not touched the urns.
Left hand rules.
Shaeyl heads across the room, opens the door and if clear, will continue to the junction and check both directions before turning left (east).
The group passes into the room of curious urns, eyeing them cautiously, and then continues ahead to the passage. Shaeyl cautiously peers around the corner and listens. No sign of the other skeletons. The others follow up behind, Grubgullet squeezed and stooped into the narrow hallways miserably.
Shaeyl looks east and can see to the next intersection. Again, no sign or sound of the skeletal guardians nor the shadowy 'friend'.
Onward! Shaeyl heads east to the T and takes another look to the left and right.
"They could be hiding in that room, if they know how to open and close doors."
Stepping to the next intersection, everything looks safe so far and quiet.
From her perch on Sly's shoulder, Snow hoots softly and indicates something is amiss with the door straight ahead. She tilts her head to and fro in the strange way that owls do and seems to be intently focusing on that door. Her empathic link indicates a strong sense of danger and fear of that direction.
Let's skip it then, at least for now.
Shaeyl turns to the left, and heads to the corner.
You see a long hall heading east. No skeletons.
That's a long corridor, let's see where it leads. Shaeyl heads down the corridor stopping 20 feet from the end for a moment to listen before proceeding to the corner to take a look around.
The group makes their way cautiously down the corridor, moving carefully and listening. At the end and then around the corner after hearing nothing, the group moves to the next corner and finds that the corridor circles around the entire complex, almost nonsensically. Wondering at the purpose of the corridor they pause again to listen and watch. Ever cautious that the shadow that disappeared could reappear. Grub, hunkered down, stooping and moving almost sidestep through the corridor grumbles, both from hunger and discomfort. He yearns to stretch his arms and stand up straight.