Shaeyl leads his merry band to check the last places, if nothing pops out getting there, he'll check the west area first.
Shaeyl circles around and investigates the hall leading to a large solid stone door. It is clearly locked with a large complicated stone seal. Wondering what sort of challenge this will provide, he eyes the situation before touching anything. Nothing jumps out as obvious so it may require more interactive methods.
The group so far as remained unmolested since the initial fight with the skeletons.
Grubgullet grumbles and groans the whole way. If anything were waiting for them, it wouldn't be hard to hear.
Shaeyl looks at the fellowship, what do you think? That door back there is probably trapped, there's this ornate door, and the one behind Grub.
"Well the skeletons are waiting for us somewhere. They probably can't reset traps, so they must be in one of the other hallways, right?"
Shaeyl shrugs and squeezes past Grub, hang in there big guy.
He approaches the door and searches for the inevitable trap.
Shaeyl examines the door and looks for a trap, but is unable to find anything. Looks perfectly safe in fact. Ptery turns one disinterested eyeball to the door and then squawks impatiently.
Shaeyl moves to open the door, which opens easily, its latch and other mechanisms seemingly more or less intact. The large door swings quietly open and before the group a long columned hall leads to what appears to be an ancient altar.
Grubgullet shoves his way past the others into the more spacious room.
Get your stretch out? Shaeyl smiles while he takes a look around the room from behind Grub.
Ptery, take a quick look and come back.
Nearly knocking over Shaeyl, Grub steps over him and strides into the room, stretching his arms wide, and you can hear and almost feel his vertebrae crack a bit as he stands to full height with a satisfying "Ahhhh."
Ptery flaps into the room sailing about looking for obvious danger, as Shaeyl watches observantly from afar. Grub's entrance to the room triggers no explosions or ambush of undead or other enemies. The room has a thin layer of dust coating everything, and can easily be taken as a sign that nothing that walks the ground has traversed this chamber in a while. Such revelations are hardly comforting given the incorporeal state of some undead. You keep your eyes and senses alert for your wayward shadow 'friend' sometimes getting the feeling you are being watched although there is little you can do about it.
Peering to the far end of the room you see the altar. Carved from a dark stone, it features exquisite craftsmanship and seems of identical artistry to the columns lining the room. Thematic elements of earth, stone and crystalline are featured in the carvings. No people or creatures are shown, and most shapes are hexagonal or cubic. You recognize a recurring motif of four. The number figures heavily into many of the designs. The altar top itself is empty and smooth and holds no service objects currently. From this distance it is all you can determine.
There does seem to be a link at least numerically. You try to recall the motifs on the urns and seem to remember them being possibly similar.
Any thoughts or plans to investigate?
Sounds likely, lets look around. Seems like a lot of work to hide it under a shack.
Shaeyl heads up for a closer look at the altar, walking around it and studying the carvings along the way.
Shaeyl you can tell there is some sort of earth worship or elemental something going on with the altar. You can almost feel the power radiating from it. If the urns are tied to the altar though, you have no idea, and they are in the other room. It does seem that the altar is very much 'active' in some sense and contains legitimate power in and of itself as well.
Do you think the shack was made right after this, or maybe later by different people?
We got something, that altar is, well, it's not just a hunk of stone, not sure yet what, but give me a second.
Do you think the shack was made right after this, or maybe later by different people?
1d20+7
The shack, despite its dilapitated and aged appearance is much newer than this underground place. The shack is probably less than a century old, just subject to severe elements.
This dungeon is far, far older. Not on the order of 10,000 years from your time, but certainly centuries old.
** spoiler omitted **
We got something, that altar is, well, it's not just a hunk of stone, not sure yet what, but give me a second.
The altar has has strong auras of evocation, necromancy, abjuration, transmutation and conjuration.
Shaeyl doesn't remember anything specific from his arcane lore about magical altars. It may be more the realm of religion. He does set to work using spellcraft to decipher what magic may be part of the altar, and quickly realizes that despite his skill, the creator of the altar may have been quite powerful and it is beyond Shaeyl's attempt to discern what is in effect here.
At least two more doors to open as well.
Shaeyl makes note of what he saw here and heads back for the door.
We can try the trapped one first...
Sly you are very aware of some religions whose funerary rites include the removal of some organs for preservation in separate urns for the afterlife. It is possible, even likely that whoever was in the sarcophagus room, has his/her organs preserved in some manner in the urns in the prior room. How the altar here is linked is unknown, but clearly a significant religious rite would have taken place at the burial. For all you know the burial was sacrificial, to appease some earth deity if you to hazard a guess.
You note the the buried person had the large magical chest jewelry which you took and bagged after being analyzed by Aury as some sort master control magic item.
As Sly ponders this, Shaeyl moves back towards the other door.
Once the others are near, Shaeyl will study the door, but due to a premonition from someone, he'll try opening the door with mage hand from where he is.
"Just be careful."
Aury'tss readies her bow in case something tries to leap out at them.
Shaeyl uses his mage hand is surprised to find the door not only not trapped, but not locked any more. As the door swings slowly open, a roar and a hiss of multitudes of skeletal warriors issues forth from the room, as you have discovered your friends from earlier....
Aury looses her bowstring, sending two arrows towards one of the undead in the room, though one his harmlessly deflected off of the hallway instead
Just as the group prepares to attack, there is a soft 'whump' noise behind them down the hall. Everyone turns as one, prepared to lay waste to the sneak attack, and you see a somewhat familiar figure. You recognize Goivan, one of your fellows raised by Goodwin. How on earth did he appear here all of a sudden?
Goivan touches down on the ground, his large and bulky frame landing heavily with a whump. His wicked-looking gargoyle double-axe flashes as he stands up, looking around with suspicioun for a moment then seeing other children of Goodwin. He breaks out into a broad smile. "Shaeyl, Grub, Sly, Aury'tss! Oh it is good to see you all..." He sees the skeletons and narrows his eyes. "We can talk later than. Raaaahhhrg!" As only Goivan could, he flies into battle with a terrifying fury.
Worry about how he got here later. Undead needing reburrying.
Grubgullet, being cramped, unable to see the enemy, and distracted by the gargoyle's arrival, doesn't accomplish anything this round.
Round 1
Aury 28
Shaeyl 19
Goivan 16
Grub 14
Skeletons 13
Sly 12
Aury'tss fires a pair of arrows into the room at the first skeleton, One of her arrows hits, but it clatters mostly through the creatures bony forms, barely doing much damage.
[dice=Readied Attack]1d20+8
[dice=Damage]1d8+7
Shaeyl keeps an eye out for the shadow, its lurking around here somewhere.
Round 1 continued
Shaeyl keeps close eye out for the shadow, that escaped earlier, thinking this would be the opportune time for it to make its reappearance. Goivan moves into position seeing the undead in the room. Grub, feeling cramped and stooped over in the narrow hall, shuffles slightly, hoping to find a gap to make a move.
The skeletons march towards Goivan, the nearest having to only take a slight step to get to him before swinging his sword. Goivan is ready and swings his axe in response, but the skeleton's defenses are solid and the axe misses the evil creature.
- miss
Likewise, the skeleton's attack is easily rebuffed by Goivan, who barely has to sidestep the poorly aimed blow.
Goivan gives a grin as the undead misses. "You will fall, undead scourge!" He rains down a pair of blows and uppercuts into the creature!
AUry'tss starts singing, the magically infused notes helping her companions with their attacks.
Grub lumbers closer, but with the entrance to the room blocked off, there's not much he can do. Luckily, there is one thing he can think of. He concentrates for only a second, and the noxious fumes in his gut burst into magical flame, ready to spew forth at any moment.
Damn all curmudgeons! Shaeyl grumbles under his breath. We're going to have to push through and clear a corner, pick one.
Without any ranged options available at the moment, Shaeyl continues to be alert for the shade while watching events unfold.
Round 1 - finish
Sly steps down the hall, cursing the undead, he knows most of his cold based or mind affecting powers are useless. He is prepared to fight however, and steps up behind Goivan so they can fight their way into the room, or if needed heal the gargoyle.
Round 2
Aury 28
Shaeyl 19
Goivan 16
Grub 14
Skeletons 13
Sly 12
Aury begins her song, inspiring her comrades to glory as the fight picks up.
Shaeyl keeps an eye out, looking for an opening.
Goivan lays into the first skeletal warrior. They have armor and seem pretty dang tough, but he manages to land one end of his axe and though a bludgeoning weapon would be better, he hears bones crunch none the less from the power of his blow. The undead creature presses on however.
Grub invokes his magic and his prodigious stomach rumbles. The group isn't sure which is more fearsome, Grub with an upset stomach or a small army of the dead.
The skeleton fighting Goivan, slashes at him with its sword.
- miss
Goivan's own armor and tough hide rebuffs the weak blow. The skeleton takes a positional step back as another slips into its place, trading spots in a tactical reposition.
- miss
The second skeleton, swings and the blow is much more telling and spot on, but not quite, Goivan's defenses hold and the blow is shunted off to the side harmlessly.
The other skeletons huddle around the bunch, waiting silently, bones rattling as they move in their ancient armor.
Sly considers trying to tumble through and past the defenses of many of the skeletons, but decides otherwise at the moment, rather than being trapped and surrounded in the room.
Goivan roars and his eyes turn a furious red as he presses the offense, his body sparking with electricity!
Grubgullet forces his way through the crowd into the room, though the swings and blows of the enemies, and positions himself on the other side.
Seeing Grubgullet rush into the fray, Aury'tss thinks fast and barely manages to touch him before he's out of reach. A blue force shimmers over him briefly.
Round 3
Aury 28
Shaeyl 19
Goivan 16
Grub 14
Skeletons 13
Sly 12
Aury sees Grub preparing to burst into the room and quickly enchants him with a protective layer of force armor.
Shaeyl, still watching for an opening holds back.
Goivan attacks his foe yet again, a furious blue of attacks. His axe slams into the skeleton in front of him, completely obliterating it as bone pieces fly everywhere. Stepping into the room, Goivan is able to swing against the skeleton that had retreated, and also brings his set of horns down, slamming into the creature. Both attacks are diminished slightly by the bony nature of the creature, but enough to destroy it.
Grub goes barrelling into the room ready to flatten any foes in the way, but Goivan has dropped one already. He almost flattens Goivan as he comes tromping through, but the two manage to squeeze and Grub moves into the room.
- hit/natural 20 possible crit
- confirmed
- hit
- hit/natural 20 possible crit
- not confirmed
The ogre lumbers into the room, as a barrage of sword strikes attempt to cut him down. They cut deep as he roars in pain, and leave several bloody gashes. The big ogre arrives in the middle of the room, but at what cost?
The skeletons all take subtle positional steps of trained warriors.
They attack, with four of them attacking Goivan, and two against Grubgullet.
- miss
- hit
- hit
- miss
- hit, natural 20, possible crit
- not confirmed
- miss
The skeletons assault seems to heat up the battle.
Sly moves into the room, risking more attacks from the skeletons, but they appear kept their attacks to Grub. He moves to the fallen ogre's side and administers magical healing.