Goggh thanks Quercus silently, and then smiles. He's happy with this group - it seems like forever since they have been together, and he appreciates it. He can't wonder but let his mind wander thinking about Goodwin, but the ogre keeps his composure.
The door is barely standing in the frame, and a good kick will probably send pieces flying. If there was a trap on the door itself, you marvel that it would even still work, although you have heard of magical traps but you find none.
Vamik whispers, "Well, it looks safe enough. Shall we?" He quietly and carefully creaks open the door and peers into the darkness.
Goggh goes right behind you. - says the Ogre.
The door opens and takes some finagling as it half falls from its hinges, the rotten wood angry at being disturbed after so long. Vermin of all sorts scuttle from the rotted wood and floor as you push the door back sweeping away a layer of dust and debris as shards of rotted wood tumble inward.
The room beyond becomes visible with darkvision and to some extent by Quercus' light spell. Several columns support the central part of a vaulted room, and side passages lie to the right and left of the room somewhat inside, and again towards the back of the room.
Vamik looks to see if the room has any of the signs of being lived in, then slips along the wall to the right and takes a look down the passage. If no danger is found, he will continue quietly along the wall, stopping at each passage until he makes it back around. If everything still looks clear he will suggest to explore the right passage first. "My old granny used to say stick to the right and live through the night. And then she would send me down the tunnel to get her a scrap of food."
Goggh moves with Vamik. He doesn't have the trained eyes of his friend, but he tries to look around the best he can, searching for traps or enemies. Maybe, after all, they'll be lucky and find a nice and protected place to rest.
Vamik moves along the east all, with Goggh close behind and slips into the large room, he reaches the first hall and peers into the chamber as well as squinting across the main chamber to she a mirror image of the side chamber on that side. he peers into the chamber, and notices a fair amount of debris and old rotted barrels, boxes, crates and other storage items in various states of ruin. Disturbingly a large pile of bones lies on the floor scattered about. As he takes a moment to scan what he can see of the room, the bones coalesce swiftly into a creature. A man sized creature of claws, teeth, horns and the remnants of bony wings springs up and hisses hollowly. A second appears near it and across the chamber in the large room on the other side, a set of twins like the first rise from the floor. The four skeletal creatures move menacingly.
"I see that skeletons are still a thing. Good to know that the undead are alive and well." Vamik winds up and hurls a bomb toward the closest skeleton(#2). , , Reflex of 17 for half. Splash on #1 is 7 damage, or reflext of 17 for half. (if missed , it will just splash #2)
Then vamik calls out, "Comon in everyone, we found some undead."
Vamik winds up and launches his bomb at the skeleton, quickly mixing the reagents and hurling it, hitting squarely on the skeleton he inteded. The chemicals explodes and splashes onto the other one.
- fail
- fail
The skeletons charge forward and launch an attack on Vamik.
- miss
- miss
Fortunately Vamik is unnaturally agile and with his magical and alchemical protections he all but ignore the skeletons' attacks.
Vamik winds up and launches his bomb at the skeleton, quickly mixing the reagents and hurling it, hitting squarely on the skeleton he inteded. The chemical explodes and splashes onto the other one.
- fail
- fail
The skeletons charge forward and launch an attack on Vamik.
- miss
- miss
Fortunately Vamik is unnaturally agile and with his magical and alchemical protections he all but ignore the skeletons' attacks.
The skeletons from across the hall move out and attack Goggh.
- hit
- hit
- miss
- miss
Goggh is able to dodge and protect himself from their wicked claws.
Goggh rages, and activates his Raging Brute powers as well (with the exception of his Lesser Spirit Totem one). He power attacks as well.
At this point, the ogre has grown claws and looks clearly enraged. He then proceeds to grapple one of the enemies (#4).
Goggh also constricts the bastard.
At any point, if the undead is destroyed, Goggh releases its remainings and 5-foot steps above it (behind Vamik).
Raging Brute (3 minutes/day): 1 minute used
Bloodrage (7 rounds/day): 1 round used
"This is prime channeling fodder here Zarrisa!" Vamik teases. "If you want, we could step outside and let you have them all."
Quercus charges skeleton 3 on Goggh.
Full Attack at #2. If it dies, then go on to #1
,
,
,
,
Round 1
Vamik: 24
Skeletons: 21
Goggh: 21
Zarrisa: 13
Quercus: 7
Goggh grabs one of the skeletons easily, they are very light without flesh and bone covering them and lots of easy hand holds. He pulls it in close, his giant mitts crunching the bones. Loud pops and cracks fill the air as he squeezes further latching one huge hand around its skull, and squeezing until it shatters and the thing falls to the ground in a clatter of bones. He steps closer.
Zarrisa scuttles up and channels holy energy into the area, bathing the undead on a soft glow which crackles.
- sucess
- fail
Quercus moves up and swings his wooden fist but misses.
Round 2
Vamik tears into the skeleton with claws and teeth.
His mutated blows shatter bones and one skeleton falls. He leaps on another, his teeth sinking in and bones crunch.
The skeletons continue their assault as four more of their brethren move in from rooms to the north.
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
Both Vamik and Goggh protected by magic and their battle prowess fend off or dodge the attacks and the battle continues as the four new skeletons join.
Goggh continues raging. His eyes twist across the room full of undead.
Goggh sees a lot of bone bags! Hm!
He's clearly worried and fights as such. He's still raging and power attacking, but now he's also fighting defensively. He proceeds to try to grapple the skeleton in front of him (#6).
He constricts the skeleton as well.
If the creature is destroyed, he will drop it at the floor.
This entire time I've been treating grapple as an attack, and applying modifiers such as power attack and fighting defensively to it. This is how I play in my "live" game; however, looking through the web I've been seeing people argumenting this shouldn't be the case. If you want to rule otherwise, please let me know and I'll adjust my posts accordingly, my friend. :)
Goggh's AC right now is 19 + 4 (Mage Armor) - 2 (Rage) + 2 (Fighting Defensively) = 23
It was 21 on the first round, according to my calculations :) the skeleton still missed, but he was very close to hit our good smiling ogre!
Raging Brute (3 minutes/day): 1 minute used
Bloodrage (7 rounds/day): 2 rounds used
Quercus will cast shield on himself, and then start moving around the skeletons drawing attacks. He moves 6 squares around the back and should provoke attacks from #3, 5, 6 (if its still alive), 7, 8.
AC is 32 after casting shield, which also provokes an attack but I cannot parry it. Quercus is in Shattered Mirror Style and Panther Style.
Here are parries for up to 5 other attacks. (all free actions)
If any hit, they cause the attacker a -2 to hit and damage.
Here are damages for any of the parries:
Mr Gibbons can also aid another on up to 3 attacks against Quercus, but will not do so on the attacks of opportunity, but rather save them to assist on attacks on the their turn in cases where they may flank me or have some increased chance to hit.
Full Attack at #1. If it dies, then go on to #8, then #7
Round 2
Vamik: 24
Skeletons: 21
Goggh: 21
Zarrisa: 13
Quercus: 7
Goggh grabs another of the the skeletons, so light and easy to grab and crush. He snatches up one of them nearby, its ribcage crunching as he seizes ahold of it, and then pulls it close for a literal bonecrushing bearhug. The skeleton disintegrate in his arms, the shards of the bones falling to the floor.
Zarrisa moves in to channel once again, blasting the undead with holy life force.
- fail
- fail
- success
- fail
- success
Quercus casts his spell.
- miss.
He easily moves aside from the creature's attack and begins to move around to the north, circling behind the skeletons.
Skeletons #5, 7 and 8 will be able to take attacks.
- miss
- miss
- miss
Quercus lashes out in a retaliatory attack against all three of them as he moves by them and they attempt to claw him. He manages to hit two of them before they swing at him and his solid agile fists, crunch their bones.
Round 3
Vamik strikes out at the skeleton near him, his mutated form gnawing and clawing his way like a vicious feral rat. His swift claws tear apart the first skeleton nearest him.
- confirmed
Vamik strikes out with his new pink mutated claw, still a little spindly, but somewhat scaly and with some tufts of hair from the mutagen and the oddly placed claw catches the skeleton alongside the skull, for terrible damage. Vamik then sinks his teeth in with another bone crunching bite, snapping viciously, with mighty incisors.
The skeleton wobbles shakily, shards of bone flying.
The mindless skeletons continue their assault.
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- hit/Natural 20, possible crit
- miss
- miss
- miss
- failed to confirm
The skeleton that Vamik almost destroyed lashes out with a claw, attacking Vamiks spindly arm, and striking a deep gash, close to an artery but just missing.
The skeletons for all their flurry of claws and teeth and horns only manage to draw blood once.
"Yow! that stings! He got me good. Goggh, remind me to learn how to control these things in the future. I know it can be done."
Round 3
Quercus will step east one, west two, southwest one, northeast one, and east one, ending up where he began. His 'battle dance' takes him a total of six squares, and should provoke attacks from all remaining skeletons.
Panther Parry rolls:
Finishing his move, he will strike at either #5 or #7
Mr Gibbons will utilize his normal bodyguard abilities as needed. Quercus will use dodging panache in circumstances where the enemy gets a large advantage against me or some huge big baddie appears to wreak havoc.
Goggh keeps raging, and repeats his routine against #8.
As always, he drops the body if he destroys the monster.
One more full attack at #8, then #7 if #8 drops.
Add 2 for flanking on #7.
Round 3
Vamik: 24
Skeletons: 21
Goggh: 21
Zarrisa: 13
Quercus: 7
Goggh once more, grabs a hold of one of the skeletons with his massive hands. As if grabbing a fragile doll, the ogre squeezes the skeleton with his hands, bones crunching and crumbling, the skeleton helpless to escape. Pulling it in close he crushes it close to himself, his massive arms pulverizing the undead, dropping it in a heap onto the floor.
Zarrisa scuttles around Goggh, joining the fray, her claws snapping at one of the skeletons.
- miss
Unfortunately, her quick claw is unable to land a solid blow against the bony undead creature.
Quercus moves along the back row of undead, his defensive style allowing him to strike out at the enemies before they land their blows. He hits solidly on one of the skeletons but is unable to parry the other two remaining.
- miss
- miss
- miss
Quercus' solid fist thumps hard against the skeleton as it tries to slash him, bones crunch as the blow lands.
Round 4
Distracted by Quercus, the skeleton between he and Vamik is a prime target, and the ratfolk seizes the moment to strike. A flurry of teeth and claws as he leaps onto his foe. Bones snaps and heavy blows from the mutated rat man leave the skeleton in a pile of shattered bone shards as the skull rolls across the floor, its jaw sent flying the opposite direction.
Were the skeletons intelligent thinking beings, now would be a good time for them to flee, however they press on, oblivious to the fact that they are being destroyed quite handily by the group.
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
- hit
- miss
- hit
While the skeleton fails to land any blows against Quercus' impenetrable defense, Goggh is not so lucky. Even fighting defensively, the skeleton slides a claw in and then follows up with a low gore as the skeleton brings its wicked horns right into Gogghs sizable midsection.
While not lethal, the two strikes draw a significant amount of blood from Goggh who grunts in pain.
The monster hurts Goggh, which growls in return. The raging ogre turns his eyes to it - wasn't it an undead, it would probably fear for its damned existence.
The Ogre touches himself quickly (as a swift action), feeling the wisdom of Irori heal him, and then proceeds to do the very same thing as before (against #3).
He then 5-foot steps back, still looking badly hurt.
Raging Brute (3 minutes/day): 1 minute used
Bloodrage (7 rounds/day): 4 rounds used
Lay on Hands (4 uses/day): 1 use
Quercus will move passed the remaining skeletons drawing attacks from any that remain after Goggh's and Zarrisa's attack.
Single attack against #3 (or 5 if 3 is dead).
Round 4
Goggh reaches out, grabbing another skeleton with his mighty thews. Pulling it in as he did before, an ogrish grinding machine, grabbing the spindly skeletons and crushing them one by one. One of the remaining skeletons fares no better, as he snags it easily and folds it between his hands as easily as one might close a book, and then continuing to squeeze until the bones snap and clatter to the floor.
Zarrisa scuttles up quickly over the clattering bones and strikes at the remaining skeleton.
- hit
- hit
- hit
- B/S
- B/S
- P
The mermaid/scorpion woman snaps twice with her claws, and strikes with her stinger. All three manage to hit the skeleton, however her stinger seems to glide harmlessly from the things spindly bones.
Quercus moves about drawing attacks from the skeleton taunting it to attack him as he lashes out.
- miss
His wooden fist slams into the skeleton's skull as he dances by it, and follows up with another blow an instant later, its bones now brittle and the necromantic magic barely holding it together.
Move and bite!
Round 5
Vamik slips forward and snaps his razor sharp incisors down on the skeleton, but just misses, the bony creature turning at the last second and avoiding the ratfolk's attack.
It spins in retaliation and attacks Vamik
- miss
- miss
- miss
- miss
The skeletons flurry of attacks are not enough to get past the wily Vamik's agile dodging and magical defenses.
Goggh stops raging, becoming visibly fatigued. His draconic claws disappear and he's weaker. Still, even on this state, he still tries to grab the remaining skeleton (this time, however, without fighting defensively).
He 5-foot steps at the end of his routine, and touches himself again swiftly.
Raging Brute (3 minutes/day): 1 minute used
Bloodrage (7 rounds/day): 4 rounds used
Lay on Hands (4 uses/day): 2 uses
Fatigued for 6 rounds: 1/6
Goggh huffs as the fury leaves his eyes, but he is still formidable. Grabbing a hold of the final skeleton, already damaged and barely functional, he crushes it between his hands and drops the broken shards to the floor before uttering a "wheewwww". He clamps a hand over the wounds and they mend somewhat.
The final skeleton destroyed, the group takes a collective breath. The underground area is quiet again aside from the breathing of the fighters.
What will the group do now?
"Is everyone ok?" Quercus looks around cautiously, listening.
Vamik pops the cork on his CLW extract.
"Well, my new arm works in a fight. That's something. Now where there's undead there is usually something of value. Now where was I before these bag o' bones so rudely interrupted?"
Vamik continues searching the rightmost room, then the left where the first skeletons came from. After that, he'll sneak over toward the hallway straight ahead.
Goggh scratches his back, tired, and again lay his hands on his chest.
Goggh is tired... And a little hurt. - he says, following - Let's search, but stay on your guard.
Vamik and the others search carefully and cautiously the first two rooms on the east and west, going through the debris of the barrels and crates. Vermin of all sizes and shapes scuttle forth as you paw through the dust. You find a variety of things rotted and nearly in recognizable, but within the useless decay you do find metal. Coins and jewelry, dulled by age and dust but valuable nonetheless. You manage to scrape together a sizable pile from both rooms. The coins could use some cleaning to find their true value, but there is silver copper gold and even some platinum. You also find some gems and half a dozen pieces of jewelry.
As Quercus and Lady Zarrisa stand watch, The mermaid notes she isn't feeling well and being away from water has weighed heavily on her. In a strange statement, she says she feels like leaving and after several more moments her mind seems set and she scuttles on up the stairs and out, saying she will return to the fort and don't worry about her safety.
In the back rooms you find more broken, rotten containers, most of its contents ruined and long since made useless. You do find more coins, gems and jewelry, tarnished with age. You also find a pair of sealed bronze scroll tubes and a slim wand case with a silver wand.
Many coins! And maybe some useful stuff. Jewels, scrolls, a small silver stick... Is any of it magical at all? - the Ogre asks his companions.
Nevertheless... - he continues - ... Goggh thinks we could barricade the doors and try to get some protected rest here.
Quercus casts detect magic on the treasure once it is assembled concentrating and attempting to identify anything.
I will use my Community Blessing on Mr Gibbons who will attempt to aid me in spellcraft. If successful he grants me a +4 rather than +2.
(For the 2 tubes and the wand)
"This will help fund our search for Master Goodwin."
Quercus examines the items with a trained eye and magical senses.
"Ahh, that's one good thing about the undead, they are always guarding something of value. The coins and gems I suppose we can pile in with the rest. The wand...has Mr. Gibbons been trained in the use of wands?"
Vamik agrees that barricading the doors seems to be a good option. As Goggh builds the barricade, Vamik will the entrance to make it look as caved in as possible. As soon as the hole is just small enough for him to fit through, he will slip back in.
Day 9 - Mid day
You easily pile some debris back up and scatter some dust around. You aren't quite sure it will fool anyone familiar with the dungeon, but you aren't sure who that would be in any event. To anyone else it would look like a dusty caved in area. Someone perceptive may notice it looked somewhat more 'recent' but it will do.
"Now that we're all sealed in, what do we do? This place seems defensive, but we really need to scout out the enemy. They could be moving past us as we speak. I think I will slip upstairs and take a look around."
"OK. I am curious about the set of stairs that go down."
Vamik climbs back up to the surface and sniffs around then listens and looks. Seems safe enough. He climbs out and peers into the bright sunlight down over the hillside. No enemies in sight. He decides to climb up the ruins a bit to get a better vantage even though the hill is quite high compared to the surrounding terrain. Not the best climber, Vamik braces himself between two corners and uses the rough broken down wall to find plenty of ledges and handholds ( taking 10, no problem or risk of failure ).
He reaches the top and the wind blows at his whiskers and ruffles his fur at this height. A pair of ravens is startled and they fly off cawing in alarm. Vamik peers out over the hills below. To the west, south and east he sees nothing. Far to the east, he sees the another river, perhaps a dozen miles away. To the north the mountains rise steeply. He watches for a while and waits and sees nothing of interest. After a bit he climbs back down and decides on his next course of action.