After a short rest, Aralu will begin heading down the right path.
About 90 feet down the path there's a group of three shamblers and three skeletons. Two of the skeletons wear chain shirts and are armed with scimitars and shields. One of the shamblers says "Arrrrrr" and another says "Gurrrrrr."
"Are they trying to talk to us..." Aralu states more than asks as she moves to confront the undead starting with the shamblers
"Grrrr," Hrusk snarls back, twirling his axe...
Dazzling Display
"Grah!" He exclaims, as he cuts himself...
Yarr, I believe they are as nisuha chargs the nearest Shambler with her longsword drawn.
Initiative Order: Drozak(23), Skeletons(21), Aralu(17), Iruaka(14), Niusha(13), Rhanviel(12), Shamblers(11), Hrusk(10).
Damage Taken:
Niusha: 5 damage.
Shambler 1: Dead.
Shambler 2: Dead.
Shambler 3: 2 damage.
Everyone may act.
Aralu shifts her offense toward the skeleton Iruaka is flank attacking
Niusha winces from the shamblers attack and switchs to a mor defense stance.
Power attack the shambler.
Initiative Order: Drozak(23), Skeletons(21), Aralu(17), Iruaka(14), Niusha(13), Rhanviel(12), Shamblers(11), Hrusk(10).
Damage Taken:
Niusha: 5 damage.
Shambler 1: Dead.
Shambler 2: Dead.
Shambler 3: 2 damage.
Skeleton 2: Dead.
Skeleton 3: Dead.
Everyone may act.
"Don't get careless!" Aralu says as she advances on the final shambler.
Drozak will attack the shambler left.
attack
Many thanks
Niusha draws her bow and knocks a blunted arrow and takes aim at the last skeleton
Initiative Order: Drozak(23), Skeletons(21), Aralu(17), Iruaka(14), Niusha(13), Rhanviel(12), Shamblers(11), Hrusk(10).
Damage Taken:
Niusha: 5 damage.
Sigh, 'dont get careles?' I should keep my mouth shut.
Aralu does a quick appraisal of the defeated foes for anything of use, while the others rest. When her associates are ready, Aralu will press on to the crypt with a nod.
You find two broken scimitars, two broken chain shirts and derims and thalen.
Drozak shakes the blood off his blade.
"Should I scout ahead?"
As you approach the entrance to the catacombs you see a krimir in a circle of dead shamblers.
Aralu opens her mouth to reply to Drozak's question, but she falls silent when she catches sight of the Krimir. She sheathes her blades to look less foreboding as she closes distance.
The Krimir finishes a palm strike against a skeleton and stands amidst the bones of at least half a dozen shambling dead. Their collected bodies laid out like a macabre lotus flower around him.
The plume white hair standing off the short creatures head is the first immediately noticeable thing, Tan skin and golden eyes with a heart shaped face. An intricate tattoo on his left cheek preventing the easy association of size and shape to being a child of another race.
Around his shoulders is a mottled brown and green cloak clasped with a catch of simple steel, the garment bearing scores of holes but no visible blood anywhere on the Krimir. Underneath the warrior wears simple black slacks and a tan shirt. A short spear and a hand axe at his belt along with an odd looking rod. A wary look flashes in his eyes as he notes the arrival of others.
"I take you are not here to try and stop my advance?" The white haired warrior asks as he brushes bone fragments from his cloak and arms.
"None of you, bear the mark that I can see."
Aralu stops more than a few strides from the Krimir, "Mark or no, we are here to purge the undead presence from the crypt." Aralu says emotionlessly, her gold eyes mirroring the Krimir's own. "I am Aralu."
Aralu falls silent allowing the others with her to introduce themselves and say what they must before she stares back at the Krimir expectantly... Or blankly, it is hard to tell.
The Krimir's eyes flicks over the warrior and then to the others. "Gerald" The warrior responds flatly.
"It seems our goals align for now, we both seek to end the danger in the crypt. A Heirophant of the Black skull and his cadre seeks an artifact of his faith in the tombs below us. This is the cause of the disturbances. They sealed the catacomb doors and I have been unsuccessful in opening them. With all of you though we could likely maneage."
Nodding Aralu walks up to Gerald and bows her head respectfully in acceptance. She stares for a time, as she tends to do, her ragged dress blowing in the wind before motioning to Hrusk with a wave to get his assistance with forcing the crypt door open.
"Did you defeat all of those skeletons on your own?" she asked appraisingly.
Does it really matter? the small warrior asks to the silenced response. The Krimir shrugs They came in waves when I tried to open the door, so yes but not all at once. Not that killing hordes of skeletons is anything but a waste of time with the masters behind the door."
"If this artifact is cursed too, then you may need to reconsider what a waste of time is." the slightest of smiles creeps onto the corners of her lips.
Heh, good one...
Gerald shrugs " I don't get the reference but being it is an artifact of the ancient necromancer Savaroth it is absolutely cursed. It ought to look like half a mask, don't touch it."
"What are we supposed to do then, leave it alone for someone else to take?"
"Yes, wait for someone to come and deal with it properly. Take it to a vault or lock it away in some other manner. The church should know who to call if they are not already on their way from this disturbance."
"Funny you say that, we were sent by the church."
The Krimir quirks a fluffy eyebrow at the golden eyed woman "Not my church then or I'd have been made aware. Regardless let us discuss the nature of what will be done with the artifact once it is in hand and this plot foiled. The longer we stand out here the less chance of that happening." With that the small creature unclips the odd rod from his belt and tosses it to the half giant moving to open the door.
"Think of a tool you could use for opening the door, like a crowbar or a pick axe and push some buttons on that. It will turn into it. Might also work as a battering ram..." The short creature says as he examines the door again.
Hrusk uses the fancy tool as a crowbar and with some effort gets the door to the catacombs open.
"Done," he says, wipes the sweat off his brow and hands the tool back to the krimir.
Niusha sighs "Well lovely another cursed artifact. All our lead have been dead ends. We came this far can at least Finish what we started."
"Perhaps." Aralu replies to both Niusha and Gerald at the same time. .
"What church are you aligned with Gerald? Are you certain they would have sent some word here to tell you we were coming? We only contracted this job moments ago."
Aralu heads into the crypt giving Hrusk a appreciative pat, "You may have a hard time fitting in here Hrusk, if you can find yourself squeezing in we will meet you back at the tavern."
Niusha sighs "Well lovely another cursed artifact. All our lead have been dead ends. We came this far can at least Finish what we started."
"Maybe we are the Company of the Cursed."
Hrusk looks at the narrow passage in front of him and nods. "I will clean up the rest of the cemetery then. These shamblers and skeletons fall like wheat underneath my axe. Be careful down there."
" Haladrune', Yes and it seems that church political issues as as ever if a problem like this is left lie."
with the door open the golden skinned one shifts his weight as he waits. "unless there is a dire concern we must make haste, the vile cultists defile ever more of this place as we speak.
You enter the dark hallway into the catacombs, which leads to a stair descending 30 feet to a large room with two humanoid creatures who grin at you with long, sharp teeth. Their pallid flesh is stretched tightly over starved frames.
The creatures are ghouls.
"Hard to see how anyone would want something like this protecting him." Aralu says as her steel pulls from the scabbards, preparing to deal with these undead as the ones before.
Edit:corrected bonuses to hit
"Ghouls, joy." The Krimir says with a dry tone as he looks at the pair of undead.
"Lets make short work of them."
The golden warrior then blurs forward and strikes at the left ghoul, passing around the creature and opening up the option for others to flank.
[dice=Init] 1d20+4
"Ghouls, joy." The Krimir says with a dry tone as he looks at the pair of undead.
"Lets make short work of them."
The golden warrior then blurs forward and strikes at the left ghoul, passing around the creature and opening up the option for others to flank.[dice=Trip] 1d20+4
Niusha draws and takes aim at another ghoul.
Initiative
Drozak will charge one of the ghouls, power attacking.
Initiative Order: Iruaka(25), Aralu(22), Gerald(22), Drozak(13), Ghouls(13), Niusha(9).
Damage Taken:
Ghoul (1): Dead.
Ghoul (2): Dead.
Ghoul (3): 11 damage.
Everyone may act.
Aralu smiles at the cutting down of the ghoulish undead as she steps to cut to ribbons the ghoul on the floor.
Aralu makes the scissor with her scimitar and dagger, and clips the head off of the last ghoul.