"There's still the rest of this floor left though," Melon vaguely points to the other side. "Besides, why do we want to find a secret tunnel that can escape this place? We can just walk out via the main gate."
There's a thoughtful pause, before she adds: "Is... anybody else worried that we've not had the hunting horns sounded and have a whole army descend on us? It's a little quiet after those two stinky fellas."
"We've killed a lot of bird brains in here. Maybe there isn't an army left to summon. We should take advantage of the respite to find a hidey-hole, tend to our injuries, and recover spent magical energies."
"No," Corinna says firmly. "We told them back at the caravan that we'd return by nightfall. If we stay here, they'll worry ... and probably feel they have to come in and rescue us. Besides, they're not any safer out there than we are in here; we're all better off if we all camp together, rather than as two small groups."
"Besides, we haven't learned anything yet. Melon's right; if there were anything -- well, anything sentient," she qualifies with a glance at the door with the lizard behind it, "hostile toward us within earshot, it would have come out and attacked us by now. There's no good reason not to check the rest of the rooms on this level, always assuming we're wise enough to listen at the door first, as Mr. Malan did with the lizard room."
"In that case lets start at the north end of the main hall."
"Listen at the door first," Corinna reminds those up front nervously.
You return to the throne room, where there is still no sign of the strange red-skinned man. Heading to the north end of the room, Malan approaches the door there. He pauses to listen at the door, but hears nothing. The door creaks as Malan opens it, and releases the smell of must. Beyond is a hallway leading around a corner to the northeast.
The first thing you all notice about the hallway is the thick layer of dust covering the floor and the cobwebs hanging from the corners of the walls and ceiling. The hall appears to lead to a chamber, although you can't see much of that chamber from here. What is certain is that no one's been down this hallway in quite a long time.
"Oh, this is the kind of thing we've been looking for," Corinna says encouragingly. "Whatever's here that's tied to Ameiko's family has been here a long time, before the corbies ever arrived. Only," she amends worriedly, "I wonder why they never came back here. Or perhaps they did at first and found a good reason not to return?"
"They did not seem to to be very self motivated to me. Perhaps it just never occured to them to investigate this area."
"Remember those little storage rooms at the castle wall? They are basically just as unused as this."
Moving down the hall, you come into a circular room. Old tapestries depicting a seaside castle hang askew on the walls and a thick layer of dust cakes the floor. The air is musty and weirdly cold. Old bloodstains splatter the walls, along with numerous brutal gashes and slashes to the stone itself. Two doors hang askew on hinges in a passageway to the south, while to the north, a third door lies in fragments on the floor, opening onto a flight of stairs leading down into darkness. A second staircase leads upward against the north wall.
Continue with the plan. South passage it is.
You head to the hall and the two doors. Malan listens at the west side door, but hears nothing. As he opens it, it falls right off its hinges with a clatter. The room beyond once contained a desk and chairs, but they now lie on the floor in pieces. A flight of stairs leads up to the southeast.
Before you can enter the room, Gilfroy notices a slight shadow pass just under the loose east door.
Order: Tevyn, Malan, Corinna, Melon, Unknown, Gilfroy.
Suddenly, the door to the east splinters off its hinges, smashing into Malan.
-- success
The creature behind it shoved the door with such force that Malan is sent hurtling into the west room, the shattered door with him. Standing in the now open doorway is a once-human figure. Wearing broken armour, the creature is a decayed parody of a human being. Its eyes burn with an unholy fiery light. A sword is sheathed at its side.
Next Up: Tevyn, Malan, Corinna, Melon, Creature.
Knowledge Religion :
"It's a wight!!" Gilfroy shouts. "Don't let it hit you!"
Slightly panicked, Gilfroy casts guidance on Melon.
"A wight you say? I hate wights."
Disrupt Undead: RTouch
damage
Oh yeah, Malan stands up too.
Unable to manage good line of sight, Tevyn waits.
Oh yeah, Malan stands up too.
A thin beam shoots from Malan's hand and hits the wight in the chest. It shudders and for a brief moment, the fiery burning in its eyes seems to dim a little, but then flares up again just as strong.
Next Up: Melon, Wight, Gilfroy, Tevyn (subject to delayed action), Malan.
"What's a wight? Where?" Corinna asks, unable to see anything from around the corner. She moves out of the way, not wanting to clog up the hallway and keep Tevyn from getting a clear shot.
Melon instinctively imposes herself between the undead abomination and the rest of her party; specifically she cuts of the direct line to Malan. She punches cautiously, unsure how to treat Gilfroy's warning. The fist at least connects - but lacks any significant stopping power.
-- miss
Melon lands a blow on the wight, but it barely notices. Instead, it punches back at her, but she is able to duck aside.
Next Up: Tevyn, Malan, Corinna (subject to readied action), Melon, Wight.
Gilfroy casts cure light wounds but holds the charge for the time being.
"Shall we consider leaving this place after this fight?" There's a hint of terror in Melon's voice.
"Shall we consider leaving this place after this fight?" There's a hint of terror in Melon's voice.
"Perhaps the wight is why the corbies haven't been back here in so long," Corinna suggests.
"Gilfroy, move aside a little so I can get a shot from there," Tevyn says.
Next Up: Corinna (subject to readied action), Melon, Wight, Gilfroy, Tevyn (subject to delayed action).
"Anything I should know about whites other than they shouldn't touch me? Will it curse me?"
"Just suck the life out of you is all," Gilfroy replies.
"Oh."
"Unpleasant."
More spells from Malan
Disrupt Undead: RTouch, fire into melee
damage
Malan successfully fires over Melon's shoulder, hitting the wight in the neck. The dry flesh sizzles as the beam contacts it.
Next Up: Melon, Wight, Gilfroy, Tevyn (subject to delayed action), Malan.
Next Up: Wight, Gilfroy, Tevyn (subject to delayed action), Malan, Corinna (subject to delayed action).
ahem
Melon, calmly, pushes her hand past the creature - her hand next to its face - and then tries to slam its head against the doorframe.
The wight anticipates Melon's action and bends backwards just enough to avoid the blow from Melon's hand.
-- hit, critical threat
-- not confirmed
and 1 negative level
The wight follows up by slamming its fist into Melon's side against her ribs.
Next Up: Tevyn, Malan, Corinna, Melon, Wight.
"bllarrgh--" Melon vomits a mixture of sick and blood.
Gilfroy steps forward five feet and says to Melon, "Pull back a bit...draw it out so we can help you."
Once Gilfroy has moved forward, Tevyn moves up to where the gnome was previously standing and aims his bow over the gnome's head and past Melon. It's still not a great angle, but he takes the shot anyway .
-- miss
Unfortunately, the wight has just too much cover and the arrow slams into the door frame.
Next Up: Corinna (subject to delayed action), Melon, Wight, Gilfroy, Tevyn.
Why stop when I such a good thing going?
Disrupt Undead: rtouch, fire into melee
damage
With blood-drenched lips Melon replies, "You sure? Right now I'm the only thing between it and you."
Malan's beam shoots past Melon's side and grazes the wight's arm for only minor damage.
Next Up: Wight, Gilfroy, Tevyn, Malan, Corinna (subject to delayed action).
Melon stumbles backwards, blood still running down her neck in ugly smears. Her guard is slightly down, allowing the undead creature to follow-up quickly with an attack of opportunity.
The cold claws rake just over where Melon's head used to be, as she dodges out of the way in a spinning crouch - her leg extends to sweep the footing of the creature from under it.
Melon's hand reaches out to the falling wight, grabbing the creature behind the head in mid-air and tries to smash it into the floor face first.
-- hit
and 1 negative level
The wight raises its fist and slams it into the side of Melon's face. Strangely, the pain of the impact is barely noticeable compared to the gut-wrenching feel of her life-force being ripped from her body. She doesn't even reel from the blow. She just stands there for a moment, a blank look on her face, before collapsing.
A slight rumble emits from the wight's throat, like a low-pitched laugh.
Next Up: Tevyn, Malan, Corinna, Wight.
Malan's eyes harden as he steps forward (5' step) and releases another missile of of positive energy.
Disrupt Undead: rtouch,
to hit damage
It will need to step forward to get me, leaving him out in the open for the rest of you to attack at range.
Gilfroy, not wanting to get in its way, reaches around the corner with his charged hand.
Touch attack:
Not coming anywhere close to hitting with that, he backs away up the hall to O46.