Kellen hopes to pull the creature away from Praxim, and attacks it viciously with his sword.
Tomaru casts Spiritual Weapon and readies to keep his distance from the undead if it comes at him again.
Spiritual Weapon:
to hit Damage
With little or no effective spell against the undead, Rhianni moves a little loser, before pointing at the apparition.
[dice=Will]1d20+10+2
Grrr...his touch AC is 18 against this guy, if that would have helped.
The spectre howls in victory as the bits of Praxim's soul are absorbed into it. The howls are quickly turned to shrieks as the undead horror is hit from multiple sides. All of your combined efforts serve to vanquish the ghostly Black Arrow.
The echo of the spectre's (un)dying shrieks fade, leaving only the sound of the waterfall behind you.
Kellen breathes heavily in relief and looks around with concern. Looks like there was more than just lizards guarding down here. What in Cayden's name was that? Something to do with that body at the bottom of the chasm?"
Praxim gasps as he's not able to hold onto his soul fragment, and he drops to the ground, shaking and shivering.
"I'll have a look." Tomaru cautiously descends into the chasm followed by celestial starknife that he summoned.
Perception:
"It must be the body of a Black Arrow," Lym says.
The Wizard stiffly sits down and rubs her joints, wincing at the stabs of pain. "His death must have been horrific, to drag him back to undeath in that form... a spectre. Ahh... It devoured part of my essence! This hurts..."
Tomaru floats down to the bottom of the chasm. He does NOT find a dead Black Arrow, rather what looks like a very dead halfling thief. On him you find a broken flask, some prospecting tools, and a pouch with two large garnets. A fine-looking short sword is still sheathed at his side.
Tomaru gathers the items, floats back up to the group, and casts Detect Magic. After a short time, his summoned starknife winks out of existence.
to identify
to identify
to identify
Seeing that Tomaru is checking the body, Kellen goes to check on Praxim. "Easy, friend. I'm no healer, so best I can offer you is a blanket and brandy to warm you up until one of the others can set you right."
Seeing the elf fall and the half-orc looking pale, Thordak can only shake his head at their predicament. "Blast! Can either of them be fixed? We've got a host of over-sized skulls to smash, and we've got two of our own sufferin' from some kind of poisonous touch or something. Blast! That's just no good. I say we call it off until these two can get their health back. It's too dangerous for them to go in like this. Heck, it's dangerous enough going in normally, much less weakened."
"There are spells that can help. I could cast some but we would need some diamond dust as a sacrifice. We have none as far as I know and I'm not sure the town has any either."
"There are spells that can help. I could cast some but we would need some diamond dust as a sacrifice. We have none as far as I know and I'm not sure the town has any either."
Thordak sighs. "Blast!"
"There's nothing for it but to continue as we are. We can hole up in that hidden storage room and hope our strength returns on its own."
"The other thing is time. Do we have to take the fortress today? There is a good chance that your soul will heal itself, without magic, in a day or two."
"No - let's consider this reconnaissance and give them some time to heal up or at least feel up to more fighting. Let's back track and rest at the hidden storage area."
"I can get out to the others and guide them here."
"If you think it helps, perhaps I can use my magic to look ahead and see the lie of the land, though it is dangerous. I can change into a creature that would not arouse suspicion?" offers Rhianni, her voice giving away the fear that grips her heart.
Kellen looks at the Varisian woman and says: "'Knowing the tumblers means knowing the lock,' my uncle used to say. If you see something that can keep us from running into any more surprises - especially in that tomb up ahead, I'm all for it, but...," he pauses sensing the anxiety in her voice, "I'm not sure sending you ahead alone won't have it's own risks."
Kellen nods at Tomaru's suggestion as well. "Don't know if they are in any shape to trudge in here, but it certainly might help to know if they are aware of anything else to do with that crypt. Can you make it out there and back without being spotted?"
"Stay," Lym says to Rhianni, "or at least don't go alone. Limmerick can go. Or go with you."
The Wizard rallies a little, and goes on: "Two bats might go unnoticed by... whatever. The spectre certainly didn't attack my Limmerick when he passed by."
Almost forgot to get some healing in. Who's hurt? Lym, Praxim, myself?
Praxim is down 5 points.
I'm down to 12. Not sure all of it can be healed because of the energy drain.
Your max hit points go down by 5 for each negative level, so that brings praxim to 58 and Lym to 47. I can heal you to those numbers.
Channel Positive Energy that should get everyone to max.
Tomaru will also give Bit of Luck to each of you when the time comes.
To get the others, I should be able to dimensional hop to them and lead them back. I can even bring myself and two others back with Dimension Door. I could get all three if I were 9th level.
We rest. I'll go get the others and by hook or crook get them to us.
We rest. I'll go get the others and by hook or crook get them to us.
Agreed. I would say even if we can just get either Vale or Jakardos to come to provide info, that would be fine. Somebody should stay on the outside, in case they need to warn the town.
Praxim leads the way back to the secret room, scanning for evil all the way, grumbling audibly and angrily to himself about how he should have been scanning when they got to the bridge, but let his guard down because they didn't see anybody.
You make it back to the room without issue. Tomaru finds that none of the Black Arrows nor Shalelu have any desire to be inside the fort at this time. "If something goes wrong," she says, "and you have to run for it, you'll need cover. We can't do that from inside."
Neither Vale nor Jakardros knows anything about a spectre in the old burial cave. They know the cave was once used to bury the dead, but it hadn't been used in twenty years. "Once it filled up, we began the practice of funeral pyres. Seemed like it made sense."
And so you rest. The remainder of the night passes, and as you crack the secret door open, all is quiet - save the roar of the waterfall in the cave beyond.
"How are you two faring," Kellen asks of Praxim and Lym once everyone is up and about.
At hearing from Tomaru about trio outside, he nods at their reasons with a bit of irritation. "Sounds fair enough...looks like we're on our own then. Cayden give us a drink with some strength."
Assuming the group ventures forth, Kellen moves forward towards the bridge and prepares the rope for safety. "Less anyone has any suggestions or warnings, I'll give this crossing a go - same as yesterday with Thordak to help me on the other side, eh?"
"I'll live," Lym says. "If no one minds, I'm going to eat and then sleep, conserve my energies and hopefully enhance my healing."
Assuming the group ventures forth, Kellen moves forward towards the bridge and prepares the rope for safety. "Less anyone has any suggestions or warnings, I'll give this crossing a go - same as yesterday with Thordak to help me on the other side, eh?"
"Sounds good to me, lad. As long as these two are up to continuing." He looks to the half-orc and the elf, trying to ascertain if they seem to look any better than they did after last night's encounter with the spectre.
"I'll live," Lym says. "If no one minds, I'm going to eat and then sleep, conserve my energies and hopefully enhance my healing."
"Do what ya need to do, lass. Whatever gets ya better sounds like a good plan to me." He nods.
You make it back to the room without issue. Tomaru finds that none of the Black Arrows nor Shalelu have any desire to be inside the fort at this time. "If something goes wrong," she says, "and you have to run for it, you'll need cover. We can't do that from inside."
Neither Vale nor Jakardros knows anything about a spectre in the old burial cave. They know the cave was once used to bury the dead, but it hadn't been used in twenty years. "Once it filled up, we began the practice of funeral pyres. Seemed like it made sense."
And so you rest. The remainder of the night passes, and as you crack the secret door open, all is quiet - save the roar of the waterfall in the cave beyond.
Tomaru looks like he doesn't understand what was just said. When he finally makes sense of it, it doesn't make sense to him. "No. If something goes wrong, we'll need you inside to help turn things around back right. I know you were betrayed. I know they came in, killed many of you, and stole off with the rest of you. I don't pretend to know what you went through at the hands of those vile creatures, but I have to figure it was terrible. Was it so terrible that they took the fight out of you? Don't you want to avenge your companions? Don't you want to actually help retake your fort? Don't you want to deliver some PAYBACK to the ogres that did all that to you? The Black Arrows are reputed to be as hard as adamantine and scarier than a hag in heat. Now is the time to prove that.
If you don't want to come in, I guess I can understand it. But then if things do go bad, you won't be of any use to us. You should just go. We'll tell the Lord Mayor that all the Black Arrows died. If you don't come in, I won't be lying."
Rhianni sleeps fitfully in the uncomfy confines of their enemies fort. Worried more undead would disturb her dreaming, blackness tinges her sleep, and not the right kind of black. Despite her troubles, the next morning she awakes rested and troubled by the thoughts of the day ahead.
HPs: 54/54
Bard Spells Used
Level 1: 0 of 3
Sorcerer Spells Used:
Level 1: 0 of 8
Level 2: 0 of 8
Level 3: 0 of 5
"Jakardros! Don't!" Shalelu cries, but she is too late. Like lightning, the Black Arrow leader grabs Tomaru by the cloak, using both hands to lift the priest up to to his toes. The grizzled ranger places his face so close as to be almost touching.
"Prove it? PROVE IT?" What do you know of vengeance and betrayal, priest?" he growls in Tomaru's face. "I've already tried to retake this fort. Or weren't you listening? I lost most of my men in that attempt. And most of the rest to those abominations in the forest. Do not tell me of vengeance." He shoves Tomaru away, and turns towards the fort. "I am only here because Shal...my daughter...asked me to come." He looks at Shalelu for a moment, brow furrowed.
"No priest, someone needs to cover the retreat of this damn fool attempt."
Shalelu places her hand on Tomaru's arm. "Go. You and the rest are more than capable of handling this, if anyone is in this region." She looks over at her father, standing away now, watching the fort. "I hate to say this, but he's right in one respect. If you need to retreat, someone needs to be out here covering you and making sure those ogres don't boil out of the gates and cut you off."
"Enough of this!" Lym snaps, as she looks up from her spellbook. "We yet have work to do. I am well again; let us be off."
As the Wizard rises to her feet, though, a lock of her normally iron-gray hair slips out from under her cowl. The Half-Orc is quick to tuck it away again, but not so quick that you could not see the strands of pure silver mixed in with the iron now...