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The stench has subsided, or maybe you've just become used to it, and you're no longer feeling sick.
Dentesila and Konner have a look at the nearby weapon and armor racks. A dagger and light steel shield emblazoned with a leaping dolphin stand out from the broken shards of wood and sawdust, and there's also a banner depicting a bird made of living flame.
The dagger is a masterwork silver dagger, and the shield is a masterwork light steel shield. The banner looks to be worth about 100 gp.
The banner as belonging to the Band of the Phoenix, one of Absalom's most famous hunting lodges during the Age of Blades.
Cazithiel holds a palm on the southeast door, and in his mind, he sees an empty octagonal room covered in a layer of dust. It looks as if it has been abandoned for a long time. No creatures appear in his vision of what lies ahead.
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Glad to have the concerns of his past pushed to the side, he looked around the room, taking in the scenery. He would have much rather been at sea than in the confines of a dusty, creature infested keep but he had other matters on land that needed tending to on land and this was the best way to keep himself occupied as well as make a bit of coin in the process.
He glanced around the room, looking for absolutely anything that he might fight useful or interesting to keep his mind occupied once this adventure had ended.
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As if overcome with fear, Gabrielle turns and rushes down the stairs. "My gown.. I need to get it dry cleaned... Sorry, I'm going to have to bow out."
With Cazithiel's all-clear, Dentesila pushes open the door and steps in. As she does, she hears a click, and a rope snaps, sending a javelin at the elf.
The javelin scrapes Dentesila's shoulder, and blood drips from a shallow yet painful wound.
The room is as Cazathiel had seen - empty and dusty. An archway to the east opens up to a landing facing outside. The landing offers a stunning view of the Cairnlands, and Absalom's many buildings dot the landscape in the distance. To the northwest of the landing is another door.
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"Ahh!" There's a cry of surprise and pain as Dentesila dives to the right in an unsuccessful attempt to dodge the clumsy yet effective spear trap. Picking herself up, she inspects the wound.
"By Desna's right ear, that stings!". She steps to one side to bind the wound, gingerly, whilst eyeing the archway and nearby door warily.
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Seeing the javelin fly out, Irvine took a step back, not really prepared for anything like that to happen. It was only when the follow events proceeded that he realized what had happened. He shook his head, snapping to after practically zoning out. "Spast! is everyone okay? Dentesila, are you alright?" he looked to Cazithiel, nodding to him as if to say "Good thinking."
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Quietly, Destesila whispers: "Hey Caz, I have an idea. When you look through the door, have a look across to the left to see whether the door from where we killed those two monsters links into the same room. If so, is that door clear? If there are hostiles in this room, we could try attacking from both doors simultaneously, to catch them by surprise."
If there are hostiles, and the other door is clear, and the party is to assault through the door, Dentesila (plus an archer? Konner or Caitlyn?) would go back through the rooms to the other door, and listen tfor a sign to go through together.
Just an idea - what do you think? Not necessary if the room is empty, obviously.
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Cazithiel sees past the door as he presses a hand on the cold metal. In the room ahead is a large puddle that's likely formed from rainwater dripping through a deep crack in the northern wall. Perching at the edge of this puddle is a dog-sized lizard with green scales that crackle with sparks of lightning. It dips its head into the puddle and happily laps up some water.
With a little spatial awareness, you can certainly deduce that the far door inside the room connects to the room where you encountered the smelly troglodytes.
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Irvine watched the group, knowing there's not much else he could offer in this type of situation but his blade. "If we're sure there's nothing else...of value... in the room then lets keep going...otherwise, I'm sure lizard has got to taste better than hound..." he said as he linked his fingers behind his head which just so happen to lace over the grip of his sword for quick access.
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"Over to you Konner - I have a crowbar here which I can use, but this is more your area of expertise I believe?"
If Konner cannot pick the lock, and if everyone else is happy for Dentesila to force it, out comes the crowbar:
If Konner picks the lock, Dentesila will be ready for action, elven blade raised, expecting trouble...
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Cazithiel activates his sight beyond sight and sees two stone altars, one black and one white, sitting at the ends of the chamber, which is large enough to take up two wings of the tower. The crumbling remains of wooden benches sag in front of each altar beneath rotting ceiling tapestries. Carved symbols and writings snake along the walls. The burnt corpses of two troglodytes lie on the floor in the center of the room.
Two human skeletons, writhed in auras of flames, stand in the center of the room as if to guard it from intruders.
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Dentesila rubs her arms with some nervousness as she hears of the undead foes ahead. She's never faced such creatures before, though she has heard stories from her uncle of their fearless nature and murderous intent. And these are flaming skeletons? She shudders inwardly
"How are we doing this? I'd suggest that our current selection of rapiers and arrows will not have the greatest impact on these bony horrors. I for one might be better using one of those clubs the creatures downstairs were wielding. I'd suggest we open the door and pepper them from range from here. It may be that the limits of their summoning may not allow them to exit this room. Worse case, they attack us from the doorway, where several of us can fight them one at a time."
Dentesila whips downstairs at a run, to retrieve the Troglodytes' clubs. When the door is opened, Dentesila will wield a single club two-handed, standing at the door readying an action waiting for a skeleton to come to us.
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Dentesila runs downstairs and retrieves a club from a slain troglodyte, then returns as Konner begins working on the lock. It takes a few minutes, but he manages to slide each pin into place, turning the handle and pushing the door open. The flames from the two skeletons shed light into the otherwise dark room, revealing the crumbling marble structure of each of the altars and written passages engraved into the walls. The skeletons open their jaws in soundless screams, raising their weapons to attack.
The reddish mass of bones and flame lumbers towards Irvine and slices at him with its scimitar, but it chops the wooden door frame instead.
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Cazithiel leaps through the doorway and past the flaming menace, then channels a stream of positive energy into the room.
The energy singes the undead bones, and their femurs and ribcages quake as pieces of their skeletal structure crumble to ash. Caz tries to remember what he can about the skeletons and their vulnerabilities, but can't recall anything specific.
Irvine swings his blade diagonally across the skeleton's shoulder, through its sternum and ending at its hip, cleaving it cleanly into a pile of bones. The bones violently explode in a burst of flames, dealing damage to Irvine and Dentesila as it singes their skin.
Green lumbers up to Cazithiel and whiffs a strike at him with its broken blade.
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A little charred from the flames, Irvine starts to feel the pain over his flesh, a constant reminder that he is currently alive but also a reminder that he needs to stay that way. The searing hot pain is intense but it drives his fighting adrenaline onward.
He took a step backwards gathering himself for a few short moments and groaned to himself "I served the manifestation of death before. It's only fitting I should be haunted by a reminder of that."
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"By damnation! These skeletons are less fighting adversaries, more walking mortar shells!" Dentesila swears viscerally in elven, patting her singed hair. "Dammit - I've got someone's smoldering finger bone embedded in my shoulder"
Brushing herself down, and still muttering to herself, Dentesila scans the room with her sensitive elven vision, looking for evidence of some way out other than the door through which she entered. She notes the carved symbols and writings along the walls, but ignores them, the altars, and the charred bodies of the burnt figures on the floor, in case there is any threat yet to be confronted.
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Caitlyn steps into the room, lowering her bow. Not having a melee weapon on her, she picks up one of the skeleton's weapons and examines it, weighing up whether (for emergencies) to take that or the club from Dentesila.
I can help with the healing, " she volunteers, "I have two healing potions that might be best used by our frontline fighters..."