Palace of the Vampire Queen (Inactive)

Game Master Terquem

Hal took up position on the other side of the door as it was opened, motioning for the rest of the group to hold where they were as they checked things out.

I'm assuming the formation is the usual "row and hal up front, the rest 40 or 50 feet back, preferably behind cover"

Miagnik stayed right next to Hal, away from the doors but within easy distance should they come across something the two of them couldn't readily handle without magic.

No objections from me.

Stephaine says in the middle of the parties bulk as Halister, Ronwig and others sought out any signs of danger.
The little gnome mulling things over as they had happened.
Need to show Miagnik some of the books mother kept relating to calling. The others are right, outsiders are a sort of fire mages don't play with unless they are exceptionally powerful or desperate.

Mistress.. are you done being weird mistress? It looks like your shiny bird collector, beard with legs and mouse thief are going to open a door. The owl chirps as it looks at Stephanie, the woman blinking a few times before refocusing on the hallway from whatever she'd been on about this time.
" Yes. thats a good point Whiskey. Also stop being rude their names are Hallister, Miagnik and Ronwig."

Hal looked side-eyed over his shoulder at Stephanie. He thought about saying something. but decided he didn't really want to know what the princess thought her bird was saying.

Hallister and Rownig shove on the doors and they hear a disturbing noise that sounds like the snapping of small twigs.

Looking down at the floor they see that it is instead the breaking of dry, brittle bones.

The floor of this chamber is littered with the remains of dozens of humanoid creatures, including skulls of dwarfs and goblins. The bones are too numerous to count, and all are bleached white, dry, hollow and brittle.

The chamber is thirty feet square, and on the left wall there is a pair of stone doors centered in the wall. These doors are held shut by thick iron chains that hang on rods embedded in the walls to each side of the doors. These chains are not locked, and look as though they can be easily removed, from this side, and only prevent the doors from moving this way. As you have seen here, all these stone doors can swing both ways, so this arrangement of chains seems ineffective, as any normal person on the other side would simply have to find away to pull the doors toward them in order to get out.

Something here is not right.

Mae stares at the bleached field before them.

"Hmpph. They really don't clean up around here!"

She takes in the nature of the doors and the chains.

"So an armless creature dwells on the other side, and occasionally gets let in to eat folk?"

Still, the brave brave warrior stands her ground, not keen to enter - her fingers tensing on her morningstar.

Miagnik gazed at the room filled with bleached white bones.

"Hal... Stephanie... what could have done this?"

"Don't know. Ain't planning on tromping in t' find out. This seems like a great place for a bunch o' skeletons t' pop up from though. I'd rather not give them the chance."

Hal rummaged through his pack and pulled out a large skin full of oil. It had a small aperture, so when he squeezed the bag, the oil inside sprayed fairly far.

He indiscriminately squirted as far into the room as he could, spraying lines of dripping oil over as many of the bones as possible.

"Miagnik, can you do that flaming ball trick of yours?"

If there's undead in there, they aren't going to be happy...

Miagnik grinned. "Sure thing Hal."

Focusing his mind< Miagnik conjured the now familiar ball of flame. "Dhalkec Taagaan"

Rownig looks at the door they just opened, "I think we should spike this door open. Just in case." He brushes some of the dry bones away with his foot. "Don't really want to get trapp'd in this chamber, like these folks did."

As Rownig kneels to spike the door, Hal steps forward squirts the oil.

Hal nodded. "Smart."

Stephanie takes a sharp look around the room as Whiskey prods at one of the goblin bones.
" I.. well to be honest I am unsure. It looks like the lair of a monster of some variety but none is readily apparent. Perhaps the chains themselves could be the trap? I've heard tales of animate objects ambushing the unwary before" Stephanie explains giving the chains themselves a more specific look.

Does there appear to be blood on the chains in this room. Do the bones appear chewed on or does it look like time removed the flesh? Don't suppose the room itself smells like say, blood or whatever it is trolls spell like. We did meet one of those already after all. Well I suppose the room is about to smell like fire but before that.

Windel adjusts himself and holds his holy symbol firmly in case the bones spring up as Hal fears. He says a prayer: "Lord Strongfist show us the righteousness necessary to carry out our noble task and rid this vile place of this wickedness. Set right what is wrong, guide me 'and with virtue and my companions Will wit steel."

Rownig pounds a spike below one of the doors, to keep it open, while Hallister sprays the bones with oil.

Before Miagnik rolls a ball of fire into the bone pile, Stephanie takes a quick look around

Once the flaming sphere rolls across the bones they ignite, and begin to burn readily. The flame is not high, but a white smoke begins to fill the room and pour out the door near the top, spilling into the passageway.

A small smile comes to Miagnik's face as he watched the bones begin to burn. "I enjoy the fire here Hal, but I don't see anything getting up."

He then glanced back at Stephanie "Hmm, I might agree with that but don't you think those chains are too short to reach all across the room? Also shouldn't there be weapons and armor?"

Even as he asks it, Miagnik suddenly realized that there could have been valuables hidden among the bone piles and without waiting for a response he waves his hand rolling the ball of flame to the back right corner of the room casts a spell.

"Draakhan Garlen" Detect Magic

Hal shrugged, "Glad it's just bones. Now all we gotta worry about is why they're all here in the first place."

Then he settled in to wait for the flames to die down.

Windel drenches several strips of cloth with water and passes them around to the crew. He then ties his around his nose and mouth. "It'll 'elp you to breathe."

rownig takes his and give the cleric a quick nod.

Bump

The Palace of the Vampire Queen, level 2, the South passageway

Day 13, approximate time of day, 5:10 pm (turn, 103)

Shifting the flaming sphere to one corner, Miagnik concentrates on the floor looking for any magic auras that might be lingering under the pile, but he sees nothing at all but charred bones.

The bones continue to smolder, and burn with a low flame and the smoke continues to rise and drift, due to some almost imperceptible current, toward the east.

The smoke tends to rise high, but the air is still thick, hot and heavy, and Windel’s precautions are a blessing.

Satisfied that the bones in this room are not going to be a danger, and that there is nothing hidden here, the group gathers in the corridor for a moment, quietly, and in the faint distance a strange sound is growing louder

*Sha-king, sha-king, sha-king*

It is steady and continuous and there is a bit of a muffled echo that follows each small sound, but where is it coming from?

perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (9) + 10 = 19
+2 if trap

"How long y'think the bones will smoulder." The dwarf's attention is on the smoky flames.

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5

The cleric breathes in deeply then coughs violently. Shaking his head back and forth as his eyes water. "Th't burn'd."

Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (13) + 7 = 20

"Huh? Wait, does anyone else hear that? It's coming from... the east."

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (15) + 10 = 25

Mae's ears prick up, facing east.

"Yes, that sound. It's coming from the east."

The doughty warrioress peers into the blackness and waves her morningstar meaningfully.

"Sounds like chains. Or a heavy flail. Or could be the stomping of something large caparisoned in armor that rattles. A cage on legs?"

"Whatever it is, it probably ain't friendly." Hal grunted, moving forward next to Rownig and rolling his neck and shoulders, readying for a fight. "What'dya think? Move in an' see if we can ambush it? Or let it come to us and see if we can git in a good first volley?"

"Both?" murmurs Mae. "Those of us sneaky enuff - ambushers. Then run past it quick for the archers to come up and we get it between us?"

"I agree." he winces slightly, "with Mae. Let's take the battle to it while the archers fire volleys."

*Beams idiotically, with a royal assurance*

Rownig proceeds to move towards the sound. "come on." He looks back towards Mae and Hal. "Which way?"

strains to hear noise: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (19) + 9 = 28
+2 trap

"I hear it now."

Cautiously leading the way, Rownig moves slowly down the ten foot wide passageway toward the east. The sounds grow louder.

One hundred feet to the east from your current position you come to a set of doors on your left, about fifty feet beyond this set of doors you can just make out sets of doors on both the north and south walls directly across from each other, the passageway continues to the east into darkness, the sound is louder here, and seems to echo a bit now that you have moved to the east. If you want to establish a specific marching order, now would be a good time to do so.

How does this sound?

If single file: Rownig, Mae, Hal, Miagnik, Windel, Steph, NPCs.

If wide enought for two: Rownig point, Mae/Hal, Miagnik/Windel, Steph, NPCs

That sounds good to me. Fighters up front with support and spellcasters in the middle and back.

Yup, looks good to me...

"Psst...Psst, what's happenin' up there?"

The party spreads out into a line, moving single file to the east, with Rownig leading the way. They pass a set of doors on the left, and keep going.

The end of the passage way appears ahead, with a huge set of ten foot wide each, double doors on the left, as the party passes sets of doors on the left and right. The sound coming from the east is clearer now and can be made out as the unmistakable sound of marching in step in heavy metal boots.

I’ve updated the map. It is zoomed out a bit to show the long passageway. Ahead of you comes the sound of marching feet, it is loud, and sounds like a large number of two-legged individuals marching slowly

"Hal...Mae come on up and form a line behind me. Windel and Magnik hold the line if it buckles...Keep us up and put some fire down! Steph you got anyway to prevent the enemy from escaping once they enter the hall?" He glances back at the Atharessa and smile. "'ressa time fer a nice battle hymn."

Miagnik nodded to Rownig. "Right, I'll burn anything that gets past you and Mae."

"So then, you'll be twiddling your thumbs, handsome." replies Mae, springing to form up behind Rowing, swinging her morningstar and favouring the arcanist with a toothy grin.

The party creeps quietly down the passageway, and then at Rownig’s suggestion Atharessa begins chanting a battle song

Bardic Performance, Inspire Courage, level 4 – all in the party receive a +1 competency bonus to their die rolls on Attacks and Damage, and a +1 morale bonus on saves versus charm and fear effects

As soon as she begins singing, the party comes to what looks like the end of this passageway. On the left just at the end of the passageway are two huge doors each ten feet wide, and they begin to open inward as you get closer. The sound of the marching feet becomes louder for a moment and then suddenly stops.

I’m going to try to see how this goes, it is an encounter with a large patrol of armored skeletons warriors, and three Drowned Maidens. Your party knows something is ahead, but you do not know the exact nature of the enemy. They are not surprised as Atharessa has begun her Bardic Performance, and you are not surprised either. You can roll initiative. I will roll twice, once for the Skeletons and Once for the Drowned Maidens

Initiative, Skeletons: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (7) + 5 = 12
Drowned Maiden: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

Miagnik was surprised at Mae's suddenly open nature and declaration of his handsomeness. I'm being favored by a hero?! Not just any hero,though, my hero?!! Well I suppose a King to be needs all sorts. he thought to himself as a huge grin spread across his face.

Initiative: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
As he heard the marching of the unknown enemies in front of him, the music Atharessa began made him feel even more emboldened. He began to imagine all kinds of things he could accomplish with the Hero Maelodakh at his side. Nothing could stop them, they would sweep their way through the rest of the tomb until they reached the bottom and... then he realized that the fighting had begun.

Initiative: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16

Too funny Miagnik!!!

Initiative: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23

initiative: 1d20 + 0 ⇒ (18) + 0 = 18

initiative: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (8) + 7 = 15

The Palace of the Vampire Queen, level 2, the South passageway

Day 13, approximate time of day, 5:10 pm (turn, 104)

Round 1…

Hallister’s mind races with options and ideas. He is behind Rownig and Maelodakh, and to him it appears as if those two are hesitating longer than they should be.

Hallister can act first

"Bottleneck 'em. Don't round the corner. Let 'em come t' us. Mae, you an' me, we're the wall. Shoulder up an' don't let 'em past."

There's no coordinates on the map, but Hal moves 5' back from the corner and readies an action to attack whatever gets in reach.

Snake Style active.

RD 1: Windel

The warrior cleric enunciates a blessing upon his comrades, "Bring us strength, and make 'em bleed." He smiles at Miagnik. "Short'n sweet."

Bless - +1 morale att bonus

When she does act, Mae does not hesitate. With her finest royal yell, she charges the undead atrocities, magic shield ready to bash!!!

Free Action: Rage!
Full Round Action: Charge! Shieldbash with Alcor's Bane...

Klaaa!!!: 1d20 + 5 + 3 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (5) + 5 + 3 + 2 - 2 = 13 [+5 BAB, +3 Str, +2 enchantment -2 PA]
Bookh!!!: 1d8 + 3 + 2 + 6 + 3d6 ⇒ (5) + 3 + 2 + 6 + (4, 4, 3) = 27 [+3 Str, +2 enchantment, +6 PA, +3d6 Channel]
Correct me if the base shield dice is wrong...

Yes, the base Heavy Shield damage when sized for a small character is only 1d3 damage normally. Even when they're spiked, they only do a little more damage but I don't think this one is. In this case, the saving grace is that it's a magical bludgeoning weapon designed for hitting Undead really hard.

"Godf##%ingdammit, Mae!" Hal snarled.

"Somebody, fill the gap! I can't block the whole hall myself! Mae, get your ass back here before you get surrounded!"