We're well equipped, and experienced in dealing with the undead, so we should be able to handle ourselves, Kephry explains to the guards, hoping against hope it would go smoothly so that the group could stop this nightmare.
The young priestess' eyes go wide when she sees the compass, but before she can react to the heroes' words, a shadowy, incorporeal form flies through the gates and attacks her!
The damage is not enough to drop Bal Themm, but she falls to her knee from the sudden pain. The remaining gate guards flee in terror, leaving only the PCs to defend Bal.
Shadow Initiative
Kephry
Hickle
Malavine
Zelda
Initiative Order: Hickle, Kephry, Malavine, Sahdow, Zelda. Initiative order also posted at the top of the page.
I will post a map later. For now, assume that the PCs are spread out in front of a 10' wide gate through walls 20' high. Bal Themm is atop a scaffolding 10' off the ground, and the Shadow is in the air just past her, roughly above and to the left of the PCs.
Malavine glared at the shadow, very pleased her new Starknife could poke holes even in less substantial undead. But she had another option first. "Hey, Hungry! All the life you can steal right here!" Focusing her Healing talent, she poured Positive Energy into the thing. That would likely get its attention.
"Egads! What of the great cog in the machine is that thing? Some sort've... animate shroud of mist? ...Fascinating, truly fascinating!" The gnome exclaims with far more cheerfulness then is properly befit of a monster attack. "Oh my! Are you quite alright over there girl? Worry not, the Fabulous Five shall come to your aide? ...Wait, was that our group's name? Hmm... No matter."
He attempts to get a shot off at the creature, yet his crossbow seems to jam at the worst possible momment. "Blast! Confounded contraption, didn't I make sure to tighten your bolts last night? ...Oh! No, no I did not. Ahem, give me a momment please." Conjuring a wrench out of nowhere, he starts tighting a few parts on his contraption.
The construct himself pays no mind to his master's antics, and focuses instead on closing the distance to within about thirty feet of the shade. Raising his left arm, it makes an odd mechanical whiring sound as gear shifts and pieces move, his hand transforming into the end of an elongated rifle. "Target acquired."
Get out of here, Bal! Kephry shouts as she does the one thing that is probably the least advised: she rushes the spirit to engage it in melee combat. Letting loose a terrible hiss, she swings her weapon mightily at the undead horror, willing it to be banished from the mortal realm.
Get out of here, Bal! Kephry shouts as she does the one thing that is probably the least advised: she rushes the spirit to engage it in melee combat. Letting loose a terrible hiss, she swings her weapon mightily at the undead horror, willing it to be banished from the mortal realm.
The creature successfully dodges out of the way of Malavine's touch attack. Hickle's crossbow is a clean miss. Shmick's shot with Stormchaser is a solid hit, though since the creature is incorporeal, the damage is lessened.
Kephry slams the shadow with her powerful attack, startling it by its vulnerability.
Nevertheless, it's far from defeated. The ominous shadow lashes out at Kephry in response, as Bal Themm climbs upward on her scaffolding to escape the creature's horrible reach.
Shadow attack on Kephry (damage is negative energy)
Zelda's action.
(roll of 6 is surely a miss, right?)
Unfortunately, yes.
TOP OF ROUND (2, I think?) Hickle, Kephry and Malavine's actions. Bal Themm has retreated to the wall of the gates. The Shadow is hovering above the ground near Kephry. So you can engage either in Melee or Ranged combat with it.
Cursing at her poor aim, Malavine hurled her Starknife this time instead, hoping to zoom in.
Malavine's attack is a miss, unfortunately. Hickle and Kephry may act before the Shadow.
"Aha! There's the ticket, now, let's see if I can find my mark THIS time around, shall we?"
Shmick notes that no, it seems his master did not, and takes his own aim.
Kephry attempts the same maneuver.
Power Attack:
Damage:
Unfortunately, the feline powerhouse misses the Shadow.
The shadow lashes out at Kephry in retaliation.
touch
Zelda's action.
Top of round 3. All PCs except Zelda may act now.
Kephry, seeing the blows and shots of her companions go wide and fail to harm the spectral horror, backs up a way to give herself some breathing room and lets loose a primal roar as she raises her hand. As she does, pale blue missiles shaped liked fangs fly from her outstretched palm, streaking towards the specter, striking with audible and palpable blows.
"Seriously, you really should just stand still and help us put you down for your eternal rest. This is getting quite rude." Unpleasantly aware that the creature's attacks would ignore her lovelly armour, Malavine threw again.
"Yes- please would you be so kind as to abide by the wishes of these lovely ladies?" Hickle commented, hitting his crossbow out of gnomish frustration before loading and clicking the trigger again.
"I'm getting tired of this nonsense." The construct growled with a low metallic hiss. "This world is meant for those whom are solid and built. You don't belong on this plane of existence any longer. Get. Out."
With an almost deafening roar the musket barrel sparks to life, sending a shockwave that could almost be heard all over the city. A metalic pellet took shape and form in mid-air, transmuted from the air itself by lieu of the robot's own magic. When it finally slammed into the shadow, another deafening crack sounded with the creature at it's epicenter.
Between Kephry and Shmick's attacks (with a little help from Hickle), the Shadow is finally disbursed.
Bal Themm returns to her post. "Thankyou for the assistance. Her holiness chose correctly in choosing you to aid the order."
"You may pass, if you choose. However, I can't allow your passing through the gates and risking the undead to escape on the city. You can use my support tower to climb down here, but as you can see, the dead have massed below."
"As I see it, you have two other possible means of entry: climb the wall at some location where there are less dead on the other side, or..." the priestess seems to hesitate releasing this information, but in the end seems resolved it is for the greater good. "OR, you can seek out the smuggling tunnels, used by the grave robbers to illegally excavate the tombs within."
"I'm going to assume you don't know where they are, or you would have destroyed them?" Malavine considered, trying to work out how to find such a thing. They wouldn't exactly be out in the open.
"We have tried...but they're prolific, and whenever we find one and close it up, someone just connects the tunnel somewhere else. I recommend searching the area of town known as The Veins. 'Tis quite lawless, and butts up against the walls."
Malavine nodded, appreciating the problem was likely difficult to combat. "Can you hold the walls long enough for us to find it? It might take a little while to hunt one down."
"I'll have to send for more troops, mine seem to have caught a fright. Still, at least most of the stuff coming out of there is more solid. I should be fine. If you can stop this nonsense with your quest, I'm willing to do my part."
Bal Themm re-arms herself and steels herself in case of battle.
"We'll do what we can," Malavine replied cheerfully, ready to find a tunnel.
"Very well then! I'll be sure to make a mark of it on my maps later, so that you're group may seal it up later. Once we find it, that is."
The Veins is driven not by logic, but by graft. Your best hope is to talk to the locals; one might be able to point you in the right direction, for a few gold pieces.
Malavine set out trying to find the information they needed. Hopefully, the waves of undead erupting from the place would give people some motivation to help rather than keeping secrets and being eaten by the undead.
Kephry also goes around with Malavine, asking for any assistance the locals may offer and tossing a coin here and there where she thinks it'll be helpful.
It's coming on evening the the Veins after a fruitful morning of searching. You cut off the search around noon, because very few denizens can be found out and about during the hottest part of the day.
Finally, as the people, are starting to trickle into the streets once more, you get a lead on a man named Tiko.
You find the weaselly little man with a ragged bowl cut sitting in a bar with a noisy mechanical ceiling fan, hunched over a green herbal drink of some sort.
For a fee of 20 GP, Tiko tells you the location of one of the more recent entrances to the tunnels, a few blocks from here and accessible from a drain grate in an alley.
You find the entrance, just as Tiko said.
"I'm good to head in," Malavine said, squinting down the passage. Hopefully, the undead hadn't found it.
The passages are dark and winding, and not particularly roomy. Some are better excavated than others. The elegiac compass helps you navigate as directly toward your goal as you can, but it's slow going; many tunnels dead-end, having either collapsed or been closed by the Pharasmins.
Finally, you get to the point where you are certain you are under the necropolis: it's obvious, because the tunnels occasionally open onto well-made burial tunnels with bodies that have been looted by grave-robbers.
While searching for a way up into the City of the Dead, you find your way into a portion of the tunnels where the stonework has collapsed, exposing the winding crypts beneath to the night sky above. While inspecting the walls looking for the best way to ascend the 15' or so to the hole, you all overlook a slight figure watching you from above.
Suddenly, a baleful shriek rends the quite night, and your very souls tremble.
Will Saves, please.
Malavine winced at the hideous noise to her delicate ears.
[dice=Hickle: Will]1d20+4
[dice=Shmick: Will]1d20+1
Mind affecting effects?
Rolling for Zelda:
Everyone except for Hickle and Zelda is suddenly frozen with fear (the effect with last for 2 rounds).
From the hole in the tunnel's ceiling, a familiar yet twisted form drops to the floor in front of you. In life, you knew her as Velriana Hypaxes, Wizard follower of Nethys and leader of the band of adventurers known as The Scorched Hand. A cold light now lingers behind her eyes as she prepares to destroy those she hates even more in undeath than she did in life.
Velriana Initiative:
Hickle:
Zelda:
The evil Velriana fills the air around you all with Burning Hands.
Reflex Save 1/2 from Hickle, Shmick and Kephry only.
Zelda and Hickle may act.
Hickle blubbers for a brief instance, suddenly realizing just how utterly he defebsless he was without his guardian. In an effort to try and act fast, his hands twist and he chants in rushed gnomish, before directing one of them to a point in space about twenty feet further back from the creature. Chains suddenly erupt outwards to wrap around her, intent on flinging her backwards with force!
Reflex Save:
Unfortunately, Velriana is able to escape with only partial effect, being dragged 10' back.
Hickle (to overcome SR)
Fortunately, Hickle's spell does overcome her SR.
Zelda's action.