Kimberly stays back not wanting to get in the way of the more battle hardened people (I know we are all the same level, its a figure of speech)
this isn't possible she mutters to herself
there must be a spirit doing this!
Andjela yells out, "Danica! Help me, grab hold... there is enough haft." right before the scythe finally tears itself free of the paladins grasp and strikes out at her. It cuts her on her shoulder, drawing a line of blood behind the cutting blade.
Anna draws her mace, moving close and hopefully flanking the dancing weapon. She brings the heavy, flanged metal down on it. More splinters and bits of metal fly as her mace strikes true.
Danica raise her voice for all to hear. "Andjela....call upon your faith to maintain your hold on the weapon. Keep it still so the rest of us can attack it." All of you feel infused with courage by her words, and that lends additional precision and power to your strikes.
Seeing that the animation is resisting the damage, Tolvan takes another step back and, calling upon his bonded item, casts Magic Missile at the scythe, expecting the force energy to penetrate the hardness. The missles strike the scythe solidly.
Kimberly stays back not wanting to get in the way of the more battle hardened people. "This isn't possible." she mutters to herself. "There must be a spirit doing this!"
The metal reinforced wood seems extraordinarily resilient to all forms of damage inflicted to it thus far, but your attacks
INIT:
Scythe
Combat:
Danica
Scythe
------------
Health Tracker:
Anna 15/15
Tolvan 13/13
Andjela 15/19
Kimberly 13/13
Danica 17/17
Scythe 6/20
, is it flanked? Does 14 hit?
What's it going to take? Anna yells shrilly. It's not dying!
She continues to hammer at the thing, switching to a two-handed grip on her mace, and remains in a flanked position.
"I have heard of objects that resist mundane weaponry. Sirrah!" Andjela says. The paladin lashes out with her long-blade, but the now-mobile scythe blocks the attack with it's blade. Her attack does put the scythe into position for Anna to hit it however.
Anna continues to hammer at the thing, switching to a two-handed grip on her mace, and remains in a flanked position. This strike is more than the object can withstand, and the power than animated it can sustain itself no longer. The scythe shudders briefly, and then falls with a loud clatter to the stones of the balcony.
The silence of Harrowstone is deep, heavy and poignant now that the clashing of weapons and shouts of battle are over.
no problem... kimberly was more scared than anything she never had things move on their own before that wnated to hurt people. she was sure that there was some spirit making it happen. but good to know for the furure thanks for the info
Anna grins weakly and tucks a few stray hairs behind her ear while clearing her throat. She walks over to the crenellations and leans against them while catching her breath.
Ditto
Danica places her nunchaku back on her hip. She then slowly removes the temple sword fromthe scabard on her back.
"Andjela, you ok to lead the way?"
Andjela's hand moves to her new cut, then to her lips. Bugger! Wasn't my idea of a good time, but I'm alright. Tell me where.
"Let's head back to the front door. Stay close to the building."
Anna retrieves her crossbow and reloads it. She absently chews on her pinky nail while looking around nervously. She stays close to the group. Anything like that happen to you? First time? she asks to no one in particular.
Just wives' tales... until now. Andjela seems too angry to be scared.
I understand the theory; the arcana behind it, but I have never.... The wizard mumbles in response.
"If this....thing....was on the outside, then I can only imagine what awaits for us on the inside."
Danica continues to move forward to the doors, temple sword in hand.
As you walk to the front doors you can see what was once a wide hall flanked by a pair of waiting rooms, but the foyer to Harrowstone now lies in ruins. With little left to hold up the ceiling, the wooden beams above sag dramatically. The wall to the north contains a large pair of oaken doors.
Kimberly peers into the entryway. looking all around
do you think it's safe
Kimberly looks to Anna don't be scared that flying thing happens to me all the time.
Kimberly is knowingly exaggerating the truth a bit but she only can hope to help Anna feel safer
Anna's mouth twists as she regards the entrance, feeling like it's a large maw waiting to snap shut on them all.
She looks at Kimberly askance. Then I'd stay away from barns, tool sheds, and, well, farms in general.
She steps up to the doors and begins to study them carefully.
As the rogue steps forward and begins her assessment of the entrance Tolvan asks Hey Anna, were you able to pick up a good set of tools?
She glances over her shoulder and smiles. Yeah, I know a guy.
Danica approaches the doors and holds up her hand.
"Shhhhh. Anyone here can look for traps?"
Young slender woman looks down the hallway trying to listen.
No traps are detected by the various checks, but both Anna and Danica can tell that the balcony directly above the foyer (S1) looks unstable and it wouldn't take much weight for it to come tumbling down.
Danica approaches the western wall and stays close to it. She slowly walks towards the northern wall where the double doors are located.
Anna mutters to herself, If I were defending this place, I'd rig this balcony to fall if someone tried the front door.
Hey, how about staying clear of this balcony, just until I get this door open? she suggests. Keeping her mind on the task, she examines the door's lock, readying her tools.
Isn't this where the Doctor got killed?
Kimberly looks up for falling statues (or rocks, or balcomys)
No Kimberly. I believe he was killed out by the wall.
"Anna, do what you need to do. I got your back."
Danica keeps an eye out for Anna making sure that she is safe.
Anna is unable to see any true traps, and the main door unlocks quickly as the rogue applies her tools.
Heart thudding and her mouth suddenly dry, Anna pushes the door open as silently as possible. She peers inside.
Close behind, Andjela stretches her senses.
Streaks of mold stain the walls of this foyer, and the floor below is a thick, gray carpet of fungal growth. Sturdy oaken doors beckon from every wall. Those same sturdy doors shudder a little as you open the main doors and enter into the prison foyer.
Did I see that? Anna shakes her head a moment as she studies the interior. She steps in lightly and listens at the first door on her right.
Danica steps up side by side with Andjela.
I don't like what I'm getting from behind any of the doors.
Anna is unable to hear anything through the door. As she puts her face near the door the wood seems to ripple and reach out towards her face, but as she turns her attention to it, it appears normal. It must have been a trick of the light.
Anna flinches away from the door and turns her head to Andjela. What do you mean, 'getting?' Did you see that?
I didn't "see" anything. Paladins' intuition. Evil has an aura, a residue... a stain. We can detect it, like a wizard might detect the presence of magic.
A gift.
Anna frowns as she considers Andjela's words. She nods after a moment and lets the paladin step by her.
She studies the mold-ridden carpet, looking for signs the Whisperers had been through.
Andjela steps by and by contrast raises a long leg, snaps it forward in an attampt to kick the door in.
Anna is able to see several tracks, but they are too old and scuffed to be able to positively identify them. She'd estimate no one has been through here since they found the professors body all that time ago.
As Andjela blasts the door with a powerful kick, it swings back on it's hinges, revealing an auditorium. Several rows of wooden benches, all spotted with mold and sagging with neglect, face a stage walled off from the rest of the room by a wall of iron bars. The walled off area can be access by the door south of the one Andjela just kicked in. You can imagine meetings of guards, or possibly the sentencing of prisoners happening in this large room.
You're currently on the outside looking in.
Somewhat disgusted, Andjela strides into the room to stand along the middle of the barred wall, scanning in all directions. Her crossbow loaded and pointing outward.
Let's clear the area quickly, then come back and take our time examining. It's too damned nerve-wracking to stand around in every room.
Danica approaches the threshold and looks back to Andjela."Nice kick. Worthy of the monk order." She enters the room and passes Andjela by a couple of feet. "Let's clear the room efficiently, rather than quickly."
After Andjela and Danica enter the room, two things happen. First, a deep, biting cold seeps into the auditorium. Andjela and Danica see their breath in the air, and feel the cold try to worm its way into their bones. Nearly at the same time, their is a horrible shrieking which bursts out of the... doorways of the inner foyer. The heads of six men, bearing horrible scars, burns, and split skin come screaming down through the ceiling of the foyer and begin circling it in a whirlwind of hellish wailing. As they pass each portal, the doors each shudder and slam closed with violent force. And just like that, the heads disappear and with them, their horrible screams.
The cold remains, and even intensifies for Andjela and Danica, but the temperature remains as it was for those still in the foyer.