[ooc]Skills: 6 + 1 from Int
Knowledge (Arcana) +1
Knowledge (Geography) +1
Knowledge (Religion) +1
Perception +1
Survival +1
Stealth +1
Climb +1
As Anna climbs out of the pit with the new loot Tolvan congratulates her on a good job and then suddenly makes a realization. I think I just figured out a trick with some higher level spells. If you guys can give me 10 I think I can prep a couple. He recasts his Dancing light spell as a single bright light that hovers over his shoulder and gets out his spell book. Spending right at 10 minutes in study he announces. There. I think I can now cast Flaming Sphere and Glitterdust.
Kimberly claps for Tolvan I like glitter
Danica begins to feel a warmth coming from her chest.
While waiting for Tolvan to finish his studies, Anna practices a bit with the crossbow, dry-firing it and then cranking it as fast as she can. After a while, she drops the thing in exaspiration.
That takes forever to load! We can load the thing ahead of time, but I might as well switch to daggers or something, since I'll wasting time cranking the thing while zombies eat my face off.
Eyeing the dagger covetously, she smiles at Kimberly. Sweetie, do you think you'll be using that dagger much?
As you inspect and fawn over your discoveries, the only sounds being created as you handle the objects, and the sound of your breath, a start contrast from the violent confrontations experienced thus far. The slow swirl of the lights overhead causing faint, shifting shadows to rise and fall on the walls of the corridor around you.
The Reaper’s Hold to the west, and the The Nevermore, to the south seem to beckon you on, an eager and dangerous menace lying in wait.
Tolvan looks up from his studies and says What was that? as he gets to his feet and readies his bow. I heard a quick rasping and then a splash from the large cavern to the east. We may have company. Lets investigate.
Danica looks to the east. "I heard the sound as well. Everyone...back to the same formation."
Danica begins to slowly walk towards the east.
Kimberly looks at the dagger then at Anna.
I don't think I could ever stab sombody even if they desterved it. stopping ghosts and things Pharasma hates is one thing, but I doubt I could ever really hurt a living person. She hands the dagger to Anna
I'm sorry Anna Kimberly can just look at her looking as if she has disappointed Anna.
Despite not hearing the noise, Anna curses when Tolvan reports it. She sticks the dagger between her teeth and cranks up the crossbow, liberating a bolt from Andjela's quiver to load it. Then she follows the group into the adjacent room.
The cavern seems largely the same at first glance, until you look up. The small flow of water continues unabated, but the ropes which dangled down are... gone! There's no trace of them if you look up the lift shaft, but a quick search of the water below shows both ropes. The block and tackle allowed to tumble over the edge, tangled but still intact, the other rope cut cleanly, the end of the rope frayed in all directions.
Kimberly looks at the faces of her companions...
Are we stuck here forever now?
As realization dawns, she chuckles in bitter, acrid humor. Ha ha ha haaa, son of a bi...
She shoulders the huge crossbow, and shrugs. Well, that's that, then. It's over! We're beaten! Come on out and gloat! We'll never make it out alive! she yells upward.
At Anna's shout, a shadowy figure with a fuzzy but possibly familiar silhouette steps into view on the floor above. It lifts it's harm in a little salute, and then steps back out of view.
Danica shouts in anger towards the figure.
"I gonna remember you half-orc... and when I find you I'm gonna break your legs."
Half-orc, you say? Anna feels a shiver of ice run along her spine.
She turns back to the central chamber. Come on. One down, four to go.
Once they're well away from the eastern wing, she leans over to Kimberly. He left the rope down here, with us. Besides, I've got a grappling hook. She smiles and winks at her.
Tolvan pats Kimberly to reassure her. We can climb out Kimberly. Anna is quite skilled at such things. Lets just work hard to keep her save.
Tolvan sees the shadowy image of the half orc he knew but says nothing to the others. A worried look crosse over his face for a moment but he refuses to believe the worst of the strange Paladin.
Andjela manages to detect an immense evil presence before the large shadowy figure steps away.
Whatever is up there... Pure Evil.
Kimberly feels better with Tolvan's words and Kimberly goes to be beside Anna Don't worry Anna Tolvan said I am to keep you safe, And that is what I'm gonna do!
Kimberly readies her best spell she knows. Cure Light wounds
"We'll deal with the half-orc when the time comes. Let's clear this area."
Danica leads the way to the east ?
To Andjela Then it was not Pyotr. He may be the least evil person I have ever met.
Danica bravely forges ahead, moving under the door who's plaque reads, 'Reapers Hold'. You get down the west-leading hall without incident, but come face to face with the portcullis, similar to the portcullis near to the Oubliette, but this one is closed and locked. Two closed doors await, as you consider the obstacle, one door on the left and another on the right, presumably a winch and lock exist behind one of them. Like you found in the guardroom where you faced the headless skeleton of Gurtis Vortch.
This guard room is decorated similarly to the others, with a table, a few chairs, and a pair of cots, yet unlike the others, no undead or haunts lurk within. A winch affixed to the western wall raises and lowers the portcullis that allows access deeper to the western tunnel. The winch here can be used to release that lock (a move action) and to raise the portcullis (a full-round action).
Tolvan will ask Anna to check both doors, and reminds her Do not forget that ring of keys we found.
Right. Here goes. Popping her neck side to side, Anna starts inspecting each door carefully.
The Paladin? No... or at least it isn't anymore.
Danica stands guard and waits for Anna to complete her work.
Anna detects no sounds or traps on either side of the door, which Danica can confirm with a fair amount of certainty.
There are no traces of evil to the right (north), and a murky dark evil inside the south room.
Andjela places her palm gently against each door. Hmm... I sense something behind this left door. Something is waiting... Obscure, but certainly Evil.
"Well Paladin of Iomedae! Shall we put it out of it's misery?"
Danica grabs her temple sword and prepares for combat.
Ready when you are.
Danica will open the door.
This guardroom contains a single large table with two chairs astride it and a single sagging cot pushed up against the eastern wall. Several battered cabinets line the northern wall, with a few arrows and bits of chainmail lying scattered on the floor nearby, yet the most eerie sight are the three fractured skulls sitting on the table next to a heavy hammer. It looks as if someone has arranged the fragments of the skulls in some sort of pattern, as if an attempt had been made to construct a fourth skull from the broken fragments of the trio on the table. The leathery body of a long-dead dwarf, his wiry red hair and beard still strangely vibrant in death, lies slumped on the ground behind the table.
Andjela bends over slightly... Arggh... My head! Do you see that?
I feel it as well. the elf says.
Tolvan, seeing the skull pieces inching back together tries to shatter one.
Danica bends her head forward as she too begins to feel the pain but somehow she finds the will to fight through it.
What? What is it?
The table and the three skulls lie about 15' into the room, southeast of the door. The skulls and fragments of skulls are small enough they are lined up across the table, left to right. The nearest skull is 15' away, the farthest is closer to 20'. The long-dead body of the dwarf sits behind the table, farther south.
Kimberly gringes in pain her immediate responce is to channel her energy toward the cause but she regains enough sence to exclude Andjela from the effect.
channel to harm undead exclude Andjela as per her request from before
channel damage DC 17 Will for half.
got better with the level-up
The monk takes a swing at the skulls with her temple sword.
The first to notice the movement of the skull fragments, Andjela clutches her head in pain but pushes into the room and hops onto the table.
Tolvan, his arrow already poised for action and seeing the skull pieces inching back together, tries to shatter one. And does so in spectacular fashion, his arrow smashing the nearest skull to bits before it's truly reformed at all.
Danica also moves forward into the room, moving a bit farther east to get in range of the farthest skull.
Anna fails to notice anything amiss even as her companions react to the oncoming threat.
Kimberly cringes in pain, her immediate responce is to channel her energy toward the cause but she retains enough sense to exclude Andjela from the effects, remembering the Paladins earlier request. The wave of reddish tinged white rolls over and through the skulls, breaking niether, but clearly affecting them as they shiver and quake.
Now the skull fragments begin to reform in earnest, chunks of white bone of all sizes quickly converging into the two remaining skulls, sickly pink and purple flesh covering the skulls in a grotesque reversal of death. Eyelids, lips, ears and hair all form in the space of a heartbeat. The two severed heads lie still for a moment longer, then both their eyes snap open and fix on the nearby Andjela and Danica, pointed teeth hissing in hatred.
From behind the table, the Mosswater Marauder’s spirit seems to rise up from his bones, appearing as a sobbing dwarf wielding a ghostly hammer. A ghostly skull floats in the air nearby, its cranium laced with cracks and missing a knife-shaped shard of bone along the side.
- Andjela
- Tolvan
- Danica
- Kimberly
- Anna
- Mosswater Marauder
- Screaming Head1
- Screaming Head2
Seeing the Mosswater Marauder’s spirit rise, Tolvan's hand goes to the haunt siphon on his belt. He quickly moves closer to the spirit and opens it.
The monk takes a swing at the skulls with her temple sword.