Round 1
When the Dwarf strikes Valachi, he feels as though his head has been split open, or perhaps just rung like a bell. A phantasmal strip of something white, like bleached bone, separates from his head and floats away towards the floating fractured skull near the dwarf. The piece lines up with the missing blade shaped hole in the skull and tries to fit itself in. However, try as it might, the piece from Valachi does not fit and so instead it spins away and disappears.
Father moves up into a better position, and readies himself should the skulls or spectral dwarf come closer.
Alistair and Kendra move up the hall keeping close to the group, but neither can see the conflict.
Ried moves to the door and throws in a bomb. The bomb misses the floating skulls, instead hitting the floor and detonating there.
One of the skulls is struck full on and burns away in the acid; the other two are merely splashed, and while the acid burns at them, they continue to fight.
Delia moves down the hall in order to get a better look through the open door and into the room. She sees the two remaining flaming skulls and the phantasmal dwarf.
Valachi reals as he is struck with a profound pain that echos through his head. He takes a defensive posture and tries to collect himself, focusing through the pain. . He is unable to do so as the pain is so overwhelming.
Ember casts a spell to give her comrades the aid of Pharasma in the battle, and inches closer.
Round 2:
The two skulls that remain continue to attack Valachi, slamming themselves towards him.
The dwarf looks at the piece of spectral skull that did not fit the skull beside him, and howls in fury and despair. He lifts his hammer and swings at Valachi again.
The vision repeats as another piece of skull flies loose from Valachi's head and tries to fit into the spectral skull. This one too is rejected.
Father steps just inside the door, and takes a swing at the nearest skull harassing Valachi. He sees the ghostly dwarf swing, but he doesn't see how it's affecting Valachi, so he is uncertain if he can affect it without one of Delia's special spells for him. He sticks to attacking a kind of enemy he has fought before.
Delia settles on summoning a fire elemental like the kind that has been so much help against the other fire creatures, just by being protected from them. It strikes out at one of the flying skulls around the Valachi.
Ried will take the hammer to Valachi, "Here you go, smack something with it."
Ember channels to harm the undead, hoping that she can take some of the pressure off Valachi.
Valachi shakes off the shock and grabs the hammer from Reid's hand, instantly turning to swing it at the spectral dwarf.
.
Father steps into the room and takes a swing at the nearest skull. He hits one, shattering it into pieces.
Ried shoves the dead smith's hammer into Valachi's hand. As soon as the ghost sees it, he wails out in sorrow and grief. He seems almost overwhelmed by the sight, as though, were he not dead already, the shame would kill him.
Delia summons a fire elemental that lashes out at one of the flying skulls, striking and shattering the last of the physical remains. Only the ghost and the floating phantasmal skull now remain.
Valachi picks up the hammer and swings it through the dwarf. The ghost still cringes in shame, but makes no move to defend himself. The hammer passes through the ghost as if he were not there, and his form makes no reaction. The presence of the hammer seems to be causing him grief, but it does not appear to function as a literal weapon against him.
Ember holds aloft her holy symbol and sends out her healing light, to burn the ghost from his unrightful place in the material realm.
Round 3:
Though shaken, the ghost continues his attack with his transparent hammer, and exact duplicate of the one now held in Valachi's hand. Although attacking, it seems that he does not want to even have to look at Valachi, for fear of having to gaze at the hammer. , . Valachi feels the impact of the hammer, but at though the dwarf has no will to attack, he feels no force behind it. The headache this time is only a twinge.
The elemental swings again, this time at the dwarven spectre between it and Valachi. Delia, meanwhile, doesn't think she can get in to affect much. She in turns waits to see if Valachi has any more luck using the hammer.
Father also swings at the ghostly dwarf, despite his experience of not being able to actually hit with an unmagiced fist.
With a confused look in his eyes, Valachi turns and swings at Ried with the hammer.
;
Ried will fire at the phantom skull with a ghost salt bolt w/ deadly aim.
Ried doesn't know Valachi is hostile
Ember, seeing Valachi attack Ried, casts a Cure Light upon Ried.
Round 3:
Father swings again, and again his fist passes through as though through empty air.
Ried takes aim with his crossbow and fires, and the bolt hits and sticks in the apparition as if it was solid. The ghost lets out a cry of surprise, and looks down at the bolt in shock and horror.
Delia's elemental swings at the ghost again, but misses by a wide mark.
Valachi turns and strikes at a surprised Ried, clunking him solidly with the smith's hammer. . You feel a foreign will in the hammer trying to force you to attack your ally again, but this time you are able to steel yourself against it.
Ember turns and heals her comrade Ried.
Round 4:
The Dwarf raises his hammer again brings it down on Valachi. ,
Again a spiritual representation of valachi's skull floats away from the ghost and fails to fit into the shattered spectral skull.
Valachi gives Reid a half-apolgetic, half-confused look and turns back to swing again at the ghost.
;
"What the...?" Ried looking confused steps a 10 feet away from Valachi as he reloads another ghost salt bolt."
Father Thinks this dwarf may be one of those unhittable things that they have faced so many of in this place. He decides instead to try and go for the last skull. Those he has been able to hit. Still uncertain of the dwarf, he tries to move carefully past Valachi to the other side of him, but his big ungainly form is too clunky to do it with any skill. When he gets to the other side, his swings poorly, trying to recover from his atrocious dance past Valachi.
Also having no success, and seeing someone to flank with, the living flame also moves over slightly and attacks the last remaining skull.
Delia just fires another glob of acid like she is wont to do most of the time against the undead they have faced. Hoping that she can at least hit the dwarf with something. Her total lack of confidence, and surprise at why Valachi struck Reid causes her to almost drop the thing on her own foot.
Ember stands a bit confused by Valachi's actions. Making her decision quietly, she pulls out one of the wands (of CLW) and perpares to step up to Valachi and give him some healing.
Round 4:
Father moves closer to try and strike the last skull, the one that his glowing and ephemeral, more like the dwarven ghost than the other material skulls. However, is is unable to strike this one as well.
Alistair and Kendra move closer to the door, Kendra bringing up her signature bolt of white positive light.
Ried reload's his crossbow, looking askance and suspiciously at Valachi.
Delia's flaming elemental moves up next to the ghostly skull, and swings a limb of fire down at it. The blow sails clear through the skull, just as it would with a ghost, but the fire seems to affect it somehow. As the blow passes through, the skull evaporates like smoke. As it does, the dwarf cries out, "Noooooooo!" and then he too fades away like so much smoke. All that is left afterwards is stillness, and the shards of the physical skulls that were shattered by the team.
Ember moves forward and touches Valachi with her wand several times.
"Does anyone else require healing?"
Valachi nods thanks to Ember, then kicks around the remains, looking for anything of note.
"Four down, one last one to go ... eh?"
He turns to Valachi. "Mind telling me what that was all about?"
As far as can be seen by a cursory look about the room, it contains only the table, the two chairs, a cot pushed up against one wall, a heavy workman's hammer on the table, the skeleton on the red-headed dwarf, and the makeshift skull he appeared to have constructed out of the fragments of other shattered skulls. As theorized, these would appear to be the corporeal remains of the Mosswater Marauder.
To Ried, Valachi shrugs and manages to look more annoyed than embarrassed. "I couldn't help myself."
Ried stares at Valachi for a moment, "Hate elves that much, huh?"
He follows that with a laugh and a tap on Valachi's shoulder, "Just kiddin'. I'm betting there was some sort of magical compulsion involved. Or even possession. There still is one more spirit after all. Let's be careful."
Looking down at the skulls, he toes through the stuff. "Anything here of value?" He squints and searches around closely using sift to expedite the search but being thorough.
Valachi only grimaces in response, then moves to aid in the detailed search.
Ried stands there for minutes, casting and recasting his searching spell while looking for details. As he does, Valachi looks about the room the old fashioned way.
At first there appears to be nothing of interest in the room; merely more flotsam, bits of old rags and furniture, some rusted manacles, and the like, but then Ried discovers a conspicuous seam in the southern wall; a door, or the opening to an alcove. Searching more closely reveals a complex inset lock, cleverly hidden with the mortar, and invisible to a cursory search.
"Oh, ho, hot have we here? Stand back all"
The lock is not trapped, but it appears to be of high quality and very complex. Ried's attempt to open it is therefore fruitless so far.
"This may take a bit ... stand by. Wait! Didn't we find a set of keys on that skellie with the axe? Lets try those first!"
And if those don't work ...
Checking the keys one by one, you find more than a few of them fit, as many of the locks here must have had the same maker, though at first none of them turn. Eventually however you find a key that does turn the mechanism, and the bolt snaps back. A concealed door swings outward, and a small alcove is revealed. An untouched trove of gear lies within. A variety of arms and armour line the walls, all positioned for easy access and quick donning.
Within lies:
6 Suits of Masterwork Chainmail
6 Suits of Masterwork Studded Leather
4 Masterwork Longswords
4 Masterwork Heavy Maces
2 Masterwork Heavy Crossbows
120 Crossbow bolts
10 Crossbow bolts in a case
1 Wand
4 Potions labeled Cure moderate wounds
1 Rope
This would appear to be a safehold where the best equipment was held, just in case of a prison revolt or riot. Unfortunately, the guards never made it here, but happily it seems the prisoners never found it.
"Shall we retire to identify these items, or continue onward?" Ember asks, eyeing the haul.
"Continue," Valachi responds. He quickly appraises the rest of the gear in the armory. "This may be worth selling, later, but it's too much to carry now."
"We can quickly look at these and try to figure out what they are for now, but I agree with Valachi. Unless we are seriously under resourced, we should press. Time is of the essence, I believe."
Ried goes through the items, looking over each and identifying it, or confirming the identification in the case of the potions. The potions are indeed potions of Cure Moderate Wounds, as labeled. The rope is a Rope of Climbing, which somewhat ironically would have allowed those in the dungeon to climb up out of the elevator shaft in cases where the deadfall had been triggered in the stairs. The case of 10 bolts holds +1 bolts. The wand is a wand of Hold Person, with 11 charges remaining.
The rest of the chamber appears to only have the junk previously mentioned, and there are no further secrets to be revealed from the alcove. Stepping back into the hall reveals the portcullis to still be an obstacle baring your movement into the cell block. The door opposite the room you just explored remains closed, and the room within unexplored.
"Let us check this room next," Ember suggests, indicating the door.
"Valachi, if you will?"
Ried will gather the magical stiff together unless anyone wants to claim something for us right now.
He would like to take the +1 bolts for use if no one else needs them.
He will follow the party once he gets them together making a note to come retrieve the armor and weapons later
Nice