Spurred by the strangeness of the space Camillo thoroughly examines the door and finds it to be trap free. Opening it reveals a narrow hallway that bends back into a small room that sits at the heart of the house.
In the room the floor has been chipped and chiseled away. In fact, stone cutting tools and picks lie scattered about with rocks and dust. A large hole leads into muddy darkness but the groups various lights reveal a rough hewn staircase of stone that spirals into the dark and somewhere down below the house.
Perception(room with disturbing windows):
------
Sayniek stands at the top of the stairs looking down.
Something tells me that whatever is down there is not going to be friendly.
Kithian peers down the stairs into the darkness and steps back. "You're probably right. You first."
"Underground...with the way things have been proceeding so far, I feel like I should not voice my suspicions lest we tempt fate and have them come true..."
Cristiel shakes her head at the tasteless decor and upkeep of the workshop as the others peer at the stairs leading down. She runs a finger across Manartyelo's length, cleaning some invisible speck of dust, "Darkness and corruption lie below. Let us not keep it waiting. It has many lives to answer for."
"I can't lead without light. I can conjure some up, but that would give us away - if that is a concern. Or I can continue to follow Sayniek as we move forward. Sound good?" Not proceeding doesn't appear to have crossed his mind.
Sayniek looks to the others:
I do not mind leading. Of course, I am not the best at detecting traps that may lie in wait.
If nobody objects, the tin can soldier will lead the way clanking down the stairs.
Perception:
"Fair enough. Let me know if you want some light."
He falls in behind the diminutive warrior, figuring his light probably won't be any more warning than the sound of her armor, but keeping that thought to himself.
Will: <-- she Will not be denied
The stairs end in limestone with walls dripping with water and more mold, blue and black swirling about in spiraled patterns. Rubble and broken boes litter the floor and a rythmic sound almost like some giant drawing breath fills and empties the space. 3 tunnels lead on, one north and two west, the most southwesterly of which seems newer than the others.
Perception:
Sayniek gasps as a series of unholy images assault her senses. However, her faith in Ragathiel affirms her resolve and she shakes off the brief urge to flee.
A lich. Your friend's father desired to become a lich, the most powerful, and vile, of undead. Everything in this house is designed to tell the story of the horrid man. We must finish eliminating any threat, then we can report what has occurred here to the priests of the good faiths so that they can come to cleanse the vile taint once and for all.
Perception:
Rullis is not perceptive enough to notice anything as he brings up the rear.
Cristiel looks at each of the passages and shrugs, "Logic dictates that the freshest dug cavern might hold the latest interest for our wayward necromancer."
Sayniek nods in agreement.
Yes, if someone had done work here, then that is the likely object of our search.
If nobody objects, Sayniek will begin to trudge down the SW passage, the newer appearing one.
Perception: <-- this is a new roll for this tunnel as she missed the DC25 roll above.
"Before we proceed, allow me a moment."
Vidar nods towards Enok, who until now has been perched on his shoulder.
"Enok, underground, a bird is of little help, I would ask that you fly up the passage and wait outside, at least one of us can avoid this dank an dreary place.
Off you go!"
Kithian grunts and chuckles as he watched the bird fly off."Damn bird is of little help below ground or above ground."
Sayniek rolls her eyes:
Hope nobody left any wine uncorked up there.
"Yes, I hope so as well, wine have a tendancy to give him gas..."
The group takes the clearly newer tunnel and gets about 10 yards in before the passage opens wider to an honest cave. As the lights play about the cave the sounds of odd breathing changes to surf giving the entire area a strange resonance. Corpses and skeletons litter the cave floor and its clear that there are some nooks and crannies within the cave that might lead to other sections.
Vidar stops and hisses softly to the others.
"Hold. We have to move very quietly lest we disturb that bat up there, for where there is one bat, there may be a swarm of them."
Perception:
Stealth:
Perception:
Stealth:
Trying to remain at least somewhat quiet, although clearly, the party's barbarian's friendly banter with the Ulfen wizard eliminates any real chance at stealth anyway, the miniature tank moves into the room, completely missing the creature on the ceiling until the wizard points it out.
Camillo freezes at the wizard's warning, having missed the creature in his scanning because of his concerns about the bodies all over the floor. Nodding back at Vidar, he gestures to the skeletons, whispering, "Bodies. Necromancer's lair. I'm less concerned about bats."
Kithian looks up at the bat and steps squarely on a skull smashing it to splinters. The half orc looks around at the others and shrugs.
Cristiel nods with Camillo's assessment, "So we find where the necromancer stores his supply of subject matter. He must be close."
Not seeing this bat Vidar is talking about from the back, Rullis cringes at the loud crashing of the skull.
He activates his shield ring and watches the other passageways that the group did not choose to take in case anything comes out of them to greet us.
As Rullis' shield ignites with its supernatural force, Kithian is rewarded for his skull crunching by the bat suddenly unfurling its wings and screaming at the group. The sound is unnatural like metal and glass scraping on each other at some unearthly level of sound. The scream is focused primarily on the front of the group capturing Sayniek, Cam, Kithian and Cristiel with its power...
Fort:
Sayniek scowls at the bat.
Something strange about that creature.
Perception:
With that, she draws and swings her sword at the bat, hoping to make it screech more.
Attack-bastard sword:
Damage:
Crit:
Damage:
Damage if using longbow:
Crit damage:
Cristiel grimaces in pain as she clutches at her long, sensitive ears as the bat's screech seems to go on and on.
Fort sv:
Kithian covets his ears and looks to be in agony.
Turning back, Rullis fires a blast of electrical energy over the tops of everyone's heads at the strange bat.
The assault on Camillo's classically-trained sense of hearing is unbearable. He drops his sword (the shield is strapped to him) and he claps both hands to his head.
"Well, I am sure nobody could have heard THAT." Vidar mutters sarcastically, before pointing towards the bat and unleashing a duo of magical missiles.
The bat drops to the ground, its large body and wings landing near the rear of the group. The bat lashes out with dull fangs at Rullis and the cleric can see in the chaos of dim lights being dropped and moved about that the bat seems unnaturally grey and seems to be rotting in places on its face with a green glow issuing from its eyes. The moment is short as the creature cries out and bites at Rullis with incredible force.
Round 1 of 2 for the stunned.
Sayniek, Vidar and Rullis are up. The bat is large so its easy to get close and gang up.
Sayniek turns around and charges the bat.
Bad bat, your supposed to attack me.
Charge (if possible): <-- add +2 if flanking and +2 if a charge is possible
Damage:
"Oh dear...desist and be silent you infernal winged rodent!"
Vidar pulls out the magical dagger that has until this moment never been used and throws it at the bat.
As the dagger returns, Vidar smirks a little at seeing that trick done for the first time.
Sayniek calls out over her shoulder:
Wizard, now is the time for magic, not for target practice.
"Ahhh!!!" Rullis cries out as the bat targets him, ripping into his tender flesh apart. "It's already dead!"
I rarely play paladins, and forget some of their abilities. If she did not have to move to attack, can Sayniek use Detect Evil as a move action. If this is evil, she will use Smite Evil. This will increase her attack by +8 and damage by +4 (first attack vs undead) if it is evil.