The wonder pup leaps over to the last spider and tries to rip into it. Karethas takes a step back and lets the others take down the spider.
Amir drives his blade into the bloated abdomen while the heavenly hound bounds over and grabs another leg, but loses its grip on the tough chitin. Kzrira unloads another bolt into the monster spider, but it manages to fight on.
Auri continues lashing and biting at the spider...
Tail
Damage
Bite
Damage (1 non lethal)
Crit!?
(dont suppose that amulet would be nice enough to help my bites too? ;p)
A final firey sting from Aurichalcum and the last spider convulses into a dark ball.
Kzrira walks over and kicks the spider. These things are starting to really annoy me. Why do they all seem to want to go after the little girl first.
Well, lets see if they killed something else and left the loot behind.
Kzrira begins to search the spiders and their nest.
Perception:
Aurichalchum bathes himself in a soft healing glow that recovers most of his wounds
CLW
Now 19/20
"That was unpleasant, I almost ended up as a regal feast for those things, one at a time is one thing, why they felt they needed two to kill me and only one for everybody else is beyond me... maybe they felt I was their doom, yes of course, afraid of Dragons they were."
After my wand releases it charge on Kzrira and works with a surprising result I look at it, "I didn't think you would want to be given to them. Thank-you for co-operating."
I turn my gaze to Kzrira, "Do you feel better now; my dear lady? Also, have you found anything interesting?"
I look at Auri, "A great and powerful Dragon as yourself; Oh Great Aurichalcum, is such a threat that they needed to try and remove you quickly and hence the reason two of the Arachnids attacked you. Well, that is what I believe."
As these were hunting spiders not weavers, it is difficult to say immediately where their web is located. You quickly search the remaining rooms of the monastery. The kitchen (A16) has been heavily damaged and broken plates and pots cover the floor. The roof of the mess hall (A17) has half fallen in and the remaining chairs and tables are now warped and rotting from the weather.
Abutting the cloister, an intact room and office that looks to have been the leader's quarters (A15) next to the library. Sadly an overpowering odor of mildew and rot fills the library (A14). The remaining books and scrolls molder on sagging shelves, most too damaged to even open without the pages crumbling through your fingers.
An archway leads to the final room which served as the dormitory (A18) and is filled with damaged bunkbeds. To the south is a darkened room that at the base of a small watchtower. There is a trapdoor in the floor and webbing above. You find several small pugwampi husks dangling from the webs and a chime in the debris on the floor.
At the sight of all the damaged books, I gasp in horror. "When we have some time, I would like to come back here and see if there are any books here that are able to be read. Would that be acceptable; my friends?"
During the rest of the search I am pre-occupied with the thoughts of the books, but upon seeing the trapdoor I speak up, "Should we go down there? There could be books, information or even supplies." I bend down and pick up the chime, "What's this doing here?"
Not sure what use a chime is unless it has some type of magic in it.
Lets see what is behind that trap door. I am a little banged up, but ready to move on.
"A great and powerful Dragon as yourself; Oh Great Aurichalcum, is such a threat that they needed to try and remove you quickly and hence the reason two of the Arachnids attacked you. Well, that is what I believe."
Auri stops momentarily and just pauses, "Quite right, quite right indeed." his small head nods sagely, "Well back to uncovering the treasures of this place; a shame they all seem to have perished with rot and mildew though we need to pick the temple clean and be satisfied it holds no secrets, a thoughtful Abbot would no doubt have hidey holes or cahces well hidden from the eyes of barbarians, and we might get lucky. Perhaps the trapdoor you point to could be the last harbour of retrievable wealth? And what a strange place for a chime..." Auri moves over and sticks his head into the trapdoor.
After seeing everyone else looking at the chime, Kzrira steps closer and looks at it.
Perhaps it opens something. With this she impulsively reaches out with a bolt and strikes the chime.
The small brass chime is exquisitely made and wrought in the shape of a skeleton key. Upon being struck, the chime emits a piercing and beautiful sound and the heavy trapdoor immediately flips open with a disquieting gasp of chilly dust-laden air exhaled from the chamber below.
Entering, you find a system of catacombs low and wide in the form of a double cross heading back to the east. The walls are rough hewn and contain scores of honored worshippers of Sarenrae in shallow niches carved into the walls of the passages. Many of the skeletal remains have been pulled from their niches and skulls and bones line the floor. The main passage ends at the eastern end in the sealed stone door of a seemingly important tomb.
Aurichalcum practically bounces with excitement, and zips down into the passages. He pulls himself up, contains his excitement, and remembers the due reverence such a sacred place warrants. With a silent prayer back to Saerenrae for guiding him here, he continues... "What secret does she have here to show me?"
He only pauses to put away any obvious bones or skulls, not wishing to disturb the dead.
Not wanting to disturb the dead or remove anything from the burial room, I walk through without touching anything. Once I get to the door at the end, I try to open it.
As Kzrira reaches for the chimes Karethas raises a finger, "It is unwise to use a device that..." His voice trails off as the chime is rung. "you have not examined first." He looks over at the opening trapdoor and sighs. "Saerenrae seems to look over the rash, as I well know."
Once the group enters the passageways Karethas rushes up to stop Faelar from opening the first door. "These passages were never intended to be well traveled, and it is in places like this that traps are often employed." He nods to Amir as he takes a step back.
Kzrira heads down with the others. She notches another bolt in her crossbow and readies it in case anything should happen to come charging through the door after the naive bard one opens it.
While walking through the passageway, she says a silent prayer to Saerenrae that they be protected while cleansing this holy place of the vermin which has infested it. She avoids the skulls and bones as much as possible, neither picking them up, nor disturbing them.
Perception:
Just as my hand is about to touch the door, Karethas places his hand on my arm and stops me. "That makes sense." I turn my head to Amir, "Are you able to see traps then, maybe a special power you have or just years of training?" I step back nonetheless and let Amir do his thing.
Auri stops what he is doing, and peers about.
Perception
Once the door is open, I dart into the room in front of everyone else, my hope that there could be reading materials in here showing clearly and blinding me to any potential dangers that could be inside. I spent a bit of time walking around, looking for anything there is to be found, but especially looking for something to read.
If there are more skeletons in here I won't touch them, unless they have any books on them.
If there is a danger, during my round, I will attack whatever it is with my Rapier.
Amir cautiously prepares to inspect the door by the glow of Faelar's wayfinder, only to have the heavy stone door suddenly roll to the side after Kzrira presses a suspicious knob on the cornice of the low ceiling overhead. The overeager bard leaps into the chamber and dislodge a choking cloud from the layer of ash and charred bone that covers the floor of the chamber. He catches a glimpse of a large sarcophagus in the center of the tomb just before all light is extinguished by the airborne soot.
Over the sound of your coughing comes a sorrowful moan that chills your marrow.
Auri
Amir
Karethas
Faelar
Kzrira
Spook
If the soot doesn't clear and I am not attacked I shall cast Detect Magic to see if I can locate any magical aura's.
If I do get attacked, I will try to lunge my Rapier into the space I was just attacked from.
Will Save
Auri is not rattled by the presence.
Karethas coughs at all the soot, but is not shaken by the moan.
Despite being initially calm, Aurichalcum becomes a little confused that me may have accidentally done something wrong after all, and then his resolve weakens and he does become shaken...!
Amir looks like he might berate the impulsive elf, but as the ash flies into the air, the old rogue just pulls a sleeve across his face and steps to the side.
Inside the crypt, all is obscured by the haze of airborne ash. The moaning continues now accented by the dolorous rattle of chains as a dim glowing form rises from the sarcophagus. A ghostly skeleton in tattered robes floats through the roiling ash and strikes savagely at Faelar with a claw so cold it burns. Faelar responds with a well placed thrust between burning blue eyes, but it passes right through the ghostly skull!
Will Save:
This does not appear to be a great idea.
I fire my bow at the skeleton.
Damage: .
This seems like a really bad idea. Karethas winds up and unleashes a ball of acid at the undead creature.
Amir steps aside hoping that a light or magic might come to aid.
Seven hells! We need words and prayers of the gods! Magic from beyond the world! Steel will not fell this creature! If our magics fail we must RUN! Faelar get back!
Amir will paw at the elf to drag him away from the ghostly creature.
Know: Religion
"Amir speaks the truth, we should leave this guardian to its duty protecting the crypt perhaps"
Sensing the fight with creatures from beyond the grave might be 'a little bit ambitious', Auri starts looking for an avenue of withdrawal.
"Let me try one last thing before I run ..." I unhook my wand from my belt and jab at the ghostly figure with it.
I will then take a 5 foot step back towards the door.
Aurichalcum has some definite doubts about dealing with the undead spirit, but that doesn't stop Kzrira and Karethas from taking shots into the dim chamber. Neither hits.
Amir calls the elf back and Faelar ducks another painful swipe from the evil spirits claws. Faelar recognizes the undead from legends he's heard. It is called an Edimmu, an undead genie that cannot return to its home plane after death. Stuck in a ghost form, it cannot be harmed by mundane weapons and even spells and magic weapons have limited effect. It has a freezing touch and can call the winds to aid it. It in turn dodges Faelar's positive energy riposte, but the spell remains charged.
Auri backs out through the trap door.
"Let's withdraw and consider our strategy more carefully!"
Still focused on the Edimmu, I call back to Karethas, "Karethas, do you think you could translate what I say into the language of the air for me in a moment? I would like to try and reason with this poor, trapped genie."
I don't think this wants to talk. Keep hitting it until we see it is immune. Unless someone knows how to lock this door.
5-foot step back
Move: reload
Standard:
Damage:
"This poor, helpless and trapped soul is an Edimmu, a ghostly Genie that cannot pass on even after death. It cannot be harmed by our weapons, even our spells and magical weapons will have a limited effect. So I would like to try diplomacy, it couldn't hurt, right?"
Do you know that it cannot be hurt by our weapons? So far we have just missed it.
"I don't suppose we can talk to it if we keep stabbing at it though, perhaps draw it upstairs where it isn't trapped in a crypt, perhaps it wishes to flee this place"
"Karethas, could you tell this poor soul, that we wish to help it leave this place? In the language of Air obviously. Our weapons would need to be either enhanced or enchanted to slay this Edimmu."
Then lets back up.
Next round - withdrawal action.
Karethas moves a half step forward to get a better view into the crypt. He calls into the dark space
To the group he whispers "I have apologized for attacking it and suggested that we may be able to help free it of it's binding to this place."
"Perfect, just what I was going to say and ask you to translate for me."
The rattling and sobbing from the blackened tomb crescendos as a howling winds rush through the crypts. Bones and skulls rain from the alcoves and you are blasted by ash and bone chips.
Auri just manages to fly out the trapdoor before the buffeting winds strike.