Lubella tried to help Jackdaw open the stuck doors.
"Perhaps we should call Lictor Octavio and his friends..."
The swollen doors resist Lubella’s meager tug. Talvek has no problem as he puts his extra leverage to work and yanks the door open. The next room is a wide hall with an open door to west and closed door to the east.
Thick layers of dust lie over the long central table and shelves
of this room. Several large parchment maps sit on the table,
along with a curved dagger and a few stacks of dusty coins.
Numerous moldy and dusty ledgers and scrolls sit on the
shelf to the south. To the west hang three faded portraits.
Lubella moved into the room and advanced to the open door on the west. Looking in, she whispered to the others, "Looks like some some interesting things in here!"
She walked up to the table and examined the maps. Then she cast a spell and scanned the room for magic auras.
She regarded the portraits, "Anyone recognize these people?"
Sidius looks across at the portraits, seeing if there's anything familiar about them.
It occurred to Lubella that while the paintings were probably of leaders of the Gray Spiders, they could possibly be other nobles.
Sidius joins Lubella in the office.
The paintings on the wall are faded and moldy, and while their subjects
can still be made out, they have very little value.
The northernmost painting depicts a red-haired man with
goatlike horns and sharp teeth—its plaque identifies
him as “Guildmaster Baccus.”
The southernmost
painting depicts an attractive halfling woman—its
plaque identifies her as “Guildmistress Lorelu"
The central painting depicts a stern-looking
young Tian-Shu woman with a narrow face and short
hair; its plaque identifies her as “Guildmistress Hei-Fen.”
There are 38 pp, 230 gp, 392 sp, and 43 cp
scattered on the table (the coins being used almost as
as markers and paperweights); the curved dagger radiates magic for Lubella.
There are many dusty scrolls and ledgers to the south wall. None radiate magic, so it would take a fair amount of time to comb through them all if any mundane history of import was to be uncovered.
Lubella examined the magic dagger, trying to determine its properties.
She searched though the room, including checking behind the paintings on the wall. "You never know where they might have hidden something."
"We should gather up all these scrolls and ledgers, and take them back to our headquarters. We'll want to look through them carefully."
"Guildmistress Lorelu, whose ghost wanted us to play with her..." muses Talvek as he examines the portraits.
"There's quite a few of these ledgers and scrolls, better leave them for later."
As there are many scrolls and ledger, more than you can carry, it would take an hour or two just to sort through them and find the good ones.
The maps on the table are mostly of the city of Kintargo,
and focus on now-out-of-date information about where
patrons, allies, and enemies of the Gray Spiders lived.
Of greater interest are the numerous hidden
routes along the rooftops and through the sewers.
One of the maps details the now-destroyed Lucky Bones
building above. This map includes a detailed map of the
upper dungeon, including the location of all of its secret
doors.
Notes on this map indicate that Guildmistress
Lorelu was to defend this floor and Guildmaster Baccus
was to defend the smugglers’ tunnels. A note scribbled on the
margin of this map indicates that Baccus should call upon his “pet devil”.
Guildmistress Hei-Fen’s role was listed to attempt an escape
via the smugglers’ tunnels to bring news of the assault to
their allies in Vyre.
Lubella also finds a strange poem stuffed into one dusty ledger slightly to the side.
Talvek recognizes some part of the poem...
The poem was reportedly written by the
notorious halfling poet Boswyth, a well-known critic of
Thrune and rumored worshiper of Norgorber who grew
up in the city of Vyre.
"Hey, could this be a hint about the coloured tiles we just passed?"[b] Talvek points at the two verses in the poem that mention rubies and other gems. [b]"Aren't moonstones white though? Malachite is green, turquoise is... blue-green, I think?" The tiefling continues to think on the puzzle of the poem.
"There's also mention of a devil, and I think the writer of the poem was a worshipper of Norgorber. What a lovely, friendly bunch of people these Grey Spiders were." He looks over his shoulder at the closed door to the east. "We should press on."
"I don't know," Lubella replied to Talvek. "It makes sense to be prepared for devils, in any case. We should look into getting a mithril rapier for you." She made a note of the command phrase in the poem, on the off chance that it was actually used somewhere within the Lucky Bones.
Leaving the room with the scrolls and ledgers, she checked the doors to the east for traps, before opening them.
Lubella does not hear or see anything unusual about the doors to the east. However, upon opening them, she sees 6 once-human creatures stand and hiss in anticipation of a long-overdue meal.
At lasssssstttttt! Feeeddsssss us your flessshh!
The octagon room itself is home for a pool.
An intense battle occurred here, as indicated by gouges and
old bloodstains on the walls and floor, scorched patches
from old fires, and the moldering skeletons of several
men and women sprawled on the floor. The middle of the
room features a ten-foot-diameter iron capstone over what
appears to be a well, next to which stands a winch made of
wood and rusted iron. A large carving of a strange, tall, lanky
man in a cloak adorns the capstone. The man’s four eyes are
softly glowing gemstones.
Initiative:
==== Round 1 ====
20- Sidius ()
13- Undead(r)(o)(y)(g)(b)(m)
11- Talvek(), Lubella(), Arcos()
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Sidius shakes his head, "Eat this, instead.", and casts glitterdust into the room.
Lubella was surveying the room when the dead began to rise, catching her off guard. Then the room exploded in sparkles.
The pool room goes awash in glitter, covering all of the nasty occupants
Two of the critters look directly at Sidius
”Killsssss. Itsssss! “
On Sidius for miss
On Lubella for hits FFAC
”Hssssss! “
The other four claw at their own eyes..
Sidius, Lubella and Talvek are all met with a horrid stench as the creatures rush past.
overwhelming stink of death and corruption in a 10-foot radius.
Those within the stench or be sickened for 1d6+4 minutes.
==== Round 1 ====
13- Undead(r blind)(o)(y)(g)(b)(m)
11- Talvek(2 fort saves), Lubella(-4, 1 fort save, 2 fort saves), Arcos()
==== Round 2 ====
20- Sidius (1 fort saves)
Lubella recoiled from the terrible stench of the the foul-smelling creatures. She tried to identify what sort of undead they were.
Lubella stepped back into her martial dance, swinging at the undead threatening Sidius.
Talvek takes a step back to try and put some distance between himself and the stinking undead, then strikes at it with his elongated rapier arm.
Sidius steps back from the creature that rushed him, and draws his crossbow, firing at the dead thing.
for
Talvek manages to resist the stench, as does Sidius.
The tiefling stabs with his rapier and pierces the shoulder of the closest undead. It hisses loudly.
Sidius is able to fire off a crossbow shot, and likewise scores a hit, nearly buckling the creature, but it continues to press its ferocious attack.
Lubella is so sickened that she nearly drops her blade trying to get spinning away from the stench.
==== Round 1 ====
13- Undead(r blind)(o)(y)(g)(b)(m -16)
11- Talvek(), Lubella(-4, sick), Arcos()
==== Round 2 ====
20- Sidius ()
This situation could get really bad, really fast. Discretion being the greater part of valor, Arcos yells, ”Fall back, I’ll cover the retreat!” He summons up a bolt of lightning, ready to fire at any that get closer.
Arcos readies his electric response...
The undead do not relent in their frantic pursuit of the first meal they have seen in eons!
Feedsssss usssss yourrr flesshhhh! Dieeesssssss!
Magenta attempts to maul Sidius.
for HIT plus DC15 Fort
for miss plus DC15 Fort
for HIT plus DC15 Fort
Meanwhile, green and blue move up to grasp at Lubella.
Blue for HIT plus DC15 Fort
Green for HIT plus DC15 Fort
The others hiss as they are impeded by the faster of their unholy bretheren
Makkkeeeess rooooommmm! Fooooodddd!
vs blind
==== Round 2 ====
13- Undead(r )(o)(y)(g)(b)(m -16)
11- Talvek(), Lubella(-20, sick)
20- Sidius (-14), Arcos()
"Run, Kyda!"
Talvek tries to finish off the undead standing between him and Lubella.
Arcos lightning arc takes out the injured undead and Talvek stabs the next in line directly though the eye, dropping it immediately.
Borgol nods at Arcos' call, "I'll find some space to summon you some help.", and withdraws back into the rainbow room.
Lubella retreated past Sidius, careful to step only on the green tiles, "I'm not abandoning you Jackdaw!"
With extreme effort, both Lubella and Sidius shake off the numbing affects of the claws against them and withdraw into the prior chamber.
Unfortunately, the voracious undead do not hesitate and pursue with vigor.
They rush the party, trying even to swarm around Talvek.
Three of the undead slash at Talvek with their filthy claws.
for plus DC15 Fort
for plus DC15 Fort
for plus DC15 Fort
Fortunately for the tiefling, they all miss
Arcos falls back starts to summon a sacrificial eagle...
==== Round 3 ====
13- Undead((o)(y)(g)(m) (b XX)(r XX)
11- Talvek(), Lubella(-20, sick)
20- Sidius (-14), Arcos(summoning)
Lubella shouted, "Jackdaw, back up!" She retreated again and prepared to cast a spell.
The tiefling steps back through the doors, and his preternaturally long arms still allow him to strike at the undead - although he does so more cautiously now as he covers his friends' retreat.
As the party falls back from the rush of the creatures, Talvek bats at the creatures with his rapier, but is ineffective due to trying to not let them touch him.
Lubella lays down a a puddle of grease to slow the creatures....
The first two (yellow and green) fall in the slippery grease but the third stands.
==== Round 3 ====
13- Undead((o)(y prone)(g prone)(m) (b XX)(r XX)
11- Talvek(), Lubella(-20, sick)
20- Sidius (-14), Arcos(summoning)
Talvek scores a hit with his rapier on the advancing undead. He succumbs to the stench cloud that arrived with the wave of its unholy breathren.
==== Round 3 ====
13- Undead((o)(y prone)(-8, g prone)(m) (b XX)(r XX)
11- Talvek(sick), Lubella(-20, sick)
20- Sidius (-14), Arcos(summoning)
Sidius carefully steps back across the safe tiles and begins to cast a spell to summon aid.
Sidius starts his summoning as well.
The four undead look at the situation with a cold calculating glare, with obvious intelligence beyond the norm.
Stoopppsss the casssterrrsss! Stop them now!
Green tries to claw at Talvek's ankles while prone in the grease.
for plus DC15 Fort
for plus DC15 Fort
for plus DC15 Fort
But all miss...
Yellow tries to move/stand out of the grease and is successful
Yellow Stands and moves back out of the grease
Red disappears into the office and you hear a crash of several things as if falling of a long table.
Orange grins and looks directly at Sidius
It strides forward and out of the grease (provoking from Talvek)
Breathe deep my precioussssss.
They end their advance and the two summoning casters are able to finish their spells.
==== Round 4 ====
13- Undead (o)(y)(-8, g prone)(m) (b XX)(r XX)
11- Talvek(sick), Lubella(-20, sick)
20- Sidius (-14, summoning completed), Arcos(summoning completed)
Lubella noted with annoyance that the undead seemed able to safely navigate the red tiles. However, something had killed the creatures of which only skeletal remains were left, and she had been safe so far, so she stuck with the green tiles. She stepped into a green square and cast a defensive spell, then restarted her battle dance. "Blue Warlock, give Jackdaw room to fall back! I'll go in and replace him."
Sidius shakes off the sense of illness and completes his spell, causing two earth elementals to appear -- one next to him, to protect against the creature that rushed him -- and the other in the back, behind the grease, to strike at the rear.
As the elementals appear, Sidius quickly tries to carefully cast a spell to harm the ghoul that rushed him.
The elementals attack the ghouls.
for
for
Talvek steps a little to his left to put the wall at his back as he continues to harass his target with quick thrusts of his rapier, but the nausea is distracting.
Talvek's passing attack misses badly as the creature bypassing him and into the tiled room.
As he steps to the left, his second attack likewise misses.
Very disturbing, however is that the wall Talvek hoped to use for his advantage....it moves and from it emerges a strange gray creature, which attacks Talvek with ferocity
for hit
for hit
for hit
for miss (whew)
Lubella is able to cast a spell, and several shimmering images of her appear.
Sidius completes his summons and a pair of elementals join the fray
Then he emits a loud scream fort
Arcos completes his summons and a celestial eagle attacks to harrass the fallen undead.
for hit
for hit
for hit
And it tears the creature apart.
Arcos steps to the right and fires a bolt of lightning at orange.
for hit
The undead do not like the new turn of events.
Yellow concentrates its attacks on the elemental near it
for plus DC15 Fort
for plus DC15 Fort
for plus DC15 Fort
Orange turns its attacks to the elemental near it.
for plus DC15 Fort
for plus DC15 Fort
for plus DC15 Fort
Red drops a large table and enters to help yellow.
for plus DC15 Fort
Two hits and one on the elementals, but they seem ignorant of the paralysis.
==== Round 5 ====
13- Undead (o -14)(y -10)(m) (b XX)(g XX)(r XX)
12 Guardian()
11- Talvek(-22 sick), Lubella(-20, sick)
20- Sidius (-14), Arcos(), Elem(-14,2saves), Elem(-8), Eagle()
Lubella was alarmed by the sudden appearance of the bizarre grey creature. She tried to figure out what it might be declaring, "That must be what killed the other two!"
She cast another spell and moved to engage the new threat.
Howling in pain from the unexpected onslaught, Talvek hops diagonally towards towards Lubella and tries to get rid of his initial target before turning his attention towards this new foe.