After dinner is served and drinks passed around, Toulbe gets busy. First, he begins training Bistro to stand watch over the party as they sleep. The big bison seems to be picking up on it.
Then, he takes a look at the breastplate found in Ordrik's quarters. He quickly deduces it's magical enhancement , but realizes there's more. After a cold chill travels up his spine, Toulbe concludes that the breastplate is also cursed.
Meanwhile, Hezekh takes the time to fully repair his arm.
After he finishes with his arm, Hezekh begins reading the ancient tome. ”Some interesting techniques in here.”
"So for good *and* ill? I was not expecting that. Are the golden breastplates any better than chainmail?"
Hezekh can explain to Goggeck that the breastplates are merely gold-plated, which certainly increases their value and their stylishness, but neither increases nor decreases their effectiveness
After perusing the tome, Hezekh realizes it is a combat manual containing the dwarven secrets of fighting goblinoids and orcs.
Not much of the loot fits Glot's class but this manual does. And it would increase his hit chance and damage output. So I will put Glor's name in the hat for this item.
Urist gives the cursed armor a lingering glance, eyeing the thing up and down, running his fingers along the designs. "Well, can' be too bad if'n it's made'a gold, right? A fine treasure fer puttin' on display in our grand 'all, soon as we get it sorted out! Yeah, back at tha ol' fort, ah used to manage the vault where we 'ad all our fancy artifacts. See, with armor like tha' ya gotta put it someplace nice, but since it's cursed, not TOO dead center..."
Urist continues to go into detail about the artifacts his 'old fort' supposedly had. Such treasures included magical fishing gloves that allowed a dwarf to effortlessly snatch up their catch without a rod or hooks, A tombstone so gilded with gold and precious gems that it caused the diceased family to rise as ghosts out of pure envy, and an animated minotaur head that would still intentionally lead its holder the wrong way, allowing someone to use reverse psychology to navigate mazes.
As Hezekh explains, Goggeck rubs his beard and listens. Then replies:
"In that case, the benefit is too marginal to be worth changing armour. But I would happily study any similar tome. The verminous greenskins will always need purging."
Then I shall claim this manual Goggeck and defer to you on the next such tome.
The night passes peacefully. Where to?
Glor spends his free time studying.
Toulbe gets up in the morning and begins looking over everyone's wounds.
Waking up from a much-needed nap, Hezekh flexes his arm just to be sure his repairs are complete, then says "Well? Where to next?"
Here’s the Theocrat’s Vault Map
Returning to the north hallway, you check the remaining doors to find two lead to latrines, and two lead to dormitories. The furnishings within are either rotten or smashed and are littered across the floor. A number of beds have been overturned, and a few of the remaining mattresses are heavily stained in centuries old blood. In fact, their is evidence of ancient bloodstains on the floors and walls too.
Most of what’s been left behind is personal junk made useless with time, however, thorough searching reveals gold pieces.
The northwestern wing is confirmed to be cleared of any threat.
"How about south-west, now that this area is clear?"
Putting his book away Glor responds South West works for me.
"Aye, spunds like a plan. Move out, lads. We got a fort ta clear out!" Urist takes his position in the matching order in the back row, but not before laying a reassuring hand on the commander's shoulder and channeling his magic into her.
'"Sounds good. Let's head out lads." Hezekh says, before taking point.
Goggeck takes his position in the marching order.
The corridor south of Droskar's Image is roughly 50 feet in length. A set of double stone doors lies at the far end, and on opposite sides of the hall lie a set of double doors each.
The set of doors on the left hand side open up into a large rectangular chamber, various workstations, crafting tables, and forges are set up throughout the space. At least, they would be visible if the chamber weren't filled with a thick black cloud of roiling smoke and embers. Something moves about in the smoke, and glimpses are caught of fiery eyes and the sound of chains. The choking oder of smelted steel and burning flesh tinges your nostrils. As the smoke begins to clear, the form of a massive dwarf becomes visible, wrapped in barbed and hooked chains, its beard a smoldering cloud of smoke, it's eyes glowing embers of molten steel. It roars a battle cry as it hefts an adamantine warhammer.
Goggeck sees the *thing* in front of him and yells as he charges:
"By Trudd's strong arm, die!"
Glor opens up on the new target. What is it?
Toulbe's eyes go wide as the 'dwarf' emerges from the smoke. He begins stammering out the heraldry of the current Dwarven king, his voice gaining confidence with each generation.
Toulbe is unsure what they’re facing, but he’s pretty sure that maybe it’s some sort of restless spirit. A very angry restless dwarven spirit.
The commander's eyes light up as she marches forward, her features visibly contorted by anger even underneath her mask. "Your time is over, spirit. It's time we put you to rest!" She maneuvers into a more favorable position before she strikes with one of her axes.
Hezekh moves forward, preparing to strike the dwarf-thing.
Boomer eyed the massive dwarf spirit, then glanced at the bomb in his hand. He had a strong guess this thing wasn't going to care much about fire. He leveled his crossbow and wracked his mind for anything that might help him in this fight.
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Before anyone else can act, Gunnar says a prayer over the group.
Toulbe follows up with a very inspiring history lesson. When he recites the name of Eurad Dberryl, everyone remembers the quest to retrieve the legendary lost axe, and to eliminate all who stand in their way. Including this guy.
Hezekh closes in and Goggeck follows close behind, his longhammer giving him the reach to keep space between himself and the tortured soul. His charge is successful and he smacks the angry spirit in the smoldering face.
From behind, Glor fires a blast of solid rock which connects.
Helga maneuvers herself around the spirit and lays down the hurt.
Finally, Boomer steadies his aim and takes a headshot. He recalls Droskar’s domain lies somewhere on the Abyssal plain, a place of endless enslaved labor and torment. Perhaps this is where this restless spirit emanates from. Regardless, Boomer puts the thing to rest.
At least, that’s what he thinks. He sinks a bolt straight into the creatures ember eye, and the spirit begins to dissipate into a cloud of viscous hot ash and smoke. But then, the cloud begins to reform. The thing is not dead, not yet.
As soon as the malevolent spirit reforms, it exhales a cloud of soot, ash, smoke, and embers Which fills the air around it.
Goggeck and Hezekh close their eyes quickly enough, but the Commander gets soot in her eyes and goes blind.
Then, the chains wrapped round its body whip about with a mind of their own.
Goggeck uses the billowing cloud of ash and soot around him to his advantage and the chains miss their mark.
Unable to see the enemy any more Glor readies a blast to attack.
Unable to see the enemy any more Glor readies a blast to attack.
Seeing the creature reform after it should have been obliterated, Boomer pieces together that the chains are what’s keeping this thing tied to the material world.
Urist considers his options before tucking his Kukri away and drawing his crossbow. "Oi. Tha' smells worse'n a zombie's skinthole!"
"Destroy the chains!" Boomer snapped.
Urist isn’t able to piece together any more information on the creature other than it appears to be undead. Boomer has some ideas though.
Glor stays ready, hoping the smoke will clear or the creature will show itself.
Hezekh strikes rapidly at the undead monstrosity.
Goggeck swings wildly, smashing at the chains but striking the stone instead.
Boomer's next shot wasn't nearly as accurate as the first.
The commander grits her teeth and digs in her heels, waiting for her now unseen opponent to strike. Hopefully, she can bite back harder.
Touble grips his frying pan tight as he continues recounting the lineage.
Gunnar takes aim at the bigger of the forms moving through the ash cloud, and fires.
His bolt pierces the dark cloud, and nothing else.
Bothe Hezekh and Goggeck try to take the angry spirit down, but their blows are lacking the right combination of strength and accuracy to do any damage. Boomer just lacks the accuracy.
The cinder cloud continues to burn all who stick around.
Now the dwarven spirit retaliates, swinging its adamantine warhammer down on .
It can't get through her Mage Armor.
Then the chains whip around as if they had a mind of their own.
Goggeck takes a flaming spiked chain to the noggin. He falls to the ground unconscious and bleeding.
The cinder cloud clears, and all can see Goggeck has fallen and the angry dwarf still stands.