Boomer passed Hezekh his flask. "Aye, rough scrap that one. How ye doin?"
Adu's lips tighten.Perhaps I was too swift to dismiss my Feeling of Impending Doom as paranoia. If this is the kind of fights Toulbe's getting in now...
Dusting herself off, she says, "Well. I am completely out of spells, so unfortunately I can't heal you anymore than I already have. That will have to do for now."
She looks at her cousin. "Once we're finished here and get back, I'll let Girtul know that I'm joining your group permanently. If today is a good example of the kind of scrapes you're getting into, you're going to need a healer." A bit sheepish, she mutters, "Although I clearly need to learn stronger healing spells."
"We will persevere. However, even with your healing magic, we have injured. We should withdraw for now and rest."
Adu looks around curiously. I wonder what secrets might be hiding in these rooms. The people who lived here before must have had some interesting stories!
Toulbe starts to wander through the new rooms that are cleared, though his mind is elsewhere for the moment as he tries to help his Cousin search.
Adu looks around curiously. I wonder what secrets might be hiding in these rooms. The people who lived here before must have had some interesting stories!
Starting with the defeated skeletal champion, the party recovers an immaculate breastplate, forged in the Dwarven style. Examining it with Detect Magic reveals it emits a faint aura of abjuration.
Other armaments are a Masterwork Heavy Steel Shield and a Masterwork Dwarven Waraxe.
The champion’s helm holds a shining green gem. You have now collected them all.
Moving the pile of bones behind, the party searches the room they once guarded. Inside there is a low square altar of white marble inlaid with geometric patterns of gold. A wide copper basin sits atop the raised platform and beneath a stone arch. A continuous frieze runs across the upper reaches of the walls depicting stylized images of dwarves laboring in a variety of tasks, working the forges and anvils, carving stone, throwing ceramic pots, blowing glass, baking bread, brewing beer, sparring, all the things you’d expect from a Dwarven culture. However, Glor notices, all the figures depicted are literally chained to their tasks.
Also noticeable is a large crack in the northern wall, adjoining this room to the next.
Before moving along, Adu insists on examining the large basin. First, she notices the marble steps leading to the basin show signs of old and deep blood stains. Then, she realizes the basin itself contains coals and ash... and charred bones. With Toulbe’s help sifting through the ash, Adu finds a finger bone with a ring still on it. The electrum ring seems untouched by the flame. It too gives off a faint aura of abjuration.
Moving onto the spider room, it is now found to be clear of webs. A lingering smell of burnt protein strands offends your nostrils. So cleared, it is found to contain four heavy rectangular stone blocks, just large enough to lay a Dwarven body on.
Several broken clay jars lay fragmented about, their spilled contents now mere ash. Within a relatively intact jar, Goggeck discovers a long parchment scroll, containing a necromantic incantation.
As the party finishes searching the room and gathering back out in the hall to share their discoveries, several shouts of alarm can be heard coming from the rear entrance concourse.
Ooooh, these are interesting. Adu tries to identify the breastplate, ring, and scroll before moving forward any farther.
Just as she's about to explain what she discovered, she hears the shouts coming from back the way they came. "Girtul? What's going on?"
Completely out of useful spells, she loads her crossbow. Then, thinking hard, she tentatively reaches forward and touches Hezekh on the shoulder. A slight wave of energy emanates from her. "I'm out of regular healing, but that should last for a minute or so at least."
Hezekh, still a bit unsteady, draws his crossbow. "Lads, I think it best I hang back a bit." he says, before loading a bolt.
Glor stedies himself for a moment and small stones and earth begin to hover and dance around him. He then heads resolutely for the back door. Stay behind me then brother. And I will shield you.
"I will remain in front.", Goggeck states, hefting his longhammer, and ensuring that he is positioned facing the rear entrance.
Toulbe looks around at the others and nods, it seemed everyone was getting ready for ranged combat. He dances about worriedly "Umm, I'll just be behind you guys then!" he says as he tries to get his nervousness back under control.
Boomer drew an explosive. "Got one o' these left. Better make it count."
He headed toward the commotion at a sturdy jog, taking a swig off one of his many flasks as he ran.
The commander looks over the assembled loot as she silently contemplates what to do with it. Perhaps she'll assign a favored vanguard and suggest they recieve the bulk of protective items in exchange for using them? Perhaps some system of fictional currency to be earned in combat and spent in the bidding for items found? Urist always did have a better head for numbers. Perhaps if he would...
The screaming ruins her train of thought. Acting on instinct, she grasps her axes and rushes towards the source of the sound. Urist does his best to keep up with his stympy legs, if only to keep Helga from tearing herself free of their shared tether!
Helga leads the charge up the stairs, with no one else far behind.
The familiar concourse is once again filled with skeletal undead. You may breathe a sigh of relief when you realize these are basic bones skeletons. However, standing in their midst is something not yet encountered in these forsaken halls. A human height creature with rotted flesh and glowing green eyes wears tattered priestly vestments. It scans the battlefield with an intelligence and turns to see the party round the corner.
Shouts coming from the rear entrance announce that the caravan guard is facing down the undead menace from the other side.
Toulbe didn't like the look of this one and he hadn't been able to really help out that much so far apart from providing a little support. But with them being so close to camp, he grinned devilishly. He put two fingers in his mouth and let out a loud whistle before he let out a shout "BISTRO, COME AND DO YOUR JOB!" he yelled loudly.
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Goggeck roars out, in clear dwarven, at the rotted figure:
"Hueceva, slave of Orcus! Your diseased touch will not save you!"
He readies his longhammer, the steel now crackling with energy!
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Goggeck seems to have gotten the heucuva’s attention. With a point of its finger, it directs three of the mindless skeletons in the group’s direction. The first reaches Helga and swings its axe.
It gets lucky and hits, chopping into her ectoplasmic form.
The second reaches Boomer and swings.
It’s swing is uncoordinated and it misses.
The third gets in formation behind the first.
The other three engage with the caravan guards.
One hits, and nearly drops one of the guards.
The injured guard fights valiantly, like a real dwarf should, but his shot is blocked, and he faints to
The guards fight back!
The injured guard fights valiantly, like a real dwarf should, but his shot is blocked, and he faints to The ground. One of the other guards aims past shield and chain and lands his strike, but he rather alarmed the bones only chip under his blade.
All this time, the huecuva stands there silently, it’s lower jaw slacked, it’s eyes burning green.
Skeletons. Why does it have to be more skeletons? What did these dwarves even do to create so many restless dead?
Adu's crossbow doesn't seem like it's going to be all that helpful here. She's out of her more powerful spells; having used them all trying to cure Hezekh's wounds. For lack of anything better to do, she touches Glor on the shoulder and bolsters him with a fragment of divine favor.
Hezekh snaps off a shot at the nearest skeleton, then loads another bolt.
Goggeck further recalls, the huecuva is resistant to all weapons not magical or silver, and all undead within its vicinity are better able to resist positive energy.
Helga wastes no time. "We're pushing through! Smash every last one of them!"
Urist, meanwhile, casts Guidance on Goggeck.
Glor targets an enemy not yet in combat and releases the stored earth energy at its boney form.
Boomer took a step back to get out of reach of the skeleton pawing at his shield and sailed his last bomb right into the Hecueva's face.
[ooc]no splash damage]
Boomer took a step back to get out of reach of the skeleton pawing at his shield and sailed his last bomb right into the Hecueva's face.
Bolstered by magic, Goggeck swings to start clearing a path through the skeletons!
Adu give Glor a guiding touch, and he fires an earthen blast at the huecuva which hits. The undead evil cleric seems resistant to the damage somehow.
Hezekh hits a skeleton, but finds the bolts merely chips an arm bone.
Toulbe whistles for Bistro, and the bison comes trotting to the fray.
Helga smashes through a skeleton and moves forward to clear the way.
Boomer’s bomb blasts the huecuva, yet it still stands.
Goggeck’s hammer misses, leaving two skeletons currently hampering progress.
As the guard falls, his skeletal foe raises its axe high and brings it down for a final blow.
The guard perishes, and the skeleton steps over its body.
The guards fight back.
One hits, but does not have the strength to damage it. The other guard moves over to make way for the large bison to charge in.
Meanwhile, Helga draws the ire of the other two skeletons.
Now, the huecuva moves in to finish the Commander off.
It’s swipe misses.
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Adu stares in horrified disbelief. That...that was Gerlach! I was just riding with him this morning! And now he's...
But she can't forget about the combat closer by. The Commander has also taken a large hit, and is currently surrounded by two skeletons and the huecuva.
"I'm sorry," she whispers. "I can't...I'm all out of spells."
Blinking away tears, (whether from frustration, fear, or grief even she isn't sure), she once again touches Glor on the shoulder. "This is all I can do. I'm sorry."
Toulbe whistled again as he took a look at the opening. "Charge straight forwards Bistro!" he said as he gave a whoop of encouragement.
Undeterred, Goggeck continues to swing at the skeletal foe.
Boomer looked frustrated that the undead filth still stood. With a scowl he took a knee and pulled a small cask out of his pack and a handkerchief from his pocket.
Unhappy that his attack was resisted, this time Glor targets a skeleton near the front engaged with his party.
Frowning as his first bolt does little, Hezekh aims more carefully before firing again.
Glor annihilates the nearest skeleton, giving Helga some breathing room and Hezekh a clearer shot of the huecuva. The undead seems only half as succeptible to such a well placed bolt, but the damage is starting to add up.
The sound of a battle trained bison charging through an animated skeleton and plowing it into dust is enough to inspire everyone, especially after witnessing Gerlach’s heroic sacrifice.
Adu magically guides Glor’s next attack while Boomer resorts to the ol’ family cookbook.
Goggeck swings passed Helga, his smiting hammer finally puts the huecuva to rest as he crushes its skull inward.
The end of this battle nears. Only one skeleton stands in the way, while two more face down the guards joined by Bistro.
The commander lets out a battlecry as she lays into her next enemy.
Urist continues to tap into his weaker, limitless spells by casting Guidance on Goggeck again.
Helga axe-bashes her way through another skeleton, clearing the way to rescue the caravan guard.
The fight round the corner continues.
After a round of exchanged misses and blocked shots, one of the guardsdwarves manages to do more than just chip bone and cracks a radius.
With the nearby undying smashed to rest, Goggeck charges into the fray ahead, hammer already moving in a lethal arc!
Adu moves forward, touching the Commander this time as she continues to offer what little help she can.
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Boomer stuffed a rag into his cask, lit it off of his cigar, and tossed it, looking pained at the waste of good liquor.