"I'd suggest we stay clear of the fireplace area for now and stay quiet. Shall we check out the balcony before checking out that other door? It'd be a good place to rain arrows down at us from if anyone is up there hiding."
Embrianna shuts and bars the door they just entered through, both to keep in the heat and to prevent any quick escapes by any bandits that may still be hidden.
Zahim nods "I agree. This is clearly a base of operations, there are likely more than five of them here."
"Whatever we do we need to do it fast."
Sonja nods. Prepares her crossbow and goes to the balcony ready for surprises.
perception:
Stealth:
Sonja creeps up to the balcony, seeing it leads only to a short hallway, with a door set into the wall. From within she is able to hear muttered words, but they are too indistinct to make out. As she does so Embrianna shuts the door and lays the nearby heavy beam across it. The southern door, that the recently felled brigand was reaching toward is suddenly kicked open. Through the portal, from their vantage point, Castiel and Embrianna can see four beds, two large chests, and a single table with four chairs occupy the room. Three windows look out to the east, west,
and south, providing a grand view of the snowy gorge outside the lodge.
A quartet of bandits stand there in sorry state, swords in shaking hands. They are apparently quite ill, with dark rings under their eyes and disgusting mucus dripping from their noses. One sneezes and another coughs while the one that threw open the door looks at the blood and the body of his fallen compatriot with a scowl, before turning his glare to the sorcerer and the half-orc.
Cass will draw and load his crossbow.
"Looks like they found us."
Zahim hears the bandits below and decides to leave Sonja to be sneaky and not give her away. He moves back down the stairs to aid the others already seen by the bandits.
Embrianna will rush over to the bandits and attack one at random.
Oh ewww, they look sick. I really hope they don't cough or sneeze on me before I can kill them.
Sonja will check from the balcony, if there are no enemies, will move down to assist.
Seeing no enemies from her vantage point, she quickly darts down the stairs to assist in the upcoming battle . One of the bandits, taking advantage of the surprise of the door being kicked open, pushes past his ally and heads straight for Embrianna. His shoulder slump noticeably as he moves and stabs (poorly) with his shortsword. He is visibly sick and tired.
"Looks like they found us," Castiel comments as he draws and loads his crossbow. A second bandit closes in on the ranger and attacks as well, his attack striking truer than his friend's clumsy gouge.
Zahim hears the bandits below and decides to leave Sonja to be sneaky and not give her away. He moves back down the stairs to aid the others already seen by the bandits. Another brigand moves past the doorway and steps up onto the table, pursuing the priest and striking down at him.
crossbow : SA
Zahim retaliates with his own swipe, trying to catch the bandit in the knees...
...but it shifts away just in time and the morningstar swings harmlessly where his legs were.
"Damn you, feet do NOT go on the table! Did your mother never teach you manners?" he retorts and moves away.
Sonja's bolt catches a brigand in the side, and he grits his teeth in pain, almost falling over from the wound, but remains standing, glaring at the rogue. Embrianna's axe cleaves deep into the shoulder of one of the bandits before her, dropping him to the floor in with a single swing. The final bandit makes his way out off the room and climbs up onto the table with his ally. He casts his gaze back and forth between Castiel and the priests, coughing all the while. Finally he settles on attacking the sorcerer, rapidly stabbing down at his mid-section with his shortsword. His attacks are awkward and interrupted by a sneezing fit, making them horribly miss even Cas' unarmored frame. Seeing his friend die to the half-orcs blow and reeling with anger at Sonja, the brigand she wounded darts away from the ranger and rushes at the woman who shot him with a crossbow, leaving himself open to attack. Embrianna is unable to take advantage of the opening, however. The bandit fails to land any attack.
Cass will cast Daze upon the bandit in front of Zahim (#1)
Castiel quickly weaves a spell. Though his magic has no visible effects, it leaves one of the bandits on the table reeling confused. A door opens at the top of the stairs and footfalls are heard on the balcony and down the steps, though no one sees a thing. "The one on the left," a gruff voice commands from somewhere unseen. Zahim retaliates with his own swipe, trying to catch the bandit in the knees, but it shifts away just in time and the morningstar swings harmlessly where his legs were. "Damn you, feet do NOT go on the table! Did your mother never teach you manners?" he retorts and moves away, easily dodging the ill warriors attempts to wound him.
The shambling form of a skeleton strides out the doorway on the second story with surprising speed and grace. Its body is half encased in a thin layer of ice and white motes of supernaturally cold snow hang in the air around it. It heads down the stairs and straight for Sonja, who feels the air magically chilling near the undead monster. One of the bandits pursues Zahim . He steps on the tail of the skunk as he goes, spooking the tiny creature. It sprays him with a vile musk, choking the air, and he is unable to attack the priest in response.
Zahim reckons he's seen something like these creatures in a book...and like books, they hate fire.
Zahim takes a quick shift closer and points his finger at the frigid abomination...
...and misses horribly.
Not sure what manner of creature the skeleton is, but deciding it is likely more dangerous than the sick bandits, Embrianna moves over to it and takes swing at it.
Cass will step to where Embrianna was previously standing and fire his loaded crossbow (Bandit #4) and reload it afterwords.
"Hey! I'm pretty good with this thing."
Sonja kick the bandit beside her
Kick
nonlethal damage
Sonja deftly kicks the bandit beside her as he lunges forward. His blade grazes her side as her strike drops him, unconscious, to the floor. A second ice-coated skeleton shambles out of the room on the upper floor and lumbers toward the rogue. Not sure what manner of creature the skeleton is, but deciding it is likely more dangerous than the sick bandits, Embrianna moves over to it and takes swing at it. The bandit on the table takes a swipe at her as she passes, but the attack is in vain. The skeletal monster sidesteps the half-orcs ferocious chop, and stares at her with its empty eye-sockets.
The bandit atop the table turns his attention back toward the party's mage, but, sneezing, his stabs and slashes are clumsey and the sorcerer can dodge them with ease. Cas steps to where Embrianna was previously standing and fire his loaded crossbow, reloading it afterwords. His bolt sinks into the brigand's chest, and the ill man quickly collapse in a grim heap. "Hey! I'm pretty good with this thing." Castiel comments dryly.
Chanting is heard beneath the stairs and suddenly dark motes of energy swirl around the bandit that Cas just dropped. The criminal's eyes pop open and he screeches as a dark, humanoid-shapped mist erupts from his gaping mouth and spirals into nothingness above him, leaving a desiccated, and obviously very dead corpse where the bleeding bandit once lay.
Zahim reckons he's seen something like these creatures in a book...and like books, they hate fire. Zahim takes a quick shift closer and points his finger at the frigid abomination. A bolt of flame erupts from his hand, but misses horribly, leaving naught but a scorch mark upon the hardwood floor. The first skeleton starts its assault on Sonja, slashing out with both a scimitar and a wickedly sharp claw.
She narrowly dodges both strikes, her quick relfexes saving her from some very real harm at the monster's bony hands. The bandit Zahim stepped away from pursues. "Don't you walk away from me!" He stabs out with his shortsword, but the attack is laughable at best.
Cass tries and fails to figure out what happened to the bandit.
"What the Yotz? That weren't me I swear!" he calls out.
Zahim gasps as he recognises the obvious telltale signs of someone praying for Death Knell. "Guys...there is a grave sense of profane divinity about, it just sucked the very life out of that bandit!" he cries as he dashes away from his current assailant and tries again.
Sonja tries to move past the skeletons
and shoot
crossbow:
SA :
Sonja tries to move past the skeletons
and shoot 1d20 +4-4
crossbow:1d8
SA :1d6
Sonja darts toward Zahim and around the skeletons, both lashing out with their old, rusted scimitars. One draws a long gash on rogue's leg, the other fails to connect. Snapping her crossbow into position, she looses a bolt, catching the undead monstrosity in the eye. A spiderweb of cracks mar the bones and ice, but the creature remains standing, and silencing menacing Sonja at the command of the unseen entity.
The skeleton furthest from her pursues; unable to resist its previous command it opens itself up to a strike from Embrianna. The half-orc connects with a glancing blow, her axe-head turning aside on the slick bones, but still managing to wound the creature. It continues its assault on Sonja, but its attacks are in vain.
Spiraling motes of frost in the air around the undead sap Embrianna's vitality as she attacks the skeleton wounded by Sonja with another mighty chop, taking advantage of her flanking position, but it deftly side-steps, avoiding the blow.
Cass will move to (V8) and take a shot at (Bandit #1)
Castiel circles around the table and fires his crossbow at the remaining bandit, but the shot veers wide and thunks harmlessly into the door behind the brigand. Castiel hears profane chanting near him and dark energies appear above the dark bandit, spiraling down into the corpse. The air chills noticeably as the body shudders and convulses before rising rigidly beside the sorcerer with a vacant stare. 22 Zahim gasps as he recognises the obvious telltale signs of someone praying for evil magic. "Guys...there is a grave sense of profane divinity about, it just sucked the very life out of that bandit!" he cries as he dashes away from his current assailant and tries again to connect with a bolt of fire. The flames lick at the criminal's flesh and severely burn him, but he remains standing. The other skeletal warrior continues to attack Sonja with blade and claw alike. The mindless creature fails to strike her as its attacks are without the slightest bit of finesse.
The bandit that Zahim burned grasps at its wounds and grimaces, and decides to retreat to safety. He turns and heads for the door and begins work on removing the heavy bar blocking his escape. The freshly-made walking dead swipes down with a fist at Castiel, its might far greater than it could have ever hoped for in life. The mage is able to hop away from the crushing blow.
Panicked by the undead assaulting her Sonja tries to hide beside the cleric.
Acrobatics to avoid AOO:
Stop this things burn them or something!!!
Cass will 5' foot to the left and cast Color Spray aimed up and to the right.
"Taste the Rainbow!" he shouts
Embrianna swings her axe at one of the frost skeletons, trying to flank with the rogue.
Panicked by the undead assaulting her Sonja tries to hide beside the cleric. Her agile twists and flips allow her to avoid leaving any opening for the skeletons to exploit. "Stop these things; burn them or something!" She exclaims. The shambling dead, undeterred, steps forward and continues following its command, slashing out with rusted, old scimitar and icy claw alike. Luckily, Sonja is able to dodge and parry well enough to keep the creature at bay.
Embrianna swings her axe at one of the frost skeletons, trying to flank with the rogue as the magical ice motes swirling about the monsters continue to sap at her health, slicing through her like an icy wind. Unfortunately she isn't able to get past the undead and into a flanking position. The heavy blade of her weapon crunches into the ground, splintering the floorboards. Castiel sidesteps to the left and casts a color spray spell aimed up and to the right. "Taste the Rainbow!" He shouts. A myriad of colors wash over the fleeing brigand and the zombie. As they fade, the bandit is left in an unconscious heap on the floor, though the walking corpse seems undisturbed by the arcane display.
A pulse of dark energy engulfs the room for but a second. As it passes the skeletons the cracks in their bones and ice knit as though they were never wounded.
Zahim tries the door behind him and shifts into the room (if successful) and grasps his holy symbol. "Come on Sarenrae, we really need you..."
Zahim feels a little dread as the resonating aura is not as strong as he was hoping for. "...Goddess?"
Cass watches the party fighting a losing battle as the undead begin to heal and Zahim trys to harm them again. With a rare spark of insite granted from some alien entity Castiel shouts advice back to his group.
"Just keep away from the undead until we find whatever is healing them!"
Castiel will take a step toward the door the bandits had previously exited and ready his Acidic Ray at whatever unknown assailant he may find.
,
,
Zahim tries the door behind him and steps into the room, grasping his holy symbol as he does. "Come on Sarenrae, we really need you..." A pulse of warm energy spreads from him. The skeletal monsters quake as it passes, their forms cracking and chipping once more. After it ends they are as wounded as they were before the unseen entity healed them, but they remain standing. Zahim feels a little dread as the resonating aura is not as strong as he was hoping for. "...Goddess?"
The icy skeleton that Embrianna engaged shambles forward, intent on continuing to attack Sonja. It strikes out with a rusted scimitar and follows with a jagged claw swipe. The blade drags along her side and cuts deep. Blood stains the floor as Sonja falls, unconscious and bleeding out before the monster.
The zombie on the table continues to swing wildly at Castiel with powerful sweeps of the arm. It catches him behind the head and knocks him out cold.
The other frost skeleton stands motionless, as its prey has been defeated and its command followed through.