Sometimes the dice don't go your way - that's what Surges are for. Make reality submit to your will! 8D *Might not be joking*
In fairness, though, incorporeal enemies are nasty, especially at low levels. Remind me to tell you three about the incorporeal ooze I once sent against a sneak attack-type...
Hadran and Beseth's strikes both managed to hit the enemy though, sadly, Beseth was unable to manage a critical blow. The creature had definitely taken damage, and let out an angry hiss as it moved into the ground again. As the seconds passed, its babbling faded away - the creature didn't seem like it wanted to stick around any longer. With it gone, you were free to keep looking around the room - or continue moving forward.
On the floor of the east recess, the perfectly preserved body of a young boy lies in a puddle and stares silently upward. On the floor nearby, wet and apparently washed in, you're also able to locate a bag with 549 GP in it, and a ring that has a glowing blue marks shaped like feathers adorning its outside.
Makallun'abad is reluctant to touch the body, the bag or the ring. "Could this be what we are looking for?" he asks of his companions, looking conflicted.
It doesn't take long to identify the ring as a Ring of Feather Falling - very useful for those worried about falling from high places, though admittedly of somewhat limited use otherwise.
Makallun'abad knots his eyebrows as he uses his magic to identify the ring. "Hm. Unless our employer was terribly worried about her daughter falling from great heights, it probably isn't," he states. "What do you want to do?"
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
"I know your a dwarf and for your species it's a little harder to tell, but the gender of the child is wrong, the lady lost a daughter." Beseth comments on the dwarf's findings.
There doesn't seem to be any way through the previous blocked staircase - the stairs do imply that it once went somewhere, but for as far as you can see and test, the passage there is completely blocked. The only way forward seems to be on the south side of the chamber, where there's a door across from the boy's body.
Water drips from the double-vaulted ceiling and trickles down the walls to pool on the floor. Bone shards of a hundred skulls litter the room like shattered seashells. Wide stairs climb to the west. Narrow stairs dive to the north. On the south wall, an open doorway gapes, a carved relief depicting a massive battle filling the archway over the door. The rest of the walls are filled floor to ceiling with nooks that house ancient, but drenched, skeletal remains. In the center of the room sit twelve school children in a circle on the floor. One child seems to be silently telling a story, her arms moving rapidly as she makes scary faces. The man who showed you the way up above is sitting here, paying rapt attention to the storytelling girl - he doesn't look up as you enter.
The girl seems to be telling a scary story, judging by her exaggerated facial expressions and the reactions of the audience. However, there doesn't seem to be any magic involved - these are evidently spirits of some kind, not enchantments, and they're paying exactly no attention whatsoever to you. Even the man isn't looking - though given the lack of enchantments on him, that's probably because he doesn't want to look away.
Finally, the man looked up, then put a finger to his lips. "Ssh! Cassiel's telling a story!" he said - and from the hall to the north, you could see four undead - three ghouls and a ghast - quietly walking down into the chamber. It seemed they'd been drawn in by the noise, and they promptly looked up at you and grinned widely.
The room was getting quite crowded now - and the undead wasted no time at all in staggering towards you, mouths opening wide in an attempt to rip into your flesh and eliminate every source of life they could see.
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
"Vile creatures, taste my spear!" Beseth says, stepping back and dropping her lighter shield before striking the creature that attacked her with her longspear.
Long Spear:1d20 + 7 ⇒ (5) + 7 = 121d8 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Don't forget to mark changes in HP in your stat bars. ^^
Hadran's sword connected with the ghast, literally bisecting it and splitting its body in half. Unfortunately, Beseth's strike wasn't quite as accurate - but Mark's was, and the ghoul blew apart under the force of its blows. Meanwhile, the apparently-mad man who'd shown you the way inside was yelling at the girl telling the story, telling her to come with him - and she paid no attention at all. The ghouls did, though - but seemed more focused on their current targets, and unleashed all the power they could.
It actually wasn't a bad sequence of blows, all things considered - it was simply their misfortune that they were going up against people who were much tougher than average - and working together, the three of you were quickly able to put the remaining two ghouls to rest for good. Once they were gone, the man visibly calmed down.
"Oh, thank you - Cassiel's so focused on storytelling that sometimes she loses sight of the world around her, but I'm sure everything is fine now."
Hadran pulls the others over after dispatching the ghouls.
"I'm not sure what to do with this guy. He seems harmless enough. Let's keep exploring. I think he will be fine here, unless either of you two have a better idea."
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
"Although he's crazy and not much help, I wonder what might have happened to him had we not been there to fight those wicked creatures. I am not particularly fond of leaving him to die." Beseth says in a reluctant voice.
"Well we can bring him along, but he may not go peacefully."
Hadran approaches the man again.
[b]"Sir will you come with us. There are others here you may be able to show us."{/b] He grabs the man by the shoulder pulling at him slightly to suggest getting up.
If he refuses or does not respond Hadran takes a step back and brings fourth his mighty blade and attempts to subdue the man.
As written, the rules say that you immediately roll to confirm, not that you 'may' - sometimes you could hit somebody's weak point without expecting to...
1d6 ⇒ 5
The man instantly hit the ground under the force of Hadran's blow - and while he hadn't been killed outright, having even a little more force behind the blow probably would have slain him.
In which case there would have been an unarmed, possibly-not-in-his-right-mind mortal who hadn't threatened you killed by the good-emphasizing Lord of Valor (and Protection) for not obeying and doing exactly what he wanted. If he didn't get some healing quickly, that could still be the case...
By most interpretations, there... wasn't a whole lot of glory in deeds like that.
A moment of hatred and wrath must have awoken in Hadran subconscious as the blow was way more then intended. He quickly called fourth some healing energy and layed his hand upon the man.
CLW:1d8 + 3 ⇒ (7) + 3 = 10
After the man was stable Hadran slumped to the ground and dropped his blade. He began to sob.
"Sarenrae my love is this the man you saw me becoming. A wrathful angry god. I am ashamed. It seems I have learned nothing in my years of slumber. You two should go ahead. Take Midfoviing with you. I will stay and watch over this man. My actions here were not just and he almost paid with his life. I must contemplate my own penance. How can I judge and punish myself when I made the wrong judgment here. Perhaps the two of you can punish me for this. I lost honor this day. Something you hold in high regards Beseth. These actions had not glory or valor in them."
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
"Have you gone mad!?" Beseth asked in anger as the man hit the ground and began bleeding out. "Even if he didn't want to leave now, perhaps he might have been more willing once the girl finished her story!" She then adds as Handran gets down to heal the man he had almost just killed.
"I will not leave this man in your hands, I have not known you for very long and already you are nearly killing innocents." And with that she places her hands on the man, channeling energy into him.
Taken together, the two bursts of healing seemed enough to take the man out of immediate danger, and he let out an agonized groan as consciousness slowly returned to him. "Don't worry, Cassiel... daddy's fine..." he whispered hoarsely. "You just... keep having fun."
Midfoviing, meanwhile, had straightened her tail in alarm... but eventually moved over to Hadran's side, plopping down beside him. "Um... they say that the gods will forgive anyone who truly regrets the bad things they do." she said quietly, the very tip of her tail flicking back and forth. "If you're really unhappy with yourself, I think you should learn to forgive yourself, too."
Makallun'abad raises an eyebrow as his companions deal with the strange man. "I don't think you need to be quite so forceful about this..." he mutters, mostly to himself. He walks over to the dazed man and kneels next to him. "May we continue on, friend?" he asks, trying not to sound stymied.
"Thank you Midfoviing. It's not this, but the actions of my past. This just reminded me of the man I turned into and why I was cast down. You are right. I can't change what happened then or just now. I can only move forward and hold true to my words. I am Valor, I am Glory. I will be the ideal that men and women alike strive to be. Thank you again."
Hadran stands and turns to his companions.
"I have shown you the worst side of me just now. I vow to you as well that I will not falter again. I charge both of you to hold me to these ideals. Like the gods that cast me down before I trust you two to judge me from here forward."
Hadran summons some more healing energy for the man.
CLW:1d8 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
"Come now friend. Let us find your beloved daughter Cassie. Perhaps we can put her soul to rest."
All of the healing seemed to have put the man in much better shape... but he didn't seem at all reassured as he moved backwards on his hands and legs, over to the storytelling girl who hadn't reacted in the slightest to anything that had happened. "Don't worry, Cassiel, you and your friends will be fine..." he said.
Midfoviing blinked a few times, then looked back over at the three of you. "...I guess that's his daughter?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"It seems so Midfoviing. What would you like to do Beseth. We need to find what is powering this place. Something has awakened the Necropolis. We need to put the spirits to rest, but I agree if we leave him here alone, harm could come to him."
There doesn't seem to be anything in particular that's causing the appearance of the ghostly forms - not in this chamber, at least. There's no telling what might be present in the rest of the facility.
Makallun'abad looks to Hadran and Beseth, shaking his head. "It seems he has no intention of leaving this place just yet. It appears we should continue on by ourselves," the dwarf suggests.
The next chamber is a large, open one that doesn't seem to have anything in it - treasures or troubles. From there, however, a hundred steps lead downward and into the room beyond.
With the frequency of storm waves approaching the shore, salt water erupts from cracks in the floor of this large hexagonal room. Foamy, blinding spray jumps in every direction, then drains from calf-height to ankle-deep before the next wave hits. Occasionally a length of black-brown seaweed shoots in and adds one more strand to a room that already appears draped in long wet hair. In each of the chamber’s six corners, a fluted pillar rises to the fifty-foot ceiling. Between each pair of pillars, an open arch connects the chamber to an attached space. Beyond the northwest and southwest arches, three tiers of recessed spaces form three massive steps. A stone sarcophagus rests on each step.
Beseth only:
As you enter the chamber, a strange feeling comes over you - not a missing part of your soul, but there's definitely something here that your divine nature is reacting to.
HP: 53/78 [Mythic Power 2/6][Lay on Hands 3/4][Performance 15/15][Rage 0/6][Legendary Power 2/2] | AC: 25, T: 15, FF: No (22), | Fort: +11, Reflex: +8, Will: +10 (raged +12) (+2 vs Charm/Compulsion)| CMB: +7, CMD: 20 | Init: +5, Perception: +8 | Condition: None
"There's something here, but I'm not quite sure what..." Aer'Besethir says as the strange feeling overwhelms her. "This room is...different somehow then the others." She decides, taking a moment to glance around the room before casting detect magic.
