"Alright, let's see what those puny creatures got."
Tunar draws out his Lucerne Hammer, a small smile painting his face in excitement, while moving to the front of the group. Prepared to attack any that get in reach.
Erei will wait just behind the frontline fighters, readying his longspear to attack anyone that comes close.
Your surprise round goes off without a hitch. The jackals spring to attack as Leto's arrows blast one apart. The remaining eight leap forward to attack the group. As they draw closer, Almathea tosses acid at one and it crumples. Seven remain and they are now about 30 feet away.
"Tunar, let's see that hammer at work," Nevai said, as he moved up about ten feet forward, motioning for the large man to stand beside him. "I'll just soften them up for you, and then you can smash them to pieces," said Nevai as he raised his holy symbol and released a pulse of positive energy.
Almathea will cast Disrupt Undead on another jackal.
Tunar keeps his guard at the ready as he moves to join Nevai. "Nice shots, give em some more.
Come on yer little hellions, come get some if you can make it this far."
Setesh, likewise, readies an attack.
As Nevai's burst of holy power washes over the skeletal jackals they all turn to dust. Standing there still for a moment before the slight breeze slowly breaks the bodies apart, they eventually drift off into the air.
Setesh whistles in appreciation.
"Good job, Nevai! I'm glad we have you, and by extension Horus, with us..."
Nevai stands for a moment in surprise, before straightening up and patting Tunar on the shoulder. "I too am thankful that Horus finds undead as distasteful as I do. Don't worry buddy, I'm sure there will be monsters inside for you to smash."
"Speaking of inside, let's get there, shall we?"
Almathea tries to look through the opening before going in, just to make sure there isn't anything standing right there.
Tunar's mouth hang's slightly open. "What sort of fight was that? You just... You just... See this is why magic is bad, it just takes a perfectly reasonable fight and turns it to ash. Oh well, as you say, I'm sure there will be more to come."
Tunar gets over his disgruntlement before continuing on with the group.
Just inside the entry, two rows of columns lead toward an archway in the north wall. Two smaller passages open to the east and west. The wind has deposited a layer of dust and sand on the floor of this room. The room is illuminated from the light outside.
Those with lowlight vision can see into the second room to the north. Those with darkvision can see up to the fountain.
---
Space and elevation lend a sense of past grandeur and majesty to this large space. A large, star-shaped fountain with a circular pool in the center sits in the middle of the chamber. When you approach you will see that the bottom of the pool is decorated with a great mosaic eye made from tiny colored tiles, and hieroglyphs are carved into the paving stones ringing the fountain. Two rows of columns support the ceiling overhead, which continues to rise to a domed ceiling in the northern portion of the chamber. At the far end of the hall, you can make out the outline of a massive statue with arms raised overlooks the entire length of the temple from atop a raised dais.
---
"Hmm. Pretty fountain and mosaic, they've weathered well, there's even water still in the fountain. The hieroglyphics ringing the fountain call it the "Pool of Protection"". Protection from what I wonder?"
Almathea will cast Detect Magic and look at the pool, the glyphs and around the room.
"...or for whom, for that matter..."
Seeing that the place is not particularly well lit, Setesh reaches into a belt pouch and pulls out what looks like a small flaming coal. After being tossed into the air, it starts orbiting his head, and shedding a decent amount of light.
"This was a functioning temple of Nethys at one point. Perhaps the pools waters were once used to perform benedictions and grant a minor protective boon to the worshipers here?
"That's a good idea Setesh... I can't see a thing." With a few quick gestures and a mumbled prayer, Nevai's shield began to glow with a pleasant orange light.
Tunar keeps moving with the group, eyeing the structure with a certain eye of approval, though perhaps not one quite approaching that of the others.. "Thanks for the light" he grunts.
The water of the pool, even at this distance, looks very clean. As you move further into the room with your light, all those with lowlight vision can see most of the main chamber. (Darkvision also extends into most of the room, up to the platform.) If you move further into this room your light illuminates it for the rest of the group.
---
In the main chamber of the cathedral, the ceiling rises to a high dome 40 feet above the main floor. Three flights of short, steep steps climb up to a large platform elevated 5 feet above the floor. At the rear of this platform, a 15-foot-tall statue, half white and half black, stands atop a raised octagonal dais. The top of the main platform is tiled in black marble, while the octagonal dais is a striking white, and the ring that separates them is tiled in red.
Nevai moved forward with shield aloft to inspect the various iconography about the room. When he noticed the statue, he stayed respectfully at the bottom of the stairs, motioning for Almathea to go ahead and have a look unimpeded, if she desired. "I've heard about these types of tiered cathedrals before, usually when there are different classes of worshippers. Based on my understanding of Nethys's following, I believe normally only magic users would be allowed up the steps to worship before their god's image, while others would pray from down below."
That statue is pretty damned impressive. Someone skilled carved it out of two separate kinds of stones...and someone used magic to fuse it into one object.
Tunar looks around waiting for interests, before picking a random direction.
He points North West. "How about that way?"
Almathea will go ahead and cautiously make her way to the fountain to examine it more closely. Once done, she will even feel secure enough to take a small drink from the fountain waters.
"It is most amazing that these waters still retain their ancient enchantment to give someone a minor blessing to a spell cast from the abjuration school after so many years. The members of this temple were surely powerful spellcasters."
As you enter the large cathedral and take a closer look at the pool of water, a horrible looking thing steps out from behind the massive statue at the end of the hall. Draped in rags and hunched over on goatlike legs, this creature possesses a featureless face, save for a large eye ringed by fangs.
An incorporeal hand flashes out from the creature and touches Erei.
"What in the Nine Hells is that!?"
Obviously it´s not in one of the hells. Hopefully we can send it there, where it belongs!
Erei coughs, nearly stumbling backward. This is...this is exceptionally not good.
Erei will attempt to cast Grease at the top of the stairs, assuming that the creature would have to cross it to get to the group. He will then move up to be within 30 ft of the bottom of the stairs, but will stop outside of the range of the fort save if he is able to.
Tunar stands his mouth slightly gawk for a few moments before he begins to advance towards the creature, half-trotting. He readies his Lucerne Hammer as he begins to 'shout' at the creature.
"You no good half-goat vermin, TRY WIGGLIN THOSE FINGERS AT ME WHY DON"T YOU!"
"What the hell is that thing??" Nevai cried as the intangible hand passed through Erei.
Unless her knowledge of the planes tells her anything different, Almathea sends a couple of magic missiles at the thing.
You know that it is resistant to many types of elemental attacks and immune to others. You also know it has a gaze attack. You aren't entirely sure what it does, but if anyone meets its gaze, they'll find out.
Leto's arrow slams into the creature. It shakes and chitters, but quickly recovers.
The creature cackles and points at Nevai, directing its spectral hand to attack.
[ooc=Round 1, Initiative 4[/dice]
"Don't let that vile thing touch you, it will corrupt your soul." Nevai huffed as he jogged forward twenty feet and took a quick shot with his crossbow.
,
"Okay!"
Setesh then hangs back, to allow the people who specialise at ranged combat to do their thing.
Tunar moves up close enough to threaten the creature and Almathea's missiles slam into it. Nevai's bolt goes wild and a pool of grease is at the top of the stairs.
The creature realizes that it cannot back up and hisses at Tunar. The air in the cathedral grows hot and the wind starts to howl. Suddenly sand bursts out from the creature and floods the entire room.
Leto comes to a halt in a safe distance from the creature, looking for a clear line to shoot and unleashes a volley of arrows at it again.
Don´t worry Nevai, i´ll keep my distance! You allright?
Tunar sputters and gags as the sand surrounds him.
Almathea raises up her crossbow and sends a bolt towards the creature.
Nevai jogged forward another twenty feet and reloaded his crossbow. "Tunar, you ok in there?" he shouted into the swirling sands.
Erei tries his best to stay away from the various effects hammering his party members. I can't really see to help you...
He will then start to sing Inspire Courage.
The creature looks wounded, but undaunted. It points at Tunar and cortles as the spectral hand flies out of the sandstorm towards the man.
Nevai took aim and fired his crossbow again.
,
Disgusted with his horrible aim, he held his crossbow with his shield hand and drew his sword and jogged forward just barely reaching Tunar.
Perhaps this is a prank to show us the evils of tomb robbing.
Erei, still unable to see from the sand will take the Total Defense action just in case something flies at him. He will continue to sing.