Arasmes also glances around, while listening to the whispers, listening for any information about the cacophony he just experienced.
Perception:
Knowledge Religion:
While the others fuss and worry about climbing down, Aldous is preoccupied with his book- so focused in fact that he has lost all rack of them and hears their voices only as a distant background murmur. The scholar is sitting down back against one wall with his book spread open across his knees hastily sketching from memory. When he is satisfied for the moment (details can come later), he pens in 'Vesorianna - Wife of Warden Hawkren' and blows on the ink to dry it. While blowing on the fresh ink he finally looks up only to realize the others are gone. "Oh. Well then."
After a brief moment of panic, Aldous hears Luka's landing as he lets go and drops down the last couple of feet far below. After carefully putting away his book, pen, and vial of ink he walks over the the edge of the ragged hole, looks down and sighs. "Someday when I become dean of Ustalavic studies this will be a charming little story..." But today the chance of injury or death was a little too real and he quickly ran through an incantation of protection before taking hold of the rope himself and climbing down.
It takes a moment to pick them out from the surrounding rubble, but you can see a number of charred, cracked and pulverized bones littering the floor or partially buried under fallen timbers. This must be where the fire started.
Luka peers through the partially blocked tunnel to the west. "This looks like the only way out from here," he says.
Aldous drops down lightly and brushes his hands clean. He notes the partially buried bones with some trepidation. "If we get trapped by spirits down here it is time to utilize the Pharasman devices, agreed? We do not want to be trapped down here after nightfall. Retrieve the badge and get out, yes?"
"That sounds like a fine plan, Aldous," Arasmes says. "Hopefully we won't have the opportunity to find out how well these devices work," he mutters before turning to the west, preparing to follow Luka down the passage.
Trevor relaxes a bit when everyone is on the floor. "Ok, one way only. I can do that..." And proceeds to open the way. "Someone keep that light high please."
Picking your way through the rubble strewn hallway, you emerge in a large, empty chamber of stone masonry. Four dark hallways branch off from this main artery, each with a soot-caked brass nameplate affixed above the entrance to each. A stone choked stairway occupies the center of the room... along with eight skeletons in prison uniforms strewn about the chamber's floor.
Trevor approaches the nearest nameplate and wipes the soot to read it.
The Eastern entrance you just emerged from is titled "Hell's Basement".
Trevor sighs: "That must have been a charming prison..." He'll then proceed to clean each nameplate unless something catches his glance.
To the north lies "The Oubliette". To the west lies "Reaper's Hold". To the south lies "The Nevermore". You can see scratches on the stone blocks and rubble blocking the stairs- testament to the prisoners' last desperate moments.
A gentle scraping sound like a whetstone against a blade reverberates softly through the room; you would almost miss it if there was a bit more noise. Looking for the source, you're shocked to see the prisoners' bones stirring! Some are rising to hands and knees while others spasm quickly, life just returning to the dusty and forgotten bones. But steadily, all eight begin to rise...
Peering over Trevor's shoulder as he wipes each plate in turn, Luka suddenly jumps to attention. "Skeletons!" he yells, taking a swing at the nearest one before it can get to its feet.
Attack Damage
Initiative
Aldous nimbly dips and grabs a fist sized rock from the rubble. "No one knows how to stay dead around here..."
Initiative:
Arasmes tries to strike the nearest skeleton.
Attack:
Damage:
Trevor jumps as Luka yells in his ear: "WHO-AT!?" Still, as the skeletons rise slowly, he lets his javelin drop and brings a second hand to his axe's haft. He steps forward and lets the weight of the blade do most of the talking.
Skeleton initiative:
Initiative- Surprise Round
Luka 21- attack and miss
Aldous 17- picks up rock
8 Skeletons 12- rise! rise!
Arasmes 8- attack and miss
Trevor 5- TREVOR SMASH!
Luka draws his blade and swings, but his attack is too rushed and he simply tears a scrap from the skeleton's prison uniform. While Aldous gathers his own ammunition, Arasmes swings his spear wildly on reflex.
Stepping over the rising corpse, Trevor brings down his axe with all of his strength and pulverizes the skeleton into bonemeal. The remaining seven rise, turning their blackened, sooty eye sockets on the adventurers.
Trevor watches with horror as they quickly get surrounded....
Trevor watches with horror as they quickly get surrounded....
Arasmes will continue to futilely poke at the skeletons, maneuvering to provide flanking for one of our more effective fighters if possible.
Attack:
Damage:
Aldous hurls his rock in a panic and watches in dismay as it sails between two rising skeletons missing them entirely.
With his right hand, Luka swings his sword in a wide flat arc while uttering an arcane phrase and pointing his left toward the skeleton nearest Aldous.
Concentration
Long sword Damage
Disrupt Undead (ranged touch attack) Damage
Confirm crit (longsword) Damage
Initiative- Round 1
Luka 21- spell combat
Aldous 17- throws rock, misses
6 Skeletons 12- attack of the living dead
Arasmes 8- attack and miss
Trevor 5-
Luka's sword sheers through his attacker's spinal chord, dropping it to the floor in a shattered pile. As two more press in on Aldous, the diviner panics and sends his rock sailing past them. The undead mass around you, raking with bony hands.
Skeleton 1 vs. Aldous:
Skeleton 2 vs. Aldous:
Skeleton 3 vs. Luka:
Skeleton 4 vs. Arasmes:
Skeleton 5 vs. Trevor:
Skeleton 6 vs. Trevor:
After dispatching the first cadaver so easily, Trevor is caught off-guard from a faster opponent on his right side. The bony claw draws blood from the young paladin, but blocks the other attacker's swing with the haft of his axe. Aldous doesn't fare quite as well as his two attackers each get a swipe on him. Arasmes swings his spear futilely against one of Luka's attackers, ignoring his own assailant.
Trevor shies back at the attacks as it tears through his skin. With a thought, he invokes the Lady's blessing on him while he lifts his axe and sends it crashing against the offending skeleton.
The skeleton Trevor has cornered between himself and Aldous dodges his clumsy swing with ease. Each walking corpse begins to smolder, wisps of smoke rising from the bones and decrepit uniforms....
"Get out of here, Aldous," Luka yells while again swinging his sword at another skeleton.
Long sword Damage
Aldous cries out when he claws slash him and reaches for his dagger. He holds it in front of him like he expects it to ward off the walking dead, but all of his considerable attention is focused on staying away from those claws.
The smoke coming off the skeletons is growing more intense; you can even see glowing embers start to flare up in their sockets.
Skeleton 1 vs. Luka:
Skeleton 2 vs. Luka:
Skeleton 3 vs. Arasmes:
Skeleton 4 vs. Trevor:
Skeleton 5 vs. Trevor:
Skeleton 6 vs. Aldous:
Trevor finds himself raked once more by the skeleton's claws, while a particularly aggressive corpse leaps on Aldous and batters aside his dagger to slash wildly at the half-elf.
"Um . . ., " Arasmes begins "these fellows are about to burst into flame. Is that our cue to flee?" Arasmes continues prodding at a skeleton.
Attack:
Damage"
Trevor pushes on, driven by pain and fear: "But flee WHERE?"
"Dammit," Luka mutters as Aldous is brutally attacked. Still swinging his sword, he again speaks an arcane phrase and points his free hand at one of the skeletons attacking the wizard, the air rippling as a beam shoots toward his target.
Spell Combat / Concentration
Long sword Damage
Disrupt Undead (ranged touch attack) Damage
Blood flows free staining his loose white shirt now shredded across chest and sleeves. Aldous is in trouble, and he knows it, but there is no way he could climb that rope before one of the skeletons would just yank him down. Instead he keeps his guard up, waiting for Luka and Trevor to pulverize the remaining skeletons.
Arasmes' spear slides through his opponent's ribcage without causing harm to the undead abomination while Trevor's axe misses his own enemy by barely more then a hair.
Round 3
While the skeleton dodges Luka's sword easily, the ray of energy from his other hand disintegrates the undead.
Skeleton 1 vs. Luka:
Skeleton 2 vs. Luka:
Skeleton 3 vs. Arasmes:
Skeleton 4 vs. Trevor:
Skeleton 5 vs. Trevor:
The undead continue their frenzied assault, landing telling blows to Luka, Trevor and Arasmes after Aldous' opponents are dispatched. Their smoldering reaches greater intensity and you all feel a wave of intense heat as each skeleton ignites with a fwoosh!
"What devilry is this?! These are no mere skeletons!!!"
He calls for Iomedae's grace as he sends his axe thrashing through the skeletons ranks.
If he can, Arasmes will try to cast cure light wounds on Aldous.
Concentration check(if Necessary)
Cure Light Wounds:
Luka grimaces at his own wounds before attacking with a renewed frenzy, targeting separate skeletons with sword and spell.
But his sword misses again and his spell fizzles.
Aldous stumbles away from the flaming bones nearest him clutching his wounds. His dagger clatters to the floor while he frantically digs through his bag for the vial he tucked away earlier.
Arasmes steps back toward the rear wall with Aldous, an alien and unnatural litany rising from his lips. The diviner feels a sickly shiver as his wounds knit, a flare of pain as if he were being wounded again but in reverse. Trevor sweeps his axe out at the blazing skeleton, breaking it to flaming bits, which scatter throughout the area.
Reflex save for Trevor:
Exploding skeleton damage:
Trevor raises an arm to ward off the flying bones, getting only a minor singe for his trouble.
Round Four
Luka attempts to divide his attention and strike out at two skeletons simultaneously, but the strain is too great and his swing comes up short. Aldous steps back to regroup, downing his curative potion. The flaming undead batter at Luka and Trevor...
DM Screen:
Skeleton 2 vs. Luka:
Skeleton 3 vs. Trevor:
Skeleton 4 vs. Trevor:
Luka is severely battered, blindsided by his opponent. With a rake across his chest, clothing armor and flesh smoldering, he almost falls to the ground but grits his teeth and holds his footing.
Trevor finds that he has similar complications- though he fends off one attacker with the haft of his axe, he lacks the time to deter the other. The young paladin is raked across the back, searing pain burning his flesh.
The onslaught of the skeleton overpowers Trevor for a moment and a vicious claw passes under his armour, piercing him deeply. He falters and quickly crashes with a loud crashing sound.
His sight blurs slowly and the sounds withdraw into a soft mumble. He whispers with a rasping breath: "Rafan..." His eyes close as he passes out on the floor..
Overwhelmed and desperate, Luka again attempts to combine sword & sorcery to take on two of the skeletons.
Again, the spell fizzles due to his being unable to properly concentrate, but his sword strikes true.
Aldous drops the empty vial, looks at his doomed companions and the burning skeletons hoarding in around them and turns to run.
Luka blows apart a flaming skeleton with a ray of positive energy thrust from his palm. While Trevor lay bleeding on the floor, Aldous breaks for the eastern passage and the skeletons mass for another assault.
DM Screen:
Skeleton 2 vs. Arasmes:
Luka dodges a swipe from one assailant, only to provide an opening for another. A burning claw rakes him across the chest, searing his flesh. The magus falls to his knees, pain blanking out his senses as his limp arms drop his blade.
His alien senses struggling to keep his mortal body moving, Arasmes still cannot stay ahead of the burning inmates. A vicious flaming uppercut sears his cheek and sends him reeling while a claw tears a furrow in his arm.
Seeing his party decimated by the flaming skeletons, Arasmes feels a surge of otherness striving to overwhelm his personality, some sort of demonic voice urging him to flee, to leave the fools to their deaths. Instead, he tries to reach Trevor, hoping to draw on his aberrant magic to heal the paladin.
Concentration check:
CLW"
From afar in the shadows, Aldous traces his fingers through the last gestures of a summons and when the chestnut mare appears in the corridor he quickly pulls himself into the saddle. "You'll have to forgive me for this later Laurel." The mage kicks the mare's sides and shouts "Hyah!" as she charges down the corridor.
Trevor's eyes open wide, the positive energy from Arasmes' hands forcing mortal wounds to heal.
Round Four
Luka lies on the ground, his pulse growing fainter...
While out of the darkness you hear the sound of... hooves? Yes, hooves and the neigh of a horse from down the corridor Aldous ran into.
The flaming skeletons return their attention to Arasmes.
Dm Screen:
Skeleton 2:
Skeleton 3:
But through his "passenger's" guidance and his own reflexes, the scholar avoids their clumsy swings.