The Lamuran continues to swing his staff to little effect and panic begins to eat away at the edges of his mind. If these northmen cannot defeat this abomination, what hope have I? He anxiously looks between the two Tharagians. How does one defeat blood? Thicken it, thin it, or dry it out - but how?
"Have we oil and fire?" he calls out to the two warriors, managing to keep any tremor out of his voice.
Bjoern shrugs and attacks again, seeing that two of his comrades aid him.
Bjoern shrugs and attacks again, seeing that two of his comrades aid him.
The door leads to a large room about 30 feet square.
On the far left of the room you see what looks like a very old desk and table and chair.
There is a chest on the floor, but it has obviously been broken into.
On the right side of the room you see a wardrobe; the bolts have been sundered and the doors are open, one of them hanging drunkenly on iron hinges. It looks as if it was shattered with an edged weapon as the splinters are sharp and jagged.
From the doorway you see nothing in the wardrobe.
You also a large bed, or what must have been a bed at some point – there are threadbare linen sheets that have yellowed with age and at one point may have been valuable, but do not seem so much now.
On the back wall you see a large set of shelves; one on either side of the room. – you suspect that at one point they might have held something unique and or important on them; but at this time they look empty.
One set of shelves has been dragged forward as if someone tried to move or carry it, the other is still flush against the wall.
Between the two sets of shelves you see a door that is roughly 10 Feet Wide. The door seems like it is metal, but you are not sure from your position. There are runes on it, but you cannot make them out well from here.
Make a Perception Check at this time – adding in your bonus for Stone Cutting, please…
The blood golem seems now intent on Bjeorn and attacks him again.
Hedran stabs again.
Caslav desperately curses aloud as he flails harmlessly at the golem with his staff. This creature is beyond even the Tharagians' strength. If we stay here it will kill us all. His mind conjures images of the creature oozing over their paralyzed bodies, slowly digesting them over the course of days while they still live, absorbing their consciousness into it's horrible essence...
"The golem will slay us all! If we retreat we may stand a chance - it may be tasked to protect only this chamber!" He looks to Bjoern and Hedran for agreement. "At worst it will allow us to re-group with the women and Samir."
"I could use some healing!"
[Dice=Attack]1d20+8; 1d10+12
"I could use some healing!"
Round 7
Between the two sets of shelves you see a door that is roughly 10 Feet Wide. The door seems like it is metal, but you are not sure from your position. There are runes on it, but you cannot make them out well from here.
Tairin, with a weapon in each hand, uses her stealth to creep forward for a closer look, casting her gaze about the raided chamber for any sign of hidden threat (whether creature or trap) as she moves. She carefully moves 15 feet into the chamber and then stops, in a defensive stance, to look closely at the door (I believe it's currently 15 ft away now?) The light orbs have moved with her, casting their faintly glowing light afore and behind her.
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Hedran stabs again.
The dagger scores a strange mark in the flesh of the golem before the blood seeps over it.
The creature's reaction is surprisingly pained, and you suspect the damage you did to be far more potent than what Bjeorn seems to have done, despite his mighty efforts...
"The golem will slay us all! If we retreat we may stand a chance - it may be tasked to protect only this chamber!" He looks to Bjoern and Hedran for agreement. "At worst it will allow us to re-group with the women and Samir."
Your voice echoes weirdly in the chamber, the sound seeming to bounce brokenly down the two adjacent tunnels stretching into darkness...
"I could use some healing!"
Bjeorn's weapon seems to score hard damage against the creature and now it seems torn between possible targets.
Tairin, with a weapon in each hand, uses her stealth to creep forward for a closer look, casting her gaze about the raided chamber for any sign of hidden threat (whether creature or trap) as she moves. She carefully moves 15 feet into the chamber and then stops, in a defensive stance, to look closely at the door (I believe it's currently 15 ft away now?) The light orbs have moved with her, casting their faintly glowing light afore and behind her.
1. You detect no traps. It seems likely that if there WERE traps they would have been set off or dismantled by others as the room looks heavily picked over.
2. The door is well-made and well-founded; you do not think it could be opened without either sorcery or some potent key. HOWEVER - via your stone cutting thing, you feel a slight draft blowing in your face coming from somewhere in front of you.
3. The runes look similar to the ones on the dagger in terms of the scrawl - they also remind you vaguely of the runes on the scrolls you left with Mei-Mei, but you cannot read them at this time.
Samir stands by the doorway his weapon out.
"I do not know if that creature will follow us into this chamber - but at the least we can bar the door from this side if we need to," he adds, holding the door ready in case it needs to be shut quickly.
The Blood Golem does another attack on Bjeorn -
The Blood Golem turns to stare at the rest of party; the wounds on Bjeorn seeming to cause it to pulse with life.
Samir can see what happened from the door.
"Your north man has fallen - what do you want me to do?" he calls to Tairin as a .
Hedran attacks again.
Hedran attacks again.
The blood golem is wounded again by Hedran, but now he seems to be focusing his entire attention on Hedran.
"Your north man lays bleeding on the ground - the demon or devil or whatever god's forsaken thing yonder regained much of its strength he sent your man to the ground..." he adds as part of his Free Action.
At this point Samir will use a Double Move to try to reach Bjeorn's body and then attempt to drag him to safety, if possible.
Round 8
"Your north man has fallen - what do you want me to do?" he calls to Tairin.
"Pull him to safety. Don't get yourselves killed," she instructed over her shoulder.
The door is well-made and well-founded; you do not think it could be opened without either sorcery or some potent key. HOWEVER - via your stone cutting thing, you feel a slight draft blowing in your face coming from somewhere in front of you.
Least the tomb raiders seemed to have disabled any hidden traps in this chamber. The gentle air stirred against her cheek.
Carefully, Tairin took another a five foot step forward, in the direction of the draft (taking her 10 ft from door), and cast her eyes about; firstly looking for a key on the floor (and by the bookshelves) and then cautiously/mindfully casting a spell to locate a passage/hidden feature in the stone wall/door or someplace else where the air was coming from. Quietly she commanded, "Shael!" and examined the area before her. Her light orbs bobbed, giving off their faint light for Tairin to see with.
======================
===========================
"Boys, retreat already. I can heal Bjeorn if someone brings him over here. I can also try and entangle the golem with a spell if somebody unties my hands." Red's voice shows anger, worry and frustration. Not at all usual for her.
His nerve at it's breaking point but unwilling to abandon the two northmen, Caslav shifts position to be opposite Hedran and threads his staff between the creature's legs in an attempt to unbalance it and provide Hedran with an opening.
Your Perception allows you to note that the air comes from the side of the room that the shelves which were pushed forward.
Moving closer you're able to see when you look behind the shelves that there is a place in the wall close to the ground which has bricks that have been destroyed.
The space is roughly 1 meter wide and maybe half a meter in height. You should be able to crawl through it with some ease, if you want.
You'd wager that this hole leads to the next room; the room with the heavy door which is locked and barring it. You think that if you crawled through the hole you'd be in the next chamber.
Of course you can't crawl through this round, but you'd be able to next round if you'd like to - it's completely up to you. Right now you're simply standing by the moved shelves and noticing the hole...
"Boys, retreat already. I can heal Bjeorn if someone brings him over here. I can also try and entangle the golem with a spell if somebody unties my hands." Red's voice shows anger, worry and frustration. Not at all usual for her.
Samir calls to Red.
"They do not want to listen - I do not think they will last much longer," he says with equal concern and frustration at the actions of the others.
Red, swearing again to herself, moves as quickly as she can to aid her comrades, saying "I don't think they will either. Men! Samir, cut these bonds and I will help you move the huge barbarian."
Realizing that Hedran is now the largest threat, the Blood Golem turns and attacks him...
"Northman, I think - I think we should fall back. To cover the rescue of your countryman." The young Lamuran's voice is shaky, his fear now obvious. "It's - it's not cowardice..."
"Exactly Caslav. We need to retreat in good order. Now." says Red in emphatic tones. She then touches Hedran with both of her tied hands, uttering "Sláinte!"as she employs the healing hex. Then Red takes her own advice and scurries off after Samir and the fallen Bjeorn.
"Very well" - Hedran nods at Caslav - "You go and I follow"
Caslav nods eagerly, a look of relief flashing across his face. He cautiously backs away from the golem before hurrying around it and Hedran to join Samir, Red, and the unconscious Bjoern. He keeps his staff in both hands, ready to menace their enemy if it pursues.
Round 9
Tairin directed one of the dancing light orbs closer to the hole in the wall/crawl space to take a better look. She also listened to determine if any sounds carried though the hole from the chamber beyond. I should not crawl through without the others. Why is it taking them so long to withdraw and come here? Tairin mused silently, more than slightly annoyed.
Looking back and noting that none of her companions had yet made it to the chamber from the altar room, Tairin quietly began to cast, and pointed to the doorway behind her, sending the whispered message to Red.
//"I've discovered a hole in the wall which leads to the locked chamber beyond. There is enough room to crawl through. Come now, all of you, so we may get far away from the golem."//
===============
Seeing his companions move away from the blood-sucking golem, Hedran withdrew quickly, following his companions as they made their way back to the rear door.
Perhaps it can sense some dark presence on Hedran calling to it; perhaps it is motivated by some primal need for vengeance for the blows that the warrior inflicted upon him earlier - yet whatever the case, the foul creature follows the party and attempts to attack Hedran -
Samir does what he can to drag Bjeorn as close to the room as he can this round...
"Hurry - we may be able to use the narrow doorway to our advantage if it pursues us..." he calls with a desperate voice.
Round 10
Tairin looked down at the crawl space and back over her shoulder to the door she had entered. She could make out a figure in the doorway and so pointing her finger back toward the door and out to Red, she sent another whispered message via their magical link.
//"At the back of this chamber, where the bookshelf has been moved from the wall, that is where you will find the hole in the wall. Hurry now! Tell them to come!"//
Tairin crouched down and using the light from her magical orb, looked through the crudely made hole to ensure there was no immediate threat on the other side. She held her posture in a defensive position in case something tried to attack her. I am alone in here, afterall. I must be prepared for anything.
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"Hurry, through there."says Red, pointing towards the door through which Samir is trying to drag Bjeorn. Seeing Caslav is injured, Red then touches him uttering the word of power "Sláinte!"as she uses the healing hex on him. Finally, Red takes her own advice and moves off toward the indicated safety as quickly as she can.
It's faster than I feared! Caslav continues to retreat, not daring to risk engaging the creature once more. He looks worriedly at the remaining northman, unsure how far he's willing to go to aid his new allies. I do not know these folk, but they could have easily robbed me and left me to die in the rubble or used me as bait against this creature.
Of course, they might still do if they realize exactly what it is they've rescued...
Bjoern is dragged across the floor.
"Red, pick up by bow before you run for the door," Hedran instructed, hoping the witch healer would grant him this small favour.
Then seeing his companions move away, toward safety, with one eye on the golem, Hedran withdrew quickly to D:15.
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The blood golem takes a double move to get to Hedran; it cannot attack at this time, instead, it merely stands before him, blood oozing off it like sweat from an eager warrior ready to slay his enemy...
(Part of Tairin's Round 10 actions)
Through the message spell active between herself and Red, she continued to instruct, //"The door leading to this chamber can be closed. If you all hold it shut, from the inside, then the golem may not be able to get in."//
"Tairin is telling me we should get through the door then hold it shut to keep the golem out. A fine plan. "Sláinte!" says Red, finishing with the arcane command as she rather awkwardly reaches down and touches Bjeorn, healing him. She then goes through the door.
Samir looks at them.
Given that Bjeorn is up and alive he moves into the room with Tairin.
He waits on the inside of the door, ready to push it.
Round 11
Tairin's four light orbs vanished the moment she heard movement by the doorway. She quickly began to cast; her voice quiet in the darkness, and her hand gestured in the air. "Nawwar" and four small orbs reappeared; their faintly glowing light filling the space around her.
With weapons in hand, she addressed the people by the door,
"Hurry!", she commanded aloud (but not loud in volume) so all could hear her and not just Red through their message link.
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Bjoern after weaking up looks around for his weapon, stands up and draws another weapon, this time a gladius. He then moves along Tarin.
Hedran moves inside, and waits for Samir to close the door.
Seeing Bjoern pulling himself up from the floor, Caslav turns and hurries to the door behind the altar, glancing back once in the doorway...
...and continuing through into the chamber beyond, putting as much distance between himself and the door as possible.
...and sees the mighty Tharagian laid low by the golem again. Before he has time to think, the Lamuran stops and turns in the doorway, his back to the next chamber, and spits at the blood monster.
Bjoern after weaking up looks around for his weapon, stands up and draws another weapon, this time a gladius. He then moves along Tarin.
The blood golem attacks Bjoern via an AoO...
Samir sees the last of you rush in and slams the door harshly as Caslav hurries in.
"Give me a hand with this thing by the gods," he calls out and slams his shoulder against the door.
There is a heavy thud on the door, and another, and you can see some blood seeping under the doorway, but so far the door has held.
What do you do now?
Round 12? Not sure if we're still in combat. I'm guessing it's momentarily paused?
Tairin, seeing all her companions enter and then close the door heavily, sent three of her lights toward the entrance of the chamber. When attention was drawn to the blood seeping under the door, she warned, "Let us block the space beneath the door lest it seep through and then reform inside here." In truth, she did not know much about blood golems, but Tairin had seen the thing slop out of the bowl and form into a being. She knew it could do that, at least.
She sheathed her weapons and then moved purposefully toward the large bed; one of her light orbs lighting her way, grateful for the veil/scarf over her nose and mouth. Tairin first checked and then carefully lifted the old, dusty, yellowed linens, pulling them off the bed. Dragging them to the door, she crouched by the others, who were holding the door against the golem, and stuffed as much of what was left of the linens under/against the door, sopping up any of the blood.
"The few books left on the shelves, Red bring them and we can push them beneath the door as well. We can use the old table, desk and chair to reinforce the door. The book shelves look too heavy to move."
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Red holds up her bound hands, which are holding up Hedran's bow by being thrust between the bow and it's string, and then slowly moves the bow towards Hedran so he can take it. Red scowls, pauses and then replies "I would but I am kind of tied up at the moment."