If it is subject to crit.
Your keen strike skewers the second one that Ragnar wounded, ending its un-life.
They claw at Ragnar Fresh blood!
But he dodges both blows, that seem quite slow in retrospect.
Ragnar hacks down the last two creatures.
***end of combat***
*thought I was carrying the lantern down the stairs so no dagger
At the end of the hall you can see an object blazing with light. By the time the light reaches you (about 200-300') the light is quite faint. As you look past the wreckage of 3 enormous sets of ironbound doors and various strange mirrors, you see the object falsh from time to time as beams of amzaing light shoot out from it in random directions.
Ok so there are 3 ruined doors with piles of rubble and lights/mirrors straight ahead and there are 2 regular doors close by at the bottom of the stairs? Do I have it right?
Move forward towards the ruined doors/rubble.
You have it correct; and there are unexplored dark halls to the E/W as well.
Advancing to the ruined doors and rubble you see that the massive doors were apparently battered down and destroyed, apparently by hand. There are also several mysterious puddles of goo and piles of ash scattered about the area. The mirros are all facing towards the light at the end of the hallway and several of them have scorch marks and blistering from some intense heat.
A little further ahead of the last destroyed door you can see a small opening in the E wall. It appears to be a hand dug tunnel of some sort. There are additional oil stains and ash piles in that area interspersed with scorch marks.
Avoid the puddles of goo and piles of ash. Make our way towards the hand dug tunnel.
The passage is safe and appears to be a hand/claw dug tunnel that runs about 15' parralel to the chamber before stopping. The light from the other room somewhow filters through into this area.
Inspect the end of the tunnel.
If nothing, then go back out and make way towards light at the end of the room.
Finding nothing at the end of the tunnel besides some rotten scraps of flesh and a few finger nails you return to the tunnel and head towards the light.
When you get within 60' the item at the end of the hall (looks like a huge golden eagle head) flares with light and blasts a beam of sun down the side of the hall to your left. Where it strikes the wall it leaves a scorch mark.
"Ragnar, I think this is one half of the Aohl, the good half if I'm not mistaken. I am going to make a run for it, you may want to take cover, if the surrounding area is any indication this thing may not be through with those scorching sunbeams!"
Going to run towards the golden eagle head, ready to dodge out of the way of any beams if possible.
You won't have to tell me twice!
~hunkers down back behind a large mirror~
You sprint in towards the gold eagle head-thing.
Another sunbeam fires out blasting the wall to your right.
You get within 30' when a globe of searing radiance explodes silently from the object.
DC 22 Reflex save or you are blinded and take of radiation damage. Save negates blindness and you take 1/2 damage.
with evasion should be no damage
You somehow at the last second make a running roll and throw yourself flat on the ground as the blast of energy passes harmlessly over you. Continuing to roll, you pop up and race up the stairs into a circular chamber:
"Broad stairs lead up to a circular chamber in which several
treasures rest on sculpted podiums and stone shelves. None
of the various treasures impress as much as the brilliant golden relic on the central dais—appearing similar to an eagle’s head,
the relic illuminates the room with a powerful glow of daylight."
As your hand touches the relic it stops its pulsing and shrinks down to a 3" figurine, still emmting daylight. It feels warm to the touch and somehow you know that it is an artifact of Easivra and that it can:
At Will—detect
undead, disrupt
undead, daze monster
(DC 13)
3/day—blindness (DC 13),
daylight, searing light
1/day—sunbeam (DC 20),
sunburst (DC 22)
Do I know anything about Easivra? Call Ragnar forward. What are the other treasures?
You nothing about any power by that name.
You ALSO find:
“Whisperslash—the dueling sword of Baron Agustine
II, the Cold Veteran of Oppara” (This exquisite blade is
a +1 defending mithral rapier.)
• “Hand of the Pharaoh of Nagas, Osirion” (This is a wellpreserved,
five-fingered, long-nailed mummy’s hand—
it functions as a luckstone.)
• “Chess set gifted from Taldor to Cheliax in 4315 ar”
(This exquisite chess set is worth 3,500 gp.)
Gather up the items for later identification and head towards the two doors, will take the one on the left as we approach. Look for traps, then listen, then open.
"Three large stone sarcophagi stand on the floor of this
mausoleum. The carvings on the coffin lids are crude, vaguely
depicting faceless humanoids with arms crossed over their
chests. Wooden lockers hang on the south wall, behind the
stone coffins. A tangle of bones lies scattered throughout the
room, while a small stack of ribs and femurs that bear intricate
scrimshaws sit on the lid of the central sarcophagus."
From the shadows comes the click and snap of a crossbow hurtling two bolts at Ragnar!
Both glancing off of his breastplate.
Scanning the shadows you see the form that fired them: A pale man with
alien patterns of alternating light and dark twined lines
marking his form.
Assassin!
Move action to melee
Standard action to attack
move and attack
The man-thing gets hammered by Ragnar but dodges aside from you blow.
It drops the massive crossbow and hammers its fists at
Caldir.
You return the favor and dance aside the hammering blow.
34 damage, almost as good as Ragnar!
Your blades rend you foe, dropping him to the ground. As his form begins to fall it becomes all smokey and the smoke flows quickly into one of the three coffins.
***end of combat***
Look around the area, any other creatures hiding in the shadows or anything. What do I know or suspect about this creature and the smoke flowing into the coffin?
You don't find anything else 'lurking' in the dark and realize that you just defeated your first vampire and the creatures earlier were vampire spawn. You know that you haven't killed it and it is probably healing right now in the coffin. You seem to remember something about daylight killing these creatures...permanently.
Use the relic to cast "daylight", then move towards the coffin with the smoke flowing into it holding the relic up high.
"Ragnar, can you remove the coffin lids, starting with the one the smoke is going into, I think the daylight will kill the thing permanently."
Read the last part.
You touch an object when you cast this spell, causing the object to shed bright light in a 60-foot radius. This illumination increases the light level for an additional 60 feet by one step (darkness becomes dim light, dim light becomes normal light, and normal light becomes bright light). Creatures that take penalties in bright light take them while within the 60-foot radius of this magical light. Despite its name, this spell is not the equivalent of daylight for the purposes of creatures that are damaged or destroyed by such light.
Read the last part.
You touch an object when you cast this spell, causing the object to shed bright light in a 60-foot radius. This illumination increases the light level for an additional 60 feet by one step (darkness becomes dim light, dim light becomes normal light, and normal light becomes bright light). Creatures that take penalties in bright light take them while within the 60-foot radius of this magical light. Despite its name, this spell is not the equivalent of daylight for the purposes of creatures that are damaged or destroyed by such light.
I vote for renaming the spell.
Yeah, I had to double check as well. Maybe pseudo-daylight?
How about searing light or sunbeam?
Yeah, I had to double check as well. Maybe pseudo-daylight?
How about searing light or sunbeam?
Guess I will try searing light on coffin #1, the one the smoke is flowing into. "Ready when you are Ragnar."
Ragnar grunts with effort as he slowly moves the lid, GORUM! These things must be frightfully strong.
He gets it open and you see the creature's body slowly coalescing from its smoky form into its original state. The eyes of the head open and look straight at you and you hear in your mind NO. Do not hurt your master!
But you resist! And blast it for with a ray of pure light turning it into ash.
"The damn thing was in my head for a few seconds, it tried to control my mind, if we open another one, I might not be able to resist it. Maybe we should leave the other coffins unopened or at least drink a protection from evil potion first, what do you think Ragnar?"
Was there anything else in the coffin?
I'm all for not being possesed! Having my own thoughts in my mind is more than enough.
The coffin has some strange dirt in it and +1 repeating heavy crossbow with 20 bolts, golembane scarab.
Is the dirt, the ash of the burned vampire or something different? Grab the crossbow and scarab for further investigation later.
"OK, Ragnar let's open these other coffins and see if they are occupied. But we drink these potions first, on three, 1, 2, 3."
Hand him a pro from evil potion (lasts 10 rounds), I drink mine on 3, and ready the relic to cast searing light again.
Is the dirt, the ash of the burned vampire or something different? Grab the crossbow and scarab for further investigation later.
"OK, Ragnar let's open these other coffins and see if they are occupied. But we drink these potions first, on three, 1, 2, 3."
Hand him a pro from evil potion (lasts 10 rounds), I drink mine on 3, and ready the relic to cast searing light again.
The dirt is just that-really strange, smelly dirt. The ash from the destroyed creature lies on top of the dirt.
Ragnar drinks the potion and slowly lifts the lid revealing...more dirt.
"Let's try coffin #3 Ragnar."
If that is just more dirt is it possible for us to dump the coffins if we wanted? Definitely leave the lids off.
I try to remember if I have heard of anything like this before.
Sigh
The last lid reveals more dirt. You remember growing up in your village that you heard something about vampires and dirt, but nothing specific.
Ragnar dumps the contents of the coffins. Screw the dirt. That eagle of yours seemed to do the job. Use that!
"You got it Ragnar!"
Blast all the dirt with Searing Light!
The cleansing light blasts over the blighted soils and removes the stench and feeling of decay. All is quiet...
If we have not yet explored the wooden lockers on the wall, check them out.
The lockers are now empty, but look like they once may have held relics and trophies long ago.
"Looks like we cleaned out this room, let's try the other door."
Any other exits from this room? If not go back out to the main room and try the door to the right.
You spot a pale faced man standing in the shadows of the light given off from the eagle headed artifact. His voice rasps out in a venomous hiss, Ahhh...you have it. Good. Saves me the trouble. Now, slave, follow me
TWO minds attempt to dominate you!
Make 2 DC 17 Will saves please as Ragnar rushes to hack the man down.
Oh no you don't!
His first blow lands for
"I am no slave!" Attack same bad guy as Ragnar.
Surprise strike
[dice=will]1d20+6
[dice=will]1d20+6"I am no slave!" Attack same bad guy as Ragnar.
[dice=rapier]1d20+17
[dice=dam]1d6+11Surprise strike
[dice=rapier]1d20+19
[dice=dam]3d6+11
You can make an off hand attack as the relic gives off plenty of light.