Beorae is able to prevent the large cat from bolting, but he refuses to attack the skeleton nearest to Nme'an.
The druidess hurls the first vial at the big hulk
The massive brute slowly raises a runic arm in defense of the incoming warhammer, but the stroke is fast and empowered with divine energy. The hammerhead drives hard into the ogre’s torso, and a groan escapes puffy dead lips. A splash of liquid fire washes over the giant and those around him, but the hulk does not flinch.
Themp’s arrow flies through the chaos! The arrowhead glances harmlessly off bone, but with a fletching-sized hole now torn through the scroll, the half-finished incantation dissipates in the hands of the cloaked skeleton. The ruined scroll drops to the floor.
The two nearest skeletal mages reach out with glowing blue hands to touch the paladin!
The Dawnflower Knight feels the coldness of death seep into his body from the bony hands. The magical glow in their fingers fade, and one of them steps back. Nme’an notices a lapse in defense!
One of the skeletons behind the table walks around it, weaving a spell and directing it beyond the doorway. A thick layer of grease seems to materialize underfoot, forming a slick pool around Beorae, Themp, and Shark!
The other remains at the table, turning its attention to the open books and notes that cover the surface. Bone fingers form a spell and cause the ink to disappear from some of the pages. The skeleton whose scroll was ruined by Themp makes a gesture and an utterance, and a small sphere of semi-transparent energy slings out at the archer! Weaving around the other combatants, the missile collides squarely into his chest!
The last skeletal student to act points at the intricately etched metal doors at the top of the stair, and a moment later they fly open without being touched. The undead ogre lunges at Nme’an with two fists!
The stalwart knight is able to block one swing, but not the other.
He slowly ascends the steps with a lordly tone.
“So be it. It is said that the hero is only as good as the villain. Let it be known that you are not the heroes this time; merely the first of many to die and join my servitude.”
With a motion of his bone hand and arcane words from his teeth, Ithalgol’s free hand has ghostly wisps trailing from the fingertips.
Nme'an steels himself against the cold...
...but one of the touches hurts a good deal more than the other.
Still, he spots a chance to strike back at the skeleton who did the greater harm, and...
for
...lands a light hit against it as it withdraws.
As before, an unfamiliar spell catches Nme'an's eye...
...and as before, he is unable to make sense of it.
Wincing from the cold and the hit he took, Nme'an calls upon divine healing to help him stay in the fight:
Not seeing a lot of options to move forward, Nme'an again takes a swing at the biggest target in the room...
for
...which his divine fury again sees him strike true against.
The druidess keeps her footing as the oil appears. In his frightened state, Shark is surprised, but just manages to stay on his feet as well.
Beorae watches Ilthalgol, trying to determine what spell he might be casting.
---
Beorae once again directs Shark to attack the skeleton nearest to Nme’an, and then hurls the second vial into the fray, attempting to hit the skeleton that is handling the parchments and books.
Shark grudgingly moves up to the skeleton, but half-heartedly snaps at the terrifying creature in front of him without actually trying to damage it.
Themp winces at the blow, but it is not enough to slide him off his feet in the slick puddle of oil.
Taking a moment to steady his feet, Themp lets loose another arrow, this time at the hulking mass of muscles.
It was right at the edge of her knowledge, but the druid is able to piece together the spell cast by Ithalgol. The necromancy magic is shaped to form a Spectral Hand, at a small cost of health from the caster. This spectral hand can float away from the spellcaster and act as an extension of themselves, allowing them to touch opponents from a safe distance. The hand itself is harmless, but can be used as a conduit to deliver harmful spells that would normally require physical contact with an enemy. The hand also appears ghostly and insubstantial, making it impossible for nonmagical weapons to destroy, and its tiny size and impressive speed make it even more difficult to strike.
The Knight Lieutenant clobbers the tower of muscle with the warhammer, as flames lick at the ogre’s shoulders and back. Wobbling from the blow, the big undead zombie groans and keeps its footing. An arrow sticks into one of its forearms, but it does not seem to even notice. Nme’an’s outstretched swing hits the retreating skeleton, and a couple dry ribs clatter onto the floor from under the black robe as the skeleton moves away. Beorae launches another flask of liquid fire, and it bursts over one of the skeletal mages crowded together. Cloaks and bones sizzle, and some of the liquid burns the ogre as well. Notes and books on the center table catch fire and start to blaze.
The skeleton on fire manages to smother the flames!
The cloaked skeleton nearest Nme’an extends a hand to touch, but the half-elf is able to dodge out of reach.
The one struck by Nme’an in retreat raises a finger at the knight, and a thin coating of frost gathers around the fingertip before a thin blue-white ray shoots at him.
One of the skeletons weaves another spell, creating a brief silvery shimmer over the hands and skull. The skeleton at the rear , closest to Ithalgol, picks up a scroll from the table and begins to chant. The other skeleton turns to look at the fires spreading on the table, and moves away to a different table, casting another spell over parchment covered in arcane notes. Some of the ink evaporates away.
Lastly, the ogre reaches out to grab the paladin!
It is a clumsy attempt. Nme’an is able to stay out of the giant’s grip.
“...and yet you fight on. Very well, perhaps you do not understand who you are dealing with…”
Extending a bony palm, a ghostly copy of his hand floats further out, leaving a wispy trail as it flies toward the other corner of the room. Silent, it approaches the foremost intruder, Nme’an.
With sudden quickness it darts forward to touch him!
Nme'an once again feels the grim touch of death. But this time, it is not a chill that threatens his strength. The call from the grave tries to stiffen his joints, as though rigor mortis is about to set in!
Nme'an dodges under the Ogre's arm, spins, and delivers a powerful counterattack.
for
The dark sorcerer's touch nearly freezes Nme'an, but a combination of faith and strength see the Knight through. A quick touch of his hand sees some of his frozen flesh restored.
Seeing too many enemies to handle on his own, Nme'an backs out of the room then casts one of his last few spells on the druidess' tiger. "I need some help in there, tiger... Shark...." he says as he grants the animal protection From evil.
Beorae tries to shift her weight and slips on the oil slick! Cursing, she concentrates on her footing and stands up again, wiping her oil-covered hands on her trousers.
Nme’an’s spell has an immediate effect and the tiger lets out a chuff and then a roar, lashing out at the skeleton nearest to him.
Themp sees the skeleton in the far back readying another spell.
"Let's see if these books were any good" he mutters to himself, extending his palm towards the chanting undead.
The druidess did not see any arcane movements or hear magical words right before the spectral hand attack, which inclines her to suspect that Ithalgol's attack was probably an effect his touch has on the living, rather than a spell. Given that, and Ithalgol's focus on deathly power, she has reason to believe that this type of harm is the antithesis of healing power: negative energy, the root of death and unlife. The spell she has in mind does not protect against negative energy, but the natural elements such as cold or fire.
There is one spell she can think of to counter this danger, but it is beyond the reach of her abilities: Death Ward. But this knowledge is NOT helpful to the situation.
The druidess holds her hand out to Nme’an and channels healing energy into the paladin.
She says quietly to him, ”I’m going to try to summon some help, but it’s going to take a moment…”
The last strike of the paladin bashes the temple of the undead giant, and the brute collapses into a motionless heap on the floor. Shark's claws find purchase on the skeleton, which still manages to stab at Nme'an as he makes a retreat.
Nme'an feels a harmless scrape of steel on steel against his armored back.
A momentary beam of positive energy lances out from Themp's hand, touching the skeleton chanting from a scroll. Part of the skull puffs into ash, and the incantation on the parchment fades to nothing.
The skeletal mage entangled with the tiger steps back, and conjures a spinning transparent sphere in its hand that fires at Shark!
He tries to bat it away but the ball swerves around and hits the tiger.
The skeleton whose spell was distrupted by Themp turns and issues a phrase in a strange, harsh language, and two other skeletons begin moving to a corner out of sight to Beorae, Nme'an, and Themp. They hear the sound of a door opening. Another skeleton raises a finger at Beorae, the fingertip whitening with frost before a beam of pure cold shoots out toward her!
The druid raises her shield to block just in time, but then feels the chill pass through the wood and sting her hand.
Another skeleton steps forward, striding across the room with an outstretched hand . After an incantation and gesture, electricity arcs and crackles between bone fingers as it swipes to make contact with Shark!
The electric energy zaps the big grey cat, though his hunter instinct sees an opening as the skeleton completes the harmful spell.
The ghostly hand returns to the master wizard, and floats in orbit to his person.
"You are strong, tiger. But I am beyond strength..." Ithalgol lowers the top of his black staff, aiming it at the tiger. A sparkling ray of black energy flashes out toward the ferocious beast!
The dark beam visibly shrinks and withers the brawn of the tiger.
"Students, I leave this to you. Inform me when they are subdued, and we will begin the ritual." He turns and ascends the stairs, through the metal doors. The great metal slabs close behind him with a boom. A large rune suddenly flickers over the seam between the doors and disappears.
Though he is concerned for the druidess' companion, Nme'an leaves the tiger in her care and gets back to doing what he does best: Vanquishing evil. He steps back into the room and swings his Warhammer at the skeleton nearest Shark.
for
He also further heals his wounds.
The tiger roars at the strange force taking over his body and making him weak.
---
Beorae keeps her feet and tries to determine what Ithalgol did to Shark. She takes a 5-foot step out of the oil slick and out of sight of the skeletons before beginning her summoning chant.
Impressed by the casualness of the damage cause by his newly-learnt spell, Themp nevertheless feels the toll it takes on his body.
Better save this for better shots.
In a quick back-step, he hops off the slicky puddle and shoots off an arrow into the fray.
Beorae could see Shark's form weaken, so she can guess that Ithalgol's spell hampered her companion in some way. However she did not recognize the spell, and is unsure of the specifics.
Nme'an's hammer, and Shark's teeth and claws crunch and tear at the foremost skeletal mage. Fragments of bones fall to the ground, but the enemy still stands. Themp's arrow bounces off the skeleton, not quite hitting hard enough to leave lasting damage. Stepping back, the skeleton raises a frosting finger at the tiger and a cold ray shoots out!
However, the spell casting was still within reach of the knight, who sees a lapse in the skeleton's defense. Shark ducks and avoids the harmful magic.
The other skeleton near Nme'an slashes out with the runic knife.
The blade glances off the paladin's shield, and the skeleton also steps back. Behind it, flames from Beorae's alchemist fire spread and consume one end of the desk, reducing parchment to ash and charring the wood.
The other two skeletons still in the room point at the knight. Two rays of cold energy flash towards him!
Nme'an is able to dodge one shot, and interposes his shield for the next, but he can feel the chill pass to his shield hand.
The door behind Themp and Beorae gets thrown open! A cloaked skeleton emerges from the dark, and the two can see more movement behind it. Stepping forward with an upraised hand, a spray of fire covers the table and the two adventurers.
The blaze threatens to disrupt Beorae's concentration on her summoning spell. As the fire passes, small flames linger on the surface of the blackened desk.
From the darkness in the next room, a line of cold energy shoots at Themp!
Lastly, a skeleton steps out of the dark with a dagger in hand, sharp steel etched in runes. It advances on Themp!
Beorae is able to complete her spell, and as the final words leave her lips, Small Earth Elementals pop into existence between her and Themp with a grinding roar! They immediately rush into the fray, two following Nme'an into the main room, and one turning to the newcomers.
The first elemental attacks the skeleton nearest to Nme'an.
The second elemental rumbles up to the skeleton nearest to the burning table and swings its heavy stone arm at the foe.
"Themp, those arrows aren't doing anything to these guys... We need to hit them with something... bigger." With the words hardly out of her mouth, the third elemental roars fiercely at the closest skeleton and slams its fist into the enemy's skull.
Beorae's eyes go wide. "Yeah... um, like that!"
Beorae directs Shark to attack from the other side. The weakened tiger moves up and snaps at the other skeleton.
Finally, drawing her healing wand, Beorae slips into the doorway and puts her hand on Nme'an's back, channeling healing energy from the wand into the paladin.
Nme’an watches the elementals rush into the room and lay waste to the skeletons. Rather than take a swing at the nearest for, the Paladin thrust his shield forward and sends an expanding wave of golden light flooding through the room.
Themp dodges the fire right on time, wondering why he is feeling so cold so close to the flames.
"I don't have anything bigger! he shouts back at Beorae, midroll.
Without any other ideas, Themp slings his bow, draws his shortsword and slashes at the advancing skeleton.
Beorae's elemental allies grind three of the skeletons down between stones! Themp's magical blade glances off bone, leaving a shallow notch behind.
Under the wave of positive energy, parts of the skeletons disintegrate into dust! As it fades, partially destroyed skeletal figures remain and begin to move. The one furthest from the group issues a command to the other skeleton, and then snatches up a scroll from the table. The incantation on this one is much shorter, and the bones clutching the top of the scroll point one finger at Nme'an. The Knight Lieutenant feels what could be described as a resounding gong on his mind! However, no such sound can be heard, only felt from within.
The other skeleton in the room moves for the stairs. When it reaches the top, it presses firmly on the doors. The observant catch a whispered word amid the chaos of battle...
"Irthiri ui vers."
"Knowledge is power."
A large rune pulses with energy on the metal doors, and they part just enough for the skeleton to pass through. The doors close again with a boom and the same rune flickers over seam of the two metal doors and disappears.
The skeleton in the room with Shark and Themp draws a dagger and lashes out at the tiger.
But the big striped cat is able to bat away the attack.
Nme'an clutches at his head...
...but the effect of the spell passes just as quickly as it began.
He moves in on the nearest skeleton at swings his hammer.
for
Above the rumble of the elementals and the chink of steel on bone, Beorae just makes out the fleeing skeleton’s words.
Two elementals rumble up on either side of the remaining skeleton, large fists flailing.
Meanwhile, Beorae moves up past Shark into the doorway of the darkened room. Menacing the skeleton next to her, Beorae tries to discern if there are more threats in the next room.
Shark and the third elemental converge on the remaining foe in their room.
Certain that the druidess and her hulking companions will make short work of the closest skeleton, not to mention his lack of effectiveness against the undead foes, Themp decides enough is enough. He withdraws his arrows from his quiver and starts breaking off the points, hoping to make them break bone, instead of glance off.
The two elementals help crush the skeleton facing Nme'an. A small pile of bones scatter on the stone floor. The fire on the center table roars as it consumes books, parchment, and spell components, though it does not seem to damage the magical lamp illuminating the burning table. Likewise in the next room, the lingering flames from the skeleton’s spell seem to grow and intensify, one side of the table fully ignited. The fire has not yet spread to the drawer described to contain Ithalgol’s notes. The third elemental and the tiger clobber the last skeleton, but it remains standing. As Beorae moves past, it slashes with its dagger!
The blade gets stuck in the druid's shield, and the skeleton nearly loses grip of its weapon.
Beorae's first impression of this room: the air is quiet, close, and dark. No danger immediately accosts her. Only about half the room is dimly lit from the torch near Themp. Centered in this small room is a table, completely covered in thick layers of disorganized parchment sheets. A shallow wooden bowl containing a few geometric white shapes rest among the papers. She sees a wooden board affixed to the stone wall opposite to her, also covered in parchment tacked up. On the mounted parchment, something pulls her attention away from all other details in the room. Larger, clearly written script above lines of smaller text reads: SEVENSTONE.
Giving no expression in its empty sockets, the last skeleton stabs at the tiger!
Nme'an moves back into the room with the others.
Themp continues his endeavor.
The elemental and Shark both strike at the remaining skeleton.
Beorae realizes that the flames are nearing the drawer that are supposed to contain the notes.
”Themp, can you get the spell pages from the drawer? But watch for traps…”
She then casts Light on herself as she steps into the next room. ”Nme'an… come look at this,” she says, indicating the parchment with her name on it. ”This makes no sense… how…?” The druidess looks around the now-lit room.
”Time is short, we must hurry. We can’t let him escape!”
Nme'an moves into the room and tries to find significance in the clutter.
The last skeleton crumbles to bits of bone on the floor. The table starts to crackle as the fire burns. The drawer itself is not on fire, but the flames are too close to open it safely. One quick enough to avoid the blaze might be able to pull the drawer unscathed.
With the remainder of the room now lit, Beorae can see other papers mounted on the board: PILLAR, HAND, and ITHALGOL. There is an empty space between “Pillar” and “Hand”, where another sheet of parchment might have fit, but there is none. Underneath “Pillar”, the same rhyme Nme’an recalled from a dream, and underneath “Hand”, the rhyme from Themp’s dream. “Sevenstone”, respectively, has the rhyme she dreamt, and used to solve the ward puzzle, written neatly underneath. Under the name of the wizard of this tower, a longer, but similar rhyme appears:
Shifting shadow and holy fire
The coming of the seventh stone
Freed to rise up from the black pyre
Unto the Thaleniel Throne
A proud king will fall to his knees
A forgotten war anew
Four locks, four chains, by four keys
Two be half, half be two
A body not better until worse
Shrivel to bones, blacken the trees
Lakes and rivers dry, ground will thirst
Til mountains are sand, and oceans seize
Friend to the animals and trees
Thunder to deafen and rain pound
The pillar firm in churning seas
Kneels before the one who is crowned
Silent, the hand that no one sees
So passes death without a sound
The ancient song renewed with ease
Feel the tremor beneath the ground
Four locks, four chains, by four keys
Dark Lord Ithalgol be unbound!
At the end of the table, a wooden tray with a yellowed ivory surface. Around the inner edge, one of each number and letter in the Elvish tongue, artistically drawn. A single item rests in the tray: a wooden star with three points, the center of which is a thick disc of glass that somewhat magnifies the ivory artistry underneath.
This is a device used to conduct advanced divinations, calling on the aid of spirits willing to reveal information. Tales of caution follow these devices, as they can sometimes attract a harmful spirit rather than a helpful one.
With better lighting, both Nme’an and Beorae see that the wooden bowl clearly contains three oddly shaped dice. Upon closer inspection, they appear to be made of bone, and are eight-sided. The inscription on each side is a rune.
This is a more precise divination tool, used by those well practiced in the magical arts of foreknowledge, insight, and prophecy. A novice diviner risks drawing untrue conclusions if not educated on the nuances of rune casting.
With a brief glance at the sheets on top, Nme’an and Beorae also find that much of the disorganized parchment contain notes on personal details of their lives, with unnerving accuracy.
The knight notices a couple sheets that reveal his difficult and discriminated upbringing among his elf clan, and on one page, an instance where he was able to wield the laws of the land with poise and convince his racist elvish grandfather to relent, in that instance, with the exclusion of Nme’an from a celebration common among elf folk.
Beorae finds a page outlining a cherished memory: one of her kid brothers, Tylar, was missing in the forest, and despite a hiatus on her druid training, Beorae was able to track and locate her younger sibling. Apparently, he was so close to catching a deer, he leapt and wrapped around its neck, and the creature bolted, with him riding far away from home. It was this event that led to her realization that her unique abilities can be of great value to the world, and her family, and she decided to train beyond the teachings of her old master, Ferwald.
A phrase on another sheet, “the promise dire”, reminded her of the poem from her dream. This note completely covers the page, and the one underneath, and the next. A brief scan seems to pertain to her ancestry in some way, but the time it will take to read is too much for the pressing matter at hand.
A third finding among the papers, this page has a small rip at the top, as though it was pulled from a tacked up position. The heading in larger text reads: CURSE.
Themp rushes to the fiery mess of a drawer and snatches at the scroll.
”I do not like this at all… these are notes about the dream I had… and things that happened to me as a child! We should not believe anything we see in this place. And we should not linger here… Ithalgol is only gaining strength.”
Turning to go, Beorae tries to relay what she heard the skeleton say at the door. ”The skeleton said…”
”…well, it sounded like 'earthy universe' … to open the door. I think it may have been Draconic. Does that mean anything?”
Themp deftly pulls a small stack of papers out from the drawer. At a brief glance, they are covered in an unfamiliar writing containing strange symbols. The archer grabs the spell notes just in time, as fire spreads across the entire desk. The group can hear the crackling of wood burning in the larger room.
"Knowledge is power," Nme'an repeats in common. "That is the closest thing that makes sense. Does this mean we can follow him?"
"I don't know... But it said that phrase and the door opened. I don't think we should let him get away, though... He can only get stronger, right?"
"Oh, and Themp, maybe these would be useful against the skeletons? They're not much, but the arrows seem to be glancing off of them." Beorae hands Themp her sling and bullets (20x).
”Agreed,” Nme’an says. He moves to the door and speaks the paraphrase.
Themp moves up to Beorae and receives the slingshot with gratitude.
"Thanks, Red. Nme'an, they will probably be ready for us on the other side. Be careful."
The knight lieutenant places his hands against the doors, and notices they are firmly shut. With his draconic utterance, he notices a white rune flicker over the seam between the steel slabs, and the firmness relents. With his shield at the ready, he pushes forward, leading the way inside.
His immediate surroundings appear to be a landing, lit by a magical light hanging in the corner. On his right, stone stairs leading up. At the top of the steps he takes notice of three skeletal figures, one wearing spiked armor, holding a spiked shield and morningstar. This metal spiked club glows dimly with yellow light, and the metal shield bears the device of a winged creature. Altogether, this armored skeleton carries a knightly visage, twisted by the dark arts of necromancy. The two behind have a familiar look, black cloaks and runic daggers at their belts, though one of them has a cloak seemingly singed by fire. All three appear to be waiting for him.
The two in the rear unleash a pair of icy beams, one directed at Nme’an, the other at the earth elemental nearby!
Nme'an does not even need to duck to avoid this shot, but the earth spirit shudders from the small blast of ice.
Following the magical barrage, the skeletal knight raises its morningstar and charges Nme'an!
Nme'an stands firm against the charge, but the momentum turned aside his shield just enough to give the ancient knight the opening it seeks.
Somewhere out of sight, up the stairs into the high roofed chamber beyond, Ithalgol’s voice rings out:
“My hand is forced by your intrusion into my sanctum. I have slowly siphoned the life-force of your king through my arcane crystal. Now, I shall draw the last of his life, and ascend…”
The elemental rages toward the skeleton on the left .
Meanwhile, the other two elementals lunge at the armored skeleton.
”Nobody has forced your hand, monster,” Beorae whispers under her breath. Stepping onto the landing, she begins another summoning chant.
As the small earth elemental rumbles up the steps, the undead knight arcs a backswing...
Enduring the hard blow, the little earth spirit pushes onward, bolstered it's summoner's connection to the elemental planes. Reaching one of the cloaked skeletons, it lands a stony strike! Bones splinter and rattle, but the skeleton remains standing.
Weathering an onslaught of attacks from the other elementals, the undead knight staggers for a moment before rousing its defense. The ancient armor and the undead skeleton inside does not look like it will be able to withstand another attack like that again.
Nme'an absorbs the undead knight's blow and counterattacks.
for
Shark moves up and takes a bite at the big creature.
The undead knight uses a shield to block Nme'an's attack, but Shark's bite crunches bone and the skeleton begins to crumble to pieces. A faint, ghostly voice reaches the ears of Nme'an and those nearby, scarcely a whisper: "Thank you..." The heavy armor and shield clatter to the ground, and the morningstar continues to dimly glow, half buried by the armaments on the floor.
Themp moves up between Nme'an and Beorae, getting a clear view of the skeletons.
Careful to stay out of sight of anything else inside the next room, Themp lets loose an arrow at one of the walking nightmares.
Themp’s arrow hits the chest of the cloaked skeleton, and a few ribs clatter at its feet.
The skeleton beset by the earth spirit steps back, and produces a scroll. Unrolling the parchment, the skeletal student utters an incantation. Thaleniel’s champions notice the stairs leading up to Ithalgol’s sanctum start to accumulate a thick, brown substance. In seconds, a thick layer of slippery grease congeals on every step in their path upward.
Following suit, the skeleton struck by Themp’s arrow unrolls a scroll as well, and steps back to read the arcane words. A thick fog materializes out of thin air! The billowing white cloud surrounds the heroes, obscuring their view of the enemies at the top of the stairs.