Will
Will
"Ugh, help me! These things are awful..."
Unfortunately, Shel falls to the ground, lifeless.
You wake up to the sound of the lid to your coffin being slid back; the light hits you and you blink awake.
Good day little one. a balding priest of Phantasma stands over you. It took a while, but your former companions finally sent the money to have you raised. Welcome back to life, Ms. Wisphertongue. You've been gone several months. Your friends left you here in the temple while they journeyed on.
A strange pain shoots through your body- please take another save DC15, failure means 1d6 damage.
Garin draws his halberd and thrusts the weapon into the nearest creature.
I'm here I'm after the baddies so was waiting
Vachordi begins to sing his battle tune while stepping back a bit
Inspire courage up
Gilda axes the nearest baddie a question
"Why don't you stay dead?"
for
DM
"Wha...what are you talking about," Shel asks the priestess, trying to gather her bearings.
"Shel!", Awnara cries as she sees her friend fall to the ground from the slime monster's assault. "Get off her, whatever you are!" Another blast of holy light issues forth from her eyes to fire at the creature that attacked Shel.
Do I know what these are?
Anyway, since it worked last time, disrupt undead!
dpmt forget inspire courage gives +1 s fear
DM
The cavalier splits the ectoplasmic form in two, splattering more of the goo around. Only one, injured, creature is left.
These are ectoplasmic creature- not powerful enough to be a ghost, these creatures are born out of traumatic deaths. They've lost their bodies, and the souls of the dead can't pull enough energy to take ethereal form, so they draw ectoplasm from the ethereal plane to give themselves shape. As such, they are made of heavy piles of the goo struggling to keep shape.
They hate the living- their very touch can fill you with dread.
The first was fear based- this one is not. Instead, you suddenly feel powerless- your legs give out and you fall into the arms of the priest. While cradled you feel initially a sharp pain in you neck, followed by warmth spreading through your body. Your body is then wracked with pain - damage.
Next round (round 2) you may struggle- another DC13 will save (non-fear).
You see Shel's body suddenly wrapped in ghostly chains wrapped in holy symbols. She lurches, arching her back, as if she's buckling in pain.
Will save
"These things, they're lost souls," Awnara jabbers, trying to control her fear as she gives some sort of definition to the slimy horrors that are before the group. "They died traumatic deaths, and don't quite have the strength to form true spiritual forms. This is the raw stuff of the Ethereal Plane!" She looks as though she was going to continue, but then she saw ghostly chains wrap themselves around Shel. "Take care of the last one!", she cried, and attended to the other halfling. "Shel, please, wake up!" She shook her friend, trying to rouse her into consciousness to no avail. She frowned at the chains, and rose her hand in the air. A ball of silver-gold flame appeared, and she bathed Shel in the holy fire.
Using a daily usage of heavenly fire on Shel. Do I need to make a ranged touch? If not, then she heals points of damage.
Gilda channels positive energy towards Shel
"Shel!" Garin stabs at the remaining ectoplasmic being before rushing to aid the halfling rogue.
Don't forget inspire courage
Rapid shot
The last goo monster explodes in a flurry of blows. Shel still writhes in agony on the ground, wrapped in ghostly chains.
The priest laughs, and sinks his teeth into your neck as you lay helpless: damage. Roll the save again for round 3.
The wave of energy from Gilda briefly dissipates the chains, which reform instantaneously.
Round 3.
"Is there anything we can do for her?" Garin asks, kneeling beside Shel. "One of those trapping vials? Something?"
"Wake up, Shel! Whatever's happening to you, fight it!" Her voice is frantic, completely helpless to stop what's happening to her friend. She blasts the chains with the energy from her eyes, hoping to break her free.
Ranged touch?
+ 1 damage if it's considered undead.
Will save
DM.
The chains do take damage from positive energy.
If the spell is cast directly on you (touch) it would heal you. If it is aimed at you, it might damage the chains rather than heal you. I think, so far, that all but the channeled energy and Awnara's attack were healing acts for you.
Round three
Shel's eyes fly open, and although she can't move, she's momentarily lucid.
She gathers her strength and bursts through the chains.
Suddenly, a ghostly image of Father Charlatan appears towering over her. He howls and tears at his chest ripping open his robe- inside is blackness. As the tear grows, pieces of his ethereal form flake off and dissolve. Moments later, he's gone- the howling noise echoing in your ear.
The tangled knot of holy symbols held by Shel suddenly loosens and falls apart. Each individual holy symbol can now be separated from the others.
Continuing on...
"Wha...what happened? Where's that awful priest? Be aware, everyone," Shel shouts as she looks around trying to get her bearings. She is confused upon noticing that she's back amongst her allies. "Am I ok?"
Vachordi moves up to Shel, he hums a deep basso rumble and puts his hands on her shoulders
"Thank you, Vachordi...I'm starting to feel much better. Which one of those ghosts was it? Did you all dispose of it, or can it come back? Just talking about it gives me the willies, and I don't shake easily."
Awnara's eyes grow wide as she sees the spectral vicar appears before them, and she instinctively places herself between Shel and the apparition. Her eyes glow white with holy radiance, preparing to put this creature to rest once and for all. Then it tears itself apart, and everything is deathly still. She's confused for a few moments, until she hears her friend rustling behind her.
"Oh, thank the Lady, Shel, you're alright!" Awnara hugs Shel tightly as relief quickly overwhelms her. "I think it was the one known as Father Charlatan, and I'm not sure if we've trapped him or not. Are you alright? What happened to you, you looked like you were being tormented!" She releases her tight grip on Shel to wipe away tears from her eyes.
The soul siphons absorb (drain) off unholy energy, but don't explicitly trap souls themselves. Soul stealing is definitely on the list of 'thou shalt nots' that would send you on the path to the darkside.
Father Charlatan's haunt has been neutralized (and you remember that the ghost of the warden's wife said she could keep them banished if you could defeat them). So assuming the others don't get loose, you're down to 3 left!
Continue on? You're in the east-most room.
Absolutely cobtinue
"Onward!"
Shel takes her lead position, although she's not quite as chipper as she was before. The last haunt took a bit out of her, no doubt.
Perception
Awnara follows closely behind Shel, still worried for her friend.
Observing Shel's less than normal exuberance, Edrik joins her up front. "How are you feeling Shel? Let me know if you need me to fall back," pausing a moment, Edrik taps his chainmail underneath his armored coat which rattles loudly before smiling and continuing "I've been known to be noisy!"
"I'm okay..just a little shaken up. That last haunt really got to me. Hopefully that one will be the toughest. I'm ready with my soul siphon this time, though," she smiled as she pulled the device and stowed her dagger for all the good it had done her so far.
Awnara follows closely behind Shel, still worried for her friend.
Similar, but more like a vampire bomb.
The next room to the left
Shel looks back at the others making sure they see the skeletons. If they don't jump up and attack her, she plans on wiping the soot off the nameplates, if someone can support her weight and get her within reach.
Gilda advances, ready to channel as needed. She positions herself for maximum effect.
Blunt arrow out and ready
"Oh, no, I'm not falling for this again," Awnara says, her eyes already beginning to glow white. "Better safe than sorry!" The holy energy lances out again, bathing the yellowed bones in silvery-white radiance.
Disrupt undead,, just in case!
Garin, at the front just behind Shel, nudges one of the skeletons with a foot and sees if they have anything useful on them, which seems unlikely considering their wear.
In your search, you see that several corpses are trapped in the collapsed stairwell, as if it was suddenly dropped on a large group.
Awnwara: are you attacking the skulls or holding that in 'case' they move?
Gilda looks around quickly for Dead Alewives. Finding none she kicks a skeleton's head.
"Anyone for football?"
Vachordi frowns
football?
Paranoid of the skeletons, the crew begins cutting and smashing and blasting skeletons.
The speed at which you coup de grace them is faster than they can rise. One feebly makes it to it's knees, minus it's head before you slam it back to the ground in pieces.
Combat ends before it began.
Moving on:
You polish off the brass nameplates to find:
To the north lies “The Oubliette.” To the west
lies “Reaper’s Hold.” To the south lies “The Nevermore.”
And to the east once stretched “Hell’s Basement.”