When I find my son Euron, I'll have my family back. He looks just like his mother, you know? he smiles wistfully. Oh he hates it when I say that of course. He screws his nose up just like she used to when I nearly burnt the house down or left the smell of hydrogen sulfide in the lab. And that only makes Ben look more like her of course. Haha!
He laughs hard at the memory but his laughter turns to sobs. Great, choking sobs that shake his shoulders. With a trembling hand he covers his eyes.
Preparing for the undead... Azmerai asks anyone to open the door so that he can clean the temple.
Euron stands behind Azmerai, readying himself for what's behind the door.
Polonius follows behind Azmerai and Euron as they descend the stairs.
Seeing Azmerai wait Euron steps forward, nodding at the Half-Orc. He then begins to mutter a few words as he touches himself a shimmering shield reflexes around him, then as he takes up his weapon he stands next to the door and slowly opens it.
You open the door further and recoil from the fetid and disgusting smell pouring forth. A short set of stairs leads downwards a short way til you're sure you are below the waterline. The walls are of packed earth reinforced with timber, but the floor is paved with stone. The occasional tricle of water runs down the wall.
The steps end in a small archway that opens out in to a cavernous room, with the darkness it is difficult to see how big exactly, but it *feels* big.
There is an eerie coldness down here, and tendrils of mist thread their way through the chamber. Pillars of carved stone thrust their way upwards towards a roof you cannot see, and placed around the floor are various large stone boxes, sarcophagi and giant urns, each with a stone tablet against it, with flowing script etched upon.
Each tablet lists a name, a date (all seem to be at least a few years old, some go back hundreds of years) and a saying/command translated as 'for now rest in peace'
Glancing back you can see the archway is outlined in glowing silver runes, and the floor has various glowing patterns on it as well. The patterns seem to lead further in to the chamber.
Upon seeing the scale of the underground chamber, Polo begins to shake his head in the dark.
No. This is far bigger than I expected and by the looks and smell of things, far more dangerous too. We should leave, now. We can lock the door again behind us. We've wasted too much time getting back too Meiko and Kaiya as it is. he says, edging back up the steps.
[ooc]EDIT: Forgot to roll perception.
Azmerai nods to Polonius words. "You have good point! Girl and woman need help and alive! I hope."
Euron steps down looking about the massive room, as he see's the stone tablet he stops looking at each one. I can read these.. Necril "Maybe these are just some tomb stones." He then turns back to Polo. "Polo, we could find items down here that could help us there might then be a better way out. We should atleast have a better look around this entrance first."
The more you look at the runes the more you see they are 'aimed' at the stone containers, and you feel safe walking on them, whatever they are meant to constrain they are not affecting you. Further scrutiny discerns bindings against the undead, however the wards are very complex and multi-layered, and appear to feed in to other sigils and markings. You'd need a substantial amount of time down here researching to get a fuller understanding of what they do.
A quick look? Polo says incredulously. Who knows what the Red Harvest has done to those interred down here, and that stench is not natural.
Lillith, you know that Meiko was in a far worse condition than you. You must realise that every second counts now?
Meiko had a day at best. She's gone, I'm sure of it.
I don't think poking around in here is the smartest move.
Nodding Azmerai keeps watching the door as long as it open. "But graves can have good loot. Maybe something we need! Holly water? But we also need food!"
Lilith's spell flashes in to existence, and just as swiftly flies off to explore the room.
You glance upwards, and there wedged between pillar and ceiling is this.
It doesn't look like it knows you've spotted it, but it could drop at any moment...
Euron squints his eye's, sure that he saw something in the darkness. "We're not alone, something is down here in the darkness." Taking a step back Euron turns to Polonius. "There could be items of power down here you saw that chalice up stairs, while there might be undead down here we could find something to help us find them upstairs. Valex do you see anything?"
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Responding to the gnome Lilith responds Polo, I was ready to try to get back last night. Do not now chide me now, while we are in this room, for casting a spell to look for a way past the undead above ground.
With Lenneth's warning Lilith takes a step back and quickly casts her Mage Armor. She does not look up.
Hearing that Azmerai prepares to intercept the thing and cleave it in half.
Do as you will. That's what you always seem to do regardless. If you hadn't run off on your own you wouldn't have been bitten in the first place. Last night we were exhausted, we couldn't have made it passed those zombies but now that we are refreshed we have a chance. Aside from myself of course, who was up all night trying to help you!
Come on, I can see it's pointless to argue so let's get this over with
Lenneth's subtle draw of your attention means you can all see the creature hanging from the roof.
As you brace yourselves and prepare for battle...
...nothing happens.
It continues to cling to the roof, occasionally turning its head from side to side...
"Move back. If it comes we kill if not we check the others!"
"Does anyone know what that thing is? It seems to be waiting for something and i don't really want to find out what maybe we should pull back to the stairs?" Euron then slowly begins to step back to the stairs be not moving all the wait if someone stays behind.
Polonius removes a firebomb from his belt and eyes the thing warily.
What is that? And what is it waiting for?
Despite your loud talking, it continues to maintain its position,
Then lead on? Polonius says to the warriors.
"It's undead. Nothing i've ever seen before, Can we take it? Anyone know anything?" Euron readies himself unsure of what the creature is doing.
Entering the catacombs...
" I can read these: Names and dates, as one would expect, and...a warning or command. "For Now, rest in peace." Also, among the runes on the archway, it says Eternal Prison . I would counsel strongly against opening any of the tombs..."
Looking up...
"Ah, " Vaelx says flatly, eyes narrowing at the lurking creature. "That is..."
The creature is a dread ghast, quite an old one by the looks of it, likely to have been an orc when it was alive judging by its appearance. It would have paralysing claws and the putrid stench permeating the air down here is surely the result of this thing being loose. Very nasty...
You watch as the thing slowly stretches ragged muscles and filthy claws click across the ceiling, it turns its head to sniff and moves 10 feet further away from the door, before stopping and turning around, settling in position once more.
It could be your imagination, but you swear you just felt a slight breeze of fresh air move through the rank smell dominating this room...
"The creature is a Dread Ghast. Its claws can paralyze, and, close up, its stench can be debilitating," Valex says quietly, watching the creature move about. "It seems the wards hide us from it..."
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I agree Valex. A Dread Ghast once likely an orc in life. If it were to get much closer to us its stench could overpower us. When Lilith thinks se feels the breeze she perks up.I would swear I felt moving air. Maybe there is another way out of her. She begins to move forward on the path, her lights moving to illuminate the distant walls, floor, and ceiling.
Polonius looks longingly behind him at the door at the top of the stairs, then up at the horrible creature on the ceiling, but trudges after Lillith anyway.
"If you trust these runes lets go for it.. but let's make sure to keep an eye out." Euron then follows along making sure to keep an eye on each of the party not wanting them to fall behind.
Your ceiling-dwelling companion disappears off around the corner of a column and vanishes...
Moving closer in to the room, staying on the runes, you walk for a few minutes and pass dozens of stone sarcophagi, plinths and boxes, before feeling a definite breeze, and even see some pale sunlight slowly filter in to the room. Over to the left it looks like one of the walls of the room has burst, and a cascade of soil, sand and rock has avalanched in to part of the room.
Beyond it you can see by far the largest stone block, this one wrapped with black iron chains and adorned with different holy symbols, the runes around it are sizeable in number.
Yet still you feel unnerved, like someone or something is watching you...
Valex will take a minute to examine the large tomb as well.
Euron steps forward, looking at the large stone and then to the outside. "Your right there Lenneth, It has to be a prison of sorts these runes being used to keep the undead back."
Whatever it is, it's not something we should be poking around with. Perhaps there is a way out of here after all.
As Lilith casts her spell, you are practically blinded by the bright auras emanating from the wards around the large stone tomb.
Indigo stirs in his sleep.