"Deng, are you ok? Are you bleeding?" Karmuk asks with concerned voice.
"Deng," says Aurengil, his tone also concerned. "Can you heal it? Right away?"
He gestures to Petra. Under other circumstance, he might be inclined to joke with the stodgy dwarf about her enormous stature, but Deng's injury has brought on one of the elf's darker moods. "That only has a minute to run," he says. "If there's any other place you wish to investigate."
"Deng, let me see that wound."
Karmuk investigates Deng's wound very carefully.
Deng moves away from the bodies and stretches his leg out where he can get a better look at it. "Pretty ugly bite. Dogs are good for that normally." He pulls a small tooth out of the bite, wincing as he does so. "Rotting dogs are a little nastier, it seems." He also tries to examine the wound as best he is able, trying to guess how much trouble he might really be in . . ..
Karmuk takes a look at the bite. Knowing a little something about the walking dead, and the multitude of variations that have been accounted for and are known to exist, the stout inquisitor realizes that his comrade will probably be alright. If bitten by a plague zombie, or brain eater, the wound will immediately ooze a mixture of lypple colored and putrid smelling puss, your diagnosis is that your Half-Orc buddy won’t end up like Jon in few hours. Furthermore, you realize that these creatures were possibly animated corpses, or manufactured undead as evidence by the lack of lypple colored puss in the wound.
Deng takes a look at the wound as well while Karmuk inspects it; It’s a pretty nasty bite, and could even be infected, but you feel okay right about now and not in the least bit like you had once imagined you might feel like if you were going through the transformation of turning into a walking corpse.
No sounds can be heard in the room below, and those with darkvision peering into the hatch can see pretty much all of the room and its contents, it looks to be all clear of threats. In the corner of the basement you can see a dirty old cot situated next to a small nightstand. An old hooded lantern sits upon the nightstand. Underneath the nightstand there is a dusty wooden crate.
Jon sees the others attending Deng. It is easy to see what needs to happen.
"Let me go first. Deng, when I'm out of sight you can do your thing."
Without waiting for Petra he descends into the dark.
It feels right here, in the dark. The splitting headache from the daylight has started to fade. It feels safe.
Jon has had a lot of experience at looting now, and knows what to do.
The half-orc looks confused as Jon makes his announcement giving permission and then ducks down the stairs. "Nobody else was hurt, were they? I shouldn't need to burn a channel just to heal one person. A normal spell will do for now, I think." Waiting to verify that no one else is hurt before proceeding, Deng will cast Cure Light Wounds on himself.
------
Puts Deng at 7 out of 11 HP.
1 1st level spell used today, 3 remain
0 channels used today, 4 remain
Petra is startled to say the least when everyone else shrinks-- then it registers what had happened. She gives Aurengil a nod of understanding at his explanation, and tries to keep her suddenly-Big self out of the way of the wound inspection going on. She listens, tense and worried, to the pronouncement that Deng'll be alright... or at least, not prone to coming back as a deader.
"That's good. Jon, holler if you've a problem." Although she probably can't fit down there right now.
Best not to waste Aurengil's magic, though. "I'll stick my head outside again. Take a listen at that other shack."
Her voice seems to echo to her, reverberating inside a larger ribcage like a ball in a drum.
"Nasty wound, but no worries, you are not infected by the plague. Those dogs weren't spawns of the plague, but result of some necromancy act. Maybe we have some other threat besides the plague."
"Petra be careful out there."
While Jon investigating cellar, Karmur collect usable items from this level. Soap, two small sacks, tiny glass vile, four fishing hooks and fishing net.
Oh, and that sturdy chain and lock.
Karmuk collects those as well.
Aurengil follows Jon and Petra, listening carefully to the surrounding buildings. "Here, Calithil, what do you know?"
Jon searches the basement and with the exception of what’s in the crate, finds nothing of value.
Within the crate, the sorcerer finds six bottles of what appears to be some very fine wine. The crate also contains a compass, another 2 inch glass vile containing a purplish elixir fitted with a tight stopper, 25 gold crowns (gp) and a rolled up scroll that when opened, appears to be a map of the area (posted at the top of the page).
Deng channels positive energy, pure white light flashes lighting up the room for a very brief moment and the wound scabs over and ceases its bleeding (+2 hp).
Petra bounds over to the other shack with Aurengil in tow. Listening at the door the dwarf hears nothing coming from within. Behind the dwarf however, the gentle sound of the lake water laps against shore and the cutters hull beyond, creating a peaceful and soothing yet false sense of security.
Aurengil too listens at the door and hears no sign of anything within. Calithil flies over the shack, and calls out to its master, an obvious sign of distress that something is wrong in there...
"Are you alright, Jon? Anything I can help you with down there? The others seem to be getting ready to look in the other building. I would feel better if we were all in one spot before they crack that egg."
"Deng? Hold on, I'm coming up. I found a couple of things down there. A compass, a map, some vials and a crate of wine. Oh - and some useless gold."
I know people used to love gold in the before-times, I just don't remember why. It's not useful, like silver.
"Caution, my friend,"[b] Aurengil says to the enormous Petra. [b]"Calithil senses something beyond this door, and she is never wrong."
He calls out to the others. "Karmuk, Deng, Jon! Trouble!"
"We are coming Aurengil!" Karmuk yells.
"Hurry Jon... but take at least the wine with you."
Karmuk heads to the door.
“Let me get that for you”, Kyranda walks up to the door and turns the rickety old knob. “Unlocked.” The priestess frowns as she opens the door and lets the sunshine pour in from the world outside.
From the doorway, the party looking in can see a table and an overturned chair against the far wall. A book rests upon the desk as well as some parchments, a vial of ink, an ink pen, and a melted candle. A partially covered pile of bones rests upon the floor covered by a dusty old cloak.
In the opposite corner of the room a yellowed skull rests next to a rather large crack in the wooden flooring. The skull welcomes you to this shack with a grisly smile.
Karmuk checks the pile of bones and the old cloak.
Petra frowns as she shrinks back to normal size, rolling her shoulders to get out the odd feeling. She keeps axe and shield at the ready as she steps in.
"That spell you lot do that lets you sense rotters, can you cast that as much as you want?" she asks, keeping a sharp eye on the grinning skull. She also raises a foot to stomp on the wooden floorboards, trying to tell by the sound if they are hollow and conceal a basement or similar beneath.
Jon puts the crate of bric-a-brac he's still carrying down.
"It's not really a spell..." he starts to explain
How can I tell them that every time I use it I feel kinship with the dead
"... do it a fair bit, sure, but not forever. I'd rather peer through that crack you're stomping on first."
A man with a cloak, vial, pen and candle this close to necromancy... could be a wizard - possibly with supplies Aurengil can use
Jon casts an actual spell - detect magic.
Once Jon comes back out of the pit and heads outside to join he others,. Deng follows him. "So, what have you found? I see the door's open . . .."
Magic goes fwooosh over Petra's head. which is easy, since she's short. She just nods at Jon's words.
"Look about much as you want. Just don't get your eye put out, eh?"
To Deng, she says, "Aye. We've got a skull, mostly. If it twitches, Karmuk, bash it good."
The half-orc looks about the area around the shacks uncomfortably. "Is anybody watching for any inbound . . . things? Somebody should be doing that, right? I guess I can do that while you look in there."
And with that, he tries to set himself up as a lookout. Knowing that he can't ignore the waterline.
"Interesting. I wonder why this one didn't get back up." Jon comments casually, then pauses as the potential implications hit home.
"Calithil is watching," Aurengil tells Deng.
Karmuk inspects the pile of bones. Although the skeleton is somewhat disarrayed you can tell that it is obviously humanoid in structure and contains a shoulder girdle, vertebral column, forearms, pelvic girdle and femur bones. The skull across the room also appears to be humanoid, with one notable difference; all of its teeth are pointy like fangs.
Amidst the pile of bones Karmuk finds a pouch containing an assortment of components that mostly turn into dust once opened. Amongst the bones Karmuk also finds a short wooden bone about 6 inches long and intricately carved with obscure and incomprehensible symbols.
Petra stomps on the floor boards, the floor is solid in most parts save for the area near the large crack. Here it is hallow, and something rouses down there with a repetitive clicking sound as if a mass of tiny legs where pumping rhythmically. Out from the crack a multitude of lengthy and segmented horrific giant centipede like creatures come withering and twisting out of the crack, their venomous mandibles pulse in search of prey (4 giant centipedes).
A man with a cloak, vial, pen and candle this close to necromancy... could be a wizard - possibly with supplies Aurengil can use
Jon casts an actual spell - detect magic.
Jon casts detect magic on the area before him, the bones, the cloak, the desk…You sense the presence of magical auras, at least two of them.
Petra swears in startled Dwarvish as the centipedes burst forth.
The centipedes snake about the room, each pair taking a discrete path toward their intended prey. Two centipedes climb up the wall and across the ceiling, corkscrewing their way toward Kyranda and Zandu who stand in the far corner of the room opposite the crack in the floor…
One giant vermin’s hideous mandibles sink into Kyrnadas thigh causing the priestess to scream out in excruciating pain.
Another centipede attacks Zandu but misses.
The other two centipedes take a zigzagging path across the floor and vector toward Petra and Karmuk. The segmented horrors attack their prey once in range. The creatures hungry mandibles snap and click but miss their intended prey.
Karmuk flails closest centipede
"Die! You disgusting slimy mosted. Die!"
"Justice: This judgment spurs the inquisitor to seek justice, granting a +1 sacred bonus on all attack rolls."
Karmuk flails closest centipede
[dice=attack]1d20+3+1
[dice=damage]1d10+4"Die! You disgusting slimy mosted. Die!"
Karmuk smashes the assaulting vermin with his heavy flail. Half of the creature that is not smashed upon the ground flounders for a second then relaxes, dead and still.
Petra's head snaps towards Kyranda and her eyes widen at the savage wound the centipede inflicts on the holy woman's leg. It might be enough to fell someone, especially if their bites have poison, as insects often do.
Not on her watch. Petra grits her teeth.
"Kyranda! Back away carefully, if you can, and do what you must to stop that bleedin'!"
She tries to maneuver cautiously closer to the ones assaulting Zandu and Kyranda, and takes a chop at the one nearest her in the meantime.
Jon starts and backs into the corner of the hut as the strange writhing creatures burst forth. Some sort of strange mutli-legged snake? he wonders.
His tattoos flare as he reflexively lashes out at the closest - only just avoiding hitting his comrades.
The elf mage retains only his most powerful spell and is loathe to use it against mere arthropods. He reflects that tomorrow, he will follow Jon's example and memorize a damaging cantrip. For now, though, he hangs back and stays out of the way.
"Eeeeh!" The half-orc shudders as he sees the giant crawling things springing up out of the floor and attacking his companions. Trying to be useful, though, he moves towards the bug-thing closest to the door and attempts to cut it with his longsword.
--
Petra steps up swinging, her attack misses however, and the axe pounds into the floorboard adjacent to the centipede.
The vermin whips its arthropod head about and attacks Petra, but instead of flesh the vermin chomps empty air.
Careful not to hit his comrade, Jon fires a small globule of acid at the vermin. The acid attack misses the creature and instead hits the nearby wall sizzling.
Deng moves toward the creature closest to the door, the one assaulting Zandu. The half-orc slashes at the creature cutting it in half and killing it instantly.
Kyranda backs against the wall holding her leg and assumes a defensive posture as best she can. The priestesses face is a mask of terror as the vermin rears back and attacks. the creatures manhandles miss their mark.
Once more Jon calls upon the power in his tattoos. Another ball of acid - smaller now - spits towards the hissing, skittering foe.
Can we make trained knowledge religion rolls on the bones?
"Hang in there, Kyranda!" Petra yells. Again she'll step towards the one threatening Kyranda, and try to attack it if she's close enough now.
"Petra, I'll try to help Kyranda. Take care of the other critter." Karmuk yells and charges into fight.
Jon hits the vermin with a small globule of acid causing the creature to quickly back away from its prey as if burned. The vermin promptly returns to its assault upon Petra.
Petra carefully moves away from the vermin and assails the other but her axe sweeps by the creature, narrowly missing the target.
Karmuk also assaults the creature that is attacking Kyranda. The dwarf charges in and smashes the life from the creature.
The sole remaining vermin mindlessly charges Karmuk. As the creature approaches the dwarf its mandibles expand and then clamp down upon the dwarfs stout thigh.
+poison (Fort DC 13; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds, Constitution based)
If save failed this round take .
If save successful, take no dex damage and all effects end
Can we make trained knowledge religion rolls on the bones?
"Revenge!"
Trying to be helpful, Deng tries to get within reach of the last critter, and swings at it if he thinks he manages to get close enough.
Karmuk and Deng hack the vermin consecutively. Mashed and ravaged the creature curls up and relaxes, unmoving and dead.
Tears stream down Kyrandas checks. She places a hand on Karmuks shoulder and says,Deng, come closer.
Kyranda tightly grasps the medallion about her neck and squeezes her eyes shut. Divine bright white light of healing briefly envelopes the small shack for an instant and some of the hurt caused by the mindless vermin is healed and mended.
The light radiates from Kyranda two more times.
,
"Thank you, Kyranda. As nice as that was, you just made it much harder for me to check for and treat any poison that may have been in those bites. I hope that doesn't become a problem for either of you."