Tychi pats Nike on the neck, and reaches out to Luke and Fidgwidget in turn. He hopes Carran saw it. "Figure by the rubble, humanoid..." He whispers quietly to all three in turn. He readies his sword, in case it's hostile.
Perhaps realising that it has been detected, the figure in the dim light at the rear of the tunnel...a skeletal creature, slightly smaller than a human and covered in rags...looks back down the corridor towards your position, malevolently hisses and steps back into the rubble…disappearing from view.
"We should investigate... Please do not assume it is hostile, it could be scared." Tychi says softly to the rest of the crew.
Nike huffs and shakes her head. "Evil, very evil. It needs to be cleansed." She hits the quick release with her muzzle, and begins advancing down the tunnel slowly, checking carefully for traps as she readies to purge the world of yet another evil creature.
Tychi's beak snaps shut, and he nods. "It appears a cleansing is in order... Our good Nike is rarely mistaken about these things.
Without making any further sound, Luke begins moving in the direction of the evil creature.
Moving carefully into the tunnel, Tychi, Nike and Major Luke Rand survey the area for anything untoward…
Looking further along the tunnel, the solid rock floor gives way to ankle deep mud…the walls and ceiling of the tunnel though, seem quite dry. The tunnel itself stops in a blockage of crumbled stone and rock, three corroded pick axes leaning against the rubble (with a further one lying on the floor).
Nike nudges Tychi, and her muzzle moves to bump his arm. But she turns her head to do so, and her curved horn ends up pointing east, even as she appears to be looking forward. She then straightens her head out, and her horn bobbles 3 times.
Tychi nods imperceptably, and then puts 3 fingers on Carran's arm, and once Carran sees the 3 fingers, he thumbs toward the east, keeping his body between himself and the east. He repeats this with Luke, but speaks aloud softly to everyone. "There's a dusty blanket with meat on it there. I am sure I do not want to know what type of meat." To Luke he also puts 3 fingers on his arm as he talks, and them points his thumb east, his back toward that direction.
Carran holds up his bow as he moves along with the rest, an arrow nocked on the string.
"A cleansing you say hmm..? What's crawling in these mines then?"
Arriving at the eastern end of the tunnel, it appears that the collapsed rock is indeed blocking a smaller tunnel that continued to the east. Whatever was lurking at this end of the corridor has, somehow, evaded you…several footprints in the mud testify that your senses aren't fooling you and that something was indeed here.
Figwidget says, "Somebody collapsed this tunnel intentionally," he says, gesturing at the eastern tunnel. "With some of these pick axes and shovels, we should be able to clear the debris. At least, the stronger amongst us should be able to; I fear I'm more of a thinker than a lifter."
Carran takes up a pickaxe and moves closer to the debris.
"Point me to where you think we should clear first Figwidget and I'll try to clear the way."
Carran's arms look pretty bulgy compared to the others and he doesn't mind doing any heavy lifting or hard work.
Tychi puts away his whip like sword, and takes up a pick or shovel, whichever is free. He too is well muscled, and has no complaints about physical labor.
Figwidget points the others to where the passageway needs to be cleared.
He's not strong enough to be of much help himself with a pick and shovel. He'll attempt to help the effort by pointing out the spots that are thinnest, and directing the effort so that the passageway is cleared as efficiently as possible.
Under Figwidget's expert direction, Major Luke Rand, Carran and Tychi start to dislodge the largest of the boulders blocking the tunnel to the east. It is hard, hot and dusty work but, in time and with significant exertion, the larger rocks can be safely moved out of the narrow tunnel. With the majority of the blockage removed, you are able to see through to a chamber some twenty feel along the collapsed tunnel.
As you dig, you become aware of whispered voices echoing down the tunnel,
"Buried ussss alive….."
"Left ussss to die…."
"Paid for their greed…..with our blood…."
"Vengenance…."
"Vengenance!!!!!"
"VENGENANCE!!!!"
As your tunnel widens and clears, air starts to circulate from the chamber….damp air carrying the smell of decay….
With only a few more rocks to clear, you become aware of figures lurking in the dark chamber….
Luke will reequip his shield then continue to dig/remove rocks one-handed; once the last rock is cleared, if we are not immediately rushed I will pick back up my torch as well, then move to the front of the group again.
Carran stops digging and nocks an arrow on his bow as Luke continues on digging.
"We've got company out there. Luke I'll cover you while you remove the last pieces of debris so we can get better access. Let's see what these undead are made of."
Tychi will unlimber his whip-sword and will take the lead. His amulet is glowing thanks to Nike, so he can see quite far ahead. "I'll take the lead."
The tunnel opens out into a rough hewn cavern some twenty feet square with the beginnings of another excavation heading to the east. The floor of the cavern is brown with wet mud yet the walls and ceiling of the cavern remain bone dry. Two figures to the north of the cavern are illuminated by Tychi's medallion.... Skeletal figures, covered in rags and plant matter, and slightly squatter than a human deathlessly stare back at you....jaws gape open....
"Revenge...."
The figure in the rear corner of the cavern stretches a skeletal arm towards you and emits a low burbling sound... a slurry of mud starts to drool out of it's mouth... and above you, the rock of the tunnel starts to creak and bow... and, liquefying before your eyes, collapses down upon you...
As Tychi moves to avoid the collapsing mud, he is confronted with another of the creatures... Looming towards the Tengu, it swipes and bites at him... It's breath rank with decay...
Tychi will spend a Ki Point to boost his AC for a turn.
Then he will flurry the creature that slammed him.
HP : 84 - 10 - 16 = 58
Major Rand will slog through the mud to an adjacent position to the creature and then miss it with his shield.
Figwidget tries to dodge out of the way of the falling mud....
He succeeds in avoiding the worst of the mud, but still takes some damage with it and looks rather pathetic covered in mud.
"Oof!" he exclaims.
He pulls out a bomb, adds the key final ingredient, and chucks it at the closest skeletal figure. He's in range of it even if he doesn't move, so he stays put.
He uses his Precise Bombs discovery to omit Luke Rand and Tychi from squares affected by the splash damage... if he hits. (If he doesn't hit, then, well, people will be mad at him.)
Splash damage is 12 points, with a DC22 reflex save to cut the damage in half. Hopefully this won't matter... it will only matter if the bomb doesn't hit, and then folks have to dodge the damage from the scattered bomb.
Carran seems worse for wear getting a ton of earth on his head, but he seems more worried about Serlek. "Go," he says to him, perch with that unicorn before you get hurt more."[/b] With that serlek flies off out of the confined space and perches on Nike's horn, ruffling his feathers to get rid of all the mud.
If Carran can get out of the mud:
Then he'll attack it with his Greatsword:
Nike eyes the bird. "If you poop on my face, I'm going to feed you to Tychi." The unicorn warns the bird roosting on her horn.
As the ceiling creaks, Carran catches a glimpse of one of the skeletal creatures moving in to attack Tychi, instincts take over and he lets loose with his arrow before the ceiling falls in on him and his companion. Rolling with the creature's attack, Tychi retaliates in a flurry of steel, cutting through rags and shattering bone. Moments later, an object is tossed down the tunnel, bouncing off the walls and, striking the creature squarely on the skull, explodes…
Struggling out of the mud and past Tychi, Major Luke Rand's defenses are momentarily lowered but the creature's opportunistic attack is ineffective…
Spitting obscenities at Tychi, the first of the Guecubu steps back from combat and, moving against the wall of the cavern, merges back into the rock.
The second of the Guecubu lurches forwards to attack Luke Rand, biting and bodily slamming against the mud soaked Major…it shrieks in malevolent delight as one of it's attacks finds exposed flesh…
Carran will shoot the one Luke is in combat with, trying to get a solid hit in to make it easier for his allies.
Carran frustrated by the mud and darkness, curses to himself in his own native language.
"Break their bones..." Tychi says aloud, letting his fellows know the methods to attack with. As he moves next to Rand's square, he drops his Urumi at Rand's feet, and pulls his Kusarigami instead.
He moves to threaten the visible opponents with his weapon. Once in position, he attacks using the bludgeoning weight.
Figwidget sees the creature glide into the rock, and says, "Uh oh... that's not good. Guys, these things are known as Guecubu, undead creatures who were particularly violent in life. Use blunt weapons!"
He figures he needs to get out of the mud, but he realizes how vulnerable he is. He sufficies with trudging forward five feet (updated on the map), and he quaffs one of his extracts. (He's drinking his Shield extract, raising his AC to 25 for the next several minutes.)
As the first of the undead slides back into the mud, the second one moves forward to attack Major Luke Rand…and, as it moves out of the shadows, is attacked by the Major, by Tychi and by Carran.
Carran lets loose with an arrow, , but the mud sullies his aim and his shot is wild. Tychi, using his Kusarigami, cracks and splinters the bones of the creature, and then Luke Rand, free of the mud, smashes into the skeleton,
It's head lolling uselessly to one side, Major Luke Rand's assailant cowers in defense and merges back into the ground... fragments of bone littering the ground being the only clue that it had ever been there.
There is a moment of quiet and then a third creature burst through the rock next to Figwidget and Carran; it bites and slams at both of the mud stricken adventurers.
Carran lets his bow fall and draws his adamantine greatsword using his quickness of hand to draw it from the scabbard on his back and swings on the creature that hit him.
Nike, seeing the evil undead thing, moves forward, sticks her head into the opening, and smites it with her holy horn.
The horn smashes into the creature, and fat white sparks of energy fly from it as the holy energy in it interacts with the foul necromancy of the creature.
Tychi, suspecting tricks, readies an action to hit any of the foul creatures that come back into the small area.
Serlek moves together with Nike on the wobbling horn, flies up and attacks as Nike attacks with her horn.
Luke will hurl his shield at the one who attacked carran, snap his fingers (which will cause his shield to reappear in his hands), then re-don his shield.
First, the subject gains a +2 deflection bonus to AC and a +2 resistance bonus on saves. Both these bonuses apply against attacks made or effects created by evil creatures.
Second, the subject immediately receives another saving throw (if one was allowed to begin with) against any spells or effects that possess or exercise mental control over the creature (including enchantment [charm] effects and enchantment [compulsion] effects, such as charm person, command, and dominate person. This saving throw is made with a +2 morale bonus, using the same DC as the original effect. If successful, such effects are suppressed for the duration of this spell. The effects resume when the duration of this spell expires. While under the effects of this spell, the target is immune to any new attempts to possess or exercise mental control over the target. This spell does not expel a controlling life force (such as a ghost or spellcaster using magic jar), but it does prevent them from controlling the target. This second effect only functions against spells and effects created by evil creatures or objects, subject to GM discretion.
Third, the spell prevents bodily contact by evil summoned creatures. This causes the natural weapon attacks of such creatures to fail and the creatures to recoil if such attacks require touching the warded creature. Summoned creatures that are not evil are immune to this effect. The protection against contact by summoned creatures ends if the warded creature makes an attack against or tries to force the barrier against the blocked creature. Spell resistance can allow a creature to overcome this protection and touch the warded creature.
Figwidget trudges forward teen feet through the mud, so that he is behind Major Luke Rand. "Fire in the hole!" he shouts, as he tosses another bomb over the Major's head towards the undead monstrosity.
(Throwing a bomb; ranged touch attack, including -2 for throwing from the mud and -4 because of the cover Major Luke Rand affords the creature. Omit Major Luke Rand from the splash damage.