"Thanks un', Grumblejack will finish it!"
And with a another earthbreaking blow, the snake stops moving.
Combat is over, Eric and Grumblejack are injuried, but none of then has any chance of dying in the immediate future.
.
Those snakes are made of mithril. Each one of then can be sold at 1000gp.
Nahia will look at her comrades and say, "Good job everyone! Those things were tough." She'll toss the wand back to Seren, smiling and saying "Thanks for that, and good job with that... thing... that you do."
Nahia, seeing that the infernal magic that she applied to Eric before is working, will go up to Grumblejack and say, "Hold still big guy, I know you don't like magic but I'm going to make you feel all better."
Nahia will take the red tipped bone wand and begin tracing the pentagram again, the red lines streaking in the air before touching Grumblejack with the wand. Smiling, Nahia will tell Grumblejack "There, see, that wasn't so bad."
Nahias eyes will widen as she inspects the "corpses" of the snakes. She turns to her companions and says "These are made of mithril, and look like they would be quite valuable! I wonder if Cardinal Thorn will let us keep them?"
Nahia will turn to Eric again and giggle, saying "Ok, one more time for you. I hope those mean old things didn't hurt anything vital." Nahia will then trace the pentagram again and touch the wand to Eric, once again sealing up his wounds.
"I'll be okay, but I think this size is a bit difficult to fight as. Not sure how Jack does it, but perhaps it is because he has been big all his life," grumbles Eric.
Nahia will smile at Eric and say "True, Grumblejack definitely knows how to handle his bigness. And, maybe at some point in the future you can get some practice at it too. Though, unfortunately, I can't make it last that long. Yet."
"Thanks Elfy. But Grumblejack is learning it too. Rotten un' teachs Grumblejack." says the ogre.
Nahia will grin at Grumblejack and say, with obvious mock jealousy, "Oh, so you've been spending time with her eh? Do I have some competition now?"
The ogre seens to be thinking for a bit then he says "Elfy wants to teach Grumblejack too. But Rotten un' is already teaching. You fight. The One that kill the other can teach Grumblejack."
"Won't be a need if he keeps calling me rotten one." Seren mumbles angrily under her breath, Grumblejack clearly hitting a sore spot.
Rotten one...Perhaps he is speaking about disposition, but somehow I doubt it. Remember to find a way to punish him justly for that comment.
"I would Grumblejack but that would break the contract we just signed, and Asmodeus does not look kindly on those that break their contracts. Remember, power doesn't come to those that go about upsetting their God." Seren snaps.
"Time to open the next door I suppose." Seren adds looking around for anything else in the room.
Nahia laughs at Gumblejacks comment, grinning and saying "You just want to see us fight."
She will then smile at Seren and say "Aww, he doesn't mean anything by it. Kind of like how he calls me 'Elfy' even though I'm not really an Elf." It will then dawn on Nahia what Seren said and she will quickly respond, "Wait a minute, the only thing keeping you from killing me is the contract? Well that's a good thing to know..." with a bit of a huff.
Zerik listens to the banter amused by it but his thoughts are still on the encounter they just had. "Those snakes proved more trouble than they should have. The only thing that kept Erik from dying was the magic of the witches. Am I getting sloppy? More intense practice and drilling will be necessary if we survive this. I refuse to die to such pathetic foes."
Looking at the two massive warriors Zerik asks, "You fought well, those things were more nasty than most things we have encountered. If they are truly made of Mithral it explains their dexterity and toughness. How do you feel now? Let the magic do it's work."
While the healing magic works on Grumblejack and Eirk, Zerik begins to search the room for any hidden entrance or cubbies moving to the check the door for traps after. If the door is safe Zerik puts his ear up against it, listening for the sound of movement on the other side.
Zerik examines the doorway carefully and doesn't seem to find any traps set upon it. He puts his ear to the door, signalling the others to be silent and intently listens for the sound of any movement on the other side. Hearing no sound through the doorway he lowers his raised hand and gives the all clear signal, proceeding into the next room with sword drawn, hopefully ready for what lies within.
Zerik moves uneasily into the next raising om hoping his companions have forgotten about the torture room. Proceeding wearily and stepping slowly, with keeping his footsteps light he begins to look around the new room. It is odd for the Master Thorn to keep such a place below his mansion.
After lifting the bar on the door, you discover yet another small corridor, that end in another wooden door with yet another inscription.
“Suffer not the fool. Stupidity is our faith’s cardinal sin.”
The door is untrapped and unlocked.
Beyond is a square chamber with a podium in its center. The chamber is lit only by a hanging oil lantern.
Upon the podium lies a pendant of silver -- a dragon with sapphire eyes.
There is also a stairway leading up to the east.
Nahia, after reading the inscription, thinks to herself.
Hmm, this one isn't as obvious as the previous ones have been. I'm going to guess that a trap is involved?
She will then turn to the others and say, "Again, this is probably obvious, but I have a feeling that this room involves a trap of some sort. As before, we should be cautious."
"Cautions is for fools! Grumblejack says you un's should enter and tell Grumblejack what is inside." says the ogre, but making no mention of entering the room.
"I agree with Nahia, if this one is anything like the last, then we should proceed with caution. I'll see what is on the podium. You all stand back in case Nahia is correct. You all have better senses than I, so should something happen, you can all react to the situation. I'm sure that Asmodeus will give me the strength to stand alone if need be," says Eric.
If no one raises a concern, Eric will wait to make sure everyone is a reasonable distance away before proceeding to go examine and retrieve the pendant. If nothing happens, he will return with the pendant for one of the others to examine.
Wow, after the beating he just took he is still willing to march into the new trap by himself? I'm not sure if I should think highly of his bravery or lowly of his lack of a survival response. Either way, better than me doing it.
Eric, you march into the room, pick up the pendant, and nothing happens. The you go back to the others.
"This just looks like jewelry to me. Not sure if it is anything special. Other than that, it seems safe to me. We can probably proceed to the stairway. However, Nahia has me worried now. That was far too easy," says Eric as he holds the pendant out for one of the others to look over.
"That was too easy. Eric, let me see that." Nahia will say, holding her hand out for the pendant.
Closer examination reveals that the sapphires are merely cheap costume jewelry -- little more than cut glass. The pendant is silver though of no great craftsmanship and worth 5 gp.
Nahia will spend a bit looking the pendant over, before looking at the others and saying "Silver, yes, but not sapphire. This is a cheap trick to throw us off. Guess that makes sense, with the whole warning about fools."
Nahia will toss the pendant back to Eric and say, "Well, this isn't the end of the trail. And I'd still be wary. Every room so far has had some way to harm us, and we haven't seen one in here yet."
"I'm worried something else is going to happen as well but until it does were kinda stuck with plowing ahead." Seren mentions.
With Eric leading of course. Apparently he's got some sort of death wish. Better him then me.
"Up the stairs or back to that torture room?" Seren asks.
"I'll check the stairs, unless you wish to look over the room for anything out of place. You seem to have a better idea of what to look for than I," Eric says to Zerik.
"Perhaps there is more to this room than meets the eye." "Go ahead with the others, I'm going to see if this room holds something we have missed." Zerik says going to work on the room.
Zerik starts to look for hidden passages, doorways and storage in a systematic manner. He starts at the entrance of the room going cloackwise. First, he examines the walls closely and then pulls out something from his set of tools and begins to tap the wall with it. He covers the entire room in this way top to bottom left to right ending with the podium.
There is a hidden door in this room.
"I've found something! calls out Zerik. Pulling out the tools provided by Master Thorn when they were still in prison he goes to work attempting to decipher the mechanism behind the trap and if there is any magic to it.
Zerik focuses on the device bringing forth all his concentration and blocking out all else as he goes to work to disable the cunning contraption, working his tools with the deftest touch so as to prevent the trap from springing.
Zerik was able to disarm the trap, and open the secret door.
The stairs is a false one and do not lead anywhere.
Behind the secret door a corridor that leads to another wooden door.
“Secrecy is our greatest ally. Exposure brings death.”
The door is unlocked and untrapped.
Behind the door the room is completely dark. In the center of this stone chamber is a patch of bare earth surrounded by a two inch tall brick circle. From the soil grows a mansized purple mushroom with a strange bulbous cap.
Zerik reads the inscription and enters the room calling out, "Erik bring the oil lantern or a torch, for there is no light within this chamber."
As soon you call Eric, the mushroom emits an almost impossibly loud, piercing wail.
Nahia will pat Zerick on the shoulder after he removes the trap, telling him "I knew there was something else. Good job!"
"Exposure brings death" eh? A dark room eh? Hmm...
Nahia will look to her companions and whisper "I think we're supposed to get to that other door without being detected. Though detected by what I am not sure. Maybe the mushroom releases toxic spores when it manipulated or detects vibrations?"
Nahia is about to whisper something when Zerick calls to Eric and the mushroom unleashes its sudden screech. Nahia grasps her hands over her ears before trying to shout over the mushroom
Nahia will then look at Zerick and say
Eric turns to retrieve the oil lamp just as the mushroom starts shrieking. Sheathing his sword, he rushes over to grab the lamp.
Eric shouts to the others.
"Well this can't be good." Seren yells over the shrieking.
Centering herself she lets the magic flow through her, dark power swirling around her.
Secrecy is out greatest ally... and he yells the second he gets into the room. Bright one this one...guess we failed that riddle. Definitely exposed now. At least he is good with a blade, hopefully we can deal with whatever the repercussions of this are.
As Seren wards herself, Nahia will do the same, at first closing her eyes and chanting "Success comes through focus, focus is the measure of desire, desire comes from within..."
Then, Nahia will take a more open stance, arms wide, and begin chanting "Spirits and elementals, I beseech the, give me strength and mercy..."
Eric take the oil lamp and run towards the mushroom. When the shrieking mushroom is within 20 feet He will toss the oil lamp at the ground where the mushroom sprouted
"Should have known better." thinks Zerik as he switches to plan B moving in to range of the shrieking mushroom hacking and slashing at the overgrown humanoid vegetable. focusing more on damage than technique.
The mushroom shriek while Zerik cut in down to pieces. Three powerful blows is what it takes to silence its wail.
As soon it stops, the door in the room burst open.
From there, four corpse of dead sailors each one of then carrying a Great Axe.
They are undeads, know as Draugr.
Bludgeoning or slashing weapons works better on then.
And they are resistant to fire.
Anyone strike by then has chance to become nauseated for some time.
Round 1-
Ordered Initiative-
Draugr4 ⇒ 19
Draugr3 ⇒ 17
Zerik ⇒ 15
Seren ⇒ 13
Nahia ⇒ 6
Eric ⇒ 6
Draugr2 ⇒ 6
Big G ⇒ 3
Draugr1 ⇒ 2
Active Effects-
Grumblejack -2 Des
Map-
Notes-
Action-
The Draugr4 and 3 will attack Zerik.
Draugr4
Draugr3
The first one hits Zerik with a powerful vertical blow for 8 dmg.
Zerik dives between the beasts bringing his blade up in a powerful upward stroke as he rises.
A wicked grin comes across Seren's face as she pools her magical energy, Releasing it in a powerful burst.
x DC 16
The monster fails his save, you know for sure now it's a undead creature, but even then he is too strong for you to control.
Great, undead. Can we please fight something with a mind again soon? I mean, if we're going to fight at all. I rather liked the riddle solving myself.
Nahia recoils when she sees the undead charge into the room. But after she regains her senses she will asses the situation, and take a step towards Eric. She will place a hand upon Eric's shoulder and say to him, "You can do this. Strike hard and bring them to their rest... again."
"Don't let these ones touch you. Also, fire won't harm them; only blades and hammers will do," says Eric to the others before charging forward, drawing his sword as he advances.
x DC 12
Zerik and Eric attacks the same zombie and are able to destroy it.
The Zombie2 will move to attack Zerik.
But he missed.
"Grumblejack don't know what that noise was, but this Grumblejack likes!" shouts the ogre.
He hits the Zombie4 for a lot of damage.
The zombie1 will attack Eric.
He hits, but it was not a serious injury.
==//==
Round one Recap:
Draugr4 ⇒ 19 Attaks Zerik and hits for 8 dmg.
Draugr3 ⇒ 17 Attacks Zerik but miss.
Zerik ⇒ 15 Attacks Zombie3 for 16 dmg
Seren ⇒ 13 Try to dominate a zombie but fails.
Nahia ⇒ 6 Used guidance on Eric.
Eric ⇒ 6 Attacked Zombie3 destroying it.
Draugr2 ⇒ 6 Attacked Zerik but missed.
Big G ⇒ 3 Attacked Zombie4 for 15 dmg.
Draugr1 ⇒ 2 Attacked Eric for 5 dmg.
Round 2-
Ordered Initiative-
Draugr4 ⇒ 19
Zerik ⇒ 15
Seren ⇒ 13
Nahia ⇒ 6
Eric ⇒ 6
Draugr2 ⇒ 6
Big G ⇒ 3
Draugr1 ⇒ 2
Active Effects-
Grumblejack -2 Des
Map-
Notes-
Action-
The Draugr4
Draugr4
The first one hits Zerik with a powerful vertical blow for 10 dmg.