Shash noticed on his way past that the ground immediately in front of the door is dangerously unstable, like gravel over a sink hole or quicksand.
"Front door is danger."
The big man grits his teeth, readying his sword to leap into battle. As he's about to charge into the room, he pauses, a sly grin coming to his face. "Think we could bait them over the threshold?" Jawari whispers. "If they're mindlessly chasing food, they may run right into that danger Shash noticed."
"Luring them out would be good." Then turning to Kyra, "Do you have any magic that would work? Maybe those dancing balls of light or can you make sounds?"
"No, but I can deal with the undead once we engage," Kyra says.
Jawari moves near the doorway, just in front of the sink hole, and cuts his hand. When the smell of blood does not seem to be enough, he begins to groan and act as though injured. The first thing of note is that a skeleton begins to crawl out from within the sink hole. It holds a razor-like dagger favored by the Bloody Barbers.
Jawari and Shash can hear a man praying to Urgathoa somewhere out of sight, and then an armored skeleton moves into their view and raises its shield defensively.
The plan to bait the zombies seems to have worked too well. One of them moves to the doorway and leaps into the midst of the companions. The other slowly shambles up to the doorway.
Kyra releases a wave of positive energy that heal's Jawari's cut hand and tears at the flesh of the undead. The skeletal knight seems to withstand it better than the other undead.
Encounter Mode! Round 1. Bold may act.
W (-2 hp): V, S, Move
Red (-4 hp): Move, Leap
Blue (-4 hp): Move, Move
Shash (currently hidden)
Thulgrum
Kyra
Jawari
Skeleton (-4 hp)
Jawari reacts with a start when he hears the prayers to Urgathoa and sees the skeleton knight. Hoping to thin the ranks of the group's attackers, Jawari slashes viciously at the zombie next to him. "I think we found them. More incoming!" he shouts. "And it sounds like there's a necromancer here chanting prayers to Urgathoa," he tells Kyra and Thulgrum, as he hacks away at his attacker.
With a swordsman's expertise, Jawari hacks the zombie next to him into pieces.
Encounter Mode! Round 1. Bold may act.
W (-2 hp): V, S, Move
Blue (-9 hp): Move, Move
Shash (currently hidden)
Thulgrum
Kyra
Jawari
Skeleton (-4 hp)
Seeing the undead, Thulgrum moves into his fighting stance before engaging the skeleton outside of the temple. The dwarf claws at the skeleton connecting the first hit.
Thulgrum steps forward and smashes the skeleton's skull before it even finishes pulling itself out of the gravel.
Encounter Mode! Round 1. Bold may act.
W (-2 hp): V, S, Move
Blue (-9 hp): Move, Move
Shash (currently hidden)
Thulgrum
Kyra
Jawari
Shash sneaks his way around the back of the building, trying to find an unobserved entrance. He eventually climbs his way over fallen rubble and squeezes between collapsed boards to enter the back room. The floor here is very rotten and threatens to collapse under his feet.
The skeletal knight raises his shield, and a wave of dark, painful energy washes over the companions.
The zombie leaps over the pit and swings a rotting fist into Kyra. The undead grabs hold of the cleric and holds her tight.
Having none of that, Kyra swings her scimitar in heavy, chopping motions. The first cuts deeply, the second misses, and the third, desperate swing cuts off the zombie's head.
Encounter Mode! Round 2. Bold may act.
W (-0 hp): Channel x 3
Shash (currently hidden): Reflex save vs. DC 13 or fall in a 10 ft hole; 3 damage, Will save vs. DC 16 to reduce to 1 damage.
Thulgrum 3 damage, Will save vs. DC 16 to reduce to 1 damage.
Kyra (-4 hp):
Jawari 3 damage, Will save vs. DC 16 to reduce to 1 damage.
While Shash balances gracefully on the few beams strong enough to support his small frame, he does notice a body in the cellar. It looks like a woman, and her leg is bloody and looks broken.
Encounter Mode! Round 2. Bold may act.
W (-0 hp): Channel x 3
Shash (-3 hp; currently hidden)
Thulgrum 3 damage, Will save vs. DC 16 to reduce to 1 damage.
Kyra (-4 hp):
Jawari 3 damage, Will save vs. DC 16 to reduce to 1 damage.
Shash continues to search carefully for the Urgathoan.
Jawari grits his teeth as he feels the wave of dark energy wash over him. Jaw set, he glances at Thulgrum and catches his eye, with a look that says Let's take him. Gathering himself, he leaps across the dangerous ground, and immediately sprints towards the Skeleton Knight, screaming a battle cry and swinging his longsword as he agilely takes a tight turn to come at the skeleton from the side.
Shash creeps over the difficult terrain of the ruined floor, searching for a sign of the necromancer. He sneaks past the doorway and on to the other side of the room. There he finds no one.
Jawari leaps over the sink hole and charges the skeletal knight. He lands a solid blow, although where the sword was very effective against the zombies, it is much less effective against the skeletal knight.
Encounter Mode! Round 2. Bold may act.
W (-5 hp): Channel x 3
Shash (-3 hp; currently hidden): Move, Move, Seek
Thulgrum 3 damage, Will save vs. DC 16 to reduce to 1 damage.
Kyra (-4 hp):
Jawari (-3 hp): Leap, Sudden Charge x 2
The dwarf grunts as the wave of energy hits him. He leaps into the building. Thulgrum then moves to flank with Jawari before clawing at the knight.
Thulgrum leaps across the threshold to make two powerful strikes against the skeletal knight. Like Jawari, he comes to realize that slashing at armored bone is not the most effective strategy for destroying it.
The knight turns and shoves Jawari towards the broken floor boards behind him, but he cannot budge the warrior. Frustrated, he takes a swing with his morningstar and raises his shield defensively. The warrior narrowly side steps the blow.
Kyra leaps into the building.
Encounter Mode! Round 3. Bold may act.
W (-9 hp): Shove, Attack, Raise Shield
Shash (-3 hp; currently hidden):
Thulgrum (-3 hp):
Kyra (-4 hp): Move, Leap, Move
Jawari (-3 hp):
Seeing that his slashing with his longsword is ineffective, Jawari assaults the skeleton knight relentlessly with his shield, and then takes a careful step to the side, to make it more difficult for the knight to shove him through the hole in the floor.
Thulgrum steps to keep the skeleton knight between himself and Jawari. The dwarf reaches in and yanks on the knight's right arm following with a couple of punches.
Shash considers his options.
Jawari stumbles on his first swing and then rams his shield solidly into skeletal knight's chest.
Thulgrum strikes at the knight's weapon and forces it from his hand. The morningstar drops to the ground with a clang. His second strike rings off of the shield, and the third strike misses entirely.
"...I died too soon," the knight rasps as it begins to chant for Urgathoa to smite his oppressors. He reaches out to touch the one who stole his weapon and then tries to return the favor against Jawari by smashing his spiked shield into him.
Kyra beseeches Sarenrae to aid her companions.
Encounter Mode! Round 4. Bold may act.
W (-19 hp): Cast x 2 (miss); Attack (hit)
Shash (-3 hp; currently hidden):
Thulgrum (-3 hp):
Kyra (-4 hp):
Jawari (-5 hp):
Sash rushes in to gnaw on some bones.
Pulling out the journal, the dwarf starts to read off the names listed within it his voice cracking while doing so, "Justerian, Remna, Aedo, Nelfurhin, and Omoak."
Thulgrum then throws a pair of punches at the undead creature.
As the skeleton begins its chant to Urgathoa, Jawari sees a small opening in its defense and reacts with quick reflexes, attempting to smash through the skeleton once again. Still slightly off-balance from his attack, he can't bring his shield around in time to block the Knight's counterattack, and he is bloodied by the spiked shield.
"You died too soon?" he asks the skeleton through gritted teeth, "Not permanently enough, though. Let's fix that." Fueled by pain, the big man swings for the fences with his heavy shield.
Jawari smashes his shield into the skeletal knight as he chants his prayer, but it fails to rattle the skeleton. Fortunately, the knight is unable to touch his intended target--Thulgrum--with whatever fell magic he has invested in his bony hand.
Shash tries to find bones to chew but cannot get his teeth past the armor.
Thulgrum begins to read names out of the journal. "Urgathoa gave me new life," the skeletal knight moans in response. "I could not save enough, so much left undone..."
The dwarf then pounds on the knight's armor; something cracks.
Jawari brings his shield to bear, pain and anger fueling his swing. The first blow knocks the skeletal knight's jaw off . The second blow knocks the skeleton apart. It falls to the ground with a clatter among the pieces of armor.
End Combat.
W (-50 hp):
Shash (-3 hp):
Thulgrum (-3 hp):
Kyra (-4 hp):
Jawari (-5 hp):
There is a moan from the back of the building and then a tentative sounding voice, "Hello? Is someone--someone there? Other than Wennel?"
"We ain't Wennel. We're with the Pathfinder Society. The place is clear of the undead so its safe to come out," responses the dwarf.
Jawari turns to Thulgrum and quietly says, "She might be bound, or injured. Let's find her." Jawari sheaths his sword, and goes looking for source of the voice. "Are you able to come out? As my companion said, it's safe now."
Continuing to look for the source of the voice, he continues, "Wennell was the Skeleton Knight, wasn't he? Did he try to help slaves when he was still alive? How did he come to this fate?"
"Pathfinders! Thank the gods," she shouts and then trails off weakly. It is a few moments before she coughs and then speaks again. "I'm Nelfurhin Zor, fellow Pathfinder, but I'm afraid I can't 'come out' on my own. I broke my leg when I fell into the cellar."
Those who move to the edge of the crumbling floor see the same woman that Shash saw on the way in, although slightly more animated. She waves weakly to those above.
It is a simple matter with Thulgrum's climbing kit to extract her from the cellar. A simple splint gets her slightly more mobile, and the dwarf can fashion a sling seat with the rope to haul her out of the pit.
"I can't thank you enough for the rescue," the half-elf says as her eyes well with pain or gratitude or both. "Wennel was a cleric of Milani. He helped many of the slaves who earned their freedom during the last siege, including myself. We stayed friends, and the last that I had heard from him was that he was on the trail of slavers who were trying to take back the freed slaves. Then a few nights ago, I open the door to a knock, and the monstrosity that used to be Wennel is there. He hit me in the head, and the next thing I know, I'm waking up in that sunken tavern. I fell down the hole trying to escape, and I guess he didn't notice."
"Valsin will be glad to hear you're still alive. We've been tracking clues about the Rose Street Murderer, whom it looks like must been Wennel, for about a week now ever since you disappeared."
Sash stands in the background grinning widely.
"When did they allow goblins into the Society?" Nelfurhin asks.
You help Nalfurhin back to the Lodge where she can get rest and proper healing. Then you head to Valsin's office for your debriefing. After you've explained everything, the Venture-Captain gives you a reserved smile. "You did good work, Pathfinders, both finding and rescuing Nalfurhin and putting an end to this poor, corrupted cleric's rampage. It still worries me that the original slavers that killed Wennel are still out there.
"Anyhow, please join me and the other Venture-Captains for dinner tonight." He hands you a sack of fifteen silver coins as reward for your work.