Standing fast at the front entrance, Kahtia weaves a different kind of magic, moving rhythmically, sensuously as she attempts to Bewitch the creature closest to Gar, bending its dark will to her own...
"Don't worry, Tess. We'll handle things up front." Charles says, trying to reassure her as he moved further down the tunnel,
finally managing to keep his feet.
"Garwin, I finally made it. We're not letting any of them through!"
Drawing his glaive, he attacked over Garwin's head.
Gärwin swings opposite Charles' attack, catching the creature as it tries to dodge. The dwarf's sword cuts gruesomely into the living corpse, leaving a trail of dust as it cuts clean.
Kahtia casts bewitch, forcing the undead to move in a manner which is advantageous to her allies.
Tesswyn misses her shot, again.
The monster strikes at Gärwin with sword and claw. It swipes both at Gärwin, but he deflects the sword with his own and the claw with his shield.
Charles moves up to Gärwin, imbuing the dwarf with holy inspiration.
Both Charles and Gärwin land solid blows, killing the undead. The body sloops to the ground, motionless.
Drot casts Dart at the far undead.
The undead tries to move forward, but again slips and slides down the slope.
Distance
U1: Destroyed
U2: ??, -14
U3: Destroyed
U4: 22, -3
Charles: 15
Drot: 0
Gärwin: 15
Kahtia: 0
Tesswyn: 9
Tesswyn continues her trend of missing her targets!
Gärwin stands his ground, ready tor strike any of the creatures that come too close. We can beat these blaggards, we've beaten much fiercer before!"
With his hammer firmly gripped, Drot beings to make his way down the tunnel behind the others.
As expected of the orc, he gracefully takes a single step onto the gravel and immediately catches loose rocks with his feet.
He slides down the tunnel ending a bit behind Tesswyn.
Charles smiles at Garwin's enthusiasm. "Compared to that Giant we fought in the wastes, absolutely."
Kahtia watches as Charles and Gar go hand-to-hand with the fiends, then Drot brandishes his hammer and heads into the descending passage. The shapely spellcaster hesitates at the entrance, silhouetted by the desert skies behind her, then she steels her nerves and goes in after the big orc.
She treads softly and carefully, managing to keep her feet even as her big green companion slips and falls. Kahtia sees that he's fine, and also spies Tesswyn -- and the woman looks rattled.
"Tess!" the darkly beautiful woman says in the dim passage, "come out of there! Come back to the surface, let Drot and Charles and Gärwin destroy these abominations!"
Tesswyn fires and misses. Drot slides down.
Kahtia enters the tomb to support Tesswyn.
None.
Distance
U1: Destroyed
U2: ??, -14
U3: Destroyed
U4: 26, -9
Charles: 25
Drot: 3
Gärwin: 16
Kahtia: 9
Tesswyn: 9
Kahtia's words snap Tesswyn out of her funk. She snarls at the other woman. "F%+& you, I've got this!" Then she shoots the nearest undead!
"We got the high ground, let 'em come to us or get shot." Gärwin maintains his position, readying to strike the enemy should they close.
Drot tries to steady himself, he stands and begins to say something before immediately falling again!
"Velo- ...Gah!"
"Yeah that would have been smarter." Cahrles says as he stares down the undead.
"Astrid, guide my blade!" he utters a quick prayer to the Martyr before striking at the creature in front of him.
"Suit yourself," Kahtia says simply to Tess, readying her staff for melee should one of the creatures reach the two women. Then, seeing Drot'ook continue to struggle to maintain his footing behind them, the sorceress moves to help up get up and move past them.
Tesswyn fires her bow while Charles continues the attack with his glaive. It's impressive that he can use such a weapon in this hallway.
Gärwin holds the line a few places back from Charles, in the event the undead somehow managed to kill Charles.
The undead swipes at Charles with his sword one one hand and his open clawed fingers with the other hand, cutting Charles deep with both.
Drot slides down a bit more.
None.
Distance
U1: Destroyed
U2: ??, -14
U3: Destroyed
U4: 26, -28
Charles: 25
Drot: 6
Gärwin: 16
Kahtia: 9
Tesswyn: 9
Tesswyn shoots the undead again!
"Dammit Charles!" The Dwarf charges down the slope, his low center of gravity greatly aiding his ability to stay standing. Coming to a stop though, was more difficult than Gärwin Intended, as his strike swings wide of the undead.
An arrow flies past Charles' head and slams into the undead creature, knocking it back. It doesn't move again.
Combat over!
Now that you have the time to look around, you can see the undead came out from recesses in the hall. There are four of them.
As the vile creature falls, taken down by an arrow of Tesswyn's that finally finds its mark, Kahtia helps Drot to his feet, then begins moving down the passage towards the alcoves the creatures emerged from.
"Good shot," she says to Tess on her way past. "You have skill when you've mastered your fear. Gärwin, Charles -- beware. I drove a fourth creature back earlier in the fight, and I don't know what became of it."
Then, as if the fates wanted to punish the woman for her snark, the woman slips, falls on her rump and starts sliding down the passage.
Tess is about to meet Kahtia's snark with more snark when the other woman falls on her ass. She snickers and moves to help her up. "Let's keep moving, together. Everybody hold hands and go slowly. We'll make it through without further embarrassment."
Holding hands, you inch your way down the hallway. As the light shines towards the end, you see the hallway ended about 40 yards in from the door.
The end of the hallway is an open pit, which drops beyond your light source.
As you approach the edge, Gärwin slips and starts sliding.
Tesswyn hooks her staff around Garwin and yanks him back. "Quit screwing around!"
Now that you're somewhat stable at the base of the slope, you get a better look around.
At the end of the hallway, a gaping beak of a hawk frames the archway leading to a domed shaft that descends down deep into the earth. Wisps of a foul odor, tinged with exotic spices, rise from the depths of the shaft.
Beyond the archway, a narrow set of frail and treacherous stairs lead downward into the rooms of the tomb. Roughly 20 yards below is another archway opening out onto the shaft, on the western side. Further down is another set of narrow stairs connecting to the adjoining wall to the north, descending yet again another 10 yards to another western archway.
The jackals constant howl comes from somewhere below - the sounds seem to echo, masking the source. A hint of a flickering light comes from the upper most western archway.
The stairs are barely wide enough for one person - please state the order you're going in.
"I hear chanting beneath the howls. There are creatures about. Stay on your toes."
Tesswyn goes down the stairs first, moving quietly and trying to peek into the uppermost archway while staying hidden.
Kahtia is quiet as she listens, and as her other senses bristle. It is a dark, sinister place, this tomb, and she hates plumbing its horrifying depths. Gesturing subtly, speaking quietly, she tries to sense if there is magic in the area as Tess begins her descent.
That done, she softly asks, "Do you see tracks on the steps, in the dust and grime? Has someone come this way, and if so, is it one or two sets of prints?"
The attack gouged Charles badly enough that he raised his shield in a desperate attempt for defense, but Tesswyn's arrow ended the fight. For a time he was unable to catch his breath as the group made its way down the tunnel.
He was slow to react on catching Garwin, Tesswyn leaping out and front and stopping the Dwarf from Falling.
Realizing that his wound was still bothering him, he took a moment and focused.
"May the grace of the New God remove our wounds."
"I hear it too. Those stairs look worse than coming down the tunnel. We should have left a line of rope so that climbing back out would be easier. Either way, going down here looks questionable. Let's be careful."
"Well, that's probably not good. I'll cover yah, Tess, be careful."
The dwarf descends after Tesswyn, ready to leap into action once anything leaps from the gloom.
Now that Kahtia has requested you to look for prints, you do notice that someone has gone by here before. Unfortunately, no one is skilled enough in tracking to determine how many have gone this way before.
As you move down the steps, some of the loose brickwork crumbles away, falling into the darkness below. Both Tesswyn and Gärwin manage to stay on the ledge-like staircase.
Once at the edge of the next archway, you peer in. The archway gives way to a hall full of carvings; while the hall itself is a jackal effigy.
Anak’hainunem’s accomplishments are depicted in the carvings - battles against multitudes of intruders, wonders performed in lush, verdant fields, massive structures being built — striking evidence that he was a terrible tyrant, praised highly and worshiped by his peoples.
Near the end of the corridor, Anak’hainunem is shown in a death mask, carrying a long rod of might (a Was), flying high above wielding his great and noble powers against his many foes.
Behind Anak'Hainumen you see a live ritual taking place. A man with reddish in deep blue robes is chanting something in the Dark Tongue, with a curved dagger held over a dark skinned man in white and tan clothing. The dark skinned man in first glance seems to be willing taking part.
Tesswyn points to the dark-skinned man and looks at Garwin, mimicking a fearful expression. She looks up and gestures for the others to approach quietly. She's not sure the right course of action, but she is prepared to leap into the fray if necessary.
Seeing Tesswyn gesture, and believing the chanting to be coming from the hall she and Gärwin nosed into, Kahtia lifts her skirts and robes to keep from tripping on them as she begins walking down the ancient stairs. It is a treacherous descent, and the woman stops in her tracks after just a few steps, when some rubble falls into the abyss. Returning to the top, she holds Charles up with a gesture, then places the same enchanted glyph on him that she had on Tess, earlier. Added to that, she also casts a softly spoken ancient spell that floods the man with zeal and vigor when she takes him by the hand, which she draws in close to her chest.
"Come with me, Charles," she says quietly. "Hold my hand as we descend. The other mage from the Tower is here, I hear him -- and it's as I feared. He is dabbling with dark powers, and we must stop him."
To Drot, whom she also places a glyph on she says, "He will not expect magic from you. Use that to your advantage."
Turning then, she leads the paladin down the stairs.
Although Drot doesn't notice the lesser man's state of mind, he knew exactly what the mage was planning. Suddenly a ledge breaks out from under Kahtia's foot and she starts toward the abyss. Drot instinctively reaches out and grabs her wrist, pulling her back onto solid ground and into Charles' care as he steps around her.
"We need to stop him now, while he's distracted but before he gets to the sacrifice, not long now..."
Drot moves carefully until he is on solid ground and begins a brutal assault, fury building in his eyes.
"Ymosodiad Casineb!"
Tesswyn moves in behind Drot and blasts the robed man with fire from her staff!
She races after her flames, swinging her staff at his head!
The wizard says something in dark speech with a rising inflection and growing volume. With his voice, the howls grow louder as well.
Then his bowels forcefully empty - shit and blood splatter the ground behind him as he screams in pain. A magical blast of fire consumes him, burning him to a crisp. His body explodes outwards, burning organs splattering everywhere!
The howls continue to grow louder!
The dark skinned man collapses in terror as the burning organs splatter upon him. He desperately tries to push it off him as tears streak his face.
---------
This large room houses eight sets of hydrocephali made of bronze and covered in human flesh placed on the surrounding walls at a humans head height. Piles of loose sand and various sized stones litter the
floor of this chamber.
The central stone altar is coated with black, dried blood from many prior sacrifices. It has pooled near the area you have entered from, but has long since dried and left its stain on the ground.
Steep, wide stairs descend at the rear of the room.
Three Caryatids are placed one each beside either stairs and one on the far wall behind the altar.
---------
Suddenly, the three statues in the back start to move.
Charles was nervous about the narrow and questionable condition of the stairs leading downwards along the wall, he knew his balance had never been the greatest.
As Drot'ook moved past and Kahtia cast her spells, her words told him they needed to move which gave him more confidence to descend. He took her hand and together they strided forward.
When she began to fall, he instinctively clinched her hand tightly and removed his free hand from the wall to wrap around her waist pulling her up to him.
They balanced precariously, but thankfully did not fall. Had they not been holding hands, he would have been too slow.
Tesswyn is unperturbed by the howls. When the statues animate, she rushes the closest one.
Charles is unfazed by the howls and manages to lead himself and Kahtia down the rest of the way.
Upon reaching the bottom he lets her go and sees the mess of the caster and momentarily nauseated until he notices the moving statues and the terrified, gore splattered man.
Charles rushes forward to stand between the man and the statues.
"Hurry, pick yourself up. Get back." he says.
Drot was momentarily stunned by the gruesome expulsion of the man's innards and the eerie howling, but was back in action as the golems sprung to life!
Kahtia reaches the bottom of the stairs, and then the arched entryway, just in time to watch Drot'ook and Tesswyn kill her fellow Tower mage in a disgusting display of exploding, flaming bile and feces.
"No!" she cries, knowing that the man's death will complete the evil ritual, and also anguished that she will not get a chance to talk to her colleague, to reason with him. But she knows in her heart that he would never have heard her words, and she falters when the howling comes again, louder, and Charles races from her side to where the dark-skinned man lies.
Trying to center herself, the mage closes her eyes briefly as she utters a terrible spell, one which forces a gasp from her lithe body, wracking her with pain even as it fills her with dread, entropic power. Blood drips as she opens her eyes.
She is afraid but determined, and Kahtia moves forward, joining her fellows in combat with the stone statues Buckling's death has impossibly brought to life...
"Stand back from them!" she shouts, her voice seething with power. "Back!"
Tesswyn, acting quickly, slams her staff into the moving statue.
The statue raises both arms and slams down on Tesswyn!
Charles and Kahtia both advance, with Kahtia enhancing herself with mystic power and Charles interposing himself between the statues and the human.
Gärwin advances, charging into the foray! He sets his shield in place to protect Tesswyn.
The other two statues advance, one going for Charles and the other going for Tesswyn.
Statue Status:
S1: -17
"Astrid, lend me your strength! "
Tesswyn grunts in pain as the statue batters her. She focuses her mind, opening herself up to the flood of sensations in the tomb. The echo of Garwin's boots on the stone floor. The patterns of dust floating in the air. The initial rush is disorienting, though, and she swings wide of the statue as she tries to process all of the information.
Quickly sheathing his sword, Gärwin attempts to grab a statue by it's limb, looking to whip it away from the others towards the pit. The desert heat had taken it's toll on his strength though, and he has difficulty budging the heavy statue.
Drot hefts his hammer and runs at the fallen statue!
"ZERSTÖERISCHES ZIEL!"
Drot shouts a spell into the air and his arms and hammer begin to pulse and glow with energy.
He brings his hammer down with enhanced speed and strength, crumbling chucks of the statue to dust!
Continuing her advance, Kahtia scowls and swears under her breath as her companions ignore her, all racing forward to engage hand to hand.
"Retreat! Move away from them!" the woman shouts in exasperation. "I need room for my spells!"
So saying, the woman bares her teeth, extending one grasping hand and uttering a word of power that she prays will destroy one of the creatures without injuring anyone else...
Tesswyn's staff bounces off the statue harmlessly, while Gärwin tries to maneuver the heavy statue towards the pit.
Charles knocks one to the ground.
The two statues next to Tesswyn try to crush her into paste, but her foresight allows her to move out of the way before the stone fists even move.
Kahtia, angry that her new companions have ignored her, unleashes a magical at the stone golem, but it seems to be ineffective.
The statue Charles knocked down gets up and attacks Drot, but the orc easily sidesteps it.
Statue Status:
S1: -17
S2: -15
"Drot'ook, smash it and if it doesn't break I'll knock it back!"
All the sign-reading in the world can't make up for Tesswyn's wild swings.
"Lesse' if we can get these gravel brains t' play nice." Gärwin grabs the nearest statue's appendage and whirls it around, hoping to use his weight to throw the first statue into the other. After releasing the heavy stone creature, the dwarf steps back once more to cover Tesswyn.
Seeing her opening as Charles shoves his foe back and as Gär slings one living statue into another, Kahtia grins as she summons and wields fearsome energies that light up the unholy scene. She shouts, "Yes! Stand clear!" before uttering a word of power that stands hair on end. Three streaks of scintillating light cross the room, impacting on the groups' foes, and the resulting pyrotechnic display is impressive -- and explosive.