The doors burst open, casting wooden shards about the room. A wretched corpse of a man gives a hideous cry as it emerges from the cabinet. The faded blue uniform of a bailiff clings to its bony shoulders in rags and a hand axe protrudes from its chest. The corpse’s veins and arteries have been pulled out through jagged gashes in its wrists and shoulders and now dangle like leathery marionette’s strings. A childlike giggle issues forth in the darkness above and the veins float upward. The bailiff corpse begins to jerk about like a puppet at the whim of some malevolent force. The thing’s gaunt face is eyeless, its two gaping sockets fixed on nothingness as it snarls and lurches forward.
His worst fears confirmed, Volta screams, "#*@$$!, I hate being right!" He does a twist flip and hauls his behind out of there!
Withdraw by weaving through everyone and put them between himself and that thing.
Finngarth looks at the display put on by the foul undead corpse. He scratches his beard certain that he has heard of this kind of thing before...
It is a coffer corpse. You get one question.
Seldion casts a spell and throws a blob of acid at the creature and manages to hit the ceiling.
The creature advances toward Kanna and attacks with a claw, leaving a large gash.
Party up.
Groff moves up to bash the undead abomination.
power attack
Groff moves up and misses the creature.
Taken by surprise, Kanna steps back and launches a trio of arrows at the creature.
Kanna lets loose with 3 arrows that head straight for the creature and thump into its chest. Unfortunately only the first arrow seems to really do any damage.
Death Grip (Ex) A coffer corpse deals 1d4+4 points of damage per round with a successful grapple check against a Large or smaller creature. Because the coffer corpse grabs the victim’s throat, the victim cannot speak or cast spells with verbal components.
Illusory Death (Ex) In any round a coffer corpse is struck for 6 or more points of damage by a single attack, it slumps to the ground as if dead. If it has fastened its death grip on a victim, the victim falls as well, unless he a makes DC 12 Reflex save. Even if the save is successful, the coffer corpse does not release its grip but rather slumps against its opponent’s body. On its next turn the coffer corpse rises again as if through reanimation. Any creature viewing this must succeed at a DC 10 Will save or become panicked for 2d4 rounds.
Ianfir, Seldion and Finngarth are up.
Finngarth relates what he knows about the creature. "It is a coffer corpse. Don't let it grab you, as it will choke you and you won't be able to speak or cast spells. It will play dead if hurt badly, so if it falls, let's finish if for sure."
"The undead are anathema to civiliation, so says Abadar, so say I!" shouts the dwarf advancing on the dead corpse and hammering at it with his melee weapon.
Finngarth moves up to the creature and hits it squarely in the chest wounding it heavily.
As Seldion finishes his casting and the bolt of energy hits the undead creature it falls to the ground dead (really it's dead, only had 6 hit points when it came out)
Finngarth asks one of the others, who holds a bladed weapon, to dismember and scatter that thing, just in case...
The corpse is scattered to the winds it's clothing torn and the axe remains in it's chest. Measuring of time is difficult as it's full dark but a rough guess would be about 9:30pm now. Thinking about it you really haven't found a safe room yet.
Most of the rooms have had doors into them.
Finngarth is all for resting. Once the group has found a suitable room, he will use his channel energy ability to heal any wounded memberrs of the group.
Kanna rubs her wound and sighs. "I really need to learn to dodge," she laments.
Volta replies dryly, "Doesn't always help those things are really good at hitting. Rest is good but how much water and food do we have; we won't last long without it."
[ooc] Volta is at 7 out of 8.
Volta says, "Well that feels a lot better, I like my insides inside!"
Groff is topped off by the channels.
"Thanks"
Seeing Kanna's state is still more wounded than he' like, Finngarth shares more of Abadar's glory and tries to close the rest of her wounds.
That works.
As the group walks past the group of former jurors and into the room to rest, Sir Rekkart asks "Did you find something in that other room leading you back in there? I thought you already searched in there."
Sir Rekkart looks shocked. "Rest? REST? You need to rest? Do you think that creature is going to just let you take a rest? We'll all be dead by morning!"
The gnome jester Ebin adds in a sarcastic voice, "Do the big bad heros need a little nappy wappy? That will give that thing time to slit all of your throats while you sleep."
Patrissia slinks up to Groff and says in a low sultry voice "You wouldn't slack off and let the creature kill me while you sleep would you? I need your protection."
Killian raises his flask to you and takes a swing and says "To those about to die, I salute you."
The group of four jurors seems much chillier to you to say the least.
Volta looks shocked then angry then resigned.
"We have been doing most of the searching and fighting, we're drained. Most of you have done little but complain. We are not gods or undead, yes - we need to rest. We found out some stuff but not enough; I gather no one has any idea how to get out of the grip of this horror. So either we rest or collapse, drained of every resource. However, nothing prevents you bunch from searching what's left of this place. There doesn't seem like there is much left to be found, but if you have a useful idea, not a whine, I'd be glad to hear it."
"Milady, I will stay up and guard you if you want, but I cannot explore this place by myself, and when the healing runs out, I can't last very long, and then there's nobody to guard you. "
Kanna pointedly ignores the jurors, turning instead to Volta. "I'll take first watch," she offers.
"I can do mid" assuming the matter to be settled.
Volta says, "I can take mid watch myself as well, we should stand watch in pairs." Volta also assumes his point is made.
You settle down for the night and about 30 minutes into the first watch there is a loud scream followed by pounding on the door which wakes those not on watch up and then there is silence.
Kanna snaps awake at the sound of the scream. She makes a quick headcount of her companions, then goes to the door, pressing her ear against it and listening.
Volta wakes with a scout's alertness then scowls. "Yep, restless spirits are not going to let us rest. Best see what's going on." Volta goes to the door looking at Kanna trying to listen through the door.
He goes to the door and whispers to Kanna, "Best just to open it and be ready for anything, we don't have much choice anyway."
If Kanna agrees Volta will open the door, using the door itself as a shield.
On the floor, Ebin sits rocking feverishly to and fro, facing away from you. His hands are busy at work in front of him, out of sight. The sound of a knife slicing through fresh, wet meat gives way to a wet cough when he convulses slightly. The gnome turns, blood pouring from his grinning mouth. He holds in his right hand his own severed tongue, waving it about like a slapstick. He staggers toward Volta and slaps him in the face a few times gurgle-gibbering and laughing thickly through the torrent of gore pouring down his throat. He then drops to the floor dead.
Volta jumps back from the horror, "Yeech, why does this happen to me?" He moves behind the more armored of the group.