"Skeletons. Did the goblins not mention them?"
Madir carefully approaches the skeletons to make sure they're not reanimated.
Madir boldy approaches one of the skeletons, expecting the worse. However, the bones do not spring to life.
Oren lets out a breath that he didn't know he was holding. Let's have a good look around before we move on."
He also looks around for any recent activity in the area.
Being as this is a controlled environment without wind or rain, it's easy for Oren to spot tracks in the dirt floor - the same tracks found outside of the Licktoad Village. You can see them milling about the general area, and some continue to the north, up the westernmost tunnel. Some, also, lead directly to the skeletons.
Oren ponders the information presented to him in the ground before laying it out to his companions. "Seems like these bones were moving, at some time, though it seems like whatever magic made them move has fled. There are more tracks going down that tunnel." He points towards the Northwest passage. "Shall we see what all the fuss is about?"
"Yes, let us be off."
Ignoring the piles of bones, you move on from the room and to the north. As you go, you note that the other northern tunnel seems to be the other end of the spider tunnel that had narrowed so much that Gruhx could not go through.
You enter another large chamber with some murky, still water on one side. The cavern seems to end on the other side of the room, but in the middle of this room, a skeleton sits on a a large jade and cherry wood chest. It wears armor of a certain design and holds a sword loosely in its hand. The undead figure doesn't move, but it sits in such a way that you can't doubt that it is somehow animated.
Oren watches the strange skeleton. "Looks like this is what's causing all the fuss. Perhaps we should take it out and have done with this place."
The dwarf keeps his senses aware, as he was taught, on the chance that there are other surprises in store.
Squeezing between the walls, Gruhx eyes the opening with envy. 'Be nice ter be dere...'
Eyeing the back of the seated skeleton, he calls out "AY! Ya friend er no?"
Madir and White spread out, carefully approaching the seated skeleton.
As soon as Madir and White move into the room, the skeleton rises to its feet, and its eyes flare into light and it advances to attack. Everyone focuses on the creature as it swiftly moves towards Madir, but then Eli's small voice breaks the silence. Um...guys?
You take a glance back, and realize that the skeletons from the prior chamber have rattled to their feet as well. They move to attack!
Eli
Madir and White
Boss
Skeletons
Tallvar
Gruhx
"Gruhx!" Oren calls out, "Why don't you stretch your legs back there. Madir and I will take care of this one as quickly as possible."
Oren then steps up behind Madir and send a blast of sand into the skeleton 'ring leader'.
Free Action: 5-foot step.
Standard Action: Sand Blast vs. skeleton
Pulling an oar from his pack as he moves, Gruhx calls back. "Sound gud boss!"
for
Both Madir and White weave around the skeleton
and strike together in flank!
Oren leaps into action with Madir and White, and the three converge upon the skeleton blats of sand and sword and claw. However, the attacks all fall short of their mark as the creature seems unnaturally quick. The creature responds by reaching up and pointing at Madir. It hisses out a challenge, in an odd language.
It then launches itself at Madir, slashing and clawing.
Eli looks about, noting his predicament. He raises his hand to the sky and shouts. Dawnflower, scour the world of these abominations!
The skeletons move in to swing at Eli with their rusty, worn swords. Eli is able to block two of the attacks, but a third slips inside his guard and delivers a long, jagged slice to the inside of his arm.
Oren continues to attack the 'leader', unwilling to back down in the face of this creature.
Standard Action: Sand Blast vs. skeleton
Madir gets wounded heavily and shouts in pain. Inbetween gasps, he grunts, "Be... laid... to... rest!"
He grits his teeth and both he and White continue their assault.
Squeezing forward as he pulls out the massive oar, Gruhx swings over his companions head.
for
Unable to see a safe way to help with the horde, Gruhx sighs. "No kin boss. I hep yas."
Drawing the oar, he moves through the cavern to the far side of the opening.
"T-That's a lot of skeletons." Tallvar's eyes widen and he swallows hard. He glances over his shoulder at Gruhx. "Go get 'em, big guy."
With that he ducks low, scrambling between Gruhx's massive legs, past Oren, and into the cavern beyond.
Tallvar moves back, opening up room for Gruhx to swing, and the mighty Trox doesn't hesitate. He just makes contact with the swing, but even that is enough to shatter the skeleton, sending now broken bones away in an arc.
Oren launches another blast, but the confusion around the melee before him forces him to overcompensate and it misses.
Madir slips in while the skeleton is focused on White, and his blade slashes across. Though the sharp blade isn't particularly effective on the things hard bones, the force of the strike still does quite a bit of damage, chipping bone with its force.
Eli once again calls out to his goddess to bring down her light upon these abominations. All are weakened, and one more falls under the divine magic.
The three skeletons in range attack Eli again, swords and claws whipping about in a frenzy. Eli's eyes widen, but miraculously is only hit with a single sword blade, which strikes a glancing blow off of his thigh. The skeletons seem as confused as he is.
The skeletal warrior once again slashes at Madir, then spins about the slash with his claw at the Fetchling as well.
Eli
Madir and White
Boss
Skeletons
Tallvar
Gruhx
Seeing Madir get overwhelmed by the undead creature, Oren draws in more power from the elemental plane and fires off a surging blast of sand.
He then yells back down the tunnel, "Eli! We need you over here!"
Move Action: Gather power: 1 point of burn
Standard Action: Sand Blast vs. skeleton
Reaching over his companion's head, Gruhx swings mightily at the closest undead beast.
"We'sa getten 'em. Yas okay?"
for
White, upon seeing Madir fall, does not budge an inch and simply continues her assault.
Tallvar leans down and stabilizes Madir, and thankfully the skeleton's attention is now focused on the ferocious tiger that is attacking it. Gruhx swings at a skeleton, and the impact causes it to burst, hurling bones and shards across the room.
Oren's blast slashes the bones of the skeleton in the room, and it obviously takes damage, though it does not fall back from the blast. Eli then takes the advice and moves back, ducking behind Gruhx's bulk to move into the narrow cavern. Coming!
White continues to press the attack, but the darting skeleton proves too fast, and White's claws miss their mark.
The skeleton hisses out a challenge to White as it turns, slashing and clawing the great tiger.
The skeletons in the wide cavern move towards Gruhx, their undead minds apparently not seeing the danger that the immense Trox presented.
One is able to attack, and does!
Eli
Madir and White
Boss
Skeletons
Tallvar
Gruhx
for
As the creature gives him a solid thwack, Gruhx manages to maintain his composure...barely. "Dat hurt!"
for
Oren continues to attempt pushing the skeleton back away from Madir and Tallvar.
Move Action: Gather power: 1 point of burn
Standard Action: Sand Blast vs. skeleton
The skeleton's harsh blow leaves the tiger off-balance!
With Madir stabilized, but still unsure about healing him more, Tallvar lifts his crossbow and fires again.
Tallvar fires at the skeleton, but the missile flies wide of its mark. Meanwhile, Gruhx swings wildly at the back of the group, missing with one swipe but connecting with the second. Bones scatter like shrapnel as another skeleton is sent back to unlife.
Oren's blast scours the bones of the skeleton again. Though again it doesn't seem to be as damaging as intended, the blow obviously does something as the creature halts its momentum.
Eli calls upon his patron once again, sending healing power through his allies.
White attacks again, but the skeleton proves too agile and it darts aside.
The skeleton lashes out at White again with sword and claw. The darting Tiger ducks under the blows and lets loose a low, rumbling growl.
Another skeleton falls in line, seemingly oblivious to the fact that its ally just exploded. It swing wildly at the great Trox.
Eli
Madir and White
Boss
Skeletons
Tallvar
Gruhx
Continuing his sandy-assault, Oren tries to keep the creature from maneuvering too much around the small cave.
Move Action: Gather power: 1 point of burn
Standard Action: Sand Blast vs. skeleton
"OW!" shrieks Gruhx as another blow lands.
Unable to maintain his cool any longer, the big man lets out a viscious howl and swings wildly at the closest foe.
for
Shalelu seemed to notice you retreat into your thoughts, and elbows you in the ribs. Pay attention. She doesn't smile, but you know her well enough to sense it behind her words. She did enjoy giving those she tutored a hard time. Now, show me what you learned...where did they go?
Someone you knew, the dwarf Oren, was among those who had taken up the task of delving into the Marsh and deal with a goblin menace. Shalelu seemed to think the danger was great and brought you here to help. And, now you stand to the south of a goblin village. All of the goblins were dead, apparently killed by sword, club, and arrow. And now you needed to follow the tracks to see where these good-doers have gone.
"It's not like Oren to go traipsing off into danger," Ben says, wide-eyed, before bursting into laughter. "Who am I kidding. Oren loooves danger. He talks all the time about how he met you, when he almost had his rear handed to him by goblins. And here he is again, in goblin territory." Ben makes light of it, but Shalelu's stern gaze quickly reminds him this is no laughing matter.
She's drawn to the broken things in the world, Ben thinks, not for the first time, noting the similarities between himself and Oren. And she means to protect them. The fact that she's now utilizing Ben himself as an instrument could mean that the true danger is trivial, or that it's very real and she's testing her proteges. Even Ben, as young and reckless as he is, knows to take it seriously.
"Let patience be my guide," he recites Shalelu's lessons aloud. "Don't let my mind leap ahead of my eyes, nose, and ears."
You find the trail of these few...you heard that one was Gruhx, the mighty Trox, and his steps are easy to follow. Among them are also some thin toed feet that nearly look like claws, but they're far more difficult to follow. The tracks bring you to the base of a cliff, with a winding trail of loose rock and dirt leading up to what looks like a cave entrance.
Shalelu nods, and you lead the way up. As you near the top, a rather disturbing scene unveils itself. Near the mouth of the cave is a fat goblin tied to a narrow rock. He is gagged, but is trying to scream out as a small halfling is surgically carving chunks off of his squirming body. The halfling is grinning widely at the goblin's pain, even laughing and skipping about as he cuts a new piece.
Shalelu gasps beside you, and whispers. That's Walthus Proudstump...he's not....that's not like him
Ben smiles, outwardly and inwardly, as he succeeds in finding tracks. He does wonder what sort of creatures left the claw tracks, but he doesn't want to sound foolish in front of Shalelu and so he pridefully ignores them and focuses on the more obvious prints left by Gruhx.
Ben also gasps as he grisly scene plays out. Even a goblin doesn't deserve to be tortured in the middle of nowhere. What if he hadn't come along? This is a situation in need of a hero. Perhaps this is destiny. "We can't just let this happen," he whispers. "He's torturing him!"
He produces his scimitar and steps out from behind the tree. "Hey! Stop right there!" He calls to 'Walthus', trying to sound manly. Too bad he looks all of sixteen. "What's going on? What are you doing to this fella?"
Ben tries to fake a smile. "Heh, well that's easy. They're back that way." He cocks his thumb over his shoulder. "Ya don't need to torture a goblin to figure that out. Just follow the smoke from the chimneys."
He casts a side glance at Shalelu. "So, now that we've figured that out, why don't you let him go. Or at least stop hurting him?"
Tallvar reloads and fires another shot into melee with his crossbow.
Tallvar fires another bolt at the skeleton, but it glances off of its armor. At the same time, Gruhx swings again and turns another skeleton into a fine white mist of bone fragments.
Oren's blast flies out again, but the creature dodges aside, then spins away from White's flashing teeth.
Eli reaches down and calls upon his patron's might to heal Madir.
The skeleton warrior takes a step back to the side of White, and slashes across again.
The remaining skeletons, spurred on by their master's call, rush in, and continue to swing at Gruhx...and probably be destroyed.
Eli
Madir and White
Boss
Skeletons
Tallvar
Gruhx
Oren steps closer, getting in front of Tallvar, and sending another blast of sand into the skeleton. "Gruhx, if you're almost done out there, we could certainly use you in here!"
Move Action: Gather power: 1 point of burn
Standard Action: Sand Blast vs. skeleton
Shalelu tenses, her eyes hard, but she steps to the side, her eyes never leaving Walthus.
Suddenly, near the cavern entrance, a huge black bird takes to wing, flapping and cawing out loudly, seemingly at Walthus.