HP 13/13
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 16 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects:
Mithralline steps back to give herself some room to operate with the lance and again tries to hook-jab the vermin.
Rose steps back and gently tugs at the celedon, "Step back away from the doorway so we can all help defeat it, if you stay where you are, we can't help you as easily. And you need to survive."
(+2 to identify vulnerabilities and powers of evil outsiders)
Rose asks, "Does anyone know what that thing is?"
Aralah steps back to give the others some room and looses another arrow.
The creature was a horn caterpillar, known for its poisonous bristles that affect any creature touching it. Fortunately for your group however, Aralah and Mithralline are able to dispatch it at a distance.
As the creature collapses, the celedon surveys the scene and tries to digest why you just helped it destroy the other creature. "You are not with that then? You just coincidentally happen to be in the crypt at the same time that other creatures are launching an assault." It speaks more of a statement than a question. It seems to be pondering what to do next.
"I need to go check on Four. Have you been on the lower level yet?"
"We are not with any other creatures. We don't know how we came to be here. We woke up about half an hour to an hour ago in the coffins of the Red Shrikes down below. There were no signs of any bodies in them. We got out of the coffins, and then began looking for a way out. We encountered a several creatures known as ostovites, a type of Abyssal bug that finds skeletons, melts them down with their acid, and then reconstitutes them into grotesque, abominable parodies of life. We did find the remains of another celedon downstairs that had been melted by the ostovites. Once we found the stairs up, we came to this level, where we first encountered several mites in that room there," Sarela gestures to the door they came from, "and then several more bugs we encountered here. We then found you, and then that caterpillar came and attacked. You wouldn't happen to know how we came to be in Sir Roslar's Tomb and in the Red Shrikes' coffins, would you? Or perhaps where the exit is? Or why all these creatures have invaded it? We just want to get back to the town of Roslar's Coffer."
Sarela's voice becomes more upset and closer to crying as she speaks, as it's clear that all the horror they'd endured thus far is finally catching up to her.
Mithralline nods at Sarela's retelling, hoping the celedon might shed more light on what happened to them.
"You haven't seen anyone else down here?" she adds for emphasis, cleaning her lance.
Rose concurs in a voice that's a bit too loud, "Sarela gave a good summary of how we got to be here. Is number four the celedon downstairs? If it is, the ostovite bugs killed it, I'm very sorry."
Rose whispers up close to the celedon, "Does that other room have one of you in it? When we walked in, something clandestinely closed the door."
Continuing in a louder voice, "Let me show you what happened downstairs and what our observations were."
Following in a whisper, "I assume it's another invader just biding its time, we should deal with it now rather than leave it at our back."
Loudly again, "There were no remains in the Red Shrike tombs. There was the skeleton of a cleric out in the hall, we do not know who it was. There is a hole where we presume the bugs and mites entered. We will help you plug it up. It may slow their invasion for a time."
Whispering, "Is everyone ready to go charge into the other room and deal with the other enemy?" She looks around questioningly at everyone.
Finishing up loudly, "Is that crack in the wall new? Or has that been there a while. I wonder if that's where these things are also coming from. We should also verify the glowing crystal is fine, one of the invaders tried to do something to it. I don't want to leave the tomb until we've helped you out cleaning up the invaders."
Mithralline nods, a grin on her face as Rose works some subterfuge as a prelude to a possible attack on an unknown foe.
"We simply woke up here, we thought it was some kind of sick joke. We're confused on what is happening and why, and all we seek is to exit with all haste and minimal bloodshed."
Sam nods vigorously. "That's right! We're not looking to fight anything! We just want to find our way out of here."
Aralah still holds her open wound even though it isn't nearly as bad as it had been and let's the others do the talking as she looks back to the other door she had seen move just before they had opened this one. She watches it with her bow at the ready in case something decides to spring out at them.
The celedon listens intently as Sarela and Rose explain the situation. It shakes its head at Rose's question if the other room contains a celedon. "I'm the only guardian on this floor. There is one below and two above."
The party moves east into position around the northern door where they know something is hiding behind. Once in place, Mithralline kicks the door open. As the door flies open, several mites are exposed in the next room with their weapons already drawn. The door flying open on your command has clearly given you the jump on them though!
Aralah takes a step back then looses an arrow at the one in the back of the room that she can see.
Sam casts a spell on Aralah to try to help her stay safe and calls out to the mites "We don't have to fight! Don't do this!"
Rose steps forward saying, "Finally, something that I can see that is alive." She chants a spell.
"Let them come to us!" Laurel shouts to the group. He raises his sword in anticipation.
Sarela reaches out to Mithralline and offers a prayer to Sarenrae to keep her safe. "Sam, if these mites prove more cooperative than the others, it would be good, but I somehow doubt it."
When Sam speaks to the creatures in the next room, they don't seem to acknowledge or understand the words she's speaking and respond in a different crude language of their own.
Aralah's arrow penetrates the chest of the furthest mite and sends the creature to the floor.
Laurel lands a blow on the creature standing in the doorway ahead of him , but it barely manages stays on its feet.
Sam shakes her head in sadness as the creatures don't respond intelligibly and her, understandably jumpy, allies attack.
HP 13/13
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 16 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects: Guidance
"Let them come to us again?!" Mithralline complains. "Sometimes we have to take the fight to the enemy!"
Nonetheless, she grits her teeth and jabs with her javelin.
Mithralline skewers the mite that Laurel had previously injured, impaling him on her javelin before dropping it to the ground.
The three remaining mites all scream in a strange tongue and point at Mithralline furiously. The one in the far north east corner appears to yell commands to the other two and all three fire projectiles at Mithralline, two darts and one very large pebble. One dart and the large pebble both strike, the stone nearly critically so .
The two closest ones retreat 5' back into the room.
Rose chants again and points at one of the mites.
Sarela continues to pray to Sarenrae for guidance on Mithralline before she charges into the fray.
Sam moves through her allies and casts guidance on Laurel "Oh dear oh dear. Stay safe!"
Aralah moves to the other side of Sarela and looses another arrow at the mite she sees.
HP 9/13
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 16 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects: Guidance
"Yeah, you better run!" Mithralline says, quickly wiping blood out of her eye from where the stone split her scalp.
Pulling her trident, she rushes into the room toward the apparent commander.
Laurel moves in after Mithralline, going for the closer of the creatures. So much bloodshed...we just want to leave.
Aralah's arrow strikes the mite, but doesn't send it to the ground. Laurel moves in and tries to finish it, but his swing is too high and he misses.
Mithralline advances into the dark room and jabs one of the mites with her her trident, but it seems heartier than the others and takes the blow in stride while defiantly retaliating with what she can only assume are curses.
Rose's spell seemingly has no effect on the small blue creature.
All three mites drop their ranged weapons and pull out melee weapons. Two of them pull out daggers while the commander pulls out a small sickle. The mite to Mithralline's south moves in behind her to flank her with the commander. It tries to stab her in the back with its dagger, but misses. The one adjacent to Laurel finds the same fate, missing his target.
The commander swings its sickle and finds purchase in Mithralline's left thigh.
Laurel tries another cut, but he does little expect distract the mite.
Sam rushes bravely into the fight and casts a spell to protect Laurel! She looks concerned and afraid at having to fight these intelligent creatures but does what she has to.
Coming to the realization that her spell is having no effect, Rose draws her bow and moves into the room, so she has a good position to fire at any of the mites next round.
HP 7/13
AC 18, touch 12, flat-footed 16, CMD 16 (+1 dodge bonus against Large creatures; +2 vs. Huge or bigger creatures)
Fort +4, Ref +2, Will +0
Challenge: 0/1; Tactician (4 rounds): 0/1
Effects: Guidance
"Try to keep them off my back!" Mithralline tells Laurel as she jabs the mite leader again with her trident, this time able to put the full force of her body into the blow.
Aralah takes another shot, though it is a bit more crowded around her target now.
Laruel moves in her path at the last moment and she has to slightly pull her shot causing it to fly off and miss horribly.
Sarela moves to Aralah and casts a cantrip to help direct her attacks.
Laurel and Aralah both miss the mites, the little buggers proving more difficult to hit then they anticipated.
Mithralline doesn't share the same concerns however, her trident piercing the chest of the leading mite figure and robbing him of consciousness. As she withdraws her weapon, he colllapses to the floor in a pool of blood.
The other two mites look at each other once the leader has dropped to the ground, confused. They both drop their daggers and put their hands up and exclaim "Me-meef! Me-meef!"
"Don't kill them!" Samalgee exclaims. "We don't have to kill them! We can just tie them up. Oh... uh... does anyone have rope?" She thinks to herself. "Me-meef" huh? I'll have to remember that if we face more of these. Maybe they'll get the idea.
Mithralline keeps guard, just in case they're planning some trick, but nods to Sam.
"I have some in my pack," she says.
Rose agrees, "Yes, I'll help. I have some in my pack."
Rose will check the two for anything else they may be hiding on their bodies that might help them escape ropes.
Each of the mites has a dagger and four darts which they quickly release to you. The fallen leader has a substantial bit more however. He has a light wooden shield, sickle, sling, 7 stones, sprig of holly, crown made of insect shells, eight white stones painted red on one side and a big burlap bag.
Inside the bag are ten pounds of silver, ivoery and gold leaf, a high-quality bandolier and four potions.
From outside the room the celedon looks in approvingly. "Well done. It would appear you were telling the truth earlier."
Laurel is happy to end the violence and lowers his sword, but keeps it drawn.
He gives a weak smile, happy they have proved with actions their intentions to the celedon. He scans the captives and their equipment for magic, as well as the room at large.
Rose walks back out to speak with the Celedon, "I have a question before I show you the other rooms and lower floor. Is that large crack in the wall new? I assume it is. We should check it out and see if it is a possible ingress point."
She also points to the room with the crystal and runes, "There is a small body that looked like it tried to mess with the crystal, you might want to check it out to see if everything is intact, there is no knowing if one of these others disturbed the crystal and made it back out."
A sheepish grin crosses her face and she asks the celedon, "I just realized we do not know your name. What would you like to be called? 'Hey you!' seems undignified."
Mithralline nods, curious to see if they can learn more about what happened to them and knowings answers may still lie in this tomb rather than outside it.
Sarela breathes a sigh of relief as the remaining mites surrender, and the Celedon approves. ”Well, I’m glad we could help. If I may ask, what does that glowing crystal in that room over there do?”
Aralah is fine with letting the mites live as soon as they are tied up. At the suggestion that the crack leading into what looked like caves was new, she waits to hear the celedon's answer before moving over to give the area a look.
Sam nods and walks alongside the Celedon, scampering to keep up when necessary. "Yes! What do we call you? What's it like guarding a tomb for years and years and years? Oh and do you know anything about the small hole we found on the lower level? We think some of those Ostovite things may have come in through that."
Addressing Rose it greets "Of course. You may call me Number Three."
The celedon goes with Rose to study the crack in the wall. After examining it, it turns to speak with her. "This most certainly was not here last time I inspected this chamber. It is indeed the point these mites used to enter the tomb. I shall get to work on correcting it immediately."
It nods along with Rose when she mentions the orb. It dutifully goes to inspect it, making sure to not touch anything. It points to the orb and explains "We are aware of this crystal issue, this is not related to the mites. In his travels, Roslar discovered a malignant spectre haunting a small community in Lastwall. He defeated the spectre, but its hatred of the community allowed it to rejuvenate the following night. Roslar defeated it again but could not permanently lay it to rest. Instead, he trapped it within this crystal. Even in death, Roslar was unwilling to let his vigil over this monster lapse."
"Over time the crystal has weakened, but so has the spectre. It is the assertion of One that if the crystal were to break, the spectre would be killed in the process."
Turning to answer Sam's question, the celedon responds "What is it like? It is a great honor to guard this tomb, its relics and all those who are buried here."
With regard to the hole in the lower level, it asks "Is it like this hole here?"