Sarela continues doing what she thinks is praying for divine guidance to aid Mitharlline's attacks.
Sam moves over to Aralah and keeps poking her in the knee. She eyes the bugs warily "What's wrong with these things? Why do they keep attacking?"
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: Bless, guidance
"I don't think they're smart enough to know any better," Mithralline says as she jabs again. "It's a shame; this is just like hooking fish on a line. There's no challenge here."
Laurel continues to hold the line against the relentless beetle onslaught from the south. Rose and Mithralline dispatch the final two of the six with a quick stoke from a lance and an excellently placed arrow.
The beetles carry nothing of interest and the party is easily able to make their way south when they are ready.
"Excellent plan Sarela!"
Once the bugs are dispatched Aralah pats Laurel on the shoulder "Smart moves!"
She moves ahead quietly, just to make sure there is nothing else lurking in the room ahead.
Not finding a threat she waves the others up and points to a set of stairs as she looks back to everyone. "Should I go scout it out? It looks like that is the only other way to go. I know Sarela mentioned possibly needing to stop for a minute first though?"
Heart pounding, Laurel gives a smile and lowers his shield. "Yes...I'm glad it all worked out." He says between breaths.
"Do we need to stop?" He says with an inquisitive glance to Sarela. "I think we still have plenty of resources at our disposal."
"Thank you, Rose. Just a short stop, Laurel - about 15 minutes or so. I can talk with Sarenrae and prepare another spell today, but I need about 15 minutes to do it."
"Ah." Laurel says simply. Knowing how such matters were, using that ability himself, he begins to scout the room to know it's safe so they can rest.
"Phew... I'm glad we're all ok..." While the group stops, Sam takes the time to sadly scoop together the remains of the shattered beetles and pile them respectfully in a corner.
Aralah scouts the alcove and larger room with stairs but does not uncover anything additional of interest.
Sam ponders "So these fire beetles normally glow... I wonder if that made the ostovite glow? I don't really know how these things work but they're definitely interesting!" The gnome grimaces slightly and shrugs "Though a little creepy..."
Aralah waits for Sarela to do what she needs. She goes back through and picks up any arrows that might still be useful as they wait.
She will lead the way up the steps with a lead of 30 ft or so to make sure it is safe.
Sarela kneels down and begins telepathically conversing with her ring.
I need to prepare another spell with which I can aid my friends. Something that will prove useful against a powerful foe, should we encounter any. What can you give me? Sarela asked.
The ring, in a slightly feminine voice, replies, Well, my child, I have taught you some of healing and fortune. Now, however, I shall teach you to impede your foes in a way that will aid your allies. This spell shall cast a ray that, if you hit the target, saps their strength, which weakens their attacks. Use it well.
The ring then began telepathically explaining and showing her how to cast the spell, what to do with it, and its general effects. Once the short rest was finished, Sarela stood and said, "I am ready to go. Let's get back to Roslar's Coffer."
Moving up the steps to the next level, Aralah steps out into another floor of the tomb. This new room contains a row of four marble busts with a strong family resemblance. Each bust rests atop a narrow stone pillar. The bust farthest to the north—of a proud man with a wide mustache—wears an elegant wig of actual hair. An archway opens into another room to the north, while a set of stairs descends to the west.
As Aralah moves into the room, she spies four small blue creatures hiding behind the statues on the east end of the room. They clearly see her and look like they are going to ambush her when she steps further in.
Descended from even smaller fey, the mites are among the most pitiful and craven dwellers of the dark. Hideously ugly, even goblins have been known to mock mites for their homely appearances, mockery most mites take to heart and nurture for weeks, months, or even years in their tiny homes, until their distress and anger finally overcome their natural cowardice and impel them forth on short-lived bouts of bloody vengeance from the doubtful safety of a spider’s back.
Spotting the mites and noticing they are ready to spring an ambush she decides to surprise them instead as she draws back her bow and looses an arrow at the one directly in front of her.
As she looses the arrow she shouts behind her, "Mites trying to ambush us!"
Aralah’s shot was lined up well, but the mites have cover behind the statue and she plinks the stone instead.
Before the mites have a chance to react Aralah lines up another shot and let's it loose, trying to avoid the stone this time.
However, this shot is worst than the last and doesn't even come close this time. She steps back down the stairs a bit to give the others room to move up.
"What are mites? Can we talk to them instead?" Sam looks very concerned at this revelation.
As the others move forward and she hears Sam's question Aralah responds "They are fey, among the most pitiful and craven dwellers of the dark. They are hideously ugly, angry, and known for their short-lived bouts of bloody vengeance."
Sarela, stuck behind Aralah, Laurel, and Mithralline, can't really seem to do much. Still, she thinks about if she's ever heard of mites.
Unfortunately, she can't recall anything.
Rose says to Sam, ”Unfortunately, these creatures are abused by everyone and have become hereditarily psychotic as a result - they have sworn vengeance on everyone else and periodically go about massacring everyone around them. While we could try and talk to them, they would probably be trying to kill us as we attempted to show them kindness. They attack first upon sight of anyone, it’s sad really but I don’t plan to let them harm anyone if I can help it. It’s like the orc raiders who attacked us - no amount of reasoning would stop them. Sometimes it becomes kill or be killed. Its an unfortunate part of life kiddo, I wish it weren’t so.”
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:
"Ha!" Mithralline exults at the new challenge and -- unconcerned with Sam's question -- rushes forward, past Aralah to bring her lance to bear.
Unfortunately, the cramped quarters and stone statue blocking her way throw off her aim. She pulls back the lance, ready to stab anything that tries to close with her.
Sam listens sadly to her former teacher's lesson, glad that someone knows about these strange little folk. "That's so sad... maybe if someone showed them some kindness, they could change... It's worth a ch..." then she gasps as Mithralline charges past to attack the monsters. "Oh no! Do we have to!?"
Two more mites scramble out of the shadows in the northeast. The northern four mites all launch darts at Mithralline, but only one successfully manages to hit her. .
The two closest to her five foot out behind their statues and slash at her, but neither manages to get through her rather extensive armor.
Laurel moves up to assist Mithralline, but in his haste his blow goes wide.
Rose takes out her new bead, ”Let’s see if I can help out those in front.”
She casts bless from the bless bead.
Sam tries to see what's going on from the staircase but can't make out much at all.
HP 12/13
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: Bless
Mithralline drops her lance and pulling out the trident jabs again at the red mite.
"There you go, Laurel! Put some muscle into it!" she exhorts.
Laurel misses his strike but Mithralline is able to dispatch of the one on her right side.
Sarela says to Sam, "Sarenrae teaches us that all creatures can be redeemed, so perhaps these mites can be, as well. Unfortunately, at the moment they seem very bent on attacking us. I'm not even sure if we can communicate with them - I don't know what languages they speak. Perhaps you can call out to them and talk them down?"
Sarela moved forward along the stairs to Aralah, then cast her cantrip to offer her Sarenrae's guidance.
Sam listens sadly to Sarela "That might be hard... it sounds like Mithralline charged them and, from that cry, one of them is seriously injured at least..." But feeling she has to try, Sam calls out in Common
"Stop fighting! We just want to get out of here! If you don't fight us, we won't fight you!"
Aralah steps back into the room now that the others have moved in and takes a shot at one of the mites near the back wall, away from the others.
Sarela guides Aralah, but it's not enough to help her projectile finds its target.
Rose advances forward and Sam desperately pleads with the small blue creatures who stare at her strangely. They speak back in a different tongue that common, clearly confused by what she said.
The five blue creatures draw daggers and move around Laurel as they try to all attack a single target. Two of the 5 manage to land a blade on his skin while he dodges the other tree .
Aralah takes a breath trying to focus herself as she looses an arrow at the mite wearing black clothes.
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: Bless
"Stop picking on him," Mithralline scolds the mites as she jabs at the nearest of the creatures. "You've got bigger problems in me!"
Laurel raises his shield again, ready to weather the blows of all the creatures. He gasps at the wounds but understands they are small and he needs to keep his focus.
Rose delays until a spot clears while Laurel takes a defensive posture. Aralah dispatched the black clad mite with another well placed spot, despite its skin being particularly resistant to her arrows. Mithralline tries to jab a mite, but she misses.
Barely able to see Laurel wince in pain, Sam cries out "Oh no! What's wrong?" To her surprise, her goddesses power flows out from the gnome again, healing Laurel from a distance.
Not understanding what the mites are saying, she tries Gnomish. "Níl a fhios agam cad atá á rá agat ach ní gá dúinn a chéile a mharú!"
Sarela continues casting guidance on Aralah. As she does so, she wonders, What are mites doing in Roslar's Tomb? First the ostovites, now the mites? Something is very wrong. And we still don't know how we got in here in the first place.
The four mites swing relentlessly at Laurel, but his defensive positioning easily thwarts the four swipes from the daggers. The small blue creatures scream in high pitched voices, frustrated by their inability to take down the human cleric. They stomp their feet and shakes their hands as they wave their daggers around trying to look tougher than they are.
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: Bless
"Turtling up isn't going to get the job done, Laurel. Put your blade to use!" Mithralline exhorts as she jabs again at the mites , hoping to move into its space to better protect Laurel's flank.
Mithralline skewers a mite, taking it down and then moving up into its location.
Aralah steps back around the corner as the mites move in and takes a shot at the one on the other side of Mithralline.
In the cramped staircase though her aim is off and the arrow hits the wall instead of the mite.