Quiet and kitten-like Gethric stalks into the room, drawing up to the sarcophagi that's been breached... looking to ascertain if it still has it's occupant within...
Darla follows at the rear of the party, occasionally casting a spell and looking around.
Gethric approaches the coffin, peeking into the cracked corner by the light on Gellius's blade. Along with rubble from the broken sarcophagus, he can see rotting fabric, a glimpse of a metal breastplate, and bones. Nearest the narrow opening, just large enough to slip a hand through, is a jumble of phalanges, metacarpals, and knucklebones.
The lids of the sarcophagi are sculpted with black-winged angels and stylized pentagrams. Burnished plaques in the floor at the foot of each sarcophagus are inscribed in Infernal, and words in the same language are carved in relief near the ceiling along the northern wall by which the group just entered.
Whispered to those behind "Good news... the skeleton's still in the box" before gesturing for them to join him in the room
Gellius moves into the room, placing himself near the opening in case the party is disturbed.
Alek moves in with the rest. "Sepulcher of the Nail," he murmurs in a reverent tone, gesturing to the words carved in the wall. "This is where the Order interred its most honored officers, those who completed an astoundingly noteworthy deed or made an incredible sacrifice on behalf of the Hellknights."
"I'm not one for disturbing the dead... but whoever did had an interest in the hands." indicating the bones visible through the broken corner of the sarcophagus "Could've been looking for a ring?"
"I'm not one for disturbing the dead... but whoever did had an interest in the hands." indicating the bones visible through the broken corner of the sarcophagus "Could've been looking for a ring?"
Alek frowns at the broken corner of the sarcophagus. "What did the little grave robber say about where it found that ring?" he asks accusatorily. "'In a big stone box of bones?'"
A flash of recognition crossing Gethric's face his complexion pales "Aye, thats what they said... makes me think we should be putting it back, if we had a way to make sure the buggers wouldn't just yoink it back out again."
"Oh, I know of a way," Alek mutters grimly, shifting his grip meaningfully on his oversized blade.
"No other magic here that I can detect," the bard reports in a terse whisper. To Alek she adds, "I doubt the kobolds desecrated the sarcophagus. If they had, chances are they would've done a more complete job of it. Probably a snatch of opportunity."
Then again, the damage to the sarcophagus is down where a kobold might inflict it and the lid's only partly open, like the desecrater was too weak to push it off....
Gellius peers around the corner into a larger open space. The flagstones that pave the floor are carved with names and dates; it appears that the whole area is a cemetery with the floor doubling as headstones. In the shadows at the edge of his light, it appears that a few of the flagstones have been pried up. There is something standing at the very edge of the light....
Alek blanches. "Power and glory," he mutters. "I never knew.... Listen! There has been a tomb robber. There's an old ward to protect the Hall of Graves from necromancy. I didn't know it was still active here.... They were volunteers! Their last act of service to the order would be to destroy those who would raise the fallen...."
Raising his meagre buckler for protection, Gethric follows his curiosity around the corner. Pausing at the entrance to the room he gazes around for points of interest.
Gethric edges around the corner, peering over his buckler into the darkness. Near the southern wall, where one of the flagstones has been displaced, at the edge of the ring of light cast by Gellius's main gauche, is a skeleton with a tarnished sword and shield, the remnants of armor hanging loosely from its bare bones.
A rattling noise sounds from further back in the dark recesses of the chamber, and another skeleton, this one unarmed, advances into the light, swiping its bony digits at Gethric but failing to injure the halfling.
Another skeleton, this one armed and armored like the first one the group saw, which is still standing at the edge of the light, rattles out of the darkness and begins to move around the halfling.
Seeing Gethric prepare for battle, Darla initiates another of her battle chants before moving to support the halfling. As she sees the trio of undead, her courage and voice falter for an instant as she tries to recall the best way of fighting things already dead.
Darla begins a chant to encourage her comrades as she moves forward.
Two more skeletons emerge from the darkness, converging on Gethric.
"Cold! I think I heard somewhere that skeletons can be shattered by cold!"
"Gethric! Move back!" shouts Gellius as the skeletons converge on the party, pressing forward to try and create an opening for the halfling. Striking with his rapier and main gauche towards the skeleton at the rear.
;
;
Gellius moves in on the skeletons. To his surprise, the nearest one takes an opportunistic swipe at him as he gets into position, opening a gash in his arm with a bony digit. Gellius responds by knocking it to pieces with his blades.
The first skeleton the party saw at the edge of the light finally moves, striding toward Gethric. It attacks with a rusty blade, twice wounding the halfling.
Another skeleton enters the illuminated area, this one carrying a halberd and wearing tarnished Hellknight armor. It approaches Gellius and swings its polearm, slicing into the fighter, though Gellius manages to duck the backswing.
Aronida rushes into the room and sets her sights on the nearest menace, firing an arrow which, though it cracks against the old bone, is clearly less effective than against a fleshly opponent.
Alek seems to be hyperventilating. "This was a mistake! We should retreat!" he calls, his voice cracking with anxiety. "They won't follow us if we leave them alone; they're only protecting the dead!" If the party isn't inclined to concur with his conclusion, he's clearly going to need some encouragement to engage in the battle.
Round 2:
Bruised and bleeding at the skeletal assault Gethric whimpers slightly as he observes that he's surrounded. Muttering something unkind in Halfling he twists and maneuvers out of the worst of the assault. As his weight moves he swivels and lashes out with twin tines...
Fork: for
...muttering another unkind word as the tines slide between exposed ribs. Hissing at Gellius he concurs "We should listen to Alek and pull away... Gellius?" growing concerned as the glassy eyed tall man is slow to respond.
Gethric cautiously extricates himself from the midst of the skeletons, keeping his buckler interposed. He stabs back at the skeletons but skewers only the air between bones.
The bony enemies maintain an unhealthy focus on the halfling, as one steps into the void he just left and swings a rusty blade, which Gethric nimbly dodges.
Darla keeps up her chant in case her friends need to fight a bit more before they can follow the suggestion of Alek and Gethric and retreat. Toward that end, the bard steps carefully back from the battle before heading back the way the party came.
Keeping her chant going, Darla cautiously retreats toward the door.
Two skeletons close in on Gethric, clearly moving specifically to flank him. A bony digit and a tarnished blade combine to leave the halfling bleeding on the floor.
Alek darts forward and seizes the halfling, throwing him over his shoulder and accepting a slash from the skeleton's blade in return. "Get out! Get out! Get out!" he roars in a panic, retreating with Gethric down the corridor.
Wincing at the supernatural pain wracking his body, Gellius raises both weapons defensively and begins backing out of the fight, trying to give his companions cover as they withdraw.
Gellius inches his way out of the midst of the skeletons.
One of the skeletons follows, slashing Gellius with its rusty blade.
The skeleton with the halberd remains where it is, waiting.
Aronida daringly reaches between the skeleton's metatarsals to snatch up Gethric's fallen fork, and its sword rips open a long, bleeding gash on her arm. That leaves her in no doubt as to the prudence of Alek's advice, and she retreats up the corridor.
Darla moves through the doorway and stops, telling Gellius to follow. It's fairly obvious she intends to slam the door shut once the fighter's safely through.
Darla exits the room and waits to close the door.
The skeleton in the corner sways on its bony legs but does not move from its place.
The skeleton next to Gellius shows no such restraint, swinging its scimitar wildly and slashing the Chelaxian yet again.
Alek sets down the halfling in the corridor and points through the doorway at the wounded Gellius, speaking a syllable of power. "Get out of there!" he urges.
"Had to make sure everyone else was clear," mutters Gellius with a slight tinge of irritation in his voice, before calling back over his shoulder more cheerfully. "Get ready, Darla!"
Gellius raises his main-gauche defensively and slowly steps behind the protection of the wall before making a dash for the corridor. Darla closes the door behind him with a resounding slam.
Ignoring her own gashed arm, Aronida drops her bow and rushes to Gethric's side to tend to the other halfling's wounds. "He's bleeding from too many places," she cries.
Alek crouches down next to Gethric. "I think he'll recover. Here." He gestures with a flat palm and repeats the syllable of power, and a wave of positive energy rushes through the party in the corridor. "Now, I very much suggest we get away from here. That's all the healing I have to offer."
"I've got a healing potion I keep for emergencies, if that'll help," Darla chimes in.
The bloodied halfling groans, and writhes to his side curling slowly to a small ball. Eyes squinted shut he coughs wet, and wipes blood away from his mouth onto a sleeve. Clearly the halfling is live... but hurting.
"Let's get him to Revka," Aronida suggests. "If she can't help, we may have to return to Breachill. Perhaps we should, anyway; we may need reinforcements to deal with the undead in there. But first," she turns a hard eye on Alek, "it sounds like you have some idea what we're dealing with. You can tell us all about it while Gethric's being tended to."
At Aronida's words Gethric unfurls but slightly and adds his own words "Aye... my vote's for a breadbowl filled with my ma's potato soup... but barring that a span resting where I've no fear of skeletons walking up and putting steel through my ribs would be welcomed."
Darla agrees with the two halflings' assessments, looking deflated and defeated.
Looking down at himself, Gellius notices the creases and marks he’s accumulated over the last couple of days on his otherwise fine clothes.
“You know, I could really use a bath,” he confesses, missing his luxurious upbringing for the first time. “And there seemed to be lots of them in there. Who knows how many more we may face? I think we should definitely head back to Revka, then return to the town council. Maybe some of the other hopeful heroes might like to join us in securing the Humblebrashers home.”
Some more shaken than others, the party retrats once again to the safety of the Bumblebrashers' lair.
"Oooh," Warbal eyes Gethric curiously, "what happened to him?"
Managing a wry smile as his close brush with death is beginning to fade "Oh, the usual... poked by a few skeletons and what not. Any of that 'food' floating around?"
"I'm not sure those were 'run-of-the-mill' skeletons," Darla chimes in. With a chagrined wince she adds, "I've heard enough tavern tales over my years in Breachill about the lesser living dead; not many of them ended with the heroes running away with their tails tucked between their legs like we did."
Managing a wry smile as his close brush with death is beginning to fade "Oh, the usual... poked by a few skeletons and what not."
Warbal nods sagely. "Helba said there were dead longshanks," she says with satisfaction.
"I'm not sure those were 'run-of-the-mill' skeletons," Darla chimes in. With a chagrined wince she adds, "I've heard enough tavern tales over my years in Breachill about the lesser living dead; not many of them ended with the heroes running away with their tails tucked between their legs like we did."
"Indeed, those were not ... '"run-of-the-mill" skeletons,'" Alek confirms. "There were Hellknights, some of the best of the best. I had heard that, in the old days, volunteers were sought to protect the dignity of the dead. After all, a cemetery is nothing but a recruitment station for a necromancer, and it galled the Order to think that their own honored dead might be pressed at foot soldiers in some evil wizard's army. So, as I said, people could volunteer to serve even after their death. Runes were put in place so that, if a necromantic spell were cast among the graves, the volunteers would rise and defend their comrades' peace."
"It's not done anymore. A generous stipend was paid to the families of the volunteers, but some still found it distasteful. I had no idea Citadel Altaerein had been so warded...."
"Someone," he goes on accusingly, "has been tampering with the dead, or attempting to. There has been necromancy in the Hall of Graves." He frowns at Warbal, who doesn't seem to be following the conversation.