You gather the funerary masks with little effort; they hang on the wall by way of simple nails and come down easily.
The next room holds a table displaying a three-dimensional diorama, and occupies much of the north side of the room. Three shields with different designs are displayed upon a rack against the east wall, while various weapons hang from another rack on the south wall: a khopesh, a bow, and a spear.
As soon as you step in, three of the tiny wooden figures on the diorama pluck up spears and leap off the table, moving toward the party menacingly.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg)
Doll 3 (0 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Ulysses (8/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis)
Melech (8/13 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (0 dmg)
[/color]
Two of the dolls rush into Melech and Ulysses' squares and begin stabbing at their ankles with sharp little spears. Thankfully, they don't quite penetrate either man's boots.
"Animated objects! You're going to need to hit them hard! Melech?" Knowing he won't be of much use in this fight, he retreats to the corner and pulls out his crossbow.
Hitting hard, I can do. He steps back from the unnerving little doll, studies it closely for weak points, then brings his falchion down on top of it.
Melech gets the distinct impression that, at least for that moment, he should be very glad he doesn't use a shield. Instead, his falchion simply jounces hard off the sandstone floor instead of cutting into the little wooden spearmman.
Nevai steps up and swings his mace at the animated doll in front of him.
Filibus draws his dagger but just kind of stands there despondently. He's pretty useless and he knows it.
The first doll (last to go lol) moves in to Melech's square and stabs at his boot, but it has no more luck penetrating his boot.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg)
Doll 3 (0 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Ulysses (8/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis)
Melech (8/13 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (0 dmg)
[/color]
The two wooden spearmen step into MElech and Ulysses' spaces but still can't seem to get a solid blow in.
Melech takes another step back, yelling at Filibus to get the hell out of the way if he isn't going to fight. He then takes another swing at #2.
Ulysses fires his already loaded crossbow at #1, fully expecting the bolt to just bounce off but not sure what else he can do to help.
He reloads.
Nevai swings at the little bastard occupying his square. He tries to step back but finds Melech in his way.
Neither of Melech's strikes hit. Ulysses' crossbow bolt sails wide. Nevai actually manages to land a blow, but it mostly just chips the little punk a bit.
Filibus looses a battle cry that is definitely not a terrified girl scream, and stabs at the wooden spearman. Naturally he misses, and tactically retreats making manly noises not at all similar to a squealing pig.
Doll 1 steps into Nevai's square and proceeds to stab the crap out of his foot. It finally manages to hit for a whopping 1 damage.
He puts another chip into one!
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg)
Doll 3 (1 dmg)
Nevai (10/11 hp)
Ulyesses (8/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis)
Melech (6/13 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (1 dmg)
[/color]
Doll 2 steps into Melech's square again and goes crazy stabbing at his legs. One of its spear attacks hits.
Doll 3, already in Nevai's space, stabs and slashes with its little spear, but keeps hitting the cleric's greaves and doing no damage.
This isn't working. They're too small and hard. They'll kill us with a thousand stabs.
"Put them in the chest!" Melech holds his sword in one hand and reaches down to try to grab the one at his feet.
Ulysses suddenly has an idea. "Filibus, put on one of the masks!"
Then he runs to the one nearest him and tries to pick it up.
Nevai isn't sure what everyone else is doing, but he shrugs. "Okay. I fail to see the logic here, but fine." He reaches down to snag the one that's on him.
He can't quite get a grip on it, unfortunately.
Filibus looks at Ulysses like he's crazy, but digs out one of the masks and puts it on. After a moment he says, "Uh. Is something supposed to happen?"
Nothing does.
The one at Nevai's feet continues to stab at his legs. It gets him in the shins again.
Melech and Ulysses are both holding an angry, squirming wooden doll that stabs at their hands. Ulysses manages to bad away the little spear trying to poke him, but Melech gets gored deep in his bicep.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg, grappled)
Doll 3 (1 dmg, grappled)
Nevai (9/11 hp)
Ulyesses (8/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis, grappled)
Melech (3/13 hp, grappled)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (1 dmg)
[/color]
Melech winces in pain. "Nevai, I am hurt!" Blood pours from numerous wounds.
Melech tries to hold on to the wriggling little thing ...
... then moves in front of the chest ...
... and tells Filibus to open it and get ready to close it quickly. He hopes Ulysses is able to carry his captive over here as well so they can at least get rid of two of these things.
"Nevai, move! Please!"
Ulysses follows Melech's lead but can only get as far as the corner. He should still be able to deposit the doll in the chest from there.
Nevai grits his teeth. "I cannot do three things at once! Why are we even grappling these things?" Still not certain what the plan is, the cleric steps back and tries to grab the wooden spearman that was on him.
He simply cannot get a grip on the thing.
Filibus, still wearing the ridiculous mask and clearly confused and slightly panicked, steps up and throws open the chest.
It is still full of the goods that were in it; Filibus had put the books back in after looking through them, assuming the party was going to take the chest anyway. It... might?... hold one of the wooden spearmen. Two would be a stretch. Three is absolutely not going to happen.
Still, Filibus follows Melech's orders. He holds the lid ready to snap it shut when they shove the animate dolls inside.
Doll 1 steps into Nevai's square again and hacks away at his legs.
His mace bounces off the tiny spearman without even a scuff to the doll's wood finish.
The animated dolls continue to stab at their captors, but this time around, they're unable to find enough purchase to actually deal damage.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg, grappled)
Doll 3 (1 dmg, grappled)
Nevai (9/11 hp)
Ulyesses (8/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis, grappled)
Melech (3/13 hp, grappled)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (1 dmg)
[/color]
Nevai grasps at the doll again.
Finally he manages to get his hand around the squirmy little bastard.
Melech sees that there isn't as much room in the chest as he'd hoped. "We can at least get two of them in there while we take care of the third!"
The doll wriggles out of his grasp. Knowing he is much harder to hit right now that his large, injured companion, he steps between the doll and Melech.
The doll pops right out of Melech's grasp just as the slayer goes to dump the creature in. Now both of the dolls are free.
The doll on Nevai continues trying to stab him from its less advantageous position. It nails Nevai hard in the chest, slipping between two segments on his mail and tearing his pectoral. Blood pours through the scales in his armor.
Filibus stands dumbly at the chest, looking from one ally to the next with absolutely no idea what to do to help. He finally hefts one of the books out, drops it as gently as possible on the ground with an audible thud! and goes back to readying the lid. There is now definitely room inside for two dolls, possibly three.
The dolls that wriggled free drop to the ground with little papf!'s in the dust. They then get to their feet and take one swipe each at Ulysses and Melech, but both miss.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg)
Doll 3 (1 dmg)
Nevai (5/11 hp)
Ulyesses (8/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis)
Melech (3/13 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (1 dmg)
[/color]
Nevai wavers, blood pouring down his chest. "I... I cannot hold... we must heal..." Reluctantly, he drops the warrior doll and channels energy into his companions.
Reinvigorated, he says, "I can obscure the battlefield! It will make it harder to hit them, but it will make it harder for them to hit us, as well. What say you?"
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg)
Doll 3 (1 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Ulyesses (10/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis)
Melech (9/13 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (1 dmg)
[/color]
Melech would laugh if he wasn't bleeding from so many places. "I.. I don't know! Try to get their spears, I guess?"
Melech bends over and picks up the little spear, then drops it in the chest.
Ulysses sees Melech's success with taking the little thing's spear, but he doesn't have a weapon in his hand. He decides to try getting the doll in the chest again.
Melech unfortunately discovers the hard way that the spears are not actually held by the dolls; it's part of them. The hand and spear were apparently carved out of the same chunk of wood during the doll's creation.
The doll on Nevai stabs at his ankles but doesn't accomplish much beside poking a few holes in his boot.
The dolls on Melech and Ulysses go into another frenzy of stabs, but only one strikes, gouging Melech in the leg.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg)
Doll 3 (1 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp)
Ulyesses (10/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis)
Melech (6/13 hp)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (1 dmg)
[/color]
Nevai shakes his head. "I was saving this for healing, but..." He grasps his holy symbol, mutters a prayer, and a burst of divine power spreads across his allies.
Another puncture from their damn tiny spears has Melech fed up. "F@~# it! Keep them off of me so I can finish them one at a time!"
Ulysses tries to pick up #2 again.
Melech strikes the tiny spearman, and shockingly, it takes a solid chunk out of the thing. It looks ready to fall.
The dolls make their barrages, poking and jabbing, but only Melech gets hit. With his current slew of wounds, he hardly notices.
[Color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg, grappled)
Doll 3 (4 dmg)
Nevai (11/11 hp, blessed)
Ulysses (10/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis, blessed, grapples)
Melech (6/13 hp, blessed)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (0 dmg)
[/color]
Emboldened, Nevai strikes out at the one by him again.
Rinse and repeat.
It takes about 1,000 tries but finally Ulysses gets the animated doll into the chest. Filibus immediately slams it closed on the little bastard, sealing it inside. It thumps and slams against the lid, but Filibus quickly latches it shut. "Yikes," he mutters. Unfortunately, that still leaves two animated dolls running about.
Doll 3 steps up to Melech and gouges him deep in the thigh.
The other doll unleashes on Nevai, goring him twice in the calf muscle.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg, in a glass cage of emotion)
Doll 3 (4 dmg)
Nevai (6/11 hp, blessed)
Ulyesses (10/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis, blessed)
Melech (3/13 hp, blessed)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (1 dmg)
[/color]
Nevai drops his shield and grips his mace in two hands, willing to forego some defense to hit these damn things harder.
Nevai attacks the doll assaulting him and starts moving away.
Nevai steps up to attack the doll attacking Melech (granting flanking).
While most objects have strong resistances toward energy damage of any sort, there are notable exceptions. One is that wood, generally, dislikes fire. Maybe it's not the same with the animated objects, but at this point, it couldn't hurt to find out.
Worth a shot, I suppose.
Ulysses mixes up a bomb and tosses it at #1.
Doll number 1 explodes in spectacular fashion, sending little flaming chunks of wood and splinters in every direction.
The remaining doll continues chasing after Melech. It rips into something vital in his leg and bleeds profusely.
The other animated doll continues to thump uselessly against the inside of the chest.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg, in a glass cage of emotion)
Doll 3 (4 dmg)
Nevai (1/11 hp, blessed)
Ulyesses (10/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis, blessed)
Melech (3/13 hp, blessed)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (13 dmg, f@@~ing exploded)
[/color]
Deciding to keep the pressure on, Nevai steps forward to flank with Melech and bears down on the little punk.
As the doll rushes toward Melech to brutalize him further, but the slayer golf-swings it with his falchion, shattering it into two very large bifurcated chunks and lots and lots of splinters.
All that's left is the guy in the trunk.
[color=green]
Doll 2 (0 dmg, in a glass cage of emotion)
Doll 3 (10+ dmg, very dead)
Nevai (11/11 hp, blessed)
Ulyesses (10/10 hp, +4 Dex/+2 Nat AC/-2 Wis, blessed)
Melech (8/13 hp, blessed)
Filibus (0 dmg)
Doll 1 (13 dmg, f%+!ing exploded)
[/color]