Charlie heads over and opens the door with Goliath. "Get ready in case there a..a..a..re more Xulgaths." He opens the door.
Charlie reaches for the door, but in the instant before he touches it, a disembodied voice howls, “Aroden is gone!"
Ulthaldar emerges from the door itself. “Aroden is gone! The aeon orbs fail! Who can save us?” The spirit's eyes go wide as he takes you in once more, "YOU! You! You possess his touch, his reflection, but how can this be? You must gain a reflection from each of his five aeon orbs. As Aroden poured his essence into them, so must you gain the reflections of these essences. Then you can reignite their power from his high throne in the Kortos Mountains.”
Dendillion arches an eyebrow. "I suppose it's not every day that a ghost hands out a quest."
"Can you tell us more about the power that would be reignited? And of this 'high throne in the Kortos Mountains'?"
Charlie's mouth stands gaping wide open. "A reflection of Ar..ar..Aroden? Why us?"
"It's.... I can't.... I can't remember. You MUST reclaim the moonstone pools here, as the memories stored within them can tell you more. Why you?
It's not our place to question why destiny chooses us, only to make sure we live up to it."
....and then he fades away, leaving the door to be opened.
Chark stares where the spirit was for a moment, then turns toward the door. It seems we have our charge, then, she says resolutely before asking Charlie to try the door again — this time perhaps without supernatural interruption.
"Th..th..this all seems kinda big?" Charlie looks nervous as he slowly opens the door.
Charlie opens the door to a large hallway with a lot of options...
Tiny shrugs and nods to Charlie "I does seem to go on and on..." perhaps missing his point.
"Should we each just choose a door and open scout them out quickly?" He heads across the hall ready to open the double doors.
"I say we work our way from top to bottom."
Unless someone has an issue with this plan, Haldan will check the first door and open it if he finds nothing.
Chark takes a few minutes to dress her own wounds.
DC 20 Medicine: 30
healing: 22
Not quite back to full strength the party spreads out. Haldan opens a door, and finds that it leads to another hallway with a door at the end.
Chark asks Haldan to check the new door while the party assembles behind him, then once the all clear is given, calls him toward the back again and asks Tiny to do the honors.
Unlike any of the other doors you've encountered, this one is made of iron and is clearly locked.
Ulthadar appears briefly, "priests after my time installed the doors and locks to protect something dangerous.... I don’t know what it is, but I assume it’s locked away for a good reason."
While they work on the locks Charlie opens the set of double doors before him to peek in.
The warning only acts to entice Haldan to unlock things sooner. He checks the door and, if he finds nothing, casts Guidance then proceeds.
Tiny asks "Are we sure we should open that?"
Haldan fails to make any progress on the lock in the moments before Tiny's question...
"I mean, I do. But I will pause to hear a counter argument to the pitch Ulthadar made..."
Tiny shrugs "I just like to stop and think, there's probably something horrible in there, but also potentially a vital item in our quest."
"Keep at it, Haldan. How horrible could whatever is beyond that door be?"
"Love it, Dend!"
Continues working on the door.
FAIL
CRIT FAIL.... Tools break. Now what?
Tiny shrugs "Maybe we'll find a key elsewhere, or maybe some magical indestructible lockpicks."
Another time, then, Chark says with finality. Let's check the double doors Charlie found before.
Once there, she asks Haldan to check for hazards, and then retreat while Tiny opens the door.
This room is awash in blood. Two large steel washtubs stand on the west side of this room, underneath ceiling hooks holding tattered remnants of curtains. The tubs are half full of blood and meat....
Charlie grimaces, "Demons or Xulgaths?" He looks in the tub for any sort of clue on what was going on around here.
Tiny responds to Charlie with a Why not both? shrug.
Charlie looks in the tub. Suddenly the mass of blood and bone erupts out of both tubs! A pair of horrendous creatures, little more than dark shapes with two flickering pinpoints of light where their eyes should be, lunges for Charlie's soul.
ROUND 1:
Chark: Go
Dendillion: Go
Tiny: Go
Hostiles: TBD
Haldan: TBD
Charlie: TBD
(Scout)
(Search)
(Detect Magic)
(Seek, Keen Eyes)
(Search)
Tiny heads in, not bothering to drop into their stance and just swinging with their fists.
Tiny then raises their shield as Þóðᛞrekkr comes barging in.
Tiny swings, and misses, then swings again, connecting, but only doing a small bit of damage on the ghostly creature.
Chark knows why too. These are wraiths. Their very touch can drain your life, and they're skilled combatants who would never miss an opportunity to attack.
ROUND 1:
Chark: 2 Actions
Dendillion: Go
Tiny: Miss
Hostiles: TBD Religion to ID
Haldan: TBD
Charlie: TBD
Beware the touch of these abominations! she shouts. And take caution moving about — they are tactically sound!
Haldan, stay in back out of harm's way!
She hastens into the room and bestows a bit of divine guidance on Charlie.
Dendillion begins another inspirational tune, moving into the chamber as he does so.
He then takes a moment to study these foes, leaning into his bardic lore to understand them.
Chark and Dendillion both use magic to sway the odds. Dendillion, taken aback, can't remember what the hell he's dealing with.
With foes directly in front of each the angry dead lash out:
Black v. Tiny
for
MISS
MISS
Red v. Charlie
for
ROUND 1:
Chark: Magic
Dendillion: Magic
Tiny (75/88): Miss FORT
Hostiles: ATK
Haldan: Go
Charlie (58/80): Go + FORT
Charlie slips back, letting Goliath take his postion as the large bear snarls and rips into the spectral foe.
HP 58/80
AC 23 (25 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield 12/12; [AC Bonus +2: [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Snarecraft Snares Used: Biting Snare x3
Focus 1/1
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 62/62
AC 22
Tiny feels his life force drain.
While Charlie resists the drain, Goliath fails to bite!
ROUND 2:
Chark: Go
Dendillion: Go
Tiny (75/88, Drained 1): Go
Hostiles: TBD
Haldan: TBD
Charlie (58/80): TBD
Chark lashes out at Black with a spear of red flame leaping from her fingertip.
She then conjures up a disk of force for protection.
Tiny drops into their stance and attacks.
Tiny raises their shield while Þóðᛞrekkr bites.
Dendillion's music resonates in the chamber. The bard continues to manipulate the magic in the air, withdrawing a sling bullet from his pouch as he does so. The bullet gets caught up in the music, floating in mid-air before a sharp strumming gesture sends it rocketing toward Tiny's foe.
Somehow, Dendillion manages to swear in a way that still works with the music.
"I know that you are dead, but do you truly need to dress that way?" He says to the other undead creature, delivering a few choice words.
Chark finally damages one of the wraiths, but even the good energy is muted on contact! Tiny follows up with a powerful hit!
Dendillion misses on the spell, but distracts the wraith for a moment!
The hatred that consumes the undead leaves them focused on the lifeforces in front of them:
MISS
for
MISS
for
for
MISS
ROUND 2:
Chark: Hit
Dendillion: bona verba
Tiny (59/82, Drained 1): Crit FORT
Hostiles: ATK
Haldan: Go
Charlie (58/80): Go
-Goliath (28/62):FORT + FORT + Go
Black: 22
Red: (-2 Perception, Will until Round 12)
Goliath begins to wobble but Charlie isn't too worried. The pair take aim as Charlie lines an arrow up for where Goliath should strike next.
HP 58/80
AC 23 (25 w/ shield)
Wooden Shield 12/12; [AC Bonus +2: [Hardness 3] [HP/BT 12(6)]
Snarecraft Snares Used: Biting Snare x3
Focus 1/1
Hero Points 1/3
Goliath
HP 28/62 Drained 1 (22/56)
AC 22
Charlie and Goliath struggle to make a dent. a single arrow hits, but does no damage.
ROUND 2:
Chark: Hit
Dendillion: bona verba
Tiny (59/82, Drained 1): Crit FORT
Hostiles: ATK
Haldan: Go
Charlie (58/80): Hit no DMG
-Goliath (28/62): Miss
Black: 22
Red: (-2 Perception, Will until Round 12)
Move and cast Goblin Pox. Fort Save DC 22.
Haldan tries a spell, but finds that the ghostly foes are utterly immune to the spell.
ROUND 3:
Chark: Go
Dendillion: Go
Tiny (59/82, Drained 1): Go
Hostiles: TBD
Haldan: TBD
Charlie (58/80): TBD
-Goliath (28/62): TBD
Black: 22
Red: (-2 Perception, Will until Round 12)
Tiny will raise their shield and claws twice at the adjacent blackened creature.
Finally Tiny tries to heal himself
to no luck while Þóðᛞrekkr takes their own bite.