With warning from Sanduro, Ketra closes her eyes entirely . With the mental picture of the room and the poor Norreth's position in her head, she tumbles over the bench and into a flank with Zsofia. She smoothly transitions into a jab at the creature with her mithril knife.
Garret stumbles back behind one of the pews. Warned about meeting the gaze of the creature, he mutters, "Sorry I got us into this--I just wanted to save a fellow Sarenite."
Getting low and using the pew to block his vision of the bodak's face, Garret fires a beam of holy light at the creature!
As Jando gasps and clutches at his chest the party retaliates. Ketra's blade should have carved though the halfling's arm, but instead makes only a shallow cut. Norreth evades the worst of Sanduro's blast, and Garret's hurried shot sees the golden beam miss entirely as the undead halfling flinches away. "It's bright! So bright, too bright, toobrightIhateit TURN IT OFF!
Silvia steps out from behind one of the broken display cases, tracking the bodak from the corner of her eye as she brings her rifle to bear with a defiant shout. Golden light gathers along with barrel and each crack of the rifle is accompanied by a spray of celestial sparks. Once, twice, thrice--each shot finds its mark and tears through the former Sarenite priest. Hissing in pain and fear, the bodak turns it's deathly stare on the paladin, but Silvia turns aside and refuses to make eye contact for even a moment.
"Yeah, yeah okay, you've all got this," Jando gasps, falling back a step and sinking down to be out of line of sight to Norreth.
+ ROUND TWO +
Norreth (-83hp)
Jando (-3 negative levels; eyes closed)
Silvia
Ketra
Garret
Sanduro
Zsofia
Scowling, Garret tries again, compensating for the bodak's recoil from the shining light.
Garret takes aim with a second holy beam, and he doesn't miss twice. With a wail, the thing that was Norreth Albo between to burn away, skin flaking to ash even as he and Garret lock gazes. Garret feels an icy pain like a fist clenching his heart, even as he's sees a fleeting expression of regret and gratitude in Norreth's eyes before he burns away.
Staggering to one knee, Garret feels the double burdens of level drain and curse. He forces himself to breathe deeply and stand, casting a spell of Detect Magic and scanning the room as best he can.
While the room is wrecked and plundered, a gleam of magic does limn the fallen Norreth. On investigation, the magic's source proves to be an amulet about the halfling's neck, and smooth white pearl in his pocket.
A silver holy symbol lay on the floor where Zsofia had originally seen Norreth hunched. It's gleam is now entirely gone, the metal tarnished nearly to black.
The pearl is in fact a Pearl of Power III.
"Hey, there is magic over here...at least I think so?" he says, uncertainly.
“Ummm, maybe?”
Ketra puts a hand on Garret's shoulder "You're looking really bad. Try not to stress yourself if you can." She heads over to the amulet, pearl and holy symbol and takes a cloth from her pocket to pick them up without touching them directly. "We can work out what all this is later. For now we helped put that poor guy to rest, and we can be proud of that."
She gives the room a search in a more mundane fashion now that she can keep her eyes open.
If she doesn't spot anything she leads the way back through the northern door and into the main hall. She whispers "I'm making an executive decision right now. We go rest and make sure Garret can recover from whatever Norreth did, then get back to exploring this place. Deal?"
”No argument here,” says Garret tiredly, just following along for now.
“Definitely.”
"Yeah, resting...sounds good," Jondar groans as he pulls himself to his feet. He gives Garret a commiserating pat on the shoulder as he picks up his bow and moves to watch the door while Ketra completes her sweep.
Her search was not in vain, either--the weathering of the wood exposed to outline of a hidden panel in one of the shattered display cases and Ketra has it open in moments. Within is a small clay pot that contains a pungent-smelling cream, a small wooden box full of glass vials in a variety of colors, and a red teardrop gemstone nestled in a padded jewelry box. A folded paper resting atop the jewelry box seems to be notes from the priests of the Bastion before its sack by the orcs, speculating about the teardrop's properties and historical value and working through ideas about how to best display it.
Deciding that discretion is the better part of valor, you once again fall back down the cellar tunnel into Roslar's Tomb. There is still no sign of Mirhet.
Ketra scoops up the magical goodies, hoping that the group'll be able to put them to some kind of good use. She stows them in her satchel as she leads the way back down the stairs and into the cellar. "The way this paper talks about the gem, we might be able to heal ourselves with it if we give it some blood now. As good as that sounds... do you think it might've been cursed by all the evil magic that's been flooding this area?"
Once below she settles into a spot sitting against the wall. She's quiet for a while listening to the tunnel back to Roslar's Tomb. "You know, Mirhet's taking her time. You think... she's still struggling with Jonnar?"
"You know, Mirhet's taking her time. You think... she's still struggling with Jonnar?"
"Hope so," Jando sighs from his spot by the wall, his green skin tinged grey and looking a decade older than when he woke up a few hours ago. "She was mad enough to plunge into the fog to find out what happened--I'd hate to see that courage rewarded poorly."
Roslar's Tomb remains quiet and empty--your work clearing out the multitude of horrors infesting your hometown has managed that much, at least. Jando speculates that based on how many of the cultists and undead you've killed, the Whispering Way outpost at the Bastion may not have enough forces left to come hunting for you. "Guess it's just a question of whether they hunker down, or pack up and leave."
Hours pass, hard to tell how many down below ground, but despite Jando's fitful sleeping and evident bad dreams he looks a little better on the other side, having gotten a bit of his usual color back and his eyes looking less sunken.
Ketra awakens with a start, casting uneasy glances across the group, the week's various traumas having left her uncharacteristically paranoid of ambushes and other unpleasant surprises. When she sees Garret and Jando still looking rather ragged, she gives a grimace. "I don't know much about life-draining anything, but you two look terrible. Hopefully you feel better than you look?"
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Druid (Death Druid) Spells Prepared (CL 7th; concentration +10)
4th—crypt call lightning (DC 16)
3rd—cure moderate wounds, greater magic fang, empty slot
2nd—barkskin (2), cat’s grace, flurry of snowballs (DC 15)
1st—cure light wounds (3), remove sickness[UM] (DC 14), empty slot
0 (at will)—detect magic, guidance, read magic, stabilize
Preparations made as best you can, you move back down the tunnel to the Bastion's cellar, cautiously tiptoeing back into the nave. By now, the rotting stench of the twice-slain reaver is overpowering, making your eyes water and your stomachs roil, but no monsters or cultists are waiting to ambush you.
Ketra watches the two drained members of the party for a moment longer before leading the way forward out from the cellar and back into the cathedral. She wrinkles her nose at the reaver's remains and skirts it on her way to the central southern door. "Let's check if we've got a way out other than the cellar."
She checks it for any traps or hazards before easing it open.
Garret wakes up weary, feeling like he barely rested. He goes through his morning preparations and casts is Mage Armor spell, then follows dully along after the others.
“Before we start off again, I want to take another look at some of these items we found.”
Sanduro calls on Pharasma’s guidance before examining each item.
Wights’ brooches
“Oh! I still don’t know about the amulet and pearl, but these brooches will protect us from magic missiles! Their magic can only absorb a certain number of the missiles, but these have never been used before so they’ll protect us from at least 20 of the arcane darts, probably more.”
Sanduro finishes his preparations, uses one of the brooches of shielding to fasten his cloak of resistance, slides on his deathwatch eyes, and packs up the rest of his gear. Finally, he closes his eyes and causes Zsofia to manifest.
“Zsofia, Ketra, I can cast the spell that toughens your hide twice today, once for each of you. It will last for a little over an hour. I think I ought to wait to cast it until we get to an area we haven’t cleared yet, but if you think you’ll need it sooner, just tell me.”
Zsofia raises an eyebrow at Sanduro’s outfit. “Looking pretty fancy, kid. At least, fancy for a guy who hasn’t changed his clothes in a couple of weeks.”
Once they’re back in the cathedral, the phantom creeps forward to peer over Ketra’s shoulder through the cracked open door.
Garret offers to cast Mage Armor on whomever wants it. With the Extend rod, it should still last 8 hours.
"I'll happily take any magical protection you've got Sanduro." Ketra nods gratefully.
Emerging back into the nave, Ketra leads you to the wide double doors and (after a scan for traps) opens them to reveal the foyer. The room is no less a mess than any other you've seen, though the exterior doors appear mostly intact--and a good thing too, as what few cracks or spaces exist are enough to allow in thin tendrils of the ugly fog encapsulating Roslar's Coffer. Even from your position back from those scraps of fog you feel a little dizzy and light-headed.
Garret tries to identify the two unknown magic items as they break camp.
Backing off from the open door and poison fog, Garret says, ”Perhaps another route?”
”Hmm, this pearl could be a Reliquary of the Shepherd,” says Garret.
"Yeah..." Ketra waves her hands away from her face, grimacing at the leaking death-fog "So this place is surrounded by the fog too? We didn't manage to get out of it after all. Last hope then is getting to the other side of the building and seeing if there's another way out. Hey, or we'll find a second tunnel." As the situation slowly seems to grow more hopeless, Ketra seems stubbornly determined not to let it show.
"Counter-clockwise then?" She heads to the southwest door and inspects it before giving it a try.
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Garrett gives the pearl to Silvia and says, ”You are probably best suited to use this.”
He then looks over to Ketra and nods in agreement, trailing along tiredly at the back of the party.
Ketra opens the southwestern door to reveal a chamber lined by multiple long bookshelves along the wall, all empty save for a few scraps of burnt paper. A few scraps of broken furniture are scattered about the room, and in the center is a large scorch-mark like a fire had burned there--and indeed, the room smells distinctly of old smoke.
Perhaps on a more positive note, no monsters or cultists appear to confront you either.
Casting Detect Magic, Garret searches the bookshelves for any scraps of paper that might hold a spell or any hidden compartments that might have the glow of magic contained within. He says, "It seems they burned the holy texts...what a shame."
"That they hated what was on the shelves to go burning it... well, as if we needed more evidence they were crazy." Ketra inspects the shelves for anything that may have been left behind or that survived the burning, then leads the way to the north-west and the next door.
Noticing that the door to the next room is missing entirely, Ketra leads the others over that way. Peeking through, you observer a stone dias against the far wall, holding a surprisingly intact shrine consisting of a pair of carved hands clasped in prayer and framed by a blazing sun symbol of beaten metal. Several dried pools of wax are are caked on the shrine, with the glimmer of what seems to be red gemstones scattered in the wax and on the floor.
Right before the doorway you're peering through, scrawled on the floor in a crude hand with more ash, are markings in the Jotnar alphabet along with an arrow pointing towards the shrine.
"Huh," Jando grunts, peering over Ketra's shoulder. "It says 'trap', must be left over from when this place got sacked by the Twisted Nail. With any luck it killed one or two of 'em."
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At the sign of the trap, Sanduro gives Ketra a nervous look. “Let’s take care of that spellcasting now.”
“Zsofia, would you mind taking a look at the shrine to see what kind of trap it is and if the trap is still active?” Sanduro concentrates for a few moments to return the phantom to her incorporeal form.
Zsofia emits a long groan. “Yesssss, I guess so. I mean, it’s not like anyone else wants to creep into the desecrated temple and examine the obviously trapped altar… oh! Dibs on any shinies!”
The phantom wafts across the small room to the shrine and begins looking around, sticking her ghostly head into or through any containers or walls of interest.
When he has finished checking out the bookshelves, Garret goes to the entryway of the next room and scans the new room for sources of magic.
Zsofia glides around the shrine, peering at it from one angle and then another, but whatever trap the orcs had feared, she doesn't see it. She does note with interest that the little rubies, ten in all, look quite genuine and gleam rather pleasingly even in the dim light.
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Zsofia looks back over her shoulder and calls, “Hey, kid! I found the trap! Quick, make me solid again and toss me your knife so I can pry these shiny red … um… trap buttons off of the shrine. That’ll make it safe for the rest of you to come in!”
Sanduro reaches for his dagger, pauses, then looks around at the others. “Is that even a little bit plausible?”
Ketra snorts "No, but I'll not get between Zsofia and her shinies." She steps into the room but keeps away from the shrine for now.
"If it really was a trap and really was sprung, you'd think we'd see some sign of it here. Skeletons of orcs or something. Or scorch marks. In any case, I don't think the ghouls here now were all too interested in touching it, so we can leave it alone too. Leave everything in place and respect it, and maybe it'll still give some touch of protection from Sarenrae..." She makes her way to the northern door, but waits to check further until Zsofia has stepped away.
”Does it still hold some divine power that might heal us?” asks Garret hopefully, still scanning for magic in the room.
Garret tries to think of the best way to restore the altar and honor Sarenrae, but his thoughts are muddled.
Nothing about the shrine strikes Ketra as anything less than genuine--indeed, in a temple of Sarenrae this is hardly unexpected. That it hasn't been defaced by orcs or cultists is a little strange though--perhaps fear of the unseen trap kept both groups at bay? Unfortunately it doesn't seem to possess any restorative effects, though Garret might find its presence comforting nonetheless.
Moving on to the next room, Ketra beholds a dirty chamber coated in a thin layer of dust, though scuffs and smears on the floor indicate that someone has moved through here comparatively recently. Right now the room is empty save for a pair of large cabinets that have been knocked over, one laying on its side and the other with its cupboards facing the ceiling. Another door on the other side of the room from Ketra leads further north.
"It doesn't seem like it Garret..." Ketra offers a silent plea to Sarenrae anyway, hoping she might be able to intervene and help the halfling regardless. "But it's good its still more or less intact." She thinks for a moment and then asks "Anyone mind if we leave Norreth's holy symbol here? I figure it might be the kind of thing he would have wanted. Assuming he was devout and all."
In the next room, Ketra listens in, suddenly thinking that there might be something hiding in that knocked over cabinet.
She also looks at where the scuffs and smears are to deduce where the recent traveler was moving between.
”An excellent idea,” brightens Garret, seeming to shake off some of his gloom for the moment, ”May I?”
Garret takes the holy symbol and carefully enters the room, still on the lookout for traps and such with his Detect Magic spell.
Moving up the the shrine, he reverently cleans up a bit, clearing the wax off the shrine and putting the rubies that have fallen back in place on the shrine, arranged as best he can. Garret then puts the Sarenite holy symbol in the middle of the ruby formation, then kneels to pray.
Just before he touches the shrine, Garret detects an aura of magic surrounding it. He tries to understand what kind of magic it might be.
“Do you see something, Garret?” Sanduro joins the gnome and casts detect magic to help identify the aura.