Ahri tries to judge the flying helmets for what they are, then aims her shortbow at the one behind Cicero.
I'll get them, i'll get them!
◆ recall knowledge
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
Nocking an arrow to her bow, Ahri comes to recognize these creatures as an uncommon form of undead known as Hellcrowns.
She learns little else about the creatures that she hasn't already seen. The nails that these creatures use as projectiles can embed themselves into their targets, causing pain and bleeding, as well as act as a conduit to enhance the fear in their targets.
One of her arrows finds it's mark.
Initiative:
Red
Ahri
Green
Villar; -5 HP; Enfeebled 1/Persist. Bleed 1
Talina; -10 HP
Cicero; -6 HP; Enfeebled 2/Persist. Bleed 1d4
Blue; -14 HP
Alak; -6 HP
Brown; -3 HP
Futin
Villar quickly moved in despite the pain to try and get a strike on the sadistic bastards, whatever they were. He studied his target as he flanked it and then stabbed at it with his rapier.
◆ move
◆ devise a strat on blue
◆ strat strike
Villar finds an optimal location and weak point on the creature, finding a gap just below the hellcrown's helmet, and jams his weapon into it's 'spine', causing it to shriek in pain, then dissipate, the helmet just falling to the ground.
His wound continues to bleed, though not severly.
Cicero attacks with a random piece of rubble, hurling it through the air at the remaining target, then puts a little more distance between
◆ Step
Alak looks reluctantly at the long table in the middle of the room before hopping over it and making his way over to the last of the hellcrowns. "Apologies brothers, but you need to be put to rest," he says before attacking the creature.
◆ Leap
◆ Step
The remaining hellcrown backs away from Alak, almost as if it were repulsed by his concern. It fires more projectiles at the armiger.
◆ Step
Initiative:
Red
Ahri
Green
Villar; -6 HP; Enfeebled 1/Persist. Bleed 1
Talina; -10 HP
Cicero; -6 HP; Enfeebled 2/Persist. Bleed 1d4
Blue
Alak; -12 HP
Brown; -12 HP
Futin
Talina moved around Villar, lept over the table and attempted to slash at the remaining thing.
Futin moves in, holding the torch in one hand as he stretches out the other towards their enemy. Like Alak said, sleepy-time!
◆Stride
◆◆
Talina and Futin both attack the last hellcrown, but the creature proves more nimble than expected.
Initiative:
Red
Ahri
Green
Villar; -6 HP; Enfeebled 1/Persist. Bleed 1
Talina; -10 HP
Cicero; -6 HP; Enfeebled 2/Persist. Bleed 1d4
Blue
Alak; -12 HP
Brown; -12 HP
Futin
Despite the table between him and the last enemy Villar was not about to let the fight end without one more strike. He studied his enemy and then lashed out with a well timed strike despite his continuing loss of blood.
◆ devise a strat on blue
◆ strat strike
Villar is able to take decisive action and pierce the creature it what seem like the obvious spot... between the spine and 'skull'. The action payed off as the the hellcrown lets out a screech of pain before it dissipates, leaving the helmet to crash to the ground.
Uh, that was...that was ...horrible, i guess.
Ahri looks kinda thrilled, but also shocked by the experience.
Mh this means there are probably more contraptions at work down here. I wonder whether those are safety guards by the former owners or some sort of evil curse, or even something others have added here. Or perhaps it's just the latent evil lingering.
She walks over to the hellcrowns to inspect their rests.
Villar, you're still bleeding! Let me see!
Talina was breathing heavily, "What were those things?" She took a few deep breaths to steady herself, "Those nails really take it out of you."
Villar and Cicero are easily able to remove the nails from their bodies, stopping the pain and bleeding almost instantly.
Alak frowns at the halfling for her 'evil' comment, but doesn't comment, instead, he says, "I don't think that it is any of those things," he almost looks ashamed as he speaks, but his voice remains strong. "I never thought that it would be something that I'd ever see, as it's a practice that has long been abandoned, but in the early days, the Hellknights would ward their crypts against necromancy by providing volunteers to guard over those resting with undead protectors. There must be wards, somewhere, animating and controlling these creatures, but they shouldn't have been triggered by merely our presence. It seems that someone was here before us, wielding magicks against the deceased, causing these protectors to rise and defend."
To Talina, he responds, "Hellcrowns, some of the more... malicious, of the order's members tended to die violently, and that would occasionally follow them into death... or undeath. First time I've come across the things, myself."
Meanwhile, Ahri is sifting through the area. The Hellcrowns themselves didn't drop anything of value; even their helmets were in disrepair. But as she peers into the compartments in the wall, she discovers bits and pieces of valuable treasure: a few assorted rings, amulets, bracelets, and other trinkets (worth 12 gp total), as well as a slender wand that still seems to be in good shape.
Futin seems cheerful at their victory, his mood not dampered at all by the odd creatures or their near deadly attack. He curiously tinkers with the want.
Futin definitely detects a magical aura, but is unable to determine what exactly the wand does.
With the fight done Villar began to remove the nails stuck in him. The damned things hurt but he managed to get it done while the others were checking out the area. When they were finished Villar had removed the last of them and looked around at where they should go.
"There is a door down this way I think. Let's see what is through here first." He made sure his rapier was at the ready, just in case, as he examined the door for traps and to see if it was locked as had become his routine.
Talina moved close to Villar, in case something else decided to crawl out of the woodwork.
Futin shrugs and hands the wand to Ahri. This thing must be broken or something. He begins to take out his bandages, but notes that Villar is already moved on.
Oh...wait up!
Fiddling with the bandages, he curses his lack of expertise, then lays his hands on Villar.
He then looks around at everyone. Maybe we should take a bit more time? I mean...we're not in a hurry right?
Assuming that they agree...
Futin takes some time to patch people up while Villar checks the door at the end of the hall. He is unable to find anything dangerous, and the door is unlocked.
Opening the door reveals rows of large, metal-and-stone lockboxes lining the winding walls of this storeroom, as well as occasional shelves and what look like filing cabinets intended for the storage of documents. The lockboxes hang ajar, having been opened and emptied long ago. A set of obvious tracks in the dusty floor suggest someone recently moved about in here. A pile of ashes and a few melted candle stubs lie atop a low table in the center of the room.
Alak comes up from behind, nursing some of his wounds, "What did you find, friends?"
Futin rushes after Alak, still trying in vain to patch up the last of his wounds. Hold on, you shouldn't be...I wasn't finished! He throws up his hands in frustration and puts his kit away as he moves up behind Alak. He hops up to try and see over the bigger man's shoulder.
Villar entered the room cautiously and looked at the lockboxes. "It looks like someone has already gone through all of these. It won't hurt to look through the room in case they missed something." He began to look through the room, checking the boxes and the walls until her eventually found a door way.
Ahri follows up closely, grasping her bow tightly, watching everything the others do with wonder in her eyes.
Uh maybe Sir Futin needs some more time? That doesn't look fixed at all.
On the other hand, is there anything exciting, Sir Villar?
Futin moves in with Villar, shedding light into the room beyond.
While Villar starts looking through the room, he notices Alak's look of surprise on his face, but he doesn't stand around very long. The knight makes a beeline straight for the lockboxes.
After a few unsuccessful tries, Alak let's out a shocked gasp as he examines on of the opened lockboxes. A slight click can be heard, and he pulls out a small little box. Opening the box reveals a silver ring with a mounted garnet. "It's here..." he says quietly. "I can't believe it's really here." He pulls out the ring and gingerly places it on his finger.
Meanwhile, Villar finds a stack of papers with a paper weight on top of them that seems to have been left unscathed.
After pouring through the papers, he realizes that they are a stack of spell scrolls: Darkness, Darkvision, Heal, and Magic Missile.
The paper weight also seems like it might be something more. A carving of two faces in profile, but he doesn't immediately recognize it.
Ahri curiously peeks over to Alak.
What is it? What did you find? Oh that is a very nice ring! How did you know it might be there? Does it have some special meaning to you? Or is it a mighty artifact?
You can hear the excitement in her voice, but then she adds more seriously, eyeing Alak sceptically:
Is this perhaps an evil hellknight artifact. Something you would use to enslave or harm others?
The hand on her bow tensions slightly...
Talina kept watch at the door so there were no more surprises. Cultists and strange beasts were enough. But undead? That was too much.
Alak gives Ahri a stern, disapproving look. "Do you always think the worst of people you've just met? Or only those who help you?" He holds her gaze for a moment, but then looks away, and his features soften. "There is nothing sinister about this ring. It used to belong to my father, and his father before that. I remember sitting on my father's lap and turning this ring on his finger when I was but a boy," he says, his voice solemn, rich, and deep. "I knew to look in a room such as thing, but didn't know where to find it, nor whether it would still be here. Thank you, all of you, for helping me in finding this last remnant of my family. You have my gratitude."
Futin moves into the room and looks at the items Villar found. Ooh, I can use that one for sure...may help when one of you gets hurt again...seems like you do that alot. He reaches out for the heal scroll, before looking back to Alak.
No worries, big guy; hey, you did alot of the hard work too you know. So, what's for you after this? Now that you found it, are you done here?
Villar found a bunch of pieces of paper and realized quickly that they were a stack of scrolls. They wouldn't do him much god but he figured Futin at least should be able to use them. He gave them to the felinoid when he came over and said, "Put them to good use," and continued his inspection. If he had an opinion on Alak taking the ring Villar kept it to himself. His natural dislike of all hellknights on general principles biased him but Alak had been pulling his own weight so he figured the man had earned it. He'd let the others figure that out as he examined the door to see about moving deeper intot the area.
Futin moves into the room and looks at the items Villar found. Ooh, I can use that one for sure...may help when one of you gets hurt again...seems like you do that alot. He reaches out for the heal scroll, before looking back to Alak.
No worries, big guy; hey, you did alot of the hard work too you know. So, what's for you after this? Now that you found it, are you done here?
"At this point," the armiger replies, "I have accomplished what I need. This was my sole purpose for coming here." He finally turns to face the others. "But far be it for me to turn away from those who have helped me in my endeavor. If you would have me, I would stay with you until you have accomplished your own task here."
Meanwhile, Villar checks out the door to the north, but everything seems to be okay. Opening the door reveals a storage closet.
Various storage racks and cabinets clutter this long, narrow space. Some are empty, though others still contain dusty banners with the Order of the Nail's sunburst insignia, stylized Asmodean paraphernalia, and other trappings clearly designed for formal funerals. Curiously, in the back of the room, a dirt-walled tunnel opens in the wall and stretches into the gloom; and a set of tracks leads from this tunnel to the door leading back into the vaults.
Before he opened the closet door Villar said, "He can come if he wants," in response to Alak's words. He may not like the guy but he didn't have to when it came to working with someone if they proved they could be trusted and, so far, Alack had done exactly that.
He held up the "paperweight" he had found and said, "I found this too but I don't know what it is." Villar opened the door and looked into the closet and saw it was filled with various items and, far more importantly, there was a tunnel at the back with footprints in the dirt.
"I have something here. A tunnel with footprints. I'll lead the way when we're ready."
Futin gets close, his torchlight shining into the tunnel. He didn't seem to remember that Villar didn't really need it...it was nice to feel useful.
Ready when you are boss...we've gotta' get done so Alak here can get back...I'm sure we're almost there... The comment hangs in the ensuing silence.
Looking down the length of the tunnel, Villar doesn't see any end to it, even with his darkvision.
Futin appears ready to jump in, but he notes Villar's hesitation. He turns to look up at the shadowed figure. Looks like a long way...you up for this? I'll lead if you want me to...I can do it. Even Futin seems unsure of that...
Villar couldn't see the end of the tunnel and Futin gettign so close wasn't helping matters any. "I can't see the end of this so it must go on for quite a distance." Villar stepped back and gestured for Futin to do so as well. "We have two option," he said, "First we can go ahead down the tunnel. We have not finished exploring this level though and it might be helpful to do so in case there are any clues about what they are doing down here."
"We're welcome to have you Sir Alak."
Looking at Villar, then the rest of the group, "I think we should finish searching this level. I'd like to make sure there aren't any more things that can sneak up on us."
Definitely. What if we were to go down there, and then someone comes along and traps us in there? No way!
He backs quickly away, as if the tunnel were directly threatening him, then looks out around the chamber. Okay, so where to next?
Villar leads the others back through the crypts to the main hallway and heads for the last of the divergent paths.
Heading down the last of the southern hallways leads to a dead end.
While Villar stares at the wall, puzzled, Ahri notes the creases of a hidden doorway in the wall.
Six looming, raised daises stretch from east to west in this chamber, each bearing a massive stone coffin with a carving of a fully armed and armored Hellknight lying in stately repose. Upon closer inspection, the details of the various weapons and minor variations in the armor of the figures distinguish these tombs. Two of the coffins loom ominously open. The east wall bears a complex series of inscriptions composed of faintly glowing pale blue runes.
There! A hidden door! Can you see it?
Ahri points out the hidden door to the others and tries to open it.
She also takes out her light again, so she can see a bit more.
Futin dutifully keeps his place in line, torch in one hand and the other hand ready to give a helping hand. He looks around trying to follow Ahri's gesturing. Wha? Where...
Villar shook his head and said, "Nope, can't see it Ahri." He looked down at her and said, "Good work. I'm guessing it goes to where we already were but it's worth double checking."
Villar looked at all of the various crests ont eh wall and the bodies laid out. He also noted how two of the bodies were conspicuously absent. He pointed at where the missing bodies should have been and said, "Well crap." With a sigh Villar said, "We should check for any clues as to what is going on before we continue on."
Futin holds the torches closer, seemingly forgetting that Villar can see in the dark. He scans out in a burst to search for any magical auras.
Villar looks in the room, but everything seems quiet - deathly quiet.
Futin definitely feels the presence of magic, most likely coming from inside the room.
Ahri is having a hard time seeing past the tall folk, but is pretty sure she sees some movement in the room... that is, just before the creatures round the corner of the coffins.
The obviously undead creatures head straight for the doorway, and Villar.
The first one quickly runs up and takes a slash at the tiefling.
◆ Stride
◆ Stride
The other has a shorter distance to go and manages to get in a couple of attacks.
◆ Stride
The attacks overwhelms Villar's defenses, and fells the unprepared Investigator.
Initiative:
Blue(30)
Red(29)
Ahri(23)
Talina(22)
Cicero(22)
Alak(22)
Villar(14) - Dying 1.
Futin(11)
Ahri, who did not expect that, sees herself way to close to the creature now.
Oh no, Villar! What is that?
She let's the torch fall down, draws an arrow and shoots at the undead.
Then she turns around and wiggles through the feet of her new companions.
Sorry i'll need to pass here, i need to put some distance between that and me! And somebody probably should look after Villar!
With these words she squeezes through out of the room.
Alak that's a job for you up there!
Futin looks in surprise and calls out instinctively. Hey, knock that business off!
He then reaches out with divine energy to try and help Villar out.
◆Demoralize
◆◆2-action heal
Ahri quickly identifies the creatures as Wights, nasty undead that are often created by especially violent deaths, and drain the life energies from their victims to sustain themselves.
Her arrow finds its mark as she retreats to the back of the group.
Futin is nearly as surprised as the wight as he vehemently tells it to back away, causing it to be slightly shaken.
It doesn't stop him from healing Villar's wounds.
Alak that's a job for you up there!
"I hear you, Lady Ahri," the knight calls back, and he quickly runs into the fray, barrelling straight into the wight.
◆ Stride
Unfortunately, the wight resist the push, so he just relies on his weapon.
Villar wakes up with Alak standing over him, facing off against the wights.
Initiative:
Blue(30)
Red(29) - -10HP; Frightened 1
Ahri(23)
Talina(22)
Cicero(22)
Alak(22)
Villar(14) - 13 HP; Wounded 1.
Futin(11)
Futin pumps his hand in the air
Go get 'em Alak!