You make it halfway across the causeway before being interrupted by the creak of rusty chains. At the far end of the bridge, the portcullis slowly raises and a platoon of armored skeletons marches out. Leading them is a tough-looking skeleton riding a skeletal horse that constantly belches forth thick black smoke.
Torsten knew a challenge when he saw one. He planted his feet and readied himself for the charge. The first enemy that got into arm's reach was going to regret it, whether it was mounted or not. "Blast them apart." He said, both to Usawoti as well as the cultists they were allied with.
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Watching the the platoon of armored skeletons march out of the castle doorway, Usawoti nods in agreement with Torsten, moving forwards, he adds, "First we cut off the head of the snake." Lifting his fist he commands the bone ring "ചാനൽ റേ" Channeling positive energy in a ray at the mounted skeleton.
Usawoti's ray burns the skeletal knight, but it's clear that it'll take a lot more than one attack to destroy it. The skeleton spurs its mount, and it flies forward at an incredible speed.
The kyton stalks forward until it's beside Usawoti and lashes out with its chain.
Laori skips up behind Usawoti and extends a hand crackling with dark energy. "You never healed after the bit with the orcs. Want some help?"
Sial's nowhere to be seen.
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Knight: 38pts damage
Horse: 23pts damage
Torsten was glad that the knight charged in alone. It made it much easier to overwhelm it before the skeletal horde closed in. He went for the rider, seeking to rip it off its steed and pull it to the ground, so that he could stomp it into bone dust. The Mount was a secondary concern, for it was (in his mind) just a method of transportation.
Torsten yanks the knight off his skeletal steed and stomps it into pieces.
When Laori touches Usawoti, the pain is excruciating. He can feel skin and flesh knit itself back together as weeks of natural healing happens over the course of three seconds. He's left with scars where the wounds used to be.
Horse: 23pts damage
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Flinching slightly as Laori heals his wounds, Usawoti watches as Torsten yanks the undead and stomps it into bone shards. Realizing the horse was still an immediate threat, he lifts the bone ring, pointing it at the horse. "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ്" He spends some of his magical energy to make the blast more deadly as a black ray shoots out towards the undead beast
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Usawoti's ray destroys the skeletal steed. The remaining skeletons continue to advance.
Torsten walked forward thirty feet and prepared himself for any undead charge.
Usawoti's channeled energy blasts the skeletons, inflicting major damage to them as they close in.
Usawoti destroys the skeletons, leaving the causeway safe to traverse once more.
Past the gate, rows of arrow slits line the eastern and western walls of the hallway beyond, and murder holes look down from above. Another portcullis lies farther down, leading into the castle grounds. Lining the length of the corridor are dozens of orc skeletons and scattered bones, many still clad in damaged pieces of armor and clinging to rusted weapons. As you enter, supernaturally-cold oil cascades down upon you from the murder holes above!
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Keeping Klar and earthbreaker at the ready, Usawoti walks beside Torsten as they move forward. As they pass the first set of doors he notices the murder holes. He knew there was no way to avoid what may be coming other than to trust his reflexes. As the supernaturally cold oil cascade down he ducks quickly preventing some of it from striking him.
Turning towards the three behind, he smiles, warning them "Watch out for the murder holes." As he steps past the first set of doors, he keeps a keen eye out for anything else untoward.
Torsten deftly avoided the trap, side stepping it completely. He nodded at Usawoti's words, as he redoubled his efforts to notice such calamities before another could occur.
The scene in this huge chamber is stomach-turning. Bodies lie everywhere, orc and human alike. Judging by the sprawled and mutilated nature of the corpses, they fought brutally before succumbing to their wounds, dying in heaps on the floor. Many corpses are riddled with arrows and crossbow bolts, and a few appear to have perished while locked in mortal combat and still hold weapons embedded in various parts of each other's anatomy. Strangely, while the room reeks of death, the bloodstains on the walls and floor seem incredibly ancient.
As you enter, a voice speaks in a strange language.
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Taking the scene in at a glance, Usawoti grew nervous. He was not a stranger to death or violence, but the smell of death should not be this strong. Relying on his 'deathwatch eyes' to inform him if any are alive or dead or undead; Usawoti scans the room as he steps over the carcasses.
Hearing the voice speaking in a strange language, he looks toward his friend, and then the Kuthonites, he whispers , "That language is beyond me."
”Nothing worth hearing anyways.” He replied, his face grim and muscles tense. ”But it tells us that we are being watched. Let’s push forward, keep focused on our goal.”
The bodies in the room meld together, becoming a mound of corpses. Standing just over ten feet tall, the hideous amalgamation unleashes a piercing shriek from its numerous heads before rapidly scuttling forward on dozens of arms and legs.
[
Torsten felt his bones and teeth vibrate as the monstrosity wailed at them. The sheer horror of the situation was overshadowed by the pain he felt as the thing assailed them. Without thinking he lashed out at it, a flurry of fists and feet, as he had instinctually sought to make the sound end.
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Shuddering as the piercing shriek passes over him, Usawoti, narrows his eyes. Looking at the creature through the rose-colored crystals of his Deathwatch eyes. Having a gift for the obvious, he declares "This abomination is undead."
Lifting his fist he calls on the rings destructive ability. "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം ഒരു സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ് ചേർക്കുക" Spending some of his magical energy to make the blast more deadly, sending the dark blast at the undead abomination.
The two of you unleash your attacks on the undead amalgamation, dealing a significant amount of damage. Laori steps up to assist as well. With a roar from a multitude of mouths, the monster lashes out.
Undead: 169pts damage
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Weathering the creatures roar and physical attacks, Usawoti steps back so as to not need to concentrate. Believing that Torsten had the creature well in hand, Usawoti decides to conserve his extra magical energy.
Lifting his fist he calls on the rings destructive ability. "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം ഒരു സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ് ചേർക്കുക" sending another dark blast at the undead abomination.
Torsten barely avoided the creature’s wild thrashing. A combination of skin as hard as steel and a timely dodge left him unscathed. But it was a close call, as if he had been a second slower than he would have likely been slammed into the ground. Rather than retreat he stepped forward and continued pounding away.
Between Usawoti and Torsten's attacks, the undead abomination is swiftly defeated. You have to break down the doors to the next room - it turns out they've been barred from the other side. Inside, tattered bits of ruined tapestries line the walls of a hallway - wispy filaments of rotting cloth that hang limp and forgotten. Ancient bones from scattered skeletons lie on the floor amid bits of broken weaponry and armor. Only one skeleton seems to remain whole, slumped against the northeastern corner, clad in dust-caked full plate armor.
Your deathwatch eyes detect an undead aura around the northeastern skeleton.
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Slipping his hammer in it's frog on the back of his belt, Usawoti looks towards Torsten, "You look none the worse for wear, Your're going to need to teach me how to do that." As they enter the room, Usawoti, wanting to save his rings magic, draws out a wand and begins to use the charges from it. Standing casually near the door they entered, he gestures towards the corner, "The skeleton in the armor is undead."
As Torsten’s wound rapidly healed, he nodded and pulled out a healer’s kit. ”Aye. Would be glad to.” He said, meaning it. He took great pride in his art. If someone had the talent, as Usawoti obviously did, then he was happy to share it. He wondered if Usawoti would turn down the life-elongating tattoo he had developed, the way Ril did. But to find out they would need to survive this place. ”Save your magic. Let me bind that cut, aye? Would rather ye blast it apart.”
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Nodding politely Usawoti puts away his wand and lets Torsten heal his wounds. Watching the undead while the dwarf binds the cuts he flex his arm to make sure the bandage will stay.
Smiling at Torsten's idea, Usawoti nods. "I think blasting it apart may be a good idea." Lifting his hammer filled fist he points the bone ring towards the armored skeleton, calling on the bone ring's destructive ability. "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം ഒരു സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ് ചേർക്കുക" Spending some of his magical energy to make the blast more deadly, sending the dark blast at the creature. As the black 'ray' engulfs the undead thing, Usawoti studies the thing with his deathwatch eyes to see if it is still amongst the unliving. If the thing still exists he commands the ring again, "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം ഒരു സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ് ചേർക്കുക" Repeating the process.
As Usawoti fires a ray from his bone ring, the silence of the ancient, dead castle suddenly shatters. The hall fills with a cacophony of clashing weapons and battle cries intermingled with the screams of the dead and dying. Individual words are impossible to discern, but as the sounds reach a crescendo of violence, smoky black shapes boil up out of the bones and swirl into a vortex of angry shrieking spirits. The wailing of these spirits may be enough to drive those caught inside the room to madness.
Torsten immediately went into a fighting stance as the cacophony of noise washed over him. He waited for an attack which never came, looking around for any sign of immediate danger.
Laori giggles madly into the vortex. While she appears to have fallen under its influence, it's difficult to tell. After all, the elf's already somewhat mad. The other Kuthites stoically endure the spiritual barrage.
As the vortex collapses, a towering smoky form rises from inside the bones in the corner, coalescing into a shadowy, muscular humanoid with glowing yellow eyes: a powerful wraith. "You shall not have Serithtial! It is mine and no other's!" he shrieks as he lunges forward!
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Turning briefly as Laori starts to giggle, Usawoti turns his attention to the towering smokey form coalescing in the corner. Shaking his head at the wraith's declaration, he retorts "You won't worry about it when your gone." Lifting the bone ring he commands it, "വിനാശകരമായ സ്ഫോടനം ഒരു സ്പെൽ പോയിന്റ് ചേർക്കുക" Using some of his inate magic he makes the black ray even more deadly as he blasts the undead.
Torsten moved in to attack. He didn’t know what the thing was, and truth be told he didn’t care. Whatever it was, it was in their way.
Usawoti's ray isn't as effective against the incorporeal enemy, but Torsten's enchanted fists deal heavy damage. The wraith retaliates against the closest target: Torsten.
Torsten was slightly staggered by the ethereal foe. But he kept to his feet and continued swinging. He completely failed to land a planned knock out blow, but he didn’t allow that to stop him from keeping the flurry of attacks coming.
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Frowning when the black blast did not do as much damage to the incorporeal wraith as he hoped it would, Usawoti decides to change tack. Seeing the creature touch his friend, Usawoti nods moves forward "Let me help with that Torsten." He then tells the bone ring, "പോസിറ്റീവ് എനർജി" Channeling positive energy, both to help his friend and to punish the undead.
Between the two of you, you return the undead to the Boneyard.
Potential Loot
celestial armor (with Lastwall iconography)
The Kuthites look uncomfortable with the armor - likely due to its association with the forces of Good.
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Relieved to see the undead fall, Usawoti rests his hammer's head on the ground and picks up the celestial armor. "This is fine armor, much better than my own even." Reaching over his shoulder he tucks it into the top of his ruck sack then picks his hammer back up.
Pointing at the door to the south, he looks towards Torsten, "I hate leaving things behind us. Shall we check the southern door first?" Without waiting for an answer he moves to the smaller southern door and investigates it for locks and traps. Once he's sure it's clear, he opens it up.
”Aye. Let’s do that. And if we find a defensive position, we’ll pause to allow ye to put that armor on. Best to take a minute to wear the best armor ye have than a minute pushing your intenstines back in.”
This nondescript corridor has arrow slits spaced along one wall, looking out into the main keep's entry corridor. Human bodies in chain shirts lie on the floor among the broken remains of shortbows and quivers of arrows. Curls of yellow smoke waft among the bones and ruined weapons.
Several dust-covered bunks, each large enough to hold a creature slightly larger than a bulky human, sag along the walls of this dreary, chilly room. Arrow slits look out over the tarn, yet these do little but let in the damp and cold, as if the wind itself were loath to enter Scarwall. A message seems to have been scrawled in blood on the west wall. An orc's body, still clad in hide armor and clutching an obsidian battleaxe, lies facedown below the writing.
Potential Loot
Obsidian undead-bane battleaxe
rhino hide armor
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Moving past the bodies they had returned to the dead, Usawoti gestures towards the writing. "Who do you think Ukwar is?" Stowing his weapons long enough to strip the body of it's armor and weapons, he placed the items in is pack. Looking from the steps to the door pointing north, he asks as he moves towards the door. "First floor first?" Then begins to inspect the door. Once he's convinced it's safe, he attempts to open it.
A ruined bunk lies in splinters to the south, along with other broken bits of furniture that might have once been a weapon rack and an armor stand.
A moldy bunk sits against the west wall here, next to a desk heaped with rotting scrolls. A rusty iron footlocker sits at the foot of the bed.
Two double bunks sit against the north wall of this otherwise empty room. The sheets on the bunks are tattered and moldy.
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Having looked to the left, the middle and the right rooms, Usawoti points out. "We won't be here long enough to worry about the graveknight." Let us proceed. Retracing his steps, he leads the group back to the smaller door heading to the west. "Its' probably just a broom closet, but I don't like the idea of something coming up from behind." He inspects the doors for locks and traps, then attempts to open it.