"You bet your worthless mortal lives I will."
Well, that's...the oddest reassurance I've ever gotten, but I'll take it, by and large. Noroc turns to the party. Let's go find this Belcorra and put her out of Zozzlarin's misery.
He surreptitiously wipes a bit of his boot on a nearby flagstone, however, curious to see if Zozzlarin needs to lick it up right away.
To his disappointment, Zozzlarin does not. In fact the zebub begins muttering to himself in an otherworldly tongue as he retreats to "his" room.
is he going into the north, or south, room?
North.
"Well, it sounds like we have another more important fiend to slay before we clean this place out. I'm not sure where this Belcorra lives, but we should try and find her. First, give me a moment to bandage up a few wounds. I'm feeling it after that last skirmish."
"Ahh, that feels much better. Shall we continue see what lurks around here? Shall we try this next door?"
Carrufikus gestures south to the door on the right.
Bibi nods in agreemetn & checks the south door.
Suspecting nothing, Bibi opens the door. A pair of hulking humanoid objects stand quietly in this chamber, each covered in a thick layer of dust.
Peldur nods in the direction of the now open doorway.
Go ahead, Bibi. Check 'em out.
Peldur encourages the plucky halfling.... then melts into the shadows. she doesn't find anything, but Noroc and Elena do. Elena concludes that these are old clockwork constructs, but the magic (and most of the mechanics) have long since succumbed to time. Still, Noroc points out that some of the parts are still good. Indeed, he identifies eight gemstones used as bearings in the broken clockworks. The gems would likely fetch 5 gp each.
Initiative assumes Talborel is Scouting
Avoid Notice (T)
Detect Magic (A: +1 (U), N: +8 (T), O: +1 (U) , R: +8 (T))
Investigate (A: +8 (T), C: +8 (T) M: +1 (U) N: +5 (T), O: +7 (T) , R: +5 (T), S: +8 (T))
Search (E)
Avoid Notice (E)
Scout
Fine quartz precision! Noroc quips, pointing the gemstones out to Bibi and letting her go to work.
"It's a shame about the magic. I would have loved to study these things while they were active," Elena says, satisfied with the search so far.
Ready to keep seared, pointing to the north door. "Do we have a look where Zozzlarin is to the north?"
I think not--not yet. We can check it without bother once he's gone. Whatever's in there will keep that long, yes?
"Fair enough. We can come back if we need to," Elena says, happy to be done with the devil. "Let's backtrack and see what we may have missed in our pursuit."
She the leads the group back south, stopping at the first door on the right. "Care to have a look, Bibi?"
Broken-down torture instruments lie in half-collapsed heaps on the floor here. To the north slumps a ruined stretching rack, while to the south a pillory lies fallen on the floor. Rusty tongs and chains, frayed and rotten whips, and other instruments of torture lie on shelves that look about to collapse.
Initiative assumes Talborel is Scouting
Avoid Notice (T)
Detect Magic (A: +1 (U), N: +8 (T), O: +1 (U) , R: +8 (T))
Investigate (A: +8 (T), C: +8 (T) M: +1 (U) N: +5 (T), O: +7 (T) , R: +5 (T), S: +8 (T))
Search (E)
Avoid Notice (E)
Scout
do a reasonably thorough search of the debris, see if there's anything interesting, useful, or valuable.
Elena follows Bibi in. She whispers a cantrip to help reveal the presence of magic in the area. She focuses, excluding the known emanations from the various items the group carries.
Elena finds nothing, but Bibi does. If a rusted ring on the wall is pulleddown sharply, then a secret door in the southern wall will open.
BOOM!! It's probably not trapped, but...
Bibi checks both the trigger, and the door--AND the main door in, now knowing there's a secret door--for traps!
Bibi pulls on the ring. A secret door opens up to a small T-shaped hall with a door on the western end.
Carrufikus watches in amazement as his companions negotiate secret doors and triggers. We waits quietly and follows, curious as to what lies ahead.
The thief carefully checks the new door & approach before backing off for someone else to open
Bibi finds nothing untoward about the door, but she DOES notice two bricks that can be depressed, but they seem to open ANOTHER secret door. This one to the south!
Hah! I'm on FAI-YAH!!
"Well done, Bibi! Quite the find."
Elena follows her rogueish friend, ushering the group to keep up. She sees Bibi move toward the door and nods. "Yes, let's check beyond that door first. We can try the other secret passage afterwards. Whenever you're ready, open it please."
The walls of this circular room are smooth and gray. A ribbon of pale blue light coils and slithers through the air, connecting the floor at the center of the room to the ceiling fifteen feet above. The points where this light touches the stone above and below seethe and writhe, as if the stone itself were suffering from an infection. The desiccated remains of an enormous worm lie slumped around the ribbon, forming a crescent of shriveled and tattered purple flesh.
Initiative assumes Talborel is Scouting
Avoid Notice (T)
Detect Magic (A: +1 (U), N: +8 (T), O: +1 (U) , R: +8 (T))
Investigate (A: +8 (T), C: +8 (T) M: +1 (U) N: +5 (T), O: +7 (T) , R: +5 (T), S: +8 (T))
Search (E)
Avoid Notice (E)
Scout
When the group stops short the ever-curious wizard works her way to the front. "Oh," Elena says, taken aback by what she sees before her. What sorcery is this, I wonder?
"Give me a moment. I want to study this before we even consider entering," she says, pulling out a notebook from her backpack. She whispers a cantrip that allows her to detect the presence of magic. Then she carefully observes the light and the writhing stone, jotting down her observations. Finally she studies the worm, hoping to identify it.
Yeah, you all wait for TWO all-clears, please!
Bibi then looks for traps in this...weird room
Elena's eyes are wide as she jots notes down furiously. The magic light in the room is still beyond her ken, but she's absolutely sure that it's directly connected to the power of the Gauntlight itself. She's equally confident that the stone itself has been transmuted by the power of the light, indicating that there's more to it than simple necromancy.
Finally she knows that to be a purple worm corpse. It's a small specimen, though easily large enough to swallow an unprepared human or five.
Elena relays what she knows, and emphasizes the bits left unsaid. "There's a lot we don't know, but all of what you see there is dangerous. The magic is beyond anything imaginable. And I think it best we give that room a wide berth."
B..but...aw MAAAAAAN there's a door over there!! How we gonna get to it??
Bibi casts about the room with a pout and a huff of an exhale. Just lemme sneak along the wall here and check that door. I mean, the worm is dead, right? and I'll stay as far away from the light as I can...
She's nodding eagerly as she speaks, and starting to lean toward the dangerous room with wide eyes and smile.
Bibi has no problem skirting the room. There's an electricity in the air, but if she stays away from the concentrated light, she doesn't have a problem.
She's certain the door is safe.
Elena doesn't stop Bibi. She has a feeling that her friend knows a thing or two about not getting killed.
But also the wizard is curious.
When Bibi makes it to the door, Elena exhales a breath she didn't know she was holding. "Ok, as long as we skirt the edge like Bibi did, we should be fine. Let's go see what there is to see beyond that door."
Bibi opens the door without another word. This five-foot-wide hallway features three alcoves along each side. Stone sarcophagi stand upright within each. There is an obvious secret door in the south, as if the designer assumed anyone on this side would already know of its existence.
Carrufikus stands and watches the two females do their investigations.
”Elena, did you ever figure out what killed that purple worm? I’m not getting the idea that anything is safe down here.”
He then proceeds to follow the company into the room with the sarcophagus. He looks to see if he can recognize any associated religion or anything about the dead who may reside within.
Carrufikus looks into the hall, just as he sees an inky blackness ooze forth. Its smoking eyes boring into the gnome with an impossible hunger! She... it speaks with a dissonant voice in a fantastically strange language. Carrufikus knows it to be Necril, but he does not know the words.
Round 1:
Carrufikus: Go
Bibi: Go
Elena: Go
???: TBD
Talborel: TBD
Noroc: TBD
Peldur: TBD
Initiative assumes Talborel is Scouting
Avoid Notice (T)
Carrufikus: 27
Investigate (A: +8 (T), C: +8 (T) M: +1 (U) N: +5 (T), O: +7 (T) , R: +5 (T), S: +8 (T))
Search (E)
Avoid Notice (E)
Scout
"Help! I think this is going to eat me! I don't know what this creature is saying, but it sounds like the language of ghouls!"
Carrufikus quickly casts divine lance as the blackness comes forward!
He then steps back to let the others move forward.
Action 1: Recall Knowledge
Action 2-3: TBD
Elena takes a peek around the corner, spying the inky blackness for herself. She considers what she's seeing, hoping to recall something from one of the many texts she's read...
Carrufikus opens with a spell of pure good, striking and harming the creature!
Elena knows this to be an undead known as a shadow! It's touch drains your vitality, but it can also steel your shadow, literally tearing it from you and leaving you enfeebled. Don't let it touch you!
Round 1:
Carrufikus: Hit
Bibi: Go
Elena: 2 actions
???: TBD
Talborel: TBD
Noroc: TBD
Peldur: TBD
Majordomo: 5
Action 2: Interact (Necklace of Fireballs)
Action 3: Interact (Throw)
Elena swears. "Don't let this shadow touch you! Trust me," she says, warning the group.
Deciding that now is not the time to mess around. She places a hand on the hemp necklace she's wearing, activating the magic within it. For a moment the necklage changes, become a golden chain with golden spheres attached by fine threads. She plucks one of the spheres from it and hurls it down the hallway.
When the golden bead lands a powerful conflagration explodes, filling the hallway!
Bibi doesn't know whether weapons will hurt this thing, but she's willing to experiment...with her bow.
The shot skitters off the floor, and she backs away from the hallway.
The shadow easily keeps away from the light and heat. Bibi's arrow is even less of a threat!
The shadow flies right past the group and heads straight for Carrufikus. It's long tendrils reach out...
for
Round 1:
Carrufikus: Hit
Bibi: Miss
Elena: Fireball
Shadow: ATK
Talborel: Go
Noroc: Go
Peldur: Go
Majordomo: 5
Noroc looks on in horror as Carrufikus explicitly does the opposite of what Elena said to do. He practically leaned into it!
The woodcutter steps to the side, hoping for a better angle on the shadow thing, and emits a spear of positive energy at it.
Peldur grabs his sling and lets loose a stone at the ooze.
Noroc's spell goes wide, but Peldur's stone strikes the shadow. It passes through the creature, seemingly without harm.
Round 1:
Carrufikus: Hit
Bibi: Miss
Elena: Fireball
Shadow: ATK
Talborel: Go
Noroc: Miss
Peldur: Miss
Majordomo: 5
Tal looks as though he's half asleep, but then suddenly starts moving.
Hunt Prey, Recall Lore, Stride
He moves, waving his arms and taunting the shadow, offering another target besides the gnome, and trying to recall anything about undead shadows, specifically how to hurt or dispel it.
Recall Knowledge, Religion:
Talborel focuses his mind on the fight ahead. This is definitely an undead shadow, which means it's resistant to all of the party's weapons. Thankfully their tie to the mortal plane isn't too strong, and concentrated attacks should overwhelm it.
Round 2:
Carrufikus: Go
Bibi: Go
Elena: Go
Shadow: TBD
Talborel: TBD
Noroc: TBD
Peldur: TBD
Majordomo: 5
Bibi drops her bow, draws her rapier, and hopes to Desna that a magic blade will do the trick.
Bibi's attack is off, but her redoublement gets lucky. Unfortunately, the rapier doesn't seem to do much, but it does do some!
Round 2:
Carrufikus: Go
Bibi: Hit
Elena: Go
Shadow: TBD
Talborel: TBD
Noroc: TBD
Peldur: TBD
Majordomo: 7
"You do not belong here, shadow! It is time for you to go back whence you came!"
Carrufikus quickly moves out of the way and casts Disrupt Undead on the creature.