He agrees and then takes a closer look, "Do you see the seal here, it looks like it seperates. I think a secret door is here." He pulls out his lockpicks and gets to work. He sighs and says, "I don't think I can open the lock. Let's check out the rest of the area."
Once on the other side he states, "I think the door just opens to this room through that wall. I could be wrong, there might be a chamber between the doors."
"Shall we continue on?" He asks prodding the group.
While in the Sacristy Quince takes a moment and stands by the statue and looks south at what the statue is hiding its eyes from. He examines the fingers to see if they swing down.
"Check the door. Who knows what might lie behind it."
"The problem is I can't unlock it, so we can try to smash it down..."
He puts his weight into it and pushes.
Quince pulls a portable ram out from his pack. "If we are going to knock." Quince gets on the other side of the ram as Jorne and helps him swing.
St. John attempts to assist the others opening the door.
The elf steps back to let the others 'knock' all the while ready to assist if attacked.
After giving it a valiant effort and the enlarge spell ends, He takes a moment to take a breather and pulls out a canteen to moisten his lips.
He looks over at Jezebel and offers, "Go ahead and hang onto that sword for me. Remember I can get you into any spot I threaten when in that stance. I don't think this door is going to budge. Shall we go look at the one room with the 'eye' and runes in the walls again?"
She waits until you have tried to ram the door and then says, "Let me check." She seems to meld into the door and when she comes back she states, "Yup it is the same secret door from the other room, with nothing between."
Quince watches the maiden meld into stone and return. "Well that is one way to handle it."
Quince nods to Jorne's suggestion.
This chamber is empty. Its walls bear eye-shaped patterns and carvings, all of which seem to be looking at a point on the east wall where a single carving of a giant, stylized eye looms. The eye’s pupil is an intricately engraved relief roughly the size of the palm of a hand.
The eye carving to the east radiates strong conjuration and divination magic.
"There has to be more to this place." He casts detect magic. He looks at the eye carving in the east. "Huh, conjuration."
"Can anyone help Quince with identifying the magic, I sure can't?" He states standing off to the side still watching what Quince does.
He sticks around for 4 rounds and gets fidgety, he states, "I am going to go check the other path across the large room." With that he zips off double move 100 feet.
"I'll aid him. Watch yourself though." he calls out to Jorne.
The hunter aids Quince in studying the general area and it's magiks.
You think if an orb like item is placed in the socket something magical would happen.
St. John stays with Quince to guard him while he studies the magic. When he is ready he will lead the way toward Jorne.
The monk looks around the room, obviously curious. "The eye motif seems unusual. Do you think there's something connecting this place to beholders, somehow?"
Jorne comes back four rounds later and tells the group, "The next room is filled with lava and smoke. Anyone have a cold or wind spell? I didn't see any threats but I also only went in 20 feet."
"I don't have any spell like that."
You don't think you have seen an orb that big.
"We might need to search further on and see if we come across something like that."
Jorne then leaves to investigate further into the lava room.
After a few rounds you hear him yelling, "We have some undead to deal with. Making a path back to you!"
"So...." the red hair elf pauses as his keen ears picks up what Jorne is saying.
"Some undead he's found and he's leading them back to us..... Just how many of the undead did he find?" he laughs as he seeks a place to launch his assault from.
"And what kind? Makes a difference . . .."
The stink of sulfur and tar are strong, coming from the doorway Jorne returns from.
Cephal Lorentus CR 8
XP 4,800
Male dread zombie human wizard 7 (Advanced Bestiary 105)
NE Medium undead (human)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +1
Defense
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 20 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +4 shield)
hp 66 (7d6+42)
Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +8
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2; Immune undead traits
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 dagger +6 (1d4+3/19–20), bite +0 (1d6+1)
Special Attacks brain consumption, command zombies, hand
of the apprentice (5/day)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 7th; concentration +9)
4th—fire shield
3rd—fireball (DC 15), fly
2nd—acid arrow, glitterdust (DC 14), mirror image, scorching ray
1st—burning hands (DC 13), mage armor, magic missile (2), shield
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 12), dancing lights, message, touch of
fatigue (DC 12)
Tactics
Before Combat Cephal casts fly, mage armor, shield, and fire
shield if he has a chance to do so before combat begins.
He then flies to the cavern ceiling to use the stalactites
as cover.
During Combat Cephal remains near the ceiling as long as
possible, targeting his magic at spellcasters and characters
using ranged weapons. He casts glitterdust on those
making ranged attacks. If he depletes his ranged attacks
and hand of the apprentice uses, he swoops down to finish
the fight with his dagger and bite attacks.
Morale Cephal fights until destroyed.
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 11, Con —, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 18
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item,
Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Scribe Scroll, Toughness
Skills Handle Animal +11, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge
(geography) +12, Knowledge (nature) +12, Survival +8
Languages Common, Draconic, Giant, Hallit, Sylvan
SQ arcane bond (dagger)
Gear +1 dagger, ring of protection +2, spell component pouch,
spellbook (contains all cantrips and currently prepared spells)
Special Abilities
Brain Consumption (Ex) If Cephal deals damage with his bite
attack against a helpless or pinned living foe, the bitten
creature must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be reduced
to a negative hit point total equal to 1 lower than his current
Constitution as Cephal begins to consume the victim’s
brain. If Cephal bites a foe who already has negative hit
points, he automatically kills the foe by eating his brain. The
save DC is Strength-based.
Command Zombies (Su) Cephal can automatically command
all normal zombies within 30 feet as a free action. Normal
zombies never attack Cephal unless compelled.
Coming out of the doorway and back to the group that had collected near the door he offers, "An undead zombie of somekind. It hissed and sparkles appeared in front of it. Then it hissed more and flew up into the ceiling. There are at least 10 more zombies that are stuck in the tar and trying to pull anyone into the tar with them."
Quince moves to get a look.
You look into the burning room. There is smoke, boiling tar, and you don't see any undead.
"Let me see if I can spot them." says the hunter as he too moves towards the entrance.
Quince looks at Jorne and then into the room. "Undead?"
Moving with the others, Dinenen looks about as well.
He begins pointing at the things he sees. "Well, there's one over there, another further to the right, . . .."
There is a narrow stone beam that was the base of the previous bridge that allows you to pass over the boiling tar.
He walks into the room with the others and points to the tar, "They must have descended into the boiling tar. Ahh this smoke is painful for my eyes." He shakes his head not knowing where they went. He asks the group, "Does anyone have create water or should I pull out my waterskins?"
Quince offers a create water casting.
"It is hot in there gather close before we enter." Quince casts a blessing over everyone.
Moving closer for the spell, Dinenen takes the opportunity to be less obvious. "There's the remains of a stone bridge which should simplify crossing. And something that looks undead hiding in the stalactites over my left shoulder. Feet down, so it must be flying, but I don't see any wings."
With the endure elements spell on and direction to the flying undead he moves into the room stopping at the edge of the boiling tar with his longbow in hand, arrow notched and pulled back ready for ugly to show its face.
Round 1
Dinenen sees the flying thing resting among the stalagmites,
Jorne
Quince
St. John
Lykan
Dinenen
Jezebel
Ces
skeletons
26 Jorne
24 Quince
21 Ces
18 St. John
13 Dinenen
13 Lykan
12 skeletons
6 Jezebel
Round 1
Seeing the creature now he shoots at it.
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
Quince move to where he take a shot.
Not having the ability to fly, or walk on ceilings, Dinenen chooses to move to engage with the undead foot soldiers, taking up a position on the more secure walkway he spied earlier.
Round 1
Jorne shoots twice and misses both times. Quince shoots twice and hits once. The flying figure moves down along the ceiling and releases a small red orb towards the group.
The orb comes down and hits Jorne, then it explodes out with fire.
Walking on the foot wide support beam let's Dinenen traverse over the boiling tar. As he does walk everyone can see the skeletal arms coming from the tar, then the skulls, and followed by the full skeletal body of a fire skeleton. One of the skeletal hands hit Dinenen and tries to grab onto him but fails. Two of the strikes hit his touch and burning him,
+5
Round 1
I forgot my third arrow!
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
Round 2
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
One of his arrows hits doing 22 damage.
As the undead reveal themselves, the monk shakes his head. "This is not only not your path to enlightenment, but I doubt whoever created you is on a valid path, either. Return to your graves."
He flurries on the opposition, looking to assist them in following his instructions.
As the conflagration clears around him. "Spread out. Don't give them an easy spot to burn us."
Quince takes aim again sends another arrow at the undead.
Round 2
Quince shoots the flying undead and then backs out of the room.
The 6 fire skeletons that rose from the boiling tar are alight with fire. They swung and only one of the claws hit directly as proximity of the flames burns Dienen. With two great strikes the bones of one of the skeletons breaks apart.
Round 3
Four more skeletons rise, only one of them can reach Dinenen after a move action but cannot strike. As the other three put their hands together gathering a ball of flames in their hands. The other five still around Dinenen unleash a flurry of strikes. Dinenen only physically gets hit once. Luckily the flames peter out quickly and there is no more threat of fire damage by touch.
+5
The flying creature releases a spell of glittering dust which hits Jorne. It also hits all creatures and objects within 10 feet of Jorne.
Jorne takes down the flying creature and it falls into the boiling tar. Reigniting the tar as the flames spread over it.
Now it seems you just have the skeletons to deal with.
Following Jorne out of the room is an undead zombie. It was a middle-aged, bearded man of above average height. In death, his flesh is foul and blackened, he still wears tatters of his wizardly robes, and his jaw hangs slack where it was broken.
Cephal Lorentus CR 8
XP 4,800
Male dread zombie human wizard 7 (Advanced Bestiary 105)
NE Medium undead (human)
Init +4; Senses darkvision 60 ft.; Perception +1
Defense
AC 20, touch 12, flat-footed 20 (+4 armor, +2 deflection, +4 shield)
hp 66 (7d6+42)
Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +8
Defensive Abilities channel resistance +2; Immune undead traits
Offense
Speed 30 ft.
Melee +1 dagger +6 (1d4+3/19–20), bite +0 (1d6+1)
Special Attacks brain consumption, command zombies, hand
of the apprentice (5/day)
Wizard Spells Prepared (CL 7th; concentration +9)
4th—fire shield
3rd—fireball (DC 15), fly
2nd—acid arrow, glitterdust (DC 14), mirror image, scorching ray
1st—burning hands (DC 13), mage armor, magic missile (2), shield
0 (at will)—bleed (DC 12), dancing lights, message, touch of
fatigue (DC 12)
Tactics
Before Combat Cephal casts fly, mage armor, shield, and fire
shield if he has a chance to do so before combat begins.
He then flies to the cavern ceiling to use the stalactites
as cover.
During Combat Cephal remains near the ceiling as long as
possible, targeting his magic at spellcasters and characters
using ranged weapons. He casts glitterdust on those
making ranged attacks. If he depletes his ranged attacks
and hand of the apprentice uses, he swoops down to finish
the fight with his dagger and bite attacks.
Morale Cephal fights until destroyed.
Statistics
Str 14, Dex 11, Con —, Int 14, Wis 12, Cha 18
Base Atk +3; CMB +5; CMD 17
Feats Arcane Strike, Combat Casting, Craft Wondrous Item,
Improved Initiative, Iron Will, Scribe Scroll, Toughness
Skills Handle Animal +11, Knowledge (arcana) +12, Knowledge
(geography) +12, Knowledge (nature) +12, Survival +8
Languages Common, Draconic, Giant, Hallit, Sylvan
SQ arcane bond (dagger)
Gear +1 dagger, ring of protection +2, spell component pouch,
spellbook (contains all cantrips and currently prepared spells)
Special Abilities
Brain Consumption (Ex) If Cephal deals damage with his bite
attack against a helpless or pinned living foe, the bitten
creature must make a DC 15 Fortitude save or be reduced
to a negative hit point total equal to 1 lower than his current
Constitution as Cephal begins to consume the victim’s
brain. If Cephal bites a foe who already has negative hit
points, he automatically kills the foe by eating his brain. The
save DC is Strength-based.
Command Zombies (Su) Cephal can automatically command
all normal zombies within 30 feet as a free action. Normal
zombies never attack Cephal unless compelled.
Round 3
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
+3 Impervious Adaptive acid
One of his arrows hits doing 22 damage.
The red hair elf looks a the fight coming towards them and notes their attack patterns.
Round 1
He prepares with resisting energy likely fire.
Round 2
He studies the flying creature.
Then attempts a shot at it.
"Does anyone with a method to attack based on cold?" he asks.
Round 3
The elf continues to pepper the flying foe with more shots.
"Sadly no. Need to fix that."
Quince fires and arrow from the doorway.
"Target rich environment. That's the phrase, right?" The monk calls out to the noble's companions, a lilt of humor clear in his voice. He continues attempting to clear the space around him.
His attacks seem less effective during this exchange, though. Maybe he should be paying more attention to the fight instead of entertainment?