Baux’s weapon of force strikes the wight , and then he destroys the skeleton!
❧ ❧ ❧
Baux, Sustaining Sp. Weap
Biltri, Drained 1
Dethor, Drained 1, -8 HP
--
Red-Eyes, +0 THP, -41 hp
Skelly 1
Skelly 2, bow wielded
--
Nandipha, Sustaining Fl. Sph.
--
Delayed, can go any time:
Lucius Caligari
Nandipha steps forward and attacks skeleton number one.
If that skeleton crumbles into dust, she moves the flaming sphere to skeleton 2 because alas old Red Eyes is out of her 30 foot range. Otherwise, this will go into effect on skeleton 1.
◈ Stride
◈ Strike
◈ Sustain a Spell
Lucius has problems coming up with a plan, but Nandipha crushes the skeleton with her tail! unfortunately, the other skeleton avoids the fire.
❧ ❧ ❧
Baux, Sustaining Sp. Weap
Biltri, Drained 1
Dethor, Drained 1, -8 HP
--
Red-Eyes, +6 THP, -41 hp
Skelly 2, bow wielded
--
Nandipha, Sustaining Fl. Sph.
Delayed, can go any time:
Lucius Caligari
She attacks the bow-wielding skeleton in hopes of ridding herself of the flank.
Then she moves the flaming sphere to Red Eyes.
◈ Stride
◈ Strike
◈ Sustain a Spell
|
”you ain’t gettin’ ‘way dat easy, ye fargin’ bastage!” yells Dethor as he moves in for the kill. As he does, he fakes coughing, like the undead’s touch has harmed him more than it actually had. Then, right as he is in the worst of the ‘coughing’ and retching, his blade stabs out.
”Take that, and leave the livin’ alone. Yer kind ain’t wanted here. ”
The red-eyed creature falls as Dethor's incredible luck continues to hold!
After the last of the creatures is destroyed, Baux says "Don't know if'n we should continue.Looks ta me like both of ya need a night's rest ta recover from the hits ya took from Red Eyes." He inclines his head towards Biltri and then Dethor indicating who he thinks needs a rest.
"So do we leave ta come back tomorrow? Gunna need ta seal this place again once all the undead are destroyed." With a nod towards the exit, he adds "Could still collect the pay fer the mushrooms and put some sort of warning sign that humans can read outside here."
Nandipha notices tracks in the dust, going further in — as if someone was dragging a struggling body. There are more rooms in this dungeon complex. Ahead is a large room full of pillars.
There's no other loot in this room, beyond the mundane equipment the guards used.
"I'm fine," Biltri stubbornly insists. "The poor sap who couldn't read probably isn't. Let's go."
"Those nasty undead got a live captive," Nandipha says, grimly staring at the tracks. "I know some of us be needing healing, but if we wait I don't think the captive be alive much longer."
Nandipha grabs out her spear. "Let's go, then!"
While you heal up, you peek into the next room. It's a large hall along the far wall to your right. Six stout pillars hold up the ceiling, each carved with overlapping symbols of starknives. Sconces flickering with an unnatural green light hang on the smooth stone walls.
Dethor gives the go-ahead, but Biltri notices the Starknife carvings on each of the pillars are glowing with magical energy. Lucius thinks there is something odd about the pillars… together, you determine that this is a magical trap.
Dethor suspects this is a trap beyond the ordinary , although it could also be dispelled. You would need to disable or dispel several pillars, not just one. You might also destroy several pillars to disrupt the magic.
Lucius notes that the energy of the carvings tends to be focused inward, toward the middle of the room.
Theivery (expert only): 21
Dispel magic (2nd level): 21
Break: Hardness 7, BT 14
If you roll a crit fail (11 or lower) at any time stop there, as we will roll initaitive.
"Dragged by the tracks," Biltri answers. "Can smash a column from here." He gives the chain on his meteor hammer some slack and whips it into the column.
"Maybe? Eventually. Well built," he remarks appreciably.
Baux goes over and looks at the tracks. “If’n it possible they still alive, we best git to it then.”
——
At the pillars, Baux is interested in the carvings. “Why starknives?”
Biltri takes some chips off a pillar.
Baux is sure these starknives have nothing to do with Desna. Lucius, Biltri, and Dethor don't think they have any association with a particular deity. The inscription on the door mentioned "Karstin Star-Hand" — perhaps they simply preferred that weapon and this is their icon of choice.
What are the rest of you doing?
"Sound good to me." Nandipha takes her spear and follows Dethor.
“Hhhrm?”
Seeing Dethor lead the way around, Baux follows. “Makes sense. Fastest way ta do it. Jes gotta remember If’n we need ta flee should lead enemies between the pillars.”
You move along the columns and are forced to go single-file near the door.
Shadows flicker strangely in this chamber (remember there are lit sconces throughout, on the walls). The rightmost end of this room bears a large stone sarcophagus decorated with carvings of a star in the open palm of a hand. The sarcophagus appears cracked, and an inky goo dribbles out of it. Two upright coffins flank the sarcophagus, both ajar.
Baux notices a creature hiding in the shadow of Zombie 2.
❧ ❧ ❧
Only Baux and Biltri can see the enemies right now. You must move in further before you can make any knowledge checks or get line of sight to creatures on the rightmost half of the room.
Baux
Lucius
--
Strange Creature
--
Dethor
Nandipha
Biltri
--
Zombie 1
Zombie 2
DC 29 or second PC making check
DC 23 or second check on Zombie shamblers
Biltri's eyes flicker with embers, and the chains in his hands begin to glow with heat. "Bunch of trouble in here!" He charges toward the closest zombie and flings the heavy weight forward. The steel fist at the end of the chain begins to glow like iron in a forge.
"More of them blasted undead." Baux says as the room comes into his view. "Think now a gud time fer some blessings."
Saying that, he then moves into the room and casts a spell calling out for Desna's aid.
|
Lucius moves into the room behind Baux and Biltri.
"That's odd, the half-orc has no shadow."
He tries to recall any knowledge on shadowless half-orcs.
"Because that's not a half-orc, that's a Shadow! They're strong against non-magical attacks!"
He tries to identify the zombies too, but can't recall anything.
The shadow turns to the Desnan and flies across the room, then slinks into Biltri's shadow — it's hard for the cleric to see in there. It then reaches out from the darkness and touches the cleric. The cleric's skin turns corpse-grey around the place where the creature touched him.
❧ ❧ ❧
Baux, -12 HP, sustaining Bless (5')
Lucius
--
Star-Hand's Shadow
--
Dethor, Drained 1
Nandipha
Biltri, Drained 1
--
Zombie 1
Zombie 2
DC 29 or second PC making check (Lucius got #1)
DC 23 or second check on Zombie shamblers
Nandipha casts Magic Fang on her tail and moves in to the room.
Biltri's eyes flicker with embers, and the chains in his hands begin to glow with heat. "Get out of Baux's shadow!" The steel hand begins to glow like iron in a forge as he whips it into the air and slams it down toward Baux's shadow twice in a row.
Biltri rages, but without fire. He the Shadow twice but doesn't do as much damage as he hoped.
Both zombies move in and flail at Dethor and Nandipha.
❧ ❧ ❧
Baux, -12 HP, sustaining Bless (5')
Lucius
--
Star-Hand's Shadow, -15 HP, Not Concealed
--
Dethor, shield raised
Nandipha
Biltri, Raging
--
Zombie 1
Zombie 2
Baux gestures to expand the area of his blessing, raises his shield, and moves to a more central position in the room.
Lucius plunks a bolt into the zombie's eye.
The shadow stares at Baux as he moves across the room, totally fixated on him. It whispers something hateful in a sibilant language as it flies over Nandipha.
It grasps Baux's arm again, deadening more skin.
It then steals a portion of the cleric's own shadow, pulling it away like a silk sheet.
Bits of Baux's beard turns white, and he starts looking a little gaunt.
❧ ❧ ❧
Baux, -26 HP, shield raised, sustaining Bless (10’) , Enfeebled 1
Lucius
--
Star-Hand's Shadow, -15 HP, Not Concealed
--
Dethor, shield raised
Nandipha, Magic Weapon (tail)
Biltri, Raging
--
Zombie 1, -8 HP
Zombie 2
No! Not Baux! I have to draw the shadow off him somehow!
"Hey now! Our Baux be a good guy! We not be losing him! Come here, Shadow. Come after me. I be MUCH SCARIER than Baux!'
◈◈◈ Heal
"You're not getting away that easy!" Biltri yells at the darting shadow and chases it across the room while whirling the steel fist over his head. Once he gets within range, he slams it down on the ground that the shadow appears to occupy twice in a row.
Dethor stabs the incorporeal creature, but because it's immune to precision damage and resistant to other damage, he does less than he hoped.
Nandipha does some force damage to the shadow (it doesn't seem vulnerable), and withers away zombie flesh!
Biltri's bad luck continues…
The zombie move in and flail around, mostly getting in the way.
❧ ❧ ❧
Baux, -18 HP, shield raised, sustaining Bless (10’), Enfeebled 1
Lucius
--
Star-Hand's Shadow, -22 HP, Not Concealed
--
Dethor, shield raised
Nandipha, Magic Weapon (tail)
Biltri, Raging
--
Zombie 1, -19 HP
Zombie 2, -9 hp
Baux decides he is still hurt enough that another heal would help.
"That feels a little betta." With a nod to Nandipha he says "Thanks!"
Both zombies wither to ash, but the shadow still threatens Baux.
❧ ❧ ❧
Baux, -3 HP, Enfeebled 1
Lucius
--
Star-Hand's Shadow, -29 HP, Not Concealed
--
Dethor, shield raised
Nandipha, Magic Weapon (tail)
Biltri, Raging
Lucius stabs his sword cane into the shadow's heart!
It touches Baux again, pulling away some more of his shadow. his beard is almost completely white now!
Star-hand's shadow then flies across the room above the half-orc, who screams in utter terror.
❧ ❧ ❧
Baux, -14 HP, Enfeebled 2
Lucius
--
Star-Hand's Shadow, -37 HP, Not Concealed
--
Dethor, shield raised
Nandipha, Magic Fang (tail)
Biltri, Raging
"Oh, no you don't!" Biltri growls and chases after the shadow. He whips the steel weight around his head and lets the chain slip further out until the weight orbits through the shadow and whips around a second time.
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Biltri strides over and ends Star-hand once and for all. Star-Hand whispers invections at Biltri as she dissipates like a wind-tattered fog.
The half-orc looks at Biltri then and tries to hide behind a coffin.
If the creature the shadow spawn was pulled from dies, the shadow spawn becomes a full-fledged, autonomous shadow.
If the creature recovers from its enfeeblement (at the rate on 1 per hour) its shadow returns to it and the shadow spawn is extinguished. Baux’s hair will also return to its natural color (if he wants.)
Two of the coffins are open, and clearly contained the bodies that became zombies. The third, a large stone sarcophagus, must be Star-Hand's. It's even decorated with carvings of a star in the open palm of a hand.
Black sludge drips out of it… Baux thinks this is now all that’s left of the once-feared and reviled Star-Hand.
The heavy lid of the sarcophagus is still closed.
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“Well, that was a tough fight! Glad it is over.” Looking down at his torn shadow, he adds “Some sunlight an’ few hours rest should fix that up.”
Baux then goes over to inspect the sludge dripping from the sarcophagus.
“Might ta’ used a starknife, but she was no friend of Desna!”
"Not sure there's dead left to disturb. Can put the other corpses back in their coffins," Biltri says with a disdainful glower at the sludge. "We beat the blighter fair and square. Think we earned whatever treasure he was buried with."
The farmer peeks over the coffin at the scary elf. "F-f-f-Fillruk. I'm Fillruk. Wh-wh-wh- who are you?"
"I'm sorry! I just saw the open door and thought there's be more mushrooms… then those…" he shivers. "CREATURES took me and dragged me in here… and that thing…" He huddles further into the corner. "I'm sorry! Please don't hurt me!"
Smiling, Baux says “Came in here ta save ya, not hurt ya.”
Putting away his warhammer, Baux wipes his hands clean and moves over to where the farmer is. “Ahm Bauxite Dolgrin, a priest of Desna. Pleased to find ya, Fillruk. Glad we got here in time.” He offers a handshake to the scared farmer.
“We saw the mushrooms ya gathered an’ the open door. Found where ya got dragged away too. Figured we betta come help.”
“Might want ta be more careful about going inta places like this in the future. Got lucky this time!”
Nandipha ask in dwarven, "Baux, the farmer... he going to recover?"
Once assured that Fillruk is indeed rescuable, she turns to him. "Now why we be hurting you? I like mushrooms as much as anyone. A bit of rest and sunlight for you and Baux, and you both be fine." Nandipha offers her arm. "Will you be needing help getting home?"