Henry reacts much quicker than he had before to the skeleton and ran up to it, placing himself against the Eastern wall above the enemy.
Raising his Morningstar, he triedto bring it down squarely on the skeleton's head as if trying to crack it before it had a chance to hurt his friends.
Instead of following up, Henry raised his shield.
Hilde draws a dart and prepares to throw it at any floating blue light that might appear after the skeleton falls.
Eddred moves in to take up a position far from the fight, but his hasty positioning throws off his aim.
Henry smashes into the skeleton with a satisfying crunch.
Tindertwig and Dirtbag to go, then the skeleton.
Tindertwig points at the Skeleton.
He then Strides up next to it. Tindertwig commands Dirtbag to come get some!
The Goblin Scuttles a bit, as the crocodile Strides next to him.
Then they both Strike!
Gets hims, Dirtbag!
Tindertwig and Dirtbag both find some vulnerable spots to strike, but the skeleton somehow refuses to crumble, held together by some mystical force. In spite of that it looks really ragged by now. Flickers of blue light seem to hold it together where pieces of bone are missing.
It makes a mystical, complex gesture and mutters an arcane curse and a cone of blue light emanates from its eyes and mouth and envelops Henry, Tindertwig and Dirtbag.
Then you are all up again.
Henry shakes his head, blinking away the spots in his vision, and tries striking the skeleton twice.
Henry lands some more surprisingly solid blows and raises his shield.
Henry bashes the skeleton's skull in and when the blue wisp rises from the corpse he bashes it too. It winks out with a wet hiss.
End of combat.
There is one obvious exit: the double doors to the south.
Both goblin and crocodile suddenly making rear noises that unmistakably sound wet....
Dat skeletons bees un a%&*@@%!
Dirtbag agrees.
"Well done. Let's head to that last doorway."
"Do you need some healing first, Tindertwig?"
"Ah. I didn't realize you were injured, my friend," says Eddred.
He looks at Hilde. "I recognize you have been studying the healing arts. Perhaps it would be best if you see to injuries out of combat and I will handle in-combat healing and help you if our injuries are severe? That seems an equitable distribution of resources and responsibilities, does it not?"
Both goblin and crocodile are seen licking the others deep cuts and injuries.
Tindertwig cast Heal Companion.
Tindertwig smiles.
Henry, not nearly as injured as the other two, started looking around the room. He pays particular attention to the alter and the stained glass. "Hey, mister Eddred. You're a pretty smart guy, you know anything about this stuff?"
"That seems equitable."
While the ranger refocuses, Hilde bandages him up. (Afterwards, she uses some of her antiseptic soap to clean herself up very carefully.)
Henry, not nearly as injured as the other two, started looking around the room. He pays particular attention to the alter and the stained glass. "Hey, mister Eddred. You're a pretty smart guy, you know anything about this stuff?"
"Hmmm. Now let me see." Eddred takes a look at the imagery that Henry has pointed out.
Looking at the windows more closely, Henry and Eddred both get the sense that something immense and distant watches them back through the windows. Eddred does not recognize the symbols but figures that it may be some kind of heretic cult of Desna.
When Henry looks closer at the altar, he finds a secret compartment in the back, which contains a scroll and a wand.
"I found a stick and some parchment back here in the scary window's alter," Henry announced, removing the scroll and wand.
"We'll have to have Wrin identify them." Hilde quietly walks across the room to the unopened doors, examining them for traps and listening for anything interesting.
The double doors don't seem to have been opened for a long time. They are adorned with a number of carved skulls overgrown with moss, and as far as Hilde can tell, not trapped.
"No traps, I think. Henry?" The dwarf finds a convenient shadow and prepares, sword in one hand and dart in the other.
Henry raises his shield before opening the door.
The doors are indeed not trapped and swing open ponderously with some difficulty. You find yourselves in a large room.
The ceiling of this room has fallen in two places. A smaller collapse destroyed a flight of stairs that once led up to the now-ruined upper floor. A larger collapse mostly buried the southern double door, leaving a hole in the roof partially blocked with several crossed timbers.
More troublesome is the fact that you are staring at a giant eight feet scorpion, which clicks its claws and twitches its antennae like it hasn't eaten in a week.
The scorpion goes on 27 so I am going to hazard a guess that it goes first.
On that assumption: it skitters up to you and tries to grab and sting Henry. Its stinger punches right through his shield for a horrible 28 points of damage and leaves Henry reeling and possibly poisoned (Fort 18).
You are up.
Tindertwig finishes licking Dirtbag's wounds. The crocodile is seen smoking a cigar.
As Henry opens the door (shield raised and all), both Tindertwig and Dirtbag watch in awe at the approaching giant scorpion! Then they watch in horror the absolute f~$#ing of said giant scorpion of the Fighter!
Tindertwig looks down at Dirtbag. The crocodile makes an universal gesture of things not being really good at this moment! The goblin nods in agreement.
The Ranger decides to get his boots wet; as it were, and Hunt's Prey!
He then stares at the giant scorpion to attempt a move....
....wishing he were 4th level, so that he was a proper Monster Hunter, our Ranger (only 2nd level sadly) Strides over to the far side of the giant scorpion. Tindertwig winces for a retaliatory strike by said giant scorpion?
Now on the other side of the giant scorpion, the goblin orders Dirtbag to step up and strike!
Henry coughs up blood as the scorpion completely demolishes his shield Tossing aside the shield, Henry Stepped forward into flanking position and swung with both hands, ignoring the gaping hole in his chest that bloodied his armor and clothes to the best of his ability. Dropping his Morningstar, he pulled his Bastard Sword he had purchased for just these occasions.
"Henry Shepard, it is not your time to fade."
Oh, fe-- Hilde gasps as the scorpion inflicts a terrible blow on her comrade, then tries to rush past the great chelicerate. She ends in the far corner of the room and hurls a dart at it.
The scorpion does have a reaction, and Tindertwig feels its deadly stinger almost snag him as he tumbles past it. Once in position, he and Dirtbag manage to take a real chunk out of it. Hilde's dart strikes true but it is Henry that ends it with a mighty blow. It is quite dead.
End of combat. You all get 60 xp each.
The only visible exit is the double doors that you can identify as those leading out into the courtyard. You have explored the entire first floor of the main building.
"How are you, Henry?" asks Eddred, even as he looks carefully around the area.
"To be honest, Mister Eddred, I've been better," Henry claimed as he gingerly poked at the hole in his armor and wiping away the blood. "That was really shocking, and I don't think my shield is salvageable from that."
Henry retrieves the shield and shoves the useless piece of scrap into his pack. Then he seemed to snap out of it. "Oh, but thanks for the heal. That was appreciated."
As Eddred scans the room and you also take your time to check the other room, you notice a few items on the skeletons. The corpse near the secret door carries a magic rapier, four daggers, a silver ring, a potion and an elixir of lesser darkvision. One of the other skeletons is wearing some kind of amulet while the other sports a gold tooth.
There is really not much else of interest here.
Hilde gives the items a quick scan. "I can try to identify these, but it will take some time."
The silver ring is worth 5 gp, the gold tooth 4 gp and the daggers are normal daggers. The other items may take some more time.
"Can you help Henry?" Eddred asks Hilde.
"Yes, you're right. Henry?" The rogue takes her healing tools and sets to work on the still-wounded fighter.
Tindertwig ignores everything found, except the gold tooth! The goblin immediately grabs it, takes out a crowbar, and turns to Dirtbag.
Youses bees readys? Dis bees rwals quick likes!
Dirtbag seems to be not amused by this pending dentistry!
Tidertwig does walk up to Henry. The goblin takes his shield off his shoulder and offers it to the fighter.
Youeses bees likings dis? Mees just bees usings its fer sleddings. Dirtbag bees likings ta goes fast downs da hills.
Dirtbag (sporting a new gold tooth) does indeed enjoy sledding.
Dirtbag (sporting a new gold tooth)...
Henry smiles brightly despite the gruesome wound that had just been stitched back together and bandaged up. He took the shield from Tindertwig and picked up his gear after being wrapped up. "I appreciate all of you. I'll do my best to continue keeping you guys safe from the front!" He said, a look of fierce determination in his eyes. He didn't mind that the front of this shield was all scratched up.
Looks like you are ready to proceed. Where to next?
Except for a few rooms on the side island there is no way to go but down.
Hilde eyes the stairs, still a little suspicious. "If everyone is healthy, let's go. Unless you think we should finish the side island first; there's still a drake somewhere around here, too." She pauses, struck by a thought. "Do any of you mind if I use the rapier?"
"I don't mind if you use the rapier, miss Hilde. Oh! Mister Tindertwig, do you want the Morningstar until I can return your shield? I don't mind going back to my sword." Henry said as he finally finished adjusting the shield's straps for his human sized arm.
"We could also ask Spookywisp about the drake. We helped him out, I'm sure it'd be no trouble. However, I'm also alright to go downstairs and there's probably no drake down there. I guess that's not really helpful though, is it?" Henry hesitated for a moment. "Actually, I can't see in the dark. Do we have any torches?"
"I have some torches. Someone else should carry one, though. It's hard to hide with a lit torch in your hand."
Eddred steps forward and blesses Henry's shield. It sheds bright light in a 20-foot radius (and dim light for the next 20 feet) like a torch. The light itself emanates from a sigil depicting a starry circle within an iron ring.
"There you go. That's good until tomorrow morning."
Dirtbag walks up to Tindertwig. The crocodile kicks the goblin in the leg.
Ouch! Mees didn'ts bees knowings da shield hads da magics!
Both turn to Henry; both with a grin.
"Oh, that's really handy. Let's head to the basement, then."
Henry will start heading down the stairs as long as Hilde had already made sure it was safe.
You proceed gingerly down the stairs after Hilde pronounces them safe. Henry's shield serves you as a beacon. Almost immediately you find yourselves in front of a wooden door. Hilde checks it for traps and declares it safe, too.
Do you want to enter?