"Looks like the trap is done," Silvio announces as it becomes clear no more arrows will fire out at them. Thankful that the massive arrow trap ran out of ammunition as Garen had hoped, Silvio finally feels safe enough to put down the tower shield for now. He gets off Winter and checks out the pit, wondering if there might be something useful down there.
Walking up to the pit and looking down, Silvio mostly sees scattered arrows and some of the mechanisms for the pillar to rotate and fire arrows off at random.
Looking over the room (as the pillar spins up again following Median's entrance), the sorceress figures that the trap would need to be reset manually. Raised skeletons aren't known for being intelligent, but it's possible that they avoided triggering the trap some in some way.
The first key slides into the lock ineffectually, but Garen soon realizes that the door has unlocked since he last examined it.
As Garen signals the presence of unexpected activity to the south, Silvio and Winter get into position to go through the door (after Garen, of course). Assuming the others seem ready to march through, Silvio pulls out his Bless wand and uses it once more!
"After you," Sledge says, bowing slightly.
Silvio casts a spell from one of his new wands while Garen open the door. A continuous carving of mourners runs along the walls here, leading to a staircase on the south side of the room. There are four pillars stretching from floor to ceiling. The party also smells something unpleasantly metallic. Is that...blood? The party begins to walk forward.
As Garen crosses the threshold into the room, from behind each of the four pillars, four skeletons drag themselves into view, their claws outstretched. Unlike the skeletons that you had encountered at the mouth of the Crypt, these skeletons are coated in a slick layer of blood and gore. Whether it was their own or someone else's, you have no idea.
Silvio
Winter
Median
Skeletons
Sledge
Garen
Map
. "Bloody skeletons!" cries Silvio, imitating a Brit.
Silvio fires a bullet with his sling, which leads Winter to target the same foe!
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...blunt arrows (as normal arrows, but they only deal nonlethal damage)...
Despite the efforts of the townsfolk to lessen the threat by loading it up with blunt arrows (that only deal nonlethal damage)...
I'm inclined to see later versions as superseding previous editions, so all blunt arrows deal lethal bludgeoning damage, but can be used at a -4 penalty to deal nonlethal damage.
Entering into the room, Silvio sends a sling bullet whizzing past the first skeleton on his right. The rock cracks off the pillar. Winter, however, latches onto the skeleton and bites down hard on its leg. Median pushes past Sledge and Garen and shoots an arrow through the creature's ribcage. Between tooth and blunted arrow, the skeleton seems almost brought down. The nearly decimated skeleton seems to pulse as a cracked rib begins to right itself. And then they all move forward, surrounding the halfling warpriest and his loyal dog.
There is a flurry of jagged claws as the skeletons try to reduce Silvio and Winter into ribbons, but the warriors are able to rebuff many attacks. Still, the bloody bony fingers manage to find gaps in armor and barding.
Sledge
Garen
Silvio
Winter
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Map
Sledge goes to finish Red off.
Too bad he's swinging for the fences, if the fence was an animated gory skeleton.
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Median says
These skeletons will come back to life unless we use positive energy on them. There might be another way, but I don't think we can take them down permanently unless someone has a good idea for how to stop them healing. We can take them down, but they'll be back up in an hour.
Then she shoots at blue, since a shot at Red would be obstructed.
(bless)
unfortunately missing.
.
Enduring the massive skeletal assault relatively unscathed, the team of Silvio and Winter separate to take up more space and distract their foes. They go after a new target!
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Although Sledge, Median, and Winter miss their targets, Garen and Silvio connect to great effect. Garen's mighty blow against the skeleton, despite trying to cleave through bone, shatters the skeleton apart. The necromantic energy that was holding it together appears to dissipate entirely.
The skeletons seem undeterred by the loss of one of their own, and their crimson-coated claws reach out in flurries.
Each remaining skeleton focuses its ire on one target, but the well-armored warriors rebuff most of the attacks. Only Winter, fresh from trying to bite out, manages to take a mild scratch across the muzzle . The shattered fibula from where Silvio had scored a telling blow begins to mend itself.
Sledge
Garen
Silvio
Winter
Median
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Map
Silvio and Winter keep up the pressure against their targeted skeleton, now flanking it, as they strike together!
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"Focus fire!" Sledge calls out. "Surround them, strike them down, move on! If it's dead, it can't hit us." He 5ft steps down to get at Green.
With a sweep from below and a swing from above, Silvio and Sledge send another bloody skeleton clattering into splinters. Garen steps up and delivers a telling blow to one of the two remaining horrors. His blade gets slightly stuck as it wrenches through some ribs, which is likely all that prevents the skeleton from losing its necromantic integrity. Its unnatural healing begins to mend the bones together as though there were still marrow.
Yellow Target: Garen = 1, Silvio = 2, Sledge = 3
Although one wouldn't ascribe mindfulness to a necromantically-raised skeleton, the now half-ribbed skeleton seems to realize that it is having a difficult time hitting the heavily-armored paladin and chooses a different target. Staggering towards Median, it raises its claws hungrily towards the sorceress. But she bats away the jagged fingers. The other, uninjured skeleton seems to agree with Sledge's assessment and willingly puts itself between the three men, whipping one claw ineffectually at Garen. With another whirl, the skeleton drags its bony, bloody fingers across Silvio's armor, kinking a few of the metallic chains but unable to cut through to the halfling beneath.
Sledge
Garen
Silvio
Winter
Median
Skeletons
Map
Median sends an arrow into the ribs of one of the skeletons and Garen swings his sword where the arrow lodged, driving the arrow in between two of the stacked vertebrae. There is a split second where the skeleton's legs begin to fall out from under it before the hungry red glow in its eyes fades and the torso follows.
Sledge
Garen
Silvio
Winter
Median
Skeleton
Map
"Ha, that'll show you, skellies!" Silvio and Winter surround the last remaining foe!
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Once again, Sledge finds himself envious of a useful school of magic lie evocation. A blunt instrument tool to be sure, but this situation calls for blunt instruments. As demonstrated by the excellent form on hitting the skeleton.
Silvio comes very close to striking the skeleton. It seems to be just enough to distract the skeleton from Sledge swinging his new flail around. With a well-timed blow, he cracks the skeleton's skull in half. The cranium flies over Silvio's head, and the jaw hangs limply for a moment before the bones tumble down to the ground. Median strafes back into the room with her bowstring taut, staring at the bony carnage around the room, before easing the tension.
As the sounds of melee cease, Garen thinks about the lessons of Sir Dramott and reveals that these skeletons have been permanently put to rest. Due to Silvio's preparatory thinking, they had inadvertently stumbled on another way to destroy the bloody skeletons: their foul regeneration could suppressed if they were destroyed in the presence of a Bless spell. And if that wasn't enough, they could have also sprinkled holy water on the remains.
Looking at the bones a bit more closely, Sledge notices that it is wearing a tarnished silver necklace.
Now that the chaos of combat is at an end, everyone hears sounds coming from the stairs: dripping water and a low, distant, dreadful moan.
How Sledge has learned so much about historical fashion is something that only he knows, but as he looks over the tarnished silver necklace, he realizes that is quite the antique. It's probably about 200 years old.
Sledge, being the fashionable gentleman that he is, states "Old necklace. Old bones. Very old."
Silvio feels quite invigorated as the party defeats the undead. "Maybe I'm getting carried away here, but seems like we're improving at fighting these skeletons! And I guess the Blessing of Erastil had the nice side effect of keeping them dead."
Silvio listens as the sound of moaning comes from the stairs. "That doesn't sound very friendly. I think we need to go down there next."
Just as soon as he's ready to head downstairs, Silvio feels a calling for him to stop. "Let's take a bit of time to rest and recover. Maybe have some food? I want to pray for a bit."
Leaving Winter with some treats, Silvio finds a quiet corner of the room to meditate, and ask for more blessings as the party prepares to descend deeper--in pursuit of the Everflame and, more importantly, in their quest to save any townsfolk who might yet live.
Silvio calls for a brief rest, during which time the party sees to minor armor repairs. With preparations complete, Garen leads the way and descends down the stairs.
At the bottom of the stairs is a circular chamber with three passageways leading from it. In the center is a small stone pedestal. The sound of dripping water can be heard coming from the eastern passageway, while the stench of rot emanates from the west.
The floor bears an inscription spiraling out from the pillar and written in Common. It reads: To the south you might take your ease, to rest and reflect on Kassen’s deeds. To the east lies the wheel, to open the gate. To the west is the resting place of Kassen, hero of the Fangwood.
Median cannot see anything untoward, nor hear the moan from above. It may have gone quiet after the initial burst. Still, she makes a recommendation to go east.
"I definitely don't like that rotting smell. East seems a lot better."
Silvio starts looking around for his own directional cues.
The halfling doesn't pick up on anything. But he feels like Winter is onto something and checks in. "Hey boy, did you hear that sound? Which way was it?"
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"I disagree with your assessment but we may try them in any order. I believe our opponent to be some undead thing and what better clue to his location than the stench of rot. As for the gate, I think it is the gate to get out and so should be our final look. However, I think it will not matter which we do first. If you wish to go east, east it is." Garen says explaining his thoughts.
As they decide which direction to take, employing their senses of differing sharpness, Garen and Winter both hear a strange echoing gurgle coming from the east, accompanying a persistent dripping noise that is much louder here than it was upstairs. They don't hear any further moans. Winter confirms what Garen hears with a low, terse bark.
As the party moves away from the western passage, the stench of rot is replaced with a series of difficult-to-define scents. There is still rot, but it's mixed with a heady, mostly unpleasant bouquet of mold.
Cautiously investigating the eastern passage, Garen finds that it begins to slope down a bit after leaving the entry chamber and that water has collected in the corridor, growing deeper as the passage continues. This is likely the source of the dripping noise, as the ceiling appears to be leaking in many places.
To the north, the water continues to grow deeper, and Garen spies a swollen wooden door, barely contained by its decaying frame. That echoing gurgle sounds increasingly like croaking.
To the south, the water level seems to stay about the same rather than growing deeper. Beyond, the paladin hears a faint sizzling noise.
Sledge casts light on a rock, and throws it into the water up north, to see what happens.
The rock makes a sizable splash as it impacts the water, sinking down about two feet before settling down. The light from the rock shines through the ripples that cascade down the passage.