Hearing the construct grind to life, Brandark looks around at the wooden statue as he gets to his feet.
There is a keyhole on the back of that thing. Where's the key that brought us in here.
[ooc]Even if no key is tossed to him, I am going to try and climb the stairs to get to the back of the golem[/b]
Only to not gain any traction on the slide and not make progress.
Miron scrabbles back to his feet as the statue lurches to life. As it attacks Conrad, he fires off a quick blip of frost in retaliation, but in his haste the attack flies off to the side.
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Conrad is cautious enough to obey Brandark, and not to touch the statue directly...
So he's completely flabbergasted when the thing comes to life and whacks him in the face.
He takes a serious blow to the head, and seems to be slightly swaying from side to side, in some sort of stupor, as the statue retracts.
It doesn't take him long to realize that he'd be safer on the inferior level, and he tries to jump from the platform.
Brandark and Conrad all struggle with the slide stairs, while Miron finds no success with his frost blast.
Initiative Round 1
Wooden Statue
All of you
"Uh...uh...what happened?", Roya comes to again.
"Ouch..." she looks around, noticing her Halfling companion dragging her, then adds:"Thanks, Joras...I think I can stand again...the statues - we were in the corridor and...what is THAT?"
She just starts to remember how she ended up here when Conrad is smacked by some weird other statue.
Conrad’s attempt to stand draws the attention of the wooden statue as it swings with its shield. The slam keeps Conrad down, but this time he is on the verge of falling unconscious.
Roya channels energy from Erastil healing everyone in the group. Everyone feels better, which might be needed with what is before the group.
Perri approaches the stairs that shifted and begins to attempt moving down them without falling.
But with his attention on the wooden statue Perri slips and falls to the bottom of the slide. Grabbing his bill, Perri stands up.
Seeing that Conrad looks to be down, the wooden statue moves towards Perri and attacks him with a shield slam. This provokes from Perri who lands a slash with his Bill. The wooden statue's attack misses Perri, but is face to face with him.
Initiative Round 2
Wooden Statue
All of you
Joras is relived when Roya recovers and starts healing everyone.
"I'm so glad you're alright Ro-what?" Joras break of his word and his head snaps around looking at the ongoing horror, once again happening to his party. He firmly sets aside his growing despair and tries to understand what is happening.
What to know about the statue.
Edit: It's made of wood, maybe? Not much.
He has little to offer at the moment, so he fumbles for his sling.
Miron stops to concentrate and fires off another ray of frost, managing to hit this time.
Joras determins the wooden statue is made of…. Wood.
Conrad moves forward drawing his weapon to attack the wooden statue but it draws the attention to him as it finds an opportunity to swing out with one of the shields. Which squarely lands. Conrad falls unconscious to the floor and is bleeding out.
Miron’s spell looks as if it going to damage the wooden statue, but then it appears to have no effect against the wooden creature. In your studies with Moltus, you have heard of such things before. This must be a construct.
Initiative Round 2
Wooden Statue
All of you
"Why do you have to touch everything?" Perri complains while he tries to take the construct off of it's feet.
Perri's attack successfully trips the wooden statue, bringing it to the ground.
Everyone else can still attack. Conrad DC20 Con check to stabilize or continue bleeding out.
Joras asks Roya, "Can you help Conrad, Roya? If not, I have one heal left, then nothing. I'll act if you can't but we are really in danger now. We need rest and restoration but how can we in a deathtrap? No, sorry don't worry about that now."
Joras waits for Roya's response, if she can't help him, he'll go to Conrad, and try to save him. Roll acrobatics etc. if needed to reach him safely.
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Brandark moves up the steps, pulling the key out while he moves.
I hope this works
With the wooden statue prone on the ground due to Perri’s skill with the bill, it opens a perfect opportunity for Brandark with the key to place it in the back of the statue to see what would happen. Unfortunately, the dwarf is unsuccessful
From the upper platform, Roya sees her fallen companion Conrad and the group that has been all damaged by this wooden statue. She calls on the power of Erastil and channels his energy through her bursting out in a white wave.
The wooden statue begins standing up, drawing attack of opportunities from both Perri & Brandark. Perri’s attack lands and all the damage looks impactful. And at the same time Brandark tries his hand at grappling the creature and he successfully climbs atop the wooden statue.
The creature turns its attention to Perri who caused it to fall prone. But its attack with the tower shield misses the fighter.
Initiative Round 3
Wooden Statue
All of you
Hanging onto the rising construct, Brandark attempts to put the key in again.
Get in the hole you bloody thing.
Once the golem is fully standing, he tries again.
Holding on for dear life as the wooden statue stands and attacked Perri with his shield, Brandark sees another opportunity to jam the key into the key hold on the wooden statue’s back. Success! The dwarf puts the key into the statue and turns it. Just as quickly as the wooden statue sprang to life, the wooden statue has seized up once again.
The sound of battle fades as it drops the two tower shields with a loud thud that echos down the hallways to the north and east.
Well that was a bit more excitement than I planned.
He carefully comes back down to the floor and picks up his Urgosh as he looks over.
How is Conrad He asks with concern in his voice as he makes his way over to him.
The young warrior notes that the statue-thingie dropped the shields. Lacking a better short-term purpose, he moves the shields to the far side of the room from the statue.
He looks over to where the others are gathering to tend to Conrad and remains quiet. It is pretty quickly obvious that he's trying to avoid crowding around while the others try to help him.
Joras sees Roya use her divine connection but it does not seem to revive Conrad. He calls out to Brandark, "Great job on the thing that attacked us. I think it might be a good idea to bring Conrad over here away from it. Roya can check him out;I barely know how to put a bandage on, maybe not even that well. I think we may need my last heal for later, but it's getting clear that we are going to need rest if we can get any. Do we hole up now for the night, hoping for the best? Or do we go on? I wish we knew how much we have to do to get to the lantern or even if it's possible. I was thinking going on a speed was the best way, but now..." Joras trails off, vaguely gesturing towards Conrad.
Well, I am leaving that key in there.
He makes his way around the statue, and picks up Conrads flail, Grabs the back of Conrads armour and drags him over to the stairs.
Perri, can you help me get him down to Roya
He thinks for a moment.
Lets see if we can find a room where we can hole up. I don't want to drag poor Conrad around the tomb, and I don't want to leave him seeing what all has happened recently
As things settle down you notice coming from the door to the southwest, that there is light coming from the bottom of the door.
With Brandark wanting to move Conrad up near Roya might prove difficult with the stairs still in slide form. You know that when the wooden statue moved from its original starting point that it caused the stairs to shift. It could be possible that if it was moved back into its original place the stairs would reappear making it easier to travel through this room.
Perry, I wonder if getting this thing back onto where it started from will reset the stairs. Care to help drag?
Brandark sets his shoulder against the statue, and pushes trying to reset it back onto its post.
Perri looks at what the dwarf is trying to do and sighs. "Sure, let's give it a shot." He brings one of the tower shields over and tries to get it under the statue to use as a slide across the floor. "Let's see if this doesn't help, some."
Joras suggests, "You might tie a rope carefully around Conrad and bring him up the ramp, though I suppose that might hurt him too."
The events of the last few hours seem to be catching up to him, as his ideas become ever more half-baked.
"We could put Conrad on a shield to slide him up - that shouldn't hurt him as much." Miron suggests.
"Do you need help with the statue? I can come down." he adds.
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Perri puts on a phenomenal display of strength, with others stepping up to aid him and the group is able to get the wooden statue back on top of its original platform. Once in place the group hears the same mechanical sound as a pressure plate on the platform lowers. The stones rotate and the stairs spin back in place and it now is easy to travel between the two levels in this room.
Roya moves to Conrad and spontaneously cast a curative spell and uses a burst of healing from Erastil. With those two healings, Conrad’s eyes snap open.
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You decided to chew on a shield. I'm Glad that your awake. Now we just need to find a spot to hole up and rest
Brandark offers Conrad his waterskin, and then a wrist to help him stand up.
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"Makes sense," Conrad moans, though it comes out as rather muffled through his hands. With the tip of his tongue, he checks for any missing teeth, and finds one of his incisors chipped.
He gratefully accepts Brandark's help to get up, takes a gulp from his waterskin and spits the water out to clear his mouth from blood. He wipes his lips with the back of his hand, and gives Brandark his waterskin back. "Thanks."
He doesn't really know where the party could rest, and is too groggy to chime in. He looks just about ready to be led by the hand to wherever the group pleases.
Looking around Joras tries to think of how to go defensive. He shakes his head, saying quietly, "I don't have a good idea of how we can find a place to rest. This room is indefensible, I think, and is meant to harm or at least harass us. A killer statue makes me think the former, I just don't know what is going on here, not really. Anyway going back means walking through a corridor of doom as it is. We have to check out what might be on the other end of those stairs leading out of here. Maybe someplace better, more likely more trouble." Joras straightens up and striking a real heroic pose without the satire, continues, "It has to be me, I'm unhurt, and believe it or not, I can be really quiet when I want. I check out the stairs here and see what's what but be prepared;anything can happen."
Joras approaches the stair and listens first, if hears nothing he will, very quietly move up, prepared to tumble out of danger.
Tell me what Joras does or doesn't hear,after he moves to the area of the stairs. It was mentioned that the stairs are to the east and up into darkness. Joras will light up a pebble and place it in a pouch to hide the light. If he hears nothing or at least nothing disturbing, he carefully walks up the stairs into the darkness, using stealth, going blind in the dark, but carefully using his other senses to note what's about.
If required GM Rauel roll my perception and/or acrobatics.
Be very quiet.
Joras stealthfully begins to climb the stairs into the darkness. The light fades behind him as he ascends the stairs. He reaching the top and on the other side it descends into darkness. Even without going into the darkness Joras hears something that sounds like skittering of feet and something being dragged. You are unsure what this sound it, it is like nothing you have heard in the tomb before.
Joras, don't be headed out to far in case you need help
Perri will move to be as close to the exit as possible, bill ready, waiting for a call for help.
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Joras flashes a smile and waves jauntily at Brandark as he almost ghostwalks up the stairs, his smile fading to a concerned frown as he head into the dark.
Joras hears the unnerving chittering that grate across his nerves almost as badly as off-pitch songs. The dragging sound brings to mind the broken man desperate plea to save his sister Dimira. He slithers his cloak around the pouch to cover any light and slides the pebble into his hand and closes a fist around it.
A pause as he remembers a lesson Uncle Jimes drilled into him. "Ya gotta use light and shadow right boy. Too many nosey people are like the poufy elves or grim dwarves, ye cannot depend on shadow but it can hurt you. And change of light can dazzle you. So what to do? If you're in the dark but think that light's a coming close your eyes. What good is that? I'll tell you. After, you open one eye slowly. Not so dazzling then. Also you keep the other closed. Why, because it's ready to see in the dark. Get away, even turn away from the light and you have an eye that might see something in shadows." The memory fades as Joras prepares to do something really dumb and brave.
He closes his eyes to the total darkness, and throws the stone about where he heard the dragging. After releasing the stone he places in hand in front of his face, cracking his right eye open a tiny slit to judge the light and his shading hand. As he adjusts, slightly keeping the worst of the light shaded, but with enough to see around the room, he tries to memorize the image before him;prepared to tumble back down the stairs if things are as bad as he suspects.
Even with Brandark’s warning Joras continues to move forward. Still hearing the skittering and dragging Joras closes his eyes and tosses the pebble. Nothing changes with the sounds he hears. Taking his first step of the descent, the room begins to reveal itself to him.
This small chamber is mostly empty, save for the body of a villager sprawled on the ground and a 6-foot beetle is trying to push the body across the room.
This beetle is known as a Giant Bombardier Beetle. They primarily feed on carrion, gathering heaps of remains and garbage to build a nest and lay eggs. Giant Bombardier Beetles normally attack only to defend themselves, their nest, or their eggs.
Brandark will also wait by the bottom of the stairs in case Joras yells for help.
Joras looks at another horrible situation. Is the body alive or dead, cannot tell from here. What is that thing anyway?
What to know about it.
edit: Any weakness I should know about?
Miron drags the shields away from the statue, then tentatively looks it over using Detect Magic, ready to leap away if it starts moving again.
You do not know of any weaknesses it has. You do know that as a vermin it is immune to any kind of mental magic. You also know that these beetles can do some sort of a fire attack.
Miron cast Detect Magic on the shields and the statue, none detect as magical. Though with your spell cast, you do detect a magical aura coming from the door besides the wooden statue. It is of the evocation school. You are familiar with it, it is a light spell and you faintly see light from under the door here.
Brandark readies himself to rush to aid Joras if need be. While Conrad tries to dust the fog from him head wound.
"Uhh" Miron starts in surprise, before remembering to keep quiet.
Moving over to the others still in the room, he says in a low voice. "There's magical light on the other side of that door - was it there when we first got here? We might have more company."
Joras wavers for a second, I can't do any thing about this, I'd just be a snack. Joras quickly stealths back down and says urgently, "A body, dressed like our people, can't tell if alive or dead, is being pushed by a Giant Bombardier Beetle. They like to feed on dead things though. I can't do anything, it has no mind for me to mess with. Oh, and I think it breathes fire or something. I think it might be heading to it's nest for a feeding." Joras stops looking appalled.
Full movement stealth, quick and hopefully quiet.
Joras replies to Conrad, "I left the light in the room. I threw it toward a noise that was the beetle. I could recast but it might be best to leave it there and have Roya or Miron give you their light, best of both worlds."
"If it has food and doesn't feel threatened, we don't have to worry about it. At least not for a while. No immediate threat from that direction. Good." Perri looks satisfied for a moment. "Do we still want to rest a bit, or do you want to go chasing a fight?"
Joras looks at Perri with a cross between astonishment and puzzlement. He says, "Uhm, I did say that I could not tell if the person was alive or dead. I'd go myself but I don't feel like feeding myself to it. Sadly, I'm a better scout than warrior." Joras looks sad at his lack of martial prowess.