Try though he might, Amideo cannot seem to find a solid section of bone to damage.
The bones now whip around, slashing at Amideo and Rocko.
On Amideo
On Rocko
Rocko feels a sharp bone slice into his cheek, and while the physical pain is minor, the wound quickly becomes black with evil energy, rotting at his very flesh.
Chaucair, Djack, and Zia may act.
Zia moves up and casts Bulls Strength on Rocko, increasing his Strength Bonus by +2.
What? Skulls you say... skulls?!
Djack charges moves past Yoltzin, to post up opposite Rocko and try to run one of the whirling skulls through.
Djack's shot is perfectly aimed, and the skull he pierces shatters into a thousand pieces with a purplish explosion of negative energy.
Holding on Chaucair.
Top of Round 2. Yoltzin, Amideo, and Rocko.
"You bones need to go back to sittin' on the ground!"
Rocko will put the full force of his strength into first an axe slash and then a shield smash, hoping to scatter this horrific flying menace.
The earth spirit continued it's onslaught against the rampaging bones, heavy fists of slate chipping away at whatever solid piece it could strike. Ideally of course, that would be the skulls.
For herself, the elf moved as far back behind the line as she could before knocking an arrow and trying to aim for her identified targets.
Rocko wades into the whirling bones, heedless of his own safety, and pulverizes large swaths of the bonestorm. He's aided by the Earth Elemental conjured by Yoltzin, which smashes a smaller but still impressive amount of bones.
Yoltzin's arrow is well aimed, and pierces one of the skulls flying amid the storm, causing it to explode into dust as it releases its necromantic energy.
Holding on Amideo.
Amideo really, really tries to hit the bone swarm but just can't connect.
Despite the brutal punishment its constituent bones are taking, the storm lashes out once again.
On Rocko:
On Djack:
Djack takes a punishing strike from a bone shard and feels the decay of negative energy pushing into him around the wound.
Chaucair, Djack, and Zia may act in Round 2.
Zia tries Ray of Frost, but it has no effect.
Damnit! That hurt! Sticks and stones and dried up bones.
Once more, Shack's eyes try to trace the path of a skull withing the whiling mass.
Chaucair continues his Inspire Courage +2, and throws a sling stone at the mass of bones
Top of Round 3. Yoltzin, Amideo, and Rocko may act. Inspire Courage +2 is still in effect.
Rocko keeps swinging with all his might, hoping brute force can carry the day.
That bad feeling from the cut still has him worried, though.
"This thing stinks of magic. Is there some angry ghost in there?"
Rocko pulverizes several skulls that spin within the bonestorm, greatly weakening it. There are far fewer bones whirling now than when the battle started, though it seems to have picked some more up off the floor now and again as it spins.
Yoltzin and Amideo may act in round 3.
Amideo's next shield bash goes quite a bit better.
Though the spirit of earth makes a valiant effort, at this moment it's unable to land a good enough strike against any of the bone fragments. It's master on the other hand is able thread the needle and pinpoint the bonestorm's last floating skull. "<Go now, into Xenxolotl's embrace!>"
Amideo and Yoltzin deal the final blows to the necromantic horror, and all the bones collapse to the ground with a clatter.
Well, Yoltzin... perhaps those spirits can finally rest. Heaven know I might need to. He smiles hesitantly, not wanting to offend.
I suppose we're getting the hang of this working together thing. Any ideas?
He starts to look around.
There appears to be little in this room except shattered bones.
Moving on, Djack (orange D on updated map) notes four different directions he and the rest of the party can go (labeled A-D in gray).
Which way?
Having seen the larger tunnel in the previous chamber, Djack moves to his right to see if the tunnels connect.
Drawing his blade, Amideo follows along with Djack, ”That great bony beast was a frightening foe. It does not bode well for what else might lurk here.”
Taking from her satchel a stick of incense, she uses a light dipping of her alchemical fire to light it. She allows the smoke to mix with the lingering remnants of bone dust within the air, speaking a short prayer of forgiveness towards whatever spirits were set free of their necromantic confines. "It is not a form I had been familiar with previously. Truly there are strange things to be found within these caverns."
Rocko will follow up behind Djack, hoping to keep something like those rock things from earlier pouncing on his friend.
"Careful goin' to far off."
He tries to sniff what might be the best way to go next, and something gently wafting from what he thinks is the direction to his direct right (path A) draws his attention.
"You smell that? Sharp and a bit of spicy?"
Curious, the elf lifts up her nose and gives a similar sniff to the air. "I will ask the spirit to investigate ahead of us, while it still has time upon this plane."
She turns towards the elemental and does just that, issuing a mental command that prompts it to proceed forward. Gliding into the cavern floor itself the spirit moves ahead to check the route. If there's percieved danger, she asks for it to leave a mark indicative of it.
Having gone down the path (A), the elemental returns quickly, noting that there is some strange fungal life in a room about 15' square. The fungus is mildly phosphorescent, and made a weird mumbling noise when the elemental came near it.
Yoltzin thanks the elemental for it's service, bidding it farewell as it departs from the material as the time on her spell lapses. "It mentioned there was a fungal growth in the room down that way, somewhat glowing. When it got closer, it appeared to be making noise in response to it's presence. What this indicates I'm unsure, but we should be cautious and protect ourselves from spores."
Rocko considers this, "Fungus? Like a mushroom?"
He wracks his brain trying to interpret what Yoltzin might be describing.
Try as he might, Rocko cannot come up with a "mumbling" phosphoro-fungus.
Fancy mushrooms.... damned if I know. Let's move.
Proceeding with caution into the small cavern (4), the party notes its roughly squarish shape; it's obviously been worked by semi-skilled craftsmen, probably kobolds.
The room glows a cobalt blue. The fungus is as described, and lines the floors and lower walls of the room. As you pass, you indeed hear murmuring as of a crowd of very tiny beings.
You are quite startled, however, when the fungus addresses you in Espan.
"Hola! You don't belong here! Where you going?"
We are explorers... why do we not belong here? Who does?
"Em, well, those weird thingies that comes thru here from time to time. Undead the Master put in here a while ago, and the things that moved in here since. Like those rock things, or the witch-lady-thing."
The sight of the talking fungal creature is bizzare to her. Still she tries to come to reason with its existence by countering its accusations, "Whose to say that we are not also moving in? Its a nice cave, as far as they go. Wouldn't that also mean we would belong here, as much as anyone else?"
I'm Djack, who are you? How did you come to belong here?
"Whose to say that we are not also moving in? Its a nice cave, as far as they go. Wouldn't that also mean we would belong here, as much as anyone else?"
The fungus pauses, and much murmuring can be heard among itself. "Well, yes, I guess you would. If you survive and come through here again and again, I'll consider that."
I'm Djack, who are you? How did you come to belong here?
"We are Vailanti! We just kind of sprung up here, but I the Master gave us though and speech to help warn him of intruders. We been growing ever since. But the Master is long dead, so we have no one to warn anymore. Most of the others are scary, we don't talk to them much. They don't tend to understand our language anyway."
So you... detect? Or do you... prevent, as well? Will you attack us? Djack sits upon the ground, half-crosing his legs, one knee up.
Do you desire a new master or would you prefer freedom? What sustenance do you require? Perhaps we can help you.
"We...detect? I guess? Warn. No, we have no offensive abilities; that was for the other works of the Master. Though I'm told we don't taste very good, might give you a tummy ache if you eat us."
"We don't need anything more than provided here to flourish; no master, just rotting things and moisture, both of which crop up around here from time to time."
What a strange organism, she continued to think. "What of our... neighbors? You mentioned a woman?"
"Ah, yes. Something is wrong with that one. She trundles, more like a snail than you two-legged types. And very large, almost scraping the ceiling." Yoltzin looks up; the ceiling in this cavern is at least 9'.
"And she has this wet, stringy hair, and one long, sharp claw."
"Well, good day then Vailanti. I am Sir Amideo Caluzzo di Solva, very pleased to make your acquaintance. When you say she has but one sharp claw is it...on one of her hands or elsewhere?"
"Yes, yes, her hand. She's kind of not the same every time though. Sort of squishy like too-old mushroom."
"That is... an interesting description." She spoke, puzzled. "Where was she located, so that we might try to avoid her?
And, one last thing from me. Was the... creator last seen coming in or going out?
Djack begins to rise.
"That is... an interesting description." She spoke, puzzled. "Where was she located, so that we might try to avoid her?
"She moves around. She was going that way, last I remember." The light toward the map-west glows brighter when the fungus says "that way".
And, one last thing from me. Was the... creator last seen coming in or going out?
"They came for him, back in the olden days. His magic wasn't enough to protect him, and the knights killed him, though they died in large numbers to do so."
Do you want to continue West (and potentially run into the weird woman with one claw) or head South (toward D)?
Djack looks around at the others. Shall we pay our respects to the lady of the... house?
The elf nods. "We should consider."
Rocko has been quietly listening. He's been trying to follow along, but a lot of what was said has left him more than a little confused.
"Why not say 'howdy' to the crawling, witch-lady thing with stringy hair, one claw, and too-soft-like-mushroom that is bein' different from time to time. Don't sound no worse than that bog lady was."