"Who has rope? Any pitons or hooks?"
"I have rope" - Herskor nodded, but then Felix was already descending on his own.
With a shrug, he went to retrieve the pitons and hammer, trying to find a secure place to attach his rope, and perhaps make their descent easier.
"Be careful," replies Jhessa. "We do have the hammer and pitons we found after the 'fight' with the illusionary orcs. But do we have enough - or any - rope to use with them? It would make sense to set this up first if we can." She muses for a second. "And if there's a way we can get our packs down safely without carrying them that would be helpful. I'd fancy my chances of balancing better without the additional weight."
"Felix, wait!"
Esgean stands aside Herskor and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Glad somebody's prepared. Remember that time you and I were trapped above the falls at Ten Mile Creek? We only had half the rope we needed then too. You went halfway down while I anchored from the top around a tree, then you anchored from the midway point while I, well, kinda fell down the hill but you caught me. I think we could do that again here."
She explains. "I'm not the most athletic, but if at least two of us are good on their feet they can serve as the anchors on either end of the rope. Whoever goes first will loop the rope around their waist once and proceed slowly down while the rest hold from atop. At 50 feet down they will secure the end with a piton. Then the next person goes down the same way. Finally, the best climber will come down using the hammer and will tie the end of the rope around his waist in case he falls we can stop it. When we are all halfway down we'll repeat the process using the piton as a firm anchor. Does that make sense?"
She really hopes it does.
"Ha ha, whoops! Yeah, if we have a rope or something, that would definitely be better."
Felix waits until a rope is secured, and then tries again.
Esgean sizes up the group and puts a hand against Felix' chest. "Let's work together. You're the strongest, but Kevan is the most sure-footed, and I know from experience that Herskor is a great climber."
The last thing she wants to do is assert herself in a leadership role, but right now it seems the group is ready to tackle this dangerous slope by gumption alone.
"I think Kevan is the best choice to go down first and secure the lower end of the rope to a piton. Then Felix and then whoever wants to go next. Herskor should be the anchor at the top and be the last one down with the hammer. We all meet halfway and then repeat the order to the bottom."
Felix pauses at the stop of the slope.
"Well, if you all think that's best. I just don't want to send anyone else down into danger by themselves."
"Felix, wait!"
Esgean stands aside Herskor and puts a hand on his shoulder. "Glad somebody's prepared. Remember that time you and I were trapped above the falls at Ten Mile Creek? We only had half the rope we needed then too. You went halfway down while I anchored from the top around a tree, then you anchored from the midway point while I, well, kinda fell down the hill but you caught me. I think we could do that again here."
"I remember that" - the half-orc grunted - "I always thought you had done that on purpose though - pretending to fall down" - he added, then waited for the group's decision.
"I remember that" - the half-orc grunted - "I always thought you had done that on purpose though - pretending to fall down" - he added, then waited for the group's decision.
"I'll never say, but I didn't mind being caught."
"Shut up..." - Herskor stared at Egean for a second - "Just shut up..."
Kevan's most exciting adventure: "My sister and I were captured by pirates and the Captain was just classic with a peg leg and a hook and an eye patch. Yeah, somebody messed him up bad. Anyway, they had us running around as rat catchers. Then one evening we were sitting at the rail when a mermaid popped up. She offered to rescue us. We told her we could not breathe underwater so she goes away and comes back again the next night. This time she has a shell with her. We jumped overboard, took a breath of air from the shell and we could breathe like a fish. Coolest thing ever. Next thing you know she brings up a couple of giant sea horses and we rode back to shore. She said her friends called her Starlight, we never got her real name. That was just shortly before I came to the village." Kevan says reminiscing.
-----
At the cliff's edge, "I take it you want me to go last or shall I go first?" Kevan asks. "The side looks a little tricky but I think I can do it. Not sure about catching anyone though. I did rescue a cat out of a tree once but he wasn't as big as you guys."
Esgean gives Herskor a punch on the arm and a sly grin.
To Kevan she says, "You have a sister? What's she like?"
"She's very talkative with a wild imagination." Kevan answers.
As his companions discussed the course of action, Herskor affixed the pitons, creating a secure support point for the rope.
At the cliff's edge, "I take it you want me to go last or shall I go first?" Kevan asks. "The side looks a little tricky but I think I can do it. Not sure about catching anyone though. I did rescue a cat out of a tree once but he wasn't as big as you guys."
"You go last, and take the rope and pitons with you - deal?"
"I got it. Save the best for last, noooo problem." Kevan says and rubs his hands together looking excited. "Not that you're not amazing also. Go crush it big guy."
Esgean frowns as her friend ignores her idea and starts plodding down the hill.
There's no point in dwelling on it. She grabs the rope and begins her descent. "Come on, girl," she says to Rejke.
Seeing the trek to the bottom of the gorge, and what the group has faced already, Aldmus says he must turn back and will face this rite another fall.
The group of you set to work setting up the pitons and moving the ropes as you make your way down. Over the course of the climb down, there are a few slips and falls. Rejke is the first one to slip. Not being able to use the aid of the ropes she loses traction and slips down a slick muddy patch then takes a fall of a short drop before landing at the bottom. When this happens a few try to catch her before she goes which causes Felix to lose his footing. He also falls all the way to the bottom, but wasn’t as quick to dodge rocks or land properly resulting in a horribly sprained ankly.
As the group takes an even slow pace, Jhessa eventually loses her footing. Sliding down a short hill before slamming into a tree.
Once the group makes their way to the bottom, you notice that Felix, while in pain, isn’t focused his fall due to the horrific sight that lays just north of where the group lands.
An archway of stone is set into the side of a small hill at the bottom of the valley. Moss has overgrown many of the details, but one is still quite clear. The keystone of the arch is carved with a flame symbol with a stylized rune in the middle. Beyond the archway is a darkened tunned that leads to a pair of massive wooden doors, one of which is slightly ajar.
A pair of horses and a trio of ponies lie slaughtered next to the archway, each corpse still tied to a post set into the ground nearby. A swarm of flies hangs lazily in the air above them.
Felix' attention is torn between trying to help anyone else down the slope (or catching them if they end up falling like he did) and warily studying the carnage just a short ways away. Unfortunately, due to the bump on his head he took while sliding down the slope, he's not doing a great job of either of those things.
"Um, look," he says, pointing to the dead horses, once everyone has reached the bottom of the slope.
"Wow, that ain't good. " Kevan says. "What's in there?" He asks and moves to the archway stepping into the shadows to disappear if possible. He then slinks forward in the dark to peer through the cracked door.
Esgean grimaces when normally sure-footed Rejke loses her feet and howls as she slides down the scree. At the bottom the druid inspects her companion's injuries - a significant wound to the shoulder that will require attention. For now she gives the cat a goodberry and soothes her while she eats.
But Felix is hurt much worse. She realizes too late that should could have provided him a small amount of aid before the descent, but everything happened so fast.
If she thought the corpse at the Lake was foreboding, the slaughtered beasts of burden before the crypt entrance sets off all her fears. She had stepped forward from the first task believing they would be tested by their mentors - that there would be the perception of harm but it was meant to test their capabilities. Now the Mayor's dire warning seems more likely.
She swallows bile and approaches the dead animals to attempt to determine how long they have been out here rotting.
Cast Guidance on self.
The slick ground makes the descent difficult and it requires all of Jhessa's concentration to keep balanced despite the steadying presence of the rope. Both Rejke and Felix take significant tumbles down and it takes plenty of willpower not to rush after them as she instinctively wants to do. Perhaps it's her concern for them but Jhessa also loses her footing as she approaches the bottom, taking a short slide into a tree, giving her a bump but fortunately that's all it seems to be.
The scene of slaughter that presents itself at the bottom of the valley is disturbing but in the first instance Jhessa leaves it to the others to investigate while she heads straight for Felix, who she can see is standing very uncomfortably, his weight all to one side. "Are you ok, Felix?" she asks, rushing up to him. "Could you sit down please and let me have a look at your leg? Don't put pressure on it." Letting him lean on her, she helps the much taller man to the floor. "May I? she asks, before removing his boot. Felix's ankle is pale and already starting to bruise but doesn't look too bad right now, though Jhessa knows it's likely to look a lot worse before too long. "That was a nasty fall and I don't think you'll be able to walk easily on this right now. I'm going to cast a healing prayer which will help you back to your feet, though I think you'll still need to be careful on it." So saying, she gently places her hand, fingers spread, on the man's ankle, trying to avoid putting any pressure on it. As she does so, she chants through the words to a spell, which sounds almost musical in her voice. When the words end, she can feel divine power flow through her and pour into Felix, reducing the swelling and, she notes, adding more colour back to his skin. As the spell ends, a pale blue light - Shelyn's mark on proceedings - dissipates.
Suppressing her instinct to help, Jhessa lets Felix put his boot back on but she still rises from her crouched position and offers him a hand back to his feet. "How is it?" she asks. She then focuses her attention on the bigger picture, with Esgean Looking at the corpses of the poor beasts and seeing Kevan disappear to take a look inside the doorway.
Felix lets himself be helped up and down, but he stands on his own at the first opportunity.
"Thanks, Jhessa. I definitely feel better! I'm sure my ankle will be fine with enough time."
He pats her on the shoulder before looking over at the others investigating the carnage.
"I wonder how long ago this happened?"
As the others care for each other and Esgean approaches the dead animal, Herskor immediately goes immediately on alert, standing watch and wary of their surroundings - "Careful Esgean..."
Kevan slinks off towards the side of the gorge that the entry is near. Those who don’t have the keenest eyes might be tricked as he blends into the darkness of the entry. Kevan looks past the cracked door and sees the stone floor fade into darkness that is within. You see no internal light source, and with the overcast sky it is making it even more difficult.
Esgean approaches to check on the animals that lay dead on the ground. She is unable to tell exactly how long it has been since the creatures were slain. What she can tell is that it was due to some sort of crude blade or tool that caused the ripped flesh.
You are able to tell that is was not a blade that killed these creatures, but it was with claws. The animals have been dead for 2 days.
As those who approach, you notice that there is a scattering of bones underneath one of the horses. You also see saddle bags on the horses and ponies.
When you work together to move the horse, you discover that the bones you see are the remains of a humanoid as you find a human looking skull. It is free of flesh and looks old.
Within the saddlebags you find 2 days’ worth of rations in 3 saddles
A total of 6 large, comfortable pillows. And two quivers with 10 blunt arrows each. and 2 pints of lamp oil.
Jhessa checks on Felix and through the divine power of Shelyn she can heal the scrapes and cuts he gained while falling. She also discovers that his ankle is banged up pretty bad and will affect his maneuverability for the next few days with the proper aid.
Herskor looks around, outside of the fallen debris from where the group came down the gorge you see two sets of trails. One set coming from the east and one from the west. Both from the base of the gorge.
Esgean steps away from the slain horses.
"They've been dead a couple days, and look, those rends are caused by claws, not blades."
She looks at Rejke. "It would take a much bigger cat than you to take down a horse. But then a predator animal wouldn't just leave its prey to rot. Something less... natural did this."
She looks to where Kevan has disappeared. "It's possible whatever did this did not go inside. But..."
She offers one more goodberry to Rejke. "I know you're belly is full but this will help you heal."
She offers one to Felix and determines that Jhessa is merely bruised and will heal quickly on her own.
"There are bones beneath this horse. Can someone help me move it?"
She cannot budge the beast on her own.
"Ow! Ow! Ow!" Felix falls to his knees immediately after trying to use his legs to get leverage for the horse.
"I'm sorry, my ankle... it hurts too much. Herskor, maybe you can try?"
Felix scoots back and massages his ankle that was twisted when he slid to the bottom of the slope.
Esgean steps away from the slain horses.
"They've been dead a couple days, and look, those rends are caused by claws, not blades."
She looks at Rejke. "It would take a much bigger cat than you to take down a horse. But then a predator animal wouldn't just leave its prey to rot. Something less... natural did this."
She looks to where Kevan has disappeared. "It's possible whatever did this did not go inside. But..."
"But you'd prefer not to run into whatever it is," finishes Jhessa, coming over to look at the corpses. "I hope Kevan knows what he's doing," she adds, similarly glancing over to where the halfling had disappeared.
She winces as Felix, with help from Esgean tries to lift the horse and Felix's ankle can't stand up to the physical effort yet. "Are you ok?" she asks, worried. "Do you need me to look at it again? I can try strapping it if we've got some spare material. Perhaps there's something suitable in those saddlebags?" She opens them to discover supplies: rations, pillows, quivers and oil. Not what she was hoping for but useful nonetheless. "Looks like Rejke can have a pillow too," she grins at Esgean.
To Herskor, she says "I can give you a hand if you want to try, though I'm not sure how much use I'll be. Please just direct me to where I'm most useful."
Rejke sits idly and looks pleased when Jhessa offers her one of the pillows.
"Of course she can," replies Esgean. "As long as she will carry it."
The bobcat turns to face the other direction.
"I'm sorry, my ankle... it hurts too much. Herskor, maybe you can try?"
"I can" - the half-orc nodded, bracing against the dead horse.
To Herskor, she says "I can give you a hand if you want to try, though I'm not sure how much use I'll be. Please just direct me to where I'm most useful."
"Here, help me on this side, and we..."
However, try as he may the ranger is unable to move the corpse - "Too heavy"
Kevan bounces back to the group rather excited about the mysterious room. He picks up a rock and asks, ”Can any of you who are magically skilled put some light on this rock? I want to see what is beyond the door in there.”
The group takes in the scene of the dead horses that have been determined to have been killed not by blade, but by claws. As the discovery of the bones that seems to be coming from under one of the horses, the party fails to move the horse to investigate it further. It seems that the hike down the gorge has not only impacted Felix but the group as a whole.
The massive wooden doors are heavy. It takes two, possibly three of you to push them open far enough for everyone to enter. As the heavy doors swing open, the faint light faint light from outside reveals a long chamber with risen platforms on either side. The floors walls and ceilings are all made of carved stonework. Very fine craftsmanship, fitting for a tomb to honor someone. The stone ceilings are roughly 15-feet high as you enter.
To see the details of this room you will need torchlight or another light source if you do not have darkvision.
The flames from your torches reveal a faded painting of a man on the far wall, this must be Kessan. The walls are decorated with a scrolling pattern of villagers fighting off masked bandits and monsters.
In the center of the room you see what could only be the site of a gruesome battle, with two bodies piled in the center and a number of human bones scattered around.
An echoing wail can be heard somewhere in the distance, beyond this foul chamber.
If I can get light on a stone, I intend to approach the doors and throw it in to see what I can see before recommending a course of action to the others. (Note: I have not looked at the spoiler yet, waiting to see if I can get a light spell.)
As Kevan reappears, Jhessa asks him "What's in there? Can you see much?" She bends down to look for a suitable stone - smooth, neither too tiny or too large - and checks a few before selecting one that meets her criteria. She holds the stone aloft in one hand, chanting the words to a prayer, "And let the light of Shelyn guide your way." As she finishes her orison, the stone in her fist begins to shed light around it. She offers the enchanted stone to Kevan. "Here, take this. I can sense you're keen to scout ahead so this will help you spot any danger. Please be careful."
Frustrated at not being able to move the horse carcass, Herskor makes himself busy by investigating the tracks more carefully.
"Are you sure you want to go scout a dark tunnel with a light in your hand Kevan..?" - he grunts at the halfling in the meantime.
"I'm okay enough to walk. I can go with you," Felix offers to Kevan. He gets up to join the halfling, but he'll wait if Kevan wants to scout some more on his own.
Kevan encloses the stone in his hand, ”Got it covered, bug guy, literally.” he says and then heads back into the shadows to the open door. He throws the stone in and waits a moment before heading back to share what he saw. (I assume, most if not all of the spoiler was seen?)
”What do you guys think? The two bodies could be alive but i saw no movement and it is most likely they are friends of this crew meaning they’ve been dead for a bit.”
As soon as Kevan mentions that there's two bodies who 'could be alive,' Felix wordlessly limps through the doors to check on them. He has his flail ready in case there's something aggressive, but his main purpose is to see if the two bodies are alive and if they need help.
Esgean follows Kevan and Felix inside.
Inside the tomb she gives Rejke a scratch behind the ears. "Go watch, girl. If you see anything, come back to me."
She then proceeds into the center of the first chamber, aware that this may be a trap but confident with Felix at her side. She checks the bodies for life.
She then searches the bodies, looking for valuable gear and clues to what happened to them.
Wanting to stick close together, Jhessa follows the others into the tomb. Even assuming Kevan is correct, which seems likely, if there’s any chance the bodies still belong to the living then she wants to try to aid them. As she comes inside she is slightly awed by the place - back in town basically every structure is made of wood so seeing stonework is a rarity. She is no expert but it seems to be solid and well made and the high ceilings make it feel less oppressive than she feared. She glances quickly at the painting on the wall, wondering if it tells a story or is purely decorative, but she feels her skills would be better put to use initially helping Esgean. She too moves over to the bodies and crouches down to look at them.
Kevan helps with searching the victims. "Wow, this is just like the time I entered a burial mound. Some earlier thieves had been slain by something within. Apparently it was happy I was cleaning up their mess because it didn't attack me." Kevan says as he searches.
He pockets something if he finds anything and it looks interesting.
Herskor looks around the pass at the tracks. From what he can tell, it looks as if a group of four and some horses came from the west, those tracks are only tracks of them coming here. From the east it is a little more difficult. The tracks are messed up, you cannot get a good count but you know that this trail shows people coming and going. You are unsure of how many either way. There are humanoid boot and horse prints
As the group begins to move in, you all fully see the beauty of the tomb. A master craftsman surely had a hand in designing and constructing this place. As you approach the fallen bodies you can see that the two of them are badly mauled. Like the horses outside.
Before you have an opportunity to give a close look at the corpses, you hear a clicking grinding sound. Something unfamiliar to the group of you. When suddenly two skeletons appear from around the stairs and pillars in front of you. The clicking and grinding is of their feet touching the stone floor and the grinding is of the bones shifting against it.
[ooc]Entering Combat – See Tomb Map above
The first skeleton that revealed itself scurries forward. Standing over one of the fallen bodies, it lashes out with its wicked claws. Raking Esgean across the midsection with a devastating blow.
Initiative: Round 1
S
Felix
Esgean
S
Jhessa
Herskor
Kevan
Esgean approaches the bodies and can see before she even reaches them that they are dead and in similar condition to the animal corpses outside. A moment later she wishes she had trusted her instinct that this was a likely trap, when the undead shambles out of the shadows and slashes her across the gut.
She cries out and grimaces in pain. "Rejke, flank!"
The bobcat springs to action, quickly stepping around the skeleton to attack it from behind.
Esgean draws her quarterstaff in both hands, using it to parry more than to attack, thrusting one end at her foe. She just needs to survive until the others can get into the fight.
Fighting Defensively, +2 AC, -4 attack
But the pain causes her to miss wildly.
Felix' attention shifts from the bodies on the ground to the emerging undead. Likewise, his expression shifts from concern to determination. Ignoring the pain in his ankle, he steps forward to strike at the skeleton that injured Esgean, and then he turns his attention to the second skeleton, resolved to keeping it from the rest of the party.
He calls out some basic tactics that Sir Dramott has drilled into his head.
"Gang up on the same enemy! Take them down before moving to the next! Call out if you need help!"
Rejke moves quickly. But not quick enough. The bobcat draws the attention of the skeleton that landed a blow to its owner. It’s attack lands and leaves a wound down its side.
The cat attacks back with its bite causing its bones to splinter. Esgean whirls her quarterstaff defensively but misses her attack. Using his flail, Felix uses all of his might to rid this place of this skeleton, but his attack moves wide.
The second skeleton moves forward and lashes out with both of its claws. The first one glances off of Felix’s armor, the second one lands with what could have been a Critical Hit but the Paladins armor protects himself from that.
Initiative: Round 1
S
Felix
Esgean
Rejke
S
Jhessa
Herskor
Kevan
Jhessa can only watch on horrified as two skeletons, animated into a parody of life spring out and claw at Esgean and Felix. Mastering her shock at their sudden appearance she clutches the holy symbol of Shelyn she wears around her neck and begins to infuse it with divine power, directing it outwards towards the undead. ”By the grace of the Eternal Rose, be at peace and find beauty in your everlasting slumber,” she intones in a commanding voice.
A wave of white energy burst forth through Jhessa. As it moves through the skeletons a look of pain crosses their face… if it was possible for bone to show expression. The one surrounded by Esgean, Rejke and Felix crumples into dust.
Initiative: Round 1
S
Felix
Esgean
S
Jhessa
Herskor
Kevan
Tomb Map
Not sure if his arrow shots will be any good against a pile of bones, Herskor draws his shield and moves in on the horrific creatures, reaching for his morningstar as he goes.
Kevan thinks his rapier will not have anything to stick so he takes his mace from his belt. Then he scurries under foot and attempts to get behind the thing. 'If you're going to fight, it's always better to hit 'em in the back.' "Ok, you big bag of bones. Despair for you have run into Kevan, the terror of the southlands!"
"I leave you alone for five minutes and just look at the mischief you're getting yourselves into!" His tone is condesending, but Aldmus wears a genuine smile for his friends as he hustles in out of nowhere and steps past Jhessa into the tomb.
Without further comment, the young mage locks his eyes on the skeleton, focuses himself and aims his right hand at the undead creature, "Acidum Spiculum!" Suddenly a bolt of glowing, violet acid, infused with arcane power, launches itself from Aldmus' hand, directly at the remaining skeleton.
Aldmus's dramatic moment is less then impressive, however, when his arcane attack goes wildly off-mark, striking the tomb wall instead of his intended target. "Gah! Can't get a clear shot with all of you jumping around like that..."
"Never your fault...", Grimble the raven calls out mockingly to his master as he darts into the interior as well, flapping and circling overhead, but mostly staying out of the skeleton's reach.
Herskor moves in with his shield and morning star at the ready, Kevan tumbles his way past the claws of the skeleton. A familiar voice comes from the entry way as Aldmus returns, possibly just in time to end this skeleton threat. Unfortunately, his aim wasn’t as grand as his entrance and the Acid Dart flies wide.
It could have been due to the sounds of battle and the group talking to one another to gain an edge, but you all missed the sound of more clicking and grinding as two skeletons appear from the ledge above. Each one moves towards the group from each of the sets of stairs. One attacks out at Felix and the other attacks at Esgean. Each attack swings wide.
Two move enemies enter the scene
Initiative: Round 2
S
Felix
Esgean
S
Jhessa
Herskor
Kevan
Aldmus
S
S