Waedin pushes her way in and tries to smack a skeleton through the bars.
If y'all don't put these down then I'll show them Gerana's justice soon enough. She says as holy power starts to coalesce around her.
Sebastien inspires the group to do better! He then plays whack-a-skull with a tin cup.
Asceade teases a skeleton about his lack of flesh, which he takes very personally.
Her temple sword then comes crashing down on the insulted skeleton.
Stepnik follows and smashes an acid flask at the skeleton's boney feet.
The shin bones dissolve into a sizzling goop, and the skeleton collapses into a heap.
Weadin stomps in and delivers living justice through the prison bars.
Her hammer smashes the skeleton into pieces.
The last skeleton scratches at Ustemir!
Ustemir fends off the attack!
Waedin drops her weapon, raises her hand and a burst of healing floods out of her onto everyone on the room.
Sebastian looks like he is going to be repeating the same thing!
Batter's up!
The Bard casts Shield.
The skeleton takes the full force of Weadin's healing blast, while everyone else finds it to be quite soothing. The skeleton is shaken up, but clings to unlife!
Sebastien tries to finish it off, but misses.
Ascaede grits her teeth and makes flowing motions with her blade as she brings it bear on bone…then with terribly aimed strikes, quickly defends herself from any retaliation…
◆ Strike ◆ Strike ◆ Raise Shield
"I'm gonna turn your femur into a fetch toy!" Ustemir shouts as he swings at the last skeleton and asks Kolek to do the same.
Ustemir: ◆ Hunt Prey, ◆ Command Animal, ◆ Twin Takedown
Kolen: ◆ Strike, ◆ Strike
If any of those hit, add precision damage once.
"Wow. That one is stubborn".
Thinking surely the others weill bring the last one down, Stepnik decides to prepare his sling just in case.
◆ Prepare Sling
◆ Load Sling
◆ Raise Shield
Sebastian looks on Courageous Anthem like....
Sebastien coughs, and it is just enough to nudge Ustemir's first attack just a bit to hit. Ustemir and Kolek's joint training and bonding gives them the extra edge to finally take down the last of the ancient dwarven skeletons!
The bones fall into a heap and this secret, cramped, jail lies in quiet.
After a moment, you realize that one jail cell contains a set of bones that weren't reanimated. The skeleton lies in peaceful repose upon a simple, rotted cot. Around the neck is an iron holy symbol of Ferrakus, and grapsed within one hand is a golden ring with a large red gemstone that sparkles with an inner fire.
A patch of purplish black mushrooms sprouts within the ribcage.
The ring is a Ring of Ferrakus. (link is to a Ring of Torag, an item specific to this adventure. Function is the same, but rennamed to fit this setting.
Ustemir sighs with relief and scratches Kolek's ears playfully. "Good job, boy!"
As he does so, he looks at the rest of the group. "I think this is a pretty nice place to wait out the night. One entrance, and even some beds. If we can clean them up. But there was one more building in the courtyard. Maybe we should look at that as well before we bed down for the day."
Ascaede’s eyes flit from holy symbol to ring before settling on the ribcaged mushroom patch.
”I wonder….” she muses before producing the illustration Laurel Gebre provided.
"Let me take a look at that ring. I can sometimes tell an items properties from the way it is constructed".
Crafters Appraisal
"Ah! This is a different design from what I've studied but I believe this both helps protect you from a fire effect once a day, and helps you douse the flame while you are burning. My instructor at the university used to wear one of these when he taught Pyrotechnics 101".
A ring of Ferrakus! I'd like to keep it if that's ok with everyone else? The gem is wondrous. And give this holy person an appropriate burial. He held on to his faith even when all was lost and look how much peace exudes for him.
She gives a side eye to everyone else. A good example for us all!
Asceade identifies the patch of mushrooms as Ironbloom Mushrooms, just the kind Laurel the herbalist is looking for. You figure it isn't enough to meet her needs, you may need to find three times as much.
Sebastian calmly walks to those stairs leading beneath the earth, but perhaps the bloody mess of the decapitated body of the fell Darkmoon Beast is enough to deter any creatures crawling up from the darkness. .
The halfling digs in his Adventures pack, producing chalk. The Bard then write on the floor in front of stairs.
Ye shall not pass!
Satisfied the halfling then returns to the Secret Skeleton Jail to help prepare the deceased and eat and rest....
The door to south opens into a small storage room. Moldering heaps of broken furniture lie in the corners. A patch of ironbloom mushrooms grows on the rotten wood.
The door on the north side of the entrance hall seems to be jammed shut by something on the other side.
Ustemir gives the door a try. Just the handle first, but the door doesn't budge. The dromaar takes a step back, and reaches for the crowbar on his backpack. An attempt to pry the door open follows.
The door creaks, but Ustemir creaks more. "Nope. Not budging. Suggestion?"
This thing is like adamantine. Maybe we try again later? Doesn't seem like anything is going to come out of it.
The acolyte almost gives a shriek of joy at finding the final burst of ironblooms, imagining the respite and easing of suffering for all of those suffering the indignity of illness. She carefully harvests the mushrooms and follows the others on to the next door.
Ascaede stares at the portal, and at her more….strong companions unable to open it. She shrugs, and gives the recalcitrant door a shove.
”Maybe…it opens…outwards?” she offers weakly.
The Bard looks at his Thieves Tools in sadness....
Frustratingly, the door won’t budge. Maybe some other time.
Lastly, the crew decides to inspect the tower outside in the courtyard. The stars twinkle overhead as you step outside, past the corpses of wolves and darkmantles you’ve drug outside, toward the tower.
The tower is 30 feet in height, with windows at the top overlooking the surrounding hills. A single wooden door is the only entrance from the courtyard. Sebastien may be pleased to learn the entrance is barred shut, this time by a rusty old lock.
This time, Ustemir stands by the door patiently, letting others give it a go.
Stepnik almost gets left behind as he lingers thinking about how to unstick the door.
Well I don't think a blasting stone would do anything but make a lot of noise, and an acid flask might work to weaken it, or perhaps some fire.
He then notices the others are leaving him behind and hurries to catch up and watch Sebastion tackle the lock.
Sebastian cast Guidance, takes out his tools and begins lock picking...
The Bard gives a thumbs up!
The old rusty lock clicks open.
Waedin will do it with her shield up.
Waedin bravely opens the door, and as it swings inwards, the door brushes against a thick tangle of cobwebs.
A giant spider drops from above, springing upon the open doorway.
Stepnik quickly pulls forth a vial of liquid fire, and lobs it over the heads of his friends to the spider.
◆ Strike
◆ Stride
◆ Raise Shield
Bombs Away
St. Elmo's Fire (+1 splasy, & +1 Persistant).
"Eww! I hate spiders".
Really? They're so cute though
Waedin smacks, steps to let the other martials move in and keeps her shield raised.
Sebastian begins stuttering inspiration and such!
The Inspiration rains!
The Bard then decides to Stride to where he may view the creepy spider.
Cute? Huh.
He then casts Shield.
He waves.
Ustemir instructs Kolek to stay where he is, and looks at the spider. "Come out, pal. Look how juicy we all are."
Or alternatively - GM NABU: *can* Ascaede attack the spider from her current position? Does it have any kind of "cover" for the odd angle?
Sebastien spouts words of encouragement, and being so encouraged, Stepnik lobs a firebomb at the spider in the door. The bomb splashes fire over the compound eyes.
Waedin tries to whack the arachnid before stepping away.
Ustemir and Asceade wait a heartbeat. Perhaps unexpectedly, the spider thrusts its spinnarets forward and shoots sticky silk at Ustemir.
Then, perhaps expectedly, it ◆lunges forward to bite Ustemir.
Burn, spider, burn!
Ustemir steps to the side, and whistles at Kolek to charge the spider. With a loud roar, Kolek snaps at the creature and follows up with a swipe.
Jaws | Damage
Claws (Agile) | Damage
Precision
Ascaede’s eyes narrow slightly as Kolek lashes at the spider, and she nods imperceptibly.
Pretty sure it’s an ickful arachnid that bleeds and then dies.
The acolyte primly slashes also, making a myriad of mystical signs as she slices once down and then once across, before then bringing her shield into a defensive position…
Ustemir, Kolek, and Asceade are quick to respond. Kolek bites and scratches at the spider, his jaws crunching into shiny black carapace.
Asceade has a harder time hitting the nimble spider.