"Into the hole! Maybe whoever left this basket went inside. Finders keepers is the rule but we don't want to be thieves," Grimmylow says.
"Oh, I can help with possessions. Or, I can have Sarenrae help with possessions," Grimmylow comments as he heads toward the entrance.
Light pours into this wide, stone chamber from the opening in the hillside, although sconces that flicker with an eerie, greenish light
illuminate the room as well.
Thick mats of spiderwebs cluster in the chamber’s corners, and the walls bear crude carvings of human soldiers standing at attention between shallow niches. A passageway deeper into the hill has an emblem above it: an open hand with a star on the palm.
The skeletal remains of four faithful guards are interred in this room, each propped upright in shallow wall niches while still wearing their armor and weapons.
Already relatively sure he's going to be disappointed, Grimmylow goes up to one of the wall sconces to see if the green light is actual fire or just some sort of magical light.
Grimmylow takes out a torch.
Why does Grimmylow have torches when he can see in the dark?
Mind your business! that's why.
He uses his flint and steel to light one.
"I'll carry this so you can keep your hands free," he says to So, though the way he slowly swings it around and stares at it, even running his fingers through the edges suggests that's not the only reason.
"Why thank you, little Green one." Beggar So pulls a pair of shuriken from his robe and prepares to throw in case something jumps out at the party.
Grimmylow is disappointed - or perhaps not - when the skeletal remains begin animating as soon as he enters the barrow. A wight also rises from a coffin on the far side.
Grimmylow, Buzz, and Kzem are not fooled, and get to act first.
--Round 1
Grimmylow (40/40)
Buzz (30/30) / Loudmouth (30/30)
Kzem (45/45)
White Wight (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Thorn (43/43)
Beggar So (47/47)
Red Skeleton (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Yellow Skeleton (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Green Skeleton (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Blue Skeleton (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Grimmylow is pretty sure these things are undead so he brandishes his singed holy symbol of Sarenrae and projects positive power out to counter act their negative energy.
"May the holy fires of Sarenrae's love heal you! Or...kill you. Again."
◆ ◆ ◆
|
Buzz dismounts from Loudmouth, quickly getting to the entranceas he loots around in his bag for a suitable bomb. "Undead!?"
HP 30/30
AC 120
Hero Point 0/3
Infused Alchemical Items 7/7
1x Lesser Acid Flask 1/2
1x Lesser Alchemist's Fire (Signature Item) 3/3
1x Lesser Blight Bomb (Signature Item) 5/6
1x Minor Elixir of Life 2/2
1x Skunk Bomb 2/2
1x Lesser Ghost Charge 2/2
Loudmouth
HP 30/30
AC 17
vs DC 18
vs DC 18
vs DC 18
Grimmylow casts a spell, and Sarenrae's holy fire illuminates the chamber.
Buzz arrives just in time to witness three sets of bones clatter to the ground.
The wight screams and runs at Grimmylow, swiping at his big head.
plus DC 17 Fortitude save
--Round 1
Kzem (45/45)
Thorn (43/43)
Beggar So (47/47)
Red Skeleton (-14 hp)
Yellow Skeleton (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Green Skeleton (-7 hp)
Blue Skeleton (-7 hp)
--Round 2
Grimmylow (26/40, Fort save)
Buzz (30/30) / Loudmouth (30/30)
White Wight (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Beggar So charges forward and hurls both Shuriken at the wight.
Beggar So clamps his hands over his ears and ducks.
"Ha! In your faces!" Grimmylow says as the skeletons collapse.
"Ack! My face!" he yelps as the wight swipes him.
He feels something bad happening.
Better than ducking, he gets out of the way, clearing a path for people who are better suited for being next to things with claws.
He then provides Guidance to Kzem while trying to remember what he can about this creature.
|
|
Kzem walks up to the white wright, eyeing it carefully with his approach.
The orc, with his off hand, makes one of Grimmy's spiritual gestures towards the creature before bashing it with his shield.
◆ Stride
◆ EL
◆ Strike
Grimmylow feels energy drain from him.
Beggar So sends two stars flying, both of which hit the wight. More projectiles fly from Thorn, but in the form of a bullet, which also hits.
Kzem knows the creature has no weaknesses, but a small stone which sparkles as a twinkling eye hurts just as much. The wight loses all will to unlive as Kzem smashes it.
The remaining skeleton strides up to Kzem and makes a feeble swing at its foe.
--Round 2
Grimmylow (26/38, -2 max hp)
Buzz (30/30) / Loudmouth (30/30)
White Wight (-52 hp, Recall: Religion)
--Round 3
Kzem (45/45)
Thorn (43/43)
Beggar So (47/47)
Red Skeleton (-14 hp)
Yellow Skeleton (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Green Skeleton (-7 hp)
Blue Skeleton (-7 hp)
Beggar So advances () and pulls his staff from his back. He pokes at the remaining skeleton, the staff passing alongside Kzem.
"Oh...I don't feel so good, guys," Grimmylow says.
NOW he wanders away and provides Kzem with Guidance.
He's glad that creepy guy who made him feel sickly is dead, again.
Beggar So whacks the skeleton with his staff, breaking it apart.
--Combat over!
Grimmylow (26/38, -2 max hp)
Buzz (30/30) / Loudmouth (30/30)
Kzem (45/45)
Thorn (43/43)
Beggar So (47/47)
This large hall has an opening to the west and south. Six stout pillars hold up the ceiling, each carved with overlapping symbols of starknives. Sconces flickering with an unnatural green light hang on the smooth stone walls.
Kzem and Beggar So lead the way in, but Grimmylow pipes up as soon as he walks into the room. He feels magical energies reverberating in the pillars, and gets the impression that if they were to walk much further, the magical energies would activate in some bad way.
Buzz senses the arcane nature of the hazard. Starknife symbols on the six pillars would glow and shoot across the room, attacking the party. The pillars can be deactiviated in many ways - first, they could simply be attacked and physically damaged; second, the runes can be dispelled; third, the runes could be carefully altered .
Not sure how many you need.
Buzz scratches out one of the runes, but incompletely. Then a second, then a third. Finally, he scratches out a fourth and the hazard deactivates - just before he touches the trigger rune.
Shadows flicker strangely in this chamber. The west end of this room bears a large stone sarcophagus decorated with carvings of a star in the open palm of a hand. The sarcophagus appears cracked, and an inky goo dribbles out of it. Two upright coffins flank the sarcophagus, both ajar.
When the heroes arrive, a shadowy form rises from the sarcophagus, passing through the stone lid. The zombies lumber forth from their open coffins.
"
"
"
"
"
The shadow immediately screams with terror, and charges straight at the wall, passing right through, and emerging near the rear guard. It screams at Grimmylow's holy symbol of Sarenrae - and reaches out to touch it with a shadowy tendril.
Grimmylow feels void energy pulsing through his body. It feels like he just swallowed a live snake whole, but in a bad way.
--Round 1
Grimmylow (22/36, [-2 max hp], darkvision, torch)
Kzem (45/45, darkvision)
Thorn (43/43, darkvision)
Buzz (30/30, low-light vision)
Beggar So (47/47, normal vision)
Yellow Zombie (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Green Zombie (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
--Round 2
Shadow (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
"Hey! No fair! I'm in the middle!" Grimmylow says as another undead attacks him.
He's feeling a bit woozy and assumes what is good for the goose is bad for the gander when the goose is a righteous goblin and the gander is a nasty undead.
"If you like it so much, here you can have it!" he says, thrusting his holy symbol at the creature and releasing a burst of Sarenrae's holy energy.
Beggar So moves back around his friends. With his staff, he pokes the shadow-thing before dropping into a fighting stance.
A shot rings out, echoing off the stone walls, and Thorn's aim is true. The bullet passes through the shadow, but seems to disrupt it quite a bit. A second shot also hits, but does considerably less damage.
Grimmylow shoves Sarenrae's symbol in the shadow's face, and it recoils.
vs DC 18
Beggar So cannot finish off the wispy shadow, and enters a flaming stance.
Kzem moves forward into the room, affixing a small token that looks like a religious symbol to his shield, knowing the zombies are weak to positive energy.
--Round 1
Grimmylow (22/36, [-2 max hp], darkvision, torch)
Kzem (45/45, darkvision, EV: zombies)
Thorn (43/43, darkvision)
Buzz (30/30, low-light vision)
Beggar So (47/47, normal vision)
Yellow Zombie (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Green Zombie (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
--Round 2
Shadow (-48 hp, piercing x2, Recall: Religion)
|
|
Buzz flits backwards and launches a pair of needles into the shadow as it appears beside him. "Whoa that was quick!"
HP 30/30
AC 120
Hero Point 0/3
Infused Alchemical Items 7/7
1x Lesser Acid Flask 1/2
1x Lesser Alchemist's Fire (Signature Item) 3/3
1x Lesser Blight Bomb (Signature Item) 5/6
1x Minor Elixir of Life 2/2
1x Skunk Bomb 2/2
1x Lesser Ghost Charge 2/2
Loudmouth
HP 30/30
AC 17
Buzz's two stingers miss. However, one nicks the shadow, and Buzz gets a sense that this incorporeal creature may not be affected by poison at all.
The two zombies lumber up to Kzem. They move slowly, but get a Strike in.
The shadow screams again, very upset that Sarenrae still exists.
After hitting Grimmylow, the shadow reaches through him, to where his body is casting a shadow from the lit torch that he holds, and tugs at the shadow, ripping a piece off.
On the way back through Grimmy's body, the shadow's hand does even more void damage!
--Round 1
Grimmylow (2/36, [-2 max hp, -1 Ath,dmg], darkvision, torch)
Kzem (45/45, darkvision, EV: zombies)
Thorn (43/43, darkvision)
Buzz (30/30, low-light vision)
Beggar So (47/47, normal vision)
Yellow Zombie (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Green Zombie (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
--Round 2
Shadow (-48 hp, piercing x2, Recall: Religion)
"GRIMMY!" Beggar So, roars, seeing the shadow do grievous damage to the goblin. He runs around the combatants and moves into a flank with the shadow and lashes out twice.
He then steps back out of reach.
|
|
Buzz circles around the shadow and tosses a small vial of alchemical fire into the floor at it.
HP 30/30
AC 120
Hero Point 0/3
Infused Alchemical Items 7/7
1x Lesser Acid Flask 1/2
1x Lesser Alchemist's Fire (Signature Item) 2/3
1x Lesser Blight Bomb (Signature Item) 5/6
1x Minor Elixir of Life 2/2
1x Skunk Bomb 2/2
1x Lesser Ghost Charge 2/2
Loudmouth
HP 30/30
AC 17
"I'm feeling kind of woozy, guys..." Grimmylow says.
He reaches into his medicine kit and starts pulling out different ointments, oils and capsules to help.
But this thing is trying to kill him! So he's going to try to kill it back!
He summons up a weapon from Sarenrae and a glowing scimitar appears near the shadow.
Beggar So punches the shadow, and although his hand mostly passes through, the damage is just enough to disperse it.
Buzz's alchemist fire hits Green and sets it on fire.
Grimmylow heals himself and
Kzem flanks the zombie with himself, and bashes it twice, the trinket functioning like a holy symbol and doing positive damage.
--Round 1
Grimmylow (17/36, [-2 max hp, -1 Ath,dmg], darkvision, torch) 2 actions
Kzem (45/45, darkvision, EV: zombies)
Thorn (43/43, darkvision)
Buzz (30/30, low-light vision) 1 action
Beggar So (47/47, normal vision) 1 action
Yellow Zombie (-0 hp, Recall: Religion)
Green Zombie (-21 hp, positive x2)
--Round 2
Shadow (-56 hp, piercing x2, slashing x1)
Relieved that the scary shadow guy is gone, Grimmylow heads into the next chamber.
He provides Thorn with Guidance.
Beggar So runs into the room, guided by the torchlight.
Thorn runs into the room, draws his gun, and fires.
The zombie wonders where all his friends went, but shrugs and swings fists at Kzem.
plus Grab
It Grabs Kzem.
--Round 2
Grimmylow (17/36, [-2 max hp, -1 Ath,dmg], darkvision, torch)
Kzem (38/45, grabbed, darkvision, EV: zombies)
Thorn (43/43, darkvision)
Buzz (30/30, low-light vision)
Beggar So (47/47, normal vision)
Yellow Zombie (-6 hp, Recall: Religion)
Green Zombie (-21 hp, positive x2)
--Round 3
Shadow (-56 hp, piercing x2, slashing x1)
With a shot, Thorn ends the zombie's unlife.
--Combat over!
Grimmylow (17/36, [-2 max hp, -1 Ath,dmg], darkvision, torch)
Kzem (38/45, darkvision)
Thorn (43/43, darkvision)
Buzz (30/30, low-light vision)
Beggar So (47/47, normal vision)
The heroes begin to search the room, but a shuddering voice pleads, "P-please don't hurt me." A half-orc is huddled in one corner of the room, his dark hair turned permanently white from terror. His shadow has been stolen from him, making him weak and jumpy, but starts returning now that the shadow has been defeated (as does Grimmy's).
He introduces himself as Fillruk, a laborer from Otari. Fillruk overheard Magiloy asking about the mushrooms and went out to pick them, hoping to command a high price from the tengu. Recent rains caused a small mudslide that shifted one of the slabs, and Fillruk thought it might hide treasure, so he pushed and pulled at it until he moved it aside. He says that the heroes can claim his basket of mushrooms (the basket from outside the cave) as theirs if they help him get back to town safely.
The sarcophagus contains three black opals worth 15 gp each, a pyrite rat, and a belt of good health.
Grimmylow squeals like a frightened housecat when the voice comes out of the shadows.
He only relaxes when he sees that it is another victim. "You're ok, now, friend. Thanks to the warm, voluptuous light of Sarenrae," he says, taking a seat next to the half-orc.
"Well, you know, it's a bad idea to rob graves," he says as he looks over the items from the sarcophagus.
"I'm just going to sit here with my new pal Fillruk for a while, guys," he tells the group as he settles in to physician heal thyselfing. His cure for what currently ails him seems to involve a surprising amount of chocolate.