Axe raised overhead in both hands, the tiny grippli runs straight down the wall and at the delicious menace before them!
To hit , damage
Feeling his chance to be truly heroic, Lueck raises his axe above his head and charges the presumably delicious insect before him!
Reroll to hit , Damage
With a mighty battle-croak, Lueck rushes down from the wall and fearlessly attacks the giant centipede, intent on slaying it before it can further harm his allies.
Just as he is about to swing his raised axe, a flash of sunlight reflects off the weapons' bronze surface, illuminating a gash where one of Seben's arrows has weakened the beast's hard natural armor.
Guided by this divine inspiration, Lueck strikes with all his might and the axe sinks deep into the writhing flesh beneath. Lueck can clearly feel how the bronze axe pulsates with power as it soaks up the blood of the centipede.
As he yanks the weapon free, the giant bug collapses backwards into the sand-filled pool with a pitiful dying screech. Holding his battle axe high in victory, Lueck can feel the warm, pulsating sensation endures, almost as if the weapon now has a heartbeat that is clearly palpable through the haft.
When Lueck uses his stylized bronze battle axe to strike the killing blow in combat, the blade pulsates with the remains of the enemy's life force, granting Lueck a +1 morale bonus to attack rolls. This does not occur if the enemy is incapacitated or otherwise does not pose a threat.
As an immediate action, Lueck may choose to expend the moral bonus to gain temporary hit points equal to 1d8+his current level for 10 minutes. In this case, the weapon returns to its normal state until used to strike another killing blow.
"Here, Diorio, catch this!" Indus says, throwing his enchanted whip to the poisoned bladesmaster. After Diorio has deftly caugth it, Indus continues, "Repeat after me. Seḥlu-yi seg ssem-ag. It should help you ward of the venom!"
Seeing his amphibian friend finish off his tormentor in spectacular fashion, Diorio allows himself to collapse to the ground in obvious pain. He grimaces at the nasty looking wound, then hearing Indus' shout he grabs the thrown whip.
"What was that?!? Sehshi-gem-aag? No, ok...Sehlu-yi seg ssem-ag"
I believe there is a Bless still in effect as well.
Lueck wastes no time reveling in victory when he sees brave Diorio's state. He bounds over to him and tends to him.
Cure light wounds on Diorio, heals .
He'll check for the condition of the poison and possible treatment, heal skill check .
Edit: Since the cure from his own energy didn't do much, he'll use his wand of cure light wounds as well.
CLW , 24 charges left.
CLW , 23 charges left.
Despite the aid of Indus' magic whip, Diorio is unable to withstand the venom from the centipede and he feels his limbs stiffen and swell.
.
Seben dashes over to help Diorio but then freezes in horror when she sees the sight of his wound.
Recognizing the effects of the poison from such creatures in the Mwangi Expanse, Lueck hesitates for an instant; for a tiny grippli without a powerful shaman nearby, this would certainly mean death. But Diorio is strong, and Lueck recalled the potion Seben gave him to hold. He quickly uncorks the tiny vial and holds it to Diorio's lips. He gently holds his head back with a webbed hand to help him swallow the contents.
Feeling slightly useless in the attempt to cleanse the venom from Diorio's wound, Indus packs his sword away and loads his crossbow, keeping a close eye on the surroundings in case of more trouble ...
As the dust settles from the battle, Lueck feeds a magic antidote to Diorio. Almost immediately, the duelist feels the effect of the poison lessen, although his joints are still swollen, hindering his mobility.
No other threats appear. As Indus keeps watch and peers around the corner, he can see that the garden extends further along the west side of the main house.
At the north end of the garden, stands a squat stone building with columns at every corner and a set of stone doors.
After downing the potion and receiving the healing energies, Diorio slowly stands and immediately notices the stiffness and swelling in his joints. He tries to clear this with some simple exercises but quickly realizes that something is really wrong with his movements.
Sighing heavily, "Friends, I will be decidedly less effective for a time until this swelling subsides. But don't worry, I can still be deadly enough."
He remembers the words of his mentor...."Spaz! You are one of the fastest pupils I have ever had. But do not rely solely on your speed! There is always a faster foe out there. And what about me! You are faster than me, but do you think you can best me? No? And right you are. Anticipation, timing, distance, deception; use these skills and you won't have to rely on speed!"
Seeing that Diorio is feeling better, Indus returns from his watch.
"The garden extends further along the west side of the main house. At the north end of the garden there's a squat stone building with columns and a set of stone doors. Should we investigate?"
"Thanks to the healing of my wounds, I will not be totally useless. Let us keep exploring. Let's start by looking at where this foul creature laired in the sand."
"Was that a... swimming pool?"
The rectangular basin the centipede was using as a lair is indeed an old swimming pool, although it does not appear to have seen a drop of water in centuries.
"Let's start by exploring the outskirts of the compound before heading into the heart. Just so we don't get surprised by enemies on the way out."
Moving up through the deserted garden, you pass a door in the main house's western side as you go to investigate the rectangular stone building in the northwest corner of the estate.
At each corner of the small squat building stand columns carved to resemble men and women with their arms crossed over their chest. A set of stone doors stand in the southern face of the building, carved with the bas-relief faces of two men.
Ancient Osiriani hieroglyphs carved into the doors just beneath the faces read:
"Crypt of the House of Pentheru. May defilers be cursed by the gods until their day of judgement."
"I guess resting in there is a bad idea, then."
Indus tries to recall anything about the house of Pentheru while examining the columns and doors.
[takes half the usual time]
Using his keen archeological training, Indus recalls what he recalled earlier this morning when the group got the assignment to explore the House of Pentheru :-)
"I guess resting in there is a bad idea, then."
"Perhaps we should come back tomorrow, after valiant Diorio has some time to work past the venom."
"If Diorio wishes to be healed, I certainly have no objection to heading back to the Temple, but we can still pop back over here in the afternoon. There is no sense wasting daylight."
That would be most welcome actually. My joints ache something fierce, and while I can fight through the pain, I am definitely not at my best. I do not want to be a liability in the dangers to come.
"That will give us a chance to do a little last minute shopping as well," Indus says in agreement with the plan to return to the city of the living.
Opting for a temporary retreat to seek healing for Diorio, the Smokin's Bask Brigade leave the House of Pentheru and make their way back towards the main gates of the Necropolis.
Most of the trip is uneventful, but you approach Pharasma's Needle, a partially collapsed building obstructs the main road, forcing you to take a detour through a narrow alley.
Although both Indus and Sobekhotep are moving carefully and keeping an eye out for trouble, neither of them spot the thin trip wire before it catches Indus' boot.
An audible click is immediately followed by a sharp twang and the whistle of a large projectile launched too fast for the eye to catch.
Before he has a chance to identify the sound, Indus is knocked backwards, the air driven from his lungs by a powerful blow. As he gasps to regain his breath, his lungs refuse to cooperate and pink foam forms at the corner of his mouth. Looking down, he spots the source of his problem: a large javelin has punched through his armor and rib cage, collapsing his lung.
Indus collapses to the ground, gasping for air. "Arrrrr..."
Seben races next to Indus, but then realizes she has learned from experience there are others better qualified for the task of field medic.
Instead she knocks an arrow and scans both ends of the ally for any sign of follow-up to this attack, ready to fire. Is this the prelude to an ambush? She looks to the alley's windows and rooftops as well.
Her scan includes taking note of any tracks of footprints, leading to or away from the trap's mechanism.
When she can spare a glance, she also eyes the javelin. Does it look like an ancient weapon? Such that this might be a forgotten snare from long ago? Or is it a recent scheme, such as the work of a rival adventuring band?
She also casts a narrowed eye at the Sacred Ibis who was tasked with scouting ahead. The white bird just cocks his head as though to shrug. Obviously he wasn't going to spot a trip wire from so high up in the air.
With the aid of Sobekhotep’s magic, Indus is soon able to pull the javelin from his rapidly healing chest. The sensation is deeply disturbing, but at least he’s able to breathe again.
No other threats appear from the ruins. Seben’s investigation reveals a carefully concealed firing mechanism by following the trip wire. The contraption is bolted to the side of the building, but it has a well-oiled steel spring that indicates that it has been installed relatively recently.