Seeing Willorn was the most inured of the group, Hagrym takes a few moments and tries to Treat the Wound as well as he could.
Medicine check
He then tries to follow suit on his cousin afterwards.
Medicine Check
”Itd be great if you two actually tried to dodge the enemy’s blows, you know,” he grumbled.
”Give me one more try. I’m sure I can get things lined out. I’m just getting used to this particular kit, anyway. It might be defective, you know…”. If no one objects, he tries the kit on both of the group again.
If they do object, he will cast a Heal on Willorn and tell Mac to be careful.
Treat wound willorn
Treat wound Maclin
"Hagrym, I got injured too. I'd be obliged if you could work on me as well," Jon says, nursing his recent wound by the giant fly.
With sarcasm dripping in his voice, Mac looks at Grym, "Guess you have a problem healing me, cuz. You focus on Willorn and I will work on the rest of us."
Fully healed, Mac direct his comments to Penflower and the group, "Good point in leaving the lighthouse for last. As for the scorpion, I imagine they are big with pincers and a poisonous tail. Let's check out the middle room with the secret door and then we will deal with the scorpion. We will get there eventually."
”Pretty nifty healing there, cousin! I don’t think you all need me after all!”
Harm agreed that checking the middle room and the secret door would be fine with him.
You enter the middle room north of the hallway to find:
The ceiling has collapsed in the southwest corner of this room. The walls bear several shelves, but the books and papers once kept here have rotted to ruin long ago due to exposure to the elements, as have the wooden desk and wooden chair in the alcove to the northeast.
Armed with knowledge that there is a secret door in this room, Mac, with the highest perception in the group, notices a secret door in the east wall, where a rotating shelf acts as the door's handle. You rotate the shelf and the door opens, revealing a flight of stairs leading down to the northeast.
You continue your search of the room and you also note a hidden drawer in the desk that has fallen partially open, revealing three potions: lesser comprehension elixir (Link), minor elixir of life (Link), and lesser skeptic's elixir (Link).
"Ok Pen, let's do it. Let's go after the scorpion. Cuz, be ready with the heals. Jon, Willorn, stick to ranged attacks initially to make it waste actions to come toward us, assuming it is not right behind the door and then unload on it. This cannot be a long fight - we have to alpha strike. Pen will be our main shield. Let's set him up to major damage with his spellblade - be careful with its reach if it is large. I will harass it with my halberd. Watch out for the tail."
”I'm ready! And yes, please everyone, watch out for the tail!”. The dwarf raises his shield and falls in line with the others.
Penflower leads the party over the rubble to enter the room indicated by Boss Scrawng that contained the giant scorpion. You open the door to reveal:
The ceiling of this room has fallen in two places. A smaller collapse destroyed a flight of stairs that once led up to the now-ruined upper floor. A larger collapse mostly buried the southern double door, leaving a hole in the roof partially blocked with several crossed timbers. A second double door to the north has a stone face carved with skulls caked with tangles of moss.
In the NE corner of the room is a massive, terrifying scorpion 8 feet long from head to the base of the tail. Its two massive pincers and poised tail mark it ready to battle intruders to its lair!
Round 1: Scorpion
The giant scorpion easily clambers over the rubble in this room as it reaches the party in quick order. It stands 10' from the party and attacks from reach. It lashes out with its pincer, and while Penflower tries to block the attack, its powerful blow smashes into the elf's shield, nearly breaking it, onto his ribs, drawing blood and immobilizing him! The stinger, dripping with poison, follows at Mac but it misses wildly over the dwarf's head. The scorpion's tail rears back and looks poised to strike at anyone coming near it or letting down its guard....
◆Stride ◆Pincer Attack - Free Grab ◆Stinger
Round 1: Mac
Seeing the giant scorpion bear upon the party and grab Penflower, Mac yells, "This is it boys! Hit it hard and fast!"
He grips his halberd and strikes at the scorpion!
Mac's halberd penetrates the scorpion's exoskeleton on 2 blows, inflicting 20 damage on the arachnid! The scorpion is pissed!
The dwarf's move purposely provokes the scorpion's reactionary strike! The scorpion misses Mac with its reactionary stinger attack!
Remembering the plan, Jon takes advantage of his double barrels, both of which are loaded, and fires◆ two shots off in succession◆ and readies a reloading strike◆ with his whip if the scorpion comes within its reach (10').
(This is added to the total crit damage but not doubled.)
(This is added to the total crit damage but not doubled.)
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Penflower hears Mac's tactic and nods enthusiastically at the idea. He likes having a strategy and not going in blindly.
However, all the strategy could not have prepared him for the huge pincer the scorpion used to attack him. Trying to dodge it isn't enough and he has to put his shield between him and the sharp part of the pincer to avoid getting crushed. This only works partially. His shield cracks from the pressure and he worries it might be destroyed. It's Mac and Jon's readiness that wakes him from his worries. He tries to escape the pincer with his strength.
After breaking free, he angrily charges his fire spell into his sword, as he swings it at the scorpion.
Seeing his new friend Pen getting mangled by the enemy, Hagrym clasps his holy symbol tight and concentrates, reaching out to bless the elf with healing magic.
Penflower hears Mac's tactic and nods enthusiastically at the idea. He likes having a strategy and not going in blindly.
However, all the strategy could not have prepared him for the huge pincer the scorpion used to attack him. Trying to dodge it isn't enough and he has to put his shield between him and the sharp part of the pincer to avoid getting crushed. This only works partially. His shield cracks from the pressure and he worries it might be destroyed. It's Mac and Jon's readiness that wakes him from his worries. He tries to escape the pincer with his strength.
[dice=Escape vs Scorpion Athletics DC]1d20+7
After breaking free, he angrily charges his fire spell into his sword, as he swings it at the scorpion.
[dice=Spellstrike]1d20+7
[dice=Damage]1d8+4
[dice=Fire damage]2d6
Mac unleashes two powerful blows inflicting 20 damage on the scorpion and moves. Jon follows up by moving and landing both shots of his pistol, inflicting 6 damage (no criticals). Pen amazingly escapes the scorpion's pincer, moves forward, and stabs it, inflicting 6 more damage. Hagrym heals Pen. The scorpion is wobbling, as it is bleeding profusely.
Willorn draws his crossbow and shoots the scorpion, but misses.
Round 2: Giant Scorpion
Barely standing, the arachnid fights to the death and it unleashes all 3 of its attacks at the Mac and Pen.
Mac staggers back as he feels the scorpion's stinger rips through into his shoulder, pumping poison into his blood system. He fights the poison off, grips his halberd in rage, and goes on the offensive.
Round 2: Mac
◆Step ◆Vicious Swing
Mac steps into the flank with Pen and attacks viciously. "Let's finish it!"
Mac drives his halberd deep into the scorpion's abdomen, killing it!
You search the rest of the room, in the meantime, and the double door to the north with the stone face carved with skulls caked with tangles of moss intrigues you.
Jon reloads both barrels of his pistol and uses Detect Magic on the double doors.
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Penflower puts his hand on Hagrym's shoulder and says "Thank you for that.", then turning to the others he says "I'm glad you're so capable. I would have been crushed if not for your fast combat prowess."
He has no clue or interest about religion, and the stone face just flies over his head. After a session of treating wounds, he gets ready to lead the group north, shield first.
Jon does not detect any magic on the door or in the room.
Know. Religion
Hagrym, still harried from all the action, struggled trying to concentrate on the door’s image.
Unfortunately, the skull symbol with weeds in its mouth on the doors is unrecognizable to the party.
After the healing, you push on north, through the double doors to reveal:
The air in this large dark chapel feels colder and damper than elsewhere in the ruins. Pen casts Light on his shield so he and Jon can see inside the room, since the dwarves in the party are comfortable with the darkness. Condensed beads on the walls run in rivulets across the countless skulls carved into the stone. A moldering human corpse lies slumped against a wall, his hands wedged into a crack as if he died trying to pry a brick loose. Three short flights of steps lead upward to a wider chamber to the north, where a semicircular dais supports an altar of white stone. Beyond the altar loom four stained-glass windows, each twenty feet tall and depicting four haunting scenes of ghosts rising from overgrown graveyards toward a four-pointed orange star high above.
As the party enters the room, searching for traps and such, two skeletons come around the northern corner, each glowing with a blue light!
Round 1: Mac
Mac grips his halberd and speaks to the group, "Before we rush up, we can't be dealing with regular skeletons, right? That blue glow is creepy."
Mac thinks back at some treatises that he read when he was absorbing lore on spiritual undead and there was a particular mention of an undead form know as a corpselight that is a wisp that is unknown to inhabit and possess corpses. In its current skeletal form, it is vulnerable to bludgeoning weapons and severely hampered in sunlight. They are tough, as tough or even tougher than the giant scorpion you just fought.
"Undead, weak to bludgeoning and sunlight. Tough as nails, very durable." Mac stretches his halberd back to Grym. "Cuz, my blade needs your magic touch."
Kathi nods at his cousin’s suggestion. ”May Torag guide your swing, Maclin! Teach these undead a lesson about messing with a bunch of dwarves…and friends!”
Jon draws his pistol (but not another weapon) and steps up behind Mac. "I'll blast those things to pieces."
Round 1: Corpselights
The yellow corpselight moves in 25' feet with its first stride ending 10' away from Mac, which triggers his readied attack, taking a savage hit.
With its second action, the corpselight then steps 5' more, provoking Pen's readied attack, which misses.
With its 3rd action, the corpselight bites Mac in the shoulders with its sharp teeth, drawing blood.
The blue corpselight strides 25' with its first action.
With its second action, it strides up to Pen, provoking Mac's reactionary strike!
With its 3rd action, the corpselight attempts to bite Pen in his forearm, tearing flesh!
Round 1: Mac
Mac strikes at the blue corpselight in front of him with his halberd.
"Cuz, don't worry about healing me, take those bastards down!"
Hagrym clenches his holy symbol and tries an ability with his Heal spell that he had never used before. He would focus every bit of his available concentration, trying to both heal his allies and damage the undead!
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Jon aims and fires◆ at Blue Corpselight.
(This is added to the total crit damage but not doubled.)
He takes aim and fires◆ his second barrel at Blue
(This is added to the total crit damage but not doubled.)
Jon uses his free hand to reload◆ one barrel the old fashioned way.
Jon's first shot for 7 damage takes down the blue skeleton, and as it collapses to the ground, the corpselight emerges from the skeleton in its tiny wisp form, looking like a blue glowing skull!
He attacks the yellow skeleton (and the wisp, if it appears) with the +1 morningstar, inflicting bludgeoning damage.
Jon's second bullet struck the yellow skeleton for 7 damage bringing total to 29.
Pen's first attack destroys the yellow skeleton, causing another wisp to rise from the corpse. Pen's second attack misses, but the 3rd attack destroys the wisp that just appeared.
Corpselight:
◆Stride ◆Claim corpse ◆Stand up
The last remaining blue skull flies toward the corpse on the wall, provoking a reactionary attack from Mac, which barely misses!
The corpselight reaches the skeletal corpse and claims it, merging with the corpse, causing the green skeleton to awaken and rise! It turns its head toward you all with hatred in its eyes...
"Are you kiddin? This damn wisp can just animate corpses?!"
Mac strides over and strikes twice at the new skeleton.
Mac's first strike shatters the skeleton into pieces, and this time, before the glowing blue skull can seek out one of the many mitflit corpses in the nearby halls to claim, Mac's second strike ends its life and the threat.
The corpse near the open secret door is of a human male. It looks like he perished while he was trying to open the secret door - most likely killed by the corpselights. The thief’s corpse has several items of value, including:+1 rapier, four daggers, a silver ring worth 5 gp, a minor healing potion, and a lesser darkvision elixir.
On the skeletons initially claimed by the corpselights, you find a gold tooth worth 4 gp and an amulet that radiates abjuration magic.
You move further north and find the altar. You need to make a DC 25 Knowledge Religion check to recall the obscure deity.
Searching the altar you find a secret compartment containing Scroll of restore senses and 1st level Wand of Heal.
In the secret room near the dead rogue, you find the room's divan and armoire have fallen to decay. Under the divan, you find a set of six bronze keys - 4 of which are rusted and ruined and 2 keys which are intact - one is decorated with a lighthouse and the other is decorated with a book.
"Shall we check out the lighthouse itself next?" Jon asks conversationally as he reloads his second barrel of his pistol before looting the thief's corpse. He gives the +1 rapier a few test thrusts in the air before putting it with the rest of their loot. "It certainly has its appeal, but I think a nice agile shortsword still suits me better."