As the party sorts themselves, a pair of large birds circles overhead in the ominous manner of scavengers sensing a meal...
"I'll take the rear with my scimitar. I think that Balnar is best bet for the front but lets keep the light in the center." Bowen keeps his eyes on the large birds overhead woundering if they are birds of prey or carrion.
The birds are carrion eagles, birds renowned for eating only dead flesh. Their's nothing unusual about them, but the superstitious see them as a bad sign, a portent of doom.
Rall takes up the center of the column. "Pssst... where are we going? .... Pssst. Does anyone smell something foul? ... Oh, never mind."
"I can follow after Balnar, then. It may be that I can give him some assistance with spells, should it be needed." Arla moves up to a position in front of Rall, her animal companion at her heels as always.
The party, led by Balnar, moves into and through the double doors, heading west, following the main set of footprints.
Beyond the double doors is a small dark hall (10' wide). Littered with mounds of debris and a years worth of dead leaves, a clear path has been trampled through the leaves and around the corner to the north.
There are two closed doors, one to the north and one to the south about six feet inside the short hall. After ten feet the short hall ends and another hallway, five foot wide, running north and south begins. The trail travels north along this new hallway.
Another set of double doors to the west also lies at the end of the short hallway. These are partially open.
There is no light within.
"Dark isn't it," whispers Fee, a little nervously, and he conjures forth a small light from his holy symbol.
A small rat pokes its heads out of a crack in the wall and watches the party as if deciding what is going on. Then it withdraws its head and is gone.
Arla nods in response to the halfling, taking in the details of the room as they are lit by the glowing holy symbol.
After a few moments, she speaks quietly. "Looks like the trail goes north. Shall we go that way?"
Rall nods not knowing whether the plan is good or bad. "North then," he says trying to sound decisive.
As they pass by the westward double doors to look north, Fee's small light momentarily reveals what looks like pews within the room to the west. Then the halfling's light has moved past the doors and all is once more dark within that room. The hallway north continues on for another fifteen feet and then turns east.
As the party begins to move northward into the hall, there is a clattering as of a small stone striking the floor, just out of sight. The noise comes from the room to the west with the pews in it.
Rall attempts to sneak close enough to the room to see what could have made the noise.
Rall
Peering beyond the doors, it takes Rall a moment to make out any details in the room. A crack in the wall on the other side allows some light in though and Rall can see what looks like an altar on the other side of the room. There are also about six pews in the room. Otherwise Rall can see no one and nothing from his vantage point in the hall.
Rall signals the others to move on and attempts to hide in a place where he can see the room, hoping that whatever made the noise will let its guard down.
As the others creep towards the corner, watching Rall, Rall stays still near the door.
A rustling sound from above makes Rall think that whatever is in the room might be somewhere near the ceiling, which he can't see at the moment.
'Should have brought a mirror,' thinks Rall readying his short bow and rushing into the room ready to fire at anything creepy on the ceiling.
Rall
Rall can act in this, the surprise round.
Bowen inches closer towards Rall keeping his scimitar at the ready for trouble.
Rall has yet to master the art of firing an arrow while lying flat on his back: range attack (1d20+2=5, 1d6+1=3)
Rall's arrow strikes the ceiling behind the strange figure and tears through the rotten wood. Small stones clatter to the floor through the new hole in the roof, and a thin stream of sunlight bursts into the room.
Monster Initiative: (1d20+4=8)
We are on Round 1. Bowen and Rall both beat the monsters' initiative.
Arla grips her spear tightly, staring around herself for any sign of trouble.
Initiative: 1d20+2 = 13
Rall takes another shot at the creature on the ceiling: (1d20+2=17, 1d6+1=5).
He then drops his bow and draws his sword.
Rall's arrow sinks into his mostly, as of yet, unseen target. There is an angry high pitched shriek that borders on painful to ear, eminating from the wounded creature.
Bowen and then Arla can act.
Fee is even now rushing into the room with his light at the ready.
Bowen stalks into the room behind Rall trying to see where the cry came from looking for a target he can attack with his scimitar.
Putting his back to Rall's he makes it difficult for an enemy to get a jump on either of them.
Bowen can just make out the two figures in the ceiling above him. They make him think of stalactites with tentacles.
Following after Bowen, Arla moves into the room as a high pitched shriek fills the air. She glances around herself again, looking for any sign of the source of the noise as she steps closer to her two companions.
She then begins to mutter softly to herself, the words 'nature's guidance' being barely audible. A faint glow appears around her hands as she attempts to cast 'Guidance' on Rall.
As the rest mill outside the door in confusion, Arla enters the room and cast guidance on Rall.
Suddenly the ceiling dissapears into two globes of darkness and the darkness falls down, towards the ground. Everything goes pitch black and there is the sound of small pebbles bouncing around on the floor.
Round 2 begins
Rall wastes the divine help. Stabbing blindly into the globe of darkness, he counts himself lucky he managed to keep all his toes.
PCs who have rolled initiative all act before the monsters.
As the darkness falls around her, Arla assumes a defensive position before looking around uncertainly. Unable to tell what is attacking them, and unsure of where their assailants are, she again quietly intones an orison, this time casting Guidance on herself.
Turning in the direction of the falling stones, she grips her spear in both hands, attempting to prepare herself for any unseen onslaught and taking a few steps backwards as she does so.
Bowen pulls out of the doorway, "Rall try to follow my voice and bring them out of the blackness." Ready to strike at anything coming out of the opening Bowen waits. Then with a thought, "Little one can you bring some light to the subjects?"
Fee cast another minor light spell, illuminating an area around himself for twenty feet in every direction.
It is enough to reveal the monster heading for his head, a grey black thing of tentacles and skin, looking for all the world something like a falling squid.
Dark Mantle Attacks: (1d20+5=24)
Damage: (1d4+4=7)
Grapple: (1d20+5=22)
Constrict Damage: (1d4+4=6)
The creature slams into the top of the halfling's head and immediately engulf's Fee's face and neck in leathery skin and ropey tentacles.
The halfling can not even cry out and he collapses to the floor, the creature throttling his throat.
Another of the creatures drops towards Rall.
Dark Mantle Attacks Rall: (1d20+5=21)
Slam Damage: (1d4+4=8)
Grapple Check: (1d20+6=26)
Constrict Damage: (1d4+4=6)
Like the first on Fee, the second creature strikes Rall's head hard and then loops tentacled skin around face and throat. Rall collapses.
Bowen rushes in and goes after the creature that has fallen upon Rall thinking it would let the rest of the group inside the room better. He takes his scimitar and swings high trying not to hit the man inside the bease.
Fee cast another minor light spell, illuminating an area around himself for twenty feet in every direction.
It is enough to reveal the monster heading for his head, a grey black thing of tentacles and skin, looking for all the world something like a falling squid.
Dark Mantle Attacks: (1d20+5=24)
Damage: (1d4+4=7)
Grapple: (1d20+5=22)
Constrict Damage: (1d4+4=6)The creature slams into the top of the halfling's head and immediately engulf's Fee's face and neck in leathery skin and ropey tentacles.
The halfling can not even cry out and he collapses to the floor, the creature throttling his throat.
Another of the creatures drops towards Rall.
Dark Mantle Attacks Rall: (1d20+5=21)
Slam Damage: (1d4+4=8)
Grapple Check: (1d20+6=26)
Constrict Damage: (1d4+4=6)Like the first on Fee, the second creature strikes Rall's head hard and then loops tentacled skin around face and throat. Rall collapses.
If Rall is conscious:
"Nah da bay!" Rall mumbles from under the creature
Bowen's attack is enough to make the creature loose its hold on Rall. It flutters from the floor a foot or two and then collapses, unmoving.
Rall's face is almost blue and he is not moving.
Nearby Fee kicks one leg as the creature continues to strangle him.
As the darkness lifts, Arla gasps in shock as she sees the carnage that the squid-like monsters have wreaked. She and Bowen would have to act quickly to save both Rall and Fee. The druid begins to cast a spell to summon in an ally to hopefully help save Fee. At the spell's end, a wolf fades into the room next to the squid. It snarls and attacks the creature.
"Bowen, I can save Rall if you help Fee! The wolf will help!" she calls to Bowen, before turning her attention to Rall.
The wolf's teeth fail to pierce the strange creature's tough skin.
As the wolf moves to attack the manta, Ash moves to sink his fangs into the creature as well. However, he misjudges the creature's movements and misses entirely.
Constricting Damage: (1d4+4=7)
The creature continues to tighten its grip around the halfling's neck, heedless of the canines biting at it.
Not seeing anything he can do for the deputy he rushes to the next creature that looks as if it is trying to eat poor Fee. With all his frustrations Bowen swings his scimitar into the flesh of the beast not knowing what else to do hoping he misses any parts that belong to Fee.
Nowen's blade slices cleanly through the second monster and it falls from the halfling, black blood spilling onto the ground, like some black oil.
The halfling, however is quite dead, his neck broken. No longer will his cheerful voice ring out, nonstop.
Rall is not dead, not yet.
There is no sign of the other two companions. They never entered the room with Bowen, Arla and Fee.