Happy to let Kells and Zereta take the lead, Tobin sheathes his rapier and readies his shortbow instead. He takes up a position to the rear and side of the warriors, from where he has a clear view of the gap in the rubble, and steals a glance through the arch that Kells recently cleared of cobwebs.
Jeny stirs, with the sudden sound of movement. She wakes to see people shuffling off down the corridor. She stands adjusts her gear and follows on thank goodness, I couldn't stand to have stood around any longer, making noise for all manner of creatures to hear.
Waving his torch down the gap in the masonry Kells can't see anything beyond more rubble, he's fairly certain that whatever it was is further down the corridor and that the party will need to crawl through the enclosed space to have a chance of finding it.
As Tobin looks into the room that was once obscured by cobwebs he sees a wide stairway descending into an immense domed chamber. Seven short tunnels branch from the room in all directions, extending some thirty feet before ending in rounded walls. At the terminus of each passage, a thick chain dangles from an unseen high ceiling. Five of the chains bear colourful lanterns but two bear nothing at all. Opposite the entry stairs, a bright green lantern containing wha looks like a torch casts a weird murky light about the room. Countless chips of glass and shiny metal inset into the chamber's domed ceiling reflect this light, giving the impression of stalight and falling snow. The dome starts at about ten feet off of the group and rises to about thirty over the center of the room.
Below the dome's peak, a long dais holds what appears to be a marble sarcophagus. A milky white bas-relief figure, perhaps of a human, rests passively upon the sarcophagus lid. Unlike the rest of the tomb, this room is completely silent.
Kells decides to try to elicit a response from the other side of the wall. He passes the torch back to someone (Khadath, probably) and takes the haft of his hammer with both hands. With a roar he swings the weapon down on the masonary of the wall about chest height.
"Wake up the whole bloody cave with that sort of racket... we'll all be dead before lunch time..."
Now you can all hear the sound of falling rocks on the other side of the wall of rubble, but you're not sure whether it's the sound of something moving or just the result of the paladin's hammer. Nothing comes out of the gap in the masonry.
"Easy, Kells," Tobin yelps, startled by the sudden noise. "It could just be some frightened animal hiding in there - or even a frightened kid!" Tobin takes a step towards the stairway, looking into the domed chamber with interest. "This looks like the room in the fresco," he muses, "but why would you create a picture of a place right next to the place itself?"
Khadath could not HEAR whatever sounds Kells was speaking of, but none the less he stayed relatively near the group in the event there was a need for a hasty exit.
When Kells slammed his hammer against the wall he remained silent for a moment, letting those more experience in such matter handle the matter. So it was a bit of a relief to him when Jeny had spoken up about the ruckus, for he also felt it wasn't the best course of action. After all, they were the intruders of whatever dwelt with the cairn.
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"Easy, Kells," Tobin yelps, startled by the sudden noise. "It could just be some frightened animal hiding in there - or even a frightened kid!" Tobin takes a step towards the stairway, looking into the domed chamber with interest.
"if it is a child" (assuming knowledge of the missing kid) "we should see what we can do for her. If not the child, then whatever it is, we cannot move forward to leave it to come up from behind. Lets at least check to see what were up against."
Darie nodded. "I agree. It's usually not a good idea to turn your back against something that may, or may not be very dangerous. The only question is, who'll go and check it out?"
Kells looks chagrinned at Tobin and Khadath's words. "I'm sorry, I let my mind run away with nasty things back there and didn't think about it being a kid. You are right. Here give me the torch, I'll crawl in see if there is anything back there or not." He takes the torch back, hangs his hammer on his belt then thinks better and takes it off and leans it against the wall, and finally pulls out his short sword. "This'll be easier to use if there is something back there." He kneels down and crawls toward the opening holding the torch in front of him. "If there is anyone back there, we don't wish you any harm. I though you might be wolves or spiders or something. I'm leading in with my torch, so don't get to close. I'm going to wave it around in case something is up above the entrance."
And he crawls forward and does just that.
Kells:
"Here give me the torch, I'll crawl in see if there is anything back there or not."
"here you go" Khadath says as he hands the torch back to kells "give a shout if you see anything other than the child." he adds
-------
Kells disappears to the other side of the rubble & everyone can hear the sound of shifting rubble, it becomes utterly certain that Kells isn't alone back there.
Kells:
Keeping the torch in front of him, Kells says almost flatly "That's the biggest blasted snake I've ever seen."
Kessel calls into Kells:
"See if you can draw it out here!"
Tobin tenses, listening carefully to the sounds coming from the rubble, ready to react swiftly to whatever happens. "Keep talking, Kells - tell us what's happening," he calls out.
Keeping the torch in front of him, Kells says almost flatly "That's the biggest blasted snake I've ever seen."
Khadath tenses as he hears Kells call out something about a large snake. He prepares to enter the opening as he moves closer. He will enter and assist Kells if no one else does so before his initiative.
"we all can't go in there in the event this opening collaspes, besides we don't know what else may lay beyond that archway." he says, indicating the opening which Kells recently burned away the webs.
Kells:
The snake is going at the same time as you and your party members appear to be waiting outside for you. What are you going to do; attack or move back (you would need to crawl again to get back to your friends)
Darie held the light up, and her right hand fumbled around the dagger she had kept at her side up to this moment. "Snake. Well, it's probably... ah, too late."
Zereta raises her sword above her head and waits.
Kells hopes to distract the snake with the torch, raising it higher as he looke at the column-like underbelly rising up. Taking a second to throw "There's actually quite a lot of space over here to move around if you want to come through." Then, with a little flick of the torch up and away from him, he dodges in low with his short sword plunging it at the snake's belly.
Attacking the snake (1d20+4=18)
Damage if it hits (1d6+3=9)
"what's the matter with you all?" he ask, but doesn't wait for a reply, as he sees none of the others are bothering to move to assist Kells.
Khadath quickly drops to his knees and begins the crawl into the tunnel to assist the paladin.
"I'm on my way Kells!" he calls out, not knowing how his companion is fairing against the large snake.
Inspired by Kessel's song, Tobin hunkers down and shuffles through the gap after Khadath. "Khadath's right," he says, as he goes, "we shouldn't all go through, even though Kells says there's some room on the other side. Someone should guard our backs!" As he clears the tunnel, Tobin straightens up and evaluates the situation, trying to work out whether he should drop his bow and draw his rapier.
The snake slithers forward and sinks it's fangs into Kells as it's body starts coiling around the paladin's body.
Tobin and Khadath crawl into the space behind the wall of collapsed rubble. The cleric manages to stand on the other side without incident, the halfling however is a little less lucky as a second snake rears it's head and bites the halfling, it's smooth body quickly encircling him.
Darie gasped, as she saw Tobin hurt by the second snake "Not good... T..." She panicked a bit, fumbling around with her dagger, but seemed intent to drive it into the snakes body that was right then threatening the halfling. She wasn't too convinced on how to do this, and held back as not to accidentialy hurt her friend.
"I need some more help in here! Tobin has fallen victim to another snake!" Khadath calls out as he watched the halfling fall. He hopes that kells is able to fight off the snake from coiling about him.
"There's plenty of room back here once you've cleared the tunnel (30x15 foot space behind the wall to move around in). "I'll draw the other snake attention so someone can crawl through, hurry now!" he shouts
I take it that the snake will still be coiling itself about Tobin? if so...
Khadath watches in horror as the snake proceeds to wrap itself about his halfling companion. He would have to act soon or else there would be no saving him.
“I must hasten to assist Tobin, before that snake strangles what remaining life he has” Khadath calls out to the paladin, hoping that Kells will be able to manage against the remaining snake on his own.
He raises his mace and brings it down to Strike upon the snake and hopes that the attack will be enough to draw the slithering creature away from Tobin
Zereta crawls through and as she stands up on the other side she sees her friend being hurt. Her rightous wrath is too much to contain and she rages. and swings her sword at the snake attacking Kells
Tobin cries out in shock and surprise as the snake's fangs sink into his neck, his yell petering out as he slips into unconsciousness.
Spotting a second snake lurking in the rubble, Tobin opts to fire off a quick shot at it, rather than risking accidentally shooting Kells.
Point-blank shot at the second snake, inspired by Kessel (1d20+7=19, 1d4+2=5)
Kells lets loose a growl of anger as the snake's fangs sink into his arm. He tries to step back, but the snake is very fast with lashing it's coils around him.
Grapple check: 1d20=3 +4= 7
inspired by Kessel
please factor in the bonus from Kessel for Khadath attack as well since i forgot to do so
inspired by Kesselplease factor in the bonus from Kessel for Khadath attack as well since i forgot to do so
