Canas looks on as the undead are engulfed in flames. "Oh, thank you." Canas walks out around the corner, leaning heavily against the wall. For a brief moment, he appears to be a humanoid form made of plants, but then you blink and he is normal, although his eyes do seem to be glowing brighter than before. "Well, that ended well.", he says with a smile.
A'loran rushes to the corner brandishing his staff and seeing no more threats
Well done guys, Rolf it looks like the new guy might need some divine assistance.
Lets hurry up guys, If Douven is here I'd like to find him as soon as possible
Canas
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Gingerly stepping over the chared remains of papery corpses and through the black greasy smoke and small fires still alight on the remains Kava approaches the new human "Well my dear Canas. It looks like you certainly know how to attract a crowd. Are you alright? It looks like they just roughed you up a little." She inquires with her melodic tone.
"Now where did Anmuspi get too?"
"Now where did Anmuspi get too?"
Canas kneels down in the rubble, pulling a fragment of bloody wood out from under it.
"He wouldn't of happened to be an archer, would he?"
The point where Canas kneels is drenched in blood, and he grabs what appears to be a bow imbeded in the stone floor.
Latro retrieves some shurikens and makes his way to the gathering of allies.
"Thanks for adding to our fun Canas! I'm enjoying this day to no end. I hope it never ends, although I must admit that I'm getting kind of tired. What are you all looking at? And where's Anmuspi?"
Latro spots the bloodstained clothing and the bow.
"Um. That can't be. Anmuspi? Please don't let it be. Damn my foolhardiness. If I had searched better, I would have noticed how rickety the stairs were. It's all my fault! This isn't fun anymore. Friends aren't supposed to die."
Latro hits his knees and begins to sob for his fallen comrade and the death he believes he caused.
"Anmuspi was right behind us."
A'loran moves up to where Canas retrieves the bow. Looking down and trying to recognize any clothing or the bow to confirm that its Anmuspi (assuming he finds evidence)
A'loran leans heavily on his staff "oh what a sad day"
A'loran sets his staff aside and starts to remove some rubble so that the body can be properly cared for.
"Ah if that smear be him, he is lucky, to die in battle is an honor, I hope to fall that way! To sit in the battle chamber of Kord, ahhh the honor"
"It is a sad day indeed," Latro says softly, tears continuing to stream down his little face. "And it's all my fault."
"You say it's a good way to die Rolf, but no one is supposed to die when you are having fun adventures. And no one is supposed to die in their prime. Death is for the old, ill, and infirm. We've dispatched skeletons, ghosts, suits of armor, and zombies. See...none living. This is too much. No one is supposed to DIE!!" The last is screamed between sobs.
"And he didn't die in battle, Rolf. He died because I was too stupid and didn't search well enough. I was too excited. Never again. Never again will I be so dumb. Rushing foolishly ahead is for those who have not experienced the death of a friend."
Actually, it's impossible to explain what happened as there is no body, only blood. The only thing indicating it as Anmuspi's is the bow. Digging through the debris uncovers no sign of the young man. A careful search of the area does uncover some interesting things in the stirge nest: a purse heavy with coins and a battered shield.
Throwing Shield
When tossed, this throwing shield packs a hefty punch.
Level: 6
Price: 1800 gp
Item Slot: Arms
Power (At-Will): Standard Action. Make an attack: Ranged 10; Strength + 2 vs. AC; on a hit, the target takes 1d8 + Strength modifier damage. The shield automatically returns to your grip after the attack.
Power (Daily): Free Action. Use this power after you hit a target with this shield’s ranged attack. The target is pushed 1 square.
On his hands and knees, Latro searches for a sign of Anmuspi. "His body has to be here. His bow is here. Where is he? Maybe he's not dead. Maybe he's wandering around this god-forsaken place with a big bump on his head. Maybe he wandered outside."
Latro heads for the front doors and takes a quick look around. After seeing no sign of Anmuspi, Latro returns.
"I didn't see him! We've got to try to find him! He must be in here somewhere!!"
Latro kneels down and grabs a scrap of Anmuspi's clothing. He ties the small scrap to his belt. "This way, we don't forget to look for him. And I don't forget to be careful."
On his hands and knees, Latro searches for a sign of Anmuspi. "His body has to be here. His bow is here. Where is he? Maybe he's not dead. Maybe he's wandering around this god-forsaken place with a big bump on his head. Maybe he wandered outside."
Latro heads for the front doors and takes a quick look around. After seeing no sign of Anmuspi, Latro returns.
"I didn't see him! We've got to try to find him! He must be in here somewhere!!"
Latro kneels down and grabs a scrap of Anmuspi's clothing. He ties the small scrap to his belt. "This way, we don't forget to look for him. And I don't forget to be careful."
"Wait, this is it? Only a smear of blood? How did this happen? Perhaps some sort of 'anti-vampire'? Oh, no point in speculating just yet. Well, if you would excuse me for a few seconds..."
Canas picks up a splinter of wood with a portion of Anmuspi's blood on it and walks around the corner. Should you look around the corner, you will see an odd sight. Canas has drawn an arcane circle in chalk on the ground with the splinter in the center, and he stands over it mumbling. "Zutwa, ye who has once given this shard life, we thank you for the life you have given it, yet we hate you for how little you gave." He then waves his hand, lighting the splinter on fire, then scuffs out the circle with his foot. He then walks back out to the group, as if he wasn't doing anything.
"So what next? Do we continue or rest? It's been a long day, what with running from the Goblin Horde and all. But I'm ready to move on and avenge poor Anmuspi."
latro, lets do a quick rest then search for Anmuspi and Douven. It looks like someone or something has taken his body
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"Something untoward has happened to him but as he was the only tracker here our best chance of finding him is scouting the whole keep. Rest up quick and we will resume our search." Kava approaches Latro "I am sorry little one, but unless we find his body let us remain hopeful. As silent and capable as he was it could just as easily be something else's blood and Anmuspi on a secret mission of his own." She comforts him with a hand to the shoulder
"If something denied him his honorable death, they eill Pay!", Rolf, seems to miss the point his companion may still leave, the dwarf's wild unkept hair falls into his crazy eyes.
"You really think so Kava? Anmuspi might be alive? We should get right on it then!"
Latro removes the tattered cloth from his belt as he realizes it does not match anything Anmuspi was wearing when he disappeared.
"So which way to we go first?"
"So lets start by checking those side rooms where the zombies were lying in wait, head down the other hallway, and then start opening doors. Time is of the essence. Let's get a move on!"
Latro moves to check the side rooms.
A'loran follows along as well. But slowly concentrating with Detect Magic as we move along.
Rolf folows the small halfling, danger seems to find him, and Rolf likes that!
A sweep of the rooms uncovers only rubble. It looks like there were staircases in each leading to an upper floor, but the stairs and any higher levels are now just crumbled stone on the floor. The central corridor's northern end culminates at another arch carved to represent the mouth of a roaring dragon. Stout wooden doors stand closed in it, and a wooden bar sits in the rubble nearby. The rubble directly in front of the doors looks to have been recently cleared away.
The southern half of the east corridor is completely choked in rubble. However, there is something of interest in the northeast corner.
A rope hangs through a hole in the cieling, attached to a grappling hook on the floor. A few rotted corpses lay on the floor nearby, as well as a small pool of dried blood. The pool looks like something was dragged through it to the south. A large dented shield sits nearby coated in dust. There is no coat of arms on it.
Detect Magic reveals:
When tossed, this throwing shield packs a hefty punch.
Level: 6
Price: 1800 gp
Item Slot: Arms
Power (At-Will): Standard Action. Make an attack: Ranged 10; Strength + 2 vs. AC; on a hit, the target takes 1d8 + Strength modifier damage. The shield automatically returns to your grip after the attack.
Power (Daily): Free Action. Use this power after you hit a target with this shield’s ranged attack. The target is pushed 1 square.
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"What do you make of this?" Kava looks up at the hole in the ceiling and the hook on the floor and the rope connecting the 2. "A little baffling to me. Being the master trapspringer Latro, do you make anything of this? I'd like to be sure before I pull on it and bury us all." She takes a look at the pool of blood to determine how old it is.
"I would guess he just slipped off the rope onto a few zombies. *Whooo* Yes, I'm pretty sure it isn't anyone we know. *Whooo* Just look at it! It's been sitting here for months! You know what, I'm not even continuing this conversation. I'll just look at this shield for a bit."
Canas -
Kava -
Latro - assuming he checks out the rope
Latro takes a look at the rope. After determining the rope appears sturdy enough, he gives it a tentative tug.
"The rope appears sturdy enough, as if it might be anchored on the other side. Give me a boost up, and I'll see what I can see through the hole. Just get ready to catch me if something takes a swing at my head and I have to get out of there in a hurry!"
"Wait, I have a better idea. I'll toss my sunrod up there, Archibald will fly up, I'll look around and we're all less likely to get killed by the undead. Sound good?"
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"I would guess he just slipped off the rope onto a few zombies. *Whooo* Yes, I'm pretty sure it isn't anyone we know. *Whooo* Just look at it! It's been sitting here for months! You know what, I'm not even continuing this conversation. I'll just look at this shield for a bit."
"But that is just it Canas. It has only been here a few hours at most! And hardly enough to extinguish a person. They may have fallen unconcious and been dragged off or gotten up and left but I have a strange feeling that this mystery and Anmuspi's disappearance - everthing will be answered beyong those doors."
Kava stops and looks towards the others conversation. "Sounds like a good and safe plan."
With a flap of it's wings Canas' owl rises through one of the many holes in the roof. Canas concentrates and...
Canas
"Hmm. That's... convenient. It just leads outside. Don't know why he did it when there was a perfectly good set of doors."
"Oh yes, I almost forgot. It has several enchantments on it that allow it to be thrown. Well, technically you could throw any shield, but this one would actually effective. Oh, and it comes back when you throw it."
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"Truely?! Well that is something. Too bad the owner did not have the enchantment on theirself!
A throwing shield? Back in basic training we had a Captain that was adept in throwing a shield and would get it to bounce off enemies right back into his own hands. During one daring mission he was frozen solid into a block of ice by a White Dragon and fell into the sea. They never recovered his body. At least that is how the returning soldiers told the story."
"That might be something to try....frozen in a block of ice. As long as you could thaw and be alright that is. Why didn't the soldiers try to catch the block of ice? Was he too big to float?"
"Someone should grab the shield so that we can continue. Rolf or Kava would both benefit from such an item. But I fear for our missing friends. Some of us have already dealt with a White Dragon and I for one wish to stay away from any new ones. Latro you are a peculiar person to wish to be frozen and thawed. Are all halflings short on wits as well?"
After his comments he starts to head south "Looks like the only place left now is the double doors. Let us hurry."
"Not short on wits, wise wizard. Just interested in some fun. Although my spirit was dampened a bit by the disappearance of Anmupsi and the big pool of blood where he stood. I think floating in a block of ice upon the sea might lead to some interesting adventures....as long as I could thaw and be back to normal self, normal being relative, 'cuz clearly my normal is different than your less than inquisitive and mostly serious normal."
"I'm gonna see if I can find any tracks leading from the rope. If they lead to the double door, then we can proceed there. But, if I find tracks and they lead to secret door. Now that would be very fun! Secret doors. Zombies. Ropes from the ceiling. This is one exciting place!!"