Aberus finishes his tea and sets the cup and saucer down. "Thank you for that. I'd almost forgotten how to relax." He smiles, then continues. "Unless we have dissenting opinions, I think the Hall of Heroes. Though as Merlin points out, that may have to wait until tomorrow. We are all spent."
Kelly seems to be drifting off already, her teacup threatening to fall from her hand as she nods.
Horgus nods and says, "Please, erm, partake of the hospitality of my household, such as it is. The unseen servants help so it's not too much of a bother to have the beds made and the dishes cleaned."
Horgus directs the servants to produce some victuals from storage - pickles, sausage that the servants heat up on a stove, a kind of cabbage slaw with bits of dried crackers (croutons?) in it. The flavor of the meal is quite a difference from the bland vegetable soup, dry biscuits and jerky that have sustained you recently. He also has the servants prepare another pot of tea, and then for dessert a delicacy - ground cacao powder in milk with a hint of chili pepper, both sweet and spicy. It's all you can do to stumble up to the guest rooms and fall into bed.
For once, there are no screams, no nightmares. The wall around Horgus' estate keeps such distractions in the distance, and your slumber is undisturbed by those kinds of troubles. It is, overall, a more sedate night than you've had since the invasion.
In the morning, Horgus has already directed the servants to wash and press your clothing while you slept; your armor is shined, weapons cleaned. You feel as if perhaps you can turn this crusade around.
After a quick repast of hot oatmeal and cold fruit, you give your regards and set off to the Hall of Heroes.
~~~~~~~~~~
The Hall of Heroes is a long building with a red slate roof and stout wooden walls, but even this place has taken a beating. The gardens around it are trampled and in some places burned and blackened. The building runs predominantly north to south, essentially a long hallway with displays and statues on either side in the interior. From outside, the southern doors (the main entrance) have been riven and splintered open. The early morning sunlight that shines in shows smears of dry blood on the floor and a few lingering bodies at the base of some of the statues.
Arloric rises with the sun, and sings a small prayer to the cycle of nature before the others waken.
When they arrive at the Hall, he frowns.
"I don't think any of us are the best scouts. Gods, I wish Dorne was here."
Merlin rise--thanking the Dawn--and prepares his equipment.
He eats and readies himself.
Stealth is not my specialty, but I am perceptive.
"I haven't trained specifically in being sneaky," Kelly admits, "but I am small and nimble."
Uriel ignores the others for a moment, concentrating his senses on the entrance.
"If we must charge the gate, Uriel shall lead it. It is only fitting for him to honor his ancestors so," Arloric comments.
Uriel concentrates...
Uriel holds up a hand quickly. "There is evil inside. One pretty significant aura, and four lesser ones. We should exercise caution."
Aberus frowns. "It feels like this is going to be one of those 'chicken and egg' problems."
Merlin eases his sword out of its scabbard.
The elf will begin to concentrate, bringing the words of a spell to mind.
Arloric draws his own sword and gives Uriel an encouraging nod.
Very cautiously you creep forward and sneak a peek through the double doorway.
The floor is littered with a few bodies, most several days old. A few of them are wearing arms and armor of local crusaders, but it looks like something exploded or melted the flesh off of the bones without breaking their armor and clothing. One near the back of the Hall has a nasty wound in the guts, slumped at the foot of a display case with a mannequin of Chaplain Olivier. A dead halfling crusader likewise lies sprawled in one of the alcoves, having crawled behind one of the statues - only the small bare feet sticking out giving away the poor soul's fate.
Aberus pulls out and readies his mace. He turns to face Uriel, and then gestures left, then right, then shrugs with a quizzical look.
Arloric proceeds to look down the left, the yellow iris of his black eye glowing in the dark.
Sunlight still filters in through the tall glass windows, shattered or whole; it is easy to see the carnage left behind here. Nothing seems to be moving or lurking.
Uriel leads the way, stopping at the doors. He whispers to the others "Some of the bodies seem to be the source of some evil. Dead villains, or perhaps men felled by evil means that linger still. But there may be something else is still inside. It could be a demon, undead, an evil priest, there's no way to be sure." He cautiously opens the door, before heading in first. As he goes, he gestures to Arloric and Aberus to cover the first pair of alcoves, then presses past them himself.
Aberus quietly says a short prayer to Sarenrae, holds up his ankh, and touches Uriel on his shoulder.
Merlin says a prayer to Sarenrae.
He then brings up the rear, guarding their back.
Kelly draws her blade and steadies herself. "Let's do this."
Arloric draws his own sword and nods to the others.
"Willing and able," he says.
As expected, when you cross the threshold, the corpses lurch to their feet. The sheared skeletons make an odd squishing sound and blood floods out of their armor, while the gutted corpse rises suddenly with a hiss and its face distorts into a withered grimace with empty eyes.
The other undead you recognize as a wight!
Arloric takes up a position by Uriel, bracing himself for the abominations to come.
"We will return these monsters to the earth where they belong!"
Being in the rearguard, Merlin casts Divine Favor. He then remembers his training, activating Martial Versatility (Weapon Focus).
Merlin finishes his spell just as the bloody skeletons scramble to their feet. They lurch toward the front line, blood soaking through their boots and leaving gruesome footprints.
Fortunately only one of them has time to lunge for Arloric.
Arloric shifts back on his heels and knocks away the reaching, gore-covered claws of the skeleton.
The wight, meanwhile, launches itself forward and then clambers up next to one of the statues, standing up on the base.
She activates her protective aura.,
Kelly charges in beside Uriel, stabbing at the skellyman she meets.
Crowd Control +1 (Ex) If 2+ foes adjacent, +1 to hit & AC.
| AC18 (T16 FF14) |
Aberus steps into the room and stops a few feet behind the defensive line. "Those are not skeletons," he says. "Though that one is a wight."
He lifts his ankh up before him and channels energy to harm undead.
"Doesn't matter WHAT they are, we'll return them all to the earth!" Arloric says as he swings at the monster that attempted to claw him.
Telerin raises her shield against the foes, while Kelly stabs the bloody skeleton but her knife is less than effective against armored bones.
There's a sizzling sound as Aberus holds forth his holy symbol, and black smoke rises from the skeletons. The wight flinches but seems barely affected.
Merlin steps 5' into the room.
Uriel draws his blade and moves to attack the nearest skeleton.
Crit?
Uriel smashes the bloody skeleton before him, sending it flying apart in flinders. Gouts of blood spray across him, though this is nothing new.
The skeletons close in, one lurching into position where its predecessor fell. Wicked claws slash at the party, while the wight remains perched on the statue, hissing and snarling.
"Blast!" Arloric swears as he begins to bleed. "Now I know how they're not ordinary skeletons!"
He strikes again.
Crit?
Realizing she can't hurt the skeletons much, Kelly focuses on helping Uriel.
kNOW rELIIGON
These undead are beyond my ken she says
rta
as she begins to chant an arrow of acid shoots out from her hand and strikes at the wight
damage
Be gone foul beast!
Aberus holds up his holy symbol and speaks the words to a spell.
Merlin casts Enlarge Person on himself, so that he can reach over his companions.
Merlin starts casting a spell. Telerin blasts the wight with an acid arrow, and it lets out an angry hiss as its already-rotten flesh sizzles and smokes! Uriel can't get into a flank as the bloody skeletons have formed a line, but he smashes the one right in front of him to flinders, spreading more bloody gore.
The skeletons continue clawing at the party, and Arloric takes another claw that bleeds excessively. The wight leaps from the statue and rushes to the gap in the front line, where it lashes out at Uriel with its withered fist. It connects solidly with the paladin, causing his armor to let out a groan as the metal crumples under the supernatural force of the blow.
The acid does an additional
damage
Seeing the wight continue to approach, even though it has been harmed with positive energy and has been harmed by acid, she concentrates on the ring she wears and uses it to call upon a spell she knows but has not memorized as two eldritch bolts emerge from her hand, in the form of a silver dragon and strike the wight, unerringly.
Magic Missile
Uriel quickly charges a hand with positive energy, before touching his wounded side.
He then returns his hand to his blade and attacks the remaining skeleton.