Better Homes and Dungeons (Part 2)
GAME: Deak rolls 3d6: (6): 6 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (13)+2: 15 GAME: Walery activates his Titan Armor, gaining: +4 Dex
Deak calls out another rebuke against the foul abominations, but the power of holiness barely glimmers, instead of searing them to ash.
GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+11: (6)+11: 17 GAME: Walery rolls 2d6+6: (7)+6: 13
Walery slides another technomagic thing into his death ray and works the action, which makes a menacing sort of sound, if skeletons were menaced by sounds. These do not appear concerned, even as, after a short prayer to Reos, a beam of raw fire lances forth from his death ray and strikes the skeleton. It's a tough one, it hasn't crumpled yet, and Walery calls out, "Any of you having better luck? This one is decidedly tough."
Shara continues to hum.
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (12)+2: 14 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (5)+2: 7 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (5)+2: 7 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (5)+2: 7
In spite of the fact that they have not fallen yet to the mighty blows dealt to them, the skeletons themselves seem to be unable to land a hit.
GAME: Bitr RAGES!, gaining +2 to melee attack/damage/Will saves and 8 temporary HP GAME: Bitr rolls melee+charge: (1)+9+charge: 10 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Deak spends ONE use of CHANNEL ENERGY.
Somewhere from the back, comes the frightful howl of a halfling barbarian going - well, frothing made. Toothy and clawy. Unfortunately, whatever turns her into a buzzsaw also made her trip over her own bloody feet as she charges forward. OOF!
GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+12: (12)+12: 24 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+12: (17)+12: 29 GAME: Erakirak rolls 13+2d6+1d8: 13+(5)+(1): 19 GAME: Erakirak rolls 13+2d6+1d8: 13+(5)+(5): 23
Ever since defending the Mictlan against the Chaos Lich and her undead minions, and helping the Druids of Dragonier fight off the wight invasion, Erakirak has found himself more attuned to the movements of undead in his vicinity... at times almost mystically so. Like now, for example, when the scent of undead activity has brought him to a pitched battle between a bunch of skeletons and some Alexandrian adventurers.
The nice thing about fighting undead is that there's no confusion about who the targets are! He fires two sparky arrows into one of the larger skeletons, shattering its pelvis and collarbone, and the construct falls to the floor in a pile of slightly charred bones.
GAME: Deak rolls 1d20+4 vsTouchAC: (19)+4 vsTouchAC: 23 GAME: Deak casts Blindness-Deafness. Caster Level: 5 DC: 17 GAME: Deak rolls CSW: aliased to 3d8+5: (21)+5: 26
As soon as the ranger finishes off Lefty, Deak is ready with a spell to infuse life energy into the ambulatory corpse... or at least to partially disrupt the death energy that animates it. He casts and lunges to smack the walking Bones.
GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+11: (18)+11: 29 GAME: Walery rolls 2d6+6: (3)+6: 9
Walery whews as the one skeleton goes down. Turning to face the other, he slams the bolt closed on his death ray, shoulders the weapon, and lets of another bolt of raw fire at the skeleton, attempting to shoot it someplace vulnerable. But where are skeletons vulnerable? This is not something he's been taught. Head and chest seem to be meh, and the limbs are too narrow to hit reliably, so he aims for center body mass and hopes for the best, another bolt of fire emerging from the death ray and screaming for its target, which is strikes with a hissing crackle, though mostly it streams through the ribs uselessly.
GAME: Shara rolls weapon1+1: (3)+7+1: 11
Continuing to Hum her tune, Shara pulls back and fires an arrow at the remaining skeleton....and the arrow goes right through the ribcage....
GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (10)+2: 12 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (19)+2: 21 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d4+2: (1)+2: 3
The skeleton finally manages to rake one bony hand across Deak's face, scratching him. It leers at him with it's unnatural grin and seems to almost be pleased with its efforts. If a skeleton can show any emotion that is.
GAME: Bitr rolls melee+1: (8)+9+1: 18 GAME: Bitr rolls melee+1: (1)+9+1: 11 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Bitr rolls melee+1: (3)+9+1: 13
GAME: Bitr rolls 1d4+5: (1)+5: 6
Having managed to finally find her feet near a giant, spooky skeleton, Bitr does what's only natural to barbarian halflings everywhere. She tries to claw the crap out of the monster, gnashing at it's boney legs with far too pointy teeth as well. Alas, it appears she's still getting her rage legs under her, but at least it looks ferocious!
GAME: Shara rolls 2d4: (6): 6 GAME: Shara casts Gallant Inspiration. Caster Level: 4 DC: 15 GAME: Bitr rolls 1d3+5: (2)+5: 7 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+12: (5)+12: 17 GAME: Erakirak rolls 1d20+12: (1)+12: 13 (EPIC FAIL) GAME: Erakirak rolls 13+2d6+1d8: 13+(7)+(4): 24 GAME: Deak rolls 1d20+4+1 vsTouchAC: (3)+4+1 vsTouchAC: 8 GAME: Deak casts Cure Serious Wounds. Caster Level: 5 DC: 17
Erakirak continues to fire sparky arrows, switching targets as the first one crumbles. One arrow plunges directly into the eye socket of the skeleton and passes harmlessly through a hole in the back of its skull, while the second crushes a rib.
Deak tries to smack the skelly back just like the scratch just scored against his own face, but misses.
GAME: Walery rolls 1d20+11: (14)+11: 25 GAME: Walery rolls 2d6+6: (4)+6: 10
Walery chambers another shell into his death ray, eldritch energy crackling as he says a prayer to Reos, and pulls the trigger. The beam of pure fire strikes the skeleton, it can't be happy with that, but not enough of a strike to take it down. Some inconsequential bone damage and fire consumes the dust and decay on the bones.
GAME: Shara rolls weapon1+1: (13)+7+1: 21 GAME: Shara rolls 1d6+1: (4)+1: 5 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (9)+2: 11 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+2: (19)+2: 21 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d4+2: (4)+2: 6 GAME: Deak rolls CSW: aliased to 3d8+5: (14)+5: 19
Even after casting his spell of holy energy and FAILING to deliver it, the skeleton keeps on single-mindedly attacking the Priest of the Compassionate One. When it does, it draws blood again from a new wound, but the pent-up power of the goddess backlashes, reducing the unholy monster to a pile of bones on the floor - Inanimate bones.
Erakirak looks around the space curiously, now that the fight is over, and greets the newly encountered adventurers. "Hello, everyone! Um... what was all _that_ about?"
Walery inspects his death ray, and says a small prayer of thanks to Reos. He solemnly shoulders his weapon, and says to Erakirak, "Well, this -is- a dungeon. What you get in dungeons are monsters."
Deak catches his breath and shakes off the owies, looking to see if there remains any more of this dungeon to explore before using any more healing magic. He sees another door on the right side of the room and says to the others, "Wow! That thing had sharp nails. Anyway, I don't think we're quite done here. There's another door." He points.
The halfling nutter continues to claw and bite after the giant skeleton - long after it stopped moving and collapsed. When the red finally starts to retreat from her eyes, when claws finally withdraw and pointy teeth stop being so .. animalistic .. she pauses, still thoughtfully chewing on an oversized femur. AND LEAVING MARKS.
"Ho!" She begins, spitting the bone aside. "What next, then? What foul beastie wish to end thine life at the feet of Bitr the Mighty?!"
Erakirak moves to the door and sniffs around the edge of it.
Walery eyes the halfling askance, and offers Deak something glowing red in a vial from his belt pouches, but is declined, so he'll take up his death ray again and be alert for trouble.
Erakirak says, "I don't think there are more skeletons in there. Course there might be other stuff."
GAME: Bitr rolls perception: (17)+9: 26 GAME: Erakirak rolls perception: (13)+13: 26 GAME: Deak rolls perception: (17)+7: 24 GAME: Walery rolls perception: (15)+8: 23
The world's tiniest giant climbs back to her feet, not bothering to wipe herself down; Bitr hadn't even bothered pulling that sword off her back, where it was sheathed. Then moving towards the door proper, watching Erakirak sniff around curiously. "Be thou part canine, friend?" She asks.
GAME: Shara rolls perception: (19)+9: 28
Erakirak laughs. "Nope. I just... have a knack for sniffing out undead. It's how I found you guys," he explains.
As you gather around the door something prompts you to look back and you realize that there /is/ another door at the end of the hallway. Hidden in the cut of the stone.
Walery ehs, squints backward. "Did we miss that door before somehow? And do we want to check this new way out, or see where that other way leads?" he asks the group.
The thick headed halfling, Bitr, squints at the door that Erakirak is sniffing about. Then points the otherway: "What of that door, then? Have it anymore of the foul things as well?" She states, before glancing towards it. Then - because someone has too - neatly starts marching towards it. "Ho! Never ye mind, tiny mortals; Bitr shall see to it!"
Deak sees the hidden door, but tries the obvious one by the handle, and with the key to determine whether it actually is a door, and if it can be opened.
Shara says, "There was a hidden door there. So why don't we use that one?""
Erakirak thinks about it. "Whatever's behind the secret door, if someone was trying to hide it, it's probably important."
Shara says, "yeah. Let’s check the formerly hidden door since everyone can see it now."
Deak nods and says, 'Sounds good, but just for the record, this one is a real door that opens, too."
Finding nothing and no one standing in her way, the midget Giant marches right up to the secret door hidden in the rocks. How did she know it was there? Who knows. Maybe there's a mental affinity she has with rocks, considering what's in her skull. And then - it's time to open it, with no thought given to traps or boogies or what have you!
Deak brings up the rear as the group marches over to the hidden door.
At the door waiting is a very angry looking skeletal dog, it barks and growls at you.
GAME: Bitr rolls melee: (18)+7: 25 GAME: Bitr rolls weapon1: (16)+7: 23 GAME: Bitr rolls 1d10+3: (4)+3: 7
The dog barks.
Bitr barks BACK, then suddenly swing that oversized sword off her shoulder. SMASH! "DAD SAYS NO BARKING IN THINE HOUSE." She snarls. Then blinks.
Shara blinkblinks. "I could've sworn I heard a dog barking...is it dead already?"
"It was dead before we got here," Rak observes.
Walery hasn't even shouldered his death ray before it's not needed. "You're better with the sword than your teeth," he comments to the tiny giant.
The room is simple and empty. There's a worn path around the outside edge of it where the undead dog must have walked around the room countless times to keep it safe from intruders.
Bitr grumbles, drawing sparks as she drags that broken bit of oversized sharpened steel back over her shoulder, out of the pile of bones. "Aye, 'tis a wee bit more dust than before." She acknowledges, before a toothy smile splits her lips as she glances back at Walery. "Aye, but tis' mine father's blade! 'Tis not ter be used until a proper time." She sorrowfully glances to the hilt over her shoulder, tch'ing. "The pooch caught mineself off guard."
And then she glances in the room. Back at the bones. Back to the giant skeleton. ".. Mind yet, foul beastie that it t'were, be it possible we're traipsing through someone's living house?"
Shara says, "If we are...the guy had a lot of skeletons in his closet. Maybe he should keep the doors closed."
Walery says to Shara, "He did keep the doors closed. He wouldn't come in here with us, either, recall?"
Deak shakes his head about the Skeletons-in-the-Closet comment.
GAME: Erakirak rolls perception+4: (6)+13+4: 23
Shara says, "Obviously he didn't keep the doors secured. The skeletons got out."
Erakirak hrms. "Not only was it dead before we got here, it was dead LONG before we got here. Like... a REALLY long time."
You head back the way you came to the more ordinary door and find yourselves in a familiarly empty room. This one lacks the worn path however. To one side is a door, and to the other side another door. This dungeon seems fond of doors.
Shara says, "SO many doors...."
GAME: Erakirak rolls survival+2: (5)+9+2: 16
Erakirak points to the door on the left. "Someone went in there. Or something."
Deak looks anxious, seeing all the doors. He says, "Well, it looks like we're in for a long one on this mission." He casts a little orison.
GAME: Deak casts Detect Magic. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14
Erakirak walks over to the left-hand door he'd indicated, looks at it, then looks up sharply. "More undead behind this door. Be ready."
Xasany sighs. "That's a-door-able. Erm, Erakirak, do you know what sort of undead are awaiting us?"
"I'm guessing very, very old ones," Rak replies.
Deak nods and says, "Then before we show ourselves to them, maybe I could try and zap them with Althea's might."
GAME: Deak rolls CHANNEL: aliased to 3d6: (10): 10 GAME: Aftershock rolls 1d20+3: (20)+3: 23
Xasany quirks an eyebrow, "Very old ones? How can you tell?", she wonders of Erakirak. To Deak, she nods, "A good idea if we can mess them up before risking ourselves in direct conflict."
"Because the others were very old," Rak explains.
There's a solid thunk against the door. Then the sound of scratching. A thud. More scratching.
"That seems to be working," Rak observes, and backs away from the door to draw his bow.
"Is it though? They sound sort of .. active now.", the green-haired Witch comments.
Deak grins nervously.
GAME: Deak rolls Channel: aliased to 3d6: (7): 7 GAME: Deak rolls Channel: aliased to 3d6: (14): 14 GAME: Deak rolls Channel: aliased to 3d6: (14): 14
Deak presses his full body against the door, using the tactile sensation to concentrate as he bursts with pulse after pulse of holy energy. When he is finished, he shudders, then slumps a tiny bit as he pulls back away from the door, breathing heavily from his spiritual exertions.
The sounds from the other side of the door have ceased. Silence reigns for a few moments.
Erakirak nods to the cleric. "Nice." He reaches past Deak and opens the door.
GAME: Deak rolls refl/r: aliased to Reflex+1: (6)+2+1: 9 GAME: Erakirak rolls reflex: (13)+8: 21
Xasany looks to the priest, "Are you alright then?" She offers an encouraging pat on the back to the man. She takes a nervous step back, though, when Erakirak goes for the door.
Shara keeps back with her bow trained on the door.
As the door opens a pile of bodies comes tumbling out. A whole lot of them in fact. Tumbling like balls rolling downhill. Erakirack manages to neatly flap backwards, but the exhausted Deak gets caught up in the small tidal wave and finds himself stuck under several rotting corpses of kobolds. It seems you now know what has happened to all the kabolds that went missing.
Erakirak hops back, his wings fluttering as he evades the corpse tide. "I guess I was wrong... these are new undead."
Xasany hurks and covers her mouth and nose with a hand. "Oh gods the smell.", she says, holding back a shudder. "Well, I guess we know where the ... poor kobolds disappeared to."
Deak goes tumbling in the cascade of corpses. As his mind begins to grok just where he is, he starts a violent fit of sneezing!
Shara says, "Well....that answers that." She says softly. "Should we bring the bodies back?"
Walery looks sick, and backs up a few steps. "I wonder if we should at least bring the bodies back to the kobolds. So they can bury them. Or whatever kobolds do?"
Erakirak offers Deak a hand up, apparently unfazed by the corpses. Disgusting, yes, but he's dealt with too many corpses in the last month or two to be too worried about ones that aren't actively recruiting for the status. Also, he has no idea what everyone's talking about with respect to the kobolds, but isn't too worried about that either.
Xasany moves to help Deak once Erakirak does so, looking really sick. "Are you okay?", she asks of the downed man. Looking over her shoulder, she barely suppresses the horror in what people are considering. "Why not just tell them where the bodies are? There are far too many to carry."
Deak stands with help looking gratefully at his liberators. "Thakes. That was disgusteeg." Then, gradually beginning to regain his composure, he sniffles again and says, "Yeah. Let's leave theb here. I dote waht to carry theb adywhere."
Erakirak agrees. Then he looks at the right-hand door. "Are we up for another go-round?"
Shara says, "I think we have the evidence we need, and we can tell the temple of Vardama about this place, so they can cleanse it."
Walery says, "I don't know about going all the way around, but I still have a few more shells..." He gestures to the bandolier where the spare shells for his death ray are.
Xasany runs a hand through her hair and nods to what Shara says. "I think this is pretty good evidence, and we can still block up the doors and keep everything safe while the priests mull over what to do. I mean, I suppose I could keep going, but, is there a purpose to doing that?"
Erakirak shrugs. "Well, destroying undead. But if that's not why you're here, then OK."
Deak grins, "Oh, I could go od a bit logger, but those kobolds are gudda be real disappoitted whed they dote wid that date with Saddy." He chuckles.
Deak says, "Look, fellas, we're here. Let's just get this ober wit. Yes?"
Walery nods, "Let's keep moving. Let's get done and get out of here. So far my review is poor, though. No monsters left."
Erakirak isn't sure what Walery is talking about, but that's nothing new for him. He inspects the right-hand door much as he did the left.
Xasany looks to Walery and shrugs. "Most would consider that a good thing, honestly.", she says with a shake of her head. She nods then, to Deak and Erakirak, "Alright, let us continue."
This room, as Erakirak opens the door, is anything but empty. In fact it looks like the foundation of the dungeon gave way - possibly due to a stream which is now running through the room. Worse however are the massive mushrooms that grow all over the place. They touch the ceiling in places in this massive room the purpose of which is long gone now. There's a door right across from you, and the stream itself is deep enough that you could possibly swim through it to find out what's to either side if you choose to... though it might lead to nothing but more of the stone that it has worn its way through. The mushrooms are oddly beautiful, multicolored as they are, and they sway slightly like trees in a breeze - save that there is no breeze.
"To say this is trippy is an understatement." Shara says as she walks into the rather large room. However, she does look at the mushrooms and sees what spell is being used for the wind effect.
Deak looks with bewilderment at the mushroom-filled chaos in this room. As he begins to walk across the room, trying his best to avoid stepping on any mushrooms, but heading for the running water, he says, "There's a fuggus amuggus."
GAME: Xasany rolls knowledge/nature: (19)+8: 27 GAME: Shara rolls knowledge/nature: (5)+12: 17 GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/engineering: (7)+11: 18
Walery hrms. "That's not a normal lie of streambed. Too straight. It's either magical, or a canal that undercut this dungeon room."
Deak nods. He says, "It /is/ a bagical streab. Add the bushroobs are bagical, too.""
Erakirak flies a slow circuit around the room, paying attention to everything he can.
GAME: Erakirak rolls knowledge/nature: (3)+4: 7
The green-haired Gnome eyes the room curiously, wondering at the might of nature wearing out even hardened stone. Her eyes focus on the megafungus, and narrow. With a gasp she reaches forward to pull at those heading into the room. "WAIT!" She is rather insistent and will hang and pull on those who continue to traverse into the room. "The mushrooms are deadly. If you disturb them, the spores they release are almost guaranteed to be your death. You will sprout more of these mushrooms and they will dissolve your body to feed their growth."
GAME: Deak casts Detect Poison. Caster Level: 5 DC: 14 GAME: Erakirak rolls reflex: (19)+8: 27
Shara stops as Xasany says something. "Yeah.....the further we wander into the place, the more it needs to be boarded up."
Erakirak quickly lands again at Xas's warning, especially when the mushrooms turn out to be disturbed by his flying over them. He nods his thanks to the gnome.
GAME: Walery rolls knowledge/engineering: (20)+11: 31
Deak says, "I'd like to open yonder door. Maybe there's some way to cross the magical stream without getting in the water? Make a plank bridge or throw big rocks into it to walk across? The stream wants to enchant folks."
"I can fly over the stream," Rak suggests.
Shara “you’d be careful flying flying at the moment Erak Especially with you nearly hitting one.”
Erakirak nods. "Point."
Walery hrms thoughtfully. "The groundwater is definitely contaminated with magic. This is exactly like a case I read about. The plants are so large because of the stream, though I think I can burn them down."
Xasany shakes her head to Walery. "Heat rises, which means the cooler air will sink, and blow the spores right into our faces. We should instead think about fashioning a bridge. Perhaps we could take down the doors from the previous rooms? Some rope and stuff to fasten them together. If we walk between the larger mushrooms, we can probably get away with not inhaling the spores if we don't disturb them."
Deak nods. "Great idea. Or, I mean it's only about 5 or 6 feet across. If we lodged a couple big-enough chunks of roof in it, we could cross on them, maybe." He looks to see if there are adequate chunks around.
Walery says to Xasany, "The air currents won't matter if the spores are burnt. But it may be possible to simply walk between them, holding our breath, if you don't want to burn them."
-TBC-