With Guston navigating them through the traps, the party follows Erica down the correct tunnel. It doesn’t take them long to reach the room they are looking for, blocked by a door. As they approach the door, a loud, booming voice says “Halt! You who wish to cross into the king’s chamber, do you have a death wish? Or perhaps you would prefer a test of skill or knowledge? Which is it?” The voice seems to be coming from the door itself. There is no sign of the gnome, and Erica smirks to herself before saying “What are these tests, door?”
“The test of skill lies within the maze of tunnels. Navigate the traps successfully, and you will be rewarded with the key to the throne. The test of knowledge lies within me. You must answer a riddle correctly if you wish to pass into the chamber beyond me.”
“Key to the throne? What throne?” Erica asks the door. It remains silent. She turns to the party and asks “The gnome is likely taking the test of skill. However, the evil that I seek is behind this door. I must go through it. You may either stay with me, or follow after him. I won’t stop you if you choose the latter.”
"We remain with you for now, we came to protect you, not the gnome." Kaled says this without consulting the party, but shoots a questioning glance for the others if anyone have different opinion.
“You are correct,” the door says. “Enter, and receive your prize.”
The door opens, revealing another, larger chamber filled with coffins. The coffins are lined up neatly in several rows along the ground and embedded inside the walls of the chamber. In the center rests a larger, more ornate coffin decorated with gold and gemstones.
“The door says that the traps are in the maze,” says Guston, “but let me look first at anything we open or investigate, just in case.”
Strangely, the broken nose combined with his boils make him look rather debonair. The effect is lost as one of the boils pops.
His fear gone (for now), and realizing that he is only alive now because of the will of his forgiving god, he bravely enters the chamber first, ensuring to inspect for traps as he steps.
“Hey, I don’t know what this stone is, but it looks like it could be a trap,” he says to everyone.
Guston will see if it’s a trap. If it is, he will try to figure out if it’s appropriate for him to try to disarm it or if it is enough to just avoid the trap for everyone. If the trap can’t be avoided, he will try to disarm it. If it is easy enough to disarm, he will try to disarm it.
Kaled peeks in above the shoulders of the others with interest, but waits patiently for Guston to examine the place first. "Well, we are in a tomb after all."
What a question @Nimran. Next you will ask how old the prince is
Finding a loose rock on the floor, Guston carefully places it on the stone. The stone presses inward.
Suddenly, a series of loud noises echoes around the chamber, as the coffins open all at once. Out of the coffins rise a force of 12 skeletons, each one animated by necromantic magic. The skeletons crawl out of their coffins and turn towards the party.
Ignatius casts Spider Climb and climbs to the ceiling of the crypt, out of the reach of the skeletons. (He's now upside down like Spiderman.) Then he casts Psychic Blade and starts attacking them. He will specifically target the neck joints of the skeletons, and see if he can behead those undead monstrosities, offering them a quick and painless(??) death.
Three of the skeletons lumber forward and attack Kaled with rusted short swords.
Skeletons: Attack: 6, 9, 8
His Shield deflects them all easily, as Ignatius fires his Psyhcic Blades.
Ignatius: Attack: 7+4=11, 20+4=24 (crit), 19+4=23
The three attacking skeletons are demolished.
Fiora gets in front and intercepts the next group, who attack.
Skeletons: 20 (crit), 9, 4
Two of them hit only her armor. However, one manages to find an opening in her armor, and she takes a hard hit to her collarbone. The sword isn’t very sharp, so it doesn’t reach any vitals, but she got hurt pretty bad.
As the fighting begins, Erica steps into the room and Turns Undead. The remaining skeletons all immediately shatter into dust. “We don’t have time for this!” She exclaims as she rushes forward.
For the record, I won’t do any of the dialogue for PCs. That’s a bit more specific than general actions in combat, and I don’t want to feel like I’m taking over a PC.
As Erica approaches the large, ornate coffin in the center, which is still closed, she looks at it with Detect Evil. “It’s here,” she says as she gently pulls the coffin open. “I am sorry, honored dead. I will only disturb you for a brief moment.” Her expression turns to mild surprise when she opens it, only to see that it is without a resident. What is there, however, is a large, round, black sphere giving off an aura of pure evil. She picks it up and examines it before casting another spell. A portal opens in front of her, and she starts to walk into it.
However, she stops suddenly in her tracks. “I sense more evil,” she says, turning around. Her eyes go wide, and she points back towards the entrance, where a grotesque form stands perfectly still in the doorway.
Its body is made of solid stone. A horrifyingly twisted face grins wickedly at the party with lidless eyes. A pair of wings spreads outward from its back, and a tail that Guston would find familiar droops down behind it. It stands perfectly still, and remains silent.
Its body is made of solid stone. A horrifyingly twisted face grins wickedly at the party with lidless eyes. A pair of wings spreads outward from its back, and a tail that Guston would find familiar droops down behind it. It stands perfectly still, and remains silent.
"Since we have found what we came for, It is useless to stay here any more. Let us follow Erica into the portal, And leave this crypt and monsters withal."
EDIT: It's best not to waste our time fighting this gargoyle. And who knows if Erica may escape through that portal leaving us alone in this accursed crypt?
“That won’t be possible,” Erica says. “The curse has deeply corrupted the land. It will require a ritual to purge the curse, even after the object is removed. In other words, we have no choice but to fight this abomination.” She throws the stone into the portal and closes it.
“Abomination?” asks a rough, gravelly voice. “It’s not like I asked to be made this way.” The figure’s eyes twitch from one party member to another. “Let me guess...” it says. “You sent it to your home in Callus, correct?”
Erica smirks and replies “You must have followed us here then? You’re Nate, aren’t you?”
The figure shrugs, a sudden, jerking motion, and replies “Nate, Starlen, whoever I need to be to get the job done. So, I take it that was your precious cursed item. It didn’t look like what I am searching for, but it might be worth having, just in case. I’ll be sure to collect it, once I’m done here. Your bodyguard isn’t around to keep you safe, priestess. Now would be the perfect time to replace you.” It lunges at the nearest party member, Fiora.
???: Attack: 13+7= 20
And hits her with such force that it knocks her off her feet.
Ignatius tries to attack the monster's eyes with Psychic Blade, attempting to take it by surprise. He himself is still attached to the ceiling, upside down.
*Fiora would have cried out in pain, had the blow not knocked all the air out of her body. She shakily tries to rise to her feet while gasping for air. She CANNOT back down while people need her*
I get hit by TWO perfect rolls while I'm gone? THe world really does hate Paladins
Ignatius lobs a Psychic Blade at the gargoyle, and it hits it in the eye. The gargoyle doesn’t even flinch. It looks up at Ignatius, and he could swear it’s grin grew wider.
Vaga charges in after seeing Fiora get knocked off her feet, and attacks using Flurry of Blows.
Vaga: Attack: 19, 14
The first punch of Vaga’s mighty fists hits the gargoyle right in the grin, chipping off a piece of stone. However, the second punch gets deflected by its arm as it knocks the incoming fist aside. Erica casts Stoneskin and yells “It looks like this one is resistant to magic!”
Okay, since it’s important to know, I’m going to go ahead and list the party’s AC (armor class) Fiora’s Is 18 Vaga’s is 16 Guston’s is 13 Kaled’s is 12 (17 with the Shield spell) Ignatius’ is 10 An attack roll that meets or beats this number will hit you. So an Attack total of 18 or higher will hit Fiora, and so on.
*FIora watches for an opening when the Gargoyles is distracted. With its attention elsewhere she unsteadily runs towards it, whispering a silent prayer.*
I'm using Smite. It adds my charisma modifier to my next attack.
Comments
With Guston navigating them through the traps, the party follows Erica down the correct tunnel. It doesn’t take them long to reach the room they are looking for, blocked by a door. As they approach the door, a loud, booming voice says “Halt! You who wish to cross into the king’s chamber, do you have a death wish? Or perhaps you would prefer a test of skill or knowledge? Which is it?” The voice seems to be coming from the door itself. There is no sign of the gnome, and Erica smirks to herself before saying “What are these tests, door?”
“The test of skill lies within the maze of tunnels. Navigate the traps successfully, and you will be rewarded with the key to the throne. The test of knowledge lies within me. You must answer a riddle correctly if you wish to pass into the chamber beyond me.”
“Key to the throne? What throne?” Erica asks the door. It remains silent. She turns to the party and asks “The gnome is likely taking the test of skill. However, the evil that I seek is behind this door. I must go through it. You may either stay with me, or follow after him. I won’t stop you if you choose the latter.”
"Speak thy question, thou sentient door,
What doubts thy ancient mind doth bore?
That even after days of yore,
Unquenched is your thirst for lore."
The maker doesn’t need it.
The buyer doesn’t want it.
The user never sees it.
What is it?”
"It is that where the dead are interred in,
In other words, a box called a coffin."
The door opens, revealing another, larger chamber filled with coffins. The coffins are lined up neatly in several rows along the ground and embedded inside the walls of the chamber. In the center rests a larger, more ornate coffin decorated with gold and gemstones.
Strangely, the broken nose combined with his boils make him look rather debonair. The effect is lost as one of the boils pops.
His fear gone (for now), and realizing that he is only alive now because of the will of his forgiving god, he bravely enters the chamber first, ensuring to inspect for traps as he steps.
Guston will see if it’s a trap. If it is, he will try to figure out if it’s appropriate for him to try to disarm it or if it is enough to just avoid the trap for everyone. If the trap can’t be avoided, he will try to disarm it. If it is easy enough to disarm, he will try to disarm it.
"Well, we are in a tomb after all."
Finding a loose rock on the floor, Guston carefully places it on the stone. The stone presses inward.
Suddenly, a series of loud noises echoes around the chamber, as the coffins open all at once. Out of the coffins rise a force of 12 skeletons, each one animated by necromantic magic. The skeletons crawl out of their coffins and turn towards the party.
What!
*Anduin pauses, then adjusting his direction slightly heads towards the screams*
Kaled casts Shield, then steps foreward and waits for the skeletons to attack.
His Shield deflects them all easily, as Ignatius fires his Psyhcic Blades.
The three attacking skeletons are demolished.
Fiora gets in front and intercepts the next group, who attack.
Two of them hit only her armor. However, one manages to find an opening in her armor, and she takes a hard hit to her collarbone. The sword isn’t very sharp, so it doesn’t reach any vitals, but she got hurt pretty bad.
"Are you all right Fiora?" asks Fiora over his shoulder.
As Erica approaches the large, ornate coffin in the center, which is still closed, she looks at it with Detect Evil. “It’s here,” she says as she gently pulls the coffin open. “I am sorry, honored dead. I will only disturb you for a brief moment.” Her expression turns to mild surprise when she opens it, only to see that it is without a resident. What is there, however, is a large, round, black sphere giving off an aura of pure evil. She picks it up and examines it before casting another spell. A portal opens in front of her, and she starts to walk into it.
However, she stops suddenly in her tracks. “I sense more evil,” she says, turning around. Her eyes go wide, and she points back towards the entrance, where a grotesque form stands perfectly still in the doorway.
Its body is made of solid stone. A horrifyingly twisted face grins wickedly at the party with lidless eyes. A pair of wings spreads outward from its back, and a tail that Guston would find familiar droops down behind it. It stands perfectly still, and remains silent.
They are close...
*Anduin quickens his pace*
"Since we have found what we came for,
It is useless to stay here any more.
Let us follow Erica into the portal,
And leave this crypt and monsters withal."
Erica smirks and replies “You must have followed us here then? You’re Nate, aren’t you?”
The figure shrugs, a sudden, jerking motion, and replies “Nate, Starlen, whoever I need to be to get the job done. So, I take it that was your precious cursed item. It didn’t look like what I am searching for, but it might be worth having, just in case. I’ll be sure to collect it, once I’m done here. Your bodyguard isn’t around to keep you safe, priestess. Now would be the perfect time to replace you.” It lunges at the nearest party member, Fiora.
And hits her with such force that it knocks her off her feet.
Ignatius lobs a Psychic Blade at the gargoyle, and it hits it in the eye. The gargoyle doesn’t even flinch. It looks up at Ignatius, and he could swear it’s grin grew wider.
Vaga charges in after seeing Fiora get knocked off her feet, and attacks using Flurry of Blows.
The first punch of Vaga’s mighty fists hits the gargoyle right in the grin, chipping off a piece of stone. However, the second punch gets deflected by its arm as it knocks the incoming fist aside. Erica casts Stoneskin and yells “It looks like this one is resistant to magic!”
Fiora’s Is 18
Vaga’s is 16
Guston’s is 13
Kaled’s is 12 (17 with the Shield spell)
Ignatius’ is 10
An attack roll that meets or beats this number will hit you. So an Attack total of 18 or higher will hit Fiora, and so on.