Little Green II

[Monodominant]

This time your flame harms the creature but it manages to move out of the way of some of the fire.

It continues to attack the sister ignoring the girl that unfortunately misses again.

It manages to touch her just below the neck just as the woman also tries to follow Janas example and use positive energy as a means to harm the Shadow.

Spoiler

Show

(1d8)[5]

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

For some reason the roll didnt work...

(1d8)[3]

The result means that the sister is weakened and goes pale but she still holds on to dear life clenching her teeth.

You sense that the shadow is close to being completely destroyed. Already parts of its form are fading but there is still partial unlife in it and unlike the other undead you have faced it does not make any effort to flee.

[planswalker]

Spoiler

Show

If you wouldn't mind, remove the AVB tag from the title. That game is done and LG and the others still going aren't really part of that game anymore. Not a big deal, but you'll notice that your new thread isn't titled "AVB" either.

still, my first character to get a second thread! Woot!

of course, if they hadn't kept on dying, I'd be on my 3rd of 4th thread now... apparently, all it took to survive was a ton of hp and ungodly high diplomacy scores.

LG burns it again for dc 21 - (6d6)[12] miss chance - (d%)[49]

Jana attacks again for (d20+4)[17] (d8+5)[6]

[Monodominant]

Your final bout of flame along with Jana managing to finally touch the shadow with her positive energy charge destroy it.

It almost stops moving before its entirely destroyed and seems to stare at all of you... if you did not know better you would have thought it almost enjoys or savours the moment of its true death and subsequent release...

[planswalker]

Figuring that with the pain of being a shadow gone, it probably is grateful. Which just makes it all the more damned annoying to have to fight it to begin with.

If you wanted to die, death by adventurer isn't the most reliable way to go. He thinks at the shadow.

"Sister, are you safe to continue?"

[Monodominant]

The sister takes a few dizzy steps and nods.

"I feel severely weakened and I cannot restore myself as I have expended most such magic but I can still swing the mace and still walk upright..." she replies.

[planswalker]

"Okay, then stay back when we get in your next scuffle."

LG resumes looting the crypt.

[Monodominant]

It takes a while longer to open each one now that she has become weakened and her blows are not as strong but time is something you have at this point.

Her banging actually springs a trap twice. The first time dozens of sharp needles fly and hit all of you... (1hp damage, DR applies) but the poison on the is inert due to the ages that have passed and you are not otherwise harmed!

The second trap was something similar to when you are attacked by the shadow... noxious gas fills the room but... once again despite breathing it in you only end up coughing some dust but the poison fails to affect any of you.

From these graves you end up collecting an additional (7d10)[36] gold coins and (12d4)[28] silver. There are no more items of value that have not been ruined by time BUT Jana manages to spot some glittering demi-precious stones at the corner of one of the halls. There are (2d6)[6] marbles made from amethyst in what appears to be a childs grave...

[planswalker]

Spoiler

Show

[36] gold coins
[28] silver
[6] marbles made from amethyst
(9d5)[27] gold coins and (10d12)[67] silver coins

(3d6)[14] platinum coins
(9d8)[32] gold coins
(14d10)[60] silver coins
and (5d4)[14] electron coins

as well as (2d12)[9] trinkets

high priest's diary
negative energy channeling mace

[16] gold and (5d20)[37] silver
couple of silver holy symbols depicting the purple pyramid

LG collects up all the rest of the loot and says, "Well, there we go. These are some crypts that won't be anchoring souls to this place any longer."

They head back up to the passage and take the right-hand path.

Spoiler

Show

to be clear, the way I understand things:

1)from the central chamber with the trapdoor and statue thingy, I've taken the left door.

2)From there, I reached a branch in the passage and took the left of two branches.

3)This lead to the catacombs and I've now raided both rooms.

so I'm going back up 2) and taking the right-hand passage.

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

Will make a map shortly and update this post.

Okay so here it goes.

The first one is the map of the rooms above (where the statue was). You didnt really explore those and only went down the trapdoor...



The second one is the place you are now. You have just finished exploring the two burial rooms, the servant one and the senior acolyte one. So basically you havent gone to the other part of the first intersection and also the last corridor off the emerald room.

[planswalker]

LG will lead them to explore the third branch off the hall that lead them to the burial grounds.

[Monodominant]

Once again the passage you follow splits into two.

The passage to the right feels somehow darker and colder...

[planswalker]

LG starts with the passage to the left.

[Monodominant]

You walk ahead leading the rest of the group and you have but a moment to stop Jana from following in your tracks and seeing what you see in the next room.

Implements of torture of conventional but also more exotic design line the walls. From simple stretch tables and spike racks to what appears to be a completely rusted iron maiden but also others that on first look you cant tell what they do exactly.

A few bones and... paper like flesh remains can be seen on some of the horrific implements. Lastly rusted and rotting instruments of torture litter the floor and stand in crumbling heaps in open metal boxes as if discarded.

A small half open rusted metal door leads away from this room.

[planswalker]

Neither a big fan nor a big hater of torture, LG decides it best to not expose Jana to the... nasty side of things like this just yet.

"Just a moment. Room's full of some nasty items. I'm gonna slag them before they can hurt us." He calls back. bluff - (d20+22)[40]

LG then proceeds to blast the room with fire repeatedly until the torture devices are no longer recognizable. With all the undead lurking around, he wouldn't be surprised if they were haunted anyways.

[Monodominant]

It doesnt take you that long but the room does grow quite hot by the time you are done.

Nothing remains of the gruesome purpose the room had as the already rusty 'implements' crumble from your onslaught. Nor the bones or other remain rise to strike you when you attack them and no ghosts or other such creatures come forth.

[planswalker]

Satisfied that he won't be pushing his young charge too far too soon, LG says, "Okay, should be safe to pass through now." LG leads the way to the next room.

[Monodominant]

You find yourselves in short corridor leading to a pretty much barren room.

This one is a bit bigger and with a higher ceiling. What is the most peculiar is that the 'floor' of this room is actually barren earth. The ground is from some kind of particularly dark and hard and perhaps even... dead earth with nothing growing out of it. There are two shovel heads and a pickaxe head full of rust thrown carelesly about... their wooden handles long gone.

Judging by the dug our dirt in corners and also the 2 open holes in the ground, this seems to be where they were dumping or hastily burying the bodies of their victims and sacrifices... those not even worth to place in the crypts you found earlier.

[planswalker]

LG proposes that go invisible and climb into one of the holes, picking the one on the left. He recommends that the two of them wait here just in case something goes wrong. Assuming Jana agrees, LG will go invisible, take on the form of one of those extinct goblin things, and climb in.

[Monodominant]

Both women agree with your idea.

You start descending the rough surface of the holes. Your darkvision shows you that it must be deeper than 60 feet since you cant see the bottom from the starts.

At least whatever stench might have once come from here is long gone through the ages...

Spoiler

Show

Climb check, balance check and a will save please.

[planswalker]

Spoiler

Show

taking 10 on climb for a 16, should be good enough, what with the modifiers for being in a "chimney" situation.

balance - (d20+4)[6]

will save - (d20+7)[23]

I can see why the climb and balance. What's the will save for?

LG keeps his breath at the ready as he descends...

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

Wouldnt you want to know... mwahahahaha

You do not find it difficult to climb down as the narrow hole indeed makes it easy to prop yourself against one edge and climb.

Unfortunately as you are descending you realise something horrific. What you are seeing isnt actually there... the vision of the hole around you, which given your special types of vision you use to guide you in this pitch black shaft is not actually correct and you realise it when your hand passes through a rock outcropping and you find yourself hanging into emptyness.

As you interract with it the illusion fades quickly and you can now see that you are falling down a much deeper, much bigger shaft. The hole that had started as less than 5-6 feet wide is now around 15 feet wide making it impossible for you to use the walls to climb down easily.

'Thank Tharidzun' you think as you hit the ground a mere 20 feet down only suffering (2d6)[7] points of damage and smashing in a rather large pile of bones.

[planswalker]

Gotta give them credit, that's one clever pit trap. Don't hide the hole, make it look like a smaller hole. Cute. LG thinks to himself as he takes minimal damage.

Standing up, he calls out. "The hole is an illusion. It's really a larger pit trap. Feel around the edge to figure out what's really there." He calls out.

Once satisfied that they're now forewarned, LG looks around with his keen senses, getting a feel for the place.

Spoiler

Show

especially noting darkvision and blindsense.

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

Glad to see you are feeling better by the way :D

The sound of bones crumbling under your feet is the only sound in this large cavern. Dozens, if not hundreds, of skeletons and bones are all around this place. In between the bones, skulls and other debri you notice almost completely ruined pieces of what might have once been a thick carpet... though why would someone carpet a dumping hole is beyond you.

What creeps you out is what you -see- with your darkvision. You are used to being able to see in complete darkness with no problem and while your blindsense seems to be working fine your darkvision is... well... acting up.

Shadows at the periphery of your vision seem to move and twist. As if the usual range where your eyes can penetrate the darkness is a fluid and liquid thing rather than something finite... the sensation is how you would imagine seeing in darkness but underwater.

You are fairly sure that this is NOT caused by actual undead Shadows but some kind of... well trick of the light seems the wrong word given the complete absence of it.

[planswalker]

LG will methodically destroy each individual skeleton, no matter how long it tskes.

[Monodominant]

None of the skeletons rise up to defend themselves or this area as you wade through them with fire.

Your flames though create even more confusion to you... Every time you use fire the amount of light that comes from your hot breath is... minimal. Diminissed or subdued is the term that comes to mind. It burns just as hot but it is definetly not the usual effect you have from it in a dark room.

Meanwhile you realise something more. No sound or positive response has come from above since you called up to them...

[planswalker]

Dammit, I bet all sensory input into or out of here is blocked. Probably also diminished in here. Fun. I hope I'll be able to climb out without too much problem.

LG pokes around to see if there's anything in here worth noting besides the destroyed remains, feeling around methodically all over.

Spoiler

Show

taking 20 for a 30 total.

oh, and thanks for the well-wishes. Just have to take antibiotics until Thursday.

[Monodominant]

Overall you find some valuable trinkets... a gold tooth here and there and a small pendant or necklase about the bones scattered here.

The shadows continue to play around at the periphery of your vision and they seem oppresive and sometimes... even more... daring... as if the darkness is a living thing considering how best to approach you to avoid the tough look you give through your darkvision.

Whats re-assuring you and saving you from going crazy is your blind-sense that really lets you know that there is nothing there, ethereal or otherwise.

You have spend quite some time burning and searching when you find, on the far right wall of this cavern a small niche. Next to it there are carved steps leading upwards but more importantly inside the niche you see a small square box made from obsidian. There is no lock but rather some kind of device where one would have to place his... finger to open.

[planswalker]

Deciding to follow along for now, LG puts his finger in the box.

[Monodominant]

Spoiler

Show

You know if this was real old school you would just lose a finger from the finger trap :D

You feel two tiny pricks in your finger. From the first blood drips quickly inside the box while from the second you feel a substance enter your finger.

Pulling your finger out would cause huge damage as the hole is designed with spikes going inwardly. This means that going in is easy but pulling out very painful if not done with care.

Before you have time to react even, and as the foreign substance is introduced to your blood stream your vision goes blurry. In your mind the name Tharidzun comes unbidden into your thoughts and you feel as if swimming in between purple shadows in an endless abyss.