Chapter Two: Back into the Mountain

[drpete]

Removing the armor requires smashing the statues. Who is going to do the smashing, and how?

[Zorroroaster]

Ignoring Galen, Torgyr gets out a hammer, spikes and his crowbar.

"Someone keep watch at the exits. This will make some noise."

Once people are in place, he'll examine the bodies looking for the best place to strike, aiming to try and minimize the number of blows required to remove the equipment. He'll aim for the knuckles to release the weapons, etc.

[drpete]

Torgyr starts to work, using one of his spikes as a chisel to break up the first statue. It soon becomes obvious that this will take a while, and that the *clink* *clink* sort of reverberates, making noise.

After a minute or so of hammering, you hear the bang of a door coming from the south hallway, and the clanking of armored feet on the ground. Something that sounds like several marching soldiers is coming up the hallway!

You have time to arrange yourselves as you like... a round or two warning.

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr takes out a flask of military oil and throws it on the ground in front of the entrance to the south corridor. He then takes up position with his crossbow using the dwarven statues as cover.

"Here we go. I guess we can't say this is a big surprise..."

He gets a torch from Steel and holds it ready to throw on the oil when the troops enter.

[bobloblah]

"Perhaps we should ask a few questions, maybe parley, before we commit ourselves to a fight to the death?" Brother Galen says in a near whisper, looking around the group. Then he looks at the oil, "On the other hand, luck favours the prepared..."

Galen moves behind the front rank with Ajax in tow.

[Dogma]

"Sounds like we're up girls. Emm and Audi, form up on either side of me. Solaine you help watch the flanks. The rest of you just try not to shoot or stab us in the back," Ranulf orders taking a stance a few feet back from the spreading oil. "And Torgyr, make sure none of us are standing in the oil before you light it."

In response to Galen he continues,"We can try to parley with them. They might be more amenable to the idea once they realize they're standing in a puddle of oil. Might motivate them a bit."

[kalstone]

Solaine draws her swords and positions herself where she can see the other two entrances to the room.

[drpete]

Round 1:

The adventurers form up, with Ranulf at the front, backed up by Audi and Emm. Solaine guards the flanks. Torgyr pours oil near the entrance, then backs off, readying a torch.

Just as your preparations are complete, a phalanx of black skeletons begins to pour out of the hallway, moving in pairs.

Torgyr tosses a torch, and the oil goes up in flames. The oil covers the southern half of the hallway the skeletons are entering from. The first rank of skeletons enter the room. The one that steps through the fire goes down (5 damage), but the other moves up to engage Ranulf. It misses. Another skeleton moves forward through the fire (6 damage), and also engages Ranulf. It also misses him. The other skeletons seem well bottled up in the hallway.

Steel shoots off a shot with his arbalest into the back rows of skeletons, but misses.

Solaine watches the group's flanks for signs of other trouble, but nothing materializes.

Emm and Audi stab over Ranulf's shoulder at the skeletons. Audi hits one of the skeletons with a sure strike, but the skeleton seems to shrug it off and keeps on coming (5 damage).

The automaton stomps over to help cover the flank. It punches the skeleton that went through the fire, and it goes down. The automaton steps forward to continue attacking, but it doesn't connect.

Two skeletons down, and what seems to be a lot more down in the hallway. Actions?

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr grunts with satisfaction as the undead are engulfed in searing flame. He picks up his crossbow and attempts to get a bead on the back rank away from the melee surrounding Ranulf and the others.

"Skeletons! Come on priest, you're up. Aren't you lot supposed to be handy with these things?"

He will fire his crossbow into the oncoming skeletons that aren't in melee.

Initiative: [1d6+2] = 2+2 = 4
Crossbow: Attack (10+): [1d20+2] = 15+2 = 17, Damage: [1d6] = 3

[kalstone]

Solaine steps forward boldly, holding out her holy symbol. "Begone foul things! Flee the wrath of Mavors!"

[drpete]

Realize I didn't mention Randolpho. Based on previous encounters, I assume he's planning to find a hiding place. Just inside the hallway you entered through is a good, isolated spot (unless you have a different idea, Barkman)

[barkman]

Sounds good, I was thinking of hiding in shadows in case there was something to back stab.

[Lamech]

Automaton smash them! Steel yells as he reloads his crossbow.

[bobloblah]

Brother Galen stands tall, brandishing his holy symbol. The voice that springs forth from his small frame seems impossibly loud, and reverberates from the walls, "A man's Destiny is not abomination such as this! Begone, lest the Lady's ill fortune strike you down!"

[1d20] = 4

[drpete]

Round 2

The fight against the black skeletons continues. They snap and hiss at you, and begin making an eerie wailing sound.

Solaine steps forward boldly, holding out her holy symbol. "Begone foul things! Flee the wrath of Mavors!" This does not seem to impress the skeletons, unfortunately.

Steel shoots off another bolt. It hits the skeleton in the eye socket (8 damage!) but somehow the skeleton keeps coming, as if it hardly felt the damage. Audi then attempts to stab Ranulf's opponent, but misses. Torgyr's shot dings another one, but doesn't seem to hurt it much (3 damage).

Climent realizes something and calls out "Guys! These are the skeletons that fought Typhon's Fists! The gods had no power over them!"

Ranulf attacks his opponent unsuccessfully, then the skeleton gives him a big shove, sending him stumbling back into Emm. Ranulf trips, and goes down, giving one of the skeletons in the hallway space to enter the room without going through the fire. It engages Audi, but misses. Emm stabs the skeleton standing over Ranulf, and hits it solidly (6 damage!) but somehow it keeps coming!

Randolpho finds shadows in the hallway, but they are far from the burning oil or Climent and Galen's lanterns. There's no way to get into the press of the melee and be hidden in shadows.

Galen stands tall, brandishing his holy symbol. The voice that springs forth from his small frame seems impossibly loud, and reverberates from the walls,"A man's Destiny is not abomination such as this! Begone, lest the Lady's ill fortune strike you down!" The skeletons do not react to this.

The automaton punches the skeleton fighting Ranulf (3 damage) and it goes down. He advances into that space, and tries to hit another skeleton, but fails.

One down, one past the line. Ranulf down, but not engaged. Audi is fighting a skeleton, and Emm is now in the "3rd" line, so she can't attack over Ranulf and the Automaton, but she can aid Audi against her foe. Actions?

[kalstone]

Solaine sighs. Ok. Let's do this the hard way then, she thinks. She draws her swords and slashes at the skeleton engaged with Emma Audi.

[bobloblah]

Galen pats Ajax on the head, "Want a bone, boy? Big, juicy pile of them, riiiight there!" he leans down, holding the dog's collar so he can whisper, "Kill!" before shoving the dog towards the black skeleton behind the lines.

"More oil into their ranks, if you please, Torgyr!" Galen shouts as he moves forward, making himself ready to assist any who fall.

[Dogma]

"Dammit!,"exclaims Ranulf as he scrambles back to his feet."Nobody shoves me around like that...especially a sack of bones."

If he can stand and attack he will go after the closest skeleton. I can't access the dice roller at work so please roll to hit and damage. thanks

[Zorroroaster]

Torgyr lights a second flask of oil and flings it past the melee into the hallway at the skeletons arrayed there.

"Burn, baby! Burn!"

Initiative: [1d6+2] = 3+2 = 5
"I fell into a burning ring of fire..." Attack throw [1d20+2] = 12+2 = 14

[drpete]

Round 3: The barbecue

The skeletons are now squealing with a pretty loud, unearthly howl. It's possible something might hear them.

Galen pats Ajax on the head, "Want a bone, boy? Big, juicy pile of them, riiiight there!" he leans down, holding the dog's collar so he can whisper, "Kill!" before shoving the dog towards the black skeleton behind the lines. Ajax understands and moves in.

"More oil into their ranks, if you please, Torgyr!" Galen shouts as he moves forward, making himself ready to assist any who fall.

Emm stabs at Audi's opponent, missing.

A very dense cluster of bodies forms near the entrance hallway, making it hard for anyone to get into the combat. Ajax gets in and takes down Audi's opponent, but not before it gets a solid slash in (2 damage to Audi!).

"Dammit!,"exclaims Ranulf as he scrambles back to his feet."Nobody shoves me around like that...especially a sack of bones." Unfortunately, he's caught behind the automaton, and can't get an attack in, this round.

The foremost skeleton gives the automaton a hard slash (6 damage!) just as Torgyr's bomb goes off with amazing power right behind him. Torgyr can see the one he hit go down (8 damage) and most of the others go down from splash damage, too!

There is one skeleton left, the one facing the automaton. All of the others have been incinerated! Unfortunately, you now hear an unearthly howl, similar to the one the skeletons were making, coming from down the east hallway, as a door down there crashes open! Their call is being answered by reinforcements!

You guys are all pretty much in the southern 20x20 area in the room. The missile shooters on the east side, the combatants clustered around the west. Climent and Galen are more or less in the center, near the statues, and Randolpho is in the west hallway, hidden. In a round, anyone can get pretty much where they like in the room before the next wave, if they hustle.