Chapter 2: Back to the Barrows!

[Fingolwyn]

Lhainor

It looks like someone already came into this area from that doorway at the end of the long pair of crypts, so I suspect whatever lies beyond has already been plundered by them (and recently). Let's head back to this area:

Through the west door, you see a short corridor. The north wall of the corridor goes 20 feet west. The south wall goes 10 feet west before turning diagonally north to meet the north wall. This diagonal section has a door, going southwest, in it.

And see what lies beyond that diagonal door. They don't seem to have been there yet. Be on your guard though...there's no obvious reason why they shouldn't have already plundered the Sylvanus crypt or whatever lies beyond the diagonal door, so there may be something nasty lurking there. Or maybe it was just wandering monsters.

EDIT - SH and I must have been posting at the same time. Let's see what Theglid sees beyond the broken door, then (assuming it's a plundered room) head the other way.

[drpete]

Through the broken door, Theglid sees a much larger crypt. The light illuminates only a wall directly to the east of the broken door, going north, suggesting that this door is in the southeast corner of a room at least 30x30.

Along that eastern wall, Theglid can see dozens of square burial alcoves filled with small urns along the first twenty feet. Beyond these, he sees a door heading east.

He notices a foul smell coming from the room, a foul smell of death and rot. He cannot see whatever is causing that smell, though...

Lhainor
EDIT - SH and I must have been posting at the same time. Let's see what Theglid sees beyond the broken door, then (assuming it's a plundered room) head the other way.

Yeah, I hear ya. Since it's not unambiguous that this room to the north is just plundered, let's check in with everyone to see whether you continue or turn back.

[Rex]

Nimh

"We might as well check this room since we are here."

[Fingolwyn]

Lhainor
EDIT - SH and I must have been posting at the same time. Let's see what Theglid sees beyond the broken door, then (assuming it's a plundered room) head the other way.

Yeah, I hear ya. Since it's not unambiguous that this room to the north is just plundered, let's check in with everyone to see whether you continue or turn back.

That's fine. My reply was intended to mean "Let's see what Theglid sees beyond the broken door, then (IF it's a plundered room, which I assume it will be) head the other way.

Was the door bashed in from the large room we are entering, or out from the two crypts we currently are in? If from the two crypts, perhaps a guardian creature previously in the two crypts bashed its way out.

[drpete]

The door seems to have been smashed in (towards you). That said, it sems to have been broken a pretty long time ago...

[Rex]

Nimh

Nimh will search the room.

[drpete]

Nimh

Nimh will search the room.

I hear ya... thats a vote for forward into tge room to search it. Since there was a suggestion of turning around, waiting to see if the others want to go forward or back...

[Fingolwyn]

Nimh

Nimh will search the room.

I hear ya... thats a vote for forward into tge room to search it. Since there was a suggestion of turning around, waiting to see if the others want to go forward or back...

We haven't actually ascertained that this is a plundered room, so let's go in, have a look around, and see.

That said, there is something dead-ish in there, be it a corpse, coffer corpse, zombie or otherwise, so let's be cautious (weapons at the ready, expecting danger, etc). It could even be a trap.

[drpete]

The group enters the room to the north, on their guard for whatever thing might be within.

You find that the large room is thirty feet wide, and forty feet long, with a 10x10 alcove in the middle of the north wall which contains a door. There is also a door on the east wall, as noted before. The walls of the room are covered in small square niches containing urns. They don't look to have been disturbed.

What you do find, which makes your stomachs heave, are the corpses of two men impaled on the south wall with spears. Their bellies have been ripped open, and their guts have been fed upon. The corpses are extremely ripe. The sight (and accompanying smell) is so horrible, that Lhainor, Nimh and Moony begin to wretch loudly, and are temporarily incapacitated.

As if in response to the noise of the wretching of the group, you hear moaning coming from the direction of the eastern door. Theglid and Kohrek have a moment before whatever that is reaches the door. The others, unfortunately, are indisposed...

This sight required a CON check, or be incapacitated vomiting for 1d4+1 rounds. Here were the rolls...

Theglid: [1d20] = 5[1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4
Lhainor: [1d20] = 9[1d4+1] = 2+1 = 3
Nimh: [1d20] = 13[1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4
kohrek: [1d20] = 7[1d4+1] = 4+1 = 5
Moony: [1d20] = 14[1d4+1] = 3+1 = 4

So Lhainor will be incapacitated for 3 rounds, Nimh and Moony for 4 rounds. I've determined the distance of the things whose attention you've attracted, so they'll take a bit of time to get here...

[snake_hunter]

Is there enough time for Theglid to reach the door and jam it closed with the edge of his shield? It might hold long enough for the others to recover. If that doesn't seem doable, Theglid will guard his companions until they recover.

[drpete]

Round 1

Theglid and Kohrek rush over to the door, hoping to keep it shut. Theglid starts to jam his shield under the door, and Kohrek scrambles to pull out an iron spike.

Round 2

Theglid jams his and Kohrek rush to secure the door. Kohrek is just finishing hammering his first spike when a fist beats against the door, trying to open it before Theglid manages to get his shield jammed in tight.

A second set of hands begins to beat on the door. Who knows how long this will last? Kohrek looks back at his retching companions, then at Theglid, unsure what to do...

Lhainor will recover after 1 more round, and the others after 2.

To open the door, the things beyond will need to get 2 "open doors" checks, one to loosen each block. On a success, they get a second shot at the other. So there's a good chance it'll hold, but not guaranteed.

[drpete]

Round 3

Unsure what to do, Kohrek continues hammering spikes into the door. The figures behind the door crash into it, budging it, and the shield comes loose... Kohrek's first spike comes loose! For the moment, Kohrek's second spike is still holding, but the door could go at any moment...!

Lhainor recovers his composure, only to see the nerve-wracking situation developing over by the east door.

Rex and Moony have one more round before they are able to act.

[Fingolwyn]

Lhainor

Should we flee next round (when the others are able), or stand and fight?

Lhainor will move to the East doorway and prepare to smite whatever comes in with the "shillelagh" he obtained from the Silvanus crypt unless we decide to flee, in which case he will fall back to a position to block enemy advance through the broken South door and prepare to smite the enemy with the "shillelagh" while the others flee behind me back the way we came.

[snake_hunter]

I'm leaning toward fighting. We can waylay them as they come through the door with 3-on-1 (one of us in front of the door, two on either side). If we're lucky we could keep them bottled up and force them to come at us one at a time, climbing over their own fallen. If we run we could get caught in the middle of the room and the broken door we came through won't slow these things very much.

[snake_hunter]

Theglid will retrieve his shield and prepare to fight.

[Fingolwyn]

Lhainor

OK, let's try that (3-on-1 bottling at the door). I'm slow so I'll almost certainly be last. Wait for them to force the door open.

[drpete]

Round 4

Lhainor, finally recovered from his gagging fit, converges on the door, ready to meet whatever comes through. Kohrek abandons trying to spike the door against this heavy bombardment, and joins Lhainor, while Theglid moves to pick up his shield and ready it before the things break through.

The breach comes quickly, as two dessicated corpses force the door open, breaking the second spike.

Kohrek slashes at one with his sword, briefly delaying its advance (1 damage), and Lhainor brings the Shillelagh down on the other one in a crushing blow (9 damage!) downing it!

Nimh and Moony, finally, recover from their nausea, and are able to react to the invasion.

Dex 11:
Kohrek
Dex 10:
Z1 (-1 damage)
Dex 9:
Z2 (-9 damage, dead)
Dex 8:
Theglid
Dex 7:
Lhainor

[Rex]

Nimh

After being overcome by nausea, Nimh looks around and realizes that she needs to act and rushes over to aid her fellow adventurers. If unable to attack she will position herself so she can switch with someone if need be.

[Fingolwyn]

Lhainor

It looks like the "shillelagh" works pretty well on these things, so Lhainor will use it on the remaining opponent.

Also - Impaling people on walls with spears doesn't sound like something zombies do, so there's likely something else lurking nearby.

[drpete]

Round 5-8

Moony, sick and hurt, attempts to turn the undead foe, but he does not feel the presence of his god in this dark place.

Nimh rushes over to attack, but though she is able to attack it, she does not manage to harm it. Kohrek slashes at the zombie, splitting it open (7 damage!). This sends it sprawling, and spoils its attempt to grab Nimh. Theglid brings his mace down on the zombie (2 damage). Lhainor's followup with the Shillelagh is not as successful, perhaps because the zombie fell to the ground.

Weathering several ineffective blows, the zombie stumbles to its feet, and grabs onto Theglid's arm, but Theglid is able to pull away. The zombie grabs onto Theglid again, this time restraining him. It begins to pull Theglid in toward its mouth, until Lhainor smacks it again with the Shillelagh (3 damage) and Nimh finally finishes it off with a solid blow from her mace (2 damage).

The two zombies are downed. All is quiet again, for the moment.