Return To The Ruins (Warlords Palace)

[Ahlmzhad]

Taibhse

Wishing to move forward, but seeing the party still stalled he will continue where he is as there are no signs of combat. He will continue to check on Belloc while they wait on the front to resume moving.

[shaidar]

Xenos

The ixian uses his sword to decapitate the body

"You can't be too careful."

Can he tell if the punctures are likely weapon based or possibly fangs?

[Rex]

Drest

He was in a "spiked enclosure", which I assume is some sort of "Iron Maiden".

[shaidar]

Xenos

Yes, sorry, missed that bit, thought it was just a sarcophagus.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Zakath Desert
The Ruined Warlords Palace
Afternoon

Xenos prys the rotting body away from the impaling spikes so the head can be cut off, just in case. This macabre action only serves to make the room a bit more gruesome than it already was. Thankfully, there is no stirring from the other Iron Maiden. (Up the Irons!)

Akhilleus deftly prys away at the layers of rotting cloth, exposing what appears to be a chalice of silver within the mix. The more he pokes around in the pile, the louder the screeching from within becomes.

Cyril immediately opens the bag he's found, revealing a tiny statuette formed from a strange black iron. Its prickly black fur is also created from iron, and a strange echo of life seems to inhere from within.

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Actions?

Xenos (DS3) AC5 17/17
Drest (Sc4) AC7 22/22
Kainaxarthos (C2) AC6 11/11
Cyril (Pr2) AC8 7/7 CLW
Ceana (D2) AC5 13/13
Akhilleus (F3) AC4 32/32
Taibhse (Sh1) AC7 7/7
Belloc (M1) AC6 9/9
Sik (Ba1) AC5 12/12

[Rex]

Drest

Drest wanders out, "What have you found? We just found a rotting corpse of one of those dwarf things we fought last time."

[shaidar]

Xenos replaces the stone lid and joins Sik in guarding the stairs.

[hedgeknight]

Ceana

The druid steps out into the hallway to try and get a breath of fresh air (yeah right!). She holds her torch high and looks down the passageway.

[silifi]

Sik hears the commotion coming from Akhilleus' room, and goes in to assist, raising his axe in preparation for a strike to the writhing pile, but before attacking, he pauses, noting Akhilleus' caution.

"We should kill it," he says, although with some hesitation.

[Belkregos]

Belloc meticulously inspects the torture instruments, searching for any hidden purposes beyond their apparent function. He also scrutinizes the coffins and walls for any concealed sigils, hoping to uncover any traces of necromancy or other arcane signals.

[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

As the others start to leave the torture room, he calls out to them. "We should check the other coffin." He waits for a response, and then feeling brave, decides to go check it himself.

"Get ready to run, Belloc." He says with a grin.

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus nods at Sik as a sign of recognition. "Wait a second. I want to see first what it is..."

Let's carefuly this time, he kicks the pile of cloth hoping to dismantle it and see what's beneath or among it. He reckons the silver chalice might roll for a couple feet, and hopes it will be intact afterwards.

His sword is ready.

[The_Wanderer]

Cyril's breath whistles between his teeth. "Would you look at that. How strangely wonderful. A statue yet furry...and prickly." He carries it out to the others, completely absorbed in its strangeness, yet holding it gingerly to avoid incidental piercing of his skin.

He holds it up for the others to observe. "It leaves a taste of life...and perhaps death beneath my tongue...perhaps death isn't quite correct. More like the absence of life." He tries to read the scribbled markings at its base. "Have any of you seen an animal or monster like this before?"

[hedgeknight]

Ceana

To take her mind off the scenes in the torture room, Ceana takes a look at the statue held gingerly in Cyril's hands. She is specifically looking for any type of runes or writing that would give them clues of its origin.

[Ahlmzhad]

Taibhse

As Belloc moves in he'll cross the room to stand at the head of the hallway where the others are in the two rooms.

[OGRE MAGE]

The Zakath Desert
The Ruined Warlords Palace/Basement
Afternoon

Bellock looks around in the torture room, noticing nothing of an arcane nature, or any other secrets.

The second Iron Maiden is checked and found to be empty. Taibhse moves ahead and joins the others, most of them now on the steps looking into the next chamber.

Looking over the cuneiform etching on the base of the iron statuette, Cyril believes it to be an ancient form of Hyperborean, which none of the party can comprehend without the use of magic. The image of the figure is a hairy sloth-like toad, which most in the group agree is likely a representation of the ubiquitous toad god Xathoqqua.

Akhilleus decides to see what is making all the racket under the mouldering covers, kicking at the pile until he reveals its current tenants.

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6 of these three foot long dungeon monsters aggressively scuttle out from under their cover to bite and claw at the person or persons disrupting their nest.

Actions!

Those in the room can make an attack this round, while the others can decide if they want to get into position inside the room for an attack next round.

Xenos (DS3) AC5 17/17
Drest (Sc4) AC7 22/22
Kainaxarthos (C2) AC6 11/11
Cyril (Pr2) AC8 7/7 CLW
Ceana (D2) AC5 13/13
Akhilleus (F3) AC4 32/32
Taibhse (Sh1) AC7 7/7
Belloc (M1) AC6 9/9
Sik (Ba1) AC5 12/12

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[Monsieur Rose]

Kainaxarthos

Kain grabs a pair of shackles and then moves back into the hall to see what all the commotion is about.

[hedgeknight]

Ceana

Hearing the screeching, Ceana moves to the door and looks inside. Seeing the rats, she hollers at the rest of the group in the hallway, "Giant rats! They're attacking!" and dashes into the room.

Can she attack this round or is her action moving into the room?

[OGRE MAGE]

Can she attack this round or is her action moving into the room?

Those in the room can make an attack this round, while the others can decide if they want to get into position inside the room for an attack next round.

She was in the hallway, so she would need to move into the room this round.

[Karaunios]

Akhilleus looks at the rats in disgust for a second, then his warrior instincs arise.

Broad sword (one-handed) - To hit: [1d20+2]=5+2=7; Dmg: [1d8+3]=5+3=8
Broad sword (one-handed) - To hit: [1d20+2]=19+2=21; Dmg: [1d8+3]=4+3=7
Broad sword (one-handed) - To hit: [1d20+2]=19+2=21; Dmg: [1d8+3]=3+3=6


Heroic Fighting
To smite multiple foes. When combatting opponents of 1 HD or less, double normal melee attacks per round (2/1, or 3/1 if wielding a mastered weapon). This dramatic attack could be effected as a single, devastating swing or lunge that bursts through multiple foes.