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Bronn stoops to take a closer look at the creatures they've just dispatched.

"I must admit to feeling somewhat abashed at vanquishing these creatures without first ascertaining their intention. That being said, I doubt there's much down here that isn't conspiring to end us in one way or another. What are...ahem...were they?"

"I do not believe that they are undead," says Ubrecht. "I am unaware of any quite like this, and they showed no reaction at all to my holy symbol."

Approaching the bodies, you quickly realize they were not undead. Their bodies, though rapidly cooling, did have warmth to them. Another give-away is their congealing blood spreading on the flag stones of the hall. With the commotion and anxiety of combat over, you are able to get a better look at the surroundings. The creatures were not travelling down a hallway to reach where you were; they had just passed through an open door. Another room is on the other side where the last of the creatures fell.

Bronn gives the bodies a once-over, looking for anything of potential value. He eyes their weapons as well, looking for signs of quality.

When finished, he stands and stretches his back. "I wonder, are creatures such as these just roaming the barrows in search of hapless souls or are they part of an organized force? If so, by whom and why?"

He looks north towards the entrance the creatures came from. "Shall we see where they were coming from?"

Nightsong slowly released the air he had held in his lungs as he waited for what seemed like an eternity. The time interval between bowstring release and target contact alternated between instantaneous and what seemed like geological time scales. This last shot had seemed like the latter. It must have been the closed in space. He could still see the shadow of the fletching on the shaft as it rotated through the air above Pyrrhics shoulder just as he lunged out of the way.

As Nightsong slowly stepped out of the sort of trance he often found himself in after combat, his attention was drawn towards Bronn's words. Nightsong had never come face to face with such creatures, but Elven lore was full of tales of grotesque enemies composed of parts of other creatures. And in none of those stories did they just "roam about". He shuddered to think what designs such creatures might have in a barrow like this, but he knew that he had the right group should they be forced to find out.

"Aye," says Ubrecht. "North."

Peaches will help Bronn search the bodies. "Yup, let's go thataway," she says, pointing north.

Proceeding into the room where the creatures where prior to your encounter, you find yourself in a large hall. The room is 50 feet across and 40 feet from the entrance to the opposite wall. On both sides of the walls are large pillars. In the middle of the opposite wall a hallway proceeds north. To the right of the door through which you filed is another closed door heading south. A rubble pile in the north central portion of the room (from a partially collapsed ceiling) shows the glint of some coins.

Pyrrhic chuckles. "Well that looks too good to be true."

Bronn looks equally amused.

"Anyone want to volunteer to poke through that?"

Ubrect snorts. "Canna' be naught good 'bout that."

Bronn will gingerly use the tip of his sword to poke through the pile of rubble.

Bronn probes the pile with the tip of his sword, moving a small amount of coins with his investigation. Too late he hears the warning sign of a rattle snake as he strikes from the shadows of the nearest pillar.

Rattle Snake Strike: [1d20+4] = 7+4 = 11 Damage: [1d4] = 2
Miss

Rattle Snake Strike: [1d20+4] = 4+4 = 8 Damage: [1d4] = 2
Miss

Two times the giant snake coils and launches itself at the half-orc. Luckily, the snake fails to sink its fangs into Bronn's flesh.

Surprise round complete. Initiative!

Ubrecht steps up and smashes the snake on the head with his mace.

Mace (THAC0 19): [1d20+1] = 20+1 = 21, Dmg [1d6+1] = 6+1 = 7
Critical hit: [1d20] = 3 No additional critical hit effect.

Pyrrhic steps up, keeping out of the snake's striking distance, striking with his spear.
To hit with Spear: [1d20+1] = 5+1 = 6, damage: [1d6+1] = 4+1 = 5

Bronn sidesteps out of the way of the serpent in surprise, and brings his sword around in a scything arc towards the creature.

Two Handed Sword: To Hit [1d20+2] = 10+2 = 12, To Damage [1d10+2] = 7+2 = 9

Peaches fires off a sling stone at the snake.

To hit with sling [1d20+2] = 17+2 = 19
Damage with sling [1d4] = 2

"Booya!" she shouts at the snake.

Pyrrhic mumbles something under his breath, taking a step back momentarily shocked by the abrupt appearance of the thing. "Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?"

Initiative: [1d20] = 1