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The door swings outward. "Standard for a dwarven hold, really," opines Shortbread. "The dwarven clansmen can push it open easily enough from inside, but no about of bashing by giants or trolls on the outside would get it open." The door was more readily detected by the fact that it was left about two inches carelessly ajar. You can discern no hinges and you suspect that, had it been fully closed, it might have been near invisible to see for non-dwarven eyes.

Clay has one CLW and two Hold Person's left. And two Entangles, which will be worthless inside the tunnels, but will help us in our escape. Oh. He can turn undead, too.

Any activity from Stirling of late? It's Foxy's show, after all.

Clay suggests Shortbread searches for traps, since he may be the most likely to notice something added onto the dwarf architecture. If he doesn't notice anything, Clay will prod the door with the end of his quarterstaff. If nothing happens, he'll open the door.

Halfpint will move to the side, and brace for an assault out the door, if guards rush out toward them.

Shortbread looks over the doorway thoughtfully, then shakes his head. He sees nothing amiss. Halfpint braces for a charge while Clay pokes the door with his stick. The door shifts on its hinge and they hear a clanking of metal within. The door then swings open abruptly as a dozen skeletal warriors, each short and stout, covered in dwarven banded mail and bearing a old tarnished axes, pour out of the opening intent on carving up your group.

Actions and initiative!

Date: 9:20pm, 04 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Distance: ~12-13 Miles
Spell effects: None
Injuries: Foxy (mild injury), Baxtaw (mild injury), Clay (mild injury)

Not wanting the skeletons to alert the living goblins, Clay gives ground to allow the skeletons out the door as he commands Morr and the others to run a short distance away. Clay crouches and calls upon the plants to aid him, casting Entangle. Once they are ensnared, Clay wades through the angry weeds dispatching them.

Baxtaw- Motions to Shortbread to draw the undead warriors out into the field.

Halfpint readies her bow, but not wanting to send them running away from the entanglement, holds her fire.

'Ho ho ho!' laughs The Grizzly Woman as she scuttles away, waving her large arms tauntingly to egg on the skeletons. With a whistle she calls the bear keep up pace.

ooc: ordering the bear to "Defend" to keep him away from the spell.

The group falls back, the armored undead predictably pouring outward onto the hillside in mindless pursuit. Clay casts entangle, waking the anger of the earth. The grasses and tendrils whip around the undead, bearing many of them to the ground as they continue to resolutely move forward, toppling with their efforts. They gnash their fleshless teeth behind their dried, brittle beards trying still to advance despite their captivity.

Three of the skeletons break free of the entanglement, emerging from the plants. All three of them raise their weapons and rush directly at Halfpint, intent on her as their quarry.

Shortbread recoils in horror as he sees the skeletal remains up close. "They're... they're dwarves! They've defiled dwarven tombs!"

Clay - you can't effectively kill nine of them before the spell expires. You need an auxiliary plan for at least a few.
Everyone else - you can dispatch the three coming at Halfpint, then decide how to help.

Date: 9:21pm, 04 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Distance: ~12-13 Miles
Spell effects: Entangle (until 9:30pm)
Injuries: Foxy (mild injury), Baxtaw (mild injury), Clay (mild injury)

Commanding Morr to attack the skeletons, Clay resolutely sets to work finishing off as many of the skeletons as he can. As the strength of his miracle wanes, he wades through the angry weeds toward the entrance to the mountain. He gathers the party toward the mountain as well and holds out his holy symbol - a simple string of wooden beads and attempts to turn the rest of the creatures, cursing their escape.

Morr rushes to the halfling's aid but misses in some way that will be described by a more qualified storyteller.

Morr [1d20] = 2, damage [1d6+1] = 6+1 = 7
Flee Abominations! [2d6] = 6, HD Turned [2d6] = 8
I used my macro, but I believe the skeletons, are 1 HD, so they are auto turned. If so, just the 2d6 was needed.
Initiative [1d6] = 6

Halfpint decides holding her arrow safe and sound in the confines of her bow is doing her no bit of good, whats so ever.
She quickly let's go of the string with a precision even a full pint would envy, hoping the arrow might drive through all three at once.

Shortbow [1d20+3] = 18+3 = 21; [1d6+1] = 5+1 = 6

onlyme wrote:.. hoping the arrow might drive through all three at once.

Surely she cannot be thinking she is better than (or even as good as) Fingers!!! Nice roll though!

As arrows fly and weapons flail, The Grizzly Woman emits another loud guffaw and wades into the three attacking skeletons, swinging The Grizzly's Trunk with glee. The bear growls menacingly.

ooc: Attack, Bear!

Grizzle Miss:
The Grizzly's Trunk (provides -1AC vs natural weapons) [1d20+2] = 2+2 = 4, damage [1d10+2] = 7+2 = 9

Huck Bear:
Huck's routine 1 (ThAC0 17): Claw [1d20] = 4 Dam [1d3] = 3, Claw [1d20] = 6 Dam [1d3] = 2
Huck's routine 2 (ThAC0 17): Bite [1d20] = 8 Dam [1d6] = 5

Halfpint shoots a well-placed shot through the skull of one of the approaching dead-dwarves, dropping it to dust inside its armor. Morrs, Huckleberry, and Grizzly Woman try to engage the other two, then joined by Foxy and Baxtaw with their own swords. The two skeletons try resolutely to reach Halfpint, but no one is able to land a solid blow on any other.

Date: 9:22pm, 04 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Distance: ~12-13 Miles
Spell effects: Entangle (until 9:30pm)
Injuries: Foxy (mild injury), Baxtaw (mild injury), Clay (mild injury)

Halfpint quickly reloads, knowing she seems to be their preferred prey. She aims quickly and fires.


Shortbow [1d20+3] = 12+3 = 15; [1d6+1] = 1+1 = 2





EDIT to ask: If she cannot use her bow since these 2 are presumably in melee with her, Ill switch her to her sword.

Morr snaps at air again.

Hit the wrong Macro - he isn't blessed. Happy to take the 2 as an attack roll.
Morr with Blessing [1d20+1] = 2+1 = 3, damage [1d6+2] = 6+2 = 8

Foxy O'Hare

"I would be unsure wether these are animated and under the control of the goblin king or perhaps the bones of a grave troop, protecting their crypt?", says Foxy. Still it is good that Shortbread noticed the entrance. Did we hear the horn of Jarkul sounded at all? I would be confident that even at the last that would be Thundreds' last stand so with it being silent I would encourage the nephew that the ogres and dwarves have stood their ground or taken refuge in the niche cave.

Clean-up is relatively quick. Halfpint dispatches a second of the skeletons herself using her sword, (2hp, dead) then Huckleberry charges across, snapping the bones of the last skeleton in half with one powerful bite of its jaws (Critical hit, dead). Clay moves through the whipping vines and tangling grasses slowly - they do not fully entangle him but neither is he immune to the rage he awoke in them. He uses his staff to bludgeon the armored skeletons, who are helpless before his attacks. With repeated smashing, he manages to crush the bones and end the dark enchantment that gave life to six of the dwarven bodies. He hits the seventh quite hard, but not enough, as the power of Beith wanes and the grasses and vines again become quiescent. He stumbles back as the last three skeletons turn their attention to him, free of the tangling vines. Grabbing his holy symbol, he abjures them in the name of Beith with immediate effect. The last three creatures turn and begin to flee down the mountain slope away from the party.

Foxy considers the nature of these undead minions, considering their nature. Shortbread, overcome and shaking with horror, replies to Foxy, "No dwarven hold would resort to desecrating their own dead in this way, let alone for mere protection." They did not hear the horn of Jarkul; Foxy reassures Shortbread about the fate of his kinsmen.

Date: 9:31pm, 04 June 2021
Light: Sunlight
Distance: ~12-13 Miles
Spell effects: None
Injuries: Foxy (mild injury), Baxtaw (mild injury), Clay (mild injury)

The Grizzly Woman grunts in surprise and confusion. "Well I am surely flummoxed. Lily livered skeletons, would you look at that." She makes no attempt to follow them down the hill, and turns her attention to the door.

Hooking the door with The Grizzly's Branch and pulling it open, she peers carefully within.

The Grizzly Woman pushes open the stone door with her wielded tree trunk. Inside, she finds little of note. It is a spare 20x20 chamber carved into the mountainside. Crumbly dirt covers the floor topped with dried out blown-in leaves, the place not having been swept for many years. A stone floor hatch lies open on the rear side of the room, carved stone steps leading downward into the mountain's interior. She also noted that there are plentiful slits in the mountain stone on the walls to either side of the door - not visible from the outside, they allow air and setting sunlight to speckle the room and enough space that archers could shoot out if they were here.

Date: 9:40 pm, 04 June 2021
Light: Fading Sunset
Distance: ~12-13 Miles
Spell effects: None
Injuries: Foxy (mild injury), Baxtaw (mild injury), Clay (mild injury)