3rd Day of the Claw of Winter: (February):
Within The Lair of the Bandits:
Thora: “Ahh yes, tis an ancient mausoleum that we now roam within and used by the Bandits and Barbarians as thier lair.”
Beardy Thora thinks aloud within the Bandits lair as she smashes another skeleton in shroud within one of the 5 sarcophaguses.
Yonder tapestry shows a funereal procession, pall bearers, nobles and a grief stricken Queen.
What of the spells making green growth here? Same Magicks found under King’s Hill here and the work of a Cleric or Druid.
Oh yes and those arrows that flew were covered in poison, but by whom?
In the rubble strewn chamber with coffins of stone Sigune seeks out to ‘Detect Evil’ but findeth there none.
Thora stands ready with Frimly behind her, while Galan searches for doors reveal none there.
But as they search the debris strewn room they notice a subtle breeze emanating from the blocked area beyond them.
Mirafir is also searching the sarcophagi chamber and stumbles upon a ‘Glyph of Warding’ etched into the rear of the now broken door. So someone wanted to keep the undead shadows trapped within, therein may lay a clue!
They assess that they cannot explore beyond the rock fall in corporeal form so rather than use their ‘Potion of Gaseous Form’. Mirafir will assume ‘Wraithform’.
But as plans are hatched the door of yonder latrine is closed by unseen hands.
A brief moment later, four Barbarian Warriors sneak into view from the nearby pillared room.
Their feet are bare but weapons they also bare, Javelin, Hand Axe and even a Short Sword.
Sigune moves to engage them in the Western corridor and Thora rushes out to help her in the fray.
Galan loses his Longbow as he sees fit and to great effect.
Magical ‘Electric Blue Javelins’ are hurled at our heroes but their aim is not true.
With their element of surprise lost and sinewy agility counting for nought, three Barbarians drop like stones within brief moments.
The last of the savages sensing his demise makes off in swift haste for somewhere to hide, his lightweight weaponry no match for our guys.
Mirafir now investigates another sarcophagus in ‘Wraithform’ but finding nothing of interest heads off to investigate rubble filled corridor.
Mirafir Explores The Bandits Lair:
Mirafir disappears through the gaps between the gaps of the fallen rubble moving slower than he would wish and counting the minutes to when his ‘Wraithform’ ends. Finding the gaps through the blocked corridor Mirafir spends several minutes making his way in as straight a line as possible. Eventually the Wizard moves to the |Eastern side of the corridor to see if he can discover any passages branching of the main corridor as Mirafir cannot see beyond a few feet due to the rubble.
Mirafir eventually find a corridor branching off to the East and he makes his way down a 20’ foot corridor that ends at a door constructed of heavy wood and reinforced with bands of steel. In ‘Wraithform’ Mirafir is able to slip through the keyhole to the chamber beyond. Within the Wizard discovers another tomb with 4 more sarcophagi.
Looking around the chamber the Wizards keen eye spot the spectral movement of the second Shadow encountered earlier. Mirafir, fearing his ‘Wraithform’ would end trapping him in the blocked corridor, elects to return to his comrades.
Thora urges the fighters to finish the job. They peer down the corridor.
Sigune Looks back down the Southerly corridor from whence they first came. The ‘Firewall’ has dissipated and she spies the 4th Barbarian hiding behind an urn.
Sigune take out her Longbow and an Arrow and hits him with a superior arrow. The pained Barbarian regains his innate courage and runs back and closes the door preventing Sigune from firing at him again.
In the four pillared ante chamber, Thora, is perplexed as she is hit by an Arrow that seems to come through a bare wall, the fletched arrow is also coated with an unctuous Poison.
Simultaneously, Thora and Frimly concentrate on whence the attack came from– now knowing that this must surely be some form of Illusion. And as one the veil is lifted and they can now plainly see two roughly formed Arrow Slits in the wall ahead.
Sigune skirting around Eastward, toward the latrines and the door which had closed, is also hit by a poisoned shaft but does not succumb to its effects. She heads on alone towards the now closed latrine door which she shoulder charges with full force.
The heavy wooden door, however, is unlocked and she stumbles into the chamber.
Elsewhere, Thora had now drawn her Long Sword and raises her Shield above her head in an effort to block the Archer’s attacks while Galan and Frimly move in to cover the Arrow Slits.
Sigune roars her battle hue:
Thora: “Prepare to be judged by the wrath of St Cuthbert!”
Then she hurls herself at a pair of cloaked foes with Longbows drawn. The Bandits manage to release one Arrow before the Blonde Fury is upon them. Melee is brutal and feminine wiles are at a bare minimum. Her warrior art reduced to cut and thrust then smash.
Perhaps from the balistraria, a worrying cry rings out:
Bandit: “They have discovered the arrow slits, attack on all fronts!”
A secret door is found by Frimly who also manages to rapidly unravel the opening mechanism.
Galan is assailed by the last of the quad of Barbarians and bests his opponent but not without taking nominal wound.
Frimly blanks out the noise of combat and focuses on what sound is beyond the doorway.
Bandit: “Get the Barbarians up front; let us get back to the quarters!”
He hears uttered in common tongue.
Mirafir returns from his excursion and no longer in ‘Wraithform’ and the Wizard is preparing to cast ‘Invisibility’ upon himself.
Thora leads on through the inwardly opening door, followed by Galan. Ahead lays a long corridor. At either side of the entrance two alcoves have been gouged out, possibly by magical means, allowing access to the Arrow Slits with a view into the chamber yonder.
Two more corridors are offset to East and West. In front of them is a ramshackle barricade of cots and tables; two armed Barbarians lurk behind.
One of the strange electrically charged ‘Magical Javelins’ is thrown at the advancing Heroes and hits Thora with a nasty blow and discharge.
Galan, seeing that the Barbarians had acted, engages his ‘Ring of Jumping’ and leaps over barrier and beyond the two assailants.
Sigune meanwhile battling on alone with 2 Bandits to contend with, is assailed by another ‘Wall of Fire’, indiscriminately cast it would seem, by a Cleric. Her two foes are also hurt, with one falling, but her ‘Ring of Fire Resistance’ shields her from the worst of the damage.
Sigune: ‘Ze gotverdamt leric ist here!’
She bellows out to her companions.
Hearing this, Mirafir makes his way to her aid while ‘Invisible’. The Paladin casts ‘Detect Evil’ in a vain attempt to locate her elusive unholy enemy.
Sigune: “‘Ze door opened und ze Cleric stepped through – zen he cast ze ‘Firewall’ spell and disappeared, as did ze door….by ST Cuthbert’s cudgel, I vill break him into small pieces!’
Galan fights the 2 remaining Barbarians in the long Norther corridor, while Thora bulldozes the barricade.
3 more Barbarians break cover, emerging from the Western chamber in search of combat.
Frimly listens at the Eastern doorway and hears the sound of dripping beyond. He attempts to open the locked door. As the lock finally clicks open, he remembers that he recognizes the odour of the poison as being similar to the smell of a paralyzing poison he was once affected by a Carrion Crawler.
Sigune then elects to return to the rest of the party while Mirafir follows behind ‘Invisible’ and keeping his presence hidden from all concerned.