"Sunfather, Light our way." Qvar smiles, touching Ashlyn's shield.

Nodding his agreement to Ashlyn, Caesius moves a little closer to Qvar and Zertin.  The recent lack of threats has done nothing to lessen his state of readiness.  "Qvar, Zertin?  As we go on, further into this place, let me go ahead of you."

He keeps an eye on Violet as she approaches the door and starts doing... whatever it is she does to perform her own special kind of miracle.

Though she checks them carefully, Violet finds no traps upon the double doors, and so she prises one open, the hinges creaking in the silence as everyone holds their breath, intent on what lies behind it ...   

Shadows seem to move in the light that shines from Ashlyn's shield, dancing across the high, vaulted ceiling of the wide hall that is revealed, a mirror of the one you trod on the level below, down to the same double doors at the far western end, about seventy feet away, though it lacks the statuary that lined the walls of the former, indeed lacks any decoration or furnishings.

As Violet moves forwards, the armoured woman at her back, Caesius a pace ahead of Qvar and Zertin, Saeko at Ireena's side at the rear, a low moan rises and falls, intoning sadness and despair.

Of course.

Lips tight and bloodless, Violet throws an almost weary look back at the others.  "You heard that?" she laconically inquires, before returning her gaze to the front.  Mostly.  The young woman keeps an eye on the sides, as well, as she slowly paces into the hall.  Vaulting, wide, open spaces...not the best situation for those wanting to hide, but decent enough for arrow-work.  "Big place," she breathes.  "Could hold a ball."

Or an ambush.

That arrow is mostly definitely ready, the bow at half-draw.

Zertin follows those in front quietly, alert for any sight or sound signalling immediate danger. He holds his wand of magic missiles ready for use if required.

"Yes.  A draft perhaps?"  Qvar replies reassuringly to Violet, the mutters a prayer to reassure himself.  "Sunfather, there are no restless spirits about, are there?" 

He nods agreement for Caesius to go on ahead then falls in beside Zertin.  That wand gives him comfort too.

Caesius, too, hears the sound.

"I sense nothing evil ahead of us." he states simply.  Still, he doesn't relax.  A bear isn't evil, after all, but is no less dangerous for that.

The view beyond the door, another large hall where shadows dance and flee before the encroaching light, gives him little concern, at least for his own well-being.

You move slowly down the hall.  Violet, and Zertin somewhat further behind, warily looking for signs of trouble at which they might fling missiles of metal and wood or pure magic, while Qvar and Caesius reach out with their senses, trying to touch the evil.

Ashlyn and Saeko also look out for threats that might assail their charges, though it is only Ireena who seems affected by the low, despairing cries, that grief reflected on her own visage ...

As Violet looses the tension on her bow string to stoop by the the double doors at the far end of the wide hall, Ashlyn raises a hand to bid the rest of you hold while the young woman examines the second portal, swiftly determining that it too has no traps to harm the unwary, though her brow furrows as she rises.

Zertin notes Violet's wariness as she rises from examining the doors. He raises and eyebrow enquiringly, but waits silently for her to communicate whatever has unsettled her.

Qvar waits beside Zertin as Violet and Ashlyn scout ahead.

He smiles reassuringly at Ireena, "I hear the voices too, but there are no restless spirits here now."  He continues to concentrate on Detect Undead, looking towards the door ahead. He makes sure he stays close to Ireena, brightening his glow a little, and his Circle of Protection from Evil 10'r possibly giving some comfort also.

Violet responds to Zertin's questioning gaze, advising the mage that she believes she was able to hear voices beyond the doors at the end of the hall, though very faintly and indistinctly, and in light of the strange cries that haunt the passageway, perhaps just another symptom of the past terrors that transpired within these walls, rather than anything tangible.

Neither Qvar nor Caesius can detect anything undead or evil, respectively, beyond the doors.

Zertin moves into a position where he is ready to fire his wand at anything waiting beyond the doos, or anything that attacks Violet. He nods for Violet to proceed whenever she is ready.

Qvar continues to concentrate on Detect Evil Undead, mostly towards the door ahead although his gaze occasionally wanders around the shadowy corners of the empty hall.  His mind wanders back to the ferret joke he told Zed a day or so ago.  Got the punchline wrong, as usual ... should have been a hobbed goblin.  Oh well, never mind.  Must say, though, even a rat scurrying past would be a welcome sight in this barren land ...
This message was last edited by the player at 00:43, Sun 05 Nov 2023.

"Whatever, or whoever, lays beyond the door doesn't carry the taint of evil,  But it could still threaten us.  Servants or minions perhaps." Caesius says quietly, "Or it could be prisoners, or hostages.  Though this does seem like an odd place to hold captives, when I'm sure the castle has perfectly adequate accommodations for such in the dungeon."

He moves a couple of paces closer to the door, and aims his crossbow at it.

"If you are ready to open the door, Violet, we stand prepared."

Violet nods, if not without misgivings ... once everyone is ready she turns the handle, then steps swiftly aside as she pushes the door open, so as to be out of the line of either devil-magic or metal shaft !

OOC: GM Ghosting

The doors give way to a small, dark antechamber, barely more than a passageway, ten feet wide and twenty feet long, with another, identical pair of doors on the opposite wall, beyond which you can hear a number of voices, less faint now, but no more distinct.  At either end alcoves hold grinning skeletons, facing each other across the darkness ...

"There, that's not so bad."  Qvar reassures those in the lead. "Just skeletons.  Quite dead.  Shall we press on?"  He continues to concentrate on Detect Undead up ahead.

Zertin waves his hand airily in a gesture that probably does mean, yes please proceed.

"There is nothing to trouble us here." agrees Caesius, and starts forward, into the antechamber.

Still his crossbow is held at the ready, and those closest to him can hear that he is whispering a prayer to Heironeous under his breath.

"Heironeous, grant that Your worshipper might serve You well in the coming trials.  Guide his weapons, that they might fulfil Your divine purpose."

Thankful that the skeletons are no more than long dead corpses, you press on, Caesius, ever alert for the presence of evil and with his crossbow at the ready, opens the doors before you, a prayer on his lips and Violet, no less vigilant and with an arrow nocked, at his side.

Qvar and Zertin follow close behind, while Ashlyn, Saeko and Ireena trail the group.

Beyond the door ...

Occasional flashes of lightning spill into this room in jagged shafts through the broken glass and iron frames of a large window in the wall opposite.  Otherwise, this immense room stands in a chilly, brooding darkness that even the light around Qvar can but dimly pierce.  Hundreds of cobwebs, thick with dust, hide the ceiling from view.  At the far end of the hall a huge throne stands atop a raised platform.

Upon the throne is a thing of undulating flesh and writhing tentacles that makes a part of your mind want to turn away and run.  Whatever it is, it is large, larger than the throne, seemingly almost draped over the massive chair and hanging over the arms and the front.  Even as you look, a tentacle or eye-stalk rises above the shapeless mass and twists as if peering around.  A figure cowers on the platform steps behind it, head bowed in fear or perhaps supplication.

Nearer at hand, between you and the throne to the south are two horrors, seemingly drawn from a lunatic's nightmare with oozing flesh upon which countless eyes and toothy mouths constantly form and disappear all over the creatures, often retreating into their bodies even as they become apparent, each mouth chattering, a cacophony of nonsense, little more than a whisper, but growing louder as they turn towards you ... or so you imagine.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ...

Zertin takes one look at the amorphous creatures in the room ahead and mutters to himself.

"Aberrations of some sort?"

Without further hesitation he recites the words of a spell and points to a spot midway between the creature on the throne and the chattering creature furthest from it. A tiny ball of flame streaks from his fingertip and erupts as a fireball 40-feet in diameter to engulf all three of the creatures.

OOC: Knowledge check to identify monsters and their properties.
Zertin rolled 22 using 1d20+6.  Knowledge dungeoneering skill check.
Zertin rolled 29 using 7d6.  Fireball damage. (Fireball DC19 Reflex save for half damage.)

A wave of revulsion washes over Caesius, and breaks upon his divinely granted resolve like water upon a rocky shore.  "Hold fast, friends!  I know not what these creatures are, but they will not keep me from my duty."

While holding fast is a good thing, he is careful, nonetheless to remain out of Zertin's line of sight as he does so.  The suddenly blossoming ball of flame seems to show the wisdom of doing so.

Whilst Qvar would have been happy to see a rat, these 'aberrations' really don't bring him any joy.  In fact, he's inclined to agree with Zertin and Caesius, they should be allowed to continue this mockery of life, let alone impede their mission. "Stay close as you bring them down, Pelor will protect us."  He refers to the Protection from Evil 10'r around himself.  He will move with the others if they enter the room, trying to keep everyone within 10' of himself, but otherwise maintain concentration on Detect Undead ... although creatures these are not, he wonders about the cowering person at the far end of the room ...

"Foul abominations," Ashlyn declares in reply to the Wizard's question, following hard on Qvar's heels, and taking the wise example of Caesius to heart as she notes Zertin begin casting, holding her ground with sword and shield at the ready, the latter angled protectively as the ball of fire erupts in the creatures' midst.

Those near the doorway hold their ground as Zertin unleashes a huge ball of fire at the horrors, carefully directing his spell so as to catch all of them.

One of the smaller creatures closest lurches forward with surprising speed, escaping the full force of the flames, the second following suit closing on Caesius, though slower, its oozing flesh blackened by the blast, the movements of both jerky and unnatural.

The undulating flesh of the tentacled thing draped upon the throne likewise suffers from the flames, though it is but barely scorched as it rolls and slides off its perch, slowly making its way towards you, a horrible, unnatural wailing noise issuing from somewhere within its shapeless mass, swiftly joined by a cacophony of ear-splitting gibbering nonsense from the small creatures.  The figure on the platform behind it cries out in anguish, raising its hands to protect itself, though the flames fall short of it.

The creature nearest Caesius lashes out at the Paladin, biting at him from half a dozen toothy maws, though the fine chain links of his armour protect him in the main as only one bite pierces his flesh, even as the stream of nonsense threatens to overwhelm the senses of all of you.

OOC: Map of the proceedings updated ... and everyone must make a Will Save vs DC13 or be disoriented by the noise