In reply to DM Storm (msg # 53):

Mouthing familiar incantations to his diary, who if her spirit takes any notice must be intrigued by the amount of energy expended on this ruined courtyard, Eagle throws his hands, and the ground around the ghasts explodes into a writhing mass of vegetation.

OOC: will cast entangle, with the area of effect avoiding the PCs if possible.

Expecting lightning from the sky, Shale scrambles backward, firing as he goes at the ghast that Eagle once knew as Rath. He vividly recalls shrugging of the suggestions of his archery master back in the Great Forest to practice, practice, practice.



Hit Rath once for 1 hp damage.

09:30, Today: Shale rolled 1 using 1d6 with rolls of 1. damage.  09:30, Today: Shale rolled 7 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 3. attack with arrow.  09:30, Today: Shale rolled 19 using 1d20+4 with rolls of 15. attack with arrow.

Slightly narrowing his eyes, expecting a blinding flash of light at any moment, Tyrien fires his bow twice at the ghast closest to himself and is pleasantly surprised one of them strikes its target hard.

12:46, Today: Tyrien rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5.
12:45, Today: Tyrien rolled 19 using 2d20 with rolls of 17,2.

Shale and Tyrien sink an arrows into two of the ghasts and a moment later, stubborn weeds and tufts of grass rise from beneath split timbers, dried reeds and broken masonry in the general vicinity of the ghasts. The vegetation grows rapidly, soon encompassing a large area around the ghasts, all of whom fight against the grasping vegetation. The ghasts lose the battle and are completely entangled in the thrashing plant-life.

Bethany, Shale and Tyrien find themselves in the same predicament and do their best to fight off the entanglement.

The ruined courtyard and access to the west wing is now completely blocked by Eagle's spell.


OOC: All four ghasts are entangled. Beth, Shale and Tyrien must make saves vs spells or also be entangled.

Bahamut is on his side, seemingly caught by vines and grasses, he manages at the last minute, in no small part because he's been scared and sweating about both the enemy and his fear of storms, and manages to back up a precious few feet out of the carnage of grasses.


17:03, Today: Tyrien rolled 5 using 1d6 with rolls of 5. Hero to be's Luck?
16:59, Today: Tyrien rolled 14 using 1d20 with rolls of 14. save . (19, target 15)

Shale deftly avoids the worst of the druid's entanglement.


, Today: Shale rolled 15 using 1d20 with rolls of 15. save vs spells target 12.

02:19, Today: Bethany Scristos rolled 20 using 1d20+2 with rolls of 18. Target 17 save.

Struggling against the vines and moving well out of the reach of the undead fiends, Bethany struggles to get behind them and down the stairs to where the half-Orc lay dying.

Unable to get closer to the ghasts with Eagle's druidic magic in play Miralla scours the debris at her feet. If nothing else maybe she can hurl a rock at the undead.

With the ghasts held fast by Eagle's entangle spell, the next several minutes are little more than target practice for the party's missile weapons. Arrow after arrow are sunk into the maniacal undead, punctuated by a bolt of lightning here or there. It is cheerless work, made none the more pleasant by the fact all understand these were formerly living, breathing people not unlike the adventurers. In fact, it is probably most unpleasant for Eagle, seeing his former companions in such a state.

But it is a grim task that must be completed...and is.

Meanwhile, Bethany slips through the entanglement and proceeds down the stairs, to see if she can do anything to prevent the half-orc from completing the transition from half-orc to ghast.

OOC: Going to assume the party is able to defeat the entangled ghasts, rather than dragging out a round by round combat over the next several weeks to have you guys roll attacks/damage. The entangle spell will last 10 rounds and that is probably enough to accumulate enough damage to kill all the ghasts.

Lay on hands please, plus whatever bandaging and such I might be capable of.

Bethany calls upon the Raven Queen to lay hands on her half-orc companions and staves off the specter of death for the moment, though he remains unconscious for the moment. She then dressed and bandages his wounds while her companions finish off the ghasts upstairs.

The peaceful white light faded away, replaced with naught but blackness...

In reply to Grakh'tuul (msg # 65):

Having brought down a bolt of lightning on one of the ghasts, killing it stone dead, Eagle realises the missiles of his companions are enough to deal with the three remaining undead. Spotting that the paladin and orc are still inside he transforms into bird form, circumnavigating the entanglement and down the stairs. Spying the injured fighter, he whispers to Melora and offers healing succour.

OOC: 1:20, Today: Eagle rolled 4 using 1d8 with rolls of 4. clw.

Grakh'tuul awoke with a start as the blackness suddenly vanished. He felt his face, and was amazed that the deep laceration was closing up and the wound was beginning to disappear. He looked around, spying the warrior priest and wood mage hovering nearby. He was momentarily puzzled, and began to try to regain his feet before stumbling as his legs fought to catch up. "Undead? Where are they?" He sounded confused, his hands busily searching for his sword.

Suitably impressed by (and slightly envious of) Eagle's power, Shale relaxed a bit and movedd to join Miralla and Tyrien. "That went well," he said.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:15, Tue 03 Feb 2015.

"Well enough I suppose," Miralla said, though in truth she was concious of the fact that she had accomplished little.

"What now druid?" she aske Eagle.

"We should push that stone cap back in place and put heavy stuff on it to avoid more trouble them help the townsfolk with the grisly task at hand"

"But there might be more down there, we need to cleanse the place completely, not simply hope no one ever opens the door again," Bethany said.

Shale moved forward cautiously to begin salvaging spent arrows from the ghast carcasses strewn out in the courtyard. He had regained control of his quavering innards and was at no risk of vomit, but the odor was still amazingly terrible.

He paused, gorey arrow in hand, boot on the chest of the particularly ugly one in banded mail, and turned to Bethany with a wry smile. "I admire your valor. Perhaps I can offer a middle course. Close the hole for now, assist these people as Tyrien suggests, and return another day to the charnel pit?" 

He returned his eye to the arrow, giving it a dissatisfied grimace. "I may need more arrows."

Realising that the immediate threat had gone, Grakh'tuul cleaned his blade with an old piece of rag and sheathed it, then slung his shield over his shoulder. He turned to Bethany and Eagle. "Your magicks saved me, I am in your debt. I will see the debt repaid one day." He slammed his fist into his chest as a salute. The Qaggaa'xoq took honour very seriously, and the young half-Orc made his vow solemnly. He was now sworn to protect the lives of the Druid and the paladin until the debt was repaid.

When Bethany and Shale began to discuss their next move he looked between them. "I agree that this place needs to be cleansed, but maybe we need some tools more fitted to the job. A few barrels of oil will make this place burn."

Decisions requiring thought were never Bethany's strong suit, action  being more her speed, still should could not do this alone.

"Seal it if we must, but we needs must search to make sure there are no other threats within these walls..."

She is uncertain and uncomfortable with the thought of the half-Orc being in her debt, she had no clue what Grakh'Tuul's people might consider fair payment, but she hoped it was less gruesome then the time Kitty'Klaw left that dead rat in her cell back at the temple where she had been raised.

If any were to wonder, she has yet to recognize the body of her brother among the fiends they had laid to rest.
This message was last edited by the player at 14:48, Fri 06 Feb 2015.

Miralla looked seriously alarmed at the suggestion of going back down there. The half-elven thief glanced at Eagle. "Are all you friends accounted for druid?"

Miralla was all too aware she had not covered herself with glory. Maybe this adventuring life was quite cut out for her after all.

In reply to Miralla (msg # 75):

Eagle had seemed lost in deep thought, but starts back to the present when Miralla addresses him. 'Yes, I believe they are. We need to get the townsfolk in to identify their own lost ones, and tidy this place up.'

He considers the stone cap for a moment. 'The holy knight is right, we can't just hope that nothing else is festering down there. The evil that was here before was great, so I believe that there will be little down there, but I think we should check now.

'After that, everything in this keep now belongs to me and my dead friends - it is my intention to use the treasure here to seek help from the temples of Stormhaven to bring my friends back to life. You seem like a good bunch - if you would accompany me back to the city, I am sure you could keep any treasure left over. If we continue our adventures after this you could even join us if you choose - be warned though, we have faught more deadly adversaries then these undead.'

He peers down the stairs. 'Shall we?'

Following the battle, Eagle examines the fallen ghasts and comes to the horrifying realization that the ghasts they just fought are none other than his former companions, save for Norion, whom was already accounted for. Something terrible happened here last night while Eagle was back at the village. Eagle has been charged with this task before, so he well knows the drill. Except this time it is not just a single party member, but all of them!

One of the ghasts is not his companion though, but a monster dressed in what look like a nobleman's robes, albeit tattered, and wearing a golden circlet studded with brilliant gems. Perhaps a former lord of this keep?

After taking stock of the defeated ghasts, the party discusses their options.

In this, the party members look to Eagle for leadership. Eventually the party agrees to descend into the dungeon to search for signs of any other threats.

Once down below, the party first heads down in the direction the ghasts came from, to the left. The short corridor opens into a larger, ruin-filled chamber. The chamber's southeast corner has partially collapsed and stone, earth and other debris litter its floors. This chamber is still filled with the stench of ghast and more than one member suffers bouts of vomiting while investigating the area.

The party finds a collection of treasure piled into a hollow between two large cinder blocks. Eagle recognizes this as the treasure that was wrested from the Horned One's lair. The group removes this and finds a sturdy strongbox beneath these recent additions to the ghasts' hoard. The strongbox is made of sturdy wood reinforced with metal banding and is sealed with an iron lock. Save for a collection of bones and bits of clothing here or there, nothing of value is found in the lair.

Turning their attention now to the south corridor, the party discovers a chamber in an even worse state. The entire southern half of the room has collapsed. Save for stone, earth and other debris, the only thing of interest found in this room is what looks like a stone staircase descending down. The staircase is filled with rubble and eventually terminates in a pile of seemingly impassable ruin.

There are no other obvious passages to explore in either chamber.

Shale agreed easily to Eagle's plan, and he did his part to explore the limits of the ruined ghast lair, and he generally keeps his wits about him, although he did several times quickly draw his bowstring at shifting shadows and smiled absently to himself for his reactions to dangers only imagined.