With a little investgation, Valthur finds a cleverly disguised (perhaps to all but a Dwarf!) secret door hidden in the cavern's south wall. Moving on from this task, Valthur sifts through the briar nest and finds a few cobalt blue scales within the nest, but little else of interest.

Sarah watches Valthur's efforts with the stonework with interest, hoping to learn something about hiding (and finding) traps and secret doors.

[Private to DM Pawn: And . . . take at least two of the scales if I can without anyone seeing.  I recognize that the size of the scales is presently unknown and may make this impossible.]

Once the dwarf was finished with his investigation of the nest, Eoni nodded for him to take the lead once more as they pressed onward through the entrance he'd discovered.  Her Tiara was more than enough to light their way as they progressed into the dark interior of the lion's belly.

Aldara, too, watched the dwarf work.  Her interest was academic, rather than practical.

Always, the mage stays close to the better-armed members of her group.

When the group moves on, Taerix takes up the rear as usual, watching behind them for any danger coming from that direction.

Valthur makes sure to show the scales to the others before proceeding down the passageway. "Don't know what kind of monstrosity leaves behind scales like this, but I suspect it isn't something friendly."

With that concern raised, and at Eoni's nod, he leads them into the passage, slightly emboldened by the fact that he successfully its entrance a few moments earlier. "It's really a knack for us dwarves," he brags softly over his shoulder as he proceeds. "Something in our blood, I suspect. Hiding an underground door from an Ironhelm is like hiding a bone from a hungry dog."

Passing through the secret door, Valthur leads the party up a long 10-foot-wide hallway that climbs in a complete circle, sloping gently upward from the secret door. The party files up the corkscrewing corridor for about 30 feet when two ghostly lionesses spring forth from the very stone walls, bearing their spectral jaws and flashing their sharp claws!

With a low growl that close in on either side of the the party's line, one bears down on Valthur and the other, Taerix.

The ghost lions tear into the halfling and dwarf, clawing and biting them. Despite their spectral form, the ghost lions very much do real physical damage!

OOC: Taerix takes 3 points of damage. Valthur takes 8.

Ghost Dire Lions, 2
AC: 6
HP: 16/16 (Valthur), 16/16 (Taerix)
[Private to GM: 1d3/1d3/1d6]



PC         AC   HP    9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3
Aldara     8  15/15   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20
Eoni       8  24/24   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20
Marklin    2  19/19   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Sarah      4  21/21   8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Taerix     1  19/22   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Valthur    4  18/26   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

PCs are UP!

"In the name of Avandra!" Eoni shouted, gripping the wooden symbol about her neck.  "Let us pass!"

She concentrated on driving the spectral forms from them through the strength of Avandra's Grace.

OOC:
Eoni Daflin rolled 8 using 2d6.  Turn Undead Lions?
Eoni Daflin rolled 10 using 2d6.  Turn Undead HD.

[Private to GM: This would successfully Turn 2 5HD creatures or any 2 of lesser than 5HD.  If they're susceptible to turning...]

Taerix draws his sword, and hoping that his sword works on these apparitions, swipes right into the lion that hurt him!

Kane Taerix scored 7 points of critical sword damage.

12:15, Today: Kane Taerix rolled 21 using 1d20+1 with rolls of 20.  Attack lion.
This message was last edited by the player at 20:05, Fri 21 Dec 2018.

Sarah is doubly distraught: She has no room to hide, and she did not prepare her newly-cherished crossbow.  She grabs some of her darts and flings them at the lion attacking Valthur.


13:18, Today: Sarah rolled 21,3 using d20+3,d4 with rolls of 18,3.  Throw Dart (11 to hit).

Taerix's sword and Sarah's darts seem to have no effect on the ghostly lions, each passing harmlessly through the incorporeal guardian. Then, Eoni channels the power of her deity in an attempt to turn the lions back.

This does seem to work. Both retreat back into the stone and are seen no more!

After a few brief moments of terror, the ghostly threat has abated.

Wordlessly, Sarah retrieves her darts.

"We must be almost there," Eoni said, silently thanking Avandra for her strength.  "Let's press on."

"Many thanks, Eoni," Valthur nods to the sister of Avandra as he tends to his wounds as best he can. "Those spectral lions bit hard."

After their encounter with the ghost lions, Valthur leads the party up the winding corridor. Based on his keen stonesense, Valthur judges the overall length of the tunnel to be over 200 feet long. Additionally, based on his mental calculations, the corridor makes one complete rotation before terminating at what initially appears to be a dead end of solid stone. But, it only takes the party a few moments to notice what appears to be the outline of a secret door!

Save for returning the way they came, the adventurers see no other obvious exits beside the secret door.

Sarah studies the door -- for educational purposes.

[Private to DM Pawn: Did I successfully grab a couple of scales, or were they too big to grab and secrete?]

"Well what have we here," Valthur mumbles while examining the secret door. "My dwarven eyes spotted this one a mile away."
He dusts the crack between door and passageway, hoping to get a feeling for how long it has been since its last use as well as to see if the door is somehow trapped.

ROAR!!!

Moments after Valthur moves in to take a closer look at the secret door, another ghostly lion, this one one much larger than those encountered previously, jumps out of the stone wall!

Landing a few feet in front of Valthur, the ghost lion springs up into a defensive position and its spectral mane flares wildly behind it. If that were not enough to send chills down all but the hardest of adventurers, its corrupting gaze might do the trick. All who see the lion feel a momentary wave of fear sweep over them as they fight to retain their wits about them in the face of such a formidable foe!

OOC: All PCs must make Saves vs Death Ray, taking 12 points of damage on a failed save and 6 points of damage on a successful save.

Ghost Brute Lion
AC: 6
HP: 23/23


PC         AC   HP    9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3
Aldara     8  15/15   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20
Eoni       8  24/24   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20
Marklin    2  19/19   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Sarah      4  21/21   8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Taerix     1  19/22   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Valthur    4  18/26   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

PCs are UP!

Eoni staggered back from the lion's fearsome gaze, feeling the energy draining away from her.  The Grace of Avandra sustained her, fighting back the drain and giving her strength.

Taking a steadying breath, she gripped her wooden symbol and shouted back at it, "In the name of Avandra!  Let us pass!"

OOC: Eoni Daflin rolled 14 using 1d20.  Poison/Death Ray (9) Ghost Lion.
SUCCESS, 6 damage

Eoni Daflin rolled 5 using 2d6.  Turn Undead, Brute Lion.

[Private to GM:
This turns a single 4HD or lower undead.]

Sarah twists as if to avoid the lion, because physical avoidance is what she knows best.  Alas, such efforts will not succeed against this threat, and she takes the full brunt of its effects.


She gasps in pain and surprise, because she has never felt such agony.  Instinctively she shrinks away from the lion and, if possible, toward the rear of the party.


20:24, Today: Sarah rolled 8 using 1d20 with rolls of 8.  Saving Throw vs. Death Ray (12)

[Private to DM Pawn: . . . and try to hide.
]

Valthur winces in a combination of nausea and pain as the spectral lion's gaze washes over him. But the dwarf remains standing, wiping a bead of sweat from his brow as he grips his trusty axe.
22:35, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 10 using 1d20-1 with rolls of 11.  Save vs. Death Ray/Poison (6).

"Enough of your tricks, ghost lord," he calls, not waiting to see if Eoni's magic can hold the phantom at bay. "Put away these toys or I'll chop them to pieces!"
22:39, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 20 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 17.  Axe vs. spectral lion.
22:39, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 11 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 8.  Axe vs. spectral lion.
22:39, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 13 using 1d20+3 with rolls of 10.  Axe vs. spectral lion.
22:40, Today: Valthur Ironhelm rolled 6 using 1d8+3 with rolls of 3.  Damage.

OOC: Uh, did I just tap the roll button 3 times instead of once?!?!? How embarrassing. Looks very suspicious, I'll admit, but I posted all 3 rolls here for you all to judge. Fortunately, all 3 rolls are good enough to hit AC6 (I need a 10), so I think I can legitimately count this as a hit! I'd propose if anyone else makes this stupid mistake, the first roll is the one that counts.

Marklin manages to avert his eyes in time to avoid the brunt of the ghost lion's corrupting gaze, but he is distracted enough to cause him a moment of hesitation and he is unable to land a blow against the elusive monster.


23:06, Today: DM Pawn rolled 8,8 using d20+1,d8+1 with rolls of 7,7.  attack.

23:06, Today: Marklin rolled 16 using 1d20 with rolls of 16.  Death Save.

05:16, Today: Aldara rolled 10 using 1d20 ((10)).
Saving Throw versus Death Ray.  Oof.

Versed in magic, but never mindful enough to take precautions against threats of a magical nature, Aldara is wracked with horrible, horrible pains.  She cries out, not quite knowing what is hurting, and withdraws with Sarah, almost falling over herself.

The halfling is mostly shielded from the ghost lion's gaze, thanks in large part due to presence of so many big folk in the tunnel.

Taerix fumbles for his bow and fires off a hasty shot, the result of which is little more than an expended arrow.

09:30, Today: DM Pawn, on behalf of Kane Taerix, rolled 6,6 using d20+3,d6 with rolls of 3,6.  attack.

09:30, Today: DM Pawn, on behalf of Kane Taerix, rolled 9 using 1d20 with rolls of 9.  Death Ray (6).

A wave of nausea rushes through the tunnel as the ghost lion catches all in its corrupting gaze.

Eoni is not powerful enough to turn the ghost brute lion and its disregards her divine invocation and gets to work seeing to its undying task...

The undead stalker springs forward and charges Valthur, both claws extended, one of which rips into the dwarf. Moments later, its all Valthur can do to avoid having the thing bite his head off, rolling to the side just in time to avoid such a fate.

Landing, the great cat bears its fangs and roars, its glowing orbs flickering with unlife.

[Private to Sarah: Sarah attempts to hide, but the ghost lion is still aware of her presence.]


OOC: Valthur takes 2 points of damage from one claw attack.

Ghost Brute Lion
AC: 6
HP: 17/23


PC         AC   HP    9  8  7  6  5  4  3  2  1  0 -1 -2 -3
Aldara     8   3/15   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20
Eoni       8  18/24   9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 20
Marklin    2  13/19   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Sarah      4   9/21   8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
Taerix     1  13/22   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
Valthur    4  10/26   7  8  9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19

[Private to GM:

  HD       9   8   7   6   5   4   3   2   1   0   -1  -2  -3
Up to 1    10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20  20
1+ to 2    9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  20
2+ to 3    8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20
3+ to 4    7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19
4+ to 5    6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18
5+ to 6    5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17
6+ to 7    4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15  16
7+ to 9    3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14  15
9+ to 11   2   3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10  11  12  13  14

]

PCs are UP!