Gurgun grins briefly, displaying an impressive row of sharp teeth. Balrok is an impatient dwarf, Gurgun likes that. Balrok go first and Gurgun will flank.

Gurgun follows very closely behind, sling loaded.

Balrok nods.  "Damn skippy I am.  Ya promised me a lich tu kill an' I mean tu find 'em."

They entered a room a lot like the one that they had just left. Glass tables on rolled were scattered around, and glass cabinets with transparent doors lined the walls. Peering inside one, they could see all manner of vises, saws, clamps, retractors, and knives. Other cabinents held canopic jars, vials and alchemical tubes and pipes.

Next to the cabinets were arrays of glass cylinders with tubing attached to them and coiled onto wall hooks nearby. Each tube ended in a large hollow needles, and bellows and pumps were also attached to the cylinders, some of which had darkly stained interiors.

Balrok will again inspect the room for traps, looking hopeful that he will find something more interesting than a magical rune.  Treasure hunter that he is, he will also watch for anything valuable.

Take 10 Search for traps:  13.  Take 20 if something looks suspicious:  23.  Add 2 if the trap somehow involves "stone"; Add 2 if Balrok is considered "underground".  This is Survival skill at a -5; I can find any sort of trap, even high DC ones.

Take 10 search for treasure:  12.  Take 20 if something looks particularly promising:  22.

P.S. - Balrok wouldn't be interested in elf history, so I'm not asking questions with him, but don't let me rush the rest of you.

Gurgun looks for hidden dangers, then looks through the cabinets for anything else of interest.

OOC: Spot 17, search 8

OOC: Balrok, we're in a glass tower above the sea. Nothing will ever be made of stone or underground. :p


Balrok looked around, but unless one wished to dissect, stuff or mummify a corpse, there wasn't much of use or value, except perhaps as curios to a scholar like Duladora.

He noticed an empty hook on the wall, meaning that maybe one of the cylindrical contraptions had been removed, at some point in the millennia that this place had existed for. It hardly seemed important.

A dwarf can dream, damn it!! :)

Balrok grumbles.  "Lich ain't here; nothin' but stuff tu make elf corpses, an' I prefer doin' dat with me axe, heh heh.  Let's move."

Balrok will head towards the staircase at 48 going down to 49, checking for traps as normal.

After taking some notes, Gurgun follows.

Balrok marched down the corridor, and slid open the door at the far end, revealing a twisting staircase down into the dark. Each step was transparent, so looking down was a dizzying experience.

Dula had backed off to wait anxiously at the far corner, her customary place. "Hey! What about this little room here?" She pointed down the other arm of the corridor, towards the door missed at the far end.


OOC: There's Area 47 still to be checked out on this floor, if you want to clear out level by level?

Gurgun grunts and rushes back up with superhuman speed. Knowing Slove has him covered with the bow he quickly opens the door.

Gurgun dragged open the door. It was another storeroom, the walls lined with niches, just like the ossuary earlier. What was different was a large block of ancient wood in the centre, a deep groove cut into the top surface. Peering past it, he saw the skeleton of an elf - the headless skeleton of an elf.

A movement above had him glancing up. There he saw hanging from the wall niches above an elven zombie, one hand clutching a long axe, while two strange red-hued elven heads. All three glared down at him.

Round 1:


I can't be bothered making maps for this battle. You're in the corridor going down from H and I. The door is at the top edge.

G: Gurgun Nightwhisper
S: Slove
G: Garel Aster
J: Jorn Brightcaller
J: Balrok

Z: Elf Zombie, +10ft
H: Flying Heads, +10ft

Effects:

Initiative: green - you may act
25 - Slove
22 - Gurgun
21 - Flying Heads
20 - Garel
17 - Elf Zombie
10 - Jorn
10 - Balrok

Balrok would have tried to get in front by the door before the monk opened it, or open it himself, if Gargun would have allowed.  I just didn't get to post that in time.

Are they within reach?

OOC: Sure, Balrok and Gurgun are both in the front line.

They're 10ft up, meaning they're at least 10 feet away. So, out of reach.

Gurgun fires a sling stone at the zombie, while warning the other: Elf dead that walk up near roof! Slove better come in here!

OOC: Attack 8, damage 4

Mid-Round Update:

The stone bounced off some shelves.

Slove hurried to the door, but it was too late - the undead descended to attack.

The axe-wielding elf dropped off the shelf it had been clutching, the blade of his axe aimed at Gurgun's head. The clumsy attacked missed, however, and it landed before him, ready to fight. It was an elf and undead, of course, with grey as hard as leather, dressed in rags and a dusty chain-shirt. The axe he held was unusual for elves, but its purpose seemed clear: it was the axe used to behead the skeleton that lay on the floor. [Elf: charge attack 11, miss. Lands on floor in front of Gurgun]

The heads floated off the shelves, revealing themselves to be ugly crimson-hued things, with leathery bat-wings erupting from the sides, tentacles in place of hair, and mouths that opened hideously wide. Their eyes and the insides of their mouths glowed with a sickly green flame.



One swooped down on Balrok, jaws opening wide and snapping shut with jagged fangs, but the dwarf easily ducked the strike. [Head 1 bite attack 11, miss]

Then the other opened its jaws impossibly wide, and let rip a terrible shriek of pain and terror that sent shivers of cold through the listeners' bodies and caused those who saw the dreadful thing to became paralysed with pure fear. [Head 2 screams, Gurgun and Balrok - Fortitude save DC 12 or be Paralysed for 3 rounds (mind-affecting fear effect]

Hearing that frightful sound, Garel hurried down the corridor to join the others. With a quick prayer to Mystra calling for her blessing, he spread his arms wide, and everyone began to feel a little more courageous. [Garel NPC. Casts Bless, everyone gains +1 morale to attack and saves vs fear. Let it apply to the last save.]

Updates:

Bless: +1 morale bonus to attack and saves vs Fear effects

Initiative:
25 - Slove
22 - Gurgun
21 - Flying Heads
20 - Garel
17 - Elf Zombie
10 - Jorn
10 - Balrok

Balrok pulls back his axe to strike, only to hear the impossible shreek of the bat, which blows back his beard and throws his axe strike off course.  Yet the dwarf shakes off the fear without problem.  "I've had . . . more den enough . . . of bein' paralyzed," he roars!  Then readies his shield and moves into a position to fend off the creatures.

Axe swing - Nat 1, misses.  I'd like to shift or move into a position -- perhaps the doorway? -- to block the creatures from getting to our squishier party members and absorb all or as many of the attacks myself as I can.

STATS

NON Rage, Bio Line 1:  Init +0, AC 17 / same / 10
NON Rage, Bio Line 2:  HP 70/70, Saves +10/+1/+5

Gurgun snickers at the skulls attempt to frighten him. You are pathetic. I'll deal with big brother first, then rip you apart.

He then strikes quickly at the zombie with well-timed strikes of his quarterstaff.

22:25, Today: Gurgun Nightwhisper rolled 5 using 1d6+3. Damage 2.
22:25, Today: Gurgun Nightwhisper rolled 9 using 1d6+3. Damage 1.
22:24, Today: Gurgun Nightwhisper rolled 22 using 1d20+7. QS, FoB 2.
22:24, Today: Gurgun Nightwhisper rolled 18 using 1d20+7. QS, FoB 1.
22:24, Today: Gurgun Nightwhisper rolled 29 using 1d20+10. will.

Assign dodge to zombie (+1 AC)

OOC: Since Gurgun acted out of order, I'll rearrange the init, which will make this easier.

Balrok, you're both blocking the doorway, so no problems there. You'll be able to AoO the bat-heads if they fly overhead.

Mid-Round Update:

Gurgun struck at the zombie with each end of his staff, right and left. The first went high, missing its head, and the second went low, striking it in the flank. But the staff only pounded dead flesh, and didn't nothing to harm it. [Gurgun: attack 1 misses; attack 2 hits, damage canceled by DR, no effect]

"Careful, it's a juju zombie, faster, tougher and smarter than the others we've faced!" Garel warned from his place behind.

Updates:

Initiative:
21 - Flying Heads
20 - Garel
17 - Elf Zombie
10 - Jorn
10 - Balrok
25 - Slove
22 - Gurgun
This message was last edited by the GM at 03:24, Mon 02 Aug 2010.

"And dem's vargweel's!" Jorn warned, hurrying up behind and whirling his chain around. "Their squealin' will scare ya stiff, and if they kiss ya, ye turn into one a' them!" [Jorn NPCed. Knowledge (Planes) 16]

He let fly the chain, and it shot over Balrok's head, smacking into in the vargouille that had swooped down upon. It caught the full force of the barbed end in its face, and dropped unconscious to the floor. [Jorn NPCed. Attack 23, damage 10, V1 knocked down]

Slove followed shortly after, nocking a pair of arrows to his bow. Stopping, he raised the bow and fired - with both arrows flying towards the back of Gurgun's head. Suddenly they twisted in flight, arced around the hobgoblin and impacted in either side of the zombie's head. [Slove NPCed. PBS, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot. Attack 26, 25; damage 8, 11. Total damage after DR = 9.]

The remaining vargouille pushed off its shelf and dropped to the ground behind the zombie, its wings opening and halting its fall, and it hovered up a short distance to get a better view. Though the first two had resisted its cry, it could still deal with the rest. The vargouille's dread mouth gaped wide and released another unearthly wailed that clawed at the senses of the approaching adventurers. But they too held firm. [V2 shrieks again. Garel, Jorn, Slove - Fortitude save DC 12 or be Paralysed for 3 rounds (mind-affecting fear effect). Garel 20, Jorn 25, Slove 16, all pass]

Garel drew one of his Mystran throwing stars, and flung it overhead. The spinning blade tore a gash along the vargouille's brow. [Garel NPCed. Throws shuriken. Attack 19, damage 4. V2 moderately damaged]

With a hoarse cry, the axe-wielding elf swung hard at Balrok, apparently eager to destroy a dwarf. The heavy axe blade caught him in the chainmail-girded shoulder, crunching down into flesh and bone. [Juju Zombie: power attack -1/+2, attack 20, damage 18 @ Balrok]


Round 2:

G: Gurgun Nightwhisper
S: Slove
G: Garel Aster
J: Jorn Brightcaller
J: Balrok

J: Star Elf Juju Zombie, moderately damaged
V: Vargouille, #1 unconscious, #2 moderately wounded

Effects:

Bless: +1 morale to attack and saves vs fear

Initiative: green - you may act
21 - Vargouille
20 - Garel
17 - Star Elf Juju Zombie
10 - Jorn
10 - Balrok
25 - Slove
22 - Gurgun

Balrok roars as the axe blade catches him, then swings back hard at the dead elf.

14:08, Today: Balrok rolled 15 using 1d10+5. damage.
14:08, Today: Balrok rolled 23 using 1d20+10. Axe (1 handed) attack.

NON Rage, Bio Line 1:  Init +0, 17 / same / 10
NON Rage, Bio Line 2:  HP 52/70, Saves +10/+1/+5

Again Slove shoot two arrows at the creature trying take it down.

OOC:
22:26, Today: Slove rolled 9 using 1d8+6. damage.
22:26, Today: Slove rolled 30 using 1d20+13. attack with bow.
22:26, Today: Slove rolled 14 using 1d20+13. attack with bow.

Balrok buried his axe in the chest of the zombie elf, cracking open its ribs and spilling mummified guts. With a gurgle, it collapsed to the floor.

Slove followed soon behind, putting an arrow in the remaining Vargouille's forehead. Its eyes rolled back, and it too dropped to the floor, rolling into the corner.

After several seconds, the first Vargouille burst into green flames, followed by the other. In moments, both had incinerated themselves, leaving only a greasy smudge on the glass floor.

"An' stay dead dis time!" Balrok gruntss at the zombies.  He then examines his axe, even before his wound.  Seeing it is uninjured he nonchalantly wipes it on his armor to remove the ichor.  He then briefly examines his wound, grunting in annoyance.  "Gunna have'tu patch du chain mail," he grumbles.  He then shoves some cloth in the wound and calls it a day.

If no one else searches the small room, Balrok will oblige, though having a half-blind, half-deaf dwarf do the party's searching may not be the most effecient of endeavors.

There wasn't much to find anyway, for the shelves were empty. The zombie wore mouldy rags beneath a plain chain-shirt, and he'd wielded a long-handled executioner's axe.

Dula peered over Balrok's shoulder, once it was safe to return. She gasped at the scene: the axe, the beheading block, the headless skeleton. It had once been bound with ropes and had worn tattered robes. "An old elven mage. I wonder who it was?