As he examines the weapons, "Yes Glum and I agree with you.  But my point is, we need to start using plans.  As for the trophy, that's for Master Hosk.  As for the goblin, I have no pity for it.  Say Garth do you want any of this?"


If we ever fight critters that attack 3 times a round, it's usually better to attack and move, thus suffering only 2 attacks a round instead of 3.  Especially with ghouls.

"Talis speaks sense," Zer-wedula says as he returns to the group to get a torch.  "There is something in the pit.  Something alive.  I believe someone has been performing experiments down here.  This is evil."

He returns to the pit with the torch, steels himself, and looks in.

Looking to Talis, the big man shrugs, "A good sword I have already, though I could use either the axe or dagger I suppose.  The mail is all but worthless."  He absently rubs the mail a bit with the corner of his cloak, "Doubtful it can be cleaned up."
This message was last edited by the player at 13:05, Fri 03 Apr 2009.

   The light of the torch reveals a human, or rather a walking corpse that was once human.  It must be some sort of undead.  It has no clothes on and the floor it is shuffling on has a groove worn in it.  It slowly shuffles around the groove, pausing at regular intervals to look upward with a dull, unseeing look and with a moan, continues its shuffling.  Who knows how long this thing has been doing this.  How long does it take a "man" to wear a groove in solid stone (assuming the necromantic energies of undeath prevent the feet from rubbing away)?  An examination reveals a similar creature and situation in all the pits.  Zer-wedula's training has not included specifics of the undead, but Glum's does.  Glum can identify them as zombies.

"So why", asked Glum of nobody in particular, "short of her own cruelty, would this queen have set Koruvus to give his life to guard zombies?"

   Naomi will stay at the bottom of the stairs, while Cat will take the other torch and look down the hallway.  "It ends in a door with a passage to the left", she informs the group.  "So are we going to do something about these unnatural abominations or just leave them."

   The goblin nest reveals a mixture of ancient rotting bits and newer cloth and such.  It is foul and contains nothing of interest beyond many small gnawed on bones.  Rats probably.  The goblin was definitely a living creature and not some undead.

   Garth does think the chain shirt could be restored, with a competent enough armorsmith, some money and time.
This message was last edited by the GM at 13:50, Fri 03 Apr 2009.

Garth, who had been absently at first scrubbing the mail, now peers a bit closer at it as he rubs it in earnest.  "Well, there may yet be hope for this mail.  I'll keep it and see what can be done for it when we emerge."

Talis ties off the sword as there doesn't seem to be a scabbard handy, hands the axe to Garth and the dagger to Zer-wedula while commenting "It's 6 of 1 and half-a-dozen of the other.  Either we use precious time to deal with creatures that have been locked up for untold years while giving more time to this Queen to prepare or we wait for them to be used against us.  Naomi, if you want to blast them into dust, be my guest.  It's your call, I have no preference."

Glum said.  "If you can destroy them easily, feel free, I'd rather not find them following us.  Of course, we could try destroying them then coming back tomorrow when we're refreshed.  I doubt the queen could replace her zombies by tomorrow."

Looking up from the mail, Garth opines, "I say leave em.  They dont look like they've gotten too far in a long time, doubt they're going anywhere now."

   Cat speaks up "Why don't you men go ahead while me and Naomi stay behind and take care of this.  We can me done in a few minutes and then ride Garious to catch up."

   Naomi is confused, Talis doesn't care, Garth says leave 'em, Glum says destroy them and Cat want to split the group.  Naomi turns to Zer-wedula, "I don't know, let's do what you say."

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

After this is decided, which way do you want to go?
Options
passage that turns right at bottom of map
room with statue:passage with stairs
door down hall from pits
passage down hall from pits
This message was last edited by the GM at 00:49, Sat 04 Apr 2009.

"I agree with the big man, they aren't going anywhere.  If I had to guess maybe she turned some dead enemies into zombies so they would lure others here for that four armed goblin to deal with.  All a long time ago."

He paused and looked thoughtful.

"You know my thoughts on well-maintained doors in a place such as this; someone must be keeping them up.  One is locked, one is not.  One is near us.  That decides it, I think; the unlocked door down the way from here."

   So the zombies are left to continue their long walk and the group heads down the tunnel to the door.  As you pass the passage on the left you can see it jogs left, and around that corner you can just make out stairs going down.  The door is well made and in unusually good condition.  In fact, it looks like it hasn't aged a day.  It has the same 7 pointed star that you found before.  Talis checks the door for traps, but doesn't detect any, and while it has a lock, it is currently unlocked.
   With trepidation the door is opened to reveal a strange room consisting of a fifteen-foot-diameter sphere.  Several objects float in the room, spinning lazily in space - a ragged book, a scroll, a bottle of wine, a dead raven surrounded by a halo of floating and writhing maggots, and a twisted iron wand with a forked tip. Yet perhaps the most unnerving aspect of the room is the walls, for they are plated in sheets of strange red metal that ripple every once in a while with silent black electricity that seems to coalesce into strange runes or even words far too often for the effect to be chance.  The room is lit by a low reddish light with no source.


http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

Talis says with trepidation, "Going in here is borrowing trouble.  Lets close the door and come back after we have finished exploring the complex.  But if you want to go in, I'll cover you with my bow".
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:36, Sat 04 Apr 2009.

Zer-wedula studies the chamber, even going so far as to lift Willi up for a sniff.  Lowering the weasel he says, "I must agree with Talis, this is a mystery.  Perhaps the locked door beyond the torture chamber?"

07:18, Today: Zer-wedula rolled 11 using 1d20+8. Spellcraft.
07:18, Today: Zer-wedula rolled 14 using 1d20+7. Know arcana.

Glum looked into the room, visibly greening around the gills.  "Close the door", he said.  "That room, unless I miss my guess, is as obscene as the zombies.  We are facing real, abhorrent evil today, my friends, and we must not fail."

13:18, Today: Glum rolled 17 using 1d20+3. Know arcana.

   Cat has to comfort Garious, "He definitely doesn't like what he smells."  So the door is closed and the group checks the nearby stairs down.  Unlike most of the complex, the stairs do have a thick layer of dust with only a single set of tracks in it.  The tracks are man sized and shaped.  That is the best you can do without a skilled tracker.  The stairs spiral down 1 revolution before coming to a cave in.


http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

Which way do you want to go?
Options
passage that turns right at bottom of map
room with statue: passage with stairs
stairs with cave in
Zombies in Pits
trashed study
Spherical mystery room

Having stuffed the mail shirt as best he can into his pack, Garth waits for the others to determine the best forward route, content merely to lead in the direction he is told to go.

"We wander on and on," Zer-wedula mused.  "Perhaps if we seek the Queen we need to go back to the statue and the stairs down from there.  Garth, if you would lead?"

With a stoic nod, the warrior hefts sword and shield, then begins a cautious advance back towards the mentioned stair.

  So the group goes back through the pit, torture and prison rooms to the room with the statue.  A red marble statue of a strikingly beautiful but, at the same time, monstrously enraged human woman stands in the middle of this room, her stony expression twisted in fury. The woman wears flowing robes, and her long hair is held back from her face by an intricate headdress of hooks and blades. In her left hand she carries a large book, the face of which is inscribed with a seven-pointed star. Her right hand holds a glittering metal and ivory ranseur.  The statue faces a passage with stairs leading up.  And up the stairs you go.

   At the top of the stairs is a door. Talis checks the door, but doesn't detect any traps.  The door has no lock.  Carefully, Garth opens the door and nothing happens.  He sees a 15' diameter room with a shallow pool in the middle and another door on the other side.  Water ripples quietly in a circular stone pool lined with skulls here. Smears of what looks like blood mar the pool’s rim in places.  Seeing no foes, Garth steps into the room.
   From above the door a head with wings starts down toward him.  It looks like the head of this monster;

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

but its jaws extend upward into wings.  Only Cat and Glum spot it before it can attack.  [Private to Glum: In fact, Glum was going to miss it, but it seems like his attention was drawn to it by an outside agency.  This is his goblin charm activating.]


Tactical Situation
Garth is just inside the room and the Flying Head is just over him.  You can barely make it out in the gap between Garth's head and the top of the doorway.

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151
                   dam      status
Flying Head -






Cat and Glum may post in the surprise round;
1 action only

<AND DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE AC AND HP(CURRENT/TOTAL)>

Round Surprise
Catessa Fallowfield & Garious urges Garious forward, around the people in front and into the room.  Garious does not want to get anywhere near that thing and it requires special urging from Cat to get him to move forward.

Glum moves forward to the place Cat just left, as he doesn't have the movement to go any farther.

Flying Head flutters down from above the door, shrieking as it hovers in front of Garth over the edge of the shallow pool.  The sight of it's horrible mouth and awful shriek sends shivers down your spine.
everyone, succeed on a DC 12 Fortitude save or be paralyzed with fear

Tactical Situation
The Flying Head is hovering in front of Cat and Garth.

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151

                   dam      status
Flying Head -






Everyone post,

I have already rolled for peoples free knowledge checks and no one nows what this monster is.

<AND DON'T FORGET TO INCLUDE AC AND HP(CURRENT/TOTAL)>

HP22/22 AC14

Glum took two steps into the room and one step aside to allow others through, then he whirled his staff and began attacking the flying head.

15:07, Today: Glum rolled 4 using 1d6. Damage second blow.
15:07, Today: Glum rolled 2 using 1d6. Damage First blow.
15:06, Today: Glum rolled 18 using 1d20. Second Blow staff.
15:06, Today: Glum rolled 16 using 1d20. First blow staff.

Well that was the idea but the dice had other ideas.

16:30, Today: Glum rolled 8 using 1d20+6. Fortitude Save.
This message was last edited by the player at 15:31, Tue 07 Apr 2009.

HP: 26/26 AC: 14 (flat footed)

Garth stands in shock as he eyes the loathsome flying head before him, his sword arm frozen at his side.

Round 1
Catessa Fallowfield16/16 is paralyzed with fear, though Garious20/20isn't.  Left to his own devices, the dog shrinks back against the wall and looks for a way out, darting down the stairs with Cat holding on with a death grip.

Glum is frozen with fear.

Zer-wedula  manages to overcome his fear enough to shoot his crossbow, but not enough to actually aim it.  The bolt smashes into the wall by the door.

Garth is frozen with fear.

Talis finds strength in his fear and drops his polearm.  Pulling out his new (to him) glowing sword, he steps around Garth, easily avoiding the Flying Heads bite, and swings a fear enhanced blow, cutting the thing in half.  Panting heavily, "Man, that was freaky scary, wasn't it guys...guys."  The halves of the hideous head drop into the pool before vanishing in a manner similar to those before, evaporating into thin air.  Is this the Queen that the goblin spoke of?  Maybe, but probably not.

   You see a 15' diameter room with a shallow pool in the middle and another door on the other side.  Water ripples quietly in a circular stone pool lined with skulls here. Smears of blood mar the pool’s rim in places.  The water is fouled by the fluids of the monster.  The door opposite doesn't have a lock and Talis detects no traps.  It leads to a short hallway ending in another door.  That leads to stairs leading up, which like the stairs down, end in a collapse.  The 1000's of years have taken there toll on what must have been a more extensive Thassilonian complex.

   There is only 1 way that hasn't bee explored, so with a beating heart the group continues on.  Back through the pool and statue rooms and down the last unexplored tunnel.  The tunnel widens into what appears to have once been a small shrine, for to the northeast steps lead up to a platform of gray stone. Sitting atop the platform is an ancient altar, little more than a jagged block of black marble with a shallow concavity on top of it. This basin is filled with what appears to be filthy water.  There is a short hallway that lead to some ornate double doors.

http://www2.snapfish.com/slide...1694151/t_=161694151