Shirok motioned slightly to the side as his spear flashed down towards the fallen foe, Neya seeming to nod slightly before nimbly darting to the side, her teeth flashing out to rip apart the barbarian standing before the fragile wizard.

Keep forgetting about the bard song, which is why there's minor discrepancy between the rolls and my numbers. Pretty sure the numbers up here are right.

Shirok: Attacks SK2 (atk 14, dmg 9).

Neya: Five foot step to I1, attacks SK4. (atk 13, dmg 11, trip 23)


16:08, Today: Shirok Rezkala rolled 13,11,23 using 1d20+10,1d8+7,1d20+10. Neya Attack, dmg, trip.
16:07, Today: Shirok Rezkala rolled 13,8 using 1d20+5,1d8. Shirok Atk/dmg.

Porto Continues to sing as he knows that the fight is not yet over.

Porto continues singing, and although he knows this fight isn’t over yet, he truly wishes it was.  Noticing another area here where he could help without having to put himself into too much danger, the fat halfling slowly makes his way over to stand behind Roth.  He takes out his wand and gives the injured elf a quick tap, hoping to rejuvenate his fighting ability.

Roth feels the healing effects of the halflings wand.  With a grin beginning to form on his handsome features, the lithe elf tumbles with great skill around the Stone Keeper Stan had just tried to knock sense into.  With amazing speed and accuracy, Roth buries his rapier deep into the man’s back!  The barbarian’s eyes grow wide as he notices the business end protrude from his chest.

After changing positions slightly, Shirok keeps up his assault against the prone man lying before him.  His spear tip digs deep into the man, and forces him to cry out in pain.

Despite his grievous wound, the fourth Stone Keeper turns to face Roth, wanting only to rid himself of the creature responsible for possibly mortally wounding him.  He swings his hammer with all his remaining might, but misses the slippery elf once again.  After such a mighty swing of his heavy hammer, the man collapses to the floor.

Momentarily disengaging, Ilsa quickly climbs up the inverted staircase and finds her footing in the room above.  The seal of House Del’margo adorns the ceiling in this room.  The slashed canvas of a beautiful portrait is on the floor, partially buried amid a heap of shattered furniture.  The western half of the room has collapsed, leaving a solid wall of dirt and stone.  There is a half-open door to the east, through which a strange, sibilant chanting can be heard.
The figure of a heavy muscled man can be seen slouching against the wall beside the doorway.  Ilsa can make out two quarrels jutting from the man’s stomach, and he appears deathly pale; but still alive.

Like his compatriot before him, the second Stone Keeper attempts the foolhardy task of standing back up while being surrounded by enemies.  Shirok raises his spear again and slams it down on the foolish man, this time finally killing him.

Encounter Summary
Experience Awarded +300
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:04, Tue 24 Nov 2009.

Ilsa took a moment to be impressed by the work of the so-called librarian. She drew her sword as she stomped across the room toward the doorway. "You'd better stop that chanting before I hack off your head!" Ilsa yelled loud enough for everyone below to hear.

Notably pleased with how quickly the battle fell in their favor, Roth wipes the blade of his rapier on the clothing of one of the fallen men and says to a nod to Porto, "Thanks for the help! He really got me pretty solid there."  At that moment he hears Ilsa shouting above and winces.  He looks up at the stairwell and almost considers letting the brute deal with the consequences alone, but instead shakes his head and makes his way up.

Although Stan was still reeling from the unusual adrenaline rush of combat, he was smart enough to realize that the day's adventure was not yet over.

"Porto, might you by some stroke of luck have any extra wands? I am afraid I brought the most useless spells in my own."

It was true; he should have spent his last apprentice's allowance on something a little more offensive than a detection spell. How naive had he been just days earlier? If he could go back now he would buy all the magic missiles he could afford.

I am sorry my good friend but this I found in the ruble of this...place. If I had more I would gladly give some to you but as it is I don't. You wouldn't happen to have a boot my size would you? Porto asks.

"Alas Porto, it seems we are both out of luck."

Ilsa—
The chanting continues in the room beyond, despite your loud warning.  The gaunt-looking man resting beside the doorway cackles at you, dark streams of blood flowing from his mouth.  He mumbles something to you in a strange language, the likes you’ve never heard before, but he appears to be mocking you.

Everyone else—
Somewhat unnerved by the commotion Ilsa is making above, Roth sets about climbing up to the next level once again.  The others hold back a bit, taking turns helping each other make the climb.

If everyone takes 10, and helps each other (granting the climber a +2 bonus), the minimum anyone can roll in this is a 13—just enough to climb to the next level.  Go ahead and assume each of you make the climb with the help of the others.

@Ilsa You have enough time to take one action before the others begin to make it to the third level.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:33, Wed 25 Nov 2009.

Ilsa didn't understand what the man was saying, but it made her really angry. She didn't recognize the words, but she recognized the laugh. Had her sword not been ready, she might have simply punched him and broken his nose. Instead, she raised her great sword high and made a sweeping downward cut toward his ear. And turned the blade at just the last moment.

10:46, Today: Ilsa Redeye rolled 17 using 1d20+4. Greatsword, Non-lethal Damage.
10:47, Today: Ilsa Redeye rolled 15 using 2d6+6. Damage.

Stan helped Porto up, being careful not to offend his halfling sensibilities by throwing him bodily. Once his companions had braved the climb the wizard accepted their help in pulling him up.

"Stan, before you come up," suggests Roth as he makes the final leg of the climb, "Check the bodies to see if they picked up anything useful.  I'd bet this place was full of magical shinies."

Stan did as Roth suggested. If he found any items, he would use his wand to examine them for magical properties.

Taking 10 on search for DC 13 untrained (if needed)
If there are any potentially magic items Stan will use his wand of detect magic.

Quickly Shirok managed to get up onto the next level, pulling up Neya as she gamely tried to leap up.

Stan quickly scans the room before he climbs up to the third level with the others, but he doesn’t find anything, save the crude personal effects belonging to the Stone Keeper barbarians they’ve killed.  He was just about to accept Shirok’s waiting hand for help in his climb, when something glints from under a rubble pile across the room.  He carefully makes his way over to the strange metallic source, and removes a few loose bricks.  To his surprise, it is a belt buckle.  Attached to the buckle is the belt, but it is tied around the bones of a luckless halfling skeleton!
The sight unnerved the young wizard, and he pushes it way.  He steels himself and reaches out again, searching to see of the belt (complete with pouches) contains anything that may prove useful.  The cloth is old and has been wore down by years of decay—a very strange find in such a place.  Interestingly enough, he does find a thin rod of wood, etched with vines and leaves.
Stan uses his wand to cast a simple spell in an attempt to identify what this rod might be.  He studies the rod for brief moment and finds it to be wrapped in a faint Enchantment aura; perhaps some kind of mind affecting wand?
With a smile and a nod, the wizard pockets the item and returns to the others.  Once everyone is up on the third level, they quietly move toward Ilsa, the doorway, and an unconscious Stone Keeper barbarian slumped outside the door.  He has two small crossbow bolts sticking from his stomach region; and bizarre chanting can be heard from the room beyond.

"I do not know the purpose of this chanting," Shirok muttered as the group approached the doorway, "but I do not suggest we wait to find out."

"Actually, that's just what we should do. Wait one moment."

Finally, something an apprentice wizard could hope to understand! Stan craned his neck and listened intensely to the chanting. If the chant were the words to a spell, he'd surely know which spell and how to best deal with the situation.

09:23, Today: Stan Fetchin rolled 31 using 1d20+11. Spellcraft.
(Should identify any spell of 16th level or lower - assuming there is such a thing.)

I don't know about these wild men. Porto says. But in my travels I have heard many a tales from wizards, great warriors, and adventuring folk, about this sort of thing. Could be he is trying to summon a demon. Perhaps we should kill him, course that could be like a final sacrifice? Does five strike anyone as a special number?

Wasting little time, Roth crosses the room and peeks through the doorway to see who, what, and how many are on the other side.

Ilsa stepped over the unconscious body and rushed headlong to the source of the chanting. "I said, shut up!"

Stan tries to calm the others as he listens to the chanting in an attempt to identify any spell(s) being cast.  The young mage listens, but is genuinely perplexed.  The words sound to be strange, hypnotic nonsense—an eerie stream of consciousness that is a blend of words from a dozen different languages.  At length, Stan is sure he is listening to a ritual being performed more so than a spell being cast.
Roth peeks through the doorway, attempting to identify the party’s next obstacle before having to face it.  Unsurprisingly, the chamber beyond was once a temple dedicated to Obad-Hai; and the shrine has been turned upside-down in more ways then one!  It is filled with pieces of shattered statues—icons gathered from across the broken district known as Godsgate.  The heads of long-dead nobles are mixed together in a jumbled heap with the limbs of gods, and bits of abstract art.  Amid the wreckage, one statue stands intact.  Made of polished white marble, it is a nine-foot figure of a beautiful, angelic man wearing flowing robes, one hand outstretched as if he is in the midst of casting a spell.  It seems as if he might once have had wings, but all that’s left now are jagged stumps covered with raw muscle and a few stony feathers.  A tiny piece of the statue where its left eye should be seems to be missing.
Roth notices a young man and dog standing before the statue; but just before he can do or say anything, Ilsa barges past him and into the chamber and shouts at them.  The chanting ceases as the boy turns to face Ilsa, his face as strange mixture of tortured madness and ecstatic joy.
"What do you want here?" he cries out, stopping his song.
This message was last edited by the GM at 18:19, Tue 01 Dec 2009.

"I want you to shut the hell up and stop chanting!" Ilsa snapped at the man. So long as they weren't seeming to be conducting a ritual, she was content to leave the man unharmed and to let the others explain their purpose. However, she stood at the ready with her sword should things go sour.

"We've come for the urn, where is it?" interjects Roth as if he belongs in this place as he steps into the room and raises his hand to reveal his forged Stone Keeper's tattoo.

Shirok stayed silent as he and Neya entered the room, though his companion's eyes were fixed upon the boy and his own friend.

OOC: Can I get away with Knowledge(Nature) for more info re: statue and ritual? We are in a temple for a nature god after all.

21:15, Today: Shirok Rezkala rolled 14 using 1d20+10. Knowledge Nature.

Stan did not enter the room immediately since his combat skills were known to be sub-par. However, he listened to the drama unfolding and waited to make his next move.