Thaniel continues to run a hand over the runes with Abbas, taking in the elf's knowledge of the writings. "It seems to be referring to some sort of protective ward, though I don't think the rock itself is here for anything other than decoration. We should be careful at what we wave our swords at though. There could be an elven presence in the jungle that may have been sundered from the rest of our people."

Asha listened intently to the descriptions provided by those more well versed in such matters than she. After Jibril's unusual fall backwards she peered curiously at the fallen traveller before turning to the rest of the group, one hand still gently placed on Yaotl's hide to calm him in the presence of strangers.

"What's most interesting to me is the clearing itself." She waved her hand to indicate the broad expanse which was free of trees. "The jungle normally overtakes all land. That means that either the stone has some magical power to hold it at bay, lingering for who knows how long, or else someone is actively keeping the area clear."

She returned once more to tapping her lip in thought.

"Thank you," Jibril mutters grudgingly as the orc helped him up. "At least someone here has some manners."

He then turns his stony gaze on the others that were chattering about the monolith. "Fools!  The magic radiating from this monument is overwhelming and immense, perhaps that of an artifact of great power.  Necromantic and abjuration auras.  A civilization died here in a great conflagration. The area is clearly warded, and we best tread carefully or we might end up in a pyre ourselves!"

Krogan gave the cleric a nod of acknowledgement, then listened to what the man had to say about the artifact.   He looked at Jibril thoughtfully, nodding.
Necro....matic?  He spoke the word carefully, as if mulling it over.
That is death magic, right?   I guess it would explain about what killed the grass and trees.   Still, a place of great danger is often a place of great rewards.  Still, being careful is always good advice. 

He looked at the others, clearing waiting for them to decide to move on.

Lambrac shrugged. Lantanese always looked to the simplest, most mundane and non-magical solution first. "Or the builders simply salted the earth, or chemicals have leached out of the construction. Or maybe there's a stone slab just below the sand, so roots can't take hold." he suggested, sweeping some sand with his boot. Though he'd already surmised magical protections by lack of erosion and lichen, but that didn't rule out a chemical treatment.

Of course, Jibril's theatrics put paid to that explanation. "...Or it could be magic.."

Curious, he walked  slowly around the cube, eyes scanning the ground and stone as he sought an entrance, whether obvious or hidden, or some trap, very definitely hidden.


OOC: Search... 7, rolled a 1. :(
This message was last edited by the player at 02:14, Sat 31 Dec 2011.

"Yes, death magic!" Jibril replies as he dodges to edge of the clearing.

"The kind that is so powerful that it would fry you into a pile of ashes on the spot," he shouts from a safe distance.

He shakes his head ruefully at the hapless fools.

Krogan's eyes lit up with excitement.
Burned to ash??  Really?   How do you think it works?

He walked up to the stone block, looking at it with new interest, his former boredom evaporated like the sweat from everyone's necks.   He looked at the block like a Yule present.
How do I activate it, do you think?   How about if I put my tongue on it?   I wonder if it tastes like death, too?

The big orc was starting to sound like one of the overly enthusiastic children that swarm through Calimport.

Remembering something, Lambrac stopped and took out of his pack a number of short poles, which he screwed together to make one 10-foot-long pole. With this he probed various parts of the cube and the ground around it.

Yaotl nuzzled gently against Asha's outstretched hand, his reptilian jaw widening into what might have been perceived as a smile but to the rest of the group just became an unnerving flash of row upon row of interlocking, razor-edged teeth.

Seeing Jibril stumble backwards onto his backside, Yaotl made a surprised sound, his head angling from side to side. He took a step towards the priest and sniffed tentatively at his colourful garments.

Krogan saw, out of the corner of his eye, the dinosaur take a step towards Jabril.  He grinned.
No sudden moves, now, priest.   Think of it like a large scaly dog, and be gentle with him..

Chuckling, he went back to his examination of the wonderful "Death Cube".

Jibril stares down the dinosaur, exerting his own dominance at the creature.  He wags a finger at it. "You will not touch my clothes.  Understood?"

Again, he shakes his head at the asinine orc, as he tinkers with the monolith.  "I really didn't think you were so daft, but so be it..."

Lambrac, Krogan and Thaniel continued their close inspection of the monolith, ignoring the frantic warnings of Jibril who had retreated to the edge of the clearing. The rest of the group stood talking to the travelling druid and her rather unusual (and unnerving) pet.

Retrieving a long pole from his pack, Lambrac began prodding and poking at various sections of the stone. Suddenly, and perhaps inevitably, something triggered in the rock and a burst of energy erupted through the clearing. Thaniel and Krogan staggered backwards, blinking. They seemed confused as to what had happened but otherwise unharmed. Lambrac, however, did not move - his hand holding the pole still outstretched. Those that could see his face saw his mouth half open as if he was about to say something but could not. His whole body had seemingly frozen rigid - only his eyes, wide with alarm, appeared able to move.

It was then that the rest of the group began to notice something wrong with the clearing - it had grown cold, icily cold, yet the sun continued to burn with fury in the sky above.

At several points across the clearing, thick dust began swirling up into the still air. The large cube in the centre, runes now glowing faintly, started to sink into the earth with a low rumble.

Above the din of grinding stone came a voice, ancient and long since dismembered from its host body;

"Ai berthoc praês nín îdh?"

Booming and heavy with power, the words seemed to come from all directions and from none at the same time.

It seemed that perhaps Jibril's warning should have been heeded...

Krogan shook his head in confusion, then grinned with delight.
When I finally settle down to a place of my own, I WANT one of these!   

The cold, though probably meant to be of murderous intent, actually felt nice, though he could still feel the burning sun as well.  Very confusing.
The large orc moved swiftly to Lambrac, lifting him bodily and tried to take him from the clearing, in case the sinking block meant that the entire area was about to cave in.   A long time resident of the mountains of the north, he was very wary of cave-ins.

Asha stumbled momentarily as the pulse raced through the clearing and shook her senses from her. As she recovered she swung her bow from her back, still reeling in confusion from the shock.

Yaotl, guard. We're leaving." Her voice was gentle but firm as she cast her gaze about those who shared the opening. Asha shivered in spite of the beating jungle sun, the air having seemingly turned to ice as they recovered themselves.

"Maybe that wasn't such a good idea," she dourly offered to Lambrac.

Linni was torn between three curiosities, the wild woman, her dinosaur, and the magic cube. Eventually the cube won out, even though while she was inspecting it she threw many a sidelong glance across to the dinosaur. She gathered much of the same information Jibril had, although did not share his concern about the magic. The cube seemed old, and while it had magical properties it likely dormant.

As Lambrac started poking at the cube Linni watched curiously. She gasped and shielded her face as the energy blasted past her and was surprised by the sudden drop in temperature. Taking a few steps back Linni turned and started to run towards the edge of the clearing.

Suddenly Lambrac found himself locked up, as if frozen by crippling cold. He strained to move his limbs, even just his fingers or jaw to make some kind of warning, but it took all his effort just to get nowhere. He paralysed, helpless. Inside, he was silently screaming in terror. Help!

He barely felt Krogan grab him and drag him away.

Abbas made no combative moves - although not rooted still as Lambrac, Abbas seemed to exude passivity and contriteness.  His lips parted as if to speak, then paused and closed for a split second before opening once more to shape around a more eloquent language than commonly spoken, and in a slightly more formal tone than the discussions with Thaniel.  The words seemed a bit rushed, but time was fleeting.

[Language unknown:  Ekvir uswaosmo ck aimehifoic teei the, reseauyin ons.  Wewe omtiai arsend ou eauwitint m intof plles Ioelil Ticivewilven.  Mo it acmi'poti it, palocesi te ughartant.  Ere ckfint i wil sonwasted is intto atiwheatisan ntlo lefime pa ion ourproandoulted un ni red seadus e ulwaunpo, stiac k islin artveroun pr reaasteencomwas ho touratnd mewana, be of maeiad n esslarith an ilos mione.  Reawe anfois ac ncac-caee erfi vir heilofioiv dinithsheughver?"]

The elven swordsman bowed slowly - as deep as he could without compromising his ability to keep line of sight on the clearing's dangers.

In a matter of just a few seconds the once peaceful clearing had turned on the party like an angry beehive. Most of the group still had weapons sheathed and were caught completely off guard as Lambrac set off the trap and the eery voice sounded through the air. A lesson to be learned about curiosity perhaps? Blame would have to wait. Lambrac now stood paralysed before the mysterious monolith, which itself had begun a slow, grinding descent into the dry earth. It seemed whatever the stone stood to protect, to contain, was now awake and free...

Krogan was the first to act, despite his struggle against the conditions. He immediately rushed to Lambrac's aid, grasping the Lantanese explorer around the waist as he prepared to pull him away from danger.

Asha was next, unslinging her bow and notching an arrow.  She then called out a command to Yaotl who was still sniffing at the strange and alien colours of Jibril's robes.

Linni turned and began moving back towards the treeline, sensing that it might be a good time to make a quick exit. As she turned she saw the first enemy materialise as if from nothing amongst the undergrowth near Jibril - a humanoid of some kind but there was something very wrong with th-

Jibril turned to stare into a desiccated face, all flesh long since rotted from its skeletal features. Hollow eye sockets stared back at the priest and though empty, Jibril could feel its gaze coring into his soul. The reanimated skeleton must have been tall in life and despite a lack of evidence attesting to its race, the powerful build of its shoulders and wide stance suggested it was once a warrior amongst its kind. Ancient and half-decayed hide armour hung from its mottled bones and a large pelt of some long extinct jungle beast was draped around its shoulders. It held a long greatsword in a high guard, the blade thick and uneven - apparently crafted from sharpened flint.


Elsewhere in the clearing several more undead warriors materialised out of swirling clouds of dust; one near to Thaniel armed with twin handaxes, the blades again hewn from flint and bound to heavy bone handles; another appeared behind Krogan's turned back, armed with a heavy bone mace and small wooden roundshield emblazoned with strange and faded carvings. One more materialised near Asha with a long spear, its tip again carved from flint.

A second later, two more swirls of dust rose up on the opposite side of the clearing, one each side of the monolith. Two more skeletons appeared from the miasma, these ones pulling archaic long bows to bear.

The undead assailants did not hesitate and before anyone else could act, they surged forward to attack...

Abbas' words, though elegantly and beautifully spoken in his native tongue, seemed more of a plea in the face of oncoming peril and the only response was a long booming laugh that echoed around the clearing.

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Each square is 5/5 feet. Squares with trees in can be moved through at half speed and grant ranged cover (dependant on location of ranged attacker). When moving diagonally take first diagonal as 5ft, second as 10ft, third as 5ft etc.

Key:
K - Krogan
T - Thaniel
L - Lambrac
A - Abbas
A - Asha
L - Linni
F - Fareeda
Y - Yaotl
J - Jibril

1 - Skeleton warrior with flint greatsword
2 - Skeleton warrior with twin hand axes
3 - Skeleton warrior with bone mace
4 - Skeleton warrior with spear

5 - First archer
6 - Second archer

MM - Monolith
@ - Treeline


Round 1 Begins! Initiative order should be up in the relevant thread now - if your initiative is below the skeletons you may wish to wait and see what they do before acting. If your action would not change then feel free to post now, as usual I will put everything in order at the end of the round.

Good luck!

Lambrac tried to scream in helpless panic, but could barely manage more than a low, strangled moan.

As Krogan grasped his friend, he saw the skeletal warriors.    All thoughts of carrying Lambrac to safety fled from his mind, for a number of reasons both personal and practical.
For practical reasons, he realized that even as strong as he was (even weakened by the heat), he couldn't carry the frozen man faster than one of those things could probably run.  So doing so would only expose them both to danger.   Instead, he figured, it was better to draw their fire, and be a better target than Lambrac, so that perpaps the creatures could ignore him in favor of Krogan.
For personal reasons, he REALLY wanted to kill something.

He'll get his weapon and shield ready, and try to step away from Lambrac, so that an archer's missed shot won't hit the helpless man.  (5' step to L12, if possible)

Focusing his mind on his dragonic aura, he exuded a protective power over his friends, imagining them covered with a dragon's tough scales.

Asha lets out a frightened yelp as the dead claw their way out of the ground and begin approaching the assembled travelers.

"Yaotl! Get one!" she cried as she drew her bowstring, letting a shaft fly at the nearest skeleton and then backing away towards the treeline.

Linni gasped at the sight of the undead warrior lurching out of the trees. She was disgusted that someone put to rest so long ago could be awoken and used like some kind of tool. She would be the cleansing fire this day!

The prodigal sorceress lifted her tiny hands and prepared to summon another attack of elemental fire but nothing happened. Expended!

Gulping, she backed away, Kei cowering behind her.

OOC: Move to Q16
This message was last edited by the GM at 19:56, Thu 05 Jan 2012.

Krogan was the first to react to the skeletons materialising from the swirling dust. He released Lambrac, who leaned and then toppled like a chopped tree, face first, into the dry earth. Making a 'whoops expression, Krogan then pulled free his morning star and shield and stepped away from Lambrac's prone form, hoping to goad one of the undead into attacking him. Whether entities completely lacking in emotion were susceptible to goading he did not know... worth a shot! ]

Asha backed away from the skeleton that materialised near to her, heading for the safest place she knew - beside her five hundred pound killing-machine of a pet. She let fly with an arrow as she went, the missile flying straight and true at the skeleton armed with a spear. The shot would have crippled most creatures, however with no delicate organs to pierce, the arrow rattled through the skeleton's exposed ribcage to no apparent effect. Eyes narrowing, she called a command for Yaotl to join the fray.

Linni, her fiery magic used up in the earlier battle with the flying dinosaurs, backed away from the battle, hoping the others could handle their undead assailants.

Cold and silent, the skeletal warriors advanced on their respective targets. Little more than mindless automatons of ancient bone and armour, it seemed clear they would not stop until everything in the clearing was as dead as them.

The first stepped towards Jibril, swinging its two handed flint sword in a wide arc at the priest's head. He did not move a muscle as the point of the crude blade passed a centimetre from the bridge of his nose. Blinking rapidly, Jibril reached a tentative hand up to check if it was still there.

The second skeleton engaged Thaniel with more success, one of its axes cutting deep into the elf's unprotected side, bouncing off a rib.

Seemingly taking the bait, the third surged in to attack Krogan. It swung its heavy bone mace but could not beat the orc's shield and it bounced off - the hardened bone making a sickening thruck sound as it connected with the steel.

Ignoring the arrow protruding oddly from its ribs, the fourth warrior stepped towards Fareeda, jabbing at her with its spear. The harem dancer's curving and bending body was of benefit outside the pleasure halls it seemed and she sidestepped the attack with ease.

The group had been plunged into peril - Thaniel's wound making that fact abundantly clear. The unimaginable danger lurking within this ancient jungle was becoming more and more clear.

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Each square is 5/5 feet. Squares with trees in can be moved through at half speed and grant ranged cover (dependant on location of ranged attacker). When moving diagonally take first diagonal as 5ft, second as 10ft, third as 5ft etc.

Key:
K - Krogan
T - Thaniel
L - Lambrac (Prone, Paralysed)
A - Abbas
A - Asha
L - Linni (Cover)
F - Fareeda
Y - Yaotl
J - Jibril

1 - Skeleton warrior with flint greatsword (AC: Unknown)
2 - Skeleton warrior with twin hand axes (AC: Unknown)
3 - Skeleton warrior with bone mace (AC: Unknown)
4 - Skeleton warrior with spear (AC: 15)

5 - First archer (AC: Unknown)
6 - Second archer (AC: Unknown)

MM - Monolith
@ - Treeline (+4 cover bonus vs. ranged weapons if standing in a @ square.)

Those still to act in round 1 may now make their actions :) Beginning in round 2 we will be discarding the 'wait and see what they do' idea as it is slowing the combat down far too much. It can be assumed the skeleton warriors will continue attacking their respective targets and the archers will aim at the nearest target (unoccupied if possible).
This message was last edited by the GM at 21:22, Thu 05 Jan 2012.

Thaniel backpedals, trying to get away from the threatening undead. He glances around and, seeing a gorup to the south, decides to inch in their direction. As he does so, he lets loots a bolt of energy at the skeleton.

Move: 5ft step SE
Standard: Disrupt Undead on Skeleton 2

11:15, Today: Thaniel rolled 1 using 1d6. Damage.
11:15, Today: Thaniel rolled 19 using 1d20+4. Disrupt Undead on Skeleton 2.

Lambrac hated the feeling of falling when he could do absolutely nothing to halt himself, balance, or land softly. A muffled oof! escaped him as he hit the dirt. Face first! Damn it, he wanted to see what was going on!