The icy mage went with brawn and went forward mace high and swung with reckless abandonment.

17:20, Today: Brulna rolled 4 using 1d20+2.  attack mace.

Round 2 - PCs

Having experienced the business of these skeletons, Aila was all too eager to leave the heavy lifting to someone with a healthy layer of metal covering them. She withdrew to the rear ranks to allow the dwarves to move ahead.

Petar's keen eye tried to spy a clean path for an arrow to travel. The hallway was too busy, though, with allies and enemies mingling in the melee. Respecting caution so he would not pierce a friend's back, Petar's arrow sails too high, vanishing into the darkness beyond in the hallway. (Miss. You can recover this arrow.)

Brulna, moving ahead and looking to bloody her mace, took a flanking approach past the skeleton, striking from the side. But the skeleton was prepared, watching her the entire time as she approached. Her swing was off, however, without enough momentum from trying to avoid striking the walls around her. (Miss!)

Lland, seeing his opening, moved ahead and swung his morning star. The blow, however, was too slow, and the skeleton easily evaded it. (Miss!)

Oswyn, now past Angus, followed up with his battle axe. With a high arc, he took advantage of the space over his head, and brought the axe clearly into the skeleton's path as it dodged Lland's morning star. (Hit!) The blow was brutal, crushing the skull and tearing the right shoulder and arm right off. The bones collapsed in a heap, scattering over the hallway. The light in its eyes sputtered out. It was becoming dimmer and dimmer in the hallway.

"That's one!", Oswyn quipped to Lland.

Lland looked surprised, but his smile broadened. "Oh ho? You are counting? When were you going to tell me we had a tally going?"

"When you learned how to use that pig stick of yours!"

The dwarves laughed and exchanged a weapon's salute by slapping each other on the shoulders with their star and axe. Then they turned together to faced their enemies.

Mysh, coming in from the rear ranks, made his way past the two dwarves and rushed the pair of skeletons on his own. He had the hallway entirely to himself at this point, and he used it swing wide with his bastard sword. His attack did not bear fruit, however, as the skeletons simply took a few steps back, their reflexes a good match for this warrior. (Miss!)

Sowen, looking at the dwarves, smiled at their courage and success. He turned to Petar and grinned, "Not bad, they are finally getting what they wanted. I would not want to deprive them of their trophies."

Camille, once again, called on her divine patron to banish the undead.

"By the power of Chiress, I banish you!"

The power of Goddess filled the hallway, drawing a visible spectrum of gold and pink light from Camille's holy symbol. It washed over the skeletons like a storm, but they stood their ground, oblivious to the command.

"These ones are stronger. We'll have to break them by hand."

She gripped her mace and prepared to wade into the fight.

On the other side of the hallway, Gharakuh and the orcs were keeping the rear assault at bay.

The orc general's shade took advantage of striking with the distraction of the orcs on the other side, reaching out and freezing the skeleton in place. With a stroke of luck, he struck with a firm grip, freezing the entire skeleton and shattering it into small pieces of ice (Hit! Critical! 12 damage). There was nothing left where it once stood. The space around the orcs dimmed as the flames died out.

Cheering the shade on, the orcs charged past him and confronted the two remaining skeletons on this side of the hallway with mixed success. One of the spears found only empty space as it tried to pierce the orc from a distance (Miss!), while the other one smashed the bones on the chest, throwing splinters in all directions. (Hit! 6 damage). More cheers arose from the orc column as they approached.


Round 2 - Skeletons

Indifferent to the fact that their ranks were thinning, the skeletons moved ahead and engaged the front line on both sides.

Mysh, standing alone, weathered an onslaught of strikes, tearing at his armor and shield, and drawing nasty-sounding scrapes. The metal was tough, however, and he did not give a single inch of terrain. (Miss! Miss!)

On the other side, the skeletons struck with dispassionate ferocity. One of the orcs pushed the incoming bony fingers away, avoiding harm. The other was not as lucky: the skeleton gripped the spear's shaft in a moment of the wielder's uncertainty, and used it to push him out of balance. The orc, unable to find firm footing to move, was caught in the skeleton's follow-up strike and torn through the midsection (Hit! 5 damage). With a short wail of shock he collapsed to the ground. The other orcs roared in defiance, filling the hallway with their echoing voices.



At the far end of the hallway, the previously turned skeleton broke through the gate, casting wide the right door. It revealed a deeper chamber with unusual lights and esoteric sigils beyond it. A woman's voice could be heard from beyond.

"Camille!!! It's a trap!"

Camille came to full attention. "Alinda? I am coming, Sister! Hold fast!"


[ Underground Hallway - Round 2 - Monsters ]

---

OOC: Ok, that moved the fight onward just fine. But it took a bit of writing to complete. I have added a wisp token to represent Gharakuh's position. It's better than just the light aura.

It is now your turn to act for round 3.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:19, Sat 24 Apr 2021.

"That's one!", Oswyn quipped to Lland.

Sowen, looking at the dwarves, smiled at their courage and success. He turned to Petar and grinned, "Not bad, they are finally getting what they wanted. I would not want to deprive them of their trophies."

"But .. uhm, you'll turn into a drake or something if we start getting routed, right?!" Petar replied with a smile of his own.

Upon seeing an opening at the front rank, the elf scooted forward.  He needed to stow his bow and bring his sword and shield to bear now.  It was a well-practiced advance but still took time.

Actions
1) Move up to stand beside Oswyn
2) Stow bow and draw sword and shield.
3) If the action economyTM permits, then swing at skelly3 too.  Would the Alertness skill help?
Not sure if that's allowed so I will await a ruling before the roll :)
This message was last edited by the player at 03:18, Sun 25 Apr 2021.

In reply to Petar the Elf (msg # 85):

Angus held the torch high to light the way.

Aila found the potion in her pack and drank it.  There was no telling how much fighting was ahead, and she needed to be ready.

OOC: Go ahead and roll your hit point recovery: 1D6+1

((Well, that was pathetic.))

---

11:12, Today: Aila rolled 2 using 1d6+1.

Well, better than 1. =)

Brulna waded in once more in her attempt to batter the undead. She swung her mace ferociously.

OCC: swing at skeleton 3 - 15:13, Today: Brulna rolled 21 using 1d20+2 ((19))
15:17, Today: Brulna rolled 6 using 1d6+2 ((4))..
This message was last edited by the player at 20:17, Sun 25 Apr 2021.

Round 3 - PCs

Sowen looks at Petar with a sideways glance, evaluating the question. With a bit of a serious expression he answers,

"Yes. If the need arises, I will change to my true form. But right now, we need to get past these bags of bones and see what is going on up ... there."

He nods in the direction of the hallway's end, where the open door reveals an interior light of dark purple hue. Something was moving beyond it, but it was hard to tell what that might be from this vantage point.

Petar moved ahead, stowing his bow away, and pulling his shield and sword into readiness. He managed to get into a good position right next to Mysh and by squeezing past the competing dwarves.

OOC: You can move up, put the weapon away, and bring your weapon and shield up, but that's it. No attack this round.

Angus, slightly injured, deferred the brunt of melee combat to the warriors with better protection. He held the light up high for everyone to be able to see.

Aila, now away from the reach of the skeletons, drank a potion of healing, regaining a small measure of her vitality. It seemed to her that this potion was feeble, in her mind the expectation of unrivaled health unmet.

Brulna, eager to get into the fray, found that the fighting space had already been taken. But there were ... alternatives.

Camille, mace and shield in hand, waited impatiently for an opening in the line. She tried to keep guard over both sides, but the orcs were too far away for her to accurately gauge if help was needed.

OOC: Brulna, if you wish to, you may attempt bypassing an enemy by crossing through their space. If you have Acrobatics, it is a DEX-4 roll, if not, it is a DEX-8 roll. Let me know what you want to do. You'll be able to do one regular movement and still attack if you make the roll, otherwise you will remain on your side of the hallway, behind everyone else.

With the hallway now taken with Mysh and Petar, Lland and Oswyn laughed at their missed chance.

"Oh-hoy, I think we missed our chance to add to our score. The elf and the human won't be left behind."

"Right so. There is no better game than a kill-count. What do you say? We give them a few strikes to catch up?"

Mysh, right up front, remained silent, his focus on the targets before him. His bastard sword's edge kept finding the hard part of his enemies, being blunted aside over and over again. (Miss.) But he was nothing if not persistent.


On the other side of the hallway, the shade was again in motion, moving through the line of skeletons to attack from the flank. The skeleton's attempted to avoid the shade's mortal touch, but not well enough. His translucent hand found purchase on the one damaged one, adding a bit more brittleness to its frame. The skeleton slowed ever so slightly from the freezing cold, but it was not enough to bring it down completely. (Hit! 1 Damage.)

The orcs, driven by the desire to claim retribution for their fallen comrade, kept the pressure up. The remaining lead one took advantage of the shade's attack, striking from the rear and breaking more bones in the skeleton's frame. (Hit! 3 Damage.) The skeleton was barely standing, legs and spine torn in many places, but it did not feel pain or discouragement. Even with its impending demise, it simply kept on fighting.

The orc line was now reinforced by a fresh warrior from the reserves, but this warrior's spear did not meet its mark, glancing off the bone with a strike at a poor angle. (Miss!)


Round 3 - Skeletons

It is clear now that these things do not quit. Having been reduced to half their number, outnumbered and overwhelmed, they mindlessly kept on going.

Mysh's swings might not have been effective for damage, but they unbalanced one of the skeleton so deeply all it could do was flail wildly while trying to find solid footing. (Natural 1 miss.) The other one struck again with cold precision, but its bony claws simply failed to meet Petar's superior reflexes.

On the other side of the hallway, the skeleton's divided their attention. The shade had drawn one of them to himself, so it was no surprise that it tried to tear his head off with a furious strike. The skeleton's bony hands simply passed through the shade's body with no effect. (Hit! Shade is insubstantial. No effect.)

The other skeleton had more success, though, reaching out to the newly joined orc on the battle line. As the spear glanced off, it stepped up as the orc was pulling the weapon back, took ahold of its shoulder, and tore through its midsection in an upwards strike. The orc barely gurgled a grunt as it was lifted into the air and then fell heavily to the ground, unmoving. (Hit! 6 Damage.) Once again, the orcs growled their frustration throughout the hall.

[ Underground Hallway - Round 3 - Monsters ]

---

OOC: [Yuck, things got busy at work. I am now required to report on my activities every two week. Not so bad, but I spend some extra time writing down everything I do. Meh.]

Good round. The fight is going well on the PC side, where warrior ACs are very high and taking damage is difficult. (Although, once it gets through, it will be lethal.) The orcs are getting whittled down, taking some attrition, but that is to be expected. The shade is doing well, seeing as he's immune to physical damage. Good ally to have.

Brulna, should you wish to attempt to roll past the skeletons we'll add that action to the end of this round.

What is this trap Alinda warned you all about? What are those lights in the chamber beyond?

And so we move on to round 4.

Sowen looks at Petar with a sideways glance, evaluating the question. With a bit of a serious expression he answers

The elf had asked it lightly and felt that, for the man-drake, the concept of shape-shifting was more serious.  Oh, did he have questions for Doromas!   Petar faced the unknown ahead .. some kind of trap the warning had said.

"We are so close," Petar said to Camille as he took his spot at the front and sliced at a fiery undead.  Where you would normally stab something vital was just slippery bone, and the elf can't connect.

Actions
Sword attack vs skeleton#4, 8+2 = 10 to hit, assumed miss

23:43, Today: Petar the Elf rolled 8,4 using d20,d8.  Round 4 Petar vs. Skeleton4.

Aila stood up, looking at the fight--unfortunately, it seemed that things were altogether too crowded for her to re-join the fray, and so she stood ready to move ahead should a gap present itself.

Brulna to far from the action brooded at not being able to sink her mace into a skeletons skull.

Angus just held up the torch since there wasn't much else he could do.

In reply to Black Angus (msg # 96):

"DAMMIT ANGUS ME FEEL LIKE ME SiSTA!!" The female clutched the handle till her fingers popped.

In reply to Brulna (msg # 97):

"We'll get in again Brulna, we'll get in again! Then we can whack the heck out of them!" he utters in excitement!

Round 4 - PCs

"We are so close," Petar said to Camille...

The priestess nodded in nervous anticipation. She watched as the front line worked it's "warrior magic" (just plain bashing the skeletons to pieces) in order to get past them. The hallway was narrow and they would simply get in each other's way.

"I know I should not just run to her. A trap...", the priestess considered. "Dammit!"

As Petar rushed into the front line, the skeleton's attention turned to him. One, two swings, a glacing cut, not enough to actually hurt it. Had it been a living creatures, it would have taken a nasty cut. (Miss!)

Next to him, Mysh the warrior, swung as best as he can. His bastard sword bit into his enemy in the same manner as Petar's blade did, but suffered the same effect: the bone is resilient and needs a stronger hit to break. (Miss!)

Alia, Brulna, and Angus were too far away from the front to have an immediate impact on the melee. They bided their time in a frustrated tension, ready to unleash their fury on the first target close enough to hit. After all these days, it looked like there were more answers to be had here.

Lland and Oswyn muttered behind the lines something about not being able to count these agaist their tallies. But they held their enthusiasm, knowing full well that they needed to let the ones in front finish their task.

Sowen, just like the dwarves, found no immediate targets to strike at, so bid his time. His ever-present smile has been replaced with a nervous smirk as he watched the elf and human strike at the flaming-skull bones keeping the group from making progress through the hallway.


On the other side of the hallway, the melee continued.

Gharakuh, the shade, reached out and attempted to connect with his target, but for once, he was too slow. The skeleton leaned back, getting the shade to miss only by a few inches. (Miss!)

The orcs closest were not faring any better. Their movement had been momentarily compromised with their fallen comrades around them, forcing them to watch their footing and not wanting to step on a wounded, but not yet dead, Da-ash. Their strikes went wild and had little effect. (Miss!, Miss!)


Round 4 - Monsters

In return, the skeletons took advantage of the terrain. The strike towards the shade was far too uncoordinated and missed by almost a foot. (Miss!) But the skeleton striking at the orcs once again met its target, tearing a long gash along the orc's arm, ripping cloth and parts of the leather's fastenings, flinging armor pieces into the air. The orcs, seeing as they were not having much luck lately, engaged a more defensive response but did not give an inch of terrain.

It seemed almost as if the tide had turned for the warriors. The narrow hallway, the flaming bones, and the orcs finding no luck as of the moment, carried over to this moment as well. The skeletons pushed with renewed vigor, slashing ceaselessly at their targets. Mysh took a strike to the arm to would have torn it off of a lesser man (Hit! 4 Damage.) You could his hear his angry pained grunt all through the hallway. Petar's swordplay was magnificent, but there are moments when balance and returning a weapon to its guard position were necessary, and this allowed an opening. The skeleton before him dug into his upper arm with a deep laceration, crimson staining his undershirt quickly. (Hit! 5 Damage.)

---

OOC:

Alright. It's been far too long since I last posted. I am still here and looking to finish the fight. Work is calming down for the moment, and I find myself in better spirits.

Let's see what Round 5 brings to the party.

Positions have not changed on the map yet, so I am not including a new one.

OOC: No, wait, I am wrong. The orcs moved. Here's the new map.

[ Underground Hallway - Round 4 - Monsters ]

The skeleton before him dug into his upper arm with a deep laceration, crimson staining his undershirt quickly. (Hit! 5 Damage.)

Petar gave the skeleton an appreciative grunt - of pain - and wondered what magics made these things skilled at fighting.  You normally had to train for months to years to learn the whys and wherefores of battle and yet here these things were, slipping past his guard with ease.

Ahh, magic.

The wound wasn't bad but certainly would take days to heal.  The elf hoped the Priestess would be able to fix him up if it came to that.  For now, Petar is determined to smash his foe to shards!  A little angry, he went straight for the skull.

Actions
Sword vs Skelly 4
Hey lookie here a Crit.  Looks like this will do max damage (10) plus the rolled 1, for 11?

22:19, Today: Petar the Elf rolled 20,1 using d20,d8.  R5 Petar vs Skel 4 another try.

Status update
2 hp of 7 max
AC -1 (cough cough :P)
This message was last edited by the player at 05:22, Tue 18 May 2021.

OOC: Nice crit. Could not have come at a better time. The skeleton is on its last leg now (no pun intended) =).

In reply to Game Master (msg # 102):

"Get back Petar! You're hurt bad!"

Aila could not do much from her position, but wait for an opening.  And so she did, humming a quiet tune she had learned in her monastery studies.

"Get back Petar! You're hurt bad!"

"Mysh and I've got this," the elf says without turning, just a hint of ouch in his voice.  "Just be ready to step in, Oswyn, if they gey lucky again."

"Aye lad, my axe is ready and sharp should you need to step back. There is no shame is knowing when you are too winded to continue."

Oswyn stands at the ready, both hands firmly grasping the haft of his battle axe. He observes with keen attention the dance of life and death that is the melee before him.
This message was last edited by the GM at 04:30, Wed 19 May 2021.

Brulna felt useless. Here she stood with her mace in both hands, but could near nothing to aid her companions.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:53, Wed 26 May 2021.