Without out much fanfare, Fiene adds dead man's coin into a small sack.  If nothing else, it could buy a few rounds if the rest of them manage to make it back.

Staring into the darkness, "Not much sense in standing outside staring at it." He says, ushering Ermangard to come along he shines his lantern to light his steps before him.

With a shrug, Berly heads back in to the cave. "Let me know if anyone sees anything that much work as a club or staff, Did we get all of the green stuff?"

->Examine vague sense of unease.
You can't find a "vague sense of unease".

->Enter entrance.
You can't enter an "entrance".

>South
You enter the entrance.

Boldly Fiene and Ben entered the second cave. The chamber was of bare stone walls. The air was chill, dirt and dead leaves are scattered around the stone flagstones. Other rooms to the east and west can be seen but they seem very dark in shadows and their contents can not be seen from where the two adventurers stand, although to the west the shadows to do appear to contain spots of a blue-black glow.

Valerian turns to the newcomer.

"Our first encounter with green slime. We just lost a companion, sadly."

He gives a deep sigh.

"As much as I hate to say it, we need to research how to better prepare for this sort of encounter in the future."

Drawn by glowing blue-black spots, Barnabas ventures to the west and holds his lantern aloft to illuminate the way. At a minimum, one follows him, the amply compensated youngish woman-at-arms, Nerida.

The room remained in shadow even as Ben took his lantern closer. Within the shadows Ben counted twelve dim glowing blue lights. Nerida followed but she clearly felt the same unease that Fiene and Ben had felt as she was skittish as she followed. When Ben reached the door of the west room he saw that it was twenty foot by thirty foot. Hidden within in the shadows were six skeletons, their blue-black eyes sockets glowed eeriely as they moved to attack.

OOC I'm happy to decide that neither side would be surprised. So I need characters to declare spells, retreats and what's in their hands.

Day: 1. Time: 12:00pm. Turn: 18. Weather: Clear. Vision: Daylight. Movement: 20'

Lantern oil used Ben and Fiene: 12 Turns

OOC Rough sketch of map

18:09, Today: Ben rolled 3 using 1d6.  init.

Ben: Retreat Hand 1: lantern Hand 2: empty
Nerida: Attack Hand 1: war hammer Hand 2: shield

Beryl still wishes someone would have answered his question about the nasty green stuff, but current circumstances seem to take precedence.

If he sees the skeletons, he will attempt to turn them.

Holding aloft the holy symbol of Auril, goddess of the heavens and sky, his quavering voice calls out, "begone, foul abominations, in the name of Auril your presence is an offense to all that is good and holy!"

17:47, Today: Beryl Plotz rolled 11 using 2d6.  turn undead using the right dice.

17:50, Today: Beryl Plotz rolled 6 using 2d6.  how many HD turned.

Fiene makes a retreat.  "There are bones walking!" he calls, his voice slightly panicked.


ooc:  Lantern and 10' pole

The eerie skeletons stepped forward as Ben fled, calling for Nerida to strike them down. The young girl held her warhammer at the ready. The sight of Ben fleeing the caves and with Fiene close on his heels calling a warning to the others Beryl was warned of their presence and summoned the divine power of Auril, the powers of the heavens froze the skeletons in their tracks. The six abominations faltered in their stride and creakingly they back away against the far wall of the small chamber and remained there.

OOC Combat is over!

Day: 1. Time: 12:00pm. Turn: 18. Weather: Clear. Vision: Daylight. Movement: 20'

Lantern oil used Ben and Fiene: 12 Turns

Quite stunned that his efforts had worked, Beryl stands, mouth agape, for a few seconds.

"I have no clue how long this will last," he admits to the party. "Perhaps we should...? I don't know actually."

He looks to the others for advice.

"I fear that after a short period of time, they will again be able to attack us. I would suggest that a few of the more militant among us focus on one of them at a time. Once attacked, they will defend themselves, but not each other, so if you attack just one, the others should stand by unresisting. We should be able to deal with the lot of them that way."

He holds his empty hands out to the others.

"I no longer have a weapon, so it will be up to someone else to do the dirty here."

"Well done, Beryl.  You must have your god's favor."  Fiene congratulates as he watches the skeletons retreat.   "Does anyone have an axe or saw?"  He asks.  "We could cut a section from my pole, and make you a club.  Its not much, but better than throwing rocks."

Shaken, Ben mumbles to himself, "Hell. This must be hell, the entrance to it. A sextet of skeletons to stand sentinel at the gate."

Hastily, he confers with the others. As the cleric of Auril had said, they could destroy them one by one. Why the mindless undead, robbed of their one purpose--to hate and destroy the living--would resist, he does not know.

The skeletons held back by the power of Auril their destruction with some careful planning was ensured. Peculiarly however even with lanterns in the chamber the shadows remained, and in darkness the skeletons were destroyed.

The animated undead reduced to piles of old bones the shadowy chamber had bare stone walls and floor.

OOC

Day: 1. Time: 12:10pm. Turn: 19. Weather: Clear. Vision: Daylight. Movement: 20'

Lantern oil used Ben and Fiene: 13 Turns

Barnabas looked over the chamber, now a promising ossuary.

"I had hoped that they had topazes for eyes," he laments.

He then asks Teodore to lead the way into the eastern chamber, assuring him that he'll be "lighting the way" right behind him.
This message was last edited by the player at 23:02, Mon 18 Jan 2021.

"By the grace of Auril, return to your well deserved sleep"

Beryl was uncertain if being undead was in any way painful to the person they had once been, but the holy teaching says they are an abomination. He was proud to have been able to do his part.

Anfinn came to follow the others. Strength in numbers on the mind of the scrawny man.

Beryl wondered at the proper disposal of the bones. Should they be buried? At the very least he felt they should be exposed to the cleansing light of the sun and they sky.

If memory serves, we are pretty close to the exit. He will piles the bones up outside.

"Could someone help me?" he asks of the others.

In the middle room Ben and Anfinn awaited someone braver to venture forward whilst Beryl began to gather up the skeleton bones and take them outside into the canyon. The bones were worn with age and many were now broken. Nothing untoward prevented Beryl from his task but every time he entered the room to gather more bones the room remained shadowed in darkness.

"Any hints on the shadows in here? They seem oddly... shadowy?"


If someone will loan him a light source, he will move about the room while examining the shadows to see if they seem stronger in any one place. Also if they seem to be emanating from somewhere, or simply placed here by some magic beyond his ken.

Obligingly, Ben illuminates the ossuary to better scrutinize the shadows.

Afterward, with Teodore's mind and heart apparently elsewhere, he nudges Fienne.

"Let's the four of us look to the eastern chamber."

Helped by Ben's lantern Beryl searched every corner of the room. Regardless of where Ben held the lantern the room remained in dim shadows. There did not seem to be source of the darkness apart from the room as a whole.