An arrow already notched in her bow, Safherd arrives at the battle alongside Ishmael. Taking only seconds to assess the scene before her, she raises her weapon and looses an arrow at on of the creatures.

09:10, Today: Safherd rolled 18 using 1d20+1.  Attack - Long Bow.

09:11, Today: Safherd rolled 5 using 1d8+1.  Damage.

Leave fer a minute, hell breaks loose,” Ishmael grumbles as he hurls his dagger with all the strength he can muster at one of the monsters.

09:15, Today: Ishmael rolled 16 using 1d20+1.  Attack - Thrown Dagger.

09:17, Today: Ishmael rolled 6 using 1d4+2.  Damage.

Sir Dryvyk’s strike slashes into the center of one of the beasts. As it does, the creature dissolves into a plume of violet smoke which curls about the knight’s blade before dissipating. Safherd’s arrow causes another of the monsters to collapse into a swirl of purple fumes when it finds its target.

Ishmael’s dagger hits the last of the creatures, sinking into its flesh and prompting a flow of black blood as it pulls free to return to its wielder.

OOC: I’m going to give Malivoire the opportunity to act before moving things further ahead.

Malivoire's eyebrows rose as first one, then another of the cloakers dissipated into smoke.  But when Ishamel's dagger struck true and drew blood, the elven mage's brow lowered in determination. "Aha!  Now we've got you."

With a quick flick of his wrist Malivoire brought forth his wand and let fly a bolt of golden energy at the beast.

OOC:
Use Wand of Magic Missiles.  Now down to 4 charges left.
14:36, Today: Malivoire rolled 5 using 1d6+2.  Damage.

Another lance of eldritch energy burns the cloak like creature and for the first time, its chilling groan falters momentarily. The terrible sound regains its strength, however, as the monster lashes out at those who have it cornered.

14:52, Today: Labyrinth Lord rolled 17 using 1d20.  Attack - Bite.

14:52, Today: Labyrinth Lord rolled 3 using 1d4+1.  Damage.

The creature manages to briefly latch onto Dax’s shoulder with its teeth, the pressure of the bite producing a brief jolt of pain.

14:53, Today: Labyrinth Lord rolled 9 using 1d20.  Attack - Tail.

The beast swipes at Ynes with its tail, but she is able to deflect the incoming blow with her axe.

The groaning imposes a -2 penalty on “to hit” rolls until silence is restored.

The creature has an armor class of 6.

It is evil, so bonuses to armor class and saving throws from Sir Dryvyk’s Protection from Evil aura apply.

Barnabus’ Bless spell remains active, so all of the company members receive a +1 bonus to “to hit” and damage rolls.

If engaging the monster in melee within the alcove, a maximum of three adventurers can fit within the space. Dax, Sir Dryvyk, and Ynes are already present.

It is the party’s turn to act.

"...be the darkness then revealed..." The Knight's hymn grew louder as the wail of the cloak-monster diminished. He squared his stance and attempted a series of dangerous swipes with the sword of the Order of Nightfall!


Sir Dryvyk of Drakeholme rolled 18 to hit AC0 for 5 damage (-2 to hit, +1 Bless)
Protection from Evil: Those near Sir Dryvyk receive a bonus to AC of -1 and a +1 bonus on saving throws.

Dax grunts as the beast's maw makes contact with his shoulder, with the creature so close, he uses the edge of his blade as a butcher would a knife against a roast.

---

Dax Moonblade rolled 13-2+1=12, hitting AC 5 for 10 damage.

The two skillfully aimed blows from Dax and Sir Dryvyk cause the cloak like monster to crumple under their force. Its horrible groaning is abruptly silenced as black gore wells up from its wounds. It falls back against the southern wall of the alcove, knocking the bones and bracelet from the shelf as it slides to the floor, the last vestiges of life leaving it.

For the moment, all that the adventurers can hear within the catacombs is silence.

OOC: Combat over.

It is Safherd who breaks the quiet, first with a relieved sigh. ”Varghoulis’ tomb is not occupied,” she says, ”but the floor beside his sarcophagus has been broken. Several of the flagstones shattered. There was a shallow space beneath them. Whatever had been placed within it is gone.”

“Ishmael said that the floor was not in such a state when you first found that place.”

Erudite as can be, Barnabus gazes upon the coiled mass upon the floor, gore oozing forth from its gaping wounds, and makes a pronouncement: "This is not a cloak."

Gather up the goodies as before and then check the next set of curtains.
If one gives Sir the chills, part the other first.
If both or neither give him the chills, part the northern one first.

"Was there a body in the tomb? We heard a priest battling the Dark One did we not?" Sir Dryvyk asked  Safherd and Ishmael.

Dax watches as the animated cloak collapses to the ground, wary that it might pop up again. After a few moments, he wipes his blade clean on the corpse of the strange creature, "For the Briar Queen."

The ranger steps away from the alcove, content to let Barnabus supervise the looting and to let Dryvyk question Safherd. "Your magicks were well-placed, Mal. You may have saved me from a much worse wound."

"I'm glad I was able to help with that fell creature.  I have heard tell of such things - more campfire tales than reality, I had thought - but the truth is in the seeing.  Hopefully there are no more of the things scattered about the crypts."

"You acquitted yourself well despite the challenge," he grinned at Dax.  "You seem to be falling into the guise of 'champion' quite well.  The Briar Queen must be pleased."

Upon hearing Safherd's recounting of the floor in Varghoulis' tomb, the elven mage frowned.  "What would have been buried there, I wonder?  Nothing good, I imagine.  Perhaps Mazzahs might hazard a guess."

Malivoire made ready for their additional search of the hallway, leaning a little on his staff while he waited for them to move out.

Safherd shakes her head in response to Sir Dryvyk’s inquiry. ”There were no bodies in the crypt. The sarcophagus was open and empty.”

“Grak, the priest and leader of my former company, did not confront Varghoulis in his crypt. We met him in a location that I believe is south of here, in a corridor of sealed tombs. I imagine that Grak’s body is still there.”

Pulling aside the curtain to the southern alcove which faces the secondary entrance to Varghoulis’ crypt, the adventurers find it empty. The space’s only feature is a fresco on the southern wall, which appears to have once depicted some manner of structure constructed from pale stone. The adventurers can only discern details at the edges of the picture, one or more persons having diligently worked to deface most of the etching with both blunt and sharp implements, most of the wall having been reduced to an uneven stretch of broken gray rock.

Fragments of stone litter the floor. A pair of sconces on the eastern and western walls are empty.

As if the next statement he might make could give him great pain, Barnabus steadies himself before speaking. He firms his grip upon both lantern and shield and reflects upon how much they had seen and done during this stay within the barrows (more than he can even remember!).

"Okay, then, let that be the last of it, then. Safherd, show us the way to that lonely corpse. We'll add it to the wagon where it will enjoy good company."

Plan:
Safherd leads us to Grak's corpse.
We retrieve it and head out, grabbing the Nergal banners (south of his tomb) and the other corpses on the way.
This message was last edited by the player at 19:42, Mon 14 Aug 2023.

After Safherd makes the distance between themselves and Grak's corpse clear, Barnabus reconsiders, "Can't save all the corpses in the world, now, can we?"

Revised Plan
Grab those banners and those other corpses and exit the BM.

"With both of us, I hope."


"True. But I think I might drag this one back if I can," Dax says pointing to the animated cloak. "Mazzahs might enjoy examining this odd creature."

---

If Dax can lift or drag the cloaker back to the wagon he will do so.
This message was last edited by the player at 05:35, Wed 16 Aug 2023.

Although a bit unwieldy due to its size, the cloaker’s carcass is surprisingly light. The adventurers retrieve the bodies of the four fallen explorers and then make their way back to the high ceilinged entrance chamber. They encounter no peril during their journey, though during it, from the east, they hear the distant, muffled sounds of chanting, a song intoned by several voices in a language none can understand. The brief fragments the company members can perceive are high pitched, grating, and feral.

The chants have completely faded from hearing when the party arrives at the catacombs’ entrance. All seems as they left it. Above, the adventurers can hear the crackle of a fire and the muffled conversation of their hirelings.

The iron ladder sits waiting, undisturbed. To the left of it, painted with great care on the stone wall, is the rendering of a single white skull.

"Trisrel! Gib!" Dax shouts up.

When they, or any of the others appear, he asks, "Did anyone hear this being done?" pointing at the skull on the wall.

At the sound of Dax’s call, Trisrel, Ol’ Gib, and Windroot appear around the opening above.

Gib, in his usual taciturn manner, simply shakes his head in the negative in response to the question.

”It has been quiet below,” Trisrel reports, ”We have heard nothing from the tombs at all. They have been silent. Almost unnervingly still.”

”Your approach has been the first sounds we have heard from the underground,” Windroot says.

”The hobgoblins returned. I slew one and Trisrel killed another. The rest thought it best to flee.”

Or they thought to return with greater numbers and a spare bugbear or two.

Barnabus looks upon the act of vandalism with animus. He retrieves a vial of holy water and gets to work, enlisting Ismael in the effort, to eradicate this desecration of the Barrowmaze.

5 human or humanoid (the one from behind the curtain) corpses and one monstrous corpse :)
Maybe oil would work as paint thinner?

Back to Helix.
This message was last edited by the player at 01:10, Thu 17 Aug 2023.

Malivoire eyed the skull marking with disquiet in his belly.  They were being toyed with, and he didn't like it one bit.  But what could they do differently?  The catacombs were too large to monitor all paths at once and force the evil ahead of them, rather than allowing it to squirm around the edges.

"At least the hobgoblins were the only active threat, and well handled," he noted, as much for his own confidence as recognition for those guarding the camp.  When his turn came he climbed the ladder and reveled in the seemingly fresh air of the fetid swamp, still an improvement over the stale stench of death below.

With some time and effort, which is fortunately uninterrupted, the skull is removed from the wall, though it almost seems that the pigment has sunk deep into the wall’s surface, partially suffused into the stone itself.

After all has been gathered, and with dusk quickly shifting the sky to the dark of evening, the adventurers and their followers begin their trek back to Helix through the veil of a misting rain.