Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Cal scratches his head before he speaks. "I just drifted here, really. I was part of a group but we ran into some aliens. I was the only one left after that. Some of them were killed but most were captured." He sighs. "I never even tried to find out what had happened to them." He shakes his head "After that, I looked for somewhere to lend aid and found this place. Maybe I'll move on after this or maybe I'll stay."

A voice came out from the bracelet. "Would you like to know what happened to them, hmm?" Cal reacted immediately, his weapon pointed at Astok faster than Alira could blink. "Be quiet." "I was only trying to help. Maybe one of them got away. It would be easy enough for me to tell. I'd just need a little bit of energy." Cal didn't respond this time.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Alira easily makes it to the graveyard without being spotted. The trickle of undead were barely aware of their own surroundings. Occasionally, she'd see one trip over a gopher hole or even on another undead that had fallen. But as she passed by, she counted at least 50 corpses of some variety or another heading for the village.

The graveyard, like the villagers had said, was surrounded by an iron fence. It was rusty, though, and Alira managed to find part of it that she could slip through. The graveyard was built on a slight hill and at the top was a marble tomb. Part of the hill had eroded and revealed that the tomb was only the top of some kind of structure that extended deeper into the ground. Two skeletons stood at the entrance of the tomb. Both were clad in armor and wielded a sword. They looked much more alert than the ones she had passed and an eerie pale-blue flame burned in their eye sockets.

Roll

Spoiler

31 + 18 vs DC 40 Success

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Alira concealed herself behind a mostly intact headstone and deliberated on her course of action. The main door looked like the obvious way in, but it wouldn't be easy with the two skeletal guards standing by. Her eyes traced their way down the hill, noticing the spots where the earth had eroded away, revealing ancient stonework underneath. The thief allowed herself a small grin.
Perfect. Aren't all the important bits always at the bottom anyway? Let's see if I can find a shortcut.

Slinking out from her hiding spot, Alira cautiously moved toward the base of the hill, hoping to discover a second way into the tomb.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 57, PP = 58, EP = 45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

Alira managed to dodge around a few more roaming skeletons and eventually found some stairs that led downward. There were no lights down there but the sun gave her plenty of light. Descending the stairs, she found stone wall. Wait... no... it was a door. There were cracks on three sides of the 'wall' and the dust was disturbed in such a way that Alira determined the door pushed outward. One problem: there didn't seem to be anything to grab on to. She could try and pull the door out by wedging her fingers into the cracks but if the door shifted and she couldn't pull her fingers back out, she might have a problem.

Then Astok opened his mouth (figuratively). Thankfully, he kept his voice down"What a pity. After expended effort, there is a door that can not be opened with your talents. Maybe I can be of service." He grinned (figuratively).

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Standing in front of the stone slab, Alira weighed her options. Shifting this thing by myself... I could try it but it looks pretty solid. Could always go back up and try the front as well...

"What a pity. After expended effort, there is a door that can not be opened with your talents. Maybe I can be of service."

Alira sighed in exasperation. I was just getting used to the silence. But... no harm in hearing him out I guess.

"So, you've decided to try and be useful? Why is it that I find myself doubting your motives Astok? What are you proposing exactly?"

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 57, PP = 58, EP = 45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

"It's not anything dangerous. You give me just a little bit of energy and I'll summon up something that can open the door. It would be easy. I could even summon Ahael, if you want.." Astok at least sounded sincere.

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Alira stared at the bracer, as it made its offer. At the mention of Ahael her cheeks darkened to a deeper shade of violet as she remembered the details of their previous encounter. An image of the demon floated up from the depth of her mind, his inhuman face contorted in a smug smile, his massive cock already rising below his waist. Maybe it wouldn't be too bad to see him aga- No! What the hell is wrong with me? Embarrassed and shocked by her momentary weakness, Alira took her anger out on the bracelet, eyeing it with hostility.

"You keep that bastard away from here. My offer of a dagger to the throat for him still stands. And anyway how would I go about giving you a bit of energy?"

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 57, PP = 58, EP = 40/45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

"Just loosen up a little and stop tensing up." Through Astok's guidance, Alira entered a kind of trance and she felt a little energy be sucked away. Then the trance ended and several tentacles made of shadow reached behind the door. The tentacles became more real as they flexed. Eventually, they literally looked like giant octopus tentacles bleached of all color. "See, nothing terrible. We can work together, you and I. I understand that I may have overreacted before but I think we can move beyond that.." Wind blew out from inside, bringing with it the smell of decay and dust. There wasn't much light in there, bringing with it its own problems.

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Alira forced herself to relax as Astok reached within her, the wispy tendrils of his power tugging at her essence. She closed her eyes, and focused inward, wary of any attempt to take advantage of her. Astok's touch was still weak, and there was something different about it this time. It was... gentler, softer than the imperious attempts to control her mind at their first meeting. You need him for this... Just relax. But not too much, you know you can't trust him.

She felt Astok withdraw, taking with him a small portion of her energy and essence. Alira opened her eyes, slightly disoriented, and blinking at the shadows around her. There was something wrong with her vision, the darkness was moving...but already she could see that it was no trick of her eyes. Four shadowy tentacles writhed before her, reaching out toward the door and slithering through the cracks at the sides of the slab. Growing more solid with every passing moment, the tentacles flexed, pulling at the door. The ancient stone groaned, and slowly slid forward, the arcane tendrils now totally solid, their pallid white surface shifting as they strained against the slab. Finally, the door slid forward far enough for Alira to slip through the opening.

"See, nothing terrible. We can work together, you and I. I understand that I may have overreacted before but I think we can move beyond that.."

"Yeah, we'll be fast friends in to time", muttered the thief, stepping around the thick door.

The room beyond was devoid of any light source, and though Alira was used to night time escapades and had good night vision, she could only barely make out the indistinct contours of the space. Kneeling down, the elf pulled a compact oil lamp from her small pack. Wrapping a cloth around the aperture to dim the light, she lit the wick. Sputtering, the small flame came to life, casting flickering shadows on the nearby walls. Thank you Cal.

Standing, and lifting the dim lamp in her left hand, Alira took stock of her surroundings, looking for any likely passageways or signs of the tomb's inhabitants.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 57, PP = 58, EP = 40/45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

Fortunately, the sound of the door being opened went unnoticed. At least that was how it appeared. Alira found the dust before her was completely scattered. Her light feet barely moved the dust, as heavier feet had been busy. She heard something coming towards her and she managed to duck around a corner. The sounds soon disappeared.

There were several tombs but all of them had been opened and had been emptied. Except for... Alira managed to notice a cold shine in one of the tombs. A set of silver rings, linked together, lay inside one of the tombs. Fingers still wore the rings but the hand those fingers belonged to was nowhere to be seen. After another precious seconds of exploration, she found a spiral staircase. She heard more steps but this time, it was metal on stone. Someone wearing armor was coming up the staircase. Quickly ducking to the side, she saw a huge set of plate armor walk up the stairs and down the halls. It was muttering curses to itself. Fortunately, it didn't seem to notice her.


Rolls

Spoiler

Stealth 31 + 17 vs ??? Success?
Perception 28 + 14 vs 27 SUCCESS
Stealth 31 + 16 vs 45 SUCCESS

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

The soft glow of the silver rings drew Alira's eyes back toward the tomb. Stepping softly, Alira approached the sarcophagus once more, examining the rings as closely as the dim lighting allowed.

She reached a hand out, then hesitated, drawing back. "Astok? After what happened the last time I picked up an ancient artifact, I'm a little cautious. Can you.. sense anything about these things? Are they magical? "

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 57, PP = 58, EP = 40/45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

"Mmmm?" The voice sounded smug, though he was trying to hide it. Alira had the feeling he didn't have very much practice in this area. "No, oddly. There's plenty of other magic in the area but these ones aren't. Probably why they were left behind. There's a big lump of necromantic energy downstairs. If you didn't have me, you probably would have had your soul drawn out by now. Aren't you lucky?"

Once Alira picked up the rings, she would have the fun task of removing the fingers, which made her gag. They were so dusty that there was no liquid left and barely any smell but it was still disgusting. Luckily, there were no surprises and the fingers came free easily enough. The rings were ice cold but other than that they just seemed like some fancy jewelry. Probably worth more than they would be as jewelry if she could find out... there it is. A brush of Alira's hand revealed a plaque, naming the former occupant of the tomb as a "Duchess Elsa d' Granten". Maybe there was a collector out there.

Alira had three possible directions. The spiral staircase went upward as well as downward and there was a corridor that most likely led to the entrance. And, of course, there was her exit. Without being asked, once Alira was inside, the tentacles had pushed it closed.

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

"If you didn't have me, you probably would have had your soul drawn out by now. Aren't you lucky?"

Alira snorted derisively in response. "Yeah, my luck lately has been grand. Don't get too big of an ego, that went really well for you last time. Remember that I'm literally carrying this sad little team of ours." She paused, and continued somewhat grudgingly, "Still, I must admit the door trick was good."

Gingerly cleaning of the silver rings, Alira stared at the plaque, focusing on the grimy inscription "A duchess, was it? Elsa... d' Granf..no, that's a t.. d' Granten. Ring any bells, Astok? I don't recognize the name." Alira cast another glance around the pillage tomb. "Looks like she's been here for a while... though with all of the skeletons walking around, who knows where she is by now. Could be standing guard up by the front entrance for all we know."

Alira approached the spiral staircase, taking pains to stay quiet. The ringing footsteps of the massive armored figure still echoed from up above, though far enough now to not be a concern. Great.. walking armor, that's all I need in addition to my talking bracer. Alira glanced down. Well, he said the energy source was down. Makes sense. What could go wrong as I descend into another haunted ruin?

With a sigh, Alira began to cautiously walk down the spiraling stairway.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 57, PP = 58, EP = 40/45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

The bracer said no more as Alira descended the stairs. After a few seconds she heard the clanking getting louder and realized it was coming back. Despite having to move quickly, Alira made barely a sound as she slipped out of the stairwell just as the armor got to the bottom. It swung its head side to side before marching back up the stairwell. Hmm... well... I would suggest composing yourself before looking down. Alira was standing on a mound of bones, with a skull grinning at her from between her legs. After all, that's what skulls were good at. The room she was in had piles of bones, some of them reaching to the ceiling. Luckily, there were no... fresher pieces stored here, although the smell was still nauseating. The room had three exits but one of them was blocked by, well, now she discovered where the fresher parts were being stored. Alira would find one exit led to a tunnel, which thankfully didn't contain as many bones as the room she was in, and another room, this one filled with gold and jewels.

Rolls

Spoiler

Stealth 11 + 31 vs ??? Perception Success?

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

"This tomb is quickly dropping on my list of favorite places" Alira looked around, holding back an instinctive gag as she took in the grisly scene.

With the animated guardian apparently on patrol, she needed to move quickly. Clearing up the blocked tunnel was not a prospect Alira relished, and that left her with two options. She looked down the tunnel, then glanced back at the treasure room. Well, I guess I can spare a quick look...

Moving carefully, wary of any traps, Alira headed for the treasure.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 57, PP = 58, EP = 40/45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

Spoiler

GM Uses Schmuck Bait!
It's Super Effective!

As soon as Alira entered the chamber, she knew she had made a mistake. The smell of death had gotten stronger when entering it and the sudden movement beneath the piles of treasure showed her why. Zombie popped out like daisies, the gold flowing off of them. They began to stumble towards Alira. Behind her there was a rattling as several skeletons pulled themselves together. They mostly made undeady-y sounds, moans and rattles, but one of them said something very distinctive: "Fresh meat". All total, there were four zombies coming for her and 3 skeletons behind her. Astok hummed innocently.

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Alira spun around, cursing quietly as the treasure's guardians closed in on her. Instinctively she began maneuvering back toward the door, refusing to be backed into a corner. Focused on the immediate danger, she ignored Astok for the moment.

Her hand went to her belt, grasping at her dagger. Stealth was an unlikely option by now, but Alira was not helpless in combat either. Focusing on the skeleton to her left, she lashed out at the creature with her dagger.

Spoiler

Draw the dagger, and attack the skeleton to the left

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 57, PP = 58, EP = 45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

A quick cut caused the zombie to drop. It seemed these things were not the ones that were attacking the village. These ones were dime a dozen. Unfortunately, they were cornering her. Thanks to her maneuver, only three of the zombies could reach her. Despite all three attacking together, she managed to dodge the blows. Unfortunately, they would be able to dog pile her in a few moments.

Rolls

Spoiler

Alira
Attack 14 + 40 vs 25 Dodge HIT
Damage 2 + 3 + 20 = 25 (0 Armor)
Zombie 1 dead

Note, each additional attack gives them a +5 to hit
Zombie 2 7 + 20 = 27 MISS
Zombie 3 5 + 20 + 5= 30 MISS
Zombie 4 2 + 20 + 10 = 32 MISS

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Encouraged by her success, Alira kept up her attack, slashing at the next zombie. Conscious of their numbers pressing in, she dashed sideways, moving laterally away from the zombies, and attempting to put some space between herself and the undead.

Spoiler

Attack another zombie, then move away to the opposite side of the room if possible.

 

[dragoon93041]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Spoiler

Alira: HP = 40/57, PP = 58, EP = 45 CP: 149 CL: 1 Status: Fine

Alira managed to cut down the zombie in front of her and dash past the others. Unfortunately, that's when the skeletons managed to get close to her. While Alira managed to get passed two of them, the third managed to reach out the rake her skin (Dealt 12 damage). If she kept going, she might be able to take them down one at a time. But if she got unlucky, she was going to go down quickly. So, does she feel lucky? Well does she, punk?

Well, she didn't need to be lucky. The undead were slow, fragile, and stupid. She was a flashing whirlwind of steel, striking down an opponent every turn with just one attack. Though another of the zombies get an attack in, it barely injured her. Soon she was left with a vault with a few mounds of treasure and a bunch of re-dead. "I have to say, that was rather impressive. I didn't figure you to be that fast." Astok sounded genuine. "Between my magic and your skill we could amass quite a bit of power and influence."

Alira gains 3 exp.

Rolls

Spoiler

Alira attack: Autohits
Damage: 4 + 6 +20 = 30
Another zombie down.

The three skeletons attack
Skeleton 1 1 + 20 = 21 MISS
Skeleton 2 5 + 20 + 5 = 30 MISS
Skeleton 3 15 + 20 + 10 = 45 HIT
Damage: 7 + 4 + 6 = 17 (-5 AV, Armor takes 5 damage)

Rest of battle plays out
Alira takes down one undead every round
Only one more hit for 12 (Armor takes 4 damage)

 

[orcha]

Re: Seeker of the Lost (orcha) GMed by dragoon93041

Alira dodged a clumsy swipe from the last zombie and countered with another thrust of her dagger. The creature jerked sideways, and the fiendish light faded from its eyes as it fell to the ground in a limp heap. Alira looked around to make sure that the rest of her attackers were also down permanently. Her heart beat rapidly, the rush of the fight still surging in her and she fought to calm her breathing as she quickly examined each zombie.

"I have to say, that was rather impressive. I didn't figure you to be that fast. Between my magic and your skill we could amass quite a bit of power and influence."

Alira let out something between a relieved sigh and a snort of derision. Sure he's still attached to your arm, but if you can hear him at least that means you're not dead.

"Well, I'm happy you're impressed. If I'd known that to get a bit of respect from my bracer buddy all I needed to do was knife some zombies, I'd have gone tomb raiding earlier. Not that I have a lot of experience with the undead, but some of the gangs I dealt with back in the city had about the same level of brain power."

A distant clang of metal on stone brought her head up, and she froze momentarily, recalling the patrolling suit of armor out in the tunnels. She seemed to be safe for now, but after the zombie attack Alira didn't want to take any chances. Moving quickly and fighting back her revulsion, she dragged the remains of the zombies to the side of the door, concealing them from anyone looking into the room from the outside. The bodies of the undead creatures were dessicated old things, and she had little trouble moving them.

Finished with her unpleasant task, Alira leaned back against the wall, and immediately winced. One or two of the creatures managed to land a hit, and though her armor shielded her well enough, she'd still be feeling the bruises for a couple of days. Fast, but not quiet fast enough. Still, no real damage, some dead zombies, and a room full of treasure. Not bad!

A smile began to form on Alira's lips as she realized she was standing in a room full of treasure, with no one around to stop her from raking through it. Taking a surreptitious look into the hallway to make sure the armored guardian was gone, she set down her dim lamp in one corner of the room. The piles of treasure before her were a welcome sight for a thief, but Alira knew that she couldn't take most of the items with her, at least not yet. She began to case the goods, looking for the most valuable and precious items - gems and the like, something that would be light enough to carry without slowing her down.

As she searched, she whispered "Astok, why don't you make yourself useful again? Any magical goodies in here that you can sense? "