(004) The Dunjon Door

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
Yeah, once the foes stop twitching Dieter will bind his wound also.

"Someone keep watch," he growls.

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
In the fountain chamber...

Anwyn leaps back from the smoldering tunnel, her "spider sense" tingling. Could that dark stick-like shape hanging but 2 inches from a fissure in the passage ceiling be the paw of a great spider -- scarcely visible as it is -- or just another shadow? Anwyn stares at the crack a dozen yards yonder until her eyes ache, but it is just impossible to tell. Then she blinks, and when she opens her eyes whatever it was has vanished from sight. If it was ever there at all...

Meanwhile, Ulric questions Victor about what he is looting, to which he grunts, "A few copper coins is all, nuthin' to write home about", but he doesn't offer to show his find.


In the passage...

Olaf calls for a well deserved rest after the frightening encounter with the near-dead. He kneels in the gathering dark to extract a torch from the bundle of such tied to the bottom of his pack, and then works at striking flint and steel together for a spark. As Olaf sees to getting some better light, Rodrick kicks the remains of the recently sundered corpse away from him clearing enough for room to sit in the cramped passage, and then turns about to check Olaf's wounds by the yellow light of his freshly ignited torch.

Meawhile, halfway down the passage to the fountain room, Dieter staggers back a few more steps and then sits down heavily, nursing his hurts in the semi-gloom. "Someone keep watch," he growls, though only Caine is nearby to hear. Ulric seems to be calling out from the fountain room, and Olaf is uttering something from around the corner... but Dieter is just plain sore, and has a mind to take a chug of his water flask and rub some dirt over his new scratches.

But not a moment after he has slid his back down the wall and reached the ground, the ruinous corpse Dieter had just run through with his sword gives a shudder of motlely bones, and awkwardly begins to rise again!

Caine leaps over Dieter in the narrow confine and stabs at the rising cadaver with his pair of daggers (1d20=10) and strikes true with his left blade -- slashing the monster grievously across its eye-socket for (1dd=3) 3 hit-points of damage, but it staggers to its feet regardless...


..............#..#
..............#..#
..............#..#
..............#..#
.............##..#########
. Closed --> ()...R..O.... --> Back toward cells,
.. door .....##..#########.... stair and surface
..............#..#
..............#.X# <-- Reanimated corpse!
..............#C.#
..............#D.#
..............#..#
..............#..#
..............#..#
..............#..#
..............#..#
.............#(..)# <-- Open door arch
............##....##
...........##..U...##
........####.T..V...####
..............(**)..... <-- Fountain room
........####....M...####
...........##......##
............##A...##
.............#(..)# <-- Open door arch
..............#..#
..............#..#
..............#..#
..............#./# <-- Spider above?
..............#..#
...............\..

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
"I hate guys who won't stay dead," Dieter grumbles, rising grudgingly to his feet. "That's just untidy, is what that is..."

(He'll defend himself, but won't go off looking for trouble.)

[waysoftheearth]

tombowings wrote:
"This again?" Rodrick exclaims, "By the might of Thuul, be at peace." Rodrick strikes out with his torch against the corpses. "We are not the enemy, be at peace foul souls and pass on into the darkness. where the light of battle will never touch you again."

[waysoftheearth]

eris wrote:

"This again?" Rodrick exclaims, "By the might of Thuul, be at peace." Rodrick strikes out with his torch against the corpses. "We are not the enemy, be at peace foul souls and pass on into the darkness. where the light of battle will never touch you again."

From where he is Olaf can't see the corpse reanimate and rise, so he will stay seated, resting and recovering. He'll let the rest of you deal with things for a bit.

OOC: Unless a monster comes into the corridor where he is resting, Olaf will take the time, this time, to regain that 1d6 hp.

[waysoftheearth]

TheMyth wrote:
Anwyn runs back into the fountain room.

"I think the spider's still down there," she tells the boys around the fountain.

"We should see what's down these other passages too."

Then she stops and looks around. "Where's everyone else?"

Then she looks down the lit passage and notices Caine and Dieter fighting the walking corpse.

"Oh, look!" she exclaims, pointing at the abomination down the hall.

[waysoftheearth]

Harry wrote:
(OOC - WOW! What a week to miss, so much action and my poor stout leg wet as a kitten in a drain - apologies for my absence, work saw to it I spent more time there than at home)

"Aye, just let me catch me breathe a moment', the water drenching Taines beard catches the light as he speaks, ".........just a wee moment". Taines takes a deep breathe, filling his lungs like it was the last time.

Recovering his axe, digs deep in his drenched backpack for the sharpening stone. Resting against the fountain, a more sombre mood swallows Taines as he puts an edge to his blade.

(Taines rests until the rest of the party are good to go. Again I will be away until Sunday afternoon. Standing orders - Taines will happily act as front or rear guard, as the party wishes. Taines also asks to borrow some more lantern oil to re-light his sappers helmet)

[waysoftheearth]

waysoftheearth wrote:
Dieter rises as Rodrick closes in on the re-animated corpse from behind, and Caine presses the attack from the front.

(Initiative is rolled; Rodrick 1d6=3(-1), Caine 1d6=5(+1), The Enemy 1d6=1).

Caine darts to and fro with all his cunning speed, but cannot get close enough without risking a vicious tear of those awful claws (1d20=7). Rodrick has no such problem, however, striding boldly and loudly up behind the monster and imperiously drives his gauntleted fist into the back of its rotting skull (1d20=13) (the torch we had been fighting with was sundered previously, and there is too little room to swing his flail). He leans into the mighty punch landing it solidly and causing (1dd=3) 4 hit points of damage.

The monster lurches toward Caine, driven forward by the weight of Rodrick's blow, tearing and flailing madly at Caine as it does so (1d20=5) but it cannot connect.

All of a sudden you are tangled together in the tight passage with an insane living corpse slashing madly about with its talons!


The situation is thus;

..............#..#
..............#..#
.............##..#########
. Closed --> ()......O.... --> Back toward cells,
.. door .....##..#########.... stair and surface
..............#..#
..............#.R#
..............#CX# <-- Reanimated corpse!
..............#D.#
..............#..#
..............#..#


Intentions?

[waysoftheearth]

tombowings wrote:
Rodrick attempts a wrestling move he learned back in basic training to restrain the corpse and give his comrades a better shot of a successful attack.

[waysoftheearth]

coffee wrote:
Well, if he's going to hold the thing, Dieter has no objection to stabbing it again. And again.