Immersive Ink

Dame Simonetta will also take two silver daggers. She will join the search of the southern end of the cavern.

Turn 28

The south end of the cavern splits into two lobes or alcoves.

The southwest lobe (where Dame Simonetta corralled the skeletons earlier) is thriving with small, harmless fungi, lichen and other cave flora. There are some rotted wooden shelves and cracked shards of pottery. Perhaps the cultists used this area as an underground garden, to supplement their pantry with fresh mushrooms and other underground crops? A druid might be able to make sense of it all.

The southeast lobe is damp, and there is a faint sound of trickling water. There is a small natural spring, now almost totally overgrown with cave moss, but if the moss were cleared away, it could be a nice fountain. This must be where the spider cultists got their drinking water.

There is something on the floor of the southeast lobe, near the fountain. At first it just looks like a pile of trash. But on closer inspection, it is a 13th skeleton!

This skeleton is human-sized, not hobbet-size. It is also wearing spider silk robes (badly rotted from the moisture) but more ornate than the other robes, intricately woven with garishly-colored thread. Also the skeleton is wearing a ludicrously tall silk hat or priestly headdress on its head. The skeleton is lying face-down in the muck, and the back of its robe is bloodsoaked and ruined by many stab wounds. There must be dozens of stab wounds; whoever killed this man really had it in for him, stabbing him in the back over and over and over! The dagger wounds are so vicious that the spine was completely severed, and perhaps that was what prevented this skeleton from rising as undead like the other twelve? The skeleton's hands are pinned underneath its body, as though the man was trying to protect what he was holding, as he was being stabbed. Looking closely, our heroes see a metal scroll case in one hand and a carved wooden staff in the other hand. The wood of the staff is pristine, despite the humidity and the ravages of time.

bilfur takes two of the silver daggers. The cudgel is if Shillelagh becomes a spell. He is interested in the staff and scroll

As Bilfur leans in to inspect the shillelagh, the 13th skeleton comes to life and takes a swipe at him! Fortunately, Bilfur is not surprised, and takes a step back out of harm's way.

The skeleton is unable to fully animate due to its multiple stab wounds. The spine is severed, and the torso is just dead weight. All of the undead energy is concentrated in the hand bones. The scroll case clatters to the floor, and the human skeleton swings the wooden staff in a two-handed grip! But the skeleton is unable to move toward Bilfur, so its staff-strike is completely harmless. The skeleton drops the staff, and then something very strange happens:

The 2 human skeleton hands grab onto the floor and move in opposite directions, pulling at the end of their arms. With a sickening pop! the hands break free from the body. They scatter in opposite directions, running on their fingertips like bony spiders. One goes up this wall, and the other goes up that wall! Like quick little spiders, they scurry to and fro, just out of reach.

Surprise check: 1d6 = 4. Bilfur is not surprised. I mean; he's surprised, all right; that was weird! But for game purposes, he's not in a condition of tactical surprise. What next?

Bilfur grabs the scroll and staff and keeps an eye on the skeletal hands

If Dame Simonetta was witness to these events, she will attempt to sling a stone at one of the fleeing hands.

Seeing the commotion, Dougal rushes over with sword drawn to see if he can assist.

If the skeletal hands are in range, Dougal will swipe at them.

Willie is to the north, near the door. He probably can't see what's going on from here, but if he notes commotion he'll take up his sling. If he sees anything approaching him he'll take a shot at it.

It would appear that there are too many people around the hands for Wilbur to even get a look in, so he'll guard the passageway unless needed.