Sharif says, "Two more in the mirror!"
The Sharif without a knife at his throat says, "No!" He leaps forward at Thorn.
Rooker says, "Attack your own double!"
As he leaps, two more figures step out of the mirror, doubles of Thorn and Rooker. They smile and draw weapons from their belts.
Rooker steps forward and strikes at Rooker with twin daggers identical to the ones he carries.
Sharif lifts his staff and strikes at Thorn, whose sword is drawn and pointed at the other Sharif.
Thorn charges, blade held high and swinging down in a chopping arc.
Sharif pushes Thorn out of the way of Sharif's blade
The doubles attacks all miss their targets as they crowd forward.
Sharif says, "It's not ME you fool elf! He's the imposter!"
Thorn hisses out something in Selandri as he thrusts his sword at his own double.
Rooker attacks his mirror image with both daggers while yelling over the fray, "Fight your own double, not each other!"
Sharif lunges at Sharif with his Staff of Striking.
The counter-Rooker, with an insane giggle, dodges under one of Rooker's cuts, causing Rooker's dagger to spin wildly off into the dark room. But he backs right into Rooker's other blade.
The counter-Rooker shrieks, and there's a sound like a bubble bursting. The Rooker from the mirror disappears in a puff of black dust.
The counter-Thorn falls back under Thorn's charge, wounded. The two circle about each other, looking for an opening.
Sharif says, "I'm sorry to have to hit such a handsome fellow...but you ARE a creature of the abyss are you not?"
Sharif bashes Sharif in the ribs with his staff.
The staff crackles with energy as it strikes the mirror fiend.
The mirror falls to the ground in a tangle of robes, but he's still alive. He hisses at Sharif, lips drawn back in a bestial snarl.
Your lantern stands in the corner near the door, illuminating the room.
Sharif says, "You may look like me...but you have no manners!"
Thorn swings his sword while shouting a Selandri prayer against evil.
Sharif raises his staff as if to strike the fallen duplicate...but smashes the mirror instead
The air still crackles with the discharge from Sharif's staff as Rooker whips his dagger at the snarling Sharif-double.
KRASH! The mirror shatters into a million silvery fragments, sharp as knives, that spray with abandon about the chamber.
Shards of mirror rip into Sharif and Rooker, but Thorn throws himself flat to avoid injury.
Rooker's dagger lances Sharif's double through the eye as a cloud of glass fragments rips the double to pieces.
There's another sound like a bubble bursting and a storm of glass and Sharif's double vanishes.
The false Thorn is also torn to shreds in the hail of glass.
Sharif looks over at Rooker. "You didn't have to hit him in the face. He was a handsome fellow"
All that is left of the mirror is the inlaid golden dragon frame, which is now a smoking ruin.
Thief to the end, Rooker retrieves his daggers and steps close to the mirror frame to examine the inlay.
Thorn steps forward. "This was wicked magic, Rooker. Do not touch it."
Sharif says, "I agree."
It's classic work, could fetch a nice price in the bazaar at As Sedrai.
Sharif says, "How would we carry it?"
Rooker looks askance at his companions, "I guess, but I hate to leave such a nice piece of work behind."
It's tall as a tall man and two feet wide, inlaid with gold in a dragon scale pattern. Where the mirror was is now a gaping hole of glass fragments that reflect no light.
Rooker says, "Maybe we'll come by here with a wagon some other day."
Sharif says, "Let's see if we can get it on the way out. It is too big to move now"
Rooker says, "Right, let's move on."
The Selandri sheathes his black sword and turns away.
Retrieving his lantern, Rooker examines the door closely for traps.
Sharif dusts the glass fragments off of his robes and watches Rooker.
Rooker searches the room thoroughly but finds no trap. There is simply a locked oaken door in the center of the south wall.
Having determined that the door is still locked, Rooker digs out his picks and motions the other two to be silent while he works at the lock.
Thorn keeps an eye on the stairwell as Rooker works.
The door unlocks with a soft click! as if the lock were just freshly oiled.
Rooker stands and tucks his picks away as he turns the handle gently, "Shall we, gents?"
Sharif breathes a sigh or relief
Sharif says, "Nice work."
Rooker grins slyly, "That's why I'm here, eh?"
The door opens easily. Thorn steps through first.
On the far side is a room the same size as this one, an empty room that may have served as an old guardroom. There are blocked-up windows ion the south wall, stone covers them as if it ran and melted and then set again like taffy. There are some chairs, an old table, and a weapons rack on the wall.
Rooker shines his lantern over the rack looking for weapons which might have been left behind.
The weapons rack on the wall has some old swords, obviously common weapons, laid neatly on it...but at the top of the rack is a gleaming Selandri shortsword, with a curved blade.On the south wall is an angled stairwell leading down.
Rooker quickly moves to the rack and picks up the Selandri sword, "I'll just tuck this away until we can look at it better in the light of day."
Thorn says, "Not so fast, Rooker. That may be something we can use."
Sharif sighs again and shakes his head at his comrades
Rooker says, "And it might have been left behind for a reason, Thorn, by the same guy who worked up that mirror trick. Better to look at everything a bit more closely from here on out."
Rooker says, "If you'd like to carry it in your pack, I'll be happy to give it to you for safekeeping. But DON'T USE IT."
The Selandri seems pretty adamant. "It's a weapon of my people. Let me see it, at least."
Rooker smiles and pulls the sword from his pack, "Gladly, my friend, just don't take it from its' scabbard."
Thorn hefts the weapon, inspecting the hilt and inlaid gems in the pommel and scabbard. Finally, he says, "I know who made this. A friend of my clan. Here is his mark." He points out a tiny rune at the intersection of hilt and crossguard.
Sharif says, "I would agree with Rooker...until we examine it further you should not use it"
"As you wish," Thorn says. He passes it back to Rooker.
Nodding slowly, Rooker notes the rune before turning away, "But since you know the maker, you should probably keep it with you."
Thorn puts the sheathed blade in his pack.
Pointing the lantern toward the stairway, Rooker looks questioningly at the others, "Shall we?"
Sharif says, "agreed"
"Let us see what is downstairs." says Thorn, as he leads the way towards the stairs. He advances down them cautiously, black sword drawn.
Sharif follows Thorn towards the stairs
Rooker brings up the rear.
Sharif says, "Stay alert my friends..who knows what other evil is afoot!"
Rooker grips his dagger a bit more tightly.
Sharif steps cautiously down the stairs behind the Selandri.
The stairs terminate in a larger room with a high ceiling. The very center of the room has an eight foot tall, inlaid wooden column, crowned with a dodecahedron of gleaming blue crystal six inches across. The lantern light sparkles off the blue crystal, revealing the corners of the room. In each, on a squat black pedestal, sits a stone gargoyle, wings folded, arms crossed, and eyes closed. As if all four are asleep.
Thorn looks back at you over his shoulder. "What should we do?"
Sharif says, "Walk very quietly."
Rooker says, "Right out that door over there."
The Selandri nods. He goes to the door and tests it, then shakes his head and makes the universal gesture for "It's locked."
Rooker says, "Or right back up the stairs?"
Rooker pulls his picks out of his beltpouch and gets to work on the door, trying to keep one eye on the gargoyles.
Sharif moves up behind the thief...and keeps his eyes on the stone figures.
The door is a tall wooden affair made of a single piece of rare moonwood. Rooker makes short work of the lock. The gargoyles don't stir. Perhaps these are made of stone.
Smiling widely, Rooker stands and tucks his picks away, "I am spot on tonight, gents."
Sharif emits another sigh of relief
Quickly giving the door a once over for traps, Rooker retrieves his lantern from the floor.
Rooker finds no traps in the door.
When he gets the all-clear, Thorn gestures for Sharif and ROoker to go through, so to guard their backs from any gargoyle attacks.
Sharif looks through the opening
Rooker turns the handle and swings the door slowly open before entering the room.
THe embossed moonwood door glides open on a huge chamber lined with tall marble pillars. The ceiling is 30 feet high, and the walls are festooned with colorful murals now faded with age. This grand hall was probably the keep's pride and joy once, but now is ruined like so much else here.
Just at the far fringe of the lantern light, about midway down the hall, are shapes clustered about the columns. You can see that they are piles of human remains--just bones, hair, and teeth, still armored. Perhaps in life they were guards of Xoth.
Sharif says, "What a shame...this was a grand place once"
Rooker says, "And a dangerous place now, watch out for surprises."
The murals, upon closer inspection, are obscene depictions of men rutting with each other, with monsters, and engaging in acts of horrific violence. Red is a prominent color in them...and that has a distinctly ochre tinge.
Sharif inspects the murals. "Perhaps grand was an inappropriate word for this place."
Thorn is aghast. "Only a monster could do such things." He inspects the murals more closely, horrified.
Surveying the murals with Sharif, Rooker turns away quickly with a look of mingled rage and terror in his eyes, "Let's get out of here."
Sharif moves further into the room.
Opening the lanterns shutter wide, Rooker starts moving toward the other end of the room, pointedly avoiding looking at the murals but scanning the room for movement, "Come on."
As you three stand before one of the murals, which is floor to ceiling depcition of priapic, engorged males raping horrified women in the city of As Sedrai, there is a noise behind you. From the piles of remains.
Rooker says, "On your guard!"
Rooker turns and shines the lantern toward the noise.
Sharif says, "I have a bad feeling about this place..."
Sharif waits with staff at the ready.
Slowly, one of the piles is raising itself to its feet. Behind it, two more are doing the same. Further on in the darkness you hear more noises, but cannot see how many there might be. The skeletal warriors are still clad in the armor they wore in life, and wear the sigil of Xoth upon their chests. A black clawed hand on a starry field.
There's a sound of metal on leather as Thorn sheathes his sword. And then he unslings his bow, staring intently at the foe.
Rooker sets the lantern down gently and steps forward, ready for the fray.
Sharif casts the Shield spell.
One of the skeletons shambles forward with a rattle of bone and clink of metal. Behind him, two more raise old scimitars and do the same.
Rooker throws two of his non-magical daggers at the skeletons.
The first dagger misses but the second one impales the target spot on.
The skeleton flies apart in a tangle.
Thorn's arrows take down another skeleton in the second rank.
Sharif waits for the undead horde to attack hand to hand.
The skeletons move forward into the light of the lantern. The eight who remain are a motley, ragged bunch, animated by the spells of their ancient master, skulls at awkward angles, hands and feet broken off, but still able to shamble forward.
The skeletal horrors advance, some have swords, some have axes, and one has a huge jagged spear.
Rooker readies two more of his Selandri throwing knives and throws.
Sharif waits to strike.
Thorn's bow twangs as he fires two more arrows into the thick of the cursed undead.
Rooker's knives fly again, striking metal against bone.
The daggers chop down the skeletons with surprising force as the horde advances.
Sharif spins the staff and strikes down on the head of an undead beasty!
Thorn drops his bow and hauls out his black undead-slaying blade. He whirls it overhead and leaps into the fray with a mighty shriek of rage.
Screaming alongside Thorn, Rooker draws both of his magical daggers and wades into the bloodless melee with a crunch of bone.
Sharif's staff swings over the head of one of them.
Thorn's blade strikes its target, shattering the ribcage of one of the skeletons.
One of Rooker's knives hits. His slice pulverizes the undead creature, scattering bones, teeth and old armor links all over the floor of the great hall.
In the cut and thrust, there are now four left. Thorn is in the thick of it. The ones remaining all have heavy axes for close-in fighting.
Sharif moves past the lunging axes and swings for the head.
All of the skeletal attacks miss.
Rooker ducks a swinging axe and thrusts his daggers at his attacker.
Sharif demolishes his foe, and Rooker slices the head off another. Thorn, pressed by axes, misses his lunge.
Thorn's attacker hacks at the Selandri, driving him back.
Spinning a dagger in his hand, Rooker launches it toward one of the skeletons attacking Thorn.
Rooker's dagger lands on target, shattering the creature into bits.
Sharif looks to Thorn "are you alright?"
Thorn is locked in melee with the remaining skeleton, his black blade glowing an unearthly radiance.
Rooker throws his remaining dagger at Thorn's attacker.
Thorn dodges under the enemy's axe and counterstrikes.
The dagger catches the skeleton in the back of the skull and it topples like a house of cards.
Rooker's head snaps back and forth as he looks frantically for any more skeletons.
Thorn kicks the bones aside with a sneer and looks about the room for more undead.
Rooker scrambles to retrieve all of his knives before regaining enough composure to begin looking over the scattered remains for loot.
Sharif says, "Well done...Thorn are you alright?"
"I am fine," Thorn answers.
Rooker says, "Yes, well fought all around, gentlemen, well fought."
There is only the silence of the grave here. The skeletal armor and weapons are too rusty to be much value.
Thorn points at the mural on the south wall, where an undead lich-like creature is lighting fires under humans staked out to die. "There is an opening. I sensed it." He goes to the mural and runs his fingers down the profile. There is a snap, and a door about a yard high appears in the lowest part of the mural.
Thorn pushes, and the door rotates open to one side. There is a dark chamber beyond.
Rooker shines the lantern light into the chamber.
Sharif says, "how clever!"
There's a small room beyond, with some barrels inside. There is also a small chest in one corner. Lantern light flickers off the chest and metal of the barrels.
Sharif says, "Let's have a look!"
Rooker moves quickly into the room, tapping the barrels to determine if they are full.The barrels appear to be wine barrels, each stoppered with a cork.
The chest is about a foot high and two feet long, and secured with brass strapping and a padlock.
Thorn goes to the door on the south wall and listens at it, but shakes his head. That door also appears to be locked.
Examining the chest carefully for traps, Rooker prepares to try his luck on the padlock.
The chest has a needle trap along the front surface. Without taking care to disarm it, you would have been pricked.
Rooker looks around the room for anything substantial that might break the hasp on the chest.
Sharif says, "How about one of the guard's greataxes?"
This looks like a storage room of some kind, but was emptied some time ago. There are only the barrels, the chest, and the dust.
Remembering the axes carried by the skeletons, Rooker darts out to grab one and returns in a trice.
One, two, three whacks of the axe and the lock pops open, broken.
Rooker pries the lid of the chest open carefully.
Inside are a pile of several hundred gold Anghari crowns.
Sharif says, "It would appear that we hit the mother load!"
Thorn says, "Blood money.." He sheathes his sword with contempt.
Rooker takes a small sack from his backpack and begins to load the coins into it."Blood money spends just as well as any other kind, Thorn."
"No good can come from a necromancer's money," Thorn warns Rooker as he watches Rooker load the coins.
Rooker can tell it's at least 600 crowns, stamped with the profile of one of Anghara's Kings from several decades ago.
Rooker says, "You can give your share to charity then, mate, let the good sisters do the God's Work with it!"