Last Stand of the Dorinthians- Dead Secrets

[Deuce Traveler]

Nefius uses the base of the cliff to help himself shakily rise. He points at the nearest climbing creature and two magical bolts fly from his outstretched hand and into his target, causing it to fall with a sickening crunch before it shudders and lays still. The other three climb down successfully, two staring at Silas while the third faces off against Nefius.

The man on the top of the ridge begins to cast another spell, but suddenly a few inches of blade appears protruding out of his chest. He doesn't quite die, but it is evident as he raises his mace and turns to face a smiling Barok that he doesn't have long to live. With his multiple opponents, however, Silas cannot yet enjoy this small victory.

 

[GlassEye]

Silas cannot yet enjoy this small victory...

Nevertheless, Silas does grin wildly and restrains himself from doing a little dance. As the minions of Festios approach he'll throw down his staff crying out, "KERASTES! I summon you! Slay my enemies!" He'll point directly at the two approaching creatures and then draw his crossbow.


Standard action: use python rod
Move action: draw crossbow

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Nefius tightens his group on his staff as he engages the undead lumbering towards him, but Silas is too preoccupied with his own concerns to see how he fares. Kerastes forms from the staff and intercepts, but misses, the first undead. Still, he distracts it enough for it to stop trying to attack Silas. The zombie-like Dorinthian dodged the snake's strike, but in doing so slipped and fell helplessly onto its back.

The second undead reached Silas and connects with a solid right fist, but the abjurer's magical armor takes the brunt of the attack and leaves the mage unharmed as he draws his crossbow.

 

[GlassEye]

Silas continues to slowly retreat from his attacker. With a practiced movement he loads his crossbow. Hah! My time training with the soldiers wasn't totally wasted! Carefully he aims at his opponent and fires...


Misc: 5 ft. step
Free: load crossbow (yay Rapid Reload!)
Standard: fire crossbow (+2 1d8)

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Silas' makes the easy shot, leaving a quarrel embedded into the creature's shoulder, although it doesn't slow it down and its return strike knocks the wind out of the abjurer's lungs (-8 hps to Silas. Meanwhile, Silas' snake quickly wraps itself around the second undead and begins squeezing it, causing the popping sound of breaking bones to be heard.

 

[GlassEye]

Silas looks quickly around to make sure he isn't stumbling backwards into danger and then repeats his previous action. If he has the chance, he'll look around to see if his horse (and the second quarterstaff he keeps strapped to his saddle) is anywhere nearby.

Misc: 5 ft. step
Free: load crossbow
Standard: fire crossbow (+2 1d8)
Current HP: 20

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Silas looks around worriedly as he reloads his crossbow, but does not see his horse. He notices that he is close to the edge, and so takes a five-foot step to the right before levelling his weapon and firing again, striking the creature in its lung. The Festios undead attacks in return, grabbing Silas' arm and wrenching it painfully in an attempt to snag the crossbow out of his grip (-4 hps to Silas). The abjurer struggles against the creature's grip and in a fit of panic drives the butt of the crossbow upwards into the undead thing's nose, causing cartilage to drive up into its brain. The undead creature stumbles and falls to lay still.

Silas catches his breath and looks around for his companions. His snake rests on top of the undead it had crushed and stares at its master curiously. Barok comes down from the cliff by climbing swiftly down, his face showing some scratches although he is relatively unscathed. Nefius lays against the cliff face, his clothes torn and blood flowing like a trickle from torn flesh along his chest. The undead he himself was fighting lies next to him, its throat crushed from his staff which now lies broken next to him. "Well... that could... could have gone better, though... I must admit... it went... better than I thought... it would..."

 

[GlassEye]

Silas laughs. "Where's your faith, Nefius? Of course we came through by the skin of our teeth; it's what we do. He shakes his head and gives a glance to the man's chest wound. "You might want to bind that up. Who knows what sort of infection you might pick up."

Silas looks Barok over. "Looks like you came through all right." He glances up the cliff face to the men Barok killed and says, "Thanks." Nodding, Silas walks past to grasp Kerastes by the tail causing the snake to transform back into a staff. He glances around. "I hope that horse hasn't run off too far. First things first, though..." He'll go over to the bodies and search them. Afterwards he'll try to round up his mount and then they will head on up the mountain (unless other events change this) looking for the ancient stronghold.

 

[Deuce Traveler]

Silas goes through the bodies, though only the robed men seemed to have anything of worth. There were three such men, and though all wore robes and holy symbols of Festios, one was also talented as a wizard. The abjurer recovers 11 trail rations, 3 waterskins, 3 light maces (one of masterwork quality), 2 potions of a yellowish liquid, 1 potion that has a dark and thick liquid of some sort, a slightly scorched spellbook, and a scroll of a rare and devastating magic that is not easy to understand but will allow the mage to create a fireball to throw at his enemies.

Spells
[sblock]
scroll of fireball and Sepia Snake Sigil
Spellbook has:
1st level- Identify, Endure Elements, Protection from Good, Charm Person, Enlarge Person, Feather Fall, Nystul's Magic Aura
2nd level- Resist Energy, Obscure Object, Summon Swarm, Fog Cloud, Darkvision
[/sblock]

 

[GlassEye]

Silas will carefully glance through the book. His hands reverently turn the pages and take inventory of the writings within. He sighs in pleasure and anticipation of the future time when he can study the book more thoroughly. Reluctantly he closes the book and packs it away along with the scroll (in his saddlebags if he has managed to round up his horse). Picking up the 3 potions, Silas will examine them and try to determine what they are (Spellcraft +16).