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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Capellan" data-source="post: 1397962" data-attributes="member: 6294">"Forgotten Honour" by Eric Price (Dragon Scale Counters) - Part 11Incredibly, the smell gets even worse as the monster rushes in, and most of the adventurers feel their gorge rise in their throats as they experience the full force of the foul stench.  Even Ming Li, who previously seemed unperturbed, has a greenish cast to her features.The beast slashes its claws at Elspeth, who reels back - more from nausea than from injury - before making a weak swing that the creature easily avoids.  Twinkle and Ming Li also try to strike the enemy, but it shrugs off their efforts, for the attacks lack their usual strength and vigour.Thing seems bad for the adventurers as the creature tears at Elspeth again, the ranger avoiding the blows more from luck than design.  Then Macwood's voice rises above the melee, the bard seeming to have overcome the smell's effects:"There was a ghast, quite unsightlyWho charged us, very spritelyHis stench was badAnd made us sadBut I've smelt worse from the Padre's boots, nightly!"Although this can hardly be called high art, it definitely raises the spirits of his companions, and helps them fight off some of the effects of the stench.  Stormstrider steps in and hits the ghast twice, driving it back slightly as his staff slams into its ribs.Hissing its pain and anger, the undead creature strikes back, raking its claws across the druidic elf's arms.  Confident that he is immune to ghoulish paralysis, Stormstrider is shocked to find his limbs locking up, leaving him helpless for the ghast's next attack.Fortunately for the elf, he is not alone, and his opponent never gets the chance to make that next attack: instead, a combination of blows from Elspeth and Ming Li crash home, the monk sweeping out its legs and knocking it to the ground before the ranger drives her sword into its chest."Ew, gross." Twinkle opines again, then suddenly brightens, "Hey, if it was stuck in here, then so was all the treasure!""Is it appropriate to despoil the tombs of the dead?" Ming Li questions."There, uh, could still be undead in the other sarcophagi." Twinkle extemporises, "It's our civic duty to check!"The monk looks unconvinced."It is one thing to take the spoils of the enemy." She insists, "Another to rob the graves of the innocent.  Was grave-robbing not one of the first things we were asked to stop?""Whatever else may be said, this tomb is already despoiled." Macwood gestures at the ghast, "Disturbing the remains here isn't wrong.  They should be taken to consecrated ground, at the least."Elspeth nods,"If they are human, this should happen.  If they are elves, Stormstrider and I will take them to the forest, and bury them there, as should have been done in the beginning."With the ethics of the matter resolved, the group swiftly breaks open the sarcophagi.  The race of the bodes within is no longer identifiable, but the items stored with them seem to suggest they were elves."A scimitar, marked with the same symbol as the door." Macwood inspects the weapon carefully, struggling with it a little due to the weapon's size and balance, "It's in perfect condition."  Holding it close to his lips, he whispers to it in, then rests his ear against the blade, as if expecting it to reply.  "It's magical.  Not strongly so, but it's definitely enchanted.  You'll probably find it's a little sharper and better balanced than an ordinary blade."Elspeth, meanwhile, has been unwrapping a large bundle of oiled rags, revealing a wooden shield within them.  The wood is unusually dark in colour, and the shield feels lighter than would be expected for its size."Darkwood." The ranger raps her knuckles on the wood, "Rare stuff, and valuable.  Is it magical, as well?"Macwood whispers to the shield, and places his ear against it, then shakes his head,"Not magical, just well-made," is his assessment, "the oiled rags must have protected it from decay."The second sarcophagus contains several vials, their contents sealed with wax stoppers.  These potions - for it seems likely that is what they are - are set aside for later analysis and identification.After one more search around the room, Rose and Twinkle are in agreement,"That's everything." The halfling rogue reports, "No more secret chambers, exits or compartments.  The place is cleared out.""Right." Elspeth slaps her hands together, "Let's get these elves to a proper burial, then go see about our reward."</blockquote>

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