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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Lazybones" data-source="post: 3107865" data-attributes="member: 143">It's a moot point; since ghouls have +2 Turn Resistance, Varo would have to be 7th level to command them (taking into account his Improved Turning feat). At the moment, he's 6th. As you can see, I found a computer, so here's the regular Friday update:* * * * * Chapter 18THE TOUCH OF DEATHTiros summoned Valor and stepped between the first charging ghoul and Varo.  The marshal took a hit, but he fought through the paralyzing effect of the ghoul’s claw, sweeping his sword around in an arc that intersected with the ghoul’s gut.  The axiomatic blade opened the creature’s body like a sack of meal, and the undead monster collapsed, thrashing wildly. The marshal’s intervention gave Varo the few seconds he needed to lift his new divine symbol, and call upon the power of his patron.  The golden idol flashed, and for a moment, the light of the torches was replaced with a strange radiance that erupted from the device.  Everything was bathed in a violet radiance that cast everything in negative relief; the combatants were brighter outlines in a surrounding blackness that wasn’t quite normal dark.  The strange light lasted only a heartbeat, but when it faded, it seemed to seep into the ghouls.  The creatures’ rush instantly halted, and the undead cowered, raising their arms to shield themselves from Varo’s sacred object.  All save one.  That last ghoul hurtled past its rebuked companions, bringing with it a foul stench that washed over the humans like a sour memory of the level above.  Tiros gagged, but he held his ground as the ghast crouched and sprang.  Valor came down to strike, but the ghast was faster, and it laid heavily into the marshal, seizing his arms with its claws even as it lunged in to bite him on the shoulder.  Tiros cried out and stiffened, and as he fell to the floor the ghast stepped over him, its yellow eyes fixed upon Varo. The priest stood before it, and lifted his sigil once more.  “Dagos commands you,” he said, thrusting the golden idol into the undead creature’s face.  The dark light flared once more.  The ghast snarled, hissed, and gnashed its teeth, but it did not attack.  Varo held it, maintaining his power over the creature.  He knew that if he moved even a step closer, the rebuke would shatter, and it would tear him to pieces.  Sweat began to spring out on his forehead.  The creature’s stare was hateful, and he knew it was fighting him with everything it had. Finally, he heard a scrape of metal on stone.  He didn’t turn, but he knew that Dar was getting back up.  “Dar, kill this one first,” he said.  With the ghast unable to defend itself, the fighter made swift work of it.  Tiros was moving again, shaking off the effects of the paralysis.  Dar turned to the four remaining ghouls, and hacked them to pieces.  “That was a close one,” the marshal said, recovering his sword and returning it to the extra-dimensional space inside his glove of storing. “Too damned close,” Dar said.  “Wonder why they just didn’t break down the door.”“This way, they got surprise,” Varo said.  “I think it is a good idea not to underestimate the foes we might encounter in this place.”The companions set out once more into the dungeon.  Almost at once they spotted another door on the right side of the passage.  This door was also locked, and this time the barbarian’s key did not fit the lock.  They improvised, and Dar proved quite an able locksmith putting the madman’s magical club to good use.  With the lock sundered, the door swung open to reveal an abandoned and empty storeroom similar to the one they’d camped in.  This room had a door on the far side, however, and when they opened that one, they found a narrow staircase that descended steeply to another level. “Looks like it’s going in the opposite direction from where we want to go,” Dar said.  He was turning away from the doorway when Tiros stopped him.  “Wait.  Do you smell that?”There was in fact a different odor coming up from below, decidedly different than the stink of stale piss and smoke that they’d grown accustomed to here.  The smell was musty, and not entirely pleasant, but there was something else to it that the three tried to identify.“It is not unlike the odor of a forest floor in autumn,” Varo finally said.  “And there’s moisture in the air; I think there may be another river or stream in this direction.”“Down, bad.  Up, good,” Dar said. “Let’s at least take a quick look,” Tiros said.  “It may be a way out.  If we do encounter something, we can come right back; these stairs are fairly defensible, and one person could hold back far greater numbers from above.”Dar grumbled, but Varo agreed with Tiros, and the three descended.  The stairs twisted several times in their course before opening onto a much larger, natural space.  The smells were much stronger here, and they could see fungi and lichens growing on the cavern walls ahead at the edges of their torchlight, and hear the familiar sound of running water that they’d encountered on the upper level previously. And there was something else. “I hate it when I’m right,” Dar said, as they looked up at the stone archway that marked the entrance to the cavern.  Written upon the stone, in letters that glowed slightly in a pale green, was a warning. Beware of purple worms!  Spiegel, the Arch-Mage.“Maybe we should examine the upper level more thoroughly,” Varo suggested. This time, no one disagreed with him. Retracing their steps, the trio continued their exploration of the second dungeon level.  They found another storeroom, this one ravaged by fire.  They poked through the debris a bit, found nothing of interest, and continued their search.  The corridor came to an end ahead, with two doors visible, on to the right, and another straight ahead.  The first door revealed another long passageway, one that extended as far as their torchlight without interruption.  For the moment they left that one and turned to the far door, which creaked open to reveal a small chamber with walls and ceiling of packed earth.  Some dirt trickled down from above as the door opened, and they could see a few small cracks along the walls that didn’t appear to go anywhere, as well as a more substantial passage that twisted out of sight to their left. “This doesn’t look very safe,” Tiros said. “Well, I’m no dwarf, but I have to agree with you on this one,” Dar said.  “Let’s check out the passageway.”They started to turn around, but before they could get fully reoriented the door to the side passage crashed open, and an angry-looking ogre stepped through.</blockquote>

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