Starday Morning, Fireseek 15, 591 Common Year

Before Lt. Ahsk can get back, and before any other instructions can be given, the skeletons begin heading back to attack Indranil and the others who are still at the end of the pathway.

“Sir, those things are coming back,” warns Sgt. Apone.

Gar glancing back at the skeletons, “Ah, don’t worry about those.”

Indranil calls up to the large mound, “Chief Rahk, we will meet the skeletons and crush them between us and Lt Ahsk. Please watch our back as I expect a last effort from the Deathwalkers while their skeletons try and distract us.”

Indranil turns to Aramek and asks, “What magic do you have left?”

“My lord, there’s little I can do besides whisper a message to someone at a distance, move a light object a short distance or deliver a small ray of frost. Unfortunately, my magic missiles are depleted. I suspect the most damage I can do now is with my crossbow and willow staff.”

Indranil replies, “Aramek you have done much already to help gain the mound and that is as much as any man, woman or lizardfolk here can do. We are glad for your strength and courage!”

Indranil says, ”Father Gar let us try and handle them with conventional close quarters combat and dispatch them. Save your magic for the base priest.”

“Oh for him, my chosen weapon is endless,” responds Gar softly.

Indranil lays his hand on Father Gar’s shoulder and says, “Your passion is inspiring for us all. But please save your resources until we truly need them. I am confident we can dispatch these skeletons. We know not yet what we face. It is essential we save all your skills for the final battle and saving those that will be in great need. None of Lt Ahsk’s troops is in enough dire straits right now to warrant a healing. It would be a waste.”

Gar looks from Indranil to the hand on his shoulder and then back, not amused. “Milord, we are not on intimate terms. You do not have permission to touch my body for your pleasure, milord.”

Fingering his little Green Man Gar prays, “May Obad-Hai grant the power to detect magic.” Gar adds for all to hear, “There is a magic trap or alarm across the main entrance to the mound. Can anyone disable it?” looking towards Rain and Aramek.

Indranil, having quickly dropped his hand from Gar shoulder, grits his teeth and says, “Thank you for alerting us to the potential trap. That is why we proceeded carefully.”

Gar smiles pleasantly at Indranil. “Thank you milord.”

To the others, Indranil says, “Everyone be careful to avoid the main entrance to the mound until we can spring whatever trap it is.”

Aramek answers, “If it can be set off by moving something inanimate through the space, I could do that – so long as the object doesn’t weigh more than a rock.”

Indranil says, “Aramek your idea is excellent. Once we finish the skeletons let’s have you give it a try from a safe remove.”

Rain responds “I would be happy to take a look at it after these skellies.”

After drawing his sword, Lorindel says, “What I wouldn’t give for a good old club right about now.”

Still watching the skeletons, Newt fills the few moments of nervous waiting by asking Lorindel, “You’d prefer a club to your fine sword, milord Lorindel?”

“Aye. Under other circumstances, I’d prefer my sword, but when all you’ve got to fight are a bunch of bones, there’s not a lot there to stab or slash,” explains Lorindel. “Good luck with that spear. Best to use it to keep those ‘skellies’ at bay.”

Newt suggests, “Let’s re-kill one of these skeletons, then throw the corpse into the trap to set it off.”

Rain snorts a short laugh “I like it.”

Indranil sets himself, Aramek, Rain, Sgt Apone, and three guardsmen on the right. On the left he puts Fingol, Lorindel, Gar and three guardsmen. Adelina is kept sheltered as best as she can be between the two lines.

Gar hands Newt his morningstar to defend herself.

Adelina accepts her place. It makes sense, but she’s still frustrated being kept from helping. To Gar she says, “Thank you, Father Gar. This is simple enough I should be able to use it.” She sets her spear down within reach and hefts the morningstar.

Then the skeletons are upon them. Rain lunges with her rapier and shatters the skeletal lizardfolk warrior’s breastbone then moves to cut through its spine with a swipe of her shortsword. The pieces fall into the bog and Rain moves on to engage another.

Fingol breaks off some ribs with a strike of his light hammer. The skeleton in turn clubs Fingol in the ribs.

Indranil’s strike with his morningstar is blocked by the skeleton’s heavy shield and then he is almost driven to his knees as the undead horror bears down on him.

Lorindel manages to stab his foe in its skull, but it keeps coming, clubbing him in the stomach.

Sgt. Apone and the Guard, armed as they are with shortswords, are not able to do much damage at all to the skeletons either, though Apone is hit in the left leg by one of their clubs.

Aramek tries to shatter one with his quarterstaff, but the skeleton blocks with its shield and smacks the sorcerer in the ribs with its club. Aramek has the wind knocked out of him and clutches his side while trying to keep his guard up against any further blows from the skeleton.

“Ah, shit,” Gar jumps to the side to get a clear view of the skeletons, touches his little Green Man with his left hand and raises his right hand. He shoots forth a storm burst to scatter their bones as he screams, “Go back to hell!” The skeleton is pushed back by the spray, but remains intact and able to fight.

Rain crosses her rapier and shortsword backs up a couple of paces and then leaps somersaulting in the air past the skeletons on either side of her to land on her feet behind their lines. She begins stabbing and hacking at the one fighting Aramek.

For his part, Aramek begins blocking the skeleton’s blows with his quarterstaff.

Fingol and his enemy trade blows, but neither he nor his foe are able to get past the others shield.

Indranil lands a blow with his morningstar but receives a blow in turn.

Sgt. Apone, Drake, and Hadsyn are each buffeted by the skeletal lizardfolk’s clubs, though again their shortswords are able to do little more than chip off pieces of bone when they are able to connect at all. At least Ferro and Kash are able to move around to flank the one fighting Drake, while Dale flanks the one fighting Hadsyn.

The skeleton facing Gar holds its shield up and to ward off the rains and winds of Gar’s storm burst and manages to club Gar in the right leg. Gar stops the rains and tries instead, opening his mouth and blasting the skeleton with a single bolt of flame. Unfortunately the skeletal warrior ducks the blast.

Again using her rapier and shortsword combination attack, Rain takes apart the skeleton attacking Aramek.

With ferocious roars, Lt. Ahsk and his warriors leap out the waters of the bog and begin laying into the skeletons with their own clubs.

Indranil now has lizardfolk warriors encircling the skeletal warrior in front of him, distracting it enough so that he is able to land another blow with his morningstar that sends part of the skeleton’s skull flying into the bog. The skeleton doesn’t seem bothered by that and maintains its attack against Indranil, slipping past his guard and landing a blow whose impact is fortunately absorbed by Indranil’s chainmail shirt.

Lorindel finds that it is very difficult to try to attack a creature with no internal organs with a shortsword, and receives a club blow to his right foot for his troubles.

Gar has a little more luck, as his next fire bolt hits and reduces the skeleton attacking him to ashes. Gar looks as surprised as everyone else.

Lt. Ahsk and his warriors continue beating down the skeletal remnants of their old comrades in arms, smashing two of them to inert shards of bone.

Rain weaves her way into position to help Fingol against his opponent. Between the two of them they hack it to pieces. Unfortunately, Rain takes a blow to the back of the head by the skeleton behind her that Lt. Ahsk and Frost had not finished off yet.

The skeleton he was fighting having been destroyed, Indranil moves over to help Ferro, Kash, and Dale take down the skeleton they are still fighting. He succeeds is smashing off its head with his morningstar, but the foul thing keeps attacking anyway.

Aramek and Adelina do their best to stay out of their way of the others. Gar also finds that there are no more clear targets for his fire bolts.

The remaining four are quickly surrounded and smashed to pieces until there is nothing left.

Indranil says, “Well Done! Who still has healing potions with them? Who is injured?”

After victoriously howling at the skies, Gar calls upon Obad-Hai to allow his eyes to detect poison, but there is none around – except for that which Aramek carries with him that was taken from Noch.

Aramek asks, “Is anyone in need of the cure light wounds potion?”

Indranil responds, “Aramek, please hang on to your potion until we determine who is in greatest need.”

Turning to Indranil in a calm but clear voice for all to hear, Gar says, “Are you finished inflicting undue pain and suffering upon your troop milord? May I heal them now?”

Adelina can’t help but turn and look at Gar and Indranil, surprised by Gar’s attitude toward one of higher station.

Indranil says to Gar, “No not yet. No one is in immediate danger. We will treat our battle wounds with conventional first aid and distribute our healing potions to those five in greatest need. You will save your spells for greater need. First let us move to the top of the mound and connect with Chief Rahk to treat our wounds and then discuss our next steps.”

Rain recovers her bow and says “Sir Indranil, while plans are being made maybe a few of us should remain here to investigate this trapped entrance. Maybe try Newt’s plan for tripping it.”

“Rain, why don’t we just throw a skeleton where we think the trap is?”

Rain responds, “Yah – that was Newt’s plan and what I wanted to try. I would like to investigate the trap first though.” She smiles, “I’m curious.”

Fingol hands Indranil his cure light wounds potion saying, “I’ll stay down here and watch the entrance. Give this to whoever needs it.”

“My lord, I still carry a healing potion!” Newt moves to hand hers over to Indranil as well.

Indranil says, “Sir Fingol, hang on to your potion until we get to the top and assess everyone’s need.”

Smiling warmly at Newt, Indranil says to her, “Thank you Adelina. Hang on to it until we get to the top. You have been very brave today. Do you feel left out? I have tried to keep you safe but I sense you are chafing that I am too protective. Do you wish a place at the front line? Rain and Aramek, do you think she is ready?”

Adelina replies, “You are right, my lord. I appreciate your protection, and I do so want to help. I will take my place at the front if you think it best, but in truth I do not have a warrior’s heart.”

Rain responds to Indranil, “Yes, I would prefer that she, Aramek, and I stay as a team though. If I need to separate for more stealthy operations, then the two of them will complement each other well.”

Aramek adds, “I’m afraid I’m probably overly protective and will defer to Rain’s judgment. If anyone is a good judge of fighting abilities, it’s my friend Rain.”

Indranil asks Lt Ahsk to leave four of his archers directly above the entrance with bows strung, arrows nocked, and orders to shoot anything that appears in it.

Indranil says to the group, “Everyone, please join me at the top for the war council I loath to leave anyone below. It is too dangerous and you could easily be cut off from aid and support. We now have the high ground and cover. It is our turn to use it for our advantage.”

“Rain and Adelina your idea is excellent and it is likely the war council will agree to let you all ‘explore’ the trap, but later and under a full action plan. For now please join us at the top. We need your ideas too.”

“Aramek, I think it will be time soon to use the invisibility potions.”

“Father Gar and Aramek, you detected some magic at the entrance. Can you tell what it is? Was there poison?”

Gar replies, “I only had the briefest moment to look at it milord before the skeletons attacked, but it appeared to be a magic trap or perhaps a magical alarm. I have not yet had the time to ascertain whether poison is present, but I haven’t seen any poison used by anyone or anywhere yet. I would like to spend more time looking at the trap with Rain when we finish here.”

Aramek comments, “Also, burning wood at the doors while blocking the air vents might be a good way of ‘smoke the enemy out’.”

“I’m practically down before I’ve been much use,” admits Lorindel. “I’d better take one of these healing potions before I’m taken out.”