Oggle > Riders of Nesme

[hedgeknight]

The water in the fountains appear fresh and Thurgrum is bold enough to cup his hand in the water and taste it. He nods in satisfaction and drinks a few more handfuls of it before turning away, not worrying about the water running down his beard and dripping onto the floor. "Not holy water, but fresh and cold." And then he squints and points. There be writing on that door," he muses, squinting in the torch light, held by Lewis.
Sure enough, on the door in the hallway, across from the statue and the fountains, is engraved the following: Verduun and Gola Mikolos.

But before you can think about that, you hear a cry for help coming from the end of the passage. Lewis and Jase hurry down there and discover that one of the tombs has been recently sealed with pitons, leaving a small gap between the lid and the tomb itself. Tiny fingers can be seen poking through the gap, and a voice says, "Please! Help me!"
"It's Tyra!" Jase says and he puts aside his torch and he and Lewis try to move the stone lid. Then Thurgrum jumps in and finally Oggle, and after much straining, beating and banging to remove the pitons, and making enough noise to...wake the dead...the lid is pried off and little Tyra steps out.
Disheveled and quite distressed, the young girl stares around at you as if in a state of shock. "I-I must get back home. My parents...will be worried. How do I get out of here?"

[AQuebman]

Oggle starts to walk up to the fountain when the cry for help is heard. He rushes over and despite the noise assists in every way he can to pry the door open. Once she's free he glances inside then looks down at her and speaks softly but very direct.

"Hello Miss, my name is Oggle Steambottle and i'm with the Riders of Nesme. Please allow me to guide you out of here. Stay quiet and if you see anything hostile call it out and then hide. I'll have more questions after we successfully get you to safety."

Oggle then guides the woman to the exit of this mausoleum, his swords at the ready.

[hedgeknight]

Tyra eagerly goes with Oggle and the others as he leads them out of the mausoleum. When she passes the bodies of her parents and grandfather, the girl looks straight ahead, as if not even noticing them. Her face is devoid of emotion, as if she is still in shock, and rightly so!
Thurgrum and Jase drag/carry Darlond's body out of the mausoleum, and when you emerge, you see a familiar face and an unfamiliar face.
Standing at the entrance gate to the graveyard is Mia, and with her is a tall human man, dressed in polished splint mail, with the hilt of a bastard sword protruding past his shoulder. Seeing Mia, little Tyra bursts into tears and runs into the woman's arms, sobbing uncontrollably. It takes several seconds for the girl to calm enough in order for Mia to speak.
"I see you have at least one survivor...and one casualty. How are you two holding up?" her question directed at the two young sentinels. Jase gives a curt nod and Lewis grimaces but stands up straight despite the ache in his freshly healed body.
"Well then, let me introduce you to Lysander, your new companion."

And just like that, Lysander, is inducted into the group! Welcome Fearghus - you may post IC!

[Fearghus]

Lysander, Paladin

Lysander dismounts his horse and approaches the group exiting the mausoleum. Upon being introduced he holds up his right hand, palm facing out, and nods his head. He addresses the dwarf at the lead as Mia handles the crying girl, "Ho there. What ill fortune befell you in this resting place of the dead?"

[AQuebman]

Oggle gives the knight an odd look when he holds up his hand human customs were relatively familiar to him but this wasn't one he was used to seeing. He nods and grunts in return. "I'm Oggle Steambottle, i'm a Rider of Nesme I don't care why your here just be ready for undead and protecting my arse. My fellow companions can introduce themselves as they wish. There's undead that fills these fouls halls. By Bahamut's talons of Platinum fury i'll have the head of whatever necromancer is behind this evil!

Oggle looks past the knight towards Mia "I only came out to bring out the little girl, but we still have questions about how she got trapped in here before we continue back into the mausoleum."

[hedgeknight]

"What questions do you have, Master Dwarf?" Mia asks, eyebrows arched inquisitively.

Thurgrum lies Darlond's body down gently in the grass and walks over to Lysander. "Well met, lad. Me name's Thurgrum Hammerfel, disciple of Moradin, the All-Father. Pay him no mind," he jerks his thumb at Oggle. "He's got his britches all in a wad over a couple of skeletons. Deadly ones, mind you, and I fear we might see more. Mighty glad to have you along - the gods work in mysterious ways, don't they?"

The dwarven cleric chuckles and says, "These two young 'uns be Jase and Lewis. They are sentinels of the town, and Mia, let me say they have held their own thus far. Even Lewis who took a near fatal wound, wouldn't slow down until we vanquished the undead."

[Fearghus]

Lysander dismounts his palfrey and extends his hand in greeting to Thurgrum while nodding to the sentinels, "Well met; all of you".

He tethers his animals inside the cemetary gates and removes his pack from the mule. "Master Hammerfel", he says in response to the dwarf, "I have not heard words more true spoken". He then motions to the man in the grass, "Has he passed?"

[hedgeknight]

"Aye, he's gone on to Moradin's forge. Took a flaming arrow to the throat. Didn't want to leave him in there."

"What about Tyra's parents and grandfather? Did you find them?"Mia asks, hugging the child soothingly.

Thurgrum sighs. "Aye we did...we found them. They...they lie just inside the first tombs. Nasty business, that."

[Fearghus]

Lysander, Paladin

Lysander looks from Thurgrim to Oggle, "I am not here to delay your efforts, but to aid them. The child can be seen safely to Kingsholm by the Captain". He looks to Mia as he states the last sentence. Directing himself to Oggle again he continues, "Are you, or any in your present company, in need of aid before returning to the mausoleum?"

[AQuebman]

Oggle grasps Thurgrum by the wrist with a ever tightening grip and stares at him intently. "Our friend lies dead a mere moments ago and you choose to joke and be jovial? Now is the time when we must be serious or we will face a similar fate, get your head checked Thurgrum I need you at your best! "

Oggle then turns to the little girl setting his hands on his knees and trying to force out a smile. "So honey what happened, how did you get trapped in there and what do you know about how this all started? Anything you say might help us protect other people in the town. "

[hedgeknight]

Tyra does not reply to Oggle, but instead clings harder to Mia and cries, "I want to go home!"

[Fearghus]

Lysander, Paladin

"Oggle, if there was a jest from Thurgrim I am not privy to it. But neither will wrath aid us in this endeavor."

As the young girl begins to cry Lysander says to the dwarf, "What say we find out for ourselves what trapped them?"

[AQuebman]

Oggle holds his head in his right hand, frustration clearly building. He then looks up at Lysander. "Young knight that is far from my wrath but merely the military focus that we must have if we are to keep this party alive. As far as our wounds we have some minor ones but nothing Thurgrum can't handle. Clearly our only choice now is to enter blindly and pray Bahamut shields our hides. We might as well get going.

Oggle then turns to Mia "If we do not return by tomorrow then assume the worst has happened. Take care of that little girl, whatever is down in those crypts will earn my true wrath."

He then turns back around and begins to head back into the crypt.

[Fearghus]

Lysander, Paladin

Lysander turns to bid Mia farewell, "My thanks for the escort, Captain". With that he turns and follows on Oggle's heels.

[hedgeknight]

After saying goodbye to Mia and leaving the young girl Tyra with her, your group returns to the mausoleum. Mia said she would return with some townsfolk for Darlond's body and for the Yurlings inside the front crypt. With that in mind, you are even more determined to clean out these tombs to further insure the safety of the town.
In place of Darlond is a new face to your group > Lysander, a paladin of the Triad, from the northern town of Mirabar. The young knight is eager to help, and with the blessings of the Triad, Bahamut, and Moradin, how could you fail in this mission?

The entrance to the mausoleum remains undisturbed and you make your way swiftly to the back door leading into the crypts. Inside the first crypt, you pause for several moments, looking over the dead bodies of the Yurling family, two of which you had to "kill" again when they rose as undead to attack. You pass the first tombs to the rubble and beyond, and see the remains of the three skeletal archers, broken and finally at rest, their bows and arrows scattered upon the floor with their bones.
Beyond the door in the southern section of the crypt, you see the lower hallway...

This passage has the statue of a human woman set in a niche on the northern wall. She is dressed in robes, and her arms
and face are held upward as if toward the sky. On either side of her, fountains gurgle with what appears to be fresh water.
The passage smells like rain.
Directly across the hall from the statue is a closed stone door, and farther down the passage is an archway on the northern wall. Beyond that archway, grave vaults like those you've seen before occupy all sides of the passage. Many have been opened and apparently looted.

"The water isn't holy water, Lysander." Thurgrum says, "and yonder crypt is where we found the girl. Beyond that, this is as far as we got before we came back to the surface."

Looking around the hall, you see the statue, the fountains gurgling, the tombs, and a hallway descending to another stone door.

Actions?

Stats:
Oggle - down 2 hp
Thurgrum - down 4 hp
Lewis - down 1 hp

[AQuebman]

"Let's explore where she was hiding." Oggle pulls his swords out and keeps them out as he creeps his way into the little girl's hiding spot.

[hedgeknight]

Jase and Lewis accompany Oggle as he explores the crypt where they found Tyra. Nothing else is in the tomb except for some old burial rags and a few coppers, probably left for the dead.

She wasn't hiding > her captors had tried to seal her in one of the tombs in the southern crypt and left her there...

[AQuebman]

Oggle goes to open the door of the big gray block on the map.

[Fearghus]

Lysander

Lysander briefly looks at the remains of the husband and wife as the group passes. He scans the room and the skeletons as he listens to Thurgrum recall the recent activities in this place of the dead. "Did the girl's parents rise against you in death?", he asks no one in particular.

As Oggle sets the pace, the paladin stays near in order to be close to potential threats.

[AQuebman]

"Yeah, were not sure what's resurrecting them though."