The Barrow II

Lottie the thief awakens under an unfamiliar roof as the sun begins to shine through the shutters. A quick pat-down reveals that all of her organs are (mostly) in place, although the blackened bandages around her chest - and the sharp pain when she tries to breathe - reveal that not all is fine and dandy just yet. 

Lottie: HT, vs 10: 13. 

Her condition hasn't improved overnight, but it hasn't got worse, so she forces herself to her feet and joins the other party members in the dining room. Miguel and Garret are hard at work preparing their weapons; Miguel in particular seems very happy to have his sword back, and he sits at the table oiling it enthusiastically. Almost gleefully, in fact. Garret's weapon is not as sensitive as the sword; his preparation mostly consists of swinging the flail around a few times to loosen the chain, barely missing Elias as he comes in. "Good morning," he says to Lottie. "How do you feel?"

"Like I've been shot in the chest," she winces. "I don't suppose you could offer some support?"

Elias shakes his head and spreads his palms apologetically. "I've been praying for you since I awoke, my dear, but I daren't risk channelling the spirit into you again until this afternoon. You don't want to know what a healing gone bad looks like." Lottie sighs painfully and checks the straps on her armour. Finally prepared, they set out towards the barrow. Miguel collects his rucksack and throws it over his shoulders with a grunt, although he leaves the hardy Garret to carry the mallet and spikes.

There's no sign of any disturbance outside of the barrow, barring the spatter of Lottie's blood on the grass, which still lies bent over in the rough shape of her body. The door she opened yesterday is ajar, the darkness within hiding countless dangers. She shivers. 

Lottie: Cowardice, vs 12: 7. 

"Still good to go in?" asks Miguel, hefting his shield to show support in his own, awkward way. The young girl nods bravely and follows him up to the door. Elias raises his lantern behind them, revealing the walls to be largely composed of earth, with ancient beams supporting the passageway placed every few yards. There's only room for them to walk single-file comfortably, so Miguel goes first, followed by Lottie, with Elias and Garret bringing up the rear. The shadows make it difficult to see ahead with the monk so far behind, but it's better than nothing. 

It doesn't take them long to reach the main mortuary house under the barrow, guarded by a door similar to the external one. Miguel steps aside to let Lottie take a look, with Elias' lantern for light. 

Lottie: Per-based Traps, vs 13, -3 (TD) = 10: 6, success by 4. 

With the memory of the bolthead embedded between her ribs focusing her mind, she spots the trap near-instantly; another wire running from the base of the door to the threshold, slipping between two stones loosened by the passage of time - and a clever trap-maker, of course. Recently disturbed earth midway up the corridor wall parts to reveal another crossbow, aimed right to her face. Her heart skips a beat, but she ducks beneath it - warning the others of its presence - and leaving her to do her work unthreatened. 

Lottie: DX-based Traps, vs 14, -3 (TD) = 11: 7, success by 4. 

Drawing her boot knife, she holds the cord by the trap end between two practiced fingers to maintain tension before gently slicing it in two and letting it slowly slip through her fingers. Without a sudden jerk on the trigger mechanism, the trap is rendered inert. The party consider taking the crossbow, but decide against it. The danger removed, Miguel takes the front once more and nudges the door open carefully with his foot. 

The mortuary house itself is fairly nondescript, and were it above-ground would look startlingly similar to the farmhouse they just left. A dining table, set with earthenware plates and cups; a stone fireplace, set into the wooden wall; and a bed laid against the far wall, made as though slept in this morning, although the cloth has seen better days. Where it differs is in the walls - besides the obvious lack of windows, there are no internal walls, and the northern wall bears a great stone archway, formed not of smaller stones but of three large ones - two upright and one laid across, about three feet from the floor. "This is old magic," whispers Elias. "I've attended far too many exorcisms of children who disturbed the standing stones." Garret nods in silent agreement. 

Beneath the archway is an uneven stone stairway, leading downwards beneath the horizontal lith. Irregular stone tiles cover each step, barely leaving enough space for Garret to duck under with a gulp. A couple of minutes pass as they descend, the silence broken only by the tap of their footsteps on stone and the occasional clink as the low ceiling brushes Garret's coif. Thankfully, the staircase widens as it descends, and by the time they reach the bottom there is both enough room for Garret to stand without slouching and for two of the party to stand side by side. The air smells of earth and decay, and the walls, supported by periodic stone uprights, have plant roots emerging from them. The occasional lost worm flails around wildly in the corridor before returning to the safety of the soil, hidden from the unexpected light of Elias' lantern. There's no other light down here, and no brackets for candles are visible in the walls - whether they were never there or were simply taken over time, none can say. 

Once again, Lottie and Miguel take point while Elias and Garret stand behind them. The corridor takes a sharp turn as they step away from the staircase, and then splits into two - one path straight ahead, another cut into the clay to the right. They resolve to continue onwards. Between the rough stone pillars, they see alcoves carved into the wall on either side - long and low, like bunk beds, usually three to a wall but sometimes two. Every now and then a skeletal face pokes out, emerging from a tightly wrapped blanket around their body, although many of the alcoves are empty. 

Elias: Theology, vs 12: 10, success by 2.

"These are where the peasants would rest," he whispers to no-one in particular. "Buried with the few adornments their living relatives would have to spare." When he sees Lottie's ears perk up, he clarifies: "Often made of wood, or of cloth, I might add. Unlikely to have survived this long." The thief returns to a slouch. Another rightwards turn, and the corridor comes to a T-shaped junction, where the party turn left. After yet another turn - Elias doing his best to keep track in his head - and another thirty seconds' walk, they arrive at a thin door. Reasoning that any attempt at stealth would already have been ruined by their use of the lantern, Miguel pushes the door in. 

Inside is a small room, roughly 15 foot square. A handful of skeletons lay against the far wall - the only apparent entrance is the one they came in through. The corpses have chipped limbs; one appears to have had his femur shattered before death. All of them have marks on the sternum, consistent with a stabbing weapon aimed for the heart. "Looks like they went down fighting," mumbles Miguel as he squats in front of them. "But if they were armed, whoever killed them took the weapons." Nothing else is visible in the room. Lottie suggests looking for a hidden passageway - they each take a wall. 

Lottie: Per-based Traps, vs 13, -2 (TD) = 11: 10, success by 1. 

Elias: Vision, vs 13, -2 (TD) = 11: 6, success by 5. 

Miguel: Vision, vs 10, -2 (TD) = 8: 15, failure by 7. 

Garret: Vision, vs 10, -2 (TD) = 8: 14, failure by 6. 

Elias is the first to raise his hand. "There's a draught coming through here," he says, wetting his finger and placing it in front of the seam where a stone upright meets the soil. "I can't see how to get through, though." Lottie comes over and takes a look. 

Lottie: Traps, vs 12, -2 (TD): 14, failure by 4. 

She runs her hands along the seam, tries prying at the usual places - no dice. "Want me to try?" asks Garret, hefting Miguel's crowbar. She waves him away, but he insists. 

Garret: Stubbornness, vs 12: 7.

Eventually, Lottie and Elias convince him to save the crowbar for later, on account of the noise they'll end up making. "Let's try the other routes first." They file out of the small room, and return to the burial corridors. The other route at the T-junction leads to a dead-end, empty save for some small burial urns. Lottie gets there first and kicks a couple over, finding a handful ($6, 0.12 lb) of ancient copper coins inside them. She holds them up to the lantern light, inspecting them - they're all stamped with the image of a horse archer in mid-draw on one side, the face of an ancient king, surrounded by a script she doesn't recognise, on the other. She notices Elias' face, contorted with disgust. "They were like that when I got here," she says nonchalantly, slipping the coins into her pouch. They return to the other passage leading away from the staircase, and head down that way, the monk now significantly more on guard for the bodies to leap out and punish them for their blasphemy. That is, of course, if some terrible curse hasn't already sealed their fate. 

The new passage twists and turns back on itself, eventually taking them to another junction, where the corridor continues ahead into the darkness while another stretches off to the right. They keep the wall to their left and carry on straight for about fifty feet until the passage takes a sharp right turn once more. 

Lottie: Per-based Traps, vs 13, -2 (TD) = 11: 10, success by 1. 

Lottie raises her hand; the party freezes. Directing Elias' lantern to the floor, she whispers, "These tiles are different." Sure enough, the floor tiles here are made of a slightly different stone, their interlocking more regular. The thief takes Elias' quarterstaff and applies a gentle pressure to the nearest tile she finds suspicious, whereupon a series of wickedly sharp needles emerge from the mortar around it. She removes the stick and the stone returns to its original position, the spikes receding in step. "Are they poisoned?" asks Garret, wishing he'd sprung for the mail boots. Lottie shrugs. "Don’t know. Don't step on them."

Their progress necessarily slows, as Lottie tests each stone one by one and marks the dangerous ones with her boot knife. Thankfully, the stones are soft enough to scratch. About half an hour passes, all told, until the tiles change once again - or so Lottie says - and she stops testing them with the staff. A hefty wooden door lies ahead. 

The party stack up against it once more. There's no lock, and Lottie looks it over but finds no traps. The door creaks open under the weight of Miguel's shield, revealing a room larger than the last, this time about 8 yards square. An alcove is barely visible in the far corner, and another door stands on the wall they just entered from. Crude wooden shelves cover the left-hand wall, covered in earthenware jars and pots. Two long tables are the centrepiece of the room, each bearing what looks like a corpse, covered completely under a tattered cloth. "Creepy," says Lottie, still hiding behind the mercenary. They leave the shelves alone for now, and advance to the next room through the alcove to find a similar layout, although this time the tables are empty. In the second room, only one door can be seen, on the right wall. Satisfied the corpses aren't going to leap up at her - although she does insist on Garret remaining in the room while Elias and Miguel search the other - Lottie begins to pick through the assorted jars. 

Most of them are empty, the ancient fluids long since evaporated, spilt, or used. A couple of small bottles feel full, the weight moving from one side to another slowly, as though the contents are thick, like honey, or oil. Scattered amongst the pots are small metal implements, rusted into near-uselessness. One item catches the thief's eye, though - a glint in the darkness as she removes a pot reveals what appears to be a long scalpel, the blade short, the handle twisted to form a grip. It shines dully, like bronze. She sets it to one side while sorting through the remaining containers, but is forced to stop as a gentle clinking noise alerts her to the scalpel rolling away from the wall. Another test confirms her suspicions. "Elias," she calls softly to the other room. "This room's on a slant."

"So it is," he replies, letting his staff roll along the floor before entering the room alongside Miguel. "To be expected, really. The earth shifts often. It's amazing the halls have lasted as long as they have." The thief pockets the scalpel ($900, neg.) and stands. "Nothing here," she says. "Just a couple of jars. Don't know what's in them."

"Leave them," says Miguel, as he steps around her to head for the door on the same wall as the one they entered from. "Probably some ancient brains or something." She sets them down carefully and checks the door for traps, again giving the all-clear. The warrior pushes the door open and they continue down the corridor, which turns back on itself past the room and carries on into the darkness. About thirty seconds later, they continue on past another side passage and find a door on their right. Lottie's trap check comes up clean, but there's a lock on the door. She slips her gloves off, pulls her picks from her pouch, and gets to work. 

Lottie: Lockpicking, vs 15, +1 (good tools), -3 (TD) = 13: 11, success by 2. 

A minute later, the lock opens with a clunk. "Light work," she says, stepping aside for Miguel to open the door. Inside is a small store-room, with shelves on each room bearing a variety of embalming tools and materials; bundles of mouldy cloth, empty jars and rusted tools. Elias, being the most familiar with medical equipment, spends some time picking through it to see if there are any usable items. 

Elias: Surgery, vs 11, +2 (TD), +1 (time) = 14: 8, success by 6. 

Wandering monsters, vs 9: 16. 

He rolls the tools into a leather bundle ($300, 15lb) and hefts it up and down to test the weight. "Let's leave this here," he decides. "We can come back for it on the way out." They step back out of the storeroom and continue along the corridor, where it twists and turns a little until they reach an alcove heading into another small antechamber. A small stone fireplace sits on the left side of the room, long since blocked from above by earth, and a couple of chairs are scattered about the room. A door stands on the wall to the right. Lottie goes to inspect it for traps; she finds none, but notices water seeping under it, the threshold entirely submerged. Miguel takes the lead, Elias' lantern reflecting in the water as he opens the door. 

On the other side is a small corridor. At the end is a T-junction, with a door leading right, and a passageway leading to the left, which opens up into a huge chamber, stretching off to the right. The floor is completely waterlogged, the floor sinking into the ground and creating a filthy pool. Miguel tentatively steps into the water, and finds it going up to just under knee height. Thankfully, they're all wearing decent boots, although the experience is certainly uncomfortable. Together they slosh through the mire until they reach the large chamber. As far as they can see, the room is shaped like a wedge, with two parallel walls - about 20 feet apart at the centre - coming to a point at the end. They can't see the other end of the room - the lantern doesn't throw light far enough. The room is taller than the others, with large stone supporting arches running through the ceiling, well-hidden by trailing roots. On the other side they can see a door leading out of the room. 

They decide to get a better view of the whole room before going into another, and begin to make their way towards the centre. It's hard work, and noisy. After 10 yards walking deeper into the room, they begin to see the walls at the far end come closer together as well, with further doors on each side. 

???: Stealth, vs 12, +2 (Silence) = 14: 11, success by 3. 

Elias: Vision, vs 13, -3 (darkness) = 10: 11, failure by 1.

The sloshing of their feet in the water conceals the movement of foes beneath, and they don't notice until it is too late - a host of decrepit, slimy skeletons emerge from the water, wielding rusty blades. 

Turn 1

Skeleton 6: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 9, success by 8.

Miguel: Block, vs 10, +2 (DB) -4 (stun), -1 (water) = 7: 11, failure by 4. 

Skeleton 6: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 0, -2 (DR) = 0 injury to Miguel.

Skeleton 7: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 14, success by 3.

Lottie: Dodge, vs 9, -4 (stun), -1 (water): 4: 16, failure by 12. 

Skeleton 7: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 0, x1.5 (cut), min 1 = 1 injury to Lottie. 

Skeleton 8: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 10, success by 7. 

Miguel: Dodge, vs 7, +2 (DB), -4 (stun), -1 (water) = 4: 11, failure by 7. 

Skeleton 8: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 0, -2 (DR) = 0 injury to Miguel.

The closest skeletons leap from the water, swinging their blades. Their blades strike true, but thankfully do not bite deep - this time - and Miguel is fine, although Lottie suffers a slash. The other skeletons advance closer, their grim blades glinting in the light. 

Lottie: Surprise, vs 12: 10, success by 2.

Garret: Surprise, vs 10: 11, failure by 1.

Miguel: Surprise, vs 10: 12, failure by 2. 

Elias: Surprise, vs 13: 16, failure by 3. 

Only Lottie gathers her senses in time to respond to another attack fully. She shouts, but the other party members are still shocked by the skeletons emerging from the murk.

Turn 2

Skeleton 3: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 9, success by 8. 

Garret: Dodge, vs 8, -4 (stun), -1 (water) = 3: 10, failure by 7. 

Skeleton 3: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 5, -1 (DR), x1.5 (cut) = 6 injury to Garret.

Skeleton 4: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 17, failure by 0. 

Skeleton 5: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 10, success by 7. 

Skeleton 5: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 4, -1 (DR), x1.5 (cut) = 5 injury to Elias. 

Skeleton 6: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 7, success by 10. 

Miguel: Block, vs 10, +2 (DB), -4 (stun), -1 (water) = 7: 12, failure by 5. 

Skeleton 6: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 4, -2 (DR), x1.5 (cut) = 3 injury to Miguel. 

Skeleton 7: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 14, success by 3. 

Lottie: Dodge, vs 9, +3 (retreat), -1 (water) = 11: 10, success by 1. 

Skeleton 8: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 13, success by 4. 

Miguel: Dodge, vs 7, +2 (DB), -4 (stun), -1 (water) = 4: 4, success by 0. 

Skeleton 9: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 15, success by 2. 

Lottie: Dodge, vs 9, -1 (water) = 8: 7, success by 1. 

Another wave of skeletal slashes descends upon the party. Skeletons 1 and 2 are blocked from entering the melee by their allies. Garret takes a nasty slash from behind, while Miguel just fails to block a swing from his shield side - but he does react in time to miraculously dodge a strike from his front. Elias isn't so lucky - a blade rakes his back nastily, his armour the only thing stopping him from risking collapse already. Lottie narrowly escapes from one blade to put herself in the way of another, but slips out of that as well. 

Lottie: Knife, vs 14, +4 (Telegraphic), -2 (arm) = 16: 11, success by 5. 

Lottie: Long knife damage, 1d-1 cr: 5, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 6 injury to Skeleton 9.

Lottie cracks the skeleton's arm with the back of her blade and watches the ancient warrior crumple into a heap, age clearly not having been kind to it. 

Garret: Surprise, vs 10, +1 (turn bonus) = 11: 10, success by 1. 

Miguel: Surprise, vs 10, +1 (turn bonus) = 11: 11, success by 1. 

Elias: Surprise, vs 13, +1 (turn bonus) = 14: 7, success by 7. 

The rest of the party shake themselves awake, and ready themselves to counterattack. 

Turn 3

Skeleton 3: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 11, success by 6. 

Garret: Dodge, vs 8, +3 (retreat), -2 (side), -1 (water) = 8: 8, success by 0.

Skeleton 4: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 12, success by 5.

Garret: Block, vs 10, +2 (DB), -1 (water) = 11: 11, success by 0. 

Skeleton 4: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 4, -4 (DR) = 0 injury to Garret's shield.

Skeleton 5: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 11, success by 6. 

Skeleton 5: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 2, -1 (DR), x1.5 (cut) = 1 injury to Elias. 

Skeleton 6: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 16, success by 1. 

Miguel: Block, vs 10, +2 (DB), -1 (water) = 11: 14, failure by 3. 

Skeleton 6: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 2, -2 (DR), x1.5 (cut) = 0 injury to Miguel. 

Skeleton 7: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 10, success by 7. 

Elias: Dodge, vs 7, +3 (retreat), -2 (side), -1 (water) = 7: 14, failure by 7. 

Skeleton 7: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 2, -1 (DR), x1.5 (cut) = 1 injury to Elias. 

Skeleton 8: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 6, critical success by 11. 

Skeleton 8: critical hit, 14: if any damage penetrates DR, treat as a major wound.

Skeleton 8: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 3, -2 (DR), x1.5 (cut) = 1 injury to Miguel. 

Miguel: major wound, vs 12, +3 (HPT) = 15: 9, success by 6. 

Skeleton 10: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 8, success by 9. 

Lottie: Dodge, vs 9, +3 (retreat), -1 (water) = 11: 11, success by 0. 

Another veritable wave of attacks - Elias the monk is bleeding heavily from many cuts, trapped between a half-dozen skeletons slicing him to ribbons. Garret manages to defend himself, while Miguel manages to power through a critical hit from a skeleton in front of him. Skeletons 10, 11 and 12 are entering the fray - 10 manages to get a swipe in at Lottie, although she pulls back out of the way. 

Lottie: Knife, vs 14, +4 (Telegraphic), -2 (leg), -2 (water) = 14: 16, failure by 2. 

The thief steps back and takes a swing for one of the skeletons going for Elias, but the deep water throws her motion off. 

Garret: Shield, vs 15, +4 (Telegraphic), -2 (water) = 17: 14, success by 3. 

Garret: Shield bash damage, 1d+1 cr: 5, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 6 injury to Skeleton 4.

Without the time to ready his flail, Garret roars and swings his shield for the skeleton in front of him. He entrusts the front to Miguel, who draws his trusty blade and shatters the spines of skeletons 6 and 8, sending their skulls flying into the water with splashes and thuds. 

Miguel: Fast-Draw (Sword), vs 13: 11, success by 2. 

Miguel: Broadsword, vs 15, +4 (Telegraphic), -5 (neck), -2 (water) = 12: 11, success by 1. 

Miguel: Longsword damage, 2d cr: 7, -2 (DR), x1.5 (neck), x2 (cr) = 15 injury to Skeleton 6. 

Miguel: Broadsword, vs 15, +4 (Telegraphic), -5 (neck), -2 (water) = 12: 10, success by 2. 

Miguel: Longsword damage, 2d cr: 10, -2 (DR), x1.5 (neck), x2 (cr) = 24 injury to Skeleton 8. 

Elias steps back behind Garret's shield, taking an All-out Defence to hold his staff out in front of him. 

Turn 4

Skeleton 1: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 4, critical success by 13. 

Skeleton 1: critical hit, 14: if any damage penetrates DR, treat as a major wound. 

Skeleton 1: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 5, x1.5 (cut) = 7 injury to Lottie. 

Lottie: Major wound, vs 10: 12, failure by 2. 

Skeleton 1, clearly somewhat of a stalking horse, creeps around in the darkness and strikes for Lottie, who is lining up another hit on skeleton 7. This takes her by surprise, and she cries out, crumpling into the dark water, splashing and burbling. 

Skeleton 2: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 6, critical success by 11. 

Skeleton 2: critical hit, 4: target's DR protects at half value, round down. 

Skeleton 2: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 4, x1.5 (cut) = 6 injury to Garret. 

Skeleton 3: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 17, failure by 0. 

Skeleton 5: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 9, success by 8. 

Skeleton 5: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 1, -2 (DR) = 0 injury to Miguel. 

Skeleton 7: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 12, success by 5. 

Skeleton 7: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 0, -2 (DR) = 0 injury to Miguel. 

Skeleton 10: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 5, critical success by 12. 

Skeleton 10: critical hit, 6: the blow does maximum normal damage. 

Skeleton 10: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 5, -2 (DR), x1.5 = 5 injury to Miguel. 

Lottie: Cowardice, vs 12: 11, success by 1. 

Lottie: collapse, vs 10: 8, success by 2. 

Lottie: Knife, vs 14, +4 (All-out), +4 (Telegraphic), -4 (lying down), -4 (shock), -2 (leg), -2 (water) = 10: 10, success by 0. 

Lottie: Long knife damage, 1d-1 cr: 5, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 6 injury to Skeleton 7. 

Thrashing in the water, Lottie swipes at the bony legs around her and manages to shatter one going in for Miguel while Garret finally readies his flail. Miguel takes the opening and brings his blade down first on one skeleton, then the other, shattering their ancient ribcages. 

Miguel: Broadsword, vs 15, +4 (Telegraphic), -3 (light), -2 (water) = 14: 11, success by 3. 

Miguel: Longsword damage, 2d cr: 8, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 12 injury to Skeleton 10. 

Miguel: Broadsword, vs 15, +4 (Telegraphic), -3 (light), -2 (water) = 14: 13, success by 1. 

Miguel: Longsword damage, 2d cr: 6, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 8 injury to Skeleton 11. 

Elias covers him, swinging his staff wildly for skeletons 3 and 5 - they fall apart and splash into the water from whence they came. 

Elias: Staff, vs 13, +4 (Telegraphic), -2 (water) = 15: 10, success by 5.

Elias: Quarterstaff damage, 1d+2 cr: 5, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 6 injury to Skeleton 3.

Elias: Staff, vs 13, +4 (Telegraphic), -2 (water) = 15: 9, success by 6.

Elias: Quarterstaff damage, 1d+2 cr: 6, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 8 injury to Skeleton 5. 

Turn 5

Skeleton 1 advances past Lottie towards the fighting monk, making another slash for him, while Skeleton 2 steps behind Garret to bring him down as well. Skeleton 12 finally enters the fight, clattering through the water and the bones of his former allies to make another swipe at Miguel.

Skeleton 1: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 18, critical failure by 1. 

Skeleton 1: Critical miss, 4: your weapon breaks. 

Skeleton 2: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 17, failure by 0. 

Skeleton 12: Shortsword, vs 15, +4 (All-out), -2 (water) = 17: 13, success by 4. 

Skeleton 12: Shortsword damage, 1d-1 cut: 3, -2 (DR), x1.5 (cut) = 1 injury to Miguel. 

The skeleton's final push doesn't end well for them, as one's rusted blade shatters against Elias' staff, the other swings past Garret, and the last barely manages to nick Miguel. Lottie barely keeps her head above the water, taking a Do Nothing, while the men of the party crush the remaining skeletons into dust. 

Garret: Flail, vs 15, +4 (Telegraphic), -2 (water) = 17: 12, success by 5. 

Garret: Flail damage, 2d+4 cr: 16, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 28 injury to Skeleton 2. 

Miguel: Broadsword, vs 15, +4 (Telegraphic), -2 (water) = 17: 8, success by 9. 

Miguel: Longsword damage, 2d cr: 7, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 10 injury to Skeleton 12. 

Elias: Staff, vs 13, +4 (Telegraphic), -2 (Water) = 15: 10, success by 5. 

Elias, Quarterstaff damage, 1d+2 cr: 6, -2 (DR), x2 (cr) = 8 injury to Skeleton 1. 

Combat ends.

Lottie: Post-Combat Shakes, vs 15: 16, failure by 1. 

Lottie, Fright Check, 9, +1 (PCS) = 10: Stunned for 1d seconds.

Miguel, barely standing, places his sword in his shield hand before dropping to one knee and holding his arm out to grab Lottie - shocked by her near-death experience, she's unable to respond. Together with Elias and Garret, they barely have enough strength to pull her upright. Desperately weakened, they fumble through the water, returning to the door they came in through, where they sit around the empty fireplace. "God above, that was close," groans Elias, through gritted teeth. He takes some bandages from his pouch, and gives Garret and Miguel rapid first aid before turning his attention to Lottie. "I need to spend some more time making sure you're okay," he says, trying to keep her awake. He spends half an hour holding her steady, with Garret and Miguel on close watch. 

Elias: First Aid, vs 14: 13, success by 1. 1 HP restored to Garret. 

Elias: First Aid, vs 14: 6, success by 8. 1 HP restored to Miguel. 

Elias: First Aid, vs 14: 8, success by 6. 

Elias: shock treatment, 1d-3: 2 HP restored to Lottie. 

When he's satisfied she's in no danger of death, he enlists their help to carry the waifish girl out of the ruins, and they do so with great haste, escaping to the surface before more enemies appear. They return to the farmhouse and lay Lottie on the operating table for the second time in as many days. Over the evening, Elias calls upon his god to grant healing to each of them, resting as necessary. 

Elias: Major Healing, vs 13: 7, success by 6. 8 HP restored to Lottie. 

Elias: Major Healing, vs 13: 10, success by 3. 8 HP restored to Garret. 

Elias: Major Healing, vs 13: 11, success by 2. 8 HP restored to Miguel. 

Elias: Major Healing, vs 13: 5, success by 8. 7 HP restored to Elias. 

Elias: Minor Healing, vs 14: 13, success by 1. 2 HP restored to Lottie. 

Elias: Minor Healing, vs 14: 6, success by 8. 3 HP restored to Garret. 

Elias: Minor Healing, vs 14: 17: critical failure by 3. 

Elias: Critical spell failure, 11: spell produces nothing but a distracting effect. 

Miguel turns a bright blue for a few minutes, but luckily the effect is temporary, and they retire to their beds, having enjoyed a hearty meal of rations and fresh eggs. 

Wandering monsters, vs 9: 11.

Today's lesson: When entering deep water, bring a stick to poke around with. 

Commentary: What lies beneath

I alluded to this a little in the commentary for last week, but something that really struck me when I was planning this dungeon is the sheer danger of water. Hot water scalds; cold water chills. Shallow water slips; more water slows; deep water drowns. Murky water of any depth conceals the worst kinds of traps to step on, rocks to trip over, and gribblies to tear off your ankles. Pouring water blinds you; frozen water makes it near-impossible to stand. Water-borne pathogens can be lethal; slime or jellies hiding in the water can be worse. Water can even be indirectly deadly, causing the growth of malevolent lichens or attracting larger foes like lions to the watering hole, to say nothing of electrical hazards. And you can have it anywhere! There's pretty much nowhere that it makes sense to have no water at all. It's a great way to spice up an encounter, or a dungeon. An otherwise-routine bash can be made far more complicated by including a water hazard, and it can provide a great jumping-off point for more traps (powered by flowing water), more hazards (bridges over rapids and chasms), and more monsters. 

In fact, the way I used them here was pretty boring - but it certainly provided an excuse to have the skeletons attack from ambush. How about those surprise rounds, huh? If the first assault had been more deadly, there's no way the party would have made it out alive. Miguel's DR 2 saved his bacon more than once, even with these weakened skeletons - and High Pain Threshold certainly showed its worth. 

Did you notice the rules error? Lottie taking the major wound should have stunned her and caused her to drop her weapon, which would have left Skeleton 7 up for at least another turn, potentially taking another swing at Miguel - but by the time I realised, so much had already happened that it would have taken forever to delete it all and start again, so I kept it. Just goes to show how easily things can be forgotten in the heat of battle - especially one as nail-biting as this one.