We make our way across to a mausoleum to the east, but it’s locked and we can’t get in.
We make our way to the south and find the same. In heading north we examine the statue a little more closely and we pull the rod out of the statue’s hands. We use that as a key to open the mausoleum.
By examining the tomb, it’s pretty clear that the floor moves up and crushes all within. It’s possible that we aren’t going to trigger that since we didn’t break in.
But that doesn’t keep Brother Jerome from rushing outside and nervously watches the ceiling.
Grom has to go pawing through the gems and such and that awakens the skeleton of the dwarf who was buried here. Oh skeletons. I never seem to have a bludgeoning weapon at hand. I try to fascinate the creature but it has no mind. I settle for inspiring courage among the troops with a stirring bit of speech I picked up from old Willy S. It seems to work better for them than me as I also nearly put out Grom’s eye with an errant arrow.
Oh good, the suspicious looking gargoyles fly on in to attack. Yay. One immediately bites me and then the room goes dark. Yippee.
Grom and Meklor fail to contain the skeleton. He disappears into the dark. One gargoyle grabs Brother Jerome and flies off with him.
Welsteril runs after and scorches him. But doesn’t quite make the gargoyle drop. So up up it flies and drops Brother Jerome on the steps in front of the mausoleum.
The skeleton re-appears and I take another bite from the gargoyle. So I move around the corner and swig a cure potion before hopping back in on the action. Such as it is. Since I don’t have much that will do damage on these guys at all.
But the skelly kills Grom and in my rage (despite the fact that I hardly knew the half-orc) I charge and attempt to bludgeon him with fists. I did no damage however…
But I did draw the ire of the gargoyle along with another good bite. Ouch.
Brother Jerome lays a firebolt on the skelly which puts him down. Which also caused the gargoyles to drop to the ground.
At last. Too late for Grom. We heal up and plan to rest in the western mausoleum.