Spooky Scary Skeletons¶

2022-Oct-09

• Kleb runs off after the monstrosity, eager to finish it off. Rowan and Rulkorf trail closely behind. They give chase for a while, but lose its trail at an “intersection” of paths and decide to head back to the real dimension for a breather
• Rowan keeps watch while the others power nap, and after a short rest they head back into the mirror dimension
• The paladin notices a couple conspicuous details, namely the faint sound of wind chimes and evidence of footprints in the grass, and the group continues in the opposite direction from their earlier chase
  • The path takes three sharp right turns in a row, breaking their understanding of geometry
• By chance, the party realize that they can scratch the mirrors from this side. In unison, they start smashing everything around them
  • Through the most cracked of the mirrors, they can see neither their reflections nor the original mirror maze, but a new room with a group of figures inside shrouded in fog
  • Through Rulkorf’s spyglass, he sees that the figures are skeletons and they are tethered by the same magical threads from earlier. The threads don’t visibly converge, but they all lead away into the fog
• After some quick strategizing, Kleb takes Rowan’s bet and fires a single crossbow bolt into the dark, foggy distance. Amazingly, it hits something with a solid thunk, and out of the distance approaches a skeletal minotaur, which roars as all the skeletons turn to face the party
  • Rowan smashes out the rest of the mirror and steps through, drawing attention to himself by shouting and banging his mace and shield together
  • Kleb lands another solid shot on the minotaur with his crossbow, dislodging a rib
• Rulkorf steps up closer, flanking the paladin, and begins chanting while clutching his compass. A white arc begins tracing around the minotaur’s feet in a circle as silvery moonlight floats down on it. At the moment the circle completes, the minotaur becomes engulfed in a pillar of radiant flame and thrashes in pain, but in complete and chilling silence.
  • The light pulses, and the minotaur staggers out of the lit zone. As the other skeletons swarm towards the group, the minotaur literally leads the charge, goring Rowan with his horns. The paladin is severely injured by the blow but braces himself and holds steadfast, not yielding even an inch
  • Rowan returns the favor with a thunderous swing, pushing himself and the minotaur apart in a flash of furious sound and light, sending the monstrosity tumbling onto its back from the impact
  • Kleb knocks one giant arm off the beast’s body with another bolt, taking a shoulder and a second rib with it
  • At Kleb’s urging, Rulkorf backs up a bit to take advantage of the chokepoint and take formation. Setting his feet, he shifts the beam back onto the giant skeletal figure and blasts it again
• The minotaur hurls his greataxe towards the party, who are formed in a line before it, but the throw flies over the heads of Rowan and Rulkorf, while Kleb ducks behind the mirror-doorway
  • Kleb reprises his earlier attack, landing a headshot on the monster, before drawing his melee weapons and taking a defensive posture
  • Rowan suddenly exudes the terrifying aura of a merciless conqueror, intimidating ALL of the skeletons. Conjuring a hefty spectral mace, he charges forward and knocks the minotaur’s head clean off
  • The paladin struck the killing blow, but swiftly finds himself completely surrounded and assaulted on all sides by undead. However, with his armor and shield he manages to hold his own
  • Kleb steels himself, and confronts his fears head-on, striding forward toward the mob of skeletons. He fights his way to Rowan, and as a pair, the paladin and fighter start mowing through the piles of bones
• Having used his spyglass to roughly locate the convergence point of the magical strings tied to each skeleton, Rulkorf heads in that direction in the form of a great ape. Unable to pinpoint the nexus of the threads without a magical aid, he tosses a nearby skull into the air and notices it bounce as if it impacted something invisible. Apekorf sends the pillar of moonlight onto that location, where it soon activates
  • The remaining skeletons drop in unison as the puppetmaster is charred by the silvery flames. Its corpse is still invisible