Aris ground his teeth together for a moment. "I think we do need to go at least a little deeper. If for no other reason then to see if there is a better place to seal these undead off so we can leave without letting them loose."

Talae flexed her hands and arms, forcing feeling back into them, "One floor only then. I don't know if I can take another hit like that. I'm healthy, but getting paralyzed in the middle of a fight like that could have killed me if you hadn't saved my ass."

Aris cleaned the undead grime off of his blade, "One floor only, and we pull out fast if we start getting overwhelmed. I've already died once and have no desire to repeat that experience."

"Mrowl?" But you are not undead...?

"Sorry Noxxy, story time later. Mul and Lady Ussi probably want to hear it too, but there isn't time at the moment."

The party headed down the short flight of stars and found themselves in a wine cellar. Empty floor to ceiling racks covered three of the walls, with the occasional empty bottle tucked guiltily in an ankle high spot. The remnants of a concealed door filled the fourth wall. The concealing section of wine rack was smashed, and the stonework facade had fallen away from the rotted wooden backing. One of the hinges squealed loudly in protest as Aris pushed the door open.

Lady Ussi's burning blade illuminated to room beyond, and it was a sight to behold indeed. A feast hall stretch out before the party, the high table sill draped in a ragged red table cloth and set with tarnished pewter silverware, the rough wooden common tables still covered in steins and mugs. Two doors were set into the side walls, one on each side, and the far side of the hall fell away into an underground statue garden.

As the door thumped against the wall, a spear thudded into the ground in front of Aris, another trap triggered by incautious action and avoided by luck. Glowstone torches set into the walls flickered to life as the party stepped cautiously forward into the hall. They stretched off into the statue garden, racing about its edges and casting eerie beams up to illuminate the four statues from below. As the glowstone torches began to cast light into the shadowed hallway at the far end of the statue garden, the screeching began. An unholy mixture of high, piercing keening from the face-takers as their eyes were suddenly exposed to bright light and the low, groaning moans of ghouls stirred to hungry action at the presence of prey.

Aris and Mul shared a look of grim determination. It was the Stand at the Ironbark Outpost all over again, and this time the foe would not falter or break. Aris set his shoulder to the underside of the high table and overturned it, heedless of the noise he was making. Talae quickly rallied and manned the makeshift barricade, while Aflia, Little Bird, and Lady Ussi ranged themselves to the rear and sides, looking for openings to use their abilities.

The first wave of foes to appear were the face-takers. Faster moving then the ghouls and enraged beyond all reason, they threw themselves forward in an unorganized mob, hooked claws poised to rend and tear.

Mul's force blast and Aflia's Fire Bolt picked off two of the twelve as they came hurtling forward, but the survivors just ran right over the still twitching bodies. Aris slammed his greatsword into the belly of a third, and Lady Ussi Surged forwards to behead a fourth with prayers on her lips. Talae cut loose, her warmaul squelching through the chest of a fifth face-taker. Little Bird pulled the trap-flung spear from the ground and stabbed over Lady Ussi's shoulder to bolster the flank. She didn't kill any foes, but she did force the face-takers to flinch back for the barest of instants.

The remaining seven face-takers screeched out their hatred as they tried to press their attack home. Claws scraped off of Aris' armor, trying to find any seam or crevice to hook into. Talae roared in anger as her bear pelt was torn away by one blow, and then in Rage as one strike found her unprotected flesh.

The ghouls began to shamble into the feast hall through the side doors, pressing in close to the face-taker's heels.

Mul called forth her battleaxe and chopped into a sixth face-taker, laying it low with a broken spine and spilled, ruptured intestines. Aflia stepped to the side and send a gout of fire arching into the packed horde of foes. A seventh and eighth face-taker and a ghoul were roasted extra-crispy, the stench of burning flesh fouling the air. Aris cut down a ninth face-taker. Lady Ussi smote a second ghoul trying to come around the edge of the barricade, her flaming blade making short work of its outreaching hands. Talae shouted her defiance to the world and Raged through a tenth face-taker. It fell back with her warmaul embedded in its spine, leaving Talae weaponless. Talae didn't seem to notice, or even care. Little Bird's spear found the chest of a third ghoul, but she managed to keep hold of it when the body fell away.

The remaining two face-takers, smelling blood and thinking that they had found an easy target at last, hurled themselves at Talae. She quickly corrected their mistake by grabbing one by the skull with one hand, lifting it off the ground, and cracking its body like a whip before throwing the corpse into the face of its companion. When the last surviving face-taker fell helpless to the ground, pinned beneath the dead and boneless body of its erstwhile ally, Aris took the chance to sever its head from its shoulders.

Three of the ghouls, overcome by flesh-hunger, began to devour the fallen bodies of the face-takers. The rest tried to press the attack, and found Talae the most obvious and attractive target. The smell of her fresh blood calling to them like a siren's deadly song. She took several more hits, but shrugged off the fresh injuries heaped upon her frame.

The skeletons appeared at the far edge of the statue garden. They were not the full-armored forms of the Guardians form the entrance, but they moved as a cohesive unit and formed up unto an abbreviated assault column. Three with heavy tower shields formed the front rank with their spear-carrying companions taking shelter behind their protection.

Mul chopped her battleaxe through one of the ghouls threatening Talae, making a fourth ghoul corpse on the floor. Aflia called up another gout of flame and incinerated the three feasting ghouls while they were occupied. Aris stabbed an eighth ghoul through the back of the head, his greatsword protruding from its mouth like a steel tongue, before the ghoul fell to the ground in two pieces. Lady Ussi carved up the ninth ghoul as it tried to claw its way over the bodies in its path. Little Bird took a step back from the fray and sent a Cure Wounds spell into Talae, helping to stem the blood pouring from her many wounds.

The three remaining ghouls made passes at Talae, but she either dodged or ignored their strikes.

The skeleton soldiers continued their march across the statue garden, passing right between the statues.

Mul tossed a force blast at one of the shield-bearers, but it shrugged off the blow without breaking stride. Aflia sent a spike of ice hissing in their direction, and watched it chock into the left eye socket of a shield bearer with satisfaction. Her satisfaction turned to disbelief when her intended victim didn't break stride despite the fresh fractures stretched across is skull. Aris finished off one of the remaining ghouls by chopping it in half through the torso. Talae seized the head of another ghoul and smashed it against her knee, heedless of its futile, flailing strikes. Lady Ussi calmly beheaded the last ghoul. Little Bird sent another Cure Wounds into Talae, keeping her on her feet.

The skeleton soldiers continued their unhurried approach, stepping calmly over the burnt and rent bodies before the barricade.

Mul didn't wait for them to launch a unified attack. Shouting "UR-HANDER!", she vaulted the barricade and slammed her shoulder into the leftmost shield-bearing skeleton. Aflia gave up on calling forth a third gout of flame and instead sent a Fire Bolt into the ribs of one of the spear-wielders. Something cracked and shattered under the impact, and it fell to the ground in a pile of bones and stopped moving. Aris followed Mul over the barricade with an "AILAILAILAILAI" warcry. His greatsword deflected a thrusting spear, he smashed the center shield-skeleton back a half-step with the force of his charge, breaking the line. Talae ripped her warmaul from the corpse that held it upright and charged into the gap that Airs had opened. She managed to trample the central shield-skeleton with her rush, and her warmaul neatly crushed the skull of the right-hand shield-skeleton in passing. Lady Ussi surged over to Mul's aid, double teaming the remaining shield-carrier. It managed to keep its shield between itself and all of the blows, but it was clearly beginning to feel the impacts as bone dust ground away from its joints and hands. Little Bird dropped her spear and drew her mace, the better to crush bones with.

The one remaining shield-skeleton slammed its tower-shield forward, staggering Mul. It spear-carrying brethren level their weapons and drove them forward at the closest foe. lady Ussi ducked under one, Mull took a second of the flat of her battleaxe's blade, Aris angled his armor and deflected a further three, and Talae managed to twist away from or block the last three.

Mul slammed her battleaxe into the tower shield in front of her, ripping it down and sideways. Aflia took advantage of the opening and put a Fire Bolt into the gap, felling the last of the shield-skeletons. Aris followed Talae deeper into the broken ranks of the skeletons, hewing down a second spear-wielder and sending its vertebrae and ribs to rattle off of the walls. Talae crushed a third spear-skeleton, her blow making a dent in the floor after meeting her target's totally insufficient block and torso. Lady Ussi impaled a fourth spear-carrier's skull, and Little Bird Shattered a fifth's rib-cage.

The last four skeletons readied their spears and tried again to hurt their foes. Lady Ussi deflected one, Mul ducked a second, and Aris blocked the third and fourth drill-field metronome stabs.

Mul shattered one of the skeletons with a point-blank force blast, and Aflia was clear to turn the last three to charred ash with a final gout of flames.

Talae collapsed to one knee, leaning against the haft of her warmaul, and Little Bird hurried over to pour more healing spells into her acolyte.

Mul flared her nostrils, sill seeking foes. When none appeared, she banished her battleaxe and looked across the carnage, "I think that is all of them from this level. And the way further down must be blocked off, else we would have pulled more with the sounds of fighting."

Aris pulled off his helm and mopped his brow, "So this level is clear of foes and can be explored in relative safety. But there are the traps to consider, as well as our health. I don't dare split the party, so we need to either clear this entire level of traps before we loot it, or fall back and regroup. Lady Ussi, I'm sorry to say it but I don't think this Old Temple will be a suitable place for your people."

Lady Ussi nodded, "A new village would be a ssign of rebirth and renewed hope. Better that than clinging to the ashess of a dead Empire in this place. Little Bird, how iss Talae? Will we need to carry her out of here?"

Talae growled in frustration before dragging herself back to her feet, "I can keep going for the rest of this floor if need be." She spat at her bear Pelt, now rent, torn, and stained with blood and ash, "but I'm going to need a new dress before we make our reports."

Little Bird let out a long sigh as she wiped blood from her talons, "I'm about out of healing spells for the day, but Only Talae was hurt in that fight, so I think I can stretch what I have left if I have to."

Aris sucked air through his teeth, realizing everyone was waiting on his decision...

Status Report:

Treasury: 10050

Income: +5 gold per day (semi-retired Agent of Althiem)

Equipment: In good condition.

Estates:

Ikin: Village, Fishing Docks

Trebor Convent: Under Construction

Four Empty Holdings (may be improved later)

One Old Temple (occupied by ???)

The Ring: obsidian band with one carbuncle gem and two empty settings.

Total Deaths: 1