“I want to touch it,” Scomatch exclaimed as he raised his goggles from his eyes, rested them on his forehead, and gazed longingly into the vast treasure scattered through the 30’ by 30’ room in front of them. There were two alcoves each on the western and southern side of the room filled with chests, sacks, and loose gold pieces scattered along the floor. Treasure was also scattered in the northeastern part of the room, as well as a chest to the south. The area was bathed in an eerie green light, radiating from a 9’ jade statue of a floating and massive figure dressed in robes. Its face was hidden in shadow. The very specter of death lay before them.
“No one touch anything,” Kai said and held out his arm to keep the halfling back. Closing his eyes, the paladin used his divine sense to detect any evil in the room beyond. “I’m not detecting any evil, but there is an inscription on the base of the statue. Can you make anything of it Scomatch?”
The halfling mage stepped into the room and examined it. It was pulsing green in a rhythm like a heartbeat. “I don’t understand what it says.”
“As soon as we be touching that treasure, that beastie be waking up. I be knowing it and ye be knowing it. We be needing to spread out in the room and not be bunched up, so it won’t be melting our faces when it activates,” Kildo warned.
Nodding in agreement, the party maneuvered around the robed figure, careful not to touch a single coin. They all readied to attack and watched for any movement from the jade statue.
Standing in the eastern corridor with Odium, Scomatch began casting; mage hand. A spectral, floating hand appeared across the room near a chest filled with gold coins. The ghostly appendage scooped up a handful of the treasure and closed around it. As it returned back towards the halfling, glowing yellow eyes lit up inside its hood.
At the same time, Kildo began casting; spirit guardians. A low, rhythmic pulsing began to emanate from the ground. White light came from cracks in the stone. Fog rolled out approximately 15’ from the cleric. Small fey wisps of air arched out. Longer tendrils began to form.
Kai slashed with his glaive striking the statue. A piece of jade flicked off. Guo Gan lashed out with his quarterstaff in a lightning quick assault. A spiritual hammer summoned from Kildo materialized and slammed into the hooded jade figure, as wisps of white light began to restrict and burn it.
The jade statue pulled down its hood revealing a green, emaciated face. Opening its mouth it barred fangs, like a vampire and grabbed Kai. It sunk its emerald teeth into his neck.
Guo Gan swiped, striking the figure twice with his quarterstaff. Distracting it, Kai was able to pull away from the jade kiss. Lashing out with his glaive, it hit, but due to the close angle with the large weapon caused minimal damage. It was then when the triton felt a deadening sensation. If life had positive energy, this had the opposite, as if it was being sapped from him. Necrotic energy was draining away where the jade statue bit him.
The dwarf continued to batter away at the animated figure with his two hammers, one spiritual and one real. Kildo then saw Kai wince again as he crimped his neck. Wisps of green emanated from the vampire-like marks. It was killing the paladin slowly.
Dismissing his mage hand, the gold coins made a cheerful sound as they ‘plinked’ on the stone floor. Scomatch wound up and a firebolt arched from the eastern corridor. It exploded leaving a scorch mark on the jade figure.
Kai continued to grab at his neck, as it radiated a sickly-green energy.
Seeing his plight, Guo Gan smashed his quarterstaff into the statue, but it was hard to determine how much damage the wooden weapon was doing to the jade figurine.
The vampiric jade statue began to weave his hands in an intricate pattern. Emerald colored energy began to coalesce around five swords within the treasure horde. They rose into the air, as if being wielded by an invisible fighter. Three surrounded Kildo, one behind Kai, and the fifth moved towards Scomatch.
Reacting to the newest threat, Kai slashed with his glaive, but missed the weaving weapon. Spotting the blades, Kildo was able to block two with his shield, as his chain shirt absorbed the third. The last slashed at the halfling, but the mages nimble feet allowed him to dodge the attack.
Kildo’s spirit guardians began to entangle the five animated weapons. The fey like spiritual guardian forms heated up the swords causing their metal to warp.
The vampiric jade statue attempted to grab and bite Guo Gan, but the agile monk backflipped out of its reach.
Uncertain if his glaive was actually harming the stone, Kai dropped his two-handed weapon and pulled out his magical longsword. Thrusting, he missed as their adversary pursued the monk. Advancing, he stopped from the continual necrotic pain from the vampiric bite.
Swinging and missing with his physical war hammer, Kildo’s spiritual one came crashing down with horrific power. The surface of the jade statue began to crack, as spider web lines began to form on its emerald surface.
“It be beginning to break!” Kildo called out, a moment before Kai yelled in pain. The paladin grabbed at his neck. The necrotic bite from the statue was causing him immense pain.
Another firebolt crashed into the bottom of the statue from Scomatch, leaving another scorch mark.
Retreating quickly from the advancing jade figure, Guo Gan lashed out with is quarterstaff, but the blows lacked any strength. However, he was able to stay ahead of it, as it also missed with its clawed hands.
The five animated swords slashed at their targets. Kai deflected his attacker with his longsword, knocking it back. Two sword strikes rang, as Kildo blocked them with his shield. The third snuck around the defenses and landed a bruising blow against his chain shirt, but it failed to penetrate. Scomatch was also nicked by an attacking blade. The spiritual guardians all continued to restrict their movement and warp their metal. The blades began to visibly bend and squeal from the radiant damage. Audible cracking was heard as the guardians also continued their assault on the vampiric jade statue. The fey like spirits burned and pulled at the figurine trying to hamper its movement.
The paladin then laid his hands on himself, as healing energy coursed through his body. However, the triton continued to wince as the necrotic energy continued to penetrate through his body. The healing energy was unable to overcome it.
Commanding his spiritual hammer to concentrate and pound on the cracking, Kildo attempted to swipe at the statue, but missed the ever-moving form chasing after Guo Gan, who kited it. Scomatch was also having issues, as his fire bolt hit the ground where their foe stood a moment before.
“Kill it!” Kai bellowed as he began to crumple under the weight of the necrotic energy.
Skidding to a halt at the outcry, Guo Gan turned holding his ground and struck the jade statue twice in quick succession, as it came into his range.
A metal squealing sound penetrated the air, as the spiritual guardians warped the five swords. The heated metal twisting and turning into wavy piles of scrap, as they all fell to the ground with a metallic clang.
“Me spiritual guardians be doing it!” Kildo cheered in pleasing pride. “Uh oh!” The dwarf’s excitement was short lived as the vampiric jade statue turned its attention to the cleric. With uncanny speed it was on him in a moment. Its claws dug through his chain shirt finding flesh. Kildo was hugged tight, as the creature’s sharp, emerald teeth bit into his neck, the jade kiss. He felt the heat, as Scomatch carved a massive fireball around them engulfing most of the statue. As it continued to latch on, he also felt the reverberation as Kai’s longsword struck and bounced off the statue. Commanding his spiritual hammer, it smashed into the ever-splintering statue. More audible cracking resonated through the room. The force of the attacks distracted the statue and let Kildo go.
“Choke on me beard,” Kildo spat feeling a tingling at his neck, he immediately doubled over in agony grasping at the bite. He understood the crippling necrotic pain Kai felt. Glancing at the paladin, the triton’s eyes rolled into the back of his head as he slumped to the ground. Limping over towards Kai, Kildo began to chant, “Life is death. Death is rebirth. Rebirth is life. Heal.” A wave of restorative energy began to course through his neck, but the necrotic damage still penetrated through.
Scomatch began weaving his hands as he casted. A wave of thunderous force swept out from the halfling mage towards the jade statue. Guo Gan smashed his quarterstaff into it but missed as the spell pushed it out of range to the west.
Kildo clawed at his neck as he felt the necrotic energy pulse through his body, which was the same rhythm the vampiric jade statue emitted. Becoming weaker by the moment, he wouldn’t be able to stand much longer. He continued to command his spiritual hammer to pound away at the ever-increasing crack, but the head of the weapon was too broad and just caused more splintering.
Spotting where the cleric’s spiritual hammer struck, Guo Gan lunged at the weakness with his quarterstaff like a spear. It penetrated through the first layer. Major fissures rushed throughout the jade statue. Bringing it back, he thrusted murderously at the point of impact with the tip of the quarterstaff. It blew clean through to the other side. All around the hole, it began to fall apart like sand through a hourglass. The last to disintegrate was its withered face. Its emerald, green light extinguishing, the vampiric jade statue became nothing but a pile of grit with two, pointed green teeth sitting on top.
Jade steam rose from both Kai and Kildo’s neck bites. The necrotic energy dissipated as the creature died. The dwarven cleric rushed to Kai and healing energy flowed into the paladin. Kai gasped for air as his eyes snapped open and asked, “Is the statue dead?”
“Aye lad, it be nothing but a pile of pretty sand,” Kildo confirmed.
1/16/2022 – Treasure
Vampiric Jade Statue Room
· 4,000 gp
· x2 potions of healing
· Heward’s Handy Haversack
· Periapt Proof Against poison
· Ring of Feather Falling
· Bag of Tricks – Gray
· Cloak of the Mantra Ray
· Jade Quarterstaff +1 – Sentient
· Key Ring with 7 keys – Brown, Black, Yellow, Red, Green, Purple, and Blue.
· Urn full of bubbling liquid – Dimensional sealant
Party Split:
· 4,000 gp / 5 = 800 gp
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