Descending the Temple Depths

- Dirk -

Your sword-edge does very little to the skeleton, but there is a flash of light as you strike --and the sword rekindles its shine, brighter than before-- which rips through from your point of impact and cleanly carves a section off the skull.

Dark plant-matter spills out instead of brains. If the loss of 'brains' bothers the skeleton you can't tell, but the missing section of skull --which would have housed an eye and ear-- definitely hinder its ability to walk straight and follow your position.

This is having an effect. Another few blows like that and --judging from the motor-function deterioration-- this one will cease to be a threat.

- Roald -

Your powerful blow punches through the skeleton's bones, the light from your sword seems to hold whatever force is pulling them back together apart, preventing it from healing and keeping the injury open.

The skeleton opens it mouth and 'screams' in pain, but no sound comes out. You do hear a simultaneous 'buzz' from Dirk's weapon, though.

What do you do?

- Deoring -

Your blade severs the skull at the base, and it rolls away, the light from Roald's strike flows quickly to fill the gap --sizzling slightly-- and the skeleton ceases to move, loses organisation, and becomes nothing more than a pile of bones.

As you withdraw your sword, the light clings to it for a moment then drips off, disappearing before it reaches the floor. Despite this, your weapon does not maintain the glow, but something nags at the back of your mind, something about Albert's 'staff'.

Is this Raynor 'lighting your way'?

- Deoring -

Whatever Albert did about the bones in the temple above --right before everyone ran out clamouring about them moving, and before you all saw evidence that that was a real thing-- infused his weapon with this light which is more than just light (but what would one expect from the light of a god of conquest?).

There is some connection with that staff and the glows from weapons of some of the rest of your party. You have an inkling about why some and not others are glowing, but two things don't add up, maybe Roald can help yuo decipher the mystery?

If --as you suppose-- it is based on which of the party members directly handled Albert's staff --Dirk held the staff during the torch experiment, and Albert himself handed it to Asha to hold while climbing through the window above the roof (though, she still has not realised the undrawn axe at her belt is glowing faintly)-- then: Rook's should be showing something --he retrieved it and handed it to Albert at the bottom the stairs-- and his sling and stones definitely are not glowing; and you can't recall Roald ever handling the staff --but who was paying attention all the time?

Given how much more effective these 'blessed' weapons are at dealing with the undead, it might be worth getting to the bottom of this rather than impotently pounding away.

What do you do?

- Roald -

Do you have any thoughts to add to Deoring's analysis? And, why do people keep asking you to decipher things for them?

What do you do?

- Dirk -

The skeleton barely manages to stumble out of the way of your blows, but seems to be 'learning' to cope with the diminished capacity and on that one side.

It deflects your machete with the sluggish arm, and simultaneously lashes out with the rusty sword in the opposite hand.

• Where does it hit you?

The skeleton seems to look from Albert --incapacitated on the ground-- to Dirk --dancing back and making space-- and steps back as well. It pivots on its foot, stoops, and casually scoops up the side of its head from the floor. Fitting the bone back in place. Then it opens its mouth and roars... gleefully, but silently.

- Dirk -

Despite there being no sound, your machete echoes it back with a angry buzz, reminiscent of how it felt when you struck the bell above.