Mouse kneels and places a hand on the trapdoor, shuddering involuntarily as she hears Talfryn's incantation and feels the rush of jitters flowing through her. Suddenly, she can hardly wait to open the door, to fight the undead...to do something, anything, with the energy flowing through her veins, threatening to burst forth from every pore...
Mouse barely has time to push the rotting wooden door back before it explodes upward, breaking the hinge and sending the door crashing against the eastern wall. Four bodies practically fly through the port opening, landing with uncanny agility on the ground, the nearby desk, and even clinging to the wall above the ruined door! Mouse manages to pummel one with a serious blow to its skull , yet this doesn’t stop the creature from landing directly in front of Yazi.
Feral, vicious looking beasts with beady red eyes, graying skin, and razor fangs, they turn on you at once, hissing in fury and boring into your soul with their hate-filled gazes.
___________________________
Red: excellent health
Blue: excellent health
Green: quite a few wounds
Purple: excellent health
Avg = 11.7
Avg = 12.5
pass
pass
pass
pass
hit
Pietro
Garvid
Mouse
Li
Li's insecurities start to build in her mind and she begins to think that the others don't care about her and that she's going to be tossed aside, much like Lamm had done when she was younger. It would be better to end them all first before that could happen. But then stronger feelings of belonging to something that feels like family overpowers the negative thoughts and she's able to shake off whatever evil had seeped into her mind.
Taking minimal time to aim, she takes advantage of her natural reflexes and Talfryn's spell and lets off a series of rapid fire shots at those who had sought to control her.
, fail,
Pietro was jittery; the mutagen always caused that in him. But he needed to be precise and quick if he was going to survive going against four vampires.
He then saw them and saw them for what they were, just people like him trying to survive. People misunderstood like so many others. And being judged. Judged by his so called friends. Friends of whom? Not Pietro's.
The alchemist burped and released the green caustic fumes he'd been holding. It felt good. He would fight or get away if things got bad.
----------------
The bestial anger in the vampires' eyes makes Mouse want to crawl out of her skin, and faint whispers begin to echo in the corners of her mind....but then, as quickly as they began, the whispers dissipate, subsumed in a warm, rolling chant Mouse recognizes from Yazi's prayers. Bolstered by the sonorous song in her mind and fit to burst with arcane energy, she lashes out against the monsters ringing her. Yazi's spell lends strength to her corded muscles, and she rides the rush of Talfryn's spell and feeds her strikes even more power.
Startled, Yaziyah takes an involuntary step back as the creature erupt into the room. Her finger tightens on the crossbow trigger as she lets loose a silver bolt towards the nearest vampire, hoping that the spirits' blessing on her weapon will provide a bit of much needed extra edge.
As she starts glancing at the others to survey the battle, a hot wash of flame hits her from behind and the smell of her own burned hair and flesh fills her nose, just as her agonized screams fill the air.
DR 3/- for the duration of the encounter
+1 to attack from haste
+1 to attack from bless
+1 to all saving throws from stunning barrier
Startled by the vampires' sudden appearance, Garvid steps to the front, his movement and reflexes honed by Talfryn's wizardry. "You can surrender.", he says, more out of habit than actual hope of his foes yielding, as the halberd's blade goes over his head for a devastating smash on the vampire's midsection.
He pries the halberd away from the ground, rotting wood flying everywhere, as he pins the vampire to the wall with his forearm, stabbing the undead body several times with the halberd's point, as his face presses towards the warped mask of the vampire, leaving the body impaled to the wall, mere moments before the wall is drenched in dragonfire. As he turns around to see Pietro breathe fire on everyone else. "Have you actually gone f#*+ing insane!", he roars out at the small man, veins on his neck threatening to burst, as he wrestles the halberd free, sending vampire viscera and rotting plaster all over the ground, as he turns towards Pietro.
Talfryn lets out a cry of shock as the vampires explode outward from below, only for that cry to turn into one of outraged pain as green acid engulfs him from the side. Clothing smoking and falling apart, his skin horribly blistered and bubbling, he still fights for focus as he turns his attention upon the vampires and the good doctor.
Hand outstretched, he unleashes another potent spell, and one that he hopes will tip the tides of battle into their favor.
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Adrenaline pumping through her veins, Li releases a volley of bolts at the nearest vampire. They scream through the air, two striking its torso in succession while the third pegs the wall behind it. The vampire thrashes and screams as the silver blade-tips do their work. Mouse takes advantage of its vulnerability, slamming her gauntlet into the side of its head so hard the bone cracks and its head spins around at an impossible angle. It begins to sizzle and smoke, and in an instant its body explodes in a cloud of phantasmic ash . Without pausing, Mouse spins to the side and delivers to quick, strong jabs to the vampire clinging to the wall, dark, clotted blood spraying from its nose. Garvid finishes it off, stabbing fiercely with his blade and coating it in the dark slime, before turning to the next with the same treatment. That vampire, too, explodes in a cloud of ash. From behind, Yazi’s own silver crossbow bolt flies and strikes the spawn upon the table, eliciting another shriek.
But just as it appears the battle is won, Pietro turns on his friends, opening his jaws wide to spew a cloud of volatile acid across the room. More screams fill the gloomy playroom, this time those of friends.
Biting his teeth through the pain, Talfryn tries to reign in the mad doctor, weaving a net of arcane energy to snag and hinder both Pietro and the remaining spawn.
As the magic takes hold, Pietro blinks, returning to his senses.
”Վերադարձ դեպի վարպետի Ասա նրան, որ թշնամու!” The northern creature drawls in an oddly slurred hiss. The vampire on the table cackles, a sound darker than a starless night, and both of their bodies begin to fade and smoke, rolling in upon themselves to form twin clouds of black ash.
___________________________
Blue: quite a few wounds, slowed, gaseous form
Purple: small wounds and bruises, slowed, gaseous form
fail
fail
fail
fail
success
Gritting her teeth through the excruciating pain of her burned and melted flesh, with Slinky shrieking madly from within the folds of her cloak - Gods, the poor thing sounds hurt! - Yaziyah gasps to the others "Keep. Hitting. Them... Use. Magic. magic." as she glances over her shoulder at the doctor. Madness? Or criminal clumsiness? She clutches the crossbow in her hands as she takes aim at one of the diaphanous vampires. She knows she is in bad shape, but the creatures cannot be allowed to get away.
Li hasn't experienced such excruciating pain since the day she was left for dead. What hurt even worse was that the attack came from behind her which means it was someone she trusted and judging from the type of attack, it's most likely the doctor. Focusing through the intense pain Li lets fly another barrage of silver bolts at the gaseous form before her, not wanting to think about what was behind her. Every movement causes her bubbled and burned skin to rip apart further revealing the rawness underneath. With each released bolt, she gasps in pain.
The fog slowly cleared leaving Pietro in a state of shock. His limbs seemed to be made out of lead but that was nothing compared to slow horror creeping to his mind as he started to realize what he had just done.
His first instinct was to whip out his healing wand and start caressing and mending the horrific damage he had caused. To mend torn and melted flesh to his friends. God, what have I done?
A myriad of thoughts fluttered through his shattered mind. Was it the elixir he'd bought from that scoundrel? If so, he would pay dearly for his treachery. Was it the vampire spawn that controlled his fragile mind? Pietro clung to that hope but he well knew that the mutagen he had imbibed earlier had something to do with that.
He gasped, "I'm sorry," and went to forward to heal Yazi. Thoughts of the vampires gone from his mind.
------------
"Sorry?!", Garvid barks at Pietro, furiously shaking his head. He stops himself, deciding instead to re-direct his anger at the man's foolish decision at the vampire turning to mist on the table. The halberd's wide swing sends splinters flying everywhere, as the table's two halves crumble on the damp floor. "Did I say something funny, jackass?", he lashes out at the vampire with a bloodthirsty look on his face.
Letting out another roar, he swings once more at the vampire, determined to send it to its restful sleep. The hastened halberd spins with a buzzing noise, as it slams into the cloud once more. He grabs the halberd afterwards, shaking his head. "Everyone's a damn jester..."
Talfryn curses as the remaining vampires evanescence into roiling columns of fog, thinking their escape assured, until Yazi lets forth her warning cry. Knowing that nothing can escape the single-minded pursuit of a magic missile, he puts his faith into his bolts of fizzing blue light, and casts them at the southernmost vampire.
Magic. Time t' see 'f this amulet works, then. At Yazi's insistence, Mouse attacks again, trying to ignore the strangeness of attacking what looks like thin (or at least only slightly thick) air. But as her fist travels through the mist, she can feel resistance to its movement, and jolts of energy where the roiling fog touches her hand. Taking this as a good sign (hopefully), she rides the burst of energy that still lingers beneath her skin.
The shadowed clouds, hindered by Talfryn’s spell, attempt to rise up toward the ceiling. But Garvid’s blade cuts like a guillotine, sending a spray of dark matter across the room. Mouse lashes out with her gauntlets, finding that the cloud before her is surprisingly responsive to her fist. Talfryn’s magical attack proves the unending of the doomed creature, which dissolves back into the shadows of the room.
And then, only silence, as the forlorn toys mourn the loss of unlife with cruel, unforgiving stares.
___________________________
Pietro cringed as he saw up close the extent of Yazi's injuries. The acid breath his acid breath had burned her deeply.
Noticing Garvid's anger, he unconsciously kept his distance from the big man as he tended to the Shoanti woman.
He softly applied the healing magic from the wand while he continued to apologize.
He then said to everyone, "I am sorry. I will tend to all of you. Please make sure those thing are really destroyed. One of them took over my will."
--------
Is...is tha' wha' tha' was? I...I 'eard...but it stopped, an' there was music...chantin'... Unable to articulate the strangeness of the whispers that had tried to invade her mind, Mouse can only watch as Pietro begins tending to the injured, murmuring apologies all the while. Patiently, she waits her turn at healing, watching every entrance to the small room warily as if expecting something else to emerge at any moment.
Yaziyah raises an arresting hand as Pietro takes out the healing stick. She nods at his explanation, her flinty gaze the only comment on the matter, although privately she resolves to give the good doctor a few lessons on bolstering your will against unnatural influences.
"Magic sticks are all very good, but we may not have time for that." She begins chanting softly as she entreats the spirits to bless them all with vitality and life.
Li flinches when Pietro approaches her. Her body reacts on instinct even though she understands why he did what he did. She breathes a sigh of relief as Yazi steps in to provide healing because it means she can avoid the good doctor for a little while still. Just because she understood, doesn't mean she completely forgives him...yet.
A wave of positive energy flows from Yazi's outstretched hands as the spirit world hears her call and lends aid to her cause. Pietro quietly inspects the results and uses his healing wand to minimize the scarring.
Then you turn your attention to the vampire den. The trap door leads into a dirt-filled crawl space only 3-½ feet tall with the same dimensions as the room above. You have to crouch to make your way.
Amid numerous blocks of various types of mundane wood lie four simple but solid coffins. Dry, gray soil fills each.
Li, sifting carefully through the dirt, locates several items amid the soil. Three pouches hold a combined total of 45 platinum coins, all of Ustalavic minting. There’s also ring of jumping sculpted to look like intertwined brass spider legs, and a set of bone pipes of haunting.
The rusty, pathetically jingling lockbox located behind the counter in the storefront is locked.
Overpowering her abhorrence of the undead, the Shoanti woman sifts the coffin dirt through her fingers, sniffing at it. When she is done, she cleans her hands thoroughly with a clean cloth, then tosses the soiled fabric on top of a coffin.
"I might be mistaken, but this does not feel like local soil. This is Ustalav dirt." The sneer in her voice gives her words a double meaning - is she talking about the soil, or the vampires? She spits, as if to cleanse her mouth of the foul name.
Pietro smelled the dirt as he stirred it with the point of his dagger. "I think you are right. The humic composition sure speaks volume of Ustalav."
He added, "I think we should destroy the coffins and perhaps consecrate the dirt. Anyone know anything about that?"
-----------------
Li gratefully turns her attention to the tasks at hand. She's more interested in what's in the dirt rather than the dirt itself. When she finds the buried treasure, she shows them to the group. "Tha coins be suggestin' Ustalav as well." To her the ring looks rather interesting even if it kind of looked like spiders.
When she has the time to take a look at the sad looking lockbox, she gets out her tools and sees if she can spring the lock.
The lock is surprisingly difficult to open and the rogue almost can't do it due to a little bit of overconfidence. Finally after a few moments longer than it should have taken her, Li hears the telling click of the lock opening. "It be a surprisin' good lock fer a box that be seemin' too light fer anythin' real valuable ta be bein' inside."
Talfryn doesn't descend into the crawlspace with the others, but rather watches anxiously from above, face pulled into a permanent frown as he waits anxiously for news. As the comments filter up from below, he rubs his chin, gazing off into the middle distance as he tries to recall any recently arrived wizards or nobles from Ustalav.
"Most perplexing," he rumbles. "Why go through all the bother of bringing these foul wretches from Ustalav only to squander them on this alley and its obvious predations? One would imagine that a 'Master' would be more circumspect, more strategic; what did he hope to gain for all this effort if his minions were so easily detected?"
Talfryn strains to recall rumors of recent arrivals from Ustalav, but nothing noteworthy comes to mind...
Li has never had enough money to make use of the church of Abadar's services but that didn't mean others didn't. Holding up the key she asks, "Mebbe we should be askin' Ishani 'bout this. Mebbe it be unlockin' somethin' in tha vault." She made a face at the other item in the box. "Who be keepin' a silver tooth? Gross." She then pockets the key for later.
Torn between protecting Talfryn above and Yazi below, Mouse finally decides to descend into the small cavern. While she has to stoop, she doesn't have nearly as much trouble as the stocky Garvid in the cramped space. At Pietro's suggestion, she begins to examine the coffins. I c'n take 'em apart - shoul'n't be so 'ard. Points o' my shield'll work a'right t' pry th' boards apart. Don't know so much 'bout consecratin' 'em, though...would 'oly water 'elp any wit' tha', or do it take spells an' such?
Talfryn awaits up top, pondering the puzzle of these vampires, waiting as the others resolve the issues of the coffins and soil below.
Mouse and Garvid apply their strength to the task at hand, dismantling the musty old coffins into a pile of firewood. Above-ground, Yazi delegates, orders, and directs, clutching her holy symbol of Pharasma absent-mindedly as she worries over the ashen remains of the vampires. Tucked sullenly into one corner of the workshop is an old goat-hair broom that, despite its state of degradation, was rarely used (at least, judging by the amount of dirt upon the floor). The ashes are swept and deposited into the old lockbox found up front, then Yazi ceremoniously marches out, into Racker's Alley, and beyond to the larger thoroughfare where the midday sun actually reaches. Raising the box up toward the sky, she murmurs ancient rites of spiritual passage, as the remains sizzle and smoke.
________________________________
________________________________
Lavender. One of the most prestigious perfume boutiques in all of Korvosa, its signature amethyst-shaded windows mark the building with a singular fashionability peculiar to the haut monde. It stands amid a row of tightly packed shops just off of Summoning Street.
A queue of eager Korvosans stands in a line that stretches nearly four blocks from the entrance. Many of the people look healthy, but several bear the early but obvious symptoms of blood veil: hacking coughs and blisters. The line threads through the street and into the store. A large, well-dressed man with a purple cravat stands at the door, keeping his eyes on the patrons.
VAMPIRE CLEANSING
Pietro looked on as the last of the vampires went up in smoke. He still was deeply hurt about what he had done and he was still searching his mind to see how this could have been prevented.
He neared Yazi, "You don't need to hear how sorry I am but you offered help against this type of mental control. What did you have in mind? I'm all ears?"
tag?
-----------
PERFUMERY
Pietro felt more at home in this part of town; these were the type of people he dealt with all the time in his clinic. he didn't like all of them but he knew them well enough.
He also noted the well-dressed man with a sap and neared both Garvid and Mouse to let them know, "Watch out, that looks like trouble."
tag?
--------------
Li's eyes widen in surprise and disbelief as the ashes actually react to being exposed to the sunlight. It be seemin' that there be bein' more things in tha world that I don't be knowin' about than what I do be knowin'. "Good thing ya be bein' with us Yazi. I never be thinkin' ta be doin' somethin' like that. An' I don't be wantin' ta have ta fight them ag'in."
-----------
Li immediately recognizes the sap considering she has one herself. The length of the line was daunting. "So how we be gettin' inside? Even if we be waitin' in line, we probably won't be seein' her anytime soon." The she whispers, "Do we be waitin' until it be dark an' then be lettin' ourselves in? Or be followin' her if she be leavin'?"
Lord Talfryn coughs into his fist, straightens his jacket, and gives Li a grave nod before pulling forth a scroll which he reads discretely before casting a spell.
That done, he moves to the front of the line, where he nods smartly to the man with the sap and says in the peremptory manner of all old-blooded nobles, "Good afternoon. Please convey to the proprietor that Lord Talfryn Blackoak is here and wishes an immediate audience."
Wha...wha's 'e doin'? Mouse wonders aloud softly. 'E don' serious think 'e'll git in jus' by name droppin', do 'e? I know 'e's a lord 'n all, but...'e don' quite look th' part... Her sentence drops off as she watches the dour Lord Blackoak attempt to charm his way past the crowd and into the shop. Mebbe 'e's gon' try t' bribe th' guard or somethin'...
"Oyez, Oyez!" cries a young and pretty salesgirl from just inside the shop as she rings a tiny crystal bell. "Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment! 'Tis the everyday elixir of the common Korvosan, 'tis! 'T'wakes you up in the morne and calms you down at night. Soothes aching joints, tired feet, sore hands, and throbbin' noggins! It takes the pain out of cuts, burns, bruises, and blemishes!"
"But is it safe?!" The well-timed and sensible question comes from a middle-aged dockworker standing in line a few yards back. "A man's body's i's temple, it is! What wit dis unspeakable plague devastatin' tha city, we can't be too careful what we put'n our own gullets, eh?" Meaningful nods and murmurs of approval float around him like so many butterflies.
"Fear not, good sir!" responds the young girl, completely unruffled by the question. "Of course our dear Vendra'd take every precaution she could! Her liniment smells like chastity, confidence, and respectability, and tastes like honeyed dewdrops over snow clouds. Most miraculously, though, Lavender’s Luxuriant Liniment dispels blisters, minimizes swelling, calms the complexion, and erases all symptoms of the common blood veil complaint!"
Applause and cries of delight burst from the audience, mingled with the odd wheezing cough.
"Good afternoon. Please convey to the proprietor that Lord Talfryn Blackoak is here and wishes an immediate audience."
The purple-cravated guard eyes down Talfryn with a level expression. "As you say, I'll pass the message." He turns and cups his hand over his mouth, yelling over the garbled chatter inside. "Ms. Vendra, there's a Lord Talfun Blackcloak 'ere t'see ya! Wishin' an immediate audience, n'that..."
"Lord Calfun Flackbloat? Can't say I know the name!" flutters a sing-song reply. A moment later, a pretty young brunette in a yellow tunic and blue headband appears, her head poking out of the doorway with a honeyed smile. "Why hello, my lord! I don't recall that we've met, but a pleasure to make your acquaintance. Are you here for the liniment? As you can see it's in quite high demand! Goodness!"
fail
Well, if this is how he wants to play it... Yaziyah mentally shrugs, pauses to mutter an incantation under her breath and steps forward, swinging her hips and sending the folds of her skirt and cloak swirling around her legs. She sashays next to Lord Talfryn, snaking her arm through his and smiling her most charming smile at the young woman. "Hello, my dear. I have to say, I'm surprised that you haven't heard of the brilliant Lord Talfryn Blackoak, a man of letters and refinement, a scholar and a noble soul." She glances sideways at Talfryn, hunting for signs of discomfort. "It is why we are here, in fact. We are terribly curious about your liniment, such an extraordinary accomplishment. While of course the recipe is proprietary and all that, we were hoping you could tell us a little about its wonderful properties. For science, you understand." She winks.
The signs of discomfort are easily found.
"The brilliant...?" croaks Lord Talfryn under his breath as he gazes at Yazi by his side, eyes going wide with consternation and something akin to shock. He seems to lose all track of what they were discussing, and turns to scowl at Ms. Vendra, blinking rapidly and chewing on his lower lip, his arm rigid in Yazi's grasp.
Still slightly dumbfounded, Mouse watches from several feet away, trying to slowly edge closer to the pair without drawing the ire of those waiting in the queue. I c'd pr'tend t' be 'is servant or something...but 'oo'd buy tha', wit' these boots an' my han' wrapped in silver?
Pietro does his best to stay inconspicuous throughout the exchange of information, although he did want to listen in on these miraculous cures.
He eyed the crowd for signs of any other 'guard' that may make their stay here more interesting.
Li makes sure her own sap is within easy reach but out of sight and she watches the crowd intently as Talfryn and Yazi engage the proprietor of Lavender. She intends to make sure there aren't any surprises. If anyone was going to cause issues, Li makes sure the others will be protected.
”Oh, I”m sure our Lord is every bit as brilliant as you say!” Vendra laughs sweetly, like wind chimes that mask that wheezing hack of death in a sanitorium. ”But the nature of my Luxuriant Liniment is purely proprietary, you understand, and I simply couldn’t discuss the details of its manufacture. Luckily for you all, there’s an easy solution--it’s for sale! Simply stand in line down the street there, and for the remarkably low price of two gold sails, you can experience my liniment for yourselves!”
Hitting upon an idea, Mouse makes her way to the front of the line to meet Talfryn and Yazi with what she hopes is a harried yet thankful expression. M'lord Blackoak, sir, 'ave y' got Miz Vendra t' 'gree yet? She's jus' gotta - th' change y' made t' the las' bit o' salve y' bought was amazin'! I jus' come from Tad's - would y' b'lieve, 'e was jus' heavin' flour sacks 'round, not a day after y' saw to 'im! Twice 's fast or better as those what got the regular stuff, y' said, an' y' wasn't wrong! An' y' said if Miz Vendra let y' know more 'bout it, y' could make it even better for 'er, righ'?
Pietro added to the request; he winked, "Actually I have direct contact with lots of potential paying customers that I could send your way."
Knowing she was a business woman, he added, "Of course, I would take a cut for this. But more importantly, my reputation is on the line here so I need to make sure that what you are selling is the real deal. Know what I mean?"
Talfryn, about to respond to Vendra, closes his mouth abruptly, giving time and space for Mouse and the good doctor to work their ploys. Instead, he focuses on appearing magisterial and knowing, nodding and glowering at the same time in an attempt to impress upon Vendra the weight of his presence.
Li observes and can't help but wonder if things would go differently if Cal had been with them. What she does know is that there isn't anything she can say to help the others with Vendra. What she could have helped with was if they had come tonight when there wasn't crowds of people about. Maybe that was still an option if they couldn't get the information they needed now. In the meantime, she takes up a protective stance on Lord Talfryn so that they would know he was important enough to warrant his own guards.
Vendra's sparkling blue eyes narrow slightly at Mouse's statement, though her perfect smile remains nailed in place. She looks to Talfryn and Yazi. "So you are familiar with my Luxuriant Liniment, after all. Pardon me, but it seemed to me that we have never met, and you were here to experience my flagship product for the first time, but now your lovely young friend here has just informed us that you have actually acquired the product previously, don't you see? And so both could not be true. So please dispel my confusion, my lord. Have you purchased the product or not?"
Mouse tries to fight a rising blush as she realizes the contradiction she's caught Yazi and Talfryn in. 'Twas my cousin what came 'n waited for th' las' bit we got - an' she ain't no one you'd remember. We was gonna use it as 't was, but M'lord said 'e had a hunch how t' make 't better, an' 'e was righ' f'r sure. Abadar's eye, she swears internally, 'ow do them hucksters keep up wi' all this?
Pietro cut in, "I have not tried your product and will not unless you tell me how you make it. Mind you, I do not need specifics but I need to make sure that it works and that it is safe."
He looked at the long line of people wanting to buy it, "I think you got momentum here and I can add a whole lot more. Perhaps even charge a little more to have the product delivered. Maybe change the packaging..."
"I have not tried your product and will not unless you tell me how you make it. Mind you, I do not need specifics but I need to make sure that it works and that it is safe."
Now Vendra's eyes narrow suspiciously.
"Try my liniment or no, the choice is yours, good sir, but if I shared my formula with every customer who was curious as to its recipe, I wouldn't be in business very long. Now, you have a choice. You may wait in line to purchase your own dose of liniment, or you may leave. In that case, Buxton here will see you out, won't you Buxton?" Vendra smiles brightly and nods only slightly at the burly man, who steps forward. "Alright, sirs'n madames, Ms. Loaggri got a business t'run, she does, and ain't got time for any more chitterin'. Let's be on our way then, hmm?" He reaches out one beefy hand to place it upon Pietro's shoulder in a polite but firm gesture. The message is unambiguous: time to leave.
