Reality remains stubbornly uncompromising as Aldern and Iesha remain in existence.
"It would seem that the entire city believed me dead," Aldern sighs. "So I suppose I must accept that you genuinely believed me to be gone. That does not, however, excuse you from burglary, if that is what you are doing. So who are you, and why are you in my house?"
"A message from your mistress brought us here. You've been found wanting."
Looking at Iesha, Vaclav grips his mace more tightly. He again imagines the pain and loss that would rouse a woman to such a horrid fate after death. He could almost imagine himself mistaken about Foxglove except for the stark reality of the revenant.
"Submit now and you'll be permitted your life."
"My what? What are you talking about?" Foxglove draws his sword, not assuming an aggressive stance but making clear that he's prepared to fight.
Roll #2:
How about a sense motive check from Vaclav?
"Surrender now and we'll take you to Cardinal Rathfold for questioning and a fair trial for your crimes. Resist and you will find Gorum has stacked the odds against you today."
Sense Motive
Bluff or intimidate, if needed
Also, Foxglove doesn't recognize the party. Who could miss Gornak?
He'd like to take them alive, but we'll see how that plays out. The mistress part is just him trying to convince them that the party knows all.
Thanadros is ready to draw a bow to protect vaclav if needed.
"We just killed you a few days ago. In Sandpoint. You were murdering people, creating ghouls, and attacking the town. Explain yourself!"
"How about YOU surrender, and the guard present you to Judge Ironbriar - and see if he believes your tale! Clearly I am very mucvh alive!" There is a scrape of steel as he draws his sword. Next to him Iesha has uncoiled her scarf.
"We do not surrender to footpads caught in our house," she adds darkly.
"I assure you, we are working under legitimate authority for the Guard in this matter. Although we will not surrender, your proposal to go to the Guard is perfectly acceptable. Lead on, sir, madame."
"Very well," Foxglove turns to Iesha. "My dear, can you call the guard here? Swiftly now, and tell them to notify Justice Ironbriar."
"No, sir. We will go down to the Guard together and we'll notify Cardinal Rathfold in addition to your friend Ironbriar. Before we go, perhaps a divination or two would be in order."
"Erastil, keen of eye and steady of judgement ..."
Aylmora's blood begins to boil upon hearing Aldern Foxglove's voice. The young woman touches the scarf wrapped around her waist - Iesha's scarf - and remembers the revenant's single-minded drive to track down and destroy the man who murdered her - the real Aldern Foxglove. "This man must be an imposter! Let me at him!" she growls to her companions as her features writhe and morph into a replica of the revenant Iesha.
"I hardly think the Cardinal is an appropriate - what the hell is that!" Foxglove breaks off as what appears to be an undead horror comes rushing down the steps, brushing past the others.
Init:
Vaclav feels foolish and out maneuvered. It would be nice to walk these two impostors to the Guard without a fight, but the faux Foxglove seems to have his own angle on the game in Ironbriar. He's almost relieved when Aylmora makes her rush forward, and from her choice of aspect she is also sympathetic to the plight of Lady Foxglove.
He activates his shield ring and raises his mace.
Initiative for Thanadros
"Aldern" and "Iesha":
Thanadros 26
Aylmora 23
Gornak 20
Aldern & Iesha 15
Vaclav 3
Aylmora's action happens in the "surprise round" moving into position, while A & I drew weapons and it's pretty clear they are going to to attack. Thanadros cannot actually see Aldern & Iesha, he either has to move down stairs and past them to a free square or hold action.
Thandros will try to move to block the/an exit if possible. If that doesn't take a double move he will ready an action to shoot Aldern if he attacks one of his friends.
The only exit is behind Aldern and Iesha, moving through their squares down the stairs is going to be difficult.
You can move to D-5 or any other free square on the landing below by passing through D-4 and risking an AoO.
Alternately, Thanadros could use a rope and drop out of the upper floor windows to the ground outside the front door? That would take two rounds, one to secure a rope and open a window, one to climb down.
Thanadros cannot currently get a bead on Aldern or Iesha.
"I hardly think the Cardinal is an appropriate - what the hell is that!" Foxglove breaks off as what appears to be an undead horror comes rushing down the steps, brushing past the others.
Round One:
"I am the vessel of Iesha Foxglove's vengeance! I am your death!" Aylmora exclaims as she takes a step back and unleashes a blast of fiery energy at the man she believes to be an impersonator of Aldern Foxglove.
Gornak moves to where Aylmora was, drops his hammer and draws his hook.
"Sorry, Aldern, but I guess we're going to have to kill you for the third time."
Thanadros holds his action for the moment.
The drop is twenty feet, climbing down will take two rounds, DC10 thanks to a handy drainpipe.
"Aldern" screams as the blast of fire strikes him full-on, and his body seems to melt and warp like soft wax in the sun - even his clothing seems to melt and flow where the ray struck him. One mishapen limb still grasps his rapier as he totters, and lashes out as Gornak surges past Vaclav.
Attack of Opportunity: Damage:
Then he collapses, the body shifting into a doughy-white, featureless humanoid form [Knowledge (Dungeoneering) DC19 to know what it is].
"Iesha" snaps out her bladed scarf at Gornak's feet:
Trip AoO (CMB):
...and the big guy goes down in D5. Then she lunges (to C3) for Vaclav.
Grapple (CMB): Damage (bladed scarf on successful grapple)
...but fails to fully untangle her scarf as she does so.
Climb
Thanadros sprints to the window and starts his decent down.
Round Two:
Aylmora's eyes narrow to slits as she turns her attention to the false "Iesha". With a wordless cry of ragesshe unleashes a fiery blast at the imposter.
"Take her alive!" Vaclav steps forward and swings his mace at "Iesha's" head, but pulls the blow.
Mace, non-lethal ... damage
Continues climbing down
Vaclav's blow seems to rebound as if striking a rubber ball. Aylmora's blast of fire elicits a scream of pain and rage from the creature as it's form partially melts and flows.
Gornak up.
Gornak stands up and attacks "Aldern" with his hook. (AC 23)
Iesha lashes out at Gornak as he rises (+4 for prone).
AoO Slam: Damage:
The blow thuds home with far more force than a normal woman should possess.
One sweep of Gornak's hook sweeps into the wounded creature that dissembled to be Iesha Foxglove, cleaving it almost in two. As "she" crumples to the floor, her features also melt into blank, white, doughy flesh. As it does so, Thanadros appears at the foot of the stairs.
Vaclav looks down at the polymorphers. "We've defeated them, but I wish we had one alive to question. Maybe something can be done with speak with dead.... Do they have anything on them?"
The clothing and accoutrements of the two have become part of their rubbery, malleable (and badly burned and chopped) bodies. Only the rapier, it's sheath, and the scarf are mundane items. The rapier is a fine weapon, very well made, but not magical.
"Vile creatures. What now?"
"We search the house then take the bodies back to the Pharasmin. We see if speak with dead can get any more information out of them. And maybe we look up Justice Ironbriar."
"Then lets finish this quickly. These strange creatures worry me." Thanadros says as he prods one of the dead shapeshifters with his foot.
"Agreed, on both counts, Thanadros."
Vaclav takes Iesha a litte aside. "Aylmora, when you took Lady Foxglove's revenant form, I was shocked. You are not the only one who thinks of her."
"Seeing the false Iesha brought the real one to mind. I pity her fate and try to think about the woman she might have been, how dearly she must have loved her husband at one time. Without that earlier love, how could she have hated what he became so much to pursue him after death."
The house has clearly been ransacked weeks ago. Living rooms, studies, and bedrooms all. Nowhere is there any apparent place for the small golden key that Aylmora carries, until you look again into the study upstairs. There, you notice that the lion-heads on the mantle match that on the key.
It takes several minutes of searching for you to find the tiny keyhole recessed in the back of the left-lion's throat. When turned, there is a click from the right lion, and the head hinges up on a cleverly hidden hinge revealing a tiny cache. Hidden inside is a bag of coins, a flat wooden case, and a thin black-leather ledger.
The coins reveal to be 200 platinum pieces.
The case contains the deed to Foxglove Manor.
The ledger contains mundane bookkeeping entries for the running of the Foxglove estates.
Vaclav looks at the documents. "I'm just a simple soldier. Can one of you decipher these?"
"Hmm, I'm just a tribesman, but that last passage in the book here states this... this B.7? And 'The Seven's Sawmill... Maybe a place here in the city?" Thanadros ponders out loud.
"There are mills down by the river. Let's take the bodies back to the Pharasmin. We can examine the ledger at length and maybe learn something from the corpses."
How are you transporting the bodies?
"Carrying this things around will cause alot of attention. What do you propose? Should we have the Pharasmin come and deal with them here?"
"I had been thinking we would just drag one and Gornak could carry the other." Vaclav smiles briefly at the idea of being accosted by the Magnimar Watch and then facing them down with the Cardinal's letter. Then he turns more serious. "But that could be awkward for our friend the Cardinal if we run into the watch."
"Thanadros and I will go to the Pharasmin and the watch. Aylmora and Gornak stay here with the bodies. How does that sound?"
"That works for me," Aylmora concurs with Vaclav's suggestion as her features revert to her normal appearance.
"Sounds good to me. Just try to hurry!" Gornak laughs nervously.
Thanadros nods. " lets go." And follows Vaclav.
Returning to the temple of Pharasma takes time to gain the attention of the clergy, but in the end a few acolytes are dispatched with a hand-cart to collect the bodies with you. With them you progress back to the temple. There you kick your heels for some time before Abess Aela can finally see you.
"I've had confusing messages from my Acolytes, what is it you have discovered? These creatures are not undead."
"They are some sort of skin changer. They looked like the home owners when they attacked."