A small wooden table sits by the tiled path here, with a variety of shears and other pruning tools strewn across its surface. Standing by the table is a female figure wearing a strange kind of leather armour that seems to consist of vines.
”Thats a interesting look,” Tess whispered as she watched the vine clad woman.
Creeden you recognise the creature as a vampire. They have fast healing. They have damage reduction except against adamantine or magic/silver. They are resistant to cold and electricity. They can drain blood from a grappled victim to gain hit points and they have an ability to dominate people. Their slam attacks do energy drain causing their victims to gain 2 negative levels.
That's the creature I sensed crazed with bloodlust and will attempt to murder us or die trying. Prepare. she whispered, voice a tense hush.
Thus warned, Creeden will try to sneak up and ambush her.
Ortensia,floating several feet above ground,silent, grasped Ravenshead and expanded a bit of her psionic power.
It gained a metallic sheen that faded after applied. For all intents and purposes, it would act as adamantite to bypass a Vampires resistance to damage.
Essentially, she could beat it to oblivion without a problem.
Tess casts Blessing of Fervor, letting her friends pick their favorite blessing to beat on the vampire.
Ortensia retrieved several cloves of garlic, tossing them down to her companions.
The vampire is vulnerable to sunlight; it becomes exhausted (ignoring immunity) when exposed to direct sunlight and suffers a -4 penalty to its level-based variables (such as those calculated based on caster level, initiator level, manifester level, or character level, among others) while so exposed.
"I can hit them with the daylight spell."
Bake her in the light of the Sun.
Ortensia swooped into a dive at the vampire, using the momentum of her drop to add to the overhead swing of the Ravenshead aimed at the vampire. She appeared almost like some sort of wingless corvid with her dark dress and beaked mask in her descent.
Eleric cast Daylight and moves to the back of the group.
Creeden runs up and attacks the vampire.
for [damage=bludgeoning/magic]1d6+10[/dice]
Ortensia's first blow misses but the second hits and Merrick howls in pain.
Creeden runs up and hits (can you roll damage again Creeden)
Merrick is surprised by the daylight and it clearly affects her, unable to excape she tries to attack Creeden, but misses.
Tess will press the attack, casting her own Daylight spell to make the vampire off balance.
Ortensia hovered,skating over the floor weightlessly,dress and cloak billowing. She struck with the Ravenshead,scoring another crushing blow and missing the follow through.
Still, the vampire was reeling beneath both the sunlight and their combined onslaught.
One of Ortensia's blows strikes Merrick as the vampire is affected by the second burst of daylight.
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"I don't know if this thing goes invisible but just in case."
glitterdust (DC 20 Will vs blind)
Creeden unleashes a flurry of blows at Merrick who hisses in pain. She manages to shake off the effects of the blindness but is now glowing.
In anger she tries to attack Creeden, but misses
Tess casts Prayer, adding +1 to all her allies attacks and giving the enemy a -1 to same.
"You're tangling with the wrong people. We were invited here!"
As he punches away, Creeden thinks to himself, If anyone should understand an invitation, it's a vampire.
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DC 20 Ref Buring arc.
Ortensia continued her assault,treating the vampire like a skald's drum with the minor holy relic.
Between Creeden's blows and Eleric's spell Merrick is no more.
Loot: Tree feather token
3 javelins of lightning
+2 leather armour
+2 silver dagger
cloak of resistance +2
diamond dust (worth 750gp)
holly and mistletoe
218gp
Ortensia was surprised as the garderner vampire dropped dead beneath their onslaught. She have the corpse a cautionary clout.
When it didn't react from the blow, she began to gather the supplies it carried.
Curious. I thought they dissolved into mist and returned to their coffins.
At the Holly and mistletoe she let out a wry chuckle.
"This has been odd behavior after inviting us here, but what can you expect from vampires?"
Creeden will gather any of the unclaimed items and check out the storm drain.
"Lead the way."
Two iron grates seem to provide access to the sewers, however they are locked.
Ortensia grimaced at the thought of delving into the city's sewers but sighed, seeing as it made perfect sense for creatures adverse to sunlight.
Eleric and his familiar get to work on the lock.
Eleric manages to open the drain and you descend into the sewers. Shortly after you are met by Quinley who leads you onwards. Eventually you find yourselves in a grand promenade which opens into a wide audience hall, decorated with elaborate tapestries and art befitting a royal of Ustalav's ancient bloodlines. An immense throne dominates the far wall, while two antechambers stand to either side of the promenade to the east and west.
A senior but not elderly vampire sits on the throne and turns to you as you enter.
"As in the days of old, those of mortal flesh stand before me. Yet you do not cower like most who look upon my undying face. My servants tell me you came of your on free will, even with the knowledge that many here would feast upon the blood surging in your veins. But is it bravery you possess, or foolishness? I respect your boldness...for now. Why have you come here, mortals?"
"We come because we have business to discuss. What do you know of the whispering way? See only a few words and we all know we will fair better without a fight."
"And what do your propose to do or what can you offer in exchange for this information?"
"Well we have killed hundreds of their followers and tacked them father than anyone else. If you want them gone there is little better than sharing info with us and not having to do any of the work. So I offer you free labour."
Ortensia nodded, allowing Eleric take the lead.
It is as my companion says. We are all here due to the Whispering Way's machinations and the ripple of their fell deeds spreading into destructive waves we are left following in the wake of. We aim to put a stop to them altogether to cease more of the misery their actions spread. As you are well aware, the Whispering Way are do not view Vampires favorably.
With her verbal contribution to the conversation, she mentally probed their surroundings and the people therein.
Ortensia you get an overwhelming flash of psychic images. Centuries seem to flash by in your head. You see a cabal of vampires living here beneath the city, nightly going to hunt for prey. Occasionally in the images you see vampires destroyed only to be replaced by new ones. Then more recently you see an idea of a shadowy figure going around killing vampires of which the vampires themselves are worried. There are no tracks or any way currently of identifying where or who the figure is.
"I am no friend of the Whispering Way, and I would prefer to see the Whispering Tyrant remain confined in Gallowspire, as he has been these last fourscore decades. If you find me the killer who is targeting vampires, I will tell you what I know of this cult, and where they might have gone."
"Great. I happen to be an experienced private investigator hired be these fine people. What information do you have? Do you have bodies and crime scenes?
"My people are being killed. My agents are still gathering information but in truth we know little. The bodies are left to dissolve in the sunlight so there are few clues."
"Spread the word to your people that we are to be left to do our work and we will get on with the investigation."
"Take this signet ring. Any vampire who sees it will know you are my agents and will leave you unharmed. But take care- vampires are a fractious lot, and even my most loyal subject will not hesitate to drain your blood if provoked. Remember always to them you are prey, and show them the respect accorded to predators."