Ventus moves in as quickly as his armor will allow and swings hard for Habe.
As they advance on the next door Eli drinks an extract.
Eli draws another bomb as he enters the room, and lobs it at the woman. "Filthy Necromancers and torturers!" he sneers.
Pirknok's blade opens a nasty wound on the robed Habe and Eli's bomb hits its mark scorching both men.
"No! No! You'll ruin everything!"
"Yer right we will... ruin all yer evul plots!"
Ysme rushes into the room further corning the panicked alienists.
The necromancer steps back and gestures. From the dust on the ground, bones form into the shape of a deadly skeleton warrior.
Habe pulls a dagger from his robes and jabs at the flanked Pirknok.
The skeleton swipes at Ventus with a curved sword.
Ventus is to busy dodging the sudden skeleton to properly attack Habe.
"Ow!!" yells Pirknok angrily as the nasty man nearly slices off his arm. He retaliates with a vicious slice of his own.
Ventus’s blade and shield fail to hit the wily Habe but they provide Pirknok the opening he needs to deliver a massive blow. The bisected alienist falls to the ground in a gory heap.
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 15
Fort +3, Ref +7 (+1 vs. traps), Will +2
CMD 18
HP 35/35
Effects:
Stepping to her right to put the skeletal warrior between herself and Pirknok, Jessamy lashes out with her blades, trying to shatter the creature's bones.
Ysme strides toward the mysterious Varisian necromancer, her clawed hand pointed menacingly. "On. The Ground. Now!"
"You'll make a pretty corpse", he hisses.
"If my Lady so wills it, but not at your hands, not today." Ysme replies as she strikes at him, her talons drawing blood.
Eli moves forward cautiously and readies a flask from his belt. He waits, however, to throw it waiting to throw when he sees the man trying to cast a spell.
Jess's blades crack a few of the skeleton's bones and Ysme's claws open a small wound despite the necromancer's magical defenses.
The pale man retreats a step and begins a spell only to get pelted by a volatile flank hurled by Eli.
Ruining his spell.
The skeleton spins and hacks at Jessamy.
Pirknok ignores the skeleton in favor of pursuing the evil guy.
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 15
Fort +3, Ref +7 (+1 vs. traps), Will +2
CMD 18
HP 22/35
Effects:
Jessamy pales as the blade connects, cutting through her armor as if it weren't there at all.
"Ow," she exclaims, barely able to keep tears leaking from her eys. "A little help here?"
She stabs furiously at it again with both blades, jabbing one of them through its skull.
"Die, damn you! I mean, again!!!"
"You deprive the dead of their rightful rest. You encourage depravity & depredation in those who should be healers & shepherds."
" are my rightful prey!" Ysme declares, her talon outstretched once more toward the Varisian necromancer as briefly the two of them are limned in a holy light.
Striding upon him once more, Ysme slashes again with both taloned hands
Ventus turns to face the skeleton.
"Girl! go help the others, I've got this thing," he orders and assaults the pile of bones.
Jess’s blades crack more of the skeleton’s bone but fail to drop the undead monster. Ventus’s does little more than scratch the creature.
Pirknok’s blade fails to overcome the necromancer’s magical defenses but Ysme’s claws spill more of the pale varisian’s blood. His eyes grow wide with fear.
Eli readies his club and steps up to help against the Skeleton.
Cornered, the necromancer pulls back his sleeves and tries a spell.
A wave of flame appears behind Ysme and rolls towards Pirknok.
The skeleton rears back and swipes at two of the living lined up against it.
Pirknok roars in anger as the fire scorches him badly. "YER GUNNA DIE!!!!" he screams, spittle flying from his mouth as he swings the katana wildly with both hands.
Lips tightening, Ysme returns kind for kind as she slashes savagely at the Varisian necromancer.
Ventus redoubles his efforts, nonplussed by the durability of this undead foe. He had to keep it busy long enough for the others to finish.
AC 19, touch 15, flat-footed 15
Fort +3, Ref +7 (+1 vs. traps), Will +2
CMD 18
HP 22/35
Effects:
With no easy way around the skeleton, Jessamy ignores the orders, stabbing furiously before she begins reluctantly to move.
Full attack, then five-foot step to D6
Eli, taking a brutal gash for his boldness, staggers back from the Skeleton's attack, and grimly draws and rolls a bomb at the undead if it is still standing after Ventus and Jessamy attack.
Ventus and Jess's combined slashes smash the skeletal warrior to pieces. The bones vanish into thin air as they clatter to the ground.
Ysme's divinely attuned claws tear through the bloodied necromancer with ease, shredding his robes and opening his belly. The pale man gasps pitifully as he falls to the ground and dies.
"No! You don't get away that easily." Ysme declares as the Necromancer falls. Closing her eyes in a semblance of serene contemplation, Ysme whispers "In Shelyn's name." A pulse of healing washes out from her to all nearby.
The dwarf blinks a few times as Ysme tears through the necromancer, realizing he isn't the only one who gets angry and breaks things (or people). As the remaining enemies go down he crouches to clean his sword on the necromancer's clothing, then leans against the wall for a few seconds to get his breath.
Ysme’s burst of cleansing light leaves the room feeling a great deal fresher but does nothing to mend the wounds of the fallen Habe or his necromancer ally.
The bound man in the corner comes to and begins thrashing and moaning.
”Let me out!” he slurs. ”I can’t stay here. It’ll eat me!”
"What do we do? The notes said he was turning into a ghoul," Ventus said, slightly uncomfortable. One horrific curse was enough for him.
"Kin it be cured?" asks the dwarf, eying the man dubiously.
Eli shrugs about Pirknok's question. He approaches the man to try and diagnose his condition.
Why is she trying to save them? They just tried to kill us?!
"What'll eat you?" she asks the crazy man.
Why am I asking him? He's crazy! He should be in a sanitarium. Oh, wait...
She looks around to make sure nothing's coming to eat her.
Hopefully it'll go for the dwarf first. That'll probably give it indigestion.
"Yes, Pirknok, it can be cured. Unfortunately, not by me. Such magics are beyond my capabilities." Turning to Adventus, "If you fly to the Cathedral you might be able to bring Father Zantus back in time. I fear he is the only one with a hope to save this man."
Eli recognizes that his man is very ill and likely near death. Beyond that he can't determine much about the disease he's afflicted with.
Ysme doesn't think there's anything she can do to help this man with her current abilities.
Suddenly he spins to stare at Ventus.
"She said. She said you would visit me. Her Lordship. The one that unmade me said so. She has a place for you. A precious place. I’m so jealous. She has a message for you. She made me remember it. I hope I haven’t forgotten. The master wouldn’t approve if I forgot. Let me see… let… me… see…"
"She said that if you came to her Misgivings, that if you joined her Pack, she would end her harvest in your honor."
Ventus flew upon the man, grabbing him by the collar and pulling him as far up from the straps as he could.
"Who? Damn your eyes! Give me a name or by the wind and the waves I'll make your last moments excruciating!" His sword was still drawn and held in a clenched hand.
"Give me a name so I can burn whatever hole she is hiding in!" His fury was something entirely different from Pirknok's.
The man's diseased frame is almost weightless in Ventus's hands. His head lolls about and he laughs wetly at the ranger's threats.
"You don't know do you? You're just bait to be cast aside. Pirknok, gimme a hand, we're taking him to Father Zantus."
"He cudint help you..."
The dwarf sheathes his sword and helps Ventus lift the man, keeping clear of his mouth just in case.
Ysme steps forward as Adventus seems to fly into a rage at the man. Seeing his abrupt change of focus, she steps back. Sprinting to the door, she calls out to Jessamy. "Keep this one open for them, see they have no difficulties getting him out of here." Ysme then bolts up the stairs to the exterior door to do likewise.
Eli ponders the 'message' and checks the bodies of Habe and the Necromancer for any evidence... or loot...
Eli recalls the name ‘Misgivings’ being a reference to a Foxglove property on the eastern side of town. He isn’t really aware of the meaning behind the name.
The diseased man hisses and howls in anger as he’s dragged out into the sunlight and more than a few passerby’s give the group confused glances as they’re seen dragging a bound man down the streets. Arriving at the cathedral, Zantus is waiting for them, word having arrived before them apparently. The middle aged priest shakes his head as Ventus and Pirknok drag the diseased madman indoors.
”Gods above. What is it now? Is this man connected to the murders?”
"Yes, and he needs the attention of a priest," Ventus said grimly. He had long since become entirely used to the odd stares around town.