Kenji grabs the slender creature and then bends her arms back and lifts her off the ground!
She shakes her woozy head and then lets out a high-pitched scream as Morgrym advances with his cold iron pick.
"LetMeGoLetMeGoLetMeGo! YouCan'tDoThisToMeYou'reMeatNothingButMeatYouDon'tUnderstandI'mAnARTIST!" she shouts in a buzzing, high-pitched voice.
Lyraesel studies the slender woman as she struggles, babbling rapidly. "You stabbed one of us without reason. Meat? Give us another minute and we'll see who ends up as meat." she growls.
Vivnick moves to the side of the grappled fae, looking from it to Morgrym, down to Morgrym's pickaxe, then back to Morgrym. She frowns at him, trying to discern if he's actually intending to torture the creature or just frighten it into talking.
Morgrym looks at Vivnick and then at his pick.
Hey, I want answers as to why she stabbed me, this he hefts the pick is just to provide incentive, and defence if there are more
"zzzZZZCan'tYouSeeTheBeautifulArtAllAroundYou? ICanMakeYouLikeThemICanGiveYouEternalBeautyAndMeaning," says the creature feverishly. It squirms in Kenji's grip.
The surroundings of the room are just taxidermied creatures - including a few people - in various strange poses. Seems that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder.
"I... Think we'll pass." Kenji says. "Also people look really creepy when you do that... Ugh."
He keeps a tight grip, embers fluttering off his hands. "Are we really going to keep such an evil... Person... Alive?" he asks. "Why?"
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Vivnick looks up at the walls of bodies, grimacing a little, then looks back to the fae, "If we were to let you go after you answer our questions, would you continue doing this?"
The creature glances over its shoulder, then looks back and says with comical slowness, "Noooooo."
You're pretty sure that this monster is so obsessed with creating this kind of "art" that it can't even convincingly lie about it.
"You think killing living things and displaying them is beauty? You think of that as art?" Lyraesel asks, her voice frighteningly quiet.
Vivnick sighs, "Very well. Ask it your questions, but it will face justice for what it has done." She looks up at the walls again, frowning, "I'll be in the hall if you need me."
Vivnick moves into the hall, closing the door behind her before she violently shudders from the horror in the room and begins to pray to Desna silently for the strength to continue through this evil place.
Morgrym hefts the pick I guess we will now get to its justice, unless it is Vivnick that wishes to do this.
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"There is no reasoning with a monster like this. Kill her or I will." Lyraesel says coldly.
Morgrym opens the door that Viv went out.
Do you want to do the justice or shall I
Kenji looks really upset, but is visibly unsure how to deal with the creature without letting go.
"Ugh. Disgusting."
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Vivnick looks a little startled as Morgrym pops his head out to speak with her. She shakes her head, "You can, if that's alright? I'm feeling just a bit nauseous at the moment."
Morgrym executes the strange creature. His pick ends it in one strike - it shudders and its blood is a strange reddish quicksilver-like fluid. Clearly it is some kind of wicked magical entity.
Reviewing the room, you have a sense of relief at the creature's death, combined with unease at the strange "artistic" taxidermy. Some of the elves and humans are even "decorated" with rings, necklaces, and bracelets.
(includes racial bonus)
In addition, the small creature had five tiny vials filled with some kind of slippery gray fluid. (Nonmagical.)
Vivnick avoids returning into the room, speaking from outside the door, "After we've rid the castle of the evil and helped Ameiko, we should return and give these people proper burials. Are you ready to move on?" She will then move to the door immediately north of her current position and press her ear to it, listening for movement inside.
Viv slips into the room just to the north. It looks like an old storeroom, now empty. There's a door on the far side, exiting to the overgrown garden, but no signs of either enemies or supplies.
Aye, but let us gather these gems and jewels prior to the burial, or our pushing on.
Morgrym puts the pick away.
Is there any way you could see to hitting me with that healing stick?
"Of course." Lyraesel says drawing the wand and invoking it's magic.
After the first hit.
Thank you, but I think the rest can heal normally.
Giving a curt nod, Lyraesel moves toward the door on the far side of the room. Pausing to consider for a second, she crouches down, her hand to the ground as she closes her eyes, chanting rhythmically in Druidic.
She takes a deep breath the whole world coming alive to her awakened sense of smell.
Lyraesel takes on her feral state and hunkers down to sniff around.
Smells assault your nostrils. The scent of old feathers and bird-like creatures... the more recent smell of the strange speedy (now not so fast) little faerie woman, and the tang of insect carapace from the direction of the pond to the north. The smell of sweaty, dirty humanoids to the west, and the pleasant wiff of some kind of perfume-like burned wood from the storeroom to the south (opposite the empty one that Viv checked).
"The bird creatures were here....not most recently but often. Insects to the north towards the pond...people.....unwashed in that direction." she says looking to the west. Pausing she sniffs again, cocking her head to the side at the new smell, this one pleasant. Moving to the other storeroom door opposite the one Viv had approached she sniffs at the door again before trying it.
The door to the southern storeroom opens easily. The room is filled with flinders of wood, presumably firewood and broken bits of furniture, as well as a few broken black feathers.
A careful search of the room turns up a small leather case that holds 20 arrows, very well-made, with dark, slightly wavy points.
The pleasant aroma takes a little bit of digging to locate, but Lyraesel finally finds, buried under some of the wood, a single arrow wrapped in a piece of red silk. It is clearly a fine arrow of excellent workmanship and it has a very faint (but detectable with Lyraesel's enhanced senses) odor like smoldering sandalwood incense.
Vivnick rejoins the group, "There's a door that leads back outside from that room, but nothing of interest inside. Anything good in there?"
Looking around on the ground Lyreasel notes the feathers with interest. "Looks like a large crow."
As they continue the search of the room, she lets out a low whistle as the arrows, clearly made by an expert bowyer. Determined to track down the pleasant sandalwood scent, the wild druidess continues her search, eventually finding it's source.
Taking a deep breath and smiling at the pleasant scent of the arrow, Lyraesel utters a chant in druidic, her golden eyes glowing softly as she studies the beautifully crafted projectile.
"This arrow possesses strong magic. It will ignite with flame and create a fiery explosion if the hit is just perfect!" she says, clearly impressed.
Kenji looks at his options.
"If there is another of those things we fought outside, we should take it down while it's distracted and possibly away from its weapons." he rubs his upper arm. "still dangerous though, so we need to be careful."
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"Agreed, though the way those things stank, it could be where they came from." Lyraesel says beginning to lead the way toward the western room as she stows the wrapped arrow in her quiver along with the case with the wavy ones.
Vivnick nods in agreement and follows after the two, ready for battle.
Morgrym looks at the others. Aye, I will be ready He then follows behind the others.
You move to the double doors to the west and carefully push them open.
This large circular room features a ring of pillars that support a balcony just over fifteen feet above. A flight of stairs winds up to the balcony along the southern wall. Faded paintings of dancing elves decorate the walls, spattered here and there with ancient bloodstains.
Lyraesel's heightened senses pick up that the scent of crow-feathers is strong in this room, as is the scent of the musty, muscular humanoids. The route of the humanoids passes through the doors to the west as well, while the crow-scent is stronger in the upstairs balcony of the room.
"Crow people, upstairs." Lyraesel says tersely, drawing her bow and nocking an arrow as she begins to move up the steps.
Kenji raises his fists and prepares to fight.
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Morgrym readies his axe, as he follows the others in.
You carefully make your way up the stairs to the balcony above.
A ten-foot wide balcony winds around an ancient ballroom below. A rickety-looking railing runs along the balcony’s edge.
The doors to the east are heavy and locked.
Lyraesel smells rotten food and more crow-stench from the west.
Kenji moves cautiously along the balcony, looking out for any avian threats.
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Following the scent, Lyreasel moves to the western door, trying it.
Morgrym moves out on the balcony after the others, and then looks around.
Vivnick moves to the western door with Lyraesel, pausing as she tests the state of the door. If it is unlocked, she will speak softly to her, "Allow me to go first." She will press her ear to the door, listening for noise.
Upon discovery if the room was empty or not, she would enter the room, sword at the ready.
Viv wastes no time in forcing the doors open. Strangely, the doors on the west side don't seem stuck at all - they open smoothly and easily, with minimal noise.
Inside is what looks like some kind of feasting hall.
This chamber reeks of rotten food and bird droppings. A long dining table sits in the middle of the room, heaped with partially eaten animal carcasses and several thick eggshells.
Three creatures are gathered near the long dining table. They look like humanoid crows with oily black feathers, glittering eyes, and sharp beaks. In the place of wings, each instead has two muscular arms, ending in sharp claws as hard as rocks.
The creatures let out a raucous squawking noise as soon as you push the doors open, clearly angry at your intrusion.
ROUND 1
The creatures are clearly hostile. Viv, Lyraesel, and Kenji go first, then the creatures, then Koan and Morgrym.