Round 3(partial)
The zombie mindlessly strikes at Grigori, dropping him.
Valandil moves to the room's entrance, sends off a magic missile which gets negated by shield. The eagle attacks wildly, only striking air.
Garox slashes the alchemist.
Pitbull massively slashes the alchemist.
The alchemist tries standing up but is knocked out by Garox.
Nesterok heals Grigori back to consciousness.
Vat Zombie(10), Valandil, Garox, Pitbull(10), Svilennius(KO), Nesterok, Grigori(11)
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Awakened back to consciousness with a throbbing headache and a broken nose, the priest opens his eyes to see Pitbull from... a different angle. He nonetheless quickly regains his bearings. Nodding thanks to Nesterok, the priest comments to Pitbull as he gets up onto his elbows (in a nasal tone), "Thought I'd take the hit for a change." With a gaze of hatred towards Mr. Marrow, "Bring it down."
Grigori remains prone but ready to get up, and he draws a slightly curved dagger from his belt.
Round 3(complete)
The zombie mindlessly strikes at Grigori, dropping him.
Valandil moves to the room's entrance, sends off a magic missile which gets negated by shield. The eagle attacks wildly, only striking air.
Garox slashes the alchemist.
Pitbull massively slashes the alchemist.
The alchemist tries standing up but is knocked out by Garox.
Nesterok heals Grigori back to consciousness.
Grigori draws his dagger from his belt.
Round 4(partial)
The vat zombie then attacks the easiest thing it sees, Pitbull.
Vat Zombie(10), Valandil, Garox, Pitbull(10), Svilennius(KO), Nesterok, Grigori(11)
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Garox dodges around the zombie to flank it with Pitbull and attacks it with his mace.
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Round 4(completed)
The vat zombie then attacks the easiest thing it sees, Pitbull.
Valandil delays.
Garox dodges around the zombie, trying to bash in its skull, but the body resists the blow a little.
Pitbull then cuts the zombie's head in two, thanks to the softening from Garox's blow.
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"Shall we tie this little wierdo up? We can question him about whats going on if we want. The clergy upstairs might want a good talk with him too." Garox says as he starts taking out his own rope.
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"Why stop with his equipment?" Garox says and pulls off the mans clothing until he is in his underwear.
"Just to be safe." He says with a wink as he tries the mans boots but find them covered with goo and blood.
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Going over the man's possession's, the party finds four potions (seems like there are only two different kinds), a wand, 2 vials of acid, 2 vials of alchemist’s fire, 2 smokesticks, 2 thunderstones, masterwork studded leather, a spear that seems very well made, alchemist’s kit, masterwork embalming tools, an alchemist's formula book, thieves’ tools, and 83 gp.
The party sees a hallway leading away from the room they are in with what looks like torchlight at the end.
Valandil identifies two of the potions as potions of enlarge person, the other two potions are potions of cure light wounds, and the wand as a wand of command undead (13 charges). The spear is a +1 spear.
If removed from the ossuary, Svilennius’s equipment counts as a full alchemist’s lab. In addition, the alcove holds the books and notes of the Chymists of Life in Death. The entire collection is worth 500 gp to an alchemist or arcane scholar, but the church of Pharasma considers the books heretical and attempts to confiscate the proscribed texts if they learn of their existence. If necessary, the church is willing to pay up to 250 gp to keep the books out of non-Pharasmin hands.
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After slowly standing back up, Grigori nods to Valandil after examining the high quality embalming tools. In a nasal tone, "Indeed. It would be my pleasure to put this fine set of tools to more virtuous use."
On spotting the heretical texts, the more profit-minded amongst us may cringe to hear this. But with a scowl on his face, the priest states, "We must bring these back to the priestess."
To Valandil, "Yes, I am most curious about the stairs as well."
The priest's nose begins to bleed again after the alchemist is tied up in practically his birthday suit. He motions for everyone to gather together, and holds up his holy symbol, "Who else requires healing?" Gazing hesitantly at the unconscious madman, he asks for group consensus before proceeding, "Perhaps we could expedite the initiation of our interrogation if I include him."
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"I'm sure the priestess will reward us well for finding these books Grigori."
Valandil makes sure the alchemist is well tied up before Grigori does any healing.
"I think we have all but solved the mystery. Let us look down the corridor towards that torch, and then see if those stairs up reveal a secret exit from these tombs."
The company heads down the hallway toward the torchlight to find a bedroom. This large chamber has a vaulted ceiling, and unlike the rest of the ossuary, bears a distinct impression of habitation rather than abandonment. Lit candelabras reveal old tapestries hanging from the walls to ward off the subterranean chill, and a threadbare carpet covers the floor. Shabby furniture—a few chairs and tables, an armoire, and a dresser—flanks a large canopied bed in the center of the room, topped with satin sheets and a heap of lumpy pillows. Lounging on the bed is a female figure. Next to the bed are two skeletons wearing makeup?
"Are you the people that were fighting my dear Svilennius?" inquires a somewhat silky voice from the bed. The voice sounds like the speaker is calm, not angry as you would expect from someone that was in a relationship with a person that you were just fighting.
When Pitbull speaks up, the female figure gets out of the bed to stand in front of it, in the torchlight so they can see what she looks like. Surprisingly she is a zombie. The party can tell that when she was living she would have been considered beautiful but since is now dead, her skin is rotting and putrid, and her once-lustrous blonde hair rank and lifeless. She does her best to conceal the decay beneath heavy makeup and cloying perfumes, but it’s a lost cause. Her clothing and jewelry are formal dresses and accoutrements that were once fashionable, but seeming garish and vulgar on her decomposing body.
With her hands clasped in front of her she says "I was inquiring if you living people were fighting with the alchemist in the other room." She raises her hands up in front of her as if to show she wasn't holding anything, "If you were I mean no ill will to you. I just want to know if you would be so kind to let me and my handmaidens here out of this place. I'm afraid I've been feeling rather cooped up in here all on my own. Lulu and Fiona here" she points at the skeletons "are typical of their kind so they aren't much conversationalists. And Svilennius has also been starting to ignore me more as of late. I've been contemplating on leaving here but have not gotten up the gumption or just been putting it off, thinking that it was not time. However, since you have dispensed with Svilennius however you did (I don't really care) I was wondering, as I said before, if you would allow me to leave unmolested? I would pay you for my way. I have a couple scrolls here and" she spies Valandil "I will allow the dear elf there to look in my spellbook to copy whatever spells I have that he does not. In it I have burning hands, cause fear and color spray transcribed inside. I am what is considered a magus zombie so he may use my spells...if he wishes." She looks hopefully at the group.
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Nesterok agreed with Pittbull No need to fight, we are in Kaer Maga were undead could live in peace with their neighbor. I know some Houses which could accept you as their guest... against some services of course.
I'm sure Grigori will understand that your condition is not one you're enjoy and that killing you here will be considerate as Murder here. As long you stay in Kaer Maga I'm pretty sure you will be fine my lady.
Seeing a zombie with a free Will was a premiere for Nesterok and he will find shame in destroying such a thing.
She smiles. "Well met Nesterok. My name is Esme Verisi. I was a magus in life with a deadly magical disease. This magical disease rotted my flesh and gave me the appearance of a decomposing corpse though I lived. Doctors and priests alike less than a year to live.
"I was living in Korvosa at the time but when I was given the timeline I moved to Kaer Maga to consult with the necromancers in the Ankar-Te district. However, I realized I had neither the time to advance my studies nor the money to pay for a magical cure or solution. So I started working at the White Lady brothel in that district, which was where I met Svilennius.
"He had just recently been banished from the church above us when we met. In me he found both a muse and a project. He described how he could turn me into what you see before you. When I agreed to the process he said that it would only take three hours. Three days later, I was still a corpse laying on a table. In a fit of rage at his inadequacy he destroyed all his chemicals and notes but he couldn't bring himself to dispose of my body. I was very fortunate for that because shortly after destroying everything, I rose-a rotting, undead zombie with an intact mind."
She breathes a deep sigh, "Presently though, dear Svilennius has started to resent me because he has been unable to replicate his success with me. Most often he ignores me, except for when he gets depressed and he comes to me to seek comfort and inspiration in my arms. He had forbade me from leaving the catacombs, but leaving me to my own devices. So, since you are allowing me to leave here is a scroll of ghoul touch and my spellbook to read over." As she was speaking, the skeletons were going around the room packing clothes and jewelry into boxes.
After they finish packing and Valandil finishes copying the spells that he wants into his spellbook, Esme straightens up, gives a last look around the room, thanks the party again, and leaves the room with the skeletons in tow.
Back at the stairs, the party gets ready to climb them but finds a scroll that Esme must have dropped. It is a scroll of mage armor. The party then climbs the stairs 60 ft up into a tiny chamber behind a secret door. Opening the door, they realize that they have just entered the upper, active level of the ossuary. They also realize that this must have been the way that Svilennius had been stealing the bodies. The party goes in search of cleric Nerissia.
"I trust you found out what was happening to the dead bodies?" After being told of Svilennius' experiments (but not about the fact that they let Esme go) she responds "Svilennius? I remember a cleric a few months back here that went by that name with the last name Tripe. He was excommunicated due to his heretical experiments with undead but we had no idea he was still hanging around." With a gleam in her eye she then says "Don't worry though, we will make sure he gets his due justice.
"For your part in this, here is the agreed upon sum for your work. Thank you for your diligence." She then dismisses the group.
Days later, each member of the party gets a message from Esme. She has taken up residence in the Ankar-Te district of Kaer Maga and is feeling contrite about her actions in helping Svilennius. However, she has started a relationship with one of the necromancers there and he is trying to figure out how she was created...
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The Pharasmin priest takes his time getting to the bed chamber, on account of double-checking that all necromantic tomes are accounted for in the alchemist's lab. He enters the hallway and grabs his holy symbol at the sight he sees... but hesitates, for he is quite alarmed at the sight of his comrades speaking with friendliness towards an intelligent-speaking zombie and two skeletons. Hearing his comrades speak about the intelligent zombie after her departure, the priest frowns as he looks in the direction she left. He simply states, "How to explain. It is, actually... cruel, and unnatural, to leave a soulless body to wander the world in this half-life state. The souls of the dead must return to the Bonesland to find final rest." He even shakes his head in disgust.
But Grigori remains cordial with his comrades. To Valandil, "Of course," as the priest waves his hand and mutters a brief prayer.
As they return to the upper level, the priest retrieves a small bottle. He applies a bit of what smells like cologne. On sight of the priestess, Grigori makes sure to be near her as he contributes to the tale of what happened in the ossuary. He also invites his fellow Pharasmin to a drink and dinner after her duties...
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Pitbull watches all the mystery unfold "Welcome to Kaer Maga, and they reckon that Orcs are grotty" she laughs at her own observation "Time to spend my gold, reckon there will be more work in this town soon enough, and Garox needs the money for the local lasses!"
Pitbull packs her bags and readies for a short holiday spending her hard earned coins.