As Aloysia's dagger slides in and upwards comprehension starts dawning on Jolistina's face. "Wait! This isn't...fun...anymore..." She slides to the ground, out cold and bleeding heavily.
She has all sorts of gear on her and the way she's out has her leaning against a blood-veil ridden corpse.
Aloysia smiles with satisfaction, "Jolon, dear, you might want to see to that if you want her alive."
Jolon nods and lays a hand on the elf.
"Who's got rope? We should tie her up before she awakens."
The massively bloody wound inflicted by Aloysia closes when Pharasma's light caresses it. Jolistina breathes a bit easier but remains unconscious.
Aloysia sets to tying the woman up with her rope, making sure she's positioned in a way that if she struggles it will hurt. She also rips of piece of the woman's clothes off and stuffs it in her mouth.
Nicolai looks down at the unconscious elf "Who is this Rolth Lamm person, is he any relation to Gaedren Lammm?" he asks curiously
Toeing Jolistina with his boot he nods with satisfaction "She's not going to be waking up any time soon without help, so I think we should use this time to cleanse the rest of the mansion""
Your group moves slowly, room by room, avoiding all of the corpses, each showing signs of bloodveil, to purge any remaining zombies from the house. The first floor is clear, and travelling up to the second you discover two more zombies in a room that you did not explore. You've begun meshing well and clean out those zombies without issue. One dressed as a Galtan queen, her sprawling pearl-studded gown flowing around her and her elaborate, powdered wig nearly brushing the ceiling. A second zombie—dressed as a Qadiran princess—attended her.
After thoroughly investigating the first and second floors you discover a way into the cellar below. A well-stocked wine rack and several large casks line the walls of this stuffy cellar. A small wooden door squats in the southeastern corner.
After cleaning out the undead room from room Nicolai pauses as he idenitifes one of them "This one was Olauern Carowyn, the hostess of the party. I wonder where her husband could be as we haven't seen his body yet."
Once Aloysia has her uncomfortably tied up, and the team has cleared out the area, she returns to the woman and starts poking around her things.
GM, does Nicolai's knowledge check tell us if we would have recognized Carowyn's husband had we fought him earlier?
Gamon nods at Nicolai's question, They certainly sound related, but I've never heard of this Rolth figure before now. Perhaps Cressida would recognize the name?
After they've defeated the rest of the undead, and Aloysia has finished searching Jolistina, he stands with a groan and asks the others, Well, I suppose we should check that cellar too, right?
"Thugmofos spoke of him," Jolon replies. "That catacomb-based laboratory we discovered him in belonged to Rolth. Given what he was doing down there, it doesn't surprise me that his handiwork was used to set up this gross tableau."
He closes his eyes and reaches out with his ancestors' spirits to see if any monsters remain.
As Aloysia is investigating the zombie's pockets and bags she realizes that something looks wrong with the rash and boils caused by the bloodveil. Poking at it with a dagger some more she discovers that the bloodveil is an illusion. Checking with the other corpses, they've all been faked to look like they have bloodveil when they were killed by either dagger or hand crossbow bolt.
Most of the things worn by the dead throughout the house are costume pieces. Sure the material is fine, but the amount of blood and holes in it will definitely reduce any worth it would have if sold. It seems Jolistina has taken anything of worth from her victims.
Thoroughly restocked in preparation for the Carowyns’ masquerade, most of this wine cellar’s contents have gone unused. Trying the door reveals that it is locked.
Aloysia goes about inspecting the door for traps and the type of lock, and hears movement on the other side. She turns to the others and places a finger at her lips to indicate a request for silence. She then mimes with fingers and hand someone walking and points at the door. She sets to work on the lock as quietly as she can...
While she is quiet about it the lock proceeds to withhold its secrets from Aloysia.
Jolon breathes a sigh of relief when his ancestral whispers report no more undead befoul the place. Then he notices Aloysia's "call" for silence and nods, watching as she works.
The lock is taken care of in due time, the silence stretching until it snaps as the door opens. Within, among painting supplies, is a tawdry-looking divan, a small shrine to Shelyn, several scandalous portraits of Olauren Carowyn, and Ausio Carowyn himself. He brandishes a dull paint knife at you when you enter, trying his best not to shake too obviously. "A-are you w-with the mad w-w-witch running about upstairs?"
Jolon approaches the now-opened door.
"No, we're not. We've subdued her and destroyed the undead her...boss...left behind. You're safe now, sir. May we have your name? Mine's Jolon, Brother Jolon of the Grand Cathedral of Pharasma, Vulture-Heart of the Skoan-Quah."
He lowers his paint knife with a sigh, "Oh, thank the Eternal Rose." He pulls his tunic tighter against him, straightening as much as his frightened demeanor allows. "I am Ausio Carowyn, lord of this manor. I don't know much of what happened, my tale is very simple. We were greeting the Westerkiers when the elven acrobat we hired as an entertainer went crazy. I saw her open fire on one of my guests with her crossbow, laughing all the while in the most frightful, shrill way. I’ve been locked in here for days, and every time I got up the courage to sneak out, I heard that horrible laughter above. What do you mean subdued? Is she dead? Is it safe?"
"She's tied up and unconscious, the house is clear of your former "guests" if you'd call them that now."
"Oh dear. Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear." He swallows heavily before asking, "Did...Did anyone else make it out of the mansion?"
"Not while we were here as far as we can tell. It was only the crazy one and her zombie slaves when we came in."
Nicolai places a hand on the distraught man's shoulder "I'm afraid your wife was among the casualties. I'm sorry" the loss of his own wife lends a certain gravity to his words.
"I understand your loss but we are trying to help a young woman determine the whereabouts of her brother. He was hired to entertain your guests. A Varisian musician."
Jolon frowns, and for a moment his ancestors' whispers fall silent out of respect. He bows his head and traces the spiral on his chest.
"May her ancestors greet her with love and comfort as she takes her honored place among them," he says solemnly.
Gamon, unsure of what to say, stays at the back of the group while Lord Carowyn recovers his wits and processes their news. After a moment of silence, he speaks up softly, holding the distraught man's eyes steadily. My lord, if you can help us find that entertainer we may be able to discover what happened here, and avenge your wife. Do you remember anything about what may have happened to him?
Upon learning the fate of his wife Ausio loses his composure for a few seconds, tears streaming down his face as he grieves. Pulling himself back together he tries to recall where he may have had musicians. "That young man's name was...Ruan, right? Something of a virtuoso? I last saw him in the gallery on the second floor. I think it would be best if I left for a few days while I recover."
Looking at the corpses upstairs you do find Ruan among the slain. Luckily he was not one of the ones reanimated by Jolistina, so it will be easy to get the body to his sister.
Jolon glowers as they find Ruan.
"That elf-woman has a LOT to answer for when she wakes up. She AND Rolth. These two families, what they've done to them will possibly NEVER heal!"
The ancestors whisper their agreement.
Nicolai examines the young man's corpse and if he shows any signs of the "plague" like the others he will use a charge from the Sculpt Corpse wand to restore him to normal or cover any other obvious cause of death.
Walking over to the unconscious elf he looks to the others "What should we do with her? I'm in favor of turning her over to the guard to be "questioned" but given her disposition she might enjoy that."
Jolon nods.
"Not much else we could do. We aren't going to give her the satisfaction of killing her."
Ruan has been "afflicted" by the blood veil like all of the others in the mansion. He was killed with a quick slash along the neck, possibly one of the first of Jolistina's rampage through the mansion. The crazed woman mutters in her sleep, perhaps recognizing she is being talked about subconsciously.
"Do you suppose they tried to make their victims appear to have blood veil to hide the fact that they murdered these people?" Jolon asks the others.
Gamon shrugs dispassionately as he looks over Ruan's corpse. It would make sense. Nobody would question another house of blood veil victims, not with how much chaos the city is in.
She won't give us anything if we question her, not with how much fun she had during our fight earlier. Let's bring her to the guard.
Patting Jolistina down for more hidden weapons, checking the seams of her clothes to make sure they won't just slip off, double and triple knotting the ropes tying her down, and gagging her for good measure and you are finally sure she's ready for transport.
Hauling her to the guard's main jail gives you plenty of time to pick up on the rumors still floating about the city.
"Necromancers are running around the city! They're trying to perpetuate the blood veil so they have more corpses to use!
I heard the cure for blood veil is in the boils themselves, the stuff inside just needs to be boiled in a forge!
I was feeling fine until the Queen's Physicians came to my neighborhood. Now I have a terrible rash! I ought to go to the Hospice of the Blessed Maiden and complain!"
That last rumor chills Jolon's blood. He'd been starting to get worried about the spread of the disease and how it only seemed to be getting worse, and the idea that the Queen's Physicians weren't helping combat it never seemed to leave his mind. Whether it was through negligence or malice, neither was good.
"We should really check on the efforts the Queen's Physicians are making. These people WERE supposed to be professionals, right?" he asks the others. "Why are things in the city only getting worse, in spite of their efforts combined with those of the greatest churches in the city?"
"Where chaos lives, corruption thrives, Jolon. It's the way of the world."
Nicolai picks up the young Varisian's corpse and slings it over his shoulder before he and the others head out of the charnel house. Walking through the streets Nicolai hears the rumors spreading through the crowds of people "They're uncertain of the future and fear is beginning to take root." Still he is perturbed by the fact that he and his companions are walking through the streets carrying two bodies and no one raises an eyebrow.
As the party approaches the Citadel Nicolai bids his friends adieu "We can meet tonight at my place to discuss matters further. Please invite the Field Marshall, because if things are as bad as we suspect then the guard should be made aware as well." he tells them, before giving them his address. Taking Ruan's body to a local undertaker he slips the man a few silver to make his preparation for viewing a priority before he goes to break the news to the news to the young man's sister.
Finding Deyanira in her apartment he breaks the terrible news. Comforting the young woman until she regains her composure he then takes her to the undertaker for her to claim the body. Once at the funeral home he says in a low voice "If there's anything my friends and I can do, don't hesitate to ask." Standing quietly in a corner he allows Deyanira to grieve in peace.
"Where chaos lives, corruption thrives, Jolon. It's the way of the world."
Jolon shrugs at Aloysia's words.
"I do not deny that, but this corruption seems to be spreading where the presence of order is increasing, not where the chaos lives. While we and the Guard make efforts on the ground to mitigate the damage, we're not getting closer to reversing it, and where we aren't able to go, there go the Queen's Physicians, and then things seem to get even worse. I don't know what's the more frightening explanation: that they're treating the disease incompetently, or they're not actually TRYING to treat it at all."
When they reach the Citadel, he frowns. He's unsure if he should accompany Nicolai, as the family probably will want a priest, but then he seemed to quickly be becoming the link between their group and the Guard, so he probably figured they'd want their information...and he wanted a chance to relay his suspicions.
So he enters and informs the first person he sees that he'd like to report to the Field Marshal.
"Were I a gambling woman, I'd bet there's enough of them that are propagating the disease instead of trying to cure it. Order on the outside in the streets is not quelling the chaos inside, we've seen that enough in the last several places we've been visiting. There are a lot of buildings, underground dens, and the like that we haven't touched. I'm thinking there's a lot more deep rooted corruption to this disease than just a really virulent strain."
As the group drops off the bodies they were carrying, Aloysia mostly stays to the back. She doesn't like this part of the job, and prefers to not have to make small talk. She just wants the coin purse associated with the work, and the next contract to start.
"I don't know if it reflects poorly on me or goodly on you that we think alike so much sometimes," he replies. "I suppose what it means is that I've come to trust you as a friend."
Tears leak down Deyanira's face as she sees the corpse laid out before her. "Oh Ruan, you had such a career ahead of you, you were finally going places. Brother let me look into your eyes again..." She lifts the lids of his eyes and gasps. She quickly pulls the corpse's shirt up and lifts it to look at its back.
She sinks to the ground and starts crying, though her sobs sound...relieved? Looking at Nicolai she tries to explain. "This man is not my brother, though they look very similar. My brother has deep green eyes, this man's are brown. He is also missing the distinctive whip scars on his back from when we were children. I-perhaps-Maybe he was not in the house? Maybe he got away? I'll still pay you for what you've done, but I must start looking for my brother once more."
Cressida pulls everyone into her office to hear the report of your investigation. When you finish she looks rather concerned, rubbing at her head. "Faking blood veil? And what role does Rolth play in all of this? Things are getting very complex indeed. I agree something seems off with the Queen's Physicians. They've done little but quarantine the streets and perform examinations. If you really intend on visiting their headquarters take heed that they don't think of you as enemies, having the queen as an enemy does not seem like a good way to live."
Jolon crosses his arms and looks at the floor, thinking.
"The only reason I can think that Rolth and his elf-friend would attempt to fake blood veil in their victims is to cover their tracks. No one will question a bunch of people dead of the plague, but an entire noble household nearly slaughtered to a man? There'd probably be panic. The only reason I can think of as to why Rolth is doing this is that he's a disgusting necromancer. What further reason does he need? I suppose his elf-friend will probably have more information."
When Cressida suggests investigating the headquarters of the Queen's Physicians, he looks up and raises an eyebrow.
"You think that'd be a good place to look next? I admit I'm frustrated with how little progress we're making. We're throwing water on the fire instead of making a fire-break to keep it from spreading further. But I don't want to jump to conclusions, especially with a necromancer still on the loose in the city."
Aloysia perks up at the prospect of investigating the Queen's Physicians, "Now that is a level of intrigue I can get into! I love ruining self-important people's days!"
"We also can't forget that it looks like a cult of Urgathoa has come to town. You proved that with that journal from the Direption. Hopefully my worries are unfounded. Is it possible Rolth is working with this cult? I'll try to run down some leads and get them to your group. You are now more skilled than the vast majority of the guard, and probably one of the most specialized groups in the city. I hope we don't have to call on you often."
Nicolai takes the pouch of coins and gently closes Deyanira's hands back around it "That won't be necessary, Miss. I'm just glad for you that this unfortunate soul is not your brother and that he is still out there, somewhere." Before escorting her back to her apartment Nicolai will slip the undertaker a couple of more silver to ensure that the unknown body will be properly handled and not dumped in some alley somewhere. Once the young girl is back at her apartment "I wish you luck in your search and if there's anything my friends and I can do to help please don't hesitate to let us know."
Before heading back to his apartment Nicolai will pick up some food for him and his guests and with some quick use of prestidigitation will clean the place up.
"We also can't forget that it looks like a cult of Urgathoa has come to town. You proved that with that journal from the Direption. Hopefully my worries are unfounded. Is it possible Rolth is working with this cult? I'll try to run down some leads and get them to your group. You are now more skilled than the vast majority of the guard, and probably one of the most specialized groups in the city. I hope we don't have to call on you often."
"The others wanted to talk to you about that, actually. Nicolai was holding a meeting at his house later tonight, and he wanted to extend an invitation to you as well. Keep you in the loop and stuff."
Cressida hums to herself. "I'll try to make it. No guarantees though."