"No, you stand down. This is information the Doctor must know about and... oh f*~#." Nicolai exclaims as he watches with morbid fascination the spray of arterial blood as it arcs out across the room. "Well, there you have it, nothing to do now but take them down as fast as possible before they can sound the alarm." he thinks to himself as he casts a spell he incants as waves of coruscating lights shoot forth from his fingertips to envelop the two guards.
"This disguise didn't fit me that well anyway," Jolon says as he draws his sword, waiting for Nicolai's magic to pass before he advances.
The first Gray Maiden drops, her blood spraying out and quickly forming a pool around her crumpled form. The second is hit by a blast of Nicolai's magic, but maintains her composure, prepared to react to any threat now.
Aloysia takes a deep breath, smiles, and says, "Ah, that felt good!" She spares a glance at Nicolai and says, "Too much talking, only one way this was going to go."
Gamon draws his axe and stares down the still-standing guard, taking note of her likely options.
"Don't be so sure, Aloysia...the future is a shifting thing, and Pharasma cuts like a skane through it," Jolon replies.
Nicolai curses as the remaining Maiden resists his spell "Looks like we'll have to do this the hard way. ". He intones another spell as three bolts of magical energy shoot forth from his outstretched hand to strike the guard in the chest.
Nicolai's missiles slam into the Gray Maiden, but she doesn't seem to respond to the pain they must surely cause. Instead she slams on the door behind her with a boot calling out, "Enemies at the gates!" before moving toward Aloysia and attacking with her sword.
"STILL!" Jolon commands, pointing at the Gray Maiden. Almost immediately a pall descends upon her, as his ancestors whisper.
The guard's cry is quickly silenced as Gamon steps forward, separating her head from her shoulders with a neat slice of his axe.
Knowing that reinforcements may already be on the way, he immediately turns back to the stairs from which they came, awaiting the approach of the guards they had walked by earlier.
The sound of things clattering from behind the door comes as well as the pounding of boots from the stairwell.
14 Varisians remain alive
Aloysia scans the door for traps (and pending there are none) she tries to open it...
Jolon raises up his sword defensively and waits for Aloysia to do her thing, anticipating reinforcements to burst in any minute!
Nicolai moves toward the door to the stairs and closes it, throwing the bolt home locking it. "There, that should buy us some time."
"To do what?" Jolon asks. The spirits give what can only be described as a sigh.
The door swings open easily on oiled hinges. Rows of white-sheeted beds line the walls of this room. Each bed holds a patient restrained by leather straps that bind the figure to the sturdy metal frame. At the room’s center stretch simple wooden worktables, each covered in fluid- filled beakers, intricate glass tubes, small burners, and other alchemical instruments.
Inside three Queen's Physicians are moving from patient to patient, bloody knives in hand while a trashcan burns nearby.
Aloysia immediately dashes toward the one trying to burn things...
The Queen's Physician's are startled by your appearance and start moving about more quickly. From the back of the room the door bursts open, Dr. Davaulas striding out with a rapier in hand. "What in hell's name is going on here?!" he shouts.
"We could ask the same things of you, Davaulas! We've seen what's happening in this place, and it is NOT a house of healing. Those who come here seeking relief, seeking hope, are just laid down to die! What's REALLY going on here?!" Jolon bellows, the spirits swirling about echoing his words.
He punctuates the statement by raising his hands and the spirits follow his command instinctually, fluttering around Gamon and bolstering his mind and body.
Gamon narrows his eyes as the man emerges, stepping forward with his axe raised and lashing out at the nearest physician before he has a chance to raise that red-stained blade.
Gamon chops down the first physician with one mighty blow. The other physicians throw out some hand signs before converging on Aloysia, clubs flicking out to beat her down.
Both hit, cracking against ribs, joints, and soft squishy bits in order.
Aloysia stumbles in her run and coughs an alarming amount of blood onto the floor
Nicolai moves into the room noticing the patients in the room "Why would they keep these people separate from the others, what makes them so special?". Casting a spell, Nicolai causes a blinding flash of light to burst in front of Davalaus.
Nicolai's spellburst burns the doctor's flesh, giving him nasty second degree burns. Unfortunately he is quick enough to protect his eyes, which he uses to glare at Nicolai and Jolon. "It's your fault! You Varisians are the cause of this setback!" Looking at the patients scattered throughout the room you realize that they are all Varisian.
Aloysia tries to push through the pain and attacks the physician in front of her
Aloysia lashes out with her daggers and manages to score a hit, though it is shallow.
Davaulus makes some quick gestures with his hands and calls out a spell before disappearing.
Gamon moves quickly towards the back of the room, striking out at the nearest physician while scanning around for any sign of the vanished doctor.
Jolon hustles in with Gamon, muttering a chant as he lays a hand on Aloysia when they reach her. Almost immediately the spirits wash over her, soothing the rest of her wounds.
"We really DO all look the same to you tshameks, don't we?!" he exclaims at the Doctor's crude words. "You do not recognize a proud son of the Storval and the Skoan-Quah?! My blood ignites!"
Gamon's axe slices through leather and skin leaving a bloody swathe behind, but this physician doesn't drop in a single hit like the other. More hand signs are exchanged between the physicians and they seem intent on a new target...Jolon.
The one injured by Aloysia tries to slide over the bench nearby and avoid being attacked but leaves himself open to reprisal from both the half elf and half orc as he gets into position. Then both physicians begin raining blows on Jolon.
Only one gets a solid hit in, but it is really solid.
Nicolai moves over to the door and shuts it after Jolon enters the room. Locking it, he turns and faces the room "Dr Davalaus, it's over and you've failed. Surrender yourself and tell everything you know about this conspiracy and maybe, just maybe, the Guard will have mercy on you and throw you into the deepest, darkest cell they have for you to rot out the rest of your days as opposed to being put to the question and executed for your crimes. What will it be "Doctor"?'
Jolon is quick to retaliate at the Physician striking him!
Aloysia tries to take advantage of the opening...
...before sliding over to take capitalize on the physicians' shifted focus, and unleashing...
...grinning as she finds purchase in the man's kidney dropping him to the floor.
"It will be your death first, Varisian!" shouts Davaulus, appearing before Nicolai.
Gamon immediately switches focus, running back towards the door, and towards Nicolai. As he reaches Davaulus he chops down with his axe, using all of the momentum from his short sprint to land a fearsome blow.
Davaulus' stab does not even leave a mark in Nicolai's flesh, while Jolon gives an annoyed grunt as the wound appears on him instead. He gives a tusky, wicked grin to the so-called Doctor.
"Not while I breathe!" he crows, joining Gamon in rushing towards him and bringing his sword to bear against him.
Nicolai takes a step back and casts another spell as more bolts of mystic force fly, unerringly, from his hand and striking the Doctor in the chest.
Gamon's axe cuts Davaulus deepply, but do not stop the doctor from continuing to fight on. The doctor does manage to avoid Jolon's sword and smirks when the last physician comes up behind Gamon.
The smile is taken away as Nicolai's magic blasts him.
The sound of weapons being used come muffled through your door.
Aloysia moves to try to finish off the physician who just attacked Gamon...
She plunges both daggers in the side of his neck, and slides them forward. Gamon feels the impact of the physicians attack on the back of his head and a moment later a new sensation of being covered in warm liquid follows. Aloysia says, "Sorry Gamon," in a tone that doesn't sound very apologetic at all, in fact, is that a little mirth in her voice?
Aloysia finishes off the last physician in the room as Davaulus reels from all the pain. He concentrates, attempting to get off a spell while watching all the blades around him.
A sudden thrust from Jolon and swing from Gamon breaks his concentration as he is forced to deflect attacks with his rapier and dodge. Failing to do much else he slides the lock beside him back open for the door, perhaps expecting reinforcements.
Gamon ignores the physician behind him, and Aloysia's subsequent ambush as he steps to the other side of the door and lashes out with two brutal blows against the mage standing before him.
Jolon grits his teeth as his bond gives him some of the injury meant for Gamon, and he lays a hand on Gamon to heal the rest.
"Last chance for a confession, tshamek!"
Nicolai will leave the doctor to Gamon and Jolon's none too tender mercies as he goes over to inspect the room and the "patients" therein.
Gamon's blow deals Davaulus a serious wound. The man is barely standing, bleeding heavily and panting hard.
Nicolai's inspection reveals fourteen of the fifteen Varisians on the tables are still alive. Every one is unconscious and unresponsive to quick interaction. They all appear to need serious medical treatment, but not a single one shows signs of bloodveil.
There are the burned remains of sheets of parchment still on the table, though the job appears to have been done poorly. Several large sections still remain of the notes, and given time, may provide clues as to what was happening here.
More splintering sounds come from behind the door as the stairwell door is attacked once again.
Aloysia moves up to the man, clearly a blood-thirst in her eyes, while calling to Jolon, "Any reason you want this man alive?"
"We don't know the full extent of what he's doing here...and WHO he's doing it for. I imagine Cressida will be eager to ask those questions of him," Jolon replies, his voice grim. The spirits flutter and whisper harshly, and Aloysia can almost hear a faint "She is right!" among them.
"PLEASE!" Jolon cries, interrupting them. "He's a dead man either way...what's waiting a little longer if it makes sure his victims get truer justice?"
Aloysia growls, "Fine," flips her daggers in her hands and attacks with the butt end
Davaulus dodges the strikes then begins intoning a spell, focusing his all on it.