Calm, collected, and in a surprisingly good mood all things considered, Gamon smiles as well as he sizes up the remaining physician and lashes out with his oversized axe.
The enormous axe descends and the life of another plague bringer has been ended. All that remains is the lone Gray Maiden, standing before the door to prevent your access.
She takes up her sword and swings at Jolon, trying to take out one enemy at a time.
Despite her composure Jolon is still just able to avoid the blow with a quick deflection using his sword.
Aloysia moves into position setting up for another attack if it becomes necessary
Jolon retaliates with a swing of his own sword!
Gamon moves past the oversized Jolon to cut off the Gray Maiden's last remaining route of escape, but is too over-zealous with his attack and only leaves sparks skittering across the stone floor as his axe goes wide.
The Gray Maiden continues her assault on Jolon, refusing to move from the front of the doors.
Because of his larger size Jolon isn't able to move out of the way in time and takes a slash down his arm.
Aloysia tries to find fleshy openings in her armor and stabs
Gamon swings out twice more at the Gray Maiden, but she proves more agile than the physicians he had been fighting before, and easily dodges both blows.
Jolon grunts in pain at the wound, but stands firm, raising his klar and touching his arm.
Cold, holy light flows over it like water, sealing it as if it wasn't there.
"There is no wound you can give me that my goddess and my ancestors cannot give back," he says sternly.
The Maiden's only response is a scream of fury and another slash with her sword.
After swinging and missing widely yet again, Gamon takes a second to find his bearing, before bringing down his axe with a better-aimed strike.
The Maiden manages to deflect the power behind the blow using her shield, avoiding taking damage herself.
Aloysia's frustration grows as the Maiden refuses to just die
She screams at the first shot not connecting
And in her blind fury she scores a lucky hit
[ooc]4 Bleed on the Maiden now too[/dice]
Jolon retaliates against the Gray Maiden!
Aloysia's dagger finds the opening in the Maiden's armor, the lack of gorget protecting the throat. The spray covers the door guarded by the Maiden, and after the infernal clanging of the armored body hitting the floor the only sounds are the coughing and wheezing of the blood veil victims around you.
Behind the door is an elevator with access going up and down.
"Well, that was fun! Sorry you got beat up, Jolon. Shall we head down or double check up?"
Gamon thinks for a second, Let's try up. I'd rather make sure we haven't missed anything above first, before we venture into what might be a heavily guarded hideout beneath us.
With combat over Nicolai will peer out the door and survey the scene. Being ever practical he will bend over the bodies and first scan them for magic and then rifle through their pockets for loose change. "I'm with Gamon. I'd hate to leave something between us and the exit should we need to beat a hasty retreat."
"Well, that was fun! Sorry you got beat up, Jolon. Shall we head down or double check up?"
"Heh, I'd rather I be the one getting beat up than the rest of you. I can take the hits."
He nods at the others' assessment.
"Up first, then the basement."
The Gray Maiden doesn't have anything more than her weapons and armor on her, and the doctor's all have those plague masks, healing kits and arms, but it is the angry 'nurse' who has objects of interest on her person. She has a potion, 4 scrolls, 2 vials of alchemist’s fire, holy water, a thunderstone, magic studded leather, a light crossbow with 10 bolts, her masterwork rapier, a disguise kit, an everburning torch, a healer’s kit, thieves’ tools, a wizard’s spellbook, a wooden holy symbol, and 129 gp.
The elevator just lets out at the top of the warehouse, ignoring the gantry hanging over the main floor entirely. Using the button found on Davaulus you make the lift head down, past the main floor, into the lightless depths. The air grows cooler as it caresses your skin, leaving trails of goosebumps and introducing something foul to your noses. A particular stench that speaks of disease and undeath, much worse here than up above.
Jolon looks at the holy symbol, attempting to identify it.
The symbol is, surprisingly, that of Sarenrae.
"A Sarenite?!" Jolon exclaims upon identifying the symbol. "Have we...accidentally killed someone who was only deceived into participating in this?!"
Gamon shrugs. More likely they took it from a worshipper they killed, or keep it to deceive themselves that they still follow Sarenrae's light. No one could see what has happened here and believe themselves to be doing good.
"I hope you're right, Gamon. People in desperate times can believe a little evil can achieve a greater good, but Pharasma's judgment does not treat actions as a tally that can be balanced to avoid punishment for your choices and your actions..."
While his friends rest and heal their wounds Nicolai will examine the magic items they have found.
"Doctor" Davalaus:
Nurse "Ratched"
With the items done Nicolai ceases to concentrate on his detect magic spell and casts a read magic in it's place and then begins to peruse the scrolls and spellbook.
What at first appears to be an eversmoking bottle reveals itself to actually be a flask of curses. It seems Davaulus had one last trick after death if his items were stolen. The potion on the other hand seems to be insurance as it is a potion of remove disease. The nurse's potion was a healing potion, and she was wearing protective enchanted studded leather. Her scrolls are an interesting hodge-podge of spells: bless, burning hands, cure light wounds, and magic missile.
With a wave of his hand Nicolai dismisses the spells on Gamon and Jolon, causing them to revert back to their normal size.
"Thank you for that, by the way, Nicolai," Jolon replies.
You make your way onto the elevator and drop below the ground, ready to face whatever comes your way. The doors open revealing scuffed stone walls of this chamber which have been plastered over and then decorated with lurid murals of skeletons cavorting among the dead of a Korvosa that has completely succumbed to blood veil. Simple wooden doors lead to the north, south, and west, each bearing a painting of a scythe-wielding skeleton. A sizable double door stands on the east wall, appearing in the mural as a massive set of double doors opening into the pyramid foundation of Castle Korvosa. Two more scythe-wielding skeletons decorate these large doors. And in front of these are four gray maidens, firing at you as the doors fully open!
Only one arrow makes it into the elevator, but it nearly takes out Jolon hitting perilously close to his heart.
Aloysia immediately dashes out the door and heads to flank a Maiden.
Nicolai flinches as the arrow whizzes past his head. Looking out of the elevator he sees the maidens lined up against the wall in front of the doors "It's obvious that they don't want us to go that way, so I say that's the way to go." Gesticulating wildly Nicolai casts a spell he shouts as little motes of glitter appear in the air around the Maidens "They can't hit what they can't see".
Gamon steps up to the nearest Gray Maiden, sizing her up quickly and chopping down with an overhead strike.
Jolon rips out the bolt and quickly touches the wound, sealing it up quickly with Pharasma's cold, healing light.
Nicolai's spell goes off, drawing pained cries from two of the now sparkly maidens, while the others ignore the dust.
The maiden refuses to be shaken even after Gamon's devastating hit.
The maidens drop their bows and switch to the swords and shields as they move into new positions.
Drael steps over the corpse of the first Maiden as he stares down another, striking two quick blows with his axe.
Gamon continues swinging, moving forward and crushing the gray maiden's defenses, cutting her down easily.
Aloysia moves into position, swinging her dagger at the maiden, but is unable to get through the thick plate armor.
Jolon steps forward and swings his sword at the maiden flanked by Nicolai and Aloysia!
Jolon also finds difficulty breaking through the tough armor of the maidens.
Nicolai carefully takes a step in front of the maiden and casts a spell he intones as an intense wave of colored lights engulf the warrior woman.
The maiden cries out, dropping her armaments and clutching at her helmet.
The second maiden raises her sword, preparing to strike.
Aloysia shifts to get into a better position and starts stabbing...
Gamon takes advantage of the blinded maiden having cornered herself to move in and attack with vigor.
Jolon takes another crack at the Grey Maiden they're all ganging up on!