I mean. There is the Splatter Man, but because of what has been happening in town with the blood writing, I figured it had escaped the prison here.....um through the door then?
"The Splatter Man. Sounds the worst of all. Very well, let's seek to end it."
Unless he notices anything unusual, Rufus will open the door and look through.
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Hold. Leeoli holds up a hand before reaching down into his pouches to pull a small semi-translucent vial up to the torch light. With practiced ease, he began pulling powders, greasy pastes, and granular bits, all while the tiny vial danced and tumbled between his blurring fingers. He smiles as he worked and was soon done. Without waiting to contemplate, he tossed the new concoction, vial and all, into his mouth and bites down.
Edible vials. Quite cutting edge. Leeoli smiles, knowing Rufus was following his work with a practiced eye. Let's proceed.
"I will be thankful to put this place behind me. It gives me the creeps."
Rufus checks the door and declares the way safe, then pushes through and into the room beyond.
Numerous grisly tools of torment decorate the room, from cages to hanging chains along the walls to a stretching rack, a large wooden tank, and a fire pit in the middle of the room. To the east stands a grim iron maiden, the lid closed and presenting a stern decoration of a tormented woman upon its face. The broken, twisted skeleton of a human dressed in a tattered guard’s uniform lies upon the stretching rack in the middle of the room; the body is surrounded by several discarded knives, branding irons, and pliers. A large, bloodstained wicker basket sits at the head of the rack.
An evil place, even without the dead.
Rufus swallows thickly as he inspects the basket, then tries to pry open the iron maiden with his sword.
This room has no doors, though the walls of it seem particularly roughly hewn - particularly the east wall. Rufus immediately regrets looking into the basekt, where he discovers what once must have been severed body parts - hands mostly likely, but also a foot, and some bones that may have been taken off with a hammer. The mass of flesh and bone has congealed into one thick mass that pushes the walls of the basket near to bursting.
A quick examination of the table near the basket proves the point - for here lies the body of a guard, possibly high up in the pecking order given the burnt and broken badge that has been forcefully wedged into his jaw. The body wears ruined old chainmail, and oddly inserted undeath it in the man's pelvis is a ring of keys. However the torturers had fixed those keys there, you couldn't guess.
Rufus begins to examine the iron maiden, a hideous thing, and for more than just its purpose. The outside is decorated with skulls and writhing snakes, below the face of one obscure goddess - perhaps meant to be the Lady of Graves, but with a dark, hateful visage. Whomever had made the piece had the obvious intention of making it strike fear into those that would see its exterior...and even more for those to be put within.
"By the gods..." Rufus says reflexively, for he has no affinity toward any of them in particular. The gruesome state of the body and basket of parts is shocking, though perhaps not as severely to him.
It's familiar, isn't it? Doesn't it remind you of your own experiments on the birds and cats you found around the lawn?
He brushes the thought away, for he hadn't tortured those animals to death. At least not intentionally. The dissections (perhaps a vivisection or two) were done to satisfy his scientific curiosity, not some depraved desire to inflict pain.
Is there any difference? Maybe you're sick, like daddy and Edgar. His own brain torments him in a sing-song. You've taken your white essence again, and don't forget the axe...
He need not reconcile that poisonous train of thought, for the creaking of the iron maiden draws all his attention.
"Zazaria, it may be another haunt." He grasps his sword until his knuckles turn white, preparing to strike anything corporeal that comes within reach.
From the corner of his eye, Leeoli catches movements from the lid of the iron maiden, and he instantly dismisses the heightened awareness aura. He feels a surge of springs into action.
Unsure of whether he should swallow his last shielding extract, or just throw holy water, and decides on the shield..not knowing what was coming. He crunches hard.
Dura is momentarily stunned by what cruelties she imagines must have gone on here. She reaches for the badge wedged in the skeletons mouth, unaware of the danger of the iron maiden.
Zazaria narrows her eyes, eyeing the maiden at Rufus's warning.
Her brow furrows. I sense nothing. What would you have me do?
Rufus hasn't a clue what the priestess should do. "I don't know...say a prayer?"
Zazaria narrows her eyes at the creaking maiden, her focus solely on the device as she gauges the level of danger. With a growl, she issues forth a quick call to her goddess - hoping, and also fearing, that the thing is an undead abomination and thus harmed by such things.
Henrick and Vrilli both see the opening torture device, and ready themselves to enact extreme violence on anything that actually comes out of it.
Zazaria's prayer certainly bolsters the will of those that have witnessed its power, but its not apparent if it damages it or not. However, a burst of movement comes from the basket nearby.
The cover of the iron maiden opens, revealing the frightened body of Kendra Lorrimor within!
Rufus wants to react to the movement in the basket, but he's just too shocked to see Kendra within the iron maiden. "K-K-Kendra? Is this real? How did you come to be here? Where is Anyi?"
He whirls around, looking for an enemy, an explanation, anything to make sense of the situation.
Dura nearly falls forward from surprise. She tries to call out to Kendra, but all the comes out of her mouth is a series of growls and whines. Her cheeks redden visibly as she moves forward to her friend.
Leeoli is confused. They had left Kendra at the house. They had proceeded in all haste here. There were three possibilities. One. She was magically whisked here. Two. This was not Kendra, probably an illusion or a body mimic. Three. The Kendra at home was not Kendra. The second possibility seems most probable, but the warning of a danger in town makes him worry about the third possibility.
Absently, Leeoli's free hand searches around in his pouch, and an extract reaches his hand. ah yes. Without further hesitation, he crunches down on the bitter pill.
Rufus shakes away a feeling that he should run in and pull Kendra out of the trap in which she stood. With a clear head, he tries to puzzle out the situation.
Kendra attempt to physically squirm out of the trap, but some unseen force is holding her within! Her eyes are wide with fright.
Leeoli senses undead in the general direction of the maiden, though he doesn't have the time to pick out particular auras.
Suddenly, amidst the sudden chaos, the basket bursts open to reveal a massive mass of hands and foot, and tissue that has all somehow fused together into a crawling mass of necrotic flesh and sickly boils. It darts forward like a crab or spider, leaping at its nearest foe.
The scrambling, misshapen hand is one large creature, not an assemblage or swarm of smaller creatures.
"Kendra, hang on!" Rufus wants to help her, but feels it best to put down the, the...whatever this thing is.
Still under the effect of his essence, he slams his sword down at the creature.
Leeoli, glad to have something to attack that had actual flesh, performs a perfectly balanced Imbroccata with his rapier. Spinning, he prepares to parry and riposte.
Dura lets out what can only be described as a roar, fury in her voice.
Daniel flies into action, springing past Leeoli to attack the composite creature.
Dura interposes herself between the creature and Zazaria, ready to strike should it come forward.
Rufus's mighy strike just barely glances off the of the thick hide-like skin of the crawling mass, instead clanging into the floor ineffectually. Leeoli's attack, though jabs right through the hide and into the beast, forcing it to convulse and squeal...somehow...and a burst of putrid gray puss sprays out in a cone about the wound.
Daniel flies forward, like an arrow of fur and claws shot from a mighty bow. The tiger latches onto the thing, then quickly lets go before the disgusting ooze can fill his mouth.
Vrilli, having seen the effect of his magics on the dwarf in the last room, grimaces as he levels his hand at the maiden. Aiming just above Kendra's hand and into the maiden itself, he launches a bolt of positive energy, though to little effect.
Henrik moves forward, slipping in front of Dura just as she had sought to protect Zazaria. He shimmers with an odd silver glow as he does, and when he get into place, slashes at the hand with a glowing claw. The abomination's hide forces the blow aside.
Zazaria moves slightly to the side, to get a good view of Kendra and the yawning maiden. She furrows her brow in frustration, and instead calls upon her goddess's power to guide Rufus's hand in his next blow.
The hand seems to stoop down on its "fingers" then springs up to slam at the enemy who had caused it the most harm - Leeoli. Leeoli is able to stumble back and away from the creature, avoiding harm.
Kendra reaches out from the maiden, her hand cut and bloody. She still makes no call, as if her voice is stifled by some odd magic. She pushes against the lid, in an effort to escape.
Leeoli, a quick study, was prepared for spurting ooze and dodged easily. Seeing the finger coming at him, Leeoli tried to parry, but failed. He felt the finger slam into him, but was thankful for the force field that hung in front.
Rufus feels the warmth of a guiding light.
He blinks in confusion. Something seems off.
That's an understatement.
"Why isn't she making any noise? I think it may be an illusion."
Being more careful, he takes a carefully aimed slice at the flesh monster, feeling his blade cut into sinew and bone.
Noting Rufus's slight glassed over look, he raises his eyebrow. What is it, Rufus?
The vile puss sprays over Daniel's furry face, causing instant nausea and forcing the tiger to shudder as his body is wracked pain.
Rufus's blade cleaves through the creature, cutting off one of its various, misshapen limbs. Another burst of puss sprays out, this time at Rufus.
Rufus deftly dives away from the streaking puss, his limbs proving unnaturally quick given with the blessings Zazaria had used upon him.
Horrified by Daniel's pain, Dura casts bless. The quicker this creature is down, the sooner she can help her poor tiger.
Leeoli attacks again, this time with a simple stab. He only hoped he didn't get sprayed in the face.
Leeoli stabs the creature, his blade plunging deeply into the body of the thing. Another burst of puss streams forth from the wound, as if shot from a pressurized kettle directly at Leeoli.
So if you change class you get the full first level bonus of the different class. It seems you'd be able to just switch classes over and over and have huge saving throws.
For example, let’s say a 5th-level fighter decides to dabble in the arcane arts, and adds one level of wizard when he advances to 6th level. Such a character would have the powers and abilities of both a 5th-level fighter and a 1st-level wizard, but would still be considered a 6th-level character. (His class levels would be 5th and 1st, but his total character level is 6th.) He keeps all of his bonus feats gained from 5 levels of fighter, but can now also cast 1st-level spells and picks an arcane school. He adds all of the hit points, base attack bonuses, and saving throw bonuses from a 1st-level wizard on top of those gained from being a 5th-level fighter.
Note that there are a number of effects and prerequisites that rely on a character’s level or Hit Dice. Such effects are always based on the total number of levels or Hit Dice a character possesses, not just those from one class. The exception to this is class abilities, most of which are based on the total number of class levels that a character possesses of that particular class.
The foul spray shoots out from the new puncture, but Leeoli arches his back just enough to let it pass by.
Henrik, overcome as he is with rage, slashes wildly at the hand with his claws, attempting to rip it into pieces. His claws, though, are not strong enough to penetrate through the leathery hide.
Zazaria, assuming the misshapen hand is well in....well, hand, rushes over to the maiden in an attempt to help Kendra. She reaches out for Kendra's grasping hand, but it seems to be always just out of reach, and drawing her further in....
Vrilli attempts to carve up the fleshy abomination...
Vrilli slashes down at the creature, taking off a misshapen lump from the top of it's repulsive body. A stream of puss leeks out, hissing as if from a tea kettle. Vrilli, thankfully, is able to dart aside to allow the puss to streak past harmlessly
The hand scrabbles forward in a most disturbing manner and leaps at Leeoli once again, intent upon wrapping its misshapen digits about a living host.
In a deft move, Leeoli puts up his blade in a deflecting maneuver, changing the trajectory of the creature and ducking at the same time. The scrabbling hand darts by overhead, and Leeoli stands after it passes, plunging the point of his blade deep into the creature's form. He follows it over and to the ground, sinking his blade deep within the hide.
The creature spurts out one last jet of puss before the fluid slows to a slow stream of discolored, pungent ooze that seeps from its many wounds.
Zazaria, as if entranced, walks into the iron maiden to save Kendra. With a metallic clang, the torture device slams shut.
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