Milo, like Xander, tries to use the cover of Kinvara's words as a chance to sidle closer, and try and see the unseen 'Ilquis.'
Vandrare stands to his full height as he realises he's been spotted. Lowering his sword, he stares intently at the two sickly figures and moves in front of Kinvara.
Tess keeps to the shadows and hopes to see a bit more as she moves for a better view.
Fane and Oana look at each other, and Oana begins to shed a few silent tears. Sick, I know, close to dying, that's what they say, she replies.
But Ilquis is here. His light...drives the darkness away... Fane adds. Look!
Indeed, as you look past the vats and the pair of humans into the room, the light threatens to overpower your eyes. In such bright illumination, you can't help but feel a sense of foreboding, as if something's watching despite your efforts to hide. The light seems to emanate from a curious sight in the middle of the room.
What used to be a wood rack designed to hold candles hanging to dry has been broken and mangled, and sits in the middle of the chandlery floor. Around it is a circle surrounded by strange symbols, drawn in cooled tallow and what looks suspiciously (and horrifyingly) like blood.
The symbols used in the circle's creation have a clear meaning. The drying rack has been pressed into service as a makeshift altar meant for one thing: ritual sacrifices.
Faint over the noise of the furnace, you hear a soft humming sound, like the sound of hummingbird wings, coming from near the north vats.
Suddenly, the same small voice from before erupts in a loud shout. તેના કાન અવાજ લો!
A nimbus of light erupts around Kinvara; she winces in discomfort as her ears hum almost painfully with a loud, high buzzing, but it subsides, leaving her none the worse off.
Fools! I told you, I’m not to be interrupted! Leave the thralls be! The baron will hear of your insolence, your meddling!
"I hear something flying around by the north vats!" he calls to the others, "but I can't see it!"
He leaves his hiding place, bolting back towards the doors they came in by with one thought in mind: shut them. If their unseen assailant really is a servant of the baron's, then Milo's strong sense of self-interest tells him they need to make sure it stays shut in here with them, and can't slip out, unseen, to go find the baron, or other help.
Xander's eyes clouded over again.
"S̘̭͍̲̰ͅͅẖ́o̠͕w̵͎ ̠̤̼̫̥̩ͅm̻͓̝e͘.̰̘̱̼̱̗" he whispered to the spirits around him.
Xander's clouded eyes see truth - a small human-like figure, wide dragonfly-like wings behind him, is outlined by a spectral mist, pale and blue against the yellow light emanating from the altar. He's made no effort to duck into a hiding place; indeed, he is standing full in the glow of the makeshift altar.
As Xander's eyes fall on the outline, the spectral figure's head snaps around and locks eyes with him. The small voice lets out another cry in the same strange language, and this time Xander is bathed in the glow of a spell as the figure darts to a new location.
Xander is not so fortunate as Kinvara, however - as the nimbus of light washes over him, he claps his hands to his ears in pain as buzzes and chimes overwhelm him, then suddenly give way to utter silence.
"Leave this place, now!" Vandrare roars at Fane and Oana as he raises his sword. He looks past them, trying to spy the owner of the strange voice.
"No, we do not want them leaving!" Milo hisses at Vandrare's order to the sick people. "You want them stumbling out into the street looking like that and talking about this-- and us-- to anyone who passes?"
Milo punctuates his words by closing the doors, to shut everyone in, including their new 'friend'. Then, he turns and dashes towards the mysterious Ilquis... with a bit of derring-do along the way. He reaches up with his free hand to the edge of the furnace, using that to pull himself up and over, in a backflip over the sick Oana.
Initiative order: Ilquis, Vandrare/Milo/Kinvara, Fane/Oana, Xander/Tess
Vandrare, despite searching frantically, is not able to gain any clues as to the mystery assailant's location.
Milo's daring acrobatics pay off, as he is able to catapult himself over Oana's head to land safely behind her.
Leave? Fane responds with a confused look in his eye? We can't leave...Master Ilquis's light protects us...
He has to stay safe... Oana adds.
Both reach for their belts, where solid wood clubs hang. They pull them free and swing at Vandrare, but the weapons lurch ineffectually past him.
Tess moves along the wall in stealth to be in position to intercept any aid to Oana or Fane
Still hidden, Xander pointed toward Fane.
"H̻͙͜o̪͕̦̱͎l̡͔̹̟̱̝̤͉d̶̞͖̰ ́h͉͓̣͟i̢̼͓m̵.̫" he whispered to the spirits he commanded.
Then he waited for spirits to show him the location of their hidden enemy.
Xander begins the familiar words and gestures of a spell to hold Fane in place. But with the silence reigning in his ears, he can't hear his own words. One change of intonation goes wrong, and the spell's energy fizzles out harmlessly.
Tess conceals herself in the shadow of the northmost vat, waiting for a chance to strike at their hidden enemy.
Another high-pitched shout rises, this time from near the altar. તેની આંખો માંથી પ્રકાશ લો! This time, the nimbus of light settles over Milo. A strange white light builds in his view, but after a few moments it fades away, leaving him no worse off.
With a screech of frustration at the failure of his final spell, Xander sees the spectral figure fly forward and take a place behind the furnace, though everyone else misses the sound of beating wings. Its place also puts it next to Milo - with Fane opposite, distracting Milo from any attacks.
Vandrare mutter something under his breath in response to Milo's reprimand as he swings his blade at Fane. Using the flat of the sword, he aims a mighty slap at the sick looking man's face.
Milo flinches at the light washing over him, but when nothing happens he exhales. "Where the devil is it?" he exclaims in frustration-- even as he flips his rapier's hilt into his other hand, draws a sap from his belt, and lashes out at the unfortunate Oana.
"Listen, miss," he says as he swings, "I don't take much pleasure in hurting a sick woman, but I suggest you take a long rest for what bit of your health remains to you."
Unaware that he's now between two foes, Milo takes no step away.
Vandrare takes a swing with his sword, purposely turning it to the flat, but it can't quite make a solid impact through the leather armor Fane wears.
Kinvara, too, has some trouble with her attack, as her long spear catches the vat behind her and gets momentarily hung up, hampering her stab.
Milo, however, has better luck. His sap swings hard at Oana and connects solidly with her chest, and she drops in a heap to the floor.
Upon seeing his wife fall, Fane's face blanches. Oana...no...please, don't hurt us any more...or Master Ilquis. He's one with the light...keeps us safe... Tears begin to run down his cheeks and over his swollen throat, and he drops his club to the floor and raises his empty hands.
Xander calls out, calling loudly and sounding strange, kind of like he had a cold.
He drew and threw a small sphere from one of his many pouches.
]
Tess readies for the unknown to show themselves
Xander watches helplessly as the winged specter dodges easily out of the way of most of the goo, although the splatters catch him, tangling his arms, legs, and wings. With a screech, he struggles against the goo and barely manages to land on his feet as he falls to the floor. The goo also has an unintentional effect - it provides a wisp of visual references for those not blessed with Xander's gift, giving a glimmer of a chance at locating him in the overwhelming light coming from the altar.
Xander watches as the figure gathers his wits, and even Vandrare is able to make out his position from the movement of the goo. The figure swings his dagger at Milo, hoping to surprise him with an invisible strike, but Milo's uncanny ability to avoid danger serves him well, and he dodges out of the way of the blade.
Frustrated, he lets out a yell and moves away from Milo, but if anything, his new position is even less concealed - Milo, Tess, and Vandrare can all make out a blurry outline in the light, hung with strands of brittle goo like party streamers.
Xander pointed to where the strands of glue revealed the invisible creature's presence, just in case his allies had missed it. "There!"
"G̥̯̻u̺͔̜̭̠̦͉i̢̛̱͎͜d̵̻̝̼̺ͅe̶̡͍̺ ̗͙̫̠͙̩̬u͚̠̬̼̘̼ͅͅs̙͎̙̠̘!̝̮͠"he said, his voice taking on the strange, hollow, distant quality that it did when he invoked his power.
Milo yelps as something hits him, spinning around-- but now he can see things! Sticky tendrils! Good enough!
"Over here!" he yells, and runs that way. "I'll get on that side of it if someone gets on this side!"
"Do we want to try and ask questions of it?" Milo yells at his colleagues, and decides to use his sap just in case they do.
Milo's sap, unfortunately, finds only air.
Kinvara, in a moment of mercy, kneels by Oana and touches her. She does not wake, but she smiles for a moment, and Fane's eyes well a bit. Y-yes. Of course, he replies to Kinvara's request, picking his wife up under the shoulders and pulling her behind the vats. But please, don't hurt Ilquis...
Xander speaks his words of power, and his divine blessing washes over everyone, joining the power of Pharasma already empowering his allies.
Milo jockeys for position around a frustrated Ilquis, waiting for a distraction to make his strikes more effective.
Vandrare rushes forward to give Milo a hand. Stepping opposite Milo, he takes a swing with his sword - seeing that Milo is opting for non-lethal methods, he does the same, swinging with the flat of his sword.
Both Milo's sap and Vandrare's sword swing wild, however.
Tess moves in on Ilquis flanking him.
Second round entangled.
5 of 15 damage to tanglefoot goo.
Tess swings her halberd with mighty force, and it looks for a moment as if she'll strike true - but her weapon passes through empty air, missing the fey.
Still struggling against the strands of alchemical glue, Ilquis decides discretion is the better part of valor and dodges away from his assailants, handily ducking beneath their weapons and withdrawing. His blurry outline fades into the light, but Milo manages to make out a shimmer near the altar, a flash of his dagger as he scrapes at the goo entangling him.
"It's over by that vile altar!" Mahdi shouts, gesturing.
Tess moves in on Ilquis' new position and gives a swing
