Three serpentine women’s voices begin chanting in unison from behind you in the doorway. You look and see four Chameleon Women have quietly entered the room. Three of them chant and bleed lightly, and both Moq and Tenchi drop to the floor, asleep. The other Chameleon Woman drops a large barbed net over Moq, as Tenchi is still both tied up and held by Aterro’s spell.
The two specters abandon their hosts and rise into the air, crackling with swirling gold energy.
”Mammals! We’ve been sent to help to honor this truce that’s been brokered.” one of the Chameleon Women hisses. ”And it seems like you needed it pretty badly.”
The specters try to possess two of the Chameleon Women sorceresses with no avail and bellow loudly in frustration.
Tenchi sleeps fiercely, like a Samurai should.
The runic symbol on the small silvery disk imbedded on the center of Riven's forehead glows fiercely and he raises his hand firing a blast of flames toward the nearest specter.
Moq is a mirror to Tenchi, splayed out akwardly and drooling slightly.
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"WE've no _need_ of help I'll have you know!" Brother Aterro spits back at their erstwhile allies. "The white fist of TORM has the battle well in hand. But so long as you would deign to call yourself an ally, then lay on. And we shall see of what stern stuff you are made."
Attero replaces the dagger into his fist and rises up to the ghost, carrying the battle to them!
Truce or not, Thratch is still a bit scared of the chameleon women after what happened last time. At their appearance, he hides behind one of his larger allies.
Ashlyn gives a respectful bow to the Chameleon women. "You have my thanks. We do not possess the ability to incapacitate our taken allies. Please, retreat now, that these creatures not take over your abilities and leave us unable to restrain you."
Ashlyn gathers the weave into a small dart of fire and launches it at the closest ghost.
SNORE!!!!!!!
Riven's fire bolt destroys the nearby specter, already weakened by previous attacks. It shrieks as it dissipates into a fine gold powder which sprinkles onto the ground.
Meanwhile Ashlyn and Aterro both hit the other specter, weakening it considerably.
The Chameleon Women draw their machetes, which all have a faint glow, and take turns slashing at the creature.
Two of them successfully hit with their weapons and destroy the weakened creature, which turns also turns into a gold powder like it's pair.
The Chameleon Women quickly gather the dust into a small pouch and tie it up.
"Not too bad, mammals. We're keeping an eye on you. Try not to get yourselves killed to quickly." one of them says as they duck out the door heading north and crawl up the walls into the shadows.
"We're watching if you run into trouble again." another faintly cackles as they scurry off.
Moq and Tenchi slowly begin to stir from their slumber.
The mechanical peacock suddenly pipes up,
"This is intolerable! They didn't have invitations to the wedding either! I cannot abide by this!"
Tenchi stands and says "What happened? Have I dishonored myself?"
I still don't trust those women. They could take some innocent bystander again and try to sacrifice me to whatever f&&@ed up gods they believe in.
As he unties Tenchi, he says, Of course you haven't dishonored yourself. There have to be such a thing as honor for that to happen! The last part he says cheerfully, thinking it's actually a reassuring statement to Tenchi - after all, it worked for the other orphans in the den.
Riven scans the room once before acknowledging the Chameleon Women's statements. "It seems the spirits used the medium of gold to give themselves substance. Does the gold dust have special properties?"
He looks to his recovering companions. "This scenario was not anticipated. Should I become corrupted by such a spirit in the future, please do not hesitate to destroy me if it will preserve your existence. It seems we need magic to harm these specters if they inhabit this area."
Finally he looks back to the peacock and studies it. "Your logic is corrupted. There is something corrupting this place and you are unable to perceive it. Assume this was so, there must be an external protocol needed to cleanse this corruption to repair you. Allow us access and we will repair the corruption so that you can resume your duty properly. Surely your perception of time and logic should tell you there has been no end to the wedding for an abnormal period of time."
Riven glances back as Ashlyn hoping he was making a better impression then simply pushing past this mechanical peacock and trying his own form of persuasion.
Scowling at Thratch's comment, Tenchi will say "Honor is life. It is what allows us to rise in the morning in the face of overwhelming evil, and it is what allows us to stride towards that evil without fear. Food will keep your body going, but without honor, you have no reason to eat. To behave honorably is to remind oneself that their life does not matter, but that we carry on the lives of those that came before."
Tenchi finishes the last part by picking up the wrapped body of Wan'di.
"Now I ask again: have I dishonored myself?"
Well, tough guy, ya still alive, ain't ya? If honor is life and ya still alive, then ya ain't dishonored yourself, Thratch says.
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Aterro chuckles and slaps Tenchi on the back good-naturedly. "Ha. Nay, you have not dishonored yourself. You raised blade against me, but Torm 's will put cessation to such an action, and 'twas not by your own will besides."
The WarCleric chuckles and moves off, surveying the situation. "Well, we mean to get in to that wedding, but neither lie nor truth has moved that peacock. Are we to slay it then, or shall we wait for riven's honeyed tongue to changes its ways?"
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Thratch's eyes light up. There's honey in there? Aterro, make him share it!
Nodding to both Thratch and Aterro, Tenchi shakes his head to clear the cobwebs and says to the peacock "We mean you nor yours any ill will, but you shall not impede us. For your own sake, yield from your position and allow us entry."
"Well of course there's a wedding going on! It's been going on for … ages! It's just how they do things in their … their tradition."
"And who are you to talk to me of corruption when you're obviously trying to crash the wedding of … the beloved couple!"
"Look, you can stay for one drink and have a quick look around, but then I suggest you be on your way before you make a scene! The couple shouldn't be upset on their most joyous … day."
The peacock trails off and gestures toward the east chamber, still looking annoyed.
The peacock seems to not remember any details about the wedding itself. You suspect it's just playing along and trying to cover as it doesn't know what else to do.
You catch a glimpse into the next room to the east. Amidst bunting and ribboned walls, you see blackened and charred figures walking around as though they're talking with one another. You hear only faint whispers coming from the room, and nothing intelligible.
Riven nods to the Peacock. "We will...ensure that we do not disrupt the wedding of Sophia Wort. Come my fellow...companions. Let us observe the ceremony and seek...the place where gifts are taken."
Riven will cautiously advance into the room. Beta(Owl) flaps over and lands on his shoulder while Gamma(Boar) trots behind.
Tenchi proceeds into the wedding without further comment.
Oh, I hope they have good food, Thratch says under his breath.
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"Hrm, ah, yes. Here we are, now about to go into this completely real wedding. Us, the normal people, going to the wedding which is definitely a real thing and not at all some nonsensical fabrication, and you are perfectly normal for the acts which do, uh, now do."
Aterro chuckled to himself. He could be honey-tongued when he needed to!
As you enter the chamber , you see what Riven caught before.
The large room is decorated in colorful buntings and ribbons along the walls.
This provides a stark contrast to the occupants of the room, an assortment of blackened figures with carbonized flesh and bones that resemble graphite. Some are haloed in shimmering sheets of stained gold. Several carry the remnants of glassware that appears to have been long ago shattered.
The figures make little noise except some low, wheezing whispers to each other as though trying to have conversations.
One of the charred corpses shambles by slowly and looks at the group before uttering barely audible gasping dry moans that faintly sounds like "And what do you do?" with feigned interest.
You overhear another pair nearby exchanging raspy quiet moans about how "The happy couple should be here any minute."
You notice the floor is covered in black ash and bone and most of the figures seem disinterested in you.
You see other open chambers to the south of you:
This small room contains a golden key in the middle of the floor with a large label reading "Treasury" in the common language. There appears to be a string tied to it leading farther south.
This large room holds several tables with rotted foodstuffs on them. In the center on a table is a large, perfect-looking white cake, multi-tiered and cleanly cut. It looks impeccably fresh. Atop the cake are the figures of a man and a woman and below their linked hands a model of a swan.
You spy shimmers of gold floating around the next chamber immediately east of the wedding chamber that look identical to the specters you just fought off.
Tenchi steps back from the undead creature as it moves toward the group, as a near reflex.
What the f@+!, whispers Thratch.
Seeing the key and the string, he very carefully and quietly traces the string to the source.
Riven stared around taking everything in, showing no emotions outwardly at the sight of so many dead decaying guests that might have once been human. There seems to...be a glitch or something as his gaze locks on the ashes on the floor and he is reminded of more burnt flesh laying on the ground in the ruins of what was once a village. Gamma looks up and nudges at Riven's leg jolting him back to the present.
"The chance of a trap with the blatantly labeled treasury and key seem logical. Rather than risk spring it ourselves I suggest we stand back with magics ready and I will send Beta in to attempt to retrieve the key, severing the string with his talons. I welcome input and analysis of this action as there seems to be no immediate threats."
"This mockery of a ceremony that honors the spirits is an abomination, as Brother Aterro would say."
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"Indeed," Aterro says, stepping beside Tenchi. "One wonders what forces of chaos inhabit this place, forcing things that have long-since been corpses to prance about, mimicking the life that has long since left him. I suspect, if we ever do find the origin of this mystery, 'twill be a sad, dark tale indeed.
Still, one would be remiss to not at least investigate the oddities before we finally mark the whole site for an Externimatus."
That said he walks over to the incredibly-odd cake that has stood the test of time stronger than a column of undying stone.
Thratch inspects the string tied to the key. It follows south in a straight line to the next room, which is obscured by darkness.
As Riven instructs Beta to retrieve the key, it is suddenly yanked away into the southern room.
Meanwhile, Aterro walks over to inspect the wedding cake. It stands out in it's seeming perfection amidst the grey, dusty lumps that may have once been edible food. He detects the slightest hint of enchantment on the cake, beyond its preservation through the ages.
You start to see patterns to the black ash along the floors and walls, as though a powerful explosion had happened at one point. The blast patterns suggest the source was northeast of here.
Can anyone stop the darkness in the next room? Got a spell or a torch or something? Thratch quietly requests.
Thratch rolls the charcoal into the room to light it up. Then he gets an arrow ready to fire. Just in case.
Thratch rolls the lit charcoal into the southern room, and it casts light upon the chamber. What he and anyone else looking on sees is unsettling.
In the glow of the light, you can see several small, child-sized tables, rows of tiny chairs and remnants of toys in the corner. Blackened soot covers everything and you see small ash piles and graphite lumps on the furniture and floor.
The walls are covered in the same ash blast patterns as the other rooms. The walls are also decorated with fairly fresh blood and what appears to be dried adult humanoid skins, much newer than the ash.
In the middle of the room is what appears to be a small child, nearly identical to the ghost of Tyko Wort, but in physical form. He appears mummified, twisted flesh pulled tight over bone. His teeth and fingertips are narrow, long and sharp, and caked in dried blood. His eyes are sunken and burning with cruelty. He grins at you and hisses slightly when the light hits him. He's holding the string with the key attached.
He begins to back away from the light toward a darkened corner.
This creature is a wight, one of the undead that can drain life-force from the living.
Thratch immediately looses his arrow (if he can before that f+%%ed up scary ass child thing moves).
"That is an undead creature of dangerous nature called a wight. Beware it's life draining attacks. Recommend dispatching from distance."
Riven's eyes cut through the darkness as he takes aim with his right palm and runic markings flare to life as a bolt of fire launches at the retreating undead thing. Gamma stays back snorting but unwilling to charge the thing unless ordered to do so.
Tenchi whips his blade free of it's scabbard with a low underhand slashing motion, which causes an shimmering, nearly invisible wave of force to slide across the ground towards the wight.
Thratch's arrow hits the creature square in the chest. It hisses and pulls it out, throwing it aside.
Riven casts a firebolt at the creature, which misses.
The creature then resists the brunt of Tenchi's wave of force as Aterro casts a guiding bolt upon it and does significant damage to the creature.
Ashlyn hurls a fire bolt at the creature from the back of the hallway. She spies the ghost of Tyko Wort looking on nervously.
With whisps of flame coming of its smoldering body, the small wight runs forward at nearly blinding speed and goes after Thratch with its claws!
The second claw catches the halfling and hits hard!
A faint black mist rises from Thratch's wound as he feels unusually weakened by the attack.
Tyko Wight pulls back with a horrible wheezing that sounds almost like a laugh and scurries back to its room.
Riven closes in standing in front of Thratch to protect him from any future excursions from the creature as he unleashes another blast of flame in steady consecutive shots after the retreating creature, advancing slowly.
Holy Shit! Thratch exclaims as he jumps back.
He then moves behind the statue of Aterro and fires an arrow back at the freak.
As the creature scuttles back to it's room, Tenchi follows without hesitation, ending next to the creature.
Riven throws another fire bolt at the wight, missing it.
Tenchi attempts to strike at it within the room, but it ducks under a table and crawls out of the way.
Thratch, though still in shock from the creature trying to drain his life-energy, looses an arrow that hits hard. Very hard. He hears the wight howl and hiss as it staggers forward and flops face-down before shriveling into a pile of moldy leather goo.