Ashe grimaces when the fungus encrusted skeletons release clouds of spores - wishing they had an air elemental to sweep the clouds away...
Ashe dashes forward in his full plate armor, shield raised high for maximum defense... not to rush the skeletal foes but to leap off the high cliff ledge, trusting to his to float gently down to the lowest portion of the cavern complex far below to solid ground... and his to assist the seemingly suicidal 'leap of faith' to hopefully avoid the water far below...
Ashe knows fighting the spore creatures within the cloud is playing into their tactics... and not something he is inclined to willingly do...
That, and Ashe wishes to get his dear friend, clear of the cloud as he can already hear the tiny pseudodragon wheezing on the spores.
From below Ashe can target the skeletons with his bow and destroy them at range... and if they choose to follow.. he's more than willing to let them try to survive the falling impact they will suffer from the high ledge should they follow him! Besides, if he needs he can use one of his two to take flight and snipe them from the air... again avoiding their spore cloud!
As soon as Ashe leaps from the high ledge spreads his wings and glides away as well using the natural air currents to take him far away from the spore cloud to loose himself in the cavern fungal growth his Amethyst-colored scale shift hue as he tries to blend into the natural cave flora hiding...
Ebon Wings and Nosoi gape for a second, then fly after Ashe. With their natural flight they can guide his fall.
Ashe lands and sheaths his sword letting his Heavy Steel Shield fall on its shoulder strap to his waist.
Drawing his enchanted Composite Shortbow, , he takes aim at one of the skeletal minions of house Arkona... 100'ft above on the precarious ledge.
Ashe takes careful aim and lets fly with an arrow at the rearmost skeleton... so as not to be shooting into Graxer's melee.
...unfortunately.. Ashe needs to adjust his angle to account for the height and the arrow goes short.
What's this? a secret passage? Let's see if we can figure out its tricks.
Lucia fumbles with the podium for a while before finding the pressure plate. As the passageway swings open, the stocky half-elf offers a quick prayer to her goddess.
"Lady of Graves, protect us and let us go swiftly to your side if we fall. Let us root out what abominations there may be here, for this is not their path."
She checks to make sure her armor is securely fastened, pulls her father's second-best blade free of its back sheath, then steps down the spiraling metal stairs.
Astrid glances to Lucia, her dark eyes narrowing as the girl fumbles through the mechanism to unlock the passageway. Before she steps into the newly opened passage, the dwarf pulls her rapier.
"Och! Ye trying to get us killed? What if someone had trapped that?" Astrid asks, taking a moment to meticulously look over the entrance to the passage.
Ashe fires his bow again attacking the Fungal skeletons from below firing at the ledge... to avenge his fallen comrade!
Lucia takes a look at the dwarf and skeletons, moves away from them while drawing her repeating crossbow and setting her sword down, and takes a shot at the nearest skeleton.
Ebon Wings cursed himself for a coward. All too easy to think his comrades could handle a few minor undead, but once again... once again the curse of undeath had proven that to allow any lenience was to curt utter ruin.
Graxer - loud, violent, but loyal was down. It was very clear whose fault this was.
Activating Stormlure the wispy form sparked, and the winds that flew around him strengthened, then strengthened, then strengthened again. Within that dark cloud black raven wings occasionally appeared.
Out from the abyss rose the whirling storm of Ebon Wings
As the storm rises out of the abyss a mournful hymn to Pharasma rises with him, blending with the occasional militant strains of Gorumite chant.
A few words in Celestial echo out over the hall
Hey, I know that prayer, just can't ever remember the language! Another Pharasmic, perhaps? At least some others trying to carry out Her work.
As the winds picks up over the edge of the ledge, Lucia shouts a few words at the undead before her. "In the Lady of Grave's name, you will walk the path, abominations!" As she yells this, her left hand makes a quick spiraling motion over her crossbow, and she fires at the nearest skeletal creature.
Edit:
Astrid pulls her crossbow up to her chest, nestling it against her shoulder. She glances over at Lucia. "So we're just going to yell at the bloody things now, are we?"
She wastes no time following with two crossbow bolts aimed at the strange skeletal creatures.
Lucia coughs once, hoping that none of the spores made it into her lungs. She pops the magazine off her repeating crossbow and places two more bolts in before clipping it back to the stock. I suppose introductions are in order, and then I should see about sending these to the Spiral properly. She steps toward the ledge, looking down at Asherick while trying to avoid the wind and dust kicked up by the stormcloud of Ebon Wings.
"Hello down there! You must be Asherick! I'm Lucia! Come up here so we can speak properly; I have work here still!"
She steps away from the edge before he can answer, kneeling by the battered and broken skeletons. "Lady of Graves, guide these lost spirits on their way back to you, and know that they did not cling to our world of their own accord. Take them swiftly into the Boneyard, and let them walk the Path to you and to eternity, for this Path was not theirs, and the Path will choose the walker." Lucia drags her open palm across the skeleton's eye sockets, simulating the closing of the eyes, before finishing with a spiraling motion over their ribcages.
And as for the dwarf... She checks the body, searching for a sign of life. She sees no breathing, but his injuries seem impossible to sustain, so she begins looking for an indication of his faith so that she can consign his soul to the right god or goddess. Finding a tattooed symbol of Gorum, she places the dwarf's greatsword on his chest in a position of honor, beginning her prayer to Pharasma.
"Lady of Graves, this spirit belongs to the Lord in Iron. This dwarf is a man who walked his path of his own accord, and though his friends will mourn him, he chose this fate and accepted it with open arms. May you speed him to his Lord, and may Gorum allow this triumphant warrior into his host, embracing him as a brave and bloodthirsty warrior. Go now, friend dwarf, for life is no longer your Path."She shuts his eyes before gesturing in the same spiraling motion, finishing the quick rites.
As the skeletons fall the winds calm down and the song stops. Slowly the whipping gale at the centre of the storm becomes a breeze, glimpses of ebon dark wings flicking through it. The wings coalesce and become a man, who steps down onto the ground in the now still air.
Ashe waves up at the unexpected arrivals and is about to say something when she is gone again...
He sheaths his shortbow and sets his heavy shield on his arm and trudges his way back up the series of ledges and crosswalks to find his way back up to the top.
Finally arriving he raises his visor to regard his slain dwarven comrade... grief etched on his handsome face...
He turns to regard to two new-comers, "Well met, I am indeed 'Sir' Lieut. Asherick Whiteplume-Stolyarev of House Endrin, Bard, Paladin and Holy Vindicator of IOMEDAE. Who are you two, milady.. and what brings you to this horrid abode of wickedness?"
Yes, Ashe scans them both~ ... and his hand is not far from his sword but it is not drawn as yet.
Remembering that Arkona Palace is known by the to be overrun by Rakshasas... consummate shape shifters and deceivers...!
This man hasn't even met me, and he's passing judgment. Is it the ears? I hope it's not the ears...
She adjusts the dwarf's sword and stands slowly, turning toward the paladin.
"Greetings, Ashe. Bishop d'Bear sends her regards. As I've said, I'm Lucia Selito, half-elf half-moth and lifetime native of Korvosa. I'm currently on orders from the bishop to track you down. My fellow Pharasmics have decided (too late, in my opinion) that the blood veil plague represents a break with the balance of life and death, and they've sent me as their representative. I know your name, for I've seen you at the Cathedral before, and I approve of many, if not all, of your deeds."
Lucia gestures at the fallen dwarf, then at the skeletons.
" I fear your friend has been claimed by the Lady of Graves, or perhaps Gorum. He died doing the work of both, and Pharasma will see that he goes to his Lord's side. What is this place beneath the Arkona's palace, and who is responsible for these abominations? I must speak with them...with my blade, for this blasphemy cannot stand unpunished."
Let's see how he likes being judged.
Astrid takes a knee off to the side of the conversation and commotion, too busy locking the trigger on her crossbow back into place and putting the loading mechanism back in place. She glances up at Lucia and then Ashe and then lets out a curt nod before getting to her feet and stowing the crossbow away.
She crosses to shake Ashe’s hand. “Astrid Bronzebottom,” she says with a broad smile. “Wish it were under better circumstance,” she glances at the dead Dwarf that Lucia had just prayed over. “Came because while she might be quick with a bow, Lucia’s not long for the world of breaking and entering. Weren’t sure how secure this place would be. As it turns out: Not very.”
Asherick is some what eased at detecting no evil upon the two women and looking down at the offered hand he smiles and crouches slightly to met the dwarven woman's gaze eyes as close to eye to eye out of respect as he takes the hand returning a firm respectful shake, "Stone Endures, . I thank you for your timely arrival. But you saw no one upon your entry?"
Standing straight again he addresses both of them, "...forgive my suspiciousness... Misses and but, we know for a fact that very likely ALL the chief scions of House Arkona are Rakshasas... a pestilence of evil shapechanging outsiders that can appear as anyone ... under any guise! We killed one fiend on the stairs and two in the garden but we know there are more! We found the , in their arrogance, leave no guard or locked portals.. as being of their outsider nature.. any that would venture into their lair would find themselves food for the fiends insatiable appetites... both carnal and dietary!"
The handsome young knight grimaces and proceeds cautiously, "...I mean no insult but would you two agree to perform one simple unfortunate but prudent task as a precaution on our part to prove your mortal nature?"
Ashe reaches into his belt pouch satchel at his side and pulls a simple steel dagger. Which he pricks his own neck with to draw a drop of blood ...which he cleans off with the folds of his cloak, he explains, "...to prove the blade is not poisoned. Would you two prick your thumbs to repeat the same deed? A Rakshasa is practically immune to normal steel weapons and as such the deed I just performed is likely impossible for them to duplicate. I'm deeply sorry to ask this of you but there has been much deception here today.. and magic can easily conceal alignments that my goddess granted senses cannot detect."
"Of all the foolish requests! If we were Rakshasas, would it not have been easier for us to end you when those skeletons walked? It would have been even easier to simply let them kill you. Give me the knife! There is nothing for you to fear." Questioning the Pharasmic Order's integrity? How does he dare such, after all our support. Lucia quickly draws the dagger across her right thumb, letting more than a drop of blood spill before wrapping her own cloak around the cut. She hands the knife back to Asherick and walks away.
After a moment, Lucia calms herself, remembering that Ashe has just lost a friend and was likely recovering from the shock. "I mean no disrespect to you, Ashe. d'Bear sent me, and if her opinion of you was good enough to offer the Cathedral's assistance, I suppose I should at least trust you. As for our noticing someone on entry, we only saw corpses. In fact, we only saw corpses across much of Old Korvosa. Corpses, a group of street-urchins, and a strangely-dressed elf escorting a terrified man. I only hope those you killed walk the right Path now. My Lady of Graves has been busy with this city, it would be a shame to add more untimely work for her."
Ashe grimaces clearly uncomfortable, "..I.. deeply apologize .. I meant no insult.. but chief ranking Noble - and likely his sister are both Rakshasas and I was ...out voted by our party at the time to just simply kill it. Instead the chose to let it live in exchange for information. I'm expecting it to betray that trust and.. it seemed far too convenient for sudden help to arrive."
"The Fungal Skeletal creatures were not undead.. they were a fungal infestation. We could have destroyed them.. but with the reduced party strength we now have it would have wasted resources to use my best offensive resources, I'm sure we'll need in the eventual fight with and his sister . Rakshasas' rule their kind by power... they will not be so easily dispatched as their subservient bretheren! Which is why I was biding my time playing the slow game of peppering the fungal skeletons with arrows to eventually fell them. To conserve resources. I could not be too careful, told us of the skeletons they are meant to weaken intruders with their spores so they are easier to defeat."
"I am well aware and extremely thankful for any and all assistance the clergy of the Lady of Graves is willing to provide. Honestly, if you were Rakshasa.. I expected you to attack the moment you realized you could not pass the immunity to normal weapons test. Best to fight them now than allow them to follow us under the guise of allies and strike when we are at a disadvantage. ... would not want me dead.. if he could capture me... I don't need to inform you of all the terrible uses he could put a powerful Paladin's soul to use for in a proper sacrifice or other wicked deal with infernal powers he could make! I needed to be sure who you were. I'm sorry."
He turns to , "There is no need for you to do this .. word is sufficient to vouch for your identity. I also ask for your forgiveness for my caution.. no insult was meant, I'm sorry."
"Oh, they were undead. I could see there was no living soul in them."
A voice from nowhere speaks out in Celestial
"He is right though - these were no normal bodies animated by necromancy. There were spirits in them, possessing them. Djinn, perhaps?"
Ebon Wings cocks his head to one side
"Possessed somehow, perhaps?"
Sadly he kneels by the fallen dwarf.
"Those killed by Boneyard refugees have a tendency to suffer their murderers fate. I would not see that for brave Graxer."
Looking to the two ladies
"We are well met. Pharasma's aid is welcome."
Lucia kneels beside the grieving Ebon Wings, placing a hand she hopes is comforting on his shoulder. "I do not think that Graxer's god would allow his soul to suffer that fate. Gorum's wrath is well-known, and few would cross him or the Lady of Graves. I have confidence his afterlife will be as his life was. Now, what was that voice you spoke to? I would know more about you if I am to be working with you in the near future. Ashe I know, and he has my respect, for he helped to bring my most evasive quarry to justice. Who are you, and who is your invisible friend?"
Ashe accepts his explanation being dismissed with no comment or reaction. He steps over to Graxer's body to kneel and unlimbers the - taken from , which is presently holding all the party loot. He retrieves a crystal vial from the bag and unstoppering it anoints Graxer's head, face and hands of exposed flesh reverently with an .
He whispers,
This should preserve and protect Graxer's body for an entire year... from rot or being turned into undead.
As Ashe works on Graxer's body, an Amethyst colored pseudo-dragon swoops in out of the fungal foilage to perch on his shoulder. The pretty scales 'House-Drake' chirp-hissess sharply {his version of a koff} as he tries to clear the fungal sports from his throat.
Noting Ashe's somber mood Majenko nuzzles the paladin's cheek his telepathic words heard by all as the tiny dragon tries to comfort the paladin who keeps loosing his dearest companions to this struggle. For unlike the others Majenko can hear Ashe's grieving emotions in his thoughts and though Ashe makes no outward sign... the little dragon knows he is deeply grieved to loose so many comrades in battle!
Ashe's reaction is slow... seeming to take strength from the little dragon's touching show of affection to smile tiredly and reach a hand up to scratch the little dragon between the wings... eliciting a series of chirps and croons of joy.
"It's ok Majenko, I'm fine... the struggle of good against evil is watered with the blood of heroes... it is the fate of such to fall on behalf of others. But it rests with the living to carry on their fight to make their sacrifice worth while."
Ashe stands and sighs.
Turning to the party, "If you two ladies will join our ... diminishing band of you have my thanks. But time is of the essence we must press on."
At Lucia's questioning Ebon Wings pauses
"Ah." he says delicately "Who am I? I see you choose the difficult questions."
"I am one of the Ebon Wings. The voice is my... parole officer."
An Pharasmic is going to want the whole story
Sighing he continues
"I was forced into undeath, with my family. When finally I was destroyed I moved on to Judgement, and there I applied for permission to return to the land of the living to take vengeance on my killer and save my family from the same state."
"The voice you hear is my own Nosoi, my eternal companion, who guides me and guards me. "
In a more formal, archaic voice
"Rejoice Lucia, for thou art in the presence of a divine scribe of Pharasma herself."
In fact one of the things I have been considering is if EW should be rebuilt as a Shaman. Originally we decided against it because the ACG was coming, but not out.
Lucia looks shaken for a moment. "I...I see. Well, sir Ebon Wings, I would very much enjoy speaking with you about your death and rebirth, and as I hunt those who corrupt the cycle of life and death, you have my blade in your search for vengeance. However...as Ashe has said, we have little time. If you have concerns about your friend returning, I could consecrate his remains, as well as the area around him." Lucia begins rummaging around in her pouch for silver dust. " Oh! We tracked you to the Arkona's palace. Why? For what reason did you come here?"
Ashe cocks his head at Lucia and nods, "We are looking for . He left us a message claiming that he had found some evidence that might lead to understanding the source of the newfound seeming immortality. He needed to meet with use but could not get off the Isle of Old Korvosa with it under the Queen's quarantine. On our arrival at his Fencing school we were attacked by . We dispatched them and found evidence indicating that Vencarlo had been in contact with a mad painter named ... and that he was the last person who might know where Vencarlo was as he was certainly not in his home. We learned that a painter by the name of Salvador Scream had been trying to contact Vencarlo. We eventually tracked Salvator Scream and he told us that came to him seeking Vencarlo. Salvator told us that Neolandus had discovered something very important about the Queen. She had likely been possessed by some powerful evil artifact she stumbled across in the vaults below the Grand mestaba. And that it has some connection to ZON-KUTHON and a ancient general of his service a . Salvator took Neolandus to the Arkona as he did art for them in hopes they could help him.. instead they imprisioned him. Vencarlo eventually contacted Salvator and learned of Neolandus' plight so he went to the Arkona palace to rescue Neolandus and he never came back out. So we are seeking both men."
Ashe crouches down to recover from Graxer's body... the potions he carried for the party - 5x Cure Moderate Wounds; Lesser Restoration and the Wand - Cure Serious Wounds .
Ashe feeds the Lesser Restoration to Majenko who was briefly caught in the spore cloud of the skeletal figures and hands out the healing potions 2x Cure Moderate to Lucia and 3x Cure Moderate to Astrid. The Wand he puts into his left spring-loaded wrist sheath for ease of access.
"We may at some point want to look at the party treasury to see if anything we are not using currently would be useful to you young ladies. I take it, , you have healing of your own.. so I gave the lion's share of healing to . Shall we move on? I think there is an exit below and a make-shift dock of some sort."
", I do have grave concerns about leaving here, even should the ground be consecrated. This place stinks of evil. I will not leave any companion to be turned by evil."
", I know that we need to move quickly. I feel very strongly about this."
Ashe nods, "I understand my friend... I have a remedy that will suffice for at least 1 day. There is a spell called ... which clerics, inquisitors, paladins and witchs can cast, of the first circle of Divine miracles. I do not have one prepared... but I do have 2 scrolls or Every paladin spell of the first circle of miracles with me at all times! I can cast that miracle on body in his behalf.. and if you summon a earth elemental... it should be able to earth glide body into the stone floor where he lies.. where none will find or disturb his sanctified slumber. The miracle lasts 24 hours. During that time no one will be able to corrupt his body with the curse of undeath. Will that suffice for now?"
", I give thanks for your foresight! That would be perfect. I will instruct the elemental to carry his body away from here, and it should escape these cursed grounds. When I return I will retrieve it."
Asherick reaches into his satchel-like belt pouch and pulls out a tome... that is clearly long length-wise than the pouch is deep. Opening the tome he steps over to Lucia...
"Lady , there are some things you should know... this tome is my store of spell scrolls."
There is a metal flange in the spine of the tome that Ashe triggers releasing its hold on the individual pages of the tome.
"They are arranged in alphabetical order. This page tab... separates all my paladin divine magics from all my Bard Arcane magics. I have two scrolls of every 1 circle paladin spell and Bard spell. I'm sure some of my paladin spells are usable by you as well being the other divine caster. If I'm incapacitated or in the heat of battle you realize you need a particular magic to turn the tide in our favor... you have my permission to retrieve and cast from my scroll stores. You need only mentally visualize this tome when you reach into my enchanted satchel... it will come to your grasp."
Ashe thumbed through the scrolls and pulled the scroll he was looking for. Snapping the metal binding back together he close the tome and showed Lucia the cover so she could mentally remember what tome she would be retrieving should the need arise.
Taking the scroll in hand Ashe reads the incantations in Celestial and casts on Graxer's body.
With that Ashe puts the tome of scrolls back into his belt satchel. Then he crouches beside Graxer and retrieves Graxer's and drops it also into his satchel.
His voice soft and low, "Forgive me my friend.. but we will have need of this I'm sure ere the day is done. Sleep well, my friend."
Turning to the new companions, "I'd like to take the time later to see if anything magical in the party treasury might be useful to you two.. but time is short we must press on."
Gesturing to the ... now, once again, sleeping psudodragon on his shoulder, "This is ... he is our companion and he can relay telepathic messages between us. Which he usually does for us in battle when stealth is more prudent. His range is 60'ft radius... he can always hear you should you need to convey a thought to any of us. Let's get moving..."
Ebon Wings calls upon the spirit of the Earth itself, talking in the voice of Rock and Stone. After a few moments the rock beside him bulges out.
"Spirit of Rock, take this child of stone back with you, directly away from me, for three hundred and fifty feet from this place of air."
Ashe nods accepting his fallen friends remains being secured.
"Let's go..."
A plaintive sob echoes in a distant, lonely cell somewhere ahead of the heroes. If a man cries in a dungeon, and there's nobody around to hear him, did he actually make a sound?
"I assume we head down the rope bridges, toward the water I heard below? Let's get moving, then." Lucia steps onto the first rope bridge, making her way down the series of ledges toward the bottom.
Ok.. now that I can see the map and know what's where...
Ashe will pause before heading down the rope bridges again... and cast and searching the upper ledge of the huge cavern especially the cavern alcove to the south... looking for any conceal passages of secret doors in the fungal growths on the wall.
Across the telepathic link from Majenko, Ashe will ask,
Once that area is thoroughly searched he will head to the rope bridges heading down. Ashe will also pan his over the corpses of the fungal skeletons for completeness to see if anything they possessed was magical.
Once the party is at the bottom of the rope bridges Ashe will search for any obvious exit from the cavern or signs of a worked stone dungeon.
Time may be of the essence but being thorough in a reputedly 'trap-filled' dungeon is ...prudent.