The small room north is filled with trade supplies one would expect from a high end tailor shop. The small room as two other doors, one on each side. Anna listens to the eastern door, but hear nothing. She does however hear people walking and talking from the floor above, reminding her that the store is currently open and as most likely customers inside.
At the southern door, she hears voices. She can discern four and they seem to be doing some idle chatting as they are doing work. She also perceive a strong chemical smell beyond the door. What ever they are doing in the room, it sure smell bad.
Anna makes a face at the awful smell. She creeps back to the others, staying quiet instinctively but also thankful for the noise created by the business upstairs that should cover for her noisier companions.
"Storage, quiet, people," she whispers as she points to each corresponding direction. "They're doing something in there that smells terrible. Maybe dyeing cloth?"
Tolvan nods at the last door indicated and mouths People
Anna winks at Tolvan, then slips into the room with the supplies. She grabs a few bolts of cloth, then quietly lays them at the base of the door where she didn't hear any sound. If anyone comes rushing out, they'll likely trip over the unexpected obstacle.
Then she motions for everyone to get ready. Anna activates her shield spell. Once her companions are in position, she opens the door, loaded crossbow in hand.
Tolvan too will activate a shield spell from his wand.
Andjela nodes readiness, crossbow out.
Danica slowly and quietly removes her temple sword. She positions herself to be ahead of the range shooters, placing herself to go hand to hand, or more like face to face.
You open the door and the stench of powerful chemicals overlaid by blood fills this large chamber. A large vat of pale yellow liquid sits to the north. Three gaunt bodies, stripped and impaled with wooden stakes, hang from iron crossbars on the south wall. Next to those are two men and a woman. They are in the process of skinning the corpses, leaving you no doubts about them being innocent worker. Further in the room stand another man. He looks like a regular Varisian man, until he smiles and fangs appears. They all turn to face you.
With supernatural speed, the Varisian man reacts before you could and fixes his gaze on Danica. His eye glows with power as his will digs into the monk's head.
Andjela moves through Anna and Danica's positions, Hey, good lookin'.. May Desna guide you to your final resting place.
She takes a shot at the leader, hoping to distract him.
Anna snaps off a shot at one of the skinners who haven't reacted fast enough. After that, she drops her crossbow and draws her mithral dagger and takes a step further inside.
Tolvan, already in the doorway states flatly Luvick Siervage sends his regards. before casting a spell.
[oocDC 21 Reflex for half[/ooc]
Danica feels the vampire trying to enter into her mind but she falls back upon the endless hours of training and meditation that all children of the Dawnflower must follow. She pushes back and repels the mental intruder.
"You mind games will not work on me."
Sonny says "Ignore the others and concentrate on buck teeth there." as he moves into the room and raises his holy symbol triggering a wave of positive energy to fill the room damaging the undead, but leaving Andjela out of the effect.
Danica shakes off the vampire attempt to gain control of her mind. Andjela and Anna both fire their crossbow. While Andjela misses, Anna's bolt deliver a good hit in her target. It is quickly followed by a fire spell from Tolvan, engulfing all the undead. As the flame subside, ou see that only one of the skinners took full damage and that the leader is completely untouched by the flame.
Two of the skinners move forward to attack Andjela. Their blade scrape against the metal armor of the Paladin but fail to connect with her skin. The third one, upset at his injuries, take some steps back and throw a blade at Danica, hoping to find a softer target. Still reeling from the wound that Anna inflicted, his blade fly off target and hit the wall behind Danica.
The vampires scream in pain as Sonny bathed the room in bright positive energy. One of the vampire disperses into smoke that sink into the floor. Quinley walks into the room and attack one of the skinners with his blade. Sadly, his blade doesn't get pass the target's defense.
Moving as a blur, the leader unrolls his scarf and closes in on Sonny. He slashes at the cleric. The blades at the end of the scarf dig into Sonny, and as they do, energy seems to transfer from the cleric to the vampire leader.
Anna steps to flank the leader with Sonny. Her mithral dagger flashes in a couple strikes, as she drives the blade deep into undead flesh. "I think they're all buck teeth, chief," Anna says to Sonny as she flanks with him.
Tolvan back-peddles 5' and casts Chain Lightning to hit all the enemies starting with the primary vampire that was resistant to fire.
Furious at the close-quarters, Andjela drops her crossbow, letting it hang from its heavy strap. Drawing her Elven blade, she changes the focus of her divine wrath.
See you in Hell, soul-sister.
Sonny winces at the attack and then holds his holy symbol aloft again and channels his godesses power again. If the vampire still stands he channels a second time, both times excluding his friends.
Danica attacks her vampire target.
Anna moves around one of the skinners and bury her dagger in her back. The second attack however doesn't go through. Just as Anna finishes her attacks, lightning hits the skinners and turn her target to a cloud of smoke. With only one skinner left, Andjela swing her sword and connect once. He target turns to dust after her first strike. Danica moves forward to attack the leader, but none of her attacks connect, the vampire just twist and move out of the way. He also seems to have avoided all the lightning damage from Tolvan's spell.
The holy energy waves hit the vampire bad and he seems to suffer greatly from it. Still standing, he spins his scarf ever faster. Quinley moves in to strike at the leader. His blade glide along the armor of the vampire, never find an opening. Eyes focused on Sonny, he continues his assault. The blades of his scarf come very close to some tender parts of Sonny, but just can't hit them.
Anna tumbles past the remaining vampire to get into flanking position with Danica.
She stabs once with her mithral dagger.
Danica steps up hoping to take the attention of the vampire leader.
"FACE ME !!!!"
Danica and Anna move to flank the leader and stabs at him. He seems to be able to avoid some of the damage done by Anna. The assault still prove to be deadly and the vampire change into a cloud of smoke that sinks into the floor. The group now stand alone in the room with three partially skinned corpse hanging from the ceiling.
Ready to cast, Tolvan watches the misty vampire sink into the floor. There must be a lower basement. Let's find it. Maybe a secret door?
As Tolvan looks more closely at the floor, you noticed small holes here and there in irregular pattern. Studying the holes, you find what could be a drain. Probably originally used to gather and evacuate spilled chemicals.
Danica and Anna move to flank the leader and stabs at him. He seems to be able to avoid some of the damage done by Anna.
"We're going to have a hard time following if we can't go misty like they can. Let's look for a secret door or passage."
Tolvan tries to recall information on a vampire's mist form such as how long such a creature can exit in mist form, how fast can they move in such form, how long they must remain in mist form once forced into it, and if they can be hurt further or even killed in such form. He also considers how to actually kill them once no longer mist form.
Sonny, what do you know of a vampire's mist form? I seem to recall that it now must fee to its coffin to reform it's body and might be weak and vulnerable for a time. That also buys us some time before it can report in that we took action here.
Danica tries to offer any knowledge on vampires.
Danica begins to look around for secret doors.
Anna and Danica inspect the room and the two adjoining. The smaller one if filled with tools one would expect for this type of shop. the other one as four stone coffin aligned on next to the other. You notice the same type of holes in the floor in this room as the room where you fought the vampire.
As for Tolvan, he puzzles the question of the vampire's mist ability. From what he remembers reading, vampire can sustain that form indefinitely. So, while the coffin could be a long way from this room, the vampire can't take solid shape until he reaches it. Also, while in mist form, the vampire still has to avoid sunlight, so where ever they are going, they need to keep to the shadow.
They probably use the holes to move about when in mist form... probably why there are holes here, in the coffin room. Andjela points... Not a drain per se.
Perhaps they're in there.
The Paladin focuses her senses upon the coffins and what may be inside, though slightly uncertain.
There are likely a rat's next of tunnels and old sewers that can serve as a highway for these creatures. I am not giving up, but I fear will will not be able to follow this one. Lets gather what clues we can from this place before departing.
Anna lets Gilliam inspect the grates beneath the floor.
Andjela concentrate for a moment and finds that two of the coffin radiate with evil auras. In the meantime, Anna tries to see if Gilliam could squeeze through the holes in the floor. Sadly, the holes are barely big enough to pass a pinky, making the endeavor impossible. Maybe if one of the hole could be enlarge someway, then Gilliam would be able to navigate the tiny tunnel.
Andjela points... Those two... emanate an evil aura. That one and that one. Have a care.
Anna shudders involuntarily as she looks at the coffins Andjela pointed out. "All right, let's check them out." She nervously fidgets with her crossbow that she's reloaded, trying to shake off the memory of the iron maiden back in Harrowstone.
Danica looks over the coffins. "Burn them!!! The vamps will need to return to them to rest up and heal. No??? What if they can't return to their coffins?"
I'd bet dinner that any vamp of worth has more than one coffin. Lets just open each. They do radiate magic. Once we search them I am ok destroying them but burning could attract the guards.
You are correct Tolvan, we are on a stealth mission. I highly doubt that these vamps have multiple coffins. Lore indicates that each vamp needs to return to their coffins to regenerate else they will be destroyed. Let's try to overturn the stone coffins and tossing the soil or at least maybe consecrate these coffins in the name of the Bright Lady. I can offer Sonny assistance in the ritual.
Anna giggles at the thought of a vampire returning to its coffin only to find it full of holy water.
"What can I do to help?"
Let's at least unlid and examine their contents. Tolvan agrees. Anna, can you make sure they are not trapped. Were I worried about vampire hunters I might come up with trapped empty coffins.