"AHH! #@!#¤#%!!" Lu cried out with some curses way too explicit for polite society. Questionable even in circles like this. She certainly wasn't looking forward to getting clubbed again! And if she had her way she wouldn't.
She adopted a defensive stance so that she could try and deflect any other strike. And go for a savage counter attack! "Take zis you #@#&#/(!!"
Edit:
[dice=Spellcraft?]1d20+5
Lu has no idea what Filge just cast.
Saeri focused on the Necromancer as hostilities broke out, and power flashed in her gaze for just a moment as she hurled a hex his way. Then she cackled, prolonging the curse regardless of the strength of his will. Of course, that was just the setup...
Janus moves forward, finding his way blocked by undead Minions. Those looked sturdy...no time to wear them down with waves of healing energy.
Stepping behind Lu and up to one of the monstrosities, he brought his Falcata up against it, trying to draw it's attention:"Try me on for size, you beast!"
Hearing the commotion upstairs as the necromancer proved to be as touchy as she had feared, Chaïa abandoned her efforts at stealth and raced up the stairs behind the others. Drawing up just as Lu plunged into the fray, Chaïa quickly took in the scene and tried to figure out just how to get the necromancer. I don’t like the look of that, she thought, spotting his extra disembodied hand. For now, she gathered up a violently useful bit of magic, her free hand tracing signs in the air to pull it into a ball of storm. The storm coalesces, but Filge deftly steps clear of its lightning.
Janus moves forward, finding his way blocked by undead Minions. Those looked sturdy...no time to wear them down with waves of healing energy. Stepping behind Lu and up to one of the monstrosities, he brought his Falcata up against it, trying to draw it's attention:"Try me on for size, you beast!" He cut deep into undead flesh.
Saeri focused on the Necromancer as hostilities broke out, and power flashed in her gaze for just a moment as she hurled a hex his way. Then she cackled, prolonging the curse regardless of the strength of his will. Of course, that was just the setup... Her hex seized Filge, who visibly slowed.
"AHH! #@!#¤#%!!" Lu cried out with some curses way too explicit for polite society. Questionable even in circles like this. She certainly wasn't looking forward to getting clubbed again! And if she had her way she wouldn't. She adopted a defensive stance so that she could try and deflect any other strike. And go for a savage counter attack! "Take zis you #@#&#/(!!" Even with her caution, striking the zombie Janus wounded she hit hard enough to nearly send it sprawling.
That zombie turned on Janus, swinging its club twice with purpose that Janus easily frustrated with deft dodging. The other pressed Lu, but with her forewarned and looking to her defense it just couldn't land a solid blow. An arrow flew wide past her as she dodged.
Filge spoke a new incantation and his floating hand glowed sickly green as it raced across and struck Chaia. She felt her limbs begin to stiffen, but fought off the Art!
negated
ah well
There are two zombies and two meatbags for them. Top for Janus, which is the one he hit. He gets his move and his AC bonus.
Lu
:(
Archer for Lu
This many misses really ought to summon the Tarrasque.
Filge casts a spell and delivers it via his spectral hand. For Chaia.
well that's a hit
What the hell, dicebot?
Shaking off whatever nastiness Filge’s spell-hand had carried, and seeing an arrow fly across the room, Chaïa’s thoughts raced for ways to press the attack. Of all the days not to prepare a magic missile! And the geometry of that dais is inconvenient for twisting space and stone! Fine, then. If I can’t dig down, I can raise up…
With a flick of her wrist, she redirected her thundercloud to the necromancer’s pet archer, for now. Next, she swept her hand into another gesture, another incantation on her lips, coaxing a semblance of life into the stones of the floor beside Lu, urging them to attack the zombie that Janus hadn’t slashed badly on his way past.
"The death we seek is not our own", Janus exclaims as he deftly dodges out of the Zombies reach with a whirl. The necromancer plain ahead of him, Janus rushes forward and strikes at Filge with a hefty downward swing.
Lu keeps up her defensive offence and slashes at the damaged zombie. If it fell she'd attempt to 5' step over it. Onwards to victory! "Hah!"
After her evil eye settled in, Saeri gestured curtly, and power surged through her deck a moment before she hurled a card flickering with electric energy through the air.
for
Shaking off whatever nastiness Filge’s spell-hand had carried, and seeing an arrow fly across the room, Chaïa’s thoughts raced for ways to press the attack. Of all the days not to prepare a magic missile! And the geometry of that dais is inconvenient for twisting space and stone! Fine, then. If I can’t dig down, I can raise up…
With a flick of her wrist, she redirected her thundercloud to the necromancer’s pet archer, for now. Let’s see if Old Boney is as nimble! Old Boney proved just as ninble as Filge, dodging the lightning with ease. Next, Chaia swept her hand into another gesture, another incantation on her lips, coaxing a semblance of life into the stones of the floor beside Lu, urging them to attack the zombie that Janus hadn’t slashed badly on his way past. It landed a powerful blow despite its small size.
"The death we seek is not our own", Janus exclaims as he deftly dodges out of the Zombies reach with a whirl. The necromancer plain ahead of him, Janus rushes forward and strikes at Filge with a hefty downward swing. His slash should have cut deep, but instead much of its force vanished as Filge's amulet glowed red again and the matching light in the skeleton's eyes flared and faded more. The bones reeled as though struck.
After her evil eye settled in, Saeri gestured curtly, and power surged through her deck a moment before she hurled a card flickering with electric energy through the air. Her card and lightning both struck true, but like Janus' blow they were answered by red glows and much of the harm being done to the skeleton.
Lu keeps up her defensive offence and slashes at the damaged zombie, cutting it down. Onwards to victory! "Hah!" The other zombie tried to club her again, but she parried the strike.
The skeleton and Filge fell back from Janus, who ducked the arrow that flew his way.
"You seek death? Have death!" Filge snapped and incanted a spell. Unreasoning, uncontrollable fear clutched Janus' heart. He knew for a perfect certainty that he stood before his death.
So one zombie for Lu
Damn it.
Archer, 5 and Janus
damn
Filge. 5 and a spell
finally a s%#%ty roll works for me!
Feeling confident Lu tried to slash at the last zombie, but it actually moved faster then she had expected. Catching nothing but a slice of the floor she let out another stream of curses. Dammit! She had really felt like taunting the necromancer but this ruined the mood!
"I...uh...need to go. ", Janus states as he rushes downwards.
"Hey, get back here!" Saeri shouted after Janus as she chucked another card through the air. This time, the electricity contained within was rather stronger and sunk right into her target before her card shot back through the air and into her deck.
for
"You seek death? Have death!"Filge snapped and incanted a spell.
“Hmm, no?” Despite the situation, a spot of inappropriate levity dropped from Chaïa’s lips, as adrenaline swept her away. Necromancers! Death this, death that. They can be so tedious, really.
Eyeing the angles carefully, she urged her elemental on against the zombie and loosed her thundercloud in one last burst upon the elusive skeleton as she reached out into the Weave again.
“Why not flowers and rainbows and sparks?”
Her last word had barely formed when she hissed her next spell, crackling with energy, trying to burn the last zombie off its feet.
Spells blazing gloriously around her, Chaïa could only watch in baffled dismay as Filge did something to Janus’ spirit.
“Hmm, no?” Despite the situation, a spot of inappropriate levity dropped from Chaïa’s lips, as adrenaline swept her away. Necromancers! Death this, death that. They can be so tedious, really. Eyeing the angles carefully, she urged her elemental on against the zombie and loosed her thundercloud in one last burst upon the elusive skeleton as she reached out into the Weave again. “Why not flowers and rainbows and sparks?” As her elemental pounded the zombie, her stormcloud slew the skeleton. The red light from Filge's amulet died in the same instant. Chaia's last word had barely formed when she hissed her next spell, crackling with energy, trying to burn the last zombie off its feet. The zombie missed the worst of her flame, but still emerged fairly singed. Spells blazing gloriously around her, Chaïa could only watch in baffled dismay as Filge did something to Janus’ spirit.
"I...uh...need to go." Janus states as he rushes downwards.
"Hey, get back here!" Saeri shouted after Janus as she chucked another card through the air. This time, the electricity contained within was rather stronger and sunk right into her target before her card shot back through the air and into her deck. Lightning crawled across Filge and blood dripped from his wounds, crackling and sizzling as it did.
{b]"I yield!"[/b] he cried out, holding his hands wide from any spell components and keeping them in plain view. He looked intently at the zombie for a moment and it stilled itself.
As spells dissipated, minions fell, and Filge finally threw his arms out in surrender, Chaïa glared in his direction in the silence that fell. The effect was less than menacing, given her position a few steps from the head of the stairs, but it was the thought that counted, and right now, heart still racing, her first thought was to keep casting until Filge was swept away to whatever hell awaited petty necromancers. Instead, she took a breath to calm down, and offered up a quick prayer in gratitude, “Praise be to the One and the Three!”
“Janus?” she added, calling lightly down the stairs, “I think you should listen to Saeri.”
Emerging into the room, Chaïa called up a handful of life energy as she took a closer look at the chamber’s contents. It didn’t look good, and for a moment it certainly looked like she would take her spell out on the last zombie, but she turned instead and placed her hand gently on Lu’s shoulder, healing the swordswoman somewhat, even as she kept an eye on Filge and his last monster.
“Well,” Chaïa said mildly, as if the threat of violence didn’t still hang in the air, “There’s no question but that this creature will have to be de-animated, and everything else examined. What’s in the tanks?”
As Chaia spoke, Saeri carefully moved around the room, keeping her cards in her fingers and catching the one that came swooping back. She didn't want to admit how little of her best magical offense she had left, so she simply kept her mouth shut as she remained ready to hurl the cards at a moment's notice.
"My work," Filge said. "Improved undead. You want that stiff dead? Kill it."
"Uhm - na, I have place to be. Very important. Can't wait!"
Janus rushes onwards towards the exit of the place.
"..." It takes Lu a moment to put two and two together. Then she sighs and grabs the nearest large sheet and throws it over the necromancer. Almost apologetically she nods at him. "Just for now and zat spell."
Then she calls out for Janus. "Zere's nothing to worry about! See? Nothing!"
---
Eventually though everything calmed down. Hopefully? And then they could take a moment to talk with Filge. This time with a bit more leverage! "So! We have zis problem. Someone took a corpse of ours. And wizards practicing necromancy usually do zat. Now we have zis necromancing wizard right here. But he says he didn't do it. Now - necromancing wizards have a somewhat poor reputation among us common folk. One could even think zey wouldn't always be honest. In fact, zey might even steal corpses and lie about it. Yeah? We really need to know zat you didn't take zat body. And we'll need to be sure you don't lie."
"Also! Since we rude common folk like to mess around with ze necromancers we did look in your books. And zey claim zere are *more* of your ilk around here. It would be very good for your health if you would kindly throw zem in front of ze cart. Who are zey? What are zey doing here? Did zey take our body? And how do we know if zey did? Are zey your friends? No? Yes? Maybe?"
Saeri didn't say anything, but she hoped Lucrecia's accent was easily understood by the necromancer. There'd been this one client at her fortune-telling store, and... well, suffice to say that the difference between 'air' and 'heir' had ended up being rather important.
"..." It takes Lu a moment to put two and two together. Then she sighs and grabs the nearest large sheet and throws it over the necromancer. Almost apologetically she nods at him. "Just for now and zat spell."
Then she calls out for Janus. "Zere's nothing to worry about! See? Nothing!"
“I don’t think it normally works like that,” Chaïa said, trying to dredge up what she knew about spells to induce fear, but then again she was the last person to talk to about necromancy. With her limp, too, it was unlikely that she would be able to catch up with Janus before the spell wore off, but it shouldn’t be too long.
In the meantime, as Lucrecia asked her first set of questions, Chaïa wandered over to peer into the intact tanks. Remembering what S. – could it even be Guildmaster Smenk, based on Filge’s boasts? – had written, she narrowly resisted the temptation to tap on the glass before Janus shook off his fright, and continued on to start poking about in the papers piled on the shelves either side of the dais. As she browsed, she casually added another couple of questions to stress how dubious the idea of two groups of necromancers competing in Daggerford was. “Well, isn’t that interesting. Your friend S. – Master Smenk? – mentioned something about unkillable zombies. I suppose by some standards that might count as an improvement.”
“Also green worms, one of which he managed to ‘nick.’ Now, that sounds like a double-cross to me, or an insurance policy. Honestly, with all this, it doesn’t look very like the guildmaster hired you to investigate skullduggery out of a sense of civic duty. It doesn’t look very good at all, really.”
"I don't know who else is working the Art around here, just where Smenk got the worm. It's on the shelf there," Filge gestured vaguely in the direction of a shelf from under his sheet. "And I don't dig my own stiffs. If the one you want is here, it's Smenk's blades that dug it."
Chaïa’s glance flickered over to the indicated shelf, but despite how easily distracted she was, she stopped her rummaging at Filge’s next words, and her jaw dropped. As absurd as it was, from what she could tell of the necromancer, she could well believe that he would take a corpse from anyone, no questions asked. Rules might be meant to be broken, but she could hardly believe that the people of Daggerford happily dealt in the bodies of their dead, as opposed to letting them rest in peace. It wasn’t even a rule, just the way things were!
The worm in its box could wait – in the meantime, as Janus made his way back after his fright, she moved to open up the remaining tanks, on the off chance that Filge had indeed acquired the bodies of the family they were looking for. Eyeing the yellow fluid dubiously, and unsure if she was strong enough to easily lever the contents out from the tanks, Chaïa rolled up her robes’ sleeves and tried not to think of eggs as the corner of her eye took in the remains of the other tanks.
With a shudder, she reached in.
Just what was....damn, magic...i hope the girls are ok!
As the spell runs it course, Janus screetches to a halt, turns around so fast he almost slips, then races back towards the chamber.
Finding the Necromancer subdued, he calms down somewhat, trying to gain insight on the situation, and carefully watching Chaia in case she was trying to do something dangerous.
"What kind of necromancer would do digging when the zombies could do it instead...?" Saeri inquired, raising an eyebrow. One didn't become a lord of arcane power just to spend all their time doing physical labor.
(...Well, there were rumors about that one wizard, but she'd never seen anything approaching concrete evidence.)
"What kind of necromancer would do digging when the zombies could do it instead...?" Saeri inquired, raising an eyebrow. One didn't become a lord of arcane power just to spend all their time doing physical labor.
(...Well, there were rumors about that one wizard, but she'd never seen anything approaching concrete evidence.)
"One that just came to town not two rides past."
The liquid was thick and deeply unpleasant. A reek rose from it the moment Chaia broke the thin skin over the top. Soft things, perhaps just currents or perhaps something alive or undead, passed across her skin. It took no time at all for her to find yielding flesh and hard bone beneath.
EWW! That was the amount and type of thought Lu paid to the disgusting jar and its no doubt even more disgusting contents. Bleh. BLEH!
"So... Smenk huh? It almost sounds like we need a chat with him too. Or his goons. *uh* Other goons zat is." She muses and tries really hard not to watch whatever their wizard was doing. "But you know were zey found ze *uh* specimen yeah? Zat's something."
"Convenient timing." Saeri said wryly, glancing at the others to see if they had any additional questions here. The sooner such could be answered, the better.
Janus watches Chaia with equal parts of disgust and fascination, speaking to Filge without looking at him "What did you learn about the cult? You've been here long enough to get some work done. Plus, who would we talk to about bone snakes wearing faces? Smenk and you or the other team?"
EWW! That was the amount and type of thought Lu paid to the disgusting jar and its no doubt even more disgusting contents. Bleh. BLEH!
"So... Smenk huh? It almost sounds like we need a chat with him too. Or his goons. *uh* Other goons zat is." She muses and tries really hard not to watch whatever their wizard was doing. "But you know were zey found ze *uh* specimen yeah? Zat's something."
"I'll tell you, for my life and freedom. Or if that's not enough, I'll help you take care of it. That's what Smenk wants done anyway."
Janus watches Chaia with equal parts of disgust and fascination, speaking to Filge without looking at him "What did you learn about the cult? You've been here long enough to get some work done. Plus, who would we talk to about bone snakes wearing faces? Smenk and you or the other team?"
"Don't know anything about a bone dancer. Must be them, unless there's three practitioners in Daggerford. Maybe that Yellowknife sent it?"
"Yellowknife, hu?", Janus raises an eyebrow, and looks at Filge:"Do tell how you reached that conclusion-"
It was not that he doubted Yellowknife, but it would be interesting to know how his potential involvement was seen by the two side already caught up in this mess.
She had no way of knowing Janus' thoughts, but Saeri broadly concurred with them. She'd long since learned to not judge people by their initial impressions - the Harrow often revealed some very interesting things about them.
"Yellowknife, hu?", Janus raises an eyebrow, and looks at Filge:"Do tell how you reached that conclusion-"
[ooc]Across town, Yellowknife hurriedly throws a ratty white sheet over his torture cellar and special, customized face-flaying rig.[/occ]
"You know some other Worker of Art in this place? Not just passing by, or they wouldn't leave a necrophidius laying about. Wasn't me. I don't know anything about this worm thing that's got to do with face stealing. That leaves him, unless it's those that had the worms after all."
"Well let's meet halfway and say info on zem is worth your life for now yeah?" Lu generously offers. That seemed only fair. And they kept their options open!
Saeri considered Lu's offer for a few moments, then nodded gravely. Something was telling her she probably shouldn't consult the cards for this one - they could get testy if you asked about every little thing, and that was quite literally asking for trouble.
Chaïa looked up from where she was elbow deep in awfulness, trying to heave what felt like a larger bit of something out of the muck in the tank she was examining.
Trying to ignore the feeling of what she had in and on her arms, she followed up on Lucrecia’s encouragement to the necromancer to keep talking, “Right. So what is it about these worms, really, that Smenk wants someone to ‘take care of it?’ If that means what I think you’re insinuating, why not alert the town, convince everyone to send in the guard, or for help from Waterdeep, say?” Treachery, then, most likely? Or does whoever had that worm that found its way to this one have some hold on Smenk?
She glanced back down at what she had hauled up out of the tank’s fluid. “While you’re at it, just what – or who – have you got in these things? Be so good as to save us a bit of trouble, would you?” The veneer on the fastidious mage-priestess’ patience was evidently beginning to run as thin as the goop on her arms wasn’t.
"Well let's meet halfway and say info on zem is worth your life for now yeah?" Lu generously offers. That seemed only fair. And they kept their options open!
"Fine. It's down in the Ironeater mines."
Chaia dug about in the muck and soon found her hand entangled in bits of sewn-together corpse which sometimes moved of its own will across her skin.
Trying to ignore the feeling of what she had in and on her arms, she followed up on Lucrecia’s encouragement to the necromancer to keep talking, “Right. So what is it about these worms, really, that Smenk wants someone to ‘take care of it?’ If that means what I think you’re insinuating, why not alert the town, convince everyone to send in the guard, or for help from Waterdeep, say?” Treachery, then, most likely? Or does whoever had that worm that found its way to this one have some hold on Smenk?
"Smenk doesn't want Waterdeep down on him. No one in Daggerford does, even if you could get the Watchful Order to drag their noses down over here. All I know is he took one from down in those mines and wanted me to learn what it's all about. Probably so he can hold it on whoever's down there."
She glanced back down at what she had hauled up out of the tank’s fluid. “While you’re at it, just what – or who – have you got in these things? Be so good as to save us a bit of trouble, would you?” The veneer on the fastidious mage-priestess’ patience was evidently beginning to run as thin as the goop on her arms wasn’t. I love the smell of formaldehyde in the morning, but I doubt Chaïa would, and this stuff is something else anyway. :)
"I didn't ask who got dug up. I just need 'em mostly whole."
"That seems like a bad plan." Saeri noted. "Some families are better about warding graves than others."
"Don't think they busted into some old tomb, do you? They're just stiffs out of the dirt."
Chaïa quickly dropped down and deposited the bit of dead people she had got hold off as gently as she could. Trying not to shiver too much, she shook her arms as clean as possible before turning to where Filge said he was keeping the worm. As she reached for the box, she gave the tanks one last look back, and asked, “Janus, you’re the best of us at this sort of thing. Do you think you could spare the energy to give this room a burst to ... purify it? If we want to do what’s right by what’s left of these people, we should stop everything from moving that shouldn’t be.” Don’t say pieces. Don’t say pieces. It’s bad enough that that’s how you have to think about it.
Trying to keep her stomach from lurching too badly, Chaïa thought she might as well take a look at the last of Filge’s little beasties before she lost her lunch and they had to decide what to do with the necromancer and all his bizarre gear. She lifted the lid and looked curiously into the container in her hands.
"Mhm. So! What you are saying is - if some wicked adventurers were to adventurize ze mine you would not have any reason to be here yeah? Zen it all works out for everyone! No more corpse stealing in town, everyone gets a good look at ze 'special' zombies and no accidental stabbing ze wrong necromancer. How does zis sound?" Lu carefully floats the idea of simply kicking this pesky necromancer out of town. After he helped a little bit of course.
"Mhm. So! What you are saying is - if some wicked adventurers were to adventurize ze mine you would not have any reason to be here yeah? Zen it all works out for everyone! No more corpse stealing in town, everyone gets a good look at ze 'special' zombies and no accidental stabbing ze wrong necromancer. How does zis sound?" Lu carefully floats the idea of simply kicking this pesky necromancer out of town. After he helped a little bit of course.
"That'll do by me," Filge said.
Trying to keep her stomach from lurching too badly, Chaïa thought she might as well take a look at the last of Filge’s little beasties before she lost her lunch and they had to decide what to do with the necromancer and all his bizarre gear. She lifted the lid and looked curiously into the container in her hands. [dice=Know (arcana)]1d20+9
Chaia examined the container, a glass tube perhaps a foot long and half as wide. A slime green worm bobbed within, suspended in a murky solution that wasn't nearly so opaque as that in Filge's larger tanks. Giving its still form a close look, she reasoned out what it must be in just a few breaths: once part of a rare sort of undead known as the Spawn, or sometimes Sons, of Kyuss. The latter term, she knows, arises from ignorant adventurers believing any undead lacking adequately pendulous endowments must have been men in life.