Valexia does a double take after speaking so dismissively about the runes. "Actually, these do remind me of something. We were doing a show, The Cobbler's Wife. Well, of course I was the lead, voice like mine, it was well received... Or so I hear. I don't read the reviews. Too boring. But... there was a scene in there where the Cobbler summoned a devil to ask it questions about my character."
She gestures towards the marks on the wall, "The prop man, strange fellow, smelled a little bit too much like horses for my liking. Eccentric, too, insisted all the props be authentic. The runes he used look just like these, with a few variations to make sure he didn't summon actual devils, of course! I understand the show must go on, but there are some things that even I would consider extending the intermission over."
She squints at them and says, "They are pretty reminiscent of Infernal, aren't they? I expect this was meant to open a portal to Hell. Looks like all the spellwork is worn down, though. I doubt you could summon even a newborn imp with this. But they were probably functional at one time."
"Really?!?" Ben asks, clearly intrigued. He examines the scribbled runes again, closer this time. He sniffs them at one point, trying to see if there was any measurable quantity of,... something, he could get out of them. Discovering nothing substantial that he can obtain for later use, he turns to the rest of the room once more.
"So. Presuming that this was were the family treasure was hidden, it looks like some renter decided to renovate and repurpose." Ben says dryly, looking around.
"More an organization treasure than family," Rexus clarifies, "I imagine the Silver Ravens' headquarters were more glamorous before they were defeated... though perhaps not. I have very little desire to explore this dank chamber, and I'm sure that is what they wanted. The Infernal sigils worry me, though. Do you think Thrune's agents have been here already?"
Ensis says with uncharacteristic seriousness, "That would explain what fouled the water, then.... and that would be more foul than if it were just midden."
He pauses a moment, then shakes his head,"Can anyone think of a way to check if there's something in the water? I'd hate to find ourselves cornered by Hellspawn... Especially if they're friends to the gremlins we've already angered."
Ben shrugs. "If you find a long pole maybe?"
"I leave magic to our resident expert," Ben adds, gesturing to Val. "But I don't think that these symbols are active anymore."
"Of course, that doesn't preclude the possibility that something might still remain from when they WERE active,..." He adds, unintentionally killing any good feelings he may have generated with his previous statement.
"Check if there's something in the water? How am I supposed to... Oh! I mean, I guess I could check if there's anything magical around. Though I think our resident chemist may be better at determining the rest," says Valexia, nodding towards Ben. "But it does look like these are worn down by time. Whoever did this hasn't been here for awhile."
Valexia starts to cast Detect Magic. She does some small gestures and hums the mnemonic she uses to remember it.
After waiting for Val to complete her ritual Dee takes a step back; "So an area where the Silver Ravens may have summoned something? Over a water cistern? It may have been innocent, but tainted like the water." She adds hopefully, putting her arm across her nose.
"It was said the Silver Ravens were from bygone days, though this cannot have been the crux of their HQ, we're really looking for notes or clues... maybe whatever befouled this water caused their downfall?" Dee gets out a bullet and flicks it into the mucky mire to water the ripples.
"The Silver Ravens were the good guys, right? I highly suspect that this project,..." Ben indicates the fouled water and scribbles on the walls. ",... Happened after they were forced to abandon the property. Hopefully whatever they left behind was hidden well enough to remain safe from accidental discovery, but not so well as to be undiscovered by someone who is actively looking for it."
Ben takes back his lantern with a murmured apology to Dee, and looks around the walls of the room.
"Alright. So, Hoping that it isn't hidden under a stone under all,...that." Ben once more indicates the skanky pool. (He seems very bothered by the mess for a man who is usually covered in chemical stains and unusual alchemical by-products.)
"Then it will be hidden, probably behind a stone or panel on the wall somewhere. Any clues Master Rexus? Did the Silver Ravens or your family use any symbols or sigils to denote something hidden? Not something so obvious as the family crest on a stone in the middle of a stable of course. That would be TOO easy." Ben says, examining the graffiti covered walls,...
Ben is apparently sidetracked by a particular fungus growing in a corner,... ;P
Dee walk around the room carefully, keeping away from the mire & edge of the pool initially.
"Good guys, but after Arodens' death things got a trifle grey. Or that's what my Grandmother used to say... some people did things of questionable judgement that how we got here today." Dee stumbles slightly; "This political landscape I mean...."
Rexus looks musingly at the pool, brow wrinkled in thought. ”You know, I remember from history class that this area used to be lower and prone to flooding - like all the time.The city actually built another layer on top of the streets and buildings that were already there. Maybe this is something left over from that time, not designed as a cistern or midden. Maybe this gloomy chamber and foul water were once a sunny plaza and clean fountain, leaping water shimmering in the sun as children played around its…” The noble scholar’s face is alight at the thought, his eyes focused far away as if he can see into the beauty of the past.
The imagined beauty, anyway. Flood-prone areas are rarely beautiful for long. This vision of the past is sufficient to distract Rexus, though, as two hideous, lumpy figures rise from the mucky water -- possibly reacting to Dee's careless pebble.
Initiative:
Stand up is the surprise round action.
The creatures are what would be thigh-deep in the filthy water on a normal human. Hideous, misshapen mockeries of obese humans that these things are, it's tough to tell where their thighs might be. They greet the intruders in their territory with a deafening roar of insane glee. The echoes ring in the chamber for a few seconds.
Round 1: (click for map)
Ensis
Valexia
Thing1
Ben
Bertom
Thing2
Dee
Rexus
"Oh no.... someones in deep sh!t." Dee exclaims.
Valexia steps forward and fires an arrow with a bit of a grimace, "Anyone who was swimming in that must have no taste. I should have picked up silver arrows or something before coming here... does anyone have silver? Or anything good?"
One fleshpile now has an arrow stuck through its head at a jaunty angle. It doen't seem to be bothered in the least, but it's a skosh more fashionable than it was a moment ago.
Ensis leaps forward with a wink, "I'm very good... I guess that'll have to do, since Bertrom has the silver dagger.", and stands at the edge of the water, calling out a challenge, "Come to me, you disheveled pile of infernal flesh.. I'll send you back to whatever hell these symbols pulled you from..."
for
Thing1 slosh-lumbers towards its challenger.
Round 1:
Ben
Bertom
Thing 2
Dee
Rexus
Round 2:
Ensis
Valexia
Thing1
"Silver? Yeah I've got the Werewolf Slayer." Bertom says with a look at the silver dagger "You think it'll help against these things?"
He watches one fat blob make its way towards them "We should spread out, try to pin them between us... and lure them out of that muck, I really don't want to go in there."
"ACK!" Ben exclaims, firing his crossbow wildly at Gross Thing#2.
And suddenly one creature sprouts a new feather in his arrow-hat.
"He's going to need a LOT more improvement before he looks better!" Ben declares, admiring his amazingly good shot.
"I'm no expert, But I'm pretty sure I've read about these before. They're called Lemures. The lowest of the low of the denizens of Hell. Formed from a primordial ooze of damned souls. Be sure to save me a sample!"
Ben reaches for the satchel at his side, then looks concerned, and hastens to reload his crossbow again instead.
"I'm fairly certain that they possess no supernatural or mystical abilities. They just hit stuff. Hard. I don't suppose anyone knows if they have a weakness for fire? Probably not. I'm never THAT fortunate." He grumbles, trying to fit a bolt in his crossbow and keep an eye on the misshapen monsters at the same time.
Ben’s crossbow bolt sinks deep into the roiling flab, evoking a roar of rage from the devil. Spurred into motion, it shambles towards the nearest person - Bertom. Bertom’s thrust didn’t account for the disgusting, slippery coating of goo over tough skin. The Werewolf Slayer is turned and doesn’t harm the big nasty, which lashes out at the rogue with both claws, missing by a mile.
”I have no clue about these things,” Rexus offers, ”Let’s see if this stops them.”
A bright, chromatic flash bursts from his upraised hand, engulfing the arrow- and bolt-bedecked devil. It roars and shakes its head as if to clear it, glaring straight at the noble.
”Uh, I think not. Annoys, yes. Stops, no.” He draws his blade and steps back, obviously not at all confident in his ability to take on the monsters.
Round 1: (click for map)
Dee
Rexus
Round 2:
Ensis
Valexia
Thing1
Ben
Bertom
Thing 2
Valexia aims once more and lets an arrow fly.
"I don't think that this is going to be very effective... and no, Ben, as far as I know they are not vulnerable to fire, but I won't stop you from trying!"
"You're doing better than you think Val. We do have some Silver buttons, but doubt they'd be any good." Dee says wryly. 'I wonder if that's why they chose the name Silver Ravens, since they were against the diablerie of the other noble houses.'
She looks to the one crawling through the mire, Dee's visage lights up as her reckless streak once more engages. "I'll delay this one." With a crouch, followed by a sudden spring of a couple of steps. Her feet bounce off the edge of the fountains lip, her arms outstretched for the chains above her.
Grasping at the edge of the slippery chains with her fingertips, Dee uses her long legs to focus the momentum of the swing to whip at the creature.
With a graceful flying leap, the brave and daring noblewoman leaps over the polluted water and makes a grab for the slippery chains. Her straining fingers manage to grasp the chains enough to hold her weight, but the tenuous grip hinders her ability to use her body's training as leverage against itself and make a good, hard kick at the slimy foe. Instead, she dangles, thrashing weakly with her legs, unable to make an effective attack.
Ensis watches the creature shuffle away, and sighs, muttering, "Seems like my tremendous skill is wasted on mindless Hellspawn...". With that, Ensis rushes toward the creature attacking Bertom, swinging his blade again, "The blasted thing's unnatural nature turns my masterful strikes into paper cuts.... But I should be able to distract it enough to let your silver tooth bite."
for
Ensis’ strike, though on-target, is indeed more a scratch than a slash. Nevertheless, the creature notices and whirls on the swordsman with an offended roar. Valexia's arrow, on the other hand, bounces off without leaving a mark.
Its compatriot cannot resist the pendant noblewoman and it tests its claws against soft, high-class flesh, connecting with a weak hit while Dee manages to swing wide of the creature's more vigorous effort.
Ben
Bertom
Thing 2 (5/13)
Dee
Rexus
Round 3:
Ensis
Valexia
Thing1 (13/13)
:/
Encouraged by his first excellent shot, Ben rapidly cranks his crossbow, reloads, and fires again at the same monstrosity.
"Well, My initial observations are that they make most excellent pincushions!" Ben notes distractedly, rapidly re-cranking his crossbow.
"My secondary observations include the fact that this doesn't really seem to be slowing them down much!
Ben's second bolt strikes Thing2 as well (despite its now being in melee with Ensis and Bertom) and sticks, obviously stinging the thing.
"Um,... Sorry 'bout that." Ben offers upon seeing how close he came to his friends, even though he hit his target. Quite well, actually. He was getting better at this.
"Ben help out Dee! We've got this one, but she's all alone over there." Bertom calls to the alchemist as he steps up to attempt to finish the creatures off.
He taks a quick slash at the grotesque thing between he and Ensis with the silver dagger, and follows up with a mighty thrust of his rapier in case the thing is still standing.
"Wait, what? Oh. OH! Right!" Ben says, finally realizing that Dee was, indeed, hanging from a chain directly in front of the OTHER Lemure. And the Lemure was trying to hug the noblewoman in a most inappropriate fashion.
Another of Ben's bolts zips home into the fiend, then Bertom drops it with his silvery dagger and follows up with a thrust of his trusty rapier, just to be sure. The ball of flab slumps and undulates to stillness on the floor.
Dee still dangles, doughty daughter of dukes,
Now food for fiends, if her friends fail her.
Round 2: (click for map)
Dee
Rexus
Round 3:
Ensis
Valexia
Thing1
Ben
Bertom
Thing 2 (-8)
Dee swings using the chains momentum, her legs flicking out as iron bars against the horrid creature.
;
;
Dee's trained feet thud into the creature, solid thwacks echoing through the chamber.
The lemure looks up at Dee, apparently unharmed by her efforts. Its face, formerly as unformed as a child's drawing, changes within seconds to a mirror of her own, even to her expression of battle concentration.
Its mouth opens, an unhuman laugh issuing as it raises its claws to strike again.
With a curse, Rexus dashes forward into the muck. Seeing he can't reach Dee in time to help protect her from the next attack, he drops his sword cane and makes a tossing motion with his now-free hand, intoning a quick, hissing syllable.
"Hey, ugly! Leave her alone!" he yells in a desperate (but futile) attempt to distract the thing.
His handful of acid flies true, but hisses and bubbles down the surface of the creature without leaving a mark.
"Ugly! Darling Rexi, it's trying to look like me!" Dee chuckles softly despite the fact the creature took her hit's without too much of a fuss.
"It could not hope to succeed, milady," Rexus backpedals hastily.
Valexia unenthusiastically fires another arrow at the blob monster, not really paying too much mind to it as she suspects her arrows will never harm it anyhow.
"Lead that thing out of that slop, Dee. Maybe then Bertie can use his silver to knock it dead."
Ensis:
"Yes, bring it this way, between us. I don't think it's smart enough to avoid being surrounded," Ensis calls. Waving Bertom to follow, he repositions to be closer to Dee's position and give her (and the creature) a shorter path to shore.
Thing1:
The creature continues to attempt to rake Dee.
Rexus reluctantly moves back out of the slop and continues out of the way of the swordsmen.
"Dee! Withdraw! Give us a clear shot!" Ben bellows, (forgetting how powerful his formulae makes his voice.)
Ben delays until Dee clears the creature, hopefully by cautiously withdrawing and not giving the beast a chance to swing at her. He has been fantastically lucky so far, but doesn't want to risk turning the attractive Lady into a pincushion.
"So much for a distraction... ooof!" Dee says as the lemure rakes it's claws across her shirt bringing a line of red from under her ribs.
"Oh best bring him to you guys then." she shifts her body-weigh with a practised gymnastic rhythm; despite the unusual chain. And then throws her whole body across the gap, trying to kick off the creatures face as it claws out at her.
Ben's shot flies true and the bolt buries itself in the mounds of flesh, drawing a serious flinch from the creature.
Bertom steps over moving around the fallen creature and glares towards the other one with a menacing growl "Hey blob, touch Dee again and I'll skin you alive." The threat is said while brandishing the silver dagger. Bert's not sure if this thing can even understand them, but hopefully it at least gets the sentiment, for such a small guy he makes a pretty imposing figure.
Ben flinches at Bertom's tone, and takes a small step away himself.
The primitive devil, though, doesn't seem to think the noises Bertom are making mean anything at all. As Dee tries to fling herself clear of the fray, it claws at her frantically with one hand.
It barely misses as Dee kicks at its face, landing her attack with a solid thump. Unfortunately, the effort is too much for her battered body, and she drops into the drink.