"You want to hurt Lady blue? I don't think I like that, Drana. She's blue. She's unbroken. I like those things. Only broken things deserve to die. Only weak and fearful beings must be consumed. Once they break, the only thing their blood and soul is good for is food. You should leave Lady Blue alone."
Atma slips from Indrana's grasp and quickens her pace to once again latch onto Mareth's arm like a lady being escorted to a ball. The spikes draw additional blood from the her hands as she grasps more tightly this time.
"Did you like that, McGrowly? Were you jealous?" the dhampir asks the heavily armored hulk, one hand raised to her mouth as usual. Her lace cuff is red with blood from her palm and lips. Atma's lack of inflection is odd and unsettling given her subject matter. "Don't worry. You know I like you best after Lady Blue. You know how things are. You speak my language. I feel like you and I are always in the same brain."
Atma's absurd assumption about her relationship to Mareth seems to be the nigh gospel truth as far as she believes. Mareth's choice or inability to ever voice a contradiction to the girl's whimsy has definitely led her to assume much.
She glances behind her at Mythaniel and licks the mixture of blood she and Indrana produced from her lips in a manner that could only be described as predatory.
Myth grins at Atma, "Now I am jealous".
"Hah. I KNEW he could smile." Ash mutters smugly to Chandi. Proving that not ALL of his attention is entirely focused on the floor ahead of them,...
The stairs lead downward into the darkness. As Ash advances, he notes that there have been people through here at some point in recent history, presumably the drow they found eviscerated above.
The Stairway ends in a area of worked stone that extends 20' from the terminus. After this the walls become a natural cavern type. The walls are honeycombed with carven niches where cobwebbed piles of bones are stacked.
Mareth glances at the bones and peers into the darkness ahead.
"Seems like we're on the right track at least." Geygar says conversationally to Chandi.
"I'm pretty sure our dead dark friends upstairs came this way."
Ash casts a keen eye over the niches of bones, but seems to be disinclined to bother with checking them out too closely.
If anyone raises an eyebrow at this, he shrugs and mutters something about "If they're too cheap to bury properly, Theyr'e not likely to have anything worth liberating."
With a glance around to make sure everyone is down the stairs, he smirks what is likely supposed to pass as a reassuring grin, and vanishes into the darkness ahead,...
(Apparently, he is instinctively showing off, and not paying as much attention to his surroundings as he likely should be,...) ;P
Myth allows Ash to do his job sticking hear the Handler.
The is a corridor that looks to be of worked stone leading out of this hybrid cavern/crypt. The corridor is devoid of traps. It opens into a large cavern that is also full of grave niches on its walls. In the center of the cavern is a pedestal of a large alien being. The being has a gaunt human form, but with an elongated oval face with bulbous eyes and insect mandibles.
Atma squints at the figure.
"Ju Ju...go hit that thing and make sure it's not alive," she says to Ash.
Myth stands next to the Handler still waiting to see who will enter the room first, he knows it certainly will not be him...
"Right. Sure. I'll go walk RIGHT up to the big, alien thing and poke it in the toe. JUST to be sure. That approach always works SO well in the horror stories." Geygar mutters aloud.
Shaking his head, the elf nevertheless looks right and left, then fades into the shadows once more. Taking a more circuitous route than his sarcastically- voiced option, Geygar approaches the statue from behind, checking for dangers that messing with it might bring. And of course any rewards as well.
Mareth glances inscrutably at Atma, then stalks after Ash. Once the elf has investigated the statue, Mareth stands beside it, hammer held ready to smite.
"Right. Sure. I'll go walk RIGHT up to the big, alien thing and poke it in the toe. JUST to be sure. That approach always works SO well in the horror stories." Geygar mutters aloud.
"Nah, no way, buddy. Just march right up there and smack it right across the butt-cheeks. That way, we'll all know for danged sure you've hit rock bottom."
Ash, stops moving, and drops his head against his chest with an audible sigh. He shakes his head slowly.
"Amateurs and Puns. Kids gonna hurt himself." Can barely be heard, hardly more than a sigh as the elf once again sneaks forward.
The petite woman in the eccentric outfit ghosts along behind the elf who may or may not notice her. Her eyes dart about the room unusually attentive.
"I spy with my hungry eyes something that begins with U," Atma whispers in his ear. It may or may not have occurred to the dhampir that 'U' and 'you' sound the same...
Eddin snaps his fingers loudly in the ear of whoever's closest.
"Uh-oh, guys, looks like giant statue lady has some competition from little-miss-psychic-girl-drowned-in-a-well for the affections of our buddy the Gray Ghost over here. Oh boy, I'd love to bet on that catfight. I'm calling it right now, twenty gold crowns on Jenny the Juggernaut squishing the ghost girl like a rotten pumpkin in round 2."
He gives a nonchalant shrug.
"Sorry, lady, you just can't compete with five tons of solid rock, especially when it comes down to winning the heart of this chiseled young stud. And besides, didn't you have a thing like ten minutes ago with, ah, what's her name, with the..."
Eddin comically flaps his fingers next to his shoulders in a crude pantomime of demonic wings.
Gaygar pauses, ever so briefly, at Atma's whisper, then continues onward smoothly without a hitch.
Until Eddin starts talking again.
You can HEAR the eyes rolling back in Geygar's head.
One thing the elf had to grateful to rambling humans for though, (Funny, considering his own predilection for prattling)
They made SO much noise it was almost cheating being stealthy in the presence of one.
Almost,...
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Atma glances over her shoulder at Eddin with an empty but annoyed expression.
To Ash, she continues to whisper imperceptibly. "Aren't you going to guess? Something that starts with 'U!'" The lace of her sleeve's cuff no longer shows any trace of Indrana's blood.
"Right. Sure. I'll go walk RIGHT up to the big, alien thing and poke it in the toe. JUST to be sure. That approach always works SO well in the horror stories." Geygar mutters aloud.
Shaking his head, the elf nevertheless looks right and left, then fades into the shadows once more. Taking a more circuitous route than his sarcastically- voiced option, Geygar approaches the statue from behind, checking for dangers that messing with it might bring. And of course any rewards as well.
d20+19
d20+20
The statue seems to be what it appears. a cowl of cobwebs cover it
Geygar relaxes tension that he hadn't even realized he had been holding, but doesn't call or wave until he gives the statue a once-over for traps.
And waits another second to make sure THIS one doesn't start moving as well.
Atma crinkles her nose when nothing seems to happen and eyes the alien statue with disappointment.
Then she turns to Ash and says with a huff, "Fine. The answer is unopened crypts. Starts with 'U', just like I said."
Geygar arches a fine eyebrow at the fact that Atma seems,... disappointed.
But otherwise demonstrates a remarkably surprising self-controlled silence and continues his investigation.
Geygar relaxes tension that he hadn't even realized he had been holding, but doesn't call or wave until he gives the statue a once-over for traps.
And waits another second to make sure THIS one doesn't start moving as well.
d20+20
Ash notices a faint line of magic runes cunningly hidden along the base of the statue. He makes out the passage
Jergal, guard of the dead
Watch over your charges
Strike those who raise them
In sacrilegious rites
Destroy the necromancer
And his abhorrent creations
Geygar shifts back, tilting his head as he examines the base of the statue.
"Huh" He says aloud.
"Looks clear." The elf calls over his shoulder, not too loudly.
"Unless one of you were planning on raising the dead in here to serve as your personal entourage. I'd have to advise against it. This time, at least. I get the feeling it would be an extraordinarily BAD idea."
Geygar points out the runes hidden around the base of the statue to the others, then takes another look around, hoping to find some more of that ever-present loot some cultures seemed to throw at the bodies of the deceased, as if imploring their favor from the great beyond.
"Jergal? Not a God I know of..."
Knowledge Religion
Knowledge Planes
"I'm pretty sure it's pronounced juggle."
Chandi sighs. "Not raising the dead sounds like an excellent idea. Shall we proceed?"
"Jergal? Not a God I know of..."
Knowledge Religion 1d20+18
Knowledge Planes 1d20+18
Mythaniel recalls Jergal as a minor deity of tombs, and the dead. He guarded the faithful from the forces of darkness
"Jergal, a minor deity of tombs, and the dead. He guarded the faithful from the forces of darkness.
Regardless, sometimes a statue is just a statue. Carry on oh brave finder of traps".
Atma looks at the statue blandly. Raising her hand to her face, she says tonelessly, "The forces of darkness...that's us."
Cocking her head she glances around at the crypts and burial niches.
"I think we should see if Jerkface will come out to play. After all that limerick is nearly a promise he will oppose us. Maybe we'll finally have more of a challenge."
Void energy once again begins to swirl around Atma. Her raised hand now has one finger before her face as if she is requesting silence. The tearing and ripping sound that accompanies her gathering of power belies this as does the crazed smile which appears below the red glow of her eyes. An orb of strange purple blackness begins to form over her upraised digit.
"Now which grave to defile? Eeney, meany..."
"I have to disagree with the sentiment here my dear. A minor deity or it's agent would easily ascertain the energies that connect us to our dear Handler and slay her thereby slaying us all. Let's stick to finding and killing Drow. After all, isn't that the next blood type on your bucket list to taste?"
"What fun would it be if there is no challenge? Keeping Lady Blue alive will always be the challenge, so godling, demon, or monster matters not."
Atma eyes a particularly darkened burial niche before simply dismissing the gathered void energy into...the void?
"You're very boring, Mythy Morsel," Atma grumps. "All of you are very boring. None of you seem to be half as evil as you pretend to be."
Atma's petulance only lasts for a few seconds before her expression once again becomes the placid bored look. Something seems to retreat in her eyes. It's almost as if...
"You're very boring, Mythy Morsel," Atma grumps. "All of you are very boring. None of you seem to be half as evil as you pretend to be."
"Who are you calling evil? I'm just about the nicest guy you're ever gonna meet."
Eddin shrugs, glancing around.
"What can I say? I'm a people person."
"Hey, wanna see a coin trick?"
Eddin fishes around in his belt pouch for a bit, then pulls out a tarnished silver piece.
"See this coin? It's magic. It may look like an ordinary silver piece, but it can do some really amazing stuff."
Closing his eyes, he holds the coin in front of him, waving it in a small semicircle.
"Eeeny... meeny... miney... you."
With that, he whips the coin as hard as he can at the back of Ash's head.
"For example, my magic coin can really bug the heck out of somebody for a couple seconds."
Mareth steps carefully back from Atma as she gathers her power, his earthbreaker held ready in both hands ... then seems to relax as she steps down.
He gurgles something behind his helmet, then stalks off around the perimeter of the cavern, looking for exits.
Being attracted to even the dull shine of Eddin's tarnished coin, and being paranoid in general, pays off and Geygar is able to easily dodge to the side as the coin buzzes by his head.
Even as he dodges the minute monetary projectile, he instinctively reaches out to try and grab the coin,... to protect it from being lost of course,...
Ash raises a thin eyebrow at the tarnished coin now in his palm, and lightly polishes it on his shirt.
"Hey 'Ed', if you WANT to throw your money away, all you had to do was ask. I'll be glad to take care of it for you. I know a Troll bridge for sale, cheap. Great investment opportunity." Ash says dryly.
Holding the coin between thumb and middle finger, he flings it back at Eddin's forehead,...
Turning to Atma, Ash looks hurt.
"Boring? Boring?! Ol' Ash is the life of the party sweetheart! Really."
Geygar looks around at the others.
"Hey. 'Cautious' is not 'Boring'. 'Cautious' translates to 'long life' in my line of work!"
Myth sighs at Atma and states wistfully, "Indeed boring is what I am. Some call me calculating, I suppose it depends on the expansiveness of ones vocabulary. Regardless, I'll miss you when you are gone.
Keep on with the caution Geygar, it's one of your few admirable traits".
Atma watches the coin exchange without expression and waits for someone to proceed. When Myth addresses her, Atma regards him with a blank stare then shrugs.
"The void takes us all in the end," she says around a mouthful of lace cuffs.
Chandi looks thoughtful, and reaches out absent-mindedly to brush Atma's hair back from her face. "Save your strength for now, child. It has been much too easy to get in here so far. If somebody is aware of us, they are ensuring we are past any hope of escape before attacking. I think we will need all our resources when we finally hit trouble."
Atma looks up at Chandi, her eyes wide and glistening almost luminous.
"OK, Lady Blue, if that's what you want. Atma will be a good girl," she giggles at the words, "for now and stay strong. But I'll tell you a secret because its you, Lady Blue."
Then she grins wickedly baring her elongated toothy inheritance without her usual reflex. Her voice drops to a stage whisper.
" I never run out of power."
A bolt of void energy tears reality and runs up Atma's tattooed leg curling around her torso then proceeding to run up her arm into her hand as she raises it above her head. Her clothes change and shift as they often do becoming something regal but for a dark and sinister courtroom festooned with decorative touches indicative of blood, fangs, and skulls. Her hairband accessory changes into a spiky tiara of a metal so red it is almost black.
"One day, I will not have to hide my power ever again. Father will find me. He will find both of us."
The orb of power in her hand swiftly expands to suffuse the petite woman's form wreaking havoc on the light and shadow before suddenly dissipating in a flash before anyone can react.
The display ended, Atma has returned to her usual appearance and holds out her hand to Chandi which if accepted draws no visible reaction from the girl's once again passionless expression. However, she keeps a firm grip and skips alongside Chandi for as long as she allows.
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Chandi stifles yet another sigh at the girl's display of (illusory) power. She considers the dhampir's propensity for theatrics and the tiefling's bombastic pronouncements. Maybe evil is just delusions of grandeur coupled with an ambition to change the world? Her gaze shifts to Eddin. No... no, that can't be right.
When she looks back to Atma, the girl is offering a hand. Hesitating only a fraction of a second, Chandi takes the proffered hand. Best to keep one of her hands occupied - less mischief potential.
"If you gentlemen are finished throwing your money around..." She raises an eyebrow at Ash and Eddin and nods at Gornn's good example. "But be calculating, as Mythaniel says; we'll all live longer."
Ash raises a thin eyebrow at the tarnished coin now in his palm, and lightly polishes it on his shirt.
"Hey 'Ed', if you WANT to throw your money away, all you had to do was ask. I'll be glad to take care of it for you. I know a Troll bridge for sale, cheap. Great investment opportunity." Ash says dryly.
Holding the coin between thumb and middle finger, he flings it back at Eddin's forehead,...
d20+13
Eddin snatches the coin out of the air and slips it into a hidden pocket.
"See? I told you it was magic. It just wasted thirty seconds of this guy's time, and then it came right back to me. Speaking of which, anyone want to see my knife-throwing trick?"
Catching Eddin's eye, Atma uses her only hand currently available for mischief and points to Mythaniel.
Myth shakes his head as the Dhampir points at him, "By all means human, throw your silver at me, you'll find I am not so quick to throw it back. I've a use for it.
No doubt the good time girls in the low rent district will suit your fancy as much as those at the classy high end establishments so all you'll need are your copper pieces for a good time.
Speaking of a good time, can we move along and complete this mission? I've a slave collar to remove and a world waiting for me to subjugate it thereafter. Not this one of course Handler, I've seen the errors of my ways blah, blah, blah".
Ash raises a thin eyebrow at the tarnished coin now in his palm, and lightly polishes it on his shirt.
"Hey 'Ed', if you WANT to throw your money away, all you had to do was ask. I'll be glad to take care of it for you. I know a Troll bridge for sale, cheap. Great investment opportunity." Ash says dryly.
Holding the coin between thumb and middle finger, he flings it back at Eddin's forehead,...
d20+13Eddin snatches the coin out of the air and slips it into a hidden pocket.
"See? I told you it was magic. It just wasted thirty seconds of this guy's time, and then it came right back to me. Speaking of which, anyone want to see my knife-throwing trick?"
"You've wasted far more than thirty seconds of our time today," Kanir remarks.
He spends a moment considering the statue's inscription. "Fortunate and curious that there is no necromancer among us. This band of felons gets points for originality anyway. Necromancy is so passé." He looks for an exit to continue onward.
Myth shakes his head as the Dhampir points at him, "By all means human, throw your silver at me, you'll find I am not so quick to throw it back. I've a use for it.
No doubt the good time girls in the low rent district will suit your fancy as much as those at the classy high end establishments so all you'll need are your copper pieces for a good time.
"Joke's on you, bud. It's counterfeit."
He snaps his fingers, then points between Myth and a few others.
"...or is it? Magic!"
"Fortunate and curious that there is no necromancer among us. This band of felons gets points for originality anyway. Necromancy is so passé."
"Right you are, Cool Guy. I wouldn't want to romance any of your necks, anyway. Well, maybe if it was in a really dark room and I had my ears and nose plugged, but even then I'd give it even odds."
Ash rolls his eyes, and mutters in a stage whisper of his own,...
"Kid's not gonna have ta hurt himself. I'll gladly do it for him!"
,... Before smiling pleasantly at Chandi and Atma, and making his way forward.
"Excuse me ladies, allow me!" Geygar says with a fey grin before moving forward and nearly vanishing from sight,...
"Joke's on you, bud. It's counterfeit."
He snaps his fingers, then points between Myth and a few others.
"...or is it? Magic!"
"Looks real enough to pass off to a fool shopkeeper so keep them coming if such is your desire.
Certainly, your magics inspire great awe within us all..."
Atma peers at Mythaniel blankly then turns to look up at the blue-skinned warpriest and whispers.
"He really sucks all the fun out of being in a death trap-laden tomb, doesn't he?"