Karri pulls from her own blood the twisted form of the same rat she had called earlier. It's form is still rat-like, but it seems to have sections of its flesh removed, as if someone had striped its hide.
The rat lands and immediately attacks the derro with a ferocity not seen by many, between rabid snaps of its saw-like teeth it squees and squees.
In her mind she can feel the disapproval of Kasdaye, No, Demon. It is now and will be my decision.
The fiendish rat leaps at the derro and lands on its back, dragging it down with a squeal. The derro tries to scream, but it's cut short by the rat tearing out its throat. It twitches and breathes its last as the rat stands triumphant.
The Legion murmurs in approval. Good.Doitrightthistime.Neededsomeencouragement.
the rat stands triumphant.
Lyla scowls and reloads the crossbow, cursing continuously as she does so. She fires another shot, now at the Derro fighting Nalun. This time, she shoots quickly, her patience running low. When the bolt misses its target, she lashes out throwing the crossbow on the floor and kicking it around. "Argh! To hell with this!"
Ortik pulls a second dart as he adjusts to get a better angle on the far derro. "Here, have another!" He flings the dart, though this time his aim is not nearly as impressive.
Darting the far derro!
Ortik's second dart flies wide and skips off a stray rock.
The two remaining derro, for some reason, keep fighting. It would be admirable if they weren't utterly mad sadists.
Nalun's derro swings its hooked club...
...and the hook gets caught on the falchion's blade without hurting the bounty hunter at all.
The derro in the back of the room starts panicking. "నేను తెలుసు! నేను ఎలుక యొక్క పూర్వీకులు మాకు సంచరించు తిరిగి వచ్చి తెలుసు!"
It levels its crossbow at the rat and fires!
The bolt spears the rat through its belly, passing all the way through it and hitting the wall behind it!
Demitri moves to engage the further derro.
Demitri's swing carves another bloody swath across the derro's stomach. SOMEHOW, the thing is still standing.
Nalun studies the Derro for a moment and then takes a more measured swing at the creature
Take that! Nalun grunts
Nalun's swing splits the derro open lengthwise. It falls backwards in a spray of blood, well and truly dead.
The demonrat gleefully takes the crossbow bolt to the gut and turns in that almost boneless way rats move and rushes towards the remaining derro.
It squees piteously as the dwarf blocks the bites with its crossbow butt.
For her own sake, Karri staunches the blood on her shoulder and waits. It will come back to you and you can motivate it further.
Lyla grabs a tanglefoot bag and throws it up and down in her hand; she stares defiantly at the remaining derro. "Wanna talk now? Last chance."
After seeing the rat tank a crossbow shot that by all rights should have killed it, his other buddy get reduced to a bloody smear, and taking yet another serious blow, the derro throws its crossbow down and starts cowering.
Lyla puts the tanglefoot bag away and approaches the derro with caution. "Ok... do you speak my language?" She repeats the question in every language she knows.
The derro looks at Lyla with blank, uncomprehending confusion and fear.
"Er... yes?" It replies in Common.
Lyla keeps getting closer, ready to react to any signs of hostility. "Alright, then. This is how it's gonna go down: we're gonna tie you up now, and then we're gonna ask you a few questions—some of which will probably involve why you and your friends decided it would be a better idea to attack us than to have a nice little chat like this one. Please turn around and put your hands behind your back." Trying not to tak her eyes off the derro, she covers her mouth and throws a side glance towards Ortik. "Pst, Ortik. You have rope, right? Come give me a hand." She then continues addressing the bandit. "By the authority invested in us by the city of Korvosa, you are under arrest for... welll, attacking officers of the guard, I think. I guess if you're innocent, this should be temporary, ok? Ok, let's do it."
Lyla takes the rope and starts tying it around the derro's hand. Once the villain is securely restraint, she turns him back around to face the group and says "A young Shoanti warrior was murdered recently. The killers are two humans, one named, a-hem, Giggles, the other, Karralo. They took the victim's body, and now we're looking for the three of them. Their tracks led this way." She pauses and looks in the derro's eyes. "Now, think before you speak. Do you know anything about what I just told you?"
Ortik snorts and rolls his eyes. "Do I have rope? What sort of adventurer do you take me for?" He watches Lyla restrain the derro, taking a bit too much pleasure in the involuntary wince the bindings cause him.
The derro watches in confusion as Lyla approaches him and ties his hands behind his back. "Ow! Ow! Ow!" Apparently, the bindings are a bit too tight for his comfort.
He looks Lyla in the eye as she asks her questions. "No no no. Didn't see two humans. One mongrel, one topsider. Helped carry painted one deeper into the complex." He starts babbling.
"Turns out, Master only needed painted head. Painted one... not altogether anymore."
"Now we're getting somewhere, sport. Let's talk about your master, then. Is he one of you? Or a topsider like us? And why did he need a Shoa - ahem, painted man's head?"
The derro appears to be somewhat confused. "Master? Vreeg? Yes, Vreeg be in charge here. More or less. Not in charge in charge, but in charge he is. Most certainly. Except on days where he's not."
"Needed head for... something. Wanted to bring something back... or is it enslaved? I dunno--the whole thing's kinda screwy." He shrugs.
"Bring something back? That does not sound good."
The derro tilts his head to one side. "Why, you know how to do it? It's really hard--I don't understand it, really."
"What did he want to bring back?"
"Uh..." The derro is confused. "...some kinda spirit, or something? Wanted to stick it in a new body. Don't think he's been having much luck. Vreeg's kinda disappointing his boss lately..."
Demitri can't figure out what is going on, but it still doesn't sound good. "Where is your boss?"
The derro looks back down the cavern the party came in. "Deeper in the tunnels. Has a workshop in the deep--doesn't like visitors. Likes to torment us when he's bored. Which is all the time. Not fair that the mongrel and topsider get special treatment. Not fair! Not fair!"
He's becoming increasingly agitated.
"Any traps on the way? And tell me more about your boss. What does he look like?"
"Traps? Only fell into one of them once. Regretted it ever since. Regretted it ever since." The derro's blank eyes take on a faraway look. "Beware the snakes of bone. The Hall of Skulls. Vreeg put something there with his own magic. Several somethings. Or was that his master?"
He starts muttering to himself. "Bones shouldn't walk on their own. Filled with power, mana, energy glued together into a man's shape. Worse in the form of the serpent."
"No they shouldn't. Why don't you lead the way then?"
Karri watches impassively listening to the Legion, exultant and seething with the death and life of these derro. Hush.
They are building something you won't like. But, you know I would not intrude unless asked... She frowns at Kasdaye's goading. What? What do you think they are building? Kasdaye gives his obsequious sneer, A golem. Of bone, or flesh. I don't know.
Karri blurts out, "A golem of some sort. They are animating golems with dead things."
As for you, thank you. Of course.
"Sounds like a problem..." Nalun says his eyes going to the Derro captive
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The derro nods. "Yes and yes. Master doesn't know how to control his creations. Last one he built turned MAD! Mad, bad and dangerous to know!"
"And you topsiders call MY folk mad..." He snorts. "I could lead, I suppose. Or I could run, but I suspect your blades and... rat..." He shudders. The rat disappearing in a puff of smoke doesn't help him any. "...would make a better argument than mine."
"And don't forget it. Now lead on."
Nalun nods the Derro forward, lifting his falchion to accentuate the point.
Karri falls into line behind Ortik as the mad dwarf leads them into the warrens. She guffaws softly, Looks like we have two of them now...
Although Lyla recognizes the derro's account as a clear sign of necromancy at work, it is only when Karri voices her theory of a golem that things atrt making sense. "Darn, that should make it a bit harde to retrieve Gaekhen's body. I know it sounds gross, but... we'll have to find all the parts." While the group follows the derro through the tunnels of the underground complex, Lyla notices an expression of pain in Nalun's face every now and then. She grabs one of her extracts and hands it to her ally. "Drink it, slim. This will make you feel better."
Nalun does as directed Thank you....shorty. he returns with a grin.
The derro looks around the room and nods at the eastern wall of the cavern, specifically at a pile of splintered wood. "Secret passage through that way. Leads to trash heap--saw painted legs being thrown there. Can start there. Not sure if garbage-eater is awake or not..."
In the northeast corner of the room is a visible crawlspace. "We use those to move about."
"Wait—garbage-eater? Is that a three legged, big mouthed, tentacled thing?"
Lyla walks up to the secret passage and searches the area for traps.
The passageway behind the wood pile (which turns out to be another crawlspace) appears to be safe to traverse.
"Yes yes yes. Of course--only one we can think of." The derro nods.
"Oh, great", Lyla mumbles sarcastically. "Guys, let me take a look first to see what's ahead. I'll need some light..." Lyla picks up a loose stone that fits comfortably on her hand and asks Demitri to cast light on it and then closes her hand around the illuminated rock. Lyla walks down the passageway quietly, controlling the intensity of light by loosening and tightening the grip on the sonte, letting the light filter through her fingers.
Demitri will fulfill the hobbit's request.
The majority of this room contains a nasty-looking stretch of mud—a partially collapsed sinkhole—kept damp by rivulets of water seeping from the walls. A patch of solid ground extends into the mud to form an island, on which is heaped a reeking pile of body parts. To the north, a rickety wheelbarrow sits on its side against the wall.
Sitting next to the island of mud is an otyugh, merrily chewing away on what appears to be a dead gnome. "Dum de dum dum dum... *NOM NOM NOM OM NOM*"
The otyugh doesn't appear to have noticed Lyla.
On the pile of body parts in the centre of the room are a set of muddied and broken tattooed legs and hips.
Lyla doesn't think twice before seizing the initiative, taking advantage of the element of surprise. The girl reaches for a tanglefoot bag and throws it at the distracted creature, hoping to glue it to the floor; she takes a few steps back trying to avoid being spotted by the monster, and rushes back to inform the rest of the group. "I think I got him stuck. Come, we have to be quick!"
[dice=Ranged touch attack (tanglefoot bag)]1d20+9[/dice]
"What? What did you do? " Demitri draws his sword and moves to where the Otyugh is.