Ortik struggles to raise his hand from the chair he has slumped into. "That'd be me, friend."
Dhatri nods and gets over to where Ortik is slumped over, clasping the dwarf's hand and chanting prayers in a low, sonorous voice. Holy power flows from the golden key around his neck and through his hands, trying to burn away the unholy magics hanging off his muscles like iron weights.
Abadar's power surges forth and reinvigorates the druid's limbs. Though he still feels the burden of foul magic, much of his strength has returned. "There. That's all the Master of the First Vault has bestowed upon me, I'm afraid."
We need to get to House Carowyn now. Nalun says and then he turns to the Field Marshal
M'aam, can you spare a small contingent of guards, we might need some help to clear a scene.
Nalun is already moving for the exit regardless of her answer C'mon, I'll fill you guys in on the way
Nalun will let the others know about House Carowyn's distaste for the Queen.
Anyone else noticing a pattern here...
Karri has been quiet, glumly staring at the floor as she fights the desire to agree with Kasdaye. At the mention of flesh eating servants she beigns paying attention. She watches the boy's remembered terror as he describes what happened and it feels immediate, as if she too were there. "No Nalan, let us get there before a troop of guards enters the scene. And yes, a pattern. Undead, more than once. The badge we found on the departed doctor's person. And yes, oppose the usurper and become her next victim." She looks at Kroft and her look of surprise. "The doctor's? What do you mean? Or am I wrong and that was not what you were thinking." The scarred girl stands and sets the symbol of the Pallid Princess on Kroft's desk. "This is what we found. The queen's physicians have no intention of helping anyone. They are more likely turning our city into a Schlachthof for feeding their ranks." She looks to Ortik and Demitri, with Nalun already on the way to Carowyn Manor. "Marshall, if I may be as so bold. Lock down the citadel; the Queen is either your ally or your enemy. Your decision is to serve her, or save Korvosa. I am with Nalun, we will be serving the City." She turns to leave, motioning with her hand to Ortik and Demitri. "Our home calls again. Shall we go?"
"Yea, let's go. Like them, I serve my city. We should head straight for the cellar to see if Oren's parents are alright."
Oren staggers a bit as Demitri guides him out of the office. "M-my home is in South Shore. I-It's the great house near the south wall."
Kroft looks at the unholy symbol Karri dropped on her desk with a mixture of surprise, resignation, and anger. "...right. I'm going to have to recall the Guard. Go take care of what's going down at the manor--anything else you have for me can wait until that's resolved."
----------------------
With the party reunited, it's time to set out to South Shore. With a quick detour to Zellara's home to drop Oren off, it's a simple matter to make haste to Carowyn Manor.
The streets the party takes are curiously free of Physicians and Grey Maidens alike, but not of the pestilence running through the gutters. The groaning and wheezing of the afflicted fills the air as the party moves.
The South Shore district is clearly beginning to suffer from the plague now. Rows of corpses can be seen lining some of the more popular streets, all of them covered in frayed tarps. Men in grey robes can be seen with torches in hand, beginning a systematic cremation of the dead.
Carowyn Manor sits upon the south edge of Shoreline Way, the stately, gabled home providing a great view of Jeggare Isle and the ocean beyond. The two-story building's limestone facade is decorated with cinderberry garlands and brilliant red drapes. The street is eerily quiet, but some movement can be seen in the shadows of the house's windows.
Ortik straightens his posture after the Abadaran casts his magics upon him. "Thank you kindly, friend, I feel far less woozy now." He stands up quickly - a bit too quickly it seems, as he stumbles into the acolytes arms. "Heh, seems I have a bit to go. I'll take care of that tomorrow, though - I can manage at this for now. Let's get going, friends."
Ortik forces himself to keep up with the rest of the group. His limbs ache by the time they arrive at Carowyn Manor, and his face is stony as he surveys the area. "So, what do we know? Urgothoans suggests undead. What do we think? Zombies? Ghouls? Worse?"
"All of the above I wager." Demitri replies, drawing his sword before opening the door.
Karri readies herself for the worst, hoping that they aren't too late. It's going to be a charnel house of gore and entrails!
As Demitri opens the door, the reek of blood and death billows out from the interior of the manor, followed by the groans and shuffling of the damned.
A massacre took place here. Upon the marble floor and heaped in the corners lie more than a dozen corpses, each clad in garish outfits of sequined velvet, revealing silk, and colorful feathers. Masks of all shapes and sizes—each competing with the last in terms of elaborateness—adorn the dead. In several cases, though, these fanciful adornments have fallen away, revealing withered flesh covered in nauseating facial tumours. Most horrifyingly, upon a blood-slick space cleared at the room’s centre sway three couples, jerking like hellish dancers, all obviously dead.
Karri's scorching ray arcs through the door and promptly immolates one of the dancing dead.
The smell of cooked meat floods the room as the tumours on the undead dancer's face explode, coating its partner in its vile fluids. Curiously, the other dancer doesn't stop shuffling about, but its head does turn to see where the sudden burst of magic came from.
Ah gods! What the devil! Ugh Nalun says disgustedly as he moved and engages the nearest zombie
Nalun's sword slices through the zombie with ease.
Unfortunately, his attack causes the zombie's facial tumours to explode like before, this time drenching him in its abominable effluvia. It smells even worse than before.
Demitri activates a judgement of and moves to engage the undead.
Demitri runs in alongside Nalun and lets Iomedae's holy wrath guide his blade. It slices deeply into the zombie's gut, causing it to stagger. However, it remains standing.
"Take out as many as you can, Lyla!" Ortik says, pulling his warhammer, mostly for defense. "Mind the fluids, they can't be good!"
ugh nevermind
Karri drives deep into her soul and calls Legion. Oh, look who has come running to us! Karri growls and hisses in her mind, Shut up and come to me!
Suddenly her back arches and her eyes flash green with eldritch energy as Legion rises. Her voices booms as she begins summoning the first of her soldiers to visit Carowyn Manor.
"On it", Lyla replies, acknowledging Ortik's advice. She takes a step forward to steer clear from the wise dwarf, and throws one of her explosive admixtures up in the air. Her throw shows a hint of playfulness, an unnecessarily higg arch that abuses the salon's high ceiling and starts dropping just barely before touching it. She accompanies the bomb's trajectory, her calculations leading Lyla to expect a clean explosion right in the middle of the huddling zombies.
The bomb strikes Demitri's zombie square, exploding it into meaty, fiery chunks. Its bodily fluids spray everywhere, drenching the inquisitor.
However, his shield manages to deflect the worst of it away from himself.
The remaining burnt zombies turn and start attacking Demitri!
One manages to punch Demitri in the ribs, but his shield blocks another's strike and he easily dodges the next one.
The sound of a spell being cast upstairs cuts through the moaning and shuffling of the zombies below!
Ortik moves into the hallway, keeping a watchful eye on the stairs for the unseen caster. "The Old Dame shall guide you, Nalun!", he says, laying a hand upon the man's back. The quiet shriek, like a distant hippogriff crying out, is heard by the two of them, and no one else in the room.
"Sounds like s afraid of getting her behind whooped...", Lyla points out while throwing another bomb over Demitri's head.
Another zombie is blown to pieces...
...but the other two zombies become even more singed.
Unfortunately, Demitri becomes even more covered in zombie fluids.
Demitri then strikes back at a zombie.
Nalun's blade cuts the last zombie in the hall down with ease. It explodes into even more foul-smelling liquid.
The sounds of moaning can still be heard throughout the manor. Peeking around the doorways to the north reveals more facial-tumour ridden zombies dressed in fine noble silks, their attire stained with blood and other fluids. Two of them are holding tea trays with fully-stocked tea sets, shuffling to a pair of zombies sitting in front of a fireplace.
Taking hold of Legion, Karri pulls out her servants. Fling the demonic dogs into the melee, they begin to destroy the zombies. With such a huge surge, she struggles to get back in control, lurching and staggering into the doorway.
for and
for and
for and
for and
As the dogs charge forward, the zombies turn their heads and stupidly gawk at them. The two around the fireplace begin to get to their feet as the dogs chomp and bite at them. One dog narrowly misses a servant zombie's shin, and another trips over its own feet trying to bite at the same one.
The other two manage to dig their jaws into one of the zombies around the fireplace and rip it apart, spraying even more disgusting juices every which way.
The remaining zombies turn their hunger on the summoned hounds and begin swinging!
Ortik steps up and gives a word of encouragement to Demitri. "Let the Old Dame guide your blade, friend," he says, laying his hand upon Demitri's.
Guided by Ortik and Justice, Demitri swings at the zombie being flanked by him and Nalun.
Demitri races to the adjoining doorway and hews a great chunk out of the zombie's hide. Nalun follows suit...
...and gets outright clotheslined as he moves to strike at Demitri's zombie. His strike causes the zombie to explode into filth-riddled chunks.
Holding a bomb in her hand, Lyla hesitates, watching Karri´s dogs surround the remaining zombies. She waits to see how they fare before deciding to use up another of her explosive concoctions.
The dogs snaps and growl and bite into rotting flesh, their cacophony sure to alert the rest of the restless residents of the manor. Furniture is crashing apart between the thrashing hounds throwing their prey to the ground and the luckless moaning, struggling plague-corpses.
for and
for
for and
for and
Karri stays in the foyer, grinning wickedly as Legion fulfills the most basic of it's promises. Killing.
The dogs leap upon the zombies in the (now ironically-named) living room, savagely ripping one to fluid-soaked shreds and dragging another to the floor with ease.
Hmm. About time. Those four were whining for blood for who KNOWS how long.
After the dogs tear up one of the zombies, Lyla decides to finish the remaining one. She whistles and whispers "Boom" just before the bomb actually explodes.
Unfortunately, the bomb barely arcs over the prone zombie's head and riccochets off the window...
...and rolls underneath one of Karri's summoned dogs.
One of Karri's dogs gets badly burned by the explosion, while the other two manage to escape with minor burns. The zombie gets roasted, the fluids inside it cooking off and exploding, coating the window with foul sludge.
An arcane incantation is suddenly spoken at the top of the stairs, just before a red ray comes streaking down towards Demitri!
It catches the inquisitor squarely in the back, driving strength from his limbs with unholy magics.
"Woohoo! Now THAT was a textbook great shot!" A high-pitched, squeaky voice cheers from the top of the stairs.
Standing at the second floor landing is a strange blonde elf dressed in bright red & black harlequin clothes, her face slathered in white makeup and red lipstick. A dark brown crossbow is slung over her shoulder, and her gloved fingertips are sparkling with the afterglow of magic. She looks down at the party with a manic gleam in her wide blue eyes.
"Gotta say, I wasn't sure I'd be able to land it, but you gotta admit that was damn cool!" She bounces on her heels, the bells in her harlequin hat making a *jingling* noise. "Sorry ta break it to ya, but the party's over. I mean, it really died after I got here."
She giggles madly.
Demitri almost drops his sword as his strength is sapped.
"What in the world. Who are you?"
"Unless I miss my mark, Demitri," Ortik says, gripping his warhammer. "I believe we've found our Urgothoan." Ortik races up the stairs after the inquisitor, continuing to ask the Old Dame to guide his strikes.
Legion boils in her mind and Karri steps into the main room, seeking the jingling laughter and taunts. When she can see the elf capering at the top of the stairs, Karri pulls out pieces of Legion's raw essence and casts them towards the man woman. Her grin never breaks. If not for the unholy glare of her eyes, it would be easy to believe she was enjoying this. Go to your god, madling!"
All of the summoned dogs go running up the stairs to close with their next victim, nothing delights them more than the potential for fresh meat...
Nalun drops his Falchion and draws his Longbow
"Well, aren't you the life of the party, then," Lyla retorts rushing up the stairs. "It'd be great if you could stick around," she goes on, just as a tanglefoot bomb singes the air over Ortik and Demitri, towards the comically dressed elf. "By the way, love your sense of humour, hate your sense of fashion."
[dice=Ranged touch attack (Tanglefoot bomb DC 16)]1d20+9[/dice]
"What in the world. Who are you?"
"Teehee! Name's Jolistina--Jolly Jolistina Susperio! And BOY, am I feelin' GREAT!" She giggles and wobbles slightly, bringing her crossbow to bear.
Karri's missiles of force streak past the inquisitor as he charges up the stairs, but a translucent silver disk appears before the elf, causing them to skip off of it and fly harmlessly away into the floor and ceiling of the manor.
The dogs race up the stairs, past everyone else crowded onto them, and try to bowl the mad elf over! "Ooh! Doggies!"
The first dog trips over the stairs and doesn't get up enough momentum to knock the elf aside, but the second one manages to knock her back far enough for the other two to come barreling through! "OOF!"
"Well, aren't you the life of the party, then." Lyla retorts rushing up the stairs. "It'd be great if you could stick around."
"I dunno--this scene's pretty dead if you ask me. Besides--WHOA!"
The tanglefoot bomb strikes her right in the centre mass.
Unfortunately, it doesn't do much better than mess up her harlequin clothes. "--oh. I get it. That one was pretty good." She laughs again.
"By the way, love your sense of humour, hate your sense of fashion."
"Oh! Thanks!" The elf giggles before immediately stopping. "Hey! My honey-boo picked these out for me, so watch your stinkin' mouth!"
"Now, it's gettin' pretty crowded up here. Not that I'm not a dog person--which, incidentally, I'm not, really--but I got places to be around here. Catch me if you can!" She starts backflipping away from the dogs...
...evading their slavering jaws, and backflips down to the ground floor!
She lands like a cat on her two feet before racing off deeper into the manor.