Getting angrier, Merelda resets and tries again!
Boros rips the head off one of the skeletons following Amigail's wide swing of the falcata. Even as the skeleton falls to the ground you see the bony head reforming.
Shortening the grip on her glaive Cassandra strikes at the other skeleton, but the creature uses the flat side of it's scimitar to turn away the glaive.
Xaeen steps into the shaft and rises. Innis makes it to the top and provides a blessing to the party. Merelda tries to once again push the skeleton out of the way but fails to do so. The skeleton tries to retaliate, but misses horribly.
Innis attempts to blast the remaining skeleton with her wand
Hearing the POP! from the bones of the skeleton being crushed you turn your attention to the last remaining skeleton when you watch a cloud of bats suddenly fly out of nowhere and swarm Merelda and Innis.
The skeleton slashes his scimitar at Cassandra, but is little more than a nuisance for the experienced warrior.
Amigail circles around the scrum to get into flanking position opposite Merelda. Then she cuts loose with her falcata.
for
Innis waves away the bats with little effort and launches her fiery ray at the creature.
Cass stepped back from the remaining creature and lashed out with her glaive. She went with precision over power once more. It appeared to work out incredibly well as she struck a solid blow, one that she thought just might shatter the creature's defenses and deal a serious blow to it.
Stepping out of the swarm, Merelda swears out loud,and continues.
"Someone summoned these bats! They must be invisible...just like I thought!"
Missed! Spell/Charge held until discharged!
Amigail swings the falcata but finds the blade blocked by the creature's blood soaked chain shirt. Cassandra spears the skeleton through the head and watches as the skeleton falls to the ground in a heap.
Summoning more of his druidic magic Kirzon creates a dark gray cloud in the swarm of bats and watches the electricity rip through the creatures completely destroying them all.
Hearing Merleda's warning you look about preparing for whatever could come next.
Innis and Merelda you can still feel the effects of the bats biting as your wounds continue to bleed.
Innis stays her wrath as the skeleton drops before she is able to blast it. With a warning from Merelda, Innis draws on her mercurial defensive powers reflexively before the next threat makes it's presence known.
As Merelda heals herself a tall a large pit appears in the center of the room right underneath Cassaandra and Boros. At the same time the pits appears you see a tall and extremely thin skeletal figure flashes into view hovering almost to the 20 ft ceiling. With disgust you see tatters of desiccated flesh hanging from her sickly green-gray bones. Her face is a bare skull atop which rests a tangle of dust-covered black dreadlocks.
The pit is 20 ft deep. The walls are cut from a course stone and can be scaled
Innis sends a ray of scorching fire at the newly arrived creature.
"Stay spread out! Kirzon give it all you've got!" she commands sensing danger.
Still bleeding Innis retreats down the magical lift to prepare herself should this arrogant new enemy turn out to be as much of a threat it thinks it is.
The lance of fire sets ablaze some of the desiccated flesh hanging from her body she throws it off. She sneers while looking down on you Innis.
Innis attempts to move down the shaft but finds it blocked with Kirzon standing in the shaft and Xaeen and Lililinda coming up.
Amigail sets her sights on the new enemy and brings prepares to bring her falcata to bear.
for
Innis watches Amigail looks up at the creature ready to strike but out of her reach. "It's not just going to waltz into your sword attack it from range" she chides the foolish warrior.
"I don't have a bow--I'm a swordswoman!" Amigail growls back to Innis. Fortunately, she doesn't further incur the Calistrian's wrath by saying that she's saving the alchemist's fire for any swarms the group might encounter.
Lililinda steps into the lift zone as soon as it's clear.
Blasted by the scorching ray and now being crushed by the coils of Boros yuo hear the creature cry out in a voice that causes the hair on the back of your neck to stand.
"I yield! Call off this beast! I can share with you the secrets. I can see death will visit you soon. You are infected."
Putting away her sword, Merelda calls out forcefully.
"Come down! Who are you! Kirzon, make sure Boros does not let go unless you tell him to do so!"
"The first of your kind with sense enough to speak when they know they're outmatched. Could it be that not all of you were brought back from the beyond missing your wits. Speak creature."Innis is willing to hear the creature out but she is wary of deception or half-truths.
The skeleton floats down and speaks as Boros holds it tight but not enough to destroy it. "I am Yndryssa. Sister matron of those you destroyed in your journey to these caverns. The Sisterhood of the Cowled Skull have no quarrel with you. Your fight is with Azrenar. It is he who has sent the plague upon your city above."
"You desire is either for vengeance or for salvation. Some of you will not last more than a few days with the blood that seeps from your eyes. But to reach Azrenar you will need my assistance. I will provide you that but you will honour this pact by letting myself and Sister Xaeen freedom with our possessions."
Innis bids Yndryssa to continue "You are correct. We care not what you and your cowled Sisterhood do in these dark caverns. What assistance do you propose why should we not simply destroy you and plunder your secrets for ourselves?"
In a hushed tone Innis clues in the old and tired dwarf "No we seek his Face here. The Lord's Tower is elsewhere."
"To reach Azrenar you will need to cross through the Plaza of the Damned where the last dwarven lord of Hrazhad-Kul resides within his burning bastion. By doing so he will slay you for trespassing upon his ancient city."
"I do not seek death so I will not attempt to deceive you. Nor will I give you the information before we have agreed upon my offer. Do you agree to the terms?"
Innis brokers a deal with the Dark Sister. "We will keep everything we've already found thus far. Your Sister will remain under Lilinda's spell until we partways or your services come to fruition. Once we have safely passed the Plaza of the Damned with the support offer us you will be free to do as you choose and with whatever remains of your belongings. I agree to your terms."
Innis the Witchspawn has a hidden agenda carefully woven into her words even as she makes a pact with Yndryssa.
Lililinda arrives at the top floor, already assuming her wandfighting stance, but once again finds that she seems to have missed the action. “Ah, yes, indeed. Don’t worry, I will take good care of your sister.”
Yndryssa quietly contemplates Innis' words then acquiesces to the changeling's words. "Inside the chest lies the head of Lord Dhurne, the last dwarven lord of Hrazhad-Kul. If you wish me to guide you past the Plaza of the Damned we will need that. Have your companions bring it. I would suggest you rest but from your appearances that will be dangerous for right now. Let me gather my items and we can leave."
Yndryssa looks at Lililinda, "You will take good care of her little gnome? That she seems befriended towards you is...interesting."
Innis sets everyone to task...
"We aim to move out immediately, gather what you need. Merelda be a dear and assist Yndryssa in gathering what she needs."
"Kirzon, Lililinda, attend to me I want an idea of what we're working with."
~ As predicted Innis can't read much from the artifact she inquires to her two other companions~