Nate checks the door for traps.
Crouching down in the muck and hiding as best she can Morana tries to wait for the strangers to pass.
Nate confirms that there is indeed no trap on the door. Vaundour opens the door and peeks down the hallway. At the far end of yet another 20' hallway is yet another door, next to it a torch burns low not yielding enough light to even come halfway down the hall.
You are able to hide in the luck successfully but unable to make out what the voices say with your ear so low to the ground.
As yo make your way further in the swamp once again the same search party begins riding in your direction.
Growling to herself when she hears them again. Crouching down again in the muck. Not my day. Not my day at all. A soothing voice mumbles in her mind Have patience.
You kneel in the muck yet again and again the eyes of the overzealous Knight pas right over your position.
After several minutes they move along.
Getting farther and farther away from you, finally you begin to move in what you believe is the correct direction.
As you arrive at the far end of the short hallway, yet anther inscription awaits you in the guttering torchlight “Beware the fallen for they may rise once more to threaten you.”
Nate stares at the inscription. "Huh, sounds like undead."
"Where?" Grumblejack asked, looking around. "I don't hear nothin'"
Moving as quietly as possible since this area seems to be patrolled. Not a single break. Gods I hope where ever I am going has a bath.
Do you fly down near her or simply let her arrive at the manse on her own? The Cardinal's agent stated that she should find the place for herself but of course you are no one's servant...
You push on through the muck and the mire and the dark. It seems you are having some luck as you do not hear the sounds of anything but the creatures and bugs that inhabit this place. However, those sounds are off in the distance, anything near you seems to have quieted down.
Shalewigg sighs, "These things likely dwell within I would imagine Grumble. My abilities will be of little use against such creatures but we waste time, if we have to face them to finish these lessons then let us get on with it, after all, there is only one room left after this. Nine rooms for Nine lessons, at least I hope so as this exercise has taught naught but my patience".
"He refers to the inscription, the one you cannot read." Soren stands from her crouched position, nodding to the door. "Perhaps now we will meet this Sir Balin? Of course, I doubt the charade would do much to dissuade him now, if that was the case." She moves forward and puts her hand on the door's handle, turning to the others. "I suggest you prepare yourselves adequately, this may not be such an easy fight to avoid," she says, pushing the door open as quietly as she can manage, while keeping her rifle ready and shouldered to fire off a shot if needed.
Aurex looks down in amusement. Oh I will not lead her to you. But that doesn't mean I can't enjoy her struggle along the way. The red dragon descends, kicking up a gust of wind around the dark-skinned two-leg as he snorts out a small stream of fire. "Hello, stealthy one. You and I have a mutual ally." He breathes in sharply, taking in the female two-legs smell, and blows out hot furnace air over her.
As you look up it seems the sound you thought you heard was it your imagination! Hovering above you is a red dragon!
This square stone chamber is lit by a small oil lantern that hangs from the center ceiling. It has eight battered wooden coffins that are encrusted with salt brine, barnacles and dried sea weed.
The door opens slowly on its hinges, as Soren stand sin the doorway she sees no movement. Directly across the room 30' away is another door leading west.
Eyes widening and stumbling backwards when the Dragon lands in front of her. Looking ready to run until he speaks. Is this another test? Dragon, dragon, red dragon... Umm, why me?
Standing her ground and trying and not succeeding completely to keep the fear out of her voice, We.. we do?
From the dragon's throat comes a series of deep raspy noises...after a moment Morana realizes it is laughing. "You have a mission, yes? Don't let me get in the way. I'm just here to watch."
Inhaling quickly once she realizing the creature is laughing at her. Anger easily replaces fear and she glares at him, Yes I do. I suppose your wings grew tired. Twisting to begin walking again with her back to the Dragon.
"An interesting trap, I suspect they will emerge from their tombs to entrap us as we move through the room." Soren steps back, talking to the others. "Destroying their resting place may work, or moving past them unnoticed, but I do not know what sense they might have before I lay eyes on them. Whatever our plan, I suggest we are the first to strike."
Leaving the chuckling Dragon behind the woman slugs through the mud. On the horizon the day seems about to dawn, her hope seems lost when at the edge of the road she spots it, a solitary house and a large one at that with a single lantern burning in the second story window.
Aurex will trudge along, happily watching the woman struggle through the wilderness.
Taking a deep and calming breath then turning her head back to the Dragon. Thank you for the company I suppose.
Turning around completely, My manners have failed me, though they tend to leave when someone is laughing at me. Never the less I am Morana Soto. Though I cannot say it has been a pleasure.
Regardless of if the Dragon replies she will walk up and knock on the door.
The dragon rumbles an acknowledgement deep down in his chest. "I've always been curious why you little two-legs struggle in the wilderness. The creatures are so dull and easy to catch."
Humans do not see or smell the same way you do.
"You are an insufferable ingrate, but your plan is not without merit. Grumblejack, I might suggest you attempt smashing one of those coffins before the creatures inside have the chance to fend for themselves; Vandour, you shall..." Soren sighs, a look of irritation on her face. "You may "cast the first stone", if it pleases you." Soren, for her part, keeps her musket leveled towards whatever coffin Vandour decides to bomb.
As you approach the house you notice that the lantern burning in its second story window glows a bright red instead of orange.
After you knock on the door, it is opened by a hauntingly beautiful woman in a blood red gown that makes her look stunning. Her hair is so platinum as to almost be white and her eyes are a vibrant almost unearthly green. Soren, this is the veiled woman that picked your lock!
“Morana darling, you took long enough, another five minutes and the game we have not even begun to play would have come to an end".
She peers behind you at Aurex, "I see you met my friend who with the rising sun should proceed inside with all haste lest I make out of his hide a very fashionable coat..."
Raising an eyebrow at the threat to the Dragon but replying anyways, Bogs are not a place I spend much time in so I am not that familiar with them. My apologies for being late. You seem to know who I am what am I to call you?
Nate grins and starts singing a soft ballad.
Aurex snorts. "Even my hide could not mask your icy demeanor, witch."
"I suggest we act swiftly, then. Vandour, if your bombs can strike two of these coffins at once, aim to damage the two in the South-Eastern corner; Grumblejack, smash one of those coffins and I can handle the other. Lothryin, once these creatures emerge, your magical flames will prove useful." Soren takes aim down her rifle, waiting for Vandour to throw his bombs and Grumblejack to strike down the first coffin of the two in the corner. She keeps her aim steady between them, ready to shift targets depending on which the half-orge decides to assault. "Go, attack now! We may still strike with the element of surprise."
Grumble happily did as he was bid.
Vaundour opts to throw his vial across the room splashing on the coffins situated in the southwest section of the room. The vial strikes the wooden coffin, it and the splash effect on the second reveal the contents inside. In the first a creature begins to stir especially when the acid eats into its mid-section, in the second the body lies inert.
Grumble shuffles into the room and smashes one of the coffins to splinters ruining the body lying within.
Soren fires her shot into the coffin that Vaundour opened with his alchemical powers. A large portion of the creatures left shoulder is ripped to shreds but it still reaches out with its good arm to extract itself from the coffin.
Shalewigg holds in her current position outside of the room watching the battle unfold.
The woman does not respond to the Dragon but she does to the witch, "For now, you will not address me by my name at all. Should your benefactor determine that you will be allowed to stay, at that time shall you have the privilege of addressing me. For now, you may head upstairs and find an empty room, I shall send someone up to tend to your needs and bathe you".
She holds the door open for Aurex gesturing for him to enter.
Aurex stares at the human-sized door. "I think you've forgotten how doors work."
Nodding and entering the building with the intent of finding that bath but stopping to see how the Dragon crawls though the door.
Letting the flame build up around his fingers, Lothyrin releases it in a stream of orange. As it washes over the coffins he smiles, Burn.
Lothyrin releases his burning hands at the NE coffins setting both alight. One coffin simply smolders and burns while the second shows signs of a struggle from within.
Nathaniel
Grumblejack
Vaundor
Shalewigg
Soren
Foes (2 of 4)
Shalewigg steps into the room and throws a dagger at the creature which Grumble revealed.
The woman frowns at Aurex, "Then go to the barn in the backyard and wait for me there. I shall come to you to return you to the two legged form you seem to enjoy so very much..."
She turns back to Morana, "Off with you before I lose my patience and tell the Master that you didn't make it..."
"These creatures, they're called Daugr. They were formed from the bodies of men who died at sea... your flames will not sear them so well as they should." Soren takes a moment as she reloads her rifle, muttering a prayer to Asmodeus. "Lord of Hell, may you grant me the fury of Hellfire, so I might return these souls to their damnation." Her musket glows for only a moment with an unholy light, before another musket ball erupts from the barrel towards another of the creatures.
Morana's cheeks darken and she quickly moves up the stairs. Intent on finding that bath.
Grumblejack brought his hammer down again, this time on the Draugr.