Korvus grimaces as the bucket of liquid thrown by the white-skinned humanoid leaches away most of the necromantic energy bolstering his own life-force.
Korvus mutters the words to a spell and points at the small white-skinned humanoid as he touches the badge upon his jacket. Suddenly a cloud of shimmering gold dust appears out of thin air, coating the small humanoid with tiny sparkling motes. With his spell cast, the wizard reaches into his jacket pocket to retrieve a scroll.
Harold plants his feet and leaps over the river of sizzling acid as he deftly dodges drops of the liquid. He growls as he bounds up the stairs taking 3 or 4 at a time on a coarse to crash into the grinning little creep at the top. As he heads toward the man, he leads with his brass-knuckled fist, putting all his weight behind the blow. He squints his eyes to avoid the glitter suddenly filling the air around the grinner.
Grabbing his spell component pouch, Andrezi feels a wave of relief wash over him - though by no means out of the water yet, at least now he can protect himself more thoroughly. Holding the pouch between his too-bare legs so he can use both hands, he pulls out a small piece of cured leather from the pouch, holds it in one hand, while uses the other hand to quickly weave words of power in the air, all while speaking firmly, and casts Mage Armor.
As the spell takes hold, a shimmer of transparent, purple energy covers Andrezi's body for a moment, encasing him in a suit of force armor - as quickly as it appeared, it faded, leaving Andrezi with a feeling of protection.
With that, Andrezi grabs onto the spell component pouch and holds onto it, not having anywhere to put it for now.
___________________________
Bjorn leans down to inspect the zombie he just dropped.
You also notice the other "zombies" appear to be staring at the one lying on the ground - they do not appear interested in attacking you.
The other zombies step forward, but do not attack.
Korvus' spell goes off, bathing the top of the stairs in brilliant glitter for a moment. The small humanoid is covered in the magical glitter and for just a second, his image shifts into that of a tiny plastic pony!
But the image of a small horse proves to be a side effect of the spell, and after half a second, everyone's vision clears to reveal the small man still standing there. He blinks his eyes a few times, then takes an involuntary step back as the looming form of Harold rushes up the stairs at him.
With a powerful roundhouse, Harold drives his fist into the little man's face.
[spoiler=Harold]You see the skinless man appear down the hallway and starting to head toward you.
Lucius' divine power infuses his allies, healing their wounds
The little man produces a dagger from his sleeve, feints one way, then attacks Harold. While the fake attack is not clever enough to fool the half-orc, the small dagger pierces his defenses.
The zombies stare at you for a moment before slowly nodding.
One speaks up, "We can't leave - we have to stay here to get our medicine."
Another nods, "Yes, Vorkstag made us like this, with his experiments... And if we don't do what he says, he won't give us our medicine. We'll.... we'll die if we don't get it."
The people do not respond, but they do not chase after the Ulfen man as he races up the stairs.
Korvus steps up behind Harold and touches the half-orc's shoulder while reading the mystical words inscribed on his scroll. The writing disappears from the parchment, granting the pugilist a protective barrier against the forces of evil. Korvus drops the now-blank parchment and retrieves a second scroll from his jacket pocket.
Lucius just follows along, trying to not let the situation get to him. He will give Bjorn a along the way.
Harold grunts at the little prick by the little man. The half-orc rears back and lashes out with his huge fists, aiming to hit the small man in a vulnerable area and take him out of the conflict very fast, "Thee fnk yew can poke me wiv yaaahr an' allthpick an' get away wiv it, yew little git?"
Korvus casts a spell upon Harold, while Lucius calls upon his faith to shield Bjorn in battle.
Harold focuses his power into a stunning blow:
and the small humanoid staggers from the attack, dropping two daggers and shaking his head, apparently trying to recover his vision.
The skinless man moves up and brings his claws into play against Harold:
-----
Harold spits at the feet of the skinless man as he tries to move the little man out of his way, "Just da bloke I wan'ed ter 'ave a 'eart ter 'eart wiv. Bein' wivaaaht skin, yer already 'alf-way taken da fun aaaht ov what I was gonna do ter yew so I'll 'ave ter get inventive wiv me opinions once I get me 'ands round yaaahr neck."
Slowly, Andrezi opens up the door and peeks outside, attempting to be as quiet as can be as he does so. In one hand he still carries his spell component pouch. Having no where to put it - and not willing to store it in his breeches - he is forced to hold onto it for now.
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"Master Stonehand! Please step to the other side of Master Lucius so I may levitate you to the walkway above!" Korvus instructs his companion.
Once Bjorn moves to the indicated location, Korvus recites the mystical words inscribed upon his scroll. As the runes disappear from the parchment, the wizard mentally wills the Ulfen to rise into the air to the level of the catwalk above.
Harold attempts to move the small man down the stairs, but he is unable to find a solid grip.
Korvus casts a spell, while Lucius watches to see how he can best support his companions.
Bjorn, the target of Korvus' spell, floats upward, finally managing to grab the railing and flip up onto the walkway. The skinless creature charges at him, but fails to land a blow. Bjorn tries to punch the monster, but his aim is off and his fist sails over his target's head!
With Bjorn delivered to the walkway and engaged in battle with the Skinless Man, Korvus begins the incantation for a spell to summon an ally for the Ulfen warrior.
Bjorn lunges at the skinless man and deftly puts the unnatural monster into an expertly executed grappling hold. The monster struggles against Bjorn's superior strength:
And slashes at Bjorn with a clawed hand.
Korvus begins casting a spell, while Lucius looks for a way to get into the fight!
Lucius will move to right behind Korvus and take a shot, trying to aim through the line of people.
Harold gives up moving the little man as he unleashes several more punches at his head instead.
Bjorn's form instantly shifts into that of a huge bear.
Lucius moves up and shoots, but his shot is slightly too high.
Harold punches the smaller man twice - the first blow has his target reeling, while the second one causes his eyes to roll back into his head. He falls into an unconscious heap.
Bjorn continues crushing the skinless man in his massive paws, even gnawing upon the creature and rending his flesh. After several frantic moments of struggling, the skinless man begins shrieking and screaming, finally realizing the truth of his situation.
After another few moments of Bjorn's attention, the skinless man's voice trials off and he hangs limply in the bear's arms.
"That and then some. Let's go."
"Back to the courthouse", Were-Bjorn says as his fur melts away and his from returns to normal.
"This has got to be evidence they can't deny."
"Indeed, Master Stonehand," Korvus says as he allows the spell he was casting to fizzle out. At the same time, the wizard dismisses the spell of levitation he had cast on the Ulfen. "I suggest we bind and gag them securely. We should also take all of the items and skin-suits we discovered in the wardrobe - as well as the skin of Augustus Heiger this creature most recently wore."
Inside the wardrobe are nearly twenty flayed skins, all of them hanging like empty sacks of flesh as one might store articles of clothing. Men and women of all shapes, sizes, and ages are within, as is another - more unusual - flesh suit. There is one, near the front, that appears to be nearly eight feet tall and grossly deformed. It is covered in stitching, scales, and fur, with a shock of black hair attached to the bald head. To the casual observer, this suit bears a striking resemblance to the Beast of Lepidstadt.
You discover a small panel in the back of the wardrobe containing the following: 500 gp in assorted coins, a silver drinking cup inlaid with obsidian worth 400 gp, and a syringe with six vials of black liquid.
There is also a ledger containing the names of customers who have purchased "parts" from Vorkstag and Grine. Many of the names are unknown to you, but there are two entries which catch your attention. The first is Doctor Brada, the man who ran the asylum on Sanctuary that burned down - one of the crimes Alpy is accused of committing.
The other entry is the most recent, with a note of "3 crates confirmed". The name listed is Auren Vrood, and the date is a week prior to your arrival.
"I'd care to ask you the same question, actually." Andrezi looks warily at the group, but realizes that - if they're asking if he's with these monsters, then in all likelyhood, they're not with them either.
"Name's Adrenzi - been locked up here for I have no idea how long. Just finally escaped."
"Why'd they take you?"
"I'd care to ask you the same question, actually." Andrezi looks warily at the group, but realizes that - if they're asking if he's with these monsters, then in all likelyhood, they're not with them either.
"Name's Adrenzi - been locked up here for I have no idea how long. Just finally escaped."
"Then you are very lucky indeed, Master Andrezi," one of the well-dressed half-orcs - the one with the blackbird perched on his shoulder - replies to Andrezi's statement. "My name is Korvus Slade, and my companions are Bjorn Stonehand, Lucius Cassius, and Harold Grimsley," the half-orc introduces himself and each of his companions in turn. "We are taking these... men... to the authorities to answer for their crimes. Perhaps you would care to join us to add your testimony?"
As the party further secures Vorkstag and Grine and gathers as much incriminating evidence as possible, Korvus makes an effort to inquire of the 'zombies' as to who they are and how they got here.