Andreste agree, and sees it's going to be a running fight. She defensively casts haste to give everyone some exra speed on the retreat, then backs off.
Concentration
Cleo leaves Gortous to distract them, knowing he will return to his plane no matter the outcome. Both her and her goblin run since they are both rather slow.
Janis has no issue running at the sound of a retreat. Thanks to Andreste's spell, everyone moves quite quickly, with Wabbit in the rear and Gortous as honorable sacrifice.
Cleo senses that her summoning spell is still in effect as everyone dashes away. The vampire screeches, before running after the group. Wabbit fails to skewer the vampire, and Furnok misses with his strike. However, Furnok uses the backside of his lucerne hammer to hook behind the vampire's leg, managing to trip the creature.
Wabbit runs back in retreat and bumps into the overgrown Furnok....While he could just skitter through his giant legs and leave him behind...This thought actually never occurs to Wabbit. He's the rearguard and rearguard he'll stay Gulp
With nowhere to go he strikes out at the frightening creature
Shaken-2 haste+1
+6bab +4dex +1size , -2 piranha striking, +1 waveblade Agile -2FD
IF the attack hits
Immediate action Serpentine Tattoo
The vampire has been tripped and now lays on the floor of the catacomb hallway, while the door to the exit lies just a short ways ahead. Wabbit's attack is quickly dodged as the vampire rolled sideways.
the HASTED Wabbit will run for the exit and SUNSHINE! But only if everyone else does. He's bringing up the rear so he'll herd everyone in front of him into the sunshine...no man, halfling or goblin left behind
Cleo and Aggah continue their running
Furnok keeps running as well. While the big pig sits on the vampire!
Cleo is the first person to reach the door, but when she pushes to open it, it remains firmly shut. She remembers that the door is cursed to remain shut. Janis hops next to her and gets ready to pick the lock. Furnok realizes something very uncomfortable, he's too big to fit through the hallway, and the enlarge spell still has a ways to go!
Gortous may be blind, but he sniffs his way to the vampire, scraping his tusks along the walls as he does so.
The vampire stands up, completely ignoring the giant boar, and draws blood from Wabbit in the same manner he did from Furnok. Fortunately, Wabbit is quite hardy, and resists the worst of the attack.
/2=11
"As good a cause as any," Andreste says, her brow furrowing. She shapes her hands in front of her, tugging at the fabric of the curse as she intones words simultaneously lilting and fervent.
Andreste quickly removes the curse, and a little *click* is heard from the door. The door is no longer stuck shut, and can be opened as normal.
Furnok will attempt to squeeze his big arse through
If big arse Furnok can squeeze out the door Wabbit will go right after him
The group manage to race out the door, even with Furnok squeezing through the door. The vampire charges after them, but upon seeing them all standing in the sunlight, it squints painfully and hisses at them, then slams the door shut.
It is currently late morning.
"That... sucked." Cleo says bluntly as she heaves from exhaustion and fear. "We should tell the guard what is down there as quicky as possible. None of us have what we need to hurt it, and will need time to recover our spells. If it decides to come out tonight, either to run or hunt, the city needs to be ready."
This place certainly need to be cleaned out. It is dern certain it isn't fit in any event for keeping the young'uns at even if we deal with that thing.
"I agree." Cleo sighs, knowing stopping an undead horde under the city isn't a waste of time, but it surely did not get them any closer to finding a place for the little ones to live.
Off to see Saila I guess quite disappointed at being unable to handle this without calling in reinforcements not only as a matter of pride, but quite worried the vamp will escape to another location and still be a threat to the city
"Meanwhile, I'll see what I can find out about what all that was and if we can find an effective way to deal with it." Andreste offers, mostly out of the habit of seeking the splice of books whenever she was at a loss to do.
Arcana
Spellcraft
Sense Motive
Wabbit and Cleo seek out Saila, who's away on her day off. They learn in the Arvensoar that the guard rarely ever enter the Underbridge district, and are not well equipped for monster hunting. However, they recommend that the group seeks out either the Iomedaens, or the Order of the Nail. Both groups are well equipped for handling undead, and eager to whet their blades even without the offer of coin.
Arcana:
Andreste recognizes the arcane tradition that the vampire used as hemothurgy. Hemothurgy is a risky tradition that uses one's own blood to power their abilities. When the vampire channeled its own blood into a giant pool which later erupted, it likely suffered significant damage. It also drained Furnok's blood, which helped it heal up similar to the Vampiric Touch spell. One of the advantages of hemothurgy is that the blood can be used to heal both living and undead creatures at the same time.
Spellcraft:
Andreste identifies the vampire's armour as a magical set of mithril chainmail. The heavy mace and cloak are also magical, but she's not sure what properties they may contain.
Sense Motive:
The vampire focused more on speed and nimbleness than hardiness. It is probably quite adept at evading attacks, and can probably move past threats without much concern. It's strength, however, is likely lacking compared to Furnok.
We need to find some of that silver coating for our weapons to pierce it's hide.
"Makes sense." she pulls out her dwindling coin purse (still more than she'd ever earn in the tannery or as a priestess to her small village), and hands it over to Furnok. "I'll go see the Iomedaians, if you wouldn't mind taking care of the silver."
Furnok and Bacon complete an offscreen adventure where they acquire the tears of an angel to anoint their weapons.
Cleo heads to the temple of Iomedae located in Naos district to discuss the vampire threat.
Andreste heads to the Pathfinder lodge located in Alabaster district to research monsters, hopefully including the vampire itself.
Furnok and Bacon start searching for the Tears of an Angel, a magical oil that will bless their weapons with holy radiance. They're currently in the Bazaar of Sails, located in Dockway district.
Wabbit travels to the cathedral of Abadar after having visited multiple other temples. He's trying to learn how to smite like a standard paladin, but he's very disappointed how few paladins exist within the city. Abadar happens to be the last option, baring the Hell Knights at least.
Janis spends some time with Saila in Keystone district.
While off on their adventures, both Furnok and Andreste feel sick to their stomachs. Blood flushes their faces red, their bodies raise in temperature like their blood is boiling, and they start acting irritable. Clearly, something's wrong.
Ohhh boy! Looks like those eggs I had were real bad. Better hold off here and go ask Miss Cleo to fix me up. Furnok heads to the Iomedae temple.
Cleo spends time discussing the vampire threat with the priests of Iomedae, and they are most interested. Vampires are truly dangerous foes, so the priests would like to hear what Cleo would like to do about the threat.
Furnok takes the elevator in Keystone to reach Naos in 30 minutes. Nothing else has happened to him during that time, but when Cleo sees Furnok barge through the Iomedaen entrance, his face looks beet-red, and the rest of him is well on the way. Sweat drips off the ends of his beard and moustache, and his eyes are bloodshot.
"What do you mean, you don't feel well. You look fine. Maybe more sleep, or the sniffles?"
She is ready to lead the war clerics to the location as soon as they are ready.
Oh..I am feeling real sweaty here, I might have gotten something from that vampire when it bled all over me.
"I can check your symptoms if you'd like." One of the priests offers.
"This, this is a very dangerous disease. Bloody End. Just do your best to stay calm. I should be able to cure it, but these diseases are tenacious."
Furnok watches the priest cast a spell, and absolutely nothing happens.
Furnok twitches
"Hmmm it's quite resilient. I can try once more." The priest says
Within minutes, the blood rushing through Furnok's body calms down. He feels significantly better, and much calmer.
"That should do it. Good thing, too. Bloody End is a nasty disease. It doesn't harm people the way most diseases work, but rather encourages the mind to fight friend and foe, then ends in an eruption. Truly terrible, horrifying, all within a handful of hours. But you're alright now."
The priest takes a step back and takes another look at Furnok.
"It seems by your magical equipment that you have a bit of wealth on you, sir. If you would be willing to donate generously to the temple, it would help us treat those who don't have the coin for our services."
The cost of those two spells add up to 300gp, but the priest is asking for extra. You could potentially counter that only the 2nd spell worked, which would require a DC18 Diplomacy check.
Well you saved my life and possibly my friends so I'd be glad to donate more. Furnok gives 400 gp.
"Thank you, graciously." Replies the priest as he accepts payment. "Was there anyone else who was subjected to the disease? It progresses by hour, so others who contracted it may very well be at risk as we speak."
There was a lady named Andreste, better go find her. Furnok heads out.
Furnok calls back to CleoWe need some anti disease medicine to help protect us all!
Just after Furnok leaves, Chaplain Tira Ronnova arrives in the lobby, wearing full plate armour and geared for battle. Accompanying her are two warpriests in breastplate. With her helm tucked under her arm, the Chaplain says "I've heard about your deeds to Magnimar in eradicating the Skinsaw Cultists and the corrupt rat Ironbriar, miss Cleo Gingerberry. You are more than welcome within the Inheritor's house. My team is about to travel to the old Sarenrae temple to deal with the vampire you mentioned. You are welcome to round up your company to join us, if you so choose, but we must hurry. Daylight burns, and the Underbridge gets dark too quickly. What do you think?"
"I will come with you since you'll have me. My mother would have a word for me about bringing trouble to another's door if I did so without having the good sense to be willing to help. I am low on magic that will help in the fight, but I still have some healing and a few channels so something is better than nothing."
We need to get there before sundown...Who knows where it'll go once it's dark
After Cleo rounds up Wabbit, the two of them and the four Iomedaens march West to the Underbridge district. With time for talk, Cleo and Wabbit learn a bit about each soldier.
First is Champlain Tira Ronnova, a Chelish woman born with celestial blonde hair. She grew up in Cheliax under the cult of Iomedae, but immigrated to Varisia due to the outlawing of her faith. Now in her mid thirties, she leads the temple of the Inheritor with pride. Though her church is certainly interested in combatting evil monsters, Tira states that the true evil monsters are the corpulent and racist men and women who call themselves Lord-Mayor, Justice, Guild Master, and more. While study of the sword is a core tenet of the faith, Tira stresses the study of politics and legalities, so that they may combat the lawmakers who lack virtue.
Nicinniana is a Varisian woman born on the road. She had been traveling with her caravan for the vast majority of her childhood, before meeting with missionaries of Iomedae. Her newfound faith gave her a unique perspective of the injustices committed against her people and others, and has since joined the church to make Magnimar a better place. Varisian culture rarely ever uses surnames, so Nicinniana has taken on "of Iomedae" as her surname in the city. She's in her mid twenties, and has been part of the church for the last five years.
Drogeda was born and raised in Nybor, a village in Varisia known for its racial diversity. She proudly states that both her mother and father are half-orcs like herself, and they still live and work in Nybor quite happily. Drogeda didn't understand the racial injustices she faced until she travelled to Korvosa for the first time. Ever since, she's been fighting for equal rights for all races, protections for the poor, and removing excess wealth from the elite. Her faith in the Inheritor took a fair bit of time, but as she met more Iomedaens with similar mindsets, she gradually joined the church. She's in her late twenties, and has been part of the church for nearly a decade, though she didn't gain her powers until just two years ago.
Alexite Voralius is a young Chelish man who grew up among the lesser aristocrats of Magnimar. Alexite doesn't go into the details, but his teenage years were marked by naivety and a feeling of never fitting in. Upon a chance meeting in one of the breweries in Magnimar, Alexite met Tira Ronnova. She taught him ways to overcome his depression, give him purpose in life, and Alexite joined the cloth in a matter of months. He rose swiftly through the church to his current priestly position. Alexite states that he's not much of a fighter though, as evident by his lack of armour, though he does carry a longsword. He's always been a spellcaster first and foremost.
When everyone arrives at the abandoned temple of Iomedae, Cleo leads them to the cellar door. The Iomedaens take some time to form a circle. They draw their swords, and point them to the ground. Each one closes their eyes, and Alexite Voralius speaks a prayer.
"Almighty Inheritor, You alone are our strong Defender, and ever-present help in time of trouble. Watch over and defend our holy company, and all others who defend our life and liberty, that they may serve justly and honorably in the pursuit of peace. Grant them courage and strength in their time of service, and bring them safely home to their families and communities; through Iomedae, our Light of the Sword. Amen."
After a brief pause, Tira Ronnova says
"Alright. We are here to combat a dangerous vampire hidden in the catacombs of this abandoned temple of Sarenrae. Miss Cleo and Mister Wabbit have fought it earlier today, and their team was rebuffed after having cleared the way. Would you two please tell us what you know of the creature? We need to know what it's capable of."
Having had a bad experience with rituals/prayers to other gods Wabbit is justifiably hesitant about participating in the prayer to another albeit Good god. He stands respectfully to the side without participating in the prayer
The vampire is quick, feral-looking and it siphons blood from victims at range. It seems to have quite a connection with blood
"Quick and feral, siphons blood at range. Does it pose a threat if we close into melee? We could possibly swarm it." Tira suggests.
"I don't know. We barely scratched it even with Furnock the size of a giant. But we ddn't have silver, since we had no idea what was down there. Oh, there are things on the wall that scream out terror and the door to the crypt will magically close and lock behind us."