Augustus takes a better at the creature and don't fail to notice something unusual on the beast's skin "Impressive scar you have here, lad. It looks liiiike... a bite mark. A healed one." Putting back his glasses on his nose he asks the skinchanger "Do you keep any crocodile or caiman here?"
Vorkstag looks sharply at the professor. "No, of course not. It's... an old injury. From my youth."
"Lies? I am a poor man, driven to crime by my partner, Mister Grine. He was a cruel man, a creature of the dark given flesh, who sought to increase his wealth and power at my expense. I am simply unfortunate enough to be born in a form that others find frightful. I did all that I did in order to stay alive, to survive, for hope, holy man." He sighs and slumps forward. "But if you wish to see what we really did here, then let us head toward that door. But first, fish my coat out of the Vat. It has my keys in the pockets." He gestures toward a door in the eastern wall at the basement level where the vats sit.
"Perhaps we should ask your workers about what truly went on. And I seem to remember a certain large creature having a bitemark in his shoulder as well, of a crocodile in the swamp...
For now we have no reason to trust you skinny. Let's see if you can still say the same when places under a zone of truth, now that would be funny." Xerice says and pokes the skinless man in the chest with one end of the whip's handle.
"Yes, we found your tools and the others have told of how the creature was bitten. The truth would be best for you."
Sonny goes and tries to find the one who warned him of the danger of these two, to see if he has anything to add now that things are over.
Sonny moves outside as the interrogation begins. He finds that all of the mongrelfolk save the one he healed who tried to warn him have fled. That one waits well outside the fence, away from the slavering golem hound.
The mongrelfolk man, whose introduces himself as Hinsel, tells you that they know very little about what goes on inside, as he was never trusted enough to be allowed beyond the vat rooms. He tells you he does know that three more of Grine's trusted mongrelfolk work on the ground floor, in a room beyond the door that the golem hound guards. He also says that he's seen Vorkstag and Grine returning late at night with bundles wrapped in cloth or hidden in sacks. Bundles the same size as a corpse.
Vorkstag grunts as Xerice prods him. "I am the victim here! Terrible Grine forced me to do as he said. I told you, if we go into the other room I can show you what he was up to." He sighs deeply and seems to collapse in on himself. "I can show you why he chose me as his helper. It's because of what I can do, the way I can wear a dead person's skin. You may think I am a monster, but I did not choose this life. Grine wanted me to pretend to be other people, so his crimes could never be traced back to him. We dealt in bodies. Corpses, the fresher the better. Grine had buyers all over Ustalav, mostly physickers who used them to learn their craft better. It was a victimless crime! No one needs the bodies of the recently dead. They simply are put into the ground to rot. In the other room, in the corpse pool, we keep them there. The alchemical mixture keeps the bodies fresh until the buyers pick them up. I never handled the buyers, only the procurement. But I know Grine keeps his ledger in there."
Do you think I am bubbling stupid blond? You helped him! You deserve a short fall and a sudden stop!
"Well, in any case, there is this Grine. And he I need him in chains! I think you might get a much better deal if you testify in court against him. I give you this one-time-only deal. Testify in court against him and shift as much blame as you can on him! Show us the way and I will give you as much mercy as I can."
Vorkstag nods slowly. "Of course, I would be happy to testify against Mister Grine. However, you lot killed him. Didn't you see the flash of life? That's how his kind die, you know, with the flash. He was a dark creeper, a type of cavern folk. He disguised himself as a gnome when he had to go out, which he mostly didn't like to do. Never cared for the light, did Mister Grine. But I'm happy to show you the room!" He begins to stagger to his feet.
"Now .... I think you want to tell us about the arson of a certain.... institution!"
Augustus looks quietly at the interrogation. After a few moments, he decides that as he hasn't all the pieces of the puzzle, he can't judge. He stands in a corner, reading a book.
"Arson? Institution? You must mean the Karb Isle Sanctuary. I heard it burned down. Sad time. The good Doctor that ran it was a friend of mine. Good man. It was very sad to hear it of. I heard the Beast creature set the fire."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Vorkstag is firmly tied and his coat retrieved. Taking the key indicated, you open the door onto a small storage room. This underground room contains several dozen crates, a few coffins, lots of straw, and several huge bell jars. A single door sits in the southern wall. There is a distinct anti-septic smell coming from the door. He motions for you to open it. When you do, a flight of stairs descends downward toward another door. Opening that one, you find a huge pool.
The floor of this large chamber is hidden beneath the murky water filling the room to just below the bottom of the door. Dozens of pale cadavers silently float in the ice-cold waters, bumping into each other or against the damp walls. The air is still and quiet, broken only by the sound of water lapping against stone walls.
"This, then, is our masterwork! Corpse storage, fresh and available on delivery! The dead repurposed to suit the needs of the living! It is truly a great thing." Vorkstag looks both proud and slightly mad as he stares into the great room full of floating bodies.
Looking around and the dead Caesare looks for any clues how those people died.
"Sonny, I would really need your expertise! And Xerice, you often have some strange insight!"
"I see no wounds or marks on these bodies. They may have died by natural causes or diseases."
Xerice shrugs at Ceasares question. Instead she turns to Vorkstag. "So where and how did you collect these bodies. Were they dead before you got to them or did you have to give a helping hand... How many of these are from the crazy house."
"Ah, the bodies from the asylum victims that passed away were often popular. Abnormalities of any variety can often reveal a great deal more about the workings of the internal to the phsyick than normal corpses ever could. I assure you, miss, that we only took those who died of natural cause. Often the wretched souls who are born with these maladies are not long-lived. It is a shame, really."
Vorkstag suddenly sighs dramatically. "I must say. Seeing this all in front of me, I am overcome with guilt at my crimes. Overcome..." He suddenly falls sideways, into the water.
Xerice pulls hard on the rope, making sure he stays out of the water.
"Oh no, we need you alive and well."
Vorkstag sinks below the water, but Xerice gives it a sharp tug, pulling the skin-stealer out of the water long enough to see one of the 'corpses' chewing through the rope! Vorkstag smiles beatifically as he is freed, and disappears beneath the waves as the 'corpse' and another looking much like it rise from the water to attack!
Initiatives!
Round 1:
24 Caesare
22 Augustus and Zanu
21 Foes
20 Sonny
14 Xerice
7 Ezechias
I wonder what creature it is...
Augustus casts Enlarge Person on Ezechias. "Go forth, Paladin! Find what lies beneath this water."
drinking another extract of enlarge person Caesare uses his studied combat on the closer one.
The two 'corpses' move faster than they ought to, seemingly ignoring the difficult terrain of the water. The first takes only a five foot step to get to Xerice, while the other one needs to move a bit more. Still, they focus their wrath on her!
Zombie 1:
for damage!
for damage!
Zombie 2:
for and Fort Save DC 13 or stunned for 1 round!
"Come back xerice so that I can skewer them!"
Ezechias steps forward and swings at the zombie, but it dodges with surprising agility!
Xerice withdraws back to let the muscle punish the zombies.
"Gladly. Begin with the left one, he tore my outfit."
-Posted with Wayfinder
"Allow me my dear.", Sonny says as he pulls his holy symbol out and unleashes energy to damage the undead (excluding Xerice) as he moves into the room.
Total damage 19
and
As Xerice moves away, Sonny moves up.
The zombie that attacked Xerice seems to weather the holy energy, but the other one withers away to skin and bones and drops back into the water with a dry plop.
Round 1:
24 Caesare
22 Augustus and Zanu
21 Foes
20 Sonny
14 Xerice
7 Ezechias
Zanu sends a magic missile at the remaining zombie, but the missiles do not seem to affect it at all!
Round 2:
24 Caesare
22 Augustus and Zanu
21 Foes
20 Sonny
14 Xerice
7 Ezechias
Moving closer Caesare stabs the closest zombie.
Caesare stabs at the zombie, who deftly dodges the attack!
"Strike that foe, Noble Paladin. N... No, not like this, a little more to your right..."
The professor starts advising the paladin on how to really strike a target, which is, obviously, what he does best. Advising, not striking.
Augustus grants guidance to the paladin. The zombie snarls and flurries at Sonny, whose holy energies damaged him! for and for damage! However neither blow can get past Sonny's defenses.
In the eastern wall of the room, near the chemical waterline, you can hear a sudden CLICK and the sound of stone sliding...