with the last zombie dead and the man unconscious from sift palm's choke hold, the fight is over.
Hailey detects faint necromancy from the circle.
Once the man goes limp in his grip, Swift removes the rope from his bag and ties the man up.
"Now that wasn't so bad. A decisive battle if I ever saw one. Once the man wakew up we can question him."
Calistria looks around, taking in each of her companions in turn.
"Is anyone hurt?" she asks, moving from one to the other and examining them for injuries. "Do any of you need healing?"
When it become clear that everyone is more or less in one piece she turns her attentions to the zombies.
"We'll need to bring these poor bodies home in the cart." Calistria says, firmly. "Their families would want them reburied."
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"The magic here is faint and these undead fell so easily." She struggles to hold back tears for the fallen beings. "In point of fact, so did he. This man cannot be the true threat to this village, but a mere apprentice. So if he's just a student, luvs, where's the master? And should any of you stumble upon any items, especially his spell book or any scrolls, I happen to need them because I want to s . . . evaluate them to see how powerful they are. I can do that. Can the rest of you?"
With that, she will continue to concentrate on the spell, seeking to pinpoint all information it can show her, including, hopefully, magical items of any type.
Coming back to his usual self, somewhat fatigued, Vorelloex can only smile; a tired grin at the sight of the abominations strewn across the floor.
He considers what Hailey said about the frailty of the dark forces.
"The wee one has a point on this. Back at the lake the pondskeletons and slavers I fought held up better than these..."
He gestures his hand towards the now dead dead.
His faint eyes flicker towards the pool, thankful none of the undead fell into it as they were slain.
"Si rigluinpab..."
"I thirst..."
He falls to his hands and knees before the pool, and after sniffing it, drinks of the water in the manner of a mongrel hound.
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Garekk drops his sword to his side and visibly deflates. Wiping his hand across his brow, he surveys the room with clear eyes for the first time. "I agree. This is a puppet.. where is the master?" Garekk then searches the grotto and the pool for anything further. "I will leave the magic user to magic users, and will look around the rest of this place."
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The man has on simple grey robes and a the same symbol in silver you found on the bear is on a chain he is wearing around his neck. The only other things you find are a store of chalk, a short spear and a scroll. You don't find any books.
"I suppose it is possible there is no mastermind." Calistria muses. "Perhaps what we have here is a necromancer at the beginnings of his career. When he's just figuring things out?"
Calistria grabs one of those pieces of chalk and begins scribbling the holy symbols of Desna at random locations on the cavern walls.
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Garekk walks over to the necromancer and says "Well, there is only one way to answer this question." Garekk begins to tie the mans hands behind his back and prop him against the wall. "Lets wake him up and see!" Garekk then pours some of his water flask over the guys head and slaps him a few times to rouse him.
The man wakes with a sputter, and glares at his captors. He is clearly testing the strength of his bonds.
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The man comes around to the sight of Garekk glowering over him. "Well, you can either talk to us all nice like, and we can put in a good word with the baron for you... Or you can talk to the Baron from the end of a hangmans noose. It is your choice, really, but it may go a lot easier if you talk to us. Is there anyone else that you are working with?"
Rois stands by Garekk, his spear point to the prisoner's throat. He lets the half orc do the talking, but, he listens closely to the necormancer's words, expecting a lie to come from his blue, chapped lips.
"You think the dark path will let this go?"
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"I think that whatever happens tomorrow, you have lost today. You will either talk willingly or unwillingly. The only difference will be the amount of pain that you suffer. I believe that they still burn witches and necromancers at the stake here.. Would you rather that or a quick ax from the executioner? Now tell us who else is involved. And while we are at it, what is this?" Garekk uses the tip of his dagger to cut the thong holding the pendant around the necromancers neck
"Why ask questions that have already been answered?"
"I have answered all your questions, except the one concerning death. Death does not concern me."
"Knowledge is for those who seek power and have an open mind."
Voryn picks up his bow and puts it on his back with his sword. He then goes to the others to aid in the interrogation of the necromancer.
"What were you doing here, defiler of tombs? What were you planning?"
Vorelloex spits on the bound man.
"You're gonna be real fun to cut when they let me, goh. Pay you back ten fold. What's all this vobit about, marfedelom arcanissar?"
The menacing Kellid stands above the bound wizard, grinning like a devil.
Calistria watches as the others interrogate the necromancer. She sighs as they automatically resort to threats of violence.
She steps over to Hailey and speaks, softly.
"Sister, perhaps where men and swords fail, the mind of a fellow scholar of things undead might succeed?"
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Disgusted with the vile vermin in front of him, Garekk calls Hailey over. "Perhaps you can get something out of him.. but don't take too long. We should be getting back to the town." Garekk looks around at the others. "Let's give them some space to talk privately, but not too far in case she needs some help"
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You people. This is what happens when those who lack the wisdom and discipline of magic are allowed to run things, Hailey thinks, but does not say. Time to pretend I'm on the side of this worthless amateur hour upstart. May diplomacy succeed where brute strength has failed.
She steps forward, approaching the man. First she takes the scroll and pockets it.
"You think you have no fear of death, but you know what waits for you on the other side, don't you? Not a reward, surely, for you've done nothing of merit in the eyes of Nethys, to whom your soul will ultimately be required of you. I can be your confessor, and grant you absolution in his eyes."
Then she sits beside the man, looking at him with some kind of crazy compassion for him.
"Those around us are great warriors, excellent with the arts of weaponry but unnuanced and unrefined by academic learning. They know nothing of necromancy, and in fact, they fear it. But you can speak of it to me, for I am more like you than you realize. We are brethren, you and I."
"I am not like everyone else in town. I condemn you not for the raising of the living dead. In fact, I am rather jealous, for while I can treat their wounds if I can get to them in time, I cannot raise them yet. Yet, at the same time, to use such gifts in this land is akin to asking for disaster. One must be more clandestine if they are to succeed. Magic without wisdom is like playing with fire - you will get burned. I speak to you as a friend and colleague, one who is not an arcanist yet but spent much of her time ministering to their souls in church. If you could help me to understand you better, perhaps I could help you, too. A priest has many rights one doesn't expect . . .
"Speaking of being burned, I found this symbol around the neck of a poor little skeleton that had been killed before I could minister to its wounds. Can you explain to me what it is, since you wear one just like it? I hope that was not your poor familiar that was slaughtered. If it is, I weep with thee. I am curious as to what this Dark Path is, for I am wondering if it mightn't be better to honor Nethys by following it, and I was told you knew who could lead me down it. I'd like to learn. Who taught you? Where did you get this power? I can treat the undead, if I can get to them in time . . . Hailey turns to the rest of the party angrily, hoping they'll be smart enough to figure out her ruse. "But I don't know how to create them yet. The Archbishop spoke of objects of great power in this land, and I want to find them and study their secrets.
"However, I can't help you if you don't share anything with me. Perhaps we could even speak in a tongue the others would not know? I speak Common, Gnomish, Sylvan, Elven, and Goblin. Know you any of those dialects?"
"One must find a path to walk it, though you seem like one who could find it given time. Alas I cannot guide you to it, you must find it yourself. Why would I require a familiar, only those who learn their magic from books use such creatures. Perhaps you can tell me what you believe the symbol to be priestess of Nethys. And your concerns for my soul are unneeded, priestess."
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"Are you telling me that your magic is in your blood? And turning my question back on me is a most interesting twist. There is power in the trinket, but I've not yet had time to study it. The fact that you wore a twin strongly suggests a kinship between the two. Perhaps the poor little thing borrowed some of your life or power?"
"My power does not come from my blood, neither did the prajurit tulang draw on my power, yet a relation between them there is."
Hailey stops for a moment, and studies the trinket that she picked up from the skeleton outside. She then looks at him, and draws upon her vast pool of knowledge, hoping to catch his drift.
[dice=Knowledge: Arcana]1d20 + 7
The common name for the trinket is a control amulet, it allows for necromancers to control a larger number of hit dice of undead through a master amulet.
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"I recognize this now," Hailey states. "It's a power expander of sorts. To be precise, it lets you control more undead than you should." She turns to the rest of the party, intending to explain. "Let me put it this way for you uned . . . I mean, professional masters of battle. These things are like bribing someone to go to your church when you should have far fewer members in the congregation, only it is a lot less voluntary. There isn't much choice involved."
"So, normally, he would only be able to control, perhaps, one of these undead but with that he controlled four?" Calistria asks. "Hmmm... maybe there is another necromancer involved."
"very good. Now if my power wasn't rigorously studied from books and isn't in my blood, how did I come by my magic."
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"You couldn't have even started everything that's happening on your own, mate," Hailey declared to the necromancer. "Let me try this another way. Can you tell me how you found the Dark Path? I know you implied I had to find it on my own, but how did you? My immediate impression is that you yourself must be a priest. Druids have no interest in the undead. Now then, at first I was about to dismiss you being a bard, as well, but I'd almost forgotten. Bards are dilettantes who know how to use the magical texts and devices left behind by others. It's a long shot since enchantments and illusions, the bards' strong suit, don't work on the undead. But it is possible."
"I was chosen, prepared by one the initiated to walk the path. Those who are not chosen must find the path themselves. Let your knowledge guide you and it will lead you to the path. And yes, finally you see the truth in a least a part of this."
At some point in your conversation you realize that the man being questioned is actually fairly young probably not having seen more than a score of years.
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Hailey is horrified by what she hears.
"This town is in mortal danger, boys. It could be sitting on a figurative ticking bomb. Whomever chose him is the one you're looking for, and so am I, but of course, for very different reasons. If you value life, as I do not, you should get everyone out of here. Fast. Because we have a master necromancer running around, and no doubt this boy is not his only apprentice."
"I do not like this. Not at all. We should do one final search here and move on and shore up the defenses of the town. Hailey, we need to know how many apprentices this necromancer may have. Can you ask the boy?"
"The path has many adherents, some are far along the path, others just begun."
Vorelloex lets out a chuckle.
"Lucky lucky... I guess our hunting season has started early this year, brother... Let's knock this goon out and find them."
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"This town should be evacuated and a trained militia put in its place. Tracking down all these Dark Pathers is going to be like chasing rabbits. Killer mutant rabbits who escaped from the lab. And these silly citizens here are just waiting for the attack of the undead, like lambs to the slaughter." Realizing she may be about to lose her status of being in the necromancer's good graces, she rubs her hands with glee. "What wicked good fun! Shall I he . . . bless this man?"
"Often, these small towns do not hand a militia beyond farmers with pitchforks. And they would be fodder if any undead attacked."
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"You mean they knew this was a possibility and yet did nothing to prepare for it? It's as foolish as knowing there's a shark in the ocean, without having a druid who can speak to it and ask it to go away, and still letting people go swimming anyway!"
She holds her hand out over the man, slowly muttering to make it look like she's casting a blessing, but by now everyone should be aware of what she wants to do.
Five, four, three, two . . .
"It isn't a matter of not being able to prepare, Hailey. You seem to think they have unlimited coin. Soldiers cost money. Weapons cost money. Feeding and housing them cost money. Money they don't have. These are poor people." Calistria sighs and places her hand on Hailey's shoulder. "He's beaten. There's no need to be cruel."
Swift strokes his perfectly braided beard, only slightly ruffled in the melee, while contemplating their situation. His comrades were interrogating the man in the robes, but their attempts were mostly met with the ramblings of a fanatic.
"We cannot ignore the dangers that this 'Dark Path' poses to not only the village, but to the world as a whole. We must protect the balance."
"Young one, there is no need for that, this fellow gave us all the information we can possibly get out of him. We should bring him back to the town and let the law handle him. Yes Garrek, I quite agree, the village is in dire need of us, we should proceed with all due haste."