Capricia grits her teeth, finding her foe more elusive than she'd anticipated. She sees Dame Trant, of all people, coming to her aid, and briefly considers delaying a bit so the noblewoman can flank the creature opposite her. In the end, though, she finds that she either doesn't trust Trant to actually help or figures that she needs to keep the thing's attention off the unarmored noblewoman so Trant can safely come her flanking buddy. Aiming for a crease in the armor's shoulder joint, she swings her falcata again.
for
Sara is relieved to see her companion no longer leaking large amounts of blood. "People buried alive, and brought back to life. Fallen soldiers denied their deserved rest and forced to inhabit cold armor to protect what? Trinkets no one has cared about for so long it has rusted to bits!" the scorn is thick in her voice "I truly do not like this place."
Otavio finds himself having to adapt to the suit's self-destructive style of fighting. Where a living foe would defend itself, the suit keeps on swinging with reckless abandon.
With the suit of armor surrounded, Rossana looks back to see Capricia holding off the other by herself. Moving around a display case, Rossana rounds the corner to come at the side of the armor figure, waving her blade with a loud bark to attempt to grab its attention.
Marcus, frustrated with his last swing, focuses and sets his feet before thrusting his sword at the creature again.
Gods what I'd give for my bow right now...
Sara inspires the others with her words as Trant comes around to attack the armor, followed by Zubari who attempts to assist her.
However, neither one seem to have much luck in their attacks. Capricia, on the other hand, slices into the armor cutting away a large chunk of it. While Bimble continues to assist Otavio and Marcus keeps the thing distracted with his attack Otavio cuts their animated armor to pieces as it collapses to the floor. Rossana moves around the armor trying to help act as a distraction, but the armor maintains it's focus on Capricia as it strikes at her again.
While the attack is well placed it glances off her armor, saving her from a pretty serious injury.
Otavio is taken by surprise when the animated armor suddenly collapses. He gives Marcus an incredulous look, eyes open wide as saucers, and pulls up his shoulders as if to say beats me before turning around. One more suit of armor remains to be taken out.
As the armor falls into pieces, Sara exclaims, "Oh good. I was worried the Fallen Soldier bit would mean the body was in the armor. I guess in the end it is no better for the poor person, animated armor or zombie body, but it is cleaner at least."
Sara's inspirational speeches have a lot to be desired, but she maintains her performance to bolster everyone's courage, while moving around the remaining combat to see if she can help in other ways.
Not doing much good against the hunk of metal, Rossana carefully backs away as she notices the other fighters coming in.
Capricia gives Bimble a quick nod, though whether it's in thanks for the buff or in agreement that battling suits of armor is bracing is anyone's guess. The swordswoman again swings her heavy blade, hoping it makes a connection.
for
As everyone shifts around their positions Caprcia continues to attack along with Trant and Zubari.
With Capricia distracting the thing, Trant manages to find a good opening and cuts into the armor causing it to collapse to pieces on the floor.
She looks to you all with an over confident smirk.
With the armor once again motionless, Rossana takes a few deep breaths to calm herself. She looks around warily to see if anything else appears to be ready to attack if the wrong thing is touched, though her nerves still buzzed within her.
Otavio watches how the animated armor clatters onto the floor with the curious eye of one not familiar with the arcane. "Armor is supposed to protect its wearer you'd say. So I propose to you this: what hides inside this room that's worth protecting with animated suits of plate and mail?"
Marcus walks over to Otavio and extends a hand.
"Good work - you're pretty good with that sword, it seems."
Rossana keeps a watchful eye but doesn't see anything else that appears to be a threat and no change in the carved and drawn circles about the room. With no further threats you take some time to look through the room. Most of the armor and weaponry here is rusted and neglected, but serviceable enough that you find all sorts of mundane equipment.
Additionally, among the display cases you find some exceptional items including a handaxe, a heavy steel shield, and a light crossbow. There are also some potions in one of the cases with various alchemical items. Among the alchemical items there is enough equipment for a portable alchemist's lab as well.
This is a +1 handaxe
This is a +1 heavy steel shield
This is a masterwork crossbow that improves your chance to hit concealed targets. It seems to have the potential to develop additional abilities, though what they are or how that happens can't be determined.
The halfling follows around giving light as needed for you to search things over. Trant makes an off-hand barely audible remark to no one in particular under her breath as you start looting through things "Like common thieves..." Zubari spends some time examining the armor while the rest of you look through the various displays. After collecting what items of use or worth you can find another decision faces you, whether to take the left or the right northern door.
"Well..." Rossana says, her voice finally coming back, "At least we have something to protect ourselves with now. This crossbow looks like it'll still work." Rossana picks out a crossbow and chainshirt from among the items.
"These doors appear the same, so how about the left one first?" Rossana suggests.
Otavio returns the handshake and nods at Marcus appreciatively. "Why thank you. It's been a while since I had to swing a sword in earnest, but it's good to know I still got it after all that ... well, I'm sure you know all about the fun stuff Oppara has on offer."
He gives lady Trant a confused look, brows crooked and misaligned. "Spoils of war, my dear. Besides, I doubt this place is a museum and whoever all of this belonged to is most likely unlikely unable to protest from six foot down below." Rude? Crude? Perhaps, but it is hard to take the soldier out of a man once he has seen war.
The halfling smiles and nods to Bimble "Yes sir, you all seem very capable. I'm glad you came to our rescue! I don't know that I could have managed those horrible animated suits or armor."
At Otavio's comment Trant simply shrugs and doesn't comment further.
Deciding to head to the left door Marcus does his thing.
Not finding any dangers he lets Capricia take the lead. Opening the door, this rectangular room appears to host a celebration frozen in time. Gaudy nobles crowd the corners of this room, all of which are dressed in ostentatious and pretentious fashions. Tremendous wigs soar toward the ceiling, each covered in thick layers of dust. A larger gaggle fills the center of the chamber, each aristocrat presenting a jovial or mocking leer as it stares out blankly. One of the figures is sprawled on the floor; overlapping circles cut into its waxen chest and face. There are three doors set one each into the eastern, northern and western walls.
"More circles in here as well," Rossana comments. "You don't think...these were real people at one time, do you? Otherwise, why have so many mannequins? It might be best if we don't touch anything this time."
"This is… horrible." Sara whispers, as if afraid their voices will wake them. The baker leans forward to look into one of their faces, reaching out to touch in awe. At Rossana's words, Sara pulls back, quickly. "Yes, I think you are right."
"I wonder when these clothes were in fashion," Rossana murmurs, checking over the dresses.
"They still look nice... dusty, but nice." Sara mentions, talking about the dresses, as she walks around the room.
Capricia had been about to offer her hand in friendship to Lady Trant before the woman made the 'like common thieves' comment. Again deeply disliking the woman, Capricia sucks it up for the team and sticks out her hand to the noblewoman.
"Well done back at the suits of armor," she says, trying to sound sociable. "It took real guts to take on those things when you weren't wearing any armor yourself."
At the latest puzzle, Capricia takes a close look at the frozen figures, trying to decide if they're real people, wax figures, or really opaque ghosts.
Marcus walks into the room and immediately pulls out the crossbow when he sees the strange scene.
What in the hells is going on here? This is what I get for throwing in my lot with Lady Lotheed and her ilk. Nothing to do about it now though.
”Stay on your guard everyone; this seems very off.”
Bimble looks the room over for magic and finds one aura coming from a hat on one of the waxy heads. Otherwise, he doesn't detect any other signs of magic.
This is a hat of disguise, although it is a little odd from what you would expect as the hat also has what appears to be hair inside of it.
As everyone gives the room a quick look you don't notice any threats just a lot of statues, that do in fact seem to be just statues, with a haphazard variety of fashions from varying points in the empire’s history and a number of which wearing what appears to be real jewelry. Rossana sees styles that date back several hundred years, but nothing more recent than about a century ago. Capricia takes not of the circles and symbols and recognizes that they are similar to the ones the group has spotted elsewhere before.
You find about 450 gp worth of jewelry that would be worth selling.
You find about 200 gp worth of jewelry that would be worth selling.
The forgotten wealth and the opulence of the place manage to astonish Otavio. With an incredulous look on his face he studies the statues and their casual display of wealth and splendor. "Who would leave such valuables behind? A dead man or woman, I'd imagine, someone without family nor friends. Maybe we'll get to know the answer down the road."
"Let's check the other rooms for now, then, and find that way out before we end up on display as well." Looking between the three doors a few times, Rossana chooses the eastern one and opens it.
Rossana swings the eastern door open. Lines of shelves run from north to south in this square room. Glass windows, some with handles and others bearing locks, cover the front of the shelves. Dozens of objects line the shelves, resting on satin pillows behind the protective glass covers. Doors exit from each of the other walls.
Bimble scans the room from outside and locates two magical auras, one coming from a statue figure in one of the display cases, the other covering the entire floor of the room.
Bimble notes that the floor has a weak aura of evocation magic, while he can see the little statue has a moderate enchantment and transmutation aura, it seems to be a figurine of wondrous power (silver raven).
Capricia follows along wordlessly, waiting for prompts from the smarter, wiser, or more magically gifted for direction.
When Capricia compliments Trant she shrugs a bit and simply replies "Thanks, you weren't bad yourself."
Otavio grimaces in answer to Bimble's warning. Magical traps?! "Hrm, maybe we ought to skip touching these valuables until we've secured the area?"
"Maybe we should toss something into the middle of the room and see what happens?" Rossana suggests, looking for something heavy enough to throw.
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"Maybe we should toss something into the middle of the room and see what happens?" Rossana suggests, looking for something heavy enough to throw.
Sara considers suggesting Dame Trant as the heavy something to throw, suggesting maybe the extra weight on the noblewoman's hips would help considerably, but decides that would not be productive... funny but not productive.
Stepping back into the room with the statues she'll help find something heavy enough (a head?).
"And I would be proud to carry the hairy hat, Master Ficklebopper. Oh, and then..." she'll reach into her purse and gets the dust of illusion she was carrying. "... I won't be needing that then" and hands it to the wizard for safe keeping.
Sara pops one of the wax heads off the statues in the room and tosses it on the floor of the display room. Nothing seems to happen as the head plops down onto the floor and rolls on the ground for a brief moment before settling on its side and starring lifelessly, but still eerily back at you.
Sara had looked eagerly as the head rolled about, then sighed in disappointment when nothing at all happened!
"So Bimble, should we take a chance by sending someone out there" her gaze darts to someone behind him, may or may not be to a certain arrogant noblewoman, hard to tell "Or... I do know a spell to summon a creature. We could send it out there." she looks about "Or any other suggestions?"
The dandy squats down and tilts his head so he can look the statue in the eyes. "Our failure to determine whether this room is safe or not is staring right back at us. Fine, let me have a gander."
"It looks safe enough to me, but what do I know? .. I-did-have-just-the-one-drink-back-at-the-party .."