Gabriella gives a short laugh.
"I'm Gabriella, she's Alessandra. And she couldn't heal with a leash on," she says removing the rest of the blood from her fingers. "To answer your question, I follow Pharasma."
"My vengeance will be swift and unexpected sister dearest." Alessandra replies with a wicked grin at her sister.
"Oh do you? I am also a follower of the Lady of Graves, though I have not been blessed with her gifts. I apologize about mixing the you two up, as you look quite similar. Are you identical twins?"
"When she says 'follows' Pharasma, she means 'sneaks around breaking every Pharasmin rules except the really important ones'." Alessandra explains helpfully. "I'm sure you can see why I'm the charming one. And yes we are twins - she's meant to be the wise one. Although I wonder about that sometimes!" She finishes in a stage whisper.
"So... at a guess the reward for loyal service will have something to do with the horse? The centre one will have Roslar himself and the other will be... I have no idea. I say centre first."
"I apologize about mixing the you two up, as you look quite similar. Are you identical twins?"
Ellie mutters under her breath, some noise of disbelief. One of them looks like she knows how to fight, and the other one looks like a stiff breeze would cut her in half.
Oh sure, if you look at their faces they look the same, but one is a warrior and the other isn't, and that's all there is to it.
"Even the oldest of elves have passed on from then. It must have been a millennia ago. I do not recall if he was a paladin, but it would not surprise me. That statue there? I wish I knew. Perhaps it has an inscription on it? Say, Ms Elka, twins, would you care for these healing potions? I would like to take one myself."
Kamosh flutters over to the metal skeleton and perches on its head. It gives it a couple pecks like a woodpecker.
An ostovite suddenly leaps out of the metal skeleton and bites at Kamosh! Its mandibles snap shut short of the whipporwill.
"Even the oldest of elves have passed on from then. It must have been a millennia ago. I do not recall if he was a paladin, but it would not surprise me. That statue there? I wish I knew. Perhaps it has an inscription on it? Say, Ms Elka, twins, would you care for these healing potions? I would like to take one myself."
"No thanks!" Alessandra declines, quite vehemently. "Those things... don't work so well for us. Quite the reverse in fact. Another one of father's 'gifts'."
Ellie was sort of waiting for something bad to happen. It seems to be that sort of day (night?).
"Oh no you don't! I've only just healed from the last one of you little so and so's."
She strides forward and bashes the thing with her flail.
The annoyance that she's feeling keeps away the fear.
Gabriella whips up her crossbow and moves closer to the creature. With a twang, a bolt flies towards the creature, but bounces off the floor.
Ellie smashes the ostovite with her flail. It twitches, nearly dead, but is still fighting on!
Alessandra steps into a flanking position and attempts to grasp the tiny creature.
Alessandra snatches up the ostovite, which wriggles in her grasp!
Gabriella gives her sister a look as the woman holds the squirming creature. The expression is clear to anyone that can see it.
Don't you dare.
Elká snatches one of the vials and stashes it in a reinforced belt pouch. "Don't mind if I do, doctor."
***
"I got your back!" Elka lunges forward and dives upon the disgusting fiendish creature with singular intent: to kill. Sure, the thing disgusts her and yes, it doesn't look like it would taste great, but the thrill of the kill sets Elká's blood on fire as she puts her claws to work.
Ella rips the ostovite in two with her claws! Fluids drip from its two bloody chunks.
The destroyed metal skeleton has a short sword marked with the spiraling comet symbol of Pharasma.
"Oh, gross!", the changeling utters with a voice bouncing from the depths of sincere dismay all the way up to morbid fascination. Whatever she had killed is no ordinary creature for the viscosity of its blood - if its blood to begin with - is nothing like that of the creatures that roam Golarion. "So eh, doc, do these things like eh, crawl up your spine and possess your body?"
Seemingly relieved that whatever she considered her sister capable of didn't come to pass, Gabriella steps closer to look over the metal skeleton. "What was this?" she asks.
At Elká's comment, the inquisitor turns a disgusted face towards the changeling. "Crawl up your what?" She shudders.
The dhampir then notices the Pharasmite sword. Graceful hands reach down and retrieve it and her eyes travel over it as if looking for some indication as to its purpose.
Elká shrugs at the dhampir sister - which one is she again? Gabriella? - and glares at the creature's shredded mortal coil. "I'd assume they got those wicked sharp mandible-thingies to gnaw a way through whatever is between them and your spine."
"Sort of, Elka. To be completely honest, I am unaware of if they are scavengers or predators. Meaning do they find already dead corpses to animate with their powers, or do they eat the subject and crawl under their skin, then fight for control of their body? More research will be necessary. If only we could find a small cage to lock one up and take it with us."
He pauses for a moment to examine Elka. "I must say that you are the first changeling I have ever had the pleasure to meet. Your eyes are fascinating, is it true that one of them can be peered through by your mother?"
"It tried to kill me! Don't keep one as a pet."
Kamosh glares as best as a songbird can.
Gabriella doesn't see anything about the sword indicating that it has any purpose other than stabbing people.
Elká is about to snarl at the doctor for being so darn complimentary, but the woman's lips part and her eyes fill up with dismay when he mentions the possibility her mother might be able to see what she sees. Considering whether or not it might be true causes Elká to grow a paler shade of white and, not very convincingly so, she pretends not to be rattled by the doctor's inquiry. "Yeah, maybe, perhaps, no, I don't think so. If she could, surely she'd be bored by now after having to endure my many years of being an accomplished and utter failure. No way she'd still be watching. Heh, right? Yeah. Okay, next topic, let's move on. Oh look, there's a passage over there, let's investigate."
Several long stone slabs line the walls of this room like shelves. The shelves are pitted with acid and contain scraps of old cloth. A few chunks of bone litter the floor.
Gabriella moves up behind Elká to peer into the chamber.
"Body preparation," she says curtly. She gestures and mutters an arcane word and then looks over the room with an appraising eye.
Gabriella detects a faint aura of magic coming from the shelves. There are no magic auras in any other direction.
The inquisitor moves lithely into the room, closing the distance between herself and the object of her spell's revelation.
"Something's here," she says, her eyes narrowing as she attempts to see what is the source of the aura.
Searching the shelves, Gabriella discovers that the aura is coming from a small wooden bead. A wedding ring is also on the shelves nearby. As soon as she reaches to pick them up, her touch causes the shelves to collapse, spilling chunks of acid-pitted stone! Fortunately, her armor keeps her safe from harm.
The gold wedding ring is worth 85 gp and is inscribed with "For Aloisius; my love, my heart, my morning dove."
Ellie rushes forward as the stone collapses around the dhampir. "Oh! Are you alright?" She looks around carefully. "First that melted skeleton, now these shelves. Is it those ostovites that did this?"
She shudders with disgust, and makes sure that her flail is clean of any gore before continuing.
Alessandra mutters something that sounds suspiciously like "Fools rush in...", but only once its clear that her sister is unharmed.
She heads towards the centre alcove and peers forwards, trying to see further into the darkness ahead.
"Careful, Aless... Gabriella. We still do not know where we are or what is happening."
Since the group is moving forward, Ulrich will quickly put the remaining loot from the alcove into his pack.
The stone walls of this room are carved to resemble hanging draperies framing a large dais. Upon the dais stands a large sarcophagus, its lid carved to resemble a sleeping knight with long hair and a wide mustache. This room carries a faint nauseating odor, like putrefying meat.
Ulrich stops mid stride and sniff the air. "Do you smell what I smell? The sweet smell of decay wafts through the air, and I may not be a gambling man, but I bet you it is coming either from within that sarcophagus, or possibly behind it."
Ellie wrinkles her nose in disgust. "Urgh. It's definitely coming from behind it. Hang on, I'll check it out."
Flail raised cautiously, she moves forward, her colourful kapenia wrapped around her nose and mouth to try and keep out the stench.
As Ellie moves forward, a creature slithers forth from behind the sarcophagus. It resembles a small skeletal cobra with glowing red eyes! A foul slurry sloshes around inside of its body.
The creature lunges at Ellie, biting her and splattering her with the sticky, nauseating substance inside of it!
Alessandra mentally thanks the higher powers for companions who are willing to blunder into things first and circles the sarcophagus to attack the cobra.
Ellie gags in revulsion as the snake-like horror spatters her with gunk. She swipes at the thing, trying to crush it before it does any further harm.
"Urgh! Get it off me! Get it off me!" It's not clear what she's more disgusted by.
Despite being severely hampered, Eldarel crushes the cobra with her flail. The thing sways unsteadily for a moment before Alessandra's smashes it to bits with a heavy blow from her mace.
The sticky goo splattered all over Ellie's body eventually become brittle and dissolves into harmless powder, freeing her.
"Ow. Again. Also, blech." Ellie brushes last of the powdered stuff off her clothing, before lifting the lid of the sarcophagus.
The sarcophagus is empty--no surprise, as it's common knowledge in Roslar's Coffer that Roslar himself was never buried in his own tomb. The interior of the lid is carved with a slender angelic woman with a benevolent gaze surrounded by clouds, looking down as though from a great height. Words around the image read, "O Arazni, the Red Crusader, Watch Over My Eternal Rest."
"Tsk, tsk." Elká feigns disapproval and shakes her head at Eldarel when the woman opens Roslar's grave. "Good thing he ain't home."
There doesn't seem to be anything fishy nor funky about the sarcophagus.
The changeling groans when inspecting the man's supposed burial place leads to nothing, nothing at all. "It seems our dear friend Roslar manages to disappoint the ladies even in death, oh well. Let's move on? I ache for sunlight."
When you are ready, you approach the southern alcove. The stone walls of this room are carved to resemble an airy stable with a large stone box at the southern end. The lid of the box is cracked and corroded, as though from powerful acid. An illustration of a lean, regal stallion and the words "No Greater Friend Hath a Man Than His Loyal Steed" are chiseled into the stone above the box.
Leaning against the west wall is the skeleton of a horse--or at least an amalgamation that somewhat resembles a horse. Its skull sits too close to its torso and one leg has been attached in the wrong spot. You can see the ostovite ensconced within its bone chariot, and when it sees you, it lurches the horse forward to attack!
The horse lopes forward and kicks at Elka, crushing her ribcage painfully!
Alessandra circles and strikes!
Alessandra's powerful blow shatters the horse skeleton into pieces! The ostovite chitters angrily as it leaps clear of the bone fragments!
Seeing her companion has been hurt, Ellie runs forward angrily. "Not on my watch!"
She flails at the thing with her flail.
The ostovite explodes, leaving little behind but a wet green smear on the floor.
The box that once contained Abdell's bones holds silver and jade adornments from the decayed bridle worth 65 gp. The crumbled bottom of the southeastern wall leads to a small tunnel about 1 foot wide. It looks like this is how the ostovites entered the tomb.
Elká sits down to alleviate the pressure on her ribs and winces when she inadvertently stretches while fetching the healing potion. She uncorks the vial and gulps down its contents. A sour look is her initial reaction to the potion, but then she clutches her sides as its healing magic corrects the wrongs in and around her ribcage.
"What's with these things and saying goo-bye?!"