"A hailstorm of wooden arrows might do it." He says, with stress obvious in his voice. Looking down he says "I get frustrated. I have studied for years to be a doctor. I have studied every book I could ever find regarding anatomy. I have studied magical theory for the purpose of keeping people alive. There is not much I can do. Faith seems to be the only method of keeping people alive in any timely manner."
"Don't worry too much about it, Ulrich. Allie and I give even the divine healers fits. There's just not an easy answer for what we are."
Her brow furrows in thought for a moment before she leans over and places a cool kiss on his cheek. "Thank you for your concern, though." She then turns back to her sister.
As Gabriella gives Ulrich a kiss on his cheek, he gently places his hand on her cheek. He locks eyes with her for a moment as she withdraws, and gives her a half smile.
With a sigh, he says "To business. I have a few spells remaining that will function on living creatures, and I still have that spell to make people taller, Enlarge Person it is called. I do also have the ability to dispel one magical effect, and a few situational spells. If it comes down to more powerful undead, I will not be of much use. Mindless, weak undead I can still deal with. I can also look over your wounds, but it will take several hours and will not be as effective as magic."
"Shall we try the northern door first?" the inquisitor asks.
When you are ready, you go through the northern door. Several wires hang loosely from the ceiling, and the remains of a broken stone bench are heaped against the western wall. A set of filthy stairs leads down to the east.
In the Boneyard version of this tomb, this is where pieces of a gorgon's hide hung. It seems that particular decoration was never completed in this reality.
"Huh." Ellie looks around carefully. "Weird that the Boneyard version is different from the real one. Maybe someone broke in and stole the hide?"
"Down we go, I guess," Gabbi says with a frown. She gestures for Ellie to lead the way downstairs with a sweep of her arm..
The southern room on this level contains a small basin, filled nearly to the brim with dust, that protrudes from the southern wall below a few smudges of faded paint. Searching the dust uncovers a stone tile several inches across. The tile bears a carving of a stylized pair of feathery wings. It appears similar to the tiles in the floor puzzle that opened the secret vault in the Boneyard's version of the tomb. Also in the basin is a pearl of power (2nd level).
Ulrich picks up the pearl of power while Kamosh whistles. "Think of it as an extra spell each day." He explains to the non-magically inclined.
"Hey." Says Kamosh as he flies to perch on Ellie's armour. "Just a thought, but what if we step on the tiles like last time? Think it could open something up?"
Gabbi holds up the single floor tile. "Why do I have a feeling that we're going to find another tile puzzle downstairs like in the other tomb," she says with a raised eyebrow.
You descend to the tomb's second level. Discolored paintings along the northern wall depict a few types of weapons, including several rapiers and lances. Indentations in the wall hold plaques under each illustration, but the plaques are all blank. A rough passage in the stone leads west. The south wall contains the frame for a doorway, but it is blocked with solid stone.
A humanoid creature crouches in the southwest corner of this room, draped in a tattered
cloak and making noises that sound like desperate sobbing. It is difficult to make out details of its appearance.
Her paranoid nature exerting itself, Gabbi narrows her eyes for just a moment, sensing for an evil aura about the figure.
The figure radiates a strong aura of evil!
"Evil!" Gabbi hisses just loud enough for her companions to hear.
"Hello? Put your hands where we can see them. Turn and face us!" she calls out as she raises her crossbow.
Ellie takes a moment to apply one of the oils of magic weapon to her heavy flail while she waits to see what the creature does.
The creature makes no response, other than to make a weak “come closer” gesture with a limb that looks surprisingly like a human hand in a tattered glove.
"Yeah, that's not going to happen," Gabbi responds to the creature's gesture. "Here's what is going to happen; You're going to stand up and turn and face us. You're going to do that by the time I count to ten. If you haven't done so, then I'm going to fill you with arrows and then my pretty friend here is going to smash you. And she likes smashing things."
The inquisitor gives Ellie a wink.
"One ... two ..."
The creature does not respond to Gabby. Her crossbow bolt bounces off the thing's cloak, then the monster rises to its feet. What appeared to be a cloak unfurls into bug wings, and its apparently human face is merely patterns on its head. Disturbing, antlerlike growths on its head appear to have burst open, and spores drift from these openings.
Spore zombies can unleash their spores to nauseate living creatures and infest other vermin to make more of their kind.
Allie watches with a smile as Gabbi shows that she can actually be charming occasionally, although her sister's ministrations leave her wincing repeatedly.
"That's some sort of zombie plant!" Allie says, covering her mouth in an instinctive gesture of disgust. "It'll make you sick and can infect you if you die... Gabbi - kill it now?!"
"Eww ... undead bug!" Gabbi shouts out. "Yes, kill it now!"
She looks at Ellie as she reloads her crossbow. "Ellie; Smash!"
"Ware its spores and its bite," she adds.
This time, Gabby's bolt sinks into the zombie's chest. Undeterred, it rushes forward and slides Elly with a claw! It grabs a hold and sinks its fangs into her neck, drinking her blood. At the same time, a cloud of spores burst from the growths on its head, threatening to sicken Elly and Elka.
"Stop that! Her blood is mine!" Allie yells, and on the back of that rather bizarre declaration leaps on the creature! Cuddles too pounces!
"I said 'ware its bite'. Does no one listen to me?" Gabbi snaps as she reloads her weapon and fires at the creature again. Her fear of hitting Ellie taints her accuracy, though, and the shot goes wide.
Ellie grins as she catches Gabbi's wink, and reddens slightly - before she's caught off-guard by the thing's speed and is grabbed before she knows anything about it.
Taking one hand off her flail, she draws a dagger and slices at the whatever-it-is that has grabbed her.
EDIT:
Ulrich begins casting Enlarge Person, this time it's centered on Alessandra.
Elká stumbles back and has troubles keeping her composure. In fact, other than stumbling about, she doesn't manage to do much at all.
Allie, Cuddles, and Gabby all fail to hit with their attacks. As Ulrich begins his chant, Elka falls back, gagging and retching. Elly scores a powerful blow with her dagger, tearing through the insect's rotting carapace.
The zombie maintains it grasp on Elly, manuevering around and dragging her a few feet until it is in the corner of the room, preventing anybody from flanking it! It continues to feast on the fighter's blood.
Gabbi growls in annoyance as she tries to target the creature without hitting Ellie.
She aims carefully, waiting for her moment before firing.
"Damnit!" Ulrich curses as Ellie takes another bite and Elka hunches over. He finishes the spell to turn Alessandra into a giant, then frantically fishes through his scroll case. He pulls out one of the scrolls from way back, and starts chanting while reading it.
School necromancy; Level inquisitor 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
CASTING
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S, M (a pinch of sulfur and powdered garlic)
EFFECT
Range medium (100 ft. + 10 ft./level)
Targets up to three undead creatures, no two of which can be more than 30 ft. apart
Duration 1 round/level
Saving Throw Will negates (see text); Spell Resistance yes
DESCRIPTION
This spell renders as many as three undead creatures immobile. A non-intelligent undead creature gets no saving throw; an intelligent undead creature does. If the spell is successful, it renders the undead creature immobile for the duration of the spell (similar to the effect of hold person on a living creature). The effect is broken if the halted creatures are attacked or take damage.
Cuddles follows the creautre, biting hard at its base as Allie, enlarged by Ulrich's magic, grasps at it with her now much larger hands and improved strength.
Ellie stabs again with her dagger, rather ineffectually due to blood loss.
Gabby scores a good hit, but Elly and Cuddles miss. Despite Allie's increased size, the zombie proves to strong for her. It resists Ulrich's spell as it chomps on Elly's neck, feasting on her blood!
Weak from blood loss, Ellie remains conscious just long enough to try and stab the thing again.
Now getting desperate, Ulrich hastily pulls out the scroll of Fire Shield and manages to successfully casting it, despite being Evocation. However, he suddenly realizes that the spell only works on him, not on Ellie.
Gabbi curses as Cuddles moves right into her line of fire and her bolt launches into the ceiling as she tries to avoid hitting it.
"You need to teach that overgrown lap warmer how not to be in the way!" she barks at her enlarged sister.
"Not now!" Allie snaps back, abandoning her grappling attempts to simply hit the damn thing.
Cuddles continues to attack as well.
Elly scores one good hit, though it misses a critical spot. Allie does a critical strike though, and Cuddles hits twice, once critically! Despite all of this, the zombie still stands.
It chows down on Elly's flesh and blood, and as the fighter falls unconscious, it tosses her aside and snarls at the rest of you!
Ellie continues to bleed out.
"Damn! Damn! Damn!" Gabriella snaps out as she moves in close to place her hands on the fallen woman. "Allie! You better stay on your feet; This is the last of my magic!"
Allie and Cuddles continue hammering away at the creature, although now they work in eerie silence...
Ulrich fires a thin ray at the zombie, but it fails to hit. Allie and Cuddles both score a hit on the monster while Gabby moves to stabilize Elly.
The creature assaults the enlarged Allie, and while she narrowly dodges its fangs, its claws rip into her chest and belly, leaving deep bloody gouges behind. The giant dhampir falls to the floor with a resounding thud!
"What did I just tell you?" Gabbi mutters to herself as fear grips her.
Gabby's bolt sinks deep into the side of the zombie's head, and Cuddles manages to score a hit with a claw. The monster retaliates though, and while its bite misses once more, its claws rip into the tiger, dropping the big cat!