Gabbi frowns at the spectre, then at Ulrich. "You're not planning on keeping him ... are you?" she asks.
Allie stands to one side, stroking Rascal's head as the more religious members of the group choose to debate theology. Rascal's nose is twitching, apparently excited by the smell of blood.
Gabbi frowns at the spectre, then at Ulrich. "You're not planning on keeping him ... are you?" she asks.
"It depends on what we do next. I have no interest in parading around Vigil with this... essence. However, he is most certainly of use, is he not? In any case, I can only hold onto him for so long, as he is potentially capable of breaking the bonds on each occasion that the sun rises. His abilities would prove very useful against enemies in full armour, and his knowledge could help shed additional light."
"And he also should be facing his final judgement," Gabriella adds with an arched eyebrow. "We have no right to keep him here against his will."
She doesn't say anything else to the doctor and turns to her sister.
"If we're not resting, then we need to continue on to the other building - hopefully avoiding the trash eaters outside," she says with a glance at the doors leading to the inner courtyard.
"That is a fair point." Ulrich nods
"Spectre. I am aware that you are an intelligent and coherent individual. I have a proposition for you. I can offer you revenge against those who killed you, and then release you from your mortal coil to the afterlife that best fits you. All I require is your knowledge, and your aid in battle. Is this agreeable to you?"
”Relase me NOW!” the specter shrieks. Despite its protests, though, it is unable to refuse Ulrich’s commands.
"The key to 'now' is cooperation. This lady right here is an ordained Pharasmite, so you can be sure that the wizard won't be keeping you around for much longer. Trust me when I tell you that doing some good things will help you with where you're going. We've all been there," and Elká eyes her companions to make clear who 'we' are. "Pharasma's own are big on people doing the right thing - and helping us is the right thing to do."
Perhaps the changeling is too much of a hulking figure, underscored by her massive shoulders and terrifying claws, to confide in.
"I'll swallow your soul!" the spectre threatens. It thrashes about, but again, can only do as Ulrich commands it.
"You shut it!" Gabriella snaps at the incorporeal figure.
Looking through the windows, she sizes up the area a little better.
"It looks like we can avoid those two things by heading back out and going through the carriage doors over there to get into the warehouse."
"One day I need to figure out how to apply charm spells on the undead." Ulrich says. He sighs in frustration.
"Spectre. Do not speak unless spoken to."
Then he speaks to Gabriella
"Let us take a look at the warehouse, and then I will get rid of the spectre. The majority of my important spells have been used, now."
You circle around the exterior of the Dyeworks fence moving past the barn to get to the warehouse and avoid the otyughs lurking in the yard. Outside the warehouse to the north stands an empty wagon stained with several colors. A sign upon it reads, “Erstwhile Dyeworks—Deliveries.”
The key you recovered from the gnome unlocks the large doors. Ulrich does not sense anything living or undead on the other side. This warehouse contains several bolts of fabric, folded sheets of linen, and barrels of concentrated dye. It also includes a covered sewer grate leading to Vigil’s sewers. It appears that the grate has been recently used.
Ramps on the east side lead to unlocked sliding doors. The north sliding door is partially closed and the south one is open. Two mill wheels straddle a wide trough in the ground. Each is connected to a stirring mechanism in a huge vat, one to the north of the wheels and one to the south. Several barrels stand near the vats, each overfilled with bright, rainbow-colored pigments. Fireplaces stand on the east wall near each vat, roughly opposite the large sliding doors.
Near the north sliding door is a single black, armored boot containing an acid-scarred foot.
Ulrich can sense a living creature inside the north vat.
Ulrich waves over the others and puts a finger to his lips while pointing at the north sliding door.
"Something inside the vat?" Allie whispers. "Acidic based on that foot. Ooze maybe?" She turns to her sister, the acknowledged expert on monsters of all sorts.
"Best to leave it alone perhaps?" She continues in a slightly more normal tone once her sister has given her opinion. "Looks like they came from underneath. I say we pull back, give in our proof and sell some of this stuff. Then head down properly prepared."
"I'm down with that. Tackling ghosts and specters without proper preparations is a surefire way to get a meet-and-greet with Pharasma." But while they discuss more practical concerns, something else is claiming Ulrich's attention. "Hey, Ulrich, what's up? What caught your attention? ..."
"Yeah, most likely an ooze," Gabbi says with a nod as she looks the boot over. "Probably pulled in the owner of this boot."
She tosses the boot back down onto the ground.
"Let's head back outside and check out the wagon barn before we leave."
The stink of animal waste fills this barn. A pair of cages is built into the barn’s northern wall. Several goats crammed into the western cage bleat in distress, and the eastern cage is covered with a vibrantly dyed curtain. An enormous mound of hay fills the eastern third of the barn. Large sliding doors lead south, a smaller door opens to the west, and a hayloft rings the barn above.
Pulling the curtain aside reveals that the east cage contains a battered woman fastened within a pillory in the cage. She sports numerous bruises, and she looks up in despair at you. "Please, free me! I am Doeswen Aubry, one of Vigil's guards! The city is in grave danger!"
"Kinky," Gabbi says looking over the woman. "They couldn't just tie her up, they had to ..." she gestures at the restraining device.
"We know the city's in grave danger, Miss Aubry. How do you know that?" she asks the woman.
"I am the commander of the Northgate Road waystation outside of the city. We were attacked by a gang of thieves and murderers--the Six Wise Crows. They kidnapped me and brought me here earlier today. I am not certain what they planned to do with me, but something odd happened a few hours ago. It sounded like there was an attack from outside. I heard several armored people running, and members of the Six Wise Crows shouting, 'They’ve got Dondun!' 'They came from the sewer!' and 'Fall back to the shop!'
"The attack was over in minutes. Luckily, whoever attacked didn't check the barn at all, and nobody else has come in since then. I shouted for help a few times, but no one has come."
Gabby senses Doeswen is speaking the truth, though she is being cautious about sharing everything she knows.
"Yeah, we found what was left of the unit stationed at the waystation," Gabbi says as she opens the cage and frees the woman. "With the exception of some pimply-faced kid, you're the only survivor. You don't have any idea what 'shop' they were referring to, do you?"
Once the woman is released, she turns to the others. "We need to rest up. Once we do that we can either find out what's down in the sewers or try to find this shop."
"I assume they meant the fabric shop across the yard," Doeswen says.
"As promised." Ulrich says to Gabriella.
"Spectre. I release you from your mortal coil. Go to the afterlife at once."
Ulrich will use his last round of lifesense on Doeswen. Just in case.
With a relieved sigh, the specter fades away.
"I've got it." Allie says, wrapping her hand around the padlocks and watching with satisfaction as the locks snap in her palm. She helps the woman up and channels a little magic into her, to help ease the cramps the woman is going to be suffering.
"Right. We'll get you to the Sword Knight first. You need to tell her everything you've told us." Allie says firmly, nodding to her sister. "Then we are resting. End of story. And selling some of this stuff. Once we've got kitted out, then we can head into the sewers."
It appears the dhampir twins are not taking any other option at this point!
"I miss you Gabbi." She says bluntly. "You're part of me and being angry with you is hard. Really hard. But I'm still hurting Gabbi. So much." Her composure crumples, "Help me?"
Elká feels for the woman and snarls when one of the twins - damnit, why am I still having troubles keeping them apart?! Gabbie uses the crossbow and ... yep, she's the one giving the imprisoned woman lip - talks in a way that pisses her right off. "Alrighty. Now, before I forget, because I'm sure tonight will involve alcohol, I can make myself look the half-elf we found in the dye place. The magic will only last for an hour, but maybe we'll get lucky and run into her crowd before it dissipates. I got no clue whether that halfie is this Dondun or one of them Whispering freaks, but I need to practice this whole identity theft thing if I want to become any good at it."
"We don't have the resources to go looking for trouble right now," Gabbi counters. "We need to rest."
Gabbi pulls her sister into her arms. "I'm always here for you," she says. "If you need to be angry with me, I'll be here for you to be angry with. For as long as you need to. You're my world, Allie. I'll be whatever you need me to be. If I could take back what I did, I would, but there's no way I can do that. All I can do is say I'm sorry and hope that some day you'll forgive me. Until then, I'll be right here to be whatever you need me to be."
"I'll join you," Ellie offers to the changeling. She rests a hand on her flail. "My magic doesn't run out."
Doeswen can describe all of the members of the Six Wise Crows. They include several people you have already killed, including the priestess and orc at the way station and the gnome who tried to ambush you along the way. Dondun is the old human wizard that Ulrich spotted outside the burning smithy. It would seem he's the only one unaccounted for.
Second Sword Knight Varvatos is happy to take Doeswen in to be sure she is well cared for. With her testimony, it's clear that the authorities of Vigil will take the threat to the city seriously now.
Elka and Elly wander the streets for a bit, attempting to draw your other enemies out, but nobody appears to take the bait. You check into a local inn and are able to rest and recover without incident.
"Hrm," the changeling grows. "It does make sense that a half-elf girl wouldn't be named Dondun."
Ulrich heads to bed quickly after supper. His head is spinning with thoughts about what just occurred, and the fact that one of these Crows remains alive unsettles him. Fortunately it seems that he's gained Vigil's trust, which makes him chuckle cynically at the irony. He writes down a few notes about his brief encounter with a spectre. What puzzles him the most is how... uncooperative it was. He was certain that spectres would be rather coherent, able to have a discussion with, but this spectre made a fool of him in front of the group. He jots down that they're intelligent, but woefully uncooperative. Charm magic may be necessary to tame the undead, which is an ability he has yet to develop.
Then he finally climbs into a comfortable bed, at least compared to what he's normally used to. Sleep drifts over him quite quickly
------------
Come morning, Ulrich begins preparing his spells while attempting to eat at the same time. His porridge goes soggy before he remembers to eat.
Spells Prepared
------------------------------
0th (at will) Detect Magic, Mage Hand, Prestidigitation, Read Magic
1st cause fear, dancing lantern, expedious excavation, ray of enfeeblement, shield x2
2nd blindness/deafness, blood transcription, chill touch (reach close), false life, see invisibility
3rd dispel magic, haste, nondetection (50gp), magic weapon (greater), ray of exhaustion
4th bestow curse, boneshatter, phantasmal killer, positive pulse greater
"This helps..."
She seems happy to cuddle, but strangely hesitant about anything else, as though she's unsure of something. Gabbi is more than perceptive enough to read her sister's cues though - Allie is worried, possibly scared even, that Gabbi doesn't really want her, and its being expressed in hesitation and uncharacteristic caution.
She looks up, blood still smeared across her lips.
"Thanks sis." She murmurs, still subdued and more down than Gabbi has seen her in a long time. Without the anger fueling her, her sister seems smaller somehow. "I do love you, even when I'm angry. You know that right?"
"I've never doubted your love," Gabbi says, turning her sister so she's on her back. She moves up to look her in the eyes. "And I can't tell you how horrible it feels to know that I've caused you to doubt mine." She leans down and softly presses her lips to Allie's tasting her own blood on her sister's lips.
"Let me show you how much you mean to me," she whispers against those same lips.
You return to the Dyeworks and remove the grate to access the sewers. Vigil’s brick sewer tunnels vary in width, but most contain a 3-foot-deep, sewage-filled trough running along the floor with narrow ledges on one or both sides of the trough. These ledges, and the makeshift wooden walkways that frequently connect them, offer a way to traverse the sewers without entering the foul waters.
The tracks of the people who attacked the Six Wise Crows are easy to find. Elka notes that ten armored knights and two otyughs came this way. Eight knights returned the same way.
After following the tracks through the branching forks of Vigil’s sewer system for half an hour, the tracks suddenly stop. A close inspection reveals slight rake marks in the grime. You can hear voices raised in argument from the sewer passage up ahead.
Before dipping on down into the filth, Elká takes a moment to assume the looks of the deceased half-elf. There's still a gleam of violet to be found in her left eye, but her normally square jaw and human ears take on the shape and finesse of the half-elf's features.
Once nose-deep in the slime and muck, Elká gets to work and assesses the tracks. The changeling looks surprised when she reports her findings to the others. "Odd. There's give or take ten pair of armored boots, but there are also what-I-think-to-be Otyugh tracks coming this way. Yet, and so the plot thickens, I can only spot some eight or so pairs of armored boots heading away from us."
But, with time being of the essence and there only being so much vodka in Elká's flask - she refuses to endure the sewer's lovely smell without it, they push on and rush through the sewers as fast as her tracking skills let them. "Voices", she whispers to the others. "I can scout ahead. Worst case scenario, they spot me and their confusion at my appearance should buy you the time to come to my aid."
Quiet as a mouse, Elka creeps forward until the source of the voices comes in to view. Three armored knights bicker in the tunnel ahead. They wear blackened full plate armor decorated with symbols of skulls and skeletal hands on a broken disk. In addition to their helmets, they wear rags wrapped across their noses and mouths to mitigate the unpleasant smell of the sewers.
”Raking our boot prints is taking too long!” one growls. ”We should just pour some of this s&@$ water over the walkways and be done with it.”
“Oh, and I suppose you brought a bucket?” another says. ”Or are you planning to use your helmet?”
”You have a better idea? We need to finish quickly before those lumbering filth-eaters grow spines and come this way.“
Hoping that the buckets covering the knight's ears plus their ongoing chatter do well to drown out any noise they might make, Elká gestures the others to move on up. She uses the time they'll take to join up to go through the contingencies of her stepping forward and talking to the knights as if they had abandoned her, the poor half-elf, and how she had to run from a pair of hungry otyughs. What to say? Why did you leave me?! Gods, I'm so cold! Why is it so cold?! How will the knights react? Hurdur, you're undead now, quickly, we need to move on. And whose throat to rip The one in the middle.
Ulrich follows Elka's lead and sneaks over to her spot.
Stealth is not her forte, but Gabbi attempts to move up as quietly as possible while readying her bow.
Ellie isn't much good at stealth either.
At least her mithral armour doesn't make things any worse.
The less-than-quiet approach of Elka's companions draws the attention of the armored knights. "Oi! Who's there?" one calls out as they draw their swords.
Once Elka steps out, the knights hesitate only for a moment. "No, you're not Jasaxi. She's dead!" the speaker for the group shouts. They begin to advance!
"Damn right she is!", Elká bites at the leader as she cautiously surges forward and looks for a chink in the knight's armor. "You'll be otyugh food soon enough!"
Jasaxi? That is a queer name. I wonder where it originates.
Ulrich turns the corner as he draws the pearl of power. He arcs his hand towards one of the knights, and tries to draw the strength out of their body.
Then he snaps the pearl to regain a slot.
Allie meanwhile snaps her fingers and grants her companions a minor blessing.
Gabbi steps boldly forward, readying her bow and nocking an arrow.
"Your actions have drawn the wrath of the Lady of Graves," she calls out to the nearest of the knights in a bold voice that brooks no quarter. "Prepare to face her judgement."
Stealth and subterfuge having failed, Ellie resorts to Plan A: flailing.
Moving forward, she strikes at one of the armoured figures, aiming to knock them down and strike them as they fall.