"It'd certainly be a look. Only one way to find out I suppose..."
This cannot possibly end well.
"W-Wait, Aurealia, you don't smell anything living?!" exclaims Audrahni, her voice slowly filling with horror.
Alas, the gravedigger is too late. The instant Aurealia draws close, something attempts to bite her!
After the first bite, a small, skeletal creature lunges at Aurealia from behind the cradle. Wearing the tattered remains of a pink bunny suit, it is the size of a young child. In one of its bony hands, it is pulling an old string that connects to a weathered toy duck on wheels.
After uttering a childish giggle, the creature again tries to bite Aurealia...
Who suddenly feels quite tired!
Kallie rears up at the skeletal child. "That's disturbing!"
She sends a blast of positive energy at it.
"Oh Hell's Bells!" Croq curses.
She starts to pound a rousing, rocking beat on her drum. "Let's put that adorable little bag of bones to bed!"
Jaya whips out a small square of wax paper from her spell pouch and spreads a pool of grease beneath the undead to buy herself a moment to think.
Cai’nan steps up and swings his blade at the undead fiend. Krodha roars and rushes forward as well, snapping his jaws hard at it too!
__________
Aurealia bites the creature back with an angry hiss.
Gentle whispers begin to fill the air. Those close to the skeletal child also hear eerie sobs and songs on the edges of their hearing. In fact, Croq's performance does not appear to be helping anyone in melee range with the creature...
The agile undead manages to stand its ground against Jaya's spell, but that leaves it vulnerable to Kallie's magic. It ducks right under the Cai'nan's scimitar strike, but Krodha's teeth inflict a light injury on its skull. For a second, it looks like Aurealia's bite will strike true as well, but the unnerving noises throw off her aim at the last second.
With her morningstar still sheathed, Galatea begins chanting and making circular motions with her free hand. For an instant, the group feels the presence of a higher power and then their approval. While that sensation quickly fades, it leaves a lingering, beneficial effect...
Before Audrahni can act, Biscuit suddenly starts barking loudly, which distracts the gravedigger...
Meanwhile, the undead creature whispers softly and turns to playfully attack the one opponent who hit it in melee.
Fortunately, the creature fails to find an opening in Krodha's thick plate armor.
They don't strike especially hard like, say, an orc vampire, but they are both deceptively durable and difficult to hit. You also recall reading that they can steal people's voices and breath. As shown by Aurealia, the latter seems to mean it can make living creatures increasingly tired. Finally, they appear to project an aura of eerie sounds that nullifies bardic music like Croq's drumbeats and instead unnerves anyone who draws close...
"Cladissa wept!" Jaya cursed, as the childlike skeleton kept its footing.
"Croquelle, don't bother with the song. It's an Attic Whisperer, a lost, neglected child that saps breath, voices, and feelings. You won't get through. Don't get too close if you can't let it take your voice either!"
Suiting action to words she flung a pair of force bolts through the air to smash into the creature's small frame.
Aurealia steps to the side before attempting to bite the creature again. The dark magic before her unnerves the young arcanist, and she once again fails to bite the attic whisperer.
Cai’nan and Krodha continue their own assault, but Cai’nan seems more unnerved by what Jaya claimed about this creature, and Krodha found the thing a very nimble foe...
__________
Kallie takes aim with her ray spell once more. It's a simple spell, but one that has strong utility against undead.
"Lost, neglected child? That's so sad and creepy. No wonder I didn't feel as pumped up by singing as I normally do."
Turning to the small monstrosity, Croq says, "Sorry lil' tyke. Hitting kids is a strict no-no for me, but seeing as you're a walking corpse I'll make an exception."
She swings, but finds the creepiness of swinging at even an undead child too much. She flinches at the last moment, missing by several feet.
While the melee crew collectively fails to the Attic Whisperer, the mages manage to score some solid hits. However, the undead creature still appears to have plenty of fight left in it!
Sensing some impending trouble thanks to Biscuit's barking, Galatea, Audrahni, and Cheshire holding/delay their actions for the time being...
The Attic Whisperer once again tries biting the Bloodmarked skinwalker, but Aurealia manages to dodge the attack at the last second.
"Little friends! Little friends! Help me!" the undead child suddenly cries out in a soft voice.
Not a second later, some massive rotting bugs come crawling out of the nearby rooms! From the west, an giant cockroach attacks Audrahni. From the east, two giant centipedes attack...
Galatea and Kallie!
Kallie proves to be too quick on her hooves. Meanwhile, despite having two left feet, Galatea manages to block with her shield. However, Audrahni is caught by surprise and receives a small bite on the arm for her troubles.
They all swiftly counterattack. Galatea's morningstar and Cheshire's teeth find purchase. Meanwhile, despite landing an attack, Audrahni soon finds that her bladed scarf isn't the best weapon to use against these creatures. Seeing her caretaker get attacked, Biscuit manages to push through her natural aversion to fighting the undead, but her lingering fear throws off her aim...
Despite the weirdness of swinging at a child-corpse, Croquelle grits her teeth and swings straight down at it's skull.
Cai’nan and Krodha continue to attack the quick undead, but still fail to make contact.
__________
Aurealia keeps up her battle of bites with the undead child. This is so cool. I'm on an adventure! Just like the Varisian Rangers or the Freaks
Kallie takes a step back from the bug attacking her and uncoils her whip in a quick motion. There's a loud crack! as she uses it against the centipede.
Unwilling to risk a more destructive spell in such close confines, Jaya shoots a thin, frigid beam into the closest of the vermin.
Despite taking two solid hits from Andosana Sisters, the Attic Whisperer seems oddly amused by its "battle of bites" with Aurealia and responds in turn!
It manages to nip Aurealia's arm, but she only gets a mild bruise as a result.
Meanwhile, the undead vermin continue to attack the four women in the hallway. Jaya's spell manages to damage one, which causes it to focus on her; Galatea attempts to attack the centipede as it passes. Unfortunately for the centauress, Kallie's whip appears to be ineffective against these lifeless creatures...
None of the attacks find purchase!
Galatea, Cheshire, Audrahni, and Biscuit continue trying to help Eugeni's students. Galatea and Cheshire seem ready to fight to the death. Poor Audrahni and Biscuit seem like they're struggling not to bolt.
Sans Biscuit, they all land some very solid hits; Cheshire in particular proves to be very effective thanks to her ability to toss multiple attacks in a row. Meanwhile, poor Audrahni's scarf just doesn't seem to be cutting it against her opponent...
Cai’nan grits his teeth, getting frustrated at proving totally useless thus far. He takes another slice at the thing as Krodha snaps his jaws at it once more as well.
Croquelle continues to do what she does best: give it a drummin'.
Jaya steps back, interlacing her fingers around a nimbus of growing heat.
"Galatea, clear the hall!"
At Jaya's warning, Galatea nods and takes a 5-foot leap back.
Thanks to her niece's spell weakening the undead vermin the previous round, Galatea manages to destroy the centipede!
Kallie keeps up her blasts of positive energy. She aims her ray at the centipede in front.
Chomp!
As Galatea withdraws, Jaya releases her spell, fingers fanning out to direct a curtain of flame across the remaining centipedes.
Jaya's flames obliterate one of the centipedes and gravely wounds the other!
At this point, the Attic Whisperer appears on the verge of defeat. However, it nonetheless continues on with the battle of the bites. The creature seems to think its playing a game...
After being bitten once more, the Bloodmarked skinwalker suddenly finds it very difficult to stay awake...
The last centipede lunges at Cheshire!
Rather humorously, the white tigress simply places a paw on the undead vermin's head and easily holds it at bay.
Meanwhile, Audrahni continues to contend with the cockroach.
The poor elf screams in pain as the undead vermin takes a big chunk out of her knee! She whimpers and stumbles away from her opponent. Meanwhile, the terrified Biscuit tucks her tail between her legs and backs away as well.
Luckily, with a whistle from Gali, Cheshire moves to take Audrahni's place. She attacks the cockroach. From her end, Galatea hops back into combat and strikes at the last centipede.
Galatea absolutely obliterates her foe with a powerful finishing blow, and Cheshire continues to fight like a machine.
Cai’nan and Krodha continue slicing and biting at the monster...
Jaya inched forward, carefully not wincing as her boots crunched through the remnants of a centipede. With a quick gesture she flung a minor spell at the still struggling cockroaches.
Croq lifts drumstick overhead once again, and swings it down hard at the ghastly child-corpse (shuddering as she does).
Krodha manages to latch onto the Attic Whisperer with his powerful jaws. While the distracted undead tries to escape, Croq brings Drumstick crashing down on its skull. As the bones splinter into hundreds of fragments, the Attic Whisperer whispers one final plea...
"Big fri-"
With help from her niece and Jaya, Galatea and Cheshire tear through the undead cockroaches without trouble.
Kallie tosses her tail and stays ready to blast more undead. "Is that it? Did we get them all?"
A flick of her fingers began a basic divination as Jaya checked for any lingering influences.
Cai’nan moves quickly to check on Aurealia, grabbing her and letting her tired self down to the floor gently. ”Are you alright? What’s the matter?” he asks. Meanwhile, in the background, Krodha continues to chomp and shake the undead form violently, despite it no longer moving. He slams it into the wall once before picking it up and throwing it into the crib, busting the child’s bed into several pieces!
"I feel like I've been training all day with the Arrows after studying all night for one of Master Silva's exams," Aurealia sighs. "That thing's bites really took it out of me."
"Like Jaya said, that thing must have sapped your breath, Aurealia," remarks Galatea as she tends to a whimpering Audrahni.
For now, it appears that the dust has settled. Whatever this "big" entity the Attic Whisperer had been begging for help, it has not appeared thus far.
"W-Would it be alright if we retreated for today?" asks Audrahni. "W-We've been really beaten up, and... W-Where's Biscuit?!"
It would appear that the frightened pooch has run off into one of the adjacent rooms...
Croq puts a hand on her sister's back. "Do you need anything? Do you want some water?
"Just being near that horrid thing took the song out of me. I can only imagine being bitten by it..." Croq frowns and shudders.
Kallie points to the southwest room. "I think I hear him in that room. Let's go see." She takes a few steps in that direction, but since she isn't all that good with animals she lets Audrahni or Cai'nan go first.
Croq puts a hand on her sister's back. "Do you need anything? Do you want some water?
"Just being near that horrid thing took the song out of me. I can only imagine being bitten by it..." Croq frowns and shudders.
"Thanks," Aurealia replies. "I think I'll be fine after a good night's sleep."
Cai’nan nods to Aurealia and helps her get stable with her sister’s help before whistling to Krodha and heading back into the hall. Hearing Kallie’s mentioning of where the wayward pup is, he heads that way and checks that room...
"Probably, but a little water couldn't hurt. You know how mom's always bugging us to stay hydrated when we're out."
Croq smiles at her sister and holds out her waterskin as they follow right behind Cai'nan.
Kallie turns to Croquelle with a smirk. "If you're thirsty, there's a door downstairs that'll give you all you want to drink."
You all discover what might have been a lounge; back its prime, this room would have been a nice place to relax. You all can imagine Sir Roderic and Andella sitting in the two leather chairs (which have withstood the tears of time oddly well) as they watched the river scenery. Similar to the furnishings of other rooms, there's also a small cabinet and a broken table.
(You've seen a lot of broken tables in this house.)
On one of the walls, there is a torn painting of what might have been Sir Roderic's ship. From some reason, broken glass is scattered about the floor, so anyone not wearing sturdy footwear should be cautious. Finally, in the southeast corner of the room, you discover a terrified Biscuit.
The poor pooch is trembling with fear.
Cai’nan squats down calmly and clicks his tongue at the dog, rubbing his fingers together near the floor as if offering it a treat to try and coax it over....
Cai’nan proves his druidic prowess and successfully gets Biscuit to calm down. She tentatively approaches Cai’nan and takes the treat. The pup no longer seems like she's about ready to have a heart attack. That said, Biscuit still seems nervous; going by her quickly glances of the area, something about this room seems to be worrying her...