"That doesn't sound good. How's the rest of the ruin looking, anyway? Are we headed into trouble once more?" Loth can't quite hide the the excitement in his voice.
Toot sniffs at the Orik, and stamps his hooves, but Bumbo calms him. Hold on big guy. We think Orik will lead us to a bigger challenge for you. So no fighting just yet, okay. Let's just follow along.
Tarphrex stays with the party as they advance, alongside Bumbo if space allows, just behind otherwise.
As the party moves up to Orik, he nods to Zenaida before turning back to those he knows from before.
@Loth: I haven't been able to explore much. Lyrie has been acting strange.
@Bumbo: Yeah, maybe. Lyrie keeps mumbling about "Mal-fresh-knee-core". Don't know what that is, but it sounds big.
@Everyone: Orik leads you south (E5) and you see an attractive woman wandering around the room, running her hands along the walls and mumbling to herself under her breath. A small white cat rubs itself around her legs and hisses at anyone who comes close to either of them.
Official Flavor Text:
Tarphrex looks at the spooky doors and the pile of coins. He moves up to Loth and asks, "We look for traps now?"
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Dol watches the cat and Kyrie, furling his brow as he tries to consider what may have happened. He still overhears Tarphrex though and agrees. "Yes, looking for traps is always wise. You should look for magical traps as well, if that is within your ability."
He continues examining Kyrie as he talks to Orik. "Orik, has she always had a cat?"
Razkiv stops looking at the carving in awe, he heads towards it sheathing his scimitar as he goes to inspect it.
+2 for unusual stonework.
Zenaida follows the group, steering clear of Lyrie for now. She'll let someone who's better at talking question her. Instead, the warpriest examines the carvings and statues in the room.
As suggested, Loth takes a look around for traps. He also looks to see if he can make sense of what Lyrie's doing.
Tarphrex comes along with Loth, muttering questions and pointing at things that might be of interest, trying to help his halfling friend.
@Everyone: At this time, there is no check on the name. It is to obviously not being said correctly.
@Dol: Orik replies, [b]At least for as long as I've known her.[b]
@Razkiv: It is beautiful work. Well carved and obviously magically maintained to avoid deterioration.
@Loth: You detect no traps and...
... are unable to determine what (if any) reasoning is behind Lyrie's actions.
@Tarphrex: You also see no traps.
@Everyonoe 2: Orik stands in the doorway as you all spread throughout the room, doing as you do. He looks helplessly towards Lyrie and seems to be waiting to see what you all do. He keeps a wary eye on the cat when it wanders near.
Tarphrex, assured that there is no trap, leans in to look at the scratches on the coins.
”Friend Loth, do you read letters like this? Why scratch tiny words on coin pile statue?”
Loth shakes his head. "Maybe someone more versed in the arcane will have a bit more luck... We COULD take one with us to have it be examined by someone in Sandpoint, but... I don't know. I feel like taking one of these coins out of this place is gonna curse us, or something."
He turns towards Lyrie. "Maybe we should try and make contact." He walks up to her (a brief distance away, hoping not to get mauled by the cat) and greets her.
"Uh, hey there! Lyrie, right? I'm Loth, we're friends of Orik, we were wondering what exactly you're doing?"
Bumbo whispers to Toot. Careful now...we don't know if she's friend or foe. He steps over behind Dol, watching nervously as Toot eyes up the cat like a tasty snack. He waits for her to reply to Loth.
Tarphrex tries to pull one of the coins from the pile, not noticing that Loth has left.
Zenaida follows Loth just in case Lyrie turns hostile. "Well met, Lyrie. I am Zenaida Radulescu, and a friend of this group is a friend of mine."
Razkiv kneels down and tries to call out to the cat. "tsk, tsk"
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Dol peers at Orik after his response, wondering exactly how long Orik has known the woman. Shrugging, he turns his attention to Lyrie, just in time for Zenaida to begin making introductions.
"Yes, hello, Lyrie. I am Dol Stormmaul. We are friends of Orik here. He seemed quite worried about you, so I am glad to see that you seem well.
Is there something you are looking for down here, or something that you need? Perhaps we can discuss it back in town. I'll buy you a round at the Rusty Dragon."
@Tarphrex: The coins do not move. You realize that is a wall carved to look like coins, not an actual pile of coins.
@Razkiv: The cat hisses at you and, after making eye contact with it, you realize that this is not a normal cat. You've seen this before. This creature is bonded to this woman in some way.
@Everyone talking to Lyrie: When the first of you approach her to speak to her, she stops her wandering and muttering. She slowly approaches Loth, then turns her head to Zenaida, finally all her attention to Dol. She reaches out a hand to no one in particular., just kind of vaguely pointing. She speaks softly, "Malfeshnekor resides in these halls. It hungers for freedom. It hungers for blood. It will feast upon your bodies. It will feast upon your fear. Free it and gaze upon its body. Free it and find your release from this life." She slowly lowers her hand before looking directly in Loth's eyes and smiling. It is a pleasant smile, but the blank look on her face drains the usually positivity of it. She reaches out a hand to pat Loth on the head and (whether he allows it or dodges) then returns to her mumbling.
Orik speaks from the doorway. "See what I mean? I can barely get her to eat."
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Anyone can roll any of these
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"Malfeshnekor? That sounds like the name of some ostentatious goblin hero. But, trapped here. Perhaps a god figure?"
Dol considers the strange cat and looks more closely at Lyrie. "This whole time, I thought it was the other woman who was charming people, but she was a cleric. Charm isn't typical of clerics and unlikely from a Lamashtan."
He tries to keep his voice steady, but begins to grow wary. "Lyrie. Does Malfeshnekor speak to you through your cat?"
Tarphrex is paying no attention to the woman, fascinated by the wall of coins.
"Not real coins! Look, is wall carved to look like coins! But what do scratchy symbols mean?" He squints in an exaggerated fashion as he studies them.
@Dol:
Lyrie drifts back toward you and slowly says, "No. Skivver is a good boy. Malfeshnekor speaks to me in my dreams. He bids me find him. 'Greed is key' he says. But I know not what he means."
@Tarphrex: The scratchy symbols mean nothing to you.
Zenaida frowns at this revelation. As a Varisian, she takes unusual dreams seriously. "An entity that speaks in dreams, hungers for blood, and encourages greed... this is bad. Friends, do you wish to find this being and attempt to defeat him? I'm strong, but I don't know if I'm that strong. It takes a fair bit of divine or arcane power to communicate this clearly in a person's dreams."
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"The greed mentioned may have something to do with the carvings of coins that Tarphrex is so interested in. From the sound of it, I also have little interest in freeing this Malfeshnekor.
There might be more clues elsewhere in this structure. Lyrie, would you like to come with us to look for clues?"
Dol moves past the woman and examines the southern door.
@Zenaida:
@Dol: The doors seem normal, you know, for having a pair of skeletons holding a skull on them. Put take that design for what you will.
"I'm worried that if we don't take it down now, eventually it'll find SOMEONE to successfully free it." He turns towards Lyrie.
"Is this why everyone gathered here? To free Malfeshnekor?"
Bumbo rubs his arms, suddenly feeling a bit cold and looking around as if there was someone watching. He's uneasy, and he doesn't mind showing it.
@Loth: Lyrie drifts toward you now. "Oh no. It is weak. We came and it found us, we did not come it. She leans over, hands on knees when she speaks to Loth, smiles real big and then tries to pat you on your head before wandering off again.
@Dol:
Zenaida follows Dol, curious to see what's behind the door. "Hmm, what have we here?"
Rather disappointed that the coins weren't real AND the scratchy letters weren't REAL words, Tarphrex turns to see what the rest of the group is doing. Seeing a new door being opened, he scurries over behind Zenaida and peers around her leg, careful to keep her between him and the room, as usual.
@Zenaida: Go and read that "for Dol" spoiler from my last post.
@Dol: You detect magic in this room.
I'm... I'm a grown man, ma'am.
Loth is somewhat taken aback, but he calmly suffers Lyrie's childish treatment in silence, mostly just happy she's willing to speak, as floaty as her words are. He notices everyone is leaving. Before he follows, he tries to pry one more piece of info from Lyrie.
"You've been very helpful so far, thank you very much. One more question: do you know what still needs to be done to free Malfeshnekor?"
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After about half a minute, Dol crinkles his nose, the spits on the ground. "I sense Necromantic magic coming from all of the sarcophagi. Certainly that means they are filled with undead.
We should clean up that little blot. Let's get in formation, then move into the room. We'll see if that triggers them to come out."
Tarphrex recoils at the doorway. "Ugh, bad smell! I mean, smells bad! Not stinky smell-bad, makes-my-scales-shiver smell-bad."
He makes a show of wrinkling his snout and waving a tiny hand before it before pausing, "The Dol says un-dead? Means not dead, yes?" He narrows his eyes, considering, then with a sly grin, offers, "Tarphrex is not dead. Would not be caught dead in sar-cough-a-guy." He nods solemnly and looks around grinning again before asking, "But to be real, what's a sar-cough-a-guy? And very important, does it eat kobolds or dragons?"
Zenaida shivers, gripping her sword tighter. "Undead means something that used to be alive but isn't properly dead, like a zombie or ghost. A sarcophagus- one sarcophagus, two sarcophagi- is a fancy coffin made to look like the dead person inside. Or at least, what the dead person wished they looked like when they were still alive." By now she's accustomed to fielding Tarphrex' questions on Taldane vocabulary. The kobold does his best, but this is clearly his second language.
"As for whether what's inside might eat us, who knows? There's only one way to find out." She takes her position at the head of the group.
"Now we fight? Like on the road to Sandpoint? Tarphrex is ready!"
Reaching into the pouch at his waist, he draws something forth, taps it against his chest and then motions around his head, intoning "Duh zmaja, zaščiti svojega otroka!" As he does so, a green mist shot through with tiny black streaks appears to issue forth from his chest, envelop him, and fade from sight. He nods decisively as he shakes his spear. "Ready."
@Tarphrex: Orik moves next to Lyrie, watching her and trying to coax her to sit against the wall and eat something.
For the rest of you....
As you move into the wall, goosebumps form on your arms and the back of your necks. The feelings from outside pervade your minds, but the room sits silent. After a moment, Dol moves over to one of the sarcophagi, and gently moves the lid. Resting within is nothing more than a pile of dust, even the preserved remains having slowly disintegrated over the untold years they have rested here. But the feelings prevail. And the nervous energy reaps its rewards as your constantly shifting gazes notice when something changes. Across the face of the southern most coffin, a shadow darkens the likeness carved upon it. This shadow grows, as a figure made of purest darkness seemingly emerges from the stone, and the same again from two other of the resting places. The creatures make no sound, but a new feeling that can only be described as "wrong" joins the dread you were already contending with.
Everyone but Bumbo and Tarphrex beat their Init, so take your turns and remember your Knowledge Checks. (And be glad you rested.)
Be aware that these creatures should be considered extremely dangerous.
"Incorporeal undead... figures. Falayna, be with us now!" Zenaida raises her sword and concentrates, calling on her patron's power. The blade glows a brilliant gold, throwing off the shadows nearby.
Loth narrows his eyes. "I'd hoped we'd be good to go now that we'd gotten rid of the leader, but I guess the evil in this place is more pervasive than this..."
He draws his enchanted shortsword and moves ahead, trying to lure the enemies out into a beneficial position, easier said than done.
Razkiv gathers a handful of fire and tosses it before drawing his ax and moving with the others.
Knowing, or at least dreading, what is to come at them, the group sheathes their weapons in magic in an attempt to battle that which is coming.
Razkiv hurls a chunk of fire at one of these creatures, hitting it square in the chest. Though some of the substance seems to lessen, the flame passes through the creature.
And the creatures move to confront these intruders. They whisper words in a language none of you speak, but the pain is clear in your minds.
The one that Razkiv hit with fire steps past him, its body passing through the wall that would otherwise block it and moves to attack Zenaida. The other two move forward to the group of sacrifices, I mean targets, I mean stalwart heroes, to attack Razkiv and Loth respectively. (Keep in mind that armor does nothing to protect against their attacks (except mage armor)).
-vs. Zenaida
-vs. Razkiv
-vs. Loth
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Alright, a simple but dangerous turn from the Shadows. Beware. I will say, they don't have a lot of hit points, but they are hard to hurt.
Bumbo shies away from the shadows, keeping ready should someone need help.
Toot attacks the thing's wildly, his head rearing about as he tries to bite at the insubstantial stuff.
Razkiv swings his axe through the shadow hoping Dol's magic can do some damage.