With his ears ringing, Kolgradd finds a minute to be grateful that he can still hear somewhat. He follows the noises of the Byakhee.
"I hope this fight is going better than it sounds!" Addressing his comment to where he hopes Shakur is, he slams his hammer into the approximate location of the Byakhee.
◆ [quickened] Stride
◆ Strike
◇ Release Grip
◆ Interact to draw lesser potion of healing
◆ Interact to drink
◆ Strike
◆ Cast shield
Kolgradd blindly rushes forward and swings his maul, feeling the byakhee’s bones crack and it falls to the ground unmoving!
The dwarf then pulls out a potion and drinks its contents.
Round 5 —> 6
==============
Kolgradd (-56) {clumsy 1; drained 1; Blinded: Round 3 of 10}
Shakur (-6) {frightened 1}
Woman (-18) [10’ above ground]
Jevar (-38) {Deafened: Round 0 of 10}
Boodiddly (-58) {Deafened: Round 0 of 1}
==============
Boodiddly starts to hum, then stops as his eyes widen. Quickly he digs in his pack and pulls out a small bottle of sparkling liquid. he uncorks it and gulps it down quickly, sighing in relief as some of his splitting headache goes away.
With that out of the way, he tries to keep his allies' spirits up.
His humming starts to wander a bit into something that could only be described as "avant-garde".
"And then there was one. And of course it's flying."
Seeing as Kolgradd's right next to him, Shakur turns around and offers a two action heal to Jevar, instead.
Shakur then turns around and sighs, wishing he could heal Kolgradd AND keep harassing the woman with his dagger. He chooses the latter.
Boodiddly heals himself then sings a very strange song.
Shakur uses his magic to close all of Jevar’s wounds and then directs his force dagger at the woman, and narrowly misses her.
The woman grunts in pain and glares at Shakur as he starts healing. ”Enough of that!” She lunges forward and her spiritual rapier stabs at the Pharasmin!
She then watches as Kolgradd manages to down her two otherworldly minions and she smirks. ”Now this is where the fun begins!” She begins her incantation as she becomes surrounded by potent and powerful magic!
Jevar’s eyes go wide as he realizes something, and in he slurred speech he yells ”Confusion!” At that same time Kolgradd feels his mind start to grow cloudy, as all that enters his mind is the Yellow Sign!
Kolgradd shakes the strangeness of his mind off as much as he can, but just starts babbling incoherently for a brief moment, unable to do much else. When he does, the woman’s face goes red as she screams ”Damn it!!!”
Seeing the near-tragedy that just occurred, Jevar moves to the side then takes a risk as he Casts a Spell in an attempt to electrocute the woman.
Round 6 —> 7
==============
Kolgradd (-56) {clumsy 1; drained 1; Blinded: Round 4 of 10; stunned 1}
Shakur (-22)
Woman (-33) [10’ above ground]
Jevar {Deafened: Round 1 of 10}
Boodiddly (-34)
==============
Shakur grunts in pain as the rapier strikes his chest. "Not bad." he squeaks as he tries to catch his breath.
Shakur then quickly applies a bandage to one of Kolgradd's largest cuts.
◆ Sustain
◆ Sustain
◆ Battle Medicine
Boodiddly shakes his head and starts the tune again - this time staying in his usual two keys for a proper polyphonic harmonization.
"Gah!"
Kolgradd is surprised at first at Shakur's battle medicine, but relaxes when he realises what's going on.
"Thank you. Be my eyes Shakur"
He drops the empty potion bottle and draws out his returning light hammer, then spinning it in the wrist strap, hurls it toward the sound of the witch's voice.
◆ Interact to draw +1 returning light hammer
◆ Strike
The hammer shoots out and returns to his hand, but he didn't hear any cries of pain. He tries again after getting an adjustment
"A bit to the right? Got it"
◆ Strike
He overcorrects though and the hammer slams back into his open hand unbloodied.
Shakur heals Kolgradd.
Boodiddly harmonizes.
Kolgradd tries and fails to hit the woman.
”I said stop that!” The woman lunges and her spiritual rapier stabs at Shakur.
She then casts another spell and becomes enveloped in energy.
Round 7 —> 8
==============
Kolgradd (-31) {clumsy 1; drained 1; Blinded: Round 5 of 10}
Shakur (-48)
Woman (-33) [10’ above ground]
Jevar {Deafened: Round 2 of 10}
Boodiddly (-34)
==============
Boodiddly shakes his head as the translucent rapier again pierces deep into one of his companions. "Enough!" he bellows, stomping his foot twice and clapping once.
Kolgradd takes a moment to listen, closes his useless eyes and throws again, trying to get a lucky hit and knock her to the ground.
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
◆ Cast Shield
The wizard's ears still ringing, he looks down at his raven in a desperate attempt to center himself and borrow a little more energy. She always knows when his need arrives, and gives it freely (because, Oreb knows she only survives if he does).
He mouths spell words from memory while gesticulating arcs of electricity into a powerful bolt towards the floating woman.
He then immediately tries to throw his arcane shield back up.
Shakur spits a bit of blood before shouting back an obstinate, "NO!" as he, well, heals himself.
And then he sustains his Spiritual Weapon
Boodiddly sends a powerful abjuration at the spiritual weapon, which causes it to shatter into a million pieces!
Kolgradd throws his hammer, but only manages to connect once.
Jevar uses the last of his most powerful magic energy to launch a bolt of lightning at the woman!
The woman does not dodge out of the way fast enough, and is electrocuted, but it doesn’t seem fully effective as her magic halts some of the lightning.
Shakur heals himself.
The woman growls and throws up a shield before Casting a Spell and shouting ”Behold, the treasury of the King in Yellow!”
Suddenly a massive pile of gold, jewels, and other valuables appears right next to Boodiddly!
Failure
Failure
The three amnesiacs all look genuinely enticed by the pile of gold!
The woman looks down at the blinded Kolgradd and blinks her eyes several times. ”Didn’t think that one all the way through…”
Round 8 —> 9
==============
Kolgradd (-31) {clumsy 1; drained 1; Blinded: Round 6 of 10}
Shakur (-14) {Fascinated with Pile of Gold}
Woman (-67) [10’ above ground]
Jevar {Deafened: Round 3 of 10; Fascinated with Pile of Gold}
Boodiddly (-34) {Fascinated with Pile of Gold for 1 action}
==============
Boodiddly’s mind races as magic begins to take shape next to him. Distract, distract, what to do, what t- Oh.
Shakur and Jevar glance up from the glittering treasure and see the gnome staring at each of them with big eyes before turning his attention to Melisenn. With a sultry wink, he begins to slip one shoulder out from beneath his shirt and wiggles it suggestively. Atop his head, Nijinsky the toad wobbles and blinks in sync.
As the treasure materializes, Boodiddly blinks and slowly draws his small crossbow. “Is that it?” he asks the floating woman, a cheeky smile growing across his face. “For a king, that’s, uh… not much.”
Round 8 —> 9
==============
Kolgradd (-31) {clumsy 1; drained 1; Blinded: Round 6 of 10}
Shakur (-14) {Fascinated with Pile of Gold for 1 action}
Woman (-67) {Bon Motted} [10’ above ground]
Jevar {Deafened: Round 3 of 10; Fascinated with Pile of Gold for 1 action}
Boodiddly (-34)
==============
Jevar goes to start the next spell but can't take his eyes off of the treasure.
Why am I like this? We've found far more important artifacts and items than these silly baubles.
Frustrated, he steps closer to Kolgradd and lobs a poison bomb at the floating woman.
Following the sound of the spellcasting Kolgradd throws his hammer again, vividly imagining the sound it will make if it hits her on the temple.
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
However after sending it bouncing off walls he thinks of his own defence instead and casts mirror image
◆◆ Cast Mirror Image
Shakur marches towards the gold for a moment before shaking his head clear and marching right next to Boodiddly. He maintains his spiritual weapon before trying to patch up his gnomish friend.
Jevar throws a bomb that the woman blocks away with her rapier, managing to break it mid-air.
Kolgradd continues to try and hit the woman despite his lack of sight.
Shakur heals Boodiddly.
The woman growls as her magic wasn’t as effective as it should have been. ”Enough!” The pile of treasure fades from existence. The woman utters incantations as she flips a coin in one hand, catching it between two of her fingers to reveal the Yellow Sign upon it.
Suddenly, a wave of yellow energy erupts out of her body!
Failure
Critical failure
Success
Success
Round 9 —> 10
==============
Kolgradd (-38) {clumsy 1; drained 1; Blinded: Round 7 of 10; 3 images}
Shakur (-21)
Woman (-69) {Bon Motted} [10’ above ground]
Jevar (-30) {Deafened: Round 4 of 10}
Boodiddly (-33)
==============
Oooooowe. I don't know what that was, but it didn't feel good...
Jevar mutters to himself. Then more loudly We need to bring her DOWN.
He rubs his head as he lobs another poison bomb at her. This after time he retrieves a healing elixir as he realizes his body is in precarious shape.
Getting desperate, Kolgradd starts rapidly spinning around and throwing then catching his light hammer as quickly as he can, using the maul in his other hand for balance. Usually when he has practiced this move he could see his target, but he's doing his best
Just have to get a lucky shot...
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
◆ Strike
“Bring her down? Um…” Boodiddly ponders for a moment, then clears his throat. “Did you hear the story about the big cat that escaped from the zoo? They weren’t lion!”
Jevar throws a bomb and hits the woman, poisoning her!
Kolgradd throws his hammer several times, but only manages to connect with it once.
Boodiddly continues singing and tells a joke.
She does not seem amused.
Shakur casts agitate at the woman!
The woman suddenly starts to fidget wildly at the Pharasmin’s magic. Shakur then Sustains his spiritual weapon.
Shakur’s spiritual dagger finally strikes true, and when it does, the woman’s stance grows wobbly, and she loses consciousness. The woman falls backwards and plummets to the ground, her head impacting with the mosaic tiles on the floor depicting the Yellow Sign.
Round 10 —> 11
==============
Kolgradd (-38) {clumsy 1; drained 1; Blinded: Round 8 of 10; 3 images}
Woman (-100) {Bon Motted; 2d4 persistent poison; Agitated 2d8: Round 0 of 1; prone; dying 2}
Shakur (-21)
Jevar (-30) {Deafened: Round 5 of 10}
Boodiddly (-33)
==============
Finally! That has to be the last one.
He quickly imbibes the elixir in his hand and draws and downs another for good measure.
So many questions... but it's dangerous to have her conscious again. I wonder if she knows any verbal-only spells, supposing we tie her up.
He has trouble hearing any responses whatsoever and yells alot.
Kolgradd hears the sound of a body hitting the tiles and breathes a sigh of relief.
"Is she dead?"
Hearing that she's not he drops his returning hammer, runs over to where she landed, and tries to feel around for her body in order to bind her.
◇ Release
◆ Stride
◆ Grapple
◆ Grapple
"Aha there you are. Don't let her die, she's got to fix my eyes!"
He sits her up with his free hand, then puts the maul in front of her and grabs it with his free hand, trying to wrap her up with it so she can't escape.
◆ Interact to change grip
Boodiddly likewise hurries over. "Quick, wash that gunk off before it kills her! She knows what's going on - or at least better than we do." His tiny hands can't cup much water at a time, so he makes up for it with lots of little splashes.
Jevar heals himself.
Kolgradd grabs the woman.
Boodiddly attempts to suck out the poison.
Round 11 —> 12
==============
Kolgradd (-38) {clumsy 1; drained 1; Blinded: Round 9 of 10; 3 images}
Woman (-100) {Bon Motted; 2d4 persistent poison; grabbed; prone; dying 3}
Shakur (-21)
Jevar (-25) {Deafened: Round 6 of 10}
Boodiddly (-33)
==============
Rolling his eyes, Jevar draws a lesser antidote and runs over to administer it to the unconscious woman.
And just like that, the poison on the woman ceases.
On the woman’s person is a Yellow Sign coin, a +1 striking rapier, a +1 explorer’s clothing, and a staff of providence. She also carries a very hefty book, with five-hundred-some-odd pages of old parchment written in a language that only Kolgradd recognizes: Aklo. The book is entitled Pnakotic Manuscripts.
Tucked in between the pages of the Pnakotic Manuscripts are several pieces of parchment that look significantly newer than the rest of the tome.
“Oh, those are for another ritual,” Boodiddly explains. “It’s a spell to charm a creature, but a longer-lasting one than you’d usually see. Who… Who do you think she used it on?” His large eyes fill with worry.
Shakur grabs the woman's staff and gives it a twirl. "I like this one." he says. "Mind if I keep it for a bit?"
Either way, he stores it on his person, taking whatever sheathe the woman must have had as well.
Hearing Boodiddly's question, he simply shrugs. "We need to know what she wanted." Shakur offers to barely heal the woman when everybody is ready.
Kolgradd sighs with relief and looks to bind her more securely.
"Do we have any of those manacles? She probably can't do too much without her hands, then we can get her to answer some questions"
Rubbing his eyes as he thinks he finds his vision coming back.
"Oh thank Bolka I can see again. Do you think she knows who we are? Or how we can get our memory back? I want to know what's been going on here too, but it's hard to think of anything else at the minute"
He sets his maul down and starts to look at the Pnakotic manuscripts.
"This language is familiar..." He flicks through the pages, handing the ritual to Boodiddly. "There are some powerful magics in here, and darker things. We should keep this safe for now."
He puts it in his backpack and turns back to Melisenn.
"I suppose we should question her" He picks up his maul and stands over her, ready to strike if he sees any magic on her at all.
Properly bound, the woman’s eyes flitter open. She looks at the amnesiacs—specifically Kolgradd wielding his maul—then down at the rope binding her. She groans. ”So! Welcome home, gentlemen. I do hope the staff have been treating you well.” Her words contain no hint of happiness or hospitality, only hostility.
"You know perfectly well that they've been absolutely dreadful," Boodiddly answers back, small arms folded across his chest. "Sending thugs out to ambush us, feeding orphans to cannibals and these stones - not to mention what you did to Clymes and the others in the attic. I'd ask what you hoped to accomplish here, but quite frankly, my dear, I don't think I give a d*mn. So tell me why Kolgradd shouldn't just wallop your lights out again before dragging you to the Sleepless Agency."
not to mention what you did to Clymes and the others in the attic.
For the briefest of moments, the woman looked genuinely confused at that statement of Boodiddly’s, though it’s clear that she tried to hide her confusion.
"You know perfectly well that they've been absolutely dreadful,"
The woman genuinely smiles. ”Oh wonderful! Then they were doing exactly as asked.”
So tell me why Kolgradd shouldn't just wallop your lights out again before dragging you to the Sleepless Agency."
”Hehe. Well I am the mistress of the estate, now. And I’m guessing since it’s you…four? Curious that the orc isn’t with you. Anyway, since you four are here I’m guessing it wasn’t just to ransack Iris Hill for fun or gold. You’re looking for Lowls, aren’t you? And where better to look for clues for the man than his own house?! But it’s so sad; all of the staff when the count was here have been sacked, so there’s no one left to interrogate about where ol’ skunk-beard went and why. Well, no, that’s not true. There is one person:” She grows the biggest, smarmiest smile upon her face. ”Me.”
As they flip through the goods, Jevar (predictably) takes interest in the Pnakotic manuscripts.
Kolgradd, I'll definitely ask to borrow that later on. In fact... at some point when we have downtime you may peruse my master spellbook as well and perhaps copy some things.
------------------
Jevar's eyes narrow as he focuses on the smarmy woman. Then he ignores her for a moment, focusing on the aeon stone orbiting his head.
There has to be a way to get her to talk.
For several moments his eyes seem to dart back and forth as he seems to weigh several options. Still talking to himself he continues...
We could try the dreamtime tea on her? I don't know if that gets us the right kind of question...
Finally, shrugging with resign he looks up at the group.
Maybe Ms. Wrentz has ways of getting her to talk? If I'm being honest, while we have a particular set of skills, it isn't reliably forcing truth out of adversaries.
Boodiddly raised an eyebrow as Melisenn answers. “You do realize that what you’re saying only makes the Sleepless Agency a better choice, correct? Even if you are the owner of the estate now, what you’ve been up to is illegal on multiple counts.” He pauses to grin, though the expression doesn’t reach his eyes. “But you want to be special. You want to be the only one who could answer questions, paint the whole picture in soot for the world to see and marvel at. But you’re nothing but a cast-away, left behind when someone no longer had use for you. A washout desperately trying to stay relevant in a world that’s moved on. You want to be the one who tells us things because it makes you feel special, feel important, feel irreplaceable. Tell me I’m wrong.”
Boodiddly’s words clearly touch a nerve, Melisenn’s eyes grow vicious at the gnome’s insinuations. But just as quickly, her visage returns to something more calm and collected. ”If I told them the truth, they wouldn’t believe me. A cult of an obscure god kidnapping and sacrificing people? Sure. A massive conspiracy surrounding a magistrate and a Royal Accuser? Plausible. But the truth? The truth of what the count has been doing and why? They’d send me straight to Briarstone. But you? You’ve seen things that defy ‘truth’ and ‘reason,’ even if it’s locked somewhere deep in those empty heads of yours. By all means, turn me over to the Sleepless Agency; you’ll never learn the truth then.”
Boodiddly laughs, arms open wide. “And yet you cannot say I am wrong. And yet you make grandiose claims and speak of unfathomable mysteries.” His gaze hardens. “And yet you scrabble at the dirt and clutch at straws and try to squeeze any last bit of relevance out of your diminutive experience. I see what you want, Melisenn - but tell us what you would ask of us, in addition to the favor of hearing you out. Make it good and we’ll even pretend to be surprised at what you say.”
”Tsch!” Melisenn looks askance in frustration before returning her gaze to the gnome. ”Enough pretense, then. Let me go—let me flee this fishing town with what semblance of dignity you have left me—and I’ll tell you all that I know.”
Is it worth it? Letting her go for the sake of finding out who I really am? She could start this up somewhere else, sacrifice more innocents. My life isn't worth more than theirs.
Kolgradd has no intention of letting her leave, but he also desperately wants to know what she knows. He says nothing and tries not to let his feelings show...
But he can't prevent a small snort of derision from escaping him at the suggestion of letting her leave.
Jevar looks slightly shocked and a little worried at her request.
We need to get her to Ms. Wrentz fast. I can't tell if she's successfully playing the gnome and he might agree...
He looks at the bard to gauge his response, and attempts to add a sobering note. I don't think we can trust that she'd even live up to her part of the bargain if we let her go. We didn't fight our way in here just to assist her flight from Thrushmoor.
He eyes her carefully, looking for a tell (not that he knows her well enough).
Jevar leans into Boodiddly's personal space and whispers.
She's just seeing what leniency she can get for info. She'd be gone in no time. I say we take her in.
Boodiddly nods, then turns his attention back to the bound woman. “Melisenn, for all your desperate attempts at relevancy, you’ve demonstrated no actual ownership of it. Lowls could just as easily have left a flying toad here to abduct people rather than you - no background knowledge required.” He shakes his head sadly. “I’m afraid there really isn’t anything left to do than haul you to the Agency - I can’t very well bargain for something I have no proof even exists, now can I?”
Shakur finally stops leaning on the wall and begins walking over. "We need assurance that a useless hunk of flesh like you actually has information before any promises can be made. Or we'll just hand you over unconscious." Shakur shrugs, "Your choice."
Melisenn’s face shows a brief moment of panic before she blurts out ”Lowls is heading for Casmaron!”
Jevar perks up, returning his focus mostly to Melisenn. For now, he tries to prompt her with no hints of the groups prior hostility.
Casmaron is a big place. Continue...