"We have plenty of spare weapons, what can you use?"
The woman kept her hands up, and you couldn't help but notice that they weren't very heavily muscled. She hadn't been doing much fighting or training lately, it seemed. "I like swords. Especially without my armor on. Who took my armor?" She asked, looking around again. After a moment, she added, "I can use whatever you have." She kept glancing around the room, looking for her armor and finding none.
Hedrak pulled back a curtain and peered out of an arrow slit.
It was pitch dark out, the moon gone. With your nighteyes, you could see clearly enough, though not very far. There were four tall, grey skinned, humanoid creatures approaching the front door. One was flanked by small, vestigial batlike wings that rose above his head like two columns of shadow. He had a pouch like a spellcaster, and stood behind the others. Of the other three, two had small backpacks, and the third walked haltingly, she seemed wounded. They wore only simple loincloths to cover their nakedness, and the cold did not seem to bother them. At the very foot of the gatehouse, already starting to climb the front face, was a hideous white spider, big as a dog. It had eight eyes set like a turret on top of its flat, chitinous body, and its fangs dripped with venom.
In almost slow motion, the spellcaster looked up at you with a gaze that would freeze the heart of a dragon. You knew he saw you, there could be no hiding from those empty black eyes.
"I think you would be surprised at the amount of darkness that lies within every single one of us" - Hedrak shrugged - "Everyone has parts of themselves they never let into the light"
"Even you?" asked Will suddenly, inching away from the big half orc.
"Even you?" asked Will suddenly, inching away from the big half orc.
"Why would I be any different child?" - Hedrak replied without skipping a beat.
----
"The front door - be ready" - the half-orc warned the others. He closed the curtains again, and conjured a protective spell - "Tall, grey skin, they look humanoid. One has batlike wings rising like columns of shadow at his side..? And a spider at the gate - big one"
The spider did not look like any you had seen before. It had thick, powerful legs, a white, hairless body, and venomous fangs.
"Why would I be any different child?" - Hedrak replied without skipping a beat.
Will shuddered. "I should be more afraid, then, if each person I meet harbors darkness in their hearts."
Gitana said to Liza, "I can give you temporary magic armor, if you'll allow me." She held up her wand.
Other than that, Gitana was ready for battle, with her crossbow in one hand and her pouch of Harrow cards at her side. "I can lay down some fire in a wide arc that can get a group of the enemy. After that, I'll not be much help, but I'll try to keep people healed up." She pulled her other wand partly out of the sheath and pushed it back until needed.
Norde felt the bloodlust overcome him and he charged (stepped?) and swung at the hideous creature...
x3
Norde raced down the stairs to the first floor, through another small room, and into the main entryway. The front door was locked, so you were at least safe for the moment.
Liza glared suspiciously at Gitana. "If you think for one second that I'm letting you near me with that wand, you've got another thing coming." She accepted Zordt's backup weapon and brandished it skillfully, but she didn't make a move yet.
Edward eyed her warily, backing away. "I'll follow you," he said to Hedrak, though he looked meek at the moment.
The mute man who had been with Rose last night entered from the first floor, and his eyes lit up when he saw that Liza was armed. He began to run towards her, drawing his mace...
Rose and the metal toothed man were nowhere in sight. Had they not heard the noise yet? Perhaps they were heavy sleepers? From below, there came a heavy thudding on the door. Norde saw knifelike fingers poke through the wood on the interior.
Zordt tried to quickly assess the situation. Some kind of mental f$@@ery was going about here.
But he had no time, he could only make a choice and act.
Zordt moved in front of Liza, placing himself between her and the mute. "The dead are literally banging at your doors and you all turn on each other!? Deal with your petty squabbles another time!"
You couldn't get much of a read on either of them. They didn't seem to be under the influence of magic. The mute man didn't seem malicious.
The mute man definitely didn't seem malicious. He even bit his lip uncomfortably as he drew his mace, and he didn't look like he would enjoy subduing Liza.
Liza seemed half-crazed. Perhaps her head wound had taken some of her sanity, certainly she didn't look like she'd been fighting or training lately. You didn't think it was a good idea to let her run around armed, particularly as she had just attacked someone.
Gitana felt that she was in a madhouse suddenly, too many issues to keep track of. She stepped up to one of the arrow slit and fired her crossbow at the spider
She gave a satisfied grunt as the arrow hit a vulnerable part of the spider's thorax.
"Zordt, I do not trust the crazy-eyed one with a weapon" - Hedrak stated matter of fact, and nodded at Liza - "If you want to go ahead with this, it's on you"
Zordt heard Hedrak's advice, and his mind went through a flurry of ways to resolve the situation. He landed on one shortly. "She's fine, and clearly able to fight. We need all the help we can get right now."
"Liza, I have something important for you to do. Listen up. There's a small ventilation shaft we discovered. Small enough that the enemy can't flood inside, but big enough for one or two to squeeze through. I want you to hold that position. But you can't do it with that big honking sword, I'll give you some smaller weapons you can swing in close quarters." Zordt grabbed his dagger of his belt while holding out a hand expectedly for his falchion back.
You pushed past the curtain and stood at the arrow slit. The giant spider Hedrak had mentioned was hideous, white and smooth, with eight eyes set like a turret on its flat, chitinous body. It reminded you of an arctic wolf spider, with powerful legs and a dangerous leaping attack. The giant spiders of this kind were not normally poisonous, but this one clearly was. It was trying to squeeze through the arrow slit, but seemed unable to do so, and completely neglected to defend itself. Your crossbow bolt stuck into its body, and it made a horrible screeching sound. A moment later, it crawled away to the left, looking for larger openings, and you lost sight of it.
Beneath, you saw the terrifying grey skinned people Will had described. Contrary to your expectations, you could tell at once that they were not undead, though they looked cold and frozen. Perhaps they had been human once. You remembered an old story you had heard, about people who would climb one of the white mountains with bare feet, an incredibly dangerous and painful ordeal, but who would be blessed with demonic power when they prayed at the shrine on the summit. From the way their claws glowed with a faint blue energy, you suspected that they would be freezing to the touch.
There were four before you now, three trying to knock down the front door, and one with vestigial, batlike wings who had his fingers in a spell component pouch. He had been waiting for a target after seeing Hedrak, and finished his spell as soon as the spider moved away.
You felt a wave of cold across your body, but a moment later you shook off the effects of the spell.
Liza blinked at Zordt for a moment, then handed him back his falchion and took the dagger he offered. The mute man slowed and stopped, lowering his mace but staying on his guard. She brushed right past him, but didn't attack. "It's not a ventilation shaft," she said as she reached the edge of the room, "it's a latrine."
The mute man smiled and nodded at Hedrak. Edward looked around lamely, still not having done anything actually helpful. At the moment, Norde was alone downstairs. You could hear movement inside Rose's room, but her and Grin still didn't show themselves.
"Ah, well done. See? She's on our side." He handed her the falchion again. "Alright, to the exits! Gotta get some damn sleep tonight."
"Spider's wounded and looking for another way in!" As she reloaded her crossbow, she added, "These grey skins aren't undead, just humans transformed by some kind of evil ritual. 'Ware their claws! Look like they dish out cold like a North wind on the winter solstice."
Norde looked about, and asked of Zordt, "where do you want me to stand?"
"Right at the door where all that banging is coming. Let the poor bastards break themselves against you."
The banging at the front door intensified.
The enemy succeeded in tearing a small hole in the upper left corner of the door, and you could hear a rhythmic thunk against the wood on the other side. The door was solid, but old, and it probably wouldn't sustain too much more punishment. You noticed metal hooks that could have held a bar, though there was none in sight.
The mute man grunted at Hedrak and Edward. A moment later, Edward brandished his weapon. "Come on then, let's get them." He motioned for Hedrak to follow him downstairs to the front door, and then the two of them hurried down, though you noticed that Edward quickly positioned himself behind the big man.
The door to Rose's room opened, and Rose strode out, shadowed by her metal-toothed bodyguard, who was wearing his armor. "What's going on out here? We heard sounds."
You quickly lost sight of Liza. Hopefully she would deal with the spider, if it came to that, though she still didn't have any armor on.
Gitana set her crossbow down and extended her fingers through the hole that was meant for arrows. She said, "flăcări din degetele mele!"
Her fingers glowed red and then appeared to catch fire. She extended her fingers and flames shot out and down to scorch two of the grey skins below her.
Norde looked around for the bar, but not seeing it, he grabbed his rope, and started lacing it back and forth between the metal brackets to provide reinforcement to hold the door shut.
Norde began looping the rope around the brackets, but he didn't have time to tie it closed yet. It wasn't ideal, it wouldn't provide any support for the door until it was partially opened, but it might hold for a moment longer this way.
They didn't seem to be expecting the fire, and though they were fast they tried to dodge too late. The flames took hold on their flesh and made them wail and shriek. The one who was already injured fell and did not get up, and the other who had been scorched staggered for a moment, severely injured.
"Zordt, Gitana, you have the first floor?" - Hedrak grunted, and went downstairs to join up with Norde and try to keep those doors closed.
Zordt moved up to the arrow slit, massively enjoying the tactical position it offered him. He narrowed his eyes and peered out the slit, and upon seeing an enemy that looked something like a spellcaster he instantly began letting the arrows fly at it!
Zordt fired two arrows in quick succession at the spellcaster, but it dodged both of them with preternatural grace.
"We're being attacked," said the cripple with one arm and one leg. "They're at the front door," he added, "please defend us." Rose and the metal toothed man followed Hedrak and the others into the small room.
Outside, a dark wind came howling up the hillside. The two foes at the door continued clawing at it. The grey man Zordt had shot at crossed his arms over his chest, his wings slowly spreading wide. For a moment, there was silence, and then he unleashed the most terrifying scream you'd ever heard.
Zordt felt a trickle of blood drip down his chin, and for a moment both of you felt the urge to flee, to hide in a deep cellar with the door locked. But it passed. Behind you, you heard shrieks of pain and fear, the blind woman running out the east door, the man who was missing and arm and a leg crawling frantically after her.
Hedrak joined Norde, Edward, and the Mute man by the front door. Rose and the metal toothed man didn't come down. You heard more thumps at the door, and the hole grew large enough to see clearly out of, the lock nearly bursting.
The wind howled outside, and then there came a terrifying shriek that nearly turned your bowels to water.
Your ears rang, and for a moment you felt the urge to flee, to hide in a deep cellar with the door locked. But it passed. The mute man and Edward, coward though he might be, did not flee either, perhaps emboldened by your company and the locked door between them and danger.
An unnatural foe was upon them. Zordt raises his bow again, teeth gritted hard as he did his best to steady his hand before firing at the caster again.
Gitana nodded at Hedrak's parting words.
Normally she'd feel some remorse at having to scorch people, but these did not see to be people any more. She lined up the flask directly above the grey skin who was already scorched by her magic. She released the flask and let gravity carry to the target.
+ 1 point splash damage
"It does not matter how much they howl or scream Norde, as long as they stay outside" - the half-orc replied to his companion's unspoken questions - "If they step inside, we make them regret it"
Zordt realized the blood trickling down his chin was coming from his left ear.
Gitana's vial exploded directly on top of the central grey skin, and it fell backwards. The one to its right screamed in pain as some of the flames licked its skin, but didn't seem overly hurt. At the same time, Zordt landed a solid hit on the spellcaster, though it managed to dodge his second arrow.
Seeing that the fight was not going well for them, and having still failed to even breach the front door, the remaining two grey skins fled as fast as they could run, quickly melting into the darkness. Perhaps you could pursue them if you acted quickly.
Simultaneously, the metal toothed man came racing back into the big room, looking terrified. He fled through the door to Rose's room as fast as he could. From deeper within the gatehouse, in the direction Liza, the blind woman, and the cripple had fled, you could hear Liza shouting. "Don't you flee from battle, you coward!"
"I'm old and blind, what else would I--wait, why are you coming closer?!?"
Zordt also heard the same insectile chittering sound as before, no doubt the spider was still attacking. From inside the room you had slept, you could hear the sounds of Will crying noisily. Zordt also heard Rose speaking softly to him, she seemed to be trying to calm him down.
You heard the sound of breaking glass outside the door, and fiery red light shone through the hole the grey skins had knocked in it. A moment later, the knocking noise stopped, and everything was still. "Maybe they've fled?" hoped Ewdard.
From deeper in the gatehouse, on the east side of the second floor, you could hear Liza shouting something indistinct. You couldn't help but wonder what had become of the spider Gitana had wounded. From the small room that you had slept in, you could hear the sound of Will crying. Hedrak also picked up Rose's voice, she seemed to be trying to calm him down.
Zordt raised his voice, loudly calling down to the floor below. Zordt moved towards where he thought the spider was, keeping an ear out.
"Ground floor is secured for now!" - he shouted back at his half-orc companion.
Will did not respond to Norde's request, although he didn't seem to be crying anymore. Hedrak remembered a table in the kitchen that could be used with the metal brackets and several chairs and boxes that were in the storeroom. The mute man followed him, ready to help.
"Do you think they will come back?" Edward asked Norde.
While you were in the kitchen, looking around for heavy furniture to bar the door, you heard Rose talking upstairs. You couldn't make out every word, keen as your ears were, but you thought you caught most of them.
"Hello Gitana...call for help...dies." There was a pause.
"...danger here, and you have refused to help me with my very important work...asking ever so nicely. There was another pause. not so nicely." For a long moment there was nothing. You noticed that the mute man, who was with you, didn't seem to be hearing anything. [smaller]"...that scream earlier made him flee, but he will come back." Her voice was nervous, but certain. She started speaking more loudly, too, and you could hear more of her words. "Then we're going to go back to our room, and close the door. With Will. And after that, you will do what..."
That was all you heard.
You moved through the small room on the east side and into the doorway on the north wall of that room, following the sound of the spider. The blind woman was backing away from Liza, who brandished the falchion you had given her. "No retreat! No surrender!" She cried, stepping towards the blind old woman, slashing at her.
It was hard for her to miss, and the blind woman's blood painted the walls and floor red. She cried out, although the blow could have been worse. The other man, missing an arm and a leg, had succeeded in reaching the door at the far end of the room, and was using the knob to stand up. "You're next, cripple!" Cried Liza, eyes wide with bloodlust.
The east wall of the room had several latrines with wooden seats. From beneath one of them there came a horrible bubbling sound, and a moment later the giant white spider's legs reached up from the hole where a person would sit. There were too many legs. They flailed horribly for a moment and then found purchase on the wood, and it began squeezing its body through the hole. It looked like it would fit.
You entered the room where you had slept to find that Rose had dragged Will to the far corner, and was holding a knife to his throat. She had been speaking softly to him, and he didn't seem to notice her blade. She looked up at you with a smile and spoke softly. "Hello Gitana. Don't call for help or the boy dies."
"You have brought danger here, and you have refused to help me with my very important work despite my asking ever so nicely. So now I am asking not so nicely." She gathered herself, balancing on the balls of her feet just behind Will, who fell silent. "You're going to stay here and wait for Grin to come back, that scream earlier made him flee, but he will come back." She spoke with a quiet certainty, though her brow was damp with a nervous sweat. "Then we're going to go back to our room, and close the door. With Will. And after that, you will do what I need you to do. And then the boy will go free." She ran her fingers through his hair gently, and he nestled into her like a needy child, not hearing what she said.
Your arrows passed straight through Liza, thudding against the far wall with some force. The woman never even noticed she was dying. You didn't have time to process what you'd just done before the spider freed itself from the latrine and leaped bodily onto you. Eight legs swarmed around you, moving with a coordination that was entirely natural and completely alien.
It was heavy, knocking you nearly off balance, but its strange, grasping fangs didn't find your flesh. A moment later it fell to the ground, many eyes watching in all directions.
The blind woman cowered in the corner, reaching a shaky hand out to feel her wounds. She was still expecting another blow. The cripple opened the door and hopped frantically into the next room.
"Hopefully not tonight..."
Hedrak paused for a moment as he heard the figments of a conversation from upstairs, and pondered the possibilities in his head. With a mix of a spell and a snarl on his lips, he moved out of the kitchen - "I will be right back" - he informed Norde as he passed by the strong warrior and went up to the next floor.
"It is Will who seems to be drawing those damned creatures of cold here. They will be back. Who will protect you if we are off taking care of your quest for magic?"
She put her fingers on a card from her Harrow deck. "May I draw a card to make a prediction of the success of your venture?"
"No one calls me Ed," said Edward. "Except Rose," he added dreamily, and for a moment he didn't look afraid. Then he shivered. "Even if they don't come back, it won't do to have any undead who might come to investigate the screaming noise find our front door in shambles."
Hedrak popped out of the kitchen for a moment. "I will be right back," he informed Norde, and then left. The mute man stopped following him and came to stand by you quietly. You remembered a table that had been in the kitchen, perhaps you could use that?
The mute man stopped following you when you informed Norde you were leaving, and you left them waiting by the front door, vanishing from sight. You climbed the staircase silently, armor and weapons not making the slightest sound. From above, you heard Gitana's voice, "It is Will who seems to be drawing those damned creatures of cold here. They will be back. Who will protect you if we are off taking care of your quest for magic?"
The first thing you saw when you entered was the knife at Will's throat. Rose was balancing on the balls of her feet behind him, backed into a corner, stroking his hair softly with her free hand. Gitana was setting down her crossbow slowly, "May I draw a card to make a prediction of the success of your venture?" She asked Rose. Neither of them noticed you.
Rose laughed lightly, "of course you're a fortune teller." It was clear from the way that she spoke that she regarded Gitana with derision. "Yet you also have some magical power about you." She thought for a moment, and Will made a soft cooing noise as she stroked his hair. He obviously wasn't aware of the knife at his throat. "You may not. That deck of yours isn't normal, and I don't trust you. You can make whatever predictions you like once we're safely back in my room." She had the knife right up against Will's jugular, and it seemed like she really would kill him right there if she didn't get what she wanted.
"May I draw a card to make a prediction of the success of your venture?"
Rose laughed lightly, "of course you're a fortune teller." It was clear from the way that she spoke that she regarded you with derision. "Yet you also have some magical power about you." She thought for a moment, and Will made a soft cooing noise as she stroked his hair. "You may not. That deck of yours isn't normal, and I don't trust you. You can make whatever predictions you like once we're safely back in my room."
Somehow, the spider grew even more horrible in death. Its many, unblinking eyes...there were too many eyes. You could not look, and yet you could not look away. The cripple came slowly hopping back. "You murdered her. Liza. You're a murderer...no wonder you're wandering through this accursed land, no civil folk would take one such as yourself." He spat on the floor.
"She was trying to kill me," the blind woman said, defending you. The two of them had recovered from whatever madness had been making them flee.
"Oh yeah? And who gave her a weapon to do that with?"
You are of course welcome to ask the NPCs to fetch it for you, or to talk with Edward if you would like while you wait for the others to do stuff.
"You are going to pay dearly for that" - he snarled.
As Rose talked, Gitana again tried to gauge Rose's sanity and honesty.
Zordt's voice called out loudly. "Where is everybody?"
Norde responded to Zordt's inquiry, "still holding the door down here, with Ed, who doesn't like being called Ed."
Gitana kept her hand near her deck pouch. "First you have to give us a better explanation of what you need, where we need to go, and what you know about what threats we may face in getting it." She slowly inched closer to the pair. "If your plan is as crazy as the people you've gathered around you, I'm not sure we will risk our lives and Will's safety chasing a mirage." She was watching Rose very closely.
"Hey, stay back. I'm warning-"
Hedrak materialized in front of her, his hands on the dagger. One fast twist and the blade went clattering at his feet. "You are going to pay dearly for that" - he snarled.
Rose's eyebrows twitched, and there was a tense, uncertain moment. Would she try to cast a spell? With an armed warrior in her face?
Before anything could happen, the metal toothed man returned. "Looks like things went sideways. We surrender," he grunted in a half bemused voice.
Rose stood up violently, shoving Will bodily to one side. She ignored Hedrak and took a step towards the metal toothed man. "I do not take orders from you!"
"We were doing just fine until you came!" The cripple shouted back after you. But you were already moving back to the big room.
You heard Hedrak snarling out a threat, then the metal toothed man, who was standing in the doorway to the room you had slept in, said "Looks like things went sideways. We surrender."
A moment later, you heard Rose shouting, "I do not take orders from you!"
You heard Hedrak snarling out a threat, then a long moment later, you heard Rose shouting, "I do not take orders from you!"
"I do like being called Ed," said Edward. "Just not by you."