"Oh, wow, boss, how'd you do that? I've never seen anything like that. It looked like you were sitting on junk, and then a throne, and then junk again!" Humerus replies, forgetting for a moment about Yshula's question, which he otherwise would have answered in detail.
Unlike in previous encounters, Aily does not stand dutifully in front of her charge. Instead she stands dutifully in front of one of them, because he is fragile and tend to rush foolishly into the middle of a fight. "Recent demesne. Are you not worried the previous owner might return and take umbrage with your habitation?"
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Caraid was paying too much attention to Aily and her posture as she worked on the drawer to offer any real assistance with the drawer and then the group is moving on so he leaves it for another time and follows.
The man on the throne is interesting, both for the magic involved and for his apparent dislike of the colour red which makes Caraid wonder - why exactly?
Clearly he simply hasn't been able to get a nice red stone yet - maybe it would suffice for trade if one can be found...
"Junk? I don't know what you're talking about," the man says to Humerus, furrowing his brow. "This is my palace."
He turns to Aily. "I am not worried. The hag who once called this place home is long gone. There is only me and my shadows.
"Now, tell me, why are you here?"
"Sure, boss, it's real nice," Humerus says. "We're looking for the hag that used to live here. Iron Taviah, boss. You seen her? Or know anything about her?"
"She's not here," Yshula says. "But some of her stuff is still in the basement. If you promise to leave my palace once you're done looking around, you can have the key." He holds forth a key made of bone. "Hold this and the way down will reveal itself to you. There's also an interesting drawing in a desk drawer. You just have to spill some blood onto the drawer to get it to open up."
"Thank you for being so forthcoming." Telvir harbors a deep mistrust of the creature's generosity, but perhaps Yshula simply (and correctly) identified the visitors as an overwhelming threat.
"Sure, boss," Humerus says . "Um, what if we don't have any blood?"
Yshula shrugs. "At least one of you has some blood, do you not?"
"Sure, boss, I think maybe one of the bosses do," he says.
As they turn to leave , he apologizes.
"Sorry, bosses, I'd help out here if I could, but you understand, not much I can do about it."
Telvir pricks a finger and lets some blood fall onto the desk.
As the blood touches the desk, the drawer pops open a few inches and can thereafter be opened normally. In addition to paper scraps and several ink pens, the writing desk contains a well-made drawing of a large manor with angled walls and a shallow roof. Its wide double door on the ground floor is flanked by two staircases leading to balconies on the second floor. The desk also contains a malodorous lump of flesh in the shape of a key, as well as scroll of banishment and a scroll of spell immunity (5th level).
With both keys in hand, you can now see the faint outlines of the trapdoors leading to the cottage's attic and basement. There is also one more room on this floor to explore.
"Hey, boss, there's a room here I didn't even see before!" Humerus says, heading toward the one on this floor.
Aily feels no qualms about letting Skeleton blunder into the other room. It doesn't seem really like a place to worry about etiquette, and if the other servant gets crushed into dust there are plenty of necromancers about to raise a new one.
She collects the discovered items into her bag, checks to see if the others mean to follow, and then does so herself once that is determined.
The last room on the ground floor is almost entirely bare. Candle stubs surround a deep hole about two feet across. A dried corpse wrapped in a red scarf is huddled near the hole.
"Well ...", Ceceka mutters when he sees the corpse and notices how close it is to the edge of what might be a well. He isn't entirely sure if the wrapped-up body is undead or actually just dead.
Caraid flicks a hand and sends a tiny beam of sunlight to strike the corpse - his usual method of testing whether something is undead, or really dead.
Aily stands to the side, slightly ahead of Caraid, as he produces sunlight of all things to attack the scarfed corpse. The slight frown on her lips is the only hint of displeasure at the act that she shows.
The corpse does not react to being blasted by divine light. It remains still and unmoving.
Aily will cautiously approach the body, looking out for any danger or movement, before kneeling down to investigate it, unwrapping the scarf or cutting it open, which ever seems better.
The body belongs to a human man. It appears he has been here for some time, based on the state of decay on the corpse. The red scarf remains intact, and as Aily unravels it, she can see it is adorned with bells and jangling bits of shiny metal. It is, in fact, a magical greater dancing scarf.
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Aily properly folds the scarf then goes to put it in her pack, but first looks around at her companions to see if any of them wish to have the scarf. Aily herself is more prone to humming melodies than dancing, but the magically effects do seem nice (once they are explained to her).
"A random corpse, that looks like it died some time again. Wrapped in red, while our odd 'host' is adorned in every color other than red." the maid suggests a connection.
Aily stands to the side, slightly ahead of Caraid, as he produces sunlight of all things to attack the scarfed corpse. The slight frown on her lips is the only hint of displeasure at the act that she shows.
Caraid responds with a beaming smile and a look of innocence which is almost perfect. His eyes are laughing.
He waves away the scarf when Aily begins to fold it up but nods to her sage idea. "There is likely a connection. I'd keep that close - just in case."
With that done he approaches the hole in the ground carefully and then fires another bolt down it for some brief illumination.
Caraid looks into the hole. The pit appears bottomless, winding side to side but always downward. As he peers into its endless depths, ephemeral energies pour from his head as the pit tries to suck the memories from him!
Success The creature is stupefied 1 for 1 minute.
Failure The creature is stupefied 2 for 1 hour and loses 1 minute of recent memories (a memory of the GM’s choosing within the last 24 hours).
Critical Failure As failure, but stupefied 3.
Caraid jerks backwards, but marshals more than enough will power to resist the effect.
"Well I don't suggest going down there." He says simply. "Push the body in and let's leave. There are other doors to consider."
"Sure, boss, whatever you say," Humerus says.
He glances down as he tosses the body to see why bright boss doesn't want to go down there.
He shakes his head, forgetting what Caraid just said -- or even why he's looking down a big, strange hole.
"So, we're going down there now, boss?"
Caraid glances over his shoulder, sighs and gives Telvir a look that says quite clearly "He's your problem."
"No, we are not." Aily tells the skeleton simply. Looking at the others, she asks "Upstairs or down?"
"Sure, boss, whichever you'd prefer," Humerus responds. "I wouldn't say I'd mind either that much. Going up is tough, because you're going against gravity, but going down can be a real b+@!# on your patellas, if you know what I mean. If you go up, you have to come back down. But, on the other hand, if you go down, you're probably going to have to come back up. Unless you're dead. Then you can stay down there if you get buried, unless someone makes you come back up again afterward. So, all in all, I'd say it doesn't matter to me."
Aily gives the illusion of listening, even nodding, then saying "Good to know" at the appropriate time. All while she waits on the other's opinions.
Since they seem to be contemplating the decision rather slowly, she considers the red scarf. Cadaid's suggestion danced around in her head. With a put-upon sigh, she wraps the scarf around her hips (not wanting a dead man's garment around her neck), smoothing out the red fabric, and shifting it under her apron's white bow in the back.
The maid does move a little, swaying her lower half back and forth in a slow mimic of a dance, which is accompanied by the tinkling of small bells. The experiment proved out the garment's fatal flaw, Noise.
Since she is walking around a deserted house with a herd of foot-stomping men, who have no hope of going unnoticed even by the deaf, she decides the melodious chimes can stay... for now.
Telvir, well accustomed to the drawbacks of raising skeletons, seems unbother's by Humerus's monologue.
"Come, Humerus." Telvir sweeps over to the trapdoor leading to the basement and throws it open, then gestures for the skeleton to investigate.
"Sure, boss, whatever you say," Humerus agrees amiably.
Then, as if to put the lie to Aily's unspoken thoughts, he pads quietly down the stairs.
The bone key unlocks the door to the basement. Stairs descend, shifting from wood to stone to a bleached material that looks like bone. Beneath the cold earth, tunnels carved of pale rock—suspiciously similar in color and texture to old bone—wind and twist into the darkness. These grasping fingers end in hollow chambers with low ceilings. A damp cold suffuses the air, and the whispers of disdainful voices create a constant background noise.
The basement tunnels have 7-foot-high ceilings and are dimly lit by glowing markings carved in the stone. These resemble letters in the Shadowtongue alphabet, but they don’t have any meaning. The markings give the whole basement an eerie glow.
A shadow-infused construct of wood and metal wanders the tunnels, its path crossing in front of yours. It turns to regard you, then begins to stalk forward with menacing intent!
HP 122/122
AC 25 / 27 in Mountain Stance or 29 if use Mountain Stronghold
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +12 (+1 vs. disease and poison; +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude DC vs. Grapple and Swallow Whole; +2 circumstance bonus vs. being Shoved or Tripped while in Mountain Stance, +1 vs. fear)
Hero points: 2
Effects:
"You want I should take care of this, boss?" Humerus asks, checking back with the others behind him. Given the OK, he visibly sets himself, then rushes forward. Grabbing the construct, he throws a vicious bony punch at it.
Clinch Strike (reaction) Your opponents can't slip your grasp without receiving further punishment. Make an unarmed melee Strike against the triggering creature (which successfully escapes your hold).
Telvir tries to identify the strange construct, then figuring that fire is effective in most application, conjures a ball of flame to hurl at the creature. Smoke trots up to the construct on the heels of the skeleton.
for
Humerus looks nervous as the vicious slavering hellhound approaches, trying to just remind himself where there's fire, there's Smoke. He hopes it remembers what it's going after...
Telvir is unfamiliar with the unusual construct. He misses with his fire. Humerus gets the thing in a headlock but fails to get past its armor with his punch. The construct claws at Humerus!
HP 99/122
AC 25 / 27 in Mountain Stance or 29 if use Mountain Stronghold
Fort +15, Ref +15, Will +12 (+1 vs. disease and poison; +2 circumstance bonus to Fortitude DC vs. Grapple and Swallow Whole; +2 circumstance bonus vs. being Shoved or Tripped while in Mountain Stance, +1 vs. fear)
Hero points: 2
Effects:
Barely noticing the damage, Humerus seems to settle even more into his stance. He throws a couple quick jabs and then tosses the thing away from him. "Sorry, boss, we don't want any!"
Aily hangs back, "He seems to be having fun." she states at anyone who questions why.
"Now you're getting the hang of leadership." Caraid replies, trailing a finger down Aily's slender neck. "Delegation is a wonderful thing."
He however has ranged options so his other hand fires a powerful beam of light straight into the shadow creature - which is impressive because he was looking at Aily rather than the fight.
Unlike Aily, Ceceka surges forward to get a taste of the ongoing violence. He enthusiastically raises his fauchard, only to then realize the darn ceiling is a mere foot and some above his head!
A hint of a smile pulls at her lips at the touch, then with a sigh, she joins the battle.
Smoke attacks the creature and Telvir sends a whisper into Aily's mind, Try again.
for
for
A whisper in her head might startle some, but Aily is used to mentally talking to herself. So even though it is in Stanton's voice and not hers, she listens. And stabs again. Well this time.
Aily's initial attacks miss, but at Telvir's urging, she strikes again, scoring a good blow this time. Smoke also manages to tear into the construct with his teeth. Ceceka's attack comes up short, but Ceceka hits the construct with searing light. Humerus pummels the construct twice, then spins around and hurls it 30 feet away!
The construct recovers from the throw and quickly rushes back up to Humerus, clawing at the skeleton again.
Angered by his own incompetence, Ceceka flies into a rage.
Aily did find the throw impressive, looking as easy as tossing a cat out of the pantry. The construct even had the decency to return to the fight in quick order so she could stab it again.
Aily lands another strike, then Ceceka beheads the construct with a mighty blow! It crumples to the ground and lies still.
The tunnel splits ahead. In one dead end stands Iron Taviah's cauldron, cracked down one side. A jumble of old kitchen implements and recipe books are stuffed into the cauldron. In another dead end are heaps of sodden books and old furniture. An old letter lies on the floor, dated several years ago. It reads as follows:
Taviah, My Iron-Souled Friend—
I receive few visitors who draw breath, but I was delighted by your recent visit. You are always welcome at my estate. I can only give you apologies for the meal I served you; I remember so little about what living creatures eat that I’m bound to err. If you decide to make the wise choice to embrace undeath, I promise you a more suitable repast.
—The Benefactor of Thornhearth
On the back of the letter are much more recently written words: Thornhearth. Hollow Flesh?
The passage continues ahead...
Caraid picks up the letter, reads it with a frown and then tucks it away. "Well we have a lead now..." He says, still frowning. "Lead on Humerus - we might find some more."
Later, he mouths to Telvir and Aily. They're the ones who might actually want to make a plan about this with him.