Deftly Ceceka strides forward, strikes, and then falls back. The fauchard attempts to lick the creature cradling the skeleton's ribs, but just as Ceceka wants to avoid its kiss, so too the creature wants to avoid his.
Ceceka's blade skips off the tough bones. As he falls back, the creature moves forward to pursue him, dodging another attack from the fighter. It swings on him, impaling him with a spur of sharpened bone!
From down the hall, a second insectile creature appears, similarly ensconced in its chariot of bone.
HP 17/17
AC 17 (19 with shield raised)
Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +6
Hero points: 1
Effects:
"Avanka, don't let that one get in here!" Mithralline commands as she launches herself in all her tiny fury at the nearest one, wings beating like a hummingbird's.
Her blade strikes once, then twice, chipping away bone.
Telvir attempts to recognize the creature.
He then diercts some of the detritus in the basement to smack into the creature that impaled his teammate.
for
Ceceka reels when the creature stabs him and paints the floor with his blood. It's at that moment that the warrior retaliates, throwing all his anger into the strike as he sees nothing but his own blood staining the floor - there's no way he'll die, here, like this.
"Claming what's mine." Caraid replies. All charm and cheer drops away from him, leaving a deadly serious expression in it's wake. "You would be wise to concede this one, sprite, or you might find us having this conversation in sunlight."
"Hmm, ostovites I think." Caraid says. "Can't remember a damn thing about them apart from the name though."
His spell flies right through the skeleton's ribs without achieving anything.
Aily had been admiring the bed (well truly she was admiring what was resting on the bed) when he went and threatened her mistress. That was all right for her to do mentally, and of course, someday she would kill the utterly horrible winged terror, but not now, not here, and not by someone else.
The servant steps next to her hovering horror and tells Caraid in a simple very dead-paned voice "That would not be wise, sir." her own threat is delivered only with that sentence, but she feels the man will understand. The question is simply, 'will he care'
"We can devise a contest later for the room. My lady won't mind since she has no hope of losing, since she is superior in every way other than Height of course." mentally she added 412 other traits she was worse at, quickly, since she has had much practice listing them.
Aily ignores her mistress's order, since servants are so hard of hearing, and attacks the one being attacked by the others. Aily does notice the massive amount of blood their fighter ally is leaking all over and wonders if the mansion split will soon be one less, which distracts her to no end when attempting to kill the bone shardigan.
Mithralline nods decisively, giving Alendaxra and approving glance for her initiative and cold threatening manner.
Finally, she's picking up on the proper way to act to others! I'll make something of her yet -- besides an afternoon snack, that is.
She considers whether to take umbrage at the height reference -- was that disrespect? -- but finally decides that she can't really deny Caraid is in fact taller than her.
"Don't just swing your kitchen shears at it, girl! Hit it. With the sharp part! If you don't know which part that is, check it on your palm!" Mithralline scolds.
Why in the Expanse was I thinking good things about her just a moment ago. Awful!
Telvir recalls that these creatures are fiends called ostovites. Skittering scavenger vermin common throughout the Abyss, ostovites roam battlefields to harvest flesh and bones. After the ostovites dissolve and slurp up the flesh for sustenance, they craft the bones into elaborate shells they refer to as “bone chariots.” The chariots protect them from many things that undead are immune to, but they are weak to physical damage once exposed.
Telvir's projectile goes wide and Caraid's divine lance misses the mark. Mithraline flies in and slices with her scythe, scoring two hits. With the second one, the bone chariot crumbles to pieces, exposing the insectile creature inside. Aily fails to finish off the creature, but Ceceka slices it in half with a powerful attack!
The second creature moves in to attack Mithralline, stabbing her twice. It refuses to kneel to her iron command, but seems unfazed by the mental backlash.
Caraid misses again and decides to stand behind Telvir, since it seems he'll be more useful that way...
The creature shattering into peices startled Aily enough she couldn't get a hit in, making her internal irritation soar. So much so she doesn't banter back, just sends her lips in a tight straight line, and then goes after the next one.
"Those bones belong to us now!"
Telvir launches a stray brick at the fiend.
for
He brings up a shield of fore, in case the creature retaliates.
HP 9/17
AC 17 (19 with shield raised)
Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +6
Hero points: 1
Effects:
"How! Dare! You!" Mithralline screeches and slashes twice more at the creature, before raising her shield.
Her vampire greed for blood quickly closes her wound, letting only a little of the vital fluid escape.
With no one to tend his wounds but himself, Ceceka does what he can to stop the bleeding. Already his face is devoid of any color and if he doesn't manage to stop it now, it might very well be too late.
Telvir and Aily batter the bone chariot, causing it to crumble and reveal the ostovite within. Mithralline slices it with her scythe, and it chitters angrily before biting her with its acidic mandibles. It scores a hit, and when the sprite demands it kneel, it refuses. The mental backlash proves enough to slay the already badly wounded creature!
The dark-haired elf cleans off her blade before checking on her mistresses companions. Moving to Ceceka, she asks him "Will you be alright? You have lost a lot of blood, there is no shame in retreating to the upper levels and returning later." she tells him without warmth or even icy regard. Her assessment is simply logicical.
Dark eyes shimmering with indignation and fury swat away Aily's suggestion before the man's trembling voice give an answer to her question. "Given time, yes."
Aily resists the urge to smile, not at the man's fury but at discovering more about him. Details matter in so many ways. Outwardly she dips into a small curtsy, "Of course" then she moves to Telvir "Mr. Stanton, your knowledge is impressive, might it contain a theory of why these odd creatures are down here?"
"They are frequently pests wherever large amounts of raw materials, that is corpses, are stored. Their fiendish nature is somewhat concerning--it's possible some conjuring has gone awry down here." Telvir frowns at the thought. It's possible the creatures have ruined a good deal of remains that would have been useful in restoring the estate.
"We'd best continue to go through the place." Caraid says. "Ceceka, come over here a moment. I need to check those wounds of yours."
Once the two are in a quiet corner and well away from the rest of the group (particularly those irritating undead) Caraid looks around, puts a hand on Ceceka's shoulder and murmurs some quiet words. With that touch his wounds close and his strength returns.
"Keep this quiet." Caraid says with a grin. "It's a good cause, but we don't want to cause any ruckus do we?"
Aily tilts her head in curiosity at the two men disappearing around the corner. She might have slipped into the shadows to see what they were up to, but she was currently engaged in a conversation. Darn that Caraid for picking a perfect time for his dealings.
"Fiendish, hmmm. That does seem troubling. Is there anything, in particular, we should be keeping our eyes open for?" she pulls her eyes away from the corner Caraid and Ceceka disappeared around, and smiled at the other elf, contritely. "In relation to awry conjurings?"
The man's act of kindness - illegal kindness, mind you, the type of kindness that will see you fed to the ghouls - shocks Ceceka and it's clear for Caraid to see that he doesn't know how to reply. Eyes like saucers stare at Caraid for a moment, and then he nods. "Agreed."
Caraid winks and then peeks swiftly around the corner, amused by how Aily keeps glancing in their direction.
"We'd best stay a little longer." He says, pulling out a rag and some alcohol. "Take a swig of this." He damps the rag and swipes down Ceceka's arms, where the worst of the injuries were.
"Right, that should help. Keep your sleeves down though."
Once he judges Mithralline to be suitably irritated Caraid strowls back out with a jaunty whistle.
"Well? What are you all dithering around for?" He asks, shooting Aily a swift wink. "Don't you know we have things to do?"
Aily's rampant but understandable suspicion is muffled somewhat with the wink. The elf realizes that muffling is rather dangerous, Too Dangerous, and considers briefly about orchestrating Cariad getting heavily scarred, to disarm him. An axe? No, Acid! While he sleeps...
Sighing she decides against it, as she nods Thanks to Mr. Stanton, and moves to her lady.
"Let's push on. Perhaps those creatures drove out anything else that would trouble us."
"Please, Lady Mithralline, lead the way. Your bravery has been an example to us all." Caraid says with every appearance of sincerity. "We shall follow close behind, I have heard that scars make a man more handsome, so there is always that."
Aily's eyes narrow dangerously, but amusement dances in them, spoiling the effect. Her hand hovers at the hilt of her knife. "If you wish to see if that is the case, for yourself, I would me more than happy to help with the experiment." she flashes a smile at the handsome man.
"Ah, but I'm already handsome." Caraid counters. "I have no doubt of your capability, Lady Aily. You need not demonstrate your proficiency with knives to me. Although I have no doubt that it's not your only talent." He looks her up and down with a grin, that makes it clear what sort of talents he might be considering.
Mithralline licks her lips at all the blood Ceceka was just wasting on the floor, feeling pecking -- not to mention thinking how well it would do to bind her own wounds.
She sighs as he comes back seemingly not bleeding anymore. Of all the nerve. She's sure that Caraid has something to do with it. He seems to be out to get her. She wonders what he would taste like. Probably spicy with all that disgusting optimism. She can't stand someone who smiles that much. Maybe the tooth fairy is still around. That might help him.
"Of course I will lead the way!" she snaps. "Once one of you has seen to my wounds. She holds out a tiny arm, waiting for it to be bandaged."
You continue to the southern reaches of the hall. This long hall contains a five-foot-wide, thirty-foot-long trough of writhing viscera. The east and west wings of the room are heaped with countless bones; the bone pile to the west is riddled with tunnels and holes. A sound like the droning of insects and clacking bones constantly issues from this mound.
Aily doesn't quite stifle a laugh, but it is a good one. A delighted one. It's been a while since she's been around someone this forward. Well, this forward and this handsome at least. Plenty of attention that way from bars, docks, and brothels when she gathers information. Just not attention she returns nearly as much.
Seeing the extent of her lady's wounds, she sighs inwardly, wondering if she even bothered to dodge. Probably thinking the enemy was too incompetent to hit her. Her eyes lift to Caraid's intriguing ones, blinking slow "Knowledge of the medical arts is a talent worth showing off, don't you think? It's usefulness, the knowledge of the body, can be applied in so many ways."
Caraid sighs, takes Mithralline's hand and fills her full of negative energy, closing most of her wounds in a single burst.
"I can't do that again." He says. "So if you get too much more hurt we'll need to retreat upstairs."
Aily's comment however brings the sparkle back to his eyes. "Indeed. Medical training has so many uses. The making of zombies, healing the living, why a single touch in the wrong place can cause terrible agony, but the same touch in the right place can bring pleasure fit to drive a woman mad with desire."
He has no idea what the pool is for, Aily is far more interesting.
Aily does her best to hide her flare of interest, instead she moves her lady between the pit and Mr. Stanton, in case his brain needs protected by a beatable sprite. "Any idea what that is?"
"Looks to be some sort of scrying pool, though it's been as neglected as the rest of the mansion. It's probably salvageable with a bit of a fluid update. If we can discover the command word, that is."
Mithralline nods, certain Telvir is correct. "Well, we shall merely have to find the command word, then. And some more viscera to fill it with."
She casts a glance at Caraid, though she supposes she should spare him since he does seem to be useful.
"Get ready!" she orders, raising her shield as she moves toward the noisy bone pile, ready to evict any unwelcome residents of her manor.
As Mithralline gets within 15 feet of the nest, a mass of skittering ostovite hatchlings crawls all over the mound, spewing acid in all directions!
Mithralline hisses as the acid hits her. Kill them!" she screeches.
Caraid flicks out his hand in a familiar gesture and this time his bolt of light soars right into the heart of the mound!
Telvir tries to batter the pile of bones apart.
for
Caraid and Telvir blast and batter the bone mound, which weakens but is still standing. The ostovite hatchlings try to spew more acid at Mithralline, immune to her iron command. This time, the vampire sprite dodges their attack.
Aily finds her mistresses shrieks oddly satisfying, but it also could be the sizzling of her undead skin. Her dagger comes out as she moves to the buzzing creatures, attempting to stab the one about to eat her lady's face.
Caraid also finds Mithralline shrieking to be a rather satisfying sound as he flicks a second lance at the bone pile.
HP 12/17
AC 17 (19 with shield raised)
Fort +6, Ref +4, Will +6
Hero points: 1
Effects:
Mithralline raises her shield again and uses it to slam into the mound, hoping to knock it over and teach these horrors a lesson. If they think they can invade her house, she will destroy theirs!
Aily and Caraid attack the mound again, not making a whole lot of progress against the resilient pile of bones. But that's when Mithralline rushes in and, with a strength belying her tiny frame, topples the entire mound! Many of the ostovite hatchlings are crushed, and the survivors scurry in all directions, disappearing into cracks in the floor and walls. The threat has been neutralized.
Searching around the area, you discover a single platinum vampire's fang worth 10 gp. There is also a bone lever amid the piles of regular bones, the same one that you saw depicted in the sketches upstairs.
"More teeth? I'm starting to think that the Collector had more than one collection." Telvir looks over the level. "Well, this will be useful somewhere."
"Or someone dragged it down here," Mithralline points out. "I wonder who they belonged too."
She looks around, but no clue materializes for her -- another thing she can blame on Adyria. Sighing in disappointment, she points back the way she came .
Four stone coffins line the east wall of this room. Three are open and empty, but the southernmost coffin is closed.
Any noise in this area draws a response from the closed coffin: faint, frantic scratching sounds, like claws on stone...
Caraid, who has a better memory than some of the others, pokes around the bones a little longer - trying to figure out which one stood out in the original picture.
"An undead cat?" He asks, when the faint scratching comes from the coffin. "That would probably fit."
"Well, let it out! I don't want it stuck down here making noise for the next three centuries while I'm trying to rest!"
Mithralline studies the coffins, but decides they're all far too plain for someone of her standing.
Aily peers at the coffin, running her fingers along the edges looking for traps.