That hate raged inside the maid so hot that it burned away the hag's posion.
As Aily snaps out of the hag's paralyzing grasp, Ceceka throws his weight into a mighty swing.
Caraid blasts Iron Taviah with another radiant beam, dazzling the vampiric hag. Humerus grabs her again but fails to deliver a good hit. Ceceka scores a solid blow, as does Smoke. Telvir batters Taviah with a barrage of magic missiles.
As Aily shakes off the paralysis, Taviah shrieks and tears at Humerus again, trying to dislodge the pesky skeleton. Dazzled, she only manages one hit.
HP 74/160
AC 28 / 29 in Mountain Stance or 31 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 2 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +18, Ref +18, Will +14 (+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:
"Not nice, boss!" Humerus says as he batters away at her. Realizing her flesh is incredibly tough, he decides to throw her across the room.
With the hag striking out, Telvir decides to impair her further (hopefully). He weaves strands of magic around the hag's limbs, hindering her attacks.
for
for
The fighter digs deeper into his anger to fuel his enraged offense.
Aily turns her anger on to the hag but the poison still twists inside her making her joints stiff and ache.
Caraid is running swiftly out of useful magic so he lines up an old reliable instead.
Taviah ignores Telvir's spell, but Caraid hits her with a divine lance. Humerus manages to toss the hag across the room, where she lands in a heap. The rest of you swarm around her and attack, but only Ceceka manages to land a good hit.
Angrily, the vampire rises to her feet. But Ceceka is ready, his opportunistic attack connecting. The fighter drives the point of his polearm deep into Taviah's chest, and she lets out a piercing shriek as the final blow finishes her off! She slumps to the floor, lying still. This time, it seems you have destroyed Iron Taviah for good!
Ceceka gives his weapon a firm twist, just to make sure. He looks at the defeated hag with disgust and, panting from the effort it took to defeat her, he attempts to sort out his thoughts. "Somehow I find it hard to believe that 'this' is the end of Iron Taviah."
"She looks pretty dead to me, boss," Humerus replies. "But thinking about it, I probably looked pretty dead there for a bit, and now here I am still, talking and moving. So maybe you're right."
He looks at the curiosities. "Do you think any of these have the medusa's magic, boss?" he asks.
"We should salt her corpse, chop up in bits, then burn it to ash, before scattering the ashes across the country" Aily says with annoyed venom before adding "Just to be sure"
"Her body has not disappeared on us, this time. We can take appropriate steps to make it more difficult for her to rise again." Telvir is sure they have most of the supplies they need, and will take sufficient precautions once they find what they are looking for.
"An excellent question, Humerous." He pokes through the journals that surround the hag's body.
Looking through all of the scattered journals, it doesn't seem like any of them contain the magic Kerinza is convinced exists here. It would take a long time to search through the entirety of Gristlehall's library, but is quite likely that the medusa has simply deluded herself into believing such magic even exists.
Of course, convincing her of the truth will likely be a difficult pill for her to swallow. And indeed, as soon as you leave Gristlehall, you find Kerinza waiting outside, along with the soulbound doll that is her miniature duplicate.
“I’m here to collect my due,” Kerinza says without preamble. The subtle mannerisms she used to appear nonthreatening are gone. Her voice is hard as steel, and her eyes are shrewd and calculating. “I gave you Taviah, and you owe me. I need all the magic of Gristlehall. Hand it over.”
"Your information about Gristlehall proved inaccurate. True, Iron Taviah was there, but it held no great magic, only a series of traps for trespassers. Even the hag had been frustrated by the lack of information, judging from her journals." Telvir lets his frustration show. He also would have been interested in information about the Field of Maidens. "You're welcome to search the libraries, but we must move on."
"No," Kerinza says coldly. "Not unless you leave behind everything you've taken from this place. I've been waiting so long to get inside and find out what secrets are hidden within. I am not taking any chances that you might abscond with what I need!"
The snakes in her hair begin to writhe and hiss anxiously.
"What if we go back in with you, boss?" Humerus suggests. "Or maybe we can just show you everything we took."
"Put it all on the ground and walk away. Slowly," Kerinza commands.
"By Our Lady's femurs. You're being ridiculous." Telvir scowls. "I have been knocked around by constructs, trapped in a spectral dance, and beset by a vampiric hag. I am in. No. Mood."
"You should consider if challenging us is wise, given that we just escaped unscathed from a mansion you dared not enter."
"Come now." Caraid says, stepping forward with his palms open. "There is no need for violence friends! I assure you my lady, there is simply nothing of use within the manor. Why don't we all enter the manor together and you can see for yourself. You are welcome to look through my pack as well." He pulls out his pockets slowly and then offers the medusa his bag.
"Our tally of useful things from this place are minimal Lady Kerinza. Truly. Allow us to show you."
Aily lets out a little huff at the medusa's command. There is no way this would end well, even if they were willing to part with their hard-won treasures. Doing so and not having what she wanted would only frustrate the woman more and then she would demand they leave All magical items in their possession behind since there would be no way to determine what they had on them before entering.
And she had found herself not disliking the medusa.
Her hands demurely behind her back grasp the hilt of her dagger as she listens to Mr. Stanton be intimidating.
Humerus looks at Aily's legs and scratches his skull, creating a strange tch-tch-tch sound.
"You can't even see her femurs, boss!"
Ceceka realizes that the mad medusa has no other course of action than to continue down the road she's been on for what must be an eternity. Perhaps a white lie instead of confrontational words would've served them better, but than again, Ceceka has no qualms with taking her life if he must.
Your threats and entreaties fall on deaf ears. "Enough! If you won't give me what I want, then I'll just take it from your petrified bodies!" Kerinza cries. The soulbound doll starts forward menacingly.
With regret, Aily charges. Her blade flashing out of its sheath beneath her apron's bow, to slice and stab an unfortunate.
"Bother." Caraid says with real regret. He quite liked the medusa they met back in her house. Unfortunately the prospect of 'unlimited power' had clearly worked its corrupting influence.
So he attempts to burn it out again.
Angered by the medusa after all they have done for her, Ceceka's brow starts to twitch as she berates them. And then rage takes over. "Idiot! We'll have your head for this!"
Kerinza ably avoids Caraid's flame strike, but the doll version of her is singed. Ceceka becomes enraged as he slashes Kerinza, and Aily circles around behind her to deliver a critical backstab!
"Argh! N-no more holding back!" Kerinza shouts. She tosses aside her smoked glasses, unleashing the deadly effects of her petrifying gaze! She begins to cast a spell--
But Ceceka disrupts the magic with a critical hit from his polearm! Kerinza shrieks in agony!
The doll Kerinza moves up to pummel Ceceka with its fists!
HP 160/160
AC 28 / 29 in Mountain Stance or 31 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 2 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +18, Ref +18, Will +14 (+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:
"Whatever you say, boss, no holding back!" Humerus agrees. He closes on the medusa and grabs her and a headlock. "But we were just trying to help you!"
But his limbs start to slow as a gray tinge creeps across his bones.
[ ooc]Crit? The target must succeed at a DC 25 Fortitude save or be slowed 1 until the end of my next turn.[/ooc]
The medusa's gaze makes Telvir's limbs stiffen. He enleashes a spell at the medusa and its doll.
As the goggles comes off, Aily catches just a hint of a pair of sad crazed but lovely eyes before sense kicks in and she quickly tries to avert her gaze.
Aily's crimson eyes focus on her enemy's feet making it harder to find the weak spot in defenses. She holds ready for when Ceceka or Humerus distracts her to slam her blade in again.
Caraid flicks magic at the medusa and then retreats quickly out of range!
Ceceka knows he should close his eyes, but he wants to see the medusa hurt. No, he needs to see it.
Humerus quickly moves in to grapple Kerinza, restraining the relatively frail medusa! Both Kerinza and her doll ignore Telvir's fear spell. Caraid blasts the medusa with divine energy. aily misses with her initial attacks, but scores a hit when Caraid stabs the medusa twice. The punishing blows are enough to take her out, and Kerinza goes limp in Humerus's grasp.
The soulbound doll continues to swing on Ceceka, hoping to avenge its mistress's defeat.
HP 160/160
AC 28 / 29 in Mountain Stance or 31 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 2 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +18, Ref +18, Will +14 (+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:
Humerus grabs the doll for a moment, and then throws it back into the manor grounds.
As Aily pulls her bloodied blade out of Kerinza, she shares a look was Caraid, a mutual look of regret, before she turns and attacks the doll.
Telvir remorselessly blasts at the doll.
for
Caraid can't help but go over to the medusa and check her wounds, to see if there is any spark of life remaining.
Ceceka is not without mercy and so sends the doll on its way to meet its mistress.
With all of your fury focused on the soulbound doll, it is only a matter of seconds before it is reduced to a shattered mass of broken porcelain. Caraid manages to stabilize Kerinza before the medusa bleeds out, sparing her life.
"Huh. That didn't seem very smart of her," Humerus says.
"She has spent too much time talking to statues and dolls," Telvir tuts. "She is no enemy of us, but she should have known better than to attack us. She knew of our deeds."
"Let's go." Caraid says simply, leaving both the bag and mace alone. "She has nothing we need and this should serve as a suitable warning if she tries to follow us again."
In a final small act of kindness he leaves the various trinkets that deactivated the shadow barriers, just in case. Then he turns to leave.
Ai;y watches Caraid as he cares for the other woman. Silent though, letting nothing into those red eyes. After a while she answers Humerus "Intelligence and Sense are two different things, and the latter is almost always clouded by emotion." she doesn't take her eyes off the healer as she speaks to the skeleton though.
Then they are headed out, and she is her normal self.
Ceceka weighs Caraid's words carefully. His gaze shifts between the man and the medusa, wondering what sort of reward a rich blood lord would give the group for bringing them a living medusa. Or would even her corpse fetch a pretty penny? Does a re-animated medusa still have the power to petrify? There's much to ponder, but he seems to be the only one entertaining the thought.
"Fine. We go. She can keep her house and this cursed place."
Having finally destroyed Iron Taviah and learned more about the Blood Lord behind the Graveclaw's poisoning plot, it is finally time to depart the Field of Maidens. Shortly after you leave the badlands, the graveknight Seldeg reunites with you. He insists on a full accounting of what you learned.
The spymaster frowns after you have shared the information you uncovered. “Chancellor Kemnebi. He’s the one who summoned me,” Seldeg says grimly. “Trying to throw me off the trail, no doubt. Weeks of pointless drudgery to unravel the truth, interrogating his proxies and skulking about the dregs of Mechitar. Waste of death if you ask me. I had my suspicions, but I never imagined—” Seldeg shakes his head.
“What do you have by way of hard evidence?” he asks. “Nothing, I wager, considering how crafty Kemnebi is. The chancellor is the most powerful person in Geb, after the ghost king himself. There is no more dangerous foe, politically or personally.
“We’re at a fork in the road,” Seldeg continues. “This investigation puts you on a path to inevitable peril. You can choose to be done with this business. You’re not bound as I am to pursue a threat against the nation, and your place in Graydirge is a secure one. You can just leave it. If not, we need proof, and that trail leads to the capital and all its intrigue. This is an important choice.”
Before you can reach a decision, Seldeg cocks his head as if listening to something far away; he’s receiving another sending spell. You each receive a telepathic missive as well, as follows:
“You are hereby summoned to Mechitar for an audience with the ghost king Geb. Arrive prior to the new moon. Prepare for a lengthy stay.”
Seldeg gives a snort and says, “It seems you don’t have much of a choice after all.”
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Aily was ready to leave all this to the annoyingly absent knight. Let him handle Something for once.
Her plans had been to elevate a 'unlikely' to bloodlord, proving something to herself and her father, but that plan had failed. Infuriating faery was too weak and died.
She had been toying with switching over to another, even more unlikely candidate, but she knew THAT one would never be something her father would accept as her victory. So what would be the point...
Now, because of reasons, the plan was simply to keep THAT one alive in a land that despised what he represented. And now their lord himself wants THAT one in his presence.
Aily's fists ball in her skirts, to keep herself from drawing her dagger and stabbing the knight before grabbing THAT one and running as fast and as far as possible.
But this was their lord, not an absent knight, not her smirking father, not a skeleton, mage, and warrior they had battled with over and over. There was no running if he did not wish it. None.
So with an iron spine of tensed stress, Aily simply says "Humerus and I will purchase suitable attire for the audience and prepare your bags, sirs"
"A curious development. We've risen high in the world." Telvir gives a small smile. "With Geb's attention, we may be able to survive the investigation of Chancellor Kemnebi. And...to think of the resources we'll have access to."
He gets a far away look as he considers the workshop he could construct in the capital. Smoke lopes up and brushes against his knee to get his attention. Telvir drops a hand down and gently pats the dog's head.
"Huh? What? Yeah, sure, boss," Humerus suddenly declares before looking around. "I don't know if any of you heard that, but I think Geb wants to talk to me. Or he needs me to move some things for him. So, sorry, boss, I think I'm going to have to leave."
He starts to walk away, but suddenly stops and turns back. "Wait, you all got that message too?"
"Yes we did." Caraid replies, suppressing a sigh. "Well, we'd best consider travel arrangements. The Lord is not one to be kept waiting."
He turns expectantly to the Graveknight - an undead possessed with any number of useful transport skills thus far. Although he's mostly used those skills to ride away from them so far.
"Thank you Aily." He adds, in a tone subtly warmer than previously.