Telivr follows up Humerus's throw with a blast of cold, hoping to slow the golem enough to stymie its attacks.
for
Caraid has little he can offer now so he retreats from the fight and waits for its inevitable conclusion. Once there's less danger he can step in and fix things.
"The wounds are inconsequential" the maid tells her assistance flunky and continues to fight.
Ceceka comes to Aily's aid and attempts to unmake the golem with a mighty blow.
Once more, you focus your attacks on a single golem. Aily softens it up with repeated strikes, Ceceka scores a crushing hit, then Humerus grabs it and hurls it across the room where it shatters to pieces! Telvir slows down the last golem, which attacks Ceceka, managing a lucky critical hit!
When the golem lands a punishing blow Ceceka wants to scream and yell at it. But it being a golem, it wouldn't understand, so Ceceka punishes it in the only way he can think of - by smashing it to bits.
HP 151/190
AC 34 / 35 in Mountain Stance or 37 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 3 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +21, Ref +21, Will +19 (+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:
"Hold on, blood boss, I'm coming!"
Humerus moves into position and grabs the remaining golem.
Caraid winces slightly but he's seen Ceceka take nastier hits as 'recreation' so healing can wait for a more discrete moment.
More of Aily's wounds heal, sealing them enough her blood no longer seeps out. She pays it no notice as she stabs the last glass viscously.
With another focused and furious assault, you shatter the final glass golem!
The four stained-glass windows held by the mundane glass armatures are beguiling works of art worth 100 gp each. Each of the smaller displays behind the counter hold elegant glass sculptures. Three of these (a tree, a waterfall, and a skull) are non-magical but worth 250 gp each. The fourth is an invisible chain shirt made of magically reinforced glass links displayed on a human-sized wooden frame.
The invisible chain shirt confuses Ceceka, for who would wear such armor? The obvious answer eludes Ceceka: Aily. "This chain shirt should fetch a good price on the market, I reckon. Hmm."
Since Aily handles all the selling of loot, or one of her underlings does now, and the armor is invisible, she could claim it without ever telling the human anything about it.
But the protection it offers is greater than the one she is wearing now, so she says "Since it not to any of your lordship's tastes, I will wear it to better serve."
The maid does not wait for an answer, since that would imply she cares if one is given, as she slips the armor off the mannequin. After a slight bob, she retires to behind one of the small display cases. The case covers just enough, for her to disrobe, removing the studded leather underneath and then don the chain shirt and her dress once again.
"Ready" by that point most of her grievous cuts were knitted back together.
"Dratted golems. Nexian techniques, I'd wager," Telvir comments with disdain.
The door behind the counter is locked, but Aily is able to pick the lock again. This room appears to have at one point been a glassblower’s workshop, with a large furnace built into the southern wall flanked by two stone and metal workbenches. A large wooden table sits in the center of the room and a wide workbench and shelving unit can be found in the northwest corner. These areas seem to be used for a combination of woodworking, tinkering, and record keeping. Four small cots sit along the wall to the southwest.
A bleachling gnome is frantically sorting through the objects here, and as he looks up to you with a panicked expression, you recognize him. It is Rumin Purgo, one of the three "neighbors" who came to visit you shortly after you moved into your alcazar. Four etiolings, gnome mortics with vibrant eyes and pulsing green veins, nervously stand nearby.
"No, no, no!" Rumin shrieks. "They've already seen too much! Stop them! Kill them! Do something!" he yells at his assistants as he pulls an icy wand from his belt!
"Bold of you to assume that your little minions could stop us," Telvir comments as he parts the veil to summon assistance of his own: a boney warrior that float in the corner of the shop, then unleashes an arrow of bone at the bleachling.
Meanwhile, Smoke lopes up to one of the mortics.
for and
"A mistake you will regret" Aily steps forward than shoots forward to stab their neighbor. Her maid uniform bursts into shadowy flames as she charges and explodes are her when she reaches the gnome.
Two of the etiolings are slightly singed by the flames from Aily's gown, while Rumin evades. He cannot dodge her dagger, though, which plunges into his side in a critical hit! Telvir's summoned minion misses.
"Ow! That hurt!" Rumin cries. He raises a shield of force before triggering his wand, sending a blast of freezing winds howling through the room!
One of the etiolings conjures a toxic cloud over your group! Another one unleashes a wave of despair! The remaining two target Aily with visions of death!
HP 160/190
AC 34 / 35 in Mountain Stance or 37 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 3 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +21, Ref +21, Will +19 (+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:
The perpetually cheerful Humerus easily shrugs off the waves of despair, though his teeth chatter a little in the blast of cold.
"Th-th-that's n-n-not v-v-very n-n-nice, b-b-boss!" he says as he falls into his usual fighting stance and then rushes toward the closer etoling, grabbing it and delivering a strong strike.
Ceceka fails to roll out of the way when a gust of freezing winds comes their way, but he does remember to hold his breath when one of the gnomes summons a cloud of toxic gasses. Not amused by the deadly magics the gnomes are throwing at him, Ceceka charges forward.
The cold washes over Telvir and Smoke, and the dog fares much better than its master. Telvir resists the attempt to bend his emotions (he has but few), though Smoke whines in distress. Both take some poison damage from the cloud.
Telvir sustains his summoning spell and thickens the air around the enemies, attempting to hinder them all.
for and
for and
Aily nimble dodges around shattering ice, but hisses at annoyance as visions of withering age and bitter loneness attempts to cloud her mind.
The maid shakes off the worst of the effects, but cannot dislodge the lingering pain. So she uses it to fuel her desire to end this filth. "What are you doing here, Rumin?" she asks with deadly calm, ready to stalk him, but accessing the situation first.
Blasted by cold and choked by poison Caraid does the only sensible thing and retreats, before purging the damage with a soft word and a blast of positive energy.
Humerus grabs one of the etiolings and begins to pummel him with a bony fist. Doing so partially coats the monk in ectoplasm, though it has no effect on the undead Humerus. Ceceka closes with the same foe and slashes him with a powerful attack.
Rumin sneers and ignores Aily's question. Seeing her teammates focused on a different target, Aily moves to assist them, dispatching the wounded mortic with two brutal stabs of her dagger.
Telvir slows all of the enemies with his magic! His summoned baykok hits one of the gnomes with an arrow.
Rumin lets his shield drop as he casts a spell, firing a disintegration beam at Aily!
The other etiolings slowly quiver in fear seeing one of their own taken down so swiftly. They opt for defense, protecting themselves with blur spells. Rumin scowls. "Stop wasting time! Kill them already!" he slowly berates his minions.
"A profligate use of powerful magic," Telvir comments at the gnome. He maintains a spell and propels an especially powerful crunk of debris at the leader.
for and
for and
for
HP 160/190
AC 34 / 35 in Mountain Stance or 37 if use Mountain Stronghold
Resistance 3 to cold, electricity, fire, piercing, and slashing damage
Fort +21, Ref +21, Will +19 (+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:
"Hey, boss, that's not cool. Without the Lady Blood Boss, I don't think any of us would know what to do!" Deciding the gnome is the biggest threat, Humerus rushes in his direction, though he holds back on killing blows -- since he's not sure he should kill here without explicit instruction.
He easily pulls the gnome into his clutches, pinning his arms as he squeezes, though he's too busy trying to make sure Rumin can't escape that he fails with his follow-up blow.
Ceceka enjoys not being the center of the enemies' attention for once. Calm and collected, the warrior leans into his formidable technique to inflict maximum punishment on the insolent gnomes.
The sickly ray rips into Aily's side, but her body refuses to become a pile of ash. Turning with annoyed fury in her eyes, the maid glares at their neighbor. Humerus grabs him as she walks forward, click click click on the stone floor, then stabs him twice in quick succession.
Caraid sends negative energy rippling through his... maid. No-one gets to hurt her like that.
Ceceka badly wounds another etioling as Humerus grabs a hold of Rumin and restrains him. Telvir and his minion impale the gnome, and Aily stabs deep into his side with her blade. Barely hanging onto consciousness, Rumin gasps in agony. "Alright! I yield! I yield!"
As soon as Rumin gives up, the etiolings immediately surrender, falling to their knees and begging for mercy.
"Why did you attack us?" Humerus asks, still holding onto the gnome. "That wasn't very neighborly!"
"Yes, state your purpose clearly, or be destroyed," Telvir threatens. "We haven't time for any nonsense today, and I'm in a remarkably poor frame of mind after dealing with those golems out front."
Aily flicks her blades to the side, letting the gnome's blood splatter in an elegant curve across the wall, as her wounds simply disappear before the tiny nuisance. The small smile she sends her lord's way in thanks, spoils the I will kill you if you don't talk vibe she was going for.
Rumin swallows nervously at Aily's display. "Alright, alright! Lord Hyrune hired me to smuggle some stuff aboard that ship in the harbor. Shadow ash. But I didn't know he was going to use it to make poison! It killed those sailors and turned them into those undead... things.
"When word of my failure reaches Lord Hyrune, he's going to annihilate me! That's why I was trying to pack up and run. You gotta protect me, please! I'm not ready to die!"
"What possible use could you be to us?" Telvir questions as he examines the ledgers and journals in the room. "We wouldn't stand between yourself and your employer out of the goodness of our hearts."
He glances at Humerus' empty torso, "Metaphorically speaking."
"You probably shouldn't be metaphorically speaking, blood boss. I don't think everyone understands what that means," Humerus replies, his head turning toward Ceceka for a second (since he doesn't have any eyes to cut over in his direction).
"What did you think Hyrune was doing?" he asks the gnome.
"It's not my place to ask questions, especially since I was trying to get into Lord Hyrune's good graces," Rumin complains. "I was hoping he'd eventually turn me into a vampire, too, if I served him well."
"So, you're saying that you don't know anything of value, then?"
Telvir asks, darkly.
Rumin shudders in fear. "I've told you all I know for sure! I have suspicions, though! I think that Hyrune is taking orders from a higher-ranked Blood Lord. It might even be Chancellor Kemnebi himself! I can't prove it, though."
"Very well. Aily, could you find a safe hole for this worm to crawl into?" Telvir asks the resourceful "maid".
"After we gather this evidence, we could return to our headquarters and discuss how best to apply it."
"Rumin, remain on alert for our call. We spare you now in hopes of some future usefulness."
Humerus waits for permission to release the gnome. Then he starts putting items into the bag of holding to bring along with them.
He glances at the belt. "Boy, this would be really useful for hauling cargo!" he exclaims (once someone explains what it is).
"Of course, Blood Lord" Aily curtesy, but shoots the gnome a look that tells him she'd rather scrape bugs off the windows.
As her other underling gathers the room's valuables, she looks at the etiolings "UP!" she snaps with wicked authority, sending them all out the door to their new happy home.
Ceceka frowns when the dead man walking suggests Kemnebi might be involved. Now how would [i]that[/] make any sense? He'll have to think about it when his blood is no longer boiling.
"Never thought you'd turn soft like this," Ceceka mutters when the group decides to spare the gnome.
"Right! Y-you can count on me!" Rumin says, sighing with relief. "I'll find a safe place to lie low, but I'll let you know where to find me." He and the etiolings scurry off as fast as they can.
***
At this point, Mechitar is faced with a disturbing mystery—someone’s been poisoning food bound for other ports of call, and there’s no telling how much tainted supplies have already shipped out. With most of the city’s officials scrambling to cover themselves and blame others, the task of figuring out what’s going on falls to you...
Gathering Information: A character listens to rumors and scuttlebutt on the streets, in taverns, and elsewhere in Mechitar; Maximum RP 2
Research Checks DC 31 Diplomacy (to Gather Information)
Examine Shadow Ash: A character examines a dose of shadow ash and researches places where the spell catalyst might have been sold or manufactured; Maximum RP 4
Research Checks DC 29 Arcana or Occultism, DC 31 Crafting, DC 33 Society
Investigate the Waterfront: A character examines the Wyvern’s Wife and its cargo, or interviews locals about smuggling rumors; Maximum RP 2
Research Checks DC 29 Diplomacy (to Gather Information), DC 31 Mercantile, Sailor, or Underworld Lore, DC 33 Perception
Investigate Incriminating Evidence: The character examines the incriminating evidence recovered from Cerulean Glade; Maximum RP 4
Research Checks DC 29 Underworld Lore, DC 31 Thievery, DC 33 Perception
Leaving the wandering about ports and glad-handing to others, Telvir examines the shadow ash in the quiet of their residence.
Humerus returns to the wterfront, where he started his unlife hauling cargo. He pitches in, testing his new belt -- "Everything really does feel lighter, boss! I tell you, with this, I coulda been a contender. I coulda been somebody, instead of a servant, which is what I am, let's face it" he tells one of the other stevedores he's working beside. His amiable conversation and self-deprecation as always quickly endear him to everyone around him, and soon they're telling him all manner of stuff.
Caraid spends his time in the taverns where his practised routine of drink buying and gossip pays dividends.
Ceceka takes his time to inspect the evidence recovered from the Cerulean Glade. The name gives the impression of a place of great natural beauty, but the Cerulean Glade is a rather unimpressive heap of drab stone. It's befitting, really, considering its former gnomeish inhabitants.
And so, Ceceka meanders through the evidence and after going through all of it, returns to the actual Cerulean Glade to see if he missed anything.
Aily aids Ceceka in the Glade, concentrating on using her own knowledge of underhandedness to find clues.
Deciding he's not going to learn anything else on the waterfront, Humerus returns home to help Telvir. Unfortunately, he's not very helpful, mostly pointing at various bits of ash and asking, "Is that something, blood boss?"