Telvir has no compunctions about finishing off what remains of the gang.
and
HP 28/28
AC 18 (20with shield raised)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +7
Focus Points: 0/1
Hero points: 2
Effects:
"Urgathoa!" Mithralline calls and darts forward with a sudden blast of speed, racing around the back of the insolent thug and leaping onto her back.
As the other rush forward so does Aily. She moves up to the wall, then slices quickly twice.
Telvir rips at the two lesser thugs as Aily and Ceceka move in to attack. Within moments, both men are down, one bearing twin stab wounds, the other nearly sliced in two by Ceceka's poleaxe! The lead woman gasps and cowers as Mithralline tries to grab her. She raises her hands in surrender. "Okay! Okay! Please, don't kill me!" she whimpers.
"Tell me, who is--or was--your leader, and what are you doing down here?" Telvir is firm, but fair. He hopes timely intervention will enable some questioning before Lady Court has a snack.
"Does it matter who our leader was?" the woman asks. "He's dead now, along with everybody else. Kepgeda the Hag-Nailed, the leader of a gang called the Three-Fingered Hand, took over the Bone Shards and massacred everybody soon after. Kepgeda had allies: human gang members in red cloaks, a few ghouls, and some zombies.
"Kepgeda’s primary motivation seemed to be the acquisition of an ornate key we received as payment for a job a few years ago. She described it in clear detail and knew the key goes to Graydirge Bank. I don’t know why Kepgeda wanted it, and I don’t know who gave us the key in the first place; the member who handled the contacts for that mission is long dead.
"Anyway, she got mad at us when we wouldn't give her what she wanted. She slaughtered our fellow gang members and raised several of them as zombies to join her ranks, then she cooked 'the leftovers,' her words, into Bone Shard soup in the vault to the east. She cooked them alive so their screams would intimidate us into revealing where we kept the key. It worked."
The woman shudders. "Giving her the key was the only thing that spared our lives."
"So she has the key. Where is she now?" Telvir glances toward the vault to the east.
It sounds like this "Three-Fingered Hand" might have been behind the attack on the farm.
As Telvir interrogates the survivor, Aily cleans off the white paste from her face. Looking over at Caraid for the first time since he disguised himself, she smiles, shaking her head a bit "Palidness does not become you, sir. For being in the land of the dead, you are way too full of life." she jests lightly.
Caraid follows suit in divesting himself of the face-paint.
"And there I was complementing myself on my aristocratic hauteur!" He jibes in return. "Oh well, I shall have to settle for living my life and enjoying all its pleasures while I can."
Aily receives a wink alongside that not-so-subtle flirtation.
"I would assume she took it to what's left of Graydirge Bank to unlock whatever the key goes to," the Bone Shard says with a shrug.
If asked, she will describe the key. The description sounds very similar to the key that you found on the dead Kuthite in the basement of Qhallagh Manor.
"What's left of the bank? What happened there?"
The woman shrugs. "The bank shut down a few years ago. Some sort of conflict between the Tax Collectors Union and the Celebrants. They took all the money out in a big procession and transferred it to Mechitar, but there's probably still a few goods in the safety deposit boxes in the bank's vaults."
"That is...useful to know." He gives a nod to Lady Cort to indicate that he is finished with his questioning before turning to the rest of the group.
"Perhaps we should personally investigate the bank. If we cannot discover exactly what the ruffian was after, we can at least gather useful information and follow up with the records department of the Tax Collector's Union."
Mithralline growls as the woman surrenders too quickly for her to even get a snack, but her interest quickly turns to the key.
"Were you ever able to open the lock?" she asks.
She turns her attention to her minions.
"It seems hard to imagine it's just coincidence that we found a similar key after already encountering this Three-Fingered Hand. It's almost as if this were some story being written out by some otherworldly designer. But they're a fool if they think they can dangle me around on strings! Let us explore this place quickly to see if we can find any other clues to this Kepgeda and her people, and then we will confront them at the bank!"
She turns her attention back to her new Bone Shard henchwoman.
"Are any more of this Three-Fingered Hand here?"
The woman doesn't know what the key goes to, and thus never tried it with any lock. She says there are no members of the Three-Fingered Hand present anymore.
You head to the eastern vault to finish exploring the area. Piles of bones lie in heaps throughout this chamber. They rise to twenty feet in places, nearly touching the ceiling, and they completely clog passages leading from the room to the north and south. The smell of burnt flesh fills the air.
A squelching noise gets your attention as a squirming mass of congealed chunks of flesh slops out of a corner of the vault! It would seem that "the leftovers" Kepgeda cooked have assumed a horrid form of unlife! The refuse moves in one giant mass, its skin blackened and crispy, leaving a trail of dripping grease and gravy. Its body is perpetually steaming hot, as though fresh from the pot, fat popping and sizzling.
The leftovers move in and lunge at Ceceka, but fail to hit him.
Anyone who has cleaned up after one of Lady Cort meals knows BAD smells, especially when the lady forgets to clean herself and the gunk lingers in a crevice, becoming moldy and greasy and... Aily stops that train of thought since it will make her gag more than this undead chunky bits beast.
Moving quickly to the other side of Ceceka, watching the warrior's attacks so she can lunge in to slice here and stab there (trying to find a vulnerable spot in the soup is hard).
"Disgusting."
And wasteful.
Telvir gestures at the piles of bones and a skeleton reassembles itself opposite Aily. Once it comes together, it slashes at the digusting mass.
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for
Fortunately, the leftovers don't last very long caught between Aily and the summoned skeleton. Their blades slice and dice the grotesque mass until it stops squirming and slithering and lies still.
You discover a few lumps of silver among the remains worth a total of 20 gp. You also find a 1st-level wand of harm resembling a charred bone. There doesn't seem to be anything else valuable here.
Mithralline nods as her servants take up anything under her direct supervision . It's good that they're so lethal in her service.
Telvir has the skeleton poke any likely-looking lumps in the room just to be safe before dismissing it from service.
Caraid meanwhile claims the wand, with a slight scowl at the quality of the decorating, and then follows the others. He is, much like Mithralline, quite happy to let the others do the fighting - although he has a lot more to offer outside of combat than she does!
Aily pulls out a hankie to clean off her blade. "We found out very little about the conspiracy." she admits, her dark eyes looking to each of her companions to see what their thoughts are.
After finishing up in the vault and preparing for the next step in your investigation, you head for the abandoned Graydirge Bank. The bank is a windowless edifice of solid stone reinforced with iron bands forged in the shape of interlocking skeletal hands and jaws. Located on the north side of the Governor’s Quarter, the structure is nestled between several other properties owned by the Tax Collectors Union. Each building merges with the banks’ walls, such that the bank is surrounded by solid stone on three sides. Only the south side is accessible.
Six black columns stand outside the front doors of an edifice of solid granite lined with iron beams in the shape of interlocking jaws and finger bones. Atop each column is a three-foot-diameter skull carved from the same black granite as the columns, and each skull has its mouth wide in a different but equally exaggerated grimace. The entrance is an iron double door set into an archway of gaping skulls.
The bank doors are typically locked, but it appears the mechanism has been recently damaged by acid.
"Be ready!" Mithralline instructs the others. "That hag is probably here already, or at least her minions are."
She cautiously approaches the door, trying to stay out of any stray light that might be here.
Aily moves to the door, this time in front of her mistress in case of traps since the sprite head wouldn't see a trap coming any more than she would suddenly find humility.
Caraid meanwhile hovers at the back, hoping that the sprite takes a trap or several to the face.
The white-and-black marble floor of this expansive lobby was shaped to proudly display the national symbol of Geb, the silver glyph of the wizard king. Low stone benches line a pair of alcoves to the east and west. Empty crates, chests, and satchels lie strewn about inside the alcoves.
To the north, iron doors flank the lobby. The northern wall is a tellers’ desk with a pair of thick panes of clouded glass. A single stone statue resembling a woman wearing a tattered cloak stands awkwardly a few feet from the doors leading outside, one of its hands reaching out and the other clutching a sack.
Medicine - Success! Caraid is able to determine that this was once a living person, but magic has turned them to stone.
Searching the area, Aily discovers a trap near the west door leading out of this room. A cloud of invisible magical sensors floats here, tied to a magical rune.
"Well this was once a person." Caraid says, wincing slightly. "Not a pleasant way to go. One can only hope the process was instantaneous and they didn't feel anything. Being slowly calcified would be highly unpleasant!"
Once told about the trap he incants a simple spell to allow him to perceive magic and then does his best to help Aily.
The dark haired woman considers the trap, tapping her chin as she does so. After a minute of thought she suggests everyone stay way back, then she tries to slip past the sensors... and misjudges it completely.
Unfortunately, Aily sets off the magical sensors. A glowing rune appears, and then with a flash of light, a cockatrice appears in the room! It squawks angrily!
The monster attacks Aily before you can react, but she dodges its pecks!
"Looks like some of the defenses are still active," Telvir comments dryly.
He claws at the creature with magical force, then whistles for Smoke to join in the battle. The canine pins the creature between himself and Aily.
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Raising her shield, Mithralline races forward to make sure the thing doesn't stone her servant -- she's pretty sure Absidian already has rocks for brains, but having her be complete would only make her less useful (unless she had the foresight to be in a pose that would look good as a statue in front of Mithralline's new manor).
Caraid crosses his fingers that the cockatrice will peck Mithralline, but doesn't count his luck to be that good and so scrambles the things mind as well.
Her own irritation at herself for setting off the trap has her dagger slicing more open air than cockatrice.
Though Aily misses with her attacks, the cockatrice succumbs to Caraid's and Telvir's spell. Smoke and Mithralline both hit the vile bird, then Ceceka finishes it off with a powerful attack! It vanishes in a puff of greasy smoke, and the trap rune disappears.
"That makes sense." Caraid comments as the cockatrice vanishes once more. "I'll have to try and restore that poor woman one day."
Now that the way into the bank is clear he remains at the back to allow those more competent with traps and so on to lead.
"Well, she should have been more careful. I think the presence of an active trap is a promising sign. Perhaps something valuable remains."
Smoke curiously sniffs the spot where the bird-thing disappeared. "You wouldn't have liked it anyway, little one."
Mithralline studies the statue, looking for any sign of the three-fingered sumbol.
"And perhaps means that hag hasn't arrived yet," Mithralline says. "Though that's for the best. We'll teach her that she can't steal my possessions!"
Apparently the tiny vampire fairy tyrant has decided everything in the bank belongs to her now.
Caraid rolls his eyes behind the sprites back and follows along in silence. He doesn't care much which way they go, presumably they'll check everywhere at some point and he's much too pretty to risk stepping into a trap.
You head through the western door. A hall here has a few doors along its length. The first room is a mostly empty armory. A heavy oak cabinet occupies the southwest corner. Fine carvings of cavorting imps adorn the cabinet’s doors.
The cabinet is locked, but Aily is able to pick the lock with a bit of work. Inside are several useful items: a low-grade silver scimitar, a chain shirt with a crying angel pendant affixed to it, a minor oil of unlife, a scroll of comprehend languages, and a belt pouch containing 18 gp.
The next room is a kitchen with a large stone oven, storage cabinets, and racks for cookware. The food in the cabinets is fine fare, all spoiled.
The hall opens up into a larger room. A ten-by-ten-foot slab of unadorned iron is embedded in the stone floor in the northwest corner of this room. A large alcove to the east has another door in its north wall. A corpse lies in a dried pool of blood a few feet south of the iron slab.
An undead creature stands in front of the iron slab, smoke rising from his mouth and his single burning red eye. The undead babbles something incoherent, gesturing for you to leave the room at once! He stalks towards you to reinforce his message...
The undead swings on Mithralline, missing at first but then delivering a critical hit!
HP 14/28
AC 18 (20 with shield raised)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +7
Hero points: 2
Effects:
Mithralline staggers back for a second and then lets out a scream of pure rage as she raises her shield and leaps on the creature. She drives her own blade into its neck.
"What a strange creation!" TElvir tries to smash it in the remaining eye with a piece of handy debris.
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Caraid flicks a bolt of divine light at the thing and steps back so the odd creature can't reach him.
"Please try to Avoid the attacks, Mistress" Aily urges as she moves to the other side of the creatures, trying to stab it to its knees so the sprite can feel better about herself.
Telvir is unsure what sort of undead the creature might be. It narrowly avoids his projectile. The monster refuses to kneel to Mithralline as she slashes it with her scythe. It avoids all of your other attacks, and as Aily moves to flank it, it glares at her with its single burning eye, trying to drain her life force!
The creature then pummels Mithralline twice more, trying to take down the sprite! Its brain burns momentarily from her iron command before it regains its wits.
Caraid could do something quite effective against this creature... but that's illegal and would probably get him in serious trouble because Mithralline would tattle as soon as she could. Better to wait until the sprite is unconscious and then try it.
So he fires off another lance of energy and misses completely.
The tugging at her life force rattles the maid, even though she managed to desperately grab hold of the mangled mess of her soul. Fear makes her slices sloppy. For a moment, as her mistress is slammed into again, she considers getting out of here, finding another figurehead for her own ambitions.
But then that moment passes. Mithralline is perfect for what Aily needs and finding another like her would take decades.
Unseen forces swirl around Telvir as he draws more power. He flings missiles of force at the creature. He commands Smoke to get behind the creature, opposite Aily, and attack.
for
HP 2/28
AC 18 (20 with shield raised)
Fort +7, Ref +5, Will +7
Hero points: 2
Effects: broken shield
Unwilling to concede, Mithralline drops her broken shield, and wraps her tiny arms around the thing's neck before sinking her fangs in!