The undead warrior moves like filth incarnate, bearing rotten teeth and disease. But either undead aren't all that bright, or this one had made a tactical error underestimating the halfling in the party.
Triphylla steps over to gain the benefit of Lope's flanking position, and then goes full honey badger on the monstrous hag.
The smell down here is terrible but Cyrene has dealt with worse as she runs almost across the surface of the slime to strike the final ghoul from behind!
Diana's face goes pale as she does her best to keep her last meal in her stomach as the ghost's stench overwhelms her.
Ugh! Guess that's just one more reason why not focusing on necromancy was a good idea... Not sure how much help I can be in this state, however...
As she leans against the wall, drawing and loading her crossbow, Diana notices the symbols on the woman's breastplate.
"Are those... The symbols of Aroden? Was she perhaps one of his paladins? If so, for just how long as her torment been going on?"
Triphylla savagely attacks the undead warrioress, but her ancient armour turns aside a bite and a claw. Triphylla's other claw rakes down the woman's undead face inflicting catastrophic damage and leaving a deep steaming wound courtesy of the holy weapon balm!
Cyrene's weapon exploded into through and out of the final ghoul, ending it's pitiful existence in a shower of gore.
"Are those... The symbols of Aroden? Was she perhaps one of his paladins? If so, for just how long as her torment been going on?"
"Too damn long!" the undead woman snarled in a moment of clarity before the hunger stole her away again.
Hand glowing an eerie blue, the color you had grown to associate with healing, Valeria moved forwards and touched the undead warrioress leaving a tiny blue spot which suddenly grew and grew as it started to consume her leaving a rain of fine ash. Hideously the blue fires burned out before she was entirely destroyed but the damage to her left side was extensive.
<--- PASS
"Aroden? That's certainly a long time... but I guess she would have wanted us to take care of her undead shadow" determined to put an end to the ghast, Lope performs another riving strike, flanking with Triphylla as the flames on his sword start to fade.
Lope's blade is parried by the undead warrioress's with one clay like hand but he manages to sneak a follow up strike past her guard leaving a moderate cut in her neck. This likely would have been lethal for a living human but for an undead it was was a different matter entirely.
The undead woman retained some level of awareness in her blood lust so she went for the biggest threat which was Triphylla. She tried to bite back the plucky halfling who easily dodged aside, but it was a feint, the undead's claws where waiting. Triphylla desperately managed to duck under one, but she couldn't escape the other which raked painfully along her back! She felt an instant numbness but fortunately her free flowing blood cleansed the wound, preventing the toxins from spreading further into her system.
<--- MISS
<--- HIT
<--- PASS
<--- PASS
<--- MISS
Environment: Dim lighting
Buffs and Debuffs:
Female Warrior Sickened
Triphylla Rage, Mutagen
Cyrene
Diana Sickened
Valeria Shield
Lope Sickened
Female Warrior Sickened
Triphylla Rage, Mutagen
Cyrene
Diana Sickened
Valeria Shield
Lope Sickened
Damage Log:Round: 1
Yellow was hit by Valeria for 7 (total damage taken 7)
Red was hit by Lope for 16 (total damage taken 16)
Yellow was hit by Lope for 16 (total damage taken 23)Round: 2
Green was hit by Triphylla for 36 (total damage taken 36)
Blue was hit by Cyrene for 26 (total damage taken 26)
Blue was hit by Valeria for 10 (total damage taken 36)
Green was hit by Lope for 10 (total damage taken 46)
Triphylla was hit by Green for 10 (total damage taken 10)Totals:
Yellow: 23 damage
Red: 16 damage
Green: 46 damage
Blue: 36 damage
Triphylla: 10 damage
COMBAT ORDER:
Female Warrior
Triphylla <----- WE ARE HERE
Cyrene
Diana
Valeria
Lope
Triphylla, Cyrene, Diana, Valeria and Lope are up.
Adaptable Luck applied
Triphylla senses that she may have been lucky to not have been hurt much worse when the undead monster wheeled on her. It was time to finish the thing off if she could.
Cyrene circles around the creature so as to strike its weak spots.
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Triphylla clambered up the undead woman's torso and she took an enormous bite out of the already damaged skull (the texture was gooey jelly with bits of crunchy bone, the flavour indescribable). She then punched the woman in the throat, stuck in up to the elbow and then she started ripping out shrivelled and decayed organs. At some point the damage was too great for the spark of unlife, and the piteous remains of the Arodenite Paladin fell lifeless to the floor.
With that the last of the undead was slain.
The fallen paladin's agile breastplate has an aura of abjuration magic.
The chest contains:
* Twenty platinum coins
* 142 gold coins
* An engraved silver compact
* A platinum-and-diamond necklace
* An electrum torc
* A masterwork trident
* An enchanted arrow-catching buckler
* Two stoppered vials of magical oil
* A magical wand
You also find a discarded spear under the muck at the bottom of the well. Made of hollow brass with a steel tip, it's unblemished by the passage of time. It's decorated with Arodenite iconography and it bears an inscription Godspike.
Lope looks at the undead gore, not sure if he is more scared of the undead ghast or his halfling friend "Eh... that was an unsavory bite, I guess..."
As the last of the ghouls falls, he looks around the area, making sure the place is secure "I think it is safe now" then he casts detect magic to help himself on the search.
The Aldori knees by the fallen ghast, checking carefully the armor "I think the poor soul was probably Marjorie Sandaris. The history says she was cursed with ghoul fever in the Shining Crusades arose as a ravenous undead at her funeral. A terrible episode, she kept coming back, until a cleric of Aroden an her family sealed her coffin with sacred wards. The flooding must have broken the seals and let her out" he negates and sighs.
"The armor still wears the blessing of Aroden . It might be useful. If only as a present to a nobleman or cleric we might need to join our cause." he explains while further scanning the area with the divination "I suggest we look for a renewed coffin for her, with appropriate seals before she returns once more"
Then pointing to the machine "It is magical too. Do you know anyone at Merat able to repair this Diana?"
Valeria was relieved to see the last of the undead fall. It was a hideous thing, one that had likely suffered severely in that state, but it was at rest now and that was as much as they could do.
As she looked at the remains of the paladin Valeria remembered something about these creatures, they needed to be completely destroyed before the new moon or would just rise again. Valeria tried to remember when the next new moon even was but decided it was of little concern as she was not leaving this task uncompleted for long. "We need to cremate the body, in fact we should do that with all of them, and we shouldn't wait. That one there," she gestured to the damaged remains, "will just rise with the new moon if we don't completely destroy her first."
Cyrene, meanwhile, has wandered back to the well where she saw a glimmer of light earlier.
"There's something down here." She says. "We could try fishing it up or I'll go down and try to pull it back up myself."
She ties a rope around her waist and then asks for some help donning the ghast's breastplate, so as to sink faster before climbing down into the water.
The moment Triphylla sinks he fans into the putrid flesh, he mind switches off and she becomes more beast than halfling. Her attacks are violent, reckless, savage. Afterward she passes out, oblivious to the world.
If you are underwater, either because you failed a Swim check or because you are swimming underwater intentionally, you must hold your breath. You can hold your breath for a number of rounds equal to twice your Constitution score, but only if you do nothing other than take move actions or free actions. If you take a standard action or a full-round action (such as making an attack), the remainder of the duration for which you can hold your breath is reduced by 1 round. (Effectively, a character in combat can hold his breath only half as long as normal.) After that period of time, you must make a DC 10 Constitution check every round to continue holding your breath. Each round, the DC for that check increases by 1. If you fail the Constitution check, you begin to drown. The DC for the Swim check depends on the water, as given on the table below.
Cyrene dives into the filthy water with surprising grace, quickly reaching the bottom. She then struggles with the box, it's heavy and is stuck in the accumulated mud and it takes all her strength to wiggle it free but after several attempts it lurches free. She tries to swim back up with her prize but the air is starting to burn in her lungs and she's got her foot stuck in something. After thrashing around for an alarmingly long time, she freed herself and instinct kicked in and she pushed off powerfully from the well floor and shoot up like a cork!
Round 1 <--- PASS, double move descending 30'
<--- PASS
Round 2 <--- PASS, double move descending 30' reaching the bottom
<--- PASS
Round 3 <--- PASS
<--- PASS
Round 4 <--- PASS
<--- FAIL, don't need to roll this any more.
Round 5 <--- FAIL
Round 6 <--- FAIL
Round 7 <--- FAIL
Round 8 <--- FAIL
Round 9 <--- PASS
Round 10 <--- PASS
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Diana nods at both Lope and Valeria's words as they discuss the undead woman.
"I do think you are right, Lope, the ghast definitely fits Marjorie Sandaris history. And while my knowledge of necromancy and the undead is a bit limited, I think Valeria's idea is sound - cremating the bodies seems our best option. Both to prevent Marjorie from rising again, finally freeing her tormented soul, as well as ensure the rotting corpses do not infect anything else with ghoul fever."
She then looks worriedly at Tryphilla and rushes to her as she sees her fall down unconsciously. "And we definitely need to bring Tryphilla to a healer as soon as possible as well! I don't know much about ghoul fever, but she did expose herself too much to their tainted flesh."
After making sure there's nothing she can do for the halfling alchemist, Diana takes a moment to study the magical engine a bit more and answering Lope's question.
"There are still traces of transmutation magic radiating from it. I'm not sure we can find someone to repair it easily - the engine was built a thousand years ago, and if someone in the county did indeed have that knowledge still, I'd imagine they would have been brought in when it broke down the first time. I can try to study it more thoroughly, though, to understand how it worked and see how it might be restored."
When Cyrene is safely back on land and the party go over the chest's contents, Diana will try to appraise the magical items.
"The buckler has protective magic on it - it should be a bit more effective than a mundane buckler, and seems to have the ability to attract projectiles towards it.
"The vials contain oil that should conceal an object from scrying effects for 8 hours"
"And that wand holds 10 charges of the Protection from Evil."
"These two rings are magical as well. One should provide its wearer with additional protection , while the other should make the wearer better at jumping "
"As for this spear" Diana studies the inscription and Aroden symbols closely as she speaks "I'm guessing it's a relic from the Shining Crusades as well. Its holy power still shines brightly despite the years ."
When Triphylla falls down, Lope approaches and tries to shake her out of her apparent sleep "Hey Triphylla, are you ok?"
"You are right. We need to get her fast to a doctor" he looks worried, but then, he is worried too about Cyrene getting drown out of greed.
"Give me a second, you can't bring that chest just alone" the man removes his classy explorer's outfit, to remain in underwear only "I am no expert swimmer, but I hope I can provide just enough aid"
The Aldori slowly enters the waters, covering his nostrils with one hand and with not pleased expression on his face. Slowly, he tries to swim up to Cyrene and aid her in a second attempt to bring the chest out.
Lope assists Cyrene with recovering the rather heavy chest.
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"Oh, I think displaying the holy symbol to Stachys' citizens will help winning them over" concludes Lope.
"This an impressive fortune, we should put it to work for our interests. That spear is a fantastic weapon actually. Maybe the local temple might be interested on it" Lope nods appreciating Diana's knowledgeable eye.
Lope examines the different pieces of jewelry and gets specially fond of the platinum-and-diamond necklace "Oh, this is precious, it might help us win some favor, if used as a present I think"
Then, he starts looking for the most dry area outside the structure "Maybe it will take a while to move these bodies out of the swamp. But cremating them we must. I agree with that"
Although not the strongest, Lope will help carry the undead for a pyre outside. Then, once back at the town, he will set up the reparation of the pump house on the terms described before by Diana.
Cremating the undead proved to be quite a pain since pretty much everything in the area was sodden, however after a search a dead birch tree was found. This was cut down and a pyre constructed, even Cobb the boatman who had been hiding behind a tree helped out. He goggled at the holy symbol, crying "You've done it, you've put Marjorie Sandaris to rest! I bet you could banish the spirit of Lauchlein Lake! Count Lotheed stopped sacrificing virgins to appease it like his father did, and now it’s hunting in the county again."
"Yes, we have done it. And now it is time to attend a pretty refined coffee event. Can you get us out of this swamp Cobb?" Lope smiles proud of the group's achievements and takes his boats out in the boat to clean them of mud with a few hits "A spirit you say? How far are we from this Lauchlein Lake? If for anything I would praise the good judgement there of Count Lotheed. What kind of monster might lead to sacrifice virgins? Has Taldor degraded into Cheliax now?"
"I have heard the lake is just shallow waters choked with plants and frogs. I am interested to know to what extend the stories of being home to a fey court in the past has something to do with this spirit. After all, the influence of the nearby Verduran Forest shall have a weight in there" as they talk a bit more with Cobb, Lope adds "And I heard a stone circle still stands by the water's edge. Maybe worth checking after our Dame's coffee. What you all others say?"
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It takes two full days scrubbing in the cold waters of the local river for Triphylla to exorcise the stench of undead evil from her body. she filled her belly with Opparan whiskey and let the push everything else out, forcefully. By the time the date of Dame Crabbe's engagement rolled around Triphylla was feeling mostly herself, although her appetite had not yet returned. She consoled herself by considering that any such battles in the future should only involve her claws and not her teeth. Her purge completed, she rejoins the others as they discuss their next task.
"While serving on a merchant ship years ago, en route to Cassomir, we would hear tales of the spirit which haunts the circle at the lake. The tales were often vivid and frightening, and the men believed that it and the Night Swan are one and the same.
"Now that it comes to mind, was not the Night Swan blamed for Bartleby's near murder? Those same locals believed the spirit could be appeased through gifts and sacrifices, but as you say, Lope, Bartleby ended that practice for practical considerations. Perhaps the Night Swan enjoyed the prior arrangement. But rumor is Bartleby tried to put an end to it by creating a monster of some kind by means of alchemy. It may be worth a return to the Palace of Birdsong to allow him to explain his thinking."
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"Thank you for the help, Cobb. And I'm glad we managed to finally end Marjorie Sandaris torture. If only we could have done it sooner."
"We will look at the spirit of Lauchlein Lake as well, do not worry."
---
"The way the people have viewed the circle has changed over the years. It has both been used for proposals and weddings, as well as terrible rites - perhaps the spirit was the result of on of these later uses?"
At Tryphilla's question of her cousin's thinking, Diana sighs before replying.
"I can't be sure of my cousin's thinking, of course, but I could hazard a guess. Bartleby is a proud man, as I'm sure you saw for yourselves during the festival. But despite being quite gifted in both sword and magic, living in the shadow of his grandfather's achievements has left him deeply insecure about his own abilities, for he fears he shall never surpass him.
With that in mind, I wouldn't be surprised if his decision to use an alchemical monster to destroy the spirit was more about proving his own ability and less about it being the best approach to the situation. Still, asking him about it might prove useful - if nothing else, we might be able to ascertain what type of creature he unleashed - we might need to deal with it as well in the future."
Triphylla nods along with Diana. "I doubt I'll be of much use at Dame Crabbe's coffee clutch. Instead I would return to Birdsong and appeal to the Count as a fellow practitioner. But if you prefer I tag along I can find something sweet to eat and maybe cure my sour gut."
"Ah, what kind of person can left a mark of terriblity on the idea of a proposals or wedding in our beloved Diana Lotheed?" Lope smiles letting the confusion stand.
"Good, it seems we still have to wait some days for Dame Crabbe's coffee day. And this alchemical monster looks like a good reason for the Night Swan to wish revenge from the Count" the Aldori says pensive and picks up the arrow catching buckler "So, why not to just fall around the palace under the pretext we need help to identify the magics on this shield? We can then try to obtain more info about this event with the monster and the lake."
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You resolve to visit Count Bartleby before having tea with Dame Crabbe, so you spend most of the next week traveling. Initially to the palace of birdsong which is very much quieter than it was last time you where there. For one thing there's hardly any servants around and it takes a while before anyone notices you, and even longer before the count sees you. You end up waiting outside his office for a good couple of hours before he deigns to see you. The waiting room chairs are unusually sturdy and feature a motif of bear paws. Typically people waiting here want to see the count but they also serve for the adjacent chapel, as well as a reading room for anyone visiting the archives.
Suddenly Count Bartleby sweeps in backed by the senchel Sir Gul Gusairne who gives you a curious almost disapproving look. Count Bartleby addresses all of you although his eyes linger on Diana and Lope, "Back so soon? Surely Strachys can't be that bad?"
He then opens his offie with a silver key and beckons you in. Inside Darkwood paneling reaches high up to a frescoed ceiling depicting First Emperor Taldaris’s noble conquest of Cassomir. A desk, carved from dark purple wood to look like owls with their spread wings supporting the work surface, occupies the center of the room, while plush, burgundy chairs surround the remaining space. A family portrait on the western wall depicts a dozen scowling nobles—a teenaged Bartelby among them—and a single hound, though the dog is clearly a later and more amateurish addition to the otherwise high- quality artistry.
Triphylla dresses in her semi-formal silver and green outfit for the return to Birdsong. Outside the office she does a double-take when she eyes the wooden chairs.
"That's a golem," she points out and picks a different chair on which to sit.
When the door finally opens she follows the "Betonys" inside and waits to be called upon, honoring the role in the ruse.
Valeria had no issue with the intended order of visits and so simply said, "It seems good to me." She spent the needed time preparing for the trip and was quite pleased that they were not visiting another run down water filtration building.
Once they had been escorted into a sitting room Valeria took a seat and began to wait patiently for a while. She had fully expected to be made to wait a while but it seemed they were being kept waiting far longer than decorum should allow. After the first hour she broke out some paper and charcoal and began to sketch the room they were in.
Valeria had just finished her drawing when the Count swept into the room with Sir Gusairne. When he spoke his tone was quite insulting and Valeria thought of commenting on it but she resisted the urge and instead stowed away the drawing she had made rather than offer it to him as a gift. It wasn't that great of a work anyway so it wasn't such a great loss. Valeria entered the office with her companions and sat quietly as she let Diana and Lope handle the conversation for the time being.
"A good precaution. Maybe we should have our own golem at Stachys" Lope considers while looking for a safer sit.
"Count" the Aldori greets the man and just gives a quick smile to Sir Gul Gusairne "Aaah, actually investing some money to develop Stachys can certainly result on increased tributes to the county, but no, we are not here for that reason..."
"In fact what we look forward is about your portentous knowledge of the arcane, as we found this stuck in one of our water pumps" Lope brings the buckler over the table "and would like to find out its exact magics, maybe get some funds selling it to a duelist..."
For now, Lope keeps back the questions about the lake and the virgins, trying to win the Count first.
"Stachys is wonderful if you don't mind cats," Triphylla says almost apologetically, expecting to be ignored. She really can't help herself.
"And you may be interested to know that we have purged the Pump House of its foul inhabitants. That will surely represent a boon to your people. You can expect their gratitude."
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"There's much to be done for Stacy's, I'm afraid, but I do believe we're making good progress, cousin. As you can infer from Miss Achlys comment, we are currently working on fixing the town's magical water pump. It's quite a marvel of arcane engineering, and I hope to understand it's inner workings soon enough, that we might repair it as quickly as possible."
"Our trip there was a bit more exciting than I was expecting, though, as I didn't think we would find ourselves pitted against a group of undead creatures when we set out to fix it. But they were swiftly taken care of - which shouldn't be that surprising after the group's triumph over the Iron Lash during the hunt. Speaking of their fighting prowess, you might enjoy talking with Lope - like you, he has learned to blend magic into his swordplay."
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"We found this stuck in one of our water pumps and would like to find out its exact magics, maybe get some funds selling it to a duelist"
Sir Gusairne bristled visibly at this, "Sir! This the count of Meratt you are addressing, not some hedge wizard!"
Count Bartleby waved this aside, "It's not every day somebody pulls an arrow-catching buckler out of a drain. Seems to be completely undamaged by the immersion."
He reached for it saying, "May I?" He inspected it closely for a while before loosing interest and sounding bored as he explained "Well it's enchanted of course. I had thought for a moment it was something more powerful but it's got a simple enchantment on it to make it perform better as a buckler. I'm sure you'll find a buyer for it in Cassomir."
"And you may be interested to know that we have purged the Pump House of its foul inhabitants. That will surely represent a boon to your people. You can expect their gratitude."
Sir Gusairne demurred, "Gratitude? A pretty notion, but I'm sure the people will note the timing of your arrival and the clearing of the pump house and put two and two together and likely inundate you with half a dozen other problems."
"Speaking of their fighting prowess, you might enjoy talking withLope - like you, he has learned to blend magic into his swordplay."
"Has he now cousin, mmm." he glanced at Lope with new eyes, "It takes exceptional concentration to cast a spell while in the middle of a sword fight. Concentration that can only come from intense training. It's been a while, perhaps you'd care for a skirmish? Practice swords and defensive spells of course."
Lope ignores for most Gusairne and focuses on the count "Diana is embellishing it Count Bartleby, my magic is little more than a distraction for the social events"
The Aldori does smile self sufficient "I won't say no to a small duel. First blood shall we?"
"Care to make it interesting? I'll put two-hundred on Lord Betony."
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"First blood?!" Sir Gusairne gave Lope a disdainful look, "Your grace this unnecessarily risky. Surely practice blunts would be better!"
Pointedly ignoring Sir Gusairne, count Bartleby's eyes bore into first Triphylla and then Lope. He seemed to come to a decision and he replied "Very well, we'll fence with sharps to first blood with a fat purse riding on it." he said, "Defensive spells only Betony, wouldn't do to get carried away..."
He looked towards Sir Gusairne and said, "We'll do this in the courtyard. Make sure Lord Titus is elsewhere."
Sir Gusairne gave Lope a furious look before nodding, "Aye your grace." and then he swept out of the room to arrange things.
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Valeria was a bit surprised at the sudden onset of a dual and tried to figure out how they got there. Unfortunately, it wasn't too easy for her at the moment, so she decided not to worry about that. Instead, Valeria rose and said, "If it will put your mind at ease, Sir Gusairne, I am capable of using healing magic. I will stand ready to heal any injuries that might be incurred."
Diana looks from Lope to Bartelby, a bit shocked at how her simple comment brought them here.
"I just figured you two would enjoy discussing your shared approach to combat, and possibly comparing your different fighting styles. I definitely didn't expect you two to just go ahead and jump straight into a duel! Guess it's just me being a scholar and not a fighter - it should have been obvious you two would prefer to test your skills against each other rather than just talk it out."
Diana nods at Valeria. "Thank you, Valeria. I can understand Sir Gusairne's worry - accidents can happen, after all, even if the duel is only until first blood. But with your healing on hand, I'm sure no lasting harm will come to either of these two."
"You honor me with your disposition. It is good to have a chance to see so close the famed technique of the Count" Lope smiles and smooths his mustache as Sir Gusairne gets out of the room "Some do not share the sense on the adrenaline of battle it seems..."
"While we wait for the preparations to be done..." Lope observes the room carefully, trying to see if there is some detail of what the Count was about to talk with Guisarme "...we heard about the spirit in Lauchlein Lake. Some say Count Bartleby ceased the release of virgins to the spirit"
Cyrene, back in her more normal appearance as a pretty but largely unobtrusive young human woman, lingers at the back of the room with her eyes lowered. Despite this she manages to sweep the room thoroughly and gives a soft smile when the Count looks in her direction.
"...we heard about the spirit in Lauchlein Lake. Some say Count Bartleby ceased the release of virgins to the spirit"
"Come now, Lope, I don't think Cobb's comment can be taken at face value." She says towards her companion with a small chuckle. "With Bartleby having put a stop to the yearly offerings to the spirit, I'm sure the people's imagination was allowed to run a little wild with regards to what was actually offered. From what I know, it consisted mostly of gold and foodstuffs."
She looks back at her cousin before continuing. "Resources which could be much better used elsewhere, I would think. If I'm not mistaken, you put your considerable alchemical knowledge towards finding a more permanent solution to the situation."
Sir Gusairne sighed, "It's the height of foolishness we should require such. Still I suspect it will be Lord Bentony that will need your aid. Now if you'll excuse me I have much to prepare."
"...we heard about the spirit in Lauchlein Lake. Some say Count Bartleby ceased the release of virgins to the spirit."
Clearly outraged Sir Gusairne's eyes narrowed, [b]"You heard what sir?! If you weren't a noble I'd have you put in irons for spreading such a scurrilous rumour! The lake spirit demanded a tribute of wheat and gold, a tribute that Count Bartleby deemed to be excessive."
"Resources which could be much better used elsewhere, I would think. If I'm not mistaken, you put your considerable alchemical knowledge towards finding a more permanent solution to the situation."
Count Bartleby was completely unfazed by the thundercloud that seemed to follow Sir Gusairne and he replied offhanded to Diana, "Yes, I prepared a rather potent alchemically enhanced ooze to deal with the lake's resident extortionistic fae. It's only a matter of time before before Atratus is gone forever."
Turning to Lope he said, "Come Betony, it's a fine morning and I can't think of a better way to blow the cobwebs away. I spend far too much time in this office, at times the peerage is a curse. You know I envy Pythareus at times, life is so much simpler for the common solider."
All of you follow Lope and Count Bartleby outside into the bright sunshine. You find that a chalk circle has been drawn on the patio, and that the servants have drawn several pales of water to wash away any blood that might be spilled. In addition Sir Gusairne has brought a medical kit which includes a number of expensive looking vials. A few house servants look on fearfully from a distance although most have been shooed away.
Count Bartleby starts limbering up and he asks Lope, "You ready for this Betony?"
When Sir Gusairne vents, Lope just smiles back at him "Sure thing, the Count has to take action on behalf of his associates delaying to do what they are commanded."
"Hmmm... I wonder what is the connection between Atratus and the Black Sawn. This might be the explanation on the attack we witnessed a few days ago in the Palace..." the young man let's slip remembering some pieces of history.
The Aldori follows the count, and setting himself into the circle, he draws his dueling sword into his hand "Sure thing, ready" setting his body in parallel with his line of attack to expose as little of himself as possible, he bows slightly towards the count.
Sir Gusairne sighed, "It's the height of foolishness we should require such. Still, I suspect it will be Lord Bentony that will need your aid. Now if you'll excuse me, I have much to prepare."
Valeria nodded in understanding of what Sir Gusairne said with a tiny smile of amusement. "Regardless of the outcome I will be prepared Sir Gusairne." She let him leave and noticed that Cyrene was up to...something, what exactly she wasn't sure but something. She decided not to mention it as she trusted it wouldn't be a problem for them.
As everyone moved out to where the dual was to occur Valeria noticed how Sir Gusairne had set out a medical kit and vials of what she suspected were potions. Curious she went over to the man and looked at the vials as she asked curiously, "Healing potions I presume? Or are they something different?" She smiled slightly in self-deprecation and said, "While I can call on divine magic to heal, I am afraid I am not otherwise knowledgeable about magic or alchemy."
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It's rather convenient that everyone leaves the office. Cyrene lingers and then investigates the rug and the hidden space she's sure is under it. The plan isn't necessarily to take anything. Stealing from the Count would likely be unwise - but knowing what's there... that's more valuable.
"Healing potions I presume? Or are they something different?"
"Indeed." sniffed the half-elf, "From the Cathedral of Abadar in Cassomir."
"Sure thing, ready"
"Very good. En garde monsieur!" replied the count who suddenly pulled a beautifully patterned blade from his otherwise plain looking sword cane, and he sank into a very solid looking fighting pose.
As they Count and Lope prepare for their duel, Triphylla ruminates. "Perhaps it is the same creature as Atratus, the swan of legend, but more likely it is merely a busy-body with an axe to grind. One who embraces trees rather than those of her own kind. And I presume this assassin to be female, naturally. Not exposing herself has been a keen performance so far, don't you think, Count? One practitioner to another, by what method did you concoct the alchemical beast which now enforces the Lake?"
Oblivious to the distraction opportunity his duel becomes, Lope salutes the Count with the sword, and then says a magic word raising a shield of force for protection and stepping forward with a careful, testing slash "So, where did the Count learn the Destreza?"
Sneaky servants are sneaky, or at least so utterly uninteresting as to be unworthy of real notice.
As you examine the safe you have a sudden feeling that you're not alone but as you whirl round there's nobody there, yet you feel like somebody walked upon your grave.
"Perhaps it is the same creature as Atratus, the swan of legend"
The count was surprised, "My you are well read, the lake's guardian and all round pain in the neck is the very same fae..."
"And I presume this assassin to be female, naturally. Not exposing herself has been a keen performance so far, don't you think, Count?"
Sounding distracted he replied, "I doubt Atratus is the night swan, doesn't seem her style. However speaking of that villian, something must be done! We've managed to keep the full details of her attacks on the nobility from the public eye, but believe me they're extensive. Anyone who can capture her alive or dead will be well rewarded!"
"One practitioner to another, by what method did you concoct the alchemical beast which now enforces the Lake?"
The count dismissed this enquiry with a laugh, "Family secret I'm afraid. Now if you'll excuse me I have a duel to attend to."
Count Bartleby grins as Lope casts his spell, he parries the probing attack before whispering a word of power, suddenly there are many Count Bartleby's each moving in unpredictable ways... He made a sudden lunge but Lope's shield interposed itself with a buzz and a shower of sparks!
<--- PASS
<--- MISS