Indus assists in the search eyeing the headless corpse nervously.
Seeing Diorio glance at his rapier, Indus holds out the heavy flail. "Would you be more comfortable swinging this thing around?"
"Thanks for the offer my friend, but no. You seemed pretty handy with it. I can at least keep these foul things busy while more useful work can be done by others."
Examination of the headless corpse revels that it has been placed in its current position after death, as if it was a prop in some macabre joke.
Further search of the room with the pool revels that the spigot can produce both hot and cold water. Use of detect magic indicates that this is likely the result of the spigot being enchanted with create water. It is affixed to the wall, though, and dismantling it would almost certainly destroy the magic effect.
"Um... hopefully that was done by the sand creature-thing?"
Seben inspects for any traces of sand granules.
"Cause if not, we may have other problems."
Heal
"I don't think it was the sand creature. The head looks to have been cut off cleanly. As far as I can tell, anyway. It looks as though it happened quite some time ago. I wonder where the head went? I don't see it around here anywhere."
Moving back past the kitchen and heading down the hallway leading west, the Smokin' Bask Brigade first pass what must have been the servant's dining room. A large, plain table and the crumbled remains of wooden chairs stand among dust and sand. A quick search reveals nothing of interest or value.
Further down the hallway, in the north-west corner of the mansion, you look into a larger dining room, likely used by the Pentheru family. An enormous stone table, the marble top polished and smooth, runs parallel to the west wall. A much smaller stone table stands on the east side of the room.
Splintered piles of dust and wood lie in the corners and along the walls - the only remains of chairs after untold years. A strong, fetid stench pervades the room.
From the doorway, anyone looking into the room can see that half a dozen human skulls have been set upon the large marble table. Each of the six skulls are polished clean and balances atop a tarnished silver goblet standing on an equally tarnished silver dinner plate.
Seben sucks in a nervous breath and looks from side to side, scanning for some unseen threat.
"...I'm pretty attached to my head."
Lueck shakes his head. "Likely a consequence of turning away from the old gods. Hopefully they have found rest."
Seben's scan of the room reveals no trace of lingering or active magic auras.
Does Lueck see any significance to the way the skulls are arranged? Religious, maybe?
Knowledge (arcana)
Knowledge (planes)
Knowledge (religion)
Lueck does not recall anything, religious or otherwise, that can explain the strange arrangement of the skulls.
Any further examination will have to be closer to the skulls and the table.
Lueck hops up on the table with a single vertical leap. He moves to the nearest skull and, with an outstretched webbed hand, picks up one of the skulls to examine it more closely.
As soon as Lueck approaches the marble table, bright blue flames spring up around the skulls. In unison, they rise out of the silver cups and start to float towards Lueck.
You recognize these as beheaded, mindless floating undead sentinels. A beheaded set loose near populated areas usually thumps ominously against shut doors and windows to lure victim close.
Beheaded also guard grim crypts, abattoirs, and hideouts of murders who like to keep reminders of their past sins close at hand.
Diorio
Seben-en-Ra
Flying skulls
Indus
Lueck
Sobekhotep
"Gads! Watch out!
Diorio rushes forward and attempts to cleave the nearest skull.
Diorio’s strike easily dispatches the flying skull, sending bone shards flying in all directions.
The flying skulls easily evade Seben's shot and surge forward, attempting to bash into both Diorio and Lueck.
The trio swarming around Lueck get in each others way, and none of them can land a hit on the nimble battle cleric.
Only one of the two rushing at Diorio land a solid strike.
Diorio's quick reflexes send another of the skulls crashing to the ground, but the remaining skull slams into him, bruising his forehead.
|
Sobekhotep wrinkles his nose in distaste.
"Those as beheaded, mindless floating undead sentinels. A beheaded set loose near populated areas usually thumps ominously against shut doors and windows to lure victim close. Beheaded also guard grim crypts, abattoirs, and hideouts of murders who like to keep reminders of their past sins close at hand... given the way they were enshrined, I suspect the last of those is sadly most likely."
He then moves to give Lueck some Guidance.
"May Sekhemet guide your strike!"
"Fascinating story, Sobek, but is this the time?" Indus says with a smile, while he moves up and takes a swing with his flail at a nearby skull, hoping his luck will guide his blow.
Indus’ swing connects and pulverizes one of the skulls.
"Abominations!" Lueck croaks. He lashes out at the nearest one with his holy axe.
Battleaxe attack to hit ,
The edge of Lueck's axe catches the skull in the jawbone, neatly cleaving it. Only two of the beheaded remain.
Diorio
Seben-en-Ra
Flying skulls
Indus
Lueck
Sobekhotep
"Dammit, I missed! I guess he got ahead of me!"
Seben knocks a second arrow.
Seben rifles off another miss.
"I've got to concentrate. This is not the time to lose one's head."
"Bite me will you?! Take that!
"Argh, nimble bonehead buggers!"
Upon seeing Diorio join her in the miss club, Seben adds:
"Uh oh, this battle seemed to be neck-and-neck, but it's suddenly headed in the wrong direction."
"Those jokes don't have a leg to stand on ... kinda like our enemies, so stop fooling around!"
In his frustration, Diorio fails to keep his guard up and is promptly punished for his mistake with another direct hit to the face.
Lueck, on the other hand, has no trouble evading a clumsy attempt to head-butt him.
"Those jokes don't have a leg to stand on ... kinda like our enemies, so stop fooling around!"
"You're absolutely right. Maybe I should be more like our friends here and show some professional detachment."
Apparently Sekhmet looks favorably on Sobekhotep’s decision to play a more aggressive role in the fight rather than just provide support. The tip of his longspear strikes the beheaded with sufficient force to shatter it.
The tip of [Sobek's] longspear strikes the beheaded with sufficient force to shatter it.
"Guess he couldn't... stick around."
"...Perhaps his company was short on... staff."
"We might have to take it up with... the head of the corporation."
Indus takes another powerful swing with the flail, trying to put an end on the flying enemies.
"Should we do a headcount?"
Initiative:
With excellent accuracy, Indus pulverizes the last remaining beheaded. The din of battle is replaced by an eerie calm as the last shards of cranial bone settle in the dust of the former dining room.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, a disembodied voice bellows a furious tirade.
You will replace them, all of you - I'll make you put on the headband and add you to my collection or have my pets give you a little kiss to make more of their kind!"
Her ears still ringing from the shouting, Seben suddenly feels an immense pain as sharp teeth rip a large chunk of flesh from her neck. Worse, she can feel the sting of venom rapidly dull her senses.
Right next to Seben, a disembodied and bestial head covered in lashing hair and curling horns suddenly appears. Like the beheaded, it flies through the air, Seben's fresh blood dripping from sharp fangs. This creature is most definitely not human.
This is a Doru Div. Divs are evil outsiders arisen from the spirits of the most nefarious and spiteful evil genies.
The least of the divs, dorus serve as messengers and servants of other divs and sometimes mortal spellcasters. While not strong combatants, dorus prefer to sow ruin in more subtle ways. They enjoy tainting mortals with exaggerated news and outright lies, trying to turn impressionable beings to waste and wickedness. Even if a doru fails to fully corrupt an intelligent being itself, it attempts to weaken the target’s will, making the victim more pliable to future corruption and ruin.
All divs have some manner of esoteric flaw in their personalities—dorus are obsessed with secrets. These covetous fiends hoard secrets and legends like a miser hoards gold. This thirst for information causes the curious dorus to enter into ridiculous bargains to obtain hidden knowledge from those they believe hold tales of special interest or value, especially when such information has the potential to aid in the corruption of future souls.
Dorus have significant DR/good or cold iron; immunity to fire and poison; significant resistance to acid and electricity and Spell Resistance. Their bite attack is venomous and they have several spell-like abilities, including at-will invisibility.