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My vote is to try to get a cart to carry the evidence/loot/rogue back to town.
I am utterly incapable of pushing the scene forward at this time (I can take one move action a round, and searching is a standard action). So it's up to you guys to look around and find worthwhile information. I'll be over here waiting.
"Once, my mother was able to manifest almost entirely. For a time, she had me fooled into believing she wasn't dead at all. But... That was before the ritual. Now I may only summon forth a portion of her strength, to enable myself to do unusual things. The most of her that I can manifest is a small weapon... And while I am more capable with it, I must be cautious. Knowledge that I might drop it meant a probability that I would lose it if I were rendered paralyzed... As I was." She pauses at the question about Pharasma. "At once, yes. And at the same time, no. My mother's name is Maria. Pharasma is the Lady of the Graves and in some sense, the mother of all. She is the goddess of birth, life, and death. From her and to her do all souls flow, and in time, all are judged within the Boneyard. It is said that she even Judges gods when they pass on.". She pauses once more and starts to say something, but just looks confused and shakes her head.
"Ah, well. Similar. I have fragments of my mother's phantom still embedded in me. The ritual couldn't remove her completely... or maybe it's that I didn't die during it like I was supposed to. I've never... she pauses, "Lost the word. I don't know." she says, chewing on her lip for a moment as her eyes dart about frantically, concern showing on her face for a moment. "Doesn't matter. Anyway... that's what I wanted to talk about later, before the flopping happened." she frowns once more, "The people we're hunting may have a way to rip that thing out of you... or we might be able to modify it to do so, if that's something you wanted."
Ila stays where she is, not even wincing at the magic's effect, instead staring at the sky. "Happens a lot. Pharasma won't let me die." she says, face twisting into a frown, arms splayed out. "I don't usually have that much of a problem with ghouls. Guess ghasts really are rougher. Maybe next time I'll try to ambush loners instead of going in front, too. So... everyone here is a monster?" she asks, staying precisely where she is.
Ila rolls into a more comfortable position, but otherwise does not move.
Ila is not invisible. She's at 1 wound with no vigor and unconscious.
As Ila lays in an undignified heap, she focuses on her feelings of curiosity, trying to push down the feelings of fear and worry. As she does, a silver sheen rolls over her body, and then she's gone, leaving the slavering ghoul unable to quickly find the brains it so badly craves. Her invisible eyes don't so much as widen as he closes in.
Yeah, with a move action to remove that -10. :) I'ma throw the book at them. :)
Is there much debris in the room that weighs five pounds or less? Asking for a friend. :) Also, would telekinetic projectile provoke from paralyzed Ila from attacking, even after a successful concentration check? :P
The first claw seems to barely slow Ila down, but she doesn't quite withdraw quickly enough and the ghoul grazes her skin with its flesh for a second time. She crumples unceremoniously to the floor with a thud.
Ila catches the strange look that Perdita gives her and offers an eyebrow raise, not quite focused fully on the combat, just yet. She shrugs and takes a few steps forward, lunging, and bringing her arm past her target's shoulder, before bringing her leg up and around, slamming a bolt of pure silver force towards her foe's chest. "Back to back, yes, Miss Tassa?" She grins, before assuming a playful stance, bouncing back and forth on the balls of her feet, and letting some of the negative energy she'd summoned up with her goddess's help sap its way into her target's mind. "Would you all kindly focus on a similar target? If we pool our resources we're much less likely to be overwhelmed. Miss Tassa and Mister 'Khar, you seem to both have left your targets wobbly. Together, you'd have likely grounded one." Her voice isn't condescending, but instead characteristically chipper, as she lets her hands fall to her sides with practiced ease.
Ila moves into the building, breathing slowly through her mouth as the first wave of horrible scent washes over her; she was thankful that she'd overreacted moments before; she likely would have been overwhelmed if not for the change in her focus from local dangers to combat.
"Lady of Graves, what have I done to fall into this den of monsters?" Ila asks, beneath her breath as Tassa rapidly changes as well, edging away slightly with clear concern in her eyes. So, not a fan of sea creatures, then. "Am I to assume that Mister Tirrell and Miss Gallowglass are also keeping secrets?" she asks aloud.
"We will need to speak on this, later." Ila says, strangely calm, as she reaches up to her necklace, just barely touching it with two fingers, and causing it to radiate a soft, silver light.
Ila's flippant attitude shifts quickly as Khar's and Lainor's forms start to alter without warning. She quickly takes a step away from them, moving from a neutral, inquisitive stance to a low stance with her arms and legs spread wider. Her fists quickly grip around nothing as her clothing flaps purposelessly behind her, eyes narrowed. She isn't looking at the door, but rather at her companions. Those more perceptive amongst the group can be just nearly certain they saw something silvery flowing along her hands during the movement.
"There never was going to be avoiding battle. The only difference is whether or not you were going to help." Ila says with a small shrug. "It is my duty as a priestess of Pharasma to cleanse the world of their kind. Otherwise, they will reproduce and do irrevocable harm to the surrounding environs and population until there are none left who are not of their ilk, leaving them to waste away in eternal hunger until they eventually accept true death as their only recourse. It is simply the way of things." she says with a small shrug. "If you'd prefer, you can go in and tell them that I'm not with you, and you honestly have no idea what's wrong with me." she says, looking over the creeping ivy on the wall, distractedly.
Ila bows slightly to the others, speaking in a friendly tone. "I suppose it is my turn to be Mister 'Khar." she says, before turning to the ghoul. "Hello. My name is Ila Indigo, and I'm a priestess of Pharasma. We've come searching for information on what occurred here some years ago, when the building burned and the Beast was saddled with the responsibility of the incident. If you could tell us anything you know about the incident, we could happily move on to the dismembering you portion of today's itinerary. I'm afraid that you're an affront against nature and disturb the natural order of things... though you seem considerably more friendly than I'm used to. Considerably less hissing, to say the least." she adds, shaking out her arms to either side, like trying to get excess water off of them.
"Something I'd forgotten." Ila comments out of nowhere. "It has been some time since I journeyed with capable allies who could provide things that I could not... it makes me miss them. All of them." she says, suddenly frowning, her hand moving to her necklace to tug it out and play with it for just a moment. "Nothing moving around out here that we can see... so, onwards and inwards?" She asks, offering a small smile to the others, as she starts to slip forward towards the ruined building, trying to keep out of clear view when the opportunity presents itself.
"Stay safe, Frasin." Ila says to the horse, who cooly ignores her, moving to the side of the bridge to curl up on its haunches, its legs bending the wrong way to do so. With that, Ila makes her way forward, heading first for the bridge, then for the exposed graves.
As a side note: It's not steal stamina that would be employed, but Glued Boots. This means that she like... wouldn't be able to five foot step or withdraw on the horse, if it were used. Which is a fairly interesting work-around. :P I'm alright with using my other phantom steed, but then we -must- be wary of the time we spend here; any longer than a little over two and a half hours, and we have no horse. :O
"In a way, yes. But... my magic isn't really studied, for the most part. I come by it... unnaturally." she says, rubbing the forward flank of the not-horse absent-mindedly. "Most of my magic relies on leveraging my emotions properly. This particular spell relies upon urgency."
"We should perhaps find farmers to look after the horses for us for a short while. Leaving them out in the open is dangerous, especially if they have been farm-raised for their entire lives. It would be money well spent to help protect your investments." Ila says with a small smile. "Likely, some form of paper would have survived, especially if it was hidden away." she adds, eyes sweeping over the building. "You'd be surprised how often fire passes over such things. I think we should begin near the graveyard, then sweep around, to secure the area before traversing the building. Be cautious, though, even if the ghasts do not appear, we should be cautious regarding the damage to the building itself. Also, given the place's history, it would be wise to expect restless spirits."
Ila purses her lips in thought, brow furrowed at Tassa. It meant something that animals did not like her, and exactly what that was, Ila was uncertain. She had never been the owner of any number of pets, really, but farmers she'd met on her travels had remarked about their pets liking her... perhaps the opposite were true. Or perhaps a curse were involved... or perhaps exaggeration. "I can only do this twice per day." she says, finally, "And if I do, it leaves me somewhat more vulnerable than I enjoy being. Not weakened, but... less capable. The same power granted by my goddess can also be used to hide myself or another. I do not know if the horse will fear you or not - I doubt that it will. If it does not, we can see if it will bear you." She stands still for a moment, adopting a wide and open stance, her hands clasped as she intones. "Apoi m-am uitat și am văzut un cal palid." Nothing immediately happens in the direction that she's facing, but instead, a horse silently leaps from the side of the stables, landing without a sound. Its head, mane and tail are jet black, which slowly fades to soot like scattered ashes, eventually terminating in steely hooves the color of smoke. Its eyes, while sharing the gray tones, are deep pools of smoke that slowly ebbs and flows within the sockets like a distant storm. It bears a bit and bridle that come fitted with a chain so fine and delicate that one wonders if it would truly control the beast, as well as a saddle that is cool to the touch. Each fender, as well as the cloth that covers its flank bear the symbols of Pharasma. Like Tassa, the other horses give it a wide berth, as it stands cooly staring at its rider. "This is Frasin. He has been pivotal in my journey from Korvosa to Lepidstadt. If he does not fear you... I could ask to borrow a friend. Regardless the clock is now ticking." she says calmly as she steps swiftly up into the stirrup and drapes her leg to the other side, hand alighting on the silver chain.
Ha, so:
I love phantom steed thematically, but like... no effort went into a spell normally two levels higher being in any way better, until you've picked it up 'at a higher level because it's now mount, but better.' :P I still have no regrets on the front of spell selection, though!
Alrighty. Ila don't need no horse, then. Her goddess provides. :3
We were talking about this elsewhere, but I'd like a final answer on it: What are your thoughts on Phantom Steed having a 10 minute cast time? Mount, its little brother, has a one round cast time, for comparison. Should we stick with the ten minute cast time?
"Very well. Will we be retrieving mounts for the sake of travel or no?" Ila asks, looking to the others in the group.
Ila stands for a moment, head tilted at the vague threat - which was not technically a threat - coupled with her explanation being far removed from the defense attorney's. It was odd that their expectations were so far removed from one another, and it cast a shade of doubt upon her interactions with one of the two. She pauses in rumination as she listens. "The defense believed that the trial would take days, and that we would likely have time to bring back evidence from each area in turn. I found it surprising that he expected it to take long at all. Why do you feel we would be so limited?"
Ila stares at the fence for a few brief moments. The image is reminiscent of a cat viewing the height of an object, deciding whether it is something to jump to. She looks to the others, and shakes her head, aware that most would be unable to follow to continue the conversation. "Yes, either he is more afraid of someone else than us, or there is nothing he could say that would do him any good in the court. Regardless, I believe if we need alchemical supplies, we should get them from a reputable dealer who can spell." she says, pursing her lips. "I don't believe we have anything else to do in town. Are we going to travel to the Sanctuary, now? Or should we inform Judge Daramid of our plans, first? Doctor Lainor, I believe that you know as much as any of us about this golem, do you know how one comes about?"
"If we don't learn anything here, then we have only the opportunity to share what we do know: That the Sanctuary burst into flames only days after a shipment of alchemical goods were delivered, and allow the people to make their own assumptions." Ila says with a small frown. "I would much rather that we knew more about the situation, but certainly, explaining the fire as being the result of alchemy gone awry would create reasonable doubt as to the guilt of the Beast." she pauses to look away from the iron bars, back to the gnome in pinstripe, a fine juxtaposition for a prisoner if she'd ever seen one. "Though, if you could perhaps give us the truth on what happened, we would be able to steer the line of thought, better?"
"Thank you very much, Mister Igor. If you recall anything more, please do keep in touch with Judge Daramid." Ila says with a small bow, apparently for no one's sake. "We'll be going to meet with the alchemist now, I think." Ila keeps her eyes on all of the simple architecture as she passes, looking at all the places people live and work, smiling at people as they pass, until they make it to the alchymic works. That 'y' was a bit gaudy and she didn't see the purpose, really. "We're here to talk, actually, if you've the time." Ila offers another small smile and a bow. "We're working with Judge Daramid on the Trial of the Beast™ and would like to know if there is anything you might be able to help us with."
"Ghasts are the scavenging remnants of powerful forms that have fallen to ghouls, yes? Why would they be out there? Surely there is little in the way of food for such creatures in a burned building, and surely still, there are few creatures powerful enough to become ghasts in the area." Ila thinks out loud, "You should be safe from their touch of paralysis, Mister Tirrell." she says, offhand, not recognizing the difference between ghasts and ghouls readily. "I'm sorry about your friend, Igor. We don't intend to dredge up bad memories, here, but we are trying to save lives. Was any of his work moving towards a cure of some sort, or seeing progress in the reclamation of their minds? It is entirely possible that someone sinister would want good works to go undone if it would bring some of their evils to light." Ila suggests softly. "I know this was long ago, but please try to remember: Were there any new patients or unusual visitors around that time? If so, how did they make you feel to be around them?"
"Hello, Igor." Ila says, pausing for a moment to recognize that he's blind. "My name is Ila Indigo, and I'm accompanied by Professor Lainor, Misters Khar and Tirrell, as well as Misses Gallowglass and Bokrugsku. Could you use any help with your work while we talk for a few moments?"
Ila nods, bowing neatly to Kaple. "Thank you very much. You're going to do wonderfully." she says with a smile. She takes a moment to sniff at the air of the room, before heading out after 'Khar. She stops at the door. "Could we get that address before we go..?" she asks, stopping to turn and smile sheepishly at him.
"It... sounds as though we'll need to split up, after all. I'm capable of traversing a significant amount of distance rather quickly, thanks to the Grave Lady's blessing... though if any of you have steeds of your own, your trip will likely be faster, still. Time has become of the essence, as it were." She pauses to look out a window (that likely only looks upon an adjoining wall). "My greatest concern is for the children. Should the Beast be innocent, then whatever was killing the children is still out there. Should we be able to kill it, we would be able to present it as the true foe, but we would need a better tracker than myself." she pauses, before continuing. "The ward, while burned, is only useful if we have a way to speak with the dead more directly. The place is likely haunted by the spirits of the vengeful and lost. If we follow this course, we must make efforts to bring someone that is capable of that along, as well as someone who can stave off the threats. While it pains me to suggest that I not help the children directly, dealing with hostile lost souls is one of my strong suits." She begins to pace, clearly uncomfortable - though whether it is in leaving a killer of children as a threat for someone else, or with the role of leader with a group that she hardly knows, is questionable. But ultimately, she wasn't the leader, simply someone who was trying to turn their situations into solutions. "I believe that Morast is a day's travel away, to and from, on horseback and by road, but only a few hours as the crow flies. Hergstag is similar, though if there is a ferry, and the currents flow that way - I am unaccustomed to river travel - perhaps time could be saved in one direction." She pauses, looking to the others. "If we are to clear the beast's name, we must journey to all of these locations, and spend time there, in less than a day. The alternative is to ask the Judge to delay the case, if at all possible, as there has been no time to gather evidence against the accusations, only leaving hearsay and gossip against his innocence."
When Ila appears, her thigh-highs from the previous day have grown into full leggings, her boots are the same, though her gloves have a bit more leather to them. Everything else is virtually the same in her appearance. Ila frowns. The word man that would do verbal battle over the laws of the land on the Beast's behalf was cursed with an inability to speak a simple sentence from start to finish. And this was the person that the defense always received? While she did not doubt his capabilities as a lawyer, the fact that the proceedings would take significantly longer would not be lost in how people felt about what was being said. "I do not believe he is guilty of taking the Effigy. Though, he is still guilty of the breaking and entering. I believe he has done so as a result of feeling forced to do so. He believes that things will 'get worse' if he gets more involved than he already has." she pauses briefly as she looks over his desk. Clearly overworked as well. She files that away for a moment. "I do not believe the Beast, who is purported to live in swamps, would fear a crocodile. Not when the bite of man's weapons hold no sting for him." she holds on to the bit of sobs sounding remarkably like laughter and vice versa, nevermind that everyone has their own way to grieve. "How long do we have before he faces trial?"
"I do not mean to pry... but have you considered getting a secretary, even if only for a few hours a day? There is a young woman here at the academy on scholarship that is excellent at notation, and I could speak with her on your behalf. It could help you dramatically with the amount of paperwork that you have to deal with each day." She says, offering a pleasant smile. And maybe the young woman would enjoy this work just as much as her other work, when she had the spare time. If she were even interested. And if she were not, there was a reasonable chance she knew someone who would be.
Ila nods in agreement, casting one last look around, looking over the window to see if it had been broken in relation to the others, simply unlocked, or if the others even had locks. "Perhaps we should look into any way someone might have climbed up to this story? After that, I think it would be best to rest. We've likely a lot of travel ahead, if we're following this course."
Ila nods to the professor, moving over to the window to join the other two. She does a pair of ginger inhales, nothing so deep as 'Khar's, testing the air. She then looks outside, leaning over the window, doing her best not to touch it, to see if there is any clear signs of passage outside.
"Unless, the Effigy was not gone when he was here before." Ila offers as an alternate explanation. "If he were to set off the traps, then that means that they were still in place. It would take a thief of paramount skills to rob the object and leave the traps in place. It seems more likely that the Effigy was either taken by someone with the means to bypass them already... which means a university staff member... or someone who was capable of making it look as though the Effigy were gone, who returned to claim it." Ila offers as an alternate set of possibilities. "We should ensure that everything else that was here is catalogued." she says, walking through the wrecked room, stopping to look at various odds and ends. "But what's more, the display case isn't even damaged, as if the Beast knew that that is what the others were after, so it clearly knows at least that much." she pauses, looking it over. "Are any of you capable of determining if traps are still active here? I'm afraid it's not one of my capabilities."
Ila takes the time to reach down into her bag and take out a coat, folded into squares. She shakes it open and puts it on, one are at a time, then moves to open the door for the others, once more. "I'm ready to go investigate the crime scene when you are."
Ila's friendly demeanor breaks for a moment, and she simply nods, before moving to the door. When 'Khar moves back in and sniffs the air around the cell, she pauses. "That's a very good idea." she says, moving back to the bars, and does the same he'd just done, though more delicately. "I don't think I've ever tried to track by scent. With that in mind, we should get to the museum first and quickly. Are you well-versed in tracking that way? If so... maybe you'll be able to pick up something if we're quick enough!"
She says, opening the door way out and holding it for the others. "Innocence needs to be defended. The Lady of Graves will determine whether a creature should be judged poorly or not, not I. And in that same teaching, the circumstance's of one's birth does not determine its capacity for good." she says, offering a small smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes, still preoccupied with the fact the creature knew of Vrood, but chose not to get involved. She shakes herself, before looking to the weretiger. "I'm ready to be on a warm trail for once, if you think that's possible, Mister 'Khar?"
"I'll scour for information first thing in the morning. It shouldn't take too long. We can likewise meet with his attorney and see if there has been any information. I hate to suggest it, but does anyone want to stay here to ensure that no one does anything stupid and tries to execute him?" Ila asks, looking between the others. "Trying to prove his innocence on three fronts with no information will be... difficult." she says, dallying for a moment, before looking back to him. "One last question from me... does the name Auren Vrood ring any bells to you?"
"But... why are they secrets at all?" Ila asks after a moment. "Did someone -make you- do this? Did a friend ask it of you?" Ila asks, mouth creasing into a frown. "You're saying you didn't do it, but we need some way to prove that. Anything you can give us. A place, a person. Anything at all."
"Thank you very much, Sergeant." Ila says, as she slips into the cell block. Ila had learned not to trust rumors, but had also found that rumors had a way of containing truth. So, there were indeed dangers in Hergstag and Morast, but it did not make sense for him to be blamed without proof. She stops suddenly when she sees the creature. An undead? No, Henry had said he was made manifest from the bones and flesh of others. She wrinkles her nose slightly, was that a piece of owlbear. She stops when it says it didn't do it. "Oh. You can speak?" Ila says, tilting her head. "My name is Ila Indigo. It's... rather unfortunate circumstances meeting you here. Do you have a name that you prefer to go by? I should very much like to not refer to you in the same way that most do." She awaits a response before continuing. "Could you tell me what happened? Or grant us any clues in understanding what happened better than we do?"
"Thank you for allowing us the use of your home as a meeting place. Hopefully, the next time that we meet with you here will be under better circumstances. Have a good night, Judge Daramid. And I'm sorry that I could not do more to prevent the damage done to your Museum, Professor Crowl." She gives each another bob of her head, before heading out the way she'd come. Ila follows 'Khar into the jail with an easy grace, crossing her wrists at her waist as she does her usual greeting - the small bow. "Hello, Sergeant Dun. I'm sure you don't get many visitors this late at night, but I've found in my investigation that leaving leads unfollowed can be quite detrimental to my understanding of events. We were told that this 'Beast' came peacefully? Surely that means that it is someone who could be visited with?"
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