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"Oh, yech, giant hands, I've heard about those-- and your typical garden variety skeleton... I know you're very in love with the symbolism of that blade, Iudex, but you might want to consider bashing them instead. And if anybody has cold magics, don't bother." Iudex's voice intones hollowly: "I will use Pharasma's spiral of steel to destroy these abominations, Vladimir Draznoi, for that is proper." Vlad rolls his eyes.
AOOs:
"ABOMINATION," roars Iudex, and tears towards the undead, the blade flying forth on the long chain.
"Well, you're certainly excited. Did you have Ghostios for breakfast or something," Vlad snarks. He steps a little closer and looses his crossbow bolt at the thing.
Vlad loads another bolt into his crossbow.
Burning with righteous-something-or-other, Iudex moves to surround the ground-bound undead, swinging with his spiral blade.
Apparently he is more enthusiastic than accurate. Cursing a storm, Vlad hurries to keep up with the pyschopomp, drawing his crossbow as he runs. "What are you DOING, this isn't like you!" "THEY MUST BE LAID TO REST. IF YOU WERE MORE FAITHFUL I WOULD ALREADY HAVE THE WINGS OF MY TRUE FORM BY NOW." "Oh my godddd, spare me," Vlad mutters, and slots a quarrel into the crossbow.
"Well, the ground-bound are your standard zombies," Vlad says with a dusting of his hands, "so blades rather than clubs or arrows or to be advised. I admit I've no idea what the flyer is, other than ugly." Iudex makes no answer; he is already bulling towards the ground-bound zombies with more enthusiasm than he has shown anything else. "PHARASMA BIDS THEE REST." "--buh?" Vlad says as Iudex tears forward. "Hey! Don't get too far ahead of me!" He hurries after his eidolon.
Vlad quickly taps the psychopomp on the shoulder, and the big suit of armor moves inexorably forward. "IT IS GOOD THAT YOU HAVE BEEN READY FOR DEATH," intones the psychopomp. He strides forward and stands stolidly before the enemy, a bastion of steel.
Vlad himself moves more slowly, not wanting to let his bodyguard get TOO far ahead.
Iudex's chain and blade cut down several; the psycopomp shows no reaction to this, but strides forward to provide tactical advantage to his current traveling companions.
It's a clumsy swing, but the extraplanar creature stands ready for any further orcs that might enter the reach of his blade. Vlad points and gestures at the nearest orc, his eyes flickering with strange lights. "Relax."
Vlad spends the bulk of the trip north chatting up Khismia and Vanya to whatever degree they tolerate him, and trying to escape Iudex's watchful attentions. The psychopomp never lets the Ustalavan far from his sight, however. Once they reach the camp, Vlad listens to the scuttlebutt about the many orcs and their interests, and suggests he try with the metalsmiths... and that Iudex try with Kardook. Iudex seems less than pleased with this suggestion. "DO NOT CAUSE TROUBLE, VLADIMIR DRAZNOI." "Who...? Me? Don't worry, I'll be back before the Grave Goddess checks in on you!" At the tents of Bukog, Vladimir introduces himself affably and suggests some rituals that might infuse raw elemental energy into the forging of a blade.
The psychopomp, meanwhile, strides for the arena where Kardook may be found. He observes the orc for a while before moving into the arena. "TO STRIKE FEAR INTO THE HEART OF THE ENEMY DOES NOT REQUIRE SCREAMING OR VOLUME. ALL THAT IS REQUIRED IS TO REMIND YOUR ENEMY THAT DEATH IS COMING. THAT AFTER ALL HEROICS ON THE BATTLEFIELD, AFTER EVERY LAST CHARGE, AFTER EVERY VICTORY, AFTER EVERY MARCH, DEATH REMAINS. NO WARRIOR OR CHIEFTAIN WINS THAT FINAL BATTLE. IN THE END, THE STRONGEST BLADE SHATTERS BENEATH THE INEXORABILITY OF ONE'S MORTALITY, AND ARMOR AND SHIELDS RUST BEFORE DEATH IS EVER DEFEATED. PRESENT YOURSELF AS THE HARBINGER OF ULTIMATE FATE AND FEAR WILL BE THE ANSWER IN ALL WHO ARE MORTAL."
Vlad looks deeply wry at the suggestion he 'keep his stupid tin can in line.' "You have a vastly incorrect understanding of the relationship between myself and the 'tin can'," he remarks, while watching the arrows aimed his direction with pursed lips. At the Twinhorn tribe, he says with a sigh, "Blunt as the 'tin can' is, surely you grasp what he was pointing out? Aldain thinks a bargain was made. Maybe the agents he dispatched stole from you and lied to him. Listen, I meant no offense regarding your holy relic, and I'm sorry if I gave it. But the Blakros family are.... very powerful, very rich, and spread across the many lands like a blanket. If you walk out of here without sorting out the truth of this, they'll act as if you are thieves, and it's a very long journey back to the north, isn't it? Do you want to be attacked by the richest family in the world for the entire journey there? Or would you rather get to the truth of whoever's claiming you made a bargain that you never did?"
Iudex remains stonily silent to the various references to his being an idiot, his gaze fixed on the potential enemy and his person planted in front of Vlad.
Vladimir looks to Iudex; the helmet looks back at him with an unseeable gaze, but the suggestion of implacability. It's the eidolon that speaks. "IF NIGEL ALDAIN SPEAKS OF SELLER'S REMORSE, PERHAPS YOU AND YOUR TRIBE STRUCK A BARGAIN YOU ARE NOT DISCLOSING," the psychopomp says in his flat, emotionless voice. "ALDAIN IS AN AMBITIOUS MORTAL BUT I DEEM OUTRIGHT THEFT WITH NO COMPENSATION AN UNLIKELY ACT FROM HIM."
"...what my companion is trying to say," Vlad says with a delicate throat clearing, "is that we wonder if there isn't more to the story? And, well, we are sort of here at Aldain's bequest. And told to apprehend the looters. And you're taking something out that I'm sure Aldain considers part of his collection. So. Perhaps we ought to ensure we hear his side of this as well.... which, unfortunately, means not letting you leave until we have this sorted out." He smiles in a bright, brittle fashion... and casts a shield spell on Iudex.
Making sure to stand behind Iudex, Vlad clears his throat. "We're Pathfinders. We are not Blakros museum staff, but we're here because a number of our own possessions are on loan to this building, which is called a museum... a bit like a shrine, you might say, for items with history. We were told thieves were breaking in and stealing items from it... so we came to protect our own investment, as it were." "We might have a common cause, if there are actual thieves upstairs." Vlad tactfully chooses not to mention that Pathfinders could easily be considered thieves a lot of the time. He studies Anok as he speaks, trying to figure out what the red... translucent... thing is.
Vlad looks side to side as the constructs fall. "--well, that was easy. It sounds like we must make for the stairs. If anyone's a bit dinged I can tap you with this wand as we run."
"Come on Iudex! Stairs! You love stairs!" "I AM INDIFFERENT TO STAIRS," the eidolon responds. "What, don't you climb them all around the Spire at the Boneyard or something?" Vlad retorts as he makes his way for a stairwell. "NO."
Vlad's eyes widen as he sees the constructs and tries to think what he knows of them to share with his colleagues. Iudex meanwhile strides to the side and swings the spiral blade at the blue-tinged construct.
The blade flies true. Vladimir himself takes a shot with his crossbow.
He practically shoots his foot.
As the runes approach, Iudex's scythe-like blade on its long chain flashes out to intercept them, cutting a sparking line in the air.
The armored figure doesn't cry out at the blast of fire, but he does seem to stagger wordlessly under the assault, his outline flickering slightly.
Vlad winces a little at seeing Iudex struck, but studies the runes intently all the same. "I think we might be able to disrupt these! They're... magical, a little like a trap, but they're also made of words... and raw magic.... so if you know anything about how any of those work-- oh, hell with it."
Hurrying forward with an unhappy look on his face at getting so close to a fight, Vlad nevertheless tries to concentrate, his pale fingers spread out spider-like towards the runes. It's just a different application of magic, right...
Iudex wordlessly steps through the swarm to reach his ward's side. "REMEMBER OUR COMPACT," he intones to Vlad, but his form continues to flicker and he cannot attack.
With merely an eyeroll for Lini's response, Vlad wanders near to the clockwork figure, and idly scans for magic, just to make sure they're not passing by something useful in the wreckage of the apparent construct. "Looks like somebody beat us to this one. Well, do we deal with those wretched runes? If they are swarms, I have some acid flasks on me, but that's it."
Vlad gives Lini an incredulous look. "Sorry, did you just... threaten me? Because I agreed with Vanya that we ought to go deal with the animals running crazy? Goodness, that's certainly an interesting interpretation of 'explore, report, cooperate'. Don't worry, I won't hurt any animals. I'm a lover, not a fighter~." Vlad smiles thinly and gestures at Iudex. "He might hurt something, though. If you want his guts, you might be out of luck. I'm not sure he actually has any. Though I'll be amused to see you try."
Vlad blinks hurriedly at the banner flapping at him, and steps quickly behind the axe beak and his own eidolon. "Not the FACE, oh my goddd. Right, after this, Iudex, you go AHEAD of me. They're.... animated... banners?"
Iudex says nothing, but lashes out with the flying blade at the nearest banner.
The psychopomp then steps forward with the implacable patience of Pharasma's stewards, interposing himself without complaint between Vladimir and the banner.
Vlad nods along with Constantin's verses about the Blakroses. "Very rich family. Very prestigious. The most beautiful daughters," he sighs. He looks with interest at the museum when they approach, being a young enough agent that this is his first time setting foot in the storied hall. "Ohhh exciting, look at all the lights. Iudex, try not to break anything.... perhap if this works out messire Aldain will introduce me to one of his cousins... The pyschopomp does not bother to answer with words, but gives off an air of long-suffering patience and unwinds the chain-and-blade from around its torso. With a slow methodicalness, the armored figure begins to swing the chain in a spiral, imitating the symbol of Pharasma, in a fashion. "Well, then," Vlad says brightly. "Thank you, Master Svaralk, that's helpful. I think Vanya has an excellent idea, I don't like swarms either. Animals should be easy enough, no? Go on, Iudex, you can open the door." He pokes the psychopomp between the 'shoulderblades.' The suit of armor looks wordlessly towards the others, then advances for the door.
"Do you need a hand? I can help," Vlad calls hopefully to Khismia, only to have Iudex's iron hand descend, one on his shoulder, and the other on his head to forcibly wrench his face in the direction of the Venture Captain and Nigel Aldain. "AlRIGHT," Vlad exclaims in irritation. "Ahem. Messire Aldain, what is the nature of these sentinels you've employed? Should we expect constructs? Bound elemental forces? "And you mentioned traps. If you have any details on them, that might be helpful." Iudex's voice rumbles behind Vlad: "SHOULD YOU NOT TELL YOUR FELLOW AGENTS SOMETHING?" Vlad exhales pointedly. "I'm GETTING to it. Right, ah, ifIgetknockedoutpleasedon'ttryandhealmethrough... conventional... means. There's a silver vial at my belt. And a specific wand. Iudex can tell you what to do, if need be."
Iudex does not appreciably respond to the ostrich squawking in his... visor. Vlad does, craning with amused curiosity to see the result. He seems disappointed when Iudex makes no response. "Sorry, birdie, he's no fun at all," he drawls, then returns his gaze to Khismia and her interesting wardrobe. "Oh, I am really liking this team so far. How do you do, Khismia?"
Vlad smiles in a toothachy fashion. "...Vlad is fine..." Reminded that Janira had asked a question, Vlad sits down on the lounge and crosses his finely made boots at the ankles. "Oh, let's see, what have I learned lately... "I AM ALSO INTERESTED IN HEARING WHAT YOU HAVE LEARNED." Vlad rolls his eyes. "Yes, yes. Well, we were last in Osirion, trekking some thief through the most godforsaken dunes you can imagine. It taught me the importance of having magic to protect you from the stupid heat. Ugh. It didn't rain once the entire time we were there! It's enough to make one miss Ustalav. Oh, Iudex, remind me to buy a scroll or two of endure elements, will you?" Vlad leans forward, smiling at Vanya. "An assassination plot in Korvosa? Now that sounds exciting. At least it was actually in a proper city."
Another dark-haired man enters on Constantin's heels, but he's shorter, slight of frame, dressed in slightly foppish clothing in blacks and reds. He has bright blue eyes, tousled curls with a runic tattoo just visible beneath them, a rather boyish look to his face that suggests he's barely reached twenty if that, and... very pale skin. "Ah, we have a poet among us? Splendid, splendid," he says airily. "I'm sure there'll be need for your skills. And-- goodness, who is this lovely creature--" He bows deeply to the woman with the red bandanna. "Madam, a pleasure to make your exquisite acquaintance! I am called Nox, and--"
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