Doomsday Dawn, Chapter One: The Lost Star

[holy_shitsnax]

Aralouk nodded dumbly as Niradnam asked if he was alright, already losing focus on him as he started talking to himself. Aralouk walked away back towards the column they had laid in wait for the goblins and put his back against it and slowly slid to the floor. Just as he was in approximately a sitting position his legs gave out from under him and he plopped onto his butt, scale mail scraping against the stones of the column as he grunted in pain. Those fuckin' bugs...you need to be smarter Aralouk, keep your guard up or this poison will be the death of you. As it is, you're not lookin' too hot -- no, you're fine. You've been here before you can keep moving, don't let them see your weakness, you're stronger than this, it's just a scratch. As he was thinking this, he was tearing off pieces of his tunic and wrapping it tightly around the bite in his leg to stop the slow stream of blood oozing from it. Leaning heavily on his war flail, he pushed himself upright ignoring the pain in his body as he grit his teeth against it. He walked back over to Niradnam, he cleared his throat briefly and put on a confident smile as he said "Alright, if I could get one of those potions Kella gave us, I should be good to keep going, assuming everyone else is ready to go too of course."

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

Eketh looks around as the combat quickly subsides, Desna's moonlight still glowing softly around this section of the cavern. "Really spruces the place up," he muses, sheathing his sling again and wiping his hands off. "Sets a nice atmosphere." While he didn't care for overusing his holy lady's gifts, he had to admit being able to call light down at a moment's glance was rather convenient in a scenario like this.

He glances over at Aralouk, raising an eyebrow at his notably weak state. He had mostly stayed back as Niradnam had attempted to treat the dwarf's poison damage, but seeing him barely hang on to consciousness he shrugs and walks over, idly twirling his butterfly pendant as he approaches. "It'd probably be better if we conserved those potions," he notes, grasping the pendant in his hand and placing it against Aralouk's wound. Muttering a small prayer the silver butterfly seems to glow as it draws some of the ambient moonlight into the wound, healing him in a flash. Nodding at his handiwork he stands up straight and pats him on the back. "There we go, good as new. I'm no doctor but I'd recommend not running headfirst into things like that - don't think I can do that a third time until I grab some shuteye."

 

[holy_shitsnax]

"What the --" Aralouk jumps in surprise as the halfling pressed the pendant into his wound, but seeing what he is attempting to do, he relaxes and allows himself to be healed. As the muscle reconnects and the skin begins to form over his leg, Aralouk feels much better and he claps the cleric on the shoulder. "Thanks mate, and I will do my best to keep myself out of trouble, but its better me than one of you lot. I can't promise that I won't be in the middle of the fray." With an apologetic shrug, Aralouk walks amongst the bodies of the goblins, searching their pockets for anything useful. He was able to find one small healing potion on one goblin, and pulled a small silver ring off another. He went to put the healing potion in his pack, but then remembered the stash that Niradnam was holding and he instead walked up to him and offered it up. "Found this on one of the goblins, as well as this little ring. You can add this potion with the rest of the others if you want, or I can hold onto this in case I get eaten alive again." Aralouk chuckled.

 

[Abrahms]

In the dark space, the flash of Eketh's pendant caught Egnaro's attention, the pulse of surprise drawing Niradnam's focus away from the venom in the vials. He watched with interest at the healing process, but knew magic and his methods of healing varied quite a bit.

While a few others rummaged around the room, Niradnam sat trying to figure out if at least for the spores if he could make a rough facemask to prevent breathing them in, only for Aralouk to grab his attention once more. His eyes widened slightly, "Oh! Interesting that they'd have one of these, but ... I suppose it probably came from a 'longshanks'. This is actually a stronger version of the potions I carry." Gently Niradnam pushed Aralouk's hand back toward himself, "I think perhaps it's best you keep it with you, you seem to be taking on the most burden so far. I still have the six remaining potions from the store, but I believe Eketh has the last of my own potions."

Placing the two vials of venom into his pouch where the bottles were originally, Niradnam began to stand, Egnaro climbing back up towards his shoulders, "So! What are we thinking: continue on? Or try to rest up? At the very least I think we should scout ahead if we can somehow, get an idea of what might be waiting for us. Worked very well for us in this last ... battle."

 

[Expersprobi]

With the sounds of the goblins silenced and the party now slowing down to tend to their wounded and explore the area more thoroughly, they are able to hear the sound of dripping water echo through the chamber from the hallway leading deeper into the Ossuary and opening up into a moderately sized room. On the north side of the room, a nearly ten-foot-tall visage of a woman’s face is carved into the wall. Trickles of water run down her cheeks like tears into a foul and polluted reservoir below, which itself drains to a large pool of fetid black water on the south side of the room.

Cadseem recognizes this visage as Pharasma. Eketh recalls some of his training on lasts rites and is able to identify this chamber as a place once used by priests to purify the dead before the final rites and burial were performed in the chamber to the west. Gorgutz is able to point out the large idol that lies in the southern pool, which Drakus placed there shortly after the tribe's arrival in the Ossuary. The idol itself is about the size of a human head and depicts a woman perched upon a throne of bones, from its base a thick, inky black substance seeps into the fetid waters.

There are two exits from the chamber, one to the east and one to the south. The south door appears to be locked, but the eastern facing door does not.

 

[Kanaxe_Ru]

As they walk inside Eketh glances around curiously, making out the familiar shapes and designs of the room. "Their taste in decor was quite nice for a purification room," he notes, nodding in approval. "A shame it's all in ruins now."

Upon catching sight of the idol that Drakus placed in the pool he immediately recognizes the visage, taken aback by the corruption seeping from it. "That's... Lamashtu. Goddess of nightmares, mother of demons. I'm obliged to vehemently dislike her, and if the thing wasn't supposed to be here that's even worse." He carefully walks closer to the pool, making sure to keep a fair distance and stop anyone else from approaching it. "Taking it out might get rid of this gunk... maybe. But I've heard that if you touch something like that and Lamashtu doesn't like you then all sorts of bad things could happen. Best to be careful with that."

 

[Abrahms]

Niradnam followed the group into the next room, noting the female face placed in the wall that wept, before his attention was shifted towards Eketh's words as he mentioned 'nightmares'.

He approached near the cleric, keeping a distance away from the pool as he looked over the dark substance that filled the pool. "Nightmares huh ... Hrm, I don't really recognize what that black stuff is, but it's definitely not healthy, and yet at the same time not actually ... leaking from the statue?" He crouched to get a better look at it, mentally trying to judge its weight as Egnaro lept down from his shoulders, moving towards Eketh and rubbing against the cleric's legs.

"Not really a magically gifted person, but I do have some tricks up my sleeve. I could potentially lift it out of the water without needing to touch it, if that's something we want to consider? Not sure if 'Lamashtu' would like me or not, but I'm ... I'm no stranger to nightmares as it is. Just not sure where we might put it afterwards."

 

[Zilfer]

Cadseem looks about the room and a frown crosses his face. He'd been rather quiet but at this sight he speaks up. "The cleric's would not like to hear of this..." says Cadseem trailing off as he looked to the extend of the corruption running through the water. At the mention of the idol being the cause anger flashed through him. 'Who would deface such a holy place? If it is this Drakus than I'll shed no pity for someone with no respect for the dead.'

As the others spoke he moved towards the Idol examining it and the water along with some of the others. "If you lift it out of the water I'll be the one to bear whatever foulness the idol will present if you can't float it over the edge. Whatever the case it must be removed from this place. It is an insult that I cannot let stand," says Cadseem looking to Niradam. This is the first time Cadseem seems sure of himself, and he looks back to the weeping statue his brows furrowing. 'That's why the notice was pinned for me this morning. You needed me to come here to remove this stain? I will be your servant in this, Pharasma. Why have you never...' he shakes his head not willing to go down that line of thinking before looking back to the others.

 

[WetHawk]

Finn grunted as he wrenched the arrow free from the eye socket of the first goblin that he had dropped. He wiped it off on the goblin's rags and took a moment to inspect the arrowhead, noting that it had chipped along the edge of the goblin's skull, but was still ultimately usable. I'm keeping you, that's for sure buddy. He tucked it back into his quiver and watched as some of the medically minded members of the party tended for the dwarf, who seemed to make a habit of messing with large insects. Didn't look like it did more than scratch him... must be venomous. That sucks.

Noting that they seemed ready to move, Finn moved on ahead into the next room, and his keen eyes noted a rope hanging near the door across the way. Following the rope visually, he saw that it ended tied off to a set of armor near the door, and was rigged to topple over whenever the door was opened. He groaned loudly before muttering to himself as he walked over to disable the trap. "Fucking amateurs..." He then glanced down the hall and noticed another door, this one with a lock on it, and brightened up somewhat. Well, this should be fun. Something to occupy myself with while the others play with the kiddie pool over there. He approached it and pulled out his picks, working with enthusiasm as he realized that the lock wasn't going to give easily. After over a minute of working on the lock, he felt a rush of excitement as he heard a soft click, and removed the lock from the door before stowing his trusty picks away. He grinned and turned around to watch the others as they worked on their weird statue thing, absentmindedly wondering what it might have been that someone was so keen to protect.

 

[Abrahms]

With a nod to the others who were watching, and Egnaro wrapping himself around Niradnam's feet, Niradnam began to focus on the small stone statue in the pool, muttering under his breath and making small motions with his hand. At first he thought he'd misjudged its weight -- or maybe something was keeping it in the pool, but slowly and shakily it began to rise into the air -- the inky blackness dripping off the bottom of it and into the pool of water, adding to the corruption.

With a twist of his hand, he began to pull the small statue away from the center of the pool, leaving a trail of the strange substance -- until it reached the edge of the pool and crossed the threshold. The goop stopped dripping immediately once it was outside the pool and Niradnam was left with the statue hovering in the air. Waiting for something to happen, but not finding anything, concentration starting to wear on him, he gently set the idol down onto the ground, watching in case it started leaking again.

When it touched the ground, the small statue instead shifted its coloring to a more typical stonework color. Breathing out -- he hadn't realized at first he'd been holding his breath -- Niradnam gingerly approached the pool, avoiding the statue still, and saw the water was beginning to clear, the dark substance fading.

Smiling he turned to Cadseem and Eketh, clapping his hands together softly, "Well! That ... has apparently sorted that out. I really don't suggest we touch that small statue, if we need to move it, I can lift it again but -- I think in a way it was activated by the water it was placed in? I have read up on various deities and their domains -- though I don't claim to be an expert -- but I almost think this was a clashing of such domains? A symbol of one placed somewhere relevant to one that represents the opposite?" He shrugged, gesturing towards the water, "Regardless, the water is clearing up, though judging by the depth of the water and the sheer amount of it ... hm, I'd say it'd take an hour or so for it to fully clear up at the rate it seems to be going."

He glanced around the room a bit more this time, noticing Finn seemed to be waiting, "What shall we move onto next....?"

 

[Expersprobi]

Scouting forward, into the fine stone halls of the Ossuary, the damage here is not alchemical fire, but scraping and scuffing of the stone from misuse and a lack of concern for the former sanctity of this place.

The path heads north, with a slight curve and a decline into a sunken cavern, the decline more rough carving than professionally worked stone. From the chamber, the sound of goblins working, rustling in armor and the somewhat unsettling sound of goblins feasting.

To the south, a more professionally worked set of marble steps leads down into a small, silent room. Toward the bottom of the stairs, you feel an unsettling presence, but the room seems to be empty, save some bones picked clean lying in a pile on the floor.

Finally exploring the path to the south, there is a tall stone statue depicting a beautiful woman in ceremonial robes stands in an alcove where the paths meet. The woman clutches a dagger with one hand and holds an hourglass in the other. Red sand swirls within the hourglass, moving of its own will. Past her to the south is a set of stairs leading up to a door which Talga had marked on the map as Drakus' sanctuary with a skull.

 

[Abrahms]

After the group scouted the next area of the Ossuary, and Cadseem explained the strange statue of the woman -- the trap she represented, there were only a few options for the group until the water in the room prior cleared well enough to be hopefully used to avoid the trap.

Having mixed feelings about the silent room, the party instead turned their attention towards the rough stone hallway that led to goblin noises. Unsure of how to approach it, Niradnam hesitantly offered a plan, "I ... have a very mean thought." He turned to Cadseem, "You still have oil flasks right? I still have one last flask of Alchemist's Fire, we could coat the hallway with the oil, draw them into the hallway, then light it on fire?"

The group seemed to agree to the plan, with Finn attempting to sneak forward and douse the steps, only to accidentally clip the flask on the side of the wall, alerting the goblins inside to the party. Deftly Finn managed to finish the trap and get out of the hallway as goblins could be heard issuing orders inside. The party was set and waiting on their side of the hallway, Niradnam with a flask in his hand ready to be thrown. Two goblins came up the hallway -- one returning back to report and one staying to attempt to fire on the intruders. However he missed, and instead was met with Niradnam's flask of Alchemist's Fire, immediately catching the area on fire, leaving the goblin screaming in agony from the flames.

Niradnam turned away from the sight until the voice finally stopped ... however it seemed he had activated the trap too early, and only caught one victim. It then turned into a waiting game on both sides, neither wanting to brave the flames, and even when the fire died, neither wanted to be the ones who approached first.

Eventually -- attempting to end the deadlock one way or the other, the party pulled off the nearby door and attempted to wedge it into the hallway to block the path -- still leaving them waiting for the water to clear and the silent room.

Fidgeting with his potion pouch Niradnam cleared his throat, Egnaro rubbing against his legs in an attempt to calm his owner. "So ... that happened. I ... probably threw that too early, this is very much not how my days usually are. But ... we still have a bit to wait until the water clears, and hopefully that door holds." He gestured off to his right, "There's still this room if we want to investigate it, or merely wait on the water."

 

[holy_shitsnax]

As the fire began to die down and Aralouk kept his grip on his war flail tight, prepared for the rush of the goblins, he is surprised when none of them come rushing down the corridor. He stands there prepared for a few more seconds, and then gives Finn a questioning look as he goes to peek inside.

At Finn's description of how they are waiting in their own room, Aralouk relaxes slightly as he thinks about how they should handle this. He then realizes that they just need to keep these goblins away while the water clears the previous room, and he then spots the door they had entered through. He turns to Finn with a wicked smile, saying "Think you can take that door off its hinges? We can probably just shove this in their exit and trap them in there while we wait for the water." When Finn agrees, Aralouk follows him back, then cracks his knuckles as he waits for Finn to do his part. Once the door is unhinged, Aralouk grabs one side of the door and bends his knees in preparation -- but his fingers slip off the other side and the door doesn't budge. Gritting his teeth as he bites off the curses that were about to be said against the many gods, he tried to lift again, and managed to get the door to slowly move over towards the hole.

The door ends up being a bit too large, and Aralouk manages to kind of wedge the door into the opening, and he shrugs his shoulders -- good enough for him. He turns to Niradnam as he speaks, then replies "Ah don't worry about it, were all still here eh? And I'll assist in checking out this room if you all want to, but I'm not like married to that idea or anything."

 

[Expersprobi]

The party follows a narrow flight of stairs which winds downward, descending into this circular chamber. Stone biers line the walls, but the bodies that may have once rested upon them now lie picked clean in a rough pile on the floor. As you approach the edge of the steps with an appropriate light, you see a small chalk mark, draw on the wall just below goblin height. It's hard to make out on the white marble walls, but Niradnam is fairly sure it appears to be a small 'X' and an arrow pointing back up the stairs.

 

[Abrahms]

Stepping through the hallway, Niradnam's gaze moved across the area, but there was something that just kept catching his eye on the one section of wall. What even was that...? Crouching to get a better view, he lightly ran his fingers across the wall, realizing it was actually an X, with arrows leading away from the room. Standing once more he took a better look at the bones, noting they appeared ... gnawed on? By goblin teeth? Eketh nearby mentioned the bite marks looked more like they were an attempt to attack as Niradnam tried to figure out what he was looking at.

Tapping his chin, "Hm ... if the goblins weren't gnawing on this as a snack, and instead were trying to attack it ... they also were warning each other not to come down here due to the marking on the wall. I'm thinking perhaps there's something in there, using the bones maybe as a focus, that was attacking them." Niradnam shrugged, "I'm unfamiliar with this building and its secrets, perhaps there was something placed here, or corrupted, like the water of the other room?"

 

[Expersprobi]

Having noticed the goblins' simple warning to each other and surmised the danger that the room might pose because of the nature of the biting and gnawing, the party decides to move back, watch their blockade, and wait for the pool to clear. Another thirty minutes pass and the pool, clear of any off the viscous black substance from the idol, suddenly begins to glow with a dim, divine light. A calm, but sad voice rings in your heads, "Drink of my tears and be cleansed. This is my gift for your aid in cleansing this holy place." As suddenly as the voice had spoken it was gone, a peaceful calm fills each or your minds.

 

[Abrahms]

Having decided not to bother with the room, and not seeing any movement from the strange wall the group made with a repurposed door, they instead decided to wait out the water.

Growing bored after awhile, Niradnam began to set out his mobile alchemical tools, deciding to see if he could manage anything out of the vials Aralouk had handed him earlier. Due to the still less than desireable conditions of his work environment, and still ... hearing in his mind somewhat the screams of the goblin earlier ... the process took longer than he would have preferred, but still left him with a synthetic copy of the poison and a new recipe to his notes.

Satisfied at least a little in doing something that was more typical for him, the last few minutes he spent placing his things away, cleaning them each with the only magic he could manage, just as the voice rung out in his mind. Glancing around at the others, he saw slightly confused expressions too, meaning it wasn't just him. After everyone drank from the water, he followed suit, then hesitantly followed the group past the intimidating statue. With it not activating, he breathed a sigh of relief, only to find ironically they had come upon a stuck door -- similar to what they had done at the end of the hall.

Aralouk stepped forward to try and pull the door open, but just couldn't manage to get the leverage he needed. Reaching behind himself, Niradnam pulled out his staff, offering it forward to try and use as a pry-bar on the door. Between the pair they managed to get it open, however they weren't entirely sure what would be on the other side.

 

[holy_shitsnax]

Aralouk sat on the ground with his eyes closed as they waited, just thinking about the many enemies that they had fought already in this tunnel system and wondering what other surprises they would find while searching for this 'Drakus.' He was shaken from his daze by the voice that rang in their minds and he leaped to his feet, hand on his longsword. Realizing there was no danger, Aralouk relaxed and knelt by the water, taking a mouthful, feeling a bit better after he did so but not much. Grumbling to himself, he followed the group, then inched around the statue and saw the door, and looked at his companion confused as they tried the door to no avail. "Here, let me try." Aralouk said as he stepped forward and grasped the door firmly with his hands, then pulled with all of his might. Once again, the door remained shut against his attempts, and he tried once more to pull it, and this time he was able to move it with the help of Niradnam. Aralouk gave the man a nod of appreciation, then put the door back in its track so that they can proceed.

 

[Expersprobi]

As Aralouk and Niradnam open the door it makes a loud clunk as it is set back into its track and grinds against the track as it is pushed open. Opening the door reveals a room which was once a shrine, but is now a ghastly mockery of its former purpose. To the south, an altar upon a raised dais is surrounded by mosaics depicting a stern woman with long, flowing white hair, all of which has been slathered in filth and gore. The whole area reeks of decay and cloying, clotted blood. Off to the eastern side of the room, a scratching, clawing sound can be heard, the source not currently visible.

 

[WetHawk]

Finn had been quiet for quite a while after fumbling the oil flask and alerting the goblins to their presence. After their brief stalemate, he was surprised to hear Aralouk come up with a relatively brilliant plan on how to deal with their predicament. "Alright, I'm in." Finn swiftly removed the door from it's hinges and watched the dwarf set it in place, not entirely pleased with the job he had done, but not going to argue with the man he had seen splatter a giant centipede like a gnat.

As Aralouk and Niradnam opened the door, Finn approached it cautiously, bow in one hand and the chipped arrow from before in his other. He listened, hearing a familiar skittering noise, however it was many times larger than he was used to. Calistria's tits, of course it has to be one of those fuckers... He turned back to the group and whispered the name of the monster he avoided as a rule in the sewers. "We're dealing with Rodents of Unusual fucking Size... Been telling the guards about them for months, but the bastards refuse to believe they exist."

 

[Expersprobi]

The party discussed its options and decided the best course of action was to spring an attack against these unusually sized rodents. Moving carefully, the party got into position, preparing to strike the dire rats. While Aralouk drew his longsword and dagger, others prepared in their own way, each drawing their weapon of choice in anticipation of the conflict.

Rounding the corner, looking down the tunnel, Finn's concerns were confirmed, there was not one but two giant rats, the situation was indeed very dire. Then, as the conflict began, a noise behind the altar, an evil laugh as a the hobgoblin Drakus the Taker rises to his full height. "So, you've been the cause of all that racket. The Red Bishop will be pleased with your end!" He lets out another maniacal cackle.

 

[Expersprobi]

As the combat began, and Drakus revealed himself, Finn was quick to the draw. Nailing the beast with an arrow and drawing first blood. Niradnam followed with a bottled lightning, but missed the mark, barely even shocking Drakus, however his quick trigger finger landed a lucky bolt in the hobgoblin's side. Drakus' form melted as he revealed his true self, the faceless stalker shambled forward and swung his blade, but couldn't make contact with Finn. In response, Gorgutz mounted a psychic assault, and after so much time with the goblins, Drakus was unprepared. Sickened by the pain in his mind, he was unable to hold his own against the Aralouk's strong grasp after the barbarian tossed a dagger towards one of the rats, alerting them to his presence. The rats, starving and subjugated moved to attack, one went after Cadseem who was close, landing a single bite, the second went after Aralouk biting him twice. Neither succumbed to their filth fever. Eketh identified Drakus' true form and recognized his soft, fleshy exterior provided protection against his main form of damage, bludgeoning. Instead Eketh turned his sling on a rat, striking it in the eye, a critical hit but it only served to anger the beast. Cadseem returned the blow to his own rat, felling the aggressive rodent of unusual size, and crossing to aid his allies with Drakus.

Just as the fight picked up in intensity, Finn loosed several more arrows, a few good hits, but Drakus was tough. Niradnam tried to finish him with a crossbow bolt, but couldn't place the shot effectively enough to end him, leaving him in a weak and uneasy state. Drakus thrashed with his longsword stabbing at the barbarian who had him by the arm. The first hit missing, but the counter swing made solid contact. The stalker then struggled to free himself of the grip, tripping on some of the gore he himself had spread around the room, he fell to the floor, allowing Aralouk to capitalize on the mistake, restraining him. Gorgutz seized the opportunity to launch a volley of magic missiles at the abomination, ending him. Aralouk, battered but not defeated turned driving his blade through the skull of the second rat.

Combat resolved, the party took a moment to take inventory of the place. While Niradnam took fifteen minutes to cleanse the two statues and the altar, Aralouk collected his dagger from the floor. Finn, Eketh, and Gorgutz looked over Drakus' belongings, hoping to find the Star of Desna and distributing the items to those who might use them best. Finn donned the hobgoblin's expert studded leather, though the fit was large, the quality included cinching straps which Finn put to good use. Niradnam added two minor healing potions to his satchel, and Cadseem collected an expertly crafted longsword as well as a silvered amulet of Pharasma. Finally, Gorgutz collected a shiny key with an intricate bow. This key, he recognized, would unlock any room in the Ossuary. With the altar clean, Cadseem said an appropriate prayer and again the party heard the voice of Pharasma echo in their minds, "Thank you again, humble heroes. You have done me two great services in this once holy place of mine. It is only right that I, Goddess of Life, Death, and Fate do a similarly great services for you. First, the corruption gone, the bones will rise no more, their rest is eternal and their possessions yours should you choose to claim them. Second, go forth knowing that you carry my blessing. The next time you are in dire need and death calls for you, I will bolster your strength and make you whole again. This is my gift for your selfless aid, the Blessing of Pharasma." Just as suddenly as the voice began it ended once more. An calm silence filled the room.

To the east is a door which is locked, but easily unlocked with the master key. Beyond the door is a short hallway that leads to a flight of stairs, ascending into a small chapel to Pharasma. This space is perfectly still and spotlessly clean, a stark departure from the grime and filth that has marred the rest of this complex.
Pharasma's imagery appears again here, in a simple mosaic on the wall above a stone altar. Atop the altar is a book, a dagger, and a silver bowl.

To the north a cramped cavern reeks of stale sweat and dried blood. Tucked into the far corner is a filthy straw bed made from ratty hides and moldy clothes. Off to the side sits a pair of chests, one of which is open and filled to the top with a strange assortment of clothes. A long tunnel continues off north from there, eventually snaking back to the room with the bonfire and the remaining goblins.

 

[WetHawk]

Finn finished strapping on the new armor, not fully comfortable with it's size but confident in it's enhanced protection. Haven't been much of a master thief as of late anyways. Better to be ready for a fight. He quickly began to check the final rooms of the cavern, noting Drakus's sleeping quarters. No clue what the fuck that guy was, or what business he had fucking with the nobility of Magnimar, but he sure as hell won't be doing it again any time soon. He took note of the chests in the room, but quickly followed the hallway to see where it led, spying the same pack of goblins from earlier down below. He took note of the trap they had set and smirked to himself. Cheeky bastards thought we were just going to walk right on in, huh? Anyways, this doesn't matter anymore. The Star is the only priority.

Finn circled back to Drakus's sleeping quarters and walked over to the chest before pausing as he saw a slight bulge in the lock of the closed chest. Heh, clever bastard trapped his own lootbox. Probably wise with all these underlings about. Still... by the looks of it, it's the pins are still made to release properly if the true key is used. Finn turned around and called over his shoulder. "Hey, New Big'un, get over here. I need to see that shiny key that you picked up for a second. I promise, you can have it back when I've finished."

 

[Abrahms]

Throwing the lightning bottle Niradnam had been surprised at the sudden appearance of Drakus, making him aim slightly wide -- the bottle still shattered, sparking towards Drakus, but it didn't do as he'd hoped. Trying to rally and really wishing he was back in his lab mixing things together, he raised the crossbow, hoping to land something more solid. As the fight went he shuddered as he watched Drakus' form melt away, however continued the focus fire on the creature while the others dealt with the rats.

After the dust settled, Niradnam settled himself for cleaning the statues and altar, tense from so much use of the small magical ability -- at most he used it to clean after his experiments or work, not this much in one day. A faint headache was starting at he finished, listening to Cadseem do his small prayer, frowning slightly as the voice spoke in his mind again like before -- though having a 'Blessing of Pharasma' definitely was better than the 'Curse of Pharasma.'

Once that was over Niradnam looked over the found items with the rest of the party, adding the healing elixirs to his ever expanding collection of glassware at his hip. Wandering the small area, he followed as the others moved to a side room, curious what the chests might hold.

 

[holy_shitsnax]

During the fight Aralouk immediately fell into the main reason he was hired by the Deverin family: Protection. Seeing the two rats as well as the larger hobgoblin who expertly handed his weapon, he made a split second decision to try and incapacitate Drakus. He hastily threw his dagger at a rat to free up one of his hands, then charged at Drakus and managed to wrap one of his arms around him. Taking two bites from the rats, Aralouk grit his teeth as he felt the new wounds start to seep into his armor but managed to keep hold of Drakus. When the hobgoblin struck twice as him, Aralouk almost released him from the pain that he felt, but luckily Drakus slipped and Aralouk capitalized on that, taking him to the floor. He rolled off the body as Gorgutz finished him off, and quickly pulled the healing potion he found out of him pack, downing it, then thrusting his sword into the last rat.

As the fighting stopped, Aralouk pulled his sword from the body of the rat, and keeping it in his hand he retrieved the dagger he threw and slid it back into its sheath. He then knelt over the bodies of the rats and examined them, but saw the filth and possible disease and decided it was best not to harvest them. Instead, he moved to put his back against the wall and sat down. He started cleaning his longsword with the hem of the shirt he wore under the armor, but it was so bloody he only succeeded in smearing the blood around the sword. Sighing, he took a spare shirt from his satchel and set about using it to clean his sword, and when he was satisfied he slid it back into his sheath. He almost drew it again when the disembodied voice sounded in his head, but recognized it from the previous chamber and relaxed as he watched the others collecting things from around the room.