Session #32: Undead experiments
Jan. 14th, 2024 06:12 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
istainion 19 July, 2021 [8:00 PM - 12:15 AM (GMT+2)]
Day: 5, Time of day: 8 AM+
Location: Headquarters, Vallaki
Side Note: Personal information has been shared about Pyre her order and one of her abilities to travel the Ethereal plane for a brief moment to pass any location of desire
(Remarks marked by *are written in abyssal, remarks marked by - are written in celestial, the rest of the entry is written in common)
Awake from my rest, I looked through the journal once more. I know that the others require a lot more sleep than I do and used this moment to look through both my notes and the other documents that I hold with me before I slipped into my armor and made my way down the stairs to wait for the others. Eager to speak of what bothered me since last night. That voice ... Who does it belong to? Why can it reach me? Have the others heard a voice as well?
Yshvara was the first to come downstairs but I needed the rest as well. Impatiently, I've been sitting on the couch with my arms pressed against my chest. Just when it took too long, I decided to have some breakfast instead until the group gradually gathered in the main hall. Eagerly, I addressed my concerns with the others and asked if they had heard a voice as well. I recall Yshvara mentioning something about a lady's voice but I was certain that the voice that reached out to me was male. I let my gaze move over to the others in an expectant manner until I heard both Pyre and Arvirin speak of the same voice but the message was clearly different for each of them. It wasn't a surprise, I would doubt that both of them have interests in the undead. Arvirin was warned about trusting others too lightly, while Pyre was invited to the land, when Pyre left her part, Yshvara spoke up and could already confirm that it was indeed the count's doing but I revealed my skepticism. If they were invited to the land by a female voice and this voice is male, then how can she be so sure, I thought, until Arvirin said something about that the voice said that it was amusing to watch him.
To watch him? ... Who is watching? I haven't noticed anyone following us around unless we have a traitor among us ... But then they spoke of the count who is able to see everything in his domain. I became a little nervous. He's watching us ... All the time? He's ... Everywhere at once? I recall reading similar things from the journal ... Also about his concubines ... Strange man. Well, I bet Ellamin is having a wonderful time with him.
When Stasia's name dropped, Pyre spoke up and asked for more details related to the count crazed lady. Her order, the one that also enables her to slip through walls, doors and even floors, has given her a task to find this lady. I assume that she is either an assassin or some bounty hunter but what truly is the difference, I simply don't care as long as she behaves. It was interesting, to learn more about these people (*and hopefully, I'll one day access their full information to neutralize any risks.) When Pyre slips through various surfaces, she briefly slips into the Ethereal plane, home to spirits of the passing. It is fascinating. But she is only briefly there and hasn't come into contact with any spirit before for the short duration she is there.
(*Of course,) Shevat was very eager to learn about those details and I couldn't deny that I was, too. It's not often that you cross paths with someone who travels back and forth like that. It was quite the shame to hear that she can only do it once. She could only enter once and be stuck in that room if it were to be against our luck. Meaning, her ability involves too much risk for it to use without double securing all possibilities or we risk losing a valuable member. (*Frustrating, if you ask me ...)
Shevat asked Pyre that if she ever comes in contact with any spirit during her brief stay then Shevat would love to hear about it, upon her agreement, the druid looked extremely excited. He was almost like a small child and I could barely hold back a chuckle when I saw that happening. It's not often that he lets go of that controlled facade of his. (*Very adorable ...)
Day: 5, Time of day: 9-10 AM+
Location: Vasili von Holtz Mansion, Vallaki
Side Note: Experimental enemies were found, tied to a surgical table. A female corpse in a black dress and a flesh golem that was made from different body parts. Among the large room there were smaller rooms that match a similar design to a small prison, assumed to be products for future experiments, the result of both corpses. Fought against two celestial, spectral warriors that were forced to fight us. Met up with Stasia again who completed a theory of Victor from his book and turned it into a large flesh creature of undead. She disappeared again. The bones of St. Andral and the innocent lives of Vallaki's people were used to construct it in a brew (possibly their corpses).
Items obtained:The Tale of the runaway Bride Vol. 1/3 (Viiris), Poisonous herbs (Pyre), (Unhallowed) Bones of St. Andral (Spiritual animal - Shevat)
On our way to Vasili von Holtz' mansion, we met with the guards from last night. One of them is younger and the other one seems a little older. When Arvirin asked the older man if he was interested in more food, like he was last time, the man politely declined but mentioned something about receiving liquor instead. I noticed the questioning pair of eyes in my direction coming from the boy who asked me what it meant that they are looking for, accompanied with the question what it meant to be drunk. I could hardly contain a straight face when he did and even when I translated the words, it seems like he is inexperienced on the field. I told him that if we manage to have a moment at the end of our night, he might just get that experience but I did warn him ... That he might regret that. (*I cannot deny that I'm curious how he'll react to it.) If he needs more information, I said to him, he should ask Tibirin. He seems to know plenty about liquor, judging from his obsessive behavior about the wine he eagerly wants me to deny that we have in a big barrel. Maybe this humiliating guard is willing to spend some coin, why hesitate? Even willing to go as far as to mark me as a delusional fool, they sure have guts, don't they? (*We'll just ask for a guard replacement, maybe there's a competent guard left in their forces. This one is simply terrible ... I am truly ashamed to work with them, to rely on them.)
Yshvara was so silly to hand them one of the bottles she had on her and of course, the guard with little hesitation ... Revealed his true nature and before we knew it, he was a drunk man. No matter how much I threatened him to behave or else I was urged to notify his superiors, he remained free of concern. (*It is disgusting how little it means to be loyal to the duty they are given. It is not a surprise that thieves on the streets aren't intimidated by the image of a guard if guys like him roam around the place. I needed to hold back my urges before we'd enter the mansion. Uncle and nephew, hmm? Really cute, let's move on before I really lose my temper.)
Back into the familiar space, I felt urged to get straight into business before I was interrupted by the others. They first needed to check for traps and the content of the crates nearby. Why haven't they done so before? Yshvara found herself some new unlabeled wine red liquid in a bottle, assumed to be wine, or so I would hope. When Pyre took a closer look to the spot where I would need to insert the stone tablet and mentioned her intentions, I sighed and went through my knees to take a look as well, telling her to move away. I noticed a text written on the wall in a language that only I speak and shared it with the others. (*None of them speak abyssal? Such a shame ... But to doubt me for my information for being the only one that is actually capable of reading it, I felt nothing but irritation for.)
"All who continue, must make sacrifices . . ."
I told them, just to warn them for what would come. Tibirin did not believe me. He needed confirmation whether or not what I said was what was written there or not or if it was me who adjusted the translation of it. He's truly doubting my information? Have I ever shown myself disloyal? A little bit of a dour is what I have? I asked if he doesn't trust me and Tibirin was clearly revealing a nervous behavior around the topic. I gave him an intense glare and fixated on each and every twitch on the tiger's face. He spoke honestly about trusting me but admitted that I am a little on the dark side from time to time. Dark? Why would he come up with that?! My gaze went to Arvirin who also spoke up. "Just listen to your voice", he said to me. I felt the irritation get to me, the longer this went on. Arvirin copied my voice but it sounded much like a zombie. That poor mannered barbarian ... Tibirin added to it, confirming that what Arvirin said was accurate, it is how I am. As frustrated as I felt with these people, I just handed the tabaxi the stone tablet and moved to the back. Whatever sacrifice it will force them to make, I will watch. Maybe he'll receive another shock if those arcane symbols work with the mechanics of this stone tablet. I watched him eagerly.
The stone tablet gives off a faint, pale blue light but nothing happens. Even after Tibirin tried to press against the wall and tablet. So I moved forth with the writing in mind and pronounce it. Again, no reaction. It turns out to be an instruction, rather than a warning as even when I speak the words to open up, there was no reaction. What needs to be done here is clear. We are to spill blood and both me and Shevat seemed to have that exact same mindset when all of us reached for a weapon to draw some blood. The faint blue light from the tablet turned red when slowly, each of us was transferred to the space that we assumed to be on the other side of the wall.
This is such a strange mechanism, why would he have it in his mansion? Does that noble always draw his own blood, if he even has any on him before he would enter? Or can he pass through the wall with little concern, like that lady we met? On the side of the wall inside the corridor, a few torches were lit and the wall behind us contained no information at all. There was no clear mechanism to get out, there may be something that could trigger it farther into the room, I hoped. If not, I will make sure to provide us with what is necessary to survive until we will make our way out again. A little nervous as I felt with the fact that we could be trapped inside, except for Pyre, I began to move onwards to forget about my concerns for a moment.
Tibirin casted a light spell on the sword which he got from his back, the one he obtained from Morgu. The light gave off a prismatic effect. It was very colorful and it went in many directions, enough for me to already feel some mild concern that it could attract the enemy ahead of us. I heard no footsteps but we decided to move on ahead into a bigger space. In the distance, I spotted two surgical tables with two bodies attached to them, to my left, there was a bookshelf positioned against the wall and to my right, in the distance, there was a desk with various ingredients which are possibly needed for the strange experimentation. From the distance, we could see that one the bodies seemed to be stitched together for the body parts are of different shades. I looked through the room with my sight to spot any signs of undead when one of the corpses reacted to it, along with the large, stone door in the back that gives off necromantic energy. Odd, never did I imagine to see a door react. This is not a normal noble that has some secrets to hide, that much is certain.
When I passed that information, Tibirin turned to me and asked whether or not they would greet us when we got close. I smiled back at him and said that if maybe he's very kind with them, they might not move a muscle. Tibirin gave off a mischievous look when he said. "If you mean by very kind that I'm going to sneak up to them and put my very big sword through their very small neck before they get up the slab, then yes~"
I couldn't help but to give it a smile. I did like his way of thinking, I won't deny that even after he spoke ill about me only moments ago. Shevat admitted as well that he needed those corpses back to his cycle of life-kind of ideal, we seemed to have a mutual agreement. Pyre already damaged her skin, similarly to our first fight together. It is such a strange sight to see someone as willing to damage themselves for the purpose of a fight but neither will I question it. When they advanced in the direction of the two corpses, the tiles suddenly began to light in a red-purple hue and a sudden loud screech filled the room. I felt my senses grow numb at the deafening sound, everything started to spin until my vision blacked out entirely and I hit the ground.
I got back up and saw the corpses on the floor not too far away from me. The stench was terrible, especially now that I got back to my senses. Some of the others seemed to have taken some damage and I also noticed that Tibirin seemed to be in the same state as I was in. Both of us were down this entire time? ... Embarrassing. I quickly got back up to my feet again. There was a bear close to me. I wasn't sure whether or not it was an enemy at this point. He growled at me but didn't make a move but just before I felt urged to fight it, Yshvara explained to me that it was Shevat. Adding a "He does this sometimes." I rolled my eyes at the statement and gave it a nod. "Of course." The fight has ended, excellent.
I immediately approached the flesh golem to take a closer look and I compared it with the other. They aren't identical. One of them is wearing a black dress, has long black hair, is female and looks pretty fresh, the condition of the golem is similar. The flesh golem is made from different parts, each limb is of different origin. Same went for the head and torso. I examined the golem and recalled how they function. They rely on a magical power source, meaning the controller doesn't have to be nearby in order for it to move. Whatever has caused it to react may have to do something with the reaction of the floor when those two approached those tables.
I haven't seen much of it while I was out and it truly was a shame but I wonder why a noble would want this underneath his house. I read similar things in the other noble's house where one of their old companions has died and I am also eager to do some investigation there as well, for there could be something interesting left for us to discover. After all, Lady Fiona Wachter is a supporter of the count and has this interesting sounding cult. If we manage that, we will have all noble houses thoroughly investigated. I intend to mark it down and I will not let the others get in my way of clearing Vallaki's remains of evil origin.
My attention was drawn to the bear who sniffed the flesh golem. I gave him a smile and asked whether or not he was hungry but the bear gave me this angry expression as far as I was able to recognize it. He did seem very hungry to me, why else would he be so eager to smell the body? Strange man ... I moved to the back and approached the bookshelf to see if there were any fascinating books to find but all I found were cooking books, books about terrible fashion of Vallaki, a pair of other books and a whole different story book. I took a look inside to ensure that the content matches what the text on the cover promises. Each of them did, but the other book caught my attention. The Tale of the Runaway bride. This one sounded like it could contain valuable information about at least the count of his taste, or maybe there are some underlying details that may reveal his weaknesses. Eager to find out more about it, I took it from the shelf and opened it up. I couldn't tell exactly what it was but when I moved through the pages and globally read through the text, I noticed that the story was developing at a rapid speed.
It didn't take long for this runaway bride who ran away from her soon to be husband and made her way through the deep forest. She kept running and running until she ended up in the arms of a stranger who took her to his castle. He spoke to her and promised her a safe home, while he passed on a note. I read it intensely and I believe there may be some links to the present in there. The bride named Samantha revealed interests for the man who promises her a better life. Count von Svallomich. Such an unusual name, almost as if I have heard it before. I eagerly looked for hidden codes, hidden messages, any of the sort. The book isn't marked in any way but occasionally, I was exposed to explicit material that I have never read before. I briefly glanced over to the others that seemed to have their attention directed to the desk in the back with chemicals and herbs and carefully moved the book into my bag until their gazes rested on me. I am convinced to have found some valuable information in there which could potentially warn us about the likelihood of dangerous spots where the enemy could possibly show up. I'm sure the count has ... Various reasons to keep this book, I may be able to ... Decipher this and use it against him. Maybe this will reveal his weaknesses for when we will face him ... Yes.
I need those other volumes, it seems to be an ongoing tale. In order to break through the enemies defenses, you must learn of the enemies their interests, their mindset and this shall grant us new opportunities. Of that I am ... Certain.
I continued to look through the environment and noticed the iron doors that would lead into five smaller rooms. All that I have looked in seemed empty except for some dried blood stains that lead into the bigger room that it is connected to. The room in the center of the three that I looked in had some skeleton remains of an animal, a dog to be precise. It is clear that the body parts came from the people that are kept inside this room. When exactly the flesh golem has been made or the corpse has been experimented on, I cannot say for certain. This is not my field of expertise, I haven't worked with corpses of different time periods to determine this with. What I do wonder about is the purpose of these experiments. Is it one of his strange hobbies? If he truly is the count then why would he do experiments in this environment rather than in his castle? Is this about hygiene? I would not be surprised but there is no information that is left for me to gather from here.
The others reached out to the other door when suddenly a male voice came in the Abyssal language that asked who we are and who we are to pose a threat upon His realm. The torches went off at that moment. Darkness spread around us until the torches were on again. My gaze went to the door but it didn't seem to move. I felt a cold presence from my left and I saw two spectral knights appear from the dark shadows in the distance. Interestingly, they remind me of the ones we fought only yesterday in the evening. I didn't expect to fight enemies like these so often.
Everyone started to rush toward the enemy, except for Arvirin attacked the enemy and rushed to me. What a coincidence because I could immediately recover him again from the effect that the enemy left on his body. I saw his muscles tense up similarly to the fight against the experiments from the laboratory and relieved him from it while I moved toward the enemy just behind Pyre. His body felt extremely cold ... Lightning clouds spread the ceiling as I took my position and lightning strikes down on the enemy near Tibirin. I could swear that I heard Yshvara respond in the back as well, the same went for Pyre after the damage to the other spirit was dealt by Arvirin. As well as the moment where she hit the enemy again, it was as if she hurt herself by accident. This battle is moving oddly, but when the space in front of me was free the creature moved toward me and hit me. I felt an immediate, cold sensation after the blade struck me. It was similar to what I felt from Arvirin. Very unexpected. Even their design, it is strange that they fight among the side of the enemy. Are they messing with us?
Slowly as the fight moved we managed to stun the enemies until we struck the enemy that tried to move away from us. We took this opportunity to attack the one we had surrounded until it recovered and dealt the remaining damage. My vision went blank until the warmth filled me again. I locked eyes with Shevat in that moment when I regained my vision right before I would originally hit the ground. It was a strange sensation ... (- But not one I will forget)
Later on, Tibirin caught one of the enemies and tried to reason with it. It seems to understand the language he spoke in and the name Godfrey, like from the journal, was also mentioned. An undead, one eager to take revenge against the count and some spirit that rests inside of the half elf that is siding with the count as of now. It's a little overwhelming, the number of things that are ongoing in Barovia. Even the greater spirits are to be freed from whatever is sealing them away.
What Tibirin and Yshvara have tried seems to have worked out with one of them that suddenly left the surrounding area, soon to be applied by the second spirit as well and the fight ended. The two remaining doors revealed emptiness and our destination lies beyond the large stone doors which previously triggered the voice and the two spirits to appear. This time, it opened up with ease. Behind there, stood a familiar face. Stasia. I remember vividly what happened last time in the fight against her to know when I needed to keep my mouth shut and that I did. Close to her were some fires and a stone altar with a brew inside. She spoke of the bones we seek for with the book of Victor in her hands. The brew she made originated from an experiment the young man had written and when I asked her if it was entirely his plan, she answered me that it was not, it was an incomplete theory which she completed and turned into a functioning spell.
"See what happens when you combine the bones of St. Andral together with the dozens of innocents that died during the attack of Vallaki."
There were hands coming from the stone table with hands reaching from the brew. We heard various whispers. The brew's bubbling effect intensifies until a large figure began to take shape from the position. A large flesh creature that was made from human corpses stood on its two legs. The stench was horrifying, it was enough to affect us to a point where it became hard to maintain concentration. Nausea reached me and the others close to me when the woman wish us luck and disappeared again. There better be a way out again ... Away from this mess. I felt both curiosity reach me as well as utter disgust when I stood in front of the large creature. Evil sure has no limits, if it is indeed the count who contacted me, this much confirms his own interests for necromancy but why is it the innocent who must suffer for his cause? Stasia is likely acting in his name, I take it that she's gladly to be a mindless puppet for him to do with as he pleases. Foolish woman.
We struggled to fight the creature but we managed. It fell to the ground, much like the other enemies that remained. In the center of the remains of our most recent enemy, we found the bones and managed to find a way to carry it around for these bones to be purified. There's an arcane spell resting on it, but there is clearly more to it that I can't solve with the strength I have left with me. We are planning to take it to the church and request the Father for his advice. It may be best for us not to explain to him what happened in these walls, for I doubt that he can take it as restless as the man already is. The wall through which we came seems to have disappeared and an exit is visible. It was a relief as there was nothing like a handle that I could find or any type of mechanism to open it up and neither could I find any remains of the experiments to get a clue from what this originated other than the raw ingredients of bones and corpses. Frustrating, once again. With little information, we returned to the space outside on our way back up the stairs.
We learned nothing. We know nothing. Just a crazy hobby and foolish minions that are willing to put everything in progress ...
( Click to enlarge )
Day: 5, Time of day: 8 AM+
Location: Headquarters, Vallaki
Side Note: Personal information has been shared about Pyre her order and one of her abilities to travel the Ethereal plane for a brief moment to pass any location of desire
(Remarks marked by *
Awake from my rest, I looked through the journal once more. I know that the others require a lot more sleep than I do and used this moment to look through both my notes and the other documents that I hold with me before I slipped into my armor and made my way down the stairs to wait for the others. Eager to speak of what bothered me since last night. That voice ... Who does it belong to? Why can it reach me? Have the others heard a voice as well?
Yshvara was the first to come downstairs but I needed the rest as well. Impatiently, I've been sitting on the couch with my arms pressed against my chest. Just when it took too long, I decided to have some breakfast instead until the group gradually gathered in the main hall. Eagerly, I addressed my concerns with the others and asked if they had heard a voice as well. I recall Yshvara mentioning something about a lady's voice but I was certain that the voice that reached out to me was male. I let my gaze move over to the others in an expectant manner until I heard both Pyre and Arvirin speak of the same voice but the message was clearly different for each of them. It wasn't a surprise, I would doubt that both of them have interests in the undead. Arvirin was warned about trusting others too lightly, while Pyre was invited to the land, when Pyre left her part, Yshvara spoke up and could already confirm that it was indeed the count's doing but I revealed my skepticism. If they were invited to the land by a female voice and this voice is male, then how can she be so sure, I thought, until Arvirin said something about that the voice said that it was amusing to watch him.
To watch him? ... Who is watching? I haven't noticed anyone following us around unless we have a traitor among us ... But then they spoke of the count who is able to see everything in his domain. I became a little nervous. He's watching us ... All the time? He's ... Everywhere at once? I recall reading similar things from the journal ... Also about his concubines ... Strange man. Well, I bet Ellamin is having a wonderful time with him.
When Stasia's name dropped, Pyre spoke up and asked for more details related to the count crazed lady. Her order, the one that also enables her to slip through walls, doors and even floors, has given her a task to find this lady. I assume that she is either an assassin or some bounty hunter but what truly is the difference, I simply don't care as long as she behaves. It was interesting, to learn more about these people (*
(*
Shevat asked Pyre that if she ever comes in contact with any spirit during her brief stay then Shevat would love to hear about it, upon her agreement, the druid looked extremely excited. He was almost like a small child and I could barely hold back a chuckle when I saw that happening. It's not often that he lets go of that controlled facade of his. (*
Day: 5, Time of day: 9-10 AM+
Location: Vasili von Holtz Mansion, Vallaki
Side Note: Experimental enemies were found, tied to a surgical table. A female corpse in a black dress and a flesh golem that was made from different body parts. Among the large room there were smaller rooms that match a similar design to a small prison, assumed to be products for future experiments, the result of both corpses. Fought against two celestial, spectral warriors that were forced to fight us. Met up with Stasia again who completed a theory of Victor from his book and turned it into a large flesh creature of undead. She disappeared again. The bones of St. Andral and the innocent lives of Vallaki's people were used to construct it in a brew (possibly their corpses).
Items obtained:
On our way to Vasili von Holtz' mansion, we met with the guards from last night. One of them is younger and the other one seems a little older. When Arvirin asked the older man if he was interested in more food, like he was last time, the man politely declined but mentioned something about receiving liquor instead. I noticed the questioning pair of eyes in my direction coming from the boy who asked me what it meant that they are looking for, accompanied with the question what it meant to be drunk. I could hardly contain a straight face when he did and even when I translated the words, it seems like he is inexperienced on the field. I told him that if we manage to have a moment at the end of our night, he might just get that experience but I did warn him ... That he might regret that. (*
Yshvara was so silly to hand them one of the bottles she had on her and of course, the guard with little hesitation ... Revealed his true nature and before we knew it, he was a drunk man. No matter how much I threatened him to behave or else I was urged to notify his superiors, he remained free of concern. (*
Back into the familiar space, I felt urged to get straight into business before I was interrupted by the others. They first needed to check for traps and the content of the crates nearby. Why haven't they done so before? Yshvara found herself some new unlabeled wine red liquid in a bottle, assumed to be wine, or so I would hope. When Pyre took a closer look to the spot where I would need to insert the stone tablet and mentioned her intentions, I sighed and went through my knees to take a look as well, telling her to move away. I noticed a text written on the wall in a language that only I speak and shared it with the others. (*
"All who continue, must make sacrifices . . ."
I told them, just to warn them for what would come. Tibirin did not believe me. He needed confirmation whether or not what I said was what was written there or not or if it was me who adjusted the translation of it. He's truly doubting my information? Have I ever shown myself disloyal? A little bit of a dour is what I have? I asked if he doesn't trust me and Tibirin was clearly revealing a nervous behavior around the topic. I gave him an intense glare and fixated on each and every twitch on the tiger's face. He spoke honestly about trusting me but admitted that I am a little on the dark side from time to time. Dark? Why would he come up with that?! My gaze went to Arvirin who also spoke up. "Just listen to your voice", he said to me. I felt the irritation get to me, the longer this went on. Arvirin copied my voice but it sounded much like a zombie. That poor mannered barbarian ... Tibirin added to it, confirming that what Arvirin said was accurate, it is how I am. As frustrated as I felt with these people, I just handed the tabaxi the stone tablet and moved to the back. Whatever sacrifice it will force them to make, I will watch. Maybe he'll receive another shock if those arcane symbols work with the mechanics of this stone tablet. I watched him eagerly.
The stone tablet gives off a faint, pale blue light but nothing happens. Even after Tibirin tried to press against the wall and tablet. So I moved forth with the writing in mind and pronounce it. Again, no reaction. It turns out to be an instruction, rather than a warning as even when I speak the words to open up, there was no reaction. What needs to be done here is clear. We are to spill blood and both me and Shevat seemed to have that exact same mindset when all of us reached for a weapon to draw some blood. The faint blue light from the tablet turned red when slowly, each of us was transferred to the space that we assumed to be on the other side of the wall.
This is such a strange mechanism, why would he have it in his mansion? Does that noble always draw his own blood, if he even has any on him before he would enter? Or can he pass through the wall with little concern, like that lady we met? On the side of the wall inside the corridor, a few torches were lit and the wall behind us contained no information at all. There was no clear mechanism to get out, there may be something that could trigger it farther into the room, I hoped. If not, I will make sure to provide us with what is necessary to survive until we will make our way out again. A little nervous as I felt with the fact that we could be trapped inside, except for Pyre, I began to move onwards to forget about my concerns for a moment.
Tibirin casted a light spell on the sword which he got from his back, the one he obtained from Morgu. The light gave off a prismatic effect. It was very colorful and it went in many directions, enough for me to already feel some mild concern that it could attract the enemy ahead of us. I heard no footsteps but we decided to move on ahead into a bigger space. In the distance, I spotted two surgical tables with two bodies attached to them, to my left, there was a bookshelf positioned against the wall and to my right, in the distance, there was a desk with various ingredients which are possibly needed for the strange experimentation. From the distance, we could see that one the bodies seemed to be stitched together for the body parts are of different shades. I looked through the room with my sight to spot any signs of undead when one of the corpses reacted to it, along with the large, stone door in the back that gives off necromantic energy. Odd, never did I imagine to see a door react. This is not a normal noble that has some secrets to hide, that much is certain.
When I passed that information, Tibirin turned to me and asked whether or not they would greet us when we got close. I smiled back at him and said that if maybe he's very kind with them, they might not move a muscle. Tibirin gave off a mischievous look when he said. "If you mean by very kind that I'm going to sneak up to them and put my very big sword through their very small neck before they get up the slab, then yes~"
I couldn't help but to give it a smile. I did like his way of thinking, I won't deny that even after he spoke ill about me only moments ago. Shevat admitted as well that he needed those corpses back to his cycle of life-kind of ideal, we seemed to have a mutual agreement. Pyre already damaged her skin, similarly to our first fight together. It is such a strange sight to see someone as willing to damage themselves for the purpose of a fight but neither will I question it. When they advanced in the direction of the two corpses, the tiles suddenly began to light in a red-purple hue and a sudden loud screech filled the room. I felt my senses grow numb at the deafening sound, everything started to spin until my vision blacked out entirely and I hit the ground.
I got back up and saw the corpses on the floor not too far away from me. The stench was terrible, especially now that I got back to my senses. Some of the others seemed to have taken some damage and I also noticed that Tibirin seemed to be in the same state as I was in. Both of us were down this entire time? ... Embarrassing. I quickly got back up to my feet again. There was a bear close to me. I wasn't sure whether or not it was an enemy at this point. He growled at me but didn't make a move but just before I felt urged to fight it, Yshvara explained to me that it was Shevat. Adding a "He does this sometimes." I rolled my eyes at the statement and gave it a nod. "Of course." The fight has ended, excellent.
I immediately approached the flesh golem to take a closer look and I compared it with the other. They aren't identical. One of them is wearing a black dress, has long black hair, is female and looks pretty fresh, the condition of the golem is similar. The flesh golem is made from different parts, each limb is of different origin. Same went for the head and torso. I examined the golem and recalled how they function. They rely on a magical power source, meaning the controller doesn't have to be nearby in order for it to move. Whatever has caused it to react may have to do something with the reaction of the floor when those two approached those tables.
I haven't seen much of it while I was out and it truly was a shame but I wonder why a noble would want this underneath his house. I read similar things in the other noble's house where one of their old companions has died and I am also eager to do some investigation there as well, for there could be something interesting left for us to discover. After all, Lady Fiona Wachter is a supporter of the count and has this interesting sounding cult. If we manage that, we will have all noble houses thoroughly investigated. I intend to mark it down and I will not let the others get in my way of clearing Vallaki's remains of evil origin.
My attention was drawn to the bear who sniffed the flesh golem. I gave him a smile and asked whether or not he was hungry but the bear gave me this angry expression as far as I was able to recognize it. He did seem very hungry to me, why else would he be so eager to smell the body? Strange man ... I moved to the back and approached the bookshelf to see if there were any fascinating books to find but all I found were cooking books, books about terrible fashion of Vallaki, a pair of other books and a whole different story book. I took a look inside to ensure that the content matches what the text on the cover promises. Each of them did, but the other book caught my attention. The Tale of the Runaway bride. This one sounded like it could contain valuable information about at least the count of his taste, or maybe there are some underlying details that may reveal his weaknesses. Eager to find out more about it, I took it from the shelf and opened it up. I couldn't tell exactly what it was but when I moved through the pages and globally read through the text, I noticed that the story was developing at a rapid speed.
It didn't take long for this runaway bride who ran away from her soon to be husband and made her way through the deep forest. She kept running and running until she ended up in the arms of a stranger who took her to his castle. He spoke to her and promised her a safe home, while he passed on a note. I read it intensely and I believe there may be some links to the present in there. The bride named Samantha revealed interests for the man who promises her a better life. Count von Svallomich. Such an unusual name, almost as if I have heard it before. I eagerly looked for hidden codes, hidden messages, any of the sort. The book isn't marked in any way but occasionally, I was exposed to explicit material that I have never read before. I briefly glanced over to the others that seemed to have their attention directed to the desk in the back with chemicals and herbs and carefully moved the book into my bag until their gazes rested on me. I am convinced to have found some valuable information in there which could potentially warn us about the likelihood of dangerous spots where the enemy could possibly show up. I'm sure the count has ... Various reasons to keep this book, I may be able to ... Decipher this and use it against him. Maybe this will reveal his weaknesses for when we will face him ... Yes.
I need those other volumes, it seems to be an ongoing tale. In order to break through the enemies defenses, you must learn of the enemies their interests, their mindset and this shall grant us new opportunities. Of that I am ... Certain.
I continued to look through the environment and noticed the iron doors that would lead into five smaller rooms. All that I have looked in seemed empty except for some dried blood stains that lead into the bigger room that it is connected to. The room in the center of the three that I looked in had some skeleton remains of an animal, a dog to be precise. It is clear that the body parts came from the people that are kept inside this room. When exactly the flesh golem has been made or the corpse has been experimented on, I cannot say for certain. This is not my field of expertise, I haven't worked with corpses of different time periods to determine this with. What I do wonder about is the purpose of these experiments. Is it one of his strange hobbies? If he truly is the count then why would he do experiments in this environment rather than in his castle? Is this about hygiene? I would not be surprised but there is no information that is left for me to gather from here.
The others reached out to the other door when suddenly a male voice came in the Abyssal language that asked who we are and who we are to pose a threat upon His realm. The torches went off at that moment. Darkness spread around us until the torches were on again. My gaze went to the door but it didn't seem to move. I felt a cold presence from my left and I saw two spectral knights appear from the dark shadows in the distance. Interestingly, they remind me of the ones we fought only yesterday in the evening. I didn't expect to fight enemies like these so often.
Everyone started to rush toward the enemy, except for Arvirin attacked the enemy and rushed to me. What a coincidence because I could immediately recover him again from the effect that the enemy left on his body. I saw his muscles tense up similarly to the fight against the experiments from the laboratory and relieved him from it while I moved toward the enemy just behind Pyre. His body felt extremely cold ... Lightning clouds spread the ceiling as I took my position and lightning strikes down on the enemy near Tibirin. I could swear that I heard Yshvara respond in the back as well, the same went for Pyre after the damage to the other spirit was dealt by Arvirin. As well as the moment where she hit the enemy again, it was as if she hurt herself by accident. This battle is moving oddly, but when the space in front of me was free the creature moved toward me and hit me. I felt an immediate, cold sensation after the blade struck me. It was similar to what I felt from Arvirin. Very unexpected. Even their design, it is strange that they fight among the side of the enemy. Are they messing with us?
Slowly as the fight moved we managed to stun the enemies until we struck the enemy that tried to move away from us. We took this opportunity to attack the one we had surrounded until it recovered and dealt the remaining damage. My vision went blank until the warmth filled me again. I locked eyes with Shevat in that moment when I regained my vision right before I would originally hit the ground. It was a strange sensation ... (- But not one I will forget)
Later on, Tibirin caught one of the enemies and tried to reason with it. It seems to understand the language he spoke in and the name Godfrey, like from the journal, was also mentioned. An undead, one eager to take revenge against the count and some spirit that rests inside of the half elf that is siding with the count as of now. It's a little overwhelming, the number of things that are ongoing in Barovia. Even the greater spirits are to be freed from whatever is sealing them away.
What Tibirin and Yshvara have tried seems to have worked out with one of them that suddenly left the surrounding area, soon to be applied by the second spirit as well and the fight ended. The two remaining doors revealed emptiness and our destination lies beyond the large stone doors which previously triggered the voice and the two spirits to appear. This time, it opened up with ease. Behind there, stood a familiar face. Stasia. I remember vividly what happened last time in the fight against her to know when I needed to keep my mouth shut and that I did. Close to her were some fires and a stone altar with a brew inside. She spoke of the bones we seek for with the book of Victor in her hands. The brew she made originated from an experiment the young man had written and when I asked her if it was entirely his plan, she answered me that it was not, it was an incomplete theory which she completed and turned into a functioning spell.
"See what happens when you combine the bones of St. Andral together with the dozens of innocents that died during the attack of Vallaki."
There were hands coming from the stone table with hands reaching from the brew. We heard various whispers. The brew's bubbling effect intensifies until a large figure began to take shape from the position. A large flesh creature that was made from human corpses stood on its two legs. The stench was horrifying, it was enough to affect us to a point where it became hard to maintain concentration. Nausea reached me and the others close to me when the woman wish us luck and disappeared again. There better be a way out again ... Away from this mess. I felt both curiosity reach me as well as utter disgust when I stood in front of the large creature. Evil sure has no limits, if it is indeed the count who contacted me, this much confirms his own interests for necromancy but why is it the innocent who must suffer for his cause? Stasia is likely acting in his name, I take it that she's gladly to be a mindless puppet for him to do with as he pleases. Foolish woman.
We struggled to fight the creature but we managed. It fell to the ground, much like the other enemies that remained. In the center of the remains of our most recent enemy, we found the bones and managed to find a way to carry it around for these bones to be purified. There's an arcane spell resting on it, but there is clearly more to it that I can't solve with the strength I have left with me. We are planning to take it to the church and request the Father for his advice. It may be best for us not to explain to him what happened in these walls, for I doubt that he can take it as restless as the man already is. The wall through which we came seems to have disappeared and an exit is visible. It was a relief as there was nothing like a handle that I could find or any type of mechanism to open it up and neither could I find any remains of the experiments to get a clue from what this originated other than the raw ingredients of bones and corpses. Frustrating, once again. With little information, we returned to the space outside on our way back up the stairs.
We learned nothing. We know nothing. Just a crazy hobby and foolish minions that are willing to put everything in progress ...
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