Book 1 - Chapter 5: Have Sword - Will Travel, or How the West was Fun(dead)

[Asta]

The cultist looked at Thedrin silently for a moment, measuring the truth of his promise that he wouldn't be hurt. He did not believe him, but his aversion to pain loosened his tongue anyway.

"The ogre was ensorcelled. Dominated that is. I dunno where it came from, just that we were told to take it and use it for protection. Them dead villagers were for the same purpose. Kill 'em and raise 'em to protect the mine. As for what we's doing here..." He trailed off, looking over at the crates containing the Dark Essence and started to sweat.

"We... we's under orders to... Say, is it getting hot in here?" The cultist interrupted his confession with a question. You hadn't noticed any change in temperature, in fact the mine was quite cool due to it being underground, however the cultist had begun to sweat excessively. Unnaturally in fact, his face had also begun to turn a bright red hue. "Oi, it's hot! Why is it so fucking hot! I feel as if I'm aflame!"

As it were, the man more than "feeling" aflame, actually had caught fire.

The robes he wore, adorned with the same emblem as the ones you fought at the Crow Father's shrine suddenly and violently ignited in an intense flash of heat. The smell of burning flesh, hair, and tallow infuses the air with its rankness as the man begins to scream and thrash wildly.

[pringerbeam]

     "Water!" Shouts Thedrin as he draws his wand to try and prevent the man from succumbing to the flame.

Wand of Cure Light Wounds on Cultist[blockquote]Rolled 1d8+1 : 2 + 1, total 3[/blockquote]

[Oath]

Cecilia conjures water, creating a mass of water above the burning man and letting it cascade down onto him in her attempt to put out the fire.

[info] gonna conjure as much water as needed to put this guy out, can make 6 gallons at once.

also whenever this is resolved and good Cecilia will look at the vial of liquid, since i'll probably be at work.
perception [blockquote]Rolled 1d20+3 : 15 + 3, total 18[/blockquote]
[/info]

[Asta]

A large globe of water swirls its way out of nothingness above the flaming cultist, before splashing down and effectively extinguishing the fire. Simultaneously Thedrin makes use of his wand attempting to keep the man alive.

Alas, it is for naught. Though the fire has been put out the cultist has succumbed to the flames and is left as a smoldering corpse, his blackened body grimly contorted and devoid of life.

"Well shit, now what?" Scathach asks. "What caused him to catch fire like that you think?"

[info]The vial is found to contain Oil of Light, functioning as the Light cantrip.[/info]

[pringerbeam]

     "Not sure... some kind of enchantment perhaps that ensures their servants hold their tongue? Such things were popular in Albion a long time ago when the noble houses were less civilized and direct assaults by armsmen were more common. I wouldn't be surprised if such barbaric spells were still in use here."  Said Thedrin with a frown at the charred corpse. "Perhaps there is something in the crates." 
[info] Perception to check the crates and the room in general, taking 20 if possible.[blockquote]Rolled 1d20 : 14, total 14[/blockquote][/info]

[Asta]

A careful examination of the crates shows they hold large quantities of the dangerous Dark Essence crystals. Whatever the cultists were doing here they either required a significant amount of them or had been creating them somehow. The unexplored northern passage of the mine beckons and may hold more secrets, or perhaps answers.

[pringerbeam]

     "More crystals... well judging by the minion's knowledge and skill, I think the one that dominated that ogre is still at large. I say we look deeper into the mine to find them and maybe some more satisfying answers. If everyone is ready?" Asked Thedrin as he raised his shield and motioned to the further passage.

[Asta]

Your party moves on from the carnage of the previous battle, the lightly steaming corpse of the cultist still radiating the stench of burnt flesh and hair. At the north of the mine, is another opening where it looks like the cavern continues on. As you round the corner however, you find that there wasn't much else to explore as what looked like a passageway was more of a small natural alcove.

More importantly however is what, or who is occupying that alcove.

A chill runs up your spine and crawls into your brain like a hundred electric spiders made of pure fear. Standing as still as a statue in the center of a large binding circle is a gaunt and skeletal figure. Its skin is stretched tight over its pronounced skull, forming a disquieting rictus grin full of yellowing aged teeth. A silver diadem rests on it's brow inches above a pair of softly glowing crimson lights that pierce you with a gaze set far back in long emptied sockets.

It casually sweeps its "eyes" across your party, lingering for a moment on Thedrin's longsword; the one he received from the skeletal knight in the barrow.

"My, isn't this a surprise?" the creature says, its mouth unmoving. The whispering sound of its "voice" is both nails on a chalkboard and a rumbling bass that reverberates in your ears long after it finishes speaking. "To whom do I owe the pleasure of this visit?"

[pringerbeam]

     Thedrin scrutinized the being and held his sword at the ready. There was something familiar about it that he was trying to remember. He focused his attention on the creature, then its diadem, and finally the circle surrounding it.

[info] Knowledge (Religion) to try and identify the lich. This dice roll has been tampered with!
Rolled 1d20+4 : 14 + 4, total 18

Detect Evil in the lich, it's diadem, and the circle[/info]

[Asta]

[info]Knowledge: Religion
Thedrin racks his brain for any relevant information, but the most he can come up with is that he is definitely looking at a lich.[/info]

Thedrin's alignment detecting magics returned immediate results. The diadem around the lich's forehead held not even the faintest of evil aura's, nor did the binding circle the lich stood in. The lich however, radiated a strong evil, the nature of which he could not be sure.

"If you stare that intently you'll make me blush" the lich said with a soft dry chuckle. It raised one of its skeletal hands, the taught skin like leather creaking softly, and poked a boney finger toward the outer bounds of the circle. Surprisingly, or not depending on how one looked at it, there was a slight tapping sound as if one was drumming on a window pane. "As you can see, I am going nowhere quickly. Shall we talk? I do enjoy good conversation, and I so rarely get the chance for it. My previous company was so unpleasantly rude... What became of them do you know?"

[pringerbeam]

     Thedrin was struck with the memory. "You're a lich! Just like in the story of sir Ebonwall." He looked at the circle and noted the effect it had on the lich. "And... You're trapped aren't you?"

[Asta]

"Very observant" the lich replied. "Yes I am unable to leave this circle. At the moment."

[pringerbeam]

     "What are you up to then?" Asked Thedrin, not lowering his guard at all. In all the stories, the heroes had some magic weapon to use against such a fell creature and his old sword, while well made, was surely mundane in origin. Meaning that their heroic band was likely no match for the beast. "Are you the one that controlled the ogre? What do you need with the magic crystals?"

[Asta]

The lich scoffed. "Clearly I'm standing here bound against my will in a dank mine in the middle of nowhere. Did you think I'd done this to myself?" It waved its hand dismissively before continuing. "The ogre whom I assume is dead, bravo by the way, was under the thrall of those robed miscreants. I'm not sure how exactly they came about accomplishing it, judging by the meagre skill of their mages. I would assume perhaps someone dominated the thing for them."

He paused for a moment, assuming it had been a 'he' in life, and you could swear his eyes were once again lingering on Thedrin's sword with mild interest. A moment later though he continued. "Those crystals" he began, and the hint of anger was detectable in the unpleasant scraping sound of his voice, "Were manufactured by those miserable hooligans by way of an advanced ritual, again I stress that it was magic beyond their capability and they must have been instructed in its use. The ritual in question forcibly removed a not insignificant portion of my own magical essence."

The lich tapped at the boundary with its finger once more, probing. "One of a minor few reasons why I find myself confined in such a manner... Rest assured though, I will make my escape eventually in time. I do have so very much time"

"But of course... if you are inclined we might be able to come to a bargain regarding that." He spread his arms before him, palms upturned in a gesture that was probably meant to be reassuring.

[pringerbeam]

     "A bargain? Why would we bargain with you? You're villainous to the core I'm sure. How else did you get trapped in here in the first place?"