Zilean's Revenge (Part 3)

Endurance: 9(1d20) + 7 = 16

IMPORTANT NOTICE

Kris_The_Guest, a.k.a. Tiffany's player (who you may recall vanished some months prior), just PM'd me, and wishes to rejoin the game.

Sent her a query on how often she'd be able/willing to post, as well as that she needs to make a character sheet, now that we've "solidified" gameplay, and that she should reply in here as well.

I'd like some feedback on the topic from the rest of you, since it concerns you.

---

Thanks to Jeraylia's quick response, Zthulan manages to keep his hand from being crushed by Johnny's unexpected strength.

"Crud, sorry doc! Guess I need to practice using these for a while. I don't know about resting, ma'am. Don't want the officer calling me a layabout, and my wounds seem fine as far as I can tell... Hey, wait a minute, my old scar's gone too?! Damn, chicks dig the scars! Now how am I going to-oh wait, right. Certainly gonna need some time getting used to this... Thanks again, in any case!"

Everyone in the medicine tent (who is able), applauds them, as they continue their work healing the rest of the injuries.

Rolf quickly notices that one of the two crystals isn't actually glowing or doing anything magical. On closer inspection, it appears the crystal isn't connected to the mirror at all - its "wires" were connected to it with a piece of sticky strip-sized material, which appears to have simply fallen off, and refuses to re-stick to anything anymore.

---

One more healing check for the rest of the wounded (together), lower DC than the leg.

Mechanics/arcana check, or an "alternate" method of fixing required for the mirror repair.

I knew that name looked familiar when I saw it down there. I'm all for it- no offense, but you don't really seem to have Tiffany's personality down. But I'm guessing you were hoping to not have to play her too much?

---

Horizon looked at the new and improved guardsman. "Oh sure, give him the upgrade. I don't suppose there's any non-shamany medical treatment available here? I'm still not completely recovered from that fight."

---

If I remember correctly, I'm at 20 or so hp still- unless the frisking and the soup had healing elements.

Zarhon wrote: Rolf quickly notices that one of the two crystals isn't actually glowing or doing anything magical. On closer inspection, it appears the crystal isn't connected to the mirror at all - its "wires" were connected to it with a piece of sticky strip-sized material, which appears to have simply fallen off, and refuses to re-stick to anything anymore.

"Well, there's the problem. Miss, could you do me a favor and hold this strip in place for a moment?" As the maid held the strip with the wires against the crystal, Rolf cast Immovable on the strip, holding it in place. "There, that should do for the moment. I'm not sure exactly how long it will last, though, so if you could get another one of those sticky strips to replace it while I talk with Master Nester, that would be appreciated."

---

3/10 uses of Immovable used for today. As for Kris, I'm open for it if the rest of us are. The main concern is if you are willing to work with 6 players instead of 5.

I certainly don't mind, could even help her with making the character and such if she needs it.

"You know the saying that the gods work in mysterious ways? It is entirely true," Zthulan continues healing the rest, looking forward to be able to rest once he is done.

---

Perfectly fine with another person. The more the merrier!

Healing: 13(1d20) +13(Expert) = 26.

Gah! *falls in.* I went to the wrong thread!

*grab Ramsus* To the PMS to make my humanoid bird!

Same. With online games, we've got all the time in the world.
Hi Kris, nice to meet you, Have you been keeping up on the posts? A lot has happened. Heck, I can't even remember all that's happened.
I keep assisting Azarune with the healing.
Heal assist: 18 (9 + 9 heal).

---

"I hope you've all had your vaccinations."

Broken Logic wrote:Same. With online games, we've got all the time in the world.
Hi Kris, nice to meet you, Have you been keeping up on the posts? A lot has happened. Heck, I can't even remember all that's happened.
I keep assisting Azarune with the healing.
Heal assist: 18 (9 + 9 heal).

---

"I hope you've all had your vaccinations."

Me : *Looks at post and then Tiffany and starts laughing* Alt-text from waaay back at the beginning time~



The real question is her explanation
when we see her critically fail for the first time. (Exaggeration for comedic
effect).

Rolf: D..did you just use an explosion spell? What the
hell? He was an innocent bystander for crying out loud.
Tiffany: It's not my fault. My healing spell went on
the fritz.
Rolf:...Your HEALING spell...went "on the
fritz"...and that causes explosions?
Tiffany: Um, well, I had some cleric training, but it
doesn't always work.
Rolf: No, no, no. "Doesn't work" means
"Fizzes out and doesn't heal the guy", not "Explode the guy into
ground beef". How often does that happen, 1 time in 100?
Tiffany:...About 1 time in 6, actually.
Rolf:...

I'm all for it- no offense, but you don't really seem to have Tiffany's personality down. But I'm guessing you were hoping to not have to play her too much?

Yeah, I kinda altered her personality a bit, due to Kris's long absence and mostly for not remembering/knowing enough of it in the first place. She's pretty much a NPC at this point. Her werewolf-brother-related-backstory MIGHT come up in the future, though that's questionable (it is really more of a PC thing than a plot point, for now), and might be scrapped/forgotten entirely if I don't see a way of fitting it in (I recall Horizon had an "interest" in the backstory - any followup to that, or was it scrapped in favor of "bigger lich-related issues"?).

Plus, it seems Kris will be starting off with a new character, anyway, which works for me - she has to expose on stuff to Rolf anyway, in regards to that book he gave her.

My only argument on Kris joining/not joining is whether *she* feels up to it (commitment and RP-wise), and whether she can post in a timely fashion (especially if combat occurs).

---

The healing of the rest of the tent proceeds as normal, though not quite as "miraculous" as with Johnny. Most of the wounded are now fit for duty, and those that were critical or feverish are now resting peacefully. Horizon also gets his wounds healed by the duo and Tiffany (with a bit of reluctance).

The officer from before soon approaches. "Damnation, that's quite impressive! Doubt even the Pelorites could have done as big a dent on those injuries as you two did. Should give us quite an edge by tomorrow. Anyway, you really should go meet the mayor now - your friends are probably done waiting as well. You too, Tiffany."

Applying the immovability spell appears to have fixed the mirror, as the image becomes clear and sound starts coming from it.

"Hello? Testing? Ah, well if it isn't my apprentice! Glad to see you with all limbs still attached. If I know you well, and I imagine I should by now, I believe you've got a spellbook worth of information, half of which I likely already know, that you're dying to expose on me, and plenty of questions to ask, so I'll let you speak, while I work on this for a moment..."

The image of the mirror switches perspective as Nester moves his mirror around, into the view of a blackboard and table containing alchemical equipment. Nester scribbles formulas on the blackboard.

"Also, did you get those things I asked of you?"

Zarhon wrote: Applying the immovability spell appears to have fixed the mirror, as the image becomes clear and sound starts coming from it.

"Hello? Testing? Ah, well if it isn't my apprentice! Glad to see you with all limbs still attached. If I know you well, and I imagine I should by now, I believe you've got a spellbook worth of information, half of which I likely already know, that you're dying to expose on me, and plenty of questions to ask, so I'll let you speak, while I work on this for a moment..."

The image of the mirror switches perspective as Nester moves his mirror around, into the view of a blackboard and table containing alchemical equipment. Nester scribbles formulas on the blackboard.

"Also, did you get those things I asked of you?"

Rolf pulled out two jars that had been in his satchel since this morning. "Newt eyes and troll teeth, just as requested. I managed to get them before...this whole mess started. I'll have them sent to you along with some other materials."

"Anyway, we officially have confirmation that this lich is the same Zilean that attacked the town before. His current capabilities are unknown, although we have not seen any instances of him directly attacking anyone. He has shown powers including long-distance communication (although it seems to be blocked by holy wards), levitation, paralysis, illusions, and conjuring up large fireballs (although given that we never saw the effects of said fireballs, they might have been illusions as well). As for his personality, he comes off as a bit of a showman, seeming to enjoy the "drama" of it all rather than necessarily achieving success. However, one of his key strategies is "misdirection": when he showed up at the temple, he had an invisible cultist nearby using a shield spell on him, giving him the illusion of invulnerability. He also left a trap for us in the tunnels where we found his coffin, a fire-spewing amulet which could merge with metal and bone in order to create a larger machine. However, that was primarily meant to distract us from a number of undead kobolds he had raised in the tunnels to try knocking down the supports and trap us down there."

"As of yet, his primary weapons in his attack on the city are "zombie bombs" and the cultists. The bombs are set by putting a blue potion and a sort of sticky extract into an alchemist cylinder, then adding in a volatile yellow potion to it to trigger the explosion. We have since learned that any extreme heat can set them off. The bombs, in addition to exploding, produce a purple gas that reacts with dead flesh and bone that creates undead that are stronger than normal, but are also apparently uncontrollable even by the cultists. For human bodies, the standard reaction is the formation of "blood skeletons", and some of my compatriots have found that the gas may cause separate body parts to break off of a dead creature and become independently active (and violent). When exposed to large quantities of dead material, the gas has shown the ability to bring them together as a cohesive whole. A bomb that went off in the catacombs below the temple produced a large serpent-like creature made of an amalgamation of bones. I have some of the ingredients for one of these bombs, and hopefully we can send them to you for further analysis."

"As for the cultists, their magical skill seems...moderate at best. They seem to primarily rely on the use of wands, invisibility spells, and creating zombies to fight for them. Their "loyalty to the cause" varies: some seem to be simply bullies, some are simply afraid of Zilean, while others are particularly ready to die to further Zilean's goals. This is seen in how the bombs are to be set off manually, and how many cultists are provided "suicide scrolls", which seem to be designed to harm themselves and everyone around them. I got my hands on one of the scrolls, and it seemed to be capable of a number of effects, although I could only determine one of them."

"My analysis of the situation is that, while the cultists are less than professional, whoever set up this attack (Zilean or otherwise) is not to be taken lightly. These bombs have a complex reaction, but have been designed to be set following simple instructions. While parts of the plan have been subverted, the idea to take out the temple, the mayor, and most of the adventurers in town, all while most of the paladins were away on their prilgimage, shows a degree of strategic thinking that seems to contradict Zilean's "fun" persona."

"That's all I have on the professional side of things. I have a few...other things I'd like to ask you about, but those can wait until I answer any questions you may have."

Zarhon wrote:(I recall Horizon had an "interest" in the backstory - any followup to that, or was it scrapped in favor of "bigger lich-related issues"?).

That was the initial hook for Horizon to even fit in this story- contrived as it may have been at the time. I get involved with her, she gets involved with this, transitive property, Horizon's on the good guy team. I did have him mention he "lost sight" of his original purpose for being here, but that can be sincere, rather than sarcastic if you're dropping the Tiff backstory/character objectives.

Does kind of ruin a series of awkward moments I was hoping to set up involving Rolf, Tiffy, Jerry and Rolf's sex demon.

Horizon also gets his wounds healed by the duo and Tiffany (with a bit of reluctance)

Reluctance? Last I checked he was on good terms with all of them.

Bronymous wrote:

Horizon also gets his wounds healed by the duo and Tiffany (with a bit of reluctance)

Reluctance? Last I checked he was on good terms with all of them.

I think Zarhon was referring to your whole "don't trust magic healing" dealie.

Bronymous wrote:Reluctance? Last I checked he was on good terms with all of them.

"So, how's your head? Bash it against anything recently?"

Your definition of "good terms with" involves flat-out insults?

Also, did you plan out your entire motivation around doing a job/favor/something-or-other for Tiffany (speaking of that - I believe Horizon flat-out bullied Tiffany into 'accepting' his 'help', so that's a very iffy subject as far as motivation goes), or are you just looking for her brother because he pissed Horizon off for one reason or another (since he recognized him, for a reason you never cared to explain or go in depth into)? If its the first, yeah, unless Kris REALLY steps up her RP on that subject, that's unlikely to really continue. If its the former, I'd need some backstory on the matter.

As far as "losing sight" goes, I think a better way of seeing it would be "grasp of bigger picture" (whole town in big trouble, stakes high, hard to keep 'uninvolved' without leaving city completely), or Horizon's demon conflict being pronounced. Horizon should really make a stand on the issue in any case - is he going to keep helping the town from their lich/undead/invasion problem at little compensation, or is he going to walk away from the problem (since it isn't technically his)?

Lyntermas wrote:I think Zarhon was referring to your whole "don't trust magic healing" dealie.

Was both - her reluctance to cause a "healing explosion", and her slight unwillingness to heal to Horizon after he insulted her intelligence. Hard to expect unquestionable kindness towards jerk behavior.

That was an inside joke we had established prior to Kris disappearing. Not technically an insult. Nor was it especially "jerk behavior" that would make her reluctant to heal me. A popular term is "good-natured ribbing".

It was the first reason, Horizon never met her brother, because her brother is not my original character, and therefore I cannot properly use him without input and consent from the creator. And like I said, the reason was contrived from the beginning.

Losing sight vs bigger picture is inconsequential, he's not going anywhere. He made a deal.

Remind me of the deal specifics, and to whom - to find Tiffany's brother, correct? Or to get rid of Zilean/save town/fight undead for fun and profit as well (I think you made that deal with either Rolf, Tiffany, or the group as a whole)? Cause the first of that is likely to happen "sooner" than the other, and yeah, then you'd have little more than VITRIOLIC FRIENDSHIP (gasp!) keeping you with the group.

And if it's Tiffany that's binding you, it would mean I'd have to have Tiffany turn into a "we must to everything we can to stop Zilean!" character (she isn't with the rest of the group, after all, and you're kinda doing something not yet directly related to finding her brother), which would be a bit awkward with Kris now suddenly back...

And to be frank, Horizon kind of is a jerk to everyone, so it's a bit hard to differ the ribbing from the actual insults. Tiffany healed you in the end in any case.

Alt-script time!

Guard 1: So, what do you think of this band of adventurers that came in here? Perhaps they might turn this situation around.
Guard 2: I doubt it. You seen those fine clothes they were wearing? Looked brand new and everything. They probably have no idea about what true conflict is like. I mean, we've faced down five zombies today. Five! I can't imagine they've faced as bad as we have.
Guard 1: ...Well, at least they're fresh and ready to fight. Not like our men who got hurt so far. Poor Johnny.
Guard 2: Oh, it's always about poor Johnny, isn't it? "Oh, poor Johnny, got a heart of gold, but now no girl will look at him because he's got a peg leg."
Guard 1: How dare you? Johnny saved the lives of two of ours today.
Guard 2: Yeah, and you think that a medal's gonna make it all better? I tell you, it's heroics like Johnny's that'll get you killed, mark my words. I mean, someone's got to be on the ground while I'm shooting at them with crossbows on the wall, but everyone thinks that it's so dang "honorable". You think Johnny's going to be showing that big grin of his anytime soon? To everyone here, Johnny will be a living reminder of what happens to "heroes" in a fight like this.
Guard 1: ...Heavens above, what did they do to Johnny?
Guard 2: What, the doc's done cutting his leg? Although with his luck, he might have lost the bit...right...next...that's not Johnny.
Guard 1: Well, who else could it be? A barbarian who stole Johnny's face? Look, some of them are afraid to shake hands with him for fear of getting hurt...So, you were mentioning something about how Johnny is the "symbol of heroism"?
Guard 2: Shaddap.

edit: So, are the rest of you going to head over to the mayor's office now?

Lyntermas wrote:edit: So, are the rest of you going to head over to the mayor's office now?

Actually I think Zthulan and Jeraylia had to skip that... Since the ritual was suppose to take about an hour. Or did my nat20 make it happen faster?

Zarhon wrote:Remind me of the deal specifics, and to whom - to find Tiffany's brother, correct? Or to get rid of Zilean/save town/fight undead for fun and profit as well (I think you made that deal with either Rolf, Tiffany, or the group as a whole)? Cause the first of that is likely to happen "sooner" than the other, and yeah, then you'd have little more than VITRIOLIC FRIENDSHIP (gasp!) keeping you with the group.

And if it's Tiffany that's binding you, it would mean I'd have to have Tiffany turn into a "we must to everything we can to stop Zilean!" character (she isn't with the rest of the group, after all, and you're kinda doing something not yet directly related to finding her brother), which would be a bit awkward with Kris now suddenly back...

I don't know, I don't remember. I'm doing this now though, so can we just roll with it, or are you actually going to use the details of this "deal" for something in game? Best I can do is that the original forced upon deal with Tiff was to find her brother (aka party building), but we stopped actually doing that sometime after running into the kobold runners WAAAAAAAAAAAAY back. And I'm pretty sure somewhere along there I had to stop and explain to Rolf exactly what I was doing here, why, and how I wasn't going to back out any time soon just because we we're looking for a lich instead of a werewolf, and I think a verbal contract may have been struck there (or forced upon, maybe). In character there's no reason to believe Horizon would have any intention of leaving, changing the deal, etc.

So ideally it goes something like this- Horizon helps the group kill the lich, and then he returns to help Tiff find her brother. Something about the magic of friendship would keep the group together, or something else would come up. And if the brother is too inconvenient to continue, then let's just say after all of this, he really did forget. If he forced the deal on Tiff in the first place, there's a good chance she won't hold him to it, maybe thinking it's better if she does it alone. How is that?

Yeah...*hides in the corner of shame.* She's kind of hoping he'll forget so she can go alone but she went to the temple because of a rumor that her brother was seen sulking around there and working for the Big bad.

Actually I think Zthulan and Jeraylia had to skip that... Since the ritual was suppose to take about an hour. Or did my nat20 make it happen faster?

You were detained, yes, but he'd still like to meet you (and probably thank you healing ALL the guys). I was just giving him the infodump so you wouldn't have to sit through it.

As for Horizon...

Horizon grabs his helmet. "It's simple, really. As far as I'm concerned, we're on the same team, and that justifies a contract, of sorts." He paused, putting in the helm and adjusting the faceplate. "Don't try to kill me, don't try to steal from me, don't ever break a deal with me. That will get you killed. If you do something, act with intent and conviction. Failure to do that won't get you killed, so long as we're working together, but it does piss me off." He looks back at the fresh corpse. "He died, simply, because he was on the wrong side- though the manner in which he died was because I really didn't like him. His fate was sealed as soon as he took part in this whole thing." Turning towards the temple, he draws his scimitar. "The same can be said for anyone who stands against us in there. So in short, you don't want to end up like him, then stand with me, and stand strong."

Works for me. I'll see if I can fit in the brother then, or not fit him in, or leave it as a thing to deal with after the lich crisis.

You can (and should) still have a talk with the mayor as a group - I'll say you reconvene together right after Rolf is done with his talk with Nester and/or gets a look at the book Tiffany transcribed.

---

"Newt eyes and troll teeth, just as requested. I managed to get them before...this whole mess started. I'll have them sent to you along with some other materials."

"Most superb! Bunch those up and put them somewhere where I can see them, will you?"

"As for the cultists, their magical skill seems...moderate at best. They seem to primarily rely on the use of wands, invisibility spells, and creating zombies to fight for them. Their "loyalty to the cause" varies: some seem to be simply bullies, some are simply afraid of Zilean, while others are particularly ready to die to further Zilean's goals. This is seen in how the bombs are to be set off manually, and how many cultists are provided "suicide scrolls", which seem to be designed to harm themselves and everyone around them. I got my hands on one of the scrolls, and it seemed to be capable of a number of effects, although I could only determine one of them."

"Yes, they don't quite seem to be "up to snuff", from what I've heard. Wouldn't be surprised if half of them were academy rejects, or grabbed off the streets. If they're toting around suicide scrolls, I's say they're either fanatical or uninformed. Possibly both, if they're operating like most crazed religious cults tend to. I'd be careful of the fanatics - they might just know a bit more on magic than the rest. The "suicide" scrolls in general are quite astonishing penmanship really - It was clearly enchanted by someone with decades of experience, likely Zilean himself. The invisibility scrolls are fairly standard - probably bought from a shop, or stolen."

"As of yet, his primary weapons in his attack on the city are "zombie bombs" and the cultists. The bombs are set by putting a blue potion and a sort of sticky extract into an alchemist cylinder, then adding in a volatile yellow potion to it to trigger the explosion. We have since learned that any extreme heat can set them off. The bombs, in addition to exploding, produce a purple gas that reacts with dead flesh and bone that creates undead that are stronger than normal, but are also apparently uncontrollable even by the cultists. For human bodies, the standard reaction is the formation of "blood skeletons", and some of my compatriots have found that the gas may cause separate body parts to break off of a dead creature and become independently active (and violent). When exposed to large quantities of dead material, the gas has shown the ability to bring them together as a cohesive whole. A bomb that went off in the catacombs below the temple produced a large serpent-like creature made of an amalgamation of bones. I have some of the ingredients for one of these bombs, and hopefully we can send them to you for further analysis."

"Ah yes, the 'devices'. The soldiers here were kind enough to 'procure' some of those, as well as the assorted vials."

The perspective moves again, showing alchemical beakers with familiar looking substances in them. Nester picks one and shows it to the mirror.

"Now, the yellow potion, if my analysis is correct, and it obviously is, is just a standard, highly explosive volatile mixture. Well, not quite standard: a vial of a "dragon's fireblood". It's pretty much what a typical "dragon's breath" starts off before it exits the glands. Getting this stuff usually costs an arm and a leg, or more, if the dragon is feeling particularly sour, or about a years worth of ones salary. It's like an alchemist's fire, after it's downed about a dozen kegs of dwarven stout. If you find any more, do be as kind as to bring those to me - for research purposes, of course. Just remember the golden rule of potions - handle with care!"

He places it back on the table, and takes a box with the sticky, viscous extract.

"As far as the 'sticky extract' - I can't really tell yet. Looks like some sort of paste, or alchemical byproduct. I'd have to perform more tests to determine details. Doesn't seem to do much on its own, though."

He places the box aside and takes a blue potion.

"As for the blue potion, like the extract, doesn't actually do anything other than give anyone drinking it a severe case of food poisoning. But from what I've gathered via magical analysis, the stuff is a fairly potent catalyst, meant to me mixed with something, likely the extract, to achieve a reaction."

"Anyway, we officially have confirmation that this lich is the same Zilean that attacked the town before. His current capabilities are unknown, although we have not seen any instances of him directly attacking anyone. He has shown powers including long-distance communication (although it seems to be blocked by holy wards), levitation, paralysis, illusions, and conjuring up large fireballs (although given that we never saw the effects of said fireballs, they might have been illusions as well)."

"My analysis of the situation is that, while the cultists are less than professional, whoever set up this attack (Zilean or otherwise) is not to be taken lightly. These bombs have a complex reaction, but have been designed to be set following simple instructions. While parts of the plan have been subverted, the idea to take out the temple, the mayor, and most of the adventurers in town, all while most of the paladins were away on their prilgimage, shows a degree of strategic thinking that seems to contradict Zilean's "fun" persona."

The perspective switches to a blackboard with a listing of about a hundred spell names.

"Yes, sounds like a typical lich - several lifetimes of magical experience, knowledge, and cunning, coupled with an immortal, life-draining body, a paralytic touch, and a frightening presence. Probably has flying spells, every destructive or harmful spell in the book, and, judging from his 'personality', an array of beguiling spells, magical traps, and a whole lot of necromancy. Don't even think about engaging him without an advantage of some sort - it's mostly moot anyway, since his phylactery is missing. Can't really give much advice on the matter other than 'trust nothing', if you know he's around."

"Now, in regards to the device itself.."

The perspective moves for several seconds before lying at rest in front of one of the explosive devices.

"...from what I can tell, it's pretty much a pressurized cylinder. You place one chemical in this end, and a different on in that end, and you mix them up with the press of a button. I assume the volatile nature of the yellow potion prevented it from being mixed directly with the device without a premature combustion.

"Now, I'm about to try testing it, with controlled dosages, of course, to see if I can get any of the purple substance, either in gas or liquid form. The 'gas' aspect of the device, if my theory is correct, should happen as a result of mixing the catalyst potion and the extract within it. I assume the heat was merely required to trigger a powerful explosion, spreading the substance over an area."

Clinking of glass can be heard in the background, as Nester moves off-screen.

"Speaking of the purple smoke, I must ask - could you describe, in as much detail as you can, the, necrotic substances you've witnessed the purple substance react, or merge, or transmogrify with? I may have a theory..."

Wizard's about to zombify himself. Someone should stop him from doing that.

Zarhon wrote:"I'd be careful of the fanatics - they might just know a bit more on magic than the rest. The "suicide" scrolls in general are quite astonishing penmanship really - It was clearly enchanted by someone with decades of experience, likely Zilean himself."

Rolf nodded. "I believe we encountered one of them on the way here. Had a few extra tricks up his sleeve and just wouldn't die. Although, it's somewhat strange that the "suicide" scrolls are so complex. If all they needed was a large explosion, I'd imagine that could have been done with a fireball spell of sorts. Instead, we have a number of potential effects. Have you had any luck figuring out what else it can do?"

"Now, the yellow potion, if my analysis is correct, and it obviously is, is just a standard, highly explosive volatile mixture. Well, not quite standard: a vial of a "dragon's fireblood". It's pretty much what a typical "dragon's breath" starts off before it exits the glands. Getting this stuff usually costs an arm and a leg, or more, if the dragon is feeling particularly sour, or about a years worth of ones salary. It's like an alchemist's fire, after it's downed about a dozen kegs of dwarven stout. If you find any more, do be as kind as to bring those to me - for research purposes, of course. Just remember the golden rule of potions - handle with care!"

"...Research. Of course." Rolf sighed. Perhaps Nester might recompense him for providing him with such an expensive potion, but Rolf wasn't holding his breath over the prospect. Still, it would be safer in Nester's hands than just lying around where one good jostle could spell disaster. "And don't worry, I'm well aware of how dangerous something like that could be."

"As for the blue potion, like the extract, doesn't actually do anything other than give anyone drinking it a severe case of food poisoning.

"How would you...never mind."

"Yes, sounds like a typical lich - several lifetimes of magical experience, knowledge, and cunning, coupled with an immortal, life-draining body, a paralytic touch, and a frightening presence. Probably has flying spells, every destructive or harmful spell in the book, and, judging from his 'personality', an array of beguiling spells, magical traps, and a whole lot of necromancy. Don't even think about engaging him without an advantage of some sort - it's mostly moot anyway, since his phylactery is missing. Can't really give much advice on the matter other than 'trust nothing', if you know he's around."

"Duly noted. Although, I am a bit curious: if we're dealing with such a powerful entity, why doesn't he act...more directly? I mean, if I were a powerful nigh-immortal psychopath, I might think simply blasting the town hall and temple myself would be relatively simple. As a side note, I also have to wonder how he got the funding for all of this. The dragon's fireblood and the amulet he used to attack us in the tunnels must have cost a fortune. Did he just have a treasure trove lying around for when he got free?"

"Speaking of the purple smoke, I must ask - could you describe, in as much detail as you can, the, necrotic substances you've witnessed the purple substance react, or merge, or transmogrify with? I may have a theory..."

"...Well, let's see. The blood skeletons were formed from freshly killed corpses, including a stabbed shopkeeper woman, a random audience member, one of the cultists...oh, and they seemed to keep the blood with them as they were formed, only leaving red-tinted ground where they lay or stepped. I remember that because I was confused as to why not only the shopkeeper's body was missing, but the blood from the stab wound as well."

"Tiffany said that she had found an "ugly, leaping rat creature" in a freezer of sorts, which was later stabbed to death. One of the bombs nearby was leaking a purple liquid, and when it came into contact with the creature's blood, the mixture climbed onto the creature and enveloped it. The body then started twitching and spasming before separating into appendages, which grew parts of their own."

"As for the bone serpent...well, it was made of bones. Lots of them, from several different bodies, which formed a head, neck, torso, and two floating hands. The thing was huge, like, twice the size of a dire lion. Strangely, when we tried blessing some other bones we...had nearby, and then tossed them into the serpent's "torso", it reacted with several other bones near the impact, causing them to fall off of the body."

"The only other instance I can think of was...me, possibly. I had been turned into a sort of living skeleton for the play that the temple was putting on, and I hadn't had a chance to be changed back before Zilean and his goons showed up and started a panic. Once things had settled down, we found one of the bombs. One of my comrades tried disabling it, but instead caused some purple gas to shoot out, temporarily blinding him. As I helped him get away from the bomb and to someplace he could get help, I passed through the gas and...it felt slightly tingly. Nothing else happened, though."

The "blood skeletons" were that abominable mass of flesh that we blew up in the caravan, I take it? I always thought they were kind of a singular entity.