Private Tales The Necromancer

A private roleplay only for those invited by the first writer
Caliane groaned internally as she came to the staircase. For a moment she looked up at the sky and debated just how much she needed the gold from this job before rolling her shoulders and starting down the steps. Without Eberwolf and his key she only had one so if this was the place they would need all six she was going to be in trouble. There were hedges all around her now so it seemed there was no other choice however so after a deep breath of fresh air she made her way back down the stairs and tried the door. If it was locked she'd try both of her keys before pushing it open.
 
It was not locked this time. And what appeared to be a crypt, was just that, a crypt, with endless open sarcophagi containing dead lords and ladies, all armed and armored in various levels of advancement, the oldest were up at the front, and they only wore mail hauberks with conical nasal helms and carried broadswords and heater shields. The further in she went, the less decay was found on the dead men and women, and increasingly more complicated armor wore they. She eventually came to an end in the sarcophagi containing bodies, and came to empty ones instead, and where the ones with bodies had their lids to the side, these had none, save the furthest one back, on a raised dias and perpendicular to the rest of the tombs. This sarcophagus was closed, the only one that was, and she’d have to open it.
 
Caliane took her time walking through the tunnel, the little ball of fire floating in front of her to light the way in the gloomy dark. Perhaps there was a key amongst the bodies so she made sure to stop and check each one as respectfully as possible - even the empty caskets. The gaping holes where bodies should be unnerved her more but she knew she was sure to meet up with their inhabitants sooner or later. Once she got to the end of the hall the fire hovered above the raised dias and she huffed.

"I never want to deal with a Necromancer again," she muttered under her breath and took the steps up to stand beside the tomb. Casting her eyes over the lid for a moment she then curled her fingers around the lip and pushed it up and off to see what was inside - hopefully a key.
 
Oh there was a key, only it wasn’t just lying in there. The sarcophagus appeared to be bottomless, and her fire would do nothing to illuminate the inside, she would have to search it by touch, which wasn’t going to be pleasant. Because the first thing that her hand would collide with was a face, and eyeless, noseless face with an oversized mouth and an excessive number of needle teeth. The key was clasped over its chest by its “hands”. Fun times were ahead.
 
A small noise of disgust escaped her throat as she put her hand into the coffin and felt around. A shudder ran up her arm as her fingers brushed against the noseless face and she yanked her hand back when they brushed against the teeth. What on earth was buried in here? And what on earth had left the other sarcophagus? She had thought it was humans but now...

She put her hand back in after a deep breath and finally retrieved the key.

Once Caliane had pulled it free she took two steps back and dropped the lid back over the creature before turning and leaving the crypt.
 
She wasn’t halfway to the exit until she heard the lid of the sarcophagus fall with a great thud. The creature from the grave was loose, she was now it’s prey. The thing was behind her, and if she looked she’d see that it wasn’t unlike the creatures from before, but this time it had eight arms and three tails tipped with white stingers. It came after her with all haste. She had best run, or fight.
 
Her whole body shuddered when she saw the creature and she picked up the pace. Once she was at the door she leapt out and then turned, in her hand a ball of flame which she threw into the crypt. A wave of blazing heat erupted just before she slammed the door to the crypt shut to seal the creature inside with the powerful flame. For a moment all she could hear was the shriek but it died out soon enough. Her back slumped against the door and let out a breath. It was only when the screams finally died did she push off and begin walking through the maze again. Three more keys, unless Eberwolf had found some more.
 
Eberwolf wasn’t having a ball. He absolutely love doing cleaving pieces off of otherworldly and unholy monstrosities part pieced togetherness by a most likely insane necromancer. Hi sorry sword had no blood on it but it had already cut off numerous heads, and arms, and legs. Of course nothing he did actually killed of the monsters so he hadn’t an endless supply of enemies to fight. Hooray!

He got really pissed around the eighth time the twelve-legged, five-headed spiderlike monstrosity came back together and tried to kill him. What was with this bitch and horrific, demonic things that sought to eat everything’s that breathed? So he did the only rational thing that came to mind and charged at it screaming bloody murder and intending to hammer it’s bones into powder. Strangely enough, that’s exactly what he needed to do to get a key. Lodged in the things almost impossible to see chest, right where the heart would be. Of course he got a few more souvenir scars and the thing just refused to stay down. Fun!

It seems that each key was guarded by a monster, each increasingly more horrifying than the last.
 
It wasn't long before Caliane came across her next monster. The maze was eerily quiet and even her elfish ears couldn't make out any noises other than her breathing and the crunch of her feet on the grass. She rounded the corner and it seemed to grow darker and then she saw it - the glint of red of the creatures eyes as he turned. The small orb of fire she had kept going picked out the creatures monstrous horns and the saliva that dripped from its tusks. The creature roared when it saw her and lowered its head and charged but not before she caught a glimpse of the key in the back of the creatures neck, as if it were the thing keeping it going.

She narrowly managed to avoid the first assault by throwing herself into the hedge. The beat roared and turned, giving her enough time to draw her blade. The two fought hard. The creature got more than a few good cuts against her before she managed to slip past the twisted risen beast and yanked the key from his neck. The Minotaur faltered and slowly fell forward into the ground. She now had three of the six keys in her grip and she looked at them as her other hand clasped against the gash up her forearm.

Now to find Eberwolf and get this over with.
 
One more key to be found, and then they go and bring the necromancer in. He had a few threats that he needed to make good on. He found Caliane after a lot of running through the maze. The monster had reformed, again, and was now chasing him, again. And as much fun as beating it's bones into powder was, he knew better than to waste time doing that. So he ran. And after a while he found Caliane, and wasted no time in grabbing her hand and continuing to run. Miraculously, they found the exit, and scooted on out of it before it changed again.

Eberwolf had two keys, she had three, "now we need only find the last one. Any ideas about where it might be?"
 
"I'm not sure... I know she wanted me to head to the mausoleum but I'm not sure if that's just where the end game is," Caliane was slightly out of breath after being half dragged through the maze and she put a hand on her chest as if she could ease her crazed heartbeat. Her wings at least no longer felt heavy now they were out of the maze and she stretched them out to ease the cramp that had been building in them.

"Do you humans have any other weird outdoor entertainment facilities we could check?" she assumed that there were no more in the house itself and they had covered the maze. "I know some of you keep gardens and ponds and such things - perhaps there?" she raised a brow and shrugged. In truth she had no idea where a key might be hidden in such a place as this.
 
"This is the garden. I got the key from the attics. You got the key from the cellar. We got three more here, she said six. The sixth, I'd say it's in the monster guarding the mausoleum, and I'm fairly certain that it's a monstrous and misshapen mass of mangled mortal flesh. Meet it I should not wish to, destroy it we must. Come friend, before Legion can pull more of her mind tricks to muddle and mix our meditation." He says with vigour to let fly vengeance on Legion's vexing paradoxes.

He lead the way to the mausoleum, and what horror awaited them there was none other than an eighty foot long millipede of human tireless and arms, linked by their spines at the neck to the hips of the next segment, and it had four years at either end. All of its skin was like that of the other monsters', charred, thin and tight. And what was worse, all of the hand-legs sported claws. They were screwed.
 
Caliane couldn't help but think they were quite poor gardens to have such a thing in the middle of them but then perhaps for people who couldn't just fly out of it they were fun things. Personally she would have preferred wandering around some botanical gardens than a creepy maze but who was she to judge. She followed with a growing sense of dread. If he was right then this wasn't going to be a fun fight. Her fingers danced between her bow and her sword trying to decide which she would rather be armed with.

When she saw the creature she grimaced and opted for the bow, stringing it quickly and knocking an arrow. Her wings flared out and she poised, ready to launch herself into the air.

"If you take it from down here and I from above perhaps we will have a chance."
 
"I doubt arrows will vex this aberration. Use fire if you can, I intend to use it until there is naught left but pieces. Burn it, and keep it from reforming, and keep an eye out for the key, if the last few keys are any indication, it holds the key somewhere." And with this, he charged letting his wrath fuel him as his Messer sword cut and hewed the beast at the body, splitting it into two different centipedes, each moving individually, cutting it was apparently a bad idea.