Luthok tugs his beard a little. "Uuuuhm, well see about those touchy feely things of my beard." 

After checking for traps, Merrick takes a look. What could possibly go wrong?

Merrick opens the chest...

He pulls out the item and holds it over head. 

It's

a

...

Big Blue Bone!

How exciting...?

However, Merrick feels the need... the need to keep exploring.

Will he check out the next couple of rooms???

Dyoken hops off the porch, and cracks his whip. (initiative: 3) "Sparring..." He growls.

He prepares to grapple Garamond when he makes his next move.

Merrick continues on his merry way, tapping the blue bone on various surfaces as he explores the rest of the floor. Some minor exploration tells Merrick the room with the hearth is dull and boring. He enters the portion of the building that makes up the tower. From there, he walks around the circular first floor of the tower and spots something bright red. 

There seems to be a humanoid shape shrouded in a red velvet sheet. The statue under the red velvet sheet has horns or something of the sort as two points stick out from the draping cloth. Without hesitation, Merrick yanks off the cloth to reveal some weird looking statue or mannequin. It wears a red cape, a bunny mask, but doesn't move. Merrick knocks on it, pokes and prods it, but it doesn't seem to be alive. Instead, it looks and feels more like a doll than anything else.

He investigates the chest behind him, which asks him for the password in a pirate voice. Startled Merrick answers, "Booty?" The chest opens!

Within he finds a... jug. It's heavy, but empty. Yet swishing sounds can be heard from within. He puts the bone in the jug.

Quote from LaRue >>

"Woah, that's impressive." Urich grins at the fleck. "I might have to study any spare spores you have. A symbiotic relationship with a fungi... yea, I'd say you're a bit different from the tree-huggers by the gardens."

Luthok is able to see thin, shimmering strings as Urich runs some fingers by the mark. He sees the gnome shiver, remembering that touching the mark was an unpleasant experience. Soon Urich seems to be playing Cat's Cradle with these magical strings.

"It doesn't hurt," Vivi nudges her head in a short shake. One look at her face reveals puffed up cheeks. She's turning red. "Nnn. It. It tickles." 

"I'm glad someone's having fun, cause this feels awful." Urich chuckles as he carefully snips a couple strings with his scissors. "Not much longer now, promise."

---

 

"I see that my unparalleled handsomeness has stunned you," Sir Garamon teases as he blocks each strike with a flick of his wrist. "Do not be alarmed that your heart is pulsing. My visage has made many a lady swoon!

"Enough idle prattle. Let me show you my special abilities!" The skeletal knight raises a hand and shouts, "Behold! My bone attack!"

Three bones, which if you were Luthok you'd know were shaped like a humerus, appear over his head and fly toward Muireach. They all strike true! (Damage 1: 2 Damage 2: 2 Damage 3: 5 force) 

---

 

Meanwhile... Merrick has wandered into Urich's house. Without someone to watch him, he is looking for fun and secrets! There was that chest in the waiting room from earlier. A preliminary look reveals that it isn't locked. 

Will Merrick peek? 

 Muireach vacantly stares at the oncoming bones as the shatter against the elf’s skin. Muireach stretches and yawns a bit as a faint orange glow dims along his pendant. “That is an interesting ability, unfortunately it won’t work on me. Good try though...”

Muireach, Immune to Magic Missile

Meanwhile, Muireach will Fey Step behind Garamon (DC 14 CHA Save vs Frightened), “A valiant effort... Yet... You cannot hold back the coming of winter,” and makes a single swing into the base of Garamon’s armor, 12.

Sir Garamon, unaware that DK is about to join the rumble, jumps up in surprise when Muireach appears behind him and taps against Garamon's armor. The swing, somewhat misplaced, just causes the armor to ring. "Wowie! You can teleport? And immune to my bone attacks, eh, well then how about this!" He shouts as he turns. "Feast your eyes on the power bestowed upon me by Lady Naiya!"

With that said, a large, red bone pops into existence behind Muireach and takes a single swing while Garamon swings twice himself!

(Bone Attack: 14 and Garamon's two swings: 23 & 11.)

Up next is DK's grapple!

(Garamon's contested athletics is 14.)

"There. Finished my finishing touches." Urich wipes some sweat from his brow. "Man, doing this un-tracking thing is a huge pain. I hate having to be so careful. It's why I don't experiment on the living. Anyway, she shouldn't be tracked anymore or anything. The minute you came within about 30 ft. of my tower the tracker should have faded on their end, so, they will have mostly lost you."

Vivi pulls her clothes back on, but not until after she shows her mark to Luthok for approval. 

Urich pockets the blue gem, which glows faintly in his pocket before going dark. "I am curious if I could show your girl here something. Nothin' dangerous or gross, just want to see her reaction. It's a special stone I recovered from someone kinda like her. Do you mind?"

Merrick puts the bone inside the jug, but that doesn't seem to do much of anything. 

DK will remain ready, to jump in if things get out of hand. But he won't interfere at this time.

Luthok looks to the wizard with gratefullness. "Thank you." A quick nod follows the expression. When Vivi turns her mark towards Luthok for approval he just gives a quick nod and a thumbs up, not saying anything. 

When Urich mentions the stone Luthoks becomes more serious. "Hmh.. Wasn`t part of the deal, that. Can`t even know if your de-enchanting is legit, and you want me to let the lass look at strange artifacts of yours?... Well.. If i can have a look at it before she does, just to be on the safe side." 

Quote from LaRue >>

Sir Garamon, unaware that DK is about to join the rumble, jumps up in surprise when Muireach appears behind him and taps against Garamon's armor. The swing, somewhat misplaced, just causes the armor to ring. "Wowie! You can teleport? And immune to my bone attacks, eh, well then how about this!" He shouts as he turns. "Feast your eyes on the power bestowed upon me by Lady Naiya!"

With that said, a large, red bone pops into existence behind Muireach and takes a single swing while Garamon swings twice himself!

(Bone Attack: 10 and Garamon's two swings: 17 & 26.)

Up next is DK's grapple!

(Garamon's contested athletics is 15.)

 Muireach is caught off guard by the fact that his frightening effect did nothing, he leaps into the air to avoid the bone swing, but is caught as he goes to land back to the earth. The first swing knocks him into the air once more before he can catch his footing, while the second swing sends him flying back a few feet on his back. As he lies flat on his back, he raises a hand, “I see that we are using magic now... Of course you know, this means war...” With that, Muireach casts Darkness on Garamon’s head.

(Should DK want to interfere, he'll go against that 15 just to keep it flowing!)

"You slippery squid..." Sir Garamon shifts his eyes side to side, unable to find Muireach. "Yet, I am quite confident I can still hit you! En garde!" Sir Garamon takes two poorly aimed swings hoping one connects. (Attack 1: 9, Attack 2: 20)

"Understandable my dear friend," Urich nods. He fusses with his pockets for a moment before his face turns grim. "Heads-up, this thing is full of necrotic energy. Just touching it feels gross. Kinda like their marks."

Urich tosses something at Luthok. It glimmers through the air and looks like a ruby. Luthok is free to catch it without a check, but he can choose to let it fall to the ground as well. Either way, he can sense what Urich mentioned. The thing reeks with necrotic energies. 

Vivi seems to eye this gem. Her expression, usually passive, looks focused. 

As Garamon swings blindly, Muireach simply chuckles to himself as he steps out of the way of a swing. “I’m sure you ca-“ In his moment of hubris, Muireach is completely unaware as the butt of the sword catches him in the back of the head, thinking to himself, “Can he see me!?” No Muireach... no he can’t. Oddly passionate for his Winter state, Muireach shouts, “I should never have doubted you, Garamon! I end this now!” He swings down his blade, 16 and 15

Luthok catches the gem and starts to examine it as soon as he grasps it between his fingers. "Hmhmm.."

Arcana: 11

CLANG! CLANG!

"I yield! I can only handle so much ringing!" Sir Garamon holds his hands up. "Why you are a fantastic warrior! No wonder you are the king of heroes. I-" Sir Garamon looks around in the darkness. "Er, could you make the sun come back out?"

Luthok peers at the gem and senses the energies. Indeed, touching the thing and feels an overwhelming sense of dread. He isn't sure what he is looking at though. 

Muireach snaps and the darkness vanishes, he breathes heavily as he leans on his blade, “Likewise, Sir Garamon... you are truly... something.” Muireach pulls out a strand of his hair and offers it to Garamon, “A sign of respect among my people.”

Luthok holds the gem up between two fingers towards the gnome. "Definitely necrotic alright. What exactly is it? Any idea at all?" Luthok tosses the gem back to Urich.

"What an interesting gesture," Sir Garamon takes the hair and studies it. Amazingly enough, Sir Garamon doesn't seem winded. "I will cherish it for the rest of my life!" He drops the hair into his suit of armor. "I don't have any hair, but I hope you will accept my handshake!"

Whether or not you shake Garamon's hand, he will gather up the pieces of his broken helm. Holding the two pieces together with a hand, he presses his gloved index finger along the crack. It smooths over until Sir Garamon has made the helm whole again and places it back onto his head. 

"Nothing like a good sparring. Say..." Sir Garamon looks around. "Where is that kithkin that was with you?"

"Its a phylactery," Urich says as he catches it. Vivi's eyes follow the gem like a cat watching a mouse. "Something like this is buried in your girl, I imagine. Based on her color scheme, her's is probably green. Hah hah." Urich looks over at Vivi. "When I recovered this, it seemed like the girl was dead, but it feels like there is something imbued in this. I thought maybe your girl would know."

Muireach shakes his hand, and looks around, “That’s a good question... it’s also very concerning. We should find him, he could very realistically kill all of us without knowing it...”

"Wait, phylactery? Ain't that a bad thing? Would it hurt the lass? If it doesn't I say sure, give it to her." Luthok looks to Vivi and notices her eyes tracing it through the air. "Looks like you want it V."