And only two gnomes, Bree? I could have sworn it was at least three!

Nice edits/adds... Contemplating a post, now.

Morgana (and Ch'dau):

Because...

...was it consumed by the "manifestation" spell?

Marine Corps math also confirms this.

...that Morgana could be injured like that. Hmmmmmm.

...it's not like we actually planned a great deal of this out, after all, we've mostly been doing it on-the-fly with the random Q&A and/or PM discussion to sketch out a few things.

Also, given the amount of books in the study, I think it makes complete sense for Kith to have "obsessively rumaged through them" in search of the tome she seeks, tbh... I mean, did her employers give her a precise location when they hired her or did they simply say "go to this slitch's house and find us this book"?

...I kind of thought we were on the second floor, just up the hallway from where Ch'dau and Kithran made their dramatic "window exit." They'd made it to the third floor, originally, but were almost immediately chased back down to 2 when the bone-spider first appeared.

I don't think you need to revise much if anything, tbh, but, as I said... I could be misplaced, my own self... Plus the smell of burnt kazari has me thrown off a tad.

...but we're only on the second floor, at this point, right? And, I kind of think I mentioned at some point that the book Kith was looking for was going to be found in the "turret room" where Adedre originally summoned Morgana, yes?

Soooo... we need to go up another level, find Adedre's chambers (and the door to the turret), then get into the room itself if Kithy wants that book. Assuming we don't burn the place to the ground before we get there.

Unless there are any objections or proposed adjustments, of course. That's just kind of the way I envisioned things going down... I'm open to revamping... when I originally considered where the grimoire might be, I hadn't given much thought to the role Morgana might play in all of it, sooooooo... *shrugs* ... Discuss?

I'd forgotten about that.

We might have another floor... or two... to go before our kibibi finds that particular tome.

Nice read for the end of a loooooong day of back-to-the-grind. 

Good deal!

...I left it rather ambiguous as to the actual state of the doors, given Rer's last post. They're certainly damaged, buckled, and possibly singed, but I didn't want to go as far as to say they'd actually come open just in case the Butterfly had something in mind that depended on them somehow remaining "barred."

Also - I hope Mosic saved a spell or two for healing purposes. Kitty's got boo-boos and Kith's shoulder might need some attention, as well.

...the post is away!

Got exceedingly lucky with the rolls on that scene. lol

Ol' Fuzz-face took some pretty decent damage but his raging kept him from thinking about it long enough to pulverize that damned spider.

I'll leave it up to others as to what becomes of those puppets.

P.S. Bree- I know you mentioned some other bits regarding Kith's actions following the fight but I imagined, by the end, you might want to include those details in your next post. Couldn't really find a proper transition between where I ended things and that, sooo... TAG!

Even as he focused on fighting his way from beneath the twisted abomination of bone, Ch’dau was aware of Kithran’s efforts against the unsettling dolls as well as Mosic’s aid in dealing with all of the attackers. However, aside from the frantic pounding from the other side of the door at the start of the fight, he hadn’t heard nor seen anything of Aranwen. The Bladesinger’s silence concerned him a bit more than her absence but, at the moment, the Silver Cat couldn’t afford let himself think about such things, now. The immediate threat was here. Besides, Bladesingers were formidable warriors and, so long as what Arawen faced on the opposite side of the door wasn’t as horrific as the bone-spider, he was sure that she would manage…

Rrowl be with her!

…He had regained his feet, his blades fending off the worst of the pistoning strikes of the bone-spider’s appendages as he spun back from under the chittering monstrosity. As he did so, he risked a glance at his companions. Kithran seemed to have dealt with the dolls for the time and was climbing a bookcase in an apparent attempt to launch herself at the spider. Mosic muttered words Ch’dau’s ears couldn’t quite comprehend and his little hands worked strange patterns in the air… A spell?... Just as the kazari registered these things, the cleric’s spell seemd to take effect and a beam of golden light speared through the chaos, narrowly missing a third doll that Ch’dau hadn’t noticed until it lept away from the pool of blood at his feet. Before Ch’dau could give much consideration the the white-garbed puppet, though, the bone-spider reared back, intent on spearing the kazari with two of its deadly limbs. At the same time, Mosic abandoned his spellwork in favor of his mace and Kithran flew from the bookcase to land atop the spider’s back.

Snarling a curse, the kazari ducked and spun away from the spider’s attack which had been thrown askew by Kithran’s impact. As the abomination crashed into the opposite wall, Mosic charged in with his mace and shattered a joint on one of the thing’s rear legs. The creature shrieked and tried to right itself even as it turned it’s head and snapped at Ch’dau with skull-lined mandibles. The Silver Cat leapt backward, avoiding the attack, causing the spider to refocus on Kithran as she scrambled nimbly back atop the thing…

“I can’t think of anything witty, right now,” the Little Kitten called, striking at the joint which Mosic’s attack had weakened and kicking at one of the skulls reaching out from its body, “just move, cat!”

Ch’dau growled in response and, as he did, his gaze fell upon an overturned oil-lamp. A savage grin spread across his features, then, and he sheathed his falcata. He tore the cloak from his shoulders with one hand and scooped up the lamp with the other. Then, dousing the fabric with the oil from the lamp, he, too, leapt atop the bone-spider’s back as Kith and Mosic continued their assault. He made for the thing’s head, then, and whipped the oil-saturated cloak around the conglomeration of bones that constructed it. He took a nasty bite and a glancing blow from a knife-edged foot for his efforts but, at last, managed to tightly wrap the abominations head and still its clacking jaws.

“Kithran! Mosic! Off and away!!!” Ch’dau roared, tugging his blades free, once more.

Even as the little Cidal backed away, Mosic blinked up at Ch’dau from the floor below, and the kazari sensed more than saw Kithran leap off of the spider’s back. Once they were both clear, the Silver Cat snarled at the creature’s thrashing head… “And you go straight to whatever hell spat you forth!”… With that, Ch’dau’s blades grated sharply together, causing sparks to fly from the steel and spill onto the oil-soaked cloak.

The thing howled and thrashed as it’s head burst into flames, it’s flailing throwing the kazari to the floor and causing him to lose his grip on his weapons. The loss of his blades didn’t seem to stop the rampaging Silver Cat, though. Ch’dau rolled to his feet and, with a battle-mad roar, charged empty-handed at the thrashing bone-spider. He didn’t even seem to notice the blows he took from it as, with a feral grunt of effort, hauled the thing from the ground and flung it at the chamber doors. The sound of cracking bone, crackling flame, and splintering wood scarcely rose of the kazari’s raging as he took up his falcata, again, and closed on where the broken pile of bones writhed and twitched against the buckled doorway.

The ferocity with which Ch’dau set upon the screeching heap was a sight nearly as terrifying as the spider itself had been and Mosic could only imagine how much more horrifying it might have been had there been any meat on the thing’s bones. What remained of the spider had stopped moving, though, and between the flames and the kazari’s blades and teeth, had been reduced to little more than a macbre pile of smouldering rubble.

“Stop,” Mosic called, tearing across the room and swatting at the kazari’s shoulder with his own cloak. “Ch’dau! Stop! You’re on fire…”

The slavering cat-man chuffed and blinked as the little cleric wailed away at him, extinguishing the flames that danced across the fur of his shoulder and arm.

“..And I’m all but ceratin that thing will be a bother no longer, hmm?”

Don't do it, Ara! Whatever it is!

Got slightly delayed in my post by a system outage but got that resolved and am back at clacking away at the bone-spider battle. Hope to have it ready soon.

Love the updates... And those dolls creep me out more than the bone-spider!

I'll get a post in the works soon.

Eep!!!

Do the dolls have tiny weapons, Butterfly?

I blame my age, but I can't help but picture something along the lines of Raggedy Ann and Andy when I imagine the felt dolls.

Also - Yes, I imagine this particular room being a study of some sort. I figure Adedre's got at least a couple of rooms lined with books, scroll cases, etc. Probably a few mouldering pieces of furniture here and there, a small table or three, candelabras, oil lamps, etc...

Aaaaaaaand, I'm afraid that Ch'dau might be close to ruining that cloak that Kith gave him by wrapping it around the bone-spider's head... *shrugs* ... we shall see!

Back to fighting the bone-spider... and, I'm guessing, those creepy little dolls, as well!

Didn't want to go too much farther, though, as I imagined each of you would prefer to add you own actions and reactions.

“…I am ready to draw out this terrifying creature,” Kith smirked, bringing her hands to her hood, again, “I suggest watching out most for the dagger feet…”

Dagger feet, Ch’dau chuffed, recalling being impaled by the spider’s appendage, More of a spear if you ask me.

“Ready?”

After a quick glance at their surroundings and another toward the door, the kazari grinned faintly and nodded. “Right behind you, kibibi,” he rumbled.

With that, Kithran scampered ahead, Ch’dau close behind and the Cid and Syl following. The door opened without Kithran having to fiddle with the locks and, had he considered it, Ch’dau might have thought it much too easy. He didn’t consider it, though, and, as the doors were thrown open, he followed his little shadow-girl through without thinking. As they entered, the heads of both the half-Syl and the kazari were on swivels, their eyes skimming the room they had just entered…

Nothing, Ch’dau chuffed inwardly just as the soft pat of Mosic’s feet drew to a halt behind him. This… does not feel…right…

Admiring my handicraft, a disembodied voice queried even as the hinges of the doors creaked in their wake.

At the creaking of the hinges, Ch’dau’s eyes flicked back to the doors and, in a moment of confusion, blinked at the small, felt effigies of himself and Kithran as they pushed the doors shut. Mosic had made the room, of course, but Aranwen was still beyond the threshold and, at the speed the dolls were shutting the doors, would likely not make the crossing before the way was barred.

“Aranwen,” Ch’dau growled, “Quickly!”

It was too late, however, and the doors to the hall were shut and secured by the little dolls, separating the kazari, cleric, and thief from the bladesinger. So easily distracted, the voice almost snickered then, I’d look up if I were you.

Even as he backed further into the room, warily eyeing the puppets, Ch’dau paid heed to the ethereal voice and lifted his gaze to the ceiling. Suspended there by a tangled web of threads hung the horrific bone-spider that had chased he and Kith from the manse the night before. “Uj’nga!” the Silver Cat hissed just as the sound of snapping fingers resounded through the chamber.

“Away, kibibi,” he snarled, “we have walked into a trap!” As the monstrosity fell away from its web, Ch’dau reached out to shove Kithran out of the way with one hand and tore a falcata free with the other. As that first kazari-crafted blade spun into a reverse grip and the Silver Cat reached for the other, the bone spider crashed down atop him. He grunted from the impact that drove him to a knee; then, as he ripped the second blade loose, Ch’dau roared with rage and lashed out with both blades, batting away the spear-tipped legs of the bone-spider as he sought a way from underneath the thing.

One of the more entertaining/intriguing groups of characters I've had the pleasure to be a part of in a good while! I'm loving the exploration of their relationships and all of the little nuanced pieces of them that we seem to pull out (i.e. the "cat-dad" thing, especially given the ages of Ch'dau and Kith, the fact that Ch'dau and Ara end up "married," etc).

Anyhoo... got a post about halfway done. Got to go to the grocery, now, but, will finish up and post when I get back!

Happy Saturday, lovelies!

..

where's the fun in that?

Got a post started but not yet finished... Wifey takes precedence, of course, and we're on our way out. She looks awful pretty, too, so I doubt I'll be finishing up the post when I get home, sooooooo, look for a post tomorrow.  

Yeah... seeing these amazing pieces makes me realize just how rusty I've become... Need to pick up the sketchbook more and, perhaps, throw myself back into digital painting/modelling. I've gotten sloppy.

And here I am with nothing but T-bills!

Taking the wife out for a night on the town, this evening, so I doubt I'll get a post done before that happens, btw. Hopefully later tonight or tomorrow.

Hoping to have a post up, at some point, today. Sorry for the delay.