Date: Fifth of June, year 810 Post Seminal War (810 PSW)

Location: Bandit Outpost ?, Carrion Road, forty days to Chedal.

Job Arseoth scrunched up his nose, “does anyone else smell that?”

“Sos. Faas. Liiv.”

Candle nodded in agreement. Moments later her raiment shifting form a traveling dress into practical black silk and soot-blackened mithril armor, complete with a veil-like muzzle shroud and a helmet with a sunburst icon on the forehead.

“Someone or several someones died down there. I retract my previous statement: it is not safe to sleep here as is. Either we clear this cave out or withdraw, brave the storm, and find another place to sleep.”

Blue held up her hands, “are we just going to ignore the fact that you have Glamoured Studded Leather armor? Where in the vast planes did you get that?”

Job tapped the scales on his left arm, “better question, which deity do you serve? They had to give it to you during your reincarnation, when you became a Paladin.”

Candle gave a shallow bow to acknowledge the validity of both questions, “the Raiment of the Redeemer was given onto me by the Ascended Outsider known as Black Cloak.”

Job nodded in satisfaction, “Tier Two indeed, with a touch of Tier Four just to keep things interesting.”

Blue shook her head in confusion, “Ascended Outsider? What in the vast planes is that?”

Candle frowned in thought for a moment, clearly condensing essays of knowledge, informed speculation, theological debate, and wild-ass guesses down into a few sentences.

“Nakshatra is the Primordial term. A being with enough personal power that they transcend mortal reality. A god in power and Domain, but with no inherent Divinity. It is yet unclear if dedicated worship by a sufficiently large population for long enough can bestow that Divinity, but all of the limited evidence points to such a thing being possible. Certainly Black Cloak acts according to the Laws and Treaties of the Gods, so I expect that she is on the edge of breaking through into becoming one.”

Blue lowered her hands and nodded in comprehension, “alright, we can go over the details later. It is just that... as much or more has changed above as has changed below while I slept.”

Job nodded, then his eyes narrowed in speculation, “not merely raiment, but Raiment? And artifact Raiment at that? Why do I get the feeling that we're going to need new clothing for you Candle, unless you want to advertise the fact that you are the Champion of Black Cloak...?”

Candle looked down at her wonderful Raiment, “... kraken shit.”

Job waved a hand, “something for later. We need to stop at another Elci's anyway. I may be set for clothing, but you Ladies are not. Big Cat first?”

Daughter of Night swung her head towards the human-sized tunnel opening, stared at it, panned back over to Job, blew a heavy gout of air out of her nose, and curled up in a corner of the basement to take a nap.

Job sighed, “I'll take that as a 'no' then.”

Blue patted the gladii at her hips, “skirmisher, so I'll go second. Spellslinger at the back, Paladin at the front.”

“Sorcerer, not 'spellslinger', please and thank you!”

Candle chuckled, then stalked into the tunnel, seeming to blend into the shadows at the edge of the meager light. Blue followed after, longbow in hand an an arrow on her fingertips.

Job let out a sigh, rapped his quarterstaff on the ground, muttered “” and held his improvised magical torch up.

“Not exactly subtle, but it'll do. Not like being quiet was an option with fire and lightning as the primary tools in my arsenal.”

Job strode after the ladies, quarterstaff clacking loudly on the stone, sublimely confident that they could handle anything this hole might contain.

. . . - - - . . .

Candle in the Dark crouched at the exit of the tunnel where it opened up into a semi-natural chamber in the rock. The place had clearly begun life as a cave before mortal hands had added crude timer structures and hacked form from the stone. Before her was a balcony and a plank bridge over a natural chasm, a pushcart full of the moldering remains of a hapless peddler, and the faint outline of a humanoid standing at immobile attention at the far end of the bridge. Blue padded up next to her, bare feet slapping quietly on time-worn stone, longbow at the ready.

“A guard?”

Candle shook her head slightly, “it has neither moved nor made a noise since I arrived. Undead or golem do you think?”

Blue shrugged one shoulder, “call out and find out?”

Candle shook her head, “think you can hit it from here with an arrow?”

“Easily, but should we?”

“Ehh, probably not without attempting to convince them to surrender. The body is at least two weeks old...”

Job strode out of the tunnel, held up his quarterstaff, and illuminated the far side of the bridge. The harsh white light revealed the 'guard' to be a skeleton draped in ragged robes, spear in hand, standing stiffly at attention. It began to react, turning its skull towards the source of the light and readying its spear.

Job promptly leveled an accusing finger and barked “”

Two golden embers flicked across the bridge and dug into the skeleton's rib cage. Bones cracked loudly and clattered to the ground but the skeleton kept moving.

Candle felt her hesitation to capture her foe fade into oblivion as the undead and irredeemable nature of the foe was revealed. She leveled her own finger and spat a spell of her own, “Create Bonfire!”

Flames roared to life at the skeleton's feet, racing up is robes and along its limbs. More bones cracked and shattered until the skeleton's skull fell to the ground and shattered into dust.

Blue drew her bow and aimed across the bridge, “where there was one there will be more. Necromancers are never satisfied with only one minion.”

Three more skeletons emerged from concealment at the far end of the bridge and leveled shortbows at the party. Blue loosed her arrow and sent a chip of bone flying. The skeletons aimed and fired in silent unison. Job took an arrow in the left shoulder with a grunt, letting it scrape off of the metal pauldron of his arm.

“”

The skeleton that had wounded Job was blown to flaming chunks as two golden seeds of fire ripped its skull from its neck. The next one in line staggered heavily as through slugged twice by a set of brass knuckles. Candle charged across the bridge in a burst of speed and pounced atop the undamaged skeleton. Her claws ripped at its bones, leaving deep gouges everywhere she struck. It staggered back but didn't go down. Two more skeletons emerged to challenge the party with shortswords in hand. Blue fired another arrow into the skeleton that Job had staggered, shattering its ribs and spine. It wend down and did not attempt to rise again. The skeletons stabbed at Candle, leaving two bleeding cuts on her forearms as she tried to deflect their blows.

“”

Job jabbed his fist forwards, punching the air. Three lines of brassy fire lanced at the skeletons. Both of the newcomers took hard hits, but stayed on their feet, while the third ray dug harmlessly into stone. Candle lashed out with her claws again and two skeletons were scattered into their component bones, only to be replaced by two fresh skeletons from the depths of the cave. Blue put an arrow cleanly through the skull of the wounded skeleton and dropped it into the chasm. The skeletons both stabbed at Candle, who deflected one blow but took the other across her shoulders.

“”

The skeleton that had struck Candle dropped like a string cut puppet when its head was reduced to powder. Candle furiously clawed at the last skeleton but caused no substantial damage.

Blue stretched out a grasping hand, “Time to find out if this works on the mindless. [Ma-eum Chulyeog!]”

The skeleton rocked back on its heels, shook its skull, and swung its shortsword at Candle. She evaded the strike with ease.

“”

The last skeleton scattered itself across the ground in flaming chunks.

. . . - - - . . .

Job Arseoth winced as Candle dragged her claws along her own wounds, spreading blood across her Raiment even as her magic mended flesh. He approached to lend what aid he could.

“ With respect Lady Candle, you need a proper weapon. Claws will only take you so far.”

“Gorwedd Ymlaen Haal. I agree, but I will not wield these rusted blades. Elci's or the Guild house in Chedal will have the basics in stock. My wounds are closed and healed, let us proceed to fully cleanse this pace.”

Job cracked his neck and held up a hand, “skirmisher first, unarmed healer second, Sorcerer third. Blue, lead off.”

Blue nodded in acceptance, “can you tell how many more there are?”

Job frowned, listening, “not by ear... . There are three more creatures ahead, all evil in nature.”

Candle cracked her knuckles, “the necromancer and a pair of minions no doubt. We can deal with them. Let's go!”