Dahlia once again flew into the cemetery on the side of Riverwatch, and landed before the Mausoleum that bore the symbol for House Graystone–a gray colored block of stone on a black field.

“I suggest you summon your new allies first, Mistress,” Xeras interjected when Dahlia remained atop his head.

“I guess,” Dahlia agreed. First things first she fished the amber stone out of her pouch, and spent a Glimmer point to transform it into housing a desiccated hornet trapped in the amber.

♫”From shadows thick and night’s dread maw,

I call thee forth on bladed wing.

By blood and thorn, by death’s cold law,

Rise, foul swarm, obey and sting.

Wraith-hornets fierce, with hunger wild,

Each razor wing poised to defile,

In writhing mass with venom’s gleam,

Descend, O swarm, in death’s dark dream.

Fey-born wrath with spectral spite,

A thousand stings to shroud the light.

Come forth, ye swarm, in fury’s dance,

Bound by pact of ancient trance.

Through bone and soul, through flesh and fear,

Your ghastly whispers draw near.

A hornet’s rage, a nightmare’s grace,

Devour all who flee this place.

From blackened thorn and amber tomb,

With phantom spite and eldritch harm,

Bring death anew, O swarm of gloom,

and spread your dread, my shadowed storm.” ♫

With each word of the song a hornet made of spiritual energy crawled out of the amber stone. One after another, until a swarm the size of Mr. Disapoofer buzzed and churned in front of Dahlia. The spectral hornets were tiny, smaller than Dahlia even, at approximately an inch long each. Yet even as spiritual beings, their bladed wings and large stingers left no doubt they were not to be trifled with.

The attributes for the swarm surprised Dahlia.

Spirit Hornet Swarm

Strength: 6

Intelligence: 4

Medium Undead, Evil

Dexterity: 16

Wisdom: 12

Level: 1

Constitution: 15

Charisma: 7

Skills:

Perception

Damage Resistances:

Necrotic, Bludgeoning, Piercing, and Slashing from Non-magical attacks

Damage Immunity:

Poison

Condition Immunities:

Charmed, Frightened, Poisoned

Senses:

Darkvision 60 ft

Languages:

Understands Common, can’t speak.

Traits

Spectral Form

The Spirit Hornet Swarm can move through creatures and objects.

Swarm Instinct

If at least one allied creature is near its target, the swarm gains bonuses to attacks.

Fearsome Buzz

Enemy creatures within 10 feet that can hear have a chance to become feared.

Actions & Reactions

Multi-Attack

The Swarm makes a Bite and Sting attack.

Bite:

In addition to minor damage, the Hornet bite carries paralytic venom.

Sting:

In addition to minor damage, the Hornet sting carries a potent poison.

Dissipation:

When damaged the Swarm can Dissipate, becoming resistant to all damage but Force for a brief time.

Your Magic—Spell Singing skill has increased to level 2.

“Ruff!” Great singing! Mr. Disapoofer complimented Dahlia, even as she wondered what the effect of having a higher skill in spell singing would do.

Dahlia closed her eyes to examine the skill.

Magic—Spell Singing.

Rank 1 – Harmonic Casting: Your sung spells resonate with minor harmonics that enhance range or duration. Once per battle you may increase the range or duration of a spell by 10% when sung.

Rank 2 – Resonant Voice: Your voice gains a magical resonance. Allies within ten feet gain bonuses to resist charm and fear effects while you sing. Additionally, you gain a bonus to spell-based attacks.

Dahlia let the information go and opened her eyes. The swarm still writhed and pulsed. If she looked past the bladed wings, the hornets were almost like her adorable, beloved honeybees she’d gathered nectar with. Almost. The buzz of their wings made the air vibrate in a prelude to violence.

“Let’s see what we get for a spirit ally, shall we?” Dahlia asked her assembled minions. If she was going to do this, she was going to do it right, and make a performance out of it.

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“Ruff!” Yes! Mr. Disapoofer cheered in obvious happiness at having more friends. Or maybe the Warp Wolf was merely excited that Dahlia couldn’t summon more than one swarm of hornets at a time. Even the Gloamknight, Xeras, puffed his chest out and released a snort. Shade slumbered in shadows—he didn’t care about any of this until there were enemies to shred.

Without even a second thought for using both of her second level spell slots Dahlia coughed to clear her through and hummed a few notes. Only then did she pull out the mirror fragment, cover it in lavender oil, and tie a silver ribbon around it. Then she sang.

♫”O soul of flame, of searing light,

Through shadowed veil and endless night,

By voice and spell, I summon thee—

Rise forth, O mage, and burn for me.

Ancient pyre, from embers rise,

A blaze reborn beneath dark skies.

Bearer of intellect, fierce and bright,

Step from the gloom, unleash your might.

O spirit forged in fire’s embrace,

With flames that none but death could chase,

Lend me your strength, your burning fire—

Awaken now at my desire.

Through whispered words and binding ties,

From distant lands where magic lies,

Guide my hand with ghostly flame,

And scorch our foes in death’s own name.

Come forth, O mage, with wrathful gaze,

Ignite the dark, set all ablaze.

Answer my call, heed my plea—

Ally of flame, now fight for me.” ♫

Motes of fire rose from the ground. Each wisp of flame added to the greater whole of the spirit that Dahlia called upon. The consistent addition of more and more motes created the outline of a humanoid mage that coalesced into a blue-spiritual form shot through with hungry orange-red flames.

“I am ready to serve, Lady,” the spirit said in common.

“Do you have a name?” Dahlia asked bluntly.

“I was called Ruth,” the half-elf answered. Dahlia knew the truth of the half-elf’s name, but didn’t comment.

Name: Ruthialle

Medium Undead, Neutral

Level: 1

Strength: 10

Intellect: 18

Dexterity: 11

Wisdom: 12

Constitution: 14

Charisma: 10

Languages: Sylvan, Elven, Common

Senses: Darkvision 60 ft.

Traits:

Emberheart Bond:

A spirit of fire and loyalty, Ruth’s very essence is entwined with vast magical energies of Dahlia. Her presence kindles warmth and power.

Effect: Dahlia gains fire resistance while Ruth is summoned, and her spells gain a chance to deal additional fire damage.

Actions & Reactions:

Multiattack:

Ruth makes two Magical Flame Strike attacks.

Magical Flame Strike

Ranged Evocation fire attack, range 90 ft.

Flame Shield (Reaction)

Reflect physical damage taken to the attacker, as fire.

“Okay, Ruth, welcome to the party. We’re going to go into this old crypt and clear out all the undead. Does anyone have any questions?” Dahlia asked, looking between her assorted minions.

Bzz. Bzz. The Hornet Swarm indicated they were ready to commit violence, with their aggressive buzzing and writhing.

“Please unlock the door now, Xeras,” Dahlia said with only a bit of annoyance that the key was too big for her to use.

Xeras grunted and used the silver key to free the lock. He then pulled the chains off the door and left them in a pile on the ground. Smoke wafted from the Gloamknight’s hands from touching the iron. They left the key in the mechanism with the chains, since they had nowhere else to put it and no one wanted to deal with the chains.

Dahlia flew forward to push on the door with her tiny arms. She might as well have been pushing a boulder.

“Allow me,” Xeras chimed, and his wooden hand pushed firmly against the double doors. The stone doors groaned and creaked as they opened, and before they had even opened fully a snarling ghoul lunged to attack Xeras. Its eagerness to feast on the first thing it saw resulted in getting a mouth full of wooden armor, while Xeras cut the creature from crotch to sternum.

“Eww, die,” Dahlia muttered. She unleashed a radiant lance of potent energy through Soul Lash. The holy, positive energy aspected cantrip struck the putrid creature and left scorch marks over its body.

Bzz. Bzz. The Hornet Swarm flowed around Xeras and Dahlia and unleashed a plethora of stings and bites against the hideous undead.

You have gained 50 experience.

The corpse of the ghoul crashed to the ground, smoking and oozing dark, viscous fluids across the stone floor. Behind it, three more ghouls hissed and charged towards the opened door and freedom.

“Move into the mausoleum, kill these ghouls,” Dahlia commanded.

Xeras stepped in and took point before the door. Anything that wanted out would have to get past him. Mr. Disapoofer positioned himself to the right of Xeras, while Ruth took position behind both of them.

Fwoosh. Fwoosh. Ruth unleashed two moderately sized blasts of fire at the on-coming ghouls, and the lead ghoul took both flaming projectiles in the face. The scent of burning rotten flesh filled the air. It was very unappealing, and even the Hornet Swarm buzzed angrily. Dahlia mused summoning a mage with an element other than fire next time.

“You’re all so ugly that I couldn’t bring myself to eat a pastry covered in honey if one were to miraculously appear before me,” Dahlia chided the slavering ghouls and unleashed Shadowy Whispers. Tendrils of darkness writhed around the burning ghoul and then extended to enshroud the other two. Spectral Murmur’s spread the distracting effects to the other ghouls.

The first ghoul stepped into the reach of Xeras’s wooden great sword, and the top half of its body fell to the ground, its body seemingly losing cohesion from the amount of magical damage that had already been unleashed on it. The slash through the air left a gash across the second ghoul to boot.

You have gained 50 experience.

Congratulations, you have reached level four. Please visit your local Pillar of Ascension to level up.

Dahlia groaned in annoyance at the message. If she’d been that close to a level why couldn’t it just have let her be level four when she was just at the damned Pillar of Ascension?

“Get ‘em,” Dahlia commanded.

Mr. Disapoofer appeared behind the second ghoul and bit savagely at the creatures ankles. Shade swam up from the floor and attacked the other one from the side.

Fwoosh. Fwoosh. Two more bolts of fire flew from Ruth’s spectral hands. Combined with Soul Lash, the Hornet’s stings, and Xeras’s cleave, the last two ghouls fell to the ground in moments.

You have gained 100 experience.

“Kind of pushovers, aren’t they?” Dahlia said with a touch of disappointment.

“Do you wish to go deeper?” Xeras asked.

“Deeper? This is a single roomed building,” Dahlia pointed out. She jumped into the air to fly around the room to make sure she wasn’t missing something important, which is when she saw the stairs in the corner of the room going down into a crypt.

“Alrighty then, Xeras take the lead. Shade, be ready to pop out and help him kill anything that attacks him. Ruth, Hornets, you’re with me and Mr. Disapoofer.” Dahlia gave commands to her growing minion army before she settled onto the head of Mr. Disapoofer. He seemed safer to ride into combat than Xeras, even if it meant keeping the Warp Wolf from being a front-line fighter.

“Ruff!” I smell a Wight. A powerful one. Mr. Disapoofers warned.

“What’s it smell like?” Dahlia queried.

“Ruff ruff Ruff!” Cursed warlockery, rotting flesh, and hunger for life. Bad. Mr. Disapoofer answered with an eloquence that surprised Dahlia.

“Follow,” Xeras rasped before he led the way down into the crypt.

The stones of the stairs were old and weathered. Xeras made hardly a noise as he descended, and other than the bzzz bzz of the swarm, the rest of the group remained utterly silent. Despite that, Dahlia could sense in the back of her mind the cold damp touch of the stone against the padded feet of Mr. Disapoofer. The cold touch of death warred with the warmth that tingled inside Dahlia courtesy of the newest party member.

The air grew heavier with each step and the faint earthy scent of decay mingled with the acrid odor of mildew. Shadows clung to the walls, moved by unnatural forces. The stairs turned after ten steps and turned again after ten more. The bottom stair opened into a darkened room from which vines had grown towards the stairs.

Dahlia snapped her finger, and the wall-mounted torches burst to life with a quick application of Magic Trick.

The light spilled into a large room full of alcoves and coffins.

“Who dares come into my crypt? Go away!” A voice shouted from beyond the perimeter of light.

Xeras strode down to the bottom of the stairs, and hisses and growls emerged from the room.

♫“From shadows deep, old legends rise,

With baleful gaze and demanding cries.

They bear no fear, regret, nor pain,

Their story loaded with loss and bane.” ♫

Dahlia cast the normal, non-war magic version of Dread Resolution on Xeras. Ghostly blue-silver energies silhouetted his own deep green sylvan power.

“You aren’t humans…” A figure who hung back in the shadows noted. The hissing ghouls restrained themselves from throwing them immediately at the party this time, unlike when they first entered the mausoleum.

“I’m a fairy!” Dahlia agreed.

“Do you wish to join the cause of Set, and rise above the foolish humans? Long have your kind suffered under the rulership of Horus!” The rasping voice asked again.

“You’re dumb,” Dahlia told the undead. “You didn’t even get your own undeath right, and I’ve already got a quest to kill you. Sorry!”

“What? Why are you wasting my time, you stupid little fairy? Kill them!” The robe wearing undead shouted angrily, and the ghouls charged across the room, crushing the ancient corpses of the Graystone’s under foot in their mad dash to assault the fey group. Dahlia counted five ghouls, one ghast, and then the wight who spoke.

“Defend the stairs,” Dahlia told Xeras telepathically.

“Kill the wight,” Dahlia commanded Ruth and Shade mentally.

“Help Xeras kill the ghouls,” Dahlia instructed the Hornet Swarm.

“Aroo?” Mr. Disapoofer asked.

“Stay here,” Dahlia answered from his head. They were a solid six feet behind Xeras, almost at the bottom of the stairs.

“Ruff!” Boooo! Mr. Disapoofer obeyed, but he wasn’t happy about sitting back.

“Die!” The wight hissed and launched a black bolt of a spell at Xeras. Perhaps it was intuition, but the wight missed Xeras by a mile. Perhaps due to Shade flowing out of the ground to attack the wight from behind? Or maybe….