Once more we went into the watery tomb of the accursed elf; this time going straight for the sarcophagus. Lo and behold, there indeed was a female elf resting in a pool of crystal clear water.
Leaning on her resting place was a chest so rusted it fused with the surroundings. I do not remember who was the first to try to pry it open, for the wench we thought to be dead has risen.
She crept, ever so slowly, reaching for Lutheric who tried to reason with her in elvish tongue. Alas, it was all for naught. In a moment of blissful ignorance—or wishful thinking—he reached out to touch her. We watched him shrivel and squirm in pain.
Alf and I charged her without any delay, and were soon joined by few others. After all, she is only one and we are many. What could possibly go wrong? A lot. At one moment her face started spinning and contorting in all kind of diabolic shapes, unleashing a scream unlike any I've heard in my life.
In a split second Lutheric, Gaztelua, and butcher-boy all laid dead; eardrums ruptured, their lives taken away. Hats, Alf, and myself redoubled our efforts, and were ultimately triumphant over the bitch. I grabbed her lanky, rotten black hair; jerked with all my might; and brought down my axe on her exposed pale neck.
We took our rage on her tomb, demolishing the sarcophagus, the walls, the floors, the chest... And I must confess that those 7000 gold coins surely relieved the pain a bit.
On our way back home we encountered a large cohort of armed men (seemed like nearly 200 hundred, if not more). They didn't seem to be a marching army, but were perhaps a large mercenary unit hired by some wealthy merchants. Either way, we avoided them and went on with our lives.
Castellan's elvish advisor was most helpful in identify some of items we've recoverd. Turns out we now have a ring of water breathing and a trident of water walking. Somebody mentioned exploring our well... Perhaps we'll soon have Alf the Diver.
Anyway, we left Grace at our keep, and went on to explore the other tomb she told us about. Here's to hoping there are no screamers there.