Sarya will once again bombard the the hapless technicians...
attack, damage
Sarya hits one of the technicians and he goes down.
The construct moves toward Angus and slams him , miss
Everyone - Sarya
Falko tries to cause one of the techinicians fall asleep.
Will save pass..
Chretien double moves.
Johnathan runs.
Angus takes a five foot step and attacks miss
Another technician disappears in the circle.
Round 4
Sarya
Sarya unleashes another blast at the technicians...
attack, damage
Sarya kills one of the technicians.
Construct full attacks Angus miss
crit confirm no
damage plus negative energy damage
Everyone - Sarya
Cretien moves 30ft (right) along the catwalk and places his turret down.
Angus attacks the construct hit
Dull etched
runes in the golem’s torso hold in gallons
of witchoil, and Angus disrupts those wards. The runes flash with crimson light,
and each creature within 10 ft. is dazed until the start of the golem’s next turn, as
overwhelming wails of the spirits in the witchoil assault those nearby.
Johnathan casts magic missile at one of the techinicians doing damage knocking him unconscious.
Falko casts Sleep on the other one putting the other one to sleep.
The construct slumps over after those who command it are rendered dead or unconscious.
Combat Over
Johnathan lets out a whoop of excitement as the last one falls, climbing down the ladder.
"Bring the manacles, there's two still alive."
Sarya's tone is confident and she glows faintly with some fey magic...
I will ensure that they answer truthfully...
After Falko picks the locked gate (if it was locked), Johnathan helps shackle the prisoners, then thoroughly examines the magic circle as the others sift through the evidence.
The ring is made of rusted either iron or steel. Next to it are a bunch of what looks like animal cages and then there is a table of documents and another table filled with alchemical agents of which the majority is witchoil.
Knowledge Arcane/ Planes DC 15 on the Circle
Knowledge Planes DC 25 on the technicians
"I'm not sure how much longer this will stay open, perhaps we stopped them from closing it, but this portal should be under guard..." Johnathan says, wary of the circle.
He crouches, touching the metal cautiously.
vs DC 15
"I agree. Did they come through it, or did that golem come through it? Hmm." Cretien wonders, looking at the bodies and the golem, then leafing through any documents, smelling vials, etc.
"I don't know," he says lightly, shrugging.
Sarya speaks, her tone is nice but still you can hear an underlying "do it on the double" message...
Falko my dear go to the RHC office and get some backup then go over to the Dream Merchants and tell them I sent you, whatever this is it cannot be allowed to continue...
"The RHC should be here shortly," Johnathan says, not paying her any mind.
He begins rooting through the evidence and possessions of the captured technicians, then examining the controller for the witchoil machination.
Johnathan
A checklist is still held to one cage by a magnet. It lists key
steps of “sedate cats, extract blood, remove heart, implant witchoil, attach
collar and amulet, perform ritual; if error, shatter witchoil vessel; if
successful, attach chest plate.”
Supplies for enchanting the collars survive, plus a note that
anyone who holds the collar and says “Obey” can then give that cat commands.
You also find a
sketch of a jaguar ribcage, with marks of where to attach a chest plate with screws.
You find handwritten notes explaining a ritual to replace the cat’s blood with
witchoil, and mentioning to “take the same precautions you would at the manor reservoir.”
As Johnathan reads through, he shakes his head, a mixture of surprise, disgust, and fascination on his boyish features.
"Detailed instructions on how to turn a jaguar into a beast of the Bleak Gate with Witchoil...there's diagrams and exact measurements..."
He flips through a few more sheets.
"One list of instructions says: 'Sedate cats, extract blood, remove heart, implant witchoil, attach collar and amulet, perform ritual; if error, shatter witchoil vessel; if successful, attach chest plate.' This sounds like they're preparing for war..."
He stands, pacing tensely. "Hmm, anyone holding a collar says 'Obey', and they can give the cat commands. And...well that's rather gruesome. A diagram of a jaguar's ribcage showing where to attach the chest plate...with screws."
After rifling threw a few more sheets, he squints, reading a line to himself several times, too quiet and muffled to hear, then repeats it louder for the rest of them. "This could be something important: 'take the same precautions you would at the manor reservoir'. Manor reservoir...we should try to track it down and investigate, if they're poisoning the water somehow, there could be many deaths."
Johnathan looks weary after reading the grim notes, but his eyes are fiery with determination, jaw set.
Sarya shakes her head as she hears of the ritual, it's quite evident her mind is already made up...
Bleak gate merchants mark my words, they have no ethics... All that matters to them is profit no matter the consequences...and their own sadism...
Sarya motions towards one of the knocked out technicians...
Wake the bastard up, I can ensure that nothing but truth pours from his lips...
The technicians start to stir in the shadows, looking ever more ethereal. One of them seems to have vanished, another looking at her timepiece anxiously.
When they hear you are with the RHC one says 'Oh, there must be some sort of misunderstanding, we are doing the King's work." says one of the technicians. She then flickers away.
Only the lead designer now remains. 'You must be professor Dufresne of Hardwright University in Flint, I have been an admirer of your work for years, my name is Professor Seamus Mc'Gaffrey from Slate University, Department of Advanced Alchemy, at your service' he reaches out to shake Chretien's hand, but his ghostly hand passes right through it. He barely notices. 'It's so nice to meet someone with a genuine appreciation of our work. I'd love to invite you to our laboratory, but it's Top Secret I'm afraid' he apologizes.
"Well, it is one thing to learn of such things, and another to put them into practice, knowing the consequences... You say this is the King's work? Have you any proof he ordered this?"
Mc'Gaffrey thinks a little and says, "We knew it was highly irregular but Cauldron Hill is such a special resource. Anyway, I am not really supposed to say any more."
He keeps looking at his pocket watch and he nods his head as another technician vanishes.
Falko
McGaffrey says, "Thanks but I cannot drink on the job. Well it is the house of the mayor. We're working for him and the navy on a hush hush project. No offense Professor Dufrene but I now know you work for the RHC but I really don't feel at all comfortable speaking any further regarding our military secrets."
"That is a shame, for what better way to improve our world than through the sharing of knowledge?"
Chretien
The professor says, "I do agree but the military doesn't necessarily agree with me."
To Falko, "Lad, I know he kept calling himself the mayor but honestly I am not sure what his name is, I am after all from the capitol."
Sarya looks at the man and thinks fast...
Then she falls back on one of the oldest tricks in the book to make the ghost useful...
Sarya strikes a subtle, erect pose as if she had just noticed the most splendid features of some handsome male creature nearby... Her eyes look at the ghostly professor with a seeming longing and she obviously preens...
Sarya's voice is like slow, lazy honey dripping from the spoon, professor if you could tell us what we want to know I am certain that you and I could take a stroll down to the cafe... And if you prove to be as interesting as you look I would happily invite you to my apartment...
Sarya continues to preen with one hand on her hip, she appears to be a perfect example of an exotic, foreign beauty.
diplomacy (seduce)
He says, "Are you ok? Why are you speaking so slow? Hmm, you want to know if I would like to go to the cafe and back to your apartment. I wish I could but if you give me your address I can swing by when I get off of work. I am supposed to be finished with my project in two days, and then I would love to go and show you the capital."
Sarya corrects her tone subtly, she focuses on misdirecting and confusing the ghost... By doing so she hopes that he will let slip valuable information.
I would love to see the Capitol professor but I would love even more to hear about your discoveries in the sciences! The subject is a truly wondrous field and such a distinguished professor as yourself must be bale to claim significant accomplishments.
Sarya's tone changes at "such a", she focuses on flattering (and obfuscating) his ego, hoping that this man while skilled in the sciences would be inept when it came to socializing...
He gets a bit excited and says, "It is nothing short of amazing, we have been able through the use of witchoil to control wild beasts. We have just been successful with jaguars, so we hope to be able to use it on a larger creature, imagine a great white shark that can bite through a hull of an enemy ship." he the rubs his fading hand down Sarya's leg and moves in to give her a kiss.
He then twists her hair in his index finger which is a bit more difficult due to flickering nature.
Cretien looks to Falko, whispering to him while the ghost is occupied.
"It'll take too long to dismantle this circle to keep him here, but we should probably dismantle it anyway." Cretien them moves to collect the documents for later perusal, and safeguard them from harm.
Johnathan doesn't seem interested in the ghostly technicians, oddly enough. He continues examining the circle, murmuring notes and comments to Cretien, fascinated by it.
"Interplanar travel is very difficult, someone powerful must have designed this."
"Witchoil, all these souls..."
"It's like dying, going through that... I wonder what it's like coming from the other end."
"Look there, that rune, that's the symbol of Nem, the plane of ruin. I think it's acting as a sort of focus, not a destination."
Sarya quickly embraces the flickering Professor as he tries to reach under her rather elaborate headdress to fondle her hair, she quickly twirls like a slow moving dancer and whispers into his ear...
Her tone is both beautiful and inquisitive...
Marvelous my good professor, marvelous! I would love to know more about this "witchoil" you speak of, it sounds like a fascinating chemical concoction!
Falko
The man says "Well its not chemical at all its is made through the harnessing of dead souls. I am not a magician so I don't know exactly how they do it. But let's talk about you and me and the freaky things we are going to get up to. So what is your address sweet pea?" as he gets grabs Sarya in a hug but with his left hand holding the small of her back.
Sarya smiles at the man, the Dream Merchants trained her well even when she hears the grisly details about such things as Witchoil...
Just go to Bossum Strand and search for the street with the fancy green and gold buildings, go to the building in the middle of the street and tell the front desk that Sarya wants to see you.
She keeps the slow moving tempo with the flickering man to keep his distracted and addled...
He smiles and then gives Sarya a long smooch and says, "Great, I will see you in two days, dahling!" and with that he disappears.
Johnathan shakes his head, sighing at Sarya's shenanigans, but does not comment. He will continue to investigate the evidence until the RHC arrives.
Sarya turns to the group, I am sorry if I was not able to get more out of him... Seduction requires an evening and some good wine to addle the mind...
After about half an hour Delft comes in with about 15 other constables and says, "We got the message from the kid and came..."
He then takes a gander at the place and the golem and says, "Y'all tangled with that thing.... sheeee----iiiiiiitttttttt!!!!"
He then starts barking orders to the others to search the place thoroughly and says, "What is happening fellas? Is your Dream Merchant liason working out?"