Sarsczek instantly grows giant-sized once again and attacks the old woman with a bite and two softened, yet acidic claw attacks. Despite not having acted yet, Jaelle does not seem flat-footed, so she deftly avoids the bite but is hit with the knuckles of each claw, although not critically.
Halkale casts a spell to make his bow more powerful, then commands Frostfur to a supporting position next to him.
Melufiuos charges his rapier with arcane power, then waits for a thug to enter the room.
Jaelle then proceeds to attack Sarsczek with her two kukris which both miss despite the tiefling's prodigious size.
The tattooed thug draws his greatsword and moves forward 5 feet, triggering Melufiuos' attack. The elf critically stabs the man in the chest, as well as shocks him with the weapon's stored spell. Despite his grievous injuries, the thug nevertheless attacks Halkale with his greatsword and promptly misses.
Apparently lacking any ranged weapon options, the thug with the elaborate mustache grumbles to himself.
Initiative (Rounds 1-2)
Halkale/Frostfur [4 Dmg] <= Up
Melufiuos {Life link with Quiella} <= Up
Sarsczek {Life link with Quiella} <= Up
Jaelle
2 Thugs
Vailis <= Up
Quiella <= Up
Ophelia [4 Dmg] <= Up
Vailis produces a small licorice root and casts haste on all his allies.
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Quiella runs at the woman, drawing her greatsword, and delivers a powerful slash, crying "I smite you in the name of Erastil!"
for
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Vailis casts a Haste spell to speed up the group and improve their combat performance.
Sarsczek begins to move in for a punch and the woman responds with a failed kukri attack. The tiefling's jab then connects and promptly knocks her unconscious. Sarsczek then jumps up on the table and the fixture begins to groan under the massive weight.
Halkale then fires an arrow into the tattooed thug and drops the severely injured man. His next three arrows all then sink into the other thug and who also falls in defeat.
A search of the bodies reveals a chain shirt and two poisoned kurki on Jaelle, and 2 chain shirts and 2 greataxes on the thugs. It also quickly becomes apparently to everyone that Jaelle is actually a young woman who was wearing a disguise.
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"Iff da guards aren't arredy dead keep em alive for talkin to."
Sarsczek binds Jaelle with rope and checks to make sure she's in no immediate threat of death, then disarms her and checks through her robes for anything important.
"We's gonna need ta talk to her too and make sure dat nobody else is here, or dat nobody else helped try ta kill Shee-lah. And find more clues. Friend Watts always looks for more clues."
After he finishes his instructions, the stone in his head wanes in power and he shrinks back to his normal size.
A quick examination of the two thugs reveals that the mustached man is dead, while the one with the tattoos is quickly dying. Jaelle is merely knocked out by a combination of lethal and nonlethal injuries.
Jaelle awakens quickly when Vailis applies one touch of his healing wand, "Huh, what?" The bound woman asks in a much younger sounding voice, "Oh, nuts. Yeah, I'm just working for Black. You can find him in the basement laboratory of this place. There's a switch in the storeroom that rotates some crates that let's you down there. Look, I'm just doing a job, you know, we all have bills. I don't know nothing about a golem attack. Please, please don't kill me."
Leaving Jaelle (who appears to Sarsczek's trained eye to be truthful in her statements) tied up in a corner, the group begins a search of the Doll House.
In the room north of the Storefront, you find a table covered in what looks to be relics and dolls. Two crates full of cotton batting sit near the table, and a large locker of empty dolls rests against the western wall. Thick drapes cover the windows, preventing anyone from spying inside.
Ten relics appears to be of immediately interest. These objects are 1 miniature pewter whip and quill, 6 gilded wings, 1 seven pointed star encircled within a marble ring, and 1 silver-scaled snake torso.
You can tell these relics date back to ancient Thassilon.
You recognizes that these relics can be pieced together to form a single statuette. If you assemble the pieces together, it depicts
the ancient Thassilonian goddess Lissala.
This room is a simple well-stocked kitchen, kept immaculately clean.
Flanks of meat, kegs of wine, and other perishables fill this cold pantry.
You find a loose tile that, when uncovered, reveals a shallow 5 foot-by-5-foot pit. When you uncover the pit, you find a horrific assembly of humanoid body parts rests preserved in a 3-foot-deep hollow. Whoever first succeeds at this check will need to make a DC 20 Will save or be shaken for 24 hours.
You ascertain that the body parts are surgically prepared and preserved so as not to decompose as quickly or obviously as otherwise. One of the fresher pieces is a right humanoid arm tattooed with the Glyph of the Open Road.
You identify the body parts as possible components of a flesh golem.
These twin rooms are modestly furnished and provide a comfortable respite from the rest of the building. The west room is stocked with clothing befitting an elderly woman, while the east room contains the fine clothing of a well-groomed male merchant.
You find a twin set of journals, one in each bedroom respectively. Both journals report mundane goings on around the Doll House, sometimes referring to the same events from different perspectives.
You recognize that journals are written by the same hand, and this writing is identical to the script in both the notes and “to do list” in Black's office.
Two chests and a stack of three crates fill this room. Sewing supplies and doll parts fill the chests, but the crates appear to be hollow.
After being tipped off by Jaelle, Sarsczek quickly uncovers a hidden switch that, when pulled, rotates the hollow stack of crates, revealing a set of stairs descending down.
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Room A:
"Ooh... dees are ancient Thassilonian things. Likka puzzle. You can put em together to make a creepy goddess... Lissala."
Room B:
Seeing Halkale wretch upon peering into the loose tile, Sarsczek steels himself and prepares for an awful sight. He bites his tongue, lets his stomach settle, then simply says, "Dey are preserved... ann one wassa paffinder..."
Room C:
"Hrmmm... found some books. Boffa dem are written by da same person. Boffa dem takka bout runnin dis dollhouse..."
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Quiella shakes her head. "This monster was going to create a flesh golem." She clenches and unclenches her jaw, her eyes burning with rage. "We will see justice for him..."
When the party is ready to go down the stairs, she murmurs a prayer.
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"Fresh flesh to makka flesh golem? Ewww... I fought a pile of flesh once. I bit it till it died."
He thinks for a moment about their discoveries thus far. In a hushed tone he quickly talks to Quiella. "Get Jaelle to write down wha her um... state...mint... is. Makkin sure her handwritin duzzn look like all dis handwritin. If deres a buncha flesh for a golem he mighta already made one... Less be ready."
If Quiella agrees to this, Sarsczek will grab some paper and ink and quill from the study and bring it back up to Jaelle.
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Quiella nods and approaches Jaelle. "We want you to write down what you told us. Also, how long have you been working with Mr. Black?"
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"Yeah, sure. Just loosen the rope a little so I can write." Jaelle responds to Quiella's request. As she begins to jot down her statement, it quickly becomes clear that formerly disguised woman does not share the same handwriting as the journals or other written materials found thus far. "I don't work for Black actually. We both work for the Aspis Consortium. I've been running this side of the business for about half a year."
* * *
After finishing once more with your prisoner, the group departs down the stairs with Quiella and Vailis both casting shielding spells on themselves, while Halkale uses one to strengthen his bow. At the bottom you find a wide tunnel that stretches underneath the Doll House, with uneven wooden planks serving as floor, walls and ceiling. Stacks of crates, chests, sacks, bolts of fabric, and even a discarded love seat clutter this yawning corridor. On the western edge, is the narrow set of stairs that lead up to the Doll House. Light spills into the dim chamber from an open doorway at the hall’s eastern end. The air is musty and putrescent.
Several portraits of a stern-looking woman glare into the room from the walls. Another painting portrays the woman and her family, including a young man and four younger sisters, although the girls’ faces in the portrait have been melted away as if by acid.
In the center of the room sits a gnarled and bloated corpse, stitched together with bits of other bodies where its own organs have rotted away. The abomination sits unmoving in a moldering rocking chair, wearing a stained dress and a pair magical slippers with a floral pattern. Fortunately, it appears completely inert.
Piled near an open chest are several journals by a Ms. Entrichtica Black. A quick scan reveals that the diaries blame a young Chrysalis Black for his sisters’ deaths, and further accuse him of creating abominations in their likenesses to torment his bereaved mother. The last two journals written are in a different handwriting than the first few written, although still in the woman's viewpoint. The writing in the last two books does match the handwriting of all the other journals found earlier in the Golemworks and the upper level of the Doll House, however.
A more thorough search of the room reveals four perfectly made female dolls matching the dresses of the girls in the portrait, although their faces are not marred in any manner.
A false bottom is also found in one of the chests, yielding four potions.
All four potions are Cure Moderate Wounds.
These are Slippers of Spider Climbing.
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Quiella glares in disgust at the fleshy abomination, shaking her head.
She can't tell what the potion is, but shares that the slippers help with climbing.
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"Aspies... Almost kill me twice! Hate aspies! You lucky I arredy promised nah ta kill you..."
Carefully following his allies through the subterranean tunnels, Sarsczek pokes through the notes. "Seems like missir black a bit crazy... doe wiff all of dese zombie golems and bodies I fink dere is no helping him now. His movver... mebbe. But wiff all dat I see I fink she even more crazy yet... or mebbe iss been her all along."
Progressing down the hallway at the eastern end of the room, you soon come across a unique porcelain door that resembles a giant doll’s head with a disturbingly wide grin. It also bears an eerie resemblance to the woman in the portraits the previous room.
A quick visual examination of the door reveals that it is locked, but no traps are found.
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"Here goes..."
Once he gives the door a look, Sarsczek braces himself and opens it up, ready for an immediate test of his constitution.
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As Sarsczek begins his attempt to unlock it, the doll door begins to emit a loud litany of vitriolic curses at him. The voice is high-pitched, shrill, and angry and the door's lips appear to be actually moving. Perhaps disoriented by this sudden distraction, Sarsczek fails to unlock the door on his first attempt.
The door continues to hurl insults as neither Sarsczek nor Melufiuos are able to unlock it.
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"Bad mean door!"
Sarsczek quickly withdraws trusty buddy from his pack and attempts to pry the offending door open.
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Vailis attempts to sweet talk the door, but when it begins to repeat the same vile curses it quickly becomes obvious that it is not sentient.
Ophelia casts a Guidance on both Melufiuos and Sarsczek.
Apparently getting nowhere with lock-picking, Sarsczek pulls out the Trusty Buddy crowbar and attempts to force the screaming door open. With a loud metallic groan, the door is finally forced opened and the shrill insults stop.
Tangles of tubes, cords, and wires fill this bizarre room. Black, acrid smoke churns from dial-covered devices that buzz and bellow, and a thick green liquid bubbles within tall glass cylinders that feed a central device resembling a giant metallic coffin. The floor is densely carpeted with shattered porcelain faces and limbs, with glimpses of more organic gore amid the rubble.
In each of the six tall glass cylinders in the north and south of the room there is what appears to be a humanoid contained within.
At the far end of the room, dressed in an old woman’s frock, a tattered grey wig, and grotesque makeup stands whom you assume is Black, currently cackling maniacally as he pours elixirs into two giant syringe-like apparatuses mounted on the 15-foot-high ceiling. Noting the door opening, he stops and readies himself for you.
Initiative (Round 1)
Melufiuos {Life link with Quiella} <= Up
Sarsczek {Life link with Quiella} <= Up
Quiella <= Up
Vailis <= Up
Halkale/Frostfur [H: 4 Dmg] <= Up
?????
Ophelia [4 Dmg] <= Up
Black
?????
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Every inch of the floor is difficult terrain due to the pieces of porcelain and organic matter littering it. You cannot move through the metallic coffin in the center.
Sarsczek, furious at being berated by the door, and filled with hatred for black moves as fast as he can through the mess.
"Missir black's mommy, youra verybad personthing!"
He opts for the left corridor, hoping that between Halkale and himself they'll be able to keep black from escaping. As he moves he fetches an antitoxin from his back with his tail, noting the heavy presence of chemicals in the room.
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Quiella pops out her wand
Then she steps into the room, drawing her polearm as she comes.
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Halkale, Frostfur, Sarsczek, and Ophelia all move as quickly as they can along the littered floor towards the deranged artificer. Troubled the chemicals in the room, Sarsczek also draws a antitoxin from his back with his tail.
Quiella casts another magical shield on herself as she moves forward in the hopes of bringing the enemy into her limited sight.
Vailis moves forward as well and helpfully places a Haste spell on the party.
Melufiuos follows suit with the party, moving up and casting Mirror Image on himself.
Black giggles madly and casts a spell that conjures dozens of black, rubbery tentacles on the floor in and around the party of Pathfinders. Everyone but Frostfur finds themselves attacked by one of these tentacles, although Melufiuos avoids being hit when a tentacle goes after one of his mirror images. Everyone else in the area is not so lucky as they are all grappled and squeezed.
Initiative (Round 2)
Melufiuos [1 Mirror Image Left] {Life link with Quiella} <= Up
Sarsczek [Grappled; 4 Damage when Quiella is up] {Life link with Quiella} <= Up
Quiella [Grappled; 9 Damage + 5 Damage from Sarsczek; Shield of Faith and Shield Active] <= Up
Vailis [Grappled; 9 Damage; Shield Active] <= Up
Halkale/Frostfur [H: Grappled; 13 Dmg] <= Up
?????
Ophelia [Grappled; 13 Dmg] <= Up
Black
?????
Group Effects
Haste: +1 attack, +1 reflex save, +1 CMB, +1 AC; 1 extra attack if full attack; +30 feet movement medium, +20 small.
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The stone on Sarsczek's head glows and the power enlarges him to twice his height yet again. The glow seems dull this time and the power seems to be expended for today.
He releases a guttural scream and strains hard against the grasping tentacles.
"Graaaahhhhh black!!! Imma bite cha!"
He rushes forward and as soon as he's out of the grasping tentacles he leaps up onto the wall, using his new slippers to climb over the wreckage littering the floor.