Galen sees the ineffectiveness of both Phineas and Isabel’s powers, and gulps in great fear at what may happen next. The goo creatures are truly terrible, and Galen knows that his paltry dagger or sling stones have little chance against them. ”I have no silver!” he laments out loud in desperation, but at the same time he cannot just stand there and do nothing. So he steps forward and takes up the line between Avrora and Darian, weaving his blade back and forth to try and attract the unholy beast towards him, hoping it may provide his friends with another opportunity.
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Encounter: "The Gratuitously Dirty, Devilishly Obligatory Bathhouse Scene"
Round 2
Conditions: Mucky water, rubble (difficult terrain)
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Varian's summoning completes, and a canine with a holy light coalesces into existence. Without any need for direction the celestial dog can smell its evil foes and growls a threat at Lemure 1.
Varian quickly hefts his own morningstar and attempts to bring it to bear on the lemure before him.
Despite what seems to be a solid hit, the head of the morningstar seems to rebound off of the lemure's rubbery mass.
The dog immediately charges around Varian and Isabel's feet to attack the lemure threatening the mesmerist.
It deftly darts around the humanoids legs but not enough to confuse the lemure and prevent a reprisal at its sudden appearance. The devil senses the good in the celestial outsider and tries to maul it cruelly.
The attack misses as the lemure doesn't take into account the canine's lowering of its head as it coils for the lunge. The dog leaps at the devil, a holy glow surrounding each of its sharp teeth.
Encounter: "The Gratuitously Dirty, Devilishly Obligatory Bathhouse Scene"
Round 3
Conditions: Mucky water, rubble (difficult terrain)
- Lemure 1 potential 10 damage
- Lemure 2 potential 8 + 1 = 9 damage
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16: Avrora, Lemure 2
15: Isabel, Lemure 1, Rexus
13: Varian
12: Darian
07: Phineas
05: Galen
Avrora is quick to sense the swift change in the flow of battle, and turns to strike the damaged devil to her left.
The creature gurgles and slumps into a disgusting quivering puddle of skin and flesh. The occasional vibrations indicate it seems to still be ...alive?
The other lemure blurbs some kind of angry noise and attacks the warpriest in retaliation.
One claw manages to score a wound along Avrora's shield arm as she raises it to block the second.
Rexus looks at the muck-covered "pudding" and retches.
"That—that is disgusting..." he mutters. He moves up behind Galen, ready to yank the psychic back out of the fray should things go awry.
The downed lemure seems to stop dissolving, but still just remains a shapeless mass.
"Isabel, the dagger! Mithril's like silver, isn't it?" Phineas nervously peers back towards the shadowed passage before peeking at the fight around Varian's shoulder. Phineas casts light, touching the sleeve of his jacket to brighten his surroundings. Ok. Ok. Breathe, Phineas, one of those foul things is already down. Oh gods, let it stay down.
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Action: Cast Light
Darian slashes out with his blade once more, but fails to find purchase in the things blubbery form.
Perhaps it's Darian's inspiring acts of martial daring against and outlandish foe, or perhaps it's the hope that these things can be brought down as Avrora seemed to manage. Whatever the case, Galen shifts his grip and tries to plunge the dagger right into the quivering mash of goo and flesh.
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"Let's see what you can do, devil!" Gritting his teeth, Varian reaches for his morning star and tries to bring it down on the lemure in front of him.
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Encounter: "The Gratuitously Dirty, Devilishly Obligatory Bathhouse Scene"
Round 3 Conclusion
Conditions: Mucky water, rubble (difficult terrain)
Lemure 1: potential 10 + 9 + 1 = 19 damage
Lemure 2: potential 9 damage
Avrora: 4 damage
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Isabel attacks the downed Lemure, and the Hellish substance parts like paper against the material of Isabel's newly produced weapon. It begins again to dissolve slowly into a fatty mess.
Darian blade is turned by Lemure 2's blubber, but Galen's dagger strikes true...yet somehow the flesh simply seems to fill in upon withdrawing his blade. Varian moves to join the fight against Lemure 2, but as he gets near the edge of murky and polluted water, his boot slips preventing his strike from finding its mark.
Encounter: "The Gratuitously Dirty, Devilishly Obligatory Bathhouse Scene"
Round 4
Conditions: Mucky water, rubble (difficult terrain)
Lemure 1: potential 19 damage
Lemure 2: potential 9 damage
Avrora: 4 damage
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16: Avrora, Lemure 2
15: Isabel, Lemure 1, Rexus
13: Varian
12: Darian
07: Phineas
05: Galen
With a grunt, Avrora weathers the attack from the surviving Lemure. She again brings her weapon to bear.
This time her morningstar is deflected by one of the thing's bony-like claws. which it then raises to injure the warpriest again.
Neither attack finds purchase as Avrora's armor fulfills its purpose.
Rexus' finger taps a scroll peeking out of a fold in his fine clothes...he otherwise does nothing but waits.
Darian once more thrusts his blade towards the devil, hoping to cut it down...
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Seeing the glimmer of hope that they can overcome these dreadful creatures, Galen deftly slides his footing forward and over to put the second fiend between himself and Varian. Galen bravely makes a showing of stabbing with his dagger to try and distract the creature from Varian's own attack...though it's clear his attempts at feinting are paltry and decidedly un-martial.
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Phineas continues to hide in the back, peeking around the corner at the carnage and bloodshed as his friends fight the horrid squelching hell things, wincing as they try to ineffectually tear through Avrora's armor.
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Delaying
Varian steps away from the murky water and positions himself in front of the lemure with a quick move. Then he tries to bring down his morning star on the devil, well aware that it won't probably have any appreciable effect but irrationally believing that he will be able to make a difference due to his inner faith.
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Encounter: "The Gratuitously Dirty, Devilishly Obligatory Bathhouse Scene"
Conclusion
Darian has sudden insight as to the nature of his enemy and slashes with his sword. The wound left in the fleshy mass doesn't seem as quick to fill in this time. Varian's faith seems to be enough as his morningstar suddenly seems to strike solidly without the rebound he'd felt before.
The lemure crumbles and quickly begins to dissolve into a disgusting ooze like its companion. The fleshy masses bubble and dissolve but soon even that seems to fade and evaporate leaving nothing but an otherworldly stench to assault the nostrils.
As the devils are sent back to the Hell they came, an ear-jarring burst of pipe music echoes loudly around the large room containing the murky cistern used as a lemure bathing pool. As the echoes fade, a small voice speaks out.
"Yay! Yay! Now grimples can bathe in peace again!" the grimple ambassador is behind you on the stairs.
"But you still no wash yet!"
The moment the second devil falls, Darian steps over to Isabel, and asks "Are you alright?"
Taking a moment to scan for further threats, Darian notes the mischievous smirk on Grimple's face, "And just what happens, Grimple? What should we expect when we do that?"
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The grimple looks a bit surprised Darian challenges him and fumbles for a response.
"What happens...er, is filthy...um, special water helps with...bad back." It grins showing a dentist's nightmare of crooked sharp yellow-stained teeth.
Darian takes a step towards the Grimple, "We've been fair and honest with you. Why the sudden change on your part? Why not tell us the truth?"
The grimple cowers slightly and then waves a claw. "Bah! You ruin grimple joke. You humans never get jokes."
It shakes its head and leaps away to land on the wall. "No more things to fight in this place. Except boss. Boss plays music and hides real good. You go try find boss. Or not." It shrugs.
"No matter to grimples."
"And can you not have your 'boss' just come meet us? We'd like to talk," Darian asks.
The grimple looks at Darian strangely.
"I no control boss. Boss does not come when grimple call. That's why boss. Boss does what boss wants and boss stronger than grimple, muck monster, and big rat."
The grimple shakes its head at the feeble mindedness of humans.
Darian sighs and begins looking around the room for any clues as to who, what, or where this "boss" might be...
"You don't need to find boss...you said you came for things. There be things past muck monster pool. If boss does not come to stop you...just get stuff and leave grimple place," the helpful ambassador of the Fair Fortune Livery suggests.
Darian looks to the others, and if no one seems to object to moving beyond the pool, he begins to lead the way.
"Remind me to clean my teeth later," Avrora whispers to Varian as she steps around the edge of the pool, careful not to fall in and end up taking the suggested "bath."
"Well," she reasons, "If this 'boss' doesn't bother us, I see no reason to bother it..." She shakes the ooze and filth from her mace before stepping carefully into the rubble, making her way toward the far side of the chamber.
Galen nods silently as the others converse...though it's not clear what exactly he's nodding at. He mentally sends his bobbing lantern lights forward in the vast chamber, lighting the way so that Avrora and Darian can see where they are headed.
As the team picks their way past the rubble surrounding the cistern and its murky water, they find the skeletal remains of what was probably a series of interconnected rooms now barely separated by a series of crumbling walls.
These rooms have fallen mostly into disrepair. Chunks of plaster hang from the walls, exposing rough stonework beyond. Scattered furnishings that once outfitted bunkrooms, a kitchen, and even an armory lie scattered about in states of complete disrepair, and doors hang from hinges in the crumbling archways that lie between the chambers.
"This...this must be it!" Rexus says hesitantly moving forward; his eyes darting everywhere.
"Well," she reasons, "If this 'boss' doesn't bother us, I see no reason to bother it..."
"If only we could be so lucky. At least...at least you were able to defeat these things." Phineas nudges the splotch on the floor that used to contain the oozing devils with the toe of his boot, marveling at how such foul creatures could vanish into thin air. "I don't mind admitting that as soon as they shrugged off my magics, I was terrified. If we can avoid any more trouble for the rest of this trip and find whatever it is we're looking for, that will be all best as far as I am concerned."
Phineas follows along beside Rexus, cautiously peering out towards the ruined rooms. "An Armory? That's definitely not standard for a meat packing house. I think you must be right, Rexus."
"Hey, wait, careful!" Avrora hops through the debris trying to keep up with the ambitious fellow. "So you think these are the headquarters?" She glances back toward the disgusting pool. "My, how things must have changed." She looks about, searching for any further clues.
The aristocrat looks at the wreckage in the witchlight of Galen's spell.
"It looks to have been a quite while indeed since anyone set foot in this place beyond creatures of dark places."
Rexus regards Avrora with a frown. "I can't say for sure, but there appears to be evidence of complete living quarters and outfitting stations. If you look a little more, we may find something of value."
"Something is not right with this place. May Milani blessing descend upon us..." Varian's eyes dart around repeatedly, in order to catch any possible clue of something interesting. "Look! There are three small crates over there...They seem intact...And look at that section of the room. It seems dry, and less exposed to the ravages of time", Varian's voice echoes through the room. "I'll take a look".
Varian walks to the crates and looks behind them. "Here, come, quick! There's a nest behind these crates...It seems to have been used by something very small. The size of a grimple, more or less. What does this mean?"
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Darian advances as well, letting the others muse as he takes in their surroundings, as well as watch for this "boss."
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Galen steps forward to stand next to Avrora as his wisp-like lights twinkle and wink out, stopping momentarily to will them back into existence with nothing but the momentary flare of his Varisian crystal to note that he was doing anything at all. He sends his lights ahead to illuminate an area of the debris-filled room to the left of Darian, Varian and Isabel.
"What manner of thing hides so, yet gives the grimples pause and at the very least did not draw devilish wrath from the muck?" Galen gulps and tries to steel himself for what may lie ahead. "Keep that special dag blade handy, Mistress Isabel!"
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"I don't know...but if it nests, at least it is not likely to be a devil or some unliving thing. If so, I will be thankful for small favors. Rexus, do you have any idea of what we're looking for here? Documents of some sort, perhaps, or equipment that may have been left behind?" Phineas steps forward, peering about carefully before joining in the search.
Darian steps up to where the intact items are. "Well, lets have a look at what we found," he says as he looks the stuff over.
Rexus replies, "Yes, documents definitely. If we find any such thing, I imagine there will be great value in whatever has survived. Otherwise, we may locate some useful items at least."
The group of would-be-rebels is very thorough in their search and soon locates the following:
- 12 gp, 185 sp, 342 cp
- a pair of quartz earrings
- a set of nine silver coat buttons
- a slightly gnawed cloak that quickly reveals a magical aura under the scrutiny of detect magic
Fairly certain no other treasure is left in the rubble, the group returns to the three intact crates. Prying them open reveals the following:
- a suit of leather armor detecting as magical
- a composite shortbow (+1 Str)
- a masterwork hand crossbow
- a masterwork silver morningstar
- another cloak detecting magical
- a pouch of a dozen pearls
Rexus quickly homes in on the coffer. "This...there must be something important in it. If none of you can open it, I know the perfect place we can take it. A dear friend to whom I was planning to introduce you once we leave this place."
The noble glances around at the ruins of the old hideout. "I can't say I think moving back in would benefit us any. We will definitely need a new and improved base of operations, I would think."
Rexus boggles slightly as the silver ravens are pulled from the third crate. "As I live and breathe...this is clearly a portent!"
"Yeah," Darian says at the comment of finding a new base. "One free of Grimple. We should talk of it elsewhere, though. Something is still...well...I just have a strange feeling."
Darian then separates the magic items from the mundane, looking over the ravens strangely. At Rexus' proclamation, he retorts "Or just a coincidence, old friend."
Rexus' look of wonder fades slightly into embarrassment. "Ah, well...I suppose so. But what a coincidence considering the nature of those who used this base, wouldn't you say?"
|
Isabel scans the items approvingly, but seems very uneasy, constantly glancing around and clearly very unsettled.
"I don't like this at all. Something in this room is... off. It sits just out of sight somehow. I suggest we move all of these things upstairs and examine them again there. I want to see if it is the items or the location which is so..." She pauses and shivers "so, off."
Phineas holds up one of the pearls to the light, marveling at its lustrous sheen before dropping it back into its pouch. "Indeed. This is quite the treasure, and we will need to sort through everything once we're somewhere safe. Let us divide and conceal the items as best we can so as to be less obvious carrying them through the streets, and make way for this safe place. Rexus, is it far?"
Rexus considers then shrugs. "It should be close enough to make before curfew, if we hurry."
"Well..." pauses Galen absently in thought as he examines a few of the fine silver ravens with Rexus and the pearls that Phineas appraises, "...well yes, yes I guess meeting with this friend of yours is a good idea Rexus. I mean, we cannot go back to Little Lowcleft so soon, and I don't think hiding out in one of the public parks is good for us, or even a familiar tavern with all the eyes and ears about. But are you certain that you want to bring this friend of yours into possible danger? We've seen what...what can happen to dear friends that are in the way of this terrible change that's come to the city. Are you certain?"
Rexus seems a little uncomfortable at the suggestion he was endangering his friends. Especially since that essentially extends to what he has already asked of everyone present.
"Ah, well...as to that." He clears his throat. "My friend has already involved herself in any number of exploits which are most likely considered less than legal by the law of this land. But as she holds to a different standard, I'm certain she will see you more as kindred spirits rather than liabilities or complications."
He looks a bit sheepish and uncertain as he is clearly unsure if Galen is indeed rebuking the noble for imposing on the group as much as he has.
"...and to think, they walked this very floor..." Avrora has become caught up in the history and nostalgia of the place, as though it were a carefully curated museum.
"I for one would welcome the addition of another, independent thinker," Avrora adds smartly, casually swinging her morningstar and eyeing the shadows. "And the sooner we get out of here the better. This place gives me chills. Let's gather the items."