Hrimnagel shoots blue twice, damaging it.
Cladissa misfortunes red.
Two elementals do some dmg, as does the magic missile. Blue is barely still up.
By the second claw in Nyugusk's routine red is destroyed.
Thrassk loses his action by 5'ing to give flank, and then having no targets.
The elementals continue to pound the last robot, destroying it in a matter of seconds.
Cladissa jumps from her perch and glides down to the middle of the room, her wings folding behind her as she lands softly. She looks around at the remains of the robots. "Tough adversaries. But I believe our only losses were some damaged or banished elementals and Argor's necromantic ward." She glances up at the hovering wizard. "I've not had the experience of that spell. Does it hurt when you are struck?" she asks with a touch of concern.
While she waits for Argor to respond, she softly pads over to the northern doors and peeks into the next room through the slight opening.
"I'll check ahead." Hrim announces in his small, thin voice and quietly flies past Cladissa into the Northern room . Assuming nothing of interest awaits in the corridor, the deep gnome shadow continues into the main hall . If he still does not see anything, he looks for Evil.
Argor scans the scene as he answers Cladissa. "It most assuredly is not a pleasant sensation."
Cladissa glances back at him. "More pleasant than taking an actual wound, I'm sure. Perhaps I should look into adding that to my repertoire."
She returns to her task of peering ahead into the next chamber.
This enormous gallery stretches beneath a high arched ceiling. A grand staircase rises to the north and a pair of mahogany doors stand to the south carved in a relief of one of Absalom’s countless sieges. At the room’s center, a gleaming collection of glass and metal—like some sort of abstract bird—rises upon a single steel support toward the ceiling. A number of glass cases lining the walls have been shattered, scattering strange devices and clockwork limbs amid the broken glass.
Seven bodies litter the floor; four in black robes and three dressed in respectable local fashions. A smoky haze still fills the air.
Cladissa jumps from her perch and glides down to the middle of the room, her wings folding behind her as she lands softly. She looks around at the remains of the robots. "Tough adversaries. But I believe our only losses were some damaged or banished elementals and Argor's necromantic ward." She glances up at the hovering wizard. "I've not had the experience of that spell. Does it hurt when you are struck?" she asks with a touch of concern.
While she waits for Argor to respond, she softly pads over to the northern doors and peeks into the next room through the slight opening.
[dice=Stealth]1d20+20
[dice=Perception]1d20+11
Cladissa can't really see or hear anything from her position by the door, but she does smell the burnt metal, plastic, rubber and flesh from the next room. There are the scents of probably half a dozen people mangled with the smells of battle.
As Argor awaits Hrim's return, he hovers over to the bodies of the robotic creations and cautiously examines their remains for any interesting components.
__________
"I don't smell anything alive in there. Perhaps you could send your summoned elementals inside to draw out any hidden foes or inert automatons once Hrim reports back?" Cladissa suggests.
She pulls out the wand of cure moderate wounds to have at hand.
Hrim returns and tells of the bodies and tracks including the human tracks
Upon receiving the update on the room ahead, Argor says, "It would seem ur perpetrators have found something. Let us find them and stop this before they manage to activate it. Nyugusk, Thrassk, take the southern door to the main hall, I shall follow my elementals through the northern entry."
"I could not detect any Evil in the Main Hall, so I'll return and sweep the room for magic, too. If we don't encounter anything I'll continue up the stairs." Hrim casts Detect Magic in the entrance and returns to the Main Hall. He slowly flies around the room scanning for magic.
There are several magical auras coming from the glass and metal construction that is elevated on the pole near the ceiling.
Hrim starts to concentrate on the glass and metal construction that is elevated on the pole near the ceiling. "Argor, that glass and metal construction on the pole near the ceiling has several magical auras. What do you make of it?" The deep gnome asks in his small, thin voice.
Cladissa slinks into the room after the others and looks around. When Hrim mentions the magic auras, she casts detect magic herself and considers the strands of energy.
Argor casts the cantrip as the others have and studies the auras.
__________
As soon as Cladissa enters the room visibly, a bolt of red energy fires out the of the ruined vessel, blasting the wall above the door. Fire and chunks of stone rain down briefly above C's head. A woman's voice shouts out from near the origin of the beam, "You get the hell out of here, you freak!"
"Eep!" Cladissa exclaims -- surprisingly not catlike and simply the sound of a startled woman -- and brings her wings up to shield her from the rain of rubble.
"Wait wait!" She says as she moves back to the door. "We're here to help! Are you with the museum? Or one of the League?"
"You won't trick me! I know you're that silver slimethat slithered into that poor kid’s body!" comes the hidden woman's response.
"Silver slime? I can assure you none of us have seen anything of the sort, but it would be something we would appreciate more information on, if you would be so kind," Argor says calmly, thou he lowers himself to ground level, using his elementals as cover from the direction of the voice.
__________
Nyug drinks an extract of Enlarge Person, as Hrim returns from his scouting.
Argh. Not again! Surely a student of transmogrification and self-perfection can be of use here, yes? Surely. Let me try...
"We, uh, are here to help. Not to do anything bad." says the massive, drooling, transmogrified halforc.
Dammit! She doesn't look terribly convinced...
"We are not your enemies, however if you continue to threaten and ignore us that will change. I emplore you to show yourself and talk to us reasonably."
"Fine! I believe you, there are too many of you to be the ooze and I think I heard you fighting those gearsmen in the entryway. I'm coming out now, please don't attack me."
A woman with some kind of metal imbedded into the right side of her face stands up inside the wrecked craft. She has a rifle which is clearly of the same design school as the robots, looking highly advanced and otherworldly. "I am with the Technic League...who are you?"
"Argor Constantine, of the Pathfinder Society, along with other members of that organization. Interesting, to find one of your own ilk apparently fighting against mechanisms of technological origin, when it was your group we were told that initiated this assault."
As Argor speaks, he slips a hand behind his back, cautiously beginning the gentle motion of a spell in case this woman is attempting to deceive them.
"I'm Cladissa, and we're Pathfinders. I know we might look a little strange... or perhaps not," she amends when she sees the metal in her face.
She looks around at her companions and gives Argor a brief scolding glance as she holds up her hands, tucking her wand under one arm. "Yes, no one's going to attack you now. Thanks for standing down. What's your name? And what's this ooze you're talking about? Most oozes don't inhabit bodies, I don't think."
Hrim almost sees the Technic Leaguer before she reveals herself.
During the conversation, he slowly glides to the side of the stairs hovering in the air while concentrating on detecting magic. He knows Argor would be much better at this, but she can see him. Once he has learned all that can be gleaned from the magical auras, the deep gnome silently keeps vigil on the stairs where the human dragged the heavy object upstairs.
"Alright, I'm coming down..." she says.
A moment later the slight woman scrambles out of the pod and shimmies down the pole which supports it. She's a kellid, with swarthy skin and reddish eyes. Her brown hair is cut short and spiky. She's wearing a chain shirt, and carries a bow and short sword along with her gun. "My name is Gerva. Sorry for shooting at you, I'm a little paranoid after what I've seen."
"Well....where do I begin. My team came here after finally tracking down our stolen technology. This museum thinks they can brazenly display artifacts taken from us!" Gerva huffs. "When we entered the museum to retake our goods, an ancient hazardous materials crate was damaged in the firefight. A silvery ooze came out and infested this young man...it killed....IT KILLED THEM ALL!"
Gerva begins crying uncontrollably. "My team, the staff...everyone."
[dice=Perception]1d20+15
Hrim almost sees the Technic Leaguer before she reveals herself.
During the conversation, he slowly glides to the side of the stairs hovering in the air while concentrating on detecting magic. He knows Argor would be much better at this, but she can see him. Once he has learned all that can be gleaned from the magical auras, the deep gnome silently keeps vigil on the stairs where the human dragged the heavy object upstairs.
"Oh, that's so awful,"Cladissa sympathizes. She steps closer in a repectful attempt to be supportive. "Take your time," she says, allowing her to compose herself.
She looks up at Argor's glare, then back to Gerva. Although, maybe, not too much time, since it's still around."
She looks at the drag marks that Hrim had earlier described. "Did it go upstairs?"
Interesting. Another strange liquid substance hailing from Numeria that has a direct effect on the host organism with which it makes contact. Perhaps this is some sort of predecessor to the serum used upon us...or even a later formula?
"In the interest of expedience, can you tell us what you know of it? Were there any survivors who may or may not be a potential threat to our well being? What caused these scuff marks on the floor?"
Hrim continues to hover and maintain vigil on the stairs. The thought of attempting to console this lady on the death of her companions fleetingly passes him. Besides, he would not want to scare by appearing from the shadows. No, Cladissa and Argor are the right track. One addresses the emotional side, while the other attempts logic. The Technic Leaguer will probably respond well to one of them.
"It activated the robots, and seems to control them now. I had no idea what was in the crate, but I do know that the Technic League stores dangerous technology within them. Running electricity through the crate’s coiled wires somehow weakens or even shuts down robots and technology inside. I also knows that most robots are vulnerable to electricity, so I guess the silvery goo is as well. I'm not really sure what the drag marks are from, maybe the robots cleaning up the bodies?"
Cladissa looks over to the area where the drag marks began. "Where is the crate now? Maybe there's something we can learn about it where it was kept?"
Gerva points. Aldain’s renovation expanded the grand exhibit hall into a larger and more easily accessed space. The escape pod (where Gerva was)—the centerpiece of the Numeria exhibit—stands on a sturdy steel pillar and looks impressive but is utterly beyond repair.
Other displays show everything from decommissioned weapons to appliances to damaged robots, along with dozens of Numerian silverdisks, all neatly labeled with the staff’s best guess at their purpose.
The center display to the east contains the blasted remains of the hazard crate; a trickle of harmless silvery goo drips quietly from the largest remaining piece. Closer examination of the remains of the crate discover it to be made of metal, some ceramic material, and heavy coils of wire.
Cladissa tentatively sniffs it from several feet away, staying wary of the silver residue. She hopes that whatever its scent is, will tip her off if the possessed body tries subterfuge.
She shakes her head at trying to decipher the mechanism of the crate. "I was hoping there would be writing."
She steps back and lets Argor take a closer look, if he deigns to. "It activated the robots, you say. How many are there left, do you think? And if we stop the ooze, will the robots shut down?"
"I'm not sure exactly....sorry..." Gerva says.
Shrugging, she says, "Well, it was worth a shot. This place has housed portals to the Dark Tapestry, been overlain with the Shadow Realm, been filled with transmogrifying mists, among other nightmares. Now we get to add robots."
She waits to see if Argor can determine anything from the crate, then she beckons Thrassk and Nyugusk to the Historical Gallery where the drag marks begin, looking for any display placard that might indicate what has been dragged into the next chamber.
Argor looks about for a loose, intact vial in the chamber. He looks it over thoroughly to make sure that it is leak free, and then hovers over to the crate in question. Using his magic, he levitates the vial close to the liquid and collects some of it, before stoppering the container and bringing it closer for inspection.
__________
When Hrim sees Cladissa taking the group to investigate the origin of the drag marks, he clears his throat to attract non-threatening attention. "I'm going to scout upstairs to follow the drag marks. Be back in a few." The deep gnome announces in his small, thin voice.
He filters his vision for magic and stealthily flies upstairs.
Shrugging, she says, "Well, it was worth a shot. This place has housed portals to the Dark Tapestry, been overlain with the Shadow Realm, been filled with transmogrifying mists, among other nightmares. Now we get to add robots."
She waits to see if Argor can determine anything from the crate, then she beckons Thrassk and Nyugusk to the Historical Gallery where the drag marks begin, looking for any display placard that might indicate what has been dragged into the next chamber.
[dice=Perception]1d20+13
This exhibit hall is dedicated to historical curiosities, with the western half currently dedicated to Taldan military history and the eastern half displaying Osirian mummies and grave goods. The drag marks from the main hall begin here, where the gold-plated lid of a small sarcophagus has been removed.
Argor looks about for a loose, intact vial in the chamber. He looks it over thoroughly to make sure that it is leak free, and then hovers over to the crate in question. Using his magic, he levitates the vial close to the liquid and collects some of it, before stoppering the container and bringing it closer for inspection.
__________
[dice=Knowledge (Engineering)]1d20 + 10
When Hrim sees Cladissa taking the group to investigate the origin of the drag marks, he clears his throat to attract non-threatening attention. "I'm going to scout upstairs to follow the drag marks. Be back in a few." The deep gnome announces in his small, thin voice.
He filters his vision for magic and stealthily flies upstairs.
Cladissa inspects the lid of the sarcophagus, to try to get some indication of what may have been inside. Then she traces the drag marks back to the main hall.
"Nothing that direction I can tell."