Hrim follows the tracks and continues to explore the galleries without opening doors.
Cladissa peers into the sarcophagus to see if it's still occupied, but not expecting it to be.
"An empty sarcophagus. Argor will be so thrilled." she observes dryly. She sniffs around it to see if she can detect the musty, spiced scent of preserved flesh or anything else that would clue her into what had been dragged across the floor.
Argor stows away the liquid for later stuyd, then hovers around the room, scanning everything for auras and listening to what is being said passively.
"Everyone," he finally says, "if you have the capacity, take this time to prepare any of your offensive abilities with some sort of electrical component. It will aid in your efforts to damage these robotic automatons, and may yet prove useful against whatever this liquid ooze creature may be."
He then obtains his spellbook and quickly begins flipping through the pages. After a few seconds, he closes the tome and returns it to his pack before saying, "Let us not dawdle, however. My summons will not remain forever."
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After checking out the empty sarcophagus for clues, Cladissa moves back to the main hall, ready to move to the next room.
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Cladissa spots something in the sarcophagus room, a door concealed behind a colorful but otherwise mundane Taldan tapestry.
The museum staff uses it to store cleaning supplies and tools used to mend and maintain the historical gallery’s exhibits, as well as replacement plumes for military helms, which go missing with distressing regularity.
The group continues to explore the ground floor while Hrimnagel scouts above.
The large room features a wide stairway leading to the second floor and two lavatories for visitors.
Exhibits—from paintings to skeletons to taxidermy monsters—sit around, waiting to being cleaned, examined, or reassembled.
"Look here," Cladissa points. "Another secret door." She steps softly to it, sniffing first to see if it's been used recently, then stepping aside to let one of the big bruisers of,the party open it.
At Cladissa's mention of a door, Argor commands his elementals through first.
This secret hallway allows discreet access to the restoration room and main gallery. Stairs to the north lead up. Cowering inside the hallway are two men, one human and one half elven. They are wearing museum livery.
They shriek in unison when the secret door opens. "Please don't kill us!" the half-elf begs, hands over eyes.
This secret hallway allows discreet access to the restoration room and main gallery. Stairs to the north lead up. Cowering inside the hallway are two men, one human and one half elven. They are wearing museum livery.
They shriek in unison when the secret door opens. "Please don't kill us!" the half-elf begs, hands over eyes.
Cladissa sticks her head into the hallway over the heads of the elementals. "Oh! Hello! No, we don't plan on killing you!" she says when she gets a good look at them. She takes a cautionary sniff to try to detect if anything smells odd about them, while also studying their demeanor.
"I'm Cladissa, we're Pathfinders, and... where do those stairs go?"
Nyugusk--still enlarged--cranes his massive head over Cladissa's shoulder. "No desire to kill, no indeed. Just to be sure though...who's your supervisor?"
"Nigel Aldain!" the man replies.
"Oh, thank gods. They are Pathfinders, Vencen," the half-elf says. He looks very relieved. "These stairs go upstairs. They are just here for the staff to move about without disturbing the guests."
"Are the robots gone? Can we get the hell out of here?" the man asks.
"Well, we think they went upstairs, so you can get out without any trouble. Nigel's out there, too." She turns and looks for Gerva, hoping someone has been keeping an eye on her.
If she's still there, Cladissa motions so she gives the servants some space. "We've reached a truce," She explains. "There's something else that has taken over the museum and gone upstairs. Could you tell us what's up there? Give us some idea of what we will have to face"
"Well, there is a small lecture hall and our offices at the top of these stairs. Then there are four exhibit chambers. I have no idea what state they are in now."
The clerks are too flustered to offer any more useful information and scamper outside to join Nigel. Gerva is waiting in the main hall, clutching her gun and looking paranoid.
This gallery is a collection of unexplained or bizarre curios from the Blakros archive, more akin to a carnival sideshow than a museum collection. Noteworthy exhibits include a colorful folded manual brought back from an empire across the Arcadian Ocean, a pickled gnoll fetus, a series of twelve quartz crystals carved to look like brains supported by frail humanoid bodies, and a clockwork device with no apparent useful function.
The Hall of Incantations displays magical objects of historical significance that have fallen into the hands of the Blakros’ family. Spellbook pages depicting nearly two-dozen cantrips have been carefully framed and hung around the room’s perimeter.
Warm colors and skillful paintings of scenes and landscapes lend an inviting charm to this salon. A few small tables and chairs have been up-ended and scattered around the floor. Double-doors to the north are labeled “Hall of Incantation,” while open passageways lead east and west .
The second-floor salon is intended for casual conversation and light entertaining, especially before and after presentations in the adjoining lecture hall. The paintings are romanticized depictions of historical events from around the Inner Sea, interpreted by artists several generations after the fact. Each is a genuine masterpiece and quite valuable.
A strange plant lurks in the salong. It is a twisted trunk clustered with bulbous blossoms holding up a large gaping mouth.
Hrim comes up the stairs and sees the room open up to the left with a corridor continuing in front of him. He slowly turns and glides through the room on wings of shadows.
Argor quietly floats behind the others as they ascend the stairs, commanding his elementals to advance and investigate any side rooms they encounter for potential threats.
As soon as the deep gnome spots the trap and ambush, he heads directly back to his companions and stops them from continuing up the stairs with his coded clap-clap, clap.
Then, he whispers to the crew in his small, thin voice, "Be careful of the doorway off to your left at the top of the stairs. There's a trap on the floor and three more robots lurking in the back of the room amongst the displays, apparently waiting. I'm going to go check the far end of the hallway that you face when top the stairs. Wait here."
Assuming, no one stops him to update him on the sniveling guys downstairs, Hrim disappears into his shadows and flies down the end of the hallway. He feels very proud of himself for finding something useful this time.
If the crew waits for a minute, Hrim returns and signals to them. "At the end of the hall lurks a large, strange plant in the salon. It has a twisted trunk clustered with bulbous blossoms holding up a large gaping mouth. Where do you want to start?"
Cladissa gestures to Hrim to check out the secret stairs that they had found. "Hrim! We found a servant's entrance upstairs! Any chance that this'll get us around that trap?"
She thinks on the information that the deep gnome has provided. "Thanks, Hrim. That's really helpful. Hmm. Robots are mostly a form of construct, right? So they if they're setting an ambush, there's a chance they'll keep waiting until we are actually in that room. So we could attack the plant creature first, and then either bypass the robots or deal with them second. What do you think, Argor?" She looks at the wizard expectantly.
Argor runs his hand over his goatee as he thinks. "An interesting hypothesis. However, robots are unlike most constructs, having a semblance of actual intellect. If they were to perceive the sound of combat nearby, they may abandon their position to investigate unless they have specific orders not to stray from their post. Still, it is a tactic I believe worthy of exploration. At least it would give us insight into their protocols."
"Let us go then, to the plant creature."
Hrim glides along in front of the troop and takes a spot in the corner to watch the fight. He is very nervous of being swallowed whole by that plant than anything that he has ever faced before. Maybe, it's because plants usually never grow larger than fungus in the Darklands. Then, there was that tragedy with the roper and shrieker... He hates plants. Why did it have to be a plant?
The group rounds the corner, with Thrassk and the elementals leading the way. Immediately the bulbous top of the plant creature swivels to face them, yawning wide to reveal rows of thorn-like fangs.
Initiative:
Monster 20
Party 9.4
The plant shambles slowly towards the elementals, it's long trunk holding its mouth pod back like a viper ready to strike.
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Nyugusk (still a minute left of his enlarged form) squeezes up the stairs behind the elementals. He shivers a bit at the sight of the huge plant, before cracking, "Hey look Argor, it's not undead. Go figure!"
Then he starts to barrel toward it, intent to pounce...only to be beaten to the game. The tendrils grab him around the throat and rip, loosing much of the Transmogrified Lotus's blood in seconds...and holding him tight as well.
Nyug bellows "Aaaarrgghh!!" as he struggles and manages--barely--to break free. Meanwhile oily green sweat starts to flow from his pours, healing him slightly.
Cladissa slinks out into the room just in time to see Nyugusk get dealt a vicious bite by the monstrous plant. Her jaw drops in shock for a moment, but she quickly recovers and with an arcane gesture and words of power, unleashes a sonic blast at the plant creature that is silent to everything else.
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Hrim seeing Nyug almost getting swallowed wakes him out of his fear. He floats over Cladissa's head to get within point blank distance. He calls for Call Ranalc to bless his arrows and sends two shots toward the plant.
The elemental so all surge forward, their heavy footsteps causing the decorations and displays to shake on the walls. They begin slamming their stone fists into the thing as soon as they arrive at their target, creating a cacophony of thunderous blows in the chamber.
From behind the front lines, Argor utters a transmutative incantation, and Thrassk immediately grows to the size of a giant.
__________
The plant shambles slowly towards the elementals, it's long trunk holding its mouth pod back like a viper ready to strike.
Nyugusk squeezes up the stairs behind the elementals. He shivers a bit at the sight of the huge plant, before cracking, "Hey look Argor, it's not undead. Go figure!"
Then he starts to barrel toward it, intent to pounce...only to be beaten to the game. The tendrils grab him around the throat and rip, loosing much of the Transmogrified Lotus's blood in seconds...and holding him tight as well.
Nyug bellows "Aaaarrgghh!!" as he struggles and manages--barely--to break free. Meanwhile oily green sweat starts to flow from his pours, healing him slightly.
Cladissa slinks out into the room just in time to see Nyugusk get dealt a vicious bite by the monstrous plant. Her jaw drops in shock for a moment, but she quickly recovers and with an arcane gesture and words of power, unleashes a sonic blast at the plant creature that is silent to everything else.
Hrim seeing Nyug almost getting swallowed wakes him out of his fear. He floats over Cladissa's head to get within point blank distance. He calls for Call Ranalc to bless his arrows and sends two shots toward the plant.
The elemental so all surge forward, their heavy footsteps causing the decorations and displays to shake on the walls. They begin slamming their stone fists into the thing as soon as they arrive at their target, creating a cacophony of thunderous blows in the chamber.
From behind the front lines, Argor utters a transmutative incantation, and Thrassk immediately grows to the size of a giant.
Thrassk rushes forward and roaring, bites a chunk from the flower's trunk.
The flower begins to glow a bright white color and then suddenly a burst of blindingly bright, white light flashes out from it.
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Cladissa at the last possible moment shields her eyes from the bright pulse with a flap of her wings. She sees the fighters close with the giant plant, so she does what she can to strip fortune away from it.
"Damn!" Argor exclaims as his eyes are blinded by the pulse of light. He turns his head away to let them adjust, hovering away to distance himself further. One of the remaining elementals seems unaffected, continuing to hammer away, while the other flails wildly.
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"Aiiigh!! I'm bleeding and I can't see," the Transmogrifying Lotus spits out--clearly angry with himself--and stumbles backward. He does his awkward best to avoid the tendrils he can't see, and in so doing manages to bump straight into one of his comrades.
"Argor, is that you? Sorry 'bout your foot. You got that Infernal Healing wand handy? I can't see now but if I can get this blasted glare out of my eyes I sure wouldn't mind having that going when I head back in."
_________________
Hrim ducks his eyes behind a swiftly moving arm when the plant flashes. The deep gnome has a bad feeling about this thing. After Cladissa has hexed the plant, he repeats Cladissa's spell.
Nyugusk's stumbling causes Argor to start spinning uncontrollably through the air for a moment. He reaches out to stead himself, finding his hand wrist deep in the Lotus' mane, or so he hoped.
DAMNABLE OAF! Does he not have enough sense to move about with care when he cannot see!?
He just barely manages to right himself as Mr. Newblossom makes his inquiry. He reaches down and removes the wand with his free hand, taking a fist full of Nyugusk's hair to not lose his location in his blinded state, and utters the command word as he taps the wand to the beast of an orc.
"Careful with your lumbering, you buffoon! Dealing with this thing is bad enough, we do not need you flailing about aimlessly to lend it aid!" he scolds as he blinks his eyes forcefully hoping to clear them, even so much as rubbing them with the back of his sleeve.
The moment he feels as if he has regained control of his levitation, he releases Nyugusk's mane and frantically wipes his hand off on his pants.
__________
Cladissa at the last possible moment shields her eyes from the bright pulse with a flap of her wings. She sees the fighters close with the giant plant, so she does what she can to strip fortune away from it.
"Damn!" Argor exclaims as his eyes are blinded by the pulse of light. He turns his head away to let them adjust, hovering away to distance himself further. One of the remaining elementals seems unaffected, continuing to hammer away, while the other flails wildly. The elemental's blows bounce off the plant's thick bark.
"Aiiigh!! I'm bleeding and I can't see," the Transmogrifying Lotus spits out--clearly angry with himself--and stumbles backward. He does his awkward best to avoid the tendrils he can't see, and in so doing manages to bump straight into one of his comrades.
The plant creature takes the opportunity to snap at him again. Nyugusk does not manage to escape, as the plant takes a hold of him once more.
Hrim ducks his eyes behind a swiftly moving arm when the plant flashes. The deep gnome has a bad feeling about this thing. After Cladissa has hexed the plant, he repeats Cladissa's spell. The plant seems minorly affected.
Thrassk steps up to the plant and attacks it with all he's got. He manages to tear two large gashes in the creature with tooth and claw, but it remains standing.
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While his spell only minorly affects the plant, the deep gnome tries again hoping for its misfortune.
The plant, still holding Nyugusk in its mouth, begins to swallow him.
Like some massive snake, the mouth looms wider and wider as our unfortunate alchemist slides down the plant's gullet. He feels himself being crushed and wrapped in some kind of sticky fibers and then he is forcibly expelled from the thing's anus. Nyugusk finds himself bound in a cocoon on the floor next to the plant, slowly melting and being crushed to death.
While his spell only minorly affects the plant, the deep gnome tries again hoping for its misfortune. The plant seems to have massive fortitude however, and it shrugs off the assault again, taking only minor damage.
_______________________________________________
Argor strains his eyes to see as the elementals continue to rain their heavy fists against the things trunk.
__________
"Eeeyugh! Nyug! Can you hear me?!"
With the monstrous plant seeming to eat creatures around it, Cladissa tries to sap its vitality with one of her best spells.
Nyugusk yells oooooo!!" as (still wounded and blinded) he feels tentacles again grab him from behind and drag him back in.
For a moment he blacks out from the pain and burning acid, but his alchemically enhanced sweat glands work overtime, weakening the acid and restoring him barely to consciousness.
Not entirely clear what has happened, he knows enough to try to claw his way out...and does so, hoping that the plant doesn't realize he's free and try for a repeat...and hoping his sight recovers soon.
_________________
While his spell only minorly affects the plant, the deep gnome tries again hoping for its misfortune. The plant seems to have massive fortitude however, and it shrugs off the assault again, taking only minor damage.
Argor strains his eyes to see as the elementals continue to rain their heavy fists against the things trunk.
"Eeeyugh! Nyug! Can you hear me?!"
With the monstrous plant seeming to eat creatures around it, Cladissa tries to sap its vitality with one of her best spells.
Nyugusk yells "NOOOoooooooo!!" as (still wounded and blinded) he feels tentacles again grab him from behind and drag him back in.
For a moment he blacks out from the pain and burning acid, but his alchemically enhanced sweat glands work overtime, weakening the acid and restoring him barely to consciousness.
Not entirely clear what has happened, he knows enough to try to claw his way out...and does so, hoping that the plant doesn't realize he's free and try for a repeat...and hoping his sight recovers soon.
Thrassk continues to attack the thing with all he's got. He tears a huge chunk from it with his teeth, and then rips the remainder to shreds with his claws.
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After the monstrous plant falls, Cladissa rushes up to Nyug and hits him with the wand.