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"Robot farts? Really?" says Viv, exasperated, as she blasts away at the first robot.
"Ah! Finally fighting! This is better! And thank you for letting us know Xoud is hiding at chambers below the tower!" Holg rises up his sword ready to charge when the robots start casting spells.
Surprised by the sudden burst of nauseating odors Holg starts to cough hectically, trying to close his mouth, but not much successful.
The Kellid will walk in the air attempting to find a spot deprived of the cloud where he can recover.
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"Only seven years? How has this tower decayed that fast?" Fireday wonders aloud before being blasted with the gas.
He's barely even fazed by it.
"Combat it is, then. Inheritor forgive me for the violence I am about to commit."
He marches to the nearest robot and begins savaging it with his sword-staff.
Kaska isn't immediately stricken by the poisonous cloud, and quickly moves out of it and on to engage the robots. She approaches the closer of the two and cleaves hard at it with her falx.
Coen and Holg stagger out of the stinking cloud, retching and gasping for air. The rest of you resist its effects, moving to attack the closer of the two robots. Fireday's and Viv's attacks come up short, not piercing its armored body, but Kaska tears a deep rent through its metallic form.
The robot retaliates, attacking Kaska with its fists, landing several powerful blows. The other one casts a spell, creating a cloud of electromagnetically charged glitterdust!
After emerging out of the cloud last round, Holg keeps walking in the air despite his extreme coughing. The Kellid directs himself to the robot that is casting over his companions "**cough** ...I will cover you at the other side of the room... **cough***"
Viv maneuvers with a brief burst of speed, trying to get to a better firing position. She launches another bolt over Kaska's head at the robot.
To no avail.
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Fireday doesn't even flinch.
"It's a good thing I started wearing this mask. Not only does it protect from noxious air, but it keeps my eyes clear!"
He closes his eyes and says a brief prayer to Iomedae, before reaching to Kaska next to him, golden light shimmering around it.
The pummeling from the robot sends Kaska reeling back. Fireday's touch clears her head though and she finds her legs. Now furious, she spits a gob of blood onto the robots face and goes back to hacking at it.
Fireday heals Kaska, but the blinded barbarian is unable to land a hit. Viv misses as well. As Holg and Coen struggle to recover from the stinking cloud, the robot pummels Kaska again. The other one conjures a patch of electromagnetically charged grease beneath Fireday and Kaska!
Kaska clears her eyes and walks back off the grease.
Unable to do much else, Holg, walks in the air taking his holy symbol in one hand and his sword in the other while he coughs like crazy "**cough** ...you coward robots, Gorum sent my sword here to show you manners... **cough** ...Resist Kaska!"
Fireday manages to keep his footing on the slick floor.
"Deal with that one, I'll finish this one off!" he says as he spins his battlestaff to strike!
Viv takes another shot, but misses again.
As Kaska falls back, Fireday and Viv continue to attack, but neither one is able to hit! The first robot turns its attention to Fireday, assaulting the android, while the other one begins a lengthy spel of summoning. Coen and Holg recover from their nausea!
"**cough** No! You will not bring any more critters!" coughing for the last time, Holg finds out resolve, entering into a frantic rage that tenses his muscles. The Kellid charges through the air while changing the grip of his adamantine greatsword "Iron for Gorum!!!!"
Viv continues her assault of charged metal shards against the robot near Fireday.
Struck hard and sensing the end approaching anew, Fireday closes his eyes.
"Iomedae! I am not yet ready to stand before you in Heaven! Grant me the strength to continue the fight here on Golarion!"
Gold light intermingles with the green of his circuitry as he begins to recover.
Newly recovered, Fireday falls back and clutches his holy symbol.
"Thank you, Light of the Sword, I will rally to aid my friends."
As Fireday and Kaska focus on healing themselves, Coen blasts the damaged robot with magic missiles. Viv hurls a force-propelled bullet through its chest, and it collapses!
Holg attacks the other robot, interrupting its summoning spell. It begins to attack the cleric with its fists, but only lands one hit,
Holg sees his hope renewed as Viv and Coen destroy one of the robots and smiles when the gods spare him from most of the last robot attacks. Still on a rage, the Kellid spins his blade going into a desperate battle to finish the robot before they can be in more problems "Gorum, shatter this metallic abomination!!!"
He steps around the robot wizard leaving a clear shot for Viv.
"One victory, one to go!" Fireday crows as their mages dispatch the robot. He turns and begins rushing to reinforce Holg.
Kaska figures it would be suicidal for her to try tangling directly with the other machine. She's still a mess from trying it with the first one. Instead she switches to her bow and finds the clearest shot she can.
Kaska scores a hit with an adamantine arrow, but it is Holg's destructive fury that proves to be the robot's downfall. His sword tears through its body before slicing its head clean off! Sparks shower from the construct's body as it falls!
The rare laboratory components spread throughout this room weigh 100 pounds in all and are quite fragile, but are collectively worth 1,500 gp. The metal shelves contain decades of research journals and laboratory notes, amassing the sum total of the knowledge gained from the experiments conducted throughout the Choking Tower. Study of these notes requires the ability to read Androffan, and even then examining them will take several days. These journals weigh a total of 20 pounds in all and are worth 4,000 gp.
In addition to the journals, the shelves in this room contain a total of 120 silverdisks, 10 batteries, four rolls of ion tape, two zipsticks, a timeworn chemalyzer (7 charges), two nanite canisters, a timeworn fire extinguisher (4 charges), three scrolls of gaseous form, a scroll of recharge, a horn of fog, and a bottle of air. Finally, a short rod made of horacalcum sits on one desk. While the rod seems to be little more than an unadorned 2-foot-long cylinder of metal (and indeed can function as a masterwork horacalcum club), it radiates faint abjuration magic. The rod is worth 6,300 gp.
Coen studies the rod for a few minutes. "This seems to be a magical key. Maybe it unlocks the door we couldn't get into before, the one lower in the tower?"
Holg continues smashing the robot parts a bit after it falls, and only realizes it is destroyed when others close up. Suddenly relaxing and changing his visage to his usual broad smile he stills breaths heavily due to the effort "It is done. We have survived. Isn't it amazing?"
Realizing his friends are still damaged, the Kellid looks for Groum's holy symbol and presents it washing the room with sacred positive energy to heal the wounds.
Holg then moves over the most injured, and touches their wounds while raising prayers "Gorum, heal those that bravely fought so they can honor you with another battle today"
The man administers the group's wand to end up the healing session.
Holg approaches Coen to see what he has found while he was healing the others "A key you say? Mmmm... interesting. Yes I think that makes sense. Why don't you lead us to that door Coen? Kaska and myself will use the key to open the door. Pick the scrolls and other magical items, we can come back later for the heavier books"
Fireday turns and bows to Holg as he heals him.
"Thank you, Holg. This has been a long fight."
"You fought valiantly Fireday. I was just trying to hold myself from that terrible poison. How can we fight something like that?" Holg negates with his head distressed.
Now that he has had some time to recover from his recent rage, the Kellid just heads down floor after floor, trying to find what door the keys can open.
"Through faith...and judicious application of the spells the gods grant us for it," Fireday replies. He turns back to the others. "Everybody ready?"
You make your way back down the tower to the locked door you couldn't access before. Touching the horacalcum rod to the door bypasses the arcane lock, allowing you to open it.
This large chamber appears to be a combination of bedroom and study. A large window to the northwest, fitted with sturdy metal slats, lets in light and air, while elaborate tapestries depicting gloomy landscapes and gothic architecture adorn the walls. A large bed sits in the room, its fine coverings frayed and dusty. A small desk against the southwest wall is bare, while doors provide several exits.
A few moments after you enter the room, smoke begins to pour from the tapestries, coalescing into the spectral form of Furkas Xoud himself. "You dare violate my private sanctum? I will destroy you!" the ghostly wizard shrieks.
Despite his defensive spells, when the specter coalesces Holg shouts "Everyone split in different directions before he burns us into another fireball!!!"
Then he moves away walking into the air to the ceiling of the room, but maintaining a 30 feet distance of him, and finally the Kellid casts a spell he has been saving since their first encounter: ghost bane dirge to try make Xoud a semi-physical being.
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Fireday calls on Iomedae's valor to empower his weapon one more time.
Then he takes Holg's advice and moves away from the group to space them out.
Viv holds her fire, figuring the ghost-wizard might try to cast a spell.
Kaska didn't make a good showing against the ghost wizard last time, and she doesn't see much of a way to improve this time. She takes Holg's advice on maintaining good space from the others, stowing her falx and drawing her zero pistol as she moves. If he's a gas, maybe he freezes?
Her frustration with the place and situation turns to rage.
When she's found her spot she snaps off a couple of shots at Xoud.
Xoud resists Holg's attempt to make him corporeal. The ghost dodges Viv's blast, but Kaska shoots him twice with her cold gun and Coen batters him with magic missiles.
The ghost howls and casts a spell, filling the chamber with choking, poisonus gas laced with crackling negative energy!
Fireday, seeing the spell coming, closes his eyes and then opens them with a bright flash of green light. The light ripples through his circuitry marks, illuminating his form in the haze!
Toughing out the surge, he advances on Xoud and attacks, his blessed weapon able to harm ectoplasm as if it was flesh!
Viv winds up another force bolt, grumbling about never having learned tactile telekinesis.
"No! Another time this thing no way!" the Kellid attempts to hold his breath as best as he can.
Extending his hand with a word of power Holg casts channel vigor to enhance his torso "Gorum, protect my lungs!"
Resolute, he then advances through the nauseating vapors trying to find Xoud at the last location the ghost was seen.
Kaska grabs her battle axe to compliment the pistol and tries to find a place where the gas is thinner. It might be a little easier to breathe, and she expects Xoud will try to reposition away from the place they last saw him. She'd like to block his move if she can.
Viv holds her position, concentrates, and summons another blast of pure force, lancing it through the remnants of the cloud.
Viv lands a powerful blast on Xoud through the fog. Coen sends more magic missiles his way. Kaska spots the ghost's form through the mist and blasts him again with cold, while Fireday slices through his spectral body with his monk's spade.
"This isn't over yet! You haven't seen the last of me!" Xoud shouts before he teleports away again, leaving the poisonous fog behind. You can rush out of the room and get some clear air as you wait for the fog to disperse.
Fireday moves out of the room and motions for the others to follow.
"You haven't seen the last of US, Xoud! We're going to hunt you until we send you to stand before Pharasma once and for all!"
Holg does not get out of the cloud. Instead he wanders around the noxious gas looking for Xoud and hitting the floor and walls with ire "You coward! You come here and fight! Stop running away like a panicked mice! Come and meet your end with honor and pride!"
As the cloud dissipates you can see the hefty man looking at the point of crying while he coughs horribly due to the sickening air "He is a coward... we have to find on what kind of den is he hiding and show him manners"
Visibly annoyed he did not have his fight, Holg still helps the party to register the room and find out what was left behind.
Kaska can only shake her head in amazement at Holg. To Fireday she reminds him of why they're actually in the tower at all.
"I see no point to chasing Xoud around. He can come and go as he wishes so that we could grow old running about trying to pin him down. We came for technology holding Casandalee, and once we have it I'm happy to be on my way whether the ghost is still knocking around in here or not."
The fine tapestries and bedclothes here are worth 600 gp and weigh 50 pounds in all.
The first door in this room leads into an ornate bath chamber. Howeveer, a leak in one of the pipes has flooded the room, and three feet of warm water rushes out when the door is open. Few of the fine bath linens and expensive toiletries have survived the room’s abandonment and flooding. Three bottles of rare cologne, however, are worth 40 gp each.
The second door leads to a study. This room contains a large desk and bookshelves. A thick glass window is set into a hatch to the east. Several strange black hoses lead from the door to a large machine against the northeast wall.
The shelves contain medical texts regarding respiratory function and gruesome pulmonary models. The desk contains meticulous notes about years of experiments in suffocating creatures— mostly humans—to death. It seems the machinery here is used to pump the air into or out of the small connected chamber at various speeds.
The final door leads to a staircase winding down along the exterior of the Choking Tower. This, no doubt, leads to the dungeons below!
Holg's eyes look a bit deceived but he does indeed agree with Kaska "You are right, as always, Kaska. Yes, we have to figure out where Casandalee cam is. Our friend Sahasho was left guarding the crashed ship under promise of return that means Xoud most probably suffered an accident that made him what he is now. Probably one of his experiments gone bad. We just have to find out where that happened, I guess Casandalee, or whatever remains of her, we will find there"
As they explore the adjacent rooms Holg takes one of the expensive linens and poses with it "Do I look now like a Sir of Taldor or Cheliax?" the man smiles while he opens one of the cologne bottles and tastes it only to spit it with a loud noise " These noblemen have no idea of good liquors. They should have a take on Kellid fluid"
The man gives a cursory look at the bookshelves, hoping Coen can summarize all that to him.
And finally, when the door leading down is found Holg smiles once more "I guess we found our way forward" the Kellid casts guidance and pours the light of the countinual flame in his blade to see what is beyond "The dungeons await us!"
Very ready to go downstairs.
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Viv kicks around some of the old refuse and makes a mental note that she'll want to float out the tapestries later.
When Holg tries the cologne she swipes the bottle from him and says, "Gimme that." She sniffs at the substance, then says, "It's cologne. It's supposed to make you smell nice, usually so that you don't repel people." She hands the battle back to Holg. "Could probably sell it in a city."
Holg looks at Viv confused "Why would someone bottle smell? Is there something bad with his own smell?" the Kellid smells below his own underarms.
"Oh, folks in the city don't like the smell of sweat and mud," she says. "So this is used for fancy occasions when you want to have a pleasing scent."