Victrix's anger persists as she swims to Simon's side...
...and starts laying into the mutant next to him.
The elemental moved with the grace of a naturalborn swimmer as it moved quickly through the water as it crackled grumpily at being unable to reach it's targets. It went around the group to try and get around behind the remaining mutants. Ema, meanwhile, held off on her spells. She had no idea what they had left to deal with and she was running very low.
The Elemental, used to three dimensional fighting, swam up above it's allies and lashed down at the most injured looking of the creatures.
Simon and the elemental team up to take down one of the remaining mutants. The last one attacks Simon, to no avail.
Victrix cuts it down with her shiny new sword!
In the aftermath of the fight, you can see a set of double doors to the north. Across the hall, a pale green glow illuminates the dark chamber, and another hall exits to the east.
Ema was relieved when they successfully took out the last of the mutants but knew continuing might be dangerous as wore down as they were from these fights. She also wasn't sure how much longer their ability to breath would last and that worried her. Gesturing back the way they came Ema raised an eyebrow questioningly.
Victrix's anger fades when the last of the mutants is cut down, replaced by a quiet feeling of regret.
"...sorry we couldn't get here sooner." She whispers, half to herself and half to the mutilated corpses of what she could only assume were once colonists.
Two shimmering fields of force each seal a different airtight chamber, keeping the water outside. On the wall next to the force fields are two levers.
One cell holds a human woman, while the other one contains a man and a woman. None of them have noticed Simon yet. Simon does not spot any traps.
Victrix glumly approaches Simon--and her mood abruptly shifts when she sees the cells' occupants.
With Simon scouting ahead still Ema tore open a gateway and let her elemental friend return, he wouldn't have been able to stay much longer anyway, and swam to go see what Simon found. When she realized that he had determined the door trap free she peeked inside and saw the people behind the shimmering barriers. She tried to determine what the things were, what their properties were, after a quick spell to augment her vision to see any magic involved. She assumed the levers were somehow used to open or close the barriers but doing so while the occupants couldn't breathe water would likely kill them.
When the prisoners see you, they rush forward and begin banging on the force fields. They shout, and while it is difficult to hear their words, it's easy to see them mouthing "help us."
The cell wall appears to be a variant of a wall of force. Pulling the lever by each cell will make the wall of force semi-permeable. You will be able to step through it into the cell, but the water won't flood inside.
Realizing how the cells worked Ema walked over to the lever that controlled the barrier Simon was trying to speak through and as he was doing so pulled it. She then swam over behind him and gave a swift shove to push him through the barrier.
Victrix watches Emalliandra as she pulls a lever--and then shoves Simon.
She pointedly refuses to say anything, instead covering her mouth with her hand. Her shoulders shake with barely contained laughter.
Ema pushes Simon into the cell with the lone woman. It takes a minute or so to calm the woman down enough to speak to her. "You have to get us out of here! I am Armin, and the two in the other cell are Celia and Jaram. We're all Andoren colonists who sailed to an island called Ancorato on a ship called the Liberty's Herald. We were founding a colony there. We had over twenty homes and buildings! But one day things went terribly wrong and we were brought here, where a horrible fish-thing has been experimenting on us. I'm glad somebody has found us. But... Who are you and how did you know we were here?"
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Simon smiles back at Ema after he recovers enough to realize what happened.
"Pleased to meet you, Armin. I am Simon. My friends out there are Ema, Victrix, and Calamity.
We also came from Andoren, though on the Peregrine, which I believe was the second ship of settlers. We have been searching for you for some time."
As they speak, Simon will watch her carefully for signs of Domination.
"The way out is mostly clear, unless the Aboleth - the fish thing - has brought in creatures behind us. Regardless, we can get you out.
First, tell me, are there any other settlers in this structure?"
Armin does not seem to be under a domination effect, but she keeps glancing nervously at the adjoining cell, as if suspicious of the people within.
"Aboleth? Is that what it's called? I don’t know what it is, but it’s bigger than any shark I’ve seen. It has three glowing eyes on its ugly head and lots of sinuous tentacles growing from its body. When it wants to ask you questions, it gets inside your head and causes pain until you just tell it everything it wants to know. I could swear I heard its minions call it Onthooth
"The rest of the colonists—those that survived—are in weird cells like these inside a huge vault. The fish-thing took us here to run some tests on us in the room right next to here, past a big gate. I don't know how to get the gate open."
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"Yes, Onthooth is the Aboleth. They are ancient, powerful, and malevolent and their mental abilities have no equal. We will have to deal with the creature at some point, but for now rescue and reconnaissance are our objectives.
This vault where the other colonists are... Is it in some other structure? Do you have any idea where?"
After she answers, Simon will become serious. "Armin, the Aboleth controls creatures through mental domination. We have already had to fight several Andoren guards who were being controlled by the Aboleth.
I detect no signs that you are daminated, but I can see from your worried looks that you have some concerns about the settlers in the other cell. Please, tell me about your concerns."
Armin points to the passage that leads east. "The gate to the vault is just past there, but as I said, I don't know how to open it."
She frowns when Simon mentions the other prisoners. "There's definitely something off about those two. I don't know if they are dominated or if it's something else. Just... be careful if you try to set them free."
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Retrieving some food and water from his haversack, Simon hands it to Armin.
"All right, let us see about them first. We will be back to get you out of here, don't worry."
Taking advantage of being in air, Simon quaffs his other curative extract while he waits for Armin to start eating.
He also uses one of the CMW oils.
Armin eats and drinks with gusto.
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Smiling, Simon steps back out into the water, where his face grows grim. Getting close to the party, he motions to the other cell.
"Armin - the woman - seems to have some concerns about the two in the other cell. Armin does not appear to be dominated, and you can see for yourself she isn't an ugothol.
I'll go in there and talk to them as well. Be ready to hold your breath and pull me out if something goes wrong."
Simon will wait for a response before putting on another smile and going in to the other cell.
Victrix nods and keeps an eye on the other two prisoners.
Ema listened to what Simon said and frowned in concern, "I don't think we are in any shape to take Onthooth on," she said, "I think we will need to take out who we can now and return after we've rested and we will need to prepare to deal with his mental powers right before we go in for him."
Ema looked to the other two and said to Simon, "I'll flip the lever for you. If there is a problem back out quickly and I'll flip it back so they can't get out."
Victrix reluctantly nods. "Gotcha."
Turning her serious gaze to Victrix Ema said, "I don't want to leave anyone in it's clutches either Vicki but if we go in now I think we'll just end up joining them rather than saving them." A brief flash of remembered horror flashed through her mind causing her to shudder, "and believe me, it would be far better to die than become Onthooth's 'guest' here."
On reflex, Victrix leans forward and puts an arm around Ema's shoulders.
"I won't let that happen to anyone. That aboleth's days are numbered."
"I am Celia, and this is Jaram," the woman in the other cell says. "We're both glad somebody finally came to rescue us! We are ready to put this nightmare in the past."
These people don't appear to be dominated, but Simon gets a seriously sinister vibe from them. With his keen senses, he notices strange bulges moving beneath the skin of their bellies, as if something is writhing around inside of them...
Ema caught Simon's gesture and flipped the lever to prevent the two within from leaving their cell. She was rather surprised that he would do so, even more so that she had come to trust him this much, and raised one eyebrow in question as she asked, "What's going on? Why are we keeping them in there?"
Victrix's hand moves to the hilt of her aberration-killing sword. "What's wrong? Are they dominated too?"
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"They have some kind of parasite inside of them, and I got a very uneasy feeling just talking to them.
Combined with Armin's warning, I wonder if we might be better to leave them here."
Tapping his chin, he considers a moment. "We could force the point. My ring will likely protect me from being controlled by them if they happen to get out and attempt to control me. I could talk directly to the parasites and attempt to negotiate with them.
You would need to put up the force field behind me to be certain, however."
The two prisoners shout and bang on the force field of their cell as Simon quickly exits. Suddenly, they begin convulsing, vomiting copious amounts of black bile, and making loud, gurgling sounds. A few moments later, they arch backward as masses of barbed, black tentacles explode from their exposed abdomens. They stare with dead eyes as they scuttle about on their hands and feet, tentacles waving menacingly. Fortunately, they remained trapped in the cell...
"...well. That's new."
Victrix stares at the tentacled colonists in shock as she draws her sword.
Simon recognizes the creatures as undead, but of a type he has never encountered or read about before. They are likely a result of Onthooth's experiments.
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Drawing butterfly wings over his heart, Simon backs up. "They are undead. Somehow, Onthooth infected them with these... things. We should destroy them, but.... what if they drain life or energy?
Generally speaking, I'm happy to leave them behind this force field forever, but what if Onthooth lets then out while we rest?"
Simon shudders, and continues to back away, clearly disturbed and frightened in a way he never has been before.
Victrix puts her sword away and unlimbers her axe. "Then we should put them out of their misery now."
Ema gave a stifled scream when she saw the two change like they did. That Simon could identify them as undead at least was some help but still...tentacles! While Ema did agree with Victrix she also didn't think fighting them was a smart thing just then. "I don't know about you Vikki but I don't like our chances against them. We'd be better off to leave them in there and make sure they can't be let out I think."
Simon jams the lever. It will not function without significant time and resources to repair it.
Nodding nervously Ema said, "I like that idea better for now. When we are ready then we can come back and end those things but not before." She looked at the writhing tentacles in horrified disgust and continued, "I suspect we wouldn't want to let those things get a grip on us."
Victrix grimaces, but doesn't move to stop Simon.
"Right. Let's get her out of there and regroup."
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Still keeping well away from the force field with the tentacle creatures in it, Simon shuffles over to Victrix and retrieves the bag of holding.
Grabbing the Bottle of Air and an Oil of Touch of the Sea, he hands the bag back.
"It's going to be a while before the two of you can breathe air again. There is this odd cylinder that I saw toward the back of the temple.
I'd really like to check that thing out. Perhaps after we get Armin situated in a safe room, we can go out there and hope the sharks have swum off?"
Carrying the items into Armin's cell, Simon greets her again. "You were right to be worried about the two of them. They have been turned into some horrible undead monstrosity."
He shudders again, then hands her the items. "This bottle will give you air to breathe, and this oil will allow you to swim like a fish.
We'll escort you to the surface and make sure that you are safe. It will be another half hour or so before my friends will be able to breathe air again, so we might do just a little bit more reconnaissance, but then Calamity and I will be back to keep you company while we wait for the effects to wear off."