Momijii gave a screech of terror as the thing tried to get on top of the table with her and jumped back away from it onto the floor putting the table between them. She promptly kicked the table over and used it as a make shift barricade to hunker down behind as she screeched, "KillitkillitKILLIT!"
Momijii hides behind the table, and it's just as well she did because Luxina's bomb shattered the ooze into a million fragments of acid! The edge of the table and the floor grout started hissing faintly.
At the same time, Filbert's haunts send a small rock hurtling into the remaining ooze with terrible force! Bits of it splatter hitting the wall behind.
Mindlessly the ooze flows towards Lizzie, flailing a pseudo-pod out which she easily sidesteps.
<--- MISS
Lizzie "beads" Tamar'
Filbert Springbit
Luxina Tenebris
Momijii
Oozes
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa <----- WE ARE HERE
Lizzie "beads" Tamar', Filbert Springbit, Luxina Tenebris and Momijii are up.
As a swift action, Lizzie uses loh on herself.
, and withdraws from the blob, hoping Filbert or Luxina finishes it off so she won't have to eat more explosion.
Filbert tries to follow up his first shot but the winds of fate do not smile on him or Lizzie.
Luxina pulls a flask from her waist and throws it at the last remaining ooze.
Heinrich hawks and spits a gobbet of something terribly sticky. It lands square in the middle of the ooze impeeding it's motion greatly!
<--- FAIL
Lizzie withdraws and calling upon the power of the gods, she heals one of the smaller burnt patches.
Filbert's haunts miscalculate and send debris crashing harmlessly into the back of the room.
Luxina's aim is a little off too, perhaps this bomb was heavier than the last. The back wash from the explosion seems to singe the Ooze.
Momijii (presumably) holds - not wanting to tangle with this awful thing.
The Ooze very slowly trundles towards the party, but can't reach anyone!
Agrippa draws and shoots, sending a quarrel into the center of mass!
Lizzie "beads" Tamar' <----- WE ARE HERE
Filbert Springbit
Luxina Tenebris
Momijii
Oozes
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
All up.
However, if you need another action. Agrippa draws his crossbow and fires it at red
Filbert grimaces as his previous shot goes wide, as most other shots at the creature, gathering himself he tries once again with better results
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The sound of one of the oozes splattering against the table left the martial artist relieved she had taken the course she did though with one still up from the sound of it she wasn't about to come out of cover.
They were waiting on someone, her mind couldn’t remember who, and they were running low on food due to a snow storm. They’d been rationing for some time and her sensei had been secretly giving up some of his portion to her. She had drifted off to sleep some time before, deep in slumber she was when something came upon her. At first she felt a cold sensation, like her blanket had slipped, but then the cold engulfed her, and then it burned. She tried to scream but all that came out was air, and all that came in…was not. The burning coursed down her throat as she saw her sensei through the transparent…[i]something[/I, that had engulfed her.
Sensei tried all he could but the mass was seemingly invulnerable to his efforts, all the physical attacks he could make meant nothing to the jelly like mass and she could see the despair in his eyes as he saw the light fading from her’s. Then, of a sudden, there was a great blue light, and freezing cold all around her replacing the burning but still leaving her without air. In the end she blacked out.
When she came to the young Momijii was shivering with cold despite being near the fire, her master was there, as was another person. It was a woman with pale blue skin and white hair whose eyes were…clouded over. She couldn’t remember much more, just time, and fearful nights that left her sleepless as they waited for the storm to end. She did remember though, the woman spoke to her one night and produced a paper lantern. She said to the young Momijii, ”Now child, I know you are troubled by the thing that came for you in the night, you fear the darkness letting one have you again. You mustn’t fear the dark though, fear only what lurks within it. That fear will save you, if properly harnessed but when it becomes to strong, when it becomes to much, remember that for darkness to exist, there must also be light just as light does not exist without dark. If the dark becomes too fearful all you need is a little light.” She gestured to the lantern and a flame suddenly appeared within it, one that didn’t burn the paper because it produced no heat. As Momijii looked on in wonder the woman said, ”Keep this with you, when the darkness closes in hold it and say ‘Lantern, push back the darkness’. if you do it will light up until you tell it, ‘Lantern, you’re light is no longer needed’, and it will go out.” She set the lantern down before the wondering girl and said, ”There, keep it with you and you will have nothing to fear from the darkness anymore.”
For that night, and many more to come, Momijii kept that lantern with her, even when she outgrew the need for it at night. Despite that she never outgrew her fear of oozes and goops, especially those that would try to gobble her up.”[/b]
Filbert can hardly miss from this distance, and with considerable force a lump of debris smashes into the peutrid ooze. This proved too much and it discorparated in a shower of acidic gore! Luxina and Lizzie take the full brunt of the acid, while Filbert was able to duck and avoid the worst.
<--- PASS
<--- PASS
<--- FAIL
<--- PASS
<--- FAIL
<--- PASS
Actions?
Lizzie wipes away what she can, of the acidic goo.
"Ugh, yuck. Disgusting things, really."
With 2 loh remaining, Lizzie uses 1.
Ducking quickly and bobbing left Filbert dodges the acidic spray from the exploding ooze, yet sees Lizzie and Luxina are not so lucky. "I can help you, you will be a bit tired until you've rested, but it will help. "
Afterwards Filbert helps to search the room noting that Momijii seems to know something about the strange lantern. "Why does it not burn out?"
eventually slipping into the hallway to check the first room on the left.
Momijii felt a shudder of relief at the demise of the last ooze, the things still terrified her to this day, she couldn't stand them. Her voice quavered out, "A-a-are t-t-they d-d-d-d-d-dead?"
The relief was short lived as the warrior woman felt sudden shame at her reaction, she had dishonored herself, her Sensei, and her ancestors with her cowardice...again! It wasn't the first time, and it likely wouldn't be the last, but she was shamed again none-the-less. Rising from her hiding place Momijii bowed deeply in shame to her companions and said, "My cowardice has put you all in jeopardy, there is no forgiveness for such dishonor. Should you require it of me I will perform Seppuku as is your right to demand for my dishonorable actions."
Her relief was almost palpable when she was not required to take her own life, she would have if demanded, of that there was no doubt, but it didn't mean she wanted to. She considered Filbert's answer and said, "If they are like the one I have...had, it is simply magic. A spell that creates a continual, heat-less, flame on the object upon which it is cast." She approached one of the lanterns and cautiously picked it up, gazing into the flickering light in remembrance for a moment more before shaking her head clear of the memory.
Agrippa eyes the foreigner sideways Interesting. he says at her offer to suicide Hardly necessary.
Agrippa will investigate the room for clues, checking drawers etc.
"Indeed all enemies have been defeated. Though I concur with Heinrich, there's no need to commit suicide."
Luxina helps Heinrich search the room for any pills or medicine.
"We're gonna need your help in the future Momiji. We'd rather have you with us than leave you."
A-a-are t-t-they d-d-d-d-d-dead?"
"Yeah, i'd say so."
....."Hey, don't be so dramatic! I won't have a friend commit suicide over something trivial. Everyone gets nervous at some point."
After the battle, Lizzie channeled the power of the gods once more and a larger patch of burns faded. Filbert assists Lizzie and Luxina's recover but as expected, his unique brand of medicine left them feeling tired.
The little lamp goes out the moment Momijii picks it up, curiously she finds the oil to have completely run out.
Meanwhile Heinrich searches the room thoroughly but finds nothing of value unless you count moldy bandages.
Filbert sneaks off to investigate the first room on the left down the northern corridor. He opens the unlocked door to find what is quite obviously a patient's room. A bed and a low table are perhaps all that are required for a patient to quietly convalesce here, but the accommodation hardly looks comfortable. Particularly since a portion of the tiled ceiling has given way, allowing heavy bricks to fall across the bed and floor. Fortunately, no one seemed to be in the room when the collapse occurred.
Filbert will continue to move up the hall checking the next 3 doors doubtful that he will find anything, after seeing the first, but needing to be sure.
As he reaches the wide area in the hallway he looks forward, realizing they must be getting close to Mrs Freeling again; Filbert stops and searches for the strange wall that blocked their way before.
Filbert opens the second door to reveal a bizarre tableau. Three figures lie dead in this room. Two wearing yellow robes lie slumped on the floor, having suffered repeated vicious blows to the face. A third—an old man easily in his eighties and wearing a light cloth dressing gown—has fallen back across the bed. He is dead, but has a satisfied smirk on his face and still grips a sturdy leather boot with blood on its heel. The boot’s partner lies on the floor nearby.
The third door opens with a deep creaking noise. Inside a shapeless mess of sheets and pillows piles atop two plain beds. Bold chalk letters high on the opposite wall proclaim this to be “Brenton and Debis’s Room.” There's little of value within, although Filbert notices pair of carved wooden knights in the tangle of sheets at the foot of the southern bed.
The fourth door reveals a bed covered in vaguely human-shaped carnage. This appears to be the remains of a patient trapped here and set upon by hunting ghouls. The window is broken, tendrils of yellow mist seep through and seem to reach for Filbert, although they are too slow to be a serious threat...
From there Filbert heads north down the corridor to where two hallways meet here beneath a lofty ceiling. High windows, alive with the nauseating fog beyond, give the space an airy feel. A portion of the western hallway has collapsed, blocking it with tons of rubble. There appears to be a ghoul trying to claw its way through the rubble. So intent upon it's task, it hasn't noticed you. Judging by the blood staining it ant the floor it was blocked by the haunt to the north.
Luxina looks up from her searching the room and notices Filbert's missing.
"Guys, Filbert's not here. I'll go and make sure he stays out of trouble."
Luxina walks out of the room and looks left and right until she notices the gnome walking down the corridor opening doors.
"Filbert? What are you doing exploring all by yourself? It could be dangerous."
And that's coming from you eh? You've been quite fond of the dark yourself in earlier days. Trapsing through dark caves, dusky tombs and unexplored regions. What changed?
Luxina suddenly shifts her head mid-sentence, looking around herself.
What was that? Those thoughts. Were they... mine?"
Second Door
"strange, very strange" He mumbles to no one in particular, as he takes in the scene. Backing out of the room he proceed to the following area.
Brenton's room
Seeing the names upon the wall, Filbert enters into the room and retrieves to two knight figurines, to anyone inquiring. "We may never find his brother <indicating the numerous piles of rubble> but the toys may remind Breton of happier times."
[i]Fourth Door[/dice]
The scene in this room turns Filbert's stomach and he quickly backs out of the room allowing the others to enter if they wished.
As the hallway opens up and Filbert notices the ghoul he backs towards the opposite wall pointing it out to the other. "I hear someone in the next room, what do we do with that?"
Agrippa follows young Filbert, trying to keep the small gnome out of trouble.
Those boots, those aren't the boots of a destitute... Agrippa decides to investigate a bit further, checking out the room.
Agrippa follows into the next room Indeed. he says as Filbert takes the knights.
Agrippa goes into the third room and...
This is interesting... as he investigates the signet ring for clues
and then finally
I hear it too! It's almost certainly a trap. However, the investigator draws Red Destiny and creeps towards the door, intending to throw it open as soon as his allies are gathered.
The ring has an emblem you recognize, that of the Millair family of Redleaf Lake. It's worth about 50gp to a collector. Quite how you know all this stuff is unexplained...
"Another corpse eater. Those things really need to be destroyed, or they'll cause even more suffering."
Lizzie is kind of waiting for the general agreement to put it down.
She herself feels it's duty to do so.
The sudden extinguishing of the lantern when she picked it up nearly brought Momijii to tears. She had so hoped that it would prove to be like the one she remembered that it was like someone dashing her hopes to the floor. Still, she had a second chance to protect her friends and refused to let the lantern's disappointment to stop her.
As they proceeded on Momijii stayed close to Filbert, ready in case anything attacked them to intercept and deal with it. She observed what she could but in the first room knew nothing about the local fashion and so had no clue there was anything special about the boot. In the next room she noticed the name and said, "This is where Brenton and his brother lived, maybe we can find out what happened to the boy and at least give his brother some closer if the child is dead...or worse." When Filbert picked up the two knights she gave him a smile and said, "A good idea my short friend. I'm sure he'll appreciate it."
In the fourth room showed her nothing of interest beyond the terrible mist trying to seep through. She stayed away from it as they went through and into the next hall. She saw the ghoul and heard the screaming from up the way. She tapped Lizzie's shoulder and held up three fingers, then pointed at the ghouls. She gestured at the others and pointed to the door, also holding up three fingers. They couldn't risk this ghoul coming up behind them if it noticed them and they couldn't delay getting to that door. She could only hope this worked.
Agrippa swaps Red Destiny for his trusty crossbow, he lets a quarrel loose right as the allies charge
Luxina does the same as Heinrich, drawing her crossbow and loosing a bolt.
Before Momijii or Lizzie could get more than a few paces away, a pair of crossbows go click-thwack. Two bolts smash right trough the ghoul's brain cavity, ending it's existence instantly.
One ghoul disposed of, the party burst into the the ward to the north west. Inside chipped white paint peels from the battered frames of a row of identical beds. Dingy white curtains separate each bed, but offer only the illusion of privacy. Patients spending the briefest time at Briarstone or who needed constant observation were kept in this long room. All of the beds have padded manacles and leather restraints affixed to them. Currently, one bed remains in use. An emaciated looking white haired man is manacled to the bed.
As you approach he screams, "No! Not again! Keep away!, I don’t want anything from you!" Getting increasingly agitated he shrikes, "Get away from me, bastard!" His eyes are closed tightly and his skin is slick with sweat, as are the sodden bed sheets.
You're reasonably certain he's having a nightmare.
Convinced the man is suffering from a nightmare but not wanting to get close enough to get caught up by him, Filbert reaches out with one of his haunts and shakes the man's shoulder. "Sir, I need you to wake up! This is naught but a nightmare." <it's a different one once you wake up>
Lizzie waits for the man to wake up from Filbert's shaking, otherwise she'll help him with it.
When he does wake up:
"Sir, sir, calm down please.
We're friends, and we're exploring this place. Who are you?"
The patient doesn't seem to notice your words or your presence. Judging from the notes at the foot of the bed, he appears to be called Jeprin Mears. You think the manacles could be removed, although before you have a chance to do so he convulses violently, shrieks once and ceases thrashing.
Luxina carefully approaches the man, poking him with her club first, then checks his pulse.
"He's dead. Something must've really spooked him or scared him. Maybe us, maybe something in his mind."
"It must be something in his mind, it can't be us.
I mean....it honestly can't be us, and the weird things we've been seeing?
Nuh-uh, it's got to have been something evil."
Poor soul. Well, nothing could be done. Agrippa says, continuing on his mission to find pills for the ghostly form nearby.
"Definitely dead, but something's not right about it; he has been here over a week and dies just when we walk in? I'm not buying that we're the issue. He was scared of something or someone." Shaking his head Filbert moves further along the room searching for the pills Agrippa says they need. Reaching the other doorway he'll open it haunt affects it. If not he'll try to cross to the furniture at the southern facing windows
The sudden death of the ghoul was actually a relief for Momijii, it made their lives easier so she wasn't going to let it worry her. As they entered the room with the beds she looked around and saw only the one patient, just in time to hear him scream. She approached him to check and see if he was alright but was beaten to it by Filbert. She reached up and closed the man's eyes one last time in respect for the departed. "Maybe there's something here that will tell us how he survived this long?"
A sudden movement from the bed grabs your attention. The hairs on the back of your neck stand up as Jeprin convulses, suddenly his dead eyes snap open and with a low cry he starts thrashing against the restraints. "I hunger!" he moans.
Lizzie frowns in pity.
"Poor kid, he's become a ghoul."
She raises her mace, as she goes near the helpless ghoul boy.
"May death give you the rest you deserve."
Lizzie's mace makes a mess of Jeprin's skill. If he had been among the living it would have been a fatal blow, but damaged as he is, the spark of unlife won't let him go quite yet. He moans piteously as he thrashes against his bonds!
Agrippa stabs the creature through the temple with Red Destiny. He spots the strange cowl and says This could be useful. and he takes the item.
Agrippa sighs as they arrive at the haunt once again, sans pills.
Miss Freeling, this is Dr. Von Nettesheim. I'm afraid we will be putting you on a different medicine. Agrippa reaches into his pocket and pulls out the first thing he can find. a tiny stoppered vial of Acid. We'll be testing the effects of this tincture Madame.
The spectral form of Mrs Freeling looks at you piercingly but shows no interest in the offered vial.
Agrippa shrugs Well Madame. It's best I check your records with the Nurses. I'll be right back. and he crosses to the door
Nothing happens as Heinrich walks past.
The door to the nurse station is locked.
Curse it all. Agrippa says, as he tries Losandro's keys and failing that a vial of acid to destroy the lock.