Oskar says "These things give me the creeps. Can we move on?"
We may as well search the room while we are here, then we can keep moving up
Perception if needed
Urgeon moves to help Razorend up. He calls out to Ridic, "He may need some help."
As he searches the room he will recall his knowledge of gear ghosts to the group. "The gear ghosts will reform unless we destroy all traps within 100 feet. We also need to find their bodies and douse them with holy water and a hallow spell, which is probably beyond our means."
He searches the room for traps.
You find two traps in this room, but you've sprung both of them. You find a handful of valuables squirreled away, equivalent to about 200gp worth of loot.
All of the doors on this level were partially open with the exception of the the northwest room. That door is closed.
Zzzzz...
Ridic will tend aid to Nowzai
Casts CMW
out of CMW, so next one is CLW
Casts CLW
Razorend groans and comes back to consciousness. He stands and holds his head for a minute. "Thanks Ridic. This place is proving quite a challenge."
Urgeon moves to the locked door and attempts to open it.
Ridic and Razorend do some healing in the combat room as Urgeon and Oskar continue to explore. Kovax stands around staring slack faced at the wall.
Urgeon moves to open the door and as he realizes its unlocked he also hears a click and the central column of the tower behind him drops small panels all around it and jets of hot steam spray out filling the hall.
fire damage.
Once the steam clears and the party is able to see into the room beyond, you find your self looking at a supply closet of sorts.
This room is filled with crates and boxes, the walls covered with shelving holding linens, cleaning supplies, and other mundane tools. A strange cocoonlike object made of tightly wound strips of wire and metal ribbons is affixed to the highest shelf on the curving northern wall.
The headless skeletal remains of three humanoids like in the corner of the room.
Urgeon checks for traps before moving forward. He will then detect magic and will search through the shelves, supplies and tools.
He attempts to identify if the cocoon of wire and metal is some sort of technology.
Razorend gets up and follows to where Urgeon and Oskar went, flexing his arms to work out the aches.
"Could those remains be related to our gearghost friends?" he asks, indicating the corpses.
Urgeon examines the cocoon. Approximately the size of a human’s f ist but appearing to weigh only half a pound, the cocoon itself is of densely woven glaucite strips. It looks like it can be plucked off the wall with a bit of force
Looking at with an engineer's knowledge, Urgeon is just about to give up when he realizes what the thing is: a protective shell built by a small cloud of nanites. He is aware that such nanites often have specific purposes; they spin cocoons like this to preserve their programming until brought within close proximity to the object or
location they’ve been programmed to augment and then automatically execute their programming.
Oskar looks around and shakes his head as if to shake the cobbwebs from his eyes. "lads, do ye think we might want to go outside and see about getting some healing done?"
Ridic will meet up with the group. "Oskar, I think we are almost done in here, can you make it is we push on? Stay to the back and I will move up so that you can get a break. If not, then maybe Kovax is right, we should get some healing"
Urgeon looks for traps and then carefully pulls free the cocoon as he explains what it is to the group. "This may come in handy."
He turns to Ridic. "I'm pretty banged up also. Are we completely out of healing? If so, I agree with Oskar, we should rest."
With some effort, Urgeon eventually pops the cocoon free
The party descends the stairs and heads back out of the Tower into the forest.
Oskar Says "I think its this way ->"
Even with lacking woodland skills, Oskar is able to find his way through the forest and you emerge just south of Meyanda and the buggy after about an hour.
Razorend emerges from the forest and sighs in relief when he spots the buggy and Meyanda. He stumbles up to her and nearly collapses at her feet. "You are a sight for these sore... well, everything is sore."
"We found the Choking Tower, and it is a miserable place... full of traps and haunted by the ghost of its master. Every inch we gained there has been a will-draining slog."
"Let's rest one night so I can memorize spells. Meyanda, I'll need a restoration spell."
lethal and nonlethal healing to everyone
damage restored to one ability.
"You weren't gone that long ... anything I can do to assist you in preparing for tomorrow? You have a way to find the traps. You have a way to hurt the ghost? Need the laser rifle?"
Ridic is relieved to be out of that place, sits down and lowers his head. Yes, the laser rifle!! That would be great!"
Oskar took some Con damage (not sure how much) and is down 15 Hps
So a channel and a restoration-ish spell would be awesome.
Con restored
Urgeon nods his thanks to Meyanda, "I could use one more restoration spell if you have it."
. . 3rd—haste, haste, seek thoughts[APG] (DC 18), dispel magic
. . 2nd—create pit[APG] (DC 18), create pit[APG] (DC 18), detect thoughts (DC 17), invisibility, invisibility
. . 1st—protection versus evil, enlarge person (DC 16), enlarge person, heightened awareness[ACG], mage armor, protection vs evil
. . 0 (at will)—detect magic, light, prestidigitation, read magic
"Do we have means to re-track our path through the tangle? This little trip may become necessary again if we continue to slog through the tower."
Oskar asks "since we've dispatched the Giants, can't we drive our vehicle up to the front door?'
He also declines the laser rifle, "I've got my beauty, I'll stick with her."
Yes Ridic will take the laser, maybe he can actually damage something in these labrynths.
Detect Magic
Light
Resitance
Stabilize
Burning hands
CLW
Barkskin
Blindness
Flaming Sphere
Lesser restoration
Stone Discus
Call lightning
CMW
Deeper Darkness
Shadow Conjuration
Touch of Slime
Volcanic Storm
Price 20,000 gp; Type two-handed ranged; Proficiency exotic (firearms); Dmg (M) 2d6 fire; Dmg (S) 1d10 fire; Critical ×2; Range 150 ft.; Capacity 20; Usage 1 charge; Special automatic, touch; Weight 6 lbs.
A laser rifle emits a beam of intensely focused light capable of burning anything it strikes. A laser attack can pass through force fields and force effects, such as a wall of force, to strike a foe beyond without damaging that field. Objects like glass or other transparent barriers do not provide cover from lasers—but unlike force barriers, a transparent physical barrier still takes damage from a laser passing through it. Invisible creatures are immune to damage caused by a laser weapon. Fog, smoke, and other clouds provide cover in addition to concealment from laser attacks. Darkness (magical or otherwise) has no effect on lasers other than providing concealment, and though a laser consists of highly focused light, it does not provide any illumination.
Ridic will do his studies..
Survival
Ridic looks around, "Which way was the forest?"
Urgeon will help search for tracks.
Survival -
Oskar shoves aside the others, "Amateurs." and easily finds the tracks from the day prior. He is able to lead the party back to the Choking Tower.
Thick thick undergrowth. There was a path. It was made by hill giants. You’ve chose to avoid them.
Urgeon will follow the group back up the stairs to the third floor.
Back up the stairs, Ridic will lead the way if the others are just standing there.
Urgeon leads the party back up to the third floor landing. Flights of stairs both descend (from whence you came) and ascend from this large atrium. The ceiling above the landing is open to the floor above, while doors on the south and east walls of the atrium allow access to other parts of this floor. Short messages have been written above three of the doors. The air in this room smells strangely acrid.
The messages above the doors in clockwise order are:
-Not labeled-
Lab 1: Alchemy
Lab 2: Fluid Siphoning Research
Lab 3: Gaseous Ooze Research
I don't think so yet.
Oskar whispers "Mates, I hear something above us."
On Oskar's warning, Razorend blends into the shadows and creeps slowly up to see what is making the noise.