"A semi-transparent, telepathic, sentient ooze trying to assimilate and enslave humans? Game over man! That's not what I signed up for, unless it leads directly to the end of the world."
Dilwyn mentally rolls his eyes at Iskender as he watches the Gnome's body language, trying to get a sense for whether he's actually not been assimilated by Vuelib yet, or is just faking it to earn their trust. Luckily, Rexel seems to be on the level. "It's fortunate that we got to you before any assimilation could take place," he says, relieved. "The way we came in should be safe to take out, even if you might have to swim for part of the way. If all your extracts and such are back at your house with the unattended children, then you should probably head back there to make sure that you and they remain as safe as possible." Dilwyn takes a moment to describe the most efficient route out of the manor before continuing. "Do you know where this ooze can be found? Is it still here?"
Hilde kicks the creature to splash it, a joyful smile in her mouth.
Here! Take this and drink it. Kit says as he offers the gnome a potion of cure light wounds. After the gnome drinks the potion, Kit will try to determine how much more he is hurt.
vs Hilde AC 14
"Thank you Kit" the gnome replies, as his wounds stop bleeding, but he is still seriously injured. 'The ooze took off down that corridor" and he points to the eastern exit from this room.
Forming up, with Hilde in the lead, you head down the eastern corridor to a chamber, with Rexel bringing up the rear.
The walls to the south of this chamber angle inward, dominated by a domed apparatus roughly 11 feet in diameter and 6 feet tall. The weird device is composed of slimy, pale-violet stalks of flesh studded with scores of flexible, metallic-looking, fungal growths which writhe and interact like mechanical gears. Sixteen glass containers—each about twelve inches in diameter—connect to the apparatus through gurgling hoses, vibrating tubes, and sparking metal wires. Each holds a bubbling froth of pink slurry that reeks of potent chemicals. The entire machine shakes and shudders, emitting a gurgling whimper every few seconds as a sickly, green radiance glows from within.
There is a small creature on the south side of the room, and you hear in your minds “You must be gifted indeed to overcome so many challenges, and so many of our minions. That makes you excellent candidates for assimilation and transformation. You will become klaven and the jagladine will be pleased.” Having planted that thought in your minds, the creature moves up and reaches out with a tentacle and touches Hilde, who stops moving.
Round 1, Initiative Count 5
"Nobody's assimilating anyone," Dilwyn says, angrily. Now that they're confronted with the menace that they've been seeking, it seems time to pull out all the stops. He takes a moment to cast shillelagh on his quarterstaff, then moves up to threaten the ooze with it. With Hilde frozen so quickly, they need as many people up there as they can to overwhelm it.
That's the first time I've been called gifted. I am usually called the opposite!
Kit says as he takes a step forward and slices at the ooze with his axe.
Iskender will start his song...
+1/+1 to the good guys!
Zal will start his luck whils hissing, Hilde! Hilde!
Hilde desperately tries to move and attack the creature, but it's paralyzing touch has her held immobile. Zaladrel and Iskender give some help to everyone as they see the frozen Hilde. Kit steps up and whacks at the green blob creature, not doing as much damage as he thought he did, while Dilwyn casts a spell on his quarterstaff and it glows with magical power, as he moves into position to hit the creature.
The creature reaches out to the paralyzed Hilde and it's tentacle reaches into an open wound on her.
Oh! That can't be good! Kit mutters as he whacks the ooze again with his axe. Hilde is probably disappointed that she is missing all the fun!
Round 2, Initiative Count 5
Dilwyn tries to put the damage being done to Hilde out of his mind and just center himself for the task at hand: making sure this ooze stops hurting people forever. Feeling the enhanced power running through his staff, he swings it in in an overhand arc to build up momentum and then brings it crashing down on the creature with a grunt of exertion.
Iskender reaches out with his whip in an effort to trip the horrible creature...
Round 2 Initiative 21
Somehow Hilde transforms! Her factions become feline, she grows claws and fangs, and unleashes against the creature as a wild animal!
vs DC 16 Fort
critical damage
Hilde breaks free from being paralyzed, but feels slightly weaker. She however rages, and grows claws. One misses the creature, but the other critically wounds it. Zaladrel keeps up his luck for the group, while Iskender continues his song, and tries to trip the creature, but even though the whip wraps around it, the creature does not trip. Kit again slices the creature, and again does not do as much damage as he thought. Dilwyn, last to strike, hits it with his blunt quarterstaff and the creature slides to the floor and does not move.
Inspecting the room, and the apparatus on the southern wall, with Rexel the apothecary help, you determine that the equipment could be used as a fully functional alchemist lab. You find pieces of human flesh and human organs on the bench, that were used in some sort of alien experiments. Kit finds a small hidden drawer, and after having it checked, opens and finds ten potion bottles, and a very high quality dagger.
Iskender moves over to Hilde and says, "here, let me see that damage."
He then casts detect magic and checks out the found items.
on the dagger
I can roll for the potions too if desired.
Kit looks at Hide stunned. How'd you do that!?
Searching the room and finding the potions, Kit says, Looky what I found! Anyone know what I found?
Hilde kneels, and starts breathing slowly while transforming back into her normal self.
She smiles at Iskender when he heals her, and raises her shoulders when Kit asks her abut her transformation.
"I don't know."
"I thought it was awesome! I have never met an actual lycanthrope! As long as we don't run into bad guys with silver weapons, you will be unstoppable!"
Dilwyn is quite surprised when his shillelagh finishes off the creature. He was prepared for a long slog, and now almost feels like he wasted the magic. Almost. The possibility that it could have begun paralyzing them all was far too real to assume everything would be okay.
"Rexel, are you sure that was Vuelib?" he asks, concerned. "That less intense than I feared the confrontation was going to go. I don't want to get lulled into a false sense of security."
He then assists Iskender in attempting to identify the potions and dagger with detect magic, hopefully to cover any failures on his part and vice-versa.
Yeah! If he was going to cause the end of the world, I'd thought he'd be more formidable too. Kit says while nodding agreement with Dilwyn.
"Yes, that was the creature that caused all this. I am just glad that there were many of you, rather than just one" replies Rexel.
While the others decide, Hilde will examine the place, looking for secret doors or compartments by the tried and true method of thrashing the place apart with her axe.
She seems to have a good time while doing so.
Dilwyn is impressed by the haul of potions that they found, and even more so by the magically honed dagger. "Then hopefully this town's troubles are through," he says to Rexel, proudly. "Once Hilde's finished giving the room its sound thrashing, I think the best thing is for us to escort you back to your apothecary."
"An interesting collection of items we have here. An exceptionally sharp dagger, five potions to replenish the soul, and five to replenish the body."
Didn't that poor soul say that he brought Sheriff Onessa Jerreth and three others down here? Kit says as he looks at the human organs. I guess it would be good to verify that they are no longer among the living.
Zal strokes his chin as he nods after Kit, but its clear that the hedgewitch is spending his attention on Hilde waiting to see if any other odd transformations come about, We should be careful to declare things done here. The infection was strange and I'm not confident that the matter is resolved fully. That said we might as well take Rexel back and check in on things.
Iskender hands the dagger to Dilwyn, and watches as he gives the hand-me-down to Kit. He then passes out one of each potion to each person.
"Ok, where to? There has to be an end of the world around here somewhere."
Hilde thanks Iskender silently, with a smile.
Rexel, watches in silent dismay as Hilde starts smashing the room in her search for secrets and hidden places. Finding none, and no other foes to handle, you give out the dagger and potions as best suits the needs of the group, and head back to Holvers Ferry.
Once there, you check out the jail and the folks you incarcerated there. The woman seems to be ok, just sitting as far away from the other prisoner as possible. The other prisoner just sits there, waiting as patiently as one who is locked up can wait.
Upon entering, they both look at you, and ask "will you release us now?"
That depends on if you aren't crazy! Kit says as he tries to determine if they are.
Iskender shakes his head. "Don't look at me! I don't make the decisions. I'm just here for the admittedly ironic purpose of recording the end of the world for posterity."
"It is difficult to know for sure if the disease has actually passed or if it is just in a less obvious phase," Dilwyn says, hedging his bets. "Given the self-destructive and generally violent nature of the afflicted, it is better for everyone to err on the side of caution with this thing. But if you step closer to the bars I will examine you as best I can to see if I can tell if your infection have passed before pronouncing you free and clear again."
Assuming they comply, he'll try to use the heal skill to diagnose the prisoners, but seems to find himself completely at a loss when it comes to this particular affliction.
"Unless somebody can tell better than I, I feel it safest for everyone to leave them locked up for another day or two to see if the disease comes back. Then, if they don't show any recurring symptoms by that time, they should hopefully be free to go then."
Kit senses, that the two locked up are telling the truth, in that the have not had the suicidal thoughts, and when you check them out for diseases or the like, you are confidant that they are free of whatever was driving them mad.
As you are doing this, the young man, Tevan, comes into the jail, wearing an ill fitting suit of leather armor and holding a dagger in his hand. "We saw that you arrived back here. When the thing came to take Rexel, we hid in the woods and hoped that someone would make it back." He looks at you with fear and hope in his eyes at the same time.
If they're reasonably confident that the prisoners are disease-free, then Dilwyn has no further objection to finally letting them out. He gives Tevan a warm, comforting smile to try to put him at ease.
"Well, we finally have a spot of good news for this town, then," he says, proudly. "We managed to rescue Rexel before anything bad could happen to him, and also defeated the entity that seems to have been behind this whole thing. So all the abductions and the infections should hopefully stop entirely going forward."
Hilde stands behind Dilwyn, smiling confidently.
"At least until the next foot drops, of course. I don't recall stopping doomsday yet. But yes, other than that, all is well."
"We managed to rescue Rexel before anything bad could happen to him, and also defeated the entity that seems to have been behind this whole thing. So all the abductions and the infections should hopefully stop entirely going forward."
I agree. I am not sure if we saved the world, but it seems we did save this little town at least.
"At least until the next foot drops, of course. I don't recall stopping doomsday yet. But yes, other than that, all is well."
I think we saw enough feet and other body parts in Vuelib's lab! Kit says wrinkling his nose in disgust at the memory.
"We saw that you arrived back here. When the thing came to take Rexel, we hid in the woods and hoped that someone would make it back."
Ha! I always come back especially when I'm not wanted!
Kit yawns. Perhaps its time now to grab some dinner and rest up before we decide where the end of the world takes us next.
Zaladrel nods at Kit, I think you are right. A spot of rest and then see what the dawn brings.
"A few weeks ago I would have placed money on dawn bringing sunrise and new opportunities. However, with this pending end of the world thing we have going on, I am less inclined to give easy odds on those eventualities."
"I wouldn't mind taking a meal and a rest either, it's been a hectic last few days," Dilwyn agrees, then smirks at Iskender. "Just imagine how well rested we'll be if we never wake up tomorrow. We'd have all the sleep."
Rexel takes his leave of you, "I'll take the children back to my home and lab for the night. Tomorrow I will round up any of the survivors and would appreciate of you would escort us back to Kaer Maga. I have relatives there, and we can find homes for the children."
"I'm noncommittal. I need to wake up tomorrow first and see how things are going then."
"Sounds like a plan, Rexel," Dilwyn agrees, nodding. In some ways he's disappointed to be heading back to Kaer Maga. He's already been there once, and that was plenty for his tastes, but he can't argue that it's a good place to bring the survivors that are willing to evacuate.
"While we're in the city we can cash out some of the stuff we found but aren't inclined to use," he says to the others. "I dunno what comes after that, but if this return trip is the last we spend together I want you all to know that I have enjoyed having you all for company immensely. It gets lonely in the wilderness, and it's nice to have someone other than myself to talk to sometimes."