Kara produces a dart in her hand and tosses it at one of the spiders.
Khatijah is briefly torn away from the strange mold by the spiders who almost imediately hit the floor with a crunch. She looks back at teh mold that she could have sworn was on the door jamb not a minute ago.
"Um, does, *gulp* does mold move?"
There are some things that wouldn't faze the young fighter, but the possibility of something like mold stalking her had her unnerved enough that she was sounding less like a pit fighter and more like a little girl.
It... Shouldn't? Why? Tolus doesn't want to seem like he doubts her, but mold moving seems pretty far out there.
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Taldor: only certain types of molds, this one however does not look like those, you think.
The group follows the stairs down to (A19) This chamber seems to be an enormous laboratory. Against the north and south walls are two identical daises raised about five feet from the laboratory floor, each accessed by a wide set of curved stairs. Atop each dais is a wide workbench covered in a bewildering series of glass beakers, tubes, alembics, athanors, and other alchemical tools. Some of these containers are filled with a murky green substance.
A massive mold-encrusted basalt table dominates the entrance of the room, flanked by two small tables to the east and west containing surgical tools and sheaves of old parchment. The walls of the subterrean lab were clearly fashoined from the living rock under the monastery, but carefully cut mold-encrusted tiles line the floor, interrupted occasionally by metal drains the size of dinner plates.
"Oh my... an alchemist's wet dream, I think! What a place!"
After hearing about moving mold, Fionn is careful to watch the mold in this room to make sure it doesn't move as well.
Tolus makes a low whistle. I've had several fellow servant-slaves who would give away any hope of ever being free in exchange for a lab such as this.
Looking around at the wonderous magical lab, Arizhel mutters a couple of her own magical words.
"See what you can find?"
"I thought this was a temple."
Khatijah holds her blade in the hand covered in mold, but her other hand grips her arm at the elbow, and her eyes dart around the room, trying to keep an eye on all of the mold patches at once.
This all could have been moved in post raid, but let's not guess if possible.
Tolus starts exploring the lab carefully; trying not to touch or step on anything fragile.
Malak steps forth and attempts to blast the mold with a burst of fire, trying to avoid hitting Taldor and Tolus.
Burning Hands Fire damage
"Moving vicious mold, that is a new one."
Khatijah steps up and takes a swipe at the impossible thing.
Quickly scanning the room, Arizhel casts Enlarge Person on Khatijah (if the room is large enough to allow her freedom to move while so enlarged).
Surprised by the attack by moving mold, Kara hesitates, unsure how to deal with this new threat.
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The mold on tolus shrivels up into nothingness, the one on taldor remains, the mold moves to khatijah to attempt to ooze up her leg.
Khatijah drops Tempest and looks at her hand in horror.
Fionn looks at Khat in total surprise when she drops Tempest... and looks from her to the mold, holding her action as all she can do is burn the mold and it is in melee, so hard to hit with a burning hands without burning her friends as well...
Likewise surprised, Arizhel holds her action, watching the strange gladiator's reaction, waiting for instruction.
Tolus shakes the remaining mold residue off of himself, muttering about how long it would take to feel clean again.
At the clatter of a sword, he spins to see Khatijah in what looks to him like shock. Slowly, he steps toward her. Khatijah... he says softly.
Fionn sends a bolt of fire at the mold, hoping it burns.
"I cant bring myself to shoot at mold that is attached to a friend! Ideas?"
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pause for roleplay or keep going.
also i forgot to add since i cant find a map for the undercrypts of the old monastary. The only place leading from this is a long hallway that spans the entire length of the monastary. It branches twice in opposite directions. The hallway is long and straight and ends in stairs leading up.
"Cut it off..."
Khatijah doesn't move. She stands there for a long moment staring at her hand, her eyes wide and almost wild.
"Cut it off."
Calm, Khatijah! Tolus commands. His years of presiding over other slaves suddenly becomes apparent. His posture is authoritative, but not commanding as a Master's would be. In fact, he looks very much like the father of a friend.
I will attempt to trim it back, but you must be calm.
He approaches with a shuriken in hand and attempts to use the razor sharp, short blades to trim back the mold. He does not try to remove it yet, as he wants to see the condition of her skin underneath.
Fionn takes a long hard look at the mold trying to determine if it is actually harming Khat and what its progress might mean.
"It's taking over my mind! CUT IT OFF!"
Khatijah is getting dangerously close to hysterics. Tears fill her eyes and she truly is afraid.
"Khat... what do you mean by 'it's taking over your mind?' What is happening that we cannot see?" Fionn is genuinely curious, since it looks like just a physical problem on the surface of her skin.
Tolus freezes. Taldor was right. This was far beyond his scope of experience. Khatijah needed someone who knew magic.
Malak! Fionn! he calls the two closer with a wave. We need a diagnosis, quick.
Tolus stands and quickly licks his shuriken to apply a dose of his sleep venom just in case a sedative is needed. He palms the fail-safe poison into a fold in his sleeve and grabs Khat's face, forcing her quickly panicking eyes to lock with his entrancing, serpentine gaze. He tries to calm her by speaking calmly with a steady, reassuring rhythm he used with injured kitchen slaves.
Calm, dear one. We will not let you come to harm. Focus here on my eyes. Malak and Fionn are here. They will figure out what's going on. You're ok.
Arizhel picks up the cursed blade, and wraps it up in her cloak before sticking it into her backpack. "Perhaps if you don't come in contact with this accursed thing for a while, it will go away. You never had problems until you touched it. If you don't get better by removing the source then you can consider cutting off your arm, but allow some time away from the curse before you make that kind of decision?"
Khatijah shakes her head and takes a couple of steps back before tripping and falling down in a heap.
"I-i saw a city in flames, and a, a demon cloaked in fire. I w-w-wasn't me. I-"
The poor fighter curls up and starts sobbing, her tears streaming down her face.
Tolus speaks quickly and quietly to the group.
I can sedate her for a moment with my venom. It may help her histerics. However, I will not unless we are all agreed that it is necessary. She will likely not appreciate being poisoned, even for her own good.
"Khat, you need to calm down and relax and tell us exactly what's going on. We can't help you otherwise."
Hoping to calm Khatijah, Kara begins singing in a low voice a tune from her childhood. Her voice is shaky at first but she quickly builds confidence and sings clearly and loudly.
"Silently into the night I go,
Into the fragrant night,
I know not where;
The path is strange-
My weary steps are slow-
I do not find you there.
I turn my gaze toward the morning sun
As from the east he comes thro' the dark and the dew;
The flowers lift their heads-the night is gone-
But where are you?
The countless weary steps I do not heed
Tho' they be over land or boundless sea;
I care not where the road may lead
If I but come again to thee.
Silently into the night I go,
Into the starry night of heavenly blue;
What matters where the road may lead
If I but come again at last to you!?"