Syvlara sidesteps to get a line of fire, then prepares to shoot the "allip" when it comes into range.
8BAB + 4Dex +1Magic +1Training +2Focus -3Deadly
2Str +1Magic +1Training +2Spec +6Deadly
"Ghosts, Robots, Undead... now fog... stuff? What else could be in here?"
Chakos hacks off a bit of the greenish fog, which disintegrates as it separates.
Liz's magic missiles pierce the ghoulish images appearing in the fog, causing them to howl soundlessly at her and disappear.
Astra strikes the ooze with her sword, easily hitting it despite her slow arc.
Chakos will prepare to get engulfed.
Chakos, channel your positive energy! Ibuki shouts.
He himself casts command undead, to bring the fog under control.
Ibuki's magic takes over the creature, the allip, within the hungry fog, ineffectual against the ooze despite the strange phantasmal images it creates on its surface.
The hungry fog tries to engulf Chakos with its swirling negative energy mists. Underneath the fog, the allip moves along but does nothing in particular.
negative energy
Liz MMs the fog again
My AOO
DMG to me
I think I have 17 DMG now?
Can I full attack while engulfed? If so:
DMG to me
DMG to me
Oozes have terrible ACs, so probably hit.
I'd have 27 DMG now, so:
On me if no mercies needed
Chakos hacks through the misty fog as the image phantasms scream and shriek. Leftover is the strange humanoid creature cloaked in fog and smoke, with claws poking out. It stares past at Ibuki.
Liz pauses in her attack.
It seems we are more and more confronted with beings infused with negative energy or some links to the plane of shadow. Besides trying to command them, i´m afraid there´s not much i can do. At the moment, the danger coming from that allip is banned.
Liz speaks in Abyssal. Chakos! Hold your attacks, we might be able to find out more about this tower from this creature.
"Creature, are you willing to negotiate? Please identify yourself."
My friend shall be your friend! Perhaps we can help you go back to whereever you came from.
"My name was Ananda Visk once. I was a student under the great wizard, Furkas Xoud, master of smoke. He let me work in this laboratory, with this strange creature, a Hungry Fog. Such a strange creature. Clearly an ooze, yet exhibiting strange negative energy characteristics, as though undead. But my research has shown that it is not. My hypothesis is that these oozes are formed by absorbing negative energy from holes in the material plane, or perhaps eating the negative emotions of doomed souls. Like will'o'wisps who are similarly fond of such displays of skeletal fragments. Yes. After several tries of stabbing, burning, cold, electricity, acid, and even forcing it to consume different animals, I tried several hypotheses to extract the essence of the blob. Perhaps I could find a means to become a gas, as Furkas Xoud, the great master was searching for. But when the tower shook, likely due to one of my colleagues failed experiments, the glass was broken and I was forced to find a method to survive. Using some magic I found a way to merge with the creature, at least for a time, and so I did so. I was somehow transformed into an allip, forced to babble about balabllalbl and perhaps I lost consciousness or at least rational thought, but I think that isn't particularly true groesjer. If you are looking for the master, Furkas Xoud, then he will likely find you on his own time alkreksje, likely murdering you with his sdkfme or evil demonic rune magic from beyond the stars. Do you know the dark oness? Not the dominion of the black but the deepest dark ones? Some say there are creatures hidden betwixt the stars, things made of tentacles and insanity, of shadow and evil and chaos, that can consume your souls and turn you into akjdwne. Some say there is only a thin line between insanity and genius. But I don't suppose you care about them-you probably think they are just some fairy tale or crazed madman's fever dreams. Heh. Let me get back on track. My name is Ananda Visk and I am dead. Or am I? Maybe you are the ones that are dead and are the real monsters, killing an innocent soul as myself in the real world. Oh, it seems you killed the hungry fog that I was using as a cover. A life sustaining energy field of sorts. Well, I remember the first thing I used when I was able to experiment on it. First I took a few electric prods and I turned them on to a low, nonlethal energy and continued to feed the creature until it stopped making phantasmal images..."
Chakos puts on his "attentive listener" face: the one he uses with the ladies in the group, perhaps they recognize it.
Astra listens intently through the creature's entire babble, her forehead furrowing deeply as she takes it all in. She takes out a piece of paper and begins to scribble down some notes as well. "This is utterly fascinating. Ananda, do you have any idea where we might find your master?"
Liz listens, nodding along but somewhere near the end or the beginning of what she thought was the end, her eyes glaze over.
Chakos, being well practiced at this, is able to feign interest through the entire diatribe.
Ananda cuts off from her babble.
"...You can find the master at the top of the tower, or perhaps hiding behind a wall waiting to pounce while you sleep. Now, if there is nothing else then I have work and experiments to continue..."
The allip continues to babble but turns away from you and tries to sort out the broken room.
Astra turns to the rest, particularly Chakos. "I feel that the creature is harmless, and I would feel comfortable leaving it to its devices. However, I can see dissenting points of view -- as an undead, its soul is kept from its proper afterlife, and I could see an argument for wanting to lay it to its final rest." She tries to speak low enough not to draw the allip's attention.
I think Ibuki wants a new friend.
"I would prefer if it were sent to an afterlife. It's time here is long over-spent."
Liz nudges Ibuki. Well what do you want to do with her?
Interesting facts. She knows the Dominion of the Black, but talks about some other dark ones from beyond the stars. I read about horrors some even referee as gods. That might explain Xurks weird behavior.
And seemingly she only wanted to stay alive. Perhaps we can revert this process and return her to life. It seems she was only a student eager to learn the arts of magic.
That would no doubt take some powerful magic.
"Having been taken prisoner, and provided useful information, I do not see that we could handle the creature in any other way than to release it. Do we have evidence of crimes having been committed?"
Does conducting research on negative energy sucking oozes count as a crime? I believe not. I have no idea how the allip will behave from now on though and we just killed her foot supply it seems.
Well as long as she doesn't eat our feet, I guess we could lock her into the room.
"Restoring life to the creature seems like a worthy goal. I don't think we can do it now though, so we would have to speak with the cleric back in Iadenveigh. For now, I am inclined to go with Elizabeth's suggestion and try to contain her here."
I agree. Restoring her to life seems like a very good plan.
He turns to the allip:
Ananda, i want you to stay here and don´t harm living humanoids. We will come back to you later, after we visited Furkas. Should we visit you before we find him, please don´t tell him. We want to surprise him.
So shall we head upwards once more?
"Will do!"
Chakos begins the upward climb.
"Resurrection, I... did not think about that. Perhaps that would be a worthy goal. I just hope it does not empty our pockets... too much."
The allip is babbling about different oozes, and how changing her state of matter might increase or decrease her longevity. She also muses about something called a worm that walks, and if she could somehow transform into that. As she talks to herself, she pays little attention to the group.
Moving up the stairs you find:
A wide balcony overlooks a spacious atrium here, its low iron railing wrought with geometric symbols. A window high on the west wall is protected by narrow metal slats. Three doors stand in the east wall, but only the central door remains intact, with a short message written above it. The northern door has a hole burrowed through it, while the southern one has been completely smashed apart.
You can also see another flight of stairs heading upward.
Let us try the southern door.
Chakos dutifully goes through the southern door.
Before you can head through the southern door, a pair of large headed bird creatures burst from the east. One of them breathes out a blackish smoke from its beak.
1. Syvlara
2. Enemies
3. Everyone
We're being attacked by giant chicken heads!
Syvlara wastes no time firing 3 shots into the farthest bird, as she figures the melee-ers can handle the closest. "Chicken heads!? Why couldn't they be chicken thighs?? Those would taste much better!"
8BAB + 4Dex +1Magic +1Training +2Focus -2Rapid -3Deadly
2Str +1Magic +1Training +2Spec +6Deadly
Syvlara peppers the bird with arrows, through its face and neck, downing it instantly. As soon as she does so, you hear a menacing growl coming from the northernmost doorway and a small muscular eight armed cat prowls around the corner.
The bird creature breathes out a wave of black smoke. As it touches Syvlara, Astra and Chakos, they can feel their flesh melting.
Blergh!
Liz casts two Scorching Rays at the second chicken head
Chakos - 7
Astra - 7
Syvlara - 7
After Life Link
Chakos - 17
Astra - 2
Syvlara - 2
Chakos will power attack the creature next to him twice.
DMG to me
DMG to me
Then I will LOH myself.
On me if no mercies needed
If the first attack hit, I'd have 20 damage, so all healed up now. 2 HP damage in Astra and Syvlara.