Indeed. Much better than hardtack
You head to the Temple of Brigh to sell your unwanted items. You are also able to find Oils of Magic Weapon (CL 1) for 50 gp each (with a 20% discount). Priest Joram Kyte does not seem to be there, however.
Afterwards you head to the Foundry Tavern to meet with Val Baine. As soon as you arrive, she prepares the regular fixings and flits about your table for any news you can give her.
So how many oils do we want? Remember, they only last for about a minute.
Liz will tell Val what happened during their mission, they still haven't found her father but with such a large band of bandits dealt with, they might be able to locate him more easily.
Liz wakes up early for study and preparing for their next expedition.Do we want to attempt to take on the gargoyle right away or explore more of the area? There was that door that was beyond that 4 armed creature that we passed over.
"Let's go get 'em!"
So 1 Vote for Gargoyle floor and 1 foor Gargoyle/Science depending on how they go
Astra will also take this opportunity to do research on gargoyles, in case she can improve her Knowledge in any way.
Astra will use her last Cure Light Wounds on herself when exiting the dungeon.
The next morning after eating breakfast, you head back through the underwater passage, through the gremlin caves and down the ramp, and find yourselves back at the lounge. It takes you about an hour but is rather uneventful.
You are standing in front of the gargoyle room.
Okay, we should each be ready to enchant our weapons but not until we confirm the gargoyle is there because the oil only lasts a minute. I can enlarge Argug again so he can hit real hard.
Shall I try to impersonate a ratfolk from here to see if the gargoyle is around?
How good are you with lying?
Doesn't matter, if I look like them. Just gonna look around.
Liz sighs. Okay then, but if you think they are suspicious, get out of there.
Confidently Sneek walks into the other room, looking like he belongs.
Looking around he checks for the gargoyle or any other opponents.
A balcony runs around the edges of this domed chamber, the curved walls of which are covered in blinking lights and unidentifiable machinery. A few steps lead down from this balcony in the middle of the room. just north of these steps sits a large machine with a pink glass tabletop-like surface above which float semitransparent images of some sort.
The balcony is wider on the south side of the stairs, where a strange statue stands that seems to have been cobbled together from broken machines into the shape of an upraised claw or talon. A mound of junk lies in a heap before the claw, while two smoking braziers burn softly to each side. To the east looms a pair of immense black metal doors framed by a rotating arch of pulsing red lights.
The chamber looks empty. You don't see anyone in the room, ratfolk or gargoyle.
"Huzzah!"
Life Link on Argug.
Liz taps her foot nervously.
"So, um...how long do we wait for him before we assume he was...well...how long should we wait?"
Umm...A few minutes. Liz counts down seconds.
"While I have five fingers like yourself," he holds up his hand, [/b]"I tend to count seconds in units of six. It's strange, I know, but it works. Now many 6 second increments shall we wait?
About 6 I think.
I go back out to tell the rest what I’ve seen.
I am not surprised that the gargoyle is gone. Liz says as Sneek reports back. It has either fled entirely or is holed up in another room. Shall we all head in then?
"We didn't come this far just to back out, right? Do you think there are things in there that can light the torch again?"
Maybe, only one way to find out..forwards! Liz is redy to head into the room.
Astra will follow along. "I'm worried that we may have given them too much time to prepare by retreating. I wonder if we could have beaten the gargoyle then..." She makes sure she has her zapper wand in hand instead of the Otterbie longsword.
If the gargoyle is immune to non magic weapons, or effectively immune, then we would be battering ourselves fruitlessly against it while it tears us apart.
A balcony runs around the edges of this domed chamber, the curved walls of which are covered in blinking lights and unidentifiable machinery. A few steps lead down from this balcony in the middle of the room. just north of these steps sits a large machine with a pink glass tabletop-like surface above which float semitransparent images of some sort.
The balcony is wider on the south side of the stairs, where a strange statue stands that seems to have been cobbled together from broken machines into the shape of an upraised claw or talon. A mound of junk lies in a heap before the claw, while two smoking braziers burn softly to each side. To the east looms a pair of immense black metal doors framed by a rotating arch of pulsing red lights.
Liz has a potion of Magic Weapon out so she can apply it as needed to a weapon
Liz and Astra's eyes are drawn to the strange statue of a claw grasping at the sky. You don't see the ratfolk or the gargoyle anywhere in the room. A strange humming resonates from the black metal doors to the East.
There are also double doors to the West and a single door to the Southeast.
Argug is apparently just admiring his own muscles too much to pay attention to anything else.
That statue is rather interesting, They might be hiding behind it or something I am hearing humming from behind the east doors.
What should we check out?
Sneek searches the mound of junk before the claw, hoping to find anything valuable.
Maybe we scared them. Argug destroyed the orcs and rats!
Liz will follow with Argug, trusting his big muscles to take any blows for her. ;)
Astra will also not take the lead, trying to stay at the middle of the group, as she is fully expecting an ambush of some kind. She tries to take in the room, exploring any machinery she can while the group moves along, trying to determine what possible purpose this room could serve. It might be smarter to try and stay fully on guard and focus on Perception, but her curiosity gets the better of her and the machines start to steal away her attention.
Sneek finds scraps of items scattered amid the rubble:
-strange, old angular glasses and black lenses that fit into those glasses
-a pen like object with a button and two rolls of blue adhesive tape
-48 silverdisks
-a old wand like object with a reservoir and pad at either end, clear and empty
-and an old helmet with an adjustable leather-like strap with a clear yellowish faceplate like glass
There are controls in the center of the room. There is Androffan writing that says, "Navigation Controls for Kasatha Habitat." Astra believes it moves the desert somehow, but doesn't know where.
There seems to be a machine near the balcony, away from the group, but she doesn't want to split up even at such a small distance. From her position she sees the floating semi-transparent images look like a map of something.
"This makes no sense. The label here...it reads 'Navigation Controls for Kasatha Habitat'. Kasatha..." Astra strokes her chin thoughtfully for a few moments, trying to call back a memory if having heard that word before. ( ) Then, she snaps her fingers as the light dawns on her. "Chakos -- you said that very same word a few days ago...when we were in the desert and the four-armed skeletons attacked us. This text implies that 'kasatha' is the name of a species that was contained within the desert habitat. As far as we can tell without further investigation, that would be the four-armed creatures or the tentacle coral. I would assume that the habitat -- that is a 'creature pen'", she clarifies for the benefit of those who might not be familiar with the word 'habitat', "the habitat would be named after the dominant species. In numbers at least, the four-armed ones were greater...and this is anthropocentric bias, but all the information I have suggests the humanoid form is indicative of higher advancement. I therefore suspect that 'kasatha' is the name of the four-armed creatures..." She sinks deeper into thought, frowning intensely as she ruminates over the puzzling aspect of the Androffan label. "But 'navigation', what is meant by that? It is impossible to move a desert. Perhaps this chamber contains some sort of maps to the desert habitat." She raises an arm, and points towards a machine near the balcony. "Let's head that way. That thing looks promising."
Hm....Maps sounds more probable, being able to navigate the desert. Indeed, a habitat sounds like little pet pens for small rodents and such that people often have. It sounds rather distressing that such being were kept as pets if they were sentient. Liz nods at Astra's suggestion
"But, but, who said they were sentient?"