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The claws retract, the hair thins and the flesh returns to its soft, hobbity state as the bewildered Halfling glances around.
"What... what even the... I..."
As Mister Trelawney makes excited tree noises (don't even ask), The Gardener looks around at his fellows, grinning profusely as it dawns on him that the curse has been lifted. Suddenly, he is all quick winks and clever smiles as before.
He first approaches Narayan, nodding humbly.
"Mister Trelawney and I are so incredibly grateful, Mr. Singh. T'ank ye, friend, for lifting that accursed... curse. Heh, I guess I'm not ALL back yet, eh?"
He gives Narayan a friendly and abundantly grateful handshake and turns to Copper, concealing his shame under a veneer of gentlemanly grace.
"Ah... Miss Tam. My apologies, M'Lady, for my behaviour back then. I was not mesel'. You have my thanks for healing my wounds, and fer putting up with m' mischief. I do not have the self-control of your wise friend here, though I'll work on it after this day."
He bows low, sweeping his hat off in a gesture of respect, before setting it back on his head and beaming at the party, fists on hips and, with one foot upon the chest of a fallen foe, announcing:
"So what're we waiting fer, fellows? Let us continue on with our quest, and cure more helpless souls of this blasted affliction!"
Mister Trelawney makes a triumphant tree noise... again, don't ask.
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As it seems everyone is ready, Grynt, with bow drawn, slowly moves and exits the office/undead exhibit area and enters what he assumes is another large exhibit area just across from it. He stops 'bout 10' in, with his back to wall, to cover his companions as they enter, eyes open checking for anything suspicious...
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The Gardener follows, casting Guidance on Mister Trelawney, then Aiding his Perception. Come on, Mister Trelawney, show us all how well ye see with those not-eyes of yours.
Mister Trelawney, shrugging off his friend's Aiding attempt (still annoyed at the "shick'em, Trell" from earlier), does utilise his Guidance.
"Did ye get anyt'ing?"
A large placard above the entryway to this hall reads “Hunting the Beasts of Legend” in great block letters. This gigantic chamber is relatively free of mist, and darkness is held at bay by braziers of radiant light. Behemoths occupy these halls, great taxidermy nightmares such as a two-headed bear easily taller than an ogre; a great desiccated beetle, its carapace larger than the face of the clock tower of Absalom’s Clockwork Cathedral; a massive specimen of chimera, its jaws open in a mock roar; and an assembled skeleton of a tyrant lizard. The walls here are studded with strange masks, staves, spears, and other implements of long forgotten cultures, most likely used in ritual hunts of the beasts preserved here.
Hideous wings burst forth from the emaciated heads that had been hidden by the masks, and the monstrosities flap as though to launch themselves up into the heights of the exhibit hall! Each creature is a blackened, bat-winged fiend's head, with tentacles dangling from chin and scalp, and their fanged mouths hang agape.
Grynt's arrow flies through the air, punches straight through the infernal eye of the creature, and drops it to the ground. The mass of tentacles, scales, and teeth wriggles weirdly there for a moment before lying still.
Narayan's spade hits solid, crunching into wing and bone.
Giovanni's stab pokes a(nother) hole in the creature's wing.
Alya fires at the creature, but the proximity of her companions makes her shot go wide to miss them.
The creature narrows its eyes, distends its mouth, and emits a horrifying shriek at truly terrible decibels!
- Fail
- Pass
- Fail
- Pass
- Fail
- Fail
Rounds
Copper, Giovanni, Alya, and Narayan feel a supernatural energy sap their strength and ability to move as the shriek meets their muscle and bone. When the initial shock passes, you realize that you have been paralyzed, unable to move! The creature flies up to the non-paralyzed and bite-sized Gardener, readying it's jaws to strike!
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She was frozen in place, some kind of Paralyzing effect, but her mind was still working. she focused on what she knew, think her way out of this.
^Knowledge (Arcana)
^Knowledge (Dungeoneering)
^Knowledge (Engineering)
^Knowledge (Geography)
^Knowledge (History)
^Knowledge (Local)
^Knowledge (Nature)
^Knowledge (Nobility)
^Knowledge (Planes)
^Knowledge (Religion)
The Gardener hops back a step, and launches a splattering of acid at the winged monstrosity and striking one of the dangling tentacles.
Grynt's arrow flies through the and makes a furrow in the side of the creatures primary mass.
Narayan's first attack with his spade goes wide, but the second hits home, and hard. The creature is slammed to the ground, where it twitches for a moment before lying still.
After a few breaths, the rest of the party is able to move again. The giant, mummified remains of the great beasts in this room stay still. A further search of this room reveals nothing of value to your mission.
Two doors are on the north wall, in addition to the door that leads back to the hallway.
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She can move once more, and as such walks over to the dead thing, hit by the spade.
"A Vargouille, a denizen of one of the outer planes. The paralysis its scream causes is temporary, but alarming if you happen to be effected by it. Thank you for saving us, I would not have liked to have been its dinner."
She says this is her logical, detached way, reloads her cross bow, and glances around for any more dangers.
"Where next"
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"That would be the second time you've saved my squash, Mr. Singh," The Gardener says gratefully. He then adds, jovially, "Careful there, ye might make Mister Trelawney here jealous."
Mister Trelawney rolls his not-eyes as his caretaker takes up a position in between and in sight of both doors, just in case.
"Ey, you three, you alright? You were done a number there," he inquires of the three formerly paralysed party-members as he focuses on the doors. He glances at Copper especially, given her earlier life-saving.
He focuses back on the doors, and on his allies guarding them. In one hand is his sickle, in the other nothing but swirling earthy energy.
"Hear anything, you two?"
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Shivering, Copper turns to Alya and says, "Alarming is right. Flashed back to the orphanage when..." she swallows and shakes herself out. "Thanks, everyone.... for saving me."
She approaches where the mask monster lies, and in a moment of rage, stomps on it, jumping back when it twitches with a postmortem spasm.
Bow in hand, she growls, "Let's just move on."
You go through the western door, and find simple room of unadorned stone that is piled floor to ceiling with boxes and crates, allowing room for only a few small corridors between these towers of dusty, mothballed exhibits. You spend some time looking at and through the boxes and crates there, but mostly find other pieces that are certain to be catalogued for future displays. However, it isn't long before Grynt hears something odd - a manic cackling, as though a madman in a sanitarium had escaped and hidden somewhere here on the museum grounds.
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"Alright, that's alright. So long as y'are, The Gardener says, palms down in a placating gesture. "The mist got me too, I understand."
Keeping an eye on his distressed ally and shooting her an encouraging thumbs-up, he ventures forth, Mister Trelawney in tow.
On the way, he nudges Giovanni, who hasn't seemed to have recovered yet. 'Ey there, Mr. Stellaluce, you alright there?"
These public restrooms seem to be for the use of visiting clientele. Several stalls are here and a huge cesspool below collects the offal. Mad laughter echoes in this cramped stone chamber. The stench of sewage battles the cold of the mist, but through the haze can be seen smears of blood across the floor, walls, and ceiling, as well as the doors of several stalls.
Out of one of the stalls suddenly bursts open! From it emerges a man dressed in a uniform that may have been for a night watchman, now tattered and caked in grime, and he charges at you with a feral look in his eye, and a viper slithers out next to him!
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Dashing in, The Gardener stares at the feral man and decides to show him why you don't charge out in the middle of a dirty loo.
"Muck and grime,
Scent so foul,
Trip this creature
With stuff from a bowel!"
Suddenly, the ground below the man takes on the consistency of a sodden lawn, and it's best not to think about what may be causing the sudden softening. For all intents and purposes, he may be trying to run on Grease...
The spell is cast in the corner so that it gets the man and the snake (though I don't think it'll have much effect on the snake) but not any Melee characters if they decide to attack.[/ooc]
Copper's arrow flies wide of the viper!
The Gardener coats the floor with sticky grease!
- he keeps his footing!
Giovanni gets into position...
The man tries to move at Copper for trying to shoot his snake...
...steps carefully through the grease, then steps up quickly and takes a swing at her...
...but his balance is off and his swing goes wide. He continues cackling maniacally throughout!
The viper slithers through the grease toward Giovanni, provoking an attack...
...and he skewers it neatly on the point of his rapier. In desperation, the viper dives to latch on to Giovanni...
...but isn't quick enough to catch him, and the serpent slumps to the ground, limp from it's wounds.