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Lutorinus's pet pony continues knocking his hooves on the blob injuring it little by little. Slamu comes it with more good punches to knock the wind (literally) out of the blob. Following the other ooze creatures, the creature deflates, but isn't totally destroyed as it's natural regeneration keeps it from disintegrating completely.
The room ahead is currently covered with slime. This makes it a little bit slippery to manoeuvre through, and possibly poisonous.
Now that the threat is annihilated, you have some time to look around the room. You notice two small sapphires, a very pretty looking aegis that can be worn around the neck, and a bottle of dust.
When you have had the chance to look into the possible pathways, you realise that there is lots of hallways in the ruins that lead to many doors.
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Once they've dispatched with the oozes, Varuna oozes a flask of fire to make sure they don't return to form to harass them later. He pulls out his special wayfinder and uses it's magical properties to study the various items they find in the room, but can't figure out what they are.
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Lutorinus lets his pony continue asserting it's dominance over the creature until it's own fiery demise.
Nodding his head in agreement when Varuna explains the Aegis and chimes in when he ignores the dust. "This is called 'Dust of Dryness.' It can absorb incredible amounts of water and end the existence of water elementals," he explains. "I can hold onto this if nobody else has the desire."
"If we are done playing with these hideous things, I have ancient knowledge to uncover," he says while heading to the door, tail swishing eagerly.
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After taking care of business, the advancing party again continues forth to check on the area. The hallway seemingly looks free of any deception as they walk through. As they approach the western rooms, an awful screeching that attempts to follow some sort of a melody can be heard. It's so awful, that some of you are forced to shut your ears. You discern it coming from the northern door.
“Stir the flesh around the pit,
See how many goblins fit.
They might shout and they might cry,
If they’re lucky, they won’t die.
When they plop out,we shall see
What new creatures they now be.
Will they have some wings or claws?
Will they grow big, massive jaws?
Maybe one will breathe some fire,
Then the queen can light a pyre!
Come on, find out, jump inside,
Grib is now your friend and guide!”
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The advancing party detours to check on the source of the screeching, and likely to meet the creator of most foul of noises. They enter the room as silently as they can. The stench of this room is a pungent mixture of acrid smoke, foul body odor, and cooked cabbage. Stone tables line the eastern wall, covered in scattered bits of glass, wooden racks holding numerous vials, and various alchemical implements. Along the western side of the chamber are three pits of churning, bubbling liquid that shifts between brown, beige, and green, occasionally releasing a puff of noxious gas that drifts slowly to the floor.
Three roughed up looking goblins look to be running around, possible running errands, as they pick up stuff here and there. One of the goblins seem to be the mastermind in this place, mixing chemical concoctions together, he wears goggles. The group goes mostly unnoticed, but somehow in the reflection of the goggles, the goblin catches Lutorinus's tail and Fung attempting to sneak in. He turns his head, stops his "singing", and removes his goggles to address them. To your surprise, he then speaks in the most calmest, soothing, and posh manner in the common language to everyone's surprise. Much akin the highest educated Taldan noble. His assistants that do not notice you in hidden in the darkness, are confused.
"Excuse me! You with the tail, and lightning eyed human. You are disturbing us in our place of business. I would suggest you make leave immediately or I'll have my dimwit assistants to forcefully remove you."
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Lutorinus' eyes widen in disbelief as the goblin addresses them. Once he recovers, he raises his hands, putting them between him and the goblin. "Please be at ease, we mean you no harm. I am Lutorinus Exsuberia, most profane servant of Asmodeus. My associates and I have come to learn of the inner workings of this cavern. Would you be so kind as to tell us of your work? We are merely a group of scholars searching for knowledge." This should at least buy the meatheads in the back some time to catch up...
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The goblin stares at Lutorinus, attempting to judge him. Finally he shrugs, "While you may mean no harm, there is absolutely no reason for me, a great scholar, to divulge my secrets to you. " he says while snickering. He points again to the door, "You may see yourself out please, or like I said, my assistants will remove you with force if necessary."
The assistant goblins continue to look dumbstruck by the conversation at hand.
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Fung looks on uncertainly at the speaking goblins. He has never met goblins who speak so well before. His usual encounter with them usually involves a lightning bolt or two fired in their direction. Not trusting to speak in such a delicate situation, he backs out of the room, hoping that the rest of the party could catch up, and possibly someone more eloquent would take over.
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The awkward silence is gone as Lutorinus opens hostilities! The Goblins assistants reacts, as you would expect of goblins, crazily and opens fire by throwing little globs of green and brown goo from their pockets. They each pick a different target. But they have horrible aim, another attribute one expects of goblins.
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Fung fires a bolt of lightning towards the goblins, but his sight is blocked by Slamu. Copperpot and Lutorinus prepare themselves for the battle at hand.
The seemingly intelligent goblin starts to drink a vial, which Varuna
recognises as a Mutagen of some sort. and then begins to move to the corner of the room, as he does this he draws another vial.
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Mr. Copperpot cringes at Lutorinus' chastisement.
"I would prefer to call 'cowardice' an 'abundance of caution!'"
His bodyguard shoots daggers at Lutorinus, but circles around to flank the green-clad enemy.
With his metamagic rod in hand, Mr. Copperpot sends a trio of magic missile attacks, one toward each goblin. They strike with uncanny force.
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Slamu's punch is strong, but not quick enough for the sneaky goblin as he easily dodges out of the way.
Varuna, on the other hand, doesn't swing very hard, but he does swiftly and accurate to poke a hole in the green shirt, and subsequently penetrating the skin causing the goblin to bleed badly.
Copperpot's force missiles attempt to blow each goblin away. One of the missiles have a force large enough to knock the goblin off his feet. The goblin earlier injured by Varuna, looks to be badly wounded, and barely standing.
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Toctep hesitates to make contact, and takes a moment to decide his actions.
In the meanwhile, the Goblins start to pick themselves and strategize their movements. As Slamu is right in the middle of the room, they flank around him to try to get an upper hand. The red goblin just picks himself off the floor and moves into the fumes of the pit. All the Goblins now have drawn two dogslicers each. Slamu holds his ground and takes a little injury, but not enough to stop the mighty wereshark.
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Lutorinus completes his unholy ritual and a fiendish eagle sprials forth from the ground again with a shower of sulfur and brimstone.
With a mighty caw, it tries to rip into the insolent goblin before it! Try as it might, the eagle can't manage to land a hit on the elusive creature.
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Fiendish Eagle
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Toctep darts past the greenish goblin while drawing his nodachi. The little bugger slashes at the nagaji's back, but his blade does not manage to get past the mithral armor. Once Toctep is past he flexes his muscles and grows to twice his original size! With his very large sword he attacks the leader of the goblins.
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Chaos and confusion reign in the room as it becomes cramped with Pathfinders and goblins. Eagles flying, electric blast overhead, swords slashing. Toctep takes advantage of the confusion to move right for the leader of the group here. Toctep packs a giant punch as he grows larger in size himself. The goblin looks heavily injured by still stands.
Glasses goblin decides to defend himself, and creates a bomb right in front of Toctep ready to throw it in his direction. He flings the bomb and a cloud of nauseating gas surrounds the area.
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Slamu punches harder than he knows it. Both goblins were punched to a pulp and have moved on from this earth. All the goblins are now dead.
The goblins, especially the one with the glasses, own some interesting looking gear among themselves. Searching the bodies you are able to gather some mundane looking weapons, a lot of alchemical component looking things, and many a potions. You count 15 flask of Alchemist fire, 6 smokesticks, 12 thunderstones among the goods.
An explosion pocket looks like a cloth pouch just large enough to contain a Small or Medium humanoid’s hand. When placed against a shirt, vest, jacket, trousers, or similar piece of clothing, this ragged green patch attaches to the clothing, creating a loose pocket. The pocket functions as a normal pocket, but once per day the pocket’s wearer can, as a standard action by speaking a command word while his hand is in the pocket, cause the pocket to create a single vial of alchemist’s fire. If a vial of alchemist’s fire is in the explosion pocket when it is commanded to create a vial of alchemist’s fire, the pocket instead supercharges the existing vial within so that it deals double the normal fire damage a vial of alchemist’s fire would normally inflict. An explosion pocket can be removed as a full-round action, allowing it to be placed on a different piece of clothing as the owner wishes. A vial of alchemist’s fire created or supercharged by an explosion pocket reverts to a vial of inert, bitter-tasting water 1 minute after it is created or supercharged.
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A few of you look over into the direction of the pits emitting the green, presumably toxic based on the awful stench, gas. You believe you may gain some rudimentary insight into it by spending at least ten minutes studying the pit.
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"It is about time the Society provided exemplary specimens of melee combat. Too long have I languished under the protection of weaklings. Bravo," Lutorinus says with a polite clap. "Asmodeus rewards you for your efforts, restitution for the wounds suffered in protecting one of his most faithful servants," he continues while anointing Big Slamu with a red pentagram on his chest. Before your very eyes, the wound in his side begins to close.
"Now to business... he mutters as he probes the items for magical auras. "I know not what the purpose of this bead or pouch are, however these potions are of Cure Light Wounds, Jump, and Feather Fall," he explains while pointing to each bundle. He then proceeds to take a potion of Jump and Feather Fall as well as three alchemists' fires.
"Shall we carry on? I am certain that I have yet to discover the true power of these caverns."
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