|
Kayde gives a quick nip of his flask, offers a similarly quick prayer … both to gather his nerve and try to regather his strength.
”Thanks … uh … Agent.” Then he looks over at D’lack. ”You need more healing from your stick? And can I use it on myself a bit?”
Otherwise, the half-orc bends down, whispers a few prayers to stabilize the men, then fishes some rope from his pack, and binds the two unconscious men.
As he stands backup, looking uneasily down at the two men, he stows his greataxe ... instead readying his shield and drawing out a morningstar.
"So, the mist did this?" he asks uncertainly, then shares the uncertain look with his affected group members as he (once again) rescuers his improvised mask. "You guys feel alright?"
|
The Agent gives both men a nod.
"Man, these guys will live, but I dunno about whatever did this..."
As he listens to Kayde, he turns to the more strangely behaving members of his own group.
"And yeah, what gives Arnie? Like, that's. Not normal, man... peeling your cigar like a bananna. Either this place is doing something to you, or you've got some deep-rooted childhood issues."
Ranor rips open the door, only to find a blubbering, obese scribe squeezed in there.
"NO! Leave me be!"
After a few moments, when he realizes he isn't being beaten to a pulp, he dislodges himself. "Thank you!"
His jowls quiver and shake with terror as he recounts his tale. "My name is Saldak, and we are scribes here at the museum. Early this morning, our offices suddenly flooded with this strange mist, and that tendrils of it seemed to pour down Kadarnik’s and Yannis’ throats. Moments later, they went stark mad and beat Milgen to a pulp. I believe that the Tik Taan idols are responsible. I smelled something wrong with those hideous monkey-faced things as soon as Lugizar brought them out of his pack. I’ve a nose for trouble, I do! No one listens!"
"Last I knew, Nigel was taking stock of the pieces in storage in the East Exhibit storage room. You might ask him what he thinks is going on."
The man starts to cry. "I really just want to go home."
|
|
The Agent, smoothing his robes after his close encounter with Arnie, regards the freed, jowled man.
"Man, you and me both. I mean my home's not much of a looker, but this place isn't good..."
The Agent takes a few steps towards the main hall and gestures at the exhibit.
"We gotta do what we gotta do for our Pathfinder wages, but the exit's right there, man. Help yourself while we check out the east room for Mister Nigel."
The Agent gives the man a little pat on the back and begins to head that direction, pausing long enough to let some of the "front-liners" pass him along the way.
|
|
"Long-hair man steal thoughts out of Armistead's head! Armistead want to go to beast room. He says we go to beast room. He hungry, want meat. Beasts give good meat."
Armistead starts walking off towards the "beast room." "Shuffling"--in the manner of ape of course--might be a better word though. He drags his sword against the ground behind him.
"Wait a minute", Saldak says. He starts rooting around the office, and then exclaims "Here it is!"
He shows you a Mwangi cloth that looks very old. "This might help you." The cloth (made from beaten bark) is quite ancient, and its original inventory tag states that it was cataloged along with “Tik Taan Idols, courtesy of Lugizar Trantos”.
|
|
Kayne gives Ranor an uncomfortable, thankful nod at the offered wand, then uses it on himself as he listens to the exchange between D’lack and the quibbling museum worker.
As Armistad begins lumbering out, and D’lack continues his conversation, Kayde begins picking the unconscious men from the floor and carrying them out through the front door of the museum, depositing both of them safely outside the gates … and out of the range of the mists.
He arrives back in time to hear Saldak’s answer. He gives Ranor and D'lack each a questioning look, "You guys want me to hang onto these for ya? I can put'em to good use for ya."
Saldak also digs a sack out of a drawer in the desk.
"Thank you for saving my life and my friends. Here is 500 gold - you should take it to cover your expenses. And remember, this is a museum - who knows what else might be around here that can help you. Please save Nigel."
With that, he scurries out the entrance again.
There is writing on the scraps, in an ancient language.
The script on the cloth reveals a warning against the idols’ corrupting powers, and also a powerful chant that dispels their influence over men.
You think you can use your countersong ability with the chant to remove the Tik Taan influence.
The script on the cloth reveals a warning against the idols’ corrupting powers, and also a powerful chant that dispels their influence over men. It appears you can use this as a scroll of break enchantment.
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.
Taking your attention from the large stuffed creatures, you see a pair of helm-like masks mounted on the wall. The helms begin to crack and move slightly. You have 1 round of actions you can perform at this time.
|
|
The Agent allows Arnie and Ranor to enter before finally stepping in himself.
"Like, these stuffed animals look like a little too lifelike for my liking..."
Content that he managed to use the word 'like' or a variation four times in a single expression, the Desnan moves to put the desk between himself and the stuffed dinosaur.
While you are preoccupied with the exhibits, two of the masks on the wall suddenly burst into dust and shards of stone as creatures emerge. They appear to be blackened, bat-winged fiend's heads with tentacles dangle from chin and scalp, and fanged mouths hang agapeas they fly above you (15' up), shrieking loudly.
Round 1 (Bold may act)
Althera
Agent
D'lack
Ranor
Monsters
Armistead
Kayde
|
|
Althera just sees the creatures, then to her horror she finds herself frozen in place!
-Posted with Wayfinder
Ranor and The Agent destroy the flying creature, and the other one, as pitiful as it is, attempts to fly over and bite Ranor.
It is a Vargouille, which is a small, evil, extraplanar creature. Unfortunately, you don't know much more than that.
|
|
Armistead looks around, thinking some great beasts worthy of his strength must have arrived to challenge him. A deep scowl rapidly appears on his face.
"RRRRRRAAAAAAAHHHH! Puny bat-faces annoy Armistead! Go away so big beasts fight!"
Armistead mutters something under his breath (it sounds like something about a "charge lane") then rushes up to the closest "bat-face," taking a mighty swing.
Armi marches up and cuts the last vargouille in half.
The storeroom door leads to the upper right room on the map. This simple room of unadorned stone is piled floor to ceiling with boxes and crates, allowing room for only a few small corridors between these towers of dusty, mothballed exhibits.