A stuffed bulette faces the door to this room. Cabinets along the walls contain a partially dissected bugbear, a partially transformed doppelganger, and a complete goblin dog, all preserved in alchemical fluids.
Silas returns to the room with sarcophagus and eyes the spiral stairs leading down. "I guess that's the only place left to check here," he says. He shoulders his shield and takes a firm grip on his sword before descending down.
Sophie summons an ancient nodachi into her hands, murmurs a prayer and follows behind Silas.
Sitting up, Tara lets out a groan of pain. "That was not fun." she mumbles to herself, looking around the room. Seeing a few other of her friend injured, Tara offers up a prayer to Pharasma, calling upon the goddess's holy energies to heal them. Tilting her head to examine the sarcophagus, Tara lets out a gasp.
"This sarcophagus cost enough for a lord's ransom! Look at the details in the carving, it clearly marks this as an Orisiani relic." Tracing one of the markings carefully, Tara gushes over the item.
A spiral iron stair literally hangs above the valley beneath the museum, connecting to a small stone terrace and a wooden door. Although the view is dizzying, the stair and terrace are stable and safe.
The basement room looks like a storage area. Three large crates sit in the room, now empty. Hazards: Three large, sealed, opaque black glass jars sit inside the room.
Also inside the room is a large monstrosity - a flesh golem with no eyes, surrounded by 6 homunculus that seem to be leading and proding it. They seem surprised by Silas' entrance.
Silas responds to the threat in the only way he knows how - with violence. This violence, however, is directed at the beast's handlers.
Pop, pop, pop!
Three of the little winged devils get cut in half and pop out of existence. And then a slice to the big guy, although the creature seems to resist the blade more than expected. (DR 5)
Seeing that his sword is not as effective as he'd like it to be, the large man decides that the best option is to overcome it with strength.
Sophie draws her longspear as she follows behind Silas, dropping her Nodachi at the bottom of the staircase. She stabs over Silas's shoulder at the little creatures.
"Boy, this wizard has been known to create innocent constructs before. I think this may be one such creature. Leave it be."
"So far, everything we've encountered in this man's house has tried to kill us," Silas replies with resignation. "But I'll bow to your wisdom."
Let's not lost all hope, Silas.
Hearing a kerfluffle coming from where Silas explored, Tara sticks her head up the stairwell. "I don't know if I can fit up to help, Silas. Can you try to retreat?" she calls out.
"Retreat?!" Silas shouts back up the stairs. "But we're not ... Oh fine!"
Let's leave it alone, as long as it doesn't attack us, Silas…
With the help of the homunculi, the obviously blind flesh golem swings mighty fists at Silas.
"For being innocent, this guy packs a hell of a right hook," Silas mutters. "Clear the stairs; We're coming back up!" The warrior shouts out to those behind and above him.
Sophie casts spiritual weapon and directs it against the homunculi. Then she withdraws up the stairs unless that would make the weapon disappear. In which case she pulls back as far as she can
"I thought we were ...? Fine then, I like this tactic better anyways," Silas says with a grin. A growl in the direction of the golem and its handlers follows. His sword swings out against the construct.
Sophie slaps the back of Silas's head in exasperation. "Did you hear anything I just said, boy! Odds are that thing is a victim in here. We want to free it, not kill it!"
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Tara listens to the sounds of battle below. "Most constructs constructed from flesh are mindless creatures. That's what makes Saban special, he's the only intelligent one so far in creation." Tara calls down, hoping to help her allies.
"Yes but Saban was made by the same maker."
Well, I can't go in so far, and I can't shoot either...It's too crowded
Sophie slaps the back of Silas's head in exasperation. "Did you hear anything I just said, boy! Odds are that thing is a victim in here. We want to free it, not kill it!"
Silas turns to spare a glare in Sophie's direction before turning back to the foes in front of him. "Crazy old woman can't make up her mind," he grumbles to himself.
The handlers continue to shout instructions at the golem, and it swipes again at Silas.
The weapon strikes at the homunculi again.
Meanwhile, Sophie murmurs a prayer of protection for Silas. "Keep your shield up, boy. He'll strike a few more times before this is through, and my protection may not hold."
"If I'm just going to stand here and not get hit then shouldn't you ...?" Silas begins before his admonishment is cut short as Sophie's ephemeral weapon cuts down another homunculus. "Ok, then," He says simply as he readies his shield.
Why Don't you get downstairs, Silas? Either the creature is too big to follow you, and so it poses no threat, or it can follow you and we can fight it , all the five of us!
The Young Redhead might have a point
"I've been told that I'm to stay down here!" Silas shouts back up the stairs. "Quite pointedly, I might add."
So another handler goes down. The other two try to get the golem to attack Silas again, but the golem seems confused and doesn't swing.
Sophie smiles with satisfaction as her plan appears to work. "Here, Silas." She murmurs a prayer of healing for him
"Thank you," the warrior mutters back, still holding up his shield. "You know, I feel kind of useless just standing here."
Sophie heals Silas again. "Can't be too much longer now."
Sophie puts down another one, and with only one left, the creature is clearly having trouble knowing where to aim. (He is blind, after all).
Round 5: (Bold may act)
Homunculus: Yellow
Vivian (4 dmg)
Silas (1 dmg)
Tara (13 dmg)
Sophie (5 dmg) - ancestral weapon (dropped), divine favor
Flesh Golem (55 dmg)
The nodachi continues its grim work. Sophie murmurs the same spell of protection for herself. If all the homunculi are dead she will try to heal the flesh golem.
The last homonculus is destroyed, and as he disappears, the golem drops to the ground as well.
If you are peeking, I missed the fact that each dead handler was supposed to cause 2d10 dmg as we went, so by the time they are all gone, it seems that the golem has been destroyed as well.
There seems to be nothing else of value in this room.
Silas stares at the immobile construct for a moment before giving it a push with a heavy boot. "Don't look at me," he says, turning to Sophie. "I didn't hit it." Finding nothing else of value, he heads back up the staircase to the museum.
"Wasn't there a second floor to this building?" he asks. "If there is, there's got to be a way up. Let's take another look around before heading north." He then directs the others to search the rooms looking for trap-doors in the ceiling or hidden ladders.
Everything all right up here?