Seventeen nods when Guaire praised Jarreck's hit adding, "Indeed. Now lets see if there is anything of use left in this laboratory."
She tries to detect magic, and to search the room, but she finds herself distracted by a complex recursive geometrical pattern she had read about some time earlier.
"Because it sucked out his juices, Guaire. It looked unpleasant to have all one's juices sucked out," Omo replies obliviously to Guaire's subtext since not all mammals pleasure each other in the same ways.
Seventeen looked at the pair with confusion, whatever where they on about? Oh was this referring to the confusing things she'd read in that book? It took the author forever to get to the point and it had all seemed terribly impractical. No it didn't seem likely Omo would talk of such things.
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"Thanks Omo, I'm voting Guaire checks out the next room I hear he has a thing for oozes. That was most definitely unpleasant, thank you all."
Jarreck will try to make a pass around the room once more before retreating to the main common area and waiting for the others to join him this time before opening the final laboratory.
It looks like the Mihstu was stuck in this room for a long time and took its anger out on everything it could, the room is filled with broken and useless scrap piled in strange geometric shapes.
Omo checks the door to the ooze room for traps before having Mr. Hellion open the door.
"We should be cautious, this final Lab is designates gaseous research. It was his speciality, anything could be inside...."
When they are ready to enter, Seventeen tells Jarreck "I can make you invisible if Omo's robot finds something hostile."
The airy form of Mort nods at Jarreck's words and then continues to float right behind and above Omo.
"Careful, if it's gaseous, try breathing as little as possible, if you smell anything weird."
The airlock isn't trapped, and Hellion enters the room.
The tables and shelves in this large laboratory are all coated with
a thin greenish slime. One desk is heaped with pages of notes, and a human skeleton dressed in moldy robes lies slumped over it. A large glass tank atop the easternmost table is shattered and shards of glass litter the floor of the room, while a pale green haze floats in the air.
Hellion walks forward, if he were a human you might think he were moping.
Statement: I see Master. You value my existence less than this meatbag.
"It is more of a question of competence and durability than it is of existence. You are important to me, Mr. Hellion. It is my hope that you can grow, change, and improve yourself overtime. I hope we grow together. To my mind, we are all of equal dignity -- organic and synthetic. At least on the notional level."
Omo cautiously peeks into the room behind, Mr. Hellion.
"Does anyone detect radiation or other poisons?"
Seventeen rummages through her bags and produces a scroll case. She selects one leaf of folded vellum and puts everything else away. She pushes past the others and holds the scroll with both hands, scans it before whispering something you don't quite catch. The scroll flares with weird greenish light and crumbles away. Some of the greenish light remained around Seventeens eyes and she systematically scans the lab...
Assuming nothing untoward is found she then casts another pair of spells this time detecting for poison and magic.
If Hellion were a human, you get the sense he would have pointedly sniffed at Omo's assertion that you are all equal. He certainly believes some are more equal than others...
Hellion shuffles into the room, with Jarreck right behind him while Seven casts Detect Radiation. Seven doesn't detect any radiation in the room and Jarreck takes a look inside and thinks Well, that's not right... and both the green mist and a spectral creature that rises from the corpse rise and attack.
Within a hungry fog, the ooze's mists interact strangely with fragments of those it has consumed, creating eerie phantasms of its past victims. Periodically, one of these shapes might flash with light as if momentarily holding a lantern aloft, but as soon as the figure is approached, it fades away into the surrounding mists, often giving the observer a quick and unsettling glimpse of a skull-like countenance. These shapes, like the fog itself, are not truly undead, but the fact that a hungry fog is hurt by positive energy as surely as if it were helps to blur the distinction and spread even more confusion about its actual nature.
A hungry fog is instinctively drawn to areas where negative energy is strong. These nocturnal creatures are particularly fond of sites that are haunted, such as old houses, abandoned graveyards, or shipwrecks along shorelines—although their vulnerability to high winds means that they are rarely encountered in areas where storms are common.
In combat, allips relentlessly attack the nearest living creature, relying on their babble to let them close in before attacking with their touch of insanity. Many seem to be driven to states of ferocity upon witnessing the terror living creatures exhibit when facing their spectral forms, or when faced with the intangibility of their incorporeal states. While allips have no way to kill creatures, those knocked unconscious by an allip's Wisdom-draining touch often emerge from the state suffering from insanity—a fate that many would say qualifies as worse than death.
Allips often seek to harm those who played a part in causing their mad, unholy condition. When faced with such foes, an allip ignores all other targets that confront it in favor of its hated enemies, attacking them until its tormentors have been forced into a vacant stupor. Alas, such vengeance does not put the allip to rest, but simply serves to further fuel its madness as it finds itself trapped in a world now no longer even holding the satisfaction of vengeance.
Round 1
Anada Visk begins Babbling (see spoiler below please! Hellion is immune as a construct.) it glides towards Hellion and reaches out to touch the Robot. Hellion watches the spirit idly, because he is immune to its touch. The Allip recgonizes its mistake, and will seek better targets for its insane wrath next round.
Guaire/Spike
Mort
Omo/Hellion
Seven
Jarreck
Hungry Fog
An allip constantly mutters to itself, creating a hypnotic effect. All sane creatures within 60 feet of the allip must succeed at a DC 17 Will save or be fascinated for 2d4 rounds. While a target is fascinated, the allip can approach it without breaking the effect, but an attack by the allip does end the effect. Creatures that successfully save cannot be affected by the same allip's babble for 24 hours. This is a sonic, mind-affecting compulsion effect. The save DC is Charisma-based.
Omo releases a frightened series of squeaks as he realizes what opposes them.
"The fog is an ooze that is full of negative energy! It cannot easily resist strong winds, but is immune to lightning."
The terrified alchemist throws a force bomb at the Allip.
Mr. Hellion slashes at the Allip, despite it not having any meat to grind.
From the hallway, Guaire hears 'ooze', and sighs.
"Hmm, great....more ravenous biomass."
Guaire holds until there is proper room to stand and shoot.
Mort only makes airy comments now and hovers there in the air.
The chittering in the fog had a strange fractal nature, an analysis of the harmonics suggested a hidden low bandwidth message encoded within the tonal variations. Several analysis programming were launched to record a suitable sample, perform furier analysis and then stenographic analysis. The hidden message would be decoded.
Analysis in progress please wait...
ETA 5 mins 37 seconds.
Warning: Hostile creature detected
Warning: Entity(Omo) hostile immune to lighting
Furier analysis complete, launching stenographic crypto analysis...
Quit.
Quit. Quit. Quit.
Warning: Application: stenoanalyze has become unresponsive
Warning: Entity(Omo) states creature vulnerable to high winds
^C ^C ^C
^TAB
> top
Load average 0.3 3.2 100.5
stenoanalyze pid 14725 cpu 99% ram 75%
positronic-ware pid 5636 cpu 1% ram 15%
system pid 1002 cpu 0% ram 2%
> kill -9 14725
Seventeen seems oddly unresponsive as if deeply engrossed in a book. All of a sudden a silent fire builds up inside her and the complex circutry under her skin glows incandescently! She blinks once and
states flatly, "Somebody please move. I shall attempt to disperse the mist."
She steps into the corridor and whispers an arcane phrase, "Ventus Fortis!" A heartbeat later the air is rent by a great moaning as a torrent of air whips past seventeen right into the roiling green mist!
Round 1
Anada Visk begins Babbling (see spoiler below please! Hellion is immune as a construct.) it glides towards Hellion and reaches out to touch the Robot. Hellion watches the spirit idly, because he is immune to its touch. The Allip recgonizes its mistake, and will seek better targets for its insane wrath next round.
Guaire/Spike wait.
Mort [fascinated 8] is fascinated for rounds.
Omo hurls a force bomb dealing damage to the Allip and the Hungry Fog/Hellion slashes at the Allip, dealing some damage.
Seven delays...but everyone who could move doesn't because they are either fascinated OR full attacking.
Jarreck [fascinated 5] stands there, fascinated.
Hungry Fog flows into the hallway, seeking food. The Hungry Fog is using its Engulf ability to engulf Hellion, Jarreck, Omo and Mort.
Each must make a Reflex save DC 17 or take negative energy and be staggered. Hellion gets an AoO if he chooses to take it.
Round 2
Round 1
Anada Visk's incorporeal form floats into the floor and out of sight.
Guaire/Spike
Mort [fascinated 7]
Omo/Hellion
Seven
Jarreck [fascinated 4]
Hungry Fog
Omo releases a keening scream.
He barely avoids the fog's ravenous hunger, he then throws a bomb detonating it inside the fog.
Mr. Hellion, having no life force to steal ignores the death effect of the fog. His solution is his usual solution to such problems.
"Spike, attack that enemy."
Spike seems hesitant, as this enemy was undead.
"Bummer."
Round 2
Round 1
Anada Visk's incorporeal form floats into the floor and out of sight.
Guaire fires his laser rifle dealing some damage/Spike watches disinterested.
Mort [fascinated 7]
Omo hurls a bomb, dispersing some of the mist./Hellion slashes at the mist, dealing some damage.
Seven
Jarreck [fascinated 4]
Hungry Fog
Seeing that nobody was able to move, Seventeen prepares to try something else but suddenly the green mist surges forward to completely envelop Jarreck.
Stepping north to get a better angle, Seventeen points at the roiling mass and whispers, "Ventus Fortis!" For a several heartbeat nothing happens beyond a gentle surresation from behind. With shocking suddenness a howling wall of air whips past Seventeen's out stretched hand to hammer into the hungry fog!
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Jarreck appears to be consumed by the Alip's movements as the green mist begins flowing around him; however as the particles in the mist begin their work he comes back to his self.
Feeling presences fore and aft of him Jarreck moves southward out of the fog, staggered, turning back to see what was attacking him.
"What the hell???"
Round 2
Anada Visk's incorporeal form floats into the floor and out of sight.
Guaire fires his laser rifle dealing some damage/Spike watches disinterested.
Mort is damaged and staggered by the hungry fog
Omo hurls a bomb, dispersing some of the mist./Hellion slashes at the mist, dealing some damage.
Seven casts Gust of Wind... the Fog is blown back and takes damage. This is enough to disperse the creature for good!
Jarreck takes 14 damage and is staggered by the Hungry Fog.
Round 3
Anada Visk floats into view, behind the heroes. It reaches out to touch Seven missing the Arcanist who is on high alert.
Guaire/Spike
Mort [staggered]
Omo/Hellion
Seven
Jarreck [staggered]
"Not my sister! Get away from her, you b@&+~!"
Omo puts actions to his rage and fear and throws a bomb he knows will tear up the undead's ethereal essence.
Mr. Hellion relentlessly pursues the allip.
Guaire quickly steps 5 ft aside, and aims the barrel of his rifle at the undead.
Seventeen stares at the undead horror and very deliberately, intones a spidery word while edging carefully away from it's embrace. From her out stretched hand a volley of tiny missiles streak out to impact into it!
Round 3
Anada Visk floats into view, behind the heroes. It reaches out to touch Seven missing the Arcanist who is on high alert.
Guaire fires his laser rifle, burning a hole in the Allip/Spike
Mort [staggered]
Omo tosses a bomb../Hellion attacks the wraith dealing some damage
Seven finishes off the Allip with force damage!
Jarreck [staggered]
Combat Over.
Mort shakes his air elemental formed head and coughs, like needing to clear his head. The only thing people see is a puff of white smoke evaporating a quickly as it is produced.
Then he mimicks to the others asking if they're alright.
"That was scary. I'm glad we only suffered minor damage. What must that fell spirit been guarding? Sister, can you detect magic in the room?"
Omo searches the room.
Quietly Seventeen whispers something to her brother, "Thank you Omo for rescuing me." Louder so everyone can hear she adds, "Lets see."
Inside she casts a spell to detect magic, concentrates and then helps Jarreck search if there's nothing untoward.
Seven spots several magical auras that stand out
The robe and the wand are on the corpse slumped over the desk.
On the desk are several books, inspection show two of them to be Wizard spellbooks. There are copious notes scattered among the desk An examination of the notes on the table reveals the cause of her fate. Her notes describe her research into a roiling mist imprisoned within a glass cage. The reports begin very clinically-enumerating the density, resilience, and indeterminate composition of the mist she has been tasked to study-but devolve quickly into senseless ravings about corpse-white faces speaking from within the mist. She
grew more and more obsessed and secretive, and the last entry reads, "Xoud has stopped checking up on me-it has been days since he stopped by. I think he might be planning to steal my research. I'm out of food, but I dare not exit the lab. I will shatter the tank and join with the hungry fog, and we shall then be as one!"
Detect Radiation, Cause Fear, Alarm, Shield, Mage Armor, Comprehend Languages, Thunderstomp, Floating Disk, Disguise Self, Vanish, Interrogation, Enlarge Person
Protection from Technology, Glitterdust, Detect Thoughts, Aggressive Thundercloud, Scare
Protection from Energy, Irradiate, Recharge, Clairaudience/Clairvoyance
Omo examines the notes. He loved to read about other people's discoveries.
"I think she may have been Xoud's apprentice. Look here, Seven, this Aggressive Thundercloud spell would be potent against robots."
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While Omo and Seven inspecting the items they found, Jarreck moves into the hallway.
"Guys gonna check the final door, likely a closet to support the labs on this floor."
Moving to the last door, he takes his time to check the door for traps, sure if anyone is within they surely know the companions were here.
Jarreck finds no traps and opens the door to f14 to reveal a stairwell leading up.
Seventeen examines the items and tells Omo, "Look at these Omo, this Robe empowers spells using the element of cold and ice and this Wand summons gusts of air. I agree that spell sounds most useful as do several others."
Seventeen examines the Orb but doesn't know what it is, she awaits her brother's opinion. To give him the best chance of understanding it's properties she pulls out her wand of technomancy and whispers the command phrase.
Omo examines the orb closely and carefully.
Omo observes the small cocoon and realizes what the thing is: a protective shell built by a small cloud of nanites. Omo knows that such nanites often have specific purposes; they spin cocoons like this to preserve their programming until brought within close proximity to the object or location they've been programed to augment. Omo surmises that the best course of action would be to keep the cocoon safe until it activates on its own.
If nothing bad comes from the knowing of the cocoon, Guaire and Spike will take it.
"On my mark, little friend....one...two...now!"
"<Grrowl>"
"Hnn"
Now she knows what it is, Seventeen remarks, "Most curious. I wonder if there's anything inside or if it's just nanites. No way of telling I suppose. Shall we head up?"