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Looking up at the cages, you notice a lever at the bottom of each one.
Underneath the corpse of the topiary is a strange platinum spider statuette that's dotted with glass reservoirs. The statuette seems alchemical in some way, with each of the reservoirs containing leftover gunk of various unknown oils and liquids.
Dawn will cast Monkey Fish to help her climb around and help the captives down
"Come on down. Here's some food." Dawn grabs some of her trail rations and waterskin. "Wait by the edge of the platform for us, alright? Do you know about the layout of this place? Maybe where the head honcho resides? Ooo! And that weapon, the flaming ancestral axe?"
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Dawn takes her time releasing each of the captives from their cages, tossing each one on her back and bringing them down the edge of the stalactite wall. She leaves the one remaining caged ghoul in place. All six of the dwarves are unconscious, their armor thoroughly clawed through and soaked in blood.
"Something's wrong with 'em. I don't know what, though. Maybe they just need some rest."
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Lilly's memory is jogged.
A memory of being taken past cells of fellow residents and holding cells of delirious people.
A man was looking very pale, and the doctor said: This one's crazy from horror. Can't blame the sob, knowing you're turning into one of those 'ghouls' is disheartening.
She snaps to.
"Ohmygosh....those dwarves are in late phases of becoming corpse-eaters. Goals...no wait, ghouls, i think they be called?"
"Yikes. I can't cure diseases, but we'll need to get them to a cleric as soon as possible. Let's keep them near the bats at the entrance, and then advance onward."
Once the dwarves are secure, she will cast Invisibility and explore the remaining rooms.
Dawn's voice sounds next to the party. "I'm not good at unlocking doors. If you don't have a way, let's go through the back door. I think Sarxa's key will fit."
Lilly looks at the door and the lock.
"If it's all the same with you, we could try and force our way in."
She bends up a knee, and makes a kick against the door.
"Well, it's a lot louder, but-" SLAM
Sure, whatever works best for the team.
"Hyyyaaaah!"
(Powerkick)
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"Polishing here, polishing there, all we do is polish!" A tiny, raspy voice says. "So sick of it! Wax on, wax off, wax on..."
A deeper voice shouts "SILENCE!" and then, Lilly dropkicks the back door in.
A dark, wooden dining table dominates the cavernous chamber, while a short, raised stage overlooks the room from the northern end. Lovely silver and porcelain fixtures fill cabinets along the walls, and a stairwell in the eastern wall leads below.
Two tiny gremlins sit on top of the table, feverishly polishing silverware while a fey creature wearing a Red cap and a butler's suit stands watch. "Who the hell are you? We are not expecting guests!"
Dawn (invis), Redcap, Lilly, Blue gremlin, Poe, Yizzik, Green gremlin
"Well it seems you have them now. This will be your only chance to surrender peacefully, so I'd recommend you take it," Yizzik would recommend, though he doubted the red cap would take it. These creatures seemed quite full of malice so he'd keep his shield and axe at the ready for what was to come.
Dawn tries to identify the gremlins.
Afterwards, Dawn quietly walks in and readies her falchion.
In a moment, Dawn enchants her blade and prepares to slice at the first enemy in range.
"Oh. Also, I'm here."
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Dawn recognizes the pair of gremlins as jinkin gremlins, the lowest form of gremlin, typically found underground. Despite their tier on the gremlin-tree, they are agile and quick, often surrounding foes to sneak their little blades into their backs. They are somewhat hardy against spells.
The Redcap moves past invisi-Dawn. His foot gets itchy just as Dawn attacks with her falchion, and he bends over, dodging the blade. "Hah, try a little harder next time!"
"Like that!" Dawn gets a chunk of her shoulder taken off by the Redcap's scythe.
Dawn (-13 blur), Redcap, Lilly, Blue gremlin, Poe, Yizzik (blur), Green gremlin
Lilly steps 5ft forward, drawing her whip and cracks it at the Redcap's weapon.
"Uh-oh, there goes your weapon."
"These Gremlins like to flank."
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Lilly pulls the Redcap's scythe from his cold, grey hands. The blue gremlin looks around nervously. "Now's our chance, the boss has no weapon! Let's get out of here!" He suddenly transfers himself outside the tower.
Dawn (-13 blur), Redcap (disarmed), Lilly (CoD), Blue gremlin, Poe, Yizzik (blur), Green gremlin
"Yes little ones, be free from oppression."
Poe opens fire on the Redcap, remembering how tough they were.
"Hmpf. We gave you the chance to surrender..." Yizzik runs up to help his ally in need by attacking the Red Cap.
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"GAH!" The Redcap grunts as Yizzik and Poe launch a combination attack against it, one bolt sticking through its leg just as the battleaxe cuts a bloody gash open.
The other gremlin also steps through a small portal and appears outside the tower.
Dawn (-13 blur), Redcap (disarmed, -7), Lilly (CoD), Blue gremlin, Poe, Yizzik (blur), Green gremlin
"Aaaand...."
"Zap!" Dawn's falchion streaks across the red cap.
And just in case he's dumb enough to pick up his weapon and provoke an AoO...
Lilly heads into the room, cracking her whip at the redcap again.
"Man, this smarts." Dawn wonders if the amulet of natural armor she bought is actually working.
She swings too high to hit, though.
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Lilly pulls away the Redcap's weapon again while Dawn swings her blade too high. Poe manages to shoot the Redcap once, bloodying his arm.
The blue gremlin scurries off far away from the tower, dropping silverware as he flees.
Dawn (-30 blur), Redcap (-33), Lilly (CoD), Blue gremlin, Poe, Yizzik (blur, gets an AoO), Green gremlin
Yizzik would snarl and hiss as his enemy focused on his friend than on him, seeking now to make him pay for his choices and protect her from harm if able.
"Well, your ever loyal friends are gone." Dawn chuckles as she swings her falchion at full force. "Turns out bathing your hat in their blood isn't very conducive for long lasting friendships."
"Then again, long lasting isn't one of your strong suits."
Dawn does her best to pretend to yawn as she slices into the Red Cap. "Nope. No chasing. No slavery. No decapitation. Just your death."
With a flash, Dawn dismisses the electricity on her blade, and then falls to a knee. "Ugh, that hurt a whole lot. Lilly, could you help me a bit?"
"Sure, one treatment with the stick of -no-hurt-anymore-, coming right up."
Humming some sort of tune, she pokes Dawn a few times with it.
"There, all done."
"Thanks Lilly." Dawn stands up and feels her abdomen where the scythe hit. "I'm just happy it wasn't my neck."
She moves to the southern door.
Confident there are no traps, she tries to quietly open the door.
"Knock, knock!" She yells. "Sorry, couldn't help it." She giggles.
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The interior of the tower looks like it has grown into its current shape over the years, rather than having been carved out of the stone. The walls and floors are smooth - no tool marks are evident. Elaborate rugs cover the floor. Several plush chairs and a sofa form a cozy circle near the room's center, while a line of stern-looking statues overlooks the room.
On the coffee table is a fancy silver tea set of some value.
The door to the west is free of traps, and opens up to a Lavatory with a row of fancy, velvet bathrobes, soaps, colognes, and cosmetics. Behind a gauzy curtain is a massive marble bath. Clever use of magic and piping provides nearly endless water in a variety of temperatures.
Scattered among the oils and perfumes are some that appear magical in a way.
cunning
This shallow box contains an assortment of beeswax, oils, pigments, brushes, and quills, and allows a user to blend seemlessly into new cultures and fashion scenes.
By spending 5 minutes applying these contents, a user may adopt the hairstyle, fashion, and social cues of any culture with which he is familiar, granting a +2 circumstance bonus on Bluff or Diplomacy checks with members of that culture, but leaving him otherwise recognizable.
Alternatively, the palette may be used to conceal the user’s identity entirely; it cannot make the user appear shorter or taller or otherwise alter their body, but otherwise allows him to adopt the appearance of another creature of the same type with the same body type and build. Either application lasts for 5 hours or until removed with soap and water. A resplendent diplomat’s palette has 50 charges when created, and each use consumes 1 charge.
The palette qualifies as a disguise kit, granting a +2 circumstance bonus on Disguise checks. Using it as such does not consume a charge.
Behind a panel on one of the walls lies the bath's elaborate lead plumbing, including a decanter of endless water
"Ooh look. A decanter of endless water. That explains how the water gets into the bathtub." Dawn looks at a panel behind the wall.
"All of this stuff is magical...that's all I know. Sorry, I'm bad at studies." She will pocket the goods before moving on.
"I dinna know anythin' ,bout magic, atall." Poe adds, making sure Olivia is loaded.
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Maybe Dawn remembers the flavors of some potions. Maybe she's just silly. But she dips her finger into each potion and oil and tries to recognize the taste.
"This is a potion of Fox's Cunning. I think it increases your intelligence?"
"Oh! This is Eagle's Splendor. Drink this and you become more charismatic."
"This...takes sweet."
Lilly has a small sip of the vial, after she pulls a disgusted face, and spews it out, though she was standing near dawn.
She wipes her mouth clean, then her tongue with her sleeve as well.
"Ewww, ewww, that tastes like vinegar mixed with pickle juice."
"It is a liquid of restoration, the weaker kind.
Whatever medicine, it all tastes icky." >_>
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"Whoa! I don't need a tye dye today." Dawn swerves to the side and evades the spit. "Vinegar and pickle juice. Add some bread, a few nuts and yum!"
Dawn finally notices how addled she is. "Mind if I drink that?"
"That feels a lot better!"
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"Yum?", You're really a little nuts."
Yizzik would only watch his friends with interest, chuckling at Lily's review of the green liquid she had sipped. He'd turn to address Poe as the women did their investigation of the magical tools around the room, a light chuckle escaping. "Same for me I'm afraid, never really understood how it all worked.."
"You've never had pickles and vinegar sandwiches before? I am totally inviting you to the Commune after this. You have to try it out." Dawn finishes identifying potions and heads upstairs.
Moving to the entrance of the door, Dawn prepares to open it.
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The door appears free of traps and isn't locked.
Inside, a short, humanoid creature with bulging white eyes magically creates a stone countertop before your eyes. With him stands a golem who gives off a horrible stench.
He ceases his casting and turns to you as the door swings open, speaking in a small, raspy voice. "Whoa! Who are you? Your names, tell me your names!" he yells, threatening you with a small kitchen knife.