"Room's crammed full of desks and filin' drawers. And they's two bodies, look like docs lying 'crost desks, claw marks in the back of their skulls. Coast seems clear, but I wouldn't be surprised t'find some critter hidin' in them drawers."
Tattoo gives Reaper a nod, "Good to know. Thanks. I'll be sure to follow Goggles's official body inspection protocols." Looking at the half-orc, she asks, "Ok Heavy Hitter, I'll stab left, you stab right?"
With that, Tattoo slowly opens the door and moves in the room to try and skewer the leftmost body.
Heavy nodded. "Okay. Wait. Which way is right?" With an eye-roll, Lucius pointed to their right. Heavy followed Tattoo through the door, with the intention of decapitating the body on the right.
Lucius followed the two 'girls' inside. It was becoming easier and easier to hide behind the most able fighters in the group.
He jokingly commented, "Heavy, that cloak looks good on you. A little small but looking good."
Goggles moves towards the door but doesn't enter seeing how tiny the room was with three people inside already. She moves past the door and takes a peek down the hallway. She ends up pacing the hallway out of boredom now that she has nothing to fight.
Tattoo opens the door and reveals that two desks are crammed into this crowded office. More space has been dedicated to filing cabinets, bookshelves, and stacks of loose research than room for occupants. Despite the cramped nature of this office, there was enough room for two doctors to work closely here. This is evidenced by the two bodies slumped over the desks.
You notice that the doctors were slain by blows to the back of their heads, whose seem to have been made by small claws, digging into the base of the skulls. Dried blood covers their back and the back of the chair. Neither of them react when stabbed.
As you look through the scattered papers, you notice that most of the documents and files here are related to mundane asylum duties and unremarkable psychological evaluations. Differently from the previous office of Doctor Chawaar, these evaluations are quite unimpressive.
Lucius looks through the paperwork to try and find any clues as to why he was in the asylum in the first place.
He commented out loud to no one in particular, "Why do you think I was here? Was I visiting someone? Was I asked to provide my expertise on a particular case? I do remember being involved with the dopplegangers before. Maybe that was it."
-----
Reaper shrugs, digging in his ear with his pinkie. "Ain't no tellin'. Hey! Maybe we was bunkmates." Reaper smiles at the idea that someone of Mustache's stature would be a patient. "We mighta played cards or somethin'."
He looks over the bodies, sucking his teeth as he tries to figure what manner of beastie would have done this.
Growing somewhat impatient, Goggles moves herself into the tiny room with everyone else. As Reaper leans over the bodies, she slowly places her clawed hand on his shoulder. "Me look."
Tattoo searches through the room, while keeping a side ear to the conversation at hand. "Perhaps you were being treated for a crippling rat phobia", she teases the professor, before chastising herself. That might have been too mean. He really does seem to be afraid of them. She quickly adds, "But you were probably just a consultant or something.
Continuing her search, she is disappointed to find little in the way of patient records. However, something does catch her eye towards the back of the eastern desk, a thick yew wand etched with the symbol of an open armed angel with its wings extended and a bright halo behind its head. "Sarenrae..." she mutters as she recognizes the symbol. As she reaches for it, she notices twine is wrapped around it and a note trails at the end. Giving it a quick read, before passing it off to anyone who seems interested, she mutters, "Hmm...I guess they were pretty strict around here. Anyone have any idea what this thing might do? If it contains divine magic, it could be useful..."
Mr. Lantz, this is a place of science, not faith. Please keep your religion at home.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Another shriek from Reaper fills the halls as Goggles plays her little prank.
Heavy spared a passing glance at the wand, and the papers. They meant little to her. Instead she moved to the next door. "C'mon, Creepy. Let's see what's in this one. "
Reaper calms himself, then nods. Creepy's incorporeal form melts into the wall.
Goggles makes a noise sounding like a hybrid between a growl and a chuckle. "Jumpy."
She compares the claw marks on the head to her own and tries to use that to determine what may have killed the humans.
As Heavy and Creepy approach the last door to the west, both of them notice that it is partially opened, with a gap of about one feet, where the antiseptic-smelling trail continues within. Through the gap, you notice that a once-handsome wood conference table now sits marred by the partially toppled southwest walls. Between heaps of collapsed stone, a closet door still stands on the northwest.
The trail crosses the room and ends in the closet.
Continuing her search, she is disappointed to find little in the way of patient records. However, something does catch her eye towards the back of the eastern desk, a thick yew wand etched with the symbol of an open armed angel with its wings extended and a bright halo behind its head. "Sarenrae..." she mutters as she recognizes the symbol. As she reaches for it, she notices twine is wrapped around it and a note trails at the end. Giving it a quick read, before passing it off to anyone who seems interested, she mutters, "Hmm...I guess they were pretty strict around here. Anyone have any idea what this thing might do? If it contains divine magic, it could be useful..."
Lucius inspects the wand thoroughly, "Well, it is divine magic; I'm sure of that. But I do not know what spell it contains."
He looked at Heavy, "Unless someone has a better idea, I propose we try it on someone..."
-------------
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"That slime trail goes here," Heavy pointed out. "Nothing else in here but a closet with slime. Do you guys want to see what it is? Or can we go back the other way?"
"I don't like the idea of some creature sneakin' up behind me," Reaper says, giving Goggles the stink eye. "I say we squish whatever's been draggin' itself around the floor, 'afore it gets a chance t'do to us what it did to them docs."
"But first we need t'figure this wand. Heavy, you're definitely the toughest cookie we got. I figure if that stick gives a zap, you stand the best chance o' standing back up." Reaper reaches up and pats heavy on the shoulder before cocking his head toward his ghost. "Then again, Creepy here's already dead. We could always test it on him."
::Deeeaaad?:: the ghost echoes, the slightest trepidation in his supernatural voice.
"Y'heard me, son, git here and stick your arm out. What's the worst could happen?"
Lucius is rewarded with a deadpan expression from Tattoo, when he proposes experimenting on the unsuspecting half-orc. Of course, if its from the church of Sarenrae...how bad can it be? I guess trying it on someone would be the only way to figure it out...
Tattoo sighs, "Yeah, I guess we should try it on someone." Sarenrae. If I did something to offend you in my prior life, I would like to take this moment to formally apologize. Tattoo lifts the wand and points it towards herself, trying a few different ways to activate it.
When the wand finally activates, she flinches slightly in anticipation of what it will do.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Even if Tattoo is pointing the wand to herself, the effect it produces isn't limited only to herself. From the tip of the wand, a small golden ball of energy starts to form, initially slowly, but increasing in size quickly. When it reaches the size of an orange, the sphere bursts, coating all of you in a golden aura for a second before disappearing.
Strangely, you feel as if someone was watching for you, guiding your steps and protecting you... you feel blessed.
Goggles looks around suspiciously as Tattoo activates the wand. She growls at the woman, "Someone watching, don't use...don't like."
Moving for the door to the closet, Goggles makes to open it. "Need know slime source."
Trying to hide her relief, Tattoo just gives Goggles a sideways smile. "I don't know about you, but I feel fine. Better even." Looking over to the door, she nods, "Yeah, we should probably check that out..."
Trying to hide her relief, Tattoo just gives Goggles a sideways smile. "I don't know about you, but I feel fine. Better even."
Lucius nodded, a silly grin on his face, "yes, I also feel better. Can you do that consistently?"
He looked at the others, "Are any of you particularly religious?"
Tattoo thinks for a moment and responds uncertainly, "It's hard to say. It didn't work the first time I tried and to be honest I was kind of just improvising. I'm not sure what actually triggered it. As for being religious...I don't...think so?" She looks as if she is searching her own thoughts and feelings for a moment, before reiterating. "No, I don't think I am..."
Heavy nodded to Lucius's question. "I think I am," she said, though her voice was far from certain. "I liked all those statues in the room where we slept last night. Especially the pretty one with the wings."
Moving forward to stand with Goggles-thing, Heavy took a moment to ask, "So, um, is this the way you're going to be now? Do you like it?"
tag
Nodding at her strangely-changed friend, the two women gripped their weapons then opened the closet door.
Goggles grunts at Heavy's question, "Still Goggles. Wears off. Need hurry." She pauses and shows her claws and teeth, "Useful, so like."
As Heavy and Goggles open the closed, you soon hear the sound of glass breaking and Heavy cursing as pustules appears along the right side of her face... strange and minuscule creatures rush from the closet, but they are too far away for the rest of you to properly see... It is clear, however, that the half-orc is visibly disgusted and scared by what she saw.
Lucius - up
Alenka - up
Cerio - up
Edrick - up
Jenny - up
Mira - up
Pickled Punks
"AGH!"
Heavy lashed out when the jar broke against her face, releasing....something. No, three somethings. Crying out in pain and revulsion, she pawed at the burning liquid on her face and back-pedalled away from the creatures. However, after only a step she came up against fallen rubble, and she nearly lost her footing. Flailing a bit, she cried out again, "Argh! Ew! Gross!" With a response of almost primal, instinctive fear, she began trying to stomp her tiny opponents.
Even in her changed state, Goggles is fascinated by the collection of jars and specimens in the closet. She's in the process of trying to figure out how to take them with her - and it's a much more time consuming process thanks to the mutagen - when a jar flies off the shelf and hits Heavy. Immediately her skin is burned by the irritating chemical and three small deformed...fetuses? ran towards them. If they hadn't hurt Heavy, Goggles may have been inclined to just catch them to study them but but instead her intent is to rip them apart.
Creepy glances at Reaper, though by now their tactic is well established. The ghost, still incorporeal, effortlessly floats through the furniture, the horrific jar babies, and the doorway, stopping and spinning on his spectral heel. He raises his foot to stomp down hard, looking to Reaper impatiently to give him solid form.
Reaper bites his lip in concentration as Creepy begins to solidify.
"Disgusting."
The word came out of his mouth just as Lucius was hit by another flashback.
"Necromantic experiments with humanoid fetuses!"
He then yelled instructions, "Only use smashing weapons. Don't let them bite you because they will latch on to you. And try not to breathe when you kill them; they really stink when dead."
Tattoo moves quickly to the room when she hear the half-orc's cry. Seeing the severity of her wounds, she feel anxiety rising, but tries to keep her voice as calm as possible. "Heavy Hitter, you need to get away from those things. Goggles, you might want to as well..."
Pushing through the rubble towards the side of the table, she raises up her sling and takes aim. However, it is difficult to see past her companions to the small abominations.
Despite Lucius's warnings, it appears his advice were wasted...
Goggles quickly attacks the creature beneath her with both her claws, tearing it in two with her second attack. She then followed by biting the one closest to her, but that was beneath heavy. The creature's stench was terrible, however neither Heavy nor Goggles were affected by it.
The Creepy followed, by hitting the unharmed creature with his now-materialized fist... the strike was perfect, and soon after there was flesh sludge all over them, causing the phantom great discomfort... intriguingly enough, he was covered in the same rash that covered Heavy, and appeared to be in some distress .
With only one creature remaining, Heavy had little difficult to smash it beneath her foot, once more covering them in fetid sludge... now, all of them were fighting against their stomachs.
Lucius covered his mouth and gave Heavy and Creepy some distance; his phobia of contagious diseases now very evident.
"You should both... ah... clean yourselves up some. You don't look very well."
----
The professor then started to inspect the collection of jars with morbid fascination until he came upon the nest.
He stepped back, "Tattoo, why don't poke the nest with your spear or something?"
More concerned with the severity of the half-orc's wounds than the bizarre objects on the shelf, she pulls out one of the cleaner looking chairs and tries to help Heavy over to it, while they discuss their next moves.
As she does this, she side eyes the shelf. "Are you sure you want me to poke those things, Prof? Because I'm feeling a pretty strong 'look but don't touch' vibe from them..." she thinks for a moment, before correcting herself. "Scrap that. I don't even really want to look at it...Though it really does continue to ask the question...what the hell were they doing here?"
Returning to fussing over the half-orc's injuries, she comments, "Unless you all have a lot more healing magic hidden up your sleeve, I think we might need to turn back to camp. She can't go on like this."
"Alright, alright! Let's have a look-see..." Reaper hops onto the table using the butt of his scythe to balance, then hops down the other side. He starts to examine Jenni, tugging on her ears and pulling down her eyelids.
"Mmhmm, hmmmm," he grumbles gravely. "Bad news. You're still alive.". Then he gives her a small clap on the shoulder.
"And that's it. That's all I got. Think Tattoo is right."
Goggles handed her pack over to Heavy. "Healing in pack. Drink." While the others tended to Heavy and Creepy, Goggles looks closer at the closet and the nest. The pieces of a head were disgusting but she found it curious as to why they were there. Her claws made her searching more difficult but her curiosity was piqued, even in her altered state.
Heavy batted her friend's hands away, embarrassed by the attention. "Stop, it's okay. I'm okay." Though Reaper's magic did make her feel a bit better. Tenderly, she touched the blisters on her face...they were very sore to the touch.
Standing up, she wobbled a bit before finding her feet. "Actually, I don't feel so good. Maybe we could go back for a bit." She wiped the gunk off her shoes as best she could on the rubble, asking as she did so, 'What were those little creepy things? They looked a bit like babies, but not right. And why keep all those body parts in jars? What were the doing here?"
Lucius was just about to help Heavy but her current 'look' held him back.
Glad she was being attended, he commented, "I can also sing and coo and bring about healing. Don't ask me how but I just do."
He then asked, "Is anyone in need of healing right now?"
------------
Tattoo looks over the party before responding to Lucius, "I've got some bites around my ankle. Nothing too serious. I can still fight. But I must admit that it is throwing off my footwork a bit when we fight. Goggles also looks like she could benefit from first aid. Not sure how much her injuries are impeding her, though." She looks to Goggles to answer for herself on that matter, "As for Heavy Hitter here...we'll see."
Turning to face the half-orc, she gives her a stern look and orders, "Drink up that potion Goggle gave you. Come on now. Drink up. Maybe then you won't have so many worried people crowding around you..."
Reaper sifts through the remains they find in the closet with the tip of his blade, grimacing in distaste. He glances over the strange jars of preserved specimens.
"What do ya mean yer itchin'??" he asks Creepy.
"Well then, if'n Teach and Heavy here got enough juice t'carry on, let's at least check one more door." He and Creepy start for the hall, heading for the first unexplored doorway back in the main hall. As they walk, Creepy's ectoplasmic skin melts, leaving his ghostly incorporeal form shimmering through the air.
Tattoo looks over the party before responding to Lucius, "I've got some bites around my ankle. Nothing too serious. I can still fight. But I must admit that it is throwing off my footwork a bit when we fight."
Thankful he didn't have to get near anyone contagious, Lucius readily approached Tattoo, "Here, let me see the foot."
He then breathed deeply and warned everyone, "Don't laugh. This is the way it works."
He then started signing softly to the foot and asking it to get better. it sounded like he was talking to a baby.
Sure enough though, the bites around the ankle closed without leaving a scar.
-------
None of you find any explanation about what was the purpose of what was found within the closet. However, with so much mystery surrounding everything in this weird place, such nonsense was starting to become the common rule. As Reaper and Lucius take care of Heavy and Tattoo's wounds, Creepy disappears through the east wall.
"Nothin' but a pile o' rubble. Ceilin' collapsed. But! They's a pale hand pokin' out. Reckon it's a survivor, or another shifter?"
Tattoo fights back a chuckle as Lucius begins to sing. "Laugh at you? I would never..." However as the wound heals up, she responds more genuinely, "Thanks. That wasn't necessary...but it does help."
Hearing Reaper deliver his report, she leans left slightly to see past the professor. "Given what I've seen in this wing so far, I wouldn't get my hopes up...but there's only one way to find out..."
Reaching for the spear that was resting against the table, she heads towards the room and opens the door slowly. Examining the rubble for signs of movement or sound, she holds her spear ready to strike any attacker.
"Hello. Is there someone down there?" she asks cautiously.
Goggles follows Tattoo. "Cut hand, use silver ring. If dead, won't bleed. If shifter, turn color.
Heavy Hitter obediently swallowed the potion, then stowed the bottle carefully so that Goggles could use it to make another. When she came back to her normal self. If she came back to her normal self.
She followed Tattoo, stumbling a bit on some rubble. She really wasn't feeling well. When they got to the room with the arm, Heavy cautioned, "Watch out. Sometimes those arms don't need bodies attached to be trouble."
While moving towards the room Creepy was scouting, Goggles felt herself going back to normal... her muscles diminished, her claws and pointed teeth retracted, her eyes were not more yellowish and bestial. She was, once more, Goggles, or whoever she was in the first place.
You open the door with some difficult and the reason is apparent when you finally do so. The ceiling of what appears to be a lounge has collapsed entirely, crushing a table and a well-worn couch. There is also some furniture on the north wall, but it was completely reduced to splinters.
Looking beneath the rubble, you are able to see a pale hand extending from it... a poor victim or another strange trap? Judging the amount of rubble in the room, you calculate it would take around 10 minutes of good work to free it, him, or her.
No one answers Tattoo's call and nothing moves.
Reaper exhales in relief when Goggles returns to her normal form. "Yea try what she said. Cut the hand and try a silver ring. If it's a survivor and they ain't already dead, a prick to the finger won't kill 'em. Probably."
Lucius kept his blade out while the now 'normal' Goggles' experiment...