The idol on the wall appears to be discharged. You doubt touching it will trigger a second trap effect.
"What in the blazes was that thing?" Dhavyn says with a shaky voice. The healing burst from Anjali has restored his shriveled skin but he still looks very pale.
"I hope there aren't more dangers lurking around" he lifts the glowing necklace and peers into the hallway behind him. Unfortunately the darkness past radius of the light still provides to be an effective barrier.
"Wow, thanks Anjali ! Those are strong feelings one after another..."
Avenka feels a bit weird and off-balanced, but manages to stay ready.
Hajar answers Dhavyn's question with a statement of purpose. We must find what causes this poor girl to be possessed and destroy it. This desecration cannot be allowed to continue.
|
and off into the darkness like this
As Angel's pleasant healing washes over the group Yazi will grumble for a moment as she sees the dark spirit escape before angrily pointing at the icon of Urgathoa. "Accursed thing, Daisy! Melt it with your superman powers! Then let's go find that Desecrater so I can put my boot up its ass!" While about unnerved as anyone would be upon going down into an abandoned crypt upon having to deal with anything of Urgathoa and seeing the corruption of the resting place of so many those who look in the dim light can say that this is currently the angriest any of them had seen Yazi, her face snarling with clenched teeth and her burning gold eyes almost seeming to reflect any light that comes across them.
There is a body of a great saint that has become haunted. The body is set in a stone sarcophogas at the foot of a shrine. The shrine contained an idol of saranrae, but that idol is now lying on the floor because someone knocked it down. In it's place is an idol to the evil demon goddess of undeath. The haunt was neutralized by Anjali's channel. But haunts come back unless you can destroy/move/change the thing that is anchoring the haunt.
Bartan doesn't really know what to do here, but the idol on the floor does seem to be an important piece of the puzzle. He flicks a card at the idol of Urgathoa alsmost as an afterthought, and it topples over, leaving a space that seems made for another idol to be placed there.
Anjali steps closer to the idols, cupping her chin thoughtfully. Her brow wrinkles as she considers the two. "If the possession happened here, beneath this idol that was set into the wall and if it felt as though that wave of energy came from this direction..."
Tossing her hair over her shoulder, she looks at the rest of the group, hoping they could all puzzle it out together. She picks up the Dawnflower's idol, weighing it tentatively in her hands.
Although not an exceptionally bright man, Hajar comes upon an idea.
The idol, it does not belong. and he walks over to smash the offending object
"While I know little about divine rituals there are often Foci involved in spells that bind things so I agree with Yazi and Hajar here. You are better equipped to solve this as I am and I believe the icon was the source of the discharge so might as well destroy it."
Dhavyn pulls into safe distance as Hajar approaches the icon. "If that does not work I can try to melt it as Yazi suggested."
Anjali carefully passes the idol of the Dawnflower over to Hajar. "Perhaps it is the follower of Sarenrae that should place this back in its rightful place of honor."
The evil idol smashes with a satisfying crunch.
Dhavyn is visibly relieved that the idol did not explode with another burst of negative energy. He walks back to others. "Now what? Did it it work?"
He waves hand and utters דעטעקט מאַגיק. A faint blue glow emanates from his eyes and any previously hidden magical auras are now unveiled before his gaze.
"Perhaps we should return the other idol back to its rightful place now?" he adds while scanning the area.
Indeed. says Hajar as he replaces the holy symbol of Sarenrae upon the wall.
As Hajar places the icon back in it's slot the corps of the incorruptible little saint sighs and grows still. Anjali no longer senses the aura of undeath and Hajar no longer detects any evil in the area. Suddenly the creepy crypt-noises of skittering cockroaches and water dripping is replaced by an very soft "aaaaaaah" as though angels were singing somewhere nearby. A glow seems to shine out of nowhere illuminating the shrine in soft sparkling light. On the the young saint's cloak you find a jeweled brooch, which you may take without offending saranrae.
Well we should continue on.
Anjali nods at Khayal. "If you would walk with me, I could bear the light into one of the larger passageways we passed by." The healer still seems a little shaken by the whole experience, constantly fussing with tucking her hair behind her ears. She lifts her chin determinedly though, willing to walk down one of the dark passageways as long as she had one of the fighters by her side.
Seeing Anjali's nerves, Khayal seeks to stand between her and danger. Her healing has bound his wounds a few times now, she is too important to risk.
With Khayal near her, Anjali steels herself to continue on. She heads back down the passage they are in and makes a right at the largest intersection, heading south down the wide passageway.
The light from her necklace disappears with her, leaving Dhavyn's light with the others hopefully following soon after.
"I hope there are no more undead this way," she whispers, peering into the new area before them to see what lies ahead.
You all move cautiously down the cooridor. You explore some side passages but find nothing of note. Finally you come to a heavy wooden door. Beyond the door you eventually find a room:
A19: This chamber seems to be an enormous laboratory. Against the north and south walls are two identical daises raised about five feet from the laboratory floor, each accessed by a wide set of curved stairs. Atop each dais is a wide workbench covered in a bewildering series of glass beakers, tubes, alembics, athanors, and other alchemical tools. Some of these containers are filled with a murky green substance. A massive mold-encrusted basalt table dominates the entrance of the room, flanked by two small tables to the east and west containing surgical tools and sheaves of old parchment. The walls of the subterranean lab were clearly fashioned from the living rock under the monastery, but carefully cut mold-encrusted tiles line the floor, interrupted occasionally by metal drains the size of dinner plates. MAP UPDATED.
What is the purpose of this? Khayal says looking about the laboratory.
"Careful now. Remember what happened with the idol. Whoever set these things up must be nearby and considering the place it's unlikely they are the friendly sort - and probably can see in the dark."
Staying alert while the others explore Dhavyn incants ליכט to renew the light spell on his necklace. He also whispers דעטעקט מאַגיש and starts scanning the room for magical auras. He pushes past Anjali to a better position.
What is this place? Hajar says as he moves cautiously into the room. He looks to Dhavyn or Bartan.
"It is a laboratory naturally. Likely for experimenting with corpses judging from the location and those stone slabs, but I admit I'm guessing here. Lair of a mad alchemist perhaps?"
Experimenting on corpses? Mad alchemist? We are in a monastery dedicated to the Dawnflower, I think perhaps you have the wrong idea. Hajar says with a raised eyebrow as he begins examining the room.
"Nothing seems too natural here, better to be careful"
Anjali, who cannot even fathom why one would desecrate the dead, swallows down her distaste for the room they are currently exploring and crouches down to examine the mold on the floor. She takes care to keep her hands clear of the greenish substance, preferring instead to keep them on her crossbow. "I wonder if this is natural, Avenka."
Avenka goes to check closer :
Yazi and Khayal notice the slime in the jars and beakers quivering. The slime molds look like sloppy, near-liquified plant matter festooned with tiny mushrooms and patches of sickly green and mustard-hued mold.
Dhavyn's detect magic reveals nothing magical in the room, though many of the parchments contain magical formulae (spellcraft would be more appropriate for that).
Hajar would probably recognize this space as an embalming room for mumifaction. But there is an aweful lot of experimentation equipment and parchments.
Anjali can see the mold on the floor is similar to the stuff in the jars, tiny mushrooms sprout in the mold.
A glass beaker near Hajar makes a "tink" sound as the green slime inside moves.
This mold moves. Khayal says as he points to the mold in the jars.
Huh.. Hajar says as he stares at the quivering beaker. What is this? he reaches for the beaker to study its contents momre closely.
"That is fascinating!" Anjali replies to Khayal. "I have not seen mold such as this in the Evergrowth before." Curiosity wars with caution as Anjali gingerly moves closer to the large basalt table to examine the mold there too.
Dhavyn unrolls a few of the scrolls to examine them. "These papers appear to be magical in nature. Formulae perhaps...? However I can't quite make out of what they contain."
He pauses and shakes his head. "Bartan. Can you assist here?"
As Hajar reaches for the beaker the mold inside suddenly bursts forth! It sprays a misting cloud of spores onto his face. Hajar sucks in the spores...
init:
The slime in the other jars and beakers also burst forth. They form themselves into a blubbery jiggling lump. The slime mounds up on itself menacingly until it shapes itself into a sort of humanoid. It's face clearly resembles the face in the reliefs and paintings upstairs...the Janni warrior Vardishal...But if it is him, it is but a shadow of it's former self. Nothing now but a terrible monster.
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Monsters
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MAP UPDATED.
Dhavyn whirls around alerted by the sudden noise. "What in the blazes..." he gapes as the massive creature emerges but soon shakes himself free of the reverie.
"What in the holy name of Abaddar you people were doing!? Couldn't have kept your hands to yourself? Amazing..." he curses and hurries down along the wall.
He draws forth the flames and unleash a searing ray at the creature.
Vardishal? says Hajar, holding his weapon in a defensive posture until he knows more.
I am a servant of the Dawnflower, come to this place to cleanse it and restore Kelmerane. What has happened to you?
Anjali reflexively steps forward to reach for the stricken Hajar. Her speech devolves into guttural pops, like burning sap in a fire. The only thing for certain is that where Anjali's hand touches the paladin, a frisson of divine guidance passes from her and into him.
As soon as she drops her hand from him, Anjali makes sure her crossbow is loaded.
The slime molds ooze up PCs’ legs, attempting to
force their way into a character’s mouth or nose. Any character
affected by the slime mold’s fungal rot disease or engulf attack
must make a successful DC 18 Fortitude save.
The creature opens it's mouth in a yawning gape at Hajar's query but it does not answer. Whatever part of Vardishal was once surviving by posessing this slime is now gone...
Hajar: As your lungs clear from the mold's spores you hear a voice in your mind: Do not be afraid. I have waited hundreds of years for you. You will help me escape this place and resume my quest against a great evil. In exchange I will help you along they way and give you a great gift...But only if you agree to allow me, Vardishal, Templar of the North wind and servant of Nafeshti, to share your body!
I will help you Vardishal. We will destroy the evil that infests Kelmerane together. Hajar responds to the voice.
With a loud Yaaaah he attacks the slime!
Avenka moved and attacks :