Yazi drops the Unchosen next to her and Hajar.
The mad doctor had the following on him:
- masterwork cleaver (functions as a masterwork dagger)
- a complete leather apron outfit, that might function as armor, with several open pockets on the front. It looks fairly new, even after the battle.
- masterwork surgical tools
- two belt pouches
- two potions in clay containers
- two glass bottles filled with viscous, crimson liquid
- a packet of various powders in tiny cloth bags, all different colors, except for three black bags
- ,
ROUND NINE
Init:
Khayal continues his assault on the pink gnoll, eager to put it down.
Khayal tears into him with the fury of pent up frustration.
Although you wrack your brain on the crimson fluid, none of your studies in the arcane arts makes you familiar with the items. They might be alchemical, or poison, given the nature of the mad doctor, or even nothing more than seasoning for the carrion they brought him for dinner.
Khayal's blades drops the last prototype Unchosen gnoll.
"I found several items on the madman's body, my friends, though I do not recognize some of them."
Khayal wipes the blood from his blades before returning them to his sheath.
Paige-dog sniffs the potions and crimson fluids shape shifting into human form she says Here, Bartan, let me help you figure out what these are.
You can tell the potions in the clay containers are magical, but more divine than arcane.
The two clay bottles scent as containing calm emotions. The two glass bottles with slow-moving, red fluid don't show up as magical at all. They might be alchemical, or something dealing with nature.
Paige explains her findings to Bartan, and also tries to discover the meaning of the red liquid with Hm. Gaggleberries mabe? Or centipede belly juice?
Examination of the viscosity of the red liquid leads you to believe they are actually vials of troll oil, and would give the imbiber a troll's death-denying powers for a short time.
Oh nature's bottom. Guys, these are Trolls Oil. Do you have any idea how hard this stuff is to find? First you usually have to challenge a Troll to a duel. Then if you win, you have to cut out it's kidneys which takes a particularly serrrated edge. Then you squeeze them by hand... Paige looks at the body of the dead doctor. This guy must have been one serious sicko to have some of this lying around.
"Revolting. But useful, for sure. We should keep those for dire straits."
Bartan looks around, and seeing no other exits except the way they came in, "It would seem that we have completed our task of ridding this place of dangerous gnolls and such. Shall we return and report our success? I am magically drained, so a bed and my spellbooks would be ideal at the moment."
Master Bartan, we have just begun our day. How can you think of sleep? Hajar chides the, in his estimation, lazy Varisian.
We still have Rokova to find and destroy...Perhaps the Troglodytes we met earlier have an answer?
"I realize this, friend Hajar, but I will be useless in combat as of now. However, I defer to your judgment."
Yes, let's finish this.
Hajar will lead the party up one level
Khayal will walk by Hajar's side. Washed kukris back out.
The paladin gathers everyone from the mad doctor's "rejects room" and leads them back to the iron spiral staircase and the level above.
Yep
The humans, however, literally met a party of gnolls on the way up - as they were on the way down! Three of the beast-men.
"So Rovoka wants more recruits. Down the stairs, he says. Something's killing them as soon as they- hey!"
Fight at the top of the staircase
ROUND ONE
Init:
Hajar steps up and attacks the lead gnoll Death to all who revere the Rough Beast!
Gah! What the heck? How many of you filthy beasts are in this place?? Paige casts Badgers Ferocity on Yazi, keenly aware that she is running out of spells for the day...
Bartan will wait for his allies to move out of the stairwell...
The first gnoll gets cut down the middle by the paladin. The others snarled and raised their battleaxes against the humans.
But it's readily apparent that these new recruits are not Carrion Guard level.
Khayal moves around the pilar the long way in order to get next to the blue gnoll without provoking. He swings his kukri into its flank.
Yazi's attack hit the gnoll's leather armor ineffectively, but Khayal's follow-up finished off the enemy .
ROUND TWO
Init:
Khayal steps up and goes into full swing.
Most of his blows landing on the remaining gnoll.
The last gnoll falls in a spurt of blood.
Paige kicks a gnoll. Dirty unnatural beasts. Come let's finish the job. I want a hot bath back in kelmarane before weeks end.
Hajar continues with the group north, heading for where he hopes this Rokova lies...
Bartan follows, his cards charged up and ready.
Going around the chambers as before, you run into the rubble blocking the collapsed hallway.
Manually clearing the earth from this tunnel takes hours of work per 10 feet.
You can just barely make out the outline of a typical stone door to the right in the corridor, just as the rocks and earth fill in the area. You'll have to clear enough of the rubble, minutes of work, to be able to get the door open, even after you look at the lock.
Paige tries to help find the way...(+2 helpingz)
We could start digging.
"Digging... seems like a job for someone who can change into an animal, don't you think? My dear Paige, do you have a creature in your repertoire that might be able to quickly dig out that mess?"
Super good idea. Let me give it a try! Paige becomes Dire Badger Paige and starts to dig out the door that Yazi has pointed out...
Paige-the-druid becomes a 500-lb, more than 4 ft-tall Dire Badger, immediately crowding out the others looking at the rubble in the corridor. With a few swipes of her heavy claws, she easily clears the rocks and earth in front of the door, flinging it behind her.
"Will the door require my expertise, my lady?"
If so...
=> The Bear (True Neutral, Strength)
Even though Bartan is nimble with his use of the card in the lock, the Bear exerts its brute force and Bartan finds himself pushing heavily on the door while trying to unlock it, making it harder for the lock to click open...
"Your clothing has nothing to fear from me, my dear. I would only rip your clothing if it was really warranted." He winks at her as he's working on the lock.