Dirissa pulls her attention away from her torch and nods to Harg. She sticks her new toy in her pack (with the head of the torch out), convinced (for the moment, at least) that it won't actually burn anything.
"If there are no veto's, I will operate this device when needed.", Basil takes possession of the hypogun, then follows Harg and Gauntlet as per her earlier statement.
The air in this room is unusually warm and moist, with a thin, pale vapor of mist clinging to the ceiling, causing the lighted panels to diffuse and become muted. Condensation runs down the walls along with a riot of unusual brown and dull green vegetation. The moist, thick-stemmed plants and vines grow out of long earth-filled troughs along the wall, while a tall column of plant matter extends like a tree trunk from a circular planter in the middle of the room to spread a network of vines across the mist-shrouded ceiling. A low humming sound fills the air.
"Interesting. I wonder what sort of device is making it warm in here?" mutters Kell to himself as he looks around.
Hesitant to approach the large tree too closely, Keldor nods at Kell's statement.
"Fascinating! I almost wish we had a druid with us! He would undoubtedly have something to say about this find."
As he enters the room, Harg's blade seems to buzz in his hand. An unusual sensation. It seems to be followed with a slight brightening of the room. Harg is used to seeing in the dark, but everything seems to be just a bit more in focus.
As if his senses are just a bit sharper. He can sense the room, not just with his eyes, but with something else. Wonder what about this room is allowing this odd sensation. Will need to research more later
"Whatever Environmental aspects of this room seem to be acting weird. These doors do not provide much circulation though this dungeon. A druid, really would help with all these plants. Give me metal any day, but living matter is too squishy."
"Odd. It's like a green house in here, but without the sun... or the windows."
She pokes at one of the vines with her hammer, ready to jump back just in case the thing grabs at her.
Harg, your eyes catch the slight movement, of a tendril-like arm moving up to some kind of panel on the wall. It only takes a click, and the doors shut behind you confining you into this room.
For a moment, it seems as if the very vegetation comes alive, but the truth reveals itself as vegetation-based humanoids attack!
Surprise round - Harg can have a double turn to signify him not being caught off guard.
Building up the arcane energy in his body, Harg focuses and pushes the energy into his blade. Something he has done many times before. This time the blade absorbed the energy and changed. The black metal blade started to turn brighter and brighter red. Heat giving off the blade itself.
A singular word enters Hargs mind {burn}. A strange accent, unlike any he has heard before.
Taking both hands and swinging down hard on the small creature behind Gauntlet
With a audible confusion, "What are these. What is this room doing to my blade?"
{Not the room.... me} The voice floods his mind again.
"What now? Harg is likely confused looking, but too focused on battle to pause for now.
Harg takes another swing at another of these creatures.
Keldor, not really shocked to be attacked here, immediately responds with Gauntlet's fist!
Kell takes a 5' step next to Dirissa to prevent the flank and then touches Harg's weapon, giving it Bane (Plants).
As its attacks are blunted by her armor, Dirissa swings her hammer at the weird little plant creature.
Basil lifts her gun from the readies stance and fires a blast straight ahead.
Quickly reloading, Basil attempts to get ready for a second shot.
Though the vegetation gets the drop on the party, a reaction speed that could only be wielded from experience allows them to quickly retaliate. With a speed most unnatural, Harg completely bisects two of the plant like creatures, one burning to burn to complete cinders soon after. Gauntlet pulverizes a third while Dirissa quickly follows up with a mashed up fourth. Basil finishes up the last one with several pellets scattered through its entire body.
Dirissa, you've heard of odd creatures called vegepygmies. While not the strongest of creatures, they are born from creatures killed by russet mold. Most likely they wanted to subdue you to increase their number through that method.
Dirissa shudders looking at the creatures. "Vegepygmies. Bad way to go. We should watch out for more molds." She shakes her head. "Everyone okay to continue?" she asks.
"Fascinating!"
Looking down at his blade, as it seems to cool to a more normal color. In this blade's case, obsidian black.
With a quick shake of his head, "Quick question. Did anyone else hear a strange accented voice say 'Burn'? I assumed it was something to do with this place we are in. Side question. Does this mold, you speak of, cause auditory hallucinations?"
Quick look around the room to see if there is anything of value, along with a detect magic. Keep yourself distracted and busy... {Hmm.. Do you not believe in this voice?}
Harg shakes his head and continues to look around.
"I am indeed prepared to continue."
"How does the mold kill? These opponents were hardly dangerous, but the mold seems more efficient at it's task if it generated servants like that. And can you provide information on how to identify it?"
Basil inquires of Dirissa, her eyes - and gun - subtly following Harg as she seems to evaluate his mental state.
"I believe it's a dark red or brownish mold. Spores from the mold infect and grow inside a host. They turn into these things, I think."
Dirissa isn't worried about Harg. Lots of people hear voices. Right?
"Spores cause the infection, you say? In that case, it would probably be advisable to keep our distance so that we don't breath in their miasma."
"If we identify any molds in advance, then I can use my acid magic on it like I did before with the mold that killed those others with cold."
Harg, you don't pick up on anymore plants that want to kill you in this room. The air is rather humid, and you can feel sweat begin to bead on your forehead given the drastic change from the somewhat climate controlled rest of the ship.
With a shake of the hand, blade moving briefly though the air, "Well.. Shall we continue at the most external clockwise door?"
If there is some agreement, Harg will attempt to open the door to the left.
Obviously eager to see more, Keldor waves to the indicated door.
"Let's go!"
As always, Basil remained behind the 2 Frontliners, her weapon ready.
The stench of mold and decay fills this open, dark chamber, no doubt created by the thick blanket of fungal matter coating the floor. Several chairs sit before work tables containing unusual tools and equipment, while a row of doors line the curved southern wall.
At a cursory look, in this darkened room, you don't notice much.
"Yeah, a mold that may just look a lot like that!" Dirissa says pointing into the room. "Don't touch anything! In fact, maybe don't even go in there." She's not positive without examining the mold closely, but she's not interested in taking chances, especially since they just fought the vegepygmies.
Keldor steps up to the door with his palm extended.
"Let me try this again...since it worked well last time."
Keldor then begins casting Acid Orb multiple times. Aiming for the thickest part of the mold he can see.
Looking around the room, "Yup, Dirissa, looks like that mold, doesn't it? There are also doors.. Lets not touch anything we don't have to."
Scanning the room for anything of interest,
"Must all these places stink? They really don't prepare you for that."
With the others focused on the inside of the room, Basil turned around, focusing on the area behind them. There was no guarantee the area was clear of hostiles, and it would not do to let down their guard.
Harg scans the room and almost immediately takes a step back as he spots a plant that doesn't seem as complacent as your normal molds and tufts of greenery. It seems to writhe as soon as Keldor starts spraying down the walls.
Beneath the ivy-like plant that seems almost like a venus fly trap lies what seems to be decayed bodies, each with a healthy growth of spores.
But with Harg's warning, its easy enough to outpace the crawling plant as it whips its tendrils in your direction, and the party easily dispatches the creature.
The bodies are still there, a hefty growth of mold on each of them.
Basil remains vigilant, securing the back of the team. "Keldor, does your Acid show any effect?"
"I think so, there's just so much of it, I can't be sure if I'm making much of a dent here! We should check those bodies, but we need to be careful of the mold spores too. I could summon something...a small elemental...to do the searching for us? Just to be safe?"
"I don't think searching the bodies is worth it. The risk of contamination is just too high. Although, an elemental doing it would be okay, I guess."
"I don't disagree. The danger is there, at least we can see is there is something magical on them. I don't have a way to determine if they have of this strange equipment that seems to somehow bypass magic, but better something"
Harg would cast detect magic and scan the rooms. And maybe mage hand to try to at least identify the bodies. Without actually touching the plant material.
"Stay back. I can try to shift the fungus around. But if it poofs off gas or spores we don't want to be close"
Keldor uses his Mage Hand spell as well to help Harg.
If it becomes necessary, Keldor will dispel Gauntlet and then will use his Summon Monster II ability to summon an earth elemental to grab the bodies and drag them a little closer, then search them in our view bringing anything it finds to us.
"Can one of you determine if there is anything magical in the room? That could help us determine whether or not to interact with the bodies."
"Sure thing, Kell," Dirissa says. She casts detect magic and peers into the room.
Dirissa, you do detect magic coming from the bodies, and as Keldor carefully manipulates the Mage Hand to shift through the bodies, it is obvious that these men still have their possessions on them. While they are fungus encrusted, it doesn't seem like the fungus spews airborne when disturbed, and indeed the acid charing seemed to have harmed the mold greatly. You even spy a few bottles of a familiar restorative shape on one of the bodies as well.
"It seems safe enough."
Keldor doesn't sound convinced but approaches the dead bodies to search.
Basil switches her ammunition to solid slug, and takes aim to cover Gauntlet instead of the perimeter, in case any of the bodies were more animate than they seemed to be.
Harg works with his mage hand as much as possible to clean up the area, but when the limit of the spell shows its sign, Harg steps in and starts to look over the bodies.
The bodies seem to be definitely killed by russet mold, and from their clothing, they were Brigh worshippers, indicated by the silver symbols that hang around each of their necks. Further investigation (and through very careful and time consuming sifting of the bodies without exposing yourselves too much reveal that each has a masterwork light hammer, masterwork chainmail that hasn't been ruined yet, and the leader has a ring that detects as magical, as well as three fungus encrusted bottles of familiar murky red liquid. There is also about 22 gp pieces with flecks of mold here and there.
Using his Mage Hand spell, Keldor will clean and grab what he can.
"Do we have anything to clean and neutralize the remainder of the mold? Wine or vinegar perhaps?"
"I wonder how long they've been here," Dirissa murmurs.
"I can try deluging it in water, if that's helpful."
Not really possessing any skills that could be of use in this situation, Basil is perfectly content to stand watch and let those more capable do the investigating.
Harg looks over and looks at the ring as well.
"We should bring these holy symbols up with us. The cleric up top might want them"
"Shall we continue looking in these doors. starting at the East most door?"