Tiny walks over to the pool and gently dips a finger in to test. He removes his hand and wiggles his fingers, appearing to be fine. Tiny then reaches his arm into the pool to reach the bottom and the bauble. He pauses, then rips his arm out of the pool with an extremely loud grunt of pain.
"Master, it burns! The top is fine, but the bottom hurts!"
Tiny takes 29 points of acid damage (resistance already subtracted).
Radek frowns at the pool filled with acid, as learned by the summoner's creation called Tiny. The dwarf nods toward the wall where he spotted an irregularity and grunts aloud. "There be a hidden door or the like jus' there. Might be a secret door, and though I'm nae seein' anythin' obvious this place reeks of a trap. Best te be prepared in case somethin' comes through." Radek glances back at the spellcaster-types. "Ye got some means o' getting tha' pretty bauble out o' the acid pool without gettin' yer feet wet, best te do it now. Then let's 'ave a closer look at tha' secret door."
The ranger will wait on guard just inside the room until the others are done fooling around with the acid pool and the gem it protects. Then he'll move closer to the possible secret door and look for a means of opening it, if it doesn't appear to be trapped.
Move just into the room, to the right of the door on the side where he spotted the irregular section of wall on the east side of the room halfway down the length of the pool. I'm actually kinda betting something is going to come crashing through there once somebody messes with that gem at the bottom of the pool, but that's just a guess. Can one of you summon a creature immune to acid to fetch it?
”Psycho” | Male N Human Psychic 10 | HP 42/62 0/8 temp | Mage armor on AC 22, T18, FF 21 (AC 19, T 18, FF 18) | CMB +3 CMD 20 | F +9 R +11 W +18 | Init +1 | Perc +17 SM +4 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 6/8, 2nd 5/8, 3rd 4/7, 4th 2/6, 5th 3/4; Detect thoughts 1/1; Phrenic pool 9/9; Third eye 1/1; | Active Conditions: Echolocation, fly and mage armor;; scroll of spell immunity
Psycho cast some spell Levitate do get that thing out of the pool.
Psycho cast some spell Levitate do get that thing out of the pool.
The bauble rises out of the pool, dripping "liquid" back into the pool as it rises. After rinsing it thoroughly with water, it appears safe to handle and examine further.
Spellcraft (Psycho, Jing, Barnaby):
It appears that this bauble is a cheap glass bead from a child's necklace, enchanted with a fading continual flame spell. Beyond being a memento, it is essentially worthless.
Radek Angdur wrote:
The ranger will wait on guard just inside the room until the others are done fooling around with the acid pool and the gem it protects. Then he'll move closer to the possible secret door and look for a means of opening it, if it doesn't appear to be trapped.
After seeing no explosions or doors bursting open with hordes of ghasts poring forth, the dwarf inspects the east wall further. Noting no particular traps, he pries a loose stone off the wall to reveal a hidden alcove. Inside rests a canister made of metal and glass, which holds clear liquid that occasionally solidifies inside to form opaque crystals of mind-bendingly complex matrices before melting back to liquid. Additionally, there is also a scroll tied with a black moldy ribbon, and two vials of brownish green liquid.
Should Radek show these to the remainder of the group, Tahonikepsu exclaims "That is it! The liquid in that canister is the same as in the vision from earlier. Crystal aether," she says thoughtfully. "It might be best to see if we can find any other notes Tahari made about it, before attempting to see what it does."
Spellcraft(Psycho, Jing, Barnaby, Cassandra):
You are able to determine that the scroll is a scroll of heal. Additionally, the two vials of liquid are vials of antiplague, though they have an incredibly potent and spicy cinnamon aftertaste.
There does not appear to be any additional points of interest in this room. Approaching and searching the door to the north does not reveal any traps, though there is another tarnish brass plaque on the wall nearby.
Barnaby, Cassandra:
The plaque on the wall reads "Leaving Waste Disposal, Entering North Archives."
Something Ominous (Psycho, Jing):
After you cast the levitate spell and the rejuvenate eidolon spells, you begin to feel odd. While your allies gather around the items the dwarf found, you start to feel like all of your veins have begun to have ice flowing through them, and coldness quickly fills your body and saps your strength. The sensation passes rapidly, lasting only a couple moments, but leaves you feeling weaker and out of breath. Psycho gains 1 permanent negative level, Jing gains 2 permanent negative levels.
”Psycho” | Male N Human Psychic 10 | HP 42/62 0/8 temp | Mage armor on AC 22, T18, FF 21 (AC 19, T 18, FF 18) | CMB +3 CMD 20 | F +9 R +11 W +18 | Init +1 | Perc +17 SM +4 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 6/8, 2nd 5/8, 3rd 4/7, 4th 2/6, 5th 3/4; Detect thoughts 1/1; Phrenic pool 9/9; Third eye 1/1; | Active Conditions: Echolocation, fly and mage armor;; scroll of spell immunity
”Psycho” | Male N Human Psychic 10 | HP 42/62 0/8 temp | Mage armor on AC 22, T18, FF 21 (AC 19, T 18, FF 18) | CMB +3 CMD 20 | F +9 R +11 W +18 | Init +1 | Perc +17 SM +4 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 6/8, 2nd 5/8, 3rd 4/7, 4th 2/6, 5th 3/4; Detect thoughts 1/1; Phrenic pool 9/9; Third eye 1/1; | Active Conditions: Echolocation, fly and mage armor;; scroll of spell immunity
Can I know what happened to me? What is the source?
Can I know what happened to me? What is the source?
Knowledge (Arcana)/Spellcraft (Psycho):
You review everything you did recently; including searching the room for any active spells or magic runes, any errors with your spellcasting, etc. As far as you are aware, there are no magical causes that you are aware of that could be causing this effect on you. The only trigger you can conclude is that the effect began with the casting of a spell. It is possible that you may be cursed, under some kind of overarching magical effect projecting over the entire complex, or suffering some kind of deleterious effect from earlier that is just now coming to light.
Herosim, DR 5/Adamantine, fatigued, hasted (both included in line above), Inspiration on checks is 1d6 +2 (favored class bonus)
All this for a trick. Barnaby says as he tosses the fairly worthless stone behind him. He begins to looks intently over the 'crystal aether' substance when Psycho's cry goes out.
Weaker how? What happened? the investigator hisses out, hand falling to his mace as he scans the area nervously.
I'm far from good at it, but a Heal check on Psycho?
Weaker how? What happened? the investigator hisses out, hand falling to his mace as he scans the area nervously.
I'm far from good at it, but a Heal check on Psycho?
Heal Check (Barnaby):
You examine Psycho's vital signs and reflexes. He appears to exhibit the typical signs of energy drain that many victims of vampires and other creatures that drain life essence experience. Psycho has no outwardly signs of any puncture wounds or other entry points for such creatures, so it is possible that either a magical effect did this or there is another force at work.
Tahonikepsu looks concerned at the signs Psycho is exhibiting. "Hmmm...he was not acting like this prior to us entering the complex. It is possible that we are now encountering another one of Tahari's...experiments?" she says pensively. "I did sense some...wrongness...when we entered. We need more information. Perhaps she has a log or notes about these symptoms somewhere. With the right perspective, it may be possible to get a better handle on this situation."
Unable to do anything about the weakness that Psycho is complaining about, Radek moves cautiously to the far side of the room and examines the far door. "Mebee the answer be on th' other side o' this door." When the others are ready, he opens it.
Herosim, DR 5/Adamantine, fatigued, hasted (both included in line above), Inspiration on checks is 1d6 +2 (favored class bonus)
Right, Bwrnaby says to Tahonikepsu. Another spell, or curse, or ward. Expected I suppose, for an evil necromancer's stronghold. The half-elf's voice sounds increasingly strained compared to the start.
Eyes up then. And don't touch or do anything. Especially what he did. Anyone else feeling...drained?
Unable to do anything about the weakness that Psycho is complaining about, Radek moves cautiously to the far side of the room and examines the far door. "Mebee the answer be on th' other side o' this door." When the others are ready, he opens it.
Opening this door, Radek encounters a room similar to the South Archive. This room once again has shelves with more bones stacked in neat rows, all with etchings and symbols on each bone. There is a hallway exiting out of this archive to the west, ending in another stone doorway with another brass plaque.
Searching this room does not reveal any particular peculiarities, like the bone scroll tube in the previous archive, or any traps and hazards.
Barnaby, Cassandra:
Should you take 15 minutes to read the various etchings and records on these bones, they detail out data regarding a "memory extraction" device from one of Tahari's experiments. It specifically notes how long each victim lasted before succumbing to complete vital memory loss (e.g. the ability to breathe and live), as well as a general distribution of each individual's memory types (e.g. pleasant, violent, facial identification, etc).
Additionally, you can translate the next brass plaque on the western door to read "Slave Pits."
Male Kitsune (always in human form) Sorc 11 (Fey bloodline) , HP 79/79, Init +19 (+23), F 10, R 7, W 11 (+1 against poisons or diesease)
Once again Mr. Madison examines the bone fragments. using UMD, to try to decipher arcane writing
He wears white leather gloves as he handles the bones trying to be ever so careful whilst handling them.
Male Kitsune (always in human form) Sorc 11 (Fey bloodline) , HP 79/79, Init +19 (+23), F 10, R 7, W 11 (+1 against poisons or diesease)
Mr. Madison withdraws the wand they picked up earlier. We aught to give this a try. Jing,Psyco, come over here.
Activating the wand with ease, he touches the two spell casters with an out stretched hand. Removing some of their ailment. Can heal one negative level apiece.
"Hold a moment Radek. These bones seem to detail an experiment to remove the subjects' memories, until their minds were so far gone the subjects died."
”Psycho” | Male N Human Psychic 10 | HP 42/62 0/8 temp | Mage armor on AC 22, T18, FF 21 (AC 19, T 18, FF 18) | CMB +3 CMD 20 | F +9 R +11 W +18 | Init +1 | Perc +17 SM +4 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 6/8, 2nd 5/8, 3rd 4/7, 4th 2/6, 5th 3/4; Detect thoughts 1/1; Phrenic pool 9/9; Third eye 1/1; | Active Conditions: Echolocation, fly and mage armor;; scroll of spell immunity
Herosim, DR 5/Adamantine, fatigued, hasted (both included in line above), Inspiration on checks is 1d6 +2 (favored class bonus)
Does it say where she put them? Barnaby asks, distracted. Maybe those would have some answers.
He paces, still trying to piece together what happened to a third of the party - and why just a third. Okay, what's the pattern then. Human? No, he glances at Mr. Madison. Still an odd man out. And there's a chance I'd've been affected as well. Same with affinity towards pyshic effects. And Tiny wasn't affected, just Jing. So what...
The detective's face pales. No. No that would be...ingenious. Cor!
He speaks up. This is important. Did anyone but Psycho and Jing cast a spell - down here at least?
These bones are essentially the same as the ones in the previous room, just serving as a recording medium for experiment records.
Barnaby Rockford wrote:
Does it say where she put them? Barnaby asks, distracted. Maybe those would have some answers.
Barnaby:
You recall from the facility index at the first room, that there was a room titled "Memory Extraction" located in the west wing of the complex.
Barnaby and Mr. Madison wrote:
He speaks up. This is important. Did anyone but Psycho and Jing cast a spell - down here at least?
Since being in here, I have only used the wand. Should we try to experiment? I would hate to be caught in a fight without magic.
Tahonikepsu looks worried at this point. "While I agree it is important to find more about what is affecting us, experimenting without knowledge can be dangerous. What if this gets worse with every time it is triggered?" She paces in a circle for a few moments, gathering her thoughts. The Sage turns to Barnaby and Cassandra. "We were looking at the directory for this complex earlier. Is there perhaps a room that seems more likely to have what we seek?"
"According to the sign the "Cleansing Room," "Laboratory," and "Memory Extraction" lie to the west. The "South and North Archives," "Waste Disposal," "Slave Pits," and "Incubation Chambers" lie to the east. From that I would suggest backtracking and going west to get to the meat of the facility."
Using his dwarven sense of direction underground, Radek grunts. "Think this door might be takin' us back te the other side. Tha' Memory Extraction room might 'ave th' answers yer lookin' fer." The dwarf stands ready to open the door at the end of the short passage when the others indicate whether they are moving on from here or deciding to backtrack.
”Psycho” | Male N Human Psychic 10 | HP 42/62 0/8 temp | Mage armor on AC 22, T18, FF 21 (AC 19, T 18, FF 18) | CMB +3 CMD 20 | F +9 R +11 W +18 | Init +1 | Perc +17 SM +4 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 6/8, 2nd 5/8, 3rd 4/7, 4th 2/6, 5th 3/4; Detect thoughts 1/1; Phrenic pool 9/9; Third eye 1/1; | Active Conditions: Echolocation, fly and mage armor;; scroll of spell immunity
Male Kitsune (always in human form) Sorc 11 (Fey bloodline) , HP 79/79, Init +19 (+23), F 10, R 7, W 11 (+1 against poisons or diesease)
Amenophus wrote:
We maybe have six hours before any collapses occur, but it is best to assume four to be on the safe side. This gives us three hours to search for a suitable location for the ritual, and then one hour to complete it and escape."
We may not have time for truely thourough searches.
Herosim, DR 5/Adamantine, fatigued, hasted (both included in line above), Inspiration on checks is 1d6 +2 (favored class bonus)
No, but not knowing what's going on means we may not know if the ritual'll even work. Barnaby counters.
He turns to Radek. If you think that door'll end up going to the same place, may as well open it first. But a 'Laboratory' and the Memory room might give a sense of what Tahari was up to here. Let's give them a scan at least. If it looks like diving into the weeds will take too long we can always continue down here first. I'm sure 'Incubation Chambers' are going to be lovely. Can't wait.
The dwarf opens the door, revealing a room with a bridge crossing a dark chasm containing mountains of bones. Fearsome fiendish statues armed with serrated blades appear to be guarding the far side of the bridge, standing before a double door. An obsidian moon embosses the doors’ center.
Perception (Radek, Angdur):
As you gaze into the room, it is very obvious to your keen eyes that there is a trap on the bridge. Should someone move quickly over it, it is set to tilt abruptly and dump its contents into the adjacent pits. Moving slowly (i.e. half speed or less) avoids the trap, or you can simply attempt to jam it on the close side with Disable Device. You can also notice that the statues on the other side appear to be holding rods of some kind.
Barnaby, Cassandra:
There is a brass plate near the door to this room that reads "Slave Pits."
"'Ware." Radek growls. "There's a trap in the middle o' that bridge that'll dump anyone passin' o'er it into the pit. Looks like ye can shuffle past it by movin' slow, or mebee someone can jam it closed, if'n yer skilled with mechanical traps. Also, those statues seem te be holdin' some kinda rods."
If the others seem keen on moving through, Radek will lead the way, moving slowly (half speed) to avoid the trap on the bridge.
Can you mark the trapped section? Some of us might be able to jump over it, if necessary. Radek won't advance until the others sound off as ready, as the spellcasters might want to take a look at those statues and/or the rods they are holding
Can you mark the trapped section? Some of us might be able to jump over it, if necessary.
Done (*Map Updated*). From what you saw of the trap, it looks like the trigger point is just the two squares closest to the northern end of the bridge. It becomes armed when fast movement occurs anywhere on the entire span, so half-speed movement or simply jumping over the catch would bypass it.
Herosim, DR 5/Adamantine, fatigued, hasted (both included in line above), Inspiration on checks is 1d6 +2 (favored class bonus)
Barnaby looks ahead, skeptically. So, head past a fully trapped bridge above where they used to dump slaves, to go to a place they 'Incubated' who knows what.
He gives a dry sigh. Just making sure I understand the plan.
Barnaby still proposes backtracking to to Memory Room and/or lab, but will defer to the group.
Curious after Radek's announcement Cassandra moves into the room behind Radek and casts Detect Magic.
Detect Magic/Knowledge Arcana (Cassandra):
You focus your spell across the bridge towards the statues and the rods they hold. After about a half minute or so, you can confirm that the two rods are indeed magical; though you find their magical auras a bit too complex to decipher in terms of what type of magic they hide.
The statues themselves are not magical, and after a bit of observation you believe they are just normal statues; there does not appear to be any animating runes or sigils that are hallmarks for constructs.
Finally, you do not notice any deletrious effect when you cast the spell, compared to what happened to Psycho and Jing.
"Huh. They don't actually appear to be constructs. Those rods are definitely magical, but I can't tell what they do. Psycho, Jing, I'm not sure what happened back there, but there was no reaction when I cast my spell just now."
”Psycho” | Male N Human Psychic 10 | HP 42/62 0/8 temp | Mage armor on AC 22, T18, FF 21 (AC 19, T 18, FF 18) | CMB +3 CMD 20 | F +9 R +11 W +18 | Init +1 | Perc +17 SM +4 | Speed 30ft | Spells: 1st 6/8, 2nd 5/8, 3rd 4/7, 4th 2/6, 5th 3/4; Detect thoughts 1/1; Phrenic pool 9/9; Third eye 1/1; | Active Conditions: Echolocation, fly and mage armor;; scroll of spell immunity
Psycho approached Cassandra as he wanted to look at the rods. Maybe he'll know what they are.
Tiny has magical flight and 19 strength. He lands 25' directly north of Jing Kwan's current position and places Jing Kwan in the square to the south.
The trip across the chasm is uneventful, though Jing and Tiny notice the chasm below appears to be about 40 foot deep; it looks like the dark depth of the pit is sporting rather sharp spikes as well. The duo lands on the opposite side, getting a better look at the details. Psycho moves to get a clear line of sight as well from the south side of the bridge too.
Perception (Jing, Psycho):
The rod in the left statue is made of a dark wood with steel caps on either end. The rod in the right statue is made of a pleasing light blue stone, with a blue sapphire at one end. Furthermore, there is a brass plaque on the wall near the door; Jing can see writing on it in a language he does not understand.
Psycho, you can attempt to see what auras are active with a detect magic spell, but you may want to wait until after Jing is done perhaps...
Spellcraft/Something Ominous (Jing):
For some reason, the magic on the left statue's rod eludes you. You believe the rod in the right statue is a wand of calm emotions with 15 charges. Additionally, after you cast detect magic to identify the items, you start to feel the icy chill begin to surge through your veins again. You struggle to quell the sensation, but it once again ebbs some of your strength away leaving you weaker. Jing gains 2 more permanent negative levels.
