|
Sheela's spell seems to have no effect whatsoever on the gigantic mass of putrid flesh.
Idril prepares to heal the elemental. Unfortunately the monster destroys the summon before this could happen
Thanks to Sheela's aid Rogar easily steps into the water delivering a powerful blow to the monster slashing into its flesh and apparently causing some damage. A feat Azrael duplicates to a lesser extent.
Meanwhile Valentynne and Valais consider their options, the would be Venture Captain apparently not trusting her ability to be effective in the water:"Get out of there! OBEY ME! Sssssstabbbbb it to death!"
The monster answers by trying to eat Rogar alive...
-> -> ->
And unfortunately for Rogar the ravenous creature almost kills him with a single tentacle blow and then proceeds to try finishing him off with the pure pressure of its grip...
"Bleargh! THE STENCH! Now I remember why I avoided the watewr!"[b] Valais cries.
[b]Round 03 - Bold may act
Vrothum
Idril
Valais Sickened
Azrael
Valentynne
Sheela
Rogar -32hp, grappled
??? -42hp
|
After the monster's turn, Vrothum would've seen the group decided not to draw it towards the stairs, and would fight alongside Rogar and Azrael.
Round 2: Vrothum moves up and strikes at the Creature with one of his claws.
Round 3: Vrothum maniacally claws and slashes at the mysterious creature in hopes of saving his friend.
|
Idril sees the elemental fall. Realizing his next action may be foolish, he wades into the water to join the fray, not willing to allow his fellow agents to face this monstrosity alone. He swings his enhanced black blade at the foul best, trying to hold his breath during the attack. The half elf wretches nonetheless.
Idril fights the nearly overwhelming nausea and presses his attack, making a desperate attempt to enhance his attack with magic.
|
Sheela turns up her nose. "I did mention how filthy that water seemed."
She shakes her head and begins summoning again, using Summon Monster 2 to summon another Small Water Elemental.
"Luckily Madam Wayve is nearby."
|
|
The creature is tough but thankfully your efforts manage to kill it before it can eat Rogar and turn on the rest of your group. Unfortunately the carcass' stench onsly worsens once the beast is dead.
"Well... that was foolish yet you managed to kill that... thing... KilllkilllKILLLL!. Well done I guess. So, do you want to check out what's on the other side of that submerged door or should we move back on drier land?" Valais asks.
|
|
Sheela finishes her summoning spell and summons Madam Wayve.
"Rogar, can you and Madam Wayve see what's past the door?"
Madam Wayve tries to open the door, or assist Rogar as needed.
"I have a wand of cure light wounds you can use to heal your injuries, but Madam Wayve won't be here for much longer!"
|
|
Most of you notice how the water hardly stirs, and as a result, the layer of mud along the ground has preserved several tracks. WHat they are you cannot say for sure though...
All you are sure of is some of them were left by a barefoot humanoid, the rest seems too alien to correctly identify. All of the tracks go deep into the water and then disappear. It seems clear someone used this way to escape the lodge, but without relaiale means to breath underwater following seems impossible.
Once you are finished examining the partially flooded cave you turn back and reach the next room in the secret complex. It turns out to be some sort of library! The walls are lined with steel bookshelves bolted into the polished stone. Books rest comfortably against each other, each given ample room to be removed without risk of damaging the contents within. Two black leather chairs next to the western wall are positioned around an ostentatious wooden table supporting a single glass tumbler. There are two identical, reinforced wooden doors along the western wall.
|
|
Idril, Sheela and Vrothum spend half an hour studying the texts. The truth they find out are clearly upsetting but their knowledge and abilities are called into question to determine exactly how much of the extent of Thurl's activities and research they uncover and understand.
While his more studious companions check the books out Rogar searches the room and discovers several drawers in the bottom of the southern bookshelf containing 20 bottles of fine liquor as well as several potions. Rogar also notices a battleaxe mounted on a bracket near the stairs.
|
|
Sheela cannot make much sense out of the knowledge the books contain. The only thing she's quite sure of is Thurl was involved in some really unsavory practices involving experiments with demonology.
Vrothum seems to understand things to a much deeper extent. From what he gathers, Thurl has experimented for years in the creation of Abyssal hybrids, dissecting demon corpses, sewing pieces back together, soldering and animating them with essence derived from Abyssal larvae, and often discarding imperfect creations. Annotations and notes scattered across a dozen volumes even reference how he has “devised a technique to rival the creative power of Lamashtu’s womb”...
|
|
As of the information I have now, it appears that Thruul is disecting multiple different demons trying to take ascpects of all different kinds and form one creature using some form of demon magic. Many many experiments and he believes that he has mastered it. Maybe whatever Valentynne has found will shed more light on the situation.
|
|
Thanks to Rogar's help Vrothum's is finally able to fully understand the depths of Thurl's depravity.
It appears this library contains the darkest and most depraved material of Thurl’s collection, the contents of which go beyond amateur curiosity or even detached academic study. Each book details obscene Abyssal rituals, diagrams illustrating with a torturer’s morbid precision the anatomy of scores of creatures, untold annotations, and even decades of tables that closely resemble a shopkeeper’s ledgers.
A few passages prove to be particularly relevant (and horrific), for example: “gone beyond the limited theories he purchased from Aslynn,” and “discovered how to harness the power of the marilith”. In addition, the ledgers seem to track fluctuations in the price of larvae, the souls of those condemned to the Abyss, which you recognize as valuable planar trade goods. In fact, the texts indicate that Thurl actively participated in the larvae trade.
Valais becomes increasingly unsettled by your discoveries, yet, once you make the reveal about the larvae trade and tell her how Thurl used the demonic souls to animate his constructs Valais suddenly falls deadly silent as if contemplating something unsettling...
|
|
As Vrothum and Rogar talk to her Valrani shakes a little then comes out of her daze:"I'm... I'm fine I think. Thurl needs to pay for what he's done, sure. But what did he do, exactly? And what am I? If he used larvae to animate his constructs and I am one of them... what does that mean for me, exactly?" she wonders loudly for all to hear.
Questions that linger on you as well but you don't have the time to ponder on them too much. Azrael, ever the man of action, takes it upon himself to set your next course of action by opening the notheastern door, which leads to a small chamber. The walls are polished and smooth, unlike the stone block construction elsewhere. The floor bears a strange symbol of concentric circles and compasslike stars, and the entire carving glows with a steady, red light. Writing covers much of the walls, some of it in dark blue charcoal and the rest in deep red paint. A shallow tray along the north wall holds several sticks of steel-gray chalk.
|
|
Valais, you are what you say you are. I've been judged my entire life, called all sorts of names: Fiend, Devil, Demon, evil creature all based off my appearance. The beauty of the society though, when my time here is up I'll be known as what I've done, the people i've saved, the evil i've vanquished. Yes, so lets focus on catching this Thrul, after this is over we can figure the rest out.
|
|
"You. Are. Valais!" Sheela seems angry, almost indignant. She manages not to raise her arm to slap the woman. "It doesn't matter what you look like on the outside. It's the inside that counts." Sheela points at her cleavage, then up to her face. "Many that I meet think I'm some flighty party girl with too much time and money on her hands. Before joining the Society, I thought my life was constrained to the Kolphan manor and random charity events. But I do my best to subvert expectations and thanks to that, I've met wonderful friends, like you."
She runs up to Vrothum. "Look at this man! He's been everywhere and done everything! He does what's right because he CHOOSES to do what's right! Because inside- and outside- he is Vrothum."
"So, get those silly ideas out of your head. You. Are. Valais. And you will always be Valais. Okay?" Sheela gives Valais a very energetic hug.
Sheela finally calms down as they enter the chamber. "Wow, this must be Thurl's crazy room. If it says all work and no play makes Thurl a dull lad then I am out of here!"
She analyzes the circle.
"What is with all this writing?" She pulls out a scroll. "I have this scroll of Comprehend Languages here, just in case. I can use it on myself if no one can read it..."
|
|
"It's not such a foul script when you use it against them, turning language into a weapon for war? I'm all up for that, I know of an aasimar that spoke the tongues of every kind of foul beast from the nine hells to the Abyss, sadly, I do not share that ability with him.
"Sheela, your scroll is most welcome, we do need to make sense of whatever incantations are scribbled in these walls."