The fungus people just stare at Nemesis and Xavian for a moment, before the big one that spoke earlier replies. "The affairs of Tseka are not ours. We treat with Tseka. You treat with Tseka. We do not treat with you." With this, they return to their tasks.
Ashara moves to the tunnel heading south from the room, and finds a hall that curves to her right. Shortly before the tunnel curve out of sight, there is a large opening to the left.
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Aznive sticks her head through the door behind Nemesis and Stavian, but she's quickly bored with it. "Just leave them, they seem like a waste of time." She hustles to catch up with Ashara. "I was wondering. Isn't it odd that they let us traipse around the area like this?" Moving silently, she peeks around the corner to the left.
This wide, open chamber smells of rotten flesh and harsh chemicals. A curved workbench with dozens of drawers sits against the southern wall of this room, its surface covered with surgical tools, body parts, and alchemical items. On the workbench, a hairless six-legged rat the size of a housecat floats in a vat of blue liquid. The creature’s body is covered in surgical wounds that have been carefully sutured shut.
Within the room, Aznive can see an overgrown weasel-like rodent with exaggerated whiskers and six short but stout legs, and a ratman, working diligently on some project.
"No. I am not Tseka, and I would appreciate being left alone!" the distracted rat man says, barely looking up.. but he quickly does a double take. "Who are you?! What are you doing here!?"
An evil grin splits the rat mans face as Nemesis reveals the parties true nature. "Ha!" he cries "You self righteous &*(&%! You will be begging for death before I bring you before Tseka! Come! Lets see what you are made of.." he cries. Turning to the creature with him, he calls out "Fluffy! Stay back for now.. this one is mine!"
Aznive
Rimble
Abaal
Ashara
Nemesis
Rat
Many-legs
"Bold may post"
Many-legged thing
Xavian
Rat
Aznive
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis
Many ratfolk settlements raise these gregarious creatures, with whom the ratfolk share their warrens in a symbiotic relationship. The kirrixes prowl the ratfolk tunnels and act as scavengers—searching for unfamiliar scents, consuming detritus, and removing harmful diseases from the ratfolk settlement. If the warren comes under attack, the kirrixes act as guards, and squeeze through or block tunnels as necessary to buy time for their ratfolk allies to escape.
A typical adult kirrix is 9 feet long and usually weighs under 500 pounds.
They have blindsense, darkvision, low-light vision, and scent; and can harbor diseases while being immune to them.
Xavian darts across the tunnel opening, tossing a dagger at the large rat creature. It scores a red line across the oversized rats hide.
"Bold may post"
Many-legged thing
Xavian
Rat
Aznive
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis
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Aznive steps around the corner, hesitant to move into the grizzly room further than necessary. As she walks, she draws one of her fans from her belt, swishing it open to show the painting of a lake at dusk.
She takes a quick look around the room, and decides to hold her ground. As she hears Ashara perform some magic, she stands ready to strike the rat-creature, should it come near.
Nemesis and Ashara both cast spells of command at their foes, with resounding successes. The creatures fall to the will of the two women, with the Kirrix turning blood crazed eyes upon its master, and the rat man making to move towards the party. However, as Nemesis and Aznive move into the room, the floor beneath them opens up into a cleverly concealed pit trap.
"Bold may post"
Kirrix- 17 dmg/ murderous command
Xavian
Rat- Command
Aznive- Reflex save
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis- Reflex save
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Aznive teeters on the edge of the pit for a moment, but can't quite catch her balance and falls in. "Who puts a pit trap here," she exclaims angrily. "Really?!"
Aznive feels the walls, to get an indication of whether they would be climbable. She also retrieves a length of silk rope from her belt. "If anyone could throw some rope down, or catch this one, that's be swell..."
Many ratfolk settlements raise these gregarious creatures, with whom the ratfolk share their warrens in a symbiotic relationship. The kirrixes prowl the ratfolk tunnels and act as scavengers—searching for unfamiliar scents, consuming detritus, and removing harmful diseases from the ratfolk settlement. If the warren comes under attack, the kirrixes act as guards, and squeeze through or block tunnels as necessary to buy time for their ratfolk allies to escape.
A typical adult kirrix is 9 feet long and usually weighs under 500 pounds.
They have blindsense, darkvision, low-light vision, and scent; and can harbor diseases while being immune to them.
Xavian: Moved your token
Xavian darts across the tunnel opening, tossing a dagger at the large rat creature. It scores a red line across the oversized rats hide
Nemesis avoids the pit, while Aznive falls in, taking a bit of damage, but luckily is only scraped up. It could have been much worse..
"Bold may post"
Kirrix- 17 dmg/ murderous command
Xavian
Rat- Command
Aznive- 4 dmg
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis-
Abaal moves in on the fight and stands ready.
The Kirrix takes a step towards the rat man, and tries to take a bite but misses
"Bold may post"
Kirrix- 17 dmg
Xavian
Rat- Command
Aznive- 4 dmg
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis-
Xavian throw two more daggers.. the first lands with a solid, meaty thwack in the Kirrix's ribs, and the second lands with more of a mushy squish in the creatures eye. It jerks and twitches as it falls to the ground, dead.
The rat man, fully under the Ashara's spell, walks towards the party, and stops right at the edge of the pit.
"Bold may post"
Xavian
Rat
Aznive- 4 dmg
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis
Abaal makes it across the chasm, and attempts to grapple the ratman but is unable to get a hold of him.
Nemesis channels unholy energy at the ratman, sparing her friends. The ratman cries out as the full brint of the attack roils over his psyche.
Aznive throws a rope out of the pit, while Ashara casts bless
"Bold may post"
Xavian
Rat- 7 dmg
Aznive- 4 dmg
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis
Rimble casts a spell, and a rainbow of colors flow from his fingers, across the ratman. he cries out as his vision is taken from him in the blast of multicolord light!
Blind, the ratman pulls a bomb from his belt and lobs it in the air towards the party. Unfortunately for Abaal, the bomb flips out of the ratman's hand, and heads for him.
"Bold may post"
Xavian- x2 actions
Rat- 7 dmg, Blind & stunned x2, Stunned x1
Aznive- 4 dmg
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal- Reflex save
Nemesis
The rat man stands still, completely befuddled by the rainbow spray of collors!
"Bold may post"
Xavian- x2 actions
Rat- 7 dmg, Blind & stunned x2, Stunned x1
Aznive- 4 dmg
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis
Abaal jumps onto the rat man like a spider monkey, wrapping him into a ratfolk pretzel.
"Bold may post"
Xavian- x2 actions
Rat- 7 dmg, Blind & stunned x2, Stunned x1, Grappled
Aznive- 4 dmg
Ashara
Rimble
Abaal
Nemesis
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Holding the remaining half a rat man Abaal looks slightly aghast. No stranger to death, it's rare that he has ever participated in a 'mugging gone wrong'.
"WHOA-WHOA-WHOA! Uh, It's okay. I had him. Anyway I think he's dead."
Absently he tosses the remains into the pit before realizing Aznive was still down there. He winces at the splat.
"Out of Combat"
Xavian jumps across the pit and begins to stab the helpless ratman to death. He eventually slumps in Abaals arms, and slides to the ground.
Now that the mayhem is over, the party assists Aznive out of the pit, and commences to searching the room.
The work surface of the desk, and the area under the table are covered in reams of stained and smudged papers that exhaustively detail experimental processes and alchemical experiments. Many are either bloodstained or carry the marks of spilled reagents and alchemical liquids. In addition, the eastern row or drawers is packed with notes written in another hand. These appear to be trade documents and lists of magical reagents. Some items on the lists are circled.
Letters hidden among the trade documents detail arrangements between Tseka and a local thieves’ guild called the Dragon Fangs. They reveal that she regularly hired them to beat up her enemies and to replace local merchant’s trade documents with forgeries. Tseka’s documents also disclose that she was gathering magical reagents by a variety of means, including stealing them in transit and purchasing them legally. She also
compiled extensive lists of ingredients and lists of prices.
A small wooden coffer in the back of the bottom drawer contains narrow bars of a dull, dark gray metal.
The drawers also contain evidence that links Tseka to the Korholm Agenda, a faction within the Aspis Consortium that has defied standard practice of avoiding direct conflict with the Society. These notes include schematics depicting various rooms in the Grand Lodge, and speak of plans to have someone named Marnarius lead an army out of the Hao Jin Tapestry.
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Xavian jumps across the pit and begins to stab the helpless ratman to death. He eventually slumps in Abaals arms, and slides to the ground.
Now that the mayhem is over, the party assists Aznive out of the pit, and commences to searching the room.
"My apologies again, My Lady." Abaal attempts the impossible; to clean Aznive off without actually touching the woman. His cloak always comes within a few inches before modesty prevents his hands from moving forward.
"The circled items look like materials one would use to conjure something...."
Abaal raises one of the bars, shakes it beside his ear; sniffs it, licks it surface and considers the taste for a moment before putting it back and declaring. "It tastes gray." And then blotting his tongue on his cloak to remove the taste.