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As you begin to make your way towards both the Salon and the Hall of Legendary Beasts, the first thing that begins to become painfully obvious is that it's not just that someone has disturbed the various displays, but it is beginning to look like someone random stripped it, taking chunks of both metal and wood. And rather crudely.
The second-floor salon is intended for casual conversation and light entertaining, especially before and after presentations in the adjoining lecture hall. The paintings are romanticized depictions of historical events from around the Inner Sea, interpreted by artists several generations after the fact. Each is a genuine masterpiece and quite valuable.
Beyond that, lies the museums oldest and most renowned attraction, the Hall of Legendary Beasts. This <once> impressive gallery features all manner of beasts from across three continents, mostly felled by members of the Blakros family. The biggest draw is a stuffed “tyrant lizard,” but the gallery includes almost anything worth hunting, from marlins and a tiger to a cockatrice and hippogriff. A gigantic reptilian beast is on display in the center of this expansive gallery, ferociously leering over the collection of taxidermied animals and monsters. Many exhibits have been smashed or torn apart, scattering limbs and sawdust across the basalt floor. A small door at the eastern end of the room is labeled “Private Events Only”, leading to a small ascending staircase.
As you begin to enter, Ms Gerva begins to visibly shake, terrified of something, but can not seem to tell what it is. It's all she can do to not flee, but soon you all begin to feel it. It's like the room just got cold as a chill runs through your spine, and you can feel the small hair on the back of your necks rise, like a subconscious shield against the unseen nether spirits your mind is concocting.
You also spot a few hidden rooms on each ide of the entrance to the Hal of Legendary Beasts, but before you have time to investigate them, you feel a sudden rush of necromtic energy flood the room, and suddenly some of the bits and pieces of the destroyed taxidermied creatures begin to twitch, then suddenly fly towards others, forming a total of three separate stitched together, . . . beings. Vile purplish energy forms a sort of halo around them, like some sort of goo, holding the arms, claws, legs, and whatever it could grab together, but no where close to the natural way it should be, but rather some sort of ooze with random appendages ticking out.
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ROUND 1
Jory (), Leil (), Karos (), & Azeban ()
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Hungry Flesh 3 ()
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Gerdur () & Gerva Golda ()
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Hungry Flesh 2 ()
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Faustus ()
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Hungry Flesh 1 ()
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Round 2 -> Jory (), Leil (), Karos (), & Azeban ()
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Jory looks and waits for intel on these things.
"What the F(*& are these things? Should I use cold iron or adamantite or just plain arrows?"
Unless hearing anything specific, Jory starts on the closest one with normal arrows. He uses his ki focus to fire four arrows, moving fire if the first goes down.
Jory's first arrow goes for a bundle of nerves he sees in the creature.
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"Damnation, this is not going to be fun! These are Hungry Flesh, oozes that consume flesh. Don't let them touch you, or you'll probably be infected with their disease! Only use blunt weapons... open wounds will cause them to heal, and grow! We'll need fire or acid to keep them from regenerating! Who has that available?
"Gerdur, your earthbreaker and my Final Arbitration are our best bets. Others, be ready to support us with fire and acid!"
He sees what Jory is doing... and the one seem to be growing. "Jory! No! By Asdmodeus's swinging gonads! Don't attack them that way!"
"Azeban, get some fire on that thing before it grows again!"
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The creature reacts with pain to each arrow, but seems to grow larger and consume the arrows right afterwards, quickly, abnormally healing some of the damage it just took. Leil and Karos both begin pulling random pieces of junk apart, making a makeshift weapon while Azeban begins searching his pack for a flask to use as a weapon.
The furthest ooze begins to creep forward, going after Azeban, but as it moves slowly, forcing it's body to lumber about, it is not able to smash him just yet, swiping wildly, like it hasn't yet mastered it's own body.
ROUND 1
Jory (), Leil (), Karos (), & Azeban ()
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Hungry Flesh 3 ()
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Gerdur () & Gerva Golda ()
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Hungry Flesh 2 ()
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Faustus ()
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Hungry Flesh 1 (-42* <4>)
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Round 2 -> Jory (), Leil (), Karos (), & Azeban ()
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Gerdur stop up to bat and pulverizes the incoming creature with his titanic hammer. Unlike before, this time it doesn't seem to react well, neither instantly beginning to heal itself in some deformed way, but also it doesn't seem to get any larger after suffering the blow.
Just as Gerdur steps forward, Gerva takes step back, wanting to avoid the thing at all costs. She is once again terrified, and very close to slipping into some sort of mania. Standing further away though, she is able to keep control of herself, for now, and begins to chant strange spider words of magic, then lays a hand on Gerdur's shoulder, allowing power to flow into him.
Suddenly the T-Rex Ooze begins to lumber towards Gerdur, utilizing the top half of the massive skull to bash at him, but as it does so, suddenly the rib cage opens up, both attempting to wash over him and grasp him within itself. With a deft sidestep, he manages to avoid it entirely.
ROUND 1
Jory (), Leil (), Karos (), & Azeban ()
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Hungry Flesh 3 (-20)
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Gerdur () & Gerva Golda ()
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Hungry Flesh 2 ()
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Faustus ()
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Hungry Flesh 1 (-42* <4>)
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Round 2 -> Jory (), Leil (), Karos (), & Azeban ()
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Faustus steps up and give the newest ooze a good smacking, but just after that, the last one begins slowly crawling towards Jory.
ROUND 2
Jory (), Leil (), Karos (), & Azeban ()
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Hungry Flesh 3 (-20)
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Gerdur () & Gerva Golda ()
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Hungry Flesh 2 (-19)
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Faustus ()
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Hungry Flesh 1 (-37* <4>)
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The Alkili flask goes a little wild, hitting two of the oozes, but also burning Faustus and Gerdur as well, (1 damage), and while not much, it does prevent the oozes from healing for a time, burning away what primal growth they would have.
Not liking the idea of being backed into a corner, Jory attempts to get to a better firing position after slamming his fist into one of the oozes, and feeling it's foul bile all over hi hand.
Leil, wielding a scrap piece of wood as a club, moves in to attack, leaving Hungry Flesh 2 looking like it's on the verge of dissipating, but not yet willing to give up.
Hungry lesh 3 attacks Gerdur once again, and again attempts to both wash over him, though this time it succeeds, pulling the barbarian into it's foul viscous body and starting to slowly devour him.
ROUND 2
Jory (), Leil (), Karos (), & Azeban ()
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Hungry Flesh 3 (-22)
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Gerdur (-1) & Gerva Golda ()
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Hungry Flesh 2 (-46)
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Faustus (-1)
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Hungry Flesh 1 (-37* <4>)
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Jory picks blunt arrows and starts firing at the injured ooze first and moving to the next injured. He uses his ki power and deadly aim to fire four arrows.
Seeing the ooze almost latch onto him and grab the gnome, Jory looks at the devil worshipper with suspicion.
"Did you leave out the grabbing ability too?"
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Jory's multitude of blunt arrows drops the creature in front of him with, then the one next to it, and finally, with a full two shots remaining, also the third one to the south, causing them to loose their form and release the organic matter they had tried to infect, causing it to fall to the floor almost in unison and leaving a massive mess.
I need a Heal Check from everyone.
Once the creature's slime trails dissipate away allowing you to travel safely, you search the rest of the room, finding little of value, and also the two small hidden rooms you had spotted earlier.
One is a storage room is with plenty of supplies for maintaining the hall’s various taxidermy beasts, as well as a well-loved pesh pipe hidden in a box labeled “spare eyes.” The next is another storage room, spot behind a colorful but otherwise mundane Taldan tapestry. The museum staff uses it to store cleaning supplies and tools used to mend and maintain the historical gallery’s exhibits, as well as replacement plumes for military helms, which go missing with distressing regularity.
The last is a small library, and hidden within you manage to spot both a Pearl of Power (2nd) and Whip Feather Token. This leaves you with only one way left to go, up the set of stairs at the far side of the room, on into the unknown. . .
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As you begin to head towards the doors that will head to the next and final floor, suddenly Gerdur begins to clutch his stomach, and he begins to visible shake, his body succumbing to the internal infestation that had gone untreated.
and also
Once the disease's ravages have stopped, you are able to continue onwards.
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The stairs lead up to a single large room within one of the Blakros Museum's towers. A mosaic of the night sky and winter constellations covers the domed ceiling of this circular chamber. Rich embellishments
fill the walls, and a plush carpet covers the floor. Heavy antique furniture has been overturned or broken, much of it incorporated into a series of sparking devices.
It is only as you step into the room does all of the previous destruction of various displays and other artifacts makes sense, as standing across the room is what is left of the boy you had been asked to find, Pendlton Blakros. He looks at you in an emotionless stupor, and it seems like he has taken bits and scraps of the various woods and metals he has come across to make some sort of technological exoskeleton.
At his sides are two more of the brutal metal-men you had encountered as you entered the building. Perhaps the same ones, you can't be sure, but is so, these two appear fully healed and unharmed.
The entire room, once a private room that was by invitation only, it's many one-of-a-kind treasures have been utterly destroyed and incorporated into Pendlton (link to picture), and the rest of the room lies in shambles.
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[ooc]All of the decorations (chairs, tables, etc. . . count as difficult terrain, meaning charging is likely impossible. Secondarily, you can use some of it for cover if needed.)
From Pendlton, or that creature that seems to be "possessing" his body, at least, you can see this strange, viscous silvery ooze that seems to seep from his many wounds, as bits of metal, wires, scraps of wood, and other refuse are literally digging into his body, some of it piercing entirely. With only a quick inspection, the boy almost looks like a zombie, uncaring, lumbering about, and moaning not unlike someone that is suffering from the worst effects of some foul disease now robbing them of their very mind and spirit.
As you enter the room, Gerda sees the creature, and his spirit shatters. She screams, and fropping what weapons she still has, flees back down the stairs, biting and clawing at anyone that tries to stops her. Her mind has finally given to the madness that had seeded in her.
ROUND 1
Karos (), Gerdur (), Faustus (), Jory (), & Azeban ()
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Robot 1 ()
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Leil ()
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"Pendlton Blakros" () & Robot 2 ()
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Jory advances five feet and fires arrows at the two robots like the ones he saw earlier. He uses his adamantine arrows. He uses deadly aim to sacrifice accuracy for damage and makes the first arrow with extra concentration.
Not able to close to optimum range, his arrows are a little less accurate.
"Devil dealer, get in there!! Don't wait!!"