Something hits you and you wake up.
Aenian grabs a monogramed paperweight from one of the desks and hurls it, striking Ven square in the back. Ven groans and comes to, still lying in the colored fog spewing from the doctor's mouth.
Ven scrambles up and away from the doctor. "I had the worst nightmare! I was in an alien city of some sort - somewhere not of this world. I was speaking with a mute man with white hair tied in a pony tail. I was performing an eltritch ritual - channeling great power!"
He rubs his eyes and tries to wipe the memories of the nightmare from his mind. "What sort of dire portent is this?"
He then returns his attention to the woman. "Do you think there is anything we can do to help her?"
Ven will search the desks and for anything of interest.
"Besides shoot her?" Aenian shouts from where he is, still not approaching the mists.
Ven searches the area while Aenian hangs back. Doctor Losandro remains where she is, unmoving and continuing to spew forth mist.
The first thing Ven notices are six framed drawings hanging from the walls of the office -- Ven is shocked to recognize them from his dream! Drawn with coal upon parchment, they depict eerie vistas of an endless, empty city under a sky of whirling mist. In the corner of each, a delicate copperplate records a year from 4708 to 4715 and the name Ulver Zandalus. The city seems familiar, much like the city through which you were chased in the nightmare shared before awakening in the asylum basement.
The marble desk here features several drawers filled with mundane writing supplies and extensive but uninteresting documents. One of these drawers is locked. Other curios are found on the side tables around the office, the most valuable being a brain-shaped sculpted wooden box, bookends depicting twin screaming and crying figures, and a brass sculpture of an Osirian pyramid. There are also the shelves of tomes circling the upper half of the room, which would take some time to thoroughly peruse.
Ven frowns, "It doesn't seem very sporty to shoot her like this. But, looking at these artifacts, it does seems as if she may well have been dabbling in something best left alone. Perhaps she is complicit in all this - I don't know. Anyway, there doesn't seem to be anything we can do to help her. Perhaps this Ulver Zandalus can help her - he seems to be the man from my dreams."
He then studies the pictures and the desk items. He attempts to open the sculpted wooden box. He removes the prints from the frames and rolls them up for safe keeping and future reference. He takes the brass pyramid and places it in his backpack. He then points to the locked drawer. "Aenian, can you pick that lock? If not, let's bash it open."
He pulls a tome at random and starts flipping through it to get a sense of the content.
With serious trepidation, Aenian steps into the room slowly as he moves toward Venn. If he makes it there without passing out, he will attempt to disable the lock.
Ven's random pick off the shelf is a ponderous tome titled 'On the Treatment of Ambitions, Disappointments, and Regrets' by Doctor Beaurigmand Trice.
Aenian handily picks the lock. The drawer contains a number of valuable items, including: a magnifying glass, a collection of alchemical vials and flasks, three scrolls in a wooden case, a small tin filled with incense, a heavy wax candle in an ornate holder, a crystal talisman on a thin silver chain, a steel amulet set with blocky runes, and a braided leather cord holding a wooden talisman.
Additionally, you find a leather-bound journal monogrammed with a stylized 'E.L.' on the cover. Inside, the doctor's entries are largely mundane -- filled with the notes from staff meetings and interviews with the families of would-be patients -- but in entries written during the past year, the names Haserton Lowls and Count Lowls appear with increasing regularity.
You recall that both names refer to Count Haserton Pragmus Lowls IV, ruler of the County of Versex in Ustalav, in which lies Briarstone Asylum. The name also rings with uncomfortable familiarity, but you cannot remember why.
The journal's final entries prove to be of particular interest.
Ven attempts to identify the scrolls and other magical items.
He attempts to recall any additional details on Lowls. He keeps the journal for future reference.
After reading the journal frowns. "I wonder if we are the amnesiac patients referenced in the journal? What could have been our association with this Lowls?"
He shrugs and moves to the room's unopened door. He listens at the door and opens it if he doesn't hear anything. Ven follows Aenian in.
Ven identifies a scroll of fox's cunning and remove paralysis. He also identifies a couple of the talismans: a greater talisman of beneficial winds (the crystal one) and a lesser talisman of warrior's power (the steel amulet). The other items remain of indeterminate nature.
Other than that Lowls is the local count, you cannot recall anything else about the man. However, the nagging feeling remains.
The door opens into a hallway, dark and empty except for the smashed remains of lanterns on the ground. Five doors branch from here, but only the one at the far end of the hallway appears to be locked.
Ven keeps the scrolls and then offers Aenian the talisman of his choice.
He waits for Aenian to search the hall before proceeding.
Talisman of Warrior’s Courage: These talismans bear the names of mighty and fearless warriors and symbols of power and martial prowess. The first time that the wearer would gain the frightened or panicked condition, he gains the shaken condition instead. Faint abjuration; CL 1st; remove fear.
Talisman of Beneficial Winds: These talismans are inscribed with the secret names of the four winds, and protect the wearer against long falls. The first time that the wearer falls at least 5 feet, he is automatically affected by feather fall. Faint transmutation; CL 1st; feather fall.
Aenian whispers, "Blood a the far end door ... a lot of it. Voices through this door here to the left. Closer, to get a listen maybe?"
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Ven creeps to the left door and listens carefully.
He then casts detect thoughts on the space beyond the door .
Ven can't pick out any identifiable sounds, but his spell has more success.
Ven holds two fingers up to Aenian and motions at the door. He then motions to hold back for the moment.
Ven will make use of the spell's duration to detect thoughts behind each of the remaining doors in the hallway.
The thoughts continue along the same vein, with the former occasionally annoyed at the latter.
Ven whispers to Aenian what he heard and then motions for him to open the door. "They are likely more ratlings. We may be able to reason with them."
"Dental hygiene? That sounds like another crazy doc. Hope it's not a f&!~ing doppelganger. "
Aenian will cast darkness in the hallway and sink into the shadows as he opens the door.
Ven loads his crossbow and follows Aenian in.
Aenian unlatches the doors from the cover of his own shadows. Beyond, a storage room is filled with several racks of cluttered boxes and sprawling collections of haphazard junk, apparently the personal effects of Briarstone's many inpatients.
Two men wearing the yellow-stained robes are moving amid the mess. They both have a yellow sigil painted upon their forehead. One is digging through boxes while the other tutors a collection of mismatched dolls.
Aenian moves in, quiet as a ghost, but Ven trips over the door jam loudly. The two apostles look up in alarm, raising improvised weapons to attack. They don't appear to notice Aenian.
Ven raises his crossbow and fires at the nearest apostle.
Aenian will fire from the shadows
;
He will then drop his crossbow and draw his masterwork silver dagger, moving in to position between the yellow robes and Venn, intending to parry and riposte as needed.
Aenian's bolt flies from the shadows, striking the first apostle off the shoulder, leaving a bloody line. His eyes bulge in pain and rage and he charges, screaming "Zandalus!" as he swings his crowbar wildly.
; ;
The second apostle abandons his doll audience and moves into the fray. He smacks Aenian in the neck with a sap.
; ;
Ven fires his crossbow, but misses in the fast-moving melee.
Aenian stabs out at the injured crazy dude.
Squinting in the darkness, Ven focuses his mind and attempts to persuade the uninjured apostle to stand down. "There's no need for violence, join us!"
Aenian stabs his dagger at the injured apostle, but the man manages a deft parry with his crowbar.
They continue to attack, swinging their makeshift weapons. Clumsy and off-balance in the dim light, neither can land a blow.
; ;
; ;
Ven puts a psychic charm on the other apostle. The man's eyes glaze over for a moment as the magic takes effect. "You... you also serve Zandalus?" he asks, stepping back from the fight.
The door behind Ven is thrown open, revealing a woman with sloppily chopped hair, also dressed in the yellow robes. Her eyes widen with hatred and she raises a familiar-looking rapier to the ready.
Zen turns and takes a 5' step and then bows his head at the woman. "Greetings, we are disciples of Zandalus! We mean you no harm. Please ask our errant brother to cease his needless aggression. I ask that you join us in our pilgrimage!"
Aenian withdraws to engage the new combatant. The following round he will attempt to disarm her w/ the dagger and if successful will drop the dagger and pick up the rapier.
;
Aenian backtracks into the hallway, leaving Ven with the two male apostles.
The charmed apostle tries to restrain the other, drawing an aggravated backhand sap to the face. Despite the bruising hit, the former manages to grapple the latter, yelling "Stop! Can't you see they are also Zandalus's minions?" The other is not convinced.
;
The female apostle stabs at Aenian, snarling and spitting like a vicious dog. Her bark is worse than her bite.
; ;
Ven focuses on the woman, trying to bend her affections to him, but it has no apparent effect.
Aenian deftly strikes and twists, pulling his rapier right out of the apostle's hand. It clanks to the floor and he scoops it up before she can even react. Without a weapon, she glances around wildly. She makes a lunge for Aenian's discarded dagger.
The two men struggle as one tries to attack Ven while the other restrains him.
; ;
Ven takes a 5' step and switches to total defense. "Stand down fool, or Zandalus will smite you!"
Aenian cuts the blade through the air twice testing its balance before thrusting out at the woman as she ducks for the weapon and again as a follow-through.
; miss
;
Aenian jabs weakly at the apostle as she grabs the dagger. The follow-through attack as she stands is more effective.
Ven backs up along the wall and chastises the apostle. The man is taken aback by Ven's harsh demeanor, looking somewhat demoralized. He turns his attention to his charmed companion instead, swinging his sap in a poor attempt to knock him off. The charmed apostle gives up, lets the other man go, and slams him in the shoulder with the crowbar.
The woman, dagger in hand, stabs at Aenian but misjudges his position in the shadowy light.
; ;
; ;
; ;
Ven draws his staff and then withdraws through the eastern door into the hall. He moves to Aenian's flank to assist against the woman.
Aenian continues to spar with the woman.
And if she gets a hit through, he will burn an AoO to parry and riposte.
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Ven hops over the toppled shelves and retreats out the eastern door into the corridor. Aenian holds his poise and strikes when the right opening presents itself. He drives the point of his rapier through the woman's throat, sending her to the floor, spurting blood.
The other two apostles continue to batter each other. "He charmed you, you idiot!" the one shouts, to no avail. He smacks the charmed apostle across the temple, who counters with a good hit with the crowbar. Both appear close to falling.
; ;
; ;
Aenian will punch the unharmed man with his crossguard flanking with the charmed man, if possible (add 2 if that is possible)
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Ven also moves to assist the charmed man.
You both take shots at the un-charmed apostle, but you are both frustrated by the cramped, cluttered room.
Surrounded and clearly beat, the apostle fights on in a furious rage. "Zandalus sees my loyalty! He will reward me!" They both keep swinging at each other, but cannot land a hit either.
; ;
; ;
Ven attempts to distract the disciple as Aenian strikes.
With the hilt of his rapier, Aenian clobbers the apostle across the back of the neck. The man collapses like a sack of potatoes. The charmed apostle continues to swing his crowbar, smashing his unconscious companion in the chest.
Ven gently pulls the apostle from the unconscious man. "You have served Zandalus well - the man has been shown the errors of his ways. What is your name? I am Ven. I would ask that you join us on our pilgrimage to seek glory for Zandalus."
If there is no other method to bind the man, Ven will shred his clothing and use the strips to bind his hands. He also checks both the man and woman for any possessions of interest.
Aenian will parry the blow if the man swings the crowbar again and once he stops will bandage the other one.
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The apostle stops swinging his bloody crowbar at Ven's behest. "He should die. Let him bleed," he says with no remorse as Aenian tries to bind the fallen man's wounds.
"I'm Jules." To Ven, he asks, "You're not dressed up like Zandalus wants. What's he having you do? Where did you come from?" You see a hint of suspicion fighting against the charm.
None of the apostles carry anything beyond their stained robes and makeshift weapons.