"I wouldn't be at all surprised if they were here illegally. Normally I would have taken them into custody and returned them to the temple for such a thing, but we are really not in a position to be carting prisoners around."
Thea waits while Marnarius attempts to open up the locked door.
The door opens after a short bit of work and opens into a small ten foot by ten area. To the front is a curtain closing off what appears to be a larger room. To your left is an open door. Several mummified bodies have been neatly stacked on top of a bed in this small chamber. Dust covers everything except the corpses. To your right is a ladder headed up to the roof. A stinging chemical stink is even more apparent now that the door is open.
Date Palm, I told you not to bother me. What do you want? You hear a low rasping voice call from beyond the curtain.
"Uhm, to get to the roof?"
Something tells me this isn't another adventurer or tomb thief....
Thea looks towards the curtain, wondering what sort of person or creature is behind them.
Nevai gripped his holy symbol tightly, then pulled the curtain aside.
Nuru flexes her grip upon Pharasma's gift, preparing to bring the khopesh to bear against the nameless voice if he proves to be an enemy.
You are not Date Palm, the voice rasps. Who are you? Why are you disturbing my work? The voice sounds annoyed and angry.
"No, I don't think any of us are Date Palm. We have no knowledge of you or your work, we are just looking for something."
Marnarius silently draws both kukris and prepares for a fight. He motions Leto away from the curtain, trying to identify the furthest spot from which the archer can still fire through the doorway.
Leto draws his bow and moves into a firing position.
Nuru crouches low to the ground to allow Marnarius to fire over her head, but is otherwise prepared to punch on any threat that may come b=through the curtain.
As Nevai pulls back the curtain you see shards of broken glass and scraps of desiccated flesh litter the floor, along with a jumble of crockery, bundled herbs, and dismembered mummified limbs. A man in a black robe pushes his chair away from the desk on the far wall, fifteen feet from the curtain itself, an stands slowly.
What, pray tell, are you looking for? A voice rasps from under a deep hood as he turns to look at the group. The voice sounds...almost hungry.
"A type of compass."
Thea watches the figure closely in case it has a negative reaction to her answer.
"It's likely to be on the roof."
"Who are you and who is Date Palm?" Nevai added, more concerned about the strange man than finding the apparatus.
Date Palm? Is that a he or a she? Maybe one of the guys we met downstairs?
No. You're in my lab. You tell me who you are. What's this about a compass? The raspy voice becomes quite agitated. What did you do to my men?
"Your men left on their own. We're the Southern Osirion Trading Company, and we have permission to be in this part of the city. You?"
As he speaks, Marnarius studies the man.
That's...impossible. My men wouldn't just leave. The raspy voice sounds confused. You, what did you do to them? This is my lab. Those men were my...food. The creature lunges at you in rage, the hood falling down revealing pallid skin stretched over a starving frame with long sharp teeth.
Thea casts a quick Disrupt Undead towards the creature.
Thea will cast another Disrupt Undead at it, assuming that the first one caused it pain.
Nuru rushes forward striking at the creature with a vengeance.
I knew something was wrong with them! How could they just run off when they were your food! How irresponsible!
Before the creature can do more than reveal its appalling nature and intentions, Marnarius lunges at it, launching a slashing attack with one kukri. As he attacks, he comments, "Leto, if that was a joke it was in very bad taste."
"These puns are getting to be more than I can swallow."
That's only because I can't get your mouth full enough. I bet it's a bad taste though. Who or what eats such scum?
After your initial assault, the creature is barely standing but howls in hunger. The ghast leaps, reaching for Nuru's throat
Then claws at Marnarius as well.
Nuru stumbles back from the ghast and wraps her hands about her throat trying to stop the flow of warm blood. Her body starts to quiver and she looks at Navai in a desperate plea for aid. Losing all bodily control she collapses to the ground.
Perhaps it's something in his elven heritage, but the slayer easily shrugs off the creeping lethargy that spreads from the creature's tainted claws. He redoubles his assault on the once-human foe.
Nevai's eyes darted from the creature, to Nuru, then back to the creature. It was nearly vanquished, and sometimes the best aid was a decisive victory. The cleric stepped forward and slashed with his blade, drawing the thing's attention away from Marnarius.
,
Nevai strikes down the creature in one blow.
The paralysis passes a few moments after the fight ends. Your knowledge of the undead and mortal bodies also tells you that Nuru is highly likely to have contracted a disease from the bite as well.
Now that the danger has passed, Thea take a few moments to look over the room. "I wonder what exactly that thing was doing in here?"
"I've got antiplague for you, Nuru. Drink this--it'll help you resist the disease." The half-elf joins his compatriot in searching the room. "Nevai, I could use some healing--that thing took a couple of pieces out of me."
Nevai moved to retrieve his wand, then noticed Almathea was injured as well and grabbed his holy symbol instead, only using the wand to finish closing Marnarius's wounds. "We're going to need to get a new wand before our next excursion. This one is almost spent."
"Nuru, let me know if you start feeling sick. These types of creatures are known to carry diseases and while I can't do anything to help with that right now, I can try to purge it from you after my prayers tomorrow if needed."
While searching the creature and the room you find nine vials of what you quickly ascertain is greenblood oil, a more or less full intact alchemy crafting kit, and a formula book.
Fire Breath, Spider Climb, Vomit Swarm, Crafter's Fortune, Expeditious Retreat, Negate Aroma, Stone Fist, True Strike, Cure Light Wounds, Deathwatch, Disguise Self.
You also notice that his robes are magical.
You also discover a small secret compartment in the southeast corner of the room. In it is hidden six doses of mumia.
"Hmm, extract formulas, a Robe of Needles and illegal drugs. Not the most useful of things to find. Ah well, let's get on up to the roof and see if the compass there is in working order or if we need to bargain with some other dragon or who knows what."
"What's a robe of needles?"
"Well, it's a robe that has six long, silvery, razor-sharp needles protruding from the bottom of the sleeves, three on each side and they can be launched a distance of 10 feet at a target. As long as a needle is in a target, they will continue to bleed until it is removed."
Thea shrugs "Kind of limited use to any of us since most of the things we've been fighting don't bleed anyway."
"Probably worth something to someone. Good thing he didn't get to use it on us."
"Those needles are probably good for delivering poison as well. Nasty stuff. Still, let's pack it up and head upstairs before more undead wander in."
You climb the ladder to the roof and find another compass, or what remains of one. The device has been almost completely dismantled and what little remains can barely be recognized for what it once was. You quickly discern that it will be impossible to repair.
"Damn, guess we'll need to find the next one on the list. Which way?"
Thea sighs. "Yes, this one looks like a lost cause. Who had the map?"
Marnarius opens the Campaign Info tab unfolds the map. "We have the one closest to the wall already, and a direction from it. I think we'd better press on further into the Necropolis--if the one here--" He indicates the G. "--is also broken, we'll have a lot longer trip through hostile territory. If we go for this one next--" He points to the O. "--and it's broken, we'll have three others close by."
"Hmmm, going for the one labeled O seems to be the better choice the."
You make your way carefully north and east towards the place marked O on the map, avoiding any "complications" along the way. Once at the spot on the map you find what appears to be a basement that was converted to a tomb. Above the entrance are the words "TOMB OF MENKET MAATYA" carved in the stone in Ancient Osiriani. The massive door lies open.
A short but wide stairwell leads down into a large chamber, that is, unfortunately quite barren. You see the stripped bronze and stone frame where the compass once sat, but the device is no longer present. All that sits in the tomb is a plain stone sarcophagus.