Houghton damage taken: 17
Cogborn #2 damage taken: 17
Cogborn #3 damage taken: destroyed
Ioun Node #1 damage: 50
Ioun Node #2 damage: 36
Houghton, Zay & Invandi all continue to work on destroying the ioun sensor nodes. Zay's shark bites have difficulty penetrating the hard casing of the device, but Houghton's spear thrusts land home heavily, heavily damaging the machinery.
Aurelian's first attack stabs straight through the clockwork creation he is fighting, and it stops moving. He moves to aid Tatienne in fighting the clockwork that attacked her, but doesn't manage to land a hit. Tatienne's flailing attacks strike a glancing blow against the creature.
Strangely, the cogborn construct ceases its attacks as the machinery seems to take a more direct role in defending itself. The spokes of the pin panel suddenly extend far past their normal limits as the rods strike out at Houghton, seemingly trying to defend the ioun sensor nodes. A hiss from the machine echoes around the room as it produces more of the mutagenic spray that afflicted Tatienne earlier.
Invandi shouts in alarm as the spray coats him and his shield arm bulges and withers in different places before going limp. The sudden mutation seems to have disoriented the warrior.
HP 73/74; Hero Points 1/2
AC 27, touch 16, flat-footed 22, CMD 24 (26 vs. disarm)
Fort +4, Ref +9, Will +2 (0/1 set mind; 0/4 charmed life; 0/1 defiant luck)
Panache: 3/4 (usually 5) (0/1 deed reroll); 0/1 inexplicable luck
Hero Points:
Consumables: 0/1 swordmaster's flair
Effects: 3 Cha damage
"Go help with the machine," Aurelian tells Tatienne. "Aurelian Fache will take care of guarding our backs!"
He dispatches the cogborn before it can begin attacking again.
Shaking off the strange spray effortlessly, Zay carries on attempting to dinobite the nodes. Munching is hard, and possibly damaging Zay's teeth, but it's all they can see would be useful.
Tati, knowing her spear connected on her previous attack, shakes off the 2nd bout of spray. Feeling "lucky" or some extra courage takes another 2 swings. (Power attacking)
(1-50 miss)
Houghton damage taken: 17
Ioun Node #1 damage: destroyed
Ioun Node #2 damage: 56
Aurelian destroys the remaining construct on the field while Zay's attacks on the ioun node machinery slowly push the device past its breaking point. The casing shatters as one eye of the large Azlanti face goes dark. Houghton jabs his spear twice at the remaining node, badly damaging it while Invandi gibbers in horror at his newly mishhapen arm.
Two more cogborn creatures emerge from the depths of the room's machinery.
Knowing that the cog-creatures are much too hard for dinojaws, Zay continues to chomp and claw at the other node.
Zay's rapid attacks smash into the metal casing of the ioun node, finally causing the device to slide out and drop to the ground.
After examining Tatienne's affliction, Houghton decides that his prepared Restoration will be able to return her vision and begins casting the spell.
After Tatienne's vision is restored, she examines the machinery of the room further. It doesn't appear that most of the room's functions were damaged in the battle. She believes that given a lot of time to experiment she might be able to determine the room's function and how to use it, though the task looks difficult.
Tati is absolutely thrilled and thanks Houghton incessantly for casting the spell restoring her vision/mutation. Preparing to study the room (she bids farewell to Houghton and Invandi assuming they are taking off)
Tati would take 20 (lore master 1x per day for a 35) unless that has been burned already...
"This place is very strange," Aurelian says. "We should destroy all of it before we leave."
"Your poor arm," Zay observes to Invandi. Dinosaur face isn't made for frowning but Zay conveys the concern with their tone, at least. "Maybe you should pull back to the safer terrain and see if Sarine could come take your place, your shield will be hard to use with that damage...
"I agree, Master Fache. I think even the things here that initially seem sweet, like the voice that was speaking to us, clearly only mean us harm. If we were on land I'd say 'burn it all down.' Underwater that is harder. Miss Talbot, how long do you think you'd need to study all these machines?"
Tati, though slightly desirous to study and document the room and the machinery, can tell the party is not terribly interested in sticking around. Using her 1x per day 20 on knowledge dungeoneering to further identify the aboleth fish in the machine thing, she gets a...
Knowledge dungeoneering= 20+15=35
Tatienne recognizes the visage of the creature you saw in the pin panel with a chill. It is an aboleth, a creature of mystery that inhabits the deep seas known for exercising control of other species around them. The presence of an aboleth in the area explains much of what you have seen: the mind control experienced by the colonists you rescued earlier and their manipulation of the settlement of Talmandor's Bounty are both well within the capability of an aboleth, who can control the minds of those they meet.
Aboleths are also exceptional illusionists, with many techniques available to them to control the perceptions of those who come into contact with them.
Coming close to an aboleth risks the possibility of transformation and mutation. Their tentacles are covered in a slime that weaken those they strike, turning their flesh transparent and fragile. Aboleths also emit a mucus in the water around them that transform those who get close so that they can breathe water but not air. Many speculate that long exposure to these transformations created the skum and some rumors hold that the aboleths created merfolk.
With Invandi still in need of care, you begin to retreat from the Temple of Amaznen, but you don't get far into the jungle when a group of colonists call out to you.
"Oi!" Sarine calls from a distance before moving up toward the group.
"We got some more help at the base camp. A group of sailors from the Argent Cornucopia decided to come help. We had more than enough people to secure the base camp, so I brought a few of the men to come here...Invandi is in bad shape. What happened to him?"
"Miss Dulciare! Hello. It's good to see friendly faces. We ran into some sort of horrible.... Miss Talbot calls it an-- abolett? It poisoned us, somehow. I don't think Mister Arbalest will be able to use his shield arm for much until we can find a way to fix him. I got hit with some of it as well, and Miss Talbot, but less debilitating for us both, thankfully. We have much more of this complex to explore.... and possibly many illusions in store for us. Another sword arm wouldn't go amiss," says a tired-looking dinosaur.
"Yes, it is far too long since you have fought aside Aurelian Fache. Join us, and we will rid the islands of this aboleth and if we cannot get our friends back, we will at least avenge them!"
"An aboleth is a dangerous foe. I hope we are all up to the task. Houghton will be able to cure Invandi. That thing we fought was rather unpleasant. I'm glad I was unable to see what it did to my face...nasty business. Glad that is taken care of. Miss Dulciare, it will be nice to have you along as we have not had much of a chance to work together."
I must say, I am feeling slightly taxed for the day but agree that we should proceed. We cannot afford to rest with the colony and everyone in such danger if we can help it.
Having regrouped with fresh reinforcements, you continue onward into the depths of the Temple of Amaznen. Moving down the hallway to the east, you come to a pair of shimmering fields of force that each seal a different airtight chamber, keeping the water outside. On the wall next to the force fields are two levers. Inside the fields, you can see three humans, two in one cell and one in the other. You don't recognize them.
Aurelian tries calling out to them, hoping they'll be able to hear him through the water and the force.
"Who are you?" he asks.
"Hello, there," Zay says with a cock of their dinosaur head at the prisoners (?). "Are you trapped?"
Tatienne takes a look at the levers but does not attempt to manipulate them. She then eyes the 3 humans and then Aurelian and Zay and Sarine before returning her gaze back to the assumed 3 prisoners.
"I'm not much of a healer besides a spell here and there, can any of you tell how they are doing? They have air in there...if we try and rescue them they could drown...
When they notice you, the prisoners begin banging against the force barrier and shouting. They look like normal humans, not at all like the poor mutants you were forced to put down recently. You can't hear their words, but they obviously seem to want help.
Aurelian looks around, wondering if there's some way he can help them. He tries poking one of the barriers with his sword, just in case.
DinoZey cocks their head at the poor prisoners, then taps one claw against its ear... okay, earhole... trying to indicate they can't hear the prisoner's speech.
"If we can lower their barriers, Miss Tatienne is right that they might drown. I don't have spells to help with that today. One potion of waterbreathing, but that's not enough for them all. I think we're much too far into the complex for them to hold their breaths to the surface, aren't we? But maybe we can at least let them know we'll try to help, when we can. Hmm..."
Zay tries to scratch a legible message into the floor nearest the imprisoned prisoners, but dinoclaws may have a difficult time with stone.
WALL DOWN - YOU DROWN. WE RETURN.
Tatienne looks back at the gears trying to see if she can figure out what lever opens the cell with the single occupant.
You pull a lever on the single-occupant cell and instead of collapsing, the field dims. After testing it, you find that you are able to pass through the weakened barrier. The colonist inside is in exceptionally poor health, but is elated to see you. It takes a minute for them to calm down and she introduces herself as Armin.
Aurelian Fache tries to calm the woman. "Yes, Aurelian Fache knows it is very exciting, but we are here to rescue you. Can you tell us what happened? Are there other prisoners here?"
While Aurelian is speaking with Armin, Tatienne decides to keep watch. This place though fascinating to her, gives her the heebie jeebies.
Tati mutters quietly, mostly to herself, "Where there are captives, there are usually guards"
"Back on Ancorato, things seemed normal at first. We had plenty of hard work to do, but everything was coming along fine and we had made some good progress. After a time, people started to act strangely and go missing. Everyone was frightened and suspicious of one another and that's when the stranger came into the colony. He had dark hair and purple eyes. He seemed friendly enough at first, but he had some power or something. With just a glance, he climbed into my mind and controlled me like a puppet. He looked human, but now I realize that he was something else--what that is I can't tell you, though. He commanded me and many others to sail to this island and submit to the fish-things that live here. At least that's how I think it all went down. I think it affected my memory in some way, because it all seems vague and distant now."
"The rest of the colonists--those that survived--are in weird cells like those inside a huge vault. The fish-things took us here to runsome tests on us in the other room."
"Where?!" Aurelian asks, his heartbeat quickening as he realizes he may have finally arrived at an answer!
"There's a huge vault over that way," Armin says as she points toward the east. "It's flooded like everywhere else down here. The fish-thing's lair is there, and there are also more of these horrid prison cells within the vault. That's where the others are."
"You keep looking at the other cell," Aurelian says quietly. "Do you not want to leave them there, or are you afraid there is something that is a threat?"
Armin looks at Aurelian uncomfortably before continuing, ”I...I think something horrible happened to them. The guards took them to the other room and they...I don't think they are themselves anymore. They might not be what they were anymore. Please, just don't leave me alone with them.”
"Yes, Aurelian Fache will protect you," the swordsman says. "He does not know what is ahead and if it is anymore dangerous, but he will protect you from whatever is in there too!"
Zay listens to Armin's worries, with a slow nod of a dinosaur head. "It seems our enemies have the capacity to corrupt good people, somehow. Madness, magic, I don't know. Listen, we have a potion with us that would allow you to breathe water, but only for a few hours. The difficulty is I don't know where you might go. We can tell you how to get to the exit, behind us, but that just lets you emerge in a treacherous island, on your own. I suppose you could stick with us until the potion might start to run low, and then we can escort you out to the mouth, at least..... I don't think we dare leave this place half-explored. Especially not with the those two having seen us."
Zay cocks their head at the other two prisoners... if that's truly an accurate word for them.
Quietly, the dinosaur murmurs to the others, "If they're like the corrupted colonists we've met so far.... perhaps it's mercy to.... well... deal with them. But to do so on nothing more than Armin's words does seem like a cruel execution. Do you have any thoughts?"
"Let us leave them in there, if they are truly trapped. It seems the safest thing for the moment ... for them," Aurelian responds. "We need to find the others and make sure the same thing doesn't happen to them!"
"Very well. Armin, there's a potion of waterbreathing in my pack, which miss Tatienne is carrying. Drink that, and stay with us, alright? But in the back."
Zay swims forward, keeping a wary eye on the remaining two humans to try and judge what their reactions to everything so far is.