Lore Jorinson |
Lore grabs his equipment and light and follows Azimuth.
Right. That's gross. And terrible.
Lore examines the table closest to the watchman.
Anyone know anything about acid or...anything else that would dissolve people?
GM thunderspirit |
Sorry, all, busy weekend.
After checking out the body, Azimuth notes a few other things in the room with his Perception check.
The two northern desks each contain a small, empty candelabra, two bottles of dried ink, and old quill pens. The southern desk has been used more recently; the candelabrum holds the stubs of half-burnt candles, the ink bottles are still wet, and fresh ink stains the quill pens. A handful of books and scrolls, treatises on the solar system and the empty space beyond, lie open on the desk. Several of the books contain writing that Azimuth doesn't understand, but upon bringing them to the party's attention, Clara recognizes the language to be Osiriani, and notes that they refer to the "the Dark Tapestry" and the "Dominions of the Black, as well as something called the "Gate of Beyond," identified as a long-lost portal to these otherworldly realms. References to an ancient aberrant sorcerer named Kubburum Ishmedagan and the mad wizard Ralzeros the Overwatched are also highlighted.
As Clara is reading and translating, Azimuth turns up a sheet of parchment beneath the desk, as if it were discarded. This is written in the same language, but appears to be disjointed ramblings of non-related words.
GM thunderspirit |
Absent Knowledge (history), no one will know anything about the names. Payj can try a Linguistics check to decipher the sheet of parchment.
There is a door leading south and the one marked "Archives—Private" leading east.
Vayu |
"I wonder if this man has partially traveled through some gate ... rather than been eaten? Or maybe something horrible from the Dominions of Black have traveled here ... ugh"
Vayu wisps to the door labeled archives and listens,
Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (6) + 7 = 13
Putting his hand on the handle, "Archives ... should be some good information in here ... at least there probably aren't any moldy humans. That'll be a plus ..."
Holding off actually opening he glances at the group ...
If anyone else says to, he will open the door.
GM thunderspirit |
Vayu opens the door to reveal a musty storeroom, filled with boxes and crates stacked in disorganized piles, some only a few boxes high and others reaching all the way to the ceiling. Small puddles stand on the floor, and the occasional drip of water echoes in the darkness.
A single unlit oil lamp hangs from a bracket to the right of the door on the north wall; near it, sticking out from beneath a particularly jumbled pile, a booted leg can be seen. Half-concealed behind a stack of cartons to the south another door can be seen.
Growing amongst some nearby crates is a green plant, its sickly flowers smoking with a nasty yellow vapor.
Initiative!
YMC: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (13) + 2 = 15
Azimuth: 1d20 + 1 ⇒ (11) + 1 = 12
Clara: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (10) + 6 = 16
Lore: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19
Payj: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22
Vayu: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (4) + 3 = 7
Payj, Lore, Clara (& George) are up!
Clara Oswald |
"Right, sickly plant, nasty vapor, I will just stand over here while George does his best to pick the flower then?" Ever the bastion of courage, Clara moves back into the room from whence she had come, and cowers under a desk while George dutifully attempts to save her from the evil flower of doom. . . at least that is what she begins to scrawl on a scrap of paper while so cowered.
To Hit (George): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Damage (If applicable): 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
GM thunderspirit |
Moved you and George, Clara.
Obedient like any good undead pet should be, George shuffles forward and chomps down on the plant vines!
Payj, Lore!
Lore Jorinson |
"Poisonous man eating plants in the basement, would have been useful information, NIGEL!"
Lore moves into the eastern room, drawing a shortspear and holding his breath.
Shortspear Range Attack: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
Damage: 1d6 + 4 ⇒ (1) + 4 = 5
Lores' pedigree as a master marksman rears its ugly head.
GM thunderspirit |
The creeper's tendrils lash out at George!
plant vs. zombie (okay, skeleton)!: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
damage: 1d4 + 4 ⇒ (4) + 4 = 8
George takes the full force of the plant's attack!
Azimuth flings a pair or shurikens, but each alight in nearby crates rather than the plant!
Init repost:
plant
Azimuth
Vayu <-
Payj
Lore
Clara (& George)
Vayu, Payj, Lore, and Clara/George!
Clara Oswald |
"I will diligently record the vast greatness of our party and the plants destruction from the relative safety of this here cabinet. If anything of particular amusement happens, do not be shy about embellishing." a small voice calls from under a near by desk.
George:
To Hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (10) + 5 = 15
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (5) + 3 = 8
To Hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (5) + 5 = 10
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (1) + 3 = 4
To Hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (18) + 5 = 23
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (2) + 3 = 5
GM thunderspirit |
Vayu, shooting into melee, demonstrates his ability to miss plants as he did growing up.
Two of George's three blows strike the plant, which now looks haggard but remains a threat!
Payj, Lore!
GM thunderspirit |
Payj's acid splash sails past the plant, but Lore's halberd charge finishes it off!
Out of combat!
While cleaning the plant ichor off his halberd, Lore notices a tag on the crate that indicates the crate in which the plant grew was a gift for Nigel himself.
Clara Oswald |
Clara climbs out of her hidey hole and moves to rejoin George, after the Ichor cloud abates, and smiles nonchalantly. "We'll done. I am glad I found my pen. It rolled under a desk of all places. Sorry I missed the fight. Looks like it was a success though! Would have been a shame to lose it. Er, right. Next door then?"
Vayu |
Vayu looks extends his arm, sighting down the length of the pistol barrel, then clears the chamber, and looks down the barrel from the other end ... shaking his head, "Hmmm ... damn thing's shooting like a drunken hill giant standing in a row boat ..."
"On the other hand, maybe this crate was shipped to him with the intent to kill him when he opened it."
He searches the room. Perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (7) + 7 = 14
GM thunderspirit |
Vayu takes a look about, starting with the jumbled pile near the north door. He locates the remains of another hapless guard, this one apparently crushed beneath crates and boxes.
Aside from that, there is nothing else of particular interest in the room except the doors; barely visible to the south is one nearly buried behind stacks of more crates and boxes. Closer examination by Lore (who's closest to it) reveals it bears a small sign reading "Archives—Private."
Clara Oswald |
"Vayu, as lovely as you are, not a word please. You have a knack for summinging the foulest beasts to attack us just by vocalizing their mere existence. Someday I hope to be a summoner half so capable, but for now, please, don't wish any more beasts upon us." With that said, Clara nods to Lore, "May as well open it. She sure isn't in here. And she is a Blakros. That is probably all the permission she needs to enter the private archives."
Clara Oswald |
As soon as Vayu begins to speak, Clara rushes forward to cover his mouth with her hand before he can summon another monster. To Hit, Touch: 1d20 - 3 ⇒ (14) - 3 = 11
"I don't know what that is, but it had better be some species of adorable harmless bunny." Clara glares at Vayu.
Vayu |
"Don't go underestimating those bunnies ... they might have fangs ...", says Vayu as he puts his hand up to his mouth feigning fangs, "but alas, we should not go down that path ... or it will be 'shubbery this, and shubbery that'!"
Azimuth World-Traveler |
Azimuth nods at Vayu.
"Eccentrics and Wizards collect without regard for what it is they are collecting. They just want to have more, instead of being content and learning to appreciate what they have already."
He grunts as he helps move crates.
"I see it often at Irori's temples, Mages who come to us wanting to "Achieve inner perfection of themselves and their art", but when asked to remove themselves from their perfumes and pillows, they balk and never return."
GM thunderspirit |
With some work, the party clears the way to the southern door. Azimuth looks it over and deems it reasonably safe; however, upon trying to open it, he finds that the door appears stuck fast.
You can try a Strength check to open it; one person to roll the check and one other person can assist.
Vayu |
"Hey, Azimuth, why don't you give Lore a hand with the door ... I'm sure Lore can handle it himself, but ... just to be sure. Wait a second though ..."
Vayu listens at the door
perception: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (4) + 7 = 11
Azimuth World-Traveler |
Azimuth grunts as he shoulders the door with George.
Aid Another: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (15) + 2 = 17
"Perhaps. We monks believe that perhaps the perfume is to help the wizards escape the smell of bat guano and sulfer. Or perhaps it's to do us favor. In my experience, many wizards talk from their hind ends, what is coming out of their mouths, I wonder?"
Clara Oswald |
"Personally, I am just starting in life, but I don't mind reek, it is why I work well with corpses. I do admit I like skeletons better though, less offensive odors emanate from these undead."
GM thunderspirit |
George — with an assist from Azimuth — shoves in the door marked "Archives". In very short order, the party discovers why the door was stuck; fungi and large mushrooms carpet the floor here. The air here is damp and close, and several of the fungal growths pulse with an eerie purple light that dimly illuminates the room.
The chamber also contains several tall wooden bookshelves reaching to the ceiling, almost bursting with the weight of books and scrolls filling the shelves. The shelves and their contents are likewise encrusted with thick growths of brightly colored fungus and glistening mold. Many tomes have fallen from the shelves, their open pages forming a base for more fungi.
Almost as soon as you take in the room, however, a high-pitched wail emits from the middle of the fungi patch on the other side of the door!
This fungal growth is other-worldly, not natural. The wail appears to be coming from an extraplanar purple mushroom, similar to a shrieker.
GM thunderspirit |
It hurts your ears, and might hurt more if you get closer. It also probably would make sneaking about more difficult. But you don't take any damage from it.
Clara Oswald |
K. Planes: 1d20 + 7 ⇒ (19) + 7 = 26
"George, would you be a dear and squish that mushroom? It is hurting my ears, and making it very difficult to have a polite uncivilized debate about monks versus mages."
The taxidermic owl bear does his best to lumber over to graze on the obnoxious fungi.
George to Hit: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (13) + 5 = 18
Damage: 1d6 + 3 ⇒ (3) + 3 = 6
"Since the funny fungus is not from our plane of existence, I suppose it logically follows that it is intended as a trap or alarms of some sort. I guess that means we are likely expected. If it is a bloodsucking bunny with huge fangs names tarrasque, I will be most put out!"
As she finishes, Clara turns to glare at Vayu. "If George fails, I suppose you can try the shooting at vegetation you practiced so much as a child?"
GM thunderspirit |
I'm gonna rule that George destroys the shrieker, even though it's technically a hazard and not a creature. Cos, y'know, logic.
Ah...quiet befitting a library returns.