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Scratch nods as Ed casts his magic towards the suspicious statue, he takes his eyes into the storage room though to double check for hidden healing potions. There's gotta be more of those around, they've been everywheres so far!
He pries open the lids of crates with his clan dagger if needed.
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To Scratch's dismay, there aren't any convenient healing potions hanging around in the room or in any of the boxes. Ed doesn't sense any magical auras, either. The crates contain a bunch more vials and bottles that seem to be full of the same stuff you'd found back in Hallod's lair, and mentioned several times since then: corpse blood!
The next set of doors opens up to a long chamber packed full of alchemical gear and experiments. Cauldrons stand next to tables where even now volatile mixtures are brewing and bubbling. A large furnace is opposite the door, just behind a long pool of water with a statue of a woman standing at its head.
Four more creatures that look like a larger version of the homonculus cook float about the lab, mixing regeants with no care for safety and cooking up nasty chemicals. Without a sound, they turn and drop what they're doing as the doors open...
Scratch
Ed
Gillian
Red, Blue
Celvi
Green, Yellow
Environmental Conditions: Mind some of the furniture in the room
Party Buffs: None
Celvi continues scouting, but wonders if these buggers will put a fight. She's too slow to react...
Ed reacts quickly here, bringing up a defensive spell here while trying to see what weaknesses these creatures have...
"Oooh...yeah, maybe let's let them come to us..." Gillian blinks as the four homunculi turn to stare at them. She takes cover as best as she can behind the door frame as she tries to recall any specific details about these things.
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Scratch stares at the others "Now's yer chance fer one of them giant explosions, what's takin' so long?" He draws out a hammer, takes cover behind the other side of the doorway and raises his weapons defensively.
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Both Ed and Gillian recognize the homunculi. Just like the the kitchen's cook, these ones seem to have been constructed for a specific purpose. In this case, to keep the lab tidy and tend to ongoing experiments. Gillian remembers some of their combat abilities, like their ability to throw bombs and vomit reagents! Yum.
Scratch starts the fight with a well-aimed hammer, bonking one of the winged homunculi's heads.
Scratch
Ed
Gillian
Celvi
Red, Blue
Green, Yellow (-9)
Environmental Conditions: Mind some of the furniture in the room
Party Buffs: None
Celvi casts Invisibility on Scratch and giggles as he fades from view. She then readies her crossbow.
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Scratch disappears, and the homonculi advance on the party, with the first rushing right into the dwarf's leg before realizing something is there. The surprise causes it to heave up a thick, brackish goo that trickles all over Scratch!
Another homonculus puts its glowing fists up as it comes at Gillian, striking at her shoulder peeking from behind the door frame...
Scratch (invisible, needs a DC 17 basic Reflex save)
Ed (Shield)
Gillian (-12)
Celvi
Red, Blue
Green, Yellow (-9)
Environmental Conditions: Furniture is difficult terrain. 1 vomit pile on the map (see above spoiler on 'Vomit Alchemy')
Party Buffs: None
Celvi, ever ready, opens fire on the green-skinned homonculus.
She looks to Ed. He seems like he was gonna do something...
Ed sighs softly as he realizes the creatures won't converge into a nice clump to affect with his sleep spell. Oh well... Stepping into view he lets his magic fly!
"Yeouch! They're electric!"
Gillian readies her longspear but hears the sound of Ed casting from behind her. She waits a second to see what happens and then...
...seeing the two in front fall asleep she draws out a vial of her new-and-improved alchemist's fire and flings it at Red!
She then pulls out a lesser flask of acid and also flings it at Red!
Finally, she stows her longspear in preparation to draw out her sling...
Rather than throw bombs at point-blank range and suffer the splashback Gillian simply makes two quick jabs at the one homunculus that's still standing and within reach.
And then she takes cover again, as best as she can.
Scratch swears as some of the acid seeps through his freshly wiped off hide armor and sears his delicate old man skin. "Cripes, that thing needs somethin' fer its indigestion, and it ain't Dwarf meat!"
With some study and a quick whack whack! against yellow, the Dwarf falls back before the goop melts his shoes.
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Celvi flips the switch to 'critical' on her hand crossbow, and launches a bolt deep into the homunculus' head. It creepily doesn't react to the obvious hole in its head.
Green and its yellow-eyed companion also don't react to Ed's magical incantation. It seems to have no effect on them! Gillian rips another wound in yellow before again ducking behind the wall, while Scratch throws two hammers in a smooth arc that fall just short of the homonculus and into the puke pool.
One homunculus throws three quick fists at Gillian, and the first punch just manages to find her behind the door frame, bruising her again. The other homunculus wretches and throws up another foul burst of pike... right on Gillian's feet.
The other two homunculi stuck in the back creep a little closer, waiting for their own opportunity to defend the lab...
Scratch (-3, invisible)
Ed (Shield)
Gillian (-19, needs a DC 17 basic Reflex save)
Celvi
Red, Blue
Green (-8), Yellow (-11)
Environmental Conditions: Furniture is difficult terrain. 2 vomit piles on the map (see above spoiler on 'Vomit Alchemy')
Party Buffs: None
"Eep!"
Gillian manages to avoid the worst of the vomit but is still quick to take a step back and away from the puddle surrounding her feet.
"Geeze...we just can't catch a break, can we?"
With all of the homunculi now packed tightly together and no friendly fire of her own to worry about, Gillian quickly begins pulling out and throwing vials of fire and acid in rapid succession!
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Ed hides a brief look of dismay on his face before he decides to add to Green's misery here...
;
Celvi takes a Step back before launching a rock at the green skinned creature.
"Light 'em up!" Scratch cackles as he tosses a hammer at yellow's face then draws out another and raises them up defensively.
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The alchemist's fire explodes and sets green on fire, some of the flammable liquid also spilling onto the homunculi around it. The acid flask misses. Ed makes flames burn even brighter when he tosses in some magical fire, but both Celvi and Scratch can't seem to hit the damn constructs.
Surrounded by puke, green and yellow grab hold of the walls and start to climb up and out, avoiding the vomit and ending up next to Gillian and Celvi. They leap down and throw two punches...
Celvi takes a hard punch to the jaw, while the other two homunculi remain the lab, staring outside the room with glossy eyes.
Scratch (-3)
Ed (Shield)
Gillian (-22)
Celvi (-13)
Red (-3), Blue (-3)
Green (-27, 2 persistent fire), Yellow (-14)
Environmental Conditions: Furniture is difficult terrain. 2 vomit piles on the map (see above spoiler on 'Vomit Alchemy')
Party Buffs: None
Seeing Gillian in trouble here Ed summons another ball of flame and swipes at the yellow construct before ducking back under cover.
;
"Bah! You dirty little... that burns!" Celvi Strides away and casts Telekinetic Projectile against her attacker.
"Hmpf. Dodge this!"
The Dwarf whines a bit as his prey moves over to a softer target, leaving green next to him. "Runnin' away eh? That'll only buy you a little time you bulimic bucket of gopher guts!" He refocuses his attacks on green then raises his weapons to defend himself.
Hoping to maybe finish off at least Green without having to resort to using more of her limited resources Gillian steps back and attempts to deliver two quick spear thrusts into Green's belly!
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Celvi squashes a homunculus with a plank to the skull, and its eyes go dim. It flops over as its spark of life dissipates. Gillian strikes her longspear through another homunculus' bulbous head, and it immediately becomes as limp as a dead rose's petals.
Out come the last two constructs, both of them horking up a thick, stinky puddle of colorful puke!
Scratch (-3)
Ed (Shield)
Gillian (-22)
Celvi (-13)
Red (-3), Blue (-3)
Environmental Conditions: Furniture is difficult terrain. 2 vomit piles on the map (see above spoiler on 'Vomit Alchemy')
Party Buffs: None
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"Hey! Get away from me, I don't want to see that!" Ed gags as he steps back and sends a ball of flame in retaliation.
;
"Yes!" Gillian cheers as two of the homunculi finally fall. She quickly whips out her last acid flask and flings it at Blue...
...before trying to deliver a follow-up jab to its belly with her longspear!
Then she does what she can to take cover in the corner.
Celvi hurls a stone and watches it skips across the goop. She shrugs and reloads her crossbow.
Scratch ducks his head as the puke splatters the top of his helmet. Some rolling down his back and sizzling. "Hey, that's a family heirloom!" He readjusts his position and lets the weapons do the talking. They don't speak very loudly.
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The fumes get into Ed's nose and throw off his aim! Luckily, Gillian scores a direct hit, and the flask smashes on top of the homunculus' head, burning through its flesh.
Celvi's stone kicks up some glowing vomit. Scratch's eyes fail him again, both attacks missing the creature.
The homunculus gets two solid punches across Scratch's jaw, and Ed is also nearly knocked out from two lead fists to the belly.
Scratch (-16)
Ed (-26)
Gillian (-22)
Celvi (-13)
Red (-3 ), Blue (-12)
Environmental Conditions: Furniture is difficult terrain. 4 vomit piles on the map
Party Buffs: None
"Fall back, Ed!" Gillian calls out as she continues to try and perforate the homunculus that's up in their faces.
"Damn! They're harder to hit than you'd think," she huffs as she also falls back, hoping to put enough space between her and it to use another alchemist's fire.
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Scratch takes the two punches like a man, while Ed nearly loses his lunch. "Ain't ya been in a bar fight before Ed? Tighten up them gut muscles n throw some haymakers!"
Scratch stands his ground and starts flailing on red then defends himself from the counter attack.
Celvi takes aim at the Blue-tinted homunculus with her crossbow.
Then she casts Invisibility on Ed. "Who wants to die in acidic goop? Back up a bit, eh?"
Ed brushes off Scratch's words here as not being applicable to a non dwarf here. Quickly scooting back out of range he does maintain the presence to send yet another ball of flame at the blue creature.
;
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Ed tosses some fire at blue, blackening its hard exterior, yet it fights on annoyingly. Celvi taps him on the shoulder after her crossbow misfires, and he fades from view. The homunculi dart between Gilian's longspear and Scratch's hammer and dagger, dodging all of their attacks.
And then both creatures throw their heads back and up comes more vomit!
Scratch (-16)
Ed (-26, Invis)
Gillian (-22)
Celvi (-13)
Red (-3 ), Blue (-18)
Environmental Conditions: Furniture is difficult terrain. 6 vomit piles on the map
Party Buffs: None
Scratch gets splattered with more upchuck. "Cripes these things got bottomless pits in there... kinda like this Halfer I knew back home before things went to s!$!... Remy could eat 75 sammiches in 10 minutes!" He continues wailing away at Red then steps back out of the yuck.
A bunch of puke falls on Celvi as she retreats. She fires another plank of wood at the Blue homunculus.
Taking advantage of the respite here Ed readies another ball of flame here targetting the Blue creature.
;
Not particularly wanting to leave Scratch alone with both homunculi Gillian tries to help finish off Blue...
...before taking another step back and down the small set of stairs.
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Scratch jiggles his stubby arm rapidly enough that the kink throwing off his aim finally comes loose! His dagger carves open the homunculus. Celvi tosses a plank at the other one with huge force, throwing the thing against the wall. Its eyes go dim.
Ed misses his attack. With the room so full of puke, the homunculus has nowhere to go. It wades into a pool and throws some punches at Scratch while ankle deep in vomit, managing to land one of the three.
Scratch (-24)
Ed (-26)
Gillian (-22)
Celvi (-13)
Red (-14)
Environmental Conditions: Furniture is difficult terrain. 6 vomit piles on the map
Party Buffs: None
"Hang on Scratch!"
Ed moves to a better position where he can let another ball of flame fly!
;
"Finally. That thing almost burned my hat!" Celvi runs back up the stairs and hurls another stone at the remaining homonculus.
As Blue goes down Gillian breathes a sigh of relief. Three down, one to go. Rather than fall back like she'd planned she instead stows her longspear, draws out her sling, and loads it...
...and now with her sling ready, she takes aim and lets a bullet fly at Red!
Then she quickly reloads and sends another bullet flying!
"Its you er me bud... n I ain't ready ta be dead yet!" Scratch unleashes a barrage of hammer and dagger swings before 'puttin' up his dukes' in defense.
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Fwwwwworp Time suddenly unfreezes, and the party pelts the final foe with a dizzying combination of fire, melee attacks and stones to the face. The bulbous homunculus drops like a two ton Acme anvil, ending the long, drawn out fight.
It only takes another minute before the vomit pools in front of you stop sizzling. Perhaps they're likely safe to travel through now?
Inside the lab from where the creatures emerged is the statue of a woman not unlike the weeping one you'd passed through on the way in, only this one has a cold, hard, calculating expression.
The central table contains common alchemical items, including a small crate containing 6 vials of lesser alchemist’s fire and another with 4 lesser acid flasks. There is also a small, velvet-lined box containing a single dose of some kind of mutagen. A note on the table indicates these items are intended to be shipped to an address in the Chelish capital of Egorian.
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"I feel like I forgot something..." Celvi's plank finally flies ahead and crashes against the wall. "But hey. We're still alive. That's a good thing, right?" She dusts off her hat.
"Uh, we're looking for Virlee, right? How much healin' do we need to do? I could use some help, if we have time."
"Well! They're not healing items but I'll take 'em," Gillian smiles widely as a search of the room yields the crate full of alchemical goodies. "Free is the best price of all, after all - and whoever they were supposed to go to in Cheliax probably doesn't need them anyway."
Though she's obviously pleased to find the small arsenal, Gillian isn't inclined to be greedy. She waits for anyone else who wants a few vials to grab them before collecting the rest.
"Yeah...I think we could all use some healing after that," she agrees when Celvi brings it up. "Here, let me see what I can do..."
While she's able to patch up some of her own wounds and Celvi's, she has a harder time with Scratch and Ed.
"Dang..." Gillian sighs. "I've still got these healing elixirs I made, if either of you want to use them."
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"Uggh, yeah Gillian I think I had better get one of those healing draughts." Ed groans in pain from his exertions, "I know it's a long shot but maybe we can show Virlee the error of her ways without killing her!"
After the last minion falls with a splat into the vomit pool Scratch takes a few quiet steps back, breathing heavily and listening for reinforcements. After a short while he clenches his teeth and starts exploring his wounds, then collecting his thrown weapons.
"Easy now Gilly, lemme help ya with all these wounds. I ain't gonna be caught sitting on my thumb while you do all the cleanup!" After she works on the group he'll take a turn around while she rests.
Scratch moves around the room to check on the patients, seeing if they're right as rain or still in some pain.
Its pretty clear that Scratch's 'DWARVEN Medicine' consisting of whiskey and dirt rubbed on the wounds works wonders on humans, but his Dwarven body has long since caught on.
"Whew...I hope that's the last of those homunculi," Gillian remarks as Scratch has a turn at playing doctor and manages to largely cover what she couldn't. "We can't keep doing this all day..."
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Though not necessarily a comforting place to rest in, the laboratory is suitable for taking a break to patch up cuts and burns. The tools and towels nearby help both Gillian and Scratch to mend the party's wounds.
In between treating wounds, Scratch pulls out the brown bottle and inspects the thick, brown liquid inside... Turns out it's a lesser stone body mutagen.
From here, a spiral staircase descends to the east...