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Ezren smashes yet another projectile, hurling it to the remaining threat, and causing crack like injuries on it's stone skin. Meanwhile, the statue retaliates by attacking Kyra. But she keeps her defenses up, and avoids all the attacks!
Eventually, swarmed by the might of the party, the creature is destroyed, leaving more pebbles and stones scattered across the sparkling halls of the archive. Not to mention the few chronicle and journals that would have been damaged from the fight.
"What was that!? Oh and one more thing, I am injured."
Kyra comes over and examines Luke's wounds.
Worry not, I will treat your flesh. Will you allow me a few moments to work on your wounds?
Kyra sighs. "Forgive me but my skills are not enough. I will have to ask Sarenrae to lend me her aid. Oh Dawnflower, in your infinite grace and wisdom, I humbly beg for your holy light to shine upon this mortal body!"
"Ezren, can you understand the meaning of this? Why did the vault guardians attack us if we had permission from Sebnet? And why did only some of them animate but the others remain still?"
Thank you, Kyra!"
Looking around at the piles of ruble and shaking her head, than picking up her bow Lura says "We should report what happened to Sebnet. She may want to have someone look into it before it happens again."
With that she also attempts to retrieve as many arrows as she can.
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Sebnet's expression seems to be one of a little confusion, but without worry as you give details of your excursion and findings in the Orerry Archive. "What? Animated statues in the Orrery Archive? We have several magical marvels here in Nexus House, but this is news to me. Could it be sabotage? We haven’t needed particularly strong security in the past, but perhaps we should consider it. As it might be relevant, what were you doing, as precisely as you recall, when the statues began running amok?”
Ezren wants to spend some time going over his spellbook and pondering some of the ancient texts they looked over.
Ezren thinks back and tries to remember what he might know about the status that could explain how they came to be there or who might have put them there.
He recounts to Sebnet what the party was doing and where they stood when the attack broke out.
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As Ezren inspect the statues, he notices some strange complicated markings on the broken stone pieces. These symbols are akin to arcane runes used in golem creation rituals,and are likely responsible for the statues’ animation. These marks appear quite recent, but it’s impossible to definitively date them.
~~~
Sebnet remains perplexed at the encounter with the animated statues. "Well, I'm still at a lost about the living decorations. Nonetheless, we'll have someone look into it."
Ezren also shares the list of missing documents. Followed by his theory:
"I believe you've had a thief, vash-vatom. I think they took these records and animated the statues; perhaps to cover their tracks?"
"We also found this note by Igrigi Lokar, about the sale of some ooze-related tractate to one Bijan Chrlavi. Is this name familiar to you? Does Igrigi still work here and can we talk to them?"
Lura listens intently to the others. She is more action, let the others do the thinking. At the sounds of thievery her ears perk up.
"I could go check for signs of a break-in. Its kinda a specialty."
"Guys, you do the thinking part! I am here to smash things."
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At the mention of missing text, her facial expression changes to one of a more curious nature. "Thieves!? Well.. the thought really never crossed my mind, but if we would have missing records that's definitely a possibility. We occasionally sell off texts from our collection as we may not have much use for it. But selling all information about a specific subject matter would be unusual and may suggest a break-in after all. Perhaps we should entertain this idea."
She thinks for a moment and shakes her head, “Bijan Ohrlavi... That name isn’t familiar to me. But others in this city may know more. Igrigi no longer works here, but He’s one of the most competent assistants I’ve ever had. A very smart man— capable, if sometimes a bit opinionated. He recently left Nexus House’s employ to take a higher-paying position within the city bureaucracy somewhere. He did so with my recommendation, frankly; I was glad to see someone with integrity and skill rewarded"
Lura begins to look for signs of thievery.
"Vash-vatom, please accept our sincere gratitude for the access to the archives and this valuable information. This buyer sounds like a... slimy character. I suggest we try and find Igrigi first - maybe he will give us more information about Bijan that will make him easier to identify."
"OK let's try to find that Igrigi."
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The parliament building seems to be complicated with many a chambers filled with politicians of every size and colour. Asking around for hte time being comes up short on anyone knowing about Igrigi. Though from around the corridor, it was heard that the man you are looking for fled the country, to avoid a charge of embezzlement about a week ago.
"Looks like Igrigi is not here! Shall we look for Bijan."
Luke helps with searching Bijan.
"Ah, that's a pity. Power can corrupt even the best of minds if they're not strengthened by faith. Let us try finding Bijan in the streets then."
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From word among the streets, a few folk are aware of the name Bijan Ohrlavi. Additionally, you become aware that he has a twin sister by the name of Zaynap. You're given a reliable description of the two from a few folk, describing them as slimy dirty looking locals. One of the shopowners believes that the two of them operate illegally out of an abandoned apothecary shop called Wishful Cures.
"Let's go to the shop."
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You make your way to the docks of Quantium, where the abandoned apothecary lies. It's not difficult to discern the shop among the well maintained buildings in the nearby vicinity. The shop’s facade has been defaced with graffiti, its windows are all broken, and its wares are plainly plundered. The doors are bolted, unusually with a relatively brand new looking lock.
"Who will unlock the door!"
Make sure no one is looking." Lura says as she bends over the locks. "We wouldn't want to run afoul of the local watch."
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Lura easily picks out the lock to enable access to the shop for the Pathfinders. Internally, the place is in much worse a condition than the exterior, decrepit and with a foul order. Dust and Cobwebs fills the empty broken shelves, and not a single soul is in sight.
However, it isn't difficult for the group to find a secret trapdoor lying under the dust behind the shop’s wooden counter.The trapdoor’s hinges are well-oiled and show signs of regular use and is also unlocked. The trapdoor leads into the darkness where a foul stench reeks in the chambers below.
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Entering the dark unknown, lit by Luke's torch reveals a fairly large chamber whose purpose seems to be storage. The basement of Wishful Cures is a jumble of boxes and crates, most of them left ajar, and heaps of yellowed papers and dried herbs scattered across the floor. The air contains a sour, chemical smell emanating from an opening in the far wall of the closet to the south.
Before the party travels further, Kyra immediately halts the group to points out there are several pressure plates on the floor hidden among the detritus and ask that the group walks around it. Additionally, her keen eyes points out a shiny ring left covered under the dust that Ezren identifies as magic as the group travels through this area.
The opening in the walls seems to be made relatively recently and seems to be done by unskilled labourers. As if someone broke into the wall without giving it any real care and created a ugly looking tunnel to the best of their ability. A slurry of yellow tinged, foul smelling water fills the tunnel. Further ahead, the tunnel moves in deeper but also to the west, another opening that leads to what you believe to be the main sewerage system that runs under the city.
~~~
Luke turns to the west and enters some kind of chamber.
Looking at the ring, "Pretty bauble, could be worth some coin." She says following Luke.
"More than a few coin! This is a Ring of the Ram! I will take it." Ezren dons and invests the ring, then follows Luke into the next room.
Kyra frowns disapprovingly as they descend into the cellar. "I have a bad feeling about this. Honest people would not hind behind ruses and traps. Sarenrae protect us."
She will stay 5ft behind Luke while Searching, with the scimitar out.
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The sludge-stained ceiling of this sewer chamber rises to twelve feet high. Wide passages containing a greenish, slow moving slurry flows from north to west. In the northwest corner of the room are several loose stones and a few metal canisters. To the west, a staircase ascends north to an area illuminated by a steady light source. A wooden plank has been turned into a makeshift bridge over the northern sewer canal. A collapsed wall to the east leads to the apothecary shop’s basement and to several twisting passages. The greenish slurry is concentrated in the twisting passages to a viscous slime a nauseating blue in color.
The party immediately spots a dark mass of thick slurry moving from under the surface. But before the group is able to react, the a humongous black gelatinous thing pounces from below and attempts to pseudopod Luke!
~~~
Reacting as fast as she can Lura fires three quick arrows at the Black Jelly. "Watch out!"
Ezren tries to recall what he knows about these creatures.
Luke starts hitting the creature with his fists.
Luke starts hitting the creature with his sword.
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Ezren is fully aware of this monstrous gelatin begins known as black puddings. Mindless scavenging organism of the underworld that are always on the look out for their next fleshy meal. They are not only immune to sharp weapons damage (slashing or piercing), but everytime they are cut they will spilt themselves. Additionally as their amorphous body is made of acid like substances, they are immune to any precision, critical and acid attacks.
~~~
Party is up!
Kyra concentrates on the image of Sarenrae's cleansing fire and her fingertips begin glowing as the ray of divine flame shoots towards the creature grabbing Luke!
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Ezren attempts to pummel the creature with his bare hands, but barely bruises the odd shaped being. Kyra's fire ray burns the creature but it seems to have barely affected the creature.
Lura now remembers a little bit about the Black Pudding, unfortunately her memory tells her that the creature has no weaknesses.
~~~
Lura puts away her bow and looks for a makeshift club to wield.
Ezren raises his hands and makes an arcane gesture with one while he points his staff with the other. "Nihilum redigam te et ignis!" He says as a ball of fire bursts from the mouth of his staff and hurls behind the jellies to explode in a mighty flash of white heat.
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Ezren unleashes a ball of fire that burns brightly in the darkness of the sewer system. The heat burns intensely and starts to melt away the oozes. The original black pudding seems to be extremely out of shape and is barely holding itself together.
The ginormous mass of blob out of survival instinct continues it's attempt into making food out of the Pathfinders. The monster grasping Luke constrict him in effort to squeeze his oxygen and suffocate him while the newly form mass begins to move it's way and effortlessly moves over the ledge and reaches out a tentacle shaped jelly out of it's body towards the cleric. The acid burns through her garments and burns her skin badly.
~~~
Luke continues to hit the creature with his fists.
Not seeing anything that she can use to instead of her blades, so she decides to try using the flats of her blades. Stepping forward she swings once with her Rapier then with her dagger.
increasing the weapon damage dice it deals to two instead of
one. For instance, a +1 striking dagger would deal 2d4 damage
instead of 1d4 damage.
Anji the Investigator
GM Batpony
