"I've seen enough for today, guys. I definitely feel like we should stop for the evening."
Urzok shrugs. "Fine. Could use time to think anyways," he says, absentmindedly rubbing his head. Another night on the edge of some ungrateful people who hate me for me. Should be relaxing.
Oh? Is it getting that late? I suppose we could use the breather.
”Do you think we could take her back with us?” Boodiddly points at the still-smoking woman. ”We can’t just leave her here like this - what if something happened to her? Well, something worse?”
Jevar cocks an eyebrow, confused at what they would do for her.
I think... something already did happen to her. Unless we can cure whatever this is, it would almost be better if she were put out of miserable existence.
"How about this: We come back in the morning, once I have some more appropriate spells for a, well, cloud breathing woman who probably wants to murder us."
"I'll kill her if not, either way it's a win for us, now let's go!" Urzok says a little impatiently. How did we make a decision then decide to consider other options?
Jevar cocks an eyebrow, confused at what they would do for her.
I think... something already did happen to her. Unless we can cure whatever this is, it would almost be better if she were put out of miserable existence.
Boodiddly stomps his little foot in exasperation. ”Well we haven’t done anything to even evaluate if we can help her!” he replies, not bothering to hide his frustration. ”And we can’t abandon someone who could answer a lot more of our questions, nevermind someone who hasn’t hurt us and isn’t able to defend or take care of themselves! Just think what those ratings would do if they found her like this.”
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Okay, well you go see if you can figure her out without being put into a sleeping stupor. It's happened to two of us so far. I'm still having trouble resolving "her" state as "life".
Jevar steps back and gestures for the gnome to go approach her.
"I'm not a doctor," Urzok says with a shake of his head. "Let me have a look at her though," he says, a glint of mischievousness in his eyes.
Standing up as straight as he can, he holds an imaginary clipboard in his hand and begins chewing on the head of an equally existent pencil. "Hrmmmm... minimal response to surroundings... HmmmmMMMMmmm... nightmare gas continuously spewing from the mouth... HHHHHRRRRMMMMM! I know!" Scribbling frantically notes for a moment, he finally reaches his conclusion and tosses his equipment into the air. "She's a chimney!"
Dropping the ruse, he walks out of the room and takes a seat on the floor in the hallway. "Let me know when you're done playing doctor," he calls back as he gets to sharpening his sword.
________
Boodiddly ignores Jevar and Urzok as he studies the woman. Have I seen anything like this before? he wonders before trying out a few practical things.
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Boodiddly is unsure between if what has happened to this woman is some kind of curse or some horrible planar backlash of some kind.
Touching the woman with a 10’ pole only makes the woman stare at the one poking her.
Fanning the fog away with a blanket proves futile; the fog refuses to dissipate.
Trying to get the woman out of the cloud proves almost equally futile—when brought closer to the amnesiace it takes only a few seconds for the cloud to creep closer as well, as if the cloud were tied to her.
The amnesiacs enter the semi-nondenominational chapel and quickly find Winter, who is kneeling down next to an adolescent clutching fervently to a lantern.
”Brenton, please remember to take your medication, or else your seizures will grow worse”
“Yes Winter.”
Finishing her conversation, the woman rises and walks toward the amnesiacs.
”I am glad to see that you have returned. Tell me, what have you discovered?”
Firstly, that traversing most any passage of this place promises to impose madness-inducing experiences. In the library we were bombarded with books by human-faced rats, one named Genny. Then we tried the Briarstone entrance, but found the gate pretty well lodged. Then a room of suffocated bodies, with little else. A very misty courtyard. An inviting room where stuffed birds chirp angrily if you touch anything. Another misty passage with something creeping around in it; we fled before we could discover what lurked there. Back in the library we discovered another creepy rat leader, Ratch. After some more book-throwing, he surrendered and informed us that there is an entity haunting this place, called the "Shredman." Actually that was one of many names. Finally, we found an oddly-behaving woman in a pool of blood. It was hard to figure out if she can be saved, or is some animated horror.
He scratches the back of his head while thinking of whether he missed anything important.
I'm not sure what of that you might have further interest in. In short, we still have searching to do, and a Shredman to look out for.
We found some fabulous vacation spots for sure! the raven quips.
"Yup, that's bout it," Urzok adds, looking everywhere but at Winter. Let's see if talking less convinces her not to saddle us with more work. Not like we can't find our own trouble in this place.
Winter blinks a few times.
”Well...If it weren’t for how this past week has been going I’d have trouble believing you, but at this point I’d believe almost anything. At this point, I do not know what to tell you other than to please find a way out of here. I will provide any assistance that I am able, but know that I cannot leave the chapel—these people need me. I can treat your wounds—whether physical or mental—but the blessings bestowed upon me by Pharasma can only do so much.”
Jevar nods back at her.
I thought as much. We appreciate the healing, and we'll head out again after a short rest, perhaps one overnight.
Shakur again offers his services to Winter as the day closes.
However, he wakes up almost manic. As preparations continue, the frequency of the "Screw it we're just going to die"s increases. Until finally he blurts to the party, after his preparations, "SCREW IT! We're all just going to die here. I'll meet the Mother soon enough. Let's get going. If we can get out of this wretched place, maybe I'll calm down, but I shouldn't be here! LET'S GO. Now. If only I knew where to."
So... what next? Let's push on as far as we can go. The sooner we find a way out, the better. Agreed?
The wizard looks around at the others.
”Well, checking the side rooms might reveal keys or knowledge that would make further exploration easier,” Boodiddly suggests. ”And it would be an uncomfortable situation to find ourselves cut off from the folks in the chapel by more darlings - or something worse - hiding off the beaten path.”
Urzok uncomfortably accepts Winter's aid. "Thanks," he says quietly, frowning at the floor.
"I agree with the Gnome, no stone left unturned," he says. "Good strategy, yeah, no more darlings." He pauses for a moment. "Wait, ratlings. Did I hear you right?" Did that magic screw with my head?
Boodiddly frowns. ”I meant to say ratlings,” he replies worriedly. ”You don’t think that Ratchet fellow did something worse with my head when he made it all fuzzy, do you!?”
"I just want out, but if you guys think the side rooms are a better option, then we'll go with checking the side rooms. Let's just get out of here or die trying. No need to prolong our suffering any longer." Shakur appears really antsy for some reason, almost impulsively picking at some of the dead skin from his more recently healed wounds.
The ceiling of this room has collapsed, crushing a table and well-worn couch.
Boodiddly notices a pale hand amid the rubble. After spending 10 minutes extracting the body, the amnesiacs find it crushed beyond recognition, but in its pocket is a capped syringe filled with liquid.
With 20 minutes of work, Jevar identifies the liquid in the syringe as that of a lesser elixir of life.
This would look like a typical physician’s office if it weren’t for the preponderance of grotesque anatomical sketches, most depicting traumas and deformities of the head and brain. A sturdy display case stands open and completely empty. On the floor next to it is the beginnings of the trail of slime that move through the hallways.
The room contains little of value, but a search of the room finds the desk drawers hold a rust-colored notebook containing the notes of one Doctor Arosh Chawaar on treatments for hydrocephalus. The notes contains the marginalia of one Doctor Anya Chawaar of Katheer. Shakur notes that the notes themselves are quite valuable to a medical institution or scholar of medicine, but he is unsure how much such a person would be willing to pay for them.
This room’s sagging ceiling rests largely upon a pair of sturdy bookshelves. A desk and set of chairs skirt the edge of a sizable fissure in the floor. A search of the room finds little of value.
Two desks are crammed into this crowded office. More space has been dedicated to filing cabinets, bookshelves, and stacks of loose research than room for occupants. A pair of dead bodies slump over the desks.
Most of the documents and files here are maddeningly mundane, but Shakur finds, hidden in the back of the eastern desk, a thick yew stick etched with the symbol of Sarenrae. A piece of twine is wrapped around it, connecting to a note: Dr. Lantz, this is a place of science, not faith. Please keep your religion at home.
Taking 11 minutes, Boodiddly and Jevar (but mostly Jevar) identify the wand as a wand of bless.
A once-handsome wood conference table now sits marred by the partially toppled southwest walls. Between heaps of collapsed stone, a closet door still stands.
The room holds nothing of note.
As soon as Urzok opens the door, a jar with a horned-shaped something floating in liquid on top of the closet’s shelf falls over toward the half-orc!
Urzok moves out of the way just in time, but is coated in the jar’s strange liquid!
As the amnesiacs look up, they find three tiny creatures—two on the ground and one up on the shelf where the jar fell from. These creatures look like horrific fetuses with grossly oversized heads and sharp teeth!
Fail
Success
Success
Round 1
=================
Shakur
Red [5’ above ground]
Blue
Yellow
Boodiddly
Urzok
Jevar
=================
"I'm done questioning this place" Shakur says, quickly raising his hand to his head, his dagger swiftly following his motion.
[AA] Telekinetic Projectile at red
Too bad he averted his gaze prior to the actual attack.
Shakur raises shield, anticipating some kind of weirdness. [A]
Two of the fetuses Step into Shakur’s and Urzok’s spaces and bite at the half-humans’ ankles!
The fetuses’ jaws then lock onto the half-humans’ ankles, and they sink their claws deep into their skin, as if giving Shakur’s and Urzok’s ankles a demented hug.
The Urzok’s skin around where the fetus bit him starts turning red as the half-orc feels the overwhelming urge to scratch at the wound!
The fetus on top of the shelf, however, hisses as it uses its tiny claw to scratch deeply into its enormous cranium, releasing a viscous liquid of an unnatural color. The fetus shakes its head violently, causing the liquid to splatter onto the half-humans!
Urzok now has the feeling of needing to scratch all over his body .
The Red fetus then curls over and hangs from the edge of the shelf as it lets itself drop to the floor, falling onto its back.
Round 1/2
=================
Shakur (-2)
Red {prone}
Blue {attached to Shakur}
Yellow {attached to Urzok}
Boodiddly
Urzok (-2) {sickened 1}
Jevar
=================
”Eww! Quick, put them out of their misery!” Boodiddly hums a few notes and gives his jaw harp a solid twang before studying the creatures intently.
"I just want out, but if you guys think the side rooms are a better option, then we'll go with checking the side rooms. Let's just get out of here or die trying. No need to prolong our suffering any longer." Shakur appears really antsy for some reason, almost impulsively picking at some of the dead skin from his more recently healed wounds.
Meeeee too. The sooner the better. The side rooms could have clues or keys to open our way to the exit, but I'd sooner push forward and see when we get blocked first and need something like that. Just my two copper. I suppose searching a few rooms won't hurt...
-----------------------
With 20 minutes of work, Jevar identifies the liquid in the syringe as that of a lesser elixir of life.
Ug... I hate needles. But, this is useful.
Jevar tucks away the elixir...
-----------------------
What....? I mean this makes the human-faced rats and giant weepy eye look normal. Demon fetuses?!
Pickled punks, unlike a number of undead, actually are not mindless. Due to their childlike mindset, these pickled punks seem to have grown a strange familial attachment to the various jars of floating, aberrant brains, spinal columns, and dissections that are in the closet. The jar with the horn-shaped tumor that Red dropped onto Urzok seems to have been disowned by this aberrant “family,” so they sent it tumbling to its “death.”
The punks’ transformation to undeath causes a strange reaction with their embalming fluids, making both the punks and the jars of fluid cause a severe allergic reaction with anyone who comes into contact with either.
Jevar wisely chooses to “burn it with fire,” and scorches the fetus rocking on its back, but the scorched creature simply gurgles at the human in anger!
Round 1/2
=================
Shakur (-2)
Red (-12) {prone}
Blue {attached to Shakur}
Yellow {attached to Urzok}
Boodiddly {Lingering: round 0 of 3}
Urzok (-2) {sickened 1}
Jevar
=================
”Punt these pickled punks back into pieces!” Boodiddly yells over the din of crying babies. ”Blunt weapons - and they’re undead, Shakur! Though they seem to care about those jars in the closet. Don’t know if it’s be better to leave the jars alone or disturb them.”
"Agreed Elf, it isn't worth the thinking anymore," Urzok agrees as he tries to fend off the tiny horrors. Getting his shield up, he tries to smash it against their prone foe. "I really don't want to touch these things Gnome, exactly how bad is this sword going to be here?"
________
"Undead? That I can do."
[AAA] Channel using my font. Would also harm evil outsiders. ALSO heals everybody.
Save DC 18.
Urzok slashes deeply at the undead on the ground, but it continues wriggling around. Shakur begins casting his spell when Red’s neck elongates to absurd lengths and the creature bites the Pharasmin!
The pickled punks screech as their skin begins melting away from the positive energy. Red’s flesh begins bubbling before it bursts forth and covers Urzok and Shakur in fleshy sludge!
Urzok feels the itching on his ankle beginning to subside for a moment, but the undead at his ankle maintains its hold on the half-orc, jamming its sharp teeth into his ankle with little effort.
Urzok feels the itchiness return.
The pickled punk on Shakur’s ankle does exactly the same to him!
Shakur’s skin likewise begins growing red and itchy.
Round 2/3
=================
Shakur (-5) {sickened 1}
Blue (-8) {attached to Shakur}
Yellow (-8) {attached to Urzok}
Boodiddly {Lingering: round 1 of 3}
Urzok (-5) {sickened 1}
Jevar
=================
Uh, hold still so I can burn one of them and not you....
Holding one hand over his mouth, Boodiddly magically throws the horn-shaped tumor at one of the punks.
Shakur raises his shield FIRST, and then quickly yanks his dagger towards the punk attached to him.
[A]Raise shield
[AA]Telekinetic projectile
"Damn, why can't anything be normal in here? They burst?" Urzok complains in annoyed disbelief, wiping some sludge off of his face. Rubbing his foot against any bit of skin he can on his lower leg, he throws his own personal nuisance a severe glare. Taking careful aim with his sword, he tries to skewer the "pickled punk" while keeping his shield up.
________
Shakur, Jevar, and Boodiddly let loose on the fetus attached to Shakur’s leg, and with Shakur’s attack, it bursts in a fleshy sludge!
The sludge clings to Boodiddly’s crimson hair and while it doesn’t do much to him, it still is horrible!
The half-humans’ itchiness subside, but the creature on Urzok’s ankle continues to maintain its grip as it sinks its teeth into Urzok’s ankle!
Round 3/4
=================
Shakur (-5) {sickened 1}
Yellow (-15) {attached to Urzok}
Boodiddly {Lingering: round 2 of 3}
Urzok (-12) {sickened 1}
Jevar
=================
Rinse and Repeat
Please, leave us be terrible horrors. What is it like to be a living nightmare?
So... once we've cooked the fetuses, what are we supposed to do with them? Hmm, that's not a sentence you use every day...
The raven prattles on, not really being much of a help at the moment.
"Persistent little bugger," Urzok grumbles as it continues to squirm after being stabbed. "AGH!" he cries out, more in frustration than pain as it nibbles on him again and more gunk comes flying his way.
With only the fetus on his leg, he stabs at it with earnest, leaving his shield to obey gravity.
________
Shakur hits the remaining fetus with his dagger, but out of sheer tenacity the undead continues gnawing at Urzok’s ankle! Jevar chucks a handful of flame at the beast and in an inferno incinerates the pickled punk, which explodes into a burst of fleshy sludge!
Jevar shudders visibly. Ug. I thought we'd seen some bad stuff... but that....
Oreb hops over to the remains and pecks on nibbles on the remains a bit. Jevar throws up in his mouth a little.
Urzok immediately spends the next few moments getting as much goop off of him as possible. "Goblins, orcs, damn it, even a zombie, something normal!" he growls as he keeps finding gunk on himself.
Angry but tired, he sits down heavily on the floor. "I hate this place. Whatever plan we have is... is... I don't know right now, my head hurts," he admits as he cradles it in one hand.
"You going to make me ask for it, Elf?" he asks Shakur quietly.
________
The closet that the pickled punks were in contains eight lab coats embroidered with the logo of Briarstone Asylum but are otherwise worthless. The pickled punks also seem to have made a nest out of the remains of the corpse of a human wearing a lab coat with a nametag: Dr. Arosh Chawaar. Dr. Chawaar’s body holds six glass bottles filled with liquid—five in his coat pocket and one clutched in his cold, dead hands.
Ten minutes after Shakur finishes treating (or failing to treat) Urzok’s wounds, Jevar determines that the bottles are all lesser alchemist’s fires. .
With nowhere else to go to, the amnesiacs make their way back to Administrator Losandro’s office and goes out the door to the east.
This long hallway contains five other doors; the two on the northern side have a sign that says “Personal Effects” and the sound of muffled voices emanates from the other side. The southwest door has a sign that says “Records.” The southeast door has been partially broken off of its hinges and the inside merely contains piles of rubble. The door to the far east has a sign that says “East Ward.”
Racks cluttered with boxes and sprawling collections of haphazard junk fill this dusty storage room. Four humans occupy the room, and each are dressed very similarly—yellowed bedsheets wrapped around their bodies and a chalk mark of a flame on their foreheads; the apostles in orpiment that Winter mentioned.
Two of the apostles rummage through the various bins and boxes around the room, another sits in the corner in the fetal position and rocking back and forth, and the fourth crouches down before a group of dolls that have been arranged in a crowd to look at him while he points to a children’s book in his hands and says ”The cow goes ‘moo.’”
The moment the amnesiacs open the door, all of the apostles in orpiment look up at the newcomers and the amnesiacs can see the gears turn in their heads and the spark of remembrance flash across their eyes. They scowl and stand at attention, pulling out crowbars that they hold in both hands!
Round 1
=============
Jevar
Shakur
Red
Green
Blue
Pink
Boodiddly
Urzok
=============
The closet that the pickled punks were in contains eight lab coats embroidered with the logo of Briarstone Asylum but are otherwise worthless. The pickled punks also seem to have made a nest out of the remains of the corpse of a human wearing a lab coat with a nametag: Dr. Arosh Chawaar. Dr. Chawaar’s body holds six glass bottles filled with liquid—five in his coat pocket and one clutched in his cold, dead hands.
Jevar pockets the alchemist's fire and picks through the lab coats looking for names. Dr. .... Chawaar. Who else...
This long hallway contains five other doors; the two on the northern side have a sign that says “Personal Effects” and the sound of muffled voices emanates from the other side. The southwest door has a sign that says “Records.” The southeast door has been partially broken off of its hinges and the inside merely contains piles of rubble. The door to the far east has a sign that says “East Ward.”
Hmm, personal effects sounds like a waste of time. Records might be more interesting, especially if it reveals connections between some of the names we've previously heard, perhaps even back to the one who haunts these halls.
Jevar doesn't notice the blood at the door to the Eastern ward...