"Someone really wanted to keep something else on the other side of this door."
Tal pushes the divan out of the way and starts to carefully remove the pitons. And we'll keep those--may come in handy later.
It takes a solid ten minutes, but Tal gets the door open.
A glowing circle of runes covers the floor in this chamber. Parchment covered with cramped writing sits on a desk situated against the north wall, and the splintered remains of a bed are piled in a corner. The room has a lone occupant; wrapped from head to toe in ancient strips of parchment, this humanoid moves with a shuffling gait.
In Taldane, albeit a strangely accented Taldane, he was ready and waiting.
He raises his hands and speaks. His voice cracks from unuse and dessication, "I mean you no harm. No harm!"
"Hello. If you mean no harm, no harm shall come to you. Who are you, Stranger, and why are you sealed in this chamber?"
Is this a mummy? A Book Based Mummy?
"I am the arena administrator, Chafkem. Tell me. What is the current status? What is the current status of the seugathis and the Abomination Vaults? Tell me!"
Is this a mummy? Is that a Religion Check?
Tal betrays no fear, nor any other emotion. He keeps collected and calm, but not cold.
"We have slain one seugathis, but encountered no others. As for The Abomination Vaults, they appear to be active or maybe malfunctioning. We are friends and citizens of the township above ground and the Gauntlight activated. We're now delving into the vaults to investigate and take necessary steps to deactivate or stabilize them."
He watches Chafkem carefully, ready to react.
Tal can immediately tell that this thing is undead. He's heard of the term "mummy" before, but he's not sure if this is one or not...
"Slain you say? Good job elf. Belcorra made a mistake bringing them in to mess up my arena operations with their fleshwarping. Which thing did you slay? Tell me it was Jafaki. I will reward you handsomely if it was."
Carrufikus tries to determine what this administrator is.
He also tries to recall how many seugathis they encountered and slain.
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Noroc looks about the party. Did anyone catch his name...?
Bibi stays hidden, weapons drawn
"We didn't socialize. It was worm-like, and carried a wand and a sword. Had a jaw like hooks and a twin-tentacled tail. Many eyes. It was in the company of a Drider [spit]."
"That could be any one of the wretched things.... though the drider itinerant... Jafaki always wore two bandoleers. Tell me, and do it quickly. Did you kill that one?"
"We did kill two seugathis, but they did not give us their names. To be honest, I don't think we were very interested in their names at the time."
"You haven't killed enough gnome. If you go and fetch me proof that one was Jafaki, I will find peace, and you will find reward."
Elena shrugs. "Seems our interests are aligned. Let's see about finding Jafaki."
"The Bandoleer... I think that's the one we met. Wasn't it? Let's circle back to what's left of that one."
"Do that. I may have eternity, but I'm not patient."
Can we just go there and come back? I don't think we need to explore.
Ahem...
Tal nods and backtracks to the rotting corpses of the thing and The Drider. He claims the bandolier and a hunk of the thing in question and returns to Administrator Chafkem.
When the party returns with the bloody bandoleer, Chafkhem is pleased. "Good. Since Belcorra is long dead, and I can get out of here, it's time for me to return to a more civilized land. Long have I dreamt of the sands of Osirion. I'll not leave you without a reward. Give me days to organize my papers, thoughts, and belongings. I'll leave them to you."
The mummy stares for a moment, "Well, leave me be so I can get started."
Elena shrugs. "Alright then, leave you we shall."
"Well.... get on with it. I'm busy."
Indeed, the mummy ignores further attempts at conversation.... unless you want to push it.
Conversing with his companions away from the Mummy, Carrufikus asks, ”Did that really happen? Did a mummy just agree to pack up and leave and give us all their research as they head off to sunny Osirion? Maybe we are getting better at adventuring.
Tal regards the quirky gnome.
"There are more things in The Universe and The Netherworld than are dreamt of in our philosophies, Carrufikus."
Tal leads the others to check the next door to the south, leaving the mummy to his office move.
The door is locked. The conversation around getting open annoys Chafkhem, "If you would just WAIT I can get you in. I've got the key. I'm also certain that my notes include how to activate the circle inside. But YOU HAVE TO WAIT."
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Carrufikus hold his finger up to his mouth like he learned from his librarian back home. He is happy to wait patiently, especially if he knows that Chafkhem is going to give them a key plus his research.
Well, we've got a week to kill now, don't we?? Let's make sure we haven't missed anything yet...
reviewing the map again for missed areas
Tal rolls his eyes a *little* at the mummy.
"Ok, let's head south. We have some more to explore down that way, and we'll leave the Administrator to his work."
Moved Tal's pog to where I think we should head next.
Back in the room where Peldur made a Rash Decision. Tal opens a hallways door to rooms the party spied earlier.
Elena considers prudence and speaks aloud a quick spell. One that will help her detect the presence of magic. She follows behind Tal, intent on warning him and the others should she notice anything.
"Let's make a quick check of these room in here..."
Tal motions for the others to follow and moves to check the rooms, starting with the first one on the way.
The two rooms on the sides are identical. These chambers include nothing more than a single bed, an empty footlocker, and a metal chamber pot. Anything of value was stripped long ago, and each room has signs of being used as a prison. The one in the middle look like something... happened inside. Several feet of thick, black sludge fill this room.
"Do you think there is a correlation between evilness and disgustingness? I mean, what kind of creatures lives in black sludge?"
Without actually stepping into the black sludge, Carrufikus looks in the rooms for something of interest.
Carrufikus doesn't spot anything. In fact, no one knows what it is in there.
Initiative assumes Talborel is Scouting
Avoid Notice (T)
Detect Magic (A: +2 (U), N: +11 (T), O: +2 (U) , R: +11 (T))
Investigate (A: +13 (T), N: +9 (T), O: +11 (T) , R: +9 (T))
Search (E)
Avoid Notice (E)
Scout (Init ties to Tal)
Prisoners can be resourceful. Tal will make a careful search of the two rooms on the sides. He looks for hidden compartments in the footlockers, loose stones and tiles in the floors and walls, and anything hidden in the mattresses.
Perception is 17
Indeed, they can be, but these rooms look like Tal's not the first to have that idea. There's little of interest.
"Let's not muck with the muck. Come on, there's another door off the magic circle chamber."
Tal leads the way to the next southern door.
Tal leads the party through the door to another hallway and another trio of cleared out rooms-turned-cells.
Who was keeping prisoners here? The seugathi thingies?
"Fleshwarpers. They were keeping test subjects", Tal states with disgust.
"Let's backtrack to those double doors in the northwest. We left those rooms unexplored. Maybe our new friend will be finished packing when we get back."
Tal ushers the party to those doors, on the lookout for fresh surprises.
The party gives the door the clear, and then opens it. MAgical lanterns hanging from the ceiling shine bright circles oflight over three stone tables topped with metal slabs. A single lightweight chain dangles near each table. The remnants of a dead morlock lies on one of the tables. Dried splatters of blood cover the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Tal grimaces.
"Charming."
Strolling over to the dead morlock, Tal searches the body.
"Poor bastard."
Assuming nothing jumps out at us:
-Are there any tools or furniture about?
-Can the magical lanterns be taken? Does it retain it's magic?
"I do like the fact that they supply a source of light so far down in this dungeon. Doesn't that give us some sort of hope?"
Carrufikus casts detect magic and attempts to figure out the magic behind the lanterns.
"I would not take hope from this light," Elena says, grimacing at the dead morlocks on display. "The light was here so that they could best see how they would mutilate these poor creatures. I take no comfort in that."
Nonetheless, she joins Carrufikus in studying the lanterns.
As Tal looks over the dead morlock he's immediately confronted. A translucent, ghostly figure fades into view, superimposed over the dead body, its face distorted by wrath into a hideous mask. Like a feral animal it lashes out at the elf!
Initiative assumes Talborel is Scouting
Avoid Notice (T)
Detect Magic (A: +2 (U), N: +11 (T), O: +2 (U) , R: +11 (T))
Investigate (A: +13 (T), N: +9 (T), O: +11 (T) , R: +9 (T))
Search (E)
Avoid Notice (E)
Scout (Init ties to Tal)
Round 1
Carrufikus (63/80): Go
???
Bibi: TBD
Tal: TBD
Peldur (49/92): TBD
Elena: TBD
Noroc (54/68): TBD
Location: The Library
Noroc: DR 5/Physical
Weapon rack: 72
Door: 65
Carrufikus takes a moment to try and recall any knowledge about this ghostly figure.
Carrufikus harnesses Desna's divine energy by casting Vitality Lash at the wretched foe.
A specter! When an evil mortal creature dies, it sometimes returns to haunt the area of its death as a specter, a hateful remnant, always seeking to slay others—particularly humanoids—in an attempt to distribute its pain among as many souls as it can. A specter maintains a strange semblance of its prior identity, but with a corrupted sense of purpose. It cannot be reasoned with. It's touch can stupify a person, but they're powerless in bright light.
The spell only wounds it a bit. Suddenly the enormity of the creature's portent hits you all.
It then reaches out to touch someone:
for . It's touch empowers it.
Round 1
Carrufikus (63/80): Spell Will
Specter: Strike
Bibi: Will + Go
Tal (HP: 72/83): Will + Will + Go
Peldur (49/92): Will + Go
Elena: Will + Go
Noroc (54/68): Will + Go
[b]
Location: The Library
Noroc: DR 5/Physical
Specter: 1
”We’re dealing with a specter, my friends! This hateful creature wants to slay all of us! Quick, we need some bright light!”
There's a slight shake in the cleric's words, but it does look like the lantern is reasonably bright....
Round 1
Carrufikus (63/80, Frightened 1): Spell
Specter: Strike
Bibi: Will + Go
Tal (HP: 72/83): Will + Will + Go
Peldur (49/92): Will + Go
Elena: Will + Go
Noroc (54/68): Will + Go
Location: The Library
Noroc: DR 5/Physical
Specter: 1