Hearing a call to battle, the large cat sprints into the room and jumps on the upper dais. Seeing the mephit, she turns abruptly- rushing into the creature, teeth barred.
After Hanzi's Greatsword slashes across the Quasit's flank and Patrick's magical missile hits and the breath weapon melts the demon, you see that not much remains!
You are now alone in the room. Nothing else of interest can be found here.
Crowe frowns, "It is done."
Then he heads over to the door to the east and pushes it open.
|
Ignatius picks up his musket and glares at Patrick.
"It's convenient that your "logic" happens to align so well with your bloodlust. But by my reckoning, we may have obtained useful intelligence from this quasit. The wicked and cowardly are usually willing to sell out their comrades for even the slightest advantage."
"But yes, Crowe is right. What is done is done. A shot cannot be unshot and this quasit cannot be unkilled. But I am trying to learn from my mistakes and I hope others will too.". Ignatius stares sadly at the mangled fiendish body for several seconds, reminded of how it's flesh is so similar to his own.
"You understand magic. Is there a way to neutralize those paintings?"
Belled glass jars clutter every available surface in this roomy bedchamber.
These jars contain miniaturized creatures pinned by needles to cushions, like a twisted insect collection.
You can identify five cases containing what appear to be creatures that have gone extinct since Daegros’s day. Each is worth 1,500 gp if sold to the right collector.
This room contains a stone basin with a viscid fluid.
One hour spent soaking in the viscid fluid in this stone basin rejuvenates the subject as if she had rested for a full 8 hours, and accounts for 1 day’s worth of dietary needs. The liquid loses all powers if removed from the basin, which cannot itself be removed from the room without destroying it.
"Wait, what just happened?" Shardra looks around confused - she was distracted by the pictures on the wall and the fight was over before she could react. "Oh, quasit. Those nasty buggers. Glad you managed to stop it from continuing."
Upon hearing Ignatius's question regarding neutralizing the paintings. "Perhaps. Let me get a closer inspection. Kolo, do you know anything that can help?"
Shardra will get closer (but not too close). "I assume we could do the same thing the quasit did and tear the painting. That would release what is pictured. Not sure I want to do that. Let me confer with the spirits to see if there is a better option."
"Interesting." Shardra picks up some of the jars. "These creatures... not of this earth. Or not anymore. They have gone extinct. I can see their spirits now." She turns one of the jars around. "These five here, see?"
The shaman moves on to the next room. "Ah, a pool. We dwarves had something similar. Spending an hour in here is like sleeping for 8 hours. But I believe we can't take it out of the room without it losing its power."
|
Patrick nearly winces at the mention of bloodlust My intention was to prevent the quasit from destroying any more paintings otherwise we would have had more creatures to deal with. As for neutralising them, it is most likely safer to leave them be.
((ninjaed)) Patrick stays quiet as Shardra delivers her findings.
Crowe puts the five jars in his bag, ”Venture Captain will want these.”
He looks around, ”Hmm, not necessarily property of the dead...”
He puts the jars back down, stacked together in case he gets to swipe them later.
Nothing else is in the tub. No magical auras area visible beyond the paintings and the pool.
Only the door next to the POOL is available as an exit.
Hanzi opens the door!
Fresh blood splatters the white tile of this operating laboratory, which is lit by mirrored lamps hung from chains suspended in the shadows of the distant ceiling.
A sturdy wooden table near the center of the room holds the lightning-charred corpse of a bald human man with a broom-bottom beard.
Smaller tables and bookcases nearby hold the gore-spattered spoils of a recent battle.
The corpse bears a glowing yellow sigil on his left hand.
*
Of more immediate concern to you are the room’s living inhabitants.
A man which looks similar to the description of the necromancer Togarin and a skinless dire tiger.
The man greets the you warmly with his arms, despite his dubious surroundings.
He speaks to you in a strange language.
“I assume you were sent here by Rozimus, yes?“
The man looks at the blood on the floor and back to you.
Togarin giggles but starts talking in common now.
“Ha ha ... yes! I am Togarin! Well, one of my fellow apprentices, a brilliant schemer named Vuzhon, escaped Nhur Athemon’s time lock by riding Rozimus’s body to safety, even helpfully sending you back so that I and my companion Daegros might escape the same way!! So will you serve us!!?“ he asks mischievously.
|
Edmund follows cautiously behind the others, always within arm's reach of Kissan in front of him. A sense of unease and dread flow through him as the pass by the strange creatures.
Why can't we just leave the dead alone...
As they come into the laboratory, Edmund's discomfort continues to grow
Another mage, it seems. Different story, I am sure. Same purpose. Manipulation.
He stares quietly at the man, allowing the others to speak their part- remember the last time he voiced his opinion about such wizards.
Shardra moves forward and ignores his commands. "We came here for our friends. Pathfinders. Do you know where they are? Please point us in their direction and we'll get out of your hair."
Patrick actually knows Azlanti so he can translate for the rest of the group.
He just asked if we were sent here by Rozimus. Rozimus? The other apprentice was Daegros.
** spoiler omitted **
Crowe turns his head, frowning in thought, "Rozimus? The broken man you met. The pathfinder who escaped."
The big man turns to look at the wizard, "He did not escape. Only his body. Is that right?"
Igantius speaks up after the man responds in the Common tongue.
"Well, actually, another gentleman asked us to bring your head back to him. We didn't promise him anything but I am mighty curious why someone is so eager to see you dead."
Is this some sort of situation where only one of you can live? Hanzi asks lowly.
"My fellow companion Daegros will come to his senses! I am very sure of that! So obey and you will see how the future can be shaped!" he says with a raised eyebrow.
Shardra moves forward and ignores his commands. "We came here for our friends. Pathfinders. Do you know where they are? Please point us in their direction and we'll get out of your hair."
[dice=Diplomacy] 1d20+13
The wizard waves his hand. "They are dead. What else should they be?"
Patrick actually knows Azlanti so he can translate for the rest of the group.
He just asked if we were sent here by Rozimus. Rozimus? The other apprentice was Daegros.
** spoiler omitted **
Crowe turns his head, frowning in thought, "Rozimus? The broken man you met. The pathfinder who escaped."
The big man turns to look at the wizard, "He did not escape. Only his body. Is that right?"
He raises an eyebrow.
“Vuzhon is clever, she rode Rozimus body out of here and you did not notice anything?!?” Togarin asks, “But I know more about souls and immortality than she does. So long as her true body remains affected by the time lock and her mind is in normal time, the magic jar allowing her into Rozimus’s form will never expire. But should the time lock fail, her body will age thousands of years in a moment, and will no longer be a suitable receptacle for her soul. I will not let that happen to me. The only real way out for any of us is to destroy the time lock, and the best way to do that is to create a paradox. So do you want to help me? Destroy the orbs of Daegros?!?”
|
|
Patrick steps away from the group and whispers to his familiar in Draconic.
The wizard waves his hand. "They are dead. What else should they be?"Shardra moves forward and ignores his commands. "We came here for our friends. Pathfinders. Do you know where they are? Please point us in their direction and we'll get out of your hair."
[dice=Diplomacy] 1d20+13
Again, Shardra ignores whatever else the man says. "We came here for our friends - no other reason. Please tell us where their bodies are so we can retrieve them for a proper burial."
Crowe tenses and flexes his fingers on his grip, "How did they die?"
Your signs of skepticism or disobedience are too much!
Togarin and his pet attack.
]
Vs
|
|
A strange dagger glows at Edmund's side, as a soft purple light washes over the human. At the same moment, a small set of horns begin to peak outside of Edmunds head.
He sprints into the room, using his newfound speed to slide into the far corner. As he moves, his hands flash a simple series of signs, culminating in Edmund pointing at the mage.
"Human glows. Means danger"
Kissan lowers herself, and quickly bounds past the companions- following close behind Edmund's form. His hands sign, and her attention fixates on the humanoid figure in the corner- ignoring her counterpart equal in the corner.
Taste the blood...
She leaps at the man, and swipes at him with her oversized paw, pinning him against the wall
The wizard is clearly hurt and grappled by Kissan!
But you only hear laughter. “Pathetic!! Truly, pathetic!“
He successfully cast a spell although it’s not easy and fear rises in Kissan!
"Hey! Don't do that to my friends. You're going to regret it."
The shaman stares at the wizard and raises an eyebrow. She starts humming in dwarven, something the spirits taught her.
|
|
Hanzi rears back and hocks a big loogey on the wizard.
Spit poison up to 30 feet as a ranged touch att dealing 3d6 damage is entangled, and must make a fort save to negate being blinded 1d6 rds and begin to bleed 2d6. An entangled target can break free from the sticky goo with a successful DC 15 Strength or Escape Artist check as a fullround action or by dealing 15 points of damage to the gooey substance with a slashing weapon
Even though Kissan is close to resist the necromantic spell, he becomes absolutely terrified and runs out of the room at full speed!
Shardra tries to hex the Wizard but he resists the bad luck with a grin!
Ignatius musket shoots right through the Wizard's right leg.
Almost simultaneously Hanzi spits acid again and the dissolving fluid sprays all over him and not only blinds him but also entangles him!
"Arghhh ... " he shouts in pain and looks at you with blank eyes.
* *
The Dire Tiger springs into action and charges forward to attack Hanzi and the beast not only tears into the fighter's flesh but also bites him so hard that it can grapple.
HASTE is active 1/7
Round 1
Crowe
-
Round 2
Edmund
Kissan, panicked round 1/3Wizard, -57, -2 AC 1 round, bleed 2d6, Concentration 4 damage ongoing effect needed, entangled (DC 15 Strength or Escape Artist check as a full round action)
Hanzi, -43, grappled
Shardra
Patrick
IgnatiusDire Tiger
BOLD can act.
"Shardra, move."