"Ok. Works for me."
Allowing the door to shut, the party returns to the abandoned lounge and head west.
The door there opens into a wide hallways that takes you to... the upper balcony of the large chamber.
What next?
We should try to get a view from up here. Yan suggests they walk along the balcony to observe the chamber from above, and see what's on the other side.
Scarred one follows Yan "If nothing jumps on us, let us get closer to have a look at those statues."
Nothing immediately jumps out at you. Scarred One recognizes the statues as most likely being partial lifelife recreations of various aberrations while they are more familiar to Oorgatch who knows them to all be statues of Fleshwarps.
There's a Grothlut, a hideous giant slug like creature that you faught one of on the Morlock level. It's missing it's head, most of its torso and a good chunk of its tail.
There's a Drider, a hideous combination of drow and giant spider that is missing large chunks of its body and only has 3 legs remaining.
Even an mulventok, a mutated version of an underdark vampiric daemon. It's stony muscles bugling everywhere. Unlike the other statues it seems to still be mostly intact.
The rest of the statues are far too damaged to make out any details.
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Did that statue blink back? No that's just your imagination.
"It is a bad thing when someone deals with such matters. We may want to recall what we know about such creatures, as I am afraid that we could meet some of them."
Says Scarred One and heads further down he tunnel, looking for any more traps
"Yes, it is bad. I have seen things." shudders Oorgatch, lost in a memory.
Heading across you find a long wide hallway, running north south. Stairs to the south heads under a balcony . This half seems to be mroe in use with strange tracks present in the dust as well as a few rusted scraps of metal and unidentifiable bone fragments that seem to have been swept into the corners some time in the past.
Shall we? Yan gestures to the tracks, suggesting they be followed.
Scarred One looks at the tracks "Sure, let us find the one who left those"
The tracks don't make a whole lot of sense, they don't seem to go in a consistent direction or make any sort of consistent pattern. Sometimes it seems as it a rusty chain were dragged for a few feet, then perpendicular there's some large splotches like might be left from some strange round hopping creatures. But then the tracks end for a few feet and there are tracks going back the other way that seem to have been made by some creature with a single leg and some number of tentacles followed by by gouge marks in the walls as though something clung on.
It's disconcerting to say the least.
The balcony/footbridge just to the south has a wrought iron railing, presumably to make it harder to fall off.
Eventually heading north and then east you find a room where shelves of dusty bottles and surgical equipment line the walls. Unlike the wide hallway cobwebs and dust hint that this chamber has remained untouched for quite some time. At the center of the room stands a solitary pushcart.
Checking out the supplies you find two sets of healer’s tools, a set of expanded healer’s tools, and alchemical reagents worth 10 gp.
Oorgatch who clearly has an eye for details in regards to shelving notices a key that's fallen back behind one. It's easy enough to retrieve and has a round shaft tipped with several teeth of varying length.
More keys! Yan is happy to have found a useful item. He suggests they go the Western door next.
Opening the iron banded wooden door to the west you find a room with clearly magical lanterns hanging from the ceiling that shine bright circles of light over three stone tables topped with metal slabs. A single lightweight chain dangles near each table. The remnants of a dismembered morlock lies on one of the tables, while something inside it squirms and wriggles, trying to escape. Dried splatters of blood cover the walls, floor, and ceiling.
Sendoski and Scarred One think it's some sort of incorporeal or semi incorporeal creature (likely undead) that's stuck somehow. Hard to tell exactly when it's just bulges from a dismembered corpse but it doesn't look pleasant.
"Things like these? When?"
"Back home. Why I left." is all that Oorgatch volunteers.
"I am sure we can use the pushcart, later. Scarred One, why don't you keep the healers's gloves for now, I'll take the healing tools."
Yan holds his scarf at the ready, prepared to use his champions reaction when whatever horror leaps out and crits his friends. He makes sure he is near Oorgatch and nods.
Oorgatch steps next to the bright light hanging over the table with allies nearby, or positioned safely a few dozen feet away like Naught and Sendoski and attempts to free what is most likely an incorporeal undead from the decaying morlock corpse.
An easy task that lets out a ghost that wails in feral pain at the bright light above it but seems to be able to move now that is no longer confined in the body as it lunges for you!
Initiative:
Scarred One
Yan
Oorgatch
Sendoski
Ghost
Party is up!
"I was worried about that"
Scarred One touches with his club ground and begins casting a spell, it again is wrapped by the always moving vines that reached to it from the ground.
Then he tries to understand better what that creature is
We are prepared. Yan grimly enters his stance.
Critical Success Your marshal's aura increases to a 20-foot emanation and grants you and allies a +1 status bonus to attack rolls and saves against mental effects.
Success As critical success, but your aura's size doesn't increase.
Failure You fail to enter the stance.
Critical Failure You fail to enter the stance and can't take this action again for 1 minute.
Yan lashes his scarf at the creature:
Choose:
- The ally is unharmed by the triggering damage.
- The ally gains resistance to all damage against the triggering damage equal to 6. After the damaging effect is applied, the enemy becomes enfeebled 2 until the end of its next turn.
- Yan will make it stupefied 2 for the same duration if it's a caster or looks like one
Scarred One recognizes the creature as a ghost, an incorporeal undead. It's clearly having a lot of trouble with the bright light above the table but that may be more a function of the magical light than an inherent feature of the ghost. As with more incorporeal undead non-magical attacks are going to be extremely ineffective, it has not squishy bits and doesn't take precision damage, while force effects, ghost touch and positive energy is best.
Scarred One also blesses their club right before Yan demonstrates how effective a ghost touch weapon can be!
Yan's second attack misses however.
Sendoski and Oorgatch are up!
Oorgatch tumbles over the table and past the creature, drawing his blade.
He then stabs at it, hoping to finish this quickly.
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Oorgatch barely manages to flip by the creature and the table, his attack is not so fortunate however..
The ghost, cringing from the bright light above it, drags itself off the slab, rolling into floor, away from the light, there it's eyes change from pale fear to hungry death.
Initiative:
Scarred One
Yan
Oorgatch
Sendoski
Ghost -36, Prone.
Party is up!
Yan moves around and tries to hit it with his scarf:
Having a difficult time he Lays on Hands the creature:
Be at rest!
Scarred One moves after the ghost and hits them with his enchanted club
He brings the club down hopping to smash the spirit.
It is indeed undead.
It wriggles out from Scarred One's first clubbing, but is not so fortunate on the second attack. Unfortunately the light doesn't seem to provide any further help and the blow isn't very effective.
Oorgatch moves up to flank with the elder orc, stabbing with his ‘branch’.
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He does it again, for good measure.
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Oorgatch gets one hit it, and it's about as effective as Scarred One's. The ghost starts to flicker a little bit, and you're at least halfway there, but it's going to take some more.
Being out of the light the ghost stands, focuses the evil in its eyes and reaches out at Yan.
(curse, divine, enchantment, incapacitation, mental)
Critical Success: The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune for 1 minute.
Success: Stupefied 2 for 1 hour.
Failure: This is bad, you're no longer in control of your upcoming turn.
Critical Failure As failure, but worse, go ahead and roll me another Will save.
Initiative:
Scarred One
Yan 58/73 Will DC 24
Oorgatch
Sendoski
Ghost -48 +5THP
Party is up!
Oorgatch tries again, hoping things aren’t too bad for Yan.
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He yells out in rage cursing whichever gods have abandoned him this time.
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Yan's eyes roll into the back of his head as a green miasma rolls over his eyes.
Clearly not acting of his own volition Yan charges Sendoski and tries to knock the witch off their feet. Naught screams "Let him keep the book, tell him it's okay!" and scampers away from the scarf.
Remarkably Sendoski stays on their feet. In disgust Yan flings their scarf towards the door.
The good news is Yan shakes it off, the bad news is, he's stupefied 2.
Oorgatch whiffs repeatidly.
Scarred one swings with his enchanted club and then strikes the ghost with electric arc
Scarred One can't quite connect unfortunatly.
It takes full damage from the Whispering Reeds, but barely any damage from Scarred One's electric arc.
It's eyes turn to Sendoski and it charges, nearly passing through Scarred One.
Yan protects Sendoski, but he still needs a will save (DC 24)
Critical Success: The creature is unaffected and is temporarily immune for 1 minute.
Success: Stupefied 2 for 1 hour.
Failure: This is bad, you're no longer in control of your upcoming turn.
Critical Failure As failure, but worse, go ahead and roll me another Will save.
Initiative:
Scarred One
Yan 58/73 Stupified 2
Oorgatch
Sendoski 34/43 (Will DC 24)
Ghost -69 THP Stupified 2 +5THP
Party is up!
Yan shakes his head. What?
He steps over, picks up the scarf, and strikes at the creature over Sendoski's shoulder:
Scarred One keeps on swinging
Two times he misses swooshing through the air, then he raises his shield
Yan connects again, doing quite a bit of damage while Scarred One has no luck.
Sendoski stares down Yan.
but Yan is not intimidated. Sendoski follows up with a black ray of enfeeblement.
but the Ray misses.
'Dunno why it is running from me. I haven't done a thing!'
"Hey! Sendoski! Cut that out!"
Oorgatch moves get next to the ghost thing, and then stabs.
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He then parries, expecting that whatever it is doing, he is next.
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Oorgatch can't connect with the ghost, that once again turns their wrath towards the target with the hurting scarf.
but finally misses!
It strikes once more.
Initiative:
Scarred One
Yan 41/73 Stupified 2
Oorgatch
Sendoski 34/43 Stupified 2
Ghost -83 THP Stupified 2
Party is up!
Yan steps into a flank with Oorgatch.
You can finally at peace.
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Yan dissipates the ghost and the room goes quiet.