Vedika puts a finger to her lips, taps it twice, then points to the north.
"That one."
G3 Doctor Indoctrination
Cabinets and low benches fill this chamber. From pegs on the opposite side of the room, the empty black eyes of two beaked plague masks glare with soulless, unblinking stares.
Dark leather robes, high boots, wide-brimmed hats, and solid canes fill most of the cabinets. The doors of one large, glass-doored cabinet against the west wall reveal glass shelves covered in a variety of delicate doctors’ instruments, including containers of unguents, syringes,
magnifying lenses, and the like, plus a medicine jar full of black onyx gems. A small brass lock keeps these doors firmly shut.
The Plague doctor masks show up as magic.
What are you doing now?
Vedika is immediately drawn to the medicine cabinet.
Vedika finds the lock extremely well made.
DC30 for the lock
As Vedika focuses on the lock, Ariadne shifts her gaze into the arcane spectrum, studying the masks intently through the glass.
Seeing Vedika having some difficulty with the lock of the display case, Kayleigh moves next to her to continually grant her Milani's Blessing (guidance) while Vedika works her lockpicking magic.
Brig lets the others search and concentrates on standing guard in case enemies try to sneak behind them from the other rooms.
"You sure 'bout looking at the cabinet? The longer we take, the more likely for reinforcements to arrive."
It takes a couple of attempts but Vedika manages to open the lock without smashing the glass.
Treasure: There are enough Queen’s Physician robes and other accouterments to outfit 20 doctors in this room. The collected clothes, boots, canes, and other accessories are well made and only slightly used, so each set is worth 5 gp.
There are also two plaguebringer’s masks here.
Locked behind the glass doors are four healer’s kits and 23 black onyx
gems worth 50gp each. At the back of the cabinet are four identical flasks containing potions of cure moderate wounds.
Where to now?
"Just making sure there's nothing hidden there that we will feel bad about missing," lies Vedika as she pockets the onyxes.
She hands the potions over to Kayleigh for distribution.
"We should definitely take these masks. Interesting that they're able to enchant these to protect against Bloodveil, but haven't seemed able to cure anyone of anything." Ariadne points out. "It's almost like prisoners carrying an antidote with them, or taking an antitoxin."
"What? The murals with skeletons dancing over a dead Korvosa with bloodveil wasn't proof enough that whatever they are doing here it is not looking for a cure?" He asks, pointing to the murals of the room.
"They need a cure so the people the want to survive does so. People that they can control or have like minds." Brig rumbles with anger, as she grabs the masks looks at each of them and hands out the masks to Vedika and Kayleigh. "Better to be safe" she says simply to counter their potential distaste to wear the mask of an enemy.
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"This all screams 'Norgorber cult" to me."
"Agreed. Or Urgathoa, which makes sense actually... ties back to the plague ship and the unholy symbol we found." Ariadne replies grimly.
"They need a cure so the people the want to survive does so. People that they can control or have like minds." Brig rumbles with anger, as she grabs the masks looks at each of them and hands out the masks to Vedika and Kayleigh. "Better to be safe" she says simply to counter their potential distaste to wear the mask of an enemy.
"Or they already have the cure and the people they want to live are already immune to it... And what they are doing is making sure no one else gets a cure."
Perception checks from all of you please
A Physician is creeping up behind you from G2
2 Physicians are creeping up behind you from G2
3 Physicians are creeping up behind you from G2
4 Physicians are creeping up behind you from G2
What are you doing now?
Vedika gently taps Kayleigh and subtly points with her blade while pretending that she hasn't seen anything.
Kayleigh's dumbfounded by the thought that the someone(s) would be so irredeemably evil as to use the blood veil to eliminate otherwise innocent 'undesirables' that Vedika has to save her bacon by bringing the cleric back into the here-and-now with a subtle tap and point of her dagger.
.
Seeing the others (at least one other) notices the sneaking doctors, Brig charges the nearest with a low growl of disgust.
Ariadne is caught completely unaware, as Brig suddenly charges, revealing the approach of hidden enemies.
Zahur notices the enemies creeping on them. As Brigita charges them, he also turns.
Brigita continues her practice of splattering her foes and destroys Red.
Vedika?
Vedika draws a shuriken, licks it, and tosses it toward one of the doctors.
.
The remaining Physicians swarm Brigita
And they miss pathetically!
The party can now act.
Vedika rushes to take up a flank and bring her punch dagger to bear .
Vedika shanks Orange, he slumps to the floor dead.
Next?
Twisting, Brig ignores the doctor's attacks and swings her bloodied hammer up into the chest of the next cultist.
Ariadne moves forward with a quick sword strike at the same physician that Brig smashes.
Even if behind the others and not really in a good spot to swing his grappling hook, Zahur tries to go for the closest physician first.
Brigita & Ariadne finish off Green.
Zahur slings his hook around Yellows throat and casually tears it opens.
.
They all are wearing the Plague-bringer masks (4).
You have the door in G3, or the double doors in G1. Where to now?
Kayleigh collects the plague-bringer masks, handing one to each of her friends. Though she feels silly and is certain she looks goofy, the healer puts on one of the masks for the rest of the exploration.
The blacksmith looks down in dismay at the mask Kayleigh gives her but sighs and puts it on.
"If we had robes to go with the masks I bet some of us might be able to just... walk on in to various places."
Taking one of the masks, Ariadne contemplates it for a moment before slipping it on. "True, but if we go back for them now, whoever is still down here might get away"
.
"If the other single-door room is a small side room like this, we might as well take care of it and then go for those ominous double doors."
G7 Cult Quarters
Black-sheeted cots fill this room; their satin coverings and overstuffed pillows seem more akin to funerary trappings than the resting places of the living. Numerous skulls are set evenly within the room’s stone walls. Candles inside them cause them to glow like morbid jack-o’-lanterns and cast dim light across the room.
The door opens to reveal 4 Cultist's of Urgathoa, 3 more Physicians and 4 Skeletal servants relaxing in this room.
You have one round of surprise on them. What are you doing?
.
Kayleigh hangs in back, keeping watch on the double doors to the east. Feeling that the element of surprise is pretty moot at this point, she casts guidance on herself to help out with the task.
As the group crosses the hall, Vedika switches to her kukri, since the blade feels a bit more secure for heavy-duty fighting. She throws open the door and...
"Uh, I think we found the cult."
She lashes out at the foe just inside the door , hoping that she can clear the way for the rest of the team.
Hoping to shatter their resolve, Brig barrels forward to hammer the nearest skeleton into what she hopes will be dust.
Vedika wounds Green.
Brigita charges into the room and smashes Black into bone shards.
Ariadne & Zahur to act
With no room to charge, Zahur simply gets himself in position.