"I'm not sure if that's true, but it certainly feels fitting to me." Luxina replies to Heinrich.
Though as she is climbing the heap of rotten corpses, she notices her skin beginning to change back to its original colouring.
No... no... no.. no. NO....Why does it never last?
At the moment she reaches the chute and climbs up, there is what seems like a dark elf standing atop the mountain.
"Curses..." She mutters as she enters the new room, almost bumping into Filbert.
"Seems they've dragged thos epoor souls from the west entry."
As Luxina looks around a particularly loud peel of thunder strikes and she's surprised and alarmed by the sudden rain of live albino frogs! They croak wildly and hop around before starting to spasm and die.
"What the he..."
Luxina looks at the frogs and a slight sadness washes across her face.
Then she shakes her head and points out to Filbert.
"That's not natural as far as I know. You've seen anything like that before?"
"No not before, at least not while awake. We need to get out of this place. I believe anything would be better." Filbert noses around a bit waiting on the others to make it up the chute.
While quiet he seems more worried about stepping on one of the frogs that looking outward.
Crystal manages to stifle her disgust at climbing over a pile of corpses to get to her exit, but isn't able to get a good foothold when she starts trying to climb the chute.
After another failed attempt (this time, some of the handholds were too slippery with Pharasma only knows what), Crystal manages to haul herself up the chute. The glow of her holy symbol provides some small comfort to her.
Agrippa climbs the corpses, holding his nose against the noxious smells. He clambers up the chute, and spotting the albino frogs says
Curious.
Agrippa goes to the door in the southern part of the room and opens it, peering out.
With the decision made Momijii took point going up the chute. She climbed over the pile of bodies to reach the exit and gagged slightly on the odors and textures but managed to swallow her gorge and proceed on her way. The monk took her time in navigating the passageway as it was obviously slick in spots, hoping to obtain the top of the chute without incident.
Lizzie climbs up the pile of bodies, keeping her eyes on the target of freedom from the room.
Her eyes spot the strange trail near the chute.
Hmm, maybe something went down there?
Upon opening the door, Heinrich immediately notices the peculiar weather. Several albino frog corpses are within reach.
You make one other curious observation, the rain is too warm for the latitude being not far off body temperature.
Lizzy doesn't spot anything other than the scabby blood trail. Any noises from within the sanatorium are drowned out by the weather.
Luxina tentatively steps outside, hoping there is no more albino frogs raining down.
She looks up for a moment, taking in the strange sky and tries the door to the west.
Agrippa moves to the door that Luxina is staring at, and opens it, peering inside.
What is it that moves in the sky? he thinks to himself, yellow mist in his memory.
Luxina opens the door to find a long cold rubble-strewn hall, lined with broken lanterns and with several battered doors. To the south, a pair of swinging doors lies shattered upon a 4-foot-high heap of wrecked furniture clogging a broad doorframe. To the north the hall is choked with rubble and debris.
Hienrich you can't identify it, it was indistinct but it gave you the creeps whatever it was.
Filbert follows Agrippa inside the western door finding himself in a long hallway, backing towards the stuff blocking the hallway he hears movement.
Tugging on Agrippa's sleeve he whispers " Something or someone moved on the otherside of the blockade." Pointing should Agrippa not get his intent.
"I heard it too Filbert. Whatever or whoever fought here might be behind that barricade."
Crystal turns her bow on where she heard the sounds coming from behind the barrier. "Who's there?!"
"What are you talking about? I didn't hear anything."
While Lizzie looks around, she notices the ooc details in Luxina's pigment.
"Ehm, Luxina, are you ok?"
She pulls her own cheek.
She's hinting at your skin color.
A shout goes out from the other side of the barricade, "Woah there, we've got more here! Stay back or we'll shoot!"
Eh. Don't shoot us good man, we're just looking for the way out. Agrippa says, holding his hands out
I'm sure you think us inmates, let me assure you good gentlemen that is the furthest from the truth. We are in fact...well I'm not sure what we are, but we aren't supposed to be here. Could you point us towards the exit?
Lizzie steps in front of Heinrich, with a smile.
"Hello people, we've had a run in with a monster, and are now looking for a way out. Could you tell us where the exit of this place is at?
We could go along together, even, and make it all out alive.
Pretty please? "
As the challenges go back and forth through the barricade Filbert slides around behind Heinrich.
if they're on that side of the barricade what were they blocking?
Luxina looks funnily at Lizzie when she pulls her own cheek, but then notices what she meant.
"Yeah that always happens to me, it never lasts."
Luxina says and doesn't go into any details.
Crossbows focused on us? Why have they barricaded themselves here?
The Dark elf then sees Filbert's look going to the other side.
Oh.... That doesn't bode well for us if Filbert and I think alike.
One of the guards shouts back incredulously, "What? You don't know? Surrrre! Well the main entrance is to the south west, as you well know. Not that you can get to it that way, and even if you could, it wouldn't do you any good!"
From behind the barrier you hear a door open, followed by footsteps. An older voice with the air of authority admonishes the guards, "Right then lads enough chin wagging with the changelings." Addressed to you he bellows, "Be off with you shapeshifters! We've killed your type before and we'll do so again if you don't skedaddle."
Momijii was highly aggravated at first the guard and then the second voice to speak. How dare they speak to her like that?! "I'll have you know that we only just woke up a few minutes ago. We were locked in cells while a man was being tortured to death by something, I think it was a changeling, dressed as a doctor. We managed to get free and kill the wretched beast before it finished the man off. We don't know how we got here, nor even much more than our own names. All we want are answers to what's going on here and who we are. I realize that you are likely tired and not willing to trust people with shapeshifters around and I can't say that I blame you. Would you allow only one of us to approach closer so that we may discuss how to handle this impasse?"
"What?...We've killed one, she even did a number on -me-"
Lizzie shows a few claw injuries on her arm.
Captain York folds his arms and warily replies, "Killed one have you eh? And I'm supposed to take your word for that am I? This whole place is overrun by lunatics and monsters that can look like anyone. How can I know you're not shapeshifters eh? For all I know we gave you that wound, last time your lot attacked."
Luxina shrugs at the guard's aversion of their group.
"Fine if that's how you want to play it. Any other way around your camp to get to an exit? I've had quite enough of awaking in a spooky sanitarium, shapeshifters torturing employees of that sanitarium and a rain of albino frogs from the heavens. I just want to get out."
Luxina begins wandering towards the north, exploring the other side of the hallway, coming to the next set of doors to the east.
She listens at the door for any sounds, then opens it.
"Captain sir, I know you aren't exactly trusting of us right now, and if I was in your position, I can understand why. She's right though we just woke up and don't rightly remember how we ended up here; we do know that when we woke up, one of your shapeshifters was carving up a man with the intent of starting on us next.
Look, I'm a jeweler not an adventurer, and I'm just about too scared to turn a corner or open a door; scared to see what is on the other side. But these people here are the only thing I've seen here that will get me out of here. Not you, if you could escape on your own you would be gone already, not holed up in this hallway.
If you can't help us get to the door, at least give us better directions than the door is to the southwest. we just came out of a hole in the ground and judging from the sky I wouldn't be too sure of which way that is. Besides anything my friends here take out on the way to the exit is less trouble you have to deal with when you muster the courage to try and escape yourself."
Crystal opts to keep her mouth shut for now, her bow starting to tremble in her grip.
Agrippa holds his hands up placatingly Alright, alright then. No need for violence good sirs. What if we could prove that we weren't shapeshifters or...well whatever it is you think we are. Would that suffice? he motions for everyone, including his allies to lower their weapons.
It would be highly illogical for us to waste energy defeating each other, when a more dangerous enemy lies ahead yes?
"Sureisfinewithme...", comes out in rapid succession.
"But what display can convince these overly cautious people?"
Clearly annoyed the man grates, "Overly cautious?! Look here madam we have wounded and children. If one changeling gets in they're all dead. If you want to come in you've got to prove you're not one of them."
Answering Heinrich's question, Captain York suggests, "Hunt a few of them down, and bring back proof. I can't imagine the doppelgangers killing their own, they're so convinced of their superiority they'd never allow it."
Luxina opens the door and checks the new room for anything useful or informative.
Agrippa frowns but nods Indeed. Proof that we have fought, and bested a few of these monstrosities. The detective bows and turns on his heel
Best we not tarry, these men are on edge. he says to his compatriots.
Agrippa then moves to the door opposite Luxina and cautiously opens it.
Luxina and Heinrich open the doors to find two storage rooms which once held spare linens and cleaning supplies crammed onto wall-mounted racks. The tremors that shook the asylum ruined several of the racks here, and soon after survivors looted almost everything of value. What remains are two rooms that reek of chlorine and are heaped with fallen shelves and broken containers.
Hmm... These should come in handy. Luxina thinks to herself as she picks up the winter blankets.
A lantern and a hammer... I don't need the lantern myself, but I'm sure others could put it to use. The hammer is also always handy, the more we're prepared the better.
Luxina exits the storage room and walks back to the others, handing a blanket to Filbert and Lizzie.
"I've found some blankets among that storage room. If we're forced to camp here, it'll keep you warm at least. Anybody need a lantern?"
Luxina is repulsed to see a pair of sticky giant feelers creep out of a deep fissure in the wall. A huge centipedes appears, disturbed by the party's search! It chitters weirdly and Heinrich finds he's fighting the thing's mate in the other room which crept out of a crack in the ceiling!
Icky, smelly, with too many legs. Giant centipedes attack!
Initiative rolls:
Combat order:
Red Centipede
Crystal Delphi <----- WE ARE HERE
Green Centipede
Filbert Springbit
Luxina Tenebris
Momijii
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa
Lizzie "beads" Tamar'
Before Luxina can react, the horrid thing bites her with a HISSS, she feels it's venom ooze into her and her arm instantly goes numb.
---> HIT
---> FAIL
Crystal Delphi is up.
While she was highly aggravated at being barred entrance to the safe haven she supposed she could understand the reasoning behind it. She'd probably be just as paranoid as they were if the situation was reversed. She went with the others as they began to search for anything of use and for changelings they could kill to gain admittance into the apparent safe area. She was standing guard in the hallway when the troubles in the storerooms began...
Luxina attacks the Giant centipede with the torch she still had in her hand, trying to keep it from biting her.
Agrippa draws his rapier and tries to step away from the centipede...
Red Centipede
Crystal Delphi <----- WE ARE HERE
Green Centipede
Filbert Springbit
Luxina Tenebris Action posted
Momijii
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Action posted
Lizzie "beads" Tamar'
Crystal Delphi, Filbert Springbit, Momijii & Lizzie are up.
If Momiji hasn't entered the room where Luxina is, Lizzie enters it.
"We'll squash the bug."
Crystal grumbles as the centipedes start attacking, and moves to line one up for a shot.
"Aiee! What is that thing?!?!" Filbert cries out as the centipede crawls from the walls. "Go Back! Go Back!" he cries and lending credence to that he tries to force his haunts once more. Throwing his hands out towards the centipede.
However he can't gather them coherently and flings his arms into the doorway he's standing at
Crystal brings her bow to bear and takes a shot which ricochets off the creature's carapace.
The centipede in the northern room tries to take a chunk out of Heinrich, but he's too nimble and scoots out of the room.
---> MISS
Filbert's haunts scatter a spray of pebbles towards the centipede attacking Heinrich, but misses by several feet.
Luxina swings her torch in a great arc, causing the creature to recoil back away from the flames.
Red Centipede
Crystal Delphi
Green Centipede
Filbert Springbit
Luxina Tenebris
Momijii <----- WE ARE HERE
Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Action posted
Lizzie "beads" Tamar' Action posted
Momijii is up.
With one centipede close by and an imminent threat, Momijii shifted into the same powerful stance as before then stepped into the room and gave a sharp downward punch to the thing's head and then her foot came up to curb stomp said head into the floor.
Momijii brings her foot down on the centipede's head with a sickening crunch, the creature hisses and recoils back! In the other room Heinrich dances away from from the other centipede.