Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Rarified Air

 Ciprian pushed his line of crates into the fog where they hit something solid and slid sideways in the grease.  Clearly somebody or something was in the middle of the saffron fog.  Armania moved around for a closer look while Ursina was opening crates looking for rope or maybe something to throw.  Suddenly Gavril rushed into the mist wrapped his arms around the thing in the middle and pulled it backwards.  The fog moved with Gavril and the entity.  Gavril felt slightly sleepy as he stood in the fog but managed to shake it off.  Everyone noticed that the mist around the creature slowed their movement slightly and became slightly less obscuring.

Erevel seeing the fog cloud move also rushed in and swung wildly at the middle, missing feebly as she couldn't see in the fog.  Paullus declined to fire into the melee as nothing could be targeted.  Ciprian decided to rush in to attack with his mace.  While their three companions continued to battle in the fog, Armania, Paullus and Ursina watched.  Actually Ursina was just opening crates and barrels finding oil, mundane medical equipment, shock therapy equipment, and other items she could not identify.  

Erevel, Gavril and Ciprian kept up there attacks while being slammed by the creature in the fog.  Finally the three managed to kill the beast, who turned out to be a human male in patients garb.  The fog had dissipated greatly as the man fell to the floor.

As Erevel stopped raging she suddenly fell unconscious on the floor.  Ursina rushed over to apply Rebuke Death bringing Erevel back to life.  The rest of the party started looking around for magic or other items emptying crate after crate but there was only outdated or unexplained treatments in the crates and barrels.  

Ciprian meanwhile started looking out the windows on the four long walls of the tower.  Twenty or so feet down he could see the grass.  The immediate area around the tower has seemed to clear.  The surrounding region was still awash in the fog but he could see a large standing stone to the northwest.  Trying to see a second floor from the east and north windows still proved impossible though.  Noises could still be heard from outside, large flapping wings, horrifying noises that echoed weirdly, others loud enough to be uncomfortable.  It was still raining outside but the group had at least cleared some area of fog.  Now where were the other Oneirogens?

As the group was low on spells they debated resting here or making their way back to the Chapel.  Finally the decision was to rest here in the tower.  After about eight hours Erevel sat up screaming with her eyes wide with fear.  She felt quite fatigued but said she would push on.  The party had nightmares and Paullus awoke haggard and unrested.  

The group clambered down from the tower while Gavril tried to determine if any door they had passed could hold a Oneirogen.  He suggested it would have to be an outside wall so he moved to the double doors leading south.  Erevel heard water splashing and footfalls from inside the room.  A door to the west also revealed the same noises.  Gavril tried to open the door quietly to see if there was yellow fog in the air.  As he did so the door creaked and he saw no fog but did see ghouls.

"Get them now!" a voice echoed from inside the room a Gavril shut the door.  

The party moved to receive the coming attack.  The door swung open and a one armed ghoul wearing a severed hand around its neck charged out into the hall.  The other ghouls followed most only making it to the doors.  Ciprian identified the one armed creature as a Ghast, not a Ghoul and started a Bardic oratory against it.  Spells and physical attacks continued between the party and the Ghouls.  Just as they group was arrayed against the attackers, the other unopened doors to the northeast opened and three more ghouls emerged.  A voice was heard from inside that room.

"Leave now or I will bite out this underlings neck!"

Ciprian replied, "Your fellows won't let us leave, call them off."

The Ghast let loose a stench which fortunately did not sicken anyone.  Arrows were flying, acid darts were cast, Rebuke Undead flew from Ursina, Erevel was bashing away with her sword, Ciprian with his mace, Gavril with his shortsword and the enemy fell one by one.  A scream was heard and then cut short from inside the room.  Ciprian entered the room and attacked the remaining ghoul and finally the last ghoul fell.  

Now that they were alone in the room the party looked around. The reek of sweat and rot mingled here. Multiple tables and chairs had been shattered and rebuilt into cages along the east wall, while a crate and an upended bed fitted with harnesses stand against the north.  Shackled to the bed was the body of a man in patients garb with his throat ripped open.  Peering through slats in the north crate was a mutt of a dog.  

Meanwhile Armania had gone to look into the room in the south where the Ghast emerged.  Cracked, river-green tiles covered the walls and floors of the communal shower in wavering patterns. Dry metal spouts jutted from several walls, overlooking grates in the tile floor. A sizable portion of the floor dropped into a shallow pool, filled with something other than water: a vile stew of corpses and blood. The smell of rot and copper filled the air in this room.  Three alcoves, providing minimal privacy, ran along the south wall. In the center, a simple chair has been transformed into a gruesome throne covered with draped viscera and gnawed bones.  Detecting no magic in the room Armania decided not to enter it any further.

Just as Ursina detected evil in the north corner of the room the lid of the crate popped open and as the dog popped out it transformed into stout canine torso topping a slimy mass resembling an earthworm.  Disgusting veins dangled from its face.

 DM's Notes: The party earned 700 XP from the night's efforts and now have 6897 XP.  An additional 2103 XP to advance to 4th level.

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