Ruins of Azlant IC 2

[DarkOne-Rob]

Henri stands a watch, in spite of his wounds and discomfort, partaking of the generosity of his companions for both water and food. "I'll pay you back for this," he tells Taz with a tusked smile. When Jessica uses her last healing spell for the day on his wounds he thanks her too. "When you're up in the morning, I think I will need more. Thank you in advance..."

The next morning he wakes groggy and sore, with an orcish body odor that he's not proud to share. He waits quietly for the others to be ready and looks to Jessica hopefully for more divine healing...

Spoiler: OoC

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Henri is at 12/30 HPs.

[Farmerbink]

Before calling it a night, Jessica retrieves her medicine bag. "I'm fairly well-versed in mundane care as well," she offers. "It doesn't have the same kick, and it'll take a few hours to feel better, but we're not going anywhere anyway, right?" Over the next several minutes, Jessica becomes more and more agitated as both Tazmara and Henri respond to the negative when prompted for progress. "It's still not helping? You're kidding me!" she groans, exasperated.

It's a very frustrated (and useless-feeling) priestess who sulks sullenly in the corner before finally nodding off to sleep.

In the morning, she stuffs her annoyances from the previous day in a secret hole where no one will ever find them, and quickly retrieves a small prayer book. "If you don't mind joining me," she suggests, while the rest of the party breaks their fasts on dried rations. "As Shelyn wills, I can draw upon her power anew this morning." With a few brief gestures and words of supplication, she releases a pair of pulses of pleasant energy. Satisfied, finally, with her work, she takes a moment to renew the divine conduit she shares with her companions before digging into her own rations.

Spoiler: OOC

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18 HP all around, rolled in OOC. I'm fairly confident we're all topped off, or very close to it.
She also has enough uses of caravan bond to apply it to everyone +Lightburn, and she will because it makes no sense to not and she traded armor for the ability.

[DarkOne-Rob]

The previous night
Henri politely, patiently, and without outward sign of disappointment submits himself to Jessica's ministrations. He shows no indication of his thoughts beyond answering her questions honestly before settling down for the night.

Continuing the new day
Henri nods and silently participates as directed in the worship, his familiarity with the efforts of chaplains (from his time in Golarion armies) making him comfortable with the process even if he doesn't overtly worship any deity. He does smile as his wounds are (fully) healed and then waits patiently for everyone to be ready to return to the efforts to explore the tower.

Once everyone is ready he again takes the lead, presumably guiding everyone back to the floor with the unusual water feature...

[SanguinePenguin]

Taz shares in Jessica's frustrations as yet another bandage sloughs off her arm sopping wet. "Well, I'm sorry to have wasted your kit." Deep down she was a little happy that it also didn't work on Henri, so that she didn't have to once again blame her physiology for this.

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In the morning, Taz joins the prayer to Shelyn, reciting some of it from memory. As a polytheistic celebrant of several gods, including the Eternal Rose, she welcomed the blessings from Shelyn whole-heartedly. "So much better! Thank you, Jessica. We wouldn't survive long out here without you!"

[DaOldeWolf]

Spoiler: OOC

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Well, since we are at a new level and we finally had the desired rest. The char sheets have been updated to the new level.

"Well, I suppose this will be better than nothing. I wish you all a good night then. "Hewitt feels worried about sleeping in a strange place but he knows he needs the rest to recover himself. He thinks about trying out a couple of ideas he had though about for some time. His own tiredness ends up winning and eventually he falls asleep.

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In the morning, he gets ready to leap back into action. First by calling forth Lightburn who is glad to see that the party is safe and sound. While Lightburn goes to greet with everyone, Hewitt uses his time to recover his magic.

[u-b]

The floor you've had your last combat on... well, seems mostly just as you left it. The site of the battle has dried up a bit, but not much else seems to be changed.

[farothel]

"Weird," Laurelata said as she looked around, "I would have expected there to be more of those fishmen here, waiting for us."
She has a look around the room just to make sure there weren't any traps left/activated.

Spoiler: OOC rolls

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perception (+trapfinding): (1d20+11)[13]

[u-b]

Nope. No new traps or new anything anywhere in sight.

[SanguinePenguin]

While she wanted to investigate the water, Taz heads toward the stairs quietly, "I'll have your back, Henri." She encourages the armored half-orc to take point. Were she not shredded to ribbons during about three seconds of combat just about 10 hours earlier, she might have offered to take the lead, but as such, she veered toward the rear.

Spoiler

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Focused up the stairs and ready to react
Perception: (1d20+7)[24]

[DarkOne-Rob]

Before heading to the stairs, Henry carefully takes something (a pole, furniture, anything effective) and blocks the door to the strange water feature. Preferably he entwines it in the handles too, trying to prevent anything from coming out of that room to attack the party while their backs are collectively turned.

At the next ramp he takes a deep breath and looks back to be sure everyone is ready. Once he has all their attention he begins a slow countdown, using his raised right hand to demonstrate. 5-fingers, 4-fingers, 3-fingers...

Once he holds only a closed fist he silently rushes up the ramp as quickly as he can, intent on attacking anything that threatens him as he ascends higher into the strange tower...

[DaOldeWolf]

"Lightburn, you should help them up front. Make sure to let them now if you detect any smells." Hewitt replies with Lightburn nodding in agreement."I´ll try my best to live up to everyone´s expectations." As soon as the group starts moving, he tries to stay at the front while Hewitt tries to stay at the back.

[u-b]

Approaching the ramp leading up reveals that it is unobstructed and you see the domed ceiling of the whole tower. Lightburn does notice more things besides that. He smells two... fishy humans? They appear to still be there somewhere on the floor you are about to enter, but Lightburn can sniff tracks of one of them right under his paws. A female, it seems. Went down the ramp and back up some time ago. You don't see either of them from where you stand. Entering?

[DarkOne-Rob]

After Lightburn reveals what it smells Henri nods. Then he confirms the others are following and gets ready to charge up the stairs!

Spoiler: OoC

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Yes, still go upstairs to enter the top floor.

[u-b]

Henri gets to the upper floor closely followed by Lightburn. There he sees the upper part of the same tank, with another transparent vertical door on its eastern side. Beyond that is another transparent tank with a vertical door, this one small and empty. Next to him is sitting an armed and armored man. He seems to have noticed you, but does not say anything. There is also a woman to the north of the tank and she seems much more active. She approaches halfway, but not too close.

"Uhm, hello? Who are you? Are you here to save us?"

Henri notices they two are sort of wrong. Too... slimy?

Spoiler

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[farothel]

Laurelata follows Henri up the ramp, weapon out just in case. She looks around when she arrives and doesn't see any fishmen.
"That depends," she said in the same language (if she can speak it), "who are you and what are you doing here?"

[SanguinePenguin]

Taz follows up the stairs, water slowly seeping from her pores, when she sees the somewhat slimy woman before her. She is, however, very excited to see an actual person on the island. With less caution than Laurelata, she starts, “I’m Tazmara. What is your name? Are you from the colony? What are you doing here? We’ve killed the fishmen.”

[DarkOne-Rob]

Henri looks at the two figures suspiciously, not putting away his axe or speaking but also not moving to attack. "Lightburn - what do they smell like?" he asks quietly.

[u-b]

They speak in a perfectly normal Taldane, also known in the Inner Sea region as Common. To anyone from Andoran, they don't even appear to have a foreign accent.

"I am Eliza Haniver... yes, from the colony. And this is Rayland." - she points at the man - "We, uhm, just stay here. We were forbidden to leave. Uhm, I don't know any of you. Was there a second ship?" She seems somewhat uneasy, with an eye on Henri and Lightburn whispering among themselves and on Lightburn in general.

Spoiler: Lightburn and Henri

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The people definitely smell funny. Lightburn never smelled a thing of the sort. Definitely not normal humans, but he would not call them totally not humans either. And, he assures Henri, it's not just the smell of the stockfish, both eaten and not, that is present around.

[Farmerbink]

Jessica hustles up the ramp, not too far behind- if much more naive. "There was a second ship!" she blurts excitedly. After a moment's reflection, she lowers her voice.

"Both of these folks were on that charter list we found," she murmurs, without taking her eyes off the slimy people. "Their names were checked off... I'm still not sure what that means, but... it means something," she finishes lamely.

"Oh, and they didn't get along at all, remember? And she's a psychic!"

As the implications become apparent, Jessica's eyes widen and her grip on her glaive tightens. "Miss Haniver, who told you you weren't allowed to leave?" she calls. "We're actually specifically looking for colonists to help rescue. Hopefully you can help explain what happened to the first wave?" she asks, hopefully. "Please, any information you can give us will help more than you know."

Spoiler: OOC

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We'll use my daily religion trait: inner beauty, for a +4 on this diplomacy check.

(1d20+13)[20]

[DarkOne-Rob]

Henri nods at Lightburn first and then Jessica. "Reason to be excited, but there is something wrong about them now too. We need to be careful," he says before turning to the two figures. "What is happening to you both? Why are you so wet and slimy?"

[SanguinePenguin]

”And Rayland Arkley, you were the leader of the first expedition,” Taz was initially less concerned about the slimy, drippy nature of them, after all, she had similar issues, but there was something cagey about their interaction that was slowly putting her on edge. ”Can you speak, Mr Arkley? Why is this water tank here?”

Spoiler

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Can Taz see anything in the tank?
Perception: (1d20+7)[12]

[DaOldeWolf]

Hewitt wonders about the two but remains silent for the moment. He wouldnt want to make things a bit more difficult by joining in the conversation. He tells Lightburn to remain on guard in any case telepatically. Lightburn tries to pay special attention to how they act and how they speak trying to figure them out.

Spoiler: OOC

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Sense motive: (1d20+6)[8]

[u-b]

Eliza remains wary - maybe of all the hushing going on, maybe of you being wary and maybe in general. "There was some... man? I mean, a person, pickled here in the smaller tank, completely motionless. Only when I opened it, it came out and... well... things are quite fuzzy after that, but I know I was told not to leave here. Rayland was dragged here by the fishmen. He does not seem to talk much. I don't know what is up with our skin. Some fishman disease? Does not seem to get worse, but does not seem to get better either. And... what do you mean "what happened to the first wave"? All of them?" She seems surprised by the notion.

Arkley lifts his head and responds to direct question. "Yes, I can speak. What she told you. Was knocked out asleep, woke up here. No idea about the tank." The man does not seem very happy talking or being rescued.

[farothel]

Laurelata kept an eye on them to see if they were telling the truth. She looked at them trying to see if she knew what they were inflicted with.
"We can have a look and see if we can find a cure for it," Laurelata offered, "do you know if there are traps here, or can we approach."

Spoiler: OOC rolls

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sense motive: (1d20+6)[16]
heal to see what the disease is: (1d20+2)[3]

[u-b]

"It's safe. I mean, I've walked all over this room and nothing has sprung on me after that one encounter, so it has to be safe."

Eliza lets you examine her. She is a lean young woman with long red hair, a fair complexion, and large, expressive green eyes. Her physical frame is slight, but that seems to be natural. Her skin is wet, slimy, and to some extent translucent. When looked up close, the exposed muscle tissue and circulatory system revealed by her partially transparent skin leave an impression of some grotesque horror.

Spoiler: Laurelata

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Seems to be telling the truth, actually. No idea about the disease.

[Farmerbink]

Jessica nervously approaches with Laurelata. "Have you eaten recently? I didn't bring much- we didn't expect to be out this long, but I can share some rations." She retrieves a pouch of wrapped foods from her package and offers it gingerly to whichever of the colonists first approaches to take it - or Eliza, if neither of them do.

"I'm a priestess of The Eternal Maiden, Shelyn. I'm well trained in medicine and magical healing. May I also see if I can help?"

Spoiler: OOC

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Assuming they allow Jessica to inspect them and try to figure out the affliction: (1d20+10)[30] heal
I doubt the offer of food constitutes a second diplomacy check. It's +9, if it does.

[u-b]

"We have plenty of fish, though I almost wish we had less." Eliza grimaces. "Do you have spirits?"

She doe not hurry up to grab the ration, but lets Jessica examine her.

Spoiler: Jessica

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You are pretty sure this disease was not described anywhere but in ancient sources originating from Azlant, where it was, like, exceedingly rare, and the causes were debated but deemed non-infectious. The effects of this disease would be roughly as follows and any magical cure should help. It does not heal on its own and the medicine to cure it was unknown in the ancient Azlant (maybe because there was no need to find one).

A creature's skin and flesh transform into a clear, slimy membrane. The creature’s new flesh is soft and tender, reducing its Constitution score by 4 as long as the condition persists. If the creature’s flesh isn’t kept moist, it dries quickly and the creature takes 1d12 points of damage every 10 minutes. Remove disease and similar effects can restore an afflicted creature to normal.

[SanguinePenguin]

“Yes, the whole colony had vanished by the time our ship arrived. Roughly what date did you both arrive here? Have you seen anyone else from the colony since coming here?”

[u-b]

"Date, well..." - the question seems to have given Eliza some trouble - "It's hard to tell time here. Have been... months? He has sure arrived later. And then nobody else but the skum."

[DarkOne-Rob]

Henri watches and listens as the party speaks with the two infected members of the original wave, his face falling into passive observation while his mind tries to grapple with everything. He takes several deep breaths, quietly gathering his thoughts, and then turns to inspect the strange, water-filled compartment. "What is all this?" he asks Eliza and Arkley after a moment. "Does the water stay inside when the door is opened?"