Session 10

The session picks up with the group in the room with the chest. Una has made enough of a recovery to continue forward.

The group makes a formation with Theo at the front, Pete after, Athtar behind, and Gimli at the back. They moved back to where they had originally held out, and Theo heard the slime creature and finding its residue. Athtar scouts ahead, Pete keeps an eye out for any traps or enemies, while Theo and Gimli maintain their armour. Theo keeps his light dim.

As they head further north, Pete hears a high-pitched crying or wailing. He also notices that the walls are coated in the slimy residue. Pete breaks from the group, heading to the corner as he looks ahead. Theo turns his light up so he can see further.

In doing so, the group sees a Grothlut. A large slug-like creature with a humanoid upper body. It's covered in slimy residue, its jaw unhinged, screeching an awful cry.

Seeing the light, the creature turns to the party. Pete gets into position and takes a shot against the creature, but misses. He reloads and attempts to create a diversion, but the creature is unfazed. Pete steps back to get into cover.

Gimli moves up to where Pete was and blasts the Grothlut.

Athtar's next and gets behind Gimli and loads his bomb launcher. He fires but miscalculates, hitting the cieling of the cave. Some embers land on the creature, burning it a little.

Theo follows in, shooting the creature with his rifle. He then takes another shot.

The creature shoots acid at Athtar, hurting him and splashing everyone else.

Two morlocks enter from the top of the cave. These are slimmer than the prior morlocks and carry daggers. Pete throws a glue bomb, temporarily immobilizing the Grothlut.

Gimli positions himself and attempts to knock the Grothlut prone, but fails.

Athtar steps further back to avoid more damage, then pulls out his colt pistol and takes a shot against the grothlut, carefully trying to aim without hitting Gimli. He misses and then reloads.

Theo steps beside Gimli and converts his arm to a spear. He blasts using the newfound range and hits. His spear punctures its body and it releases a guttural cry.

The Grothlut raises an arm and slashes at Gimli, critically injuring him, shattering his armour. He falls to the ground. It then slithers over Gimli and makes its way to Athtar, slashing at him, and downing him too.

Both Gimli and Athtar are bleeding out.

Pete reloads, using the bullet as a diversion. It succeeds, and Pete hides using the diversion to mask where he is.

Theo's next, moving down by the Grothlut and blasts the Grothlut, shocking the creature with lightning. He then raises his shield.

Athtar spends his hero points to stabilize and then gets up. He gets out of line of sight of the Grothlut and then recalls knowledge about the creature. Athtar knows it is immune to acid and mental damage. It also knows that the creature's intestines will rupture upon death and explode, covering everyone in a 30ft radius with acid and then infect them with sickness.

Gimli spends his hero points to stabilize. He places a tree in the middle of the area.

The Grothlut moves up to Theo, swinging its claw at Theodore, missing its first strike and then attempts again, which Theo raises his shield against. The tree takes the brunt of the damage, and then Theo's shield blocks the rest.

The morlocks head down to Gimli, attempting to kick him while he's down, but both miss.

Theo raises his shield up.

Athtar runs across the cave to take a pot shot at the Grothlut. He shoots and hits. A large bubble grows on its back and pops. The sound of acid hitting air is audible. The thing is about to blow.

Pete ducks behind cover next to Athtar

The Grothlut continually wails as it bubbles and hisses, swinging its arm at Theo, missing all of its strikes as it flails.

Pete holds his action, letting Athtar get out of range. Theo holds his action, waiting for Pete to strike in case he missed. Pete follows Athtar out of range and takes a shot, critically hitting the Grothlut in the head.

Theo hears the voice of Maelle in his head telling him to parry. He then parries the Grothlut's attack, taking no damage.

The morlocks, seeing the devastation, turn and run. Combat ends and Una helps to patch the group up. Theo is patched to full. Athtar doesn't get anything while Gimli is healed until he's just about bloody.

After a few minutes, she tries again, managing to get Athtar so he's no longer bleeding, and then performs a risky surgery on Gimli, healing him fully.

Another few minutes after, and Athtar is fully patched up.

The group then explores the rest of the cave and finds a chest where the Morlocks were hiding. The group thinks that these are smuggled goods. They loot 45 gold worth of trade goods.

Theo investigates the bones in the area. They don't seem old and seem to be covered in some sort of slimy substance, similar to what the group just fought. He also realizes that the bodies don't look complete, and some bones are fused together.

The group presses on and heads up the stairs at the end of the cave. They climb to a small room with a door at the end. The stone has changed into a more clear-cut and refined form. Theo walks up to the door and listens. Not hearing anything, he knocks with his human hand.

After he knocks, a long pause...and only then does he hear a scamper. He knocks again, hearing a voice he doesn't recognize, nor understand the language of. Theo speaks, saying that the party would like to speak to Serenya. He hears scuttling again. It sounds like the thing behind the door has backed away.

The group waits 10 minutes before Theo tries the door. It's unlocked and the party enters into a hallway. There are broken boxes scattered on the floor. A double door stands slightly ajar at the end of the hall. Theo peeks through, seeing no signs of life, he steps. He finds shelves of formulae which Athtar quickly looks through and takes some pages from. The pages seem to contain various formulae for elixirs and reagents.

Theo opens another set of double doors just opposite the shelves, finding a large chamber. There are several piles of bones pools of blood, and other various viceras. On the far end of the room opposite to the group, there are six small cells where 6 dustwalkers stand motionless. In the bottom of the room are two Grothluts in another cage.

The center of the room has 4 pillars, and the top of the room has what appears to be a surgery table. The group speculates on the purpose of the room.

Pete points out the morlock on the surgery table. It appears to be resting, its eyes are closed and there appear to be metal pieces fused into its skin.

Theo makes his way to the operation table, but Pete attempts to stop him. Theo understands his concern but wants Theo to avoid getting himself into any traps, and warning that the others are not really in it either.

Gimli puts a hand on Theo's shoulder and wishes him well.

Athtar comments saying that if this is something he needs to do. They can't stop him. But that this is likely a grim indicator of what they may be facing later. So the group will learn something.

As Theo approaches, he feels his arm begin to hum, but he can feel that this differs from his arm. Where Theo's arm is metal connected to flesh, in this morlock, it seems like flesh connecting to metal. There is a hole in its chest, and all its bones are repled with metal. On its back, metal spider-like limbs have grown from its back giving it an extra set of legs.

Theo recognizes this as a flesh-warp, having created a Dreshkin. This is the work of a skilled flesh-warper.

The layout of the surgery area looks almost religious. There are more alchemical books on processes used for this.

Theo calls Athtar to read the alchemical book. As he does, Theo's arm vibrates and audibly clanks metal against metal. He doesn't address it. Athtar parses through the book, copying the formula to create a vial of "black blood" a healing vial that does void healing instead of regular vitality healing.

Athtar communicates this fact to Theo who acknowledges, but doesn't seem to be directing it at Athtar.

He then heads to the room with the dustwalkers and stands before the Husk Zombie. Its eyes glow with a light that the others don't have.

It responds in necro, but Theo cannot understand. Athtar and Theo join him in the room with Gimli and asks Pete to assist in translating as the party is aware of him being undead.

Theo asks why it's there. Pete translates. It says that it's here because it can't be on the other side of the door, but would gladly trade places. The conversation ends as Pete sees through, knowing it would kill them once out.

Pete steps to the doors, before he can open them, he hears heavy footsteps from the other end.

The groups hear Labelle dismiss Silas, now that he has "gotten what he needs." Silas responds that he will be leaving, mentioning that Labelle is lucky the group didn't attempt to break the rules.

The group hears steps go up the stairs to the surgery table, and Theo steps against the door to listen. As he does, a zombie clangs against the cell door. There is a pause as Labelle comments annoyed that this batch of zombies is more noisy than the last. Labelle also notes that his research notes are missing, and has realized that someone has been down here.

He then asks Silas for the goods, and the group debates how they handle the situation -- either busting in and ambushing the two before they activate the Dreshkin.

As the doors open, the group sees Labelle standing over the Dreshkin's body, holding a black metal shard, as green lightning as it's dropped into the core of the Dreshkin