With the half-orc Crow in the lead, the party moves up the stairs and onto the walkways, keeping slow and steady, and attempting to be stealthy. Rylidak and Kalgor balk at the stench, but both manage to hold up under it. Ausk and Anaerion (and, if the squirming in Ausk's shirt is any indication, Alfred) aren't as lucky. All three feel a powerful nausea overtaking them.
Despite best efforts, Rylidak's full plate armor doesn't play well with the metal walkways, and the party has barely entered the room when the workers turn ponderously to look up in their direction.
Kalgor, Ausk, and Anaerion all notice, then, that the workers are not ordinary men who've simply had the life wrung from them via the drudgery of their profession. They have, in fact, no life in them at all; only undeath. While they've been somehow preserved to appear living, the trio can see through the cover-up and recognize the workers for the Zombies they actually are.
Rylidak, however, doesn't seem to have seen through the ruse.
[sblock=ooc]Here's how I figured it: normal zombies would be a DC 5 for Gragnor (especially since he's encountered them before). These, however, have been alchemically preserved to appear to be living humans. Raised the DC under the logic that such a variety was a much rarer breed of Zombie, and Gragnor failed his Know check. So did Rylidak. Ausk and Anerion auto-succeeded, though, and Kalgor made his, so none of you three are fooled any longer.
Ausk, Anaerion, and Alfred failed their Fort saves. They're all
sickened while in the room like Gragnor. Kalgor and Rylidak made their saves this round, so they're currently unaffected. You'll have to continue making saves each round, though (Dc 15 Fort) to avoid becoming sickened, as well. [/sblock]
[sblock=Environmental notes]* The squares on B2 are all on the same level, but are 10 feet above the blue areas. I've screened the workers who are down the level.
* Fumes in here are much more potent than out in the lobby. Base save Fort DC is 15 each round you're in the room to avoid being sickened while there (Rylidak and Kalgor are the only ones who need to worry about this at this point).
* The walkways are slick. Moving at more than half speed requires a DC 5 Acrobatics check to avoid falling prone. Failing by 5 or more means you slip entirely off the walkway and fall to the vats below.
* You can use a free hand to make use of rails and chains to help steady you for a +5 on the Acro check, but that means the hand is not considered free for any actions during the round.
* Moving at full speed on the walkways gives a -5 on the Acro check.
* Area B3 is another 15' above the walkways in B2.[/sblock]
[sblock=Status]Anaerion: 44/44, Mage Armor, Sickened
Ausk: 82/82, Sickened
Gragnor: 26/26, Mage Armor, Unfettered, 1 STR damage, Sickened
Kalgor: 54/54
Rylidak: 56/56
* Sickened: -2 penalty on all attack rolls, weapon damage rolls, saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks.
Zombies:
Z1: Undamaged
Z2: Undamaged
Z3: Undamaged
Z4: Undamaged
Z5: Undamaged
Z6: Undamaged
Z7: Undamaged
Z8: Undamaged[/sblock]
GM: | Party won initiative, so you're up. No surprise round due to Clanky McPaladin. | |