Into Khybers Gate

[SelcSilverhand]

Johanel closes the door and stands watch while Bloodtalon and Sedar split up to search the room. You both head towards the slight clinking sounds coming from the back of the room. Edging closer in the shadows, you spot the alchemist's work bench. A tiny homonuculus, barely a foot tall, is moving around on the table mixing various vials together. It looks like a stunted dwarf made from lumpy clay. As you watch, it removes one of the boiling vials from a burner and sets it aside. After the vial has cooled the construct puts a stopper in the vial and pushes it up to a row of similar vials. It continues to work oblivious to your presence.

 

[Knight Otu]

(Thanks for the NPCing.)
Sedar looks at Bloodtalon, whispering "Think this is?" at the sight of the vials, and wondering whether taking one would be helpful to their mission.

 

[Erekose13]

"Seems a little obvious, but it could be. I'm honestly not sure what we're looking for. You think this thing can talk?" he whispers back.

 

[Knight Otu]

"I've got no idea. Doesn't seem necessary for it's job, but with those guys, you never know. Maybe we should look around carefully, even if it doesn't seem like this figure is very attentive to things outside its job."

 

[SelcSilverhand]

You continue to examine the main room. The shelves are lined with the same reagents you saw on the previous trip here. While neither of you are alchemists or wizards, you can recognize a few valuable components amid the myriad of others. Moving further around the room, you can get an angle to see behind the work bench the homonuculus is working on. There are numerous empty vials stored there and other labeled bottles presumably containing useful chemicals. It's hard to make out any more detail without moving in closer.

Further exploration of the room reveals a door set against the back wall. It is unlocked and after a brief examination, you feel it is safe to open. Beyond the door you find a small landing with a set of stone stairs carved into the wall. It leads up into the ceiling. Above the shop are living quarters. There are several chairs, a table, a bed covered in silk sheets, a small kitchen, and a large closet. There are clothes strewn about of various kinds. Dwarven, human, and halfling sized clothes abound, but there are also other sets that seem out of place. You see a hobgoblins leather and fur cuirass, a dirty and worn loincloth fit more for a primitive race, and several other odds and ends.





OOC - Johanel has know. arcana and would be able to give you some basic info about homonuculi.

If you want to consult with him:
[SBLOCK]
The homonuculi created by artificers share some of their makers personality traits. They are similar to familiars in that the masters are linked to them. Being constructs, they are given a set of instructions that they will attempt to complete until they are given new instructions.
[/SBLOCK]

 

[Erekose13]

"Johanel, can you check for magic? Other wise I don't see much that looks like what we are looking for beyond what that homonculi is crafting." Bloodtalon whispers.

 

[SelcSilverhand]

Johanel casts his cantrip near the doorway and slowly follows you through the main floor. He carefully scans the work bench and reports that the vials the homonuculus is mixing do not radiate magic. He does mention that he can detect several auras emanating from the floor behind the workbench. He does not detect anything else amid the shelves nor in the room upstairs.

 

[Erekose13]

"Perfect, thank you Johanel." says Bloodtalon in his hushed voice. He moves over to the area where Johanel found the magic auras and starts looking for any hidden traps, "Can you give me a hand Sedar, you are better at this than I?"

 

[Knight Otu]

"Sure thing, Bloodtalon." Sedar replies as he moves to his companion's side and helps with the search.

 

[SelcSilverhand]

After a careful search Sedar discovers a trapdoor set in the floor. It is locked, but he makes short work of it after checking for traps. Lifting the hatch clear reveals a small hollow in the stone floor. There is a lockbox and a crate holding a few carefully packed flasks. The crate has numerous slots in them, but most of them are empty. The flasks are made from glass and have stylized claws gripping the center of the vial etched on them. The fluid inside is a viscid black.