Lab Rats
Set Expectations
Section titled “Set Expectations”Set the expectations for the session and communicate any above table information FIRST before starting the session…
- Very loose, this should be fun but the outcome is VERY unknown even to me
- RECORDING
Cold Open
Section titled “Cold Open”Vaelorys is home to a plethora of heroes and adventuring groups - with the latest to make waves in Otheria being none other than a group known as The Fated Eight. Those waves; the ripples of their nascent legend, have spread further than any of them are aware of. Gathered friends, let us shift our focus to one such location as I take you Somewhere Else In Vaelorys and show you what is happening there…
- Footsteps echo through a cold and dark corridor. The lights flickering as the power is in bigger demand elsewhere in this labyrinth built into a truly enormous mountain.
- The echoes follow the movements of a determined man, as a glimmer of light catches his long white hair. He continues to the end of the hallway - passing by empty and/or damaged research rooms; wondering to himself what was once contained/experiment on down here.
- Not that it matters; even drained from being chased by that Kid, he still had plenty of strength to handle almost anything…
- The end of the hallway reveals an iron door, and a suspended platform behind it. The man steps onto the platform and is briskly taken to the top
- He steps out into an orderly and productive control centre and walks forwards; taking note of each assistant & bodyguard who seems offput by his eyepatch.
- He turns around a corner and notices two bodyguards posted outside the door to speak with The Boss.
Immediate Event
Section titled “Immediate Event”The immediate action for the Party to deal with.
- Radek and Wolfram see a lithe, pale man with white hair and an eyepatch approach. He claims to have a special order for The Boss.
- The pair can check this against their intel that he is indeed to be expected.
- The man will step forwards into the wide open chamber below the raised offices of The Boss. Before kneeling and pledging fealty to your mutual employer.
- The pair watch as The man pulls a device from his coat - as it floats in his gloved hand. The device hurts to look at; changing shape and colour regularly.
- “I have a report Sir. Tryst was successful in his forging of The Core, but he was unable to control himself. It was not as easy as I’d hoped by I managed to keep it out of that snivelling kid’s hands.”
- The pair of you notice the humanoid silhouette of The Boss approach the opaque and obfuscating window of his office before the device begins to float towards him.
- For a second - as the device phases through the window; you both see a glimpse of a man’s face. Bright green eyes and void black facial hair is all you manage to process before his voice booms through the chamber.
- “You have done well… Plight. This is most advantageous to this cause. You will be rewarded handsomely, I promise you that. Tryst’s usefulness was depleted the moment he completed this device; but I have more much in store for you. You are free to tend to your business here whilst we wait for the time to be right…”
- The man known as Plight takes his leave as he vanishes into a cloud of smoke.
Radek and Wolfram hear the commanding voice of a brutal, Goliath male a red eye and a black eye shout “ALL RIGHT PRINCESSESS - BACK TO USUAL STATIONS! MOVE IT MOVE IT!”
- Warden Zelosh - your commanding officer in this facility - is pale skinned with runic symbols painting his arms and torso, and genuinely very frightening at nearly 8 feet tall. He carries a large Maul and a shield on his back.
- Ask them how they respond to that event, is there any thing that they take note of; or wish to inquire more into it.
Plots Points/Paths Forward
Section titled “Plots Points/Paths Forward”Details about various plot threads that can be explored this session - with a subheading for each one.
It has been a stressful number of days, with your colleague coming and going from their shared laboratory Please describe what the others would see looking at Minari rn
- Estyr’s plan is getting to the tail end of preparations and she needs you to cover her research work.
- Estyr is a lovely woman; 5 years older than you and incredibly intelligent. But despite that extra age, she is lovably chaotic. She’s the spitting example of the inverse relationship between Intellect and Common Sense.
- A key example of that is having to be reminded to write a list of instructions so you knew HOW to do her experiments for her - and how to classify the results.
- Before you do her work however, you have to finish your own - it’s time to visit Experiment Class E, Subject #333 - or as he’s more lovingly called; Benjamin.
Please describe what Minari sees as she enters your room Benjamin?
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Wing this section; I trust them.
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The usual tests - checking speech fluency, mind-muscle connections via playing of a Lyre.
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At some random time - Minari and Benjamin might hear a loud BANG a few floors above them. It isn’t followed by any additional noises or alarms - but it does alert Minari she’s spent a bit too much time here and she needs to get to Estyr’s experiments.
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Normally - you should return the Lyre to the lab equipment but you don’t have time
- You can either take the Lyre with you or
- Leave it with Benjamin.
You hurry across to a different block of chambers; these ones are much more brutal and usually reserved for holding dangerous subjects. You arrive at the door with #236 on it and enter. Please describe the individual Minari sees strapped to a large metal bed upon entering this room.
Wing this - I trust them
- Estyr’s Notes:
- Talk to him for 10 or so minutes. Ask him about his home and what he used to like eating/hunting; (if he’s well behaved, see if you can steal some jerky from the lunch room)
- Frend might be… difficult to understand. Try your…
- Explain the process of today’s experiment. Even if you can’t understand him, it’s very likely he understands you and it should calm him a bit.
- Today’s emotion is Calmness/Serenity
- Prepare the experiment material and load the syringe
- Rotate the red glyph on the console 90 degrees to increase blood flow, then quickly inject the elixir.
- Leave the room and close the door gently, to not startle him.
- Talk to him for 10 or so minutes. Ask him about his home and what he used to like eating/hunting; (if he’s well behaved, see if you can steal some jerky from the lunch room)
As Minari leaves the room:
- Ask Aaron was calmness looks like to Frend. Has he felt it in a time?
- A sense of serenity comes over him and he is able to think incredibly clearly for the first time since arriving here. He isn’t sure if this is temporary or not but whatever was done to his mind by the interrogators has been reversed, at least partially.
- DC 11 Perception check; he notices that Minari either forgot - or wasn’t told to re-tighten the bindings…
- Wing this…
Eventually he’ll notice a glistening light coming from a vent in the corner of his room and upon getting close - he’ll hear Estyr saying “Hey buddy! How you feeling? Hopefully Minari wasn’t too harsh with the meds! Come with me - let’s go find your friend, & then we’ll come back for mine!”
- Estyr will explain she’s also a prisoner here; in a different way, and wants to escape. She could’ve left a long time ago but she had to try find a way to free at least Frend, if not other captives too! “If I recall correctly - Bugbears have really stretchy skeletons. So I’m hoping you’ll be able to squeeze through this vent a ways?
- They crawl through a maze of ventilation shafts for 5, 10, 15 minutes before finally reaching another grate. “Ok - if I’ve done my calculations this should be where they’re keeping your friend! Or least… close enough!”
- She kicks open the gate as we cut away from this scene, and catch up with Radek and Wolfram
Warden’s Demands
Section titled “Warden’s Demands”Meanwhile, Radek and Wolfram - you were instructed by Warden Zelosh to head to the lower levels instead of your usual stations. He will join them shortly afterwards. You are to rotate through the block and ensure that Plight wasn’t followed by anyone.
- Give them some free roam
- Ask Radek how he feels about working for The Boss? Is this what he expected all those years ago when he started working for that man in Gerward?
- What does Wolfram think that man was delivering? Does he feel it’s time to begin looking for a more realistic exit path? So far the only one he’s identified is a service gate on the top level but it requires Warden clearance to access.
- Ask them both to make DC 18 perception checks
- They’ll hear the faint creaking and bending of metal in the walls around them.
- Eventually they’ll hear Warden Zelosh call out to them
*“Princesses! What ARE you doing??? I leave you down here alone for 10 minutes and you’ve already gotten lazy! I’d have covered 3 times as much of this floor in that time BY MYSELF - Do I have to send the both of you to The Pit for some remedial training???”
A few moments later they’ll all hear a metal clanking sound from around a corner nearby them.
Uh Oh!
Section titled “Uh Oh!”- Frend sees a muscular arm reach out and grab Estyr out of the vent before another lunges at you… DC18 athletics check to resist.
- Resist will eventually fail unless he does something to really surprise me.
- You feel cold steel clasp around your wrists and begin to hum; you are Restrained.
- Radek and Wolfram - you see a Bugbear man and a Kalashtar woman be yanked from a floor level vent by Warden Zelosh as he barks
- A brutal voice barks at you both: “Oh and I thought today couldn’t get any more fun! I really must thank you for that. Princesses! We’re taking these two up to the research level for a bit of a talking to.
What do you do?
- The Kalashtar woman nervously speaks up… “Take us to Minari… she’ll explain everything Mr.. I mean Sir… I mean Warden Zelosh, I swear!
- What has Minari been doing since finishing the experiment on Subject #236?
- It is getting late; even for Estyr - so late that you’re nearly due to return to Benjamin’s next round of experiment results. Remember who has the Lyre
Wing again with Benjamin and Minari - give them a moment to RP and maybe prompt Minari about leaving the experiments behind?
Suddenly the door will burst open as Warden Zelosh and two bodyguards walk in with the bound bodies of Estyr and Subject #236!
“Your little friend here tells me that YOU can explain what she was doing trapsing through a ventilation shaft 6 floors below her assigned level. I hope for her sakes you’ve got a good reason - I’m told I have a foot made of lead! as he throws her to the ground and places his thick boot on squarely on her head.
Wing this section - this is THEIR moment to shine.
- Estyr can live or die depending on how decisively they act/turn.
- She has a bag of holding and can tell Frend to open it if she is alive.
- Once the tides start turning - an explosion above them will shake the entire facility.
- How do you all react?
- DC 17 perception checks at disadvantage; you see Warden Zelosh has bolted out of the room and is 120 feet away already. Failure you don’t notice till it’s too late.
- As the quake settles - you do notice two things
Wing this part - they have to make a plan and execute.
Ask clarifying questions if you’re not sure what to do..
Equipment Or Information
Section titled “Equipment Or Information”You have a choice in front of you: You can either go searching for information, OR searching for extra gear? Either will alter how - and with who/what - you are able to escape with.
Either route will introduce them to a young man with brown hair and a deep red cloak. The Cloaked Figure will not introduce himself to them - but will assist in their endeavours; either by providing information OR showing them where to find items.
“I am a Mage of The Arcane Will - I’ve been sent here by my Master to uncover whatever Caesar Plight had delivered. It seems I have run out of time however - so I can only tell you some of what I do know; what would help you more -Information or equipment?
Information:
- Where is Raia?
- Raia escaped 6 weeks ago with The Cloaked Figures’ help. She has a Scribe Stone for Frend explaining where she’s gone and why…
- Scribe Stone: A Sending Stone variant; used by researchers to record long term notes. They can only be used during a long rest without special equipment.
- What exits exist?
- An exit on the top level, service hatch. Requires Warden key to get to
- An exit below but is likely swarmed with guards
- What is The Boss working on here?
- It’s unclear - but it’s clearly something very powerful to be kept this secret this far from the Kingdom
Gear: (have 3 each of them roll 1d4)
- 1d4 x +2 armour
- 1d4 x shields
- 1d4 +2 weapons
The Cloaked Mage will go a separate way and offer to try make as much noise to get them out.
The Path Forward
Section titled “The Path Forward”Either way they go they’ll stumble upon a broken lab room where they’ll notice multiple scaled creatures skulking around the floor.
- Stealth?
- Combat?
- Vibes???
| Creature | Notes |
|---|---|
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The Final Stretch
Section titled “The Final Stretch”As they leave the above room, they’ll hear a voice boom from near the exit
“Oh - I’m not finished with you yet…” as they see Warden Zelosh standing between them and their freedom.
Wing this it’s late as fuck
| Creature | Notes |
|---|---|
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Freedom?
Section titled “Freedom?”Upon escaping - they’ll catch a glimpses of a tall, lithe, pale man with an eyepatch walking towards them. Moments later he’ll be chasing them - as they witness him turn into a large, 4 legged shadow monster and begin to chase after them at top speed.
Have them roll a few athletics checks and sweat a bit - he’ll make ground on them most rounds unless they actively slow him down.
Just as he’s about to catch them - The Cloaked Mage will blink right near them and clock the shadowy creature before saying “NO YOU DON’T Caesar Plight - your business is with me!”