Having dispatched the dire wolves in the Alchemical Warehouse, one by way of Graxian decapitation, The Green Dragon Brotherhood looks to quickly fill up on Hypozootic Ichor and beat feet back to their hidehout. However, upon entering the laboratory/storeroom where the ichor is stored, they discover noting but vats filled with sand. Strange, considering they’d seen the vats just moments before. They quickly also discover all liquids on their person - water, potion, hydra blood, and poison alike - have also turned to sand.
Seems The Blade of Graxus has exacted another heavy price. While half the group ponders what to do next, the rest conduct a quick experiment to see (a) how far-reaching the transformation was, and (b) if it’s an ongoing Shiv Drinkstep situation a la the great flames-go-out incident. The answers are about two blocks' radius, and no, not a continuing condition.
(Meta-note: failed DDM check and roll 100% responsible for this situation).
Back in the warehouse, the group finds two storerooms. One is filled with Green Slimes, which can kill quickly, and the other is filled with Fire Beetles, which have kicked the Brotherhood’s ass in the past. They deduce that the lab has a system of cold canisters that should freeze the specimens long enough to extract the necessary fluids, but alas, those canisters are full of sand now, too.
Kraz Formalhaut puts his mechanical mind to work and quickly devises a contraption to capture a slime - basically a scoop/lasso type deal on the end of his ten-foot pole, not unlike a dog-catcher’s tool. It works a treat, and then it’s on to the beetles, which William Dune handles slightly less elegantly by just fireballing the fuck out of them.
Ingredients in hand, the group retreats to Formalhaut’s workshop, where they lay low for a couple of days. Kraz brews up a batch of ichor and successfully grafts the mechanical hand to Cleansing Waters, who is now significantly more badass and has a built-in harpoon to boot.
They also come up with a Plan B now that the ghoulsheen poison they were going to use on Rehan Mund is useless. They decide to keep it simple, stupid: they simply walk in the front door of The Red's main headquarters and let Greer the Betrayer's reputation do the talking. Mund has indeed heard of him and is duly impressed. He’s also impressed with Dune’s supposed dead body, which the group dumps on a table.
Per the plan, Dune leaps up and casts a fireball at Mund, which, thanks to a liberal interpretation of the re-roll rules, is successful. That is, until Mund’s mysterious sidekick steals the fireball out of thin air. And just like that, we have a god damn warlock battle on our hands!
The rest of the group jumps into the fray. Blades flash, hammers slam and spells fly. The Brotherhood acts uncharacteristically strategically and concentrates most of their attacks on the enemy warlock. Dune steals The Lash of Unerring Pain from her - presumably to be used at a later date - and she eventually falls. Several assorted henchmen bite it as well. The others begin to flee as Mund himself gets beaten and battered…but he’s not out of it yet!
TOTAL TIME ELAPSED: 3 DAYS