Chapter 2: Friendly Fractal Fruit Farmers

[Prime32]

So, why exactly did you barricade yourselves in?

"Hrrr.... I... don' remember. I really don't remember... maybe I hit my head?" Ghiktibur starts looking for some wound on his head.

The woman standing by the side of the chair Ghik was sitting on leans closer.
"This smells fishy. Where were you on the night of the 25th?"

[Kuroimaken]

Having taken a while examining the dead body while the others were making jokes about dwarven suppositories, Matsuko offers, "The dead man in question is the director of this facility. He's not a member of the previous team." She continues to examine him for signs of any other wounds.

"Amnesia aside, the dragonborn's story mostly checks out. There WAS someone like him in the team."

[PhaedrusXY]

"Ok... so even if he did come on the other team... why is he standing over the dead body of the director? And why does he have "amnesia"? We don't know if he killed the director, found him already dead, or got knocked out while defending him...

You have to admit that this looks pretty suspicious, right?"

[Solo]

"Is that a trick question?"

[PhaedrusXY]

"I think in your case, the answer is yes."

[Solo]

"Then let me answer your question with a question: How did he get knocked out if he killed the only other person in the room?"

[PhaedrusXY]

"That... is a good question. And given that Matsuko recognizes him as being on the other team, even if he did kill him, he was probably mind-controlled or possessed. That could explain his amnesia..."

[Kuroimaken]

"I'm not sure your mind control theory holds." Matsuko advises. "His arm seems to be the only place in his entire body that has been wounded... and it's festering. Even assuming our dragonborn friend hasn't brushed his teeth in months, it looks like the director died of some sort of infection, and not blood loss. Which means something or someone else bit him."

[Solo]

"Infection fever might have damaged the brain enough to trigger amnesia," Fistbeard suggests.

[PhaedrusXY]

"An infection? Who dies from that? I mean yeah... back when I was a hatchling, peasants died from infections, but today? And why would he sit in here till he died, rather than getting it treated?

Unless it's some kind of especially potent magical infection... which sounds bad...



And an amnesia-causing infection sounds even worse..."

[spoiler]Taking 10 would give me Knowledge: Arcana 21, Religion 23, and Planes 19, to see if Kyx knows of some kind of magical infection that might act like this. [/spoiler]

[skydragonknight]

Paul nods approvingly at the Orc. "C'est manufique! What nice wings you have! ...Pity zey have no feathers, non?"

Listening to Kyx's theories, he says, "Maybe ze cause is something he ate? I will have ze look-see."

[spoiler]Profession(cook) to identify ingested poison. (1d20+14=17)
With that roll, probably not.[/spoiler]

[VennDygrem]

"Hmm, can anyone tell how long the Director's been dead? I'm no doctor, but I'd think he'd be a lot worse off if it had been before or around the same time as the last team's arrival. Figuring that out might give us an idea of how long our friend here's had his amnesia, and when this place was attacked."

[Kuroimaken]

@Phaedrus

[spoiler]It occurs to you that the zombiefication process begins with an infection.  [/spoiler]

[skydragonknight]

[spoiler]Missed the part about the injury. Infection makes more sense now.[/spoiler]

"I am afraid I am not familiar with ze infected people. I know more about ze infested people."

[Prime32]

"I say we head back to the entrance and throw him through the antimagic screen. I want to know why the security systems spotted us coming in but not smurf here."

[Kuroimaken]

"What are you smoking? He was the whole reason we checked this room, remember?" Matsuko points out.

[spoiler]The security system at the entrance did point out that he was in here.[/spoiler]

[Prime32]

"What are you smoking? He was the whole reason we checked this room, remember?" Matsuko points out.

[spoiler]The security system at the entrance did point out that he was in here.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]I thought you said only the director was in there. [/spoiler]

[PhaedrusXY]

"What are you smoking? He was the whole reason we checked this room, remember?" Matsuko points out.

[spoiler]The security system at the entrance did point out that he was in here.[/spoiler]

[spoiler]I thought you said only the director was in there. [/spoiler]

[spoiler]It said someone was in the director's office, IIRC, and that it wasn't the director. The director, being a corpse, wouldn't be logged as a person, I guess. [/spoiler]

[skydragonknight]

"Zere is no reason to stay here, non? We should continue our search. Zere may be more survivors in ze other buildings." says the guy who looks like crab, (but) talks like people.

[PhaedrusXY]

After remaining uncharacteristically quiet for a few moments, Kyx says "You know... I think some forms of zombism can be spread through bites and infection..."