Continued from last time

Following the battle the company decides to go to one of the tree houses. Medea explains that the creature had been mind controlled and in exchange for removing the device and seeking revenge it had agreed to go away for 3 suns (or moons?). 4 men are sent to verify the beast was gone, and then the company is invited up into the tree house, where they rest.

the party comes across a very large hole, and they are pretty certain it is the burrow of the monster they just spoke to. Near there is a tree

Medea and Keltac approach the hole in the side of the tree. 5 feet inside there is a recessed portal. There are three dials. Medea attempts to unlock the door using the dials, but fails. Hector attempts as well, but it does not work for him either. Jasmine begins siphoning energy off the door while Hector looks through the door. He realizes that it takes three tries to open the door, and quickly stops Jasmine. Medea tries to open the door one more time. She is electrocuted, but the door opens.

Inside there is a hall 20X60 feet. Every 2-3 feet down the corridor there is an elatticurid severed head with expressions of twisted horror. There are boards that are laid down the middle of the hall, and it sounds like there is nothing under them. As the party passes the heads begin screaming. The slowly quiet as the party passes.

Inside the next room is a large form lying on the ground. It is a twisted combination of flesh and metal. It looks like a marionett with cut strings. It is grasping a long swordstaff in its hand.

Quin attemts to take the swordstaff from the creature, but it is gripped too hard. As Jasmine tries to sneak past, the creature awakes. Jasmine manages to dodge past and down the stairs on the far end. Quinn is not so fast.

Boo reads the creatures mind and nearly throws up. "Whatever that is, it's in a lot of pain."
****
Jasmine goes down the stairs and finds a priest with the body of a young elacturid woman who has been beheaded. He is wiring her head to a Grue panel. There are about 6 other bodies standing around. Jasmine holds her knife to the wire, "Call off your beast!"

***
The swordstaff swings down on Hector. As Keltak stabs the creature his sword gouges into one of the skills and he is overwhelmed by feelings of pain of being beheaded while still conscious. Hector can't stand the screaming heads, and tries (unseccussfully) to leave.
***
Jasmine starts talking to the priest. He says that he is trying to attain perfection by combining the two races--heads of Gru with bodies of elacterids.
***
Quin has delt the most damage to the Gollum, and eventually manages to kill it. they join JAsmine downstairs. Jasmine manages to carry on a great conversation and it turns out that the priest has a key to the cold city he doesn't mind loaning to them. They take the key and leave, promising to return in.
*****

***Big discovery that the cromulack are allied with the great ones


QUOTES
If you drain me I will slit your throat!--Quin
Is there something--like, I don't know. Morality perception?--Grace
At this point it has become self defense, so it isn't wrong, right??--Grace
Do you have any extra limbs lying around? I mean, any you aren't going to use? Just so I could take home?--Jasmine (she later takes a literal armload back to the ship)


(creepy priest scientist) your physiology is inferior.
"I'll have you know--in High School I--" *trails off in spluttering*
I don't know what that means.
"It means I have highly advanced physiology!"
"So you want me to experiment on you? "
"NO! I mean if you don't stop insulting me, I'll slit your throat!"--Jasmine and super creepy human experiment guy

Grace's murder eyes are the best.