With Mortimer in tow, the party returns to the security corridor and enters the next room. It is a large room with eight pedestals, each apparently once encased in a glass tube. The tubes have retracted without power, and the mindless bodies they had been holding are now wandering the room. They immediately turn and move towards the party. With no chance of quick escape, the party has no choice but to attack.
The mindless bodies attack with clawing hands and bites. Though they outnumber the party, their attacks are also random, and they are soon defeated.
Searching the room, the party finds eight small alcoves off the sides of the room. Each of these contains a mechanism holding a gem, which the party collects.
There is one room remaining. This one turns out to have a swirling basin of water. Machines on either side of it are pumping chemicals into the water. They decide to collect some of the water. While doing so, Johann and Syrvelse get some of the water on their hands, which immediately go numb. Johann manages to keep his grip on the flask, but Syrvelse loses hers, and it vanishes within the basin.
When they have finished collecting water, they smash the machines and start making their way back out.
They stop along the way to destroy any piece of equipment they missed on the way in. They also stop in the template room to pour oil over and set fire to the bodies there.
As they leave the facility, they talk about how good this will look on crystalgram and nod politely to the guards. They then slip back out of the upper city and return to “Your Life Burns Faster in This House.”
—-
There, they relate their adventure to Syruss. He identifies the gems they are carrying as “Soul Gems” and says that the Silicon Satraps pay nicely for them. The water he says is called “Lethe” and is used to wipe all memories from a new donor body to accept a new template.
As promised, he starts teaching them “Improved Fashion Sense.” This will give them a bonus on future interpersonal actions because all of them are so sharply dressed.
The party gathers in the inn and starts planning their next move.