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Encounter Conditions
None
Initial Text
Faint squeaking and scratching draws your attention to a room off the main hallway. You easily identify the source of the sound, walls covered in little mouse cages.
The mice don't look like they're doing particularly well, although whether that's because of the captivity or whatever tests are being run here isn't immediately obvious.
Summary of Choices
- Check the notes - 2-4 XP in Perception
- Release the mice - Removes this encounter for the rest of the day
- Take a cage - Gain a caged mouse
- Follow the notes - 2 XP in Perception, or with at least 10 duration of etheric fight Twisted Rodent and lose 10 duration of your etheric effect (After checking the notes with Trauma Tech)
- Grab some food - Gain lab mouse feed (After checking the notes)
- Keep walking - Nothing
Choice Text and Results
Check the notes
The terminology in the documents is incredibly opaque and specialized. It might just be your lack of background, but it feels like even trained researchers would need a while to get used to all the new terminology getting thrown around.
You've earned 2 XP in Perception
(With trauma reference equipped:)
There's some use of the same terminology between the notes here and the trauma reference. You still can't quite piece it together, but you feel like your understanding of both has taken a step forward in the process.
You've earned 3 XP in Perception
(With Trauma Tech skill, or getting the above enough times - see discussion:)
Looking over the notes, they use a lot of the same terminology from the trauma reference. You're able to piece together the rest. Apparently, they're feeding the mice food spiked with Slags chemicals and seeing how they react.
One part that sticks out as a bit odd is the logging for "gross physical changes" noticed in the mice. It explicitly requires logging for everyone in the room when the change is first noticed, rather than just the person making the report like the rest.
The content of those reports are a bit creepy too. Lots of growing extra legs or even speaking in human voices, which sound more like a bad dream than scientific test results.
You've earned 4 XP in Perception
Release the mice
Each little cage is its own container, so it takes a while to pop all the lids off without harming the mice. As you release each mouse, it scurries away deeper into the lab.
(Removes this encounter for the rest of the day.)
Take a cage
You cautiously lift one cage off the rack, doing your best to not disturb its inhabitant. The mouse doesn't seem to like the cage moving, so it'd probably be best to find somewhere stable to set it up permanently.
You found: caged mouse
Follow the notes
You go through the procedure, adding a few food pellets to each cage. Things go pretty smoothly, although some of the mice are visibly ill after eating it, throwing up black sludge or even spasming on the ground.
You've earned 2 XP in Perception
Or with Slags Poisoning (take priority over Etheric result below):
You go through the procedure, adding a few food pellets to each cage. By the time you're done, you can almost make out their squeaky little voices. It sounds like they're trying to warn you of something, but you're too far away to make out the details.
You've earned 3 XP in Perception
Or, while Etheric, with at least 10 duration remaining:
You go through the procedure, adding a few food pellets to each cage. When you're almost done, there's a loud thump from one of the earlier cages.
The mouse within has swelled as though something is growing under its skin. When the bloody spider legs unfold through its hide, the cage spills to the ground and the creature skitters its way out.
(Fight Twisted Rodent, lose 10 duration of etheric)
Grab some food
You grab a handful of their food. Even if you don't want to do your own research, it's still technically food.
You found: lab mouse feed
Keep walking
Yeah, finding a bunch of mice being experimented on is a little shocking at first… but, on further thought, it's probably a normal scene in a bioresearch facility.