Angelica looks thoughtful for a bit, "Well, if we were at or around sea-level before, I'm guessing we are well below it now. Not that it changes much, I think we've explored just about everywhere else we could, and further down is pretty much our only option if we want to find this shard."
She resumes her lead, silver dagger in hand, and Buddy-Pal not far on her heels. Not that his presence has done much. He mostly just stands there and stares. She's not sure if having a big metal pet is even worth it anymore.
A short flight of stairs leads down to a large chamber with a cistern filled with dark water taking up most of the floor. Channels of this water run east, west, and south through hallways alongside five-foot walkways. Soggy-looking timbers have been draped over the gaps to provide unstable-looking bridges over the troughs. An ornamental torch made of onyx burns in a sconce by the eastern hallway, from which the sound of someone singing sea chanties with a raspy voice wafts.
Jakscar whispers to Angelica "How about i go left at the corner, as quietly as i can, and you go round the long way. That way at least you should catch the owner of the voice by surprise. If it all goes pear shaped I can hold my own for a bit."
Shabbezz waits quietly beside Angelica's automaton while the changeling and the catfolk deliberate the party's next move.
Angelica scrunches her face at the very idea, "Whiskers, I've seen you sneak. Even over the singing, who or whatever is down there would know you were there from a mile off. That doesn't give us enough time to get around.... if the paths even meet back up. This place doesn't look like there's much rhyme or reason for what hall goes where, or why. It's best we stay together, and approach this singer as a group."
Well, if he's singing, he can't be all bad, right? And sea chanties are basically travel songs. So let's go and introduce ourselves.
Ducking into the first chamber, Angelica carefully walks to the corner to peer down the eastern hallway. She sees that the hallway goes for about 60 feet before entering another chamber. The walkway seems to rise and loop over the chamber like a bridge.
To the south, there is another chamber where the sounds of splashing water can be heard. Wooden ramps are visible, leading up from the walkway to platforms above another open cistern.
"Well obviously i was going to give you a headstart! Well alright then forward together it is."
The walkway down the eastern hall was wide enough, but with a stream of mucky water rushing along only a foot below the walkway to your side, it felt a lot narrower. It was easy to imagine all sorts of creatures swimming just beneath the cloudy surface, waiting for the perfect opportunity to lung out and grab unsuspecting travelers.
All in a line, you made your way to the circular chamber at the end of the hall. The walkway did indeed seem to rise and turn like a bridge, connecting the hallway you had just traversed to a set of stairs heading down to the south.
A few feet below the bridge, dark water fills the room. The walls have been painted into a remarkable mural that depicts the skyline of Magnimar, complete with numerous ships that seem to float on the waters of the room.
The clicking of the clockwork servant's legs on the stone walkway, along with Jakscar's torch and the noise the others were making, alerted whoever had been singing, for the sound cut off when you were still halfway down the hall.
"Well that's not good..." Harbug hefts his spear and takes a defensive position.
"Seems it was a private performance," Shabbezz added. "I hope that they won't mind the intrusion."
"Well there is definitely no point in stealth now.
He then calls out down the passage.
"Hello, whoever that is, I hate to admit it, but we are a little lost. Would you be able to help us?"
Yes, good sir. Sorry for the intrusion, but those were lovely little ditties you were singing. Don't mind us, Zaphomil calls out, hoping that this time there might be an ally in this journey.
"Hear ye, I can, and help ye I may. But, I must ask ye not to be too hasty with those weapons o' yourn. Some folk'd find me appearance...disturbing."
"At least his songs were better than the 'paintings' by that last guy we saw." Harbug continues to whisper, "Though there may still be a point in stealth, no reason to give away our numbers... or at least no more than we already have."
"Well i am already up i guess, but i get the impression he has already seen us."
And then to the voice.
"I am putting my blades away, it is just that we have had some nasty run ins so far. I am Jakscar Steelclaw duellist extrodinaire and who might you be?"
Angelica shrugs, puts away her silver dagger, and flexes her fingers towards the others to indicate that she isn't exactly unarmed. "Well, sweetie, appearances aren't all their cracked up to be. I've seen a charming bravo be a devil of a man at heart, and an orc with a heart of gold." She turns and winks at Harbug.
Shabbezz is content to keep quiet and let the others do their thing. She sees no need to make an introduction for herself unless their mystery conversationalist specifically requests it.
A figure swam out from the bridge. Its skin was blue-green, and it was humanoid in appearance. Long fangs protruded from a mouth that stretched impossibly wide, and a foot-long tongue snaked out from a gap between them. Webbing stretched between the fingers of the hands held above the water. "See? I be meanin' ye no harm. 'S been a whale's age since I be seein' any topside folk down here. Name's Lockerbie Brast, pleased t' meechya."
"Angel, you've gotta stop telling... 'people' where I keep my gold." Harbug makes air quotes with his free hand when he says 'people.'
Harbug recoiled at the sight of the creature as it showed itself. The features were fairly unique, and Harbug instantly recognized it as a lacedon, likely a ghast from the personality control.
"Well Mr Brast, I can see why people are scared of you, that is an impressive set of teeth and tongue. Do you know your way around these lower levels? We are trying to find something."
"Oh, aye. I be knowing this here place like me own ship. can't say I be getting about too much these days, though. Lots of baddies about, always looking for something juicy to gnaw on." The ghast opened his mouth in a wide grin, smacking his lips and revealing more of those hideous teeth.
"Would you be willing to part with that knowledge? It may help us to find what we're looking for," Shabbezz finally speaks up, although she's trying very hard not to look uncomfortable at the undead gentleman.
"Oh, aye. I can be persuaded to part with some of me hard-earned tidbits. But, ye have to do me a favor in return. My wife, Liza Jane, has been grieving for me these twenty years, not knowing what fate befell me. I have a brooch that she gave me to remember her by the last trip out. If ye agree to take it to her, and tell her that I am dead, I will tell ye what I can. But, don't be telling her what I became! I don't want her knowing that. Just that I am dead and gone. If ye agree to that, I can be telling you all sorts of things."
"Do you know where Liza Jane is today?" she asks him.
Zaphomil cannot bring himself to speak, mesmerized by the undead creature that -- somehow -- doesn't seem all that bad.
"Anything special about that brooch? No offense intended, but everything in this place is creepy snd wierd, you included. I'd like to check it, if you don't mind."
Harbug tries to discern any magical auras on the brooch, but fails to find any. It is what it appears, a slightly tarnished brooch of copper, shaped in the form of a sea serpent, with eyes of garnet.
"Well, froggie-frog, when I left her she be living in on Washer's Row, seeing as she be a seamstress and laundress. Her hair be black as night, and her eyes brown like good coffee. Course, it's been a fair few years, so maybe ye gotta look around a bit."
"Well Mr Brast, it seems to me that it would be down right rude to leave a woman in the lurch like that, not knowing what became of her husband. I would be happy to take the brooch to her, I am after all a bit of a sucker for a love story. So that is Liza Jane Brast, seamstress and laundress, black hair and brown eyes. Would you happen to know how old she would be now?
"Yes, that knowledge would be a great help for us to find her."
"Be about 50 now, I reckon. Here." The lacedon lifted a hand out of the water, holding aloft the brooch. The ghast could only reach to a few inches below the bridge.
Bending down to get the brooch Jakscar stretches out a hand.
"I'm sure we'll find her.
Jakscar reaches down for the brooch, kneeling on the hard stone. At any moment he expects his wrist to be grabbed, to be yanked into the dark water. However, the expected betrayal never comes. The ghast pressed the brooch into the catfolk's furry hand, and released it.
"Ye know I can't be forcing ye to do what ye agreed to, and can't exactly be going into the city meself to be checking up on ye. Trust ye, I have to, and I just hope that trust be well-founded."
"There be some dark creatures ahead of ye. Small fellows with white hair and dark skin. Evil they be, much more so than I. They be taking folk from the city, experimenting on them before letting the other creatures here eat them. Watch out for water in any chamber larger than this one. Nasty things lurk in here."
"We'll do our best to fulfill our obligation, Mr. Brast."
She turns to face the others.
"Shall we be going?"
" Might as well, people to rescue, evil things to kill and a shard to find."
With a small bow and hand gesture to Angelica
" After you dear lady."
Shabbezz takes up her usual position near the rear of the party, keeping quiet as they trundle on.
After walking in silence for a while, Zaphomil finally speaks up. Of all the wonders I was hoping to find in this journey, that was the most surprising so far. I hope he finds peace.
"Speaking realistically?" Shabbezz responds. "He's a ghast. He'll be a slave to his hunger for corpse-flesh until something destroys him. With any luck he'll wind up among his own kind in the Darklands or feel the call to travel to Nemret Noktoria. Otherwise he's merely a potential danger to the living."
"But at least fulfilling his request may help him to put his old life behind him and transition to his current state of existence, as well as acquiring us some useful information."
The way south from Lockerbie's chamber contained a darkened stairway leading downwards only a few feet. The hall continued to the south, with a small room opening directly onto the hall.
"Hi-ho, hi-ho..." Harbug begins humming quietly for a minute or so, then stops when Angelica moves on ahead.
Shabbezz waits with the group while the rogue does her scouting.
Moving south down the stairs, Angleica led cautiously. She held her hand up to stop everyone as she peered into the large room to the left. She saw a pair of skeletons, picked completely clean of flesh and wearing an ancient version of laborer's garb, lying sprawled on the floor. Further examination proved that the skeletons were the normal kind, not the kind that chased you down halls. One of the skeletons had a non-magical pearl ring on one hand. The other, 16 gold worth of coins in a pouch around its neck.
Continuing south, the sounds of rushing water began to grow louder. The hallway opened into a large chamber where the outflow of four large pipes flowed into a large pool. Stone steps led to a platform about ten feet above the water level, with steps leading from there to exits to the south, east, and west.
Zaphomil crosses his arms. Well now! More places to explore! Might as well pick a direction and go, since we'll likely need to check out each direction eventually.
"In that case, I vote that we continue south. The straight path should be the easiest to backtrack from, if nothing else.
"I'm fine with that, but let's all keep our eyes peeled. This place just gets more and more creepy as we go."
"South is fine by me, but do hurry up." Whith which he nonchalantly starts forward, swinging his sword, as if he is beheading imaginary daisies. "I am bored now."
This new found confidence and relaxed attitude pay off, as his natural stealth finally comes through.
Angelica
Harbug
Jakscar
Shabezz
Zaphomil
enemies
Cautiously, Angelica and Jakscar head out up the tiered stone bridge towards the center of the room, the others following behind. The sound of the water cascading out of the large pipes in each corner made hearing difficult, and the water too turbulent to see into.
As the last of the party stepped onto the bridge, a pair of snakelike forms lunged from the water. Their long sinuous bodies propelled heads with a double set of jaws, each filled with long, sharp teeth. Shabbezz ducked, narrowly avoiding the attacking creature. Zaphomil wasn't so lucky. The creature's jaws locked onto his torso, and a piercing pain filled the gnome's belly. At the same time, the creature's weight pulled at him, threatening to drag him over the bridge and into the water below!
Zaphomil takes 13 damage, and must make a DC19 Ref or Str save to avoid being pulled into the water.
Initiatives:
Zaphomil 21
enemies 19
Harbug 18
Shabezz 15
Jakscar 7
Angelica 6