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Ruinor watches in stunned disbelief as his companions unsuccessfully try to revive Jos.
"This can't be. We are the good guys. We're not supposed to die. Isn't there something we can do to save him?" Ruinor says with despiration in his voice. He then stares blankly at Jos for several minutes. Eventually the muted voices he hears become clear and he realizes the group is talking about the cave.
"I believe there were two passages from the main chamber that the gillman mentioned hearing things from. We still need to explore the second one."
Janira offers to stay with the body of Josnavaarin while you finish the exploration. "It's your Confirmation. If you want to make it more complete, then go ahead." she says shooing you back towards the cavern entrance. "What bad could happen to me out here?"
Working your way carefully through up the slope and back through the tunnels, you find yourselves once again in the room with necromancer and what remains of his undead minions. Retracing your footsteps to the main cavern, you find Umok the gillman still there, focused on more strange and mysterious rites.
When he sees you he stops, greeting you with a smile, "Did you stop the spread of evil? I felt a lessening, a lifting in my heart and I wondered if you would come back. You have already done much, but there are problems down the other passage as well." He points to the other side of the cavern. "An infestation of a different sort."
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Aarions steps up with a solemn, serious look in his eyes. Although the inquisitor has never expressed much intent to be funny, his focus seems to have been increased with the death of the snow-caster. "we found an evil spell caster, who seemed intent on raising dead gillmen to serve in some sort of undead army. He and his plans have been eliminated. What sort of infestation is down the other corridor.
"Foul humanoids and their pets, small ones." says the gillman in disgust. "This cave system must link to their underground dwellings, but, they must be driven off before they find and corrupt our shrine. Will you aid us in this last?"
The passage leading from the gillmen's holy shrine varies in width from 3 to 6 feet, and is rarely wide enough for you to pass two abreast. The walls are coated with the ever-present blue luminescent fungi. Cave-ins block a couple of passages, while another that you follow just loops back to the main branch. After about 20 minutes of exploration, the tunnel broadens to reveal a shallow river that bisects an immense tunnel stretching to the north and south, TO the east, a small passage exits the chamber at a steep incline.
The river here is 10-15 ft wide and only about a foot deep. It flows languidly, almost imperceptibly.
Across the slow-moving river, you see three small humanoid creatures and a large centipede picking and eating the blue-green fungi growing on the walls. The humanoids are exceedingly ugly, mostly all head with a tiny body attached. They stand about 3' tall and are armed with darts and daggers. They see you approach and form up to fight.
Denizens of the Deep - Round 1
22 Aarion
19 Silverback
15 Ruinor
13 Orovan
13 Mite 3
10 Centipede
7 Maximilan
7 Mite 2
4 Mite 1
Denizens of the Deep - Round 1 - continued
Aarion starts the action by moving into the room, taking a moment to study the giant centipede learning its weaknesses and likely actions, and then casts a divine warding spell to protect himself from any attacks.
Silverback and Splittooth both rush into the cavern looking to engage the fungus eating sprites and their many-legged pet.
Ruinor starts fiddling with his ring, which invokes his arcane bond and allows him to beginning casting sleep spell again.
Orovan advances to the edge of the water, loading his sling as he comes but is not able to either cross the slow-moving river, or launch a missile this round.
Mite 3 advances close to Splittooth and tosses a dart at the raptor, which scores a hit, but only for minimal damage of 2 hp.
The giant centipede, moving more rapidly than expected, crosses the slow moving river in a bound, and ends up near Orvoan but is unable to attack.
Denizens of the Deep - Round 1 - concluded
Maximilian advances into the room, drawing his rapier for a melee attack on the centipede next round.
The remainder of the mites advance to fight, but don't make any attacks.
End of Round 1
Denizens of the Deep - Round 2
22 Aarion
19 Silverback
15 Ruinor
13 Orovan
13 Mite 3
10 Centipede
7 Maximilan
7 Mite 2
4 Mite 1
Splittooth thrashes around and tries to bite and claw one of the creatures blocking their path.
"AHisssss!!!"
Denizens of the Deep - Round 2 - continued
Aarion leads off for the heroes, and using his fauchard to magnificent effect, he rips the centipede to shreds before it can get close enough to do any damage.
Silverback's attack is off target, the stream messing with is accuracy but his pet is successful in hitting and rending one of the mites near him.
Ruinor's sleep spell fires, and both the remaining mites succumb to its effects dropping to the ground, fast asleep.
End of Combat
Searching the cavern along the river, you spy a small side tunnel. This tunnel leads down at a pretty steep descent, but is small enough that you cannot fit easily into it. This is likely where the mites entered the cave system.
While exploring that tunnel is not possible (it's outside the scope of this adventure), you could easily block the tunnel with rocks, boulders, and scree from inside the cavern complex.
You find no other items of value or use here.
Blocking up the little tunnel, the heroes seem to have explored the cave complex in total. The gillman, Uori, thanks them profusely for preserving the sanctity of his holy shrine, and gives each of the PC's a necklace crafted from seashell and abalone. He prepares to depart, and you leave with him, meeting Janira, who still stands vigil over the lost Josnavaarin.
She stares in awe at the departing gillman, barely keeping her curiosity at bay. As he disappears from view into the trees, she begins leading the group back to the the safety of Absalom. The group arrives back in the City at the Center of the World without further incident, just before dusk.
She asks the remaining group to meet with her and her mentor, Kreighton Shaine, for breakfast in the morning. Meanwhile, she has the fallen initiate's body taken to the burial chambers for the Society, where it is solemnly prepared for burial.
In the morning, the Master of Scrolls, asks excitedly what you found in the caves of the gillmen, asking to see your notes.
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"When first we entered the cave, we came across a pit trap that served as nothing more than an obstacle to be navigated across. Within the pit we found a magical cloak. After retrieving the cloak we continued to explore deeper into the cave where we found some reliefs that where warn and difficult to identify. After a combined effort, we were able to determine that the reliefs were parables from the history and future of humanity. Based on the slight difference between this older version of the text, and the more currently known versions, we determined that the scripture must be quite old."
"After our documentation of the reliefs, we adventured deeper into the cave were we came across a gillman praying beside a small pool. The priest informed us that the gillmen commonly use the cave as a holy place. Shortly after explaining to us a little about his story, he informed us that evil lurked deeper in the cave."
"In search of the evil, we came across a dead necromancer that had given his life to his foul trait. In his wake he left a number of animated dead gillmen that we ended up destroying. After a moderate investigation, we discovered the necromancer intended to create an army of the undead gill people."
"Close to this point we heard Janira in combat with the Minotaur. In desperation to help Janira, we charged into combat with the great beast. Unfortunately, this cost Josnavaarin his life. Even with the loss of one of our more adept warriors, we were successful in dispersing the great beast."
"After the deadly battle with the Minotaur, we decided to finish exploring the cave. At the end of the last section of the cave, we came across a few mits that had infested the place, along with a giant centipede. With little effort, we destroyed the infestation and blocked off the access that they were using."
"After clearing all the problems from the gillman’s holy place, we ended up building a friendship with the priest, which could lead to a new ally for the society and possibly Absalom."
After dispensing with the formal account of the adventure, Aarion hands over the groups notes.
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Silverback likewise shares a few things after Aarion gives his thorough report.
Later, once they have completed their meetings, the druid fashions a wreath of laurel and places it on the head of their fallen companion. After spending some time in thought, he turns to leave.
"Each will return to the dust...nature will call us when she chooses," he says.
Kreighton Shaine nods, clearly impressed by your thorough notes. "It is not easy to remember what one had for breakfast, let alone what one was thinking while studying an ancient inscription. Your notes and eye for detail will serve you well in the Society. Your reports about the gillmen are quite interesting, and we will follow up on them. Since you have become the foremost experts on the cave system in the Kortos Mounts, I suggest it is only right that you should come up with a name for that place."
Shaine goes on to compliment Janira Gavix for her guidance and assistance during your Confirmation, much to the halfling's delight. She agrees to help you in any future research or knowledge investigations
Three days later the Master who represents each of the group's interests confirms the PC's as full Pathfinder field agents. As part of the ceremony, that mentor gifts each of you with a personalized Wayfinder, reminding him that this is not only the symbol of the Pathfinder's trade but also a reminder of the three principal duties: explore, report, and cooperate.
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Jos's body appears before the pathfinder society and he is buried. At the funeral a young priest stands by. He says a few words as the man had no family present.
"We today bury another pathfinder who has died too young. May Abadar see the good in his deeds as....."
He looks around to see if anyone could tell him the mans name. He sees someone in the crowd mouth the letters J O S.
He continues,
Jos as they called him sought to gather the artifacts & riches of ancient days. So sadness fills the air as Jos's life ended but we have wishful thinking that he may join those riches in the afterlife. Abadar's will! "
Here is the link for The Wounded Wisp game which is next on our agenda. Please post in over there. The initial game-play post is up, and the Discussion tab is open to list your purchases etc from prior Chronicle sheets.