Lyraesel nods, helping to push debris over to block the eastern door, before moving back to the unlocked one.
"Ready?" she asks preparing to open the door.
Bernard tips a table over, takes cover behind it and points an arrow over the top at the door.
You carefully block off the locked door on the east side and throw open the remaining doors one at a time.
The door to the north opens to a short hall.
The door to the south, on the west side, opens to a staircase heading back up.
The double doors on the south, on the east side, open into a large semicircular room where light glints off of a pool of water in the middle, between a set of pillars.
Nobody's gonna sneak up on us, let's see what's in here first.
Bernard walks in and takes a close look at the pool of water.
Aye, the point was to allow us to hear if anyone forces the door
Morgrym looks with distain at the water.
Water underground, unless you bring it, can never truely be trusted
He then looks around the room for problems.
Morgrym checks the stonework as Bernard looks at the pool. Despite suspicion that something awful and tentacled might launch itself out of the water in the dim room, nothing disturbs the surface.
Morgrym notes that the stonework has a series of cleverly-designed funnels to channel rainwater from above into the space below. The pool is lower than the floor of the rest of the room - it's a simple cistern for storing water.
As far as you can tell, there is nobody and nothing else of note in the room. Another set of double doors leads out to the east.
"Since we blocked off the other doors, better to continue this way first." Lyraesel suggests
ABsolutely.
Bernard tries the double doors.
The double doors open slowly. The wear of the years and the weight of moisture in the swollen wood causes them to stick slightly, but they open when given a solid shove.
Not quite a torture chamber, this dungeon features three cells made of iron bars—one to the north and two to the south. A filthy, nestlike bed lies in the middle of the room, heaped around a central stone pillar next to what can only be a half-eaten giant centipede the size of a horse.
Turning from a position near the filthy bed is an ogre with massive, ridged muscle and warty skin. This one is far larger and more dangerous-looking than the ogrekin you fought upstairs, or even the ogre that you fought in the caravan trail so many months ago.
Bernard fires a pair of arrows at the... thing.
Ye gods...
The ogre seems immensely tough. It lets out an angry roar as Bernard peppers it with arrows.
In a risky move, Kenji advances on the ogre before it can get its bearings and swing on him - allowing him to get inside of its reach. He lashes out with a flaming fist!
He punches low and the ogre manages to sidestep his attack.
The ogre brings its club around...
...but Kenji likewise ducks to the side at the last moment and just barely misses a very nasty braining.
The ogre roars, "You not supposed to be here. Unless you in cage! You want me put in cage?"
Shalelu fires a pair of arrows at the monster...
...amazing strikes true with both!
Over in the northern cage, there's a rustling and a woman, looking worn and dehydrated, stands and watches your confrontation dully through the bars.
By the Gods, may Torag Guide my strikes!!
Morgrym steps in with his Urgosh in a double handed blow.
Quickly chanting in druidic, Lyraesel dashes towards the massive ogre reaching out to touch it with her hand as she nimbly moves about it.
Kenji launches a quick snap kick on fire.
...his flames lick past the ogre but its tremendous reach means he focuses on guarding himself and doesn't manage to get in a good strike.
Lyraesel touches the massive ogre, who shudders, then shakes off whtaever she tried to do. Viv steps up and slashes with her shortsword...
...but the ogre simply bats her out of the way.
Morgrym swings hard and also fails to connect with the ogre.
Bernard fires a pair of arrows at the ogre again.
Both of Bernard's arrows bounce off the ogre's armor and tough skin.
Kenji lashes out with another flaming kick...
...to no avail.
The ogre swings its massive weapon at Kenji...
...and smashes the lad with a horrible blow!
Viv once again tries to stab the ogre, desperate to end this fight.
Alas, even her skilled swings can't connect.
Shalelu fires her bow again...
...and puts one arrow into the ogre's chest and another through its face, finally ending the menace.
The ogre comes crashing to the ground with a great rumble that actually shakes the floor.
A quick search of the ogre reveals:
• A large greatclub
• He carries a small, ratty pouch made out of a cow’s stomach
in which he keeps his collection of shiny river rocks, a few
dead turtles for munching, the key to the three cells, 77 gp,
a filthy masterwork dagger for pimple care, and his lucky
rock.
The lucky rock detects as magical (moderate conjuration).
Slowly, a woman in the northernmost cell stands, and she steps up to the cell bars and wraps her hands around you, watching you as you finish the battle. She says nothing, simply staring at you with brilliant blue eyes. Her hair is long, blond, and disheveled, and she is somewhat gaunt, as if she hasn't had enough to eat and drink.
Searching through the ogre's pouch with an expression of increasing disgust, Lyraesel looks at the rock for a moment before setting it aside with a shrug, taking the keys and walking towards the woman's cell and trying the keys.
The keys unlock the cell. The woman slowly nods, then finally says, "You are... not with these monsters, obviously." She sways slightly, catches herself on the bars, then lifts her head proudly and steps out of the cell.
"I am Kelda Oxgutter, the only survivor of the Ulfen ship in the harbor. We put into this bay in hopes of finding lost treasure or supplies, but found only death." She nods once to Lyraesel. "You have my thanks."
Lyraesel nods. "The ones who did this to you are mostly dead now. Can you walk?"
"Yes... though I am hungry. And thirsty."
She nods to the cell in the southwest. "My things - the ogre put them over there."
Handing Kelda a waterskin, the druidess retrieves the woman's gear from the other cell. "Once we finish clearing this place we can camp out here. We have food. How long have you been here?"
Morgrym moves over to check on Kenji, and to see if he can give him a hand before he goes to check on anyone else.
Kenji's a bit sore, but intact.
The prisoner says, "I've been here a few days, I think? Hard to tell while underground." She gratefully takes the water skin. "This jailer was erratic about food, and the fare was... questionable." She takes a sip of water, then says, "My expedition is over. Everyone else is dead. I've nothing to keep me here now. What brought you to this desolate place?"
Bernard takes the dagger Assuming none of the rest of you want this?
I don't suppose one of you has a spell for cleaning... muck?
If not, he pinches his face with disgust and begins trying to clean the thing with soap from his pack and a piton on the chunkier bits.
We're traveling with a caravan from Varisia northwards. Bernard says, trying to reveal as little as possible.
"We heard people passing through were being attacked. We looked into it. " Lyraesel answers.
Plus some other reasons.
Morgrym comments as he stands up from helping Kenji back to his feet.
After ensuring that Kenji is still in one piece, Morgrym wanders over to assist.
No spell for cleaning that right now, but I can have in a bit of time, but you mind if I take a quick look
Kelda hands the waterskin back to Lyraesel and says, "Can you open the cell in the southwest, there?" She points, and you can see that, as she mentioned earlier, the cell has a small pile of disorganized belongings - a suit of scale armor, a heavy shield, a well-made longsword and a case of javelins.
Kelda adds, "I hope to return to Kalsgard, my home. If your caravan is heading north and you plan to visit the land of the Linnorm Kings, I will commit to working with you in exchange for passage."
Right now, it looks like she can barely keep herself standing, but given some healing and a good meal, you suspect that in a day or two this woman would be a formidable warrior.
Nevertheless, she is definitely taciturn and quite wary - but that's not surprising, given her current state.
Shalelu says, "Should we continue? Or shall we get some rest for this rescued woman?"
Spivey says, "There's another door on the northwest side of this chamber, and we haven't really given it a full once-over. Maybe we should see if this room can be secured? Or the room next door with the pool, where it won't stink of dead ogre? If we decide to rest a bit."
"I think that the best idea. She clearly needs rest." Lyraesel says with a nod. Turning up her nose she looks back. "I prefer the room by the pool over the stink of this one."
You retreat to the cistern and shut the doors behind you, then carefully set up your bedrolls along the south wall, so that if anyone does invade, you have time to at least get to your feet. Kelda goes through her gear and then collapses to sleep almost immediately, while Shalelu offers to take a watch, followed by Viv. It seems that the dire corbies kept creatures from wandering the keep at will, as nobody bothers you while you rest in the middle of this dungeon.
In the morning(?), Kelda seems rather more revitalized and actually struggles into her armor. "I will help you escape from here," she says. "I think I can wield my arms and armor again, though I may tire a bit until I recuperate fully. But I do owe my freedom to you."
Spivey says, "This dungeon... there can't be too much more to it. The castle is on the edge of the hill overlooking the ocean. Maybe just the areas north and east of here?"
Well, once we are done here, I think we can ensure that you get the time to recover.
Morgrym stretches a bit before getting back into his armour. He then does his morning devotions and then gets ready to move out.
Awakening and meditating to reconnect to the natural world beyond the dank castle, Lyraesel opens her eyes just as Shalelu awakens, giving the ranger a smile. "We should be able to finish with this place by the end of the day."
Let's check to the north first.
Bernard goes that direction unless someone suggests otherwise.
"North it is," says Shalelu. She nods to Lyraesel and says, "Bernard and I will be right behind you." Kelda insists as well on taking a position at the front.
The door to the north from the cistern connects to a narrow, winding hallway that also leads to the door northwest from the ogre's prison cells.
An intricate iron screen blocks further progress into this large chamber, although a wooden door painted with the image of a tall, beautiful blue-skinned woman sitting on a throne stands in the middle of the screen.
Beyond, the room stretches dozens of feet to the east, supported by stone pillars and with deep funerary alcoves to the north and south.
The far end of the room seems to have partially collapsed into a large cavern in which faintly glowing motes of light swirl and dance in the air.
The door in the middle of the screen has a lock on it, but you can peer through the screen and make out the crypt on the far side. There's no sign of anything moving in there - for now.
Morgrym moves out with the rest of the party, taking up his usual post at the back of the party.
I think we could probably force the lock, unless someone has a way to get past it.
"Want to try your hand at the lock Bernard?" Lyraesel asks over her shoulder.
Bernard sighs.
Yeah, I just... crypts mean undead and they're terrible.
He pulls his tools out and begins picking at the lock.
Bernard scrapes carefully and quietly at the lock, but is unable to get it to trigger.
"Here, let me help..." says Spivey. "Desna, bring a dream to life for this man."
Bernard keeps working at the lock. It's the hardest lock that he ever remembers working on; Spivey keeps fluttering nearby and offering encouragement and guidance. Eventually, after two very frustrating minutes, he manages to get the tumblers into place and the lock gives way reluctantly.
Nothing disturbs you during this time, nor has anything stirred in the crypt.
Shalelu raises her bow slightly along with an eyebrow, as if to ask whether the group is going to barge in or send sneaky folks first.
I be thinking the sneaky ones a little in front, and the rest of us, come along a bit behind.
Morgrym looks at the others Any other options or ideas ?
Lyraesel nods, closing her eyes for a moment and drawing her inner wolf to the surface. With a deep breath she begins to sniff the air as she moves forward Fanning out to the left to leave room for Bernard.
Shalelu creeps up very quietly about 10' behind Lyraesel, keeping the druidess covered with her bow.
You do not pick up the scent of anything dead in the crypt other than dust and some small amount of dry bones - there don't seem to be any active undead in here.
Bernard follows behind the elves, letting them lead with their superior senses and melee ability.
"No undead, but something....aquatic....squidlike or octopus.....something...wrong about the smell." Lyraesel whispers turning toward the southeast. Drawing her dagger, she moves forward, ready for any possible attack.
Bernard follows Lyraesel with an arrow nocked.
You move to the end of the crypts, where broken-out tunnels join with natural ancient sea caves.
The floor of this vast cavern descends in two twenty-foot drops into a large, eerie grotto. The walls drip with moisture and bear strange and disturbing cave paintings of towering four-winged humanoid shapes. Tiny motes of glowing light drift and bob in the air, giving the place an almost nauseating feeling, as if the cavern is viewed through a dreamlike haze.
As you try to sneak forward, a creature of bizarre and horrific appearance rises up into the air from the pits below. It has a slimy, mollusklike body with ten tentacles (two of which end in savage claws), a monstrous face, and large leathery wings.
The creature pinwheels in the air and turns to face you, its tentacles flailing wildly in the air. It bellows in a strange, cacophonous voice that seems to carry multiple tones and voices within it, in a weird, angry, threatening language.
The creature casts some kind of spell with its writhing tentacles. A miasma of greasy, cloying darkness surrounds the party!
Morgrym grimaces as the full affect of the unholy feeling washes across him.
In Torags name, what in Pharasma's realm was that.
He staggers and shakes as he regains his footing, and quickly pulls his Urgosh back around to his hand.
With a growl, Lyraesel shrugs off the worst of the effect. Swiftly chanting in sylvan, she begins to climb down, putting herself in a safer position to battle the creature and opening up space for her companions.
Bernard doubles over briefly, his soul in pain.
This thing needs to die.
He then fires two arrows into the thing.