You lower yourselves without much difficulty into the darkness. Mihai's light, Aedalis' Dancing lights, an Anton's latern providing the much needed sources for cave exploration.
The smell of decay and brine are much stronger now that you are down here.
The uneven floor of this ten-foot-high cave is stained with blood and scattered with pieces of wood, fallen leaves, broken weapons, and in places, bits of bone. The hole in the ceiling leads out to the surface. One 5' wide passageway leads out of the east side of the chamber. You look around and see no hidden passwageways so you move to the next room or area...
The smell of decay is thick in the air of this wide but lowceilinged
cavern. To your right side, the ceiling drops down to little more than three feet in height over a region strewn with bones and bits of old flesh, while to the other, the ceiling bulges upward in a dome shape—six circular, pod-like alcoves line the walls of the cave at this side.
In the cave are 3 creatures...they snarl as you enter.
They are Festrogs. Victims of ghoul fever sometimes rise not
as lacedons but as more feral undead creatures known as festrogs. They do not have the paralysis of their more powerful bretheren but do still retain powerful natural attacks.
They have Diseased Pustules (Su) A creature that damages a festrog with a slashing or piercing natural weapon, light weapon,or one-handed weapon is sprayed with foul, diseased pus from the creature’s boils. The target must make a DC 12 Fortitude save or be sickened for 1d6 rounds from this effect. Anyone who becomes sickened from this effect is
also exposed to filth fever (DC 12 Fortitude save negates).
The save DC is Charisma-based.
Also have: Feed (Su) When a festrog inflicts bite damage on a living creature, the festrog feeds on the flesh and gains 5 temporary hit points.
Also: Four-Footed Run (Ex) If a festrog doesn’t hold or carry anything in its hands, it can run on all fours. This increases its speed to 50 ft. Festrogs gain Run as a bonus feat.
initiative strings:
Order of Combat Round 1:
Anton 22
Nim 19
Mihai 18
Corbrius 16
Aedalis 14
Festrogs 10
Tragershen 5
Anton to start!
Round 1:
Within the caves, Mihai steps carefully and his nose wrinkles at the stench. The sound of the snarl from a creature he cannot yet see causes his muscles to tense, and he instinctively extends a portion of Sinishakti's grace unto Anton.
Round 1, Init 22
Huh.. thingies. I should really learn more about undead. A quick calculation shows Anton that he only has time to do two out of three: take a shot with his sling staff, draw his polearm, or get into position to hold the monsters' attention.
Dropping his sling staff, Anton hustles around the corner toward the thingies, drawing his lucerne hammer as he goes. Then he stabs at the one most likely to receive follow-up love from the others.
Knowledge Religion
"Festrogs! They are undead, not unlike ghouls. Try to attack them from range or by bludgeoning, lest their gore be sprayed upon you threatening illness! If they feed on your flesh, it bolsters their life force!"
Knowledge Religion 1d20+6
"Festrogs! They are undead, not unlike ghouls. Try to attack them from range or by bludgeoning, lest their gore be sprayed upon you threatening illness! If they feed on your flesh, it bolsters their life force!"
Nim listens to Corbrius and Anton's exchange before rolling his eyes. He casually strolls over to a tree nearby and selects a suitably sized branch of hardwood and hacks it free with his magically sharp scimitar. He pulls out his tools and after a few minutes of whittling and tweaking the shape he has an adequate club crafted. He tosses it to the Magus without a word before preparing to enter the hole...
Not wanting to risk Wicewakan against the disease riddled creatures, Nim does not order him into the fray.
Heeding Tragershen's warning, Nim grips his spear in one hand, readying it to be thrown, before drawing his shield as he slides into the room . Spotting the foul creatures, Nim lets fly his trusty spear at the creature targeted by Anton...
...catching the thing straight in the chest!
Corbius snags the hewn club out of the air. That will do.. he says to no one in particular as Nim has already wandered away. Shrugging his shoulders his stows the weapon in his gear and finishes getting ready to move on.
Hearing the sounds of combat ahead Corbius moves to attack, his rapier sparkling in the dark, and thrusts at the Festerog.
The rapier slips past the beasts defences leaving a small hole its stomach which is little more than a scratch.
"Try to attack them from range or by bludgeoning, lest their gore be sprayed upon you threatening illness!"
"Oh, now he tells me." Anton grumbles to himself, his sling staff already left out of reach.
Aedalis moved into the room well behind the front line and fired his crossbow at any not yet in melee.
Antons strike narrowly misses the growling creature.
Corbrius strikes his through the abdomen, although it seems to register the attack little.
Nim hits the one that Anton missed, the spear sitting half in/half out one of its chest. Just as it reaches up to rip the spear out, Aedalis let's a crossbow bolt fly into the one that Nim just hit and takes it in the eye. It waivers for a second before dropping to the ground...
The two remaining Festrogs move forward to attack.
One tries to dodge Anton's prepared strike, but draws his attack anyways, it takes a heavy blow before it tries to bite the Ranger:
The other shifts over to Corbrius, trying to land 3 blows on him:
I need a Fort save Corb. It misses Anton and the claws miss on the beast but it is able to sink its bite into Corbrius, it then almost falls to the ground as it tries to pull him down, he is barely able to remain standing.
Tragershen to go.
F1: 7HP
F3: 9HP
Aedalis smiled smugly at his marksmanship.
As Tragershen moves forward and sees the creatures, he blurts out his warning to the others (please see monologue above).
Move to N33. If there is no restricted movement in this tunnel, then that should just take a move action. If he has a standard action remaining when he reaches the cave opening, he'll fire a Disrupt Undead at the one that Corbius is engaged with (F3).
To hit
Damage
The disruption effect slams into the Festrog. It let's out a primevil scream, feeling what must be pain for the first time since it's re-birth as part of it's hip Disintegrates, but still barely stands.
A few of you share a look that whatever else is down here, probably now knows that something else is down here.
Order of Combat Round 2:
Anton 22
Nim 19
Mihai 18
Corbrius 16
Aedalis 14
Festrogs 10
Tragershen 5
Map:
Caves Beneath Rnd 2
Round 2, Init 22
Anton sees the thingie -- festrog, he reminds himself -- zigzagging as it approaches him; but its pattern is transparent, and the little ranger gets in a good swipe with his lucerne hammer. "Hah! Thought you could fool me, did you?" However, as his own festrog bites nothing but metal, Anton is distracted by the distinctive sounds of powerful jaws savaging mortal flesh.
His short-lived jubilation turns to anger. "Oh no you don't!" Anton uses the butt of his lucerne hammer to drive back the festrog next to him, just enough that he has some room to work. Then, pivoting in place, the fierce halfling swings his polearm in a high arc, bringing its brutal hammerhead down on the skull of the undead abomination that is trying to eat Corbrius.
Nim, seeing the others have things mostly in hand, hangs back to see if they finish off the foul creatures while keeping an eye on the other entrance tunnel into the chamber...
Round 2:
Mihai moves forward cautiously down the tunnel until he is able to see the foes before him. Extending the grace of Sinishakti onto Anton once more so as to aid him in ending the foul creatures.
The hammer blow shatters the skull of the Festrog spraying gore about the creature and it collaspses on the floor, leaving just one standing. Only M35 still stands.
Corbius avoids the claws of the creature only to feel it sink it's teeth deep into his flesh. yanking himself free just as Anton crushes the creature with his hammer.
Stepping up next to Anton Corbius strikes at the festrog..
Again feeling the blade bite into the creatures tough flesh.
Corbrius' attack in conjunction with the disruption is enough to force the undead creature back to death...it falls to the ground unmoving.
You have a quick look around the room. There seems to be bad smell and fecal matter in the alcoves as well as scrap of leather armor. There appears to be writing on the leather....written in blood.
Immediately after the last festrog falls, Mihai calls upon Sinishakti to allow his companions to walk further this day.
Ieana: A bookish Varisian scholar who tends to keep to herself, Ieana is traveling to Sargava to explore the ancient ruins there. Rumors aboard the ship alternately suggest that she’s the Jenivere’s owner, a Chelish agent, or Captain Kovack’s secret lover. Ieana keeps mostly to herself, and grows more intent on her studies with each mile the ship travels closer to Eleder.
As they read and discuss the morbid confession, Anton is looking off into the distance, brow furrowed in concentration. "So.. what all does this mean? Ieana had some kind of control over Captain Kovack, and used it to make him sink the Jenivere and row her away. She left him down here, where he expected to become one of the festrogs; and I'm guessing that there are at least three more of them. Ieana was the cannibals' guest. She wants something to do with the Red Mountain, where the Chupa lives. And she owes me for Clopper. Did I miss anything?"
After they finish discussing the letter and exploring the chamber, Anton leads the way in complete silence through the east passageway. However, the effect is spoiled when the business end of his stowed lucerne hammer catches and scrapes on the low stone ceiling, nearly unbalancing the little ranger and triggering a profanity learned in the Molthune army. His face turns red and he mutters. "Not like anything wouldn't have heard you lot coming anyway."
You decide to keep moving and continue down the only exit from this cave.
It leads to another cave. A dark pool of water lies in the center of this silo-shaped cavern. A five-foot-wide ledge of stone winds down to the pool below, passing several cave entrances along the way.
Anton picks up a soft snarl and the pad of feet moving away from you down the passageway to the east.
Map so far:
caves beneath 3rd cave
Do you follow the sound of feet?
Anton whispers. "You hear that? A snarl and padding feet.. hopefully just an animal. Maybe even one that won't attack us. But so close to sahuagin territory, I need to be sure." The little ranger follows the sounds -- and his own personal issues -- to the east.
Following towards the back of the group, Mihai's eyes are drawn warily to the pool of water. While not disagreeing with Anton's intent to follow the noise Eastward... Mihai walks backwards with his eyes cautiously upon the pool.
Perception:
You peer into the pool...it looks fairly shallow. You don't see anything obvious in the water so you decide to continue.
You go a short distance until it opens up into a larger, man made room...
This long chamber evokes the feel of an ancient, hideous cathedral. The walls are carved with images of serpents walking upright like humans, snakes coiling around and eating hapless women and children, and stranger scenes. Four stone pillars carved like coiling snakes support the vaulted ceiling 30 feet above. Four small cells blocked by rusted bars sit in the walls to the east and west. To the north, an immense carving of a snake’s head looms, an ash-caked door clenched in its jaws, while to the south rises a horrific mound of bones and partially decayed bodies in an eight-foot-tall heap arranged almost as if to evoke the imagery of a coiled snake made of corpses.
A rasping voice echos through the chamber adressing you. Anton, is that you? You, you survived? Are there others?
Come closer I can barely see you.
The voice is coming from the north end of the chamber, your light hasn't quite made it there yet so you are not really sure how long this chamber is yet...
You move a few feet cautiously towards the voice and the rest of you filter into the chamber, there is something vaguely familiar with it.
Standing at the very edge of your light is Captain Kovac or better stated, what was the captain. He now has long, sharp teeth and his pallid flesh is stretched tightly over his starved frame.
Another creature, slightly smaller than him but very similar is also there.
Ah good, there are more of you. Come and join us, you can become one with the thirst!
initiative strings:
Order of Combat Round 1:
Corbrius 21
Aedalis 21
Tragershen 19
Mihai 19
Anton 10
Kovac and crew 9
Nim 3
The Captain is the creature highlighted.
This creaturee is a Lacedon Ghoul. The have 3 physical attacks and they can paralyze you. Their bite can also cause Ghoul Fever
You believe the Captain may be a more powerful version of a Ghoul called a Ghast. He will also have a powerful stench that can sicken anyone getting close to it.
Corbrius to start...
Captain Kovac what happened on the ship? What did she do to you?
Corbius moves forward his glowing rapier ready to strike at any enemy that gets to near.
Well I guess we know who the guests of the cannibals were now. But what could make a captain willingly sink his own ship?
Corbius looks at the twisted forms of the festerogs and towards the darkened tunnel.
Either way the answers lie ahead let us push on. Maybe if we find the captain we can get more answers.
Captain Kovac what happened on the ship? What did she do to you?
In a twisted grin, She left me here with "mother" and freed me from the pain of life, you too will join us and soon be free!
Knowledge Religion
He's a different kind of undead, for he seems to retain a portion of his intellect...
Tragershen's brow furrows as he struggles to identify the creature. When answers do not rush to his awareness as he is so accustomed to, he makes a mental note to ask Jask to check him for mind affecting illnesses later, in case the island's unlimited parade of diseases has taken hold of him once again. Concerned that he cannot discern the creatures' nature, he acts to aid his allies should they prove to be formidible.
Move to Y26 and cast Azlanti Foresight on the party (using his bonded object ability).
Aedalis had little to add to the discussion but reminded the others that their magic had limited duration.
Aedalis seemed more interested in the fascinating walls of the cathedral than the undead creature the others obviously recognised. He snapped into action as the undead moved to attack, beginning a conjuration spell...
Round 1:
Seeing that they are beset with enemies once more and also knowing that not all have been returned to health - Mihai stalks forward and lets the grace of Sinishakti flood forth to aid and heal.
Round 1:
Anton scowls. "Yes, it is I. But you are not you. I have many questions, like what and where is "mother"? And who is that with you? But I'm not sure that I'd trust your answers." Whirling his sling staff around, Anton shuffles forward, loosing a bullet at the nearer of the two creatures.
Anton's attack is successful and the bullet bounces off its chest, cracking a rib. The smaller one moves towards Anton, V44, setting off his attack and it is hit again with the hammer.
It then tries to bite him once:
The once captain then moves up next to his "friend" and he/it then tries to bite him once as well:
As Kovac approaches, his stench is unbelievable. It makes most of you gag and retch.
Nim to go.
The same fine senses that make Anton such a good scout betray him now, causing his gorge to rise at a stink so thick you could stick a fork in it.
As the "captain" moves closer, the nauseating stench that emanates from the undead creature assaults Nim and Wicewakan...
...causing the wolf to whine as his eyes water at the unnatural smell, but having no effect upon his master.
Nim shouts a command at his stricken companion...
...and the wolf responds by racing around to flank the "captain", being careful to avoid giving the monster an opening... ...before trying to tear into the foul creature with a lunging low strike at its legs and trying to pull it off its feet...
...landing a solid bite, but slips in his attempt to bring the thing down.
Nim delays long enough for his wolf to get into position before stepping forward and driving his spear at Kovac's chest...
...piercing the putrid flesh just above the sternum.
Nim shouts over his shoulder as he yanks his weapon free, Keep an eye on that tunnel, we don't want any surprises!
Order of Combat Round 2:
Aedalis 21
Tragershen 19
Mihai 19
Anton 10
Corbrius 9a
Kovac and crew 9b
Nim 3
Wic is forced prone by the Captain's unnatural strength but takes two heavy blows, he snarls and and suddenly becomes very feral.
Corbrius took a swing at the captain as well, but he easily evaded it. Aedalis to go.
Aedalis finishes summoning, bring into being a small dog from the celestial realms which immediately smites the evil ghoul before it, tearing into it with its teeth. Aedalis himself used his fortune hex on the summon, helping it to connect and stepping beside Mihai.
With Aedalis' Fortune it is just enough to strike the Ghoul, it drops to the ground with barely a sound, leaving only your "captain" standing.
As the other one falls he hisses at you,
I will make you his replacements!
Feeling confident will a wall of allies between him and the captain, Tragershen says derisively "Not likely, Captain." before firing a bolt of positive energy at him.
To hit
Damage
Anton taunts his former captain. "Oh, was that a he? I couldn't tell, since death hasn't done you all any favors. I thought" -- he gags, ruining the effect, but gamely continuing (green-faced) -- "maybe it was the 'mother' you mentioned." Backing up carefully, Anton stabs with his polearm's spearpoint at he was once Alizandru; but the sensitive halfling's efforts to keep from retching at the smell don't help at all.