Seal finds signs of recent movement among the rubble.
"It is not clear either up or down will hold anything but *chhh* further encounters with spirits of the restless dead. Does it matter then which way we go? Lead on as you will."
Seal leads the way down the stairs, which end in a limestone cavern. The walls drip with moisture, and swaths of black and dark blue mold grow in spiraling, tangled patterns on the floor, ceiling, and walls. Rubble and broken bones clutter the floor, and a rhythmic sound-like the breathing of some immense creature-echoes through the cave from three tunnels, one to the north and two to the west. Of the two western tunnels, the southernmost one seems to be a relatively new creation.
Kufieno peers around cautiously. "Any preference in direction?" He whispers.
Seal pulls out a three sided stone, each one with a different color painted on it. He causally rolls it on the ground.
Picking up the stone, Seal starts to march off towards the southern most western tunnel.
Seal leads the party to the south; the long cave ahead stinks of rotten meat. The source of the horrific smell is readily apparent-a swath of carcasses is strewn about the floor of the place, being picked at by a monstrously sized undead bat!
The bat creature lets out a screech!
Rissi falls back to the reliable wand of magic missiles, the missiles streaking towards the loathsome creature.
"Hey Batty, you got some gore on the side of your lip. Let me get that for you."
Seal strolls up to the bat and swings at it with his bastard sword.
Lucian is incapacitated by the unbearable screech!
Kufieno grits his teeth and braces himself against the screeching, then casts a spell and moves up trying to touch the undead creature.
Rissi hits the creature with a missile while Seal steps in a swings at the bat. The skaveling seems unamused and ducks below Seal's swing. Lucian freezes up and Kufieno moves in for a bad touch, shocking the creature!
15 dmg
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Rissi knows that skavelings are essentially undead mobats. Mobats are giant magical beasts that can let out a screech that staggers their opponents. Through the undead transformation, the power of the mobat's screech is empowered and skavelings' screeches stun their victims. They also carry disease and can paralyze with their bite.
Rissi tries to punch the undead bat but misses. It rears up and tries to bite Kufieno!
15 dmg
Lucian holds his head, still unable to react to his environment.
Angered by the fall of her fellow suli-jann, Miana lands a powerful kick against the skaveling!
26 dmg
As the creature sinks its teeth in his shoulder, Kufieno winces, Oh no, not aga...... then falls to the ground unconscious.
Rissi hisses as Kufieno falls!
Squeak! Chitter, chitter! Squeak!
Rissi tries to summon Brihz from her sleeve to aid the fallen sorcerer... but the rat is just as stunned as Lucian from the shriek.
Rissi fires her wand again
As Kufieno crumples to the ground, Seal let's out a primal yell, equal to the the skaveling's screech.
Thunderpus, defend Kufieno!
The big cat stalks into the cavern, ears pinned back with narrowed eyes. It leaps up and tries to tear the bat-thing to shreds.
Rissi hits it with a missile as Seal misses it but leaves an opening for Thunderpuss to move in and bite the skaveling! The skaveling decides that suli taste pretty good and goes for Miana!
35 dmg
Lucian is slowly recovering from the screech's effect.
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I don't always aim for Kufieno, but when I do he goes down....Stay feisty my friend.
Rissi unleashes a salvo of magic missiles!
Continuing in his blind rage, Seal swings again at the bat.
Thunderpuss follows up the broad strike with a mini-rage of tooth and claw.
Miana tries to heal her fellow suli-jann while Rissi continues her bombardment. With a mighty swing Seal brings down the skaveling!
Once he has recovered, Lucian rushes to Kufieno's aid, wand in hand.
Kufieno comes to with a start, flailing about until he notices it is quiet. "Did I fall in combat again?" He asks sheepishly.
Rubbing his wounds, he asks Lucian for a tad bit more healing.
Rissi pulls piece of cloth over her face to block out the smell.
"What was it eating down here? It is hard to imagine any source of food would be down here."
Two of the bodies have little of value on them. The third, though, seems to have one arm and from the clothing you are certain he was like that before dying (the sleeve is stitched up, etc). He wears a pearl ring worth 300 gp and an adamantine longsword, as well as a hat of disguise and a scattering of 56 gp in various denominations.
"Hey, that's the infamous one-armed bandit Shaz "Redshiv" Bilger, if I'm not mistaken! He was suspected of organizing the robbery of about twenty merchant convoys along the Lost Coast Road over the past ten years. I'm pretty sure we could turn his body in for a reward in Magnimar, Mayor Grobaras will be mightily relieved to see him out of the picture!"
Rissi groans at the though of taking the body. "Perhaps we could just take some of this clothing? The *chhh* idea of disturbing his body is... distressing"
"We can leave him here. I'll take the body back for the reward when we are done. I'm sure he's not going anywhere.
"But the bigger question is why is he here? Was he working for the noble or did he stumble onto something by accident."
"Maybe he thought the manor was abandoned and planned on sing it as a base of operations? Or even worse, something preyed on him and brought him back here for lunch. Can anyone check if he's on the process of becoming a ghoul?"
Lucian is fairly certain that none of the bodies look to be in the process of becoming ghouls.
"Maybe he was a agent of the Masked One. Difficult to say in an *chhhh* absence of information. We should press on."
|
Helping pull Kufieno up, Miana gives a relieved chuckle. "Seems to be you're a magnet for the big hits, Kufi."
Upon news of the criminal body in the midst, Miana agrees with Sealman. "We should report it, if nothing else so they can no longer waste resources looking for him. We'll retrieve the body on the way back up."
Seal will wonder to the back of the cave to where it looks there is a well. He'll take a drink if there is water present.
Once refreshed, he'll head into the southern (middle?) covern.
Seal moves over and takes a drink from the well, finding that it is quite refreshing and cool.
Seal leads the way, finding that the passage he chose eventually meets up and rejoins the other passage. At the intersection, however, the party is met by three ghouls stationed here to guard the tunnel beyond!
Rissi pulls a bit of ground mica from her spell pouch and tosses it at the undead. It swirls into a glittery cloud, covering all three!
Glitterdust DC 18
Lucian prays Desna, hoping luck will guide their arm and heart in battle.
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A sudden explosive crack splits the air, there is a bright flash of purple light and in it's wake stand four figures. Two Kellid men, one dressed for battle, the other wearing robes his hands completing some bit of arcana. Standing close to the robed Kellid is a dwarf, greatsword across his sturdy back, his eyes quickly scanning the surroundings. The final figure, a halfling with a pistol at his hip.
Knowledge (religion):
"So these are the heroes...oh, Argust! Ghouls!" the robed Kellid says. The man then takes a small sphere out of his pouch and hurls it at the ghouls while chanting arcane words.
The cave behind the ghouls explodes in a massive ball of fire, engulfing them completely!
Just as Rissi's glitter falls on the undead and Lucian completes his blessing, the newcomers pop in and with a whoosh! of flames the ghouls are no more!
"Hey! I was just giving them a chance before chopping dem up," Seal says with a pout. He looks like a child whose toy had been taken away. He lowers his blade a bit and kicks a rock as he mopes.
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The other Kellid, a tall, powerfully built man claps the other on the back. "Well done Brelar! I would have liked to have cleansed them with holy fire, but your fire will suffice, I suppose." Looking around, he smiles at the other party. "Well met. I am Karnhousk and you are the heroes of Sandpoint, no?"