Vardan says, "I did notice that it seemed to sting. Guess I'm just lucky that the only one skilled with the crossbow hates halflings."
He shakes his head as he rides back to retrieve his lance, A senseless, ugly thing. The last one, at least, should have yielded.... It is tragic that we were forced to remove so many voices from the universal chorus... He sighs as he resets the weapon, then turns to the others, "To be honest, considering how close this one came, I'm a mite afraid to pull it out. Anyone with some skill as a healer care to help out?"
Drakra moves over to look at Vardan. He lets out a sigh of relief when he realizes that the bolt protruding from the side of the cavalier is not his.
Furiel looks around. "I think the warriors did well. The best warrior has to take a blow now and then."
Standing by Vardan's side, Sidonia frowns and reaches over, yanking the bolt from flesh. "Fear not, as long as the Inheritor's magic flows through me no allies shall fall."
She cleans her weapon off on a dead body, watching Drakra search the corpses. "Hopefully you find something useful to use for what faces us beyond these doors."
The Mongrels carry no other items except that which they had on them. Armor, club and crossbow with bolts. The one open door leads into a room with a rack of hooks hanging from the ceiling, cured slabs of meat dangling from them which fills the room with a smoky aroma. A group of barrels appears to hold other preserved foodstuffs. The meat is primarily dire rat, and you think maybe mongrel. The other two doors, one to the north and another southeast, are closed.
Vardan, if you feel hale enough to continue, then let us move on? South first?
Drakra points to the bodies.
We should take the crossbows and armor, if anyone can carry them. No reason to leave them behind for some other miscreant to use, and when we get back to the surface, they might fetch a few coins.
Drakra brilliantly devises a logical, in his mind, reason to not leave the stuff behind, and hopefully benefit himself in the end.
The halfling takes a few practice swings with his hammer to test his mobility, then nods at Godwin, "I think so."
He then turns his head to Drakra, "While I wouldn't want to load him down too much, I would imagine Thorne could carry some of that."
Fomiel begins to stack crossbows to carry. With no armor, the strong sorcerer was capable of carrying a hefty load.
Time enough for that later when we are certain that there are no more threats Godwin says. I am ready to open the door. Is everyone else prepared?
Vardan suggests, "If you open and stand aside, I'd have a clear line to run down whatever we might find on the other side. "
Godwin nods. Be careful Vardan. and touches Vardan on the shoulder to give him a War Mind Blessing.
"Whatever is beyond these doors must have heard the fighting. Be prepared for whatever traps they ready." She'll grab two of the crossbows and load them, slinging them over her shoulder. "We need not leave the other weapons, Drakra. We can come back for them."
Drakra looks at the other weapons, trying to calculate how much wealth is being left behind. Sighing exasperatedly, he turns to the others.
As you will. I just hope something does not pick them up and begin to shoot us from behind. Some of us get really offended when we are shot at from behind you know.
When everyone is ready Godwin will open the southern door.
Selindra seems quite baffled by the conversations being had between the others. She eyes Varden carefully, wondering if he is going to be alright to herself.
After a few moments, as the group is starting to prepare to move forward, Selindra checks her shield and blade. She looks to the next door, and takes point on the door. Her shield is to the door, and her blade in hand, braced for anything that might come at her through the door.
"When you are ready, I'll head through."
As Godwin opens the door into a dark room, an arrow slams into Selindra. As you bring your light into the room, there is no indication of where the arrow came from.
Selindra 18/24
Godwin, halo blazing looks around to see where the arrow came from.
Some invisible coward of a foe fires at us!
He's ready to follow Vardan into the room.
Selindra growls, looking down at the arrow. She grabs it, and gives a rather primal howl as she rips it out of her body, tossing it aside, and placing her hand to her side. A warming glow spreads from it, feeding into her body.
What normally would have seemed a fairly ineffectual attempt to close the wound, Selindra's body seems to draw in more healing energy from it than what a normal person would. It seems to close the wound fair enough, and she growls as she steps into the room, giving the others a chance to enter.
As light from the party enters the room, the details become clear. In the southwestern part of this room, stout stone chairs surround a block of larger stone that serves as a table. The table's top strewn with bone dice and cracked clay jugs. Stained canvas pillows rest on the chairs. A copper bowl filled with coals hangs from the ceiling. It appears as though the coals would normally shed light, but the coals are now dead.
Vardan rides slowly and carefully into the room, his waryeyes scanning for a target to run down. Either it was a trap, or there's someone hidden from sight... though I wonder if they hid as well from other senses... With that thought, he leans forward and whispers, "Smell anyone, Thorne?"
As the group moves further into the cavern, you do notice a hole in the floor to the Southeast, and a door to the Northeast.
Vardan carefully approaches the hole, raising the lance as he does, "This seems curious..."
Taking the moment to cast light on a few of the crossbow bolts, Sidonia fires a bolt down the hole, lighting it up.
Drakra scratches his head as Sidonia fires the bolt.
You could have just tossed in a rock and saved a few coppers.
"If there's anything in there, I want it to know we mean business."
The crossbow travels about 20' down, and lights up another cavern, without tracking, there is no way to be sure, but a safe bet is that whatever fired the arrow dropped down this hole to the caverns below. At the far end of the cavern are two more barricades like the ones encountered at the beginning of the lair, and another door.
Vardan says, "I don't much like the idea of leaving easy access to a rear attack. It's bad tactics. I'm wondering if we could block the hole, maybe with some table-barricades."
It leads us to a crude trap. Let us clear the rest of this floor before we see to those barricades
Godwin considers what Vardan said. That is wise. Putting his falchion away Godwin starts moving the closest furniture to block the hole.
Vardan dismounts to help Godwin shift a weight onto the table. "It should slow them down.. or, at least, we'll hear them coming," he says, then slides back into the saddle, "Onward?"
With some effort and much screeching of stone on stone, the large stone that worked as a table is moved to cover the hole. Leaving only one question. Assuming that the way covered was not the way out, which way next?
Let us go back and open the north door Godwin suggests.
Vardan absently scratches between the wolf's ears and shrugs, "Seems as good an approach as any. Worst case, we come back to the hole."
He then nods, straightens in the saddle and lifts his lance, "Ready."
Fomiel nods and tries to get a clear look inside from the second row.
Godwin opens the door to the North, and sees The worked stone walls of this large room hold a number of shelves, each of which display the preserved bodies of dire rats, bats, rock vipers, cave lizards, and other creatures that pose in eerie stillness. Four bedrolls have been laid out
to the southeast.
North again?
Godwin, halo up for light, looks around before moving to the door to the North and opening it.
Fomiel politely allows others to enter with a bow.
Vardan says, "Can't say I hate the idea of going up.... But yes, let's keep looking..."
Opening the Eastern door, Selindra and Godwin are surprised to hear a muted roar echoing down the walls of the hallway. Near the eastern end, the worked stone give way to natural cave walls, just before the hall ends at an open shaft. Hanging over the edge of the shaft is a knotted rope-the other end tied to an iron spike driven into the ground. The rope drops 40' down to a watery pool, where you can make out a current flowing through and underground river.
Moving up with the others, Drakra looks down at the river.
Didn't expect to find that here. Wonder where it flows? Anyone know how to make a boat?
Paths leading up. And Paths leading down. We have a choice to make friends. Up should lead us to the surface, but there are demon worshiping filth still here that could cause harm to our mongrelmen allies.
Selindra nods to Godwin. "We should eliminate the rest of them. There is no telling at what point this corruption and evil sank into Kenebras, but we would be remiss if we left behind even one of those who chose to do such a great evil against this city and these people."
Vardan nods, "It is unwise to leave foes behind us. Still, I'd prefer not having to put them all to the blade..."