Neither Malkavik or Zephir have ever seen the like of these creatures. Looking around the room, this appears to be just a natural cavern without any other items or creatures of interest.
Looking back toward the north, you can see the chamber continues and a rough-hewn passage bends off to the east just north of the room you were just in. It appears there is a room at the end of this eastern passage, and you can strain to see another branch of the main tunnel if you continue farther north.
The rough-hewn caverns lead into a room that has been master crafted. There was once an intervening wall, but it has been torn inwards revealinga room whose original purpose is unclear. Large mounds of rubble lie strewn on the floor now. The walls inside the storeroom are of smooth stone, and the floors are smooth. The air here is cool, but fresh, not musty.
The rubble that is not from the caved in wall seems to be broken pottery urns that might once have held foodstuffs or others supplies which have long since turned to dust.
There is a door on the north wall here, which is solidly made of steel reinforced wood.
Qorinae awakes from a mysterious sleep and catches up to the rest of the group.
Tor moves into the new room, examining the stonework.
Watching the others examine the stonework, Zephir shrugs and looks to the door....
" Is it locked?"
The door to the north is not locked, and when you open it, it leads into a similarly well-constructed hallway. After about 15' the passage bends to the west, then after another 30' or so bears north again. A side tunnel branches off to the east, while the passage continues to the north, appearing to open into a small chamber that direction about 15' farther on.
Tiberiu nods. "Agreed," he says. "Let's head up to the north...as quickly as possible."
Striding up to the front, he adds to the halfling, in an undertone, "Malkavik, I'm...sorry about my words back when we were fighting those creatures. Something about their bites..." He trails off, shaking his head.
What's north of Sandpoint, on the surface anyway?
The Old Light (what passes for an ancient lighthouse) sits on the northern cliffs overlooking the Gulf of Varisia. That body of water is all that lies north of Sandpoint.
Bypassing the eastern tunnel for now, the group continues to the north. As they reach the chamber at the far end, they see it connects with the rough-hewn caverns they were following before. The caverns also continue north past this chamber.
A red marble statue of a strikingly beautiful but, at the same time, monstrously enraged human woman stands in the middle of this room, her stony expression twisted in fury. The woman wears flowing robes, and her long hair is held back from her face by an intricate headdress of hooks and blades. In her left hand she carries a large book, the face of which is inscribed with a seven-pointed star. Her right hand holds a glittering metal-and-ivory ranseur.
The room ends in a door on the north side and another passage leaves this chamber to the east where it looks like stairs rise up.
Zephir looks in interest at the statue, but shrugs when he remembers nothing. He will examine the ranseur, and remove it if possible.
The ivory-inlaid ranseur does come free. It is a finely-crafted, ornate weapon. The creatures in the cavern room had nothing on them and there was nothing found of interest in the cavern either.
Tiberiu blinks, startled, when they discover the statue. "Well. She looks...unhappy."
He circles the statue, examining it with open curiosity. "I have my doubts that goblins could have made this, but that said, I have no idea what on earth it is. Maybe some cult that Lady Ameiko's stupid brother has gotten himself mixed up in? He seems the type...and I wouldn't put it past him to find or make such a statue."
He draws his breath in sharply when Zephir removes the ranseur. "Careful now...!" But when he sees that it's meant to be removed, he shrugs and examines the book, removing it and leafing through it if it turns out to be a real tome. Glancing at the cover, he makes a strangled noise.
"Look!" Pointing at the seven-pointed star, he turns to the others. "This is what that tightlipped goblin was wearing! Definitely some sort of cult. Ugh. Gross, too, if those hooks are any indication..."
The book, sadly, is a part of the staute and cannot be read or removed, but the symbol on the cover is the very same as the captive goblins had, a seven-pointed star.
The party heads east. Along the narrow passage several short flights of steps lead upwards. Eventually, the passage ends in a door. The sound of gently splashing water is heard without much difficulty from this side of the portal.
Seeing the make of the ranseur, Zephir will tear a strip from his outfit and tying it to the weapon sling it on his back...
" Too well made to leave to Goblins and their kin..."
Again relighting his longspear he follows along...
The young witch will cautiously peak through the door. Is it a underground stream?
Tor will trudge along with the group.
"What do you see?" Tiberiu murmurs quietly to the witch, trying to peer around him into the adjacent cavern.
Adjinakou opens the door and sees a circular stone pool in the center of this small round room. The pool is lined with what appears to be human skulls.
Floating in the shadows on the far side of the room is a pair of winged horrors. They have blackened, bat-winged fiend's heads. Tentacles dangle from their chins and scalp, and their fanged mouth hangs agape.
These ferocious creatures, which hover in the air, spin round at the sound of the door opening and aggressively swoop to attack.
Floating Heads - Round 1
21 Adjinakou
21 Purple Head
20 Qorinae
16 Green Head
13 Slaynn
12 Malkavik
6 Tor
5 Tiberiu
3 Zephir
"AHHHHHH!" Tiberiu screams. "WHAT ARE THEY?!"
Qorinae has had little to say for some time, the experiences of the past days having shown him that his dreams of heroism and glory come with a deadly and terrifying cost. Of which these floating heads are an excellent example.
"For Sandpoint!" he shouts, and draws his bow.
Adjinakou curses and then curses one of the heads, decreasing its AC by 2.
He also ducks back to let the more martial have room.
"Ok, no," Tiberiu says grimly. "Tor, hold on a sec..."
"These things are too weird and gross to live." Twisting his scarf in a complex pattern in front of him, Tiberiu mutters some words and a pattern of stitching on his scarf blazes with sudden light. The chamber ahead fills with flame!
Floating Heads - Round 1 - continued
Adjinakou opens the door and sees the floating horrors within. He spits out an evil eye curse and leaps backward, pushing his more martial compatriots to the front. The strange creature brushes off the witchcraft, but still becomes easier to hit for just a few seconds.
Purple Creature readies an action.
Standing clear at teh back, Qorinae doesn't have a clear line of sight on the flying creatures, but he stands, bow in hand, knowing he can shoot one down if they fly into range.
Green Creature also readies an action.
Tor will move to the nearest floating skull and grant it the mercy of a quick demise.
Pressed into the rear-middle, Zephir is unable to attack or retreat, so instead he readies to stab if whatever they are should fly out into the hallway.
Was delaying until someone else attacks.
Floating Heads - Round 1 - continued
Malkavik readies an action.
Tor, brave as any dwarf, leaps forward and enters the fray against the floating heads. His movement allows Adjinkou to retreat.
Tor's entry also triggers, Green Head's readied action of biting anyone who got near. Despite its nearness, the head is brushed aside by Tor before he can be bitten.
The clear open space at the front of the group triggers Malkavik's readied action, and he rushes forward and throws a bomb at Green's Head. The incendiary missile strikes the floating creature which screams in pain as fire covers it.
Finally, Tor takes his swing, adjusting for the bite of the creature, and misses badly.
Seeing his friend charge in, Slaynn leaps into action also charging forward.
Slaynn's entry into the room triggers the readied action from Purple creature, which was waiting for at least two enemies in the room. The purple head releases a ear-splitting shriek.
Floating Heads - Round 1 -continued
20 Qorinae (still has readied action)
21 Adjinakou
21 Purple Head
12 Malkavik (pending Fort save)
6 Tor (pending Fort Save)
16 Green Head
13 Slaynn <-----where we are (pending Fort Save)
5 Tiberiu (since Tor didn't delay, may need to repost actions)
3 Zephir (action posted, but can re-state when you want)
Tiberiu mutters a few arcane words as he sprints forward, grimacing as he hears the scream from ahead. That doesn't sound good...
Taking quick stock of the situation, he leaps to attack the southernmost one!
Moving in, to where he can stab at either critter, Zephir attacks Green Head.
"Nasty little floaters, aren't we?"
Ignoring the screeching of the skull, Tor swings his warhammer in an arc towards the skull that he was engaging.
Floating Heads - Round 1 - concluded
All of the heroes shake off the effects of the creature's shriek and Slaynn wallops Green with his quarterstaff. That strike plus the burns from Malkavik's bomb drop this head which falls to the ground with a terrible thud.
Tiberiu's attack with his scarf misses, while Zephir succeeds in poking the floating head with is spear, drawing forth a sticky black ichor.
End of Round 1