"So, what do we want to check out next? The floor under the green lantern was sagging down, maybe there was something under there?"
Regin shrugs. Sounds good to me.
Zummabu's company turn the sarcophagus to the green tunnel once more. Beneath the flickering green light, the floor sags further as the horrible grinding and tearing of stone rumbles through the chamber. A metal lift like the one that descended to the level with the mold thrusts through the floor at an odd angle, then leans and collapses back down. It takes much of the floor with it, opening a wide hole and landing somewhere below with a distant crash. Moments later, all save Regin and Dommer heard a skittering from the hole, like countless insects buzzing and racing together all at once.
(low-light vision)
You all made it save Regin & Dommer. Everyone gets lots of lead time.
Bugs, well, not like I haven't stepped on cockroaches before.' Trib reaches in his pack and pulls out the two acid flasks that he is carrying. "Do ya think these would be better poured on the floor or tossed on 'em?"
Tossed? Why... Regin asks.
Tribim puts his hand to his chin for a moment thinking. "Well if we pour it on the floor now, the bugs may not go there. If we toss the flasks on them, they could shatter and the acid could splash on the bugs. Or, once they get up here we could pour it on them, I guess. But that would be awful close I would think."
"Throwing the acid on them should be the most effective, I would think. I have one Alchemist's Fire that could hurt them as well." As he says this, he pulls out a bottle from his bag.
Bugs, well, not like I haven't stepped on cockroaches before.' Trib reaches in his pack and pulls out the two acid flasks that he is carrying. "Do ya think these would be better poured on the floor or tossed on 'em?"
"I have an idea - everyone over here!" Arundel says in a low voice, as he motions everyone toward the violet tunnel. As they are coming in, he explains his plan, keeping his voice low. "We hide in here, Trib standing ready with his acid, and me with my fire. I will put an illusion of a wall at the end of the corridor, and hopefully whatever it is crawling up won't even know we're here."
Once everyone is behind the entrance to the violet tunnel , Arundel quickly casts a spell. When he completes it, a wall that matches the surrounding stone springs into existence at the end of the tunnel. "Everyone stay quiet" he says, as he takes up position 10ft behind the image, motioning for Trib to do the same.
Zummabu's company hurry back to the violet tunnel and Arundel casts a phamtasmal wall across its mouth, then grips the Art hard with his mind lest it fly wild or fade. A simple stray thought might be enough to make the image flicker. The spell quickens just as a fountain of beetles explodes from the hole, racing across the sarcophagus chamber and milling about for a few headache-inducing breaths before scattering.
Then a bony spider with a single great eye filling most of its bulk emerged. It scurried over to the sarcophagus and mounted it, eye casting about. After a breath, it left its perch and darted down the red tunnel, then orange, yellow, blue, indigo, and finally came to a stop at the violet. It stood no more than fifteen feet from Arundel, peering directly at the wall with that huge eye, its pupil a vertical slit. There it remained for more than a minute before turning and resuming its perch atop the sarcophagus.
'That's a great idea, I know it will work. Tribim nods his head in agreement as Arundel lays out his plan. Going into the Tunnel, Tribim stands in front, an acid flask in each hand. Holding his breath as first the beetles emerge and then disperse.
'Spider? Why does it have to be a spider?' When he sees the spider he quietly returns the acid flasks to his pockets and as it returns it's perch above the sarcophagus.
Turning to the team, his eyes wide, he lightly shrugs his shoulders.
Regin also has no clue what the thing is. His knuckles are white around his mace and he is fervently mouthing prayers to Ishtar. The Swarm had dispersed, thank the goddess, but that spider thing would probably have to be dealt with more directly. By the favor of the godess, this foe was something he could face.
While concentrating on the wall, Arundel gives a mental sigh of relief as the beetles dispersed. It worked! He prepared to drop the spell, only to see the awful looking spider rise up from the hole. He focused all the harder on the wall as the spider began it's investigation, and particularly when it came up to his wall. Please please please please.... Luckily, the spell seemed to fool the beast, as it turned to perch atop the sarcophagus. The elf tried to recall if he had ever seen such a spider before.
While concentrating on the wall, Arundel gives a mental sigh of relief as the beetles dispersed. It worked! He prepared to drop the spell, only to see the awful looking spider rise up from the hole. He focused all the harder on the wall as the spider began it's investigation, and particularly when it came up to his wall. Please please please please.... Luckily, the spell seemed to fool the beast, as it turned to perch atop the sarcophagus. The elf tried to recall if he had ever seen such a spider before.
[dice=Know(Arcana, Dungeon, Nature, or Religion)]1d20+8
Arundel has heard of such horrors, creatures known in the Underdark. He believes they may be the work of drow, or something worse. Most in the Sunlit Realms call them Mad Slashers, for lack of a better name. They aren't very bright, but those claws are a real danger. He's read tales of them being surrounded by warriors and striking every one of them at once. Some forms of Mad Slasher even possess magical powers, able to cast a ray of slaying Art from their eyes.
"If it lurks there," Amarekashu murmured quietly, "We might have to destroy it." There was nothing else to do, really. "We can prepare, however."
"If it lurks there," Amarekashu murmured quietly, "We might have to destroy it." There was nothing else to do, really. "We can prepare, however."
It's big and ugly and if it gets us all in this tunnel were done.' Trib looks from the creature then to the team, whispering "We should spread out and then attack, so it can't hit all of us at once."
I'll charge it down first. Maybe I can keep is attention long enough for you all to get out of the hall.
Arundel gives a curt nod, and whispers "Get ready". While they are preparing, he stows his alchemist's fire, and grips his staff in his hands. Once his companions are prepared, he will drop the wall.
Once Zummabu's company are set, Arundel dropped the illusion and they charged forward! Namtar was first ahead, eager to please his masters.
Inits
'Hmmmm, not close enough for color spray so a little lighting should do. Tribim quickly decides what to do and cast Electricity ray, as his friend Namtar starts to rush the monster. "One side Namtar, I ain't tryin' to burn you!"
As soon as the illusion drops Regin charges, shield up. The lightning cracks between him and Namtar and he hits a moment later!
Amarekashu charged out, using his Dragon Style to dodge and weeve through allies as he did, and then tried to punch the creature. Subtle was never really his thing.
As soon as Arundel ceases concentrating on the wall, he will try to send out a ray of frost at the spider.
The illusion fell and Namtar surged forward. He brought his sword down and cut deep into the spider's small body. Arundel followed with a jolt of lightning that grazed the creature.
'Hmmmm, not close enough for color spray so a little lighting should do. Tribim quickly decides what to do and cast Electricity ray, as his friend Namtar starts to rush the monster. "One side Namtar, I ain't tryin' to burn you!" His bolt went to ground well short of the spider.
As soon as the illusion drops Regin charges, shield up. The lightning cracks between him and Namtar and he hits a moment later! He struck just as deep as Namtar had, leaving the spider shaking and staggered.
From behind, Dommer hurled a blast of stone forward. The stones struck the eye dead on and tore through it, ripping a hole in the creature's body from which foul ichor poured as it collapsed.
Regin nods in satisfaction. Good job everyone.
'That went better than expected.' Tribim smiles as he watches his friends eviscerate the spider-thingy, he then walks over to the whole that it came our of, sending his dancing lights down it to see what he can see. "So, what do you think is down tha hole?"
"Indeed, it was an impressive charge." Arundel agrees with Regin, looking at the puddle of ichor where the fearsome spider used to be. He then walks over to join Trib at the hole. "Let's take a look..."
"Indeed, it was an impressive charge." Arundel agrees with Regin, looking at the puddle of ichor where the fearsome spider used to be. He then walks over to join Trib at the hole. "Let's take a look..."
[dice=Perception]1d20+12
As Arundel and Tribim pass the corpse of the creature and realize that it's clawlike feet match the tracks they saw in the tunnels below the Cairn of Whispers, the ones that they followed over the underground river and accompanied booted feet.
Proceeding to the hole beneath the green lantern, they saw a crumbled shaft plunging sixty feet into the earth. The ruin was such that the climb looked easy enough , if they wanted to dare it. At the very bottom, they saw fitted stone much like the floor they stood upon showing through the debris.
'Hhhmmm, that looks like where we've been' Tribim looks down the tube, shifting his dancing lights up and down carefully looking at the stone. Turning to Arundel then the others. "It looks like the tunnels we were in, Do you think it opened anything up new to explore?"
'Hhhmmm, that looks like where we've been' Tribim looks down the tube, shifting his dancing lights up and down carefully looking at the stone. Turning to Arundel then the others. "It looks like the tunnels we were in, Do you think it opened anything up new to explore?"
A thoughtful look crosses Arundel's face. "It is likely a different but similar area - notice the crashed device down there? Looks like it was probably the same sort of access device as the last tunnel. I think we should climb on down and have a look, doesn't look like a difficult climb." The elf secures his staff, and dusts off his hands, looking ready to climb.
Amaerkashu tossed Arundel some rope. "We'll secure you up here, just in case we have another situation with guardians below." If he got knocked out by an attacker this way they could retrieve him without going down, and if there was no risk it would help those members of the Company less skilled in climbing.
Safely tied to a line, Arundel descended the shaft. He climbed down no worse for the journey save a bit of dirt on his hands. The elf found himself amid dozens of bas-relief figures staring disapprovingly out of the walls. Many held whips in their hands, poised to strike unruly slaves. Others sported crossed arms and severe expressions, their feet resting upon scores of tiny slaves. Most of them also showed defacement: whole faces broken away, strangely melted appearances like the stone flowed and set again.
A short corridor led away from the room, free of debris, and crossed another not far off.
Arundel's nostrils flare slightly as he takes in the various figures. "Lovely place..." he mutters under his breath.
He looks carefully around the room, both with normal eyesight and using detect magic, to see if anything is visibly interesting without moving far from his current spot.
Neither eyes nor magic reveal anything out of the ordinary about the chamber.
The elf sneaks forward to peek around the corners of the intersection and peeks left and right.
As Arundel sneaks around, Regin waits at the edge of the hole. He is ready to descend into that lower room at the first sound of distress.
'well at least we are going down instead of going up.' Seeing Arundel descend the rope safely, Tribim follow.
Once he sets his feet safely on the ground, he sneaks along behind the elf keeping a keen eye out.
Tribim and Arundel skulked forward. To the east, they peered into a chamber where eight human-sized stone slabs rose four feet from the ground in two rows. They could see booted feet on one of them, gently bobbing a few inches above the slab. On the far end stood a statue of a powerful warrior with a great beard. He held aloft a cylinder-headed scepter and looked warily toward them.
To the west, they saw a room with a large basin at its far end. A hard, orange paste spilled out from over its lip to cover much of the floor. Even from the distance, they spotted a small tide of beetles flowing back and forth between the basin and a separate patch of orange in one corner. They looked like the same sort of beetle that rushed up out of the hole when the floor beneath the green lantern collapsed.
Now that two scouts were down Regin follows.
Now that two scouts were down Regin follows.
Regin made it down without incident.
Arundel's gaze zeroes in on the booted feet, and he examines them for a moment.
Arundel's gaze zeroes in on the booted feet, and he examines them for a moment.
'I don't like beetles.' 'I hate bugs, lets go the other way.' Putting his fingers to his lips Tribim stealthily moves east to take a looks around.
'I don't like beetles.' 'I hate bugs, lets go the other way.' Putting his fingers to his lips Tribim stealthily moves east to take a looks around.
Tribim gets a closer look at the chamber with the slabs, finding that a full corpse dressed in leather armor. He could see part of some sort of sign on the breast, but not enough to make out from afar. It looked to be a human long dead, the flesh reduced to dust and cracked skin stretched tight over bones everywhere save the head, which was crushed in. As Tribim looked about the room, he felt a sudden wave of fatigue pass through him. For an instant, the slabs looked almost painfully inviting. Then he shook it off in mid-yawn.
Moving up to Tribim, Amarekashu yawned and shook his head. Apparently, he hadn't slept as well as he had hoped. Looking at the corpse, he murmured, "I am worried about that crushed skull."
Tribim nods his head in agreement, "Yeah, I don't like 'at either." Tribim moves over to the corpse and investigates it for anything else, casting detect magic as he does so.