Youre right about that Dark. So Blaze figured everything out except this rod...I wonder what it does.
Sentis will cast Detect Magic and focus on the rod.
The rod has a strong aura of transmutation and a weak aura of evocation.
...so it changes the inherent properties and it manipulates magical energy...for creation?...
Spellcraft -
Sentis learns enough to know that he shouldn't press the first button while it's pointing at anyone he likes... but the other three are safe enough for experimentation.
the druid hesitantly pushes the second button...then the third...then the fourth...
When Sentis presses the second button, the rod shudders and a solid ball of copper forms at the rod's tip. The haft lengthens also and it feels comfortable in your hand.
The second button banishes the ball of copper and a wickedly barbed spearhead replaces it. The haft lengthens further and the rod becomes almost eight feet long.
The fourth button makes the mass of the rod suddenly shoot up and Sentis almost drops it in his lack of preparation. The haft shortens significantly, but the spearpoint is replaced with a double headed maul. The striking face is tooled to make it appear as though an open tooth filled maw.
Now that's something. Way more useful for one of you front liners. Be careful with that first button. It should only be used against an enemy with no friends close by.
"Ya'll want tah give this trident a try, I got mah axe, but tha bow looks interestin."
Doc's eyes almost bug out of his skull when Sentis starts playing with the rod.
"Torag's balls! Who do Ah gotta blow up t' git me hands on tha'?"
"A being so evil that other beings that were known to be evil, locked him away for thousands of year to live in his rotting corpse. Also maybe his guards to." Kaavel says with a serious face.
"Right. So, we did tha'. So gimme!"
Hey! Take it easy Doc. You can have it. Its way too clunky for me anyways.
Sentis hands the rod to the dwarf and then goes back to resting on his haunches.
So, whats next Sunny? Rest, heal and then head into the tunnels to see what happened to our brothers?
"Glad that's settled. I was gonna suggest Doc get the fancy rod. Sounds like a good plan to me Sentis. I'm wiped after that battle." and with that he sits on floor, his back up against whatever is close at hand.
Grusk stands still and then pats blaze atop tha head....
"Yer sittin on mah feet wit yer boney butt!"
"Anyone want tah try tha Trident? Dark could help yah in a tussle when yer claws arn't cuttin it."
Sentis laughed at Grusk and shook his head at the offer of the weapon. He walked to the door of the temple and whistled clearly for Baran. The wolf must not have been far as he appeared almost instantly and wasted no time in jumping up and nipping at the half elf's hands. They both returned inside and found a place to sit.
"Grusk, 'n case ye hadn't noticed, tha' trident 's 'bout ten feet long an weighs 'bout thirty pounds. Unless ye c'n figure out a way t' make it a whole lot smaller, ain't none o' us gonna use it like it's s'posed t' be used. Ah got some ideas for it though."
"Nice toys; I'll let others get first choice at them; I have quite a few already. Even if the trident was smaller, I would still opt out of it probably. I already scare people enough with my array of weaponry. Dark just smiles as he considers his not inconsiderable personal collection of "toys."
A hollow clear tube that seemingly holds a liquid flame.
A quick check of the book shows it written in the language of the Ghol-Gan. It is predominately written, though there are a few pictures of cyclopean figures in authority and a map... though to where?
Youre right about that Dark. So, hows everyone feeling/ I regret only have prepared the one healing spell. We'll need to rest before continuing if anyone else requires it.
Sentis will put the book in his pack unless anyone wants to look at it further.
"Did not really fight this time so I am fine."
"Ye might not 'a fought, but ye were th' one who got th' job done. Th' rest o us were jus' one big distraction."
Doc is right. All of my spells were harmless against those statues. You got the job done Kaavel.
Moving back outside the ziggurat to the bug eaten tunnels, you are able to pick up the old blood trail once again and are ready to follow it back out and into the maze of tunnels.
Hold the trident at arms length....
"I am thinkin fish fer dinner!"
Stealth
Perception
Initiative
Tracking
Baran loped ahead with the two brutes and Sentis. He stayed quiet and kept his nose to the ground. The blood trail seemed faint though.
Stealth -
Survival -
Rested and ready for the new day; Sentis was glad to be back on the original task of finding out what happened to the others. He had a bad feeling that the ankhegs had finished them off but until they knew for sure he would hold out hope for the best.
Stealth -
Perception -
Survival -
Team Green easily picks up the ageing trail and ghost out to follow it. You travel through tunnels that twist and wend for at least twenty minutes, though it feels as hours before you come close to something of interest. Ahead and around the bend the tunnel opens wider into a cavern and the ankheg signs upon the floor and walls grow more common.
Team Green scouts ahead and the blood trail leads into the midst of a caverns that has natural rocks and rubble strewn within, making sight lines difficult. There is a mass of green deeper in the cavern... though you are given some pause by the sound of clicking, clacking and hissing coming from it.
Sentis puases at the cavern mouth to wait on the rest of the Wolves and relay what little they knew of what lay ahead. By the sounds of it there would be ankhegs and that meant battle.
Whats the plan Sunny?
He was still curious to the mask's abilities so he pulled it from his pack again. He called upon the Green Faith's guidance before donning it.
Sentis finds the push of the mask upon his psyche less forceful than before, and forewarned he is easily able to subsume it beneath his own will.
"Unless there's some sort of truly unpleasant surprise awaiting us inside, I say we just go in there, kill anything that looks at us funny, and go from there."
"What has been working for us so far."
Blaze grins at the monk "Pretty much. As they say, if its not broke, don't fix it"
"Why would not bein' broke be a reason not t' fix somethin'?"
Another grin is shot at the Dwarf. "Fixed Doc, not made better through your inventive genius"
Well, I doubt we'll know if anything is going to be particularly unpleasant until it is way too late but hard and fast is exactly how Wolves do things so lets get to it.
The half elf drew his scimitar and waited for the signal.
"Humans an' their weird def'nitions..." Doc shrugs moving to the rear of the formation.
Dark just shakes his head at the conversation as he pulls his sword out. "Ready when you give the word."
Team Green moves at the vanguard as the Steel Wolves flood forward to the source of the noises... and find a horrific sight. On the floor of the chamber, surrounded by long dried pools of blood, are the skeletons and corpses of a number of men and other animals. Their bones have been partially picked over but some still bear some flesh in varying degrees of putrescence or dessication. The cause of the flensing is also evident.
The area where the noises were heard is home to a chitinous nest that contains a number of eggs and maybe half a dozen young ankheg. They are too small to be a threat to the likes of you, but they are doing a good job of stripping meat from the corpses.
Doc looks at the sight and slowly makes a strangled sounding noise. "Ah.. need a couple o' them alive..." he says with a wild look in his eyes.
Sentis is a bit sickened ed at the pile of corpses and the horrific death it implied.
...now what is this?.. He casts Detect Magic and scans the pile before hesitantly reaching in to retrive the badge. With a frown he shows the others.
Well, now we know for sure what happened. Guess we can report back with this.
He hands the badge to Blaze.
Sentis finds no magic evident within the chamber. There were some arms and armor, but the acidic secretions of the ankheg have rendered them unusable.
The Keleshite blanches at the sight before them, then gets himself under control with a bit of effort. He nods agreement to Sentis but seems confused at Doc's words "Why in the Nine Hells would you need some of them alive best to put them down now before they become a problem."
"Torture, sterilization, experimentation, who knows when It comes tah Doc!"
Seeing the others gathered around the nest; Sentis makes his way over and peers inside. it didnt take long to see why Doc was so interested.
It would solve our wagon problem. I might be able to work with one or two of them so they arent so prone to spitting acid everywhere. I doubt I could handle more than that though.
The ankheg young scrabble around somewhat clumsily, most backing away from the party. But one approaches Grusk and starts nuzzling his leg.