"It was them or us. It is hard but we have our own family to look after now." Caladra said. Her words sound cold but were spoken with truth. If they are to survive, hard decisions had to be made.
The party squeezes past the triggered trap again to return to the shrine, which seems to act as a central hub for the cavern.
Two unexplored tunnels remain, both leading eastward.
One veers to the left, while the other turns right and slopes downward.
The brief, straight passage opens onto an oblong storage room of sorts.
Stone shelves have been cut into the walls of this room, and each shelf is heaped with dried mushrooms, baskets of herbs, root vegetables, and other fragrant foodstuffs.
Empty baskets and cloth sacks lie in a pile in one corner.
Interestingly, a few baskets have been overturned from their crude wooden tables, spilling some of their contents, as though whoever was previously working here abandoned their chore in a hurry.
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"Pantry. Convenient that shelves are already installed, I guess." Bree's trying to remain analytical about all of this, but it is pretty depressing. Troglodytes may not be human, but they are sentient creatures.
"I imagine most of this stuff is still usable, as long as it's not toxic to humans."
“Well, humans and others,” the half-elf smiles wanly. “Perhaps there is a way to encourage the rest to leave peacefully, though I doubt it - we are as unlikely to get them to cooperate as we are the hobgoblins.”
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"If they won't leave we'll make them leave." Caladra said, her grip on her sword handle tightening. She could understand the doubt she felt was growing in some of her party members, the guilt in doing what they did. Animals is one thing but this was something else. She was willing to dip into the darkness for them, to do what needed to be done so they could stay pure. They had become her family, something she's never truly had before, and she'd fight to protect that at any cost.
Most of the food here is either quite fresh or has been dried and preserved.
Furthermore, all of it looks safe and edible for humans and demihumans.
lets finish clearing out these caves. The sooner we finish the sooner we can sleep easier and take stock on everything here," Caladra said.
"Agreed. I don't like the townsfolk being left alone."
"Yeah I don't want to prolong this any longer than possible...," Lily says nervously.
"That these chambers have all been empty...perhaps there are deeper levels and the tribe has withdrawn there." Thorek places a hand on the tunnel wall, expression thoughtful. "One way to find out. Let's press on."
The last passage slopes downward before hooking around a sharp corner that sticks out like a knife.
The air here is damp and moist, but it's a cool, fresh mist.
A rough crystal globe hangs from the ceiling, candles burning within it.
The light from the globe refracts off both the mist in the room and the crystal growths on the walls, filling the room with rainbows.
A bubbling fountain in the center creates a jet of clear water that continually drains back into the ground.
You can detect a pair of troglodytes lurking within the heap, lying in wait with their weapons.
Bree takes a moment to feel the cool air and admire the fountain. Wow. I was... not expecting something so beautiful in here. She feels a growing sense of shame at this whole exploit. She's drawn out of her reverie as she spots something out of place... over there...
"Heads up, folks!" she exclaims, pointing to an alcove in the western wall.
”What a delightful-“ Cyrioul starts before he’s interrupted by Bree’s observation.
He strains to look in that direction, and readies his grease wand to trip up potential attackers.
Boudra follows behind the group, also one of the companions feeling uneasy about ousting these sentient beings from their home. But she keeps her crossbow loaded and, when Bree points toward the alcove, swings it in that direction!
Thorek moves down into the chamber warily, suspicious gaze immediately flagging the pile of refuse as a possible trap or ambush--a suspicion borne out when he catches the reflection of torchlight on their eyes and weapons.
"Bree's right, there's two there hoping to take us unawares."
"I don't see them but I trust you," Lily says while knocking her arrow.
Caladra grinned. "Good, I was starting to get bored."
After a moment of pondering the last two rooms and their moe domestic nature, Cyrioul calls out to the unseen defenders, “We would treat with you! Can we avoid violence and instead find a peaceful end to our conflict? The Ironfang Legion threatens us all!”
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A strange snarling, hissing sound emerges from the far end of the cave.
A pair of colorful frogs, each the size of a housecat, lurch forward into the light.
As near as can be discerned among amphibians, they seem very angry.
Caladra hurries toawards the foes southwest of her and her allies. She makes quick horizontal attack hoping to catch both trogs inone hit.
Cyrioul reaches over and touches Thorek on the shoulder, bestowing a mote of prescience on the dwarf.
As Caladra bulls into the room to attack the troglodytes Thorek follows, maneuvering himself between his reckless companion and the enormous frogs. Keeping a wary eye on the two animals, the warpriest lashes out at the still-prone troglodyte.
One of the concealed troglodytes attempts to rise to its feet and flee, but Caladra's backswing fells the creature.
Thorek's strike easily lands on the other, still prone trog, staining its hiding spot with a splash of blood.
One of the frogs rushes forward. With a mighty leap, it launches upward and bites down on the dwarf's exposed neck.
The bite stings, but little more.
Bree tries to draw a bead on one of the frogs (especially if there are any not in melee).
Lily startled at the frog attacking Thorek fires an attack at one of the frogs attacking him.
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Hearing the sounds of combat ensuing, Cedric rushes around the corner of the cavern. He quickly realizes that he's not going to be able to get close enough to use his spear with any sort of quickness, so instead he draws the masterwork javeling he's been carrying and makes for a clear throwing lane.
Despite the haste and distance, Cedric's javelin flies true and savages the cat-sized frog - leaving little but an unsightly, toxic mess on the cave floor.
The trog still lying in the pile of debris lashes out wildly with a club from its prone position, but the blow only bounces off of Caladra's greaves.
Lily and Bree's arrows both strike the other frog. It is hard to discern who landed the killing blow, but regardless, the beast is dead.
Boudra sees that Caladra and Thorek have the remaining troglodyte cornered. I wish there was some way to do this without so much violence, but...I suppose it must be so. Keeping her crossbow readied, she moves toward the fountain, confident that her friends have things under control. She touches Caladra's shoulder as she approaches the fountain itself.
"Ow!" the dwarf snarls as the frog bites him. He reaches up to knock the creature away--only to jerk his hand back as a pair of arrows send the slimy wretch flying away. "Ack! Warn a dwarf next time, lasses!" he calls.
Lily relaxes a bit unaware of any danger.
Cedric chuckles a little at Thorek's outburst as he moseys over to retrieve the javelin from the target he skewered with it. Sure, Deadeye might prefer the bow, but Cedric will always be partial to spears. "So which way now?" he asks in a relaxed tone as he wipes fluids from the tip of the masterwork throwing weapon.
"Fight's not over yet," Caladra says before taking another mighty swing at the trog before her.
Lily's eyes grow big in response to Caladra and says ," Whoops....."
Caladra cleaves the second trog in twain, leaving its former hiding place a blood-matted mess.
The cave narrows at the far end, where it leads into an adjoining chamber.
A scattering of bones litters the mouth of this last passage.
Sighing at his own failed attempt to sway with words, Cyrioul just shrugs and waves a hand forward. "Let's finish this. There's always a chance that the remaining occupants will be more amenable to conversation."
Bree wonders at the array of bones outside this passage. That can't be a good sign. Bow prepared, she follows deeper into cave.
Thorek fixes a steely gaze on the doorway leading to the next chamber and readies his weapon. "Yes, let's finish this."
Boudra readies her crossbow and follows along. Be careful, she signs, touching Thorek's shoulder to make sure he sees it.
Countless bones jut from the clay wall of this chamber. Grinning skulls peer down over the ends of femurs and ulnas sticking out at odd angles.
Most of the bones are from animals - some as large as stags and bears - but some are undeniably human.
The stacked arrangements of bones are almost 2 feet thick in places, reaching all the way to the cavern ceiling, 10 feet above.
They are like grim furnishings and shelves, frightfully adorning this trophy room that borders on being an ossuary.
The crunch and rustle of bones in the chamber ahead alerts Lily, and Caladra espies the small troglodyte warband a heartbeat before they spring out to attack.
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Caladra charges forth into the bone-bedecked room, a readied javelin whistles past her as she runs.
She brings her greatsword to bear in a mighty, sweeping arc that eviscerates one of the troglodytes in a single stroke.
In response, however, one of the felled warrior's allies hustles forth to avenge itself on the steel-clad warrior, but Caladra parries the wild strikes.
Another troglodyte emerges, clad in heavy hides adorned with bony spikes and carrying a mighty warhammer, and rushes recklessly at the intruder.
She barrels Caladra over, sending her reeling back into wall.
The immense display of bones collapses onto Caladra, nearly burying her in an avalanche of the tribe's past kills.
A third trog moves forward to skewer the toppled Caladra with its spear, but the attack is deflected by her armor and the myriad bones heaped atop her.
Caladra laughs and smiles, looking at the large trog. She whipes away the blood from her split lip and says "You fight well. Make sure you die well to and I'll make sure you will live forever."
It feela like ages since she had gotten into a good fight. One that was between equals and not between the strong and those that hide behind magic.
Lily just starts trembling nervously at the large troglyte and fires an arrow at her.
Lily's arrow is absorbed by the troglodyte champion's thick hide armor, the iron arrowhead making no contact with scaly flesh.