"I wonder what the different letters means?" muses JJ.
He quickly scans the ground for tracks, to see which way the creatures went.
<extra +2 if either is human.
"Can't see any tracks in this mess, anyone want to pick a direction?"
Marigold peers around the room, eyeing the broken shards of glass and pottery warily. "N-not sure if those shards are supposed to slow people down or just make a lot of noise..."
She looks up at the others. "It sounds silly b-but if I need to I might be able to repair some of the broken ceramics...?" she offers.
Marigold casts and spell and repairs some of the pottery and glass works over the southeastern table.
JJ gives a look to the northern corridor. It opens to even more entrances but everything seems to be calm and he cannot find any trace of creature tracks. The room to the north of this one seems some kind of forge.
This place is enormous. Ruben grumbles, heading north and into the forge being careful to look around as he enters
Ruben enters to the forge as quietly as he can. There four soot-blackened hearths are set into the corners of the room. In front of each rests an anvil and bellows, and implements of the smithing trade hang from nearby hooks. Two barrels of scummy water, once used to cool searing hot iron weapons and implements, stand against the north wall. Two more flank the south exit, and a pair of empty weapon racks stands in the middle of the room.
Aside from the tools and the water filling the barrels, there is no other objects of interest in the room. There is no trace of the dark creatures either.
As Ruben moves north, Kikinnin heads down the hallway, heading west. He tries his best to study the walls for signs of distress, uneasy with the tricksiness of the underground facility.
Spotting the doorway along the southern wall, Kikinnin heads directly to it. He calls back to the others. "We've got another room, likely." White-Snout didn't open doors, did he? Nah, he just kept moving, I think...
"Wow Marigold, I didn't know you could do that. You could set yourself up an a tinker and make a mint of cash!"
JJ looks very impressed with his little sister.
After reassuring himself that the forge is empty, JJ hurries along behind Kikinnin, taking a place between the dwarf and the door.
"After you Mr Rouradont"
Ryan smiles at the playful banter between JJ and Marigold, he'd been in a bad place after the skulks death and it was good to see him smile and laugh. JJ would be OK with time.
Reviewing the movements they had made to this point and the map. Ryan moves over to inspect the doorway marked with an 'A; he looks for a way to open it. Too much had passed behind them already that could have held the children
Not seeing anything obvious he opens the door, if able, to inspect the room before moving to catch up with the others.
"Hold up a moment Ryan..." says JJ.
He runs back to the ant-machine and extracts the rod.
"Doesn't this look a bit like the "key" drawn on the map?"
He looks for a place it may be able to be inserted.
Kikinnin observes what seems some kind of wooden barricade at the middle of the corridor. It seems a makeshift wall made of wooden planks. Iron spikes hammered into the walls and iron braces bolted to the floor keep the wall from tipping over.
The work seems to be recent.
As JJ places the rod on the small whole at the side of the door, the rod seems to match like a perfect key. When he removes back the rod the door gears start to move and the circular surface slides disappearing into the wall and leaving an open entrance to a new room.
The chamber beyond contains a stout desk and matching chair. The table bears a set of copper scales and a jar of dried-up ink with a feather quill sticking out of it. Shelves line the far wall. Everything is caked in dust.
Although it seems everything was removes from this resident jeweller office, tucked in the back of a small drawer built into the tabletop you find a rod with a gnome glyph depicting the letter "R".
As Kikinnin searches the corridor south door, he sees half-made kegs, tables, bookshelves, and chests cluttering the dark room. Most of these unfinished works have been pushed against the outer walls, making room for four cots in the middle of the floor. Two workbenches covered with carpenter's tools flank the north exit. A few rat bones litter the floor.
One of the lidless chests in the room seems to have seen some use recently attending to the prints in the dust. Inside you find four engraved copper cups worth 2 gp each, a silver cloak pin set with a bloodstone worth 45 gp total, three zircons worth 50 gp each, a gold comb set with citrines worth 160 gp, 26 sp, and 130 cp.
"Um, it's just little things, really...making water, repairing small objects...aside from the healing I've not b-been able to make it do much of anything that'd be useful for here," Marigold replies, shuffling her feet. "B-but thanks, JJ," she adds with a smile.
Trying to stay back and out of the way, Marigold sticks close to JJ and the main group as they carefully progress through what seems like a maze of rooms and tunnels. When JJ's idea of using the rod as a key for one of the doors bears fruit, she curiously peeps around her taller companions and into the room.
However, she quickly realizes that one of the few downsides of hanging back and allowing the others to go first means that more often than not she gets a nice view of human backside...
JJ puts a protective arm about Marigold.
"You're doing great..." he says, wincing as he does so. "That arm still hurts a bit. Should be okay with a couple of nights sleep though."
As he tinkers with the door it springs open.
"Wow, thats nice" says JJ, entering the room.
He quickly checks out the desk, looking for valuables before stumbling on the key.
"I've found another!" he calls out. "No sign of the children though. But one of these rooms would be a good place to hide someone. I bet there is no way out from the inside if you are without a key..."
He looks at the inside of the door, checking to see if there is a keyhole or other means to activate the door from the inside.
Kikinnin breathes a little easier when the southern doorway leads to an unoccupied room. He proceeds to inspect the lidless chest with contents still left. Huh. This won't do, leaving it for White-Snout and others to possess this. He gathers the valuables, showing it off to those nearby. "We should hold onto this. We can figure out what to do with it later."
He moves through the room, to the southwest corner of the room, to inspect the makeshift hallway leading out. If we still got our bearings, that should link up with the other hallway...
He waits for the others to finish their explorations, before he continues.
JJ finds out the gear door has another open hole for the key on the inside before he moves through the corridor until he gains sight of Kikinnin.
The tunnel opens free for Kikinnin. When he approaches it, he seems to listen some sounds of creatures moving away through the southern branch.
Meanwhile Ruben, Maxim and Ryan explore with care the rooms while Marigold, Kikinnin and JJ search on the new ones.
A bit after JJ leaves the forge from a casual search, you start sifting the bottom of one barrel at the southwest wall, and you find out another rod. This one has also a glyph you cannot identify.
Then you start checking the walls of the room. At the west one, you find one section with a small brick you can press and then the wall spins on itself.
"That table there to the southeast wall is weird, don't you find out? It is like out of place. Like if someone wanted to block the path." points out Maxim.
Ladies and gentlemen I've found another one of those... Things. Ruben announces holding up what he assumes to be a key.
What have we here...? he mutters, scratching his chin at the losses brick.
Ruben pushes the wall section that spins easily after pressing the brick. The secret door opens to a corridor bathed in darkness. He cannot listen though any sign of movement.
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
"Y-you think so?" Marigold smiles as JJ gives her a supportive hug. "Thanks...I'll d-do my best!" Realizing that her friend is still rather injured from earlier, she gasps and pulls out the wand that Ryan told her to hang onto. "Um, let's f-fix that arm. It wouldn't d-do to get caught by anything else when you're already injured."
She peers at the wand for a moment, then sighs when the command words register. "R-really? Is this someone's idea of a joke?" Raising the wand, she taps JJ's arm and utters, "B-booboo be gone!"
"Wowie, that actually w-worked! I need to use this on Kikinnin too, he's still hurt from b-before..."
"K-Kikinnin? You're still h-hurt; let me p-patch you up a little. This w-wand thing is amazing!" As with JJ, she taps the dwarf on the arm and utters, "Booboo b-be gone!"
"C-command words leave something to be desired, though..." she mutters, looking embarrassed.
*********************************************
"B-block the path? Huh..." Marigold stares at the table curiously. "N-now that you mention it, it does look a little odd. I g-guess we should try to move it..." she says hesitantly as she attempts to help slide the table aside.
This place just goes on and on
JJ advances into the room that Kikinnin left and checks out the alcove to the south
"Mr Rouradont - slow down, we are getting ahead of the others. If they run into trouble..."
Marigold patches his friends wounds without problems thanks to the wand.
After throwing the lighted stone Ruben finds out the corridor just ends at another stone wall. To the north though, the corridor seems to open to another chamber.
"Mr. Rouradont - slow down, we are getting ahead of the other. If they run into trouble..."
Kikinnin raises his hand silently to JJ. He points to the corridor, and makes a walky gesture with his fingers, indicating that he hears movement coming from somewhere beyond. He then waves to JJ to follow him, nodding to the boy.
He enters the corridor, and turns south, trying to pinpoint the sounds. He feels the need all of a sudden to be sneaky about his approach.
If he catches someone about in the corridors, he bellows his find to the others, and prepares to fight it out.
Realising that as quiet as he might be, his light will give him away, JJ leaves the room and returns to the room with the table and the others.
He points quietly to the tunnel entrance and silently mouths
'Kikinnin'
to the others.
From the insides of the stone oven in the northwest corner of the room, a dark figure emerges all of a sudden, jumping next to Ryan shouting commanding words at Marigold "Olkh bihalkasdf! Ladkasñasdf!"
The accent is not native but the words are clear "Surface skum! Leave that table at place!"
You all hear this commotion opening on the geared doors room.
Maxim reacts pulling out his dagger and readying an attack against the creature approach "Dark skum! You need to learn a lesson of hospitality. Or two!"
You can now better see the creature. It is a tall humanoid, whose pale brow and black, soulless eyes are all that can be seen above a black scarf wrapped around its face. The weirdest thing is his whole body has a ghostlike translucence.
The creature then steps closer to Marigold and attempts to stab her with one of his two shortswords.
The shortsword hits the halfling's armor that fortunately deflects the blade.
At the very same time, at the tunnels, the ragged small creatures turn and see Kikinnin following them. One turns to face the dwarf, while the other darts into the room to defend his boss.
Kikinnin can recognize his foe, because he still wears the previous combat wound.
The white creature fails his attack on the dwarf, hitting one of the corridor walls.
The strange translucence of the creature is due to the Vanishing. The unknown source disease that makes you slowly disappear until you totally fade out from existence that affected the gnomes of Jzadirune and made their doom.
Hearing the sound of combat Ruben sighs before turning and running back to the others.
JJ, hearing battle break out lets out a low moan.
"I knew it!"
He hurries back as fast as he can without putting out his lantern. As he goes he draws his shortsword.
"A dark stalker! I thought they were just legend! Get back everyone, the stories tell of them engulfing their slayers in infernal fire and dragging them off to hell with them."
| 1 person marked this as a favorite. |
Ruben digs his heels in and skids to a halt just as JJ makes his assertion about being dragged off to Hell.
You f**king what, kid!? he exclaims. You know what, don't worry about that crap, just cut it's damned head off. Hell or no that usually works.
Marigold shrieks with surprise as a thing suddenly emerges from the oven behind them and charges her as she tries to move the shelf. Thankfully, her armor deflects the blow which allows her to take a quick step behind JJ.
In her surprise and sudden panic, nothing useful comes to mind about the creature that has appeared in their midst. As everyone comes running, she reaches out and places a hand on her friend. "તમે આ જેજે જી મળી છે!"
"You've g-got this JJ!"
" Whaa?!?"
Having started to help Marigold with the desk, he is momentarily stunned as the creature appears but the attack on Marigold and the subsequent shout by JJ galvanize him to action. Quickly bringing the mace to bear on the creature.
Maxim's readied attack fails against the stalker.
The stalker is quickly surrounded by the party. Among the chaos, the creature is barely able to dodge Ryan's mace.
Then Maxim steps away and throws his dagger at the just arrived small white creature.
The dagger stabs at the creature's chest opening a rag at his black clothing. The dwarf draws then a heavy pick.
The stalker seems unscared of your combined attack and with precision directs one of his shortswords towards JJ and the other towards Ryan.
The first one stabs JJ on his right leg, while the second one is dodged by a readied Ryan. The stalker steps then to the side.
The just arrived creature brings his hand to the chest as he is injured by Maxim. He points to the stalker and shouts something in their strange language "Yuathyb! Medi tigotig!" and advances over Ryan offering his superior a flank.
The blade is easily deflected by the cleric's armor.
The remaining creature seems to observe Kikinnin before taking his actions.
Marigold cries out in horror as the tall, dark creature opens up a nasty wound on JJ's leg. Instinctively she goes to dig for the wand, but through the fog of battle a thought floats up from the depths of her mind.
Help the others, then heal the wounded.
"જેજે, એફ પતન પાછા!" she calls as she draws her morningstar and scurries forward to stand next to Ryan.
"JJ, f-fall back!"
JJ gasps in pain.
"Arrghhh.. he got me. Oh no... look at all that blood..."
This wound is far worse than the previous one, however after a moment he realizes his body still functions.
"I'll get you for that."
He steps up to the creature again and delivers a solid blow to it.
Even as he does so, a strange blue radiance seems to leak from his wound, closing it up slightly.
Ryan's previous training in the church yard is evident as he easily steps to the side to maintain advantage against the slayer.
5' step to the west
AC = 18, Shield on
HP = 16/16
Weapon Equipped = Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = None
Kikinnin looks through his brows as White-Snout reappears. A little click of his teeth, and he moves forward, determined to incapacitate the child-stealer. "We're not done with our dance, White-Snout. You down here like the skulks, you probably have a hand in the kids gone missing." The dwarf keeps his voice loud, hoping the others can hear him.
Should the creature still stand, let alone fight back, Kikinnin throws another swing.
If he's lucky enough to bring the creature low, he takes a moment to search the thing for personal possessions that might help the rest of them locate the children.
Hey, stalker or whatever your name is, I hope you like it down here, 'cos you ain't ever gonna leave!
While Marigold surrounds the dark creature, JJ's sword cuts true through the stalker's left arm, dips of a dark blood pouring to the floor. Some of the young man's wounds magically heal with a heavenly hallo.
The stalker is more lucky against Ryan, dodging the cleric's mace with some difficulties and looking at him back with a defiance expression.
On the tunnels you overhear Kikinnin charging over his enemy. The blades crossing raises a thunderous metallic clinging. Ultimately, the inertia of the reckless ratcacher and the weight of his greataxe defeats the strength of the dark creature. The blade strikes at the small pale head, raising a cracking sound as the skull breaks.
The body left motionless on the floor is hastily searched by Kikinnin who finds a dagger, 1 poison dosis and a small bag with 15 silver coins.
This is a dosis of black smear poison: A foul-smelling black paste distilled from certain deep-underground fungi known as black smear—injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Str; cure 1 save.
Maxim brings down his heavy pick over the small pale creature with the help of Ryan's distraction. The weight of the pick makes the metallic head to go deep into the dark creature's back causing blood to splatter all through the room while it shrieks in pain.
Although the creature seemed to be maneuvering to flank Ryan, he suddenly forgets about it, and in great pain faces the blonde dwarf.
He succeeds to cause a scratch on the dwarf's left arm while saying "Yuathyb! Liodilat couladir!"
The translucent stalker nods and then steps to the side getting out of Ruben's flank while facing Ryan, and attacks with deadly determination to bring down the shrouded in light cleric.
Ryan succeeds at avoiding one of the blades, but the other takes him at his belly very painfully.
Ryan steps SW from his current position holding his shield to the front "Abadar protect us who do the will of your church."
5' step SW away from both opponents, then channel for hp healing for everyone within 30' and +1 AC until end of my next turn
JJ steps up, following the Dark Stalker as he goes.
"My thanks" he pants to Ryan.
He swings again, hoping to finally drop the dangerous opponent and his viscous twin bladed attack.
His luck continues, as another light wound adds to the collection sported by the dark stalker.
"Tell us where the children are!"
AC = 18, Shield on
HP = 16/16
Weapon Equipped = Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = None?
Kikinnin barrels through the corridor, knocking off the walls occasionally with his almost-too-wide frame. He emerges from the southwest corner of the room, laying eyes on the confrontation.
"Alright. White-Snout is down for the count. Looks like there's more than one, eh?" He waits for an opening, and watches to see the others and how they handle the remaining antagonists. He rubs his forearm, newly healed by the halfling.
"Thanks again, Marigold. Feel just as right as I was at the start of this whole enterprise. I imagine it won't last long, but you do have a way with that wand. Remind me when we get a chance- I'd like to look it over, get a sense of its power."
He steps up to the dark stalker and with little finesse, drives his blade into the thing's gut.
You feel a healing and protecting wave of energy as Ryan holds up his Abadar's key.
Then, JJ stabs the stalker with great skill as Kikinnin steps on the room with determination in his eyes.
Despite the terrible wound caused by Ruben's strike, the stalker holds on feet, although very angry.
The stalker seems shrug not understanding to JJs attempt of communication. He then says something but all you heard is gibberish from an unknown guttural language "Ulakthalia milatheri aliñaaufa!"
Ruben grunts in satisfaction as he feels the blade bite into the stalker's mid-rif.
He then plants his feet and drives his shoulder into the thing. Ruben is a big man and puts his bulk into the shove, invariably pushing back the smaller creature.
As soon as he feels separation he slashes his blade in a diagonal cut across the thing's chest and up to its throat.
As some of the others move to deal with the stalker creature, Marigold keeps her position and fake-swings her weapon at the other creature that still menaces Maxim with a shrill, "Aiiieee!"
The stalker steps to the side and attacks Ryan with both blades flanking with the other creature. The first sword fails its target but the second one finds an open spot in Ryan's armor. The cleric has no time to react, the wound in his lung so deep he fells to the floor almost instantly.
The other creature attacks Maxime, but the Wizard is able to dodge the attack with the help of Marigold.
Ruben then adjusts his position trying to defend cleric. His magical attack is strong and determined, he strikes in his head with his blade, the wound is deep but the stalker keeps on his feet fighting.
JJ squeaks in horror.
"Kikiinni!" and then lashes out with his sword, hoping to put the creature down.
"He's unstoppable!" - the voice is almost one of panic.
The blow is well timed, but not quite as strong as his previous ones - the horror of seeing Ryan going down obviously taking its toll on him.
JJ attacks desperately at the tall stalker, his blade finding the dark creature's armor, but a last heroic inspiration gives the young man the needed push to pierce the armor and deepen his shortsword into the stalker's flesh.
Surrounded and terribly injured in multiple places, the translucent creature breaths out a silent cry of pain as JJ removes the sword from his body. One of the stalker's shortswords falls to the ground while he looks for support back to the wall, the blood smearing the stone as he slowly sits falling unconscious to the floor due to his injuries.
The other creature screams in fear "Yuathyb!!!!! Nooo!!"