Arygri sighs at Odium's answer, but then turns to her fellows. "OK so...tie them up somewhere safe, while we explore? If so, where?"
Kwin collects Bayleaf's gear that he dropped. He'll check him for blades.
"Argyri, can you tie them up, but make sure they can still run if they need to?"
"Let's head back up to the Abbey. As soon as we find a room where we can safely stash them, we will. Then we will continue exploring."
He turns to the elven trainer. "Bayleaf, I am not sure what it would be, but if there were a reassurance you could give us that we could trust you to be a guard instead of a prisoner, we would prefer to leave you able to defend yourself and our prisoner, Odium. But we cannot take the risk of you fleeing with our boat."
We will head up to the Abbey and go back in.
Bayleaf shrugs in reply to Kwin. "I would probably use him as skeleton bait, so I could get to the boat."
"Good luck down there."
"Alright then, come along you two. We'll tie you up somewhere safe, and then once we're done down in the Winding Way we'll come get ya and we all get off of here alive."
When you return to the ruins of the abbey and head downstairs, you find the pile of bodies that you killed in this combination dining hall and gambling den reeks of greasy, soured food. The main feature of the room is a makeshift table made of burned planks supported at either end by upended barrels. Beneath the table are several small kegs that serve as chairs. Scraps of food are strewn across the table and on the floor nearby. After looting the bodies yields weapons and armor, you start investigating the rooms in the far left corner and work counter clockwise.
In the first room, you find that this chamber reeks of wine. Small kegs are scattered everywhere. A floor-to-ceiling wine rack filled with bottles dominates the southern wall. A crudely made pallet of rags and sacks covers the center of the room. All the kegs and bottles are empty. A careful search, you find that the foul-smelling pallet reveals a pouch containing 25 gp and a dagger with a laminated whalebone handle and scabbard, worth 50 gp. You also find a backup high-quality suit of studded leather armor and a pair of sturdy leather boots in one of the kegs.
In the next room, you find a large cauldron filled with smoldering charcoal burns in the center of the room. Assorted cookware and seasonings rest on the floor and on shelves. There is also an ornate scroll tube on the shelf. The room is fairly clean, but the air is humid and greasy. A large tub of dirty water stands in the corner, surrounded by dirty dishes. You find little of value here except three large butcher knives (treat as daggers) and a scroll tube on the spice shelf containing a scroll of simple recipes (flatbread, fish stew, and seagull loaf).
In the next room, several large bookcases lean against the walls in this cold room, and a high chair and a scribe's desk sit to the right of the door. The bookcases are loaded with books and scrolls. Four bedrolls are stacked neatly in the comer. The majority of the books and scrolls are merely bookkeeping documents. One set of five books, bound in sky-blue leather and trimmed in copper, is of a more sinister nature. These five tomes have old, fragile pages; when you examine them, you discover that the ancient books describe procedures and details for several evil rites and ceremonies. The books make grim and harrowing reading for any of you.
The next room contains small statues and figurines. There are statues of dogs and horses, monks and pilgrims, footmen and knights on horseback, and several garden gnomes. All the statues are between one and three feet tall. Standing against the northern wall are two life-size statues. One is a robed skeleton holding a large scythe, and the other is a medusa. On the floor in front of these statues is a pallet of several blankets. You notice that the floor by the statue of the medusa shows evidence of wear. Looking under the statue, you discover a hidden compartment in the statue's base which is empty.
On the other side of the stairs, you find empty weapon racks and several empty bins and shelves line the walls of this room. On the floor is a bedroll of three blankets.
Continuing counter clockwise, this room is full of kegs, bags, and boxes. There is a rough cot in one corner and a great deal of clutter everywhere. Except for the cot, this appears to be nothing more than a disorganized storage room.
Searching the jumbled mess, you find a couple of kegs of corned beef and pork; bags of beans, rice, and flour; and two boxes of fresh vegetables from the abbey's garden. You also find gardening tools, a keg of nails, a box of carpentry tools (saws, hammers, planes, and so on), three lanterns, ten flasks of oil, two 50-foot coils of rope, twenty torches, and two 10-foot wooden poles. Carefully searching under the cot reveals four potions of healing in fancy crystal decanters. The decanters are worth 20 gp each if empty.
Three crude pallets lie on the floor in the next room, and a large iron kettle stands in the center of the chamber. In the northeast corner is a jumbled pile of broken lumber. The pallets hold nothing but rags stuffed inside flour sacks to make crude mattresses. The kettle, used for heating the room, contains ash and charcoal. The lumber in the corner fuels the kettle. Searching through the lumber, you find the guards' weapon hoard hidden behind it: five spears, a shortbow and quiver of twenty arrows, two shortswords, three daggers, two shields, and one suit of chain mail armor.
The last room has been cleared of all debris and scrubbed clean. Three walls are heavily curtained with draperies of thick black velvet, and the east wall is decorated with a horrible mural depicting a red dragon devouring sheep. Near the west wall is a stone table on which a large iron brazier burns. The table has been scrubbed and scoured, but it has many odd discolorations and scorch marks. A half-melted statue and two badly damaged candlesticks sit beside the brazier. The candlesticks are gold and worth 10 gp each. The statue was badly damaged in the fire but is made of pure silver and is worth 20 gp. In front of the curtains you notice some abrasions on the stone floor in the southwest corner. Puling back the curtains in the corner and examine the south wall, you notice the hidden door that leads to the Winding Way.
After carefully tying up the prisoners, Argyri asks, "Ready, everyone?"
When she gets a thumbs up, she goes to listen at the door, and check it for traps. Then, if all seems clear, she starts to quietly lead the way down, staying a bit ahead of her noisier comrades.
As she descends, she has her rapier in one hand and her Dagger of Warning in the other.
”Looks like we are done here!” Tarn said. ”Nice and empty. Wine cellars, some decent loot. Let’s get some rest and get ready to report the good news.” The dwarf said happily, and far too optimistically.
"Ready." Badger nods to accentuate the idea.
Badger looks at the optimistic dwarf. "I like good reports."
Drusilla sits and meditates once awake she begins to record new insights on magic, some obvious connections she hadn't seen until now. She pens the spells in her script and then stands as the others stir.
"I have reconstituted myself" She looks to the others and Casts Mage Armor on herself when they are ready to exit.
Puling back the curtains in the corner of the south wall, you open the hidden door that leads to the Winding Way. A twenty long, ten foor wide tunnel widens into an unfurnished and undecorated thirty-foot-square chamber.
Standing next to one another in the center of the room are two enormous skeletal guardians; their heads feature prominent horns, and each wields a massive, rusted axe. Five corpse-like figures stand shoulder to shoulder, guarding a door in the eastern wall. Their faces have been painted in gruesome colors.
Kwin raises his holy symbol and murmurs a prayer. In response, translucent angelic spirits flow forth and surround the elf. They swirl and range until they fill much of the area.
Badger fires an arrow at one of the skeletal guardians.
Drusilla casts a spell quickly a simple Scimitar flashing green as flames spout from the blade. She then takes the strike letting the burning lade seek out the enemies the flames hungry for something to consume.
Argyri steps nimbly into the room and attempts to take down the most damaged of the enormous skeletal guardians.
Kwin raises his holy symbol and murmurs a prayer. In response, translucent angelic spirits flow forth and surround the elf. They swirl and range until they fill much of the area.
Badger fires an arrow at one of the skeletal guardians.
Drusilla casts a spell quickly a simple Scimitar flashing green as flames spout from the blade. She then takes the strike letting the burning lade seek out the enemies the flames hungry for something to consume.
Argyri steps nimbly into the room and attempts to take down the most damaged of the enormous skeletal guardians.
One minotaur swings its mighty axe at the bladesinger, and the second targets the swashbuckler.
Badger draws his swords and moves in to help Argyri. He bashes at the second guardians leg.
Argyri manages to dodge the worst of the minotaur's axe, but still gets a nasty cut on her leg.
She tries to skewer him back in return, but the cut leaves her off balance and both her strikes are easy for the minotaur to shrug off.
Kwin stands firm with his holy symbol held high, but wary of any attacks that may come his way.
Maintain concentration, radiant damage. He'll take a Dodge action.
She lets her word spring more green fire on her scimitar. With that she swings and spins letting her blade speak for herself.
The flame then leaps over and seeks the second skeleton with ferocity.
Badger draws his swords and moves in to help Argyri. He bashes at the second guardians leg.
Argyri tries to skewer him back in return, but the cut leaves her off balance and both her strikes are easy for the minotaur to shrug off.
Kwin stands firm with his holy symbol held high, but wary of any attacks that may come his way.
Drusilla lets her word spring more green fire on her scimitar. With that she swings and spins letting her blade speak for herself.
The last minotaur wildly swings its mighty axe at the
A tattered-robe wearing humanoid with deathly pale white skin and devoid of any hair at all approaches Badger in melee. More eerie still is its face, which was twisted into an inhuman visage of sheer madness and horror with empty, milky-white eyes outstretched to the shape of vertical ovals. Its Withering Gaze settles on Badger.
Argyri gives a quick glance to Seabright (the stuffed macaw on her shoulder) and manages to shake off the psychic assault.
Regaining her balance, she manages to strike the skeletaur twice more.
Badger moves to the next foe.
Drusilla grits her teeth as she growls through the unbearable headache cause by magic. Something she knows quite well. So with that in effect, she spins and takes two strikes at the minotaur!
DC 13 Constitution save
DC 10 Constitution save for concentration
When the evil presence emerges, Kwin struggles to maintain the guardian spirits swirling throughout the room. Yet he manages to hold, and heal some of the damage its arrival caused.
Regaining her balance, she manages to strike the skeletaur twice more.
Badger moves to the next foe and disassembles the minotaur skeleton.
Drusilla spins and takes two strikes at the evil creature!
When the evil presence emerges, Kwin struggles to maintain the guardian spirits swirling throughout the room. Yet he manages to hold, and heal some of the damage its arrival caused.
You feel an aura of annihilation around the evil creature.
Its Withering Gaze settles on Drusilla.
Badger gets hit with a wave of evil energy. His eyes bloodshot and face growing gaunt. He murmurs, "Not Today." Growing louder, "Not . . . Today." Lunging forward with his right hand sword. "NOT TODAY." He speaks louder with conviction. As he pulls his right hand sword back he shifts his hips and brings his left hand sword in before making a hop and swinging his other sword in from up high using the force of his jump to add momentum with a yell,
Argyri's eyes widen as Badger shakes off the wave of evilness emenating from the creepy guy in the tattered robe.
"Yeah, like Badger says!
"Your days of necrotic nastiness and insipid idolitry end here, corpse-f^$&er!"
She feints with her dagger and then drives her rapier into the robed figure's chest.
Drusilla falls her body slumps and weapons clatter as she goes limp life fleeing her as she lay dying.
DC 13 Con save .
The spirits continue to swirl as Kwin follows the evil creatures gaze to the beautiful elf. When she falls, Kwin surges forward and lays a hand on her. "Don't succumb to this darkness, Drusilla. We have come too far to falter now!"
Badger gets hit with a wave of evil energy. His eyes bloodshot and face growing gaunt. He murmurs, "Not Today." Growing louder, "Not . . . Today." Lunging forward with his right hand sword. "NOT TODAY." He speaks louder with conviction. As he pulls his right hand sword back he shifts his hips and brings his left hand sword in before making a hop and swinging his other sword in from up high using the force of his jump to add momentum with a yell, "NOT TODAY!"
Argyri's eyes widen as Badger shakes off the wave of evilness emanating from the creepy guy in the tattered robe.
"Yeah, like Badger says!
"Your days of necrotic nastiness and insipid idolatry end here, corpse-f^$&er!"
She feints with her dagger and then drives her rapier into the robed figure's chest piercing the tiny black heart it had left. The desiccated husk of the bodak's body slides down toward the hilt of Argyri's rapier. With a twist of her wrist, she shakes it off the steel. When it hits the stone floor, the tattered robes barely contain the explosion of papery pieces of the disintegration.
Badger looks about a bit in shock, he risks a smile. "Corpse-f^$&er?" he chuckles. His brain kicks into gear and he looks around concerned. "Is everyone ok. Dru?"
"CORAL!!!" Drusilla gasped as she sat up and coughed, looking about. A tear fell down her flawed cheek and she shook her head."No, but I'll live" She says grabbing her blade and sheathing it. She still feels cold and numb. Something that should of brought her back to the day she washed ashore of Saltmarsh, but instead took her to the naked swimming with Coral. Oddly her fast delicate fingers brought her to clutching the Shark lure she often used to fish with and sniffled a bit more.
Tarn pulled pieces of paper out of his beard, which had been filled by the explosion. He had thought about making a quip, but thought better of it when he saw the tear on Drusilla’s cheek.
Argryi goes over to check the door–listening for activity on the other side, and looking for traps.
While Argyri checks the door, Kwin tends to Drusilla.
Badger raises a hand for Kwin to stop after the first spell. "Thank you. I can heal myself a bit too. Save some of your spells."
He then casts cure wounds on himself.
Badger notes Kwin's wince as he moves. "Your not doing to well either."
Badger casts a spell on Kwin to heal him.
"Well are we pressing on."
"Aye, on we go! Place must be close to cleared out. Let's see what's behind this closed door."