As soon as the PCs enter this room, a large unseen bell emits a single, deep toll, signaling the end of the dungeon’s longstanding stasis effect and bringing its denizens and illusions back to life.
A series of stairs winds west and east down to the floor of this bare stone room. A short railing permits a view of the room from the staircase’s landing. A scuffed circle of blue-white chalk marked on the floor of the northern section of the room is filled with various sigils and runes. Four-foot-tall torch holders adorn the corners of the room, and a wide, closed stone doors take up half of the western walls.
Roldopho peeks around behind the others, taking a look at the sigils and runes, trying to see if he recognizes any discernible pattern in them.
Know. Religion
The tiefling mercenary takes a few seconds to gather his bearings, dark eyes ranging across his immediate surroundings before he hikes his backpack and skulks cautiously towards the railing.
Jean-Pierre lithely steps forward, casting a professional eye over the scuffed circle, to try and identify its purpose...
Walking into the room whistling a jaunty tune Penance starts to make her way around the room to make it down the eastern end of the room.
Perception
Rodolpho can tell that there is little in the way of religious significance to the markings.
Jean-Pierre is able to confirm somewhat better that the 20-foot-square room was once host to a teleport effect for bringing beasts and guests into and out of the Dark Menagerie. But now the chalk summoning circle on the floor is the only remnant, and has long deteriorated beyond use in the years since this dungeon’s abandonment.
No overt threats can be seen and the closed doors block any means to understand what might be behind them...
"looks like we might be alone down here, right?" He laughs at his little joke...every dungeon had something in it.
"I say we head north."
Continuing to whistle a jaunty tune Penance doesn't argue nor comment and simply heads north.
"North it is," the tiefling grunts. In contrast to his agreement, though, he makes his way down the stairs and over to the western door.
He stoops down, looking at the mechanism for a few seconds before he begins tinkering with it.
He joins the group at the north door, "Don't like having unknowns to my back. So, who's got the honor?" he asks as he checks the door for traps.
After a few seconds, Huc shrugs and presses his ear to the door.
he cracks the door quietly, peeking into the room beyond.
Shrugging. Penance waits continuing to whistle, occasionally doing stretches using her long heavy axe as an exercise aid.
Opening the northern door the scenery dramatically changes from a dungeon to something else.
Vibrant foliage creates impenetrable walls of shrubbery that encase the chamber and sprawl across its center, but ends sharply at the hallway as though cut away with a knife. Trees and shrubbery create a thick maze of jungle brush and undergrowth, and their canopy blocks out most of the bright light pouring from the open sky above.
To the north, a gap in the foliage leads into a dank, unlit stone cavern. To the west, an enormous kapok tree towers above the rest of the jungle terrain.
Huc takes a moment to take in the new room, shaking his head at the jarring juxtaposition of the contents of this room versus that of the previous. Then he moves forward, quietly making his way through the strange foliage towards the cave to the north... doing his best to watch for traps on the way.
Huc slides through the foilage like a hot knife through butter, but as he enters the foilage he spies an area in the West of the room that bears some kind of diseased surface...
Dolph casts Detect Poison on the area once it is pointed out to the group.
After a pause, Huc shrugs and continues stalking towards the north-side cave.
Rodolpho's investigation of the southern area of fouled vegetation is foiled... when it rears up and surges towards you.
Huc:
Pen:
Jean:
Badguys:
The diseased part of the plant detaches and slaps an appendage at Rodolpho...
Slam: for
Action Tracker (Round 1): Rod, Jean, Pen, Badguy, Huc
Know. Nature
Dolph steps back and a blast of fire bursts from his hands, hopefully scalding the plant.
Fire Damage
Jean-Pierre moves into the room , and claws at the plant-thing.
"Yay!" Continuing to whistle her jaunty tune Penance laughs as she skips into the room and just starts hacking the thing to pieces.
Move: D1
Swift: Arcane Strike
Attack
Damage
The ooze does not last long, as flame, bardiche and claw combine to end it's mindless existence... though your calm is shortlived as a well hidden snake-like creature bursts from the undergrowth to snap at you with both ends of it's body - both head and tail of the snake bearing snapping poison filled jaws...
Bite at Jean: for and a DC14 Fort save
Bite at Jean:
...one closing on Jean's leg and pumping noxious poison within.
Action Tracker (Round 2): Jean, Rod, Pen, Badguy, Huc
Action Tracker (Round 1): Jean, Rod, Pen, Badguy, Huc
Jean-Pierre glances down at his leg.
"Oh look, a snake; how quaint."
He then steps-up, and unloads upon the creature.
Huc barely has time to turn before the plant is massacred. He's just in time for the snake, however. His massive sword flashes into the tiefling's gloved hand as he makes for its flank. He barks out a laugh at Jean's observation, "There a lot of two-sided snakes where you're from?"
Once in position, he slams the blade into the snake's thick coils with brutal efficiency.
Dolph moves up 5', pulling his magical spear. He stabs mightily at the snake.
Spear
Damage
Continuing to whistle quite gleefully Penance simply switches from one opponent to the next with a graceful pirouette bringing her polearm down on the beast even mroe ferociously then before.
Rage
5ft. shift to C2
P. Attack
Damage
Jean learns that the creature is an amphisbaena and knows it's strengths and weaknesses as per Bestiary 2.
AoO at Huc: for and a DC14 Fort save
Jean lands two blows, Dolph spears it and Huc delivers a very weighty strike with his greatsword. The creature is on it's last legs, but manages a single further strike before it collapses...
Bite at Huc: for and a DC14 Fort save
The foliage, and native wildlife, defeated, Jean-Pierre casts a quick glance around the room.
Huc rubs at the spot on his armor where the creatures fangs caught. Then he looks over at the woman, "Yay?"
He cleans and sheaths his blade as he waits for the team to do any prep, then moves back to scout wit his fellow Tiefling.
PEnance nods approvingly at Huc and gives a dazzling smile before continuing her happy whistling giving a prod to the two headed snake and moving to continue down the path.
There is little else within the room that is of interest, so you continue further into the menagerie.
Moving through the jungle you see a dark night sky full of twinkling stars above you. Running southwest to northeast is a jagged bridge of land leading over a huge ravine. Obsidian cliffs descend from the land bridge on both the left and right sides, plummeting downward to the hard dirt forty feet below, which is intermittently dotted with dead trees whose roots appear to claw at the soil. A set of natural stairs rises from the chasm’s floor in the southwestern portion of this room. To the south is a small tunnel dug out of the chasm wall at the base of the valley, and to the north a wooden door is set into the black rock where the bridge meets the chasm’s edges.
Huc looks at the nearly unbelievable landscape in this new room, then back in at the previous room, then back at what stands before them once more. ”HA!” he laughs, ”Wonder how much it costs to build a house like this… you think only union workers do this style of construction?”
His tone indicates he’s filling time while he considers the team’s options and looks for threats.
From your current position you can sense nor see no threats or signs of life.
"Guess we have no choice but to head up to that door, do we?"
Jean-Pierre nods.
"Indeed it would appear so. Huc? Shall we take point?"
"Sounds fun," Huc says with a hefty smack to his fellow tiefling's back. "I'm dying to know what's behind bizarro room number 2, here."
He begins walking quietly up the stairs, eyes sweeping every step for anything nasty. "You guys wanna tie us all together before we get up too high? I'd hate to take a fall from way up there if I could avoid it."
Penance waits impatiently ready to continue the march to slay evil up the cliff while humming a tune she once heard some goblins sing.
Huc fishes out 50 feet of silk rope. "Best i got. Not the strongest, but hopefully it'll hold." He shrugs, "Unless someone has better."
Huc efficiently ropes the group together by their waists, leaving ten feet of slack between each member. "Great! Onwards and upwards."
He takes point , heading up the stairs quietly as he keeps his eyes and ears peeled for traps or threats.
Making the easy ascent to the top of the earth bridge, you look up and note that one of the stars is moving... and isn't a star... and is instead a living writhing storm that is descending towards you. At that moment, you also see that the earth bridge has two lumps upon it that rear up and form into animate mudmen...
Huc takes in the situation, then steps forward, positioning himself closer to the edge to give the thinner Jean-Pierre the safer footing away from the ledge. The mercenary takes a moment to pick a victim—the nearer of the mud-things—as he efficiently draws his bow and nocks a blunt-tipped arrow.
At the last second, he loses his footing, sending the shot wild.
Jean-Pierre eyes the creatures critically, before deciding to wait for their approach.