Cloudrunner has vague memories from religious classes as a child that there's something familiar about this creature, but he never paid much attention back then. So he bows, but keeps his sword ready trying to remember if it was a good or bad thing or if he is just making that up.
Hearing it's response, he let's out his held breath. "Thank you or you're welcome... or both, I guess. Go now and be free!"
"I'd recommend that you go to Waterdeep and try a dish called a mammoth burger at a place called the halfling's hijinks. They make a patty of fried cow meat and then put it between two pieces of bread, along with a bunch of other stuff. It is quite good."
Pisco stands, mouth open, as his party members treat this holy and revered creature like...like...well he has no idea.
"My lord, please take no offense from these others. They do not realize they are in the presence of such a holy entity. "
He looks real HARD at Katra in the hops she will take the hint!!!
"I hunger, but for the hunt, not the sustenance. I will seek the sarrukh who slew my daughter and imprisoned me in this demon's temple."
"I guess we have to climb up, eh?" says Katra as she passes the potion around so that everyone can drink of the cure.
You spend a few 10s of minutes examining the strange objects:
This scale bears celestial symbols on one pan and fiendish symbols on the other. You can use the scale to cast detect evil and good as a ritual. Doing so requires you to place the scale on a solid surface, then sprinkle the pans with holy water or place a transparent gem worth 100 gp in each pan. The scale remains motionless if it detects nothing, tips to one side or the other for good (consecrated) or evil (desecrated), and fluctuates slightly if it detects a creature appropriate to the spell but neither good nor evil. By touching the scales after casting the ritual, you instantly learn any information the spell can normally convey, and then the effect ends.
The holder of this platinum hand mirror can learn something about the history of a specific object or creature by taking an action to gaze into the mirror and think of the target. Instead of the holder’s reflection, the mirror presents scenes from the target’s past. Information conveyed is accurate, but it is random and cryptic, and presented in no particular order. Once it is activated, the mirror gives its information for 1 minute or less, then returns to normal. It can’t be used again until the next dawn.
While you wear this pendant, you stabilize whenever you are dying at the start of your turn. In addition, whenever you roll a Hit Die to regain hit points, double the number of hit points it restores.
A passage appears at a point of your choice that you can see on a wooden, plaster, or stone surface (such as a wall, a ceiling, or a floor) within range, and lasts for the duration. You choose the opening's dimensions: up to 5 feet wide, 8 feet tall, and 20 feet deep. The passage creates no instability in a structure surrounding it.
When the opening disappears, any creatures or objects still in the passage created by the spell are safely ejected to an unoccupied space nearest to the surface on which you cast the spell.
Echoes of the past ripple through the platinum coating of the mirror...you see flashes of the tunnel first unlit, and filled with water. Far above a Payit child looks down on you, pointing. Another flash and a line of Payit warriors, bloodied from battle struggle up a hempen rope in the lit tunnel. Another flash and there is nothing but a dark cavern. Finally, the scrambling of countless disgusting demons streams from above in the lit tunnel.
"I'll just climb up and fight the spider. You guys get ready to shoot it, and I'll try to grab ahold of it and then jump down."
Katra secures a rope to a grappling hook that she summons from magic and then tosses it up into the hole. Once it is secure, she will begin climbing up.
As soon as the grappling hook is secured, you see the little spider peek around the corner, raising a pedipalp in interest. Katra finds it slightly less crowded in the tunnel, and the strange illumination still burns all around. Finding her footing on the steep slope, Katra is indeed almost able to walk the incline due to her low center of gravity.
The next time you see the spider, its abdomen first, seemingly about to fire its spinnerets down at you...
...but it seems the party has the edge on the unwelcome resident.
Round 1:
Cloud, Lidras, Katra <--UP
Spider
Pisco
Katra swings her new axe at the creature, attempting to get it's attention by splitting it in twain.
Katra's axe introduces the arachnid to life with 7 legs just before being pummeled with a hate-filled vengeful blast of dark fey energies.
Round 1:
Lidras, Katra, Cloud <--UP
Spider
Pisco
Cloud grunts, trying to get a clear view of the spider. He then pulls out a handaxe and tries throwing it at the beast, "Katra, watch out! Incoming axe."
The skittering and jumping of the spider ceases suddenly as it finds an axe splitting its eyes evenly in a pair of 4. The corpse tumbles down the tube landing at Cloud's feet helpfully returning the axe.
Pisco looks at the dead spider and shivers.
"Yea gods! What a horrible thing to try and fight in such confined space. Great shot with the ax Cloud!. Hey Katra, how is it going up there?"
Katra, with the spider out of the way you can see its little hovel is a dead end. Topping the tunnel is a heavy spherical cover, but pushing on it you realize its a big metal basin. Popping it out and climbing into the space above, you see a room small and plainly decorated.
On the north and south sides are fountains made of bronze-inlaid marble. The southern one is cracked, and only dry limy deposits remain in it. The northern one contains about two feet of dark water, fed by a trickle that falls from the top of the fountain. In the water, the white, gauzy form of a crayfish lies on a bed of lime encrustations.
To the west, stairs lead up out of the room, and to either side of the stairs along the west wall are narrow, dust covered ledges. Looking back from where you came from, you realize the tunnel was actually a well...at least at some point in the past.
With a grunt and a shove, Katra pushes the lid out of the way and says "There's some space up here. Last one up pull up the rope behind you!"
Once finished interacting with the things here, there is a door to the west.
In the middle of this chamber is what appears to be the withered, preserved forms of centaurs mounted on a slab of marble. Tinted green and decked out in lacquered leather, feathers, and copper wire jewelry, they face the western entrance to this chamber. The centaurs hold a bronze-hafted pike tipped with a broad, blue-gray, flame-shaped spearhead. It appears at one point there were perhaps 5 of these centaurs on display, but now only 2 remain.
Scattered around the room are jewelry and knickknacks, made of beaten copper, cut and polished obsidian, shells, quartz, and coral. Much of this treasure is at the feet of the centaur, symbolically being trod underfoot. Two tall urns shaped like wicker baskets stand along the north wall, each one filled with river stones. Finally, another obstinate portal stands closed to the west.
These strange mummified centaurs have a faint necromantic aura that seems through some translation formulae to be connected to an abjurative ward on the west door (portal). The treasure for its part appears mundane.
"Let me guess...another trap! Probably brings the beast to life to beat the stuffing out of me! Well, let's gather up some of this treasure before we leave."
Pisco will start gathering the jewelry and knickknacks on the floor.
Cloud pokes at the treasures with his sword a bit, just sort of digging around and shrugs.
After Lidras's comment, Cloud lifts his sword to the neck of one of the centaurs - ready to try lopping off it's head. He glances over his shoulder at the others with a raised eyebrow to see if anyone has any objections.
The treasure while somewhat valuable is mostly uninteresting, it appears to be quite common in nature being small copper charms and the like worn by traditionalist Payit. Perhaps it was the remains of sacrificial victims, but then where are the bones...?
Before you can strike, the mummies' eyes pop open..."Resh naught nevtoc...orgrash es orgrashen toch."
...apparently the mere threat to these guardians was enough to awaken them.
Round 1:
Lidras, Cloud, Pisco <--UP
Centaur Mummies
Katra
Lidras' strike cuts through the animated flesh, coughing forth a black powder from the wound that hangs in the air like a disease.
Round 1:
Lidras, Cloud, Pisco <--UP
Centaur Mummies
Katra
As the centaur mummies come to life, Cloud smiles at the one in front of him. He drags the obsidian shards across the creature’s neck, and then follows up with a mighty swing at its torso.
Cloud shatters the old preserved centaur bones as he rakes the razor sharp obsidian across its chest.
Round 1:
Lidras, Cloud, Pisco <--UP
Centaur Mummies
Katra
Pisco weaves himself under the spear, slashing at the centaur's mummified belly...spilling forth 5000 year old spices of tumeric and cinnamon.
The centaur tries to make kitty-ka-bobs out of Cloud...
...Cloud merely raises an eyebrow. The guardian's eyes burn with the light of another dimension, casting a gaze on Cloudrunner...
On the other side of the room, the second centaur mummy rears up and crackles its hooves across Lidras' face...
...but they miss, pummeling into an old clay pot instead. At the same time the spear orbits his head before swiping out strongly...
...but Lidras was anticipating it and dodged easily.
Round 1:
Lidras, Cloud, Pisco
Centaur Mummies
Katra <--UP
Katra moves next to the Centaur and says "Go help Lidras Cloudrunner. We'll get this one."
Katra calls on her deity, and as she does so the head of her axe begins to radiate heat like a forge.
Cloud, uncomfortable with the disturbing glowing eyes, spins away from the first one to attack the second.
"Lidras, let's see if we can finish this horror off before they get the other one, eh?"