Sunlight penetrates the ceiling of this cavern. Innumerable fungi cover
the walls and floor. Bats can be seen flitting about the ceiling, and rat squeaks can be heard within the cave until you enter, then they stop. There are three scattered clumps of shriekers in the room. If you want to avoid them you'll have to cross the room without your own light, relying on the dim light filtering in from above. A rotted rat corpse lies a few feet inside the entrance. Various mosses, plants and rat tunnels occupy this room.
[Ooc]Survival DC 15 to navigate the room without setting off a 'shroom. If you fail you get shrieked, swarmed by rats, and assailed by... Something Else. :)
There are tunnels leading up to the surface and downward deeper into the earth on the other side. [Ooc]
Zadira carefully leads her friends north.
Once Kayla is jerked back from setting off a shrieker, Kayla decodes to be much more careful.
she looks for the best path through as well as looking for tracks of her "quarry"
Kayla, the tracks in this area are more sparse. You can't tell if your quarry went down or up (or if they even came by here), but the majority of the tracks seem to lead downward.
Simon looks questioningly, his head tilted to a side, at Zadira.
"What's up with those mushrooms you're evading-miii?
I don't know about them - they are way too large, are they not?
You know about them, yes-miii?"
While freshing up his knowledge about unusual mushrooms, Simon will help the small-Kayla with tracking.
Simon, there are very few bipedal tracks here, and most of them lead downward.
Simon nods downstairs.
"If the rat lady were here, she went down there-meow."
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Listening to the discussion Vuzi puts in her two coppers about heading through the mushroom room. "I think ve should finish the area to de vest before we go further down. I like to be complete."
Kayla does not look too pleased bout the decision, her quarry is getting way.
I need, I mean, we need to get to the rat lady. I say pursue downward or at least look for some way to lure her out.
Grelthe squints at the markings I the dust. "Your tracking skills are better than mine little one, I trust you" and follows her down to the next level, weapon at the ready.
The way down isn't particularly dangerous. It isn't easy either. The tunnels shrink down, widen, dip unexpectedly and all that, but it never becomes truly hazardous. Tree floor slowly goes from dirt to stone before finally leveling out.
The first remarkable cavern you come to is covered in what must be billions of tiny runes. Zadira casts Detect magic, as is her norm, and the room flares with the brightest light you've ever seen!
You are all blind for two minutes.
"Dis is very bad." She casts Protection from Evil on herself, and stands very still.
“Gah! The f+&+ was that!
Grelthe doesn't like feeling exposed and vulnerable while blind, so she will crouch and move on her hands and knees to where she remembered there being maybe a rock or something to hide behind? Feeling around blindly with her hands to find it.
"Get down! Try to make yourself less of a target in case we are attacked!"
Zadira shuts her eyes and listens for anything moving around her besides her companions.
If she senses anything within 30 feet other than her companions, she will use her Tremor ability (as below).
Tremor (Sp): At 1st level, as a standard action, you can cause the ground to shake beneath a single creature within 30 feet, functioning as a trip maneuver using your sorcerer level plus your Charisma modifier in place of your CMB. You can use this ability a number of times per day equal to 3 + your Charisma modifier.
The party freezes. Everyone feels their other senses kick into overdrive, but it's Zadira that feels then first. Then comes the squeeking! Rats are coming! It's impossible to mow how many, but one audibly hits the floor when zadira trips it! Within seconds all of you feel fuzzy, sharp, bitey pests at your ankles (and wrists if you're on the ground)!
"I have alchemist's fire, but that seems like a bad idea to use while blinded. Can anyone tell if they are tiny swarms of rats or regular dire rats?" and swings her morningstar blindly near her feet where she felt biting.
"I haf something but vu vill not like it." She begins to cast Raise Dead. Once the skeleton appears, she tells it to attack the rats.
I knew I should have bought those Pipes of the Sewers Zadira mumbles to herself.
Based on where everyone was before they were blinded, she aims a blast of burning hands so that it won't harm her companions, and lets loose.
But the rat bites are too distracting. She can't cast. Instead, she moves forward, trying to find a wall.
Grethle feels a hit on something and a pained squeak, but it doesn't seem to help at all with the biting and scratching! Clacking footsteps from whatever Vuzi just did are heard, but your situations do not improve.
The little claws and teeth are really starting to hurt!
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Kayla tries to find her way to wall. she keeps in hacking at the floor space in front of her and she tries to feel her way through. several curses in Tien can be heard fro her mumbling.
One thing is clear, there will be no chocolate for certain people when this is done.
Grelthe drops her shield and attempts to grab one of the little bitey creatures to ascertain it's size.
Back off guys. Don't get in front of me. I'm going to throw some fire around.
Grelthe: The rat you snatch is small and feisty. You are just barely able to determine it's size before it bites you!
I throw the rat and yell at my companions "It's a swarm! At least... there are small rats that are probably part of a swarm. Fire is a good idea. Worst case if we hit each other, I can can heal us."
Vuzi attempts to cast Greater Stunning Barrier on herself.
Maybe this will shock some of them."
Zadira aims at the rats in front of her and releases fire in a 15-foot cone to burn them up.
Grelthe, you suddenly feel flames sweep around you!
The rats squeal and squeak as Zadria finally finds her flames!
But the swarm isn't dispersed yet! They are starting to make their way up your sleeves and into your clothes!
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feeling the heat of the fire nearby, Kayla tries to find the source there is only one person that can make that fire.
If she does find Zadira, she climbs up on her back to get away from the rats.
Vuzi tries her spell again. She tries to cast greater stunning barrier. This time the spell goes off and she's surrounded with a slight glow.
Stunning Barrier, Greater
School abjuration; Level cleric 3, inquisitor 3, paladin 3, psychic 3, sorcerer/wizard 3
Duration 1 round/level or until discharged
This spell functions as stunning barrier, except as noted above, and it provides a +2 bonus to AC and on saving throws. It is not discharged until it has stunned a number of creatures equal to your caster level. Doesn't look like this works as I had hoped.
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If she does find Zadira, she climbs up on her back to get away from the rats.
Grelthe feels quite toasty as she blindly stands in the midst of the fire. "Anyone else caught in that fire?" Assuming her answer is silence, she heals herself.
DIE ALREADY! yells Zadira, frustrated both that the rats are still biting her and that she can't just fireball them all because she might kill someone.
Zadira aims at the rats in front of her [BECAUSE THEY REFUSE TO DIEEEE], and fries them again.
Cain just continues to attempt to blindly stab at the swarm
Another burst of flame is felt, a flash of get and the smell of roasted rat. The swarm disperses, leaching you with your wounds. It takes several minuted for your sight to return, but it does, eventually.
There are four cave-like exits from this chamber. One leads further west and the others fan southward from there at SW S and SSW.
Grelthe gathers all the hurt people together for a channel heal.
"That should get most of us back up close to full health. Does anyone need more healing?"
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I am fine thank you. Vitch vay? Ve should do dis in a systematic vay. South first?"
Kayla rubs her eyes as her sight returns, I really hope that does not happen again. Kayla tries to pretend she does not know how that happened. but does give Zadira a glance as she makes her comment.
looking about to see if she can figure out where all these rats came from we must be getting close, that was most likely an attempt to stop us from find our target.
Kayla is unable to track the rats on the hard stone floor.
Zadira tries to read the runes, without casting detect magic this time.
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Kayla is unable to track the rats on the hard stone floor.
Grelthe nods at Vuzi's sensible direction, and starts to head towards the south passage, pausing after a moment to shout back "Hey, someone who is good at traps, come check the mouth of these passages, please." She grins characteristically, the dim light glinting off her small tusks.
The first room you come to contains nothing but some sleeping bats. The second is much more interesting. It's back wall is polished to a nearly mirror finish.
Zadira leaves the mirror room, not wanting to find out what new horror awaits in the mirror.
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Kayla does a quick check of the mirror room, strange, but not a likely location for a rat. we should move on.
Kayla seems more determined a goal focused than any have ever seen her before.