Sledge will keep an eye on the house continually while the squishy ones do what they must.
Once he stops moving and has a bit of time to look around, Darius can easily notice that there are tracks leading up to the house. Human (recent), horse (a few days old), and oddly a set of Marsh Giant tracks (which are recent and repeated, it appears to wander the area fairly regularly).
Marsh Giants are incredibly ugly, obese, fish-like giants who are generally Chaotic and Evil. They live in swampy areas, preferably ones bordering a sea (like this area), but tend to avoid human settlements.
They are surprisingly stealthy in marshy areas, and terrifyingly strong and hardy, and surprisingly dexterous for such a large creature (though only as intelligent as the average Orc at best) and are adept at throwing their weight around, using the gaff (a hooked club, good for fishing) as their preferred weapon. They, like many giants, are adroit at catching projectiles thrown at them (usually rocks thrown by other giants) and throwing them back.
Marsh Giants possess a number of magical talents allowing them to determine whether an action will bring good or ill, create a cloud of fog to hide in and ambush their prey (or escape, if the need arises), and curse targets with weakness, much like Darius is fond of doing with his whip.
Some Marsh Giants worship Dagon and enter unholy unions with deep sea creatures, granting them further powers over enemies' minds and bodies, sowing confusion and disease wherever they go. They also gain a degree of aquatic adaptation and slight control over water, in addition to the power to commune with animals.
Jones explains this to the party while waiting for his mutagen to finish brewing.
"That explains why one of them would be working with the Dagon priests. Be wary of its magical abilities. If you have ways to resist curses or fight without being able to see, be prepared to use them."
After saying this, he begins making a Paragon Surge extract.
Darius nods in acknowledgement. " I understand fully. That may also be the reason that the octopus was capturing those people and still fighting instead of running. It could have been controlled by this giant or the cultists. We will need to be careful.. if this is a well guarded area, we are to expect heavy resistance.. unlike the false Church to Gozreh. "
Darius slowly defurred from his own mutagen but was brewing another.. though strangely the cosmetic effects seemed to linger longer than normal.
You move further, passing through the front gate and onto the grounds. Immediately you feel a shift in the air, as though something is ever so slightly...wrong in this place. It weighs on you, setting you on edge. You couldn't let your guard down here even if you wanted to, the mere feeling of being on these grounds grating on your nerves like a knife drawn ever so slightly across a rope. Too much time here and it may just...snap.
A moment after walking in you all startle, catching a glimpse of something moving in the water of the pond several yards to your right.
Sledge will drink the extract in advance and take point.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Sledge gives the thing in the water a good look.
Darius notes Sledge's intrigue and keeps an eye on the other such areas, the entrances to be particular.
There is an entrance ahead about 50 feet. It is closed.
Looking the opposite direction of Sledge, Darius can just barely spot a gravestone, with the hints of outlines of more hidden in the brush up on a hilltop.
"Toss in a bomb, Darius."
" Scared it seems? You do know it will only make noise correct? That might draw attention. " Darius observed the stones moving toward them as he got ready to toss a pre-created bomb. His other hand gripping a bow.
The bomb makes a big SPLOOSH but nothing more. Darius can see nothing beneath the dark water either.
Darius huffs and goes to inspect the gravestones closer, " Seems there was nothing there or it ran away "
The graveyard is small, consisting of only half a dozen headstones leaning at crazy angles. It obviously has not been visited or tended to in quite some time.
The oldest headstone reads "Cassius Undiomede", and has a death date going back 195 years. The age is too worn away to read. The grave is oddly sunken in, as if nothing is inside.
The most recent is Claudius Undiomede, who died a mere 70 years prior at age 47.
Darius explained his findings to the rest and then pointed towards the entrance. " I suspect foul play here or Necromancy. The fact this plot was sunken reminds me of the Beast Case. Something is very very wrong. Just like the Church I expect the enemy to be fast and strong especially since they have giants.. Let's go introduce ourselves, shall we? "
Darius examined the Door for traps and if it were locked before opening it, his whip ready.
The door is untrapped and swings open easily. Inside is a large foyer, with high ceilings and a large central staircase.
Scattered around the room are pillars in an odd position. On secind glance, they appear to be the remains of an ancient ring of standing stobes, with odd symbols carved in them.
The symbols are related to the wrship of Shub-Niggurath, and look Druidic in nature. Why they are in the middle of this hall is a mystery.
Sledge will have a listen.
Sledge hears the sounds of footsteps coming from the northeast wall.
Jones draws his rapier and takes out his Shield extract.
Darius raises a brow. His whip already ready.
A round later, a marsh giant appears, popping out of the wall.
"Why you here?"
"Die."
Sledge introduces the marsh giant to the law of the jungle.
Sledge's punches all bounce off the blubbery hide of the Brineborn.
Darius (24)
Zin (21)
Jones (16)
Yib Thoolp (13)
Sledge (10)
It looks dumbly down at Sledge.
"Why you do that?"
"Please, take your time to mull it over."
Jones drinks his Shield and moves to flank with Sledge.
Darius steps up giving the disgusting giant a right proper whipping wot wot. He strikes at his maximum range, as the erie glow of Grimoire erupts. " The same reason your kind play with the lives of people. "
Jones fails to safely move around the Marsh Giant, and gets SLAMMED for his trouble, enormous greatclub connecting solidly with his abdomen mid-tumble.
Yib screams in pain as the whip dries her flesh and causes it to painfully crack and bleed.
There is nothing to disbelieve.
The giant roars in pain as its sensitive skin is charred by Zin's flames.
It coughs, tears still streaming down its face, and then coughs some more.
It coughs and belches again, a cloud of smoke vomiting forth from its mouth and hazing the battlefield.
The Brineborn steps backwards...and disappears from sight.