The door opens into a larger chamber. It is dark inside, but the lights reveal a small shrine to Torag. A stone table sits in the middle of the room and benches hug the walls. Sitting at the far end is an unmoving, hunched figure swaddled in a brown, dusty robe. He, or she, shows no reaction as the newcomers peer in.
Beyond is a small antechamber. To the right, a stone bench runs alongside the wall. Straight ahead a basin, filled with water, sits on a stone pedestal. To the right is another stone door, carved in relief with a hammer symbol.
** spoiler omitted **
As the others gather around Sol, Rhok instead wanders closer to the water-filled basin. "A treasure, depending on the circumstance, can be almost anything - a pretty rock, a crown-shaped icicle, a particularly trusty canteen. This is such a treasure - the water is blessed by the priests of Torag, and will nourish the worthy and sear the flesh of the impure. It might prove very valuable in this dank cavern."
Mulluq scowls at Kira's flippant attitude towards his personal woes, "Lady Valerious, the gods do not take lightly to offenses undergone in their holy sites. Even if the god Torag himself does not see fit to take out his anger at my most vile self walking freely into this temple of his, surely there are prayers and miracles of his following that can act on his behalf. Much like how the Wardstones are intended to operate." He summarizes, "It doesn't hurt to ask Iomedae herself to guide me in doing right by another of the gods of good, so that I may not invoke their ire in my ignorance."
He nods at Hannik gratefully, for acknowledging his concerns, only to be once again mocked by Kira. This time he only purses his lips and sighs heavily.
He moves away, recoiling slightly, at Rhok's description of the water's effects. Still he eyes Rhok warily, his question unanswered about the man's ability to shrug off the flames. He actually welcomes the company of the cheerful cousin Jod, to his more taciturn relative.
As they enter the inner chamber, he notices the form sitting on the bench, and his tail subconsciously wraps around the hilt of his blade. He grips his heavy shield, pulls his hood higher over his visage, and calls out, "Hello? Are you the caretaker of this temple? I apologize for our intrusion, but we are seeking shelter. Were you injured from the cave-ins? We can help, if you require any."
** spoiler omitted **
"Of course Mulluq. The Goddess guides both our actions. She's had plenty of chance to show a lack of faith in you thus far. Forgive me for showing the same faith She does, in my own way" Kira's still grinning, which probably doesn't help defuse the situation.
The figure doesn't move, and the light reveal cobwebs hanging from its robes, which are covered in a layer of dust. However, at Mulluq's greeting a muffled banging and scratching starts up from somewhere.
The table is simply made - two rectangular uprights and a table-top. It sits on another slab, about six feet square, which is slightly raised above the level of the floor in the middle of the chamber.
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"That table sits on a slab that may be movable. Maybe there's a secret trigger to open it. Maybe we'd have to move the table and slab." Sol points out. "But we should also consider why someone would put a heavy table on top of a stone slab like that. It might be prudent to gather that holy water if we can."
Sol walks around the table to examine the presumably dead person.
"Oooo! Something sealed under the floor, with a table on top of it, inside a sealed crypt, hidden in a cavern under the city? Let's open it up to say hi guys!"
"We should make sure whatever is trying to get out, can't and then rest up for a while before we move on."
Mulluq eyes the table where the pounding originates, completely missing the verbal cues expressed by Hannik. Instead, his sword is lifted by his tail from its scabbard, and placed in his hand. He absent-mindedly thanks his own appendage, like it is a different being entirely. With his shield raised, weapon in hand, he scans the area for any signs of wickedness. "Shouldn't we open it? What if someone's trapped?"
"As Hannick said, how could someone be trapped in tunnels below us. Unless they teleported somehow."
Mulluq looks at Kira with shock, "You intend that we leave it there? If it is something foul and corrupt, then we should do all that we can to remove its very presence from this world, especially considering what just happened above. If not, then we should do what we can to assist whatever it may be. We have no way of knowing who or what is trapped beneath a stone table inside a shrine to Torag, but we can't ignore that there is something there just because you FEAR it may be dangerous." His tone isn't so much angry, as it is disappointed. Like he expected better of someone from the church he holds so dear.
"Or it could be something that lives in tunnels below the rock. The rats we encountered did not require our help, if they had ignored us, I would have ignored them too.
"If it bothers you that there may be evil below, or something that needs help, then we can investigate, but my priority is getting these people safely to the surface, not looking for trouble."
A muffled voice croaks from under the stone slab.
Sol examines the body. It is indeed a corpse, reduced to a dry husk of a skeleton and parchment-like skin. Strands of grey hair still cling to the head and face. A bony claw still clutches a small leather-bound book.
From the room with the basin, Jod's voice catches up with the rest of the party. "Say, does anyone have a spare waterskin or maybe an empty potion bottle or two?"
"Nah, I've got one, I'll use it if I have to."
Mulluq looks up at Jod's question, about to answer about his waterskin, when Sol clarifies that a voice is indeed calling out for help. "There is someone trapped, we must help them." With that he releases his sword back into the grip of his tail, and leans against the stone tablet to push it aside.
The slab is heavy, especially with the weight of the table still on it. But Mulluq gets a good grip and pushes it partly aside, opening a narrow sliver of a gap into the chamber below perhaps a foot wide. A stench of rot gusts out into the room and two pairs of hands - blackened, emaciated and claw-like - immediately reach up to grab the edge of the slab and continue shoving it to one side. Another clawed hand reaches up to grab Mulluq.
Almost as a mute commentary, the skeleton slips from the bench and falls to pieces, the skull rolling across the floor.
Mulluq is taken aback somewhat as the claws grasping at him cannot be that which called for help.
Jod is in the process of taking a big drink from his waterskin - no point in letting to go to waste, after all, but coughts and splutters as he tries to react to Sol's tone and finally hears Mulluq's remark. "What is it? Someone's trapped?"
Hannik snorts. "That seems about right," and swings her crossbow around.
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In Hallit Hannik calls out, "Ghroth! Shred this thing now!"
Jod ties off his waterskin and drops it by the font before moving into the other room. He draws his falchion as he moves .
"Big scary claw thing seems to be attacking from tunnels below us. Keep still, and quiet!" Kira shouts back at Aravashnial.
"What manner of creature is it?" shouts back Aravashnial.
"Hard to tell, really. Undead, claws... Could be anything." Rhok crouches down hehind Mulluq.
Hannik, then Sol.
"How big are the claws? How many arms? Is it man-shaped? What colour is it? Fat or thin? How fast is it moving?" shouts Aravashnial.
"I can't see anything from here! Hold on Arav, I'm going in. Horgus, Anevia if you got anything on you that could fling that holy water I'd fill it up if I were you."
Hannik edges into the tomb and lays a hand on Ghroth's back. With a few words sigils of protection flare around it in a band then burn out and vanish.
An eidolon has the same alignment as the summoner that calls it and can speak all of his languages.
Sadly, beyond grasping at him, Mulluq knows nothing of the claws emerging from under the stone. He swaps his weapon from his tail back to his hand, takes a single step back, and tries to focus on the presence of evil auras now that the stone no longer blocks his ability to do so. "We have come looking for survivors. I must warn you, however, that if you intend to do us harm you will be dealt with severely."
The hands grip the edge of the slab. Despite Sol's somewhat ineffectual attempt to hold the slab in place, they push it wide enough to reveal a rough-hewn pit, perhaps five feet square and about the same depth. Clambering out come three humanoid figures, about four feet tall, hunched and emaciated and hairless, grey skin stretched tightly over their bones. Their long fingers are tipped with nails like twisted claws and they are clad in rags. Sunken eyes glitter with feral hunger in faces more wolf-like than human, and their long tongues, a startling red against their pallor, twitch excitedly over their cracked lips and sharp teeth. The stench of the grave is almost overpowering.
They blink uncomfortably in the party's lights. One hisses, "See, Torag has not abandoned us. He has freed us, brothers. We should thank our rescuers."
Ghroth shoulders past Mulluq trailing one long clawed arm to swipe at a ghoul as he goes.
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"Ghouls," Sol breathes uncomfortably as it occurs to him that he is the only one with the undead between him and the door. Do they really still worship Torag?
Ghroth shoulders past Mulluq trailing one long clawed arm to swipe at a ghoul as he goes.
...
Question seems fated to go unanswered when Ghroth attacks.