Moving to the door next to the hole Vargrenz yanks the door open.
The floor of this room is scattered with what are obviously stirge skeletons, most of them old and yellowed. Large nests made of mud and bone fragments have been built on the walls near the ceiling, sticking to the stone like wasp nests.
Currently he sees more than a dozen stirges fleeing the room as fast as their wings can carry them. He does manage to hit and kill one of them while Keil brings down another one. The rest of them fly out through a crack in the wall leaving the room to yourselves.
There are twenty stirge nests in this room, although only 8 of them appear to be recently used. The other 12 nests are dusty and crumbling.
"They are full. They aren't going to be aggressive. Still, we should kill them if we can."
"Why kill them then?" - Grezzor inquires - "Are they preventing us from moving onward?" - he shrugs - "This is but a waste of resources?"
In spite of his doubts, the goblin fires a ray of pure cold at the closest stirge.
His aim is wide though, and misses by a mile.
"What have the bird-bugs been eating? Anyone see a fresh corpse?" Brok asks.
"That. Never leave a live enemy or dangerous beast behind you."
"Arlok agree, Arlok like Arlok blood in Arlok." He says as he starts stomping around on the giant bugs listening to them pop, like a child jumping in puddles of water.
Brok watches the giant Arlok stomp off to kill the bird-bugs.
Then he returns to examining the pools.
Gathering pebbles where he is and then tossing one into each pool to see if there is any reaction.
Arlok finds the stirges prove more elusive than he anticipated as they manage to wriggle out of the room through several tiny cracks in the wall. The godling amuses himself by stomping the nests and the old stirge remains into the floor.
As Brok approaches the pools against the far wall, a feeling of fear settles in his belly that soon grows to a state of heart-pounding terror.
Eeeek!
Arlok is enjoying himself too much to notice the shiny stuff.
With a piteous cry of terror Brok turns and flees the room as fast as his legs can carry him.
"Eeek!"
Brok's crossbow clatters to the flow as he scampers away.
While Arlok plays with the nests, Keil shoulders his bow and draws his sword. Using the tip, the fetchling begins to pick through the nests looking for strays, "Varg and the witch are right. Leave no loose ends." The shadowy man notices something shiny and is about reach for it when Brok's screams reach his ears. Leaving the nests for another time, Keil rushes back into the main room to see what's going on, "What's happened?"
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Seeing the goblin begin to flee for no apparent reason Varg reaches out with his muscular arms and grabs the strange creature, hoping to stop him until he returns to what few senses he appears to have had.
Grapple: <-- should make it, Improved Grapple, no AoO
If Brok did not pass Varg, then Varg will chase him down and move to block/grapple him next round.
Brok's move is only 20'.
Grey sighed and waited for the madness of the stomping godling and screaming goblin to sort themselves out.
Malzii's quick reflexes come into play as she sends the fleeing, panicked goblin sprawling to the floor.
Varg is correct as to the source of Brok's bowlegged monkey walk.
With the goblin subdued, Keil tries to make sense of what's going on, "Did anyone notice where he was before he went mad?"
Raaz slides into the room, eyes darting around as he takes in the scene from the snoring goblin with Malzii standing over him, to the fetchling with a confused look on his face.
"I did note the pool that evoked the response from Brok." His tail snakes out to point towards the pool at the far wall.
He sneers at the others in the party. "Now if you are finished playing around here, then I suggest we check the other pools out carefully. And..." his gaze flicks over to the spell-casters, "I suggest you check for magical auras before getting too close."
Muttering darkly under his breath in the infernal tongue he returns to his position outside the room guarding the corridor.
Brok lays on the floor snoring, enjoying his nap.
"where was goblin Brok going? Why he run from pool?
With Brok subdued the shadowy man's yellow eyes narrow, "Noted." Heeding Raaz' warning, the fetchling avoids the pool by the far wall and returns to searching the nests, letting the others put their skills to use.
Grey moves forward, watching with his second sight.
Grezzor cast an arcane spell to scan the area.
snooze ......
Grezzor determines all but one of the pools radiates magic.
Pool A radiates a moderate necromantic aura (obviously).
Pool B radiates a faint illusionary aura.
Pool C radiates a faint divination aura.
Pool D radiates a moderate transmutation aura.
Grey confers with Grezzor a moment then reports back to the group.
"Each pool is enchanted. Brok must have activated thhe magic onn the nearest one, which radiates Necromancy. The others are an Illusion, a Divination, and a Transputation aura. The last is faint and difficult to make out."
"What does mean? Riddle?"
Scowling, Keil returns to the main chamber just as the grey witch reports his findings. "Hmph." As Keil's attention had been elsewhere, trying to remember which pools Brok had already checked is out of the question. Save one. Keeping this pool in mind, the fetchling moves carefully to avoid going near it and heads to the top of the room. Using his sword as a probe, he dips the blade into the waters to see what happens.
Keil dips his blade into the water which ripples gently for a moment. After he takes his sword out of the water he realizes the sword is completely dry! After further examination he realizes the water in this pool is illusionary, concealing a shaft leading down into the darkness. Iron rungs are set into the stones to serve as a ladder of sorts.
"Found another way down." Sheathing his sword, the shadowy man tugs on the first and second rung to ensure they are sturdy.
"Is this the "Well" that the legends say not to go down?" Grey asked.
Brok sits up from his nap and asks: "Wha' 'appened?" in a slurred drowsy voice.
In a genuinely puzzled tone, Keil looks up from the pool "Legends?" Apparently the fetchling has not heard of this story.
"There are many legends of Rappan Athak. They do not agree on much. One thing that comes up enough times that it may be the only thing credible from the legends is that going down 'the well' is extremely dangerous."
"Of course, there's no description of the well, or where it is, so it could also be hearsay."
"Do we have choice? Arlok go down if ready."
"How many ways down have we found so far?" Brok asks.
"Only if you are tied to a rope Arlok" - Grezzor pipes in - "Though I'd rather an alternative where we can see where we are heading"