Now the shadowy man has a dilemma - which door to open first. His eyes narrow, Keil mutters to himself in the infernal tongue as a bony finger sways from one door to the other. A moment later and finally Keil's mind turns to the group's unofficial motto for his choice, Leave no untried door behind. Granted, they'd broken with this principle earlier when they'd reached the bottom of the stairs leading to this disease ridden level, but those doors will be tended to in due time. A steady hand reaches for the door leading north, depresses the latch and gently nudges the portal open.
When Keil opens the door, the stench rolls out of the room like heat from a blast furnace. At the center of the room there is a seething puddle of unbelievable putrescence, so foul that just the sight of it is enough to make the fetchling's eyes water. He can see from the door that the pool is fed from a rivulet that runs into the room through a crack in the stones of the north wall.
While the puddle of putrescence dominates this room, Keil can also see there is a door on the east wall.
...it is enough to make the fetchling's eyes water.
As much as Keil enjoys the sweet fragrance of death, even the shadowy man has his limits. Just as quietly as he opened it, Keil closes the door then takes a slow, deep breath of 'fresh' air.
Gently dabbing the moisture from his eyes from such a moving experience, Keil confers with the group of magicians congregating towards the back, "The bouquet is, strong. Means to weaken its affects would be..." Keil leaves the final word open for interpretation as he pauses to crudely clear the contents of his nose with a rattling snort.
"Fire. Light a torch." Gray said simply. "The air near the flame should be purer."
"Fire..." The way the word slow escapes Keil lips hints at his disappointment, "No magical means?" Yellow eyes stare blankly through Grey as the shadowy man contemplates the unsavory thought of using a torch. Then his eyes move through the others one by one, "I see. Prepare your torches, they may yet be needed."
As the others prepare torches, Keil returns to the door with Varg as he rummages in the folds behind his cloak. He retrieves his tattered winter blanket and takes a knee. There is the sound of tearing mixed with a few choice curses and then Keil is back on his feet again, adjusting a strip of the cloth wrapped doubly around his mouth and tied at the back. Looking more like a common brigand Keil, stuffs the remains of his blanket back within his pack then prepares to ease open the door once more. His actions suggest he has no intention of using a torch. Instead the impression is that the group may need one to retrieve Keil's body should he succumb.
Grezzor stands by the door, simply observing the puddle.
With Grezzor watching the door, Keil prepares himself as best he can for the smell and moves into the room, followed closely by Vargrenz. Seeing little else in here other than the pool of putrescence, the pair cautiously proceed to the door in the east wall...
As Keil approaches the door on the far wall, he can almost feel the presence of the putrescence crawling all over his skin...
"Maybe what humans call 'acceptable loss'?"
"As long as the results put you in a better position than you started, any loss is acceptable." Grey said simply.
.
Initiative
.
Keil and Vargrenz do not notice any of the strange markings on their skin which they saw infecting Raaz earlier. Though they are not sure of exactly when the marking showed up, they do know it occurred fairly rapidly. Now of more import is the sound of a hideous high-pitched cackling noise coming from the other side of the door, along with muttered words in the language of demons, "Mine, all mine!"
"What you find?"
"Brok think we should stay away from stink pools and look for another way around!" Brok suggests.
Keil's hand raises immediately behind him in a common gesture for Varg to stop whatever he's doing. With a single bony finger to the section of scarf where his lips should be, the shadowy man points at the door and indicates the presence of someone within adding in a whisper, "Trouble. Demon." Drawing his short sword, Keil quietly stands to the side of the door, away from its direction of swing to take advantage of its blind spot to set up a back stab. As he sets himself up to 'keep watch' the shadowy man motions for Varg to go and inform the others.
"I have never seen such putrescence" - Grezzor whispers to the others - "I am certain this pool is the cause of Raaz' disease - close proximity to it risks exposure to the disease. Perhaps we can navigate around it?"
Arlok perks up at the mention of demon and steps into the room.
"It not so bad in here. Arlok open door."
He then moves to the door nodding to Keil and swings it open.
As the godling yanks open the door he sees this room contains the remnants of a bed and a desk, both of which have been vandalized and there are old bloodstains on the floor. A treasure chest has been broken open beside the bed, and coins gleam in the dim light. A small creature, obviously demonic in nature, sits on the chest, surrounded by four large rats. As it notices your presence, Arlok hears a voice in his mind, "NOOOO....ALL MINE!" It then springs to its feet and moves to attack, along with the rats.
Demon, Rats, Arlok.
Keil seizes the opportunity to strike. Closing the distance between him and the demon, the fetchling's free hand reaches into his cloak to draw his second sword. In a flurry Keil lashes out at the creature cutting small gashes across it's leg.
When the turn passes to Brok he will enter the room and snap off a crossbow shot at a rat through the door.
(deadly aim)
Grezzor stays put and away from the pool, unless he is called for.
Keil slides smoothly into the room and thrusts hard with both his blades at the demonic creature. While both blades sink into its skin and do draw some foul looking ichor, it was not nearly as effective as the tiefling had hoped.
Vargrenz slides into a flanking position just on the other side of the demon and connects solidly with his tone-like fist. Again the demonic form of the outsider shrugs off a majority of the blow.
Brok decides to join the fray here, but his crossbow shot goes wide.
The demon yelps in pain and leaps up into the air, vanishing from your sight in a loud puff of oily black smoke! As you glance around, you see the demon reappear in the far corner of the room hovering in place. It screeches out in its native abyssal tongue a command and the rats proceed to swarm you, one of them manages to give Keil a nasty gash on his leg.
; miss
; hit;
; miss
; miss
Keil curses at the sight of the demon's resistance then hisses in anger as the pest flees for the corner. The fetchling snarls angrily at rat, "Aaa!" but continues to press his advantage adding in demonic, "Call off your dogs fiend, you are outnumbered!"
Arlok sees the creature vanish and hears it yell it's orders so as he moves into the room he finds it quickly and moves toward it to attack with his glaive.
Arlok moves with a fluid grace for such a large man and his blow catches the demon by surprise, its otherworldly nature staving off the worst of the blow but still grievous wound.
Keeping his back to the wall Keil attempts to reposition himself and avoid being surrounded. But it is a clumsy attempt. The best the fetchling can do is snarl at the rats with loathing as he slashes at one with his sword.
miss.
The fetchling dances out of the way of the rats surrounding him, barely managing to avoid the creature's bite in return. His return thrust impales the rat in return, and it slumps to the floor unmoving.
Vargrenz takes a more direct approach here, pummeling another of the rats into a messy pulp on the floor.
Brok reloads and tries to pick off one of the rats.
(deadly aim)
Brok's crossbow bolt skewers another rat, leaving it bleeding out on the floor.
The demon seeing a rather perturbed godling in its face decides discretion is the better part of valor and disappears again in a black puff of smoke.
The final rat lunges halfheartedly at Vargrenz...
...missing horribly.
The rest of you are quite surprised to see the demon pop into existence in the room outside where the vile substance flows into the room.
Recognizing the spell Malzii was casting, Grey held out a hand, delaying her casting for a moment and focusing on the demon.
Praetor sends out his strange eldritch magic at the fleeing demon, who succumbs to the magic and floats gently to the ground fast asleep.
The others in the room have little difficulty dispatching the lone remaining rat.
Malzii's cry and subsequent chatter tells Keil the demon hadn't gotten far and has been subdued. With the last of the rats splattered against the walls, he wipes his blades on the pelt of one of the rats adding with a grin of satisfaction, "More rations Arlok."
Going over the room, the shadowy man tidies up any coins which may have fallen from the chest and does an inventory.
'Arlok like rat. Arlok thank Keil."
He goes and starts picking up the rats for later.
Grezzor knows many demons have the ability to teleport basically anywhere they wish to, and also due to the nature of their otherworldly nature it is nigh impossible to prevent them from exercising that innate ability.
Keil looks over the contents of the chest and sees a vertible haul. Inside the broken chest is 2,036 cp; 1,035 sp; 1,568 gp; 4 garnets (100 gp each), and a golden wand encrusted with pearls (2,000 gp).
"Do Not eat those rats." Grey said firmly. "This is a disease ridden pit. Anything we pull from here should be cleansed with fire. None of it should be eaten."
Grey's warning leaves Keil crest fallen - rat has become somewhat of a delicacy around here.
With a sneer, the shadowy man gathers up the coins and other nick-knacks and soon forgets any grumbling noises his stomach might conjure up. He passes the treasure to Arlok to combine with the group's growing stockpile...although he is not entirely sure about the copper pieces, Is it really worth the effort? With this battle plaguing his own inner demon, greed, Keil returns to the octagonal chamber and begins easing the door leading east open.
While the rest of you ponder what to do with your demonic 'prisoner', Keil gathers up the treasure and hands it off to Arlok. Turning his attention to the octagonal chamber he opens the door and sees another room.
This room contains no identifying decorations or furniture. There are a few small holes drilled into the stone walls to hold torch sconces, but the holes have nothing interesting about them. Two doors, one each in the east and south walls, provide exits from this otherwise empty room.
Cautiously stepping into the next room, Keil begins to examine its decor, or lack there of. His inspection of the first door goes smoothly, or so he presumes, while the other door leaves him hesitant and once again turning to the goblin for a second opinion.