With a fury that is more desperate than anything else, Torch continues to lay into the Blue Warrior, hoping to fell him before he can inflict any further harm to Torch or Aerys.
Torch lays the blue warrior low. Just the woman to contend with, now.
Finally! Gelik remarks, watching the undead drop. Seeing the odds moving in their favor, the little gnome works up his bravery to stab the last wight standing.
Aerys turns her anger in the remaining undead. "You'll join your mate in the halls of hell!" she curses. She skips round to place the creature between Torch and herself.
Ralf sends more healing energy Torch's way.
Aerys sends the woman to her eternal rest and there is a moment of silence.
Aside from his heavy pick that detects as magical, the blue warrior is wearing a tarnished silver locket. The woman wears a key around her neck.
Torch sags with relief when the woman falls, almost staggering back to lean against the mineshaft wall. "That..." he says, shaking his head, "...was not fun." He is shaken enough by the experience that it takes him several full seconds before the intrigue of the locket and the key catch his attention and distract him from his wounds.
Aerys helps Torch up as he staggers backwards. She returns to the blue orb from which they came, "We should destroy this." she says with a grime determination. Looking back at the pick, she continues, "That should be a useful tool to try and get rid of this evil."
XP: 13492, HPs: 6, Next Level: 15000
The locket is engraved with the initials F. C. and contains a faded
portrait of a kindly looking man holding a small child.
With some help and the magic pick Aerys is able to smash the blue globe to pieces although it is hard as stone (hardness 8).
Who'd have thought such a sweet looking child would grow up to be a violent thug? Gelik shrugs, and leans over the corpse of the "woman".
He gingerly removes the key from around the creature's neck. He tests it in the lock of the old rusted strongbox that Torch opened earlier.
If it fits the lock, he'll just leave the key there. If it doesn't fit, he'll look around for anything that might be locked. (another chest, coffer, secret door, etc.)
With sweat running down from her brow, Aerys sees Gelik fiddling with the key in the lock of the strongbox. "Just open it then!" she calls across impatiently, as she continues to go to work on the orb. Shouting, "its done!!......No more evil from this thing then..." she breaks the last of the orb, a smile beaming on her face.
The key fits and you already opened the strongbox, as Gelik noted. Since there is nothing much here for you to find, I guess you move on.
Soon after the drift opens into a large cavern filled with immense piles of rock salt chunks. Shovels, picks, and other mining tools lie scattered
about the chamber. At the opposite end of the shaft, a neatly excavated wall supports a pair of double iron doors.
Behind the doors, a short passage leads out into the open air, and you eagerly breathe the fresh air again after the cramped and acrid mine. Outside, an anxious Athyra is awaiting you, a faint smile on her lips.
Aerys stops when she sees the woman again, wary in case she is still in the mood for fighting. She speaks to the girl. "Selvisimme undead maa, sen pitäisi olla turvallinen kerran. Teidän Isänne henki on nyt levossa enää pidettäisi unliving paha luola. Paha on tuhottu, ystäväni on piristynyt medaljonki, se voi olla yksi etsit. Olemme ystäviä nyt?" She turns to Gelik, "Show the girl the locket you found please Gelik."
We have survived the land of the undead, it should be safe once more. Your father's spirit is now at rest, no longer kept unliving by the evils in the cavern. The evil is destroyed, my friend has picked up a locket, it may be the one you seek. Are we friends now?
The girl is dumbstruck and springs forward to grab the locket, and examines it carefully. Choking with emotion, she nods.
Athyra's guidance cuts 1 day off your travel time. Also you get 400 xp each for helping her.
Nkechi can cure your desiccation (Con damage), but you'll need to make your saves to shrug of your negative levels yourselves.
Just don't kill me and feed me to your pet monster and we'll call it even. Gelik smiles sweetly at the savage lady.
He turns to Aerys. See, the joke is, that she doesn't understand what I'm saying. You know, because she's an ignorant savage. It's lazy really, because I use the same joke based on Ralf's debilitating deafness. But it's funny enough that I think it still works.
Gelik gives the scary woman a wide berth, but is otherwise ready to continue trekking.
"As a general rule, even 'savages' don't send their new best friends to be eaten by their pet." laughs Aerys. "But whether her pet thinks the same I don't know Gelik. Hahaha.... She will help the caravan through and show us some short cuts through the jungle here, I think we are as safe as we can be at the moment."
Aerys then turns back to the girl and asks about her history, to share some food with them and generally show herself to be a friend of Athyra. She invites her to go with them until they make camp for the night. Even tries to teach her a bit of 'Common'.
It is clear that the fight took a lot out of Torch - more, perhaps, than he can readily recover. He seems uncharacteristically subdued and quiet for the rest of the day, merely nodding in acknowledgement of Athyra's words and Nkechi's healing when he receives it.
Ralf is a little fuzzy on what is going on, but he can tell that Gelik is sweet on the savage girl since he's giving her jewelry.
As you resume your travels, helped not a little by Athyra's knowledge of the terrain, you go back to scouting.
In the morning the next day you spot a giant scorpion - a huge specimen measuring almost twenty feet - sunning itself on a rock. It's still 80 feet ahead of you, but you realize that you'll have to eliminate the threat if the caravan shall be able to pass.
Make your preparations and then roll for initiative.
Quietly Aerys say to the group, "Let Torch and myself take some antitoxin vials to protect us from the poison. Then we can fight it up close, leaving you both to keep out of melee and do distant damage with your spells and stuff. What do you think?"
"Your invisibility spell would also come in handy," Torch whispers to Gelik. "We'll need to get inside that stinger's range without it noticing if possible."
Certainly. Gelik's mouth widens in a broad, genuine smile. It's nice to be appreciated.
Aerys passes Torch a vial of Anti-toxin from the party supplies and drinks it, before Torch becomes invisible.
There isn't a lot of cover, so the scorpion spots Aerys as she's trying to get closer. Torch can take an action in the surprise round before we go to regular initiatives.
Seeing the scorpion suddenly jerk and react to Aerys' approach, Torch realizes the time for stealth is over. "HEY UGLY!" he shouts, gripping his scimitar in both hands and slashing at one of the thing's vicious-looking pincers.
The scorpion takes a hefty hit from Torch's blade, but he's still quicker than it.
Initiatives, please. The scorpion goes on 14 so anyone that beats that can act. It's within range for Aerys to charge now.
Seeing it caught off-guard by his sudden appearance, Torch presses the advantage, taking his left hand off the hilt to punch and slash together.
Init:
As the creature starts its charge towards Aerys, she takes up the challenge and charges straight right back at it. Sword held high she issues her own challenge, "Die vermin!"
Thanks guys, I'll just take it from here.
Gelik flings his spear, striking a pose.
The scorpion is taken aback by Torch's sudden assault and collapses, but not before lashing out with a last vindictive sting at him, for 11 points of damage and a Fort 19 save vs. poison.
After exiting the mines, you find yourselves on the M'neri plains, a broad swath of savanna that stretches to the horizon. At this point Athyra bids you goodbye, not wanting to leave her home. She will help see you caravan through the mines safely, but she's happy to stay where she is and thanks you yet again for finding her locket.
An entire day of travel on the endless plains passes uneventfully after that, but then you come across some sort of merchant's camp ahead, a number of tents with people milling about.
"Torch can you get close enough to hear and see what's going on in there without being seen?" asks Aerys.
XP: 13492, HPs: 44, Next Level: 15000
Torch considers the question. "I could try, but do we really need to worry about that? Merchants seem like they might be useful."
You're travelling along a trade route, so there is nothing suspicious in itself about encountering a merchant camp.
Ralf gives Torch some healing....yet again.
boosted minor cure:
regular minor cure:
"OK, but remember there are tongues that wag and we have competition who want to get to the site before or with us. Let's at least be on our guard." says the suspicious Aerys. "But supplies are always welcome, perhaps even a drink of fine ale won't go amiss. I'll follow your lead on this then Torch.", though her hand stays close to the hilt of her sword.
You approach gingerly, but the merchants seem friendly enough. There are a number of merchants here of various provenance, and you can buy and sell any normal equipment you should like.
They have set up an arena for cockfighting, and soon enough you are invited to take part and place bets if you should like.
Well, finally we've come across actual people. They don't even look like the walking dead. Also, they haven't tried to murder us. Yet. That's a good sign.
Gelik claps his hands together once, all smiles. He calls out, I don't mind saying that I'm looking forward to some hot cock on cock action. So which is the best cock then? He asks the closest merchant, How familiar are you with these cocks? Do you have a favorite cock?
Torch's expression is hard to read through his scars, but he refuses the chance to participate in the cockfights or bet on them very quickly and firmly. Instead, he wanders the tents for awhile rather aimlessly before deciding to look more specifically for items that seem useful going forward.
There is a cockfight coming up, and you are invited to take part. The two contestants are a speckled pea-comb named Cornugon and a brown single comb named Muddy Lyza. The betting odds are 2:1 for Cornugon, who's the underdog in this contest.
Easing his way past the others, Kamal remains silent as he studies the group of caravanners and guardsman that are clustered around the roadside. As a student of the wilds, the guide knows something of animals, intently he studies the two roosters, noting their species and apparent strength and speed.
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Aerys takes out 5gp and places it on the underdog, (or the underchicken), "Come on Cornugon" she says excitedly as she is drawn into the atmosphere of the fight.
Gelik saunters over to the fighting pit. Using his Speak with Animals ability, he strikes up a conversation with the birds, trying to figure out which one is tougher through chatting with them.
So, Muddy Lyza, you've got a bit of a reputation around here. Are you as much of a badass as they say you are?
If Gelik is convinced, he'll bet 5 gp on Lyza.