"We seem to be headed in the right direction," Caulder looks up questioningly at Pagrip and Ten when they return from their reconnoiter. "These snake-skeletons look like the kind of watchdogs a necromancer would have, right? Better them than Lamm's damned crocodile."
Ten thinks for a moment, before answering: "Yes, and no. If i'm not mistaken, necrophidius construction makes use of the same raw materials, but they aren't necessarily undead. Any arcane practitioner could probably put these together, given enough resources and the training to do so. Maybe I should try building one as a friend for Reginald and 33."
"Shall we go left?"
"You have my thanks, cleric." Esme says maintaining a straight face "Though I must admit, healing magics have never made me feel dirty before."
Caulder remans the cart with the half-a-Shoanti in it. "Wherever," he grumbles. "Better than standing around here."
Caulder just about reaches the door when next to him Pagrip mumbles, "hmmm, that's strange, that should--" he reaches out and pushes once, twice against the north wall. Click. A narrow passage way opens.
"Well its as good a way as any. After you Pagrip, finder of secrets."
"Heh," Pagrip says, "I need to spontaneously check things more often, it seems." He peers down the passageway before stepping in.
It takes a few minutes, as more and more tunnels split from the initial one - and even for the thin dwarf some sections are a bit tight - but eventually the four manage to determine the layout of the secret passages. Conveniently they connect various rooms that they've already explored; unfortunately nothing new is revealed.
"These might be useful to know about later. Well, back to that last door then."
The door offers no resistance, and Pagrip heads through first. The room beyond features wooden tables stacked with vials, beakers, and other alchemical gear, although the southern one is heaped with broken vials and leans awkwardly on a hastily repaired leg. Three large cauldrons sit against the east wall, one of them upended. Its foul, rancid contents of rendered fats have spilled over the floor.
Another of the by now familiar derro is in the room, preoccupied with balancing the content of two vials.
Next up: Caulder, Ten, Pagrip, Esmerelda, enemies, Caulder, Ten, Pagrip, Esmerelda
Ten raises 33 to his lips indicating that the others should . Reginald, now attached to Ten's neck, raises a paw-analogue and also let's out a small . Ten crouches down, trying to stay low and out of sight as he sneaks around the northern-most table.
Caulder remains in the back, while Ten and his menagerie slowly creep forward.
Next up: Pagrip, Esmerelda, enemies, Caulder, Ten
While Ten moves round the north side, Pagrip tries moving around the south side of the table up to the derro. He carefully pulls out his warhammer as he goes.
Esme looks ready for action.
Quietly the dwarf and the alchemist make their way around the table. Even the usually clanky and voicesome Abadarians manage to keep things silent. The derro is working feverishly - apparently oblivious to the world.
Next up: Caulder, Ten, Pagrip, Esmerelda, enemies
Ten steps out from behind the table and swings 33 at the derro, hoping to grab the little blue dwarf by the neck.
The jig up, Caulder gestures in an elaborately-gentlemanly manner from Esmerelda to the door and smirks, "After you."
Pagrip steps up to the derro. Taking advantage of the flanking opportunity offered by Ten, he swings his warhammer.
Nodding at Caulder as she passes, Esme moves into the room, steps onto the table and swings down at the unsuspecting derro.
Both Ten and Pagrip botch their attacks, leaving the derro to yelp in surprise. Esmerelda takes full advantage of this, dealing a tremendous blow to the creature.
Next up: Caulder, enemies, Ten, Pagrip, Esmerelda
Caulder follows Esme as far as the door and grunts in disgust. "Let me guess: This is either where the lights go out or someone gets screamed at."
With a yelp - that manifests in magical energies - the derro realizes that he's in deep trouble. This is aggravated as his shout creates a sound burst that stun both himself and his immediate assailants Ten and Pagrip. Esmerelda and Caulder, however, stand firm in the cacophony (undoubtedly having outlasted sermons of a similar nature before).
Next up: Esmerelda, Caulder, enemies, Ten, Pagrip
"OW! Not in my EARS!" Esme once again sweeps her sword at the derros head.
The shout of the blue little freak is cut short as a massive chunk of sharp steel ends its life.
Jumping off the table Esme says "Good job everyone. Pagip, take a look around and see if you find anything of note."
Esme bends over and rummages through the derros belongings.
"hmmm"
Like the other derros, this one has an impressive crossbow. Quite dissimilar from the normal crossbows, this one appears to be able to fire at quite a rate.
It takes a moment for the ringing to go away from Pagrip's ears and he just stares open-mouthed at Esme. "Huh...wha?" he mutters. "Oh right, yes, of course." Rubbing his ears, he begins to search around the room.
The room is filled with reagents, compounds, tinctures and alchemical substances and tools.
More specifically the alchemical tools and substances present circumstantial evidence of necromantic research.
Pagrip feels his dwarven senses tingle when he approaches the northern wall. A faint outline sets itself off, easily missed by the less acutely perceptive; to Pagrip's touch it opens into a hidden passage.
"I'd guess that this room was used as a laboratory of sorts," Ten mutters to Reginald. After poking around a bit, he declares: "We're just missing some onyx gems and serviceable corpses. If we could find those, we could use this laboratory to build our own zombie army."
"I thought this necromancer we were looking for was, y'know, a person, not a weird kind of dwarf," Caulder frowns. He nods to the downed derro. "We need to patch this thing up and take it back for trial?"
"It might have been an apprentice," Ten responds, while pocketing a few choice reagents, automatically adding: "We might need these later... No, Darkbane, I do not intend to create an army of undead."
With pockets full, Ten heads towards the northern tunnel. "Should we follow Pagrip's discovery?"
"'Apprentice,'" Caulder hems. "That's an accessory to a crime. Still probably worth taking it in, either as corroborating witness or something to stand trial if the necromancer ends up dead. We can toss it in the cart with the half-Shoanti ... if it's still alive."
Esme eyes Ten while he collects 'evidence' "But an army of tentacles is fine?"
Esme considers the options.
"Let's try that door next." she says as she points to the door in the south. "Pagrip. Have at it!"
"Not the secret passage?" Pagrip says as he heads towards the south door. "Good place to hide things, secret passages. Still, obvious doors might contain something interesting too."
"Yes, Reginald, I also thought Pagrip would go along with my suggestion."
Pagrip finds the door to the south unlocked, but hard to open as it has been boarded up.
"If it's boarded up, our necromancer hasn't been coming and going that way," Caulder protests. "This Shoanti corpse is fresh; the other half can't be behind there. Leave that be, and let's find what we're actually looking for."
"I agree with Caulder. We can look through there later. Perhaps we can even ask the necromancer about what might be behind there."
Pagrip spins around. "Right, secret passage it is." He heads through the secret door.
Pagrip leads the way, and it doesn't take long for the secret passage to end. From the inside it isn't hard for the dwarf to spot the lever to open the secret door. Two wide, freestanding bookshelves stand in the room beyond, the shelves filled with row upon row of tomes and scrolls.
"A necromancers lair filled with foul magical books. Let's see if there is any particularly incriminating evidence."