Nope, sure don't. Can't we just try to move the rock again?
Jokum frowns and examines the boulder from every angle, pacing around it.
"Perhaps...if I brace it...and you dig...here?" he murmurs to Pollux, pointing at a likely looking spot.
Tess looks up from her cursory examination of the new acquaintances. She balances the rock against the evident strength of the group in her mind, tapping a finger against her chin. "Yes, I think Jokum has the right idea."
"I think I know how to do this..."
As you use your minds rather then brute strength to remove the boulders it becomes a simple task to brace it as you extricate the trapped Mongrel.
The three embrace and take a moment to check Crel for injuries. Apart from hunger and thirst their friend is fine.
After having some time Lann approaches you. Thanking you all for your kind assistance. "It is a rare thing to meet strangers down here, and rarer still for them to give aid. Please come with us to Neathholm. There Chief Sull can reward you for your service..." He seems to finaly notice the state of yoru attire and the injured you've been escorting. "Perhaps we can help you tend to your wounded there as well."
Tess applauds the rescue effort as the trapped man is finally freed. "Well done, all of you!" Sorua yips in excitement. Pollux's story from the night before echoes in her head: We were allies whether we wanted to be or not...
She listens raptly when Lann begins to speak of Neathholm, feeling her head spinning in wonder. A whole society under Kenabres? With a functional government and everything? She glances back to Aravashnial, trying to see what he thinks of this new information. Or did he already know they were there?
The sylphs mood lightens for having helped, it was a positive turn of affairs and she felt much better about herself.
Wait, you live down here? The halfling blurts out, surprised that there are those that would do so. How many of you are there?
|
"Where are our manners?" Pollux asks, face contorting slightly as he gets a whiff of himself. "I am Pollux Wardroxan, and before you are..." he lists off everyone in turn, first name and last name if he knows it, "... We have wandered here underground for three days now and a few of us indeed miss the light of the sun."
He gathers his things, moving with renewed vigor despite not having recovered much from the poison. "As my halfing friend has pointed out, it is a small surprise to hear of a community down here. Why make your home down here in the catacombs of Kenebras?" he hastily adds after his question "We can walk and talk."
Jokum stays quiet and withdrawn after the mongrel is freed, though he seems pleased at the success of their efforts. See how much we can accomplish when we're working together? The sight of the mongrels makes him shudder, though. Horrifying...to be part-man, but still so much beast...not a fate I would wish on anyone, particularly innocents like these.
Aloud, he says, "We would be grateful for food, and shelter. If this Neathholm is near, then by all means take us there; but we wish to return to the surface world as soon as possible."
"Fear not there is a rout to the surface beyond our settlement."
He looks out to the many tunnels leading beyond this cavern. He gestures at one that collapsed. "That would have been the shortest route to the surface but there are other ways we know of."
"Please do lead on, sirs and madame," Tess requests, her voice small in awe of the situation. Sorua barks in anticipation, as if punctuating her remark.
I do believe this shall be a most exciting discovery!
Jokum breathes a sigh of relief on hearing that they are--situationally, at least--near the end of their underground voyage. "As Tess said. Please, lead on."
Karthak looks relieved and for a split second his visage opens up in a something that could be mistaken for a smile:"Good to hear! We are anxious to get to Kenabres... and join the fight of our lives!"
Fortunately, the mongrels know of an alternative route through a tunnel leading to the southwest, and lead you in that direction. As you continue
After winding roughly southwest for 1,875 feet (25 minutes), the tunnel reaches a significant obstacle. Ahead, a wide chasm splits the tunnel floor. The rock dust around the chamber and the groans as the tunnel walls settle indicate that the tunnels split no more than a few days ago.
Crel, Dyra and Lann express dismay when they see the chasm-there's a way onward on the far side of the chasm to the southeast, but they also have begun to worry that the tremors may have destroyed their home.
Tess peers into the chasm, pushing a pebble in with her toe and counting the seconds until it hits.
Her voice sounds distant as she scours the canyon floor. "I have... A rope we can use...."
She straightens and pulls the coiled rope from her bag. "According to my calculations, this length of rope will be sufficient- if knotted- to allow us to climb safely to the bottom. We would then need a way to attach it to the top at the other side, firmly enough to allow us then to climb it."
The girl slings the rope over her arm and polishes her glasses, deep in thought once more. "Any ideas?"
The bottom of the chasm seems to be uninhabited. You don't see any other hazards below apart from the drop.
Anevia perks up as you mention rope. "I have a long length of silken rope as well. Though given my leg I'm not sure how I'll be able to climb down... let a lone back up."
Maybe me and someone can leap across the 10' area here and find something to either lay across the chasm or tie a rope to? Xaivan offers. Might be an option anyway, I'd persoanlly prefer not to do all that climbing.
I'm a halfling, not a dwarf! Xaivan quickly retorts. I might be small but I still have my pride!
"An excellent idea, Sir Slingblade." Tess nods approvingly, and begins making knots in the rope every 5 or so feet. "You may take this with you when you jump, and perhaps tie it to the stalagmite there?"
"Anevia, I believe Sir Breakbones or Sir Ironbreaker would be able to climb with you on their back, provided you were able to hold on tightly enough. Would you need additional rope to secure yourself, or do you possess enough upper arm strength and grip?"
Karthak scoffs:"Well... you certainly are small and loud... as for the pride part I don't know... could having a dwarf toss you on the other side of this hole help it grow a little?" he says, but the recent positive turn of events has taken an edge from his usually brusque tone.
"Do your thing or not I've faith we'll overcome this minor annoyance quickly enough! Torag wills us to avenge our fallen brothers!"
Xaivan can only smile at the dwarf as Karthak finishes scoffing. Though I've never been tossed by a dwarf I'm sure that the act would not cause anything to grow, I assure you! He then adds, And I can be very quiet if required, don't you worry about that either.
If the decision is made to do so, Xaivan will take the rope (if asked) and leap to the other side quite easily. He'll then look for the best place to secure the rope so that the others use it in whatever fashion they decide.
Jokum watches the proceedings carefully, and nods at Xaivan's idea. "Good choice, little one. Perhaps we'll be able to find some way to bridge the gap for our wounded...I could perhaps carry those in need, but 'twould be better by far to have us all fresh and rested, and the risk of further injury would be high."
Ce-Eshna smiles as she looks down, "The drop is of no consequence to me, I will help anyone across who needs it."
Suddenly she steps over the edge and just lets herself drop. She lands gracefully and begins to poke around the bottom.
From bellow she hollers, "Hey Tess, didn't you have something that let you levitate, couldn't that get someone across too?"
The girl blinks rapidly, processing the fall Ce-Eshna has undertaken so gleefully, and recalls the scale of Terendelev in her pocket. "Of course!" Quickly she swaps Anevia the scale for her spider's silk rope. "This will allow you to hover in midair, ma'am, and we can provide the lateral movement to bring you across the gap!"
After using the magic of the scale and some skill in climbing/jumping, everyone makes it safely across the chasm. The tunnel continues along a mostly southeastern course for about 1,400 feet (just over 18 minutes of walking) before reaching a circular cavern. If the PCs approach, the mongrels warn them that the cave ahead is one they now rarely use, for it has become the den of a particularly dangerous fungal creature he calls a "spore-cougher."
Lann assures you that, with their help, they should be able to defeat the monster and move through its lair-and if they're lucky, the creature's out hunting elsewhere.
Spore-cougher? That doesn't sound good. Are we in any condition to be fighting anything? Xaivan questions out loud. Then again, if this is where we have to go, do we really have a choice?
Xaivan takes a deep breath and steps forward. Let me go take a look. Maybe its not here.
Jokum frowns when Lann describes the "spore-cougher." "Sounds like a basidirond--the 'poison breathers,' as my people call them. Go, but be careful, Xaivan--we're talking about a plant the size of a man that can spit poisonous spores."
Karthak nods at Jokum words:"Yes... the creatures are actually quite nasty themselves... unless you have the resistance of a dwarf, of course" he finishes grinning at Xavian
I'm sure I don't. Xaivan replies with a smile of his own. I have the softer step, however. Well, usually. This place has so many loose stones its annoying to the feet.
Xaivan will wave the others up since he has detected no movement. Once they get close to him he points out two corpses lying on the ground in the middle of the cave. Next to them is a strange heap of ropy green fungus. I have no idea what that is. Maybe our friends do? If told the close is clear Xaivan will approach the bodies and search them.
Before he moves forward the halfling points out a few more features of this 40' diameter circular cavern. He notes the fungus that grows here and that there are several tunnels that branch off here. All of the tunnels lead downward save for the one to the north, which leads upward instead. So which way is the way we need to go, friends?
Ceeshna looks about cautiously. She simply doesn't have the experience with caves to be comfortable here.
Tess is quiet, concentrating on Jokum's words to glean as much understanding as possible on a subject she's unfamiliar with. She considers her words thoughtfully before speaking: "It breathes poisonous spores? Perhaps we ought to cover our faces, to help prevent inhalation of the toxins."
She tears another two long strips of cloth from the bottom of her dress (which now appears quite ragged around the hemline). With one strip she binds up her nose and mouth, and the other she attempts to secure around Sorua's snout. After struggling for a moment to figure out the best way to do so, she instead simply deposits him into the satchel she carries for him, stoppering the air holes with corks.
She offers the extra cloth to Aravashnial. "Would you like me to help you wrap this, sir?"
At Xaivan's discovery, Aravashnial, will gratefully decline the cloth as now there is little need for it.
As the remains are discovered in the chamber the mongrels are obviously relieved the "spore-cougher" is dead, and are eager to continue north to Neathholm. Paying little head to the human remains in the room. Both dead men are dressed as crusaders of Iomedae.
Xaivan will take a moment to search the bodies for anything useful (or of value) as they pass by them before moving on to the northern passage. Ya never know what we might need.
Of course, the halfling will take a quick look around, making sure its safe to do so.
Karthak looks sadly at the remains of the two crusaders:"What a shame! These two valiant souls died down here, suffocated by the spores of this monstruosity, while they could have joined the defense of Kenabres! A tragedy, really! Yet in times as dire as these we cannot turn down even the smallest of help, maybe they had on them something that could help us in our endeavour!"
She stands back and tries to peer at the bodies away from the mold.
Jokum eyes the bodies, and says. "Search quickly. We should keep moving--who knows when the creature might return to its lair."
Unlike the others, he will stand guard and keep an eye out for signs of life (of any kind) from the nearby passages and the cavern itself.
Picking over the bodies,you find that the crusaders carried a verity of equipment, most of it quite useful.
Treasure:
The men wore two masterwork chain shirts, and carried a potion of cure light wounds, a scroll of cause fear, and a belt pouch. The each carried a glaive and spiked gauntlet. Clutched in the stiff hand of one of the dead men was a small symbol of a brass bull's head with tiny red gemstone eyes(worth 50 gp).
This will just take a minute.
Xaivan quickly pockets the bull's head and tests the size of the spiked guantlets. Assuming they are too large for the halfling he'll cast them aside. Sometimes its not easy being small. Nothing you find fits. Taking the belt pouch he looks inside for anything useful, taking anything he finds and then tosses the pouch as well. A scroll and a couple potions, here Karth, take those.
Once the bodies have been picked over Xaivan will go on his way.
Sheepishly removing the makeshift bandana from her face, Tess places a comforting hand on Jokum's arm. "At ease, Sir Breakbones. See?" She points at the crumpled pile of fungus. "This 'basidirond' has perished- although from what, I am not sure."
The girl adjusts her glasses, peering into the pile of bodies gingerly and examining the resources obtained from the macabre scene.
Jokum glances at the looting. "Tess, can you identify the nature of the scroll? And what is that pendant thing?" The guards' chain shirts catch his eye. "That armor is very fine...I could make good use of that, though if we feel that others need it more I can certainly take care of myself as I am."