As the group recovers and gains their bearings after the fight, a sound, or noise rather, makes its way up through the cavern. At first it sounds like maybe a garbled goblin chant of some sort, but before long it can be recognized as singing.... in the loosest sense of the word.
"As I wen' home on Moonday nigh' as *HIC* drung as drung could be
I saw a *burp* I saw a horse ousi'e the door where my ol' horse should be
Well, I called, hehe, me wife and I said to her: Will you kine'y tell to me
Who owns that horse ousi'e the door where my ol' horse should be?"
The sound grows louder, and nearer, but not any more coherent,
"Ah, you're drung, you're drung you silly ol' fool, *HIC* still you can nod see
Tha's a lovely sow tha' me mother sen' to me
Well, it's *HIC* man *HIC* many *HIC* many a day I've travelled a hun'red miles or more
But a saddle on a sow sure I never saw before. Hehe, a saddle?"
The cacophony continues up the hallway, most likely alerting everything in a five mile radius of the thing's presence.
As the source passes the statue, it comes into view. It is a wildly flame-haired gnome, dressed in an leather apron festooned with vials and bottle clinking periodically against one another. He looks up the hallway and notices the group, just as he's about to lean against and relieve himself on the aforementioned statue "Oh, hullo? Whad're you doin' here?"
He forgets what he was doing and walks closer, "I was wannerin' by and saw a door open. *hic* Or wait, maybe I saw sumun leave, I think. No matter. I desided to have a loogsee. An' here you all are. So, wha's yur nameses, nasem, na'MES? I'm Rumal"
As the rather flamboyant gnome makes himself known rather loudly, Togog finds that the sinspawn only carry the two poor-looking ranseurs they possessed.
Well this one seems odder than most. "You should probably be headed back to the surface little man, this is no place for the town drunk. We are facing a demonic incursion most foul." Enna points to the corpses of the sin-spawn to emphasize her point.
Rumal just nods half-lidded, and clearly only half listening. He smiles when she says drunk, but looks like he doesn't get that he was called one. "Naw, s'okay. You don haf worry bout me. I'm sure can hannel meself." He draws a dirty old morningstar, waving it around sloppily, "Demo *hic* dmeoni *hic* denomic excursion soun's inneressing. Ah'm a brewer misself, make summa nuh stronnest dring youf effer tase."
He squints his eyes, trying to bring the group into focus, "Hey, yer summa them thas fought tha gobilns, right? I'm been meanin ta tryn help yous out. Issa goo' thin' I foun' you. Washoo fiden down here?" He wanders over to the dead things, and deeper into the room.
Elaina brandishes her sword. "Ah! Who are you?! Why are you following us?! Why are there so many short people down here?" She feels very self-conscious being the tallest person standing.
Rumal screws up his face, "Wha? I thod I interduced maself. My nam *hic*, my name is *hic* is Rumal. An' Ah'm nod follinin, anyone. I seened da door open an' decided to loogsee. So, where we headin?" he rubs his hands together, having put his morningstar away. Licking his lips, he graps one of the many flasks, and takes a swig from it.
Looking around, Nover knows how yo deal with drunks. He looks at his travelling companions while talking.
"We are heading back to town to get some rest and you need to sober up. Isn't that right everybody? I feel like we could all use a little bit of it before we come back here."
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"Sober? Pzzssh." he expresses with way more slobber than necessary, "I wurg bess when Ah've had a few drings You don' even wanna see the *Burp* the stade Ah'm in withoud a dring. Ah'm still full o' spung and vigor. Less do dis."
"You can't just follow people through doors! It's very rude." Elaina didn't like leaving things unfinished, but she did have to admit she was quite spent at this point. She barely had the magical energy to reinforce her blade, let alone cast spells, but it would be uncharacteristic of her not to offer some sort of resistance. "We gotta at least look around this room. There's wood floors and stuff." She steps over the fallen monsters and looks for anything interesting, like goblin armies, in the room.
Rumal seems confused by her statements, and follows her around as she looks the room over, asking her about it. All the while having a look around for himself, unsure of what it is he's looking for. "If ye don' follow summun, whud happens if der hold, hey whassat? If dere holdin da door fer ya? Or waddabou bindnesseses? Howl they get folk iffn nowun can follow another in? I mean, the door was lef, is that sumthin? The door was lef open... I thing."
Besides for the dilapidated skeletal remains that appear to be what the sinspawn were jabbering about, there appears to be little of value in this room. All in all, a rather dreary place.
"You are a strange little fellow," Togog tells the gnome. "But many strange allies are sent to us in our hour of need, and I welcome you with goodness in my heart, trusting that it also lies in yours."
"We should make haste," I nod onwards, "and pursue this chance to rescue whom we may."
Enna waits patiently as the others deal with the drunk. "Press on, go back, camp here for the night... makes no difference as long we do something. Personally I would prefer a rest but I understand the need for haste in this matter and I am more than willing to press on."
Elaina backs away from the gnome following her. "Stop...bein' behind me!" She wonders if Zella met this man on her way out and sent him to harass her.
"Well friends, which way?"
"Keep followin' the wood floor." Elaina and her magical lights take the lead. As they walk she repeatedly turns her head to eye the gnome suspiciously. He could be an albino goblin. He's just the right height...
Rumal looks like he's about to pass out, as one eyelid fights to close, while the other remains open. When the human woman speaks of her intended direction, he opens both eyes wide, and nods his head goofily, "Souns lige a plan."
He doesn't follow directly, not after the attitude she got with him, but he does stick his tongue out or thumb his nose at her every once in a while after she turns to eyeball him.
"We should continue, I guess, but we should also find a safe place to rest. We need to ensure that nothing is sneaking around in here just waiting for us to leave."
As the intrepid, impatient Elaina takes the lead, she glances down the hall that the wooden walkway leads to. The hallway seems to open up into a small chamber about 20 feet beyond the edge of the current room. On the opposite wall is a door. Scattered about the half-concealed room are large pieces of furniture or machines, though it is hard to tell with the lighting from this distance.
"This is bizarre," I murmur, as I enter. "Who has been living down such a nasty, dirty goblinhole, filled with wet, oozey smells."
"Talking raaaaat!" Elaina jumps into Novers arms.
Elaina advances a few more steps and sends her lights ahead, looking for any particularly goblin-shaped furniture or equipment.
As Elaina inches the party closer, the group gets a better view of what lies inside the room.
This room contains several ancient relics of what appear to be torture implements, although their function and style seem strange and archaic. In one corner sits a spherical cage with spikes protruding inward from its iron bars. In another stands what appears to be a star-shaped wooden frame, its surface studded with hooks. And in the center of the room is a long table covered with leather straps and a number of cranks that seem designed to rotate and swivel.
Getting a better view, Elaina notices there is also another door in the southern part of the room.
"This might explain the demonic incursion a little better. Whoever lived down here was obviously sadistic in very inventive ways, sick monsters that they obviously were. Probably used demons as servants." Enna winces at the thought of this room in use.
"That's crazy, it's just furniture." Elaina lays out on the table. " I think I seen one of these before. They're for fixen' peoples backs."
Elaina rolls off the table and presses her ear to the eastern door.
Having caught and released the bard, Nover was looking into the room with the furniture. The torture implements, while not exactly out of place, were unnerving to say the least. He waited patiently while his ransuer was at the ready in case of any attacks.
"Be careful Elaina, we don't want another incident like the goblin in the closet. Although I did smash that one good, just be careful and don't be like that goblin."
"We shouldn't suffer this filth to remain," I say, hefting my axe. "In Angradd's name, smash it all!"
Togog responds angrily to the ancient torture contraptions, imploring his companions to smash them all. Meanwhile, Nover advocates caution to the brash Elaina, who decides to open the eastern door anyway. She reveals a short hallway, perhaps twenty feet in length, that opens into a room. A couple of wooden lids are seen on the floor inside the room, and occasionally a soft moan can be heard.
Nover is a walking arsenal, so can't hear much anything, but the rest of you hear a soft scurrying and what sounds like a clanking piece of metal on metal.
"Hark," I murmur, "I hear the weak moans of a tortured soul. Leave this dumb instruments - we must save whomsoever's voice calls out for Angradd's aid!" So saying, I dash forward into the corridor...
Are all dwarves this grouchy? Elaina wonders to herself as Togog rushes past her.
"Well, whatever it is, we should probably go check it out. Otherwise it may be something that eats our faces while we are not looking." noticing the look on Elaina's face, Enna gives the bard an odd look and then smirks. "Actually deary, we are rather cheerful for our kind."
When somebody mentioned a sounf Nover looked up and tried to strain his ears. His eyes unfocus from what's directly in front of him.
"What in Torag's beard do you all keep hearing? I hope it's not more things to kill. I'm not too fond of that."
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I feel a sense of relief, as Nover casually reaffirms my hope that he's not yet lost to the allure of the berserker...
Rumal looks quizzically at the dwarf's exclamations of someone's calls, "Whud are you toggin boud, ane nobody callin fer Grandad. Souns to me like a few bad hangovers and summun trine get up offa floor." Nonetheless he follows their lead, as so far they have been pretty entertaining.
Togog rushes forward to assist whatever soul is in apparent dire straits. The others follow closely behind as the dwarf swiftly approaches the entrance to the next room.
The ceiling of this strangely cold chamber arches to a vaulted height of twenty feet. The floor contains eleven wooden lids strewn haphazardly over eleven five-foot-wide pits in the ground. It is from these dark pits that you hear the moans occasionally emit.
Of more immediate concern is the monstrosity Togog encounters when he gets to the entrance. Standing just inside the entryway, apparently thinking it would surprise your group, is what used to be a goblin. It's muscles bulge with corded muscle, and it stands a full head above most members of its race. A third arm protrudes from its back, and judging by its movements, is fully independent and capable of attack.
Each hand holds a different weapon: A silver dagger in one hand, a fine-looking handaxe in another, and a well-crafted longsword in the third. Seeing that its position is compromised, the creature howls and begins to attack.
Initiative:
Round 1: Elaina, Thing, Enna, Nover, Togog, Rumal
Frustrated and embarrassed by her general performance in combat today, the impetuous Elaina rushes past grouchy dwarf number three to engage the ugly thing. "Ahhh! So ugly!"
Finally, Elaina manages to hit something. Her glowing blades slices through the things skin...armor...whatever.
Elaina dashes past the goblin-thing, her blade slicing deep into the creature's thick hide. This thing apparently can take a better beating than a regular goblin, too, as it turns and hisses at her.
It looks about to attack her, then starts acting as though it is going to retch. It's throat muscles convulse, and it takes a step away from Elaina before disgorging a thick line of vile, disgusting acid!
Round 1: Elaina, Thing, Enna, Nover, Togog, Rumal
Round 2: Elaina, Thing, Enna, Nover, Togog, Rumal
Elaina is offended the monster attacked everyone but her. Everyone thinks she's a joke, even the monsters...
Enna manages to avoid a good portion of the bile, but not enough to save her arm some sting.Whispering words of anger she let's off a beam of green heaven fueled fire.
And proves yet again that she is a noncombatant.
Reflex , 3 damage taken
"In Angradd's name, filth," I snap, slashing at the foul creature with my great axe.
Attack
Damage
Nover steps to the side only getting a little bit of the acidic slime on his armor before lunging at his enemy.
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This is probably one of those "irredeemable aberrations that must be cleansed from the land" that Luc was always talking about. Aberrations are supposed to be identifiable by being more ugly than the average ugly thing, or something like that. Elaina follows after the creature, determined to get its attention. "You can't just ignore people! It's very rude!"
Rumal turns and covers himself with his cloak as the retching starts, having a fair amount of experience around projectile vomiters, as a heavy drinker. "Now thas jus gross, man! Control yur dring!" Looking to the others, he realizes things may be dour, "Oh, is he botherin you?". he asks, while grabbing and loading his crossbow.
After the thing retches on the party, Enna tries to fling another glob of acid. She again proves that she needs to work on her aim, though her enthusiasm for trying is to be admired.
Nover steps up, feeling the adrenaline rush pour through his blood as he lunges forward with his newly acquired ranseur. The weapon bites deep, the goblin-thing howling in pain.
Angradd apparently has other worries, as Togog's strike goes nowhere close to the foul beast.
Rumal admonishes the creature for vomiting on him and his companions, then takes out his crossbow and loads it, determined to teach the thing proper drinking etiquette.
Elaina, feeling a bit left out of the fun, appropriately punishes the beast with another vicious slash. The thing looks severely wounded, but remains standing.
The creature seems on its last legs, but it turns about and slashes viciously at Elaina. The longsword whiffs, but the handaxe and dagger both slash across the bard, leaving shallow wounds in their wake.
Summary:
Thing - 28 damage
Rumal - 3 damage
Nover - 3 damage
Enna - 3 damage
Togog - 3 damage
Elaina - 8 damage
Novers swing goes wide as he rages on. He drops the weapon, draws his shield steps forward and pounds on his shield with his gauntlet still stained in blood.
"Perhaps I don't even need a proper weapon to defeat you! My fists should be enough for the lowly slime that you are."
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