The man looks a bit surprised to see Josnavaarin and when he turns and notices the whole group he is visibly taken aback.
The gillman looks at you coolly but does not speak. A dour frown creases his mouth, and he looks rather grim at the prospect of having his oblations interrupted.
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"Hey, I found a cloak like that one." Orovan notes as he takes off the cloak to display it. "Down at the bottom of a pit on our way in. Where did you get yours?"
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As Orovan takes off the cloak, the gillman nods with understanding. He points to his own cloak, then to the other one, nodding the whole time. He holds out his hand expectantly.
As Aarion speaks, the man turns to him watching intently. Slowly the man speaks, his enunciation a bit odd, but perhaps that's how all gillmen sound?
"I am Uori prophet of the last Azlanti. It is odd that you say you come in peace, when you approach from behind with weapons drawn. The surface-dwellers must have a different meaning for that word."
"You have entered a site that is sacred to my people. It was once a shrine to Aroden, but as the glyphs fade, the power of the shrine diminishes, and evil moves back into the dark places of the world. Tell me why you are here, interrupting my vigil and prayers?"
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Aarion lowers his weapon. "Our people had recently observed activity down here so they asked us to investigate what was going on. We really had no idea what to expect, that is why we approached with caution. Again, I apologize for interrupting your prayers. Please complete your vigil, then we can speak more."
Curious about the gillman's ritual, Aarion observes intently.
The gillman nods appreciatively and returns to his strange rituals. They is chanting in an unknown tongue and strange ululating singing along with odd hand gestures.
While the holy gillman celebrates, the rest looks around the chamber. There are two passages that lead to caves farther into the complex, one to the east, and another to the west. Besides the pool, and the city carving, there is little else of interest in the large cavern.
When at last the rituals seem finished the gillman turns to Aarion, again staring at him intently, and bows low. "You are very honorable to let me complete my ritual. It is not so with many land-dwellers. But I have one more boon to beg, if you would suffer it."
Obviously uncomfortable, he shifts from foot to foot, and points at Orovan, still looking at Aarion carefully. "This man wears a cloak of my people. It belonged to my brother, who also comes here to venerate our god. He was lost to us, never returning from his last trip to the shrine, but yet this man wears his cloak. Would you return this cloak to me, I beg, so that i can give it to his rightful family? I have only this to offer," he says, withdrawing a wand. "It will cast a warding spell to protect one you use it on."
The gillman bows again accepting the cloak from Orovan. He hands over the wand. "Again, you prove yourselves honorable. I am pleased to meet you all. I am Uori, seer of the last Azlanti, and we are well met." He offers you his hands to shake, and it is surprisingly non-fishlike, firm and warm.
"The city is, of course, Absalom. The Starstone Cathedral is right there." says the Uori, pointing to the tall-steepled structure.
"Surely you are here to do more than just study gillmen," says Uori light-heartedly. "We are not that fascinating a subject. We come here on the full moon to honor our god Aroden. His has been here for many years, and we have always come, but now the shrine is weakening. Evil has started to take root in the far caves, and I fear it will not be long before the shrine is overrun and lost to us forever."
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Aarion accepts the gillman's hand, then finds something to sit on. "We have been tasked to find out what the gillmen are doing down here and explore the caverns a bit. Ultimately, this is part of an initiation for the pathfinder society. Seeing we intend to explore the cavern, I would be interested in what kind of evil are you referring to?"
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Maximilian appears fascinated by the gillman. Now how would I perform such a creature? Those gills, I would have to have some kind of illusion spell to make that work...
Brought back to the situation at hand when Silverback breaks his silence, Maximilian adds, "Yes, certainly, I doubt whatever this evil is will present much of a challenge for us."
"I know not the exact nature, but I feel the evil in my bones." says the holy gillman. "Something is perverting the shrine, and its power, already weak with age, ebbs. I ahve heard the chittering of lower humanoids from the right passage," he says, "and the palable feeling of darkness from the left. I am too old to deal with them any longer. Anything you could do would earn the gratitude of my people."
Heading down the path to the right, the cave's damp air becomes increasingly stale, and as you go deeper the stench of decay grows increasingly evident. The passage, which continues on for perhaps 150' turns to the right, then ends in a small cavern littered with bits of broken glass, rotting pieces of paper, and other unusable detritus. A figure lies facedown at the back of the cavern.
Shuffling through the cavern, seemingly at random, are the staggeringly slow corpses of three gillmen. It does not take much perception to see that all of these animated corpses have fatal wounds on their person, but still they walk.
Undead End
18 White Zombie
13 Silverback
11 Orovan
10 Ruinor
8 Josnavaarin
8 Red Zombie
6 Purple Zombie
3 Maximilian
Hearing your approach, the zombies break off their mindless wandering and turn to attack you, moving in slow, halting steps White Zombie takes the lead stumbling down the tunnel towards where the pink-fleshed heroes awaits.
Undead End - Round 1 - continued
Silverback rushes up to take on the zombie. Slashing his scimitar across the chest of the undead, the druid draws first blood.
Orovan is also able to connect but his jaw punch does't seem to hurt the zombie very badly.
Ruinor's glob of conjured acid flies wide of the mark, splattering against the cavern walls wit a hiss.
Josnavaarin slips around the slow-moving zombie, getting behind him for a flank strike. Unfortunately, the elven blade is parried by the undead gillman.
Based on his slick move, Josnaavarin finds himself surrounded as Red Zombie steps in behind him. The zombie moves too slowly to capitalize and cannot make an attack.
Purple Zombie also staggers toward the entryway of the cavern.
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At the sight of the zombies, Maximilan draws his rapier, but as the rest of the party moves in they block his path. Ugh, stuck all day in this horrid filthy hole, and when there's finally a fight scene I'm stuck in the wings.
His frustration mounting, the familiar red light begins to shine in his eyes and he starts to chant...
"Sinister and cold beyond the vapors
We beat vaporous symbols in the dreamscape
Zounds! The evil has vanished
All odorous below the water
You stone tiny eruptions before the trees..."
Undead End - round 1 - concluded
Maximilian lets his frustrations out in performance, singing a song that enhances his allies weapons, making them strike more accurately and keenly.
End of Round 1
Undead End - round 2
18 White Zombie (10 dmg)
13 Silverback
11 Orovan
10 Ruinor
8 Josnavaarin
8 Red Zombie
6 Purple Zombie
3 Maximilian
Mindless to the end, the White Zombie ignores the surrounded foe, and concentrates on the one who struck him last, Orovan. The brawler easily blocks the stiff armed punch and readies to return the favor.
Undead End - round 2 - continued
Silverback attacks the White zombie, slashing through its undead skin once again until it falls over defeated.
Ruinor's acid ball arcs over his allies heads and splashes against Red Zombie's chest, burning him slightly.
Josnavaarin tries to once again rush around the zombie's, but this time his actions are a touch too slow, and the zombie blocks his way. The zombie's fist misses the cagey elf, but Josnavaarin's move is blocked this round.
Aarion's reach attack also misses.
The follow up punch from Red Zombie fares little better against the lithe elf, ending up hitting nothing but air.
Undead End - Round 2 - concluded
As Orovan waits for the zombies to come to him, Maxmilian tosses his alchemist fire at the zombies, but his aim is far from true, and the fiery cocktail bursts on the ground, with only a bit splashing on the zombie gillman.
End of Round 2
Undead End - Round 3
13 Silverback
11 Orovan
10 Ruinor
8 Josnavaarin
8 Red Zombie
6 Purple Zombie (1 hp dmg)
3 Maximilian