Hmm..We have that magic scale that can levitate people, so someone could levitate with a rope and carry some one over, then pull themselves back. Don ties rope to the wagon. Then keep ferrying people over. We'll probably have to leave the wagon.
Lann looks at Crel and Drya touching both on the shoulders he then starts to climb down the chasm.
"I will get to the other side then you can throw me a rope."
Lann's large hands help him deftly climb down then back up the chasm wall. Upon the other side he turns back, keeping a careful eye on the group as he left his wounded friend behind.
Don throws the rope.
"Someone told something about a dragon scale that let's you levitate? That would make things a lot easier. And I have another rope With two of them and some creative binding it should be possible to get the cart across. For we still have some people here who can't walk on their own. So who can levitate?" Lynn asks.
"Perhaps we can lower them don with the rope and lift them on the other side?"
Millorn raises his hand to Lynns question.
"I can, Millorn said that already, woman not listen. No one listen to Millorn."
Aniva and Aravashnial get out of the cart and sit down awaiting their turn to be lowered.
"I can also levitate myself across, if someone can pull me that would be helpful."
Aravashnial stands up and looks around wanting to feel helpful.
Don holds up the scale that can levitate. I will carry Aravashnial across. Just tie two ropes to my waist so I can be pulls across and then be pulled back. Don ties the ropes, levitates and picks up the blind eld, letting himself be pulled across.
Lann pulls on the Rope, moving Don and Aravashnial along, as they get to the other side Aravashnial hands Don his staff.
"I have imbued this item with the power of levitation if we move quickly we can get everyone across."
Don nods and pulls himself back along the rope to get someone else.
"Why not cast the levitate on the cart and put all in before pulling the cart over?" Lynn asks.
Aravashnial yells from the other side.
"How heavy is the cart? My magic is strong but the cart may weight to much for me."
I sense the powerful magic in the scale and feel it could lift the cart. Hmm.. Place it under the cart so the cart can be lifted up!
"Well..." Lynn says while drumming her fingers on the cart.
Don does so!
As Don steps in to the Cart he touches the middle of the cart with the pristine scale from Terendelev, The cart lifts off the group 2 feet and just hovers there. Don takes up the rope and everyone on the other side pulls the cart over last.
About an hour has passed since everything was organized and set up to move the wounded across the chasm. Once on the other side Crel seems to feel more apt to move, he and Drya and Lann pick up the pace losing the slower Cart for a few minutes before Lann returns grim faced.
"Ahead we are approaching the lair of the Spore-cougher, we all together should be able to kill it and get by with minimal difficulty."
Lann is refering to a Basidirond
Picture
Lann looks back towards the way ahead, "If we are luckier it will be off hunting else where"
"Lets hope, I am done with this underground, you Mongrels can keep it to yourselves." Horgus ducks down a little behind the cart.
"I should like to study the creature, I have never encountered a plant like that before."
Aravashnial sits up a little taller in the cart, trying to sense a head.
A bit hard to do with your injuries and we won't be able to bring it with us. Don gets his hammer ready. Let us try to attack at range first.
One of the bodies is right next to the creature, impaled by a green rope through the neck; the other is closer to the opposite side of the cave, on all fours like he was being sick. If you get closer you can see blood, mucus and a green spore on the ground.
The men are wearing tabards of Iomedae, they are wearing fine suits of mail , a potion is found on the body further in the cave while the impaled one has a scroll. They carry 129 gp in currency between them. They both carry glaives and spiked gauntlets as weapons. The impaled man has his left hand clenched around an object.
It is an unholy symbol of Baphomet, it is worth 50gp. The eyes are Tiny red gem stones.
Scroll of Cause Fear
Potion of Cure Light Wounds
"Good idea. Do you have a spare bow or crosssbow?" Lynn asks. She casts detect magic and tries to identify what's around from afar.
Having no idea herself what this plant is she asks the mongrels "What's with that spore-cougher. I guess these poor saps didn't sleep through getting strangled by a plant while it slowly grew around them."
I just have a light crossbow unfortunately. Don keeps an eye out for any killer mushrooms.
"Then shoot it already." Lynn replies keeping her glaive at the ready.
Don pokes the bear
Or not
The bolt flies wide and skitters off the wall landing in the pile of puke and blood.
The spore cougher has grievous wounds and is dead.
"Ok, if that thing was once alive it is no more. It didn't even flinch as it was shot at and it looks smashed anyway." Lynn states and moves closer. As still nothing moves she collects the items she detected as magic and one of the spiked gauntlets.
"Does anyone know what that thing is?" she asks holding up the unholy symbol.
If it is a holy symbol I am rather lacking in my lessons
"It's for sure none of Iomedae." Lynn replies.
"What does it look like?
Horgus yells from well down the corridor
"It looks like the head of a cow with large horns and has two red gems as eyes." Lynn replies.
"Is it safe to come in?"
You can hear Horgus and the rest of those in toe coming up the tunnel passage, you can also see the torches that are being carried.
"That is not good, I have heard of the Cultists being around here but never had proof."
Horgus turns to Aravashnial and Aniva, "I assume you two know about the rumors?"
Aniva hobbles up with the help of Millorn,
"Yes Irabeth said they were about but couldn't root them out. Staunton Vhane is supposed to be their leader but no one knows where he went after he fled the fight with Irabeth."
"I always knew they were here, so many of our major movements have been leaked lately. The Rift Wardens never had issues but the regular crusaders would get attacked when they arrived at a Secret location. This confirms it, there must be more of them down here somewhere."
Aravashnial touches the unholy symbol.
"Maybe you're happy in your club of those who know, but would someone care to explain what you are talking about?" Lynn comments slightly irritated.
Aniva looks at Lynn, "The Templars of the Ivory Labyrinth. They Follow Baphomet, so right now your holding a symbol dedicated to his worship. These men were Templars. Odd that they weren't seen in the or routed out before they could make it underground."
"So you say they have followers of some evil cult in the ranks of Iomedae? That's disgusting. Once we're back to the surface we have to tell them to do some detect evil on their troops."
With what Lynn said Aniva, Aravashnial and Horgus all turn towards her.
Lann has been standing silent behind the rest of the group, moving forward now.
"We have seen these people before. Their numbers increasing more so, they have taken up with the southern Mongrel tribe. My tribe has nothing to do with them."
"These bodies need to be returned to the Rift Wardens for identification and to make sure that as Lady Lynn has stated we root them out."
So they were down here to perhaps make contact with the south mongrel tribe? Hmm...Maybe if we find some priests of Iomdae they can use magic to find out where more cultists are.. The south mongrels might be someplace we check out.
"So you want to share the cart with those dead bodies of cultists who died in their own vomit?" Lynn asks.
To Don she replies "You want to come back down here once we're out? Or where do you hope to find an Iomedaean cleric"
If the cultists have a base here, rooting them out can only be helpful. They might have info on how the whole disaster up to happened.
Lynn cuts the green rope and grabs the man by his chain mail. Dragging him over she heaves him on the cart. "Now imagine how it would be if we wouldn't have this guy's cart with us."
Lynn takes a look at the other guy where to grab him to not smear herself with the slime he stands in. She grabs him at the neck lifting him out of it and dragging him onto the cart too.
Don continues on towards the surface hopefully.
Iko listens silently at the exchange going on between everyone but keeps an eye out.
"We should not linger here. Danger is all around in this place."
As Lynn loads the bodies in, Horgus starts to walk, Aniva and Aravashnial ride in the cart as they are the most wounded. Aniva puts the rotted bed roll over top of them to make sure they don't have to be seen. She also removes the Iomedae tabards from them as well.
"Lann moves back to the front, we are close to Neat Holme, once we arrive let me talk to the guards. I will gain you audience with our Chieftain."
Thank you very much.
You walk for another 20 minutes before you encounter a roughly circular chamber, there is a large door and 3 more of the misshapen creatures before you.
"Hold up here, I will go ahead and Crel and Drya will stay here with you while I talk to the guards." Lann tells everyone.
Lann then leaves the group while Crel ties to move forward but is blocked by the mumbling Drya. Everyone can easily see him as he moves forward and the guards converge on him, they all smile or what looks like a smile on some of them and after about 10 minutes he returns.
"The Chieftain will see you in an hour of your time, I will take you to my home to rest up. The bodies of the dead will be taken to the far shore and left there for when you are to leave."
Drya and Lann help take Crel into the village, Lann points out his home to everyone and says he will be back in a bit once he has taken Crel to the healer.
A small, dark lake ripples in the center of this two-hundredfoot-
wide cavern, the walls and ceiling aglow with thick sheets
of luminescent fungi. In the center of the lake, over two dozen
low stone buildings cluster on a rocky one-hundred-foot-wide
island. Lights glow in the windows of the buildings, giving
the settlement an almost welcoming look. Rafts made of
mismatched planks of timber bob along the length of a crooked
pier at the lake’s closest shore.
Lann's home looks like debris and other items that were discarded were make into what looks like a house from the surface. It is rather large inside and there is a fire in the hearth.
Lann returns after about 25 minutes.
"I am sorry for my delay, Seer Opoli wished to ask more of the happenings on the surface. She will be present when you talk to the Chieftain. You can rest up here for a bit if you wish, there is a trader in town as well if you have things you wish to buy."
Aniva and Aravashnial are lead inside by Millorn who has taken to them both and tended too. Horgus looks disgusted and wipes what may pass for a chair off before sitting on it.