Mites are cruel and vengeful creatures. These lands will be a better place without these two in my opinion. Berenkor says grimly, his hand on his longsword.
The mites gulp audibly at Berenkor's pronouncement.
"I don't like these things...but they've been cooperative and I'm not keen on killing captives, ever. Perhaps we should put the fear of Erastil into them and send them as far as they'll go from here."
Bah... put a weapon back in their hands and let them fight for their lives then. It doesn't matter where they go, they will try and cause suffering elsewhere. I worry we will doom others to suffer by suffering them to live.
"I don't like these things...but they've been cooperative and I'm not keen on killing captives, ever. Perhaps we should put the fear of Erastil into them and send them as far as they'll go from here."
"While I realize that mites have little to no redeeming qualities, and that letting them go will likely come back to haunt us, I find that I have little stomach for slaying helpless prisoners," Harther says as he carefully considers the matter. "Although, how is that any different from killing the two that we caught by surprise?" he asks himself mentally, struggling with the moral dilemma.
"Rani, what did you have in mind?" the ranger asks as he turns to the priestess.
"The ability to show mercy and release these mites, even though it may hurt us in the long run, is what sets us apart from creatures like them. Just because a creature would seem by our society standard to be predisposed to evil doesn't necessarily mean that it is." She subconsciously checks the back of her blouse which twitches very slightly.
"Yes! Joo right pretty elfink ladee! Dese one's bad! Joo many many better dan dese ones," cuts in one of the hapless creatures.
"No! Don' say dat, joo eedjit," the other one says, then looking to Eseldra. "Joo know what dese ones meen."
"The ability to show mercy and release these mites, even though it may hurt us in the long run, is what sets us apart from creatures like them. Just because a creature would seem by our society standard to be predisposed to evil doesn't necessarily mean that it is." She subconsciously checks the back of her blouse which twitches very slightly.
Berenkor sighs heavily.
Looks like you get to live today, my little blue pets. Make no mistake though; your time in these lands is over; travel south-east for at least a few days- do not even think about returning this way. Your 'home' Berenkor gestures towards the tree Will not be a welcome place when you return, nor will anywhere in the northern greenbelt be a safe haven for you. Flee, now; and if we see you heading any direction other than south-east Berenkor points for them I will set our large, hungry friend here on you. And I must warn you, he runs rather fast...
Berenkor gestures for Harther to untie the mites, keeping his reloaded crossbow pointed at them.
Screaming with joy, tripping over their feet, and hugging each other, the two mites disappear into the distance with a shout over their shoulder,
"Tank joo!"
Well, four less mites to deal with at the cost of a single spell and a few missiles. I guess we're as ready as we're ever going to be.
Berenkor pauses to analyse the information given to them, and the map.
From what you can tell, there are at least a dozen more mites down in the tunnels. These mites really aren't very good at counting. The tunnels are always dark as mites have darkvision.
Eseldra, would you mind being the torch bearer for the group?
There are several larger chambers, about six, stacked on top of each other in two columns. Of course, based on the drawing it's obvious that the positioning may not match up correctly but the room count seems right. The ceilings are never more than five feet high. Effectively a -2 to all attack rolls for cramped quarters.
Not much we can do about the cramped tunnels...
There are several large centipedes, and in fact the mites maintain a centipede hatchery. There is a drawing of a very large centipede drawn towards the bottom in what looks like a chasm between two of the larger chambers.
Of this large centipede is in a chasm, I suggest we hail it with missile fire; I don't want to become centipede food...
Their leader is an exceptionally funny looking mite named Grabbles, who whistles when he talks due to a large gap between his front teeth. He rides a large monstrous tick he affectionately calls Tickleback. If there are any treasure to be found, they are most certainly with him.
Guess we'll have to look out for him.
Berenkor lights a torch and passes it to Eseldra, and then boldly enters the tunnels...
Eseldra grabs the torch in one hand, strung bow in the other.
Karthas enters the tunnels just before or just after Eseldra wanting the benefit of light as much as protect Eseldra.
"Stay close until we've found our enemy. I've seen village priests be able to create light without heat. Rani and Eseldra, are either of you able to do that?"
"I know the spell, yes, but I foolishly didn't think to prepare it. I forgot that these creatures live underground."
The group begins the slow descent down the narrow tunnel. Fortunately, the climb is not difficult due to the many roots and footholds that extend from the mouth of the tunnel to the bottom. After climbing down about forty feet, the entrance ends in the ceiling of a passage about five feet high and slightly less wide extending to the east and west out of torchlight. Roots poke from overhead, brushing the party's hair, and centipedes, spiders, and other vermin drop occasionally on the party from above, posing no threat but eliciting shudders and feelings of unease.
Perception:
Pointing down the west tunnel, "Sounds like there's several more of our little blue friends down that way."
Perception:
It's obvious the party hasn't been noticed...yet. They might yet have the element of surprise, if the torch doesn't give them away.
"Berenkor, you can see without the torch, right? Do you think it would be wise for you to travel up a bit and put a few of them to sleep before we give ourselves away?"
Perception Check:
"Did you hear that?" Harther whispers to the others. "A soft, murmuring voice, along with faint chittering sounds that don't sound like a humanoid voice..."
"It sounds like there are more mites to the west than to the east," Harther says as listens at both passageways. "I'm inclined to tackle the ones to the west - take out as many as we can while we still have the element of surprise."
"Agreed. Fighting in these tunnels is going to be bad enough without failing to take any advantage we may have."
Stealth:
Initiative:
Stealth Check:
Initiative:
Initiative-
Stealth-
Initative:
Stealth:
Eseldra hands the torch to Rani, sighs at the cramped passageway, puts her bow away and draws a dagger.
The group bursts into the room, just in time to see four mites around a table laughing and talking. One of them is using a makeshift tiny catapult to fire a caltrop into the open mouth of the other, eliciting a cheer when it is caught and swallowed.
They turn and blink, surprised by the light they see emerging from the tunnel mouth, then after a heartbeat scream and attack.
The one with the catapult quickly loads and fires a caltrop at Karthas, striking him the chest and bouncing off harmlessly, at which point the mite screams and tosses the contraption over his shoulder.
Two mites rush at Tyr, pulling small swords from their belts, and a third draws steel and charges at Karthas. Karthas easily swats away the attack, and Tyr counters the first, but, surprised by the sheer ferocity of the attack, the second mite manages to sink his tiny sword into the his thigh.
Tyr growls under his breath and thrusts his sword at the mite who stuck him, running him through and dropping him to the ground. Even with his limited movement, his attack is devastating!
Berenkor draws his weapon and begins telling a tale of evil fey whose tricks backfire on them.
Looks to be a bit too chaotic for colour sprays, so if I'm not around when it's Eseldra's turn, she'll use an acid dart on a mite.
Attack: into melee and cramped spaces.
Eseldra fries the already dead tree roots lacing the far wall.
"Oh!" The screaming mites seem to have put Rani off her tea for the moment. She steps back, pulls a dagger, and throws it at one of the mites. "I hope Erastil guides daggers as well," she says under her breath.
Uncharacteristically, Karthas does not enter rage, instead takes a swing at the mite directly in front of him.
Attack:
Damage:
Rani reaches out toward the nearby root and retrieves her wayward dagger.
Limited by the low headroom, Harther thrusts his greatsword at one of the mites.
Attack: (includes inspire courage)
Damage: (includes inspire courage)
Harther, Rani, and Eseldra all do what they can to quickly subdue the mites, but the cramped spaces prove to be more difficult to maneuver than they though.
Karthas, though, manages to sweep his greatsword in a tight arc, severing the head of the mite in front of him.
The small blue creature in front of Tyr takes another swing at him with his short sword, but Tyr swats the blow away with is bare hand. The mite who had fired the tiny catapult looks at Karthas, and his eyes open grotesquely wide as he sneers at the barbarian.
Will Save:
Round Two: Grimacing in frustration, Harther tries again to stab one of the mites.
Attack:
Damage:
Karthas appears visibly shaken by the mite's display of the "evil eye."
Tyr takes another jab at the mite in front of him, running him through in much the same manner as the first.
Berenkor maintains his speech, loosing a crossbow bolt at the blue critter, staggering him with a direct hit to the chest.
Rani pulls another dagger and moves to throw it, but Harther steps in and finishes off the injured mite with a brutal thrust from his greatsword.
Looking around the room, the party sees three crude, wooden workbenches occupying the center of the room, their tops strewn with various tiny tools, metal and wooden hardware, and blocks of wood. In the western edge of the room, a hole much like the entrance descends into darkness.
Harther wipes the blood from his blade and moves to listen at the hole in the western edge of the room.
Perception Check:
After the eerie feeling that the bug-eyed mite gave him passes, Karthas will move and listen at the hole at the western edge of the room as well.
Perception:
Perception:
Yes, lets quickly search the room and move on, we want to maintain the element of surprise.
Perception roll to aid the highest check VS DC10-
Each of the four mites carries a small sized shortsword (effectively daggers) of poor quality. All of the small tools and wood on the workbenches are rotten, rusty, and falling apart. There is nothing in the room of any value.
The group hears high-pitched cries of terror coming from the hole in the western floor, and anyone who peeks into it while holding the torch see that it opens up into the ceiling of another chamber about twenty feet down.