Nebdel calls on Desna's might to heal everyone.
.
He then examines the skull to see what he can learn about it.
To yu majú tajomné sily!
Before limping back into the hut Serila casts a ray of Heavenly Fire on her own wound.
Her own spell and Nebdel's channel restore Serila's leg completely. "Now... where's the root?"
Serila walks up to the skull with a face that shows a storm's brewing in her mind, and points her finger at it while she start shouting. "You! Why did you do that?! If you'd told us you were here we could've talked this out! We came here only to trade for a Rat's Tail, the root that is! Now you'd better tell us where it is, or I'll get REEEAAALLY ugly on you!"
The small shrunken head does not respond to your threats.
"Hmmpf!"
Bet it's scared now!
"Guys," Serila says as her face returns to normal, "I'd like to suggest leaving this place now we've found the Rat's Tail. I don't want to meet this witch, and I don't know when she's coming home. We can take the skull with us if you want, but it might allow the witch to track us if it's magical?"
Keanan's leg feels a lot better, and his mood has improved. "Well, I guess we deserve what we got. We did enter uninvited. But, if the witch is dead, let's go. If the witch comes alive at night, then best we put some distance between us and this place."
Keanan grabs his rope from around the corpse and walks out of the hut. He says, "Let's go girl" as he taps his leg, letting Balazar know it's time to leave.
While it is tempting, I don't think I should just destroy this head. Until I learn more about it, I won't know if it has worth or hinderance. Whether it is undead or simple enchantment.
If you folks don't mind, I will hold onto it for now.
"Whatever, let's get out of this rat hole." Alperion is already out the door.
"Okaydokay", Serila says to Nebdel. "Though you should wrap it in something. I heard a story once of this evil thing named Suron that watched others through huge glass balls. He did it all from up in his faraway tower in some place name Mollor. Wouldn't want the witch to do that with us."
Serila follows the others out of the hut, where she walks up to Balazar. "Hey girl", she says with a sweet voice, and pats the lioness' head.
"Heh, sound advice Serila. Although I'm sure this Suron would never have spied on me. I always cover my balls. HA!"
.
Alperion is standing outside scanning the area to get his bearing for the next trek through the forest as he waits for everyone.
"According to the map Milon gave us the Dwarven ruins are NW of here about 3 more hours. We should reach them with an hour or two to search them before nightfall."
"Just keep that head away from me"
"I agree, lets make haste from this foul place, I never thought I'd be fighting the dinnerware, I don't want to see what else may decide to come alive"
August moves outside and joins Alperion
Serila scrapes her throat to subtly show her disapproval of Keanan's improper comment about his reproductive organs. "Yes, let's move", she says without looking at him, and starts walking.
A few steps later Serila stops and turns back to the others. "Where's... North-West...?"
After four hours of travel the ruins come into view. The sun is setting behind the mountain known as Droskar's Crag which casts a shadow over the ruins. The Monastery is made of simple stone blocks, worn smooth with the passage of time, the stout building is falling apart. Sections of the slanted shale roof have collapsed and portions of the outer wall have crumbled. Weeds and wild thorn plants run rampant across the field leading up to the place, leaving only the slightest indication of a path that ends at the ruined front doors. Beyond, an overgrown yard sits in shadow. The old path that leads up to the ruins ends about 50 feet from the monastery. Before entering the yard, the path passes between a pair of old stone statues. While one of them is little more than rubble, the other is relatively intact. The 5-foot tall statue is incredibly worn but it can still be made out as a dwarf holding aloft a great stone hammer. Moss and creeper vines cover most of its surface.
Keanan walks up behind one statue and motions for Balazar to go to the other statue. Keanan does his best to try to peer inside the door. "Smell anything Balazar?" Balazar growls at him. "Never mind that, it's the berries I ate earlier. I mean, do you smell anything alive inside?
.
As the goup is getting close, Nebdel asks, Keanan, any of your clan ever tell you anything about this place? any rumors even?
.
After we arrive and Keenan walks right up close, Before going inside, I would suggest that we all (or at least the sneaky ones) cirle the place from inside the treeline to see what is visible.
.
I really don't like the idea of entering a place like this at dusk, but we've probably taken too long already.
Keanan looks at Nebdel, with his eyes cast a bit lower than normal. "No. While I'm aware that it exists, neither my stoutfolk clan nor the Greenfire Circle of Druids weren't all that receptive of my, well, marks." Keanan briefly shows some strange markings on the underside of his forearm that looks like a weird green tattoo. Keanan continues, "As such, they usually didn't talk to me much and I only heard of things second hand. I know that our final ingredient hangs about in areas of metal, and this is the most likely spot."
Serila nods in agreement to Nebdel. "We should see if there are any other entrances, and we'll have a better chance of locating possible enemies."
"Alperion's quite light-footed, and felines are usually good at sneaking up to their prey. So I'd think Alperion and Balazar are our best options when it comes to sneaking around the building?"
I don't think we should become too separated from each other. Let us go around as a group. Us non-sneaky folks can stay well back in the trees. Say around 25 feet or so to be out of obvious sight of the walls.
"What say you?", Serila asks the others, taking her loaded crossbow from under her cloak.
"I think soldiers from the Black Hand ought to have some kind of strategic suggestion."
"Thats red hand... I agree with Nebdel, we should stick together. I have no desire to sneak, we'll face what awaits us here face to face"
August, unslings his shield and puts it on his arm, and adjusts his grip on his spear to show he is ready for whatever may come.
Tall grasses and chunks of stone debris have all but overtaken this small yard. The outer wall on the east side has also collapsed, leaving a ragged hole.
Balazar's nose flares and she gives a low growl. You have seen this before when she smells wild animal predators.
Alperion shakes his head in approval."Knowing the entrances and exits of the building are a good plan just in case we need to get out in a hurry. Also we can chose how we want to enter and maybe surprise anything that might be in there. I'll start by going east then around the back and end up back here to decide where we want to enter"
Alperion gets into the shadows of the wall and waves everyone else away to the treeline.
Keanan pulls out his scimitar and pulls his shield a bit closer to him. Motioning to Balazar to be quiet and follow, they move slowly towards the main group.
Keanan turns to August and Serila and raises his right eyebrow in an intrigued kind of look. "We are not alone. Be on your guard."
The trek around the monastery takes about 10 minutes in all. Alperion relays the information below to the group when they meet again in the path in front of the gate.
There are 3 breaches in the outside walls.
Tall grasses and chunks of stone debris have all but overtaken this small yard. Off to one side, a wooden stable has collapsed into a mound of rotting timbers and moldy straw. The outer wall on the east side has also collapsed, leaving a ragged hole. Three doors exit into this yard - a pair of double doors to the east, a single door to the north, and a lone door leading into the squat tower in the southeast corner.
This chamber is entirely shattered, with much of the outer wall and ceiling completely crumbled. A swarm of bats roosts in the remnants of the ceiling above and large chunks of stone and debris that litter the floor.
The room beyond is an old library in the state of disrepair. The library is now a shattered mess with one corner being completely collapsed and dominated by a wide pool of stagnant water. Thick fungus grows on most of the books that still remain on the shelves lining the walls. Double doors on the far side of the room, which lead deeper into the monastery, are shattered and broken, one of them lying on the floor.
Well, breaking in the main gate is usually the hardest way in. But this time all the doors are open. Maybe we should go into the courtyard and check out the small tower that is still standing.
"I think I'd prefer going in through the Library. I know we're not alone, and anything attacking us would be forced to come through that one door. It seems a bit more defensible, and if we need to retreat, we could retreat to that room. If we go in through the courtyard or destroyed room, there's a chance we could be flanked."
With my keen battlesense, I could have been the leader of the Blue Hand! Maybe not the Red Hand, but I'm sure they probably had a second group called the Blue Hand.
Keanan is obviously impressed with himself and keen sense of military insight. He looks at August to see if he is also impressed.
August manages a half grin at the dwarfs comments.
"Aye, the Blue Hand would have taken you in for sure"
"I agree with the dwarf. The courtyard would leave us more exposed to attack. We'll work our way in through the the back and through this library. Be on your guard."
"The fungus worries me a bit, knowing Blackscour Taint is a fungus. Though there's probably not much of a chance it's the Taint, is there?"
Serila seems rather indecisive. "Did you notice anything about it, Alperion? Keanan, maybe you could also check?"
I don't want to move through the fungus and get ill from what we're trying to find a cure for... Though maybe I just worry too much, and it's a completely harmless fungus.
"I believe the name comes from the fact that it grows near metal instead of wood and leaves like other fungi. Might not want to put scrape it your sword, but I believe it's not that bad otherwise."
Keanan is rather pleased with himself, imagining himself dressed in some kind of military dress with a symbol of a blue hand on his shoulder. Yes, I'd look rather spiffy with that decoration.
"I'll move towards the library."
And don't the Ironbloom Mushrooms we seek here grow near metal as well?
Serila doesn't voice this concern though, thinking she might be getting a bit too cautious perhaps. Instead, she follows after Keanan.
Turning to Serila "I tried to identify it but my knowledge of plant life is very limited. I just want to get the mushrooms and get out of here we can come back and search the place more later."
In agreeing with Keanan on the Library, August follows the dwarf and his lion in the direction of the Library entrance, keeping a watchful eye for danger.
Filthy rundown kind of place isn't it. How long has it been abandoned?
"I've never seen a place this messy before. Even the witch's hut is nothing compared to it."
Did this happen after they fired the maids?
Alperion moves alone the pond with his bow out ready to cover the group's move into the library.
Serila positions herself next to Alperion with her crossbow. "If you guys don't mind, I'll take the rear. Last time an enemy got close to me it nearly ripped off my leg."
Keanan swerves into the library, and he motions Balazar to get on the other side of the wall.
As Balazar moves over the rock pile she growls and goes rigid, then moves her head side to side like she is smelling for something. Suddenly the pool in the SW corner explodes sending water and fungus everywhere as a large snake springs from the water biting out at Balazar. The lion howls in pain as the snake sinks its fangs into its shoulder and wraps itself around the lion. Balazar tries to swipe at the snake but misses.
"Woah!!" Alperion reacts quickly, dropping his bow and drawing his sword he wades his through the pool to try to feel the lion from the snakes grasp.
"No! Balazar!" Serila aims at the snake and fires a bolt.
The bolt hits its target and Serila quickly reloads her crossbow. "Stay off of her!"
Hearing the commotion and seeing Serila start shooting, Nebdel rushes around the corner to see what the threat is.
Even with a crossbow bolt in it's side the snake does not let go it constricts around Balazar squeezing the life from her.
Slashing out in desperation Balazar claws the snake across the neck. Blood shoots from the wound as the snakes body uncoils from the lion and falls to the ground.
Balazar is whimpering in pain. Keanan puts his hand on Balazar's severe wounds and tries to heal him through the power of Gozreh.