Aurusk moves around the frog, attempting to flank him with Gavin's help, then swings his glaive again.
Aurusk's glaive slides off the frog thing. The blade comes back with a sheen of green and red ichor.
Kraig moves to where he thinks the frog is and swings.
"Why would you do this, we could have been friends!"
Alexis starts to sing, a song of battle and victory, as she fights to overcome the fear inflicted by her sudden blinding. Its tones inspires the party to greater efforts.
+1 to hit and damage to the party.
Kraig moves to where he thinks the frog is and swings.
"Why would you do this, we could have been friends!"
[dice=attack]1d20 + 4
[dice=damage]1d6 + 3
[dice=Miss]1d100
[dice=reroll if needed]1d100
Kraig's fist connects with the frog's face, crushing bone and knocking the creature to the ground, dead.
With the "frog" dead, you all notice half a body floating in the water behind the creature.
"A wretched creature, that was." Gavin will use his cane to fish out the body. "Don't be Khonnir..."
What little remains of the body does not seem to be Khonnir. There is a tattoo of chain links on the left arm.
You see a belt pouch with 42 gp, a silver holy symbol that looks like a tiny bone pick, and two water-tight potions.
Examining the body for a second, realizing it is not Khonnir or anyone he recognizes, Gavin will begin to analyze the potions, seeing them as the nearest thing to a clue for who this is.
"Did you kill it, Gavin? I can't see a thing. What's going on?"
Nyssa had wanted to strike out against the frog-thing, but with no way to tell friend from foe she had held back.
I don't suppose anyone can cure blindness? Alexis asks with forlorn hope.
I hope this wears off soon.
note to self. Assuming I get to see again, kill all giant frogs!
"The creature was felled, Nyssa. I have a body here. I suggest you all take it easy right here with those of us with sight on watch."
Nyssa lets out a sigh of relief. "That's good. Is everyone alright? Swimming in that water made me sick, and I can only see white flashes..."
"I think it will pass in time. Resting seems like good idea."
Nyssa is aware that the passing time is eating into the magic that allows them to breathe underwater, but it really had been that kind of mission all along. Khonnir had to be deeper into whatever underground complex was here than a mere four hour spell would allow for.
As said before, I advice to rest until we recover, other groups has been lost, so there must be dangers all along, we can go crippled in any way. The spell is useful, but with the knoted rope we attached on the pound, we can afford it without risk of drowning. Says Valt confident on his words.
We can't wander the caves with half of us blinded, and the other half sick...
Valt sits down to meditate, casting light on the pebble each time he notices the magic fades.
As soon as the frog falls, Aurusk ignores it. He bends down to the dead body in the water, but fails to discern anything. He then reaches for the holy symbol and examines that.
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Kraig pours a few drops of mead on the ground.
"Rest in peace little guy. Many little hoods await you in the afterlife. It musta' been upset from all the people passing through his home the last few days to attack a whole group of people."
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"OR it is a ravenous, terra-dwelling monstrosity who knew full well that it was capable of killing everyone of us since the water here makes the surroundings sick. Otherwise, why would it wait at the entrance?"
After about 30 minutes, with some of you still blinded and sickened, those that can see notice that the water to the North and West is rippling. To the west, three dark three foot high mounds are moving along the water towards your position. A fetid stench of rotting vegetables comes as they approach.
Phase 1
Everyone
Phase 2
Fungus Mound Thing
Sickened: Nyssa, Aurusk, Gavin
Blinded: Nyssa, Alexis, Kraig, Valt
As soon as he gets alerted, Valt summons the eagle again, near the place where the sounds are coming.
Khonnir report about how much populated are those caverns was not a joke Says Valt concerned.
Damn, why I did not called Iophiel for help when we got blinded? things would have been easier.
Valt's summoned eagle swoops towards the blobs with white wings.
It stabs into the blob with its talons tearing out a huge chunk of "flesh." The faint smell of garbage comes from the direction of the water.
Aurusk stuffs the strange symbol into his pouch, This one he motions to the body in the water, worshiped a strange god. The god of accidental death. . . .
As the things begin to approach, he stands looking in their direction. As they come into sight, his nose wrinkles and he shakes his head. Lifting his glaive to the side, he charges. He brings the blade down to bear on the closest creature.
Aurusk's glaive bounces off the mound like jelly. It jiggles violently, but makes no move to strike the half orc.
As Aurusk looks at the creature, he sees small humanoid bones lodged inside the mass of fungi, mushrooms and rot.
Alexis, hearing the sounds of combat starts to sing again, raising the spirits of her companions.
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"If'n you'll trust me, follow me."
Putting a hand on Nyssa's shoulder, Gavin will prepare an action to lead her the twenty feet to the front if she so desires.
"Keep your weapon drawn. Creatures look small and simple like some sort of mold-like being."
"I trust you."
Nyssa allows Gavin to guide her into position. Then she strikes at where she hopes the mold is.
Alexis' singing echoes in the cavern. Ethereal motes of blue magic clinging to her allies' weapons.
Gavin guides Nyssa into the water. It sloshes against her legs, cold and wet. Nyssa swings her longsword but the mound of fungus shrinks down at the last moment. It bounces back to its three foot size after her weapon passes.
The other mound moves adjacent to Gavin. In unison, the two blobs extend their bodies up increasing to four feet and swing like twisters at Gavin and Nyssa.
One of the mounds strikes Gavin, leaving a slick line of green fungi on his clothes. The other misses Nyssa, instead spraying some of the cave water at her face.
The oozes revert back to their three foot size after their attack.
The eagle moves slightly and unleashes a torrent of blows at the mound adjacent to Gavin.
Its beak misses its swift tearing jab. Its talons, however, dig into the blob, tearing it apart swiftly, spraying a flurry of green detritus around the cave.
Aurusk moves around to flank with one of the others and strikes again.
Aurusk's glaive tears into the remaining fungus mound. A burst of green gas escapes from the opening, giving off the smell of rotten eggs.
"I'm the only one any worse for wear so far as I can tell. Let's set up shop for a bit and get back on our feet."
Nyssa uses her sword as a cane to find her way back to shore, then sits down. She waits quietly, with her blade resting across her knees. Listening.
The rest of the time passes without any further incident. The effects of the water and the frog creature's light disappear and you all feel somewhat back to normal.
alexis recasts light on her rapier. Still her eyes a a bit blurry from the frogs blinding light.
Aurusk calls out to the others, There are bodies here as well! He approaches the bodies and begins to examine them.
Kraig jerks awake when the slimes attack, but the threat passes before he can even stand. He seems relieved no more hooded frog people died.
"Ahh, that was refreshing. Everyone ready to go?" He takes another swig of his mead and lights another sunrod.
From your area there is a coast with two foot high water that leads west, likely back to where you started. To the south west is another corridor. West is where you all entered.
When your group is ready, you head through the southwest corridor and come into another room.
A collection of crates, boxes, rubble, and scavenged metal lies heaped in the northwest section of this damp cave. Several strange chalk drawings of twisted, spiny plants, a strange three-legged creature, and emaciated four-armed humanoids mark the walls.
Hallit:I think we have found the halfling party. Lets drag them out of the water, so we will be able to carry them when returning to the surface.
While waiting for recovering, Valt decides to call Iophiel, so she can help him retrieve the five corpses from the expeditions, and gather them all near the place they entered the caves (where the first one was found is a good place)
This time, from the portal Valt opens, does not come any animal, but a beautiful winged being.
Iophiel, those are Kraig, Aurusk, Alexis, Nyssa and Gavin, they are my partners and frienly people, so take care of them too.
This is Iophiel, my protector, she will help us all.
Looks like a base camp. Are those drawings some kind of warning about whats ahead?
Aurusk examines the hard stone sized object that one of halflings had on his person.
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Nyssa looks at the strange drawings with interest, wondering what it could mean.
The meaning of the scavenged pile is clear enough, someone or something is building a cache here.
Nyssa looks around wondering where the owner of the junk pile could be.
The fiery haired woman listens to Valt, she knows it is Hallit that he speaks, but she does not yet have mastery of the language. Nyssa resolves to study harder. Hallit is a language she will need to know.
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"Khonnir could have mentioned there are more things living down here than are in Torch. Gods, and we leave the lake unguarded! We'll have to see about collapsing the entrance when it's outlived its usefulness."
The cave drawing of the three legged creature looks like the repair drone.
From this crate area, there are two passageways, one to the southwest and one to the southeast.
"Nothing here, 'cept these plate-lookin' things. Could be valuable. I don't think the dead frog or dead slimes will miss them if we take them with us."
He gathers the disks up and puts them in his pack.
"Where to now? I'd say the southeast passage, it's more directly away from the entrance."