"Now now, we aren't that harsh, maybe just a good hit with the flat of a blade. We aren't trying to kill everything we meet, and this time we came out fine. Just don't do it again okay Rakdon? Sometimes we can talk our way through things, other times we need force. Violence should not be the first answer to everything. Also sorry for not giving you a better understanding for what was going on Rosa, that one was my fault."
The blindness wears off from Dr. Lendaro and Tarphesh as well.
There appears to be a body in the pool slightly North. There are also three smaller bodies to the West, barely hidden by the two foot high water.
Though the body is mostly eaten, you assume from the frog thing. You notice several stab wounds in the body made by a small bladed weapon.
Three dead halflings. Fungus and mushrooms are growing on them.
You find a small agate secreted away in one of the halflings' tunics.
The cave branches off into three pathways. One way is to the Northwest, which seems to bring you back to the cavern entrance. To the West is the path you came from, which also leads to the ledge and the entrance afterwards. Finally, a path that leads South appears to be your only way forward.
You take a moment to recover from the frog attack and move South through a passageway.
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.
There is a female humanoid hiding behind one of the crates. Her skin seems to camouflage with the coloring of the brown crate, like a chameleon, and in her hand she holds a short sword. She is watching you carefully.
Rosa shoots the Gnome a look, but then lets it drop.
She seems to not care now there is body's to look at.
She bends down and has a look over it.
She pulls of it a belt pouch containing 42 gp, a silver symbol shaped like tiny bones, a skull and a femur formed into a tiny pick and two vials are water tight potions. She places them to one side so the others can look at them.
"Interesting Back Stab wounds again like the orc, who ever did the killing here likes to sneak up on there victims, coming at them from behind."
She then go's over and looks at the three small bodys,
She moves one and with a dagger pulls out a small agate from one of the bodys.
"Linpul, Doctor come have a look at this"
She moves to Linpul and hands it her, then looks back down the way they are to go. Rosa picks up the items they found and then moves on with the others, Sword out and ready.
"Mhmm... " Dr Lendaro nods as Lady Rosa inspects the body, and shows him the stone. He then takes a look at the primitive pick.
"Could be this which caused the wounds. Small wielder using a pick... seems about the right height for the wounds to appear as dagger thrusts from a killer of normal size." He shrugs. "The conditions make it difficult to even fuel a hunch."
He moves over to the small bodies covered in fungus. "These have been here for a some time..." He looks for similar wounds. "If they carry similar wounds, then it would strongly suggest the back stabber is a denizen... rather than visitor..."
Also, the halflings seemed to be stripped of their gear. You remember Dolga Freddert mentioning an expedition group of thugs that entered the caves.
Dr Lendaro shakes his head. "Not stab wounds... more likely the beetles."
"Ill take your word for it Doctor"
as she dos detect magic on all the stuff they found, the Rosa starts to move down to the crates, boxes, rubble and scavenged metal. Detecting magic.
"It looks like the frog thing was scavenging"
Dr Lendaro gestures to the partially eaten and back-stabbed corpse. "This one was an associate of Prada's..." He shrugs. "Since - I would assume - there is no appreciable time between their deaths, either no or incomplete looting, nibbles only from the frog-thing... "
He then nods - following Lady Rosa.
"I would say, it is looking as though we have one or more individuals who did not wish success upon - at least - this particular group. Someone they trusted, or someone with considerable ability to remain hidden."
Linpul wipes the frog from her hammer and takes a look around.
Staring at the writing on the frog things head she ponders.
"If only I could read this language... well I can but I don't want to waste magic when it might not be necessary."
Hurrying over to Rosa her eyes haven't caught anything much like the others.
"Poor little halflings, then again I'm not a huge fan of the fire beetles either."
She rubs her leg to massage the bite wound from earlier. Some bugs just don't get it.
Linpul finds seven silverdisks scattered amid the crates and broken metal. They are out of power.
There are three pathways out of the crate room. One leads north and back the way you came. The other two lead Southwest and Southeast. The passageway to the southwest seems colder, though there is no wind coming from that direction.
Clambering over the boxes the gnome disappears into one and pops out of another with a handful of the silverdisks.
"They have a lot of these. Back in town this would sell for a fortune if they were fully charged. Unfortunately these ones are empty, but if we can find a generator we might be able to load em up with some juice."
Placing the empty disks in her pack she readies to move out.
Rosa heads to the wind,
Following Rosa, you all head down a passageway to a ledge about 10 feet above the next cavern.
The temperature drops noticeably in this passageway, and a rime of white frost lines the walls and floor leading into the cavern beyond. What seems to be a light layer of brown dust carpets the cave floor beyond-a body of some sort sits slumped against the eastern wall.
From the ledge, you cannot quite make out any features of the body.
The 5 diameter brown patch on the ground is brown mold. It saps the heat from around it. Creatures within five feet of it are inflicted with cold. A cold spell can destroy the brown mold.
The body has rust colored filaments and strange ribbons on his throat, spine and chest.
Past the strange fungus growing on his body, you can make out who it is. The body belongs to Gerrol Sonder, a popular rogue that was part of Khonnir's expedition. He often frequented the Foundry Tavern and was very interested in thieving gadgets. He was usually quiet and kept to himself, except when he was drunk. Gerrol proposed to Emilia Otterbie for marriage, a wealthy weaponsmith's daughter, but left on this expedition before the ceremony could be arranged.
The body has rust colored filaments and strange ribbons on his throat, spine and chest. This is russet mold infestation. After 24 hours in normal temperature, a vegetable/fungus creature called a vegepygmy bursts out of the body. Russet Mold Infestation can be cured with alcohol, acid, continual flame, and remove disease. This particular infestation is not contagious.
He has short bladed stab wounds, likely made by a dagger or short sword. However, none of the wounds seemed fatal. The intense cold of this cavern made him unconscious. After freezing, he became dehydrated and starved to death.
He has a masterwork chain shirt, masterwork thieves' tools, masterwork hand crossbow and 5 bolts, empty vials and 75 gp.
Holding her hand out to stop anybody from advancing too far forward, Linpul has seen this before. Pointing to the patch with her hammer she stays away from the mold.
"That right there is Brown Mold, it devours heat and is so cold that it can harm you. Luckily if anybody has any magic or alchemical items that can deal cold damage we can destroy it."
She spots the rust colored filaments and cocks one of her elongated eyebrows. Linpul is going to wait for the mold to be dealt with before trying to search and examine the corpse.
"Ah. Well done. Unless a card trick will suffice, I regretfully am without magic abilities."
"If we are without... perhaps we should try the other passage."
"I'm all fire! cold is not what I do"
Rosa says simply, she looks around.
Have we lost someone? Sound off, who's missing! Rosa here"
|
Rakdon would take 10 on perception to loot the body, because treasure.
and he can safely take 10 on climb since his modifier isn't negative.
if the body is in the brown stuff, he will wait for his allies.
I also want to know if the corpse looks even semifresh. wounds of battle started on him, and the cold finished him. Stab wounds suggest he went up against something humanoid
rakdon would cast ray of frost, but he is out zero level spells as he is a wizard not a sorcerer.
"You all done, lets get some place other than here, Mold, Fungus, toxic water, this place death trap, where are the loot caves you have all been talking about. Picking over the dead is not my idea of finding the lost and getting rich."
Rosa moves to the Exit on the left and looks into the next space, she stops just at the cave exit into the room.
Low voice: "Any of you good at sneaking abut get in there and have a look around"
Dr Lendaro answers Lady Rosa while scanning the chamber from the tunnel entrance. "Not I. I've had little need for it until now."
Linpul puts her hammer away before drawing her shield and mace. Pointing to Rakdon and making a few clicking noises with her tongue, Linpul orders Tetsuda to guard him for a bit. She smiles and speaks before casting a short spell and slipping into the shadows.
"I'll be right back."
Hugging the wall Linpul advances into the next room. Taking in all that her eyes can with what light is provided.
The ceiling of this vast chamber rises nearly thirty feet overhead. A five-foot-wide ledge runs along the western wall, sloping down to the cave floor ten feet below. Four ramshackle huts made of what appear to be strips of metal, hides, and some sort of fibrous plant matter sit in the cave, while to the south yawns a dark pit.
Linpul moves into the room and finds no people. To the eastern part of the chamber is a thick looking metal wall. A smooth wall of dark gray metal bisects the cavern here, its expanse pitted and scorched but quite solid looking. A strange, circular opening pierces the wall five feet off the ground, allowing access to some sort of hallway on the other side.
Taking a peak inside the hovels, Linpul finds broken metal parts of machines, spoiled food (bread and cheese and meat) and soiled clothing, and leather strips. There are also leather pouches that seemed filled with something, out of one a few gold coins have spilled out.
You can feel a presence watching you, but you whenever you look around you cannot see anyone. Sometimes, you can even hear faint breathing.
Putting her shield away, Linpul heads back to the group to relay what she found ahead.
"Not much ahead except some broken bots, some rotten food, and a few coin purses filled with gold. The room doesn't feel right though, like somethin's watching me. Gives me the creeps." She shudders thinking back on that feeling.
"Regardless we should be going now, we have to find Mr. Baine."
Rosa looks into the room then makes her mind up.
"arrr *#^#*!, well this place unsurprisingly is yet another death trap, lets get this over with"
hell rules time
Her sword out she walks into the Chamber and to the league.
"RIGHT YOU IN THERE!! I'M TALKING TO YOU!!, if you understand me know this, this can go one of two ways, you come out and we talk like civilised persons, or you attack us, but remember before you do, your the the ones in a room full of flammable things"
She the points her finger into the room, there is a flash of light off a crate and it starts to smoulder.
"Make your mind up fast, I think this stuff burns easy"
Dr Lendaro raises an eyebrow. "I'm sure you are quite the competitor in blindman's bluff, Lady Rosa."
Pistol in hand, he watches for any sign of a hidden foe.
"Wait. Do not pursue your course of action, tiefling."
You hear a female voice down in the cavern.
Suddenly, humanoid figures seem to materialize from out of nowhere. Their skin changes from their brown surroundings to a neutral gray. They are hairless and smooth skinned, eyes sharp and focused.
Two of the humanoids flank your group, one to the north and the other to the south.
"Our leader wishes to speak with you. We wish to make a bargain."
They are holding short swords in their hand, with daggers at their hips. Bits of leather straps are their only clothing.
"Three of you remain in this cave, the other two follow me."
She waits until you make a decision.
Tarphesh who has been mostly quiet since this point, speaks up.
"Bring your leader out here, or Rosa will burn this place down." He grins. "She attacks innocent farmers. It would be wise if you move faster."
she looks at the two each side of the group.
"Now that's much better, far more civilised, and you know he's right I do, and that's just for looking at me funny. He's also right about us staying put, how about you get your leader and we can talk civilised about this bargain of yours."
"Fine, but if you make any movements, they will cut you down."
The gray woman goes into a northern corridor, and after a few moments comes back with another gray woman. She seems colder, sharper, more focused than the others of her kind.
"I am Sef, leader of these Skulks. I have a bargain to make with you surface dwellers. "
She points to another northern passageway.
"Recently, a group of gremlins has proven an annoyance to our people. I want them gone from our caves. If you do this for us, you can have free passage, unmolested, so long as you do not attack our people. I will even give you a reward for such a feat."
Sef slashes with her short sword, testing the weight as well as making a point.
"If you do not agree to this, then leave now. Or I will assume that you are enemies."
Her cold eyes glance at Lendaro for a second, then shift and focus on Rosa, as though searching for the leader of the group.
Rosa looks at Sef her metallic eyes looking hard at the Skulk
But then when she talks of gremlins she brakes out in deep laughter head back, after a moment she stops.
"yes, yes, threats, please spear me, and you should never start with your final section, once you do that you have no where to go but backsliding. So Sef and the Skulks, you have a pest problem, that you can't deal with yourselves, little buggers jumping about on you are they."
She waves her sword.
"Small blades not going to cut it A? with them shifty mites"
then with one move she swings her sword onto her back where it locks in place. She then takes out a note book and silver point pen.
Reading out wile she writes she says.
"I one undersigned Sef, leader of these Skulks, Here by agrees to give the party of Rosa Luminnass, free and safe passage through the Skulks lands under my dominion, with out harm. This safe and prompt passage will be given as payment for dealing with the gremlins infestation within my dominion. I agree to this and should I brake this agreement, my soul will be for-fit to Hell.
Signed and dates - you sign here.
and counter signed by me.
Lady Rosa Luminnuss.
She then rips out the agreement contract and hands it with her silver point pen to one of the Skulks flanking them.
"If you would be so kind as to sign, then we can get on clearing your caves."
She looks down at the Skulks.
The two female skulks speak in guttural noises, motioning at the piece of paper in Rosa's hand.
"Will they keep their promise if you make a mark on that paper?" the unnamed one asks Sef.
Sef smirks, "I have seen this above ground. Their people make such marks and then follow it. Laws and such. It is ridiculous. That paper holds no power. It does not stop us from betraying them, should we decide that is the proper course of action."
Sef takes the paper and makes a mark with the silver pen.
"I accept your contract. See that you do what you have promised."
She returns it to Rosa.
"Very well. I, Lady Rosa Luminnuss, and my cohorts shall do as our contract says. You said that the gremlins were this way up north?"
Sef nods. The short sword in her hand is more loose, less deadly looking.
Rosa's eyes shine. "Devils always fulfill their contracts, one way or another," she murmurs. "Shall we go, my associates?"
She rolls up the contract and places it in one of her pouches along with several other rolled up papers, and walks North.
Linpul moves her hand to her pack to cover her e-pick. Gremlins, why did the rumor have to be real.
"Ugh, I hate gremlins, I describe myself as one because I like to take tech apart but they are much worse."
After Tarphesh moves out of earshot of the skulks, he says to Rosa, "You think you can trust them that easily? A piece of paper won't make them keep their word. Remember the wounds on those corpses? They will kill us as soon as we do their dirty business."
Rosa smiles and waves a hand in dismissal.
"That is why we had them sign the contract. Now I won't have any bad feelings should they double cross us. I mean, we tried to be civil."
Rosa taps her pouches containing the contracts she has accumulated over the years. The tiefling eyes her associates and gives a warm smile.
"Just remember. You signed one as well."
Dr Lendaro speaks quietly to the group.
"Trust them or not, at least we can communicate with them - and know they are not strong enough to deal with gremlins handily. The culling they wish us to perform will at least buy us time to put together a plan. Some way to deal with them should they force our hand."
Dr Lendaro takes a moment to call to mind what he knows of this race of creatures.
"Hmm... If I could recall how their ability to camouflage functions...
Perhaps I could devise some mundane yet effective foil..."
You move into tight, five foot tall passages. Everyone but Rosa, Tetsuda and Rakdon have to stoop to move forward. Suddenly, a tiny, two-foot tall creature, smaller than Linpul and Rakdon, appears in the corridor before you.
The purplish gremlin has an ever-present sharp-toothed grin beneath glowing orange eyes. Hairy, batlike ears twitch as it stares at you.
It motions with a tiny hand for you to follow.
It runs away before you can reply and rounds a corner. When you follow it is gone.
A pile of glowing coins and a blue tinged silverdisk is at the end of the new corridor.
Seeing the pile of coin and strange silver disk the gnomes eyes grow as large as dinner plates.
"Wow, oh wow, money and a BLUE silverdisk. I've never seen a blue silverdisk before!"
She ponders what it could possibly be.
"Oh and watch out for that trip wire over there, the gremlin set up a trap for us."