Edynn prepares to rush the creature if it decides to attack.
The blindheim snarls, ignoring the thrown rock, and leaps to the attack!
The little beast races forward, stops short of the bunny, and its eyes flood the room with a bright light!
Everyone manages to shut their eyes in time to avoid being blinded!
Inlé blinks rapidly before snarling and letting out a disturbing rabbit scream as he whacks the creature with his sword.
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The lagomorphic swordsman lunges forward and carves a nasty wound into the blindheim's flank. It yelps in pain and light beams from its eyes strike the ceiling.
Thankfully not as surprised as before with teh beetles he moved forward to pulling back and jabbing the frogdog with his staff. Not surprisingly... he missed low hissing and jerking the staff back wanting to rub his wrists.
Sia was pleased with the plan to sneak past, it was just too bad the plan failed. She sensed what was coming and managed to close and clover her eyes before the brilliant flash of light occurred. She focused, calling upon thoughts of a ball of psychic energy formed into a small diamond shape projectile and emotions of anger and pain, caused a diamond shaped object to appear before her and then, deciding bigger was better, forced more power into it causing the diamond to get slightly bigger. Envisioning her goal of the diamond slamming into the creature it sped across the distant, swerved under Enle's body between his legs, and slammed into the creature with solid force.
The diamond missile nails the blindheim in the nose, sending a spurt of black blood gushing across the cavern floor. The beast yelps like a wounded dog.
Edynn rushes forward launching a vicious kick, but unable to compensate for the creature's flailing as Sialea's projectile slams into it.
The blindheim whimpers and retreats from the party, cowering against the back wall of the cavern. Black blood is dripping everywhere from its nose.
Moving forward quietly and oh so cautiously He held his hand out to the whimpering creature. Gripping his holy symbol he whispered out a few simple words....
Inlé blinks a few times. "Huh, that's a first."
Celen's healing energy causes the blindheim's injuries to close up a bit. The creature's whimpering lessens a bit, but it doesn't stop.
It looks at Celen with pain in its blinding eyes. The light coming from its eyes is dim and blinking.
"Well it didnt put that hood over itself i think."
He said simply, explaining himself before too many questions were asked. He frowned looking at the hood making what he hoped were soothing noises.
"I dont suppose any of you know anything about animals?"
He asked quietly trying to figure out what in the hell to do now.
The blindheim whimpers, but doesn't make an effort to run away. It's still very badly wounded by spell and blade.
The corpse's pouch contains:
--42 GP
--A silver symbol on a leather lanyard in the shape of a pickaxe. The pickaxe looks like it's made of a femur, human skull, and rib.
--A pair of watertight potion vials containing light blue fluid.
With the threat of the creature ended for now Sialea looked at the vials, focusing until her eyes glowed, and analyzed it as best she could. After a moment she said, "They're healing potions, basic ones but useful to us."
Noticing Celen's treatment of the creature they were fighting, and it's obvious pain, the woman felt sympathy for it. "I don't know anything about animals really, for that matter is it even an animal?"
As she spoke she cautiously approached and took out a small bit of food from her pack. Once she was close enough she knelt and took a small bite of it before she offered it to the obviously hurt and scared creature.
The blindheim jerks away from Sialea as she approaches. It evidently still remembers the magic missile that she blasted it with.
When she offers the creature some food, it flinches before tentatively leaning forward and trying to sniff it with its bloodied nose. Its mouth then snatches it up and starts chewing it.
"Well sort of? its a magical animal if that makes a difference to anyone."
He began frowning and eying what was found.Sialea seemed to have the potions well in hand so he studied the holy symbol then after a moment chuckled.
"Its not well to make fun of the dead and I apologize, it seems the unlucky corpse here zyphus, A purely evil god of 'accidental' death. Almost ironic really."
He added still studying the creature.
"That doesn't seem like a very smart god to worship." Edynn comments.
"To be perfectly honest I've never seen the wisdom in it either. I suppose it makes Pharasma's job easier in the que of the dead."
He began watching the creature and trying to figure out what to do with it.
"Yeah, I don't know anything about the Gods, but aren't there ones of happiness and food and protection and all that? Why would you want to worship something like accidental deaths?" Inlé muses as he watches the pacified creature.
Sia pulled a little more food out to offer the blindheim and said, "I wonder if we can train this little guy, or at least befriend him. I know regular animals can be trained, I assume magical ones can too, though I bet it's harder." She held out another bite of food to the creature and crooned, "I'm sorry, about before, we were protecting ourselves from you." She looked out of the corner of her eye at Celen, still focused on the creature, "I bet if we tend it's wounds and feed it the little guy might stay with us, at least down here. He might be able to provide us portable light and save us spells and torches."
They cannot be taught to perform humanoid-appropriate labors and thus make poor slaves, though the duergar and drow sometimes use them as bait or distractions when raiding. Other races have been known to train these creatures as mobile light sources when going on long underground expeditions.
The blindheim nibbles on the food Sialea offers to it. It still looks quite skittish and wounded.
With a frown at the Blindheim he shrugged.
"It's worth a shot to see if he/she... it? will follow us about, I think it was somethings pet, or at least trained animal before by the leather about its head, though i can make any sense of the script there. Secondly, if this is indeed somethings pet, and that something still lives down here returning it is a much better icebreaker than toting around its carcass.
He added more than prepared to leave if behind if need be.
The blindheim tentatively follows the party as they exit through the southern cavern entrance, staying near Celen. Blood is dripping from its wounds, leaving a trail as they go.
Following the rocky tunnel to the southwest, the party emerges in what appears to be a junkyard of sorts. 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. Two exits lead off from this room--one to the southwest, one to the southeast.
The three-legged creature drawing looks very much like the repair drone that Khonnir brought home to the Foundry...
It looks like a bald woman.
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"over there! Against the wall!
He began pointing towards a humanoid thing along the wall.
"You!" Inlé calls out to where Celen pointed before charging over to the area.
Not noticing anything at first, Edynn turns suddenly as Celen points out the hiding woman, striding over toward her.
Sia was disappointed they couldn't do more for the blindheim but was relieved that it at least stayed with them. She resolved to find a way to do something to help heal it as soon as she could. It was times like this she wished she knew something about healing but it simply wasn't her thing. She was about to ask Celen to try and heal the creature again when they came across the drawings in the cave ahead. She studied the images a little as she sifted through the rubble and found something just as Celen warned them of someone and Inle charged who, or what, ever it was.
The camouflaged lady gasps in shock and fright. "Eep!"
She throws her hands up. "Wait wait wait wait!"
"Is there a reason you were hiding here?" Edynn asks as she slows her approach.
"I, uh... I-I'm just a lookout. I watch for... for, um... intruders." The skulk starts wringing her hands as her skin changes colour.
Now that her skin is no longer the same colour as the rock wall, it's easy to see she's wearing little more than leather straps. Several knives made of scrap metal are hooked onto the straps.
"M-My name's Luepel."
"Hello Leupel, that's an impressive ability to camouflage like that. Have there been many intruders recently?" Edynn asks calmly.
Inlé halts once the Skulk and Edynn start conversing.
Luepel timidly nods. "We've been getting them practically every other day--"
It's about now that she looks over the party's shoulders at the bright glow next to Celen. Her demeanour immediately changes. "Is that the chief's pet?! What'd you do to him?" She sounds remarkably indignant and puts her hands on her hips with an angry expression.
Relieved that the alarm was for someone with no urge to fight Sialea went back to examining the discs she'd found. She'd seen their like before and recognized them, picking up the things and pocketing them for now. She'd tell the others about them later once they were alone. She rose from her crouch and began to let the others speak with the individual when she abruptly demanded to know what they'd done with the chief's pet. She turned and said, "The little guy attacked us and we were forced to defend ourselves. Fortunately we managed to subdue him without killing him and tended his wounds as best we could. I've fed him a little but he seems to have taken a shine to Celen who healed him." She approached the woman cautiously and said, "I'm sorry we hurt him and I'm glad to know we can return him to his owners. Could you take us to the chief so we can return the little guy to his family?"
Luepel's face softens a bit, and the blindheim tentatively steps forward, still bleeding.
"...well, there's a bit of a problem with that..." She mumbles, giving the glowing creature a pat on its head.
"Follow me, please. Our new chief will want to speak with you."
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The skulk lady turns and leads the party down the southeastern passage, away from the junk heap. The blindheim follows her for a bit, but stays back with Celen & Sialea, eying the skulk with more fear than it does for them.
The ceiling of the vast chamber Luepel leads the party to 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.
As you reach the huts, two more skulks emerge from their camouflaged positions on the chamber floor with looks of surprise on their faces. These ones are very male, both of them barely wearing anything more than a loincloth. The one that remains next to Luepel appears to be the gangliest one of the bunch, but his hunched posture makes him appear to be shorter than the others. He eyes Inlé with a mixture of curiosity and wariness--mainly because of the sword he's carrying.
The other skulk looks quite muscular, and is eying both Celen and Sialea with an eye that's doing less sizing up and more... aesthetic appreciation.
"Brought in a few pretty ones, eh, Lue? And they have the old boss' pet with them." The muscular one smirks. It provokes an eyeroll from Luepel.
"Yeah, something about wanting to return him to his family, Brath." Luepel rubs the blindheim's head. It backs away from her. "...and still as timid as ever, I see. Anyway, they want to see Sef."
"You know the rules, Lue--no more than two at a time." The gangly one mumbles, his eyes not leaving Inlé's sword.
"I know, Yadriss. I know." Luepel turns to the party. "So, which two of you want to go meet our chief?"
"What about two and a third?"
Sialea looked at the group and said, "I'll go, maybe they'll know something about Papa."
"What about two and a third?"
"Chief Sef's pretty strict about that sorta thing." Yadriss replies, his eyes still on Inlé. The skulk looks ready to scramble away at any moment.
"I'll go, maybe they'll know something about Papa."
Brath's face adopts a disappointed expression for a moment before it disappears.
Inlé shrugs as his suggestion is turned down, it was the outcome he was expecting anyway. "You wanna go while I guard the priest?" Inlé asks Edynn.
"You wanna go while I guard the priest?" Inlé asks Edynn.
Brath's face falls even more.
He looks down at one of the jagged knives tucked into his loincloth and slides one out, making a show of inspecting his nails with it.
He didnt trust how she described the old cheif and his pet, nor did he like the way they stared at him and Sialea. The last straw was the strange creatures show of cleaning his nails. Splitting them up might be a ploy to make an attack easier. He was not going to let that happen. The town, and Mr. Khonnir were depending on them.
"No. We are all going.There are lives at stake above and probably below."
Sia held up a hand and said, "Celen, stop, antagonizing them won't help us, we might be able to help each other."
The skulks flinch when Celen speaks, Brath in particular dropping his nonchalant demeanour like a scalding rock. Luepel swallows nervously. "Um... s-sure. You can all come with. N-no problem."