Derenthil takes a last look about before leaving.
At the barracks he wonders aloud We might be able to find better weapons here. Or armor. Lets search it well. and will cast detect magic to aid his search.
Derantil leads the way into the barracks looking around when a creature crawls out from under one of the beds and snaps at his leg just barely missing him. The creature hisses and acid drips down from it's mouth burning a hole in the floor.
The creature appears to be a foot long ant like creature.
(knowledge nature)
Roll your init and your round action together and I will sort them out.
"By Besmara's bouncy boobies what is that!" Quelth curses, rushing forward an swinging his scimitar clumsily at the beast. Even as he does so he emits a piercing whistle and Slith comes surging in her flippers awkward on land, but enabling her to move with surprising speed when she wishes to.
Her fanged mouth shoots forward like a serpents crunching down upon the ant beast.
The agile scout back peddles and fires a his crossbow at the thing. But in his haste to avoid the acid dripping mandibles his shot goes wide. That is not armor or a weapon. What is it?
He may not be as fast as the others, but Diomedes knows what the critter is. He tries to take a whack at it with his morningstar.
"Watch out for the acid!"
@diomedes You recognise the creature as an ankheg hatchling, meaning there is a nest close by and likely more hatchlings in the area as well as at least one or two full grown adults.
I do not know what it is, but I won´t let it harm my companions.
Shield at the ready he moves into a flanking position and stabbes it.
"They're like ants, so watch out for more of them!" Jordy pulls out his crossbow, quickly cranks it, briefly aims, and looses at the hatchling.
The small ankheg is bitten by Slith and then tries to bite her right back. but misses and then is quickly struck down by the group.
You look around but for the moment you do not see more of them.
You do find the spot were the creature chewed a hole in the floor to make it's way into the barracks however.
Reloading his crossbow Deranthil continues his search, recasting his Detect Magic.
Derantil detects two faints auras and locates and amulet and a wand*
Will need to be identified but it's a lesser talisman of good fortune (lets you re-roll a natural 1 once a day) and a wand of color spray 12(charges) the wand bears the initials U.H on it.
You don't find any weapons or armor here. Do you search all the bags for loose coins and such?
"We should continue our exploration first. We have time to check for spoils, later!"
Right, the detailed search will have to wait until we have secured the area. Just give me a sec here. Deranthil concentrates on each item in turn.
Vinnick, give me a hand here?
Quelth searches vigorously while Dernathil examines the items, his previous experiences being in looting ships he makes something of a mess, but is at least careful not to break anything and systematic in that he places everything he is done searching into a pile.
"Does U.H match anyone on the charter?" He asks tryingnto recall?
There was a colonist named Una Hendrake
Quelth find little of value, clothing, personal items and some loose coinage (321 sp and 87 gp)
This is a "barracks" but really this is just one more place were the colonist slept until homes could be completed for them.
"We just split this between us right? My rule has always been if you ain't fightin' you ain't lootin'. Don't think the poor bastards that were livin' here will have anymore use for it either way." Quelth says, deftly dividing the coins into six piles of 19gp 8sp, though the actual denominations vary.
"Leaves 3 silver wanna pair up and flip for the?"
Bastien raises an eyebrow at Quelths deads.
"Quelth, we said we continue! Not slowly seperating coins into piles!"
He then moves slowly forward to the next building.
Vinnick curses when whatever it was manages to get away. He doesn't believe tracking would be of any use, as whatever it was probably was flying.
Outside, Vinnick marvels at the golden cog before pocketing it for later study.
during the small fight with the Ankheg Vinnick holds onto his depleted spells, waiting to see if the group would have need for them. However they proved competent enough.
For once, I agree with Quelth, much to my disdain. The folk here apparently either did not want to keep them, or have no use for them.
"You said, and besides he is still identifying quit being a groaning grouper. Thought you wanted to be efficient what is more efficient me standing around while he checks the magic stuff out, or gettin' something now, you want yours or what?" Quelth rolls his eyes to the heavens before giving Bastien an irritated look.
While Deranthil and Quelth do their investigations, Jordy goes over to squat next to the hole. "We should do something to block this hole. It ate up through the wood, there's probably a tunnel under the barracks. At the very least, do any of you spellcasters have that spell that fixes things? We could fix the floor and slow down anything coming up behind that little one."
There is a tunnel just big enough for a small creature to crawl trough.
There is nothing more solid than wood here.
Diomedes considers the hole with Jordy. He scratches his chin. "We might can fill it with water. Would depend on how porous the ground is." He rubs the back of his neck with his hand. "They can chew threw just about anything we throw down there. There must be a nest somewhere. Take out the nest, hopefully take out the problem."
"I like it a simple and violent solution! Reckon we can smash through the floor to find the nest? As for fixin' magic, mending is the only one I can cast at the moment, and I ain't got it prepared, needs to weigh less than a pound and have all the bits to so it won't do no good here. My D.. Captain used to be able to shape wood, but I ain't there yet by a ways."
Jordy nodded his thanks at Quelth's explanation and Diomedes's suggestion. "Water could work if we could get enough of it and keep it where we want it. I agree with finding their nest in principle- these things are going to be an issue we'll have to deal with eventually. There will be full size ones in there if we go looking for the nest, so we'll need to be ready for that. But this tunnel is pretty narrow."
He looked thoughtfully at the door. "If this one was here, it stands to reason that other buildings have been scouted too. There might be a wider tunnel somewhere else."
"Good point, when you say full sized what exactly are we talkin' I ain't so well versed with land animals," Quelth says, scratching his head in embarrassment,
"Visited a druid grove and everything, but didn't stay long they were a bit bloody preachy. Did tell me a lot about animals, but it ain't the same as seeing, fighting, and eating them, never really stuck what with learning thenlingo and everything."
Jordy frowns and shakes his head. "This was a hatchling. A full size ankheg can be as big as a horse. If there's a nest under this settlement it could explain why they left."
"Well chumbuggerit, we might not be ready for a bunch of those things the size of horses!" Quelth says eyes widening, "guess we just keep searching the buildings for now?"
Right, the detailed search will have to wait until we have secured the area. Just give me a sec here. Deranthil concentrates on each item in turn.
[dice=Spellcraft Amulet]1d20+7
[dice=Spellcraft Wand]1d20+7
Vinnick, give me a hand here?
"If we don't see a lot more of these hatchlings, could just be a mated pair with their young. That'd be lucky."
Seeing nothing more here you go on and check the next building over.
The chapel
This large building is durably built in a log cabin–style construction with a thatched pitched roof and three gables. Its several open windows are uncovered, and the sole entrance on the east side of the building is bereft of a door. A small porch covered by a gable shelters this door, though the porch has not been swept and dirt and dust have started to accumulate, while one end of the gable is starting to sag from neglect.
Once you go inside...
The interior of this building suggests a modest place of worship—not quite a temple but more than a mere shrine. A table near the center of the west wall appears to serve as an altar, draped in a white but dusty cloth. Behind the table, a large wood carving of a humanoid figure with a stag’s head leans against the wall. Two rows of benches face the altar, although some have been knocked over and two piles of ashes are visible in the aisle between them. Scattered throughout the room are assorted objects related to public worship, such as a chalice and a ceremonial rod. An ornately carved longbow hangs on the wall near the altar, as if on display. Against the north wall is a smaller shrine. Nearby is a wooden statue roughly three feet tall that depicts a male half-human and half-avian creature. One carved wing hangs partially broken from the statue.
The wood carving behind the altar represents the deity Erastil, and can be identified as such with a successful DC 10 Knowledge (religion) check. The other wooden statue near the smaller shrine can be identified as the agathion patron of Andoran, Talmandor, with a successful DC 15 Knowledge (religion) or DC 15 Knowledge (planes) check. PCs who already actively worship or revere these entities can identify the statues without a Knowledge check.
On the floor near the entrance you see some dried blood on the floor that leads from the ground right in front of the door all the way to the main altar. There is a stink of rotten flesh here but you do not see the source.
"I recognize birdboy here, Talmandor, Andoran god. Going to bring Slith in so we can find whatever reeks," he whistles for the sea monster which comes lumbering in and taps his nose indicating for her to find the terrible odours source.
Diomedes makes a few arcane gestures as he slowly looks around the interior of the temple.
Vinnick will take a look over the amulet and wand, he will also look to see if the golden Cog gear he picked up earlier shows any magical aura.
Hmmm. yes, Let me take a look at those..
Once inside the new building Vinnick will cover his nose. Ugh!
He takes a look around, noting the blood stain and the statues Vinnick casts detect magic as well, looking at the bow, the rod, statues and anything else that seems of note.
Bastien follows in and shurgs.
"Smells horribly inded!"
Jordy glances briefly at the altar and other smaller shrines and nods at Quelth. "They worshipped Erastil, too." He nods at Quelth, agreeing with Bastien. "The sooner the better."
Vinnick has success in identifying the two items for what they are.
Examining the statue you can tell it was struck with a weapon a sword or and axe.
Slith runs right up to the main altar and sniff at it and scratches at it. Seems the source is inside.
Vinnick hands the wand back
It's a wand of color spray, twelve charges remaining, and this is merely a minor enchanted amulet to give one good luck. He says holding the amulet in his other hand.
Likely not very potent but I'd like to carry the wand in case I am up close against a few enemies. Deranthil requests. And look, I think Slith has found something.
The altar is made of wood and has religious carvings on it and is covered in a a dusty white tablecloth. A few items are placed on it such as a gold chalice and some candles.
The piles of ash if you check them are burnt books.
Using his scimitar Quelth attempts to lift the tablecloth so they can see beneath the altar.
Quelth lifts the white cloth and there is a trembling in the room and several objects around the room start to levitate and benches slide around.
Sudently one of the god statues is flung right at Quelth
Seeing Quelth attacked Bastien moves in brings his weapon at the ready!
Whatever the opponent is it's invisible and flying.
Quelth flinches, but continues to look under the altar hoping to get some clue, even as he raises his shield.
Drawing his blade Deranthil comments. This place seems haunted.
Quelth cant seem to find a way to open the altar.
"What is it with this place and critters you can't see?!" Diomedes yells in frustration. "If this place IS haunted, maybe we should leave it alone until we can get one of the priests in here."