Amadeen can't find anything out of the ordinary in the alcove.
"Tik'Klik."
The golem also looks around, it's eyes whirling quietly as it does so.
Tik'klik can't find any traps but he does spot a few drops of well dried blood on the ground, they've been here for quite a few days by the looks of it.
Jorin holds his finger to his lips to indicate silence and slowly makes his way into the room, checking the doorways for signs of more enemies.
Moving silently he keeps a sharp look out.
Amadeen takes heed of Jorin and the blood, and continues moving quietly and warily.
Barek will keep silent and stay watching for any trouble.
You all notice a humanoid figure through the eastern door which is slightly ajar. He appears to be aware of at least some of you.
Could people describe themselves and any reactions to the newcomer.
The world comes back to Johund in pieces, as though he were shut inside a darkened room. A door opens, revealing a glimpse beyond, then closes. Small fragments of awareness stitch themselves together. A great pain in his head. A cold floor. The taste of blood. The smell of decay. His parched throat. The sound of...something...skittering. He doesn't know how long he has lain on this floor. He doesn't even know where he is, or who he is. But slowly, slowly, the unanchored boat that is his consciousness finds the shore, and he begins to collect the broken fragments of his memory.
The charter. The green tower. Felix, the bard. Luthian, the damned priest. Maren, the one with the blade. Ratna, the mystic. and Yzgar, the mage. Where were they? Had they left him for dead? It's possible. He remembers being overcome by a gang of them, of something heavy striking him in the head. And then things become blurry. He stumbled down a staircase, and then...
The green tower. It should have been painted red.
The idea that he's now stuck here, alone, is both terrifying and reassuring. Terrifying because he doesn't know how he'll escape, or if he can, but reassuring because, well, he's still alive.
But the River Rat's not done with him yet, it seems, lending more borrowed time, because just as he manages to sit up and draw from his waterskin, he hears a voice to the west. And not a goblin.
Clutching a dagger in his hand, he tenses, trying to push himself to his feet. Failing, as they've fallen numb and begin to tingle maddeningly.
Well, s%~$.
"If you've come to rob me, don't bother," he croaks. "They'll just rob it off your corpse later."
Jorin hears the voice and looks around the corner, seeing a human male sitting up with a dagger in his hand.
"Easy there friend, we've no interest in robbing you." Jorin steps out into view holding up both hands, palms outward. "My group is here looking for a spire token, we're not here to plunder your person."
"More adventurers!" The thought is too sweet, like muscadine wine. Foolhardy he had been, but here is another chance at life. "And the gobs, then? Did you best th'gobs?"
He glances around his chamber. Hesitating only a moment, he whispers a prayer and his dagger flares to life, casting a pale gray glow out across the room. He squints his eyes against the jarring light. "Ugh. Been down in th'dark too long."
And now his face is illuminated. It is not a handsome one, haggard and unclean, with bad teeth, and a crudely drawn tattoo (a rat?) etched down the left side of his face, under his beard, and down his neck.
He takes stock of himself, more than surprised to find they'd left him with his equipment. Surely they'd have looted him if they'd left him for dead. Unless...
"Y' didn't happen t'see a cowardly half-orc magician runnin' in the outward direction as fast as his green legs'd carry 'em, did ya?"
Crawling on all fours, then bracing himself against the wall, he squints against the discomfort in his legs, hobbling forward to extend a hand, the one not wielding a sharp knife, in the halfling's direction. "Men call me Johund, though he died a while back."
"The gobbos are dead, haven't seen anyone besides them and a bugbear."
Jorin takes his offered hand and pulls him to his feet. "Johund? My name is Jorin Vinhorn. What brought you down these ways?"
Jorin does not recognize the meaning of any of the religious symbols currently never having come across this deity before.
An elf steps into the light, standing a slender six feet tall. She wears silken ceremonial armor with alternating random patches of cyan and black over an outfit full of pockets. An observant onlooker will notice that her stormy sea blue irises surround white pupils. Her loose hair is black with obvious hints of red and less obvious hints of purple. Her mouth is currently curled into a smile and her face is one used to laughter. She hefts a finely made backpack and side satchel, and a very observant eye might spot the lines of a spring-loaded wand in her right sleeve.
She joins the conversation with a smile.
"It's a pleasant change to have conversation in this tower which doesn't end - or begin - with someone getting stabbed. I'm Amadeen Irian. Johund is still the name you get called, right? We didn't see any half-orcs. Do you know much about what's down here? Upstairs was goblins and darkness. And more goblins."
Barek is a tall, solidly built human male. Black hair that looks to have been hacked off where it was getting too long and weathered skin. His large, mixed breed dog sniffs the air cautiously at his side as he watches around the area without joining the conversation.
Johund the ugly stands, a broad and sturdy fellow, though shorter than Amadeen. He wears a tarnished but well-made breastplate bearing the crest of New Stetven's militia . His arms and thighs are ringed with sheathed daggers of different varieties. He stretches and groans, fighting the kink in his back, then picks up the remainder of his gear from the floor below him.
So, his crew were not to be found. This doesn't bode well for them. More souls fed to the river. But not his. Not yet.
He grins at Amadeen and Jorin. "Aye, Johund it is, still. I'll tell th'story sometime. Fer now..." He glances around. "I don't know what's here, save I've heard some kinda skittering beyond the walls."
He looks behind them to Barek and his dog. "Now that's a fine critter. Well suited to gob huntin', I'm sure. And..." He pauses , at a loss for what to say of the wooden construct. "What's that?"
"This is Tik'Klik. He speech is odd but he's making a great effort to make himself understood. He is one of our group and from what I've seen of him hates gobbos as much as you do. He's a fine fella, er, I think he's a he. It's not really come up."
Jorin looks about the room and at Johund in a critical way. "Maybe you should stick with us for a while. No offence but you look like the walk back could tire you out. We could use the extra muscle and you could use a meal if you get me."
On the hound:
"That's Mong, he's a sweetie really." Amadeen says with a wink.
On the wotsit:
"He - we're pretty sure Tik's a he - had a scroll. Something about him being based off a Revith Templar Scout Golem design but...made unique. He's a handy fellow and he shoots magic in the right direction, so we're glad to have him along."
"So any idea why your group left you here? Greed or something go wrong? Have to do with the skittering?"
Johund nods slowly, appraising Tik'Klik. "Well, the, uh, merry band'f which I's partnered were acting on accord'f a charter, but we's a less than honorable crew. Cutthroats 'n scoundrels, ya might say. It'd be normal t'leave a downed, or drowned, man behind. But that they've not taken my weapons'n coin strikes me funny, it does. Leads me t'think they didn't make it further'n me, or else they fled after I'd fallen." Johund shrugs, accepting it to be the way of mercenaries.
He glances at his dagger casually, tossing it from palm to palm. "If I find them, I'd delight in hearin' how I come to be left alone."
"Fer now... Why yes, I do feel a deal better'n I did 'afore." He draws another dagger, this one a curved hunting knife with a studded grip. "I don't know what that scitterin' is. Why don't we find out?"
"Good, we only cut throats of those who've earned it. And let's head on! Have you noticed a direction where they keep coming from? "
Amadeen listens for skittering, trying to track it.
The skittering can be heard at present, as you go through the door near where Johund is in his small room you find another corridor, it continues to the east leading to a door and before that branches to the north and quickly leads to another door.
Jorin will creep through the corridor and check the door to the north. He is keeping a watch for traps and enemies.
Not as quiet as normal it seems though
Before she moves on, Amadeen thinks of something, turns to Johund and swiftly speaks.
"You well enough to fight? And you do best in front or hanging back? Oh, and when I start cackling, that's when you know a foe is good and hexed."
She will soon follow the group members forward.
"Tik'Klik?"
When his gender comes up, the golem taps his crotch a couple of times, experimentally, but nothing comes of it. "Tik'Klik?" The voice says, a bit confused sounding. "Tik ick ik Klik ick tik lick ick."
No one notices any traps as ye advance.
Jorin opens the door and looks inside to see a curving wall of glowing green crystal bulges out into this chamber from one corner. A stout wooden table stands along thee opposite wall to it. On the table lie three rotting humanoid corpses and the remains of a lsrfe pale spider.
One of the humanoid corpses has had all of it's extremeties severed, and it's torso has been opened to reveal the internal organs. Another disemembered corpse has had some of the large pale spider legs sewn onto the stumps in place of the removed limbs, all of which are neatky arranged near the spiders thorax.
A bucket full of reekinging, old blood sits on the floor under the table, and needles with lengths of silken thread attached are stuck in a hand-sized block of bloodstained wax atop the table.
Johund you have found three out of four kf your missing companions.
The arachnid body is that of a moon spider. They are malevolent giant spidersmthat haunt certain forest in the River Kingdoms. They are far more intelligent than most spiders while still not as clever as a human are quite cunning. They will even hunt co operatively and share kills. They are magical beasts not vermin. They often make use of webs to capture prey.
They are able to cast some spell like abilities such as creating mist to obscure their webs and turning into gas.
Amadeen stops in her tracks, staring at the bodies.
"So, we've a lunatic seamstress near. Fantastic. Johund, anyone you know?"
Her gaze swings down to the arachnid corpse.
"Moon spider. They're cunning and hunt in packs, so this one isn't alone. They're magical beasts, can make mist to hide their webs and turn into gas themselves. Oh, and they *love* making webs. So they can catch prey and share it. Let's be really careful about that."
Jorin flicks open his fan to hide the face he's making at the smell. He examines the ceiling to see if any of the spiders are above them.
'The bad side of this life we lead', he thinks,' always the possibility of a messy end'.
The gruesome remnants of Felix, Ratna, and Maren make Johund's stomach twist. It's a good thing it's empty, or else he might have lost its contents. So, this is what'd become of them. What might have become of him, had his head not last the battle with that club. He counts himself blessed.
"Aye. Here lie the earthly remains of Felix the Foul, Ratna the Ripper, and Maren Many-faced. May the River take them." He mimes the act of slicing his own throat. "As t'th' culprit, 'fraid not, though I've kept some right twisted sorts fer companions." He whispers. He wonders a moment how twisted these latest companions might be as he considers the crude stitchery. "Th' River Kingdoms tend t'draw some real crazies."
Jorin notices a section of the ceiling is misaligned which conceals some kind of trap. A section of the floor looks like it might conceal some kind of pressure plate beneath the flagstones, if avoided ye should be safe.
Looking about the area Jorin can make out smears on he floor where blood got smeared but he can't follow them or get any meaningful details, they're too sporadic.
Barek will join Jorin in examining the blood trail.
He also has Mong take a scent to see if that can help following the trail?
Johund also tries to follow the maddening pattern of blood smears, uttering a prayer that their own blood doesn't lay fresh tracks.
"Be careful about here", Jorin says while pointing at the floor with his now folded fan, "It would seem to be linked to that." He points out the trap higher up.
"The river is welcome to them! And yeah, the River Kingdoms draw in all sorts. Some are more fun and less backstabbing than others though!"
As the others move forward, a soft scratching starts in the satchel on Amadeen's side. She flips open the flap, and turns to chat with the greenback scorpion which pokes its head out.
"Kailu, what's this about?"
She pauses a moment, nodding, as if listening.
"Aaaaah. I'll try that."
She clicks her fingers and mutters words in some unknown language.
And smiles.
"I was thinking about how to give good fortune as well as bad. And I can do it, at least a little. Let me know before you do try something important, it has limits and I don't want to waste it."
Fortune (Su)
Effect: The witch can grant a creature within 30 feet a bit of good luck for 1 round. The target can call upon this good luck once per round, allowing him to reroll any ability check, attack roll, saving throw, or skill check, taking the better result. He must decide to use this ability before the first roll is made. At 8th level and 16th level, the duration of this hex is extended by 1 round. Once a creature has benefited from the fortune hex, it cannot benefit from it again for 24 hours.
Guidance
School divination; Level cleric 0, druid 0
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range touch
Target creature touched
Duration 1 minute or until discharged
Saving Throw Will negates (harmless); Spell Resistance yes
This spell imbues the subject with a touch of divine guidance. The creature gets a +1 competence bonus on a single attack roll, saving throw, or skill check. It must choose to use the bonus before making the roll to which it applies.
Kailu withdraws into the satchel as Amadeen closes the flap. She steps carefully around the trap panel, keeping eyes and ears open with a grin.
Johund is able to follow the freshest set of tracks... and they lead straight into the wall of the eastern side of the rooms northern wall. They seem to have been made by a medium creature wearing shoes.
The rest of the group find two potions of cure moderate wounds are lost in the clutter atop the worktable. There are six long needles in the wax, and 3 feet of waxed silk is threaded through each of them. A
Jorin finds a key on the floor under a bucket of blood.
Darya speaks up "I'm sorry but one group already died down here. Death is one thing but that's a bit too much for me." Darya points at the horrors on the table. "I'm not just going to run away but I think this is the point when I'm going to listen to my common sense and bow out."
Amadeen pokes through the scroll tube, sorting through the fresh loot.
Amadeen turns to Darya with a thoughtful look on her face.
"You know what? I understand that. Safe travels Darya, and maybe we'll run into you again sometime."
"Nice trick," Johund grins at Jorin and Amadeen. "Th' gods've blessed y' with their touch's well, aye."
He follows the tracks as the others poke the gore. "Thar." He points with the blade of a dagger to the east edge of the northern wall. "Th' tracks lead yon. Is't a hidden door? I--" He's cut off by Darya.
"I don't know ya 'tall, but none could blame ya fer shyin' away from this business. Dark, bloody business, 'n not the sorta thing many'd desire fer themselves. Godspeed, miss, may still waters'n steady currents see ya on."
Darya makes her goodbyes and heads off.
It takes a minute or two to find a way to open the wall section, it's construction is ingenious and you discover a corridor behind it that leads north for a short distance before it turns to the east. This ends with another hidden entrance.
The tracks become harder for Johund to follow as the blood becomes scarcer but it definitely went through this secret passage and through to the other side.
Amadeen peers at the wall, as if willing it to swing open.
Adding quietly:
"So, anyone see a handle?"
She searches for a means to open the door, physical or magical.
Johund taps the flat of a blade against his shoulder, surveying the seeming dead end. Hanspur's harpoon! This place is maddenin'." Inciting the name of his deity, the word is almost electric as it passes the "priest's" lips, as though there were some power in it.
It is much easier to figure out how to open the hidden door from this side, ye can all see a lever which seems like it will open it.
Amadeen reaches her hand out to grasp and pull the handle.
"Tik'Klik."
The golem takes the scrolls out of the case and eats them, without chewing, just swallowing them. There's a faint sound of paper falling and hitting wood that comes from inside him.
"Tik'Klik!"
The golem grabs Amadeen's hand, and then begins to examine the door with gleaming eyes.
Tik'Klik observes no traps on the door.
Once Amadeen pulls the lever the door moves aside. A large stone chamber contains two clusters of four stone caskets each lay before ye. In the center of the room, between the two groupings, stands an empty, unlit iron brazier that is covered with soot and smells faintly of past fres. Drapes of dust-covered spider webs cling to the ceiling. A door lies on the southern wall.
Amadeen blinks at the speed at which Tik'klik devoured the scrolls but doesn't object or stop him.
She coughs gently at the soot and dust raised. She then carefully looks over the stone caskets and brazier, seeking inscriptions or traps.
Flight* (Su)
The witch grows lighter as she gains power, eventually gaining the ability to fly.
Effect: At 1st level, the witch can use feather fall at will and gains a +4 racial bonus on Swim checks. At 3rd level, she can cast levitate once per day. At 5th level, she can fly, as per the spell, for a number of minutes per day equal to her level. These minutes do not need to be consecutive, but they must be spent in 1-minute increments. This hex only affects the witch.
Errata
Can a witch with the flight hex use her feather fall and levitate abilities on other creatures?
No. All aspects of the flight hex affect only the witch (though she can carry objects or creatures as part of her weight allowance as described in those spell effects). (The 2nd printing of the APG includes this updated information.)
Amadeen begins to examine the area a chill breeze arises from nowhere with an eerie howl. The room seems to darken, and in the sudden gloom, scores of small spectral eyeballs appear, drifting with the breeze. They peer intensely before fading away.
"Tik'Klik!"
Tik continues to watch the room, putting up one hand.
Johund freezes, startled by the strange eyes. He tries to recall ever having heard of such haints.
Somethin' evil's sure afoot.
Barek jumps slightly, glaring around the room suspiciously. "Iomedae's adamantine ass! What was that?"