The folk introduce themselves one by one. There are two merchants, a blacksmith, a stay-at-home mother, and an artist. Three men and two women, in order. All of them are very happy to be rescued, but a few of their lot are sick from the poor conditions and malnutrition, and one of the men has a sprained ankle.
"I don't think any of us has the strength to take the fight to Rolth's cohorts, but if it means getting out safely, I'll gladly try and lead the rest of us out," the blacksmith says.
"I can't possibly thank you enough for rescuing us," the artist adds. "I'm pretty sure our days were numbers, if it wasn't for you people. Please, let me ask for your names."
One of the merchants speaks up next. "The Derro captured me while I was coming home from the tavern at night. I think that monster Rolth was planning to use us for parts for his horrible creations..."
;
.
Silvio leans into Staryth's ear. "That 'artist' over there seemed concerned when she saw your holy symbol. You don't recognize her, do you? Something tells me she's not really an artist."
He decides to probe the artist's story. "So, how did you get captured?"
"I was down by the docks, headed to a friend's home nearby," she explains. "While I was walking across an alley, I felt a strange feeling wash over me, and lost consciousness. I woke up here. I think someone must have used a spell to put me to sleep."
. Silvio shrugs. Maybe she was a thief or some other shady actor, but sometimes such things were necessary to get by. "We can lead you all to the entrance to this place, which is in the Grey District. I'm sure you can all make it home from there."
He pulls aside the "artist" at an opportune moment. "Listen, I'm not sure what kind of 'art' you're practicing, but if you're ever in over your head, just ask for Silvio Errico. I know a thing or two about the streets."
"Did any of us bring spare food we can spare for these poor folks?" He binds the ankle of the one with the sprain.
Staryth nods to Silvio's words, and looks at the woman, "As I said, I'm Staryth of Shelyn. You seem to be...focused on my goddess' symbol. What distresses you?"
While his tone is gentle, he does try to sense any evil upon her. He doubts any evil in her is strong enough to register, but while still wanting to believe the best in folks, he's learned caution.
The rescuees' eyes light up at the sight of the offered food; it's obvious they haven't had much to eat in a few days.
[ooc]You had plenty to go around, no worries there.[ooc]
Staryth sees no trace of evil in the young woman.
"I was startled to see a paladin of Shelyn down in such a place. I was expecting a member of the watch; it surprised me. I'm sorry, I meant no offense."
Silvio assumes that there's more to this artist than it seems, but can't really tell what it is. "Now that you all have some food and water, let's take you out of here."
"Nor did I," He says gently as he senses no evil in this woman no matter what she may or may not be hiding, "But where else should a paladin be but trying to help the people? My goddess is one of beauty, but she does not shrink from ugliness to protect the people she loves, and she loves us all."
Thanking the part profusely, the former captives take their leave. With the party's advice on how to leave safely it is quite likely they'll make it out safely.
This leaves the party alone with Cabbagehead's inert body. The door left barred shut is still pounding, and two hallways are unexplored...
"So, what do you think is behind that door? Something strong and persistent, that's for sure."
Silvio heads over to the barred door. "Hey, who are you? What happened to you?"
No answer comes from the other side of the door, other than the apparently inexhaustible pounding and the occasional incoherent gurgle.
Getting a closer look at the door, it seems to have been boarded up in haste. It's pretty clear that the intent here was to contain something, not just to imprison it.
The room around you is every bit as chaotic as when you first arrived. Likely, there was some trouble here before the party even came to the Dead Warrens.
Staryth looks around, trying to help Silvio
"Let's make sure this creature, whatever it is, can't escape." Silvio reinforces the door with whatever's available. Afterwards, he'll look about the room for anything of interest.
The derro had a repeating light crossbow and nine crossbow bolts, each coated with poison. Held in a scabbard at his waist, he also had a Small short sword (a dagger to you Medium folks). Finally, he was clad in leather armor, and had twelve gold pieces worth of coinage in a belt pouch.
Aside from the secret door Silvio noticed earlier due to it being similar to the secret hallway the party passed through before, the room has little of interest. One of the tables has been broken and hastily repaired. It appears to be an alchemical lab, though much of the glassware has been shattered and swept aside, with some of the bigger pieces heaped on the busted table.
Most likely, whatever caused that rampage is still pounding on the southern door, now propped shut with a few chairs and a table by the party's good care.
Silvio looks at the party's handiwork in building a barricade. "Okay, that ought to hold the fellow inside until we can figure out the rest. So, shall we try this secret door?"
Assuming no objection, Silvio opens the door.
Staryth nods in response to Silvio and readies his weapon again.
The party forges ahead through the tunnel and, hearing no commotion in the room ahead, leaves through the opposite door. They find it to be some sort of library, where two wide bookshelves are filled with rows and rows of scrolls and tomes...
Silvio looks for any valuable looking tomes or scrolls. Also, he ponders the subject matter of the books in this library, wondering if they are about necromancy or some other dark arts.
The books and scrolls gathered here appear to focus mostly on two subjects: Necromancy, particularly as pertaining to the fabrication of flesh golems, and the workings and treatments of various plagues and diseases.
The collection is extensive, and actually carrying it out would be a rather large undertaking, but a fruitful one.
One book, however, catches Silvio's eye; a thick book sitting slightly askew, and significantly less dusty than the rest of the collection. Between its pages, Silvio finds two scrolls inscribed with what experience has taught him are magical spells, though deciphering them may prove complex to the uninitiated.
"These books on treatment for illnesses could be very useful to those who seek to heal, the others strike me as less... savory."
At Krojun's question, he gives his opinion, "Entirely possible, Krojun. Many Shoanti are known as strong warriors, and at the same time, your people face some terrible prejudices from some of the city. Such hatreds make it easier to justify atrocities, I'm disgusted to say."
Silvio hands the scrolls over to Staryth, speaking quietly. "Well, not everything here is about flesh golems. These scrolls seem a little different from the rest of the writings. Do you recognize the magics?"
He then inspects the next door for signs of traps or enemies. . Assuming the party is ready, he opens the door.
The first scroll is a scroll of Identify; Staryth recognizes it easily, having seen such a thing within the stores of the temple of Shelyn before.
The second scroll, however, is unknown to him. The symbols are harsh and pointed, and unlike any rune the paladin has met before.
As Silvio opens the door to the next room, the party is struck with a foul stench of decay and chemicals. The room inspires the image of a surgeon's clinic, twisted into a vile chamber of horrors. Glinting saws, pliers, stitching needles and other surgical implements line shelves along the wall, while a sturdy wooden table in the center of the room supports a large humanoid shape.
The thing, as is likely the only word that comes to mind to describe it, is stitched together from a patchwork of dozens of different bodies.
The head stitched to the body seems strangely small for the hulking creature. Its brown head and the distinctive scar on its left cheek mark it unmistakeably as Gaekhen's own.
No threat is immediately apparent in the room.
Silvio gags as the putrid smell assaults his nose. "Gross. I hope that thing isn't alive. I'm going to stab it just in case. It seems like we'll need to decapitate it to get Gaekhen's head back."
Sword in hand, Silvio tries attacking the thing. ; .
If it seems quite dead, he will see if there's a good tool for carefully removing the head.
The composite body remains inert. A surgical saw nearby looks like it would do the job rather well.
Silvio grabs the saw. "You know, I'm not sure if this'll really satisfy the Shoanti. It sure isn't pretty." He gives it a go, using the stump of his other hand to brace the body.
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"Identify scroll... I remember one in the temple.." Then he winces as silvio does his ugly but needed work.
And nods at Krojun, "Let us hope. Too much bloodshed in these lands as it is."
The saw comes to hit bone, and with that comes a dawning realisation:
Cutting through the would-be flesh golem's now-fused neckbone without making a significant racket is going to be rather tricky.
Silvio halts as he reaches the bone. "As talented as I am with doing things with just one arm, I think this job could use an extra pair of hands. And maybe a little knowledge of anatomy. What do you think?"
Assuming Staryth takes over, Silvio will attempt to help, explaining what he has already accomplished.
Staryth grimaces, "Let me try then." but nods and takes over the 'operation'
Staryth manages to separate Gaekhen's head from the would-be-golem relatively quietly. It becomes clear that the components have been bled dry before they were sewn together, likely with the use of the stirges the party came across earlier. The ensuing mess is, therefore, minimal.
"Another one for the bag then, I guess." Silvio tucks the head away. "Ready to move on?"
Assuming no objection, he checks out the door out of the room and opens it.
"more than ready..." Staryth says as Silvio leads the way.
The door south of the room loops back to the pits where the party fought Cabbagehead. The ogrekin's unmoving body is still there.
A tunnel exits the room westward, and turns north; it is no different from the rest of the cave network, lit with phosphorescent moss.
Silvio leads the way into the tunnel heading north, ever wary of danger.
Staryth lets the others take lead, knowing his senses aren't as keen, and his footsteps surely aren't as quiet.
As the party moves north, they overhear the tail end of a magical incantation coming from deeper that way. The voice is more reminiscent of the earlier Derros than it would be of a human.
The room the party comes to holds a simple four poster bed, a writing desk, and a full-body-length mirror. A tunnel leads east into another room, where the incantation came from.
Silvio sneaks into the next room, hoping to catch the Derro spellcaster unawares. .
Staryth strives to make sense of the sounds...
but like Krojun, tries not to ruin Silvio's plans.
Staryth recognizes the invocation as the tail end of a Shield spell, interspersed with some additional words. The latter, he recognizes as enhancing the spell's duration.
Silvio attempts to sneak ahead, but the party's foe was waiting for them. The rogue comes face to face with a derro dressed in a strange robe.
"I haves you now!" The derro screeches in mangled common, brandishing his free hand and speaking some incantations.
A burst of thick webbing manifests behind Silvio, filling the bedroom the party is in.
Aside from the party's foe, through the web, Silvio sees tha the room holds a mostly empty-shelf, a long wooden bench, and a simple bed.
A human torso with a single arm attached, but no head nor legs lies on the bench. The tribal tattoos on it are unmistakeable. The arm's occasional thrashing and clutching at the air is rather unsettling.