"Sorry, Eluxrian. I was lost in my own thoughts. I would not mind some healing, it stings a little."
She nods and approaches him. "Stand still, this is not going to hurt." She soothes the wounds until the radiance stops, probably meaning she is exhausted, and indeed she's panting after that.
"Done."
"Shadows are not that bad," Jonas quips in reply to Tsura's remarks. "As for the woods... well, they are the woods. Greenery and... brownery and rocks and dirt and animals and so on." He shrugs and smiles. "Of course, when there are other things in them that should not be, well, that is another story."
The party spends the night camped within the protected areas of the centaur encampment. Most of the creatures are fairly aloof and avoid contact with the group, but Nashota seems receptive enough to conversation, although it is obvious she cares little for the goings on of Absalom itself. She spends some time telling tales of her most recent travels to Tian Xia, where she participated on behalf of the Pathfinder Society in the Ruby Phoenix Tournament, and helped win a grand prize for the organization that she understood little about.
In the morning the centaurs are early to rise, and the noise around the camp as they prepare for the day is enough to rouse each of you from your slumber. In a short time they see that each of you is fed and ready to begin your short hike through the lowlands of the mountains. Nashota thanks each of you again for agreeing to assist the tribe, and wishes you good health and good luck.
Beginning the march, the group heads through the wooded areas and scrub surrounding the base of the mountain range, heading mostly northwest as directed by the centaur leader. The travel is slow, mainly because of the undergrowth and shorter legs of some of the party, but it doesn't take long before you begin to enter an area that has obviously seen more recent activity. Felled trees and cleared brush indicate the presence of inhabitants, and not too far off you can make out the rising smoke of cooking fires or the like.
Penka pays close attention to the types of trees around, watching for any natural dangers and pointing them out to Tree.
Hanz follows with his crossbow loaded and cocked, keeping a wary eye out for anything that might be of use to the party's search.
Elxurian tries to keep her voice low. "There is something here indeed. We should try to find out what's up ahead."
Other than the obvious comment, she lets the survival to the survivalists.
Tsura is quite the fish out of water in the wilderness, but tries her best in her stumbling sort of way to help those who are more competent.
Penka, with the aid of the other members of the group, are able to sort out a two sets of tracks in the soft earth, mostly thanks to the recent rains, which appear to break off to the west, while more numerous tracks head north. Knowing the party is looking for only two centaur, the group diverts to the west and follows the discovered tracks. After about fifteen minutes of following the signs of passage, the group comes to a rough outcropping of rock, partially hidden by a copse of fir trees. Within the outcropping is a sizable hole, descending into the earth. Despite his time in the city, Hanz quickly determines that while originally a natural occurrence, this hole has been worked, and shows definite signs of deliberate tunneling.
There are signs of more than just centaur about. Human-sized tracks exist as well, all rough shod in heavy boots.
"Looks like the two centaurs came this way, and there were several humans or similarly-sized creatures as well. We should be cautious going in here. Who'd like to lead the way?"
Quarick thought about raising his hand. He was deeply curious where this inviting hole led to. Adventure, treasure, maidens in distress? Just as he began to volunteer he recalled the blood and wounds from the cat attack. He had been no good int hat fight, so he meekly put his hand back into his pockets.
"I will." Unless someone else objects, Elxurian will take the lead with her warhammer in hand.
"Perhaps I should walk beside Elxurian," Jonas volunteers also. "I may not be as formidable in battle, but if this tunnel is not as natural as first indicated, then whoever made it may have put some traps along the way as well."
Elxurian lights a torch to carry on her left hand, since the right one has the warhammer.
...
Penka will go ahead and cast light on one of Tree's branches.
Elxurian lights a torch to carry on her left hand, since the right one has the warhammer. Then she turns to the others, aside from Jonas and Penka. "You coming?"
Quarick follows behind, not carrying any light source. He will rely on the glowing tree to enhance his low-light vision.
The group, Elxurian in the lead with a torch lighting the way, makes their way into the dark tunnels. The damp air is cool on the skin and the earthy smell of moist soil is strong here. The walls, hard packed earth, sprout an occasional root here and there, and above your heads, the oppressive weight of the ground is a constant reminder that tunnels such as this are not always stable.
The tunnel continues to the north for about forty feet before ending in a ledge, the floor below a twenty foot drop. From this height Elxurian can make out the round shape of the room below, and spots two tunnels, much narrower than the others, heading east and west. The ground below looks disturbed, and there are obvious tracks of both humans and centaur in the soft earth. In one of the corners to the north there is a pile of refuse, moldy bits of cloth, and what looks to be bone.
"Ooh, why on Golarion didn't I think to bring some rope?? Does someone else have some?"
"Yes, I do. If those are really Centaur tracks this could be a real trouble." She handles the torch to anyone who would be so kind to hold it for a moment, while she retrieves the rope from her backpack. It's a long coil of hemp rope, certainly more than enough for them to use and get down there. "Left or right?"
Tsura wrinkles her nose and grimaces at the necessity of her task. "I will take a look at that refuse pile. How old are those bones...?" She pokes at the pile gingerly with her blade, trying to determine if the scraps are old or new, if the bones appear to be from anything she would recognize.
Slinging his shortbow across his back, Jonas climbs down into the room below, taking the bow in his hands once again as soon as he has done so. Moving from one side of the room to the other, he tries to see if he can discern which way the tracks move and if both the centaur and the human ones go in the same direction. "I am hardly a tracker and such places are hardly my usual haunts," he reminds the rest. Nevertheless, he gives it a shot.
Several members of the party take advantage of the offered rope, climbing down the short ledge to the hard packed earth below. Narrow tunnels leave the room to the east and west, winding deeper into the earthen tunnels. Anything man-sized or larger would be hard pressed to put up a fight in the twisting passages, as they barely measure three feet in width.
Tsura, investigating the refuse, prods at the debris with her knife, moving the decayed cloth and scraps and revealing the bones beneath. Obviously humanoid, the bones appear to be picked clean and almost polished smooth. As she inspects closer, a spray of foul smelling gas erupts from the pile, engulfing her head and upper torso in a miasmic green cloud. She coughs and chokes for air as a pair of tiny bubbling pools slither forward from the pile of filth.
Apparently ready to launch their attacks, the puddles quickly form flailing pseudopods and lash out at Tsura, one of the attacks hitting and sizzling as the acidic body of the ooze burns her skin severely.
Quarick nearly retches as the stench wafts towards the group from Tsura. It only make him pause however, as he sees the woman get attacked by the foul creature. Ignoring the disaster last fight, the gnome moves ahead, hoping to distract the mindless, bubbling creature.
Finding himself near the slithering mass of foul goo, the gnome slashes with his rapier at it.
The blade slices into the oozes....flesh? The gnome ponders what word to use as he grins at the useful strike!
Penka, seeing poor Tsura get hit with some sort of poisonous sludge, tells Tree "Tree, get those oozy oozes!"
Tree moves up to one of the oozes.
"Aieeeee!" Tsura recoils in horror as the ooze singes her skin. "My face! Not my beautiful face!" She quickly moves away and tries to put distance between the ooze and herself. She draws a large knife from her jacket.
They barely started the quest and one of them was already hurt. Things were not favoring them, definitely. Trying to turn the tide of things, Elxurian approaches, attacking the creature with her drawn warhammer, but the worries about her companion and the torch in her hand made her miss the attack by a mile.
Quickly nocking an arrow, Jonas fires at one of the two... creatures. Still, with them surrounded by his companions, his attack misses, the projectile breaking against the room's back wall.
Tsura coughs and gags as the vapors from the disgusting creatures assail her senses. Staggering backwards, she moves to draw a weapon, the creatures take advantage of the movement and lash out at her with their...pods? Her grace saves her however, as she nimbly avoids being hit and falls back to the tunnel wall. Elxurian steps up and hammers into one of the creatures, the hammer in her hand sending globs of slime flying through the air with the impact. Quarick follows the hammer attack with one of his own, thrusting his small blade into the puddle and poking around for something vital to strike at. On command, Tree moves up to the puddles, preparing to lash out at them with its clublike arms. Jonas fires off an arrow, but the tight quarters make for non-optimal conditions for his bow, and the missile misses, thudding into the soft earth beyond instead.
The puddles continue their attacks, small tendrils of slime and ick rising up and lashing out at Elxurian and Tree. Elxurian manages to dodge the incoming attack, which was clumsy at best. However, Tree gets slammed by the slimy tendril, smoke and an acrid smell filling the air as it rakes across his hardened skin.
Taking a moment to aim better than before, Jon fires another arrow at the ooze, and this time he hits his mark. "Finally," he mutters softly to himself.
Tree, almost in a panic at feeling a burning sensation, slams at the ooze twice.
Penka then rushes forward and casts shield on Tree to keep him from being attacked by the stupid oozes again.
Trying to keep both figures illuminated by the torch Elxurian aims badly and doesn't harm the monster this round. "Keep attacking!"
Round 2
Tsura sends her blade flying with a flick of her wrist. "Keep some space! Don't get too close!"
ranged mindblade
Gaining some momentum, the party continues to fight off the bubbling oozes, Elxurian leading the way with a poorly aimed smash of her hammer, which impacts the soft earth, leaving a deep impression. Jonas fires off another arrow at one of the creatures, the projectile slicing into it and trimming off a flailing pod of slime. Tree, wounded and obviously quite upset at being hit, slams into the ooze, smashing it with a sickening splat and sending goop flying in all directions. Tsura flings a knife at the remaining creature, but the general chaos of the melee prevents her throw from striking true. Quarick nimbly slices at the ooze, piercing it with his attack and hopefully doing a bit of damage in the process.
With one pile of ooze ceasing all bubbling, the other concentrates its effort on the human with the hammer, lashing out with a tentil of slime at the paladin. The attack lands, burning Elxurian's skin and leaving an angry red mark at the spot of the injury. The goopish thing bubbles with excitement as the acid eats into the paladin's flesh.
Angry red mark, which makes the paladin angry in return, although she knows she shouldn't. "Ahhh! Not an option!" Says the paladin, replying to Tsura but suffering a harsh wound for being distracted.
Laughing manically as the blob stops bubbling, he swings his sword towards the other. With no obvious body parts it is merely a random slice, aimed at the meat of the creature.
The blade slices deep into the gelatinous mass of bubbling ooze.
Wasting no time and heartened by the one creature's demise, Jonas lets loose one more arrow, his aim remaining true, even though the wound he inflicts is far from serious.
Having destroyed one of the things, Tree steps over toward the other and slams at it twice.
Tsura moves to get a better angle [end one square NW of Quarick], drawing another knife from her jacket and flinging it at the ooze.
mindblade
With one of the puddles of goop dispatched, the party focuses their efforts on the remaining creature. Quarick nimbly swipes at the ooze, scoring another hit and causing the thing to quiver. Jonas aims once more and lets an arrow fly, hitting the slime as well. Tree wades in, wooden fists clubbing at the monster, pounding on it until the pile of slimy ick ceases all movement.
"What a fight!" Quarick says gleefully, eagerly forgetting the cat disaster."Did you see where I sliced that ooze? Exciting stuff, parry, thrust, footwork, it had it all! Great work everyone." The gnomes exuberance is a stark contrast to the gloomy tunnel they are standing in.
"So, what next?
The gnome searches his mind, making sure there is no useful use for dead ooze parts locally.