"Well, I can clean stuff." Serena offered. She wasn't going to be any help for hefting rocks up or shoving things around, but if nothing else, she could use magic to tidy and polish things.
"If we clean the building, remove the remains and give them a suitable burial, then perform a brief blessing at the shrine then I think that would work. I don't know the specific rituals of the Forgefather though - that might help?" She says, ending the statement with a question and a look around at the rest of the group.
Balthasar shrugs. ”I don’t know much about religious matters, but I will help with what I can.”
You find two potions of Cure Light on the bodies and a mwk. warhammer covered in dust in the corner.
"Bitey can help clean. Bitey good at cleaning." Bitey begins licking areas of the room, savoring the new flavor of old dust.
As Bitey began talking about cleaning, Serena raised an eyebrow, then gestured idly at a nearby section of wall. Glimmering lights appeared on part of it and began to clean areas as they passed, shining it up about as well as could be expected given the circumstances. She could offer a prayer, but she'd leave the main consecrating to those who knew better.
Iolaire takes a body and begins dragging it outside, leaving a long, thick trail in the dust on the floor. Outside she uses the blade of her glaive to break ground and begin making a pit to bury the bodies.
As the last of the evil creatures is slaughtered, Zora takes a deep breath to calm herself and walks straight out with Arianna. Cleaning this temple is the last thing we need to be doing, Zora thinks, unnerved a bit.
Waiting for the others to finish up, Zora mutters to herself, "I hope the others up top are doing better than this. No'Nose is probably in a panic right now."
|
Arianna turned her gaze over to Zora and shook her head a bit with amusement. "I don't know. But you and I need to stop getting ourselves into these messes." She said with a wry sense of humor. "But at least we aren't alone out in the worldwound..again." She said watching the paladin begin to bury the bodies of the dwarves her eyes focusing dimly on the entrance to the cave.
Zora smiles back at her. "I almost wish she would come rescue us all over again. There's so much I that I want to ask her about now."
The party sufficiently cleans and consecrates the site before moving on down the only other passage away from here. The green light, everyone eventually notices, has gone.
The passageway leading south from area B continues for about 3,000 feet (at a speed of 15 feet to accommodate your injured allies, this takes about 40 minutes to navigate) before ending in another cavern after a gradual rise in elevation of 30 feet.
Stone figures are carved into the walls of this cavern. Each depicts a different crusader clad in armor and wielding weapons, but their carved stone features contain expressions of sadness.
"Why stone men so sad? What they see? Maybe we not see what they see, I don't want to be so sad."
"There are many sad events surrounding the crusades," Zora points out, her thoughts beginning to stray to her own parents. "The crusaders and those close to them experience more than most."
"Not You Zo Zo, I protect you. Evil bads show up and I Bork Bork Bork like good nail dog. I bite the bads, even if they taste of sadness and stanky stank." Bitey let's his tongue hang out as he smiles up at Zoranda.
"Thanks, Bitey," Zora replies, patting the small goblin on the head.
Serena wasn't familiar with the history of these statues, though it wasn't too hard to guess what was going on. After making sure Aravashnial would be fine for a moment, she moved in front of the statues and clasped her hands together. "To fight evil, some sacrifices must be made - but may all who fought dwell ever in the light." she murmured. A moment later, she rejoined the group.
Aravashnial becomes very excited upon hearing about the statues and starts asking all manner of questions about their construction, appearance, dimentions, etc. He eventually says, "These are definitely depictions of First Crusaders! During the First Crusade many were exposed to large amounts of demonic energy. The children of these brave souls were twisted and deformed. They were persecuted for "demonic taint". It was theorized that these families fled under the city to hide. These statues are a significant boon to that theory!"
While Zora was looking on at the statues in sympathy, Aravashanial's stories makes bile rise in her throat. "Like true crusaders, they put their lives on the line and their children are persecuted by the vile men who hide behind the walls. Wonder how they feel now that real evil is on their doorstep," Zora says, spitting on the ground for emphasis.
Unwilling to stay in such a despicable place, Zora moves ahead and out of the chamber, waiting there until the others catch up.
Aria hears what her kitsune compatriot has to say and thinks about her own mother. Her mother was attacked by demon. She could easily have been one of those persecuted children. "I have to agree with you. Just because a child is born of demonic blood does not make one evil."
Balthasar listened to Aravashnial's theory with interest. He didn't know much about the history of the Crusades beyond his family's role in it, and he definitely hadn't heard anything about this. He hoped that his family hadn't engaged in any such persecution - his grandfather's attitude during the Third Crusade gave him hope they hadn't, but he was descended from a Chelish nobleman - and there was no guarantee his great-great-grandfather or great-grandfather hadn't done so. Come to think of it, his brother often gave Tieflings the side-eye, regardless of whether or not they were causing trouble.
"I imagine it was similar to the persecution Tieflings experience today. Would it truly have been so bad they felt forced to flee, especially underground like this?"
He watches Zoranda storm off after spitting, curious. He'd never met someone who held crusaders in such low esteem. What could have happened to cause such hatred of them? He suspected she wouldn't tell him - after all, he was one of them.
"That's the story. There is precious little documentation that survives from that time."
To all that's being said about persecution, Thrall has to nod. "Dude, I know this very well..."
However, they've spent time enough looking at the statues. They're not doing anything profitable, and time could be key.
"Can we go now? I'm starting to remember things I don't want to."
"If there's no reason to stay... yes, we should probably get moving." Serana agreed. With that - careful to remain at a safer place within the group - she began to escort Aravashnial away from the chamber.
Just as the party is passing on by, they are suddenly enveloped in darkness!
Others: you see this happen!
Balthasar was engulfed in darkness, and now something was wrapped around his head and trying to eat it. He doesn't know what it is or what it's doing, as he can see nothing, so he reacts in the only way he can - by trying to violently fling it off.
Serena let out a squeak as her light went out, then abruptly started to backpedal. She didn't have darkvision the way most non-humans did - she was quite reliant on her eyes to see things. As such, her instinct was that it was better to let those who could see do so - though that didn't stop her from muttering under her breath to see if she could cancel out this new spell.
"Aargh!" Iolaire lets out an incoherent cry and tries to tear the creature off her head, utterly ineffectively.
"S%&&!" By the exclamations of the rest of the group, it seems clear done of them are being attacked. Sadly, darkvision was one of the features lost for Thrall due to the mixed heritage.
He tries to guide himself by touch, whispering "I'm Thrall" every time he contacts with someone.
Hearing the sudden commotion, Zora peeks back into the chamber to find...nothing. What is going on? Zora wonders, pulling out her starknife as she tried to make out anything in the black darkness.
"Oh... that why they sad..."
Bitey attempts to climb up Iolaire's leg to get to the hood-a-pus, and promptly falls on his tuches as the lady kicks at his touch. His squeal of displeasure is something to be heard indeed.
"What are those things?!?" Aria shouts. Though realizing she can't wait to find out, she quickly focuses herself, and fires an arrow at the creature attached to her smaller compatriot.
In the confusion the party generally fails to do anything about the monsters trying to make a lunch out of Balthasar and Iolaire. Aria's arrow comes close, but no hit.
The monster on Iolaire continues to flail about without actually gaining a hold. It's cold and slimy and the way it keeps trying to wrap around her neck is concerning.
Not quiet as concerning as the noise coming from Balthasar, however. Or, rather, the lack of it. One minute he's grunting in an effort to get something off, then he's silent.
"We need some help here..."
Thrall shouts at the group, trying to make his voice be listened among all the mayhem. "Alright, do as Vance says and try to hold the person next tu you's hands. Then all of us that are alright, say your name out loud! If the person next to you doesn't say your name, use your touch sense to find what's wrong and call the rest! We'll try to use your voices as a guide! Thrall, I'm alright!" he shouts, while searching for someone next to him and trying to catch his or her hand.
[ooc]I know, not a super sound plan, but that's all what he can come out with...[/b]
Balthasar desperately holds his breath. He knows he has no means of breathing with this thing wrapped around his head, and he needs to escape. He knew he could hold his breath for about 2 and a half minutes doing nothing, but exerting himself would expend air. Still, if he did nothing, the thing would kill him eventually anyway, with the barbs dug into him.
Rounds of breath remaining: 24/26
HP: 4/11
Balthasar feels for the barbs, grabs the bulk of the thing and twists it to back the spines out. They must not have been deep yet, because it works! The monster pops off and he throws it to the ground!
I can't see a thing!
Frustrated, Zora attempts to cast Dancing Lights right in the middle of the chaos hoping to dispel even a little bit of the darkness.
Serena looked up at Aravashnial as the sound of combat continued. "Do you know anything for dispelling darkness? My light magic isn't strong enough." she said, having no intention at all of charging into a melee(?) mess where she couldn't see.
Balthasar breathes deeply and shouts, "These things wrap around your head and try to suffocate you! They have barbed tentacles! Get clear of the darkness!"
With that, Balthasar turns and runs in what he hopes is the opposite direction from which the threw the creature, and hopefully will get out of the darkness.
"One of them still has Iolaire!" Aria screams as she knocks another arrow and lets it loose toward the creature attached to Io
Bitey springs back up to his feet and tries to chew at the hood on Iolaire's head.
Aria's arrow flies true and skewers the monster. Bitey jumps, catches hold of the arrow, and pulls it off, gaining a deliciously disgusting monster-kebab in the process!
Iolaire swipes desperately across her face, trying to get the slime off her skin, which is rapidly showing a distinct viridian green tinge as though she's bruising.
"Those who can see, guide the rest out of the light! Everyone alright?!"
"This is best day ever! All the lunch! So many lunches!" Bitey is a super happy goblin, and blissfully unaware of the other beast as he has his meal.