Mels scoots over, beckoning Salonius over and patting the seat next to her. "Laria was just about to tell us about an opportunity. Per'aps your shopping trip would be better tomorrow. I would love to go then."
"Mmmmmm? Well I was hardly in a rush, what is this opportunity? How likely is it to involve being projectile vomited on by gremlins? You know that could serve as a pretty useful rock bottom - I sincerely hope." Salonius asks cheerfully, giving Laria a little wave as he takes the proffered seat next to Meliandri.
"Do tell. What is this problem in your basement," Jhen asks as he unconsciously fiddles with the hilt of his rapier. I hope its not more of those pesky Grimples, he thought while he tries to surreptitiously check for the lingering odor on his cloths.
"Come with me, I'll tell you." Laria replies and leads to way to one of the back rooms. "It is a secret that you need to keep. That I have Fhingle here is no coincidence. I work with the Bellflower Network. And I have some secret tunnels below the coffeehouse to hide fugitives and Bellflower tillers."
"I allowed a friend, Nan Comerivos, to smuggle a load of Varisian textiles through the tunnels adjoining my basement, and he has been storing many of them until he could find a buyer. Nan arrived a few days before to check on his goods amid the troubles that have fallen on the town, but still hasn't emerged. With the city and her networks falling apart - and a nonchalant facade to maintain all the while - I haven't had the time to follow up on my friend’s fate."
"I hopes that Nan is fine and is simply lying low - someone has been eating the food and wine I leave in the basement each day, after all - but by night I hear inhuman laughter echo from below. Would you check what is going on there?" Laria asks, her resolve you know her for definitely waning here.
Salonius frowns, "I am down to a few splintered spears, so perhaps we head down, but consider retreating if things become particularly difficult? Inhuman laughter rarely bodes well, errr, halfling excluded of course Fhingle, you know what I meant I hope? Could we prevail upon someone for a light spell?"
Fhingle finally realizes why he was leaving stuff in the basement now.
"You want us to check on him?"
Very Strange, can't be anything good, Jhen thought. He performs a small bow and puts on his best face, "After all you have done I would be happy to help."
"I don't want to push you for something you're not prepared. But here is the trapdoor leading into the basement." Laria tells and climbs down the ladder.
Once at least one of the group is down too she points to the wall. "And here is the secret door, that leads into the area connected to the tunnels."
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"If the spellcasters want to proceed, I am ready."
Saul plays with the secret door, and figures out how to open it. He looks into the darkness beyond, and then looks to Fhingle.
"Can you cast light on my spear again? Laria, ma'am, have some coffee ready for when we get back. You know how I like it."
Figures Laria had a secret. Knew this place was creepy, but turns out it wasn't here. Just creepy dark tunnels underneath.
The secret door opens into a long, damp hallway that opens to the southeast into a large reservoir of calm, dark water. A wooden pier extends twenty feet into the water, while another twenty feet out rises the top half of a statue of a beautiful elven woman. A foul smell, like that of rotting meat, comes from somewhere near the pier. Two holes have been knocked into the northwest walls to provide access to chambers beyond.
"I can 'elp with the light." Meliandri whistles a tune, and a quartet of bright, colorful lights pop into existence over her head. As they spiral around her like lime lights at the opera, she continues. "I will 'ave to maintain them frequently, though, so other light would be useful as well."
"Mmmmm, I really do not seem to be preparing the right cantrips - must do better Salonius, see me after class... Oh, well, at least you and Fhingle are prepared Mel?" He glances at the bard trying to see her reaction to the shortening of her name, ready to swiftly add in the remainder should she appear offended. After all I hate being called Sallie with a vehement passion.
"What elven dame?" Laria asks. "The water leads through the storm pipes to the river."
"I believe he refers to the statue? I am not sure why she would have been knighted, but my Street parlance is likely not up to snuff," Salonius says peering about him with interest, as Peeko does the same from atop his head.
Carefully staying behind the others he considers his options charm person, unlikely to be useful, ghost sound ditto, message staggeringly useless in this context, well there is always prestidigitation... Oh dear, I hope we do not meet anything immune to splintered spears. I need to make some scrolls if I am to carry my weight.
Fhingle casts a light spell as well, staying in the middle of the pack.
"So your friend was bring in textiles and you haven't seen him in a while, how many rooms are down here?" Fhingle asks staying close to Laria
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"We've seen everything we can see from bunching up here at the doorway. Like my old pa used to say, it's time to piss or get off the pot. I'm pissing."
Making sure everyone is behind him (presumably, not Laria), Saul walks down the hallway toward the piers. Saul has been around a lot of fish in his day, and he feels like the rotting smell is not the piscine variety. The smell is coming from the pier area.
"Succinctly, and somewhat unpleasantly put, though I suspect that will only be the appetizer in a cavalcade of gross - given the smell," Salonius sighs, moving along in Saul's wake and secretly vowing I will not be the first one to throw up. I will not be the first one to throw up, this time.
Arriving at the peer you can see what causes the stink. A dead man lies half eaten in the waters, wedged at the pilings of the pier.
Saul, Jhen and Salonius, with a sharp eye, notice immediately whose snack that is. They spot the eyes on the water under the pier staring at them.
"There's something in the water," Jhen yells his voice raising an octave as he points under the pier. He steps between his companions and the shoreline, leveling his rapier at the beast, "Stay behind me."
Salonius to readies to fire a splintered spear should the beast emerge from the feculent water. As he does so he ponders the situation if that is the corpse of Nan Comerivos what has been consuming the food and drink Larian has been leaving? Also inhuman laughter, unlikely to be produced by an animal, so we are likely talking possession or undeath? I am beginning to wish I had not concentrated quite so hard on horticulture...
As Jhen offers himself as target of choice the alligator accepts. It shoots out of the water and charges him. Despite the rapier buried in it's skin, the Gator bites into Jhen's legs and holds him.
Saul misses with his spear, and also Salonius' magic spear goes wide.
Lossing his balance in the jaws of the gator Jhen weakly tries to stab the beast in the eye.
"Let him go you vile Ophidian! You, you, future handbag!" Salonius bellows, voice cracking as he tries to determine whether he should fire into the fray finally steeling himself and hurling one of his crude wooden spears. One shot left and then I am going to be as useful as wooden fireguard...
Meliandri stabs with her rapier at the crocodile too. And adds a gaping wound to it.
But then it gets ugly. The alligator moves back into the water and drags Jhen along.
Saul stabs at the gator as it tries to get away and kills the beast.
Just as all sigh in relief as the gator is dead, an upright walking humanoid bird storms in with a blade in hand.
Meliandri starts to call out tactics to support the team.
Salonius attempts to throw a splintered spear, but it smashes into the wall over a foot from the target, and calls out in Strix, though he is by no means sure the birdman is one,
The walking bird doesn't care about warnings. And it also doesn't care about lousy attempts at stabbing. To your surprise it drops the blade closes in on Saul and claws at him.
Still hyperventilating from his encounter with the Gator Jhen rushes back into melee saluting Saul with his rapier, "Thanks!" He rushes his form and misses the bird.
"Crocodiles not birds? Laria what have you hidden down here that you didn't tell us about?'
Fhingle tries to angle around to wack at the bird lady.
"Hey, it is open to the flood pipes. I for sure didn't invite any of them."
Fhingle moves in on the bird person and whacks it on the knee with his mace. And other than Jhen and Saul he actually manages to hit.
Meliandri moves in too on the threat. But she also only manages to fall in line with Saul and Jhen.
Against his better judgement Salonius flicks his wrist dramatically, producing the dagger he promised his mother he would carry, from his spring loaded wrist sheath, and rushing in behind the birdman. Just as Saul is about to strike he jabs his blade clumsily at the avian humanoid's back seeking to distract it and aid Saul's more powerful attack.
Saul hits with the spear and draws the attention of the bird back to him and earns him a claw through the face.
Fhingle moves out of the birds reach and Touches Saul.
"Let the light of the heavens wash over you."
Fhingle gets clawed too, as he moves away to heal Saul.
”Keep your claws to yourself,” Jhen warns as he stabs his avian adversary.
Salonius once again waves his dagger theatrically executing a crude overhead chop in the hope that he can distract the birdman for Saul again and calling, "Peeko while it is distracted!"
Peeko takes a lazy look at the action and attempts to hop of Salonius's head into the fray, but his claw is entangle in silken blond hair and instead he tumbles off, hits his master in the face and dangles until his frantic wing beats free him.
"Peeko will peck the eyes out of anyone who mentions this again! Peeko pecks! Did not happen... Did not happen to Peeko. Stupid Master's stupid girl hair. Stupid."
The bird-person does as Jhen tells it to do. Which might have to do with it dying.
"Mmmmm? It almost looks familiar, was it in 101 Avians to Avoid? Do you recognise it Peeks? You always pay more attention to the birds..."
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"Peeko is not talking to you, because your hair is stupid! Peeko is not talking!" The thrush hisses fluffing up angrily as he lands upon the birdman's body and gives it a vicious peck.
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"Ah, thanks for the try, Little Mac." Saul nods to Fhingle, appreciating the heal, though it only relieved a little bit of the pain.
"Hopefully that was it for down here. S, does it look like that thing might be responsible for the inhuman screams Laria heard? The sound of an angry bird would certainly be inhuman."
Saul checks both enemy corpses for anything worthwhile, and also examines the crocodile's first victim.
"I simply do not know, but it is a reasonable inference - it certainly has the inhuman bit down, though it did not seem especially jovial..."
Fhingle cocks his head at Saul, not quite understanding what he is saying. Raising his hands up in the air Fhingle lets out a burst of water holy energy that heals all.
Jhen watches in amazement as the gash from the alligator bite begins to mend on its own accord. He turns to Saul, "Is the corpse in the water who we are looking for?"