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After the last zombie is killed, Bolonwr looks through the dead man's belongings:
"Interesting; looks like a dhampir falling victim to some zombies he created."
"Seems fitting, somehow."
"Maybe one of the three owned that robe we found."
"I can't tell what this amulet does. But the bottle has Elixir of Swimming."
"That could be useful dealing with Gillment, I'm sure."
With a bit of cloth Erik manages to stop the oozing from Damien's wound, though it doesn't actually do anything to mend what was damaged. Meanwhile Bolonwr studies the items the group found and is at least able to clearly identify the bottle as an Elixir of Swimming. When or where it might be useful is a mystery, but every little bit helps!
As best as you've been able to tell so far, there is only one exit from this cavern which is the one you entered from. Other than the dead dhampir and the magical items the group found, there doesn't seem to be anything else of interest here.
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Once everyone is satisfied that there's nothing more to be done here, the party retraces its steps back to the chamber where you'd left Uori. The gillman is still puttering around and happens to see you as you stroll out of the tunnel.
"Ah! I see you have returned...and that one of you is a little worse for the wear," Uori says, looking concerned. "What did you find in those tunnels?"
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"Extra armor you say? Oh, it don't work with armor if you've already got some? Well ain't that a dumb idea! I'm always needin' more and better armor. I don't move fast and smooth like those lyin' Elves! Gotta be able to take a punch or two, or get armor thick enough to keep the teeth out!"
"It weren't pretty I tell you man! The walkin' dead, a whole lot of 'em! But not to be worried, we made 'em disappear! POOF!" He makes a hammer swinging motion followed by what must be an explosion, then notices a few chunks still clinging to his scalemail and brushes them off.
"Damiel here weren't paying attention and got sucker punched in the guts. Them dead hit pretty hard I guess eh Damiel?"
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"Bahahaha... Overcompensatin'? You ever seen an oread's... knee?" Damien's laugh echoes through the cave as he's delighted by Erik's taunt. "Listen, I think there was a magic stick in that back that can make me better! Can't smash zombies without bein' in tip top shape!"
"Yeah, what he said. Looks like someone's been raising your kind as undead, friend. Sacred as this place is, doesn't hearin' this make you feel just a little unsafe?"
Looking down at the bruise on his arm, he shrugs at Bash's poke. "Nah, those things were wimpy! Come on! I been hit by much worse!"
"The walking dead!?" Uori's eyes widen with alarm. "I...had no idea that this necromancer was lurking in the caverns." The gillman sighs deeply and passes his hand over his eyes. "We have occasionally lost pilgrims who make the journey here but we often assume it was to the hazards of the road or the forests, not...not this." He looks up at the group, gratitude in his eyes. "Thank you for putting their bodies to rest at last and for ridding the caverns of this menace. There is little else that I can do to repay you for your efforts but my earlier offer remains - should you need to seek shelter, please return here."
He turns to Bolonwr, watching with some interest as he attempts to make use of Janira's healing wand. "As for the journal and the phrase that you found, it means nothing to me. I suspect we are all better off not knowing their meaning; they sound like the words of a madman!"
After watching Bolonwr flail around with Janira's healing wand in an attempt to get it working, Uori finally takes pity on him and stretches out his hand for the wand. "Ah...may I try?" Taking the wand he gives Damien two quick taps, completely mending the injury the zombie had caused. "Those were good efforts, especially since I believe divine magics are bit outside your expertise yes? Keep practicing your technique and I am sure you'll soon have a much easier time making such items work for you."
Once the party has had a chance to rest for a few minutes, Uori begins making his way towards the cavern where the bodies of the gillmen lie. "Apologies, but I must tend to the remains of my brothers and sisters. You may continue to rest here as long as you need; I will return soon." And with that, the gillman disappears down the eastern tunnel.
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After taking a few more moments to collect yourselves you proceed forward once again, this time down the western tunnel. Unlike the tunnel that led to the necromancer's hideout, this tunnel has several smaller tunnels that branch from it; further investigation of these branches reveal paths that are either blocked by cave-ins, lead back to the main tunnel, or narrow to the point of being impassable. Whether this is sheer coincidence or the contrivance of some higher power to herd you along in one direction is unclear. On the bright side, at least it makes keeping a map much easier as well as drastically reduces the chances of getting lost!
Between taking the time to check out the various tunnel branches as well as traverse the main path, it takes about 30 to 40 minutes (as a rough guesstimate) before it finally opens up to another large cavern, lit by the group's favorite light source-and-snack fungi. To your surprise, you see what seems to be a shallow river that bisects this cavern from north to south as well as a small passage exiting across the river and to the east. As you stare at the underground river in awe (or perhaps dread), movement can be seen on the opposite side. Two small, scaly-looking creatures are standing next to the eastern tunnel and appear to be engrossed in some sort of intense discussion.
These two guys are totally kobolds. Kobolds are small reptilian creatures that can often be found living in great underground warrens.
"Wo bù zhīdào, Qipza...Ni zhēn de rènwéi Gheekrup zongjiān huì xihuān zhège dìfāng ma? Kàn qilái hen piàoliang..." one of them, dressed in dark blue, asks in a dubious tone.
"Bùyào shazi, yáo lú! Dāngrán, qiúzhang huì xihuān tā - tā zhèng chuyú wú chù, you shui *zài zhèli*, hé you zhège meiwèi de zhēnjùn! Bù qù ài de zhongzhong!?" responds his companion, a rather excitable-sounding creature dressed in green.
"I don't know, Qipza...do you really think Chief Gheekrup will like this place? It seems pretty dank..."
"Don't be an idiot, Rilnilk! Of course the Chief will love it - it's in the middle of nowhere, there's water *right here*, and there's this tasty fungus! What's not to love!?"
So involved in their discussion are the two reptilian-like creatures that they don't seem to have noticed your arrival - yet.
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"'Ey, sounds like they're planning to eat my fungus. Not cool. I don't think they'd be open to talking much, so how about we launch a preemptive attack?" He pulls out a sling from his back, then cracks off a small pebble from his f'ore'arm. "The best thing about being blessed with the element of earth? Ya never run out of sling bullets!"
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Bow at the ready as they walked, Erik listens to Eredur's explanation of what the kobolds are discussing; and Damien's ambush plan.
"Eredur, Bolonwr, can either of you convince them this is the wrong cavern to take up residence in? Damien, I don't see a reason to kill them if they can be persuaded to live elsewhere."
Erik will kill to defend himself or others, even retribution for earlier attacks, but so far these two haven't done anything to his knowledge.
You also know that despite claiming kinship to dragons, kobolds are cowardly and often resort to traps and trickery to defeat their foes. They're also sensitive to light.
"Aiiieeee!"
The two kobolds shriek in unison as Bolonwr calls out to them, nearly jumping out of their scales. Spinning around they spot the group, heavily armed as they are, and their jaws drop with fear and surprise. They shoot each other a nervous glance and one of them calls out, "Wh-who you? This our cave, we found it first! Go 'way!"
"Y-Yeah!" the other adds. "Whole big clan on way, be here anytime! Qipza and Rilnilk be nice, let you go now before they get here!"
Oh yes, they're lying through their teeth about anyone else being on the way.
With their ruse clearly seen through and thoroughly convinced that the caverns are now a lost cause, the kobolds Qipza and Rilnilk come to the same conclusion - it's time to get the heck out of dodge!
"F-fine! Didn't want stupid wet caves and weird grody glow-fungus anyway!" one of them shrieks before turning and fleeing down the eastern tunnel. "Yeah! Stupid softskins can have caves; we go find better ones!" the second adds before speeding off after his friend and leaving you alone to bask in the glory of your victory.
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"YEAH! LET'S GET EM! KOBOLD SMAS.. Oh..." Damien lunges ahead with his earthbreaker held high, then drops it as he realizes the kobolds have fled. "Aw, and just when I was gettin' ready to break some heads! Ah well, suppose it's for the best. We do have our halfling Society lass to worry about. It's been a while now. We should hurry on!"
With no other options than to continue forward through the eastern tunnel, everyone begins making their way down towards the river. Just as Bash has almost reached the riverbank, Bolonwr suddenly realizes that the loose earth and gravel in the area has been disturbed. He quickly catches Bash before he can take another step further, pointing out the oddity to the rest of you. A subsequent inspection reveals the presence of a cleverly-hidden trap underneath the gravel, most likely set earlier by the kobolds.
After taking care of the trap (or to avoid the trap), you prod at the lazily-moving river to test its depth before crossing. Luckily it seems that this spot is quite shallow at a depth of just a foot or so. This means that while everyone still has to get a little wet, you at least don't have to worry about having to do any swimming. Once on the other side, you continue making your way forward and find that this eastern tunnel is lengthy, with numerous twists and turns as well as steep ascents and short climbs. As you travel, you all begin to pick up the sound of a distance voice echoing through the caverns. The further you go, the louder it becomes until you recognize it as the voice of Janira! Realizing that she (and the surface) must be close, you all pick up the pace - until...
...several of you spot something just up ahead. At first it might just seem like a trick of the shadows but as the party draws closer you can see that something blocks the way forward - a strange, amorphous mass the color of dirty dishwater. Unfortunately, it also seems to sense your presence...it begins to ooze towards you all, quivering slightly in expectation of a good meal. As he draws even with a small side tunnel, Bash can see a second of these creatures out of the corner of his eye. It too seems to be making its way towards the party! All the while the sound of Janira's voice echoes through the tunnels, filling you with courage and determination...
These are giant amoebas, weaker cousins of the dreaded oozes, gelatinous cubes, and puddings. Though they normally prey on small animals, a giant amoeba's constant hunger often drives them to attack much larger prey such as yourselves.
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Bolonwr
Bash
GA Green
GA Purple
Damien
Eredur
Erik
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage (+1 vs. fear, +1 on weapon attack & damage rolls)
Bolonwr and Bash are UP!
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Bash looks up to see the quivering masses of jello and grins "Holy smokes, my Aunty Ginny must be here... them look just like her fruit jello cakes! I'll mash that far one, you guys get this one here below me!" His voice trailing off a bit as he charges down the hallway, drawing out his trusty hammer and hollering "I'MMA COMIN' GINNY!"
With a fearsome battle cry Bash charges down the tunnel at the first jelly-fiend, visions of his Aunt Ginny's fruit jello cakes dancing in his head. He brings his hammer down in a wickedly powerful swing and *SPLORCH*! The creature explodes, splattering the brave dwarf and the nearby walls with thick goo.
Proving that great minds think alike, Bolonwr also starts for the same jello creature but suddenly finds himself without a target as Bash utterly decimates it. Skidding to a stop, he flattens himself against the tunnel wall and instead directs his attention to the second ooze creeping up the side tunnel towards the group. A freezing ray shoots from his fingertip and strikes the creature with a *ssssss*, causing it to flail and bleb about in pain - but it doesn't die. Sensing that prey is only feet away, it slorps and slurps over the cavern floor towards Bolonwr and Damien!
1=Damien
2=Bolonwr
The blob extends a pseudopod and strikes at Bolonwr with surprising speed...
...and connects solidly against the half-orc's leg, returning the favor in kind as the flesh begins to sizzle and burn!
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Bash
Bolonwr (-4 HP)
GA Purple
GA Green (-3 HP)
Damien
Eredur
Erik
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage (+1 vs. fear, +1 on weapon attack & damage rolls)
Everyone is UP!
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Damien sarcastically grunts as Bash takes down the first creature. "Oh there he goes again, Mr. I-can-smash-anything. Well, now it's Damien's turn, and Marx is gonna give it to ya!"
Despite his confidence, Damien's hammer plows into the ground and sprays the blob and Bolonwr with a fine dust. "Damn it to all hells! Next time I'll flatten it, I swear!" He then takes a step backwards to let someone else have a shot.
As Damien takes his turn at jelly-smashin', he slips slightly on the slippery floor and visions of a terrible miss briefly flash through his mind...before his earthbreaker splatters the second one with a loud *SPLUTCH*! A split second later Bolonwr's second frosty ray zaps the air *just* an inch or so shy of where the jelly-thing had been undulating.
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Though the battle here is finished, another one still rages close by - Janira's rousing oratory continues to fill the tunnel and now that the jelly creatures are gone, you realize that a faint bit of light can be seen further ahead...
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Don't be to confident. If the minotaur is still around, he will be a greater foe than these blobs.
Althought if the dwarf and oread weapons his him at the same time with the same strenght they displayed so far, he's in for a nasty surprise
Despite himself, Eredur smiles
With the realization that time is of the essence you all race up the remainder of the tunnel as quickly as you can, trying not to slip on the wet ground as you go. As you close the distance with the tunnel's exit, the sound of Janira's voice grows stronger and louder - a welcome sound indeed! But just before you reach the light at the end of the tunnel, the air is split by a bone-shaking roar - the minotaur!
As you all stumble out of the tunnel and into the light of the full moon, you realize that you've exited into another clearing at the base of the Kortos Mountains. The moon's light illuminates a stream, the water's flow hastened by runoff from a recent storm further up in the mountains. A small log seems to have lodged itself across the stream, providing a path across, albeit a tricky one. Just to the right, you can also see a path leading up to a ledge that sits nearly level with the forest canopy.
Yet another roar splits the night air and across the stream you see Janira and the minotaur - both looking worse for the wear. The minotaur's mighty battleaxe looks to be broken and Janira seems on the verge of exhaustion. Still, her voice rings out in reply to the minotaur's roar -
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*Janira IC = 4/7
Though Janira's cry is mighty indeed for a halfling, it doesn't seem to faze the minotaur. With a cruel laugh, he steps forward and swings his axe...
...and howls with rage as Janira gasps and ducks under the blow, just in the nick of time! The halfling quickly takes a step back and *CRACK* - she snaps her whip towards the beast's battleaxe...
...and manages to wrap it around his weapon! With a flourish she yanks the axe from the minotaur's hands and it hits the ground with a heavy *thud*! Despite her situation remaining precarious, Janira can't help but laugh. "The Monk of the River was blessed by the gods. They never let evil strike her and it will never strike me!"
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Minotaur (Disarmed)
Bolonwr
Janira
Bash
Erik
Eredur
Damien
Active Conditions: Inspire Courage (+1 vs. fear, +1 on weapon attack & damage rolls)
Everyone is UP!
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