Talia checks the final door in the room. Finding no traps and no lock, she opens the door. The walls of this room are lined with wooden cages, each one filled with a bed of dirty straw. The cages are all empty.
This is a goblin nursery. Most Goblin tribes don't believe in nurturing and protecting their young, as they believe it only results in Goblin adults who can't protect themselves. Instead, feral goblin children and babies are placed in wooden cages, like these, and fed a steady diet of raw meat to make sure that they grow up to be properly mean and strong.
Fortunately, it looks like the goblins haven't been breeding lately, and the cages are empty.
Cade looks into the room and shrugs.
Pointing at the middle door on the south wall.
What about that doorway...? Let us go that way.
Talia wrinkles her nose in disgust, something she's getting familiar with here. "Good thing we stopped the orgy if this is what Goblin's use as a nursery."
She moves to check the corridor that Orik came out of.
Talia moves down the corridor, which turns the corner and then ends at five separate doors.
Node toward his right, Cade looks to Talia.
Why not take the first door on the right and work our way around?
Riori follows along.
Talia shrugs. "I don't have a better plan."
She heads to the first door on our right.
"Everyone ready?"
She opens it when everyone agrees.
Talia finds no traps or locks upon the doors, so they start on the right to work their way around. The first door reveals a one-person bedroom that shows many signs of being lived in. The bed is rumpled and unmade, a half-eaten meal of bread and smoked salmon sits on the nightstand, and there are a few dirty articles of clothing on the floor. A search of the room turns up nothing of value.
The second door opens to reveal a clean, well-organized room. A low dresser to the southwest has a stack of papers sitting atop it, weighted down by a block of obsidian, while to the northwest sits a well-made bed. A search of the room turns up nothing of value, but the papers on the night stand seem to indicate that this was Tsuto's room, as the papers consist of rough drafts of his plan to blackmail his grandfather and to use the Catacombs below Sandpoint, with the secret passage through the Glassworks, as a staging ground for the invasion of Sandpoint.
The next door reveals a room bigger than the others that appears to serve a dual purpose. To the north is a fine bed with silk sheets, while to the south, a desk and a chair under a hanging lantern make a comfortable-looking study. The desk has nothing in it but paper, ink, and an inkpen, and there is nothing else of value in the room.
The next door is a bedroom of the same size as the first two. While this bedroom is clean and brightly lit by an everburning torch on the nightstand, its spartan decor makes it unclear if this room is actually lived in.
The final door reveals another bedroom with a faint musty odor. The bed is covered with matted gray and black hair, and bloodstains mar the stone floor, while a morbid stack of bird's feet lies heaped on the floor by the side of the bed. You're pretty sure this is Bruthazmus's room, and a search of the room turns up nothing of value.
In the room with silk sheets, Riori runs her hand along the sheets. "Cor. I've never even had clothes made of this, and one of these rotters slept on it?" She shakes her head. "I do have a rope of silk, though that was given me for travel by a parishioner... and far more practical besides..."
She pauses with her hand on them, considering something, but then shakes her head and moves on.
In the next room she checks to see if the everburning torch can be taken. "Given we're underground we might need this. Anyone want to take it?"
We should take it with us. I unfortunately should not carry it. It would overbalance my frame and place me at a disadvantage if combat should arise. If no one else will take it...I will carry it.
Heading back out into the main room, Cade looks to the eastern door.
If we are to believe what Orik Foreskin said...then we can avoid these door to the east...Monsters that Golbins are afraid of. No way out and it seems that the creatures stay in there. I say we head back to the room where Lyrie was and look for the secret door. We head downstairs. Nualia is down there with another of those dogs. We find her and end this.
Talia mutters something under her breath about dogs and people feeling strangely confident about fighting them. But shrugs and heads back to Lyrie was.
Riori is able to easily pick up the everburning torch - it isn't anchored to anything.
Returning to the room where you fought Lyrie, you find that the secret door isn't hard to find, given that it's slightly ajar. You also remember it having been slightly ajar when you fought the wizard, so it looks like no one has come through since you arrived. Beyond it are the stairs leading down to the next level.
With no one eager to take the torch, Riori takes it and straps it to her pack, covering the cool, non-burning flame with a rag from her gear maintenance kit for now, ready to remove it if need be.
She falls into position as they prepar to head downward.
Cade readies himself and looks to the others.
Talia and I will take point...I should have asked but I failed to think of it. There may be guards and or traps set to protect this women Nualia. I am not the best suited to finding either. Talia, I think you should be up front with me. You are much quieter than me and have skills I do not.
"Sounds good to me." Talia agrees. "I'll go first, you stay five feet behind me and we switch if trouble starts.
Talia is ready to go down the stairs.
With the others taking the lead, Karu resorts to being the eyes in the back. She studies what stonework they pass on by. Since they've already come past a couple of hidden doors, the dwarf keeps an eye out for those.
Down the stairs you go, as they turn and turn again. A stone door just around the corner from the steps hangs slightly ajar, the detailed carvings that once covered its surface defaced by chisel marks and hammer blows to the extent that only a few remnants of the images (mostly of gemstones and crowns) remain. The floor here is slanted downwards towards the west.
Opening the stone door the rest of the way, you reveal a larger room. Two pillars support the ceiling in here. In many places the stone walls, floor, and ceiling are caked with ancient grime and soot. Alcoves in the north and south walls contain partially damaged statues of a man in robes clutching a book and a glaive. The entire room is canted towards the west, and whatever ancient upheaval caused the complex to tilt knocked the statues from their bases so that now they lean against the western wall of their alcoves.
A door to the west leads further on.
With a hushed voice the dwarf comments on what she sees: vandalized art. Perhaps what is being portrayed deserves as much, but still, part of her dwarven self hurts at seeing the desecration of beautiful stonework. "Looks like whoever put a hammer to this door here had a good reason to want to get past it. T'is the only explanation I got for wanting to destroy art the way they did."
She then invokes a short prayer to Desna and calls upon the Star Lady to guide Talia.
Looking to Talia as the party comes down the steps and into the room. He glances at the other door.
Care to inspect the door before we move on.
Talia checks the western door.
The door is unlocked, and Talia hears nothing behind the door. Cautiously, she opens it, revealing a short hallway that rises in a slope to the east. Five feet from the western door the floor is polished and shiny, unlike the dusty floor elsewhere. A pair of stone statues depicting stern men wielding glaives stand in alcoves north and south of this section of hallway. At the eastern end you see what look like carved stone doors, but you can't make out details from where you are. Just past the doors is a third alcove in which a partially collapsed statue sits. The top half of the statue is missing, leaving a ragged stump of a torso.
Cade looks to Talia.
We good to go? What do you make of the floor?
He looks to the others.
Not something you would see down this far...I would image at least...
Talia studies the way ahead carefully.
"Looks clear to me, but I could be missing something? Lets go carefully."
Karu isn't as optimistic as her companions about all of this. Perhaps it's her inexperience speaking. "Eh, that floor is awfully clean now, innit? And that statue over there, the one missing the important bits past the waistline, I think that's the room trying to tell us to be careful, Tal."
"You make some good points, Karu. I doubt Nualia cared about mopping the floor for cleanliness' sake."
Riori follows the carefully moving leads, looking at the floor in particular now that Karu has pointed it out, looking for patterns in the tiling or other signs of something odd.
Talia begins stepping into the hallway, carefully looking ahead of her. She still doesn't see any signs of traps. As she steps into the cleaned section of floor, she hears a click beneath her.
She is barely able to leap back as two portcullises slam down on either side of the cleaned section of flooring. As she catches her breath from nearly being trapped, the two statues begin swinging their glaives around in the space - were she still there, she likely would have been cut badly. The statues move their glaives for several long seconds before finally stopping. After the statues stop, the section of flooring gives way in a trap door that hangs open for several seconds before closing. Then the portcullises retract into the ceiling. The whole thing is very noisy.
Talia stands still for a moment, carefully catching her breath before she speaks, then releases a stream of obscenities in several languages.
"Good thing I don't believe I'm infallible." She finally sighs.
Riori stares at the floor and sees absolutely nothing of interest just as Talia steps on the pressure plate and all of the mechanical devices are triggered. Riori lets out a loud gasp at the sudden, noisy and deadly chain reaction is triggered.
"Thank the gods you're quick!" Riori calls out to Talia. "Careful now. Is there a way we can just move around that bit?" She eyes the statues worriedly.
It takes Talia a couple of tries, but she's able to disarm the trap so that the hallway is safe to walk down.
There are two doors at the end of the hallway - one to the left, and one to the right.
Cade gasps in surprise at the trap.
Well f@$! me...did not expect that.
Judging that they are in the same area as above, Cade looks to the north door.
That door should lead toward to outer wall of this dungeon...I hope at least. We should not have more than a few rooms to search over there. If we go to the south then we go deeper into the dungeon. North?
Talia indicates the north as their next move.
Karu talks with a hushed voice, but the dwarf's excitement and fear of seeing her companions getting hurt won't be stopped by any her attempts to be quiet. "North makes sense. Take yer time studying the door and its framework for any and all dangers, 'ey. It's clear that this place is out to kill us!"
Talia searches the door and finds no traps, so she opens the door.
Standing there is a woman with long white hair and otherworldly beauty, save for one arm which has changed into a demonic-looking claw. She wields a falchion, and is dressed in black breastplate baring her midriff, upon which you can see her abdomen is heavily scarred. You seem to have found Nualia - and floating next to her is another of those hounds from the Chapel above. "So, you are the so-called heroes who intervened in the initial raid on Sandpoint. No doubt you have slain Ripnugget and his ilk, as well as the rest of my associates. It makes no difference, however. I will slay you, free Malfeshnekor from his prison, and then burn Sandpoint to the ground as an offering to Lamashtu. I will make them all pay for what they've done."
Talia snaps a shot at the woman.
"It's Nualia. Hit the hound before it howls!"
"So, you are the so-called heroes who intervened in the initial raid on Sandpoint. No doubt you have slain Ripnugget and his ilk, as well as the rest of my associates. It makes no difference, however. I will slay you, free Malfeshnekor from his prison, and then burn Sandpoint to the ground as an offering to Lamashtu. I will make them all pay for what they've done."
Cade is taken aback for a moment at the sight of the women but soon enough a smile comes to his face.
Ok...did not expect to see her this soon. No more minions? then.So-called...that is little harsh..don't you think? Good looking yes but so-called...really? Your taste in company needs some refinement. You should have invested in better companions. Malekankor is in prison for a reason and will remain so. You are of course welcome to try and...slay us...
Hearing talia's directions moves Cade into action. The new dagger comes to his hand and he back hands it across the room at the dog creature.
Talia snaps a shot at the woman. "It's Nualia. Hit the hound before it howls!"
Talia slams a bolt into Nualia's shoulder. She grimaces, but her face otherwise betrays no emotion - save for her eyes, which burn with rage.
Nualia casts a spell, and a reddish aura momentarily surrounds her, infusing her blade. She otherwise remains where she is, waiting for you to come to her.
Nualia - 52/59, 10 Temp HP
"Come on, move yer behinds!!!"
Riori moves back into the room they came through, and touches Karjys while praying to Desna, casting shield of faith.
"Come on, move yer behinds!!!" Karu calls out, casting a spell on Riori to help guide her actions.
Riori moves back into the room they came through, and touches Karjys while praying to Desna, casting shield of faith.
The hound inhales, and then howls.
A panicked creature must drop anything it holds and flee at top speed from the source of its fear, as well as any other dangers it encounters, along a random path. It can’t take any other actions. In addition, the creature takes a –2 penalty on all saving throws, skill checks, and ability checks. If cornered, a panicked creature cowers and does not attack, typically using the total defense action in combat. A panicked creature can use special abilities, including spells, to flee; indeed, the creature must use such means if they are the only way to escape.
Nualia - 52/59, 10 Temp HP
Either prepared this time compared to last time, or just refusing to make a fool of herself again, Riori manages to steel her nerves against the horrible sound.
Bellum runs off.