"I suppose we could just stash everything in the chest and continue, hoping the horse has patience?"
He looks at all the loot with doubt in his eyes.
"Alright, let's lock that chest back up and go downstairs."
Garrokmal quickly swaps the manacles in his backpack for the Masterwork manacles found in the chest. "In case we need to take anyone back to town."
After locking the chest and closing any recently opened doors, he addresses the horse. "We'll be back for you soon and all go home."
He then checks his gear, readies his sword and shield, and leads the procession down the stairs.
You gather everyone together and descend the stairs into the dungeons of Thistletop. The walls and ceilings are hewn from the same gray granite that the fort sits atop, gentle orange lamp light shines from the room ahead, but the door is open and there is no sign of occupants as you near.
A large table surrounded by chairs fills much of the room. A slate board to the north is covered with scribblings in chalk, but the map of Sandpoint that has been carefully inscribed on it leaves no doubt
as to the purpose of this room—this is doubtless where the recent raid was planned.
Garrokmal echoes the shocked silence of his companions. "I know - scary, huh? Let's see how my goblin is holding up." He then looks over the map and related materials for any additional clues of who is behind the attack and also to see if any portion of Sandpoint was missed when they searched the town for goblins.
An investigation of the slate and the notes written there confirm your suspicions. Further notes state that once “the whispering beast is tamed,” the architects of the plan intend to mount a second raid on the town, one that incorporates not only additional goblin tribes culled
from as far as the Fogscar Mountains to the north, but also sinspawn who will invade Sandpoint from below. No exact timetable is given
for when this second raid is to happen, but it seems that the final assault is scheduled for only a few weeks in the future.
Hieronymous thinks, He has a goblin?, and then quickly realizes that he miss-heard Garrokmal.
"Sounds like we don't have much time."
He steps over to the eastern door and listens...
If he hears nothing, he opens it.
Hieronymous listens but hears nothing from the Eastern door. Gently he opens the rickety door to reveal a 10 foot long lantern lit hallway and another door at the end. Moving to that door, he again listens but the room beyond is silent.
You open the door on a square room. The lower four feet of the walls in this empty room are covered with crude drawings in mud, blood, and paint. Most of the drawings show goblins engaged in some sort of violence against humans, horses, or dogs. One picture on the north wall
is at least three times the size and complexity of the other scrawlings. This image shows Thistletop from the side, the goblin stockade perched atop it like a crown. A cave has been drawn into the center of the image, and looming inside is what appears to be an immense, muscular goblin with snakelike eyes and a dogslicer in each taloned hand. If the scale compared to the rest of the drawing is to be
believed, this goblin must be at least thirty feet tall.
There's another door to the South.
Hieronymous looks around at the drawings, and when he spots the big goblin says, "I hate goblins, but I hate giants even more," he closes his eyes and seems to hum to himself for a minute, then turns to his comrades, "we must find this creature and dispatch it!"
He walks over to the next door and listens again, opening the door if he hears nothing.
Garrokmal's eyes go wide at the illustration... "Yes! Whatever that monster is, it'll be a glorious victory to destory - let's find it!"
On high alert for goblins, he stays close behind Hieronymous as he flings open the doors.
You listen at the door and hear nothing. You move forward into a room at the center of three long halls.
Two large stone doors sit in the western wall here, their faces carved with images of horrific, deformed monsters clawing their way out of
pregnant women of all races.
There are also exits to the East and South.
"Did someone say Giants?" Zafzalurg excitedly worries the grip on his dagger.
Seeing the door, his face pales "By the gods, what madness is this?"
Garrokmal wouldn't say so out loud, but he's a little spooked by the images carved into the doors. "By the gods... I can only imagine what may be behind this door. Any chance your special vision can tell us what's on the other side, Oracle?"
"Hmmm, let's see,"
Hieronymous walks over to he doors, his eyes glazed and seemingly out of focus (like they usually are...). He attempts to stare through the stone.
At the western end, shallow stairs rise to a platform about two feet off the ground. The walls surrounding this platform are lit by hanging braziers that emit glowing red smoke, giving the place an unnerving crimson lighting that throws the bas-relief carvings of countless monsters feasting on fleeing humans into lurid display. A black marble altar stone, its surface heaped with ashes and bone fragments, squats before a ten-foot-tall statue.
The sculpture depicts a very pregnant but otherwise shapely naked woman who wields a kukri in each taloned hand and has a long reptilian tail, birdlike taloned feet, and the snarling head of a three-eyed jackal with a forked tongue. The left kukri flickers with fiery orange light while the right one glows with a cold blue radiance.
Floating near the ceiling at both the north and the south sides of the dais are two animals that look like dogs from the deepest pits of hell. The deep red glow of their eyes captures your gaze revealing only malevolence and cruelty before the stone doors fade back to simple granite.
Hieronymous whispers, "Wow."
The dogs you remember as being Yeth hounds, outsiders that are known for their cruelty. You recall a few passages from a volume you read sometime in the past:
Yeth hounds are evil outsiders that delight in hunting intelligent prey. They lope through the night skies, relentlessly pursuing their chosen quarry for miles, and harrying them with their frightful baying. Yeth hounds hunt only at night. They fear the sun and never venture out in daylight, even if their lives depend on it. A yeth hound stands 4 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 400 pounds.
Yeth hounds do not collect treasure, having no use for such baubles. The thrill of the hunt and the sweet tang of fear in their prey is all they value. However, some items of worth may occasionally be found in a yeth hound den, the discarded remnants of prey dragged back to the lair. Despite their bestial appearance, the yeth hound is rather intelligent, even if it does little with its intellect but devise and carry out ingenious, hateful plans to torment and horrify its prey before it finally strikes.
Hieronymous turns around and walks over to the group.
"Ok, that room is a big one, lots of pillars and a dais at the other end, all set up to worship a big pregnant goddess statue, I believe it's probably Lamashtu, I remember something about her being depicted that way, giving birth to monsters.
More importantly, there are two Yeth Hounds floating over the dais way over on the other side of the room... let me see if I can recite the passages I have read about them:
'Yeth hounds are evil outsiders that delight in hunting intelligent prey. They lope through the night skies, relentlessly pursuing their chosen quarry for miles, and harrying them with their frightful baying. Yeth hounds hunt only at night. They fear the sun and never venture out in daylight, even if their lives depend on it. A yeth hound stands 4 feet tall at the shoulder and weighs about 400 pounds.
Yeth hounds do not collect treasure, having no use for such baubles. The thrill of the hunt and the sweet tang of fear in their prey is all they value. However, some items of worth may occasionally be found in a yeth hound den, the discarded remnants of prey dragged back to the lair. Despite their bestial appearance, the yeth hound is rather intelligent, even if it does little with its intellect but devise and carry out ingenious, hateful plans to torment and horrify its prey before it finally strikes.'"
"This must be it, then! We've known it was a Lamashtu cult since finding Ameiko's brother under the glassworks... Those sinspawn were apparently to be part of the next attack on the town, but we've destroyed them. If this is the center of the cult, wiping it out will be the end of our worries! Back to chopping wood and drinking for me, only now as a hero of Sandpoint!"
Grinning wide, he sees that all his gear is properly in place. "Somehow I doubt the two hounds you saw are the only enemies we'll face in there. Master bard - I hope you have more verses about the gnomish campaigns against the goblin horde, because we'll need it." Looking at the elf, he says "If you can put one of them to sleep, all the better. No need to take on more than we need to."
Hieronymous puts his hands out palms up, closes his eyes and mumbles some obsure words, and a faint white light issues from him to envelope them all.
[ooc]Hiero casts Bless
"I am ready," he readies his spear near the door.
"I normally don't speak to Desna, but if she's listening, we could use all the help we can get right now...
"You guys all done?" He looks to his friends as he prepares to open the door.
"Alright, I don't know if we can get the drop on those hounds, but we'll do our best..."
With that, Garrokmal tries as quietly as possible to open the door and slip into the chamber unseen.
The door opens and you attempt to sneak into the temple.
The door cracks open on hinges that protest, creaking into the silence of the room. The dogs ears shoot up and their heads raise even while floating in mid air. Instantly they move, snarling, ready for blood.
*creak!*
Damn.
In a quiet but urgent tone, Garrokmal turns his head. "Wait - that dais is too crowded - let them come to us where we can flank them."
The hound raises its toothy muzzle as you enter the temple and blasts the room with a ear splitting howl. The unearthly whine conjures images of packs of demon dogs chasing you beneath abyssal moons making you want to crawl into a hole to hide.
Fighting the visions in his mind, Garrokmal makes a beeline for the nearest hound, swinging mightily with his sword.
"A frightful sound to be sure, but I am up to your task, foul beasts!"
Garrok readies himself for the dog to charge toward the group but its howl takes him by surprise, it pierces his heart and saps his courage, he feels the overwhelming urge to run.
Hieronymous charges forward to thrust his spear at the Northern Yeth hound, his spear scraping across a bony shoulder blade. He fights down the fear then realizes that his companion is not beside him in the fray.
The second hound adds its voice to the first even while barring its fangs at Hieronymous.
Seeing the brave half orc lose it, Hieronymous suddenly doubts his chances of survival.
The howling grips the gnome and he struggles against the barrage of sound and terror in the Yeth hounds' yowling notes.
Before he can attempt a counter song, he feels part of his mind break and he is consumed.
Ithrinniel steels herself against the mental onslaught of the hounds telling herself that the images are just figments. Seeing her friends succumb to the fear, she acts and quickly releases a spell at Garrok, hoping to keep him from fleeing too far in his panick. She releases the magic and it hits him like a wall, bending him to her will, he awaits her command. "Halt" she says.
Garrokmal's mind is overcome. He drops his sword and shield where he stands and runs out of the room.
Finished with its infernal braying, the first yeth hound circles Hieronmyous, snapping at him with dripping fangs.
Catching Hireonymous off balance, the beast lunges, grabbing hold of his arm and the fangs sink deep, blood wells to the surface.
Hieronymous grimaces in pain, and then strikes at the northern hound again.
Zaf rushes out the door hot on the heels of Garrok, while the second hound takes a run for Ithrinniel.
The beast grabs her leg and thrashes with its wicked teeth.
Garrok
Yeth
Hound1
Hiero
Zaf
Yeth hound2
Ithrinniel
Seeing the other hound thrash the elf, Hieronymous realizes there's no way the two of them will come out of this alive, he yells, "Run Ithrinniel, run to the horse!"
Ithrinniel stumbles away from the hound, her leg bleeding and making it hard for her to walk, but she forces herself to run as best she can toward the horse. Nuala squaks in fear and follows close behind Ithrinniel, her wings beating as quickly as possible. She turns to Hieronymous as she runs and yells "Save yourself, we need you! Don't leave us alone with the Orc!"
Sensing easy prey, the yeth hound lunges again at Hieronymous, its maw dripping with saliva.
The hound bites again closing on Hieronymous' hand as he defends his face from the snapping jaws.
Hieronymous runs as if his life depends on it .