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"Well fought, everyone," Fera says in a fierce whisper, hoping to remain unnoticed for as long as possible. He claps Mikail on the shoulder with a large, clawed hand and says, "You dropped one of them in a single strike, Mika! And you moved like lightning!"
With a nod to Hoshiko, he says, "Hiding the bodies is a good thought, though last time I tried that I didn't account for all the blood stains and it did me no good, if you'll remember. I say we keep moving."
Mikail, it does look as if Hoshiko is correct, it COULD be a key of some kind.
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At Hoshiko's urging, Mikail packs up the 4 sets of manacles as well. He peers about the room with a smile. "This back pack is really going to come in handy!!"
"So down we go?" Mikail asks. However, before he gets on the lift, he attempts to peer through any space that may be available between the walls of the chute and the lift floor. "I am looking to see if there is any light or anything down there.. I would hate to drop into another group of guards.." After looking through, he puts one ear to the small gap, trying to hear any echoes from below.
Listening to the well shaft, you can hear a distant whistle of wind in the tunnels and the occasional loud drop of water, but nothing more threatening.
The tunnels down below are a literal maze of larger broad tunnels and smaller tight tunnels where you have to hunch over and move slowly to get through. Luckily these tunnels are mostly used for moving water, though occasionally you come across others that are used for sewage, or at least, are NOW used for sewage. You spot some rays of light coming from one of these until it's suddenly blocked out and you hear the unmistakable sound of defecation. You don't linger long near these. Still, Hoshiko spots what can only be smuggler's marks on the walls just above the high water marks and follows them, spotting traps placed across the tunnels in places.
You emerge from the tunnel into a wider spot. The tunnel junction here is here is thirty feet wide, yet a massive pile of filth and trash rests beneath an intersecting well shaft in the ceiling, almost entirely blocking the passage ahead. In the pile of filth are two creatures, each nearly the size of a pony. This three-legged freak is mostly mouth. Three tentacles, two tipped with barbs and one with eyes, extend from its sides.
The two creatures are digging through the pile and talking, in oddly high pitched voices to each other in broken Common.
"Look 'ere, look 'ere Gladys! Found a chicken bone, still intact!" There's a crunching sound and then a sound of slurping.
"Righ' Bill! Bill Bill Bill! I founds an old melon, still juicy! And here's a locket, all shiny and pretty! I loves me the pretties, Bill!" The slurping and crunching continues as the two creatures compare their takes. It would seem they're pretty well entrenched in what they're doing, but the exit is on the other side of their junction.
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Sheathing his blade, Ferabras clears his throat rather awkwardly, reluctant to interrupt the dinner date taking place before them. "Excuse me," he says, setting aside the strange feeling brought about by speaking politely to bizarre filth creatures in a slaver's sewer, "I am Ferabras. We were hoping to pass by you, heading that way. Would you mind? We could offer you something shiny, and perhaps something to eat?"
The two garbage eaters stop and a tentacle fitted with many eyes turns to focus on Ferabras. They shiver a little and the one with the feminine voice calls out "Ooo, I likes the shinies! Whatcha got?"
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Seeing the effect that Ferabras is having on the creatures, Mikail hesitantly steps forward as well. He looks anxiously up at the bigger tiefling before turning to address the two creatures. "Well, I know where some real good food can be found.. do you like to eat meat?" he says with a trepidatious crack to his voice. "We can tell you where there is a whole lot of very fresh meat just waiting for you! But you have to promise not to hurt us before we tell you any thing more. I've never met anyone like you.. I would like to think that we could be friends!"
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Fera's eyes widen slightly as he realizes what Mikail is proposing, and he shakes his head in regret. I would prefer not to do such a thing, but I'd also prefer not to live in a world where people and gnolls work together to sell others into slavery.
"I'd rather not countenance such a thing," Fera says, a touch of sorrow in his voice, "but we've already killed them, it can hardly matter if we use their flesh to advance our mission and combat their slaver masters. I'll not turn away from the task."
"Oh we likes meat, fresh fresh meat is best! Except for when you leave it for a little while and its gets all bloated and full'd of gas! Yum yum yum!" The creatures seem open to the idea of a meat-for-passage exchange. Except the 'meat' is up the well shaft; you'll need to bring them down for the creatures to get. So long as you agree to do that (and do it!) they agree to let you pass.
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Mikail feels curiosity getting the best of him.. As the creatures follow him back to the shaft for him and Hoshiko to provide the "fresh meat" he starts to ask questions. "So.. what type of creatures are you? Where do you come from? I'm a Kitsune, see?" he offers, waving his two very fluffy tails around in the air. "Not all of us have two tails. Some have more.. or just one. But we live kind of like the foxes that we look like. I love to run and play in the forest!"
The feminine sounding one chuckles. "We call ourselves gurgleblurbblurbgurgleFLATULENCE. But the two-legs who come by here call us Otyugh. It seems a silly name. They come by every sun-cycle, with more two-legs in chains. They give us one of the chained two-legs when they come by. Sometimes the chains are shiny! Then there's the woman with the three eyed jackal mark. She comes through sometimes. We don't bother her. She's scary!"
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Mikail catches Fera's look, and just shrugs his furry shoulders before turning back to the creatures before him. That sounds.. like a ...wonderful... deal for you.." Mikail says, doing his best to not squirm out of there right then and there! "Three eyed jackal mark? What makes her so scary?" I wonder if we really should kill these things.. they are horrible!!
"She stings! She fires tiny arrows that burn! And she is mean, she never offers us meat." The creature looks almost petulant over this slight.
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Seeing Mika's reaction, Fera studies the creatures' souls a moment, then turns to the kitsune and lays a hand on his slender shoulder, saying, "Remember, if we're successful in destroying this slaver ring, these otyugh will have to go back to rooting through filth for their dinner - and no more slaves will be eaten as a ticket past them! I have looked into their inner natures, and they are no more evil than an animal, they are just hungry and don't care what they eat - obviously. Now, let us be about our business."
Ferabras can confirm the creatures are not evil, though they are hungry and disgusting.
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"Gladys and Bill," Fera says to the disgusting creatures, "it would be better for us if the other people who come here didn't know about us - and especially if the woman with the three-eyed jackal didn't know. So if you don't tell anyone you saw us, we'll give you more shinies later, okay?"
Once that is agreed to, he leads the way forward, eager to get on with their mission.
"Oooo! We likes you! We'll keep your secrets and we'll wait fer yer shinies!"
You move along, following the trail through several turns and narrowing of tunnels until you come to a narrowing where you have to crawl through a dry tunnel/ This small opening exposes a precarious-looking crawlway sitting a few feet above where the waterline is marked. The shaft leads into the darkness beyond.
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As they approach the smaller crawl tunnel, Mikail stops the group. "Let me look ahead here.. this would be a great place for a trap! Its exactly where I would put it! " He examines the mouth of the narrowing before moving over to the crawl way. As he enters the darkness, he conjures a single dancing light into his hands. Shielding the light as much as he can he uses it to look around the dark shaft.
Mikail doesn't spot anything useful, but Hoshiko notices two things: there is a pressure plate about halfway down the crawlway, and there is an odd opening near the entrance to the crawlway. Hoshiko thinks the odd metal thing you found on the gnoll might fit in there.
Working off this hunch, Mikail fiddles with it and discovers it does fit and makes a loud CLICK as the pressure plate descends slightly. Testing it, it seems to have disarmed the trap nicely. You crawl through and emerge in more tunnels. The tunnel continues into a well-lit area ahead.
Ahead, the qanat tunnel opens into another well shaft. Propped against the side of shaft is a crudely lashed ladder of dried planks. There is light coming from above, indicating it must be close to dawn by the muted effect of the light.
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Mikail sighs as Hoshiko stops him from tripping the plate, and smiles thankfully at the woman when she points out the keyhole. After fiddling with it, he continues leading the party down the tunnel. Reaching the ladder, he considers the light coming from above.
"It must be getting near dawn now.. I hope we are able to rest soon!" he says quietly, careful to pitch his voice so it won't travel up the well. "Should I check it out?" He asks.
Mikail carefully climbs up the ladder as his team waits below for the all clear. When he reaches the top, he listens carefully for any sign of anyone nearby before quietly trying to open the top just far enough to peer out.
Mikail heads over to the ladder and shimmies up. He gets his hands on the ladder, only to find them stuck fast! His worst fears are realized as the "ladder" suddenly shifts to grow a MOUTH! It shifts, trying to pull Mikail closer! It sucks him closer, squeezing him for damage!
Round 1:
Mikail
Mimic!
Ferabras, Hoshiko, Zolarus and Soran!
Mikail struggles, but the adhesive the mimic exudes holds him fast!
The mimic tries to latch further on the poor Kitsune! but it cannot squeeze him this round!
A mimic exudes a thick slime that acts as a powerful adhesive, holding fast any creatures or items that touch it. An adhesive-covered mimic automatically grapples any creature it hits with its slam attack. Opponents so grappled cannot get free while the mimic is alive without removing the adhesive first. A weapon that strikes an adhesive-coatd mimic is stuck fast unless the wielder succeeds on a DC 17 Reflex save. A successful DC 17 Strength check is needed to pry off a stuck weapon. Strong alcohol or universal solvent dissolves the adhesive, but the mimic can still grapple normally. A mimic can dissolve its adhesive at will, and the substance breaks down 5 rounds after the creature dies. The save DC is Strength-based.
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"Let go of him, you...ladder," Ferabras cries out, not at all sure what to make of the situation. He hurries to Mikail's aid, calling out, "We'll get you out of that thing's grasp, Mika!" His sword smashes into the creature as he attempts to break its rungs off! It gets stuck briefly, but he manages to pull it free!
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Zolarus casts Weapon of Awe (+2 on damage rolls) on Soran's bow, moves closer and readies Misfortune (11+ base rolls) on the Mimic. He also absorbs (5 hp) and restores Mikails wounds through Life Pact.
"Hang in there Mikail. We will get you out of this jam."
-Posted with Wayfinder
Ferabras strikes the thing, spraying wet slime and ichor onto the wall! His sword sticks to it, but he pulls it free. Hoshiko also slashes into it, but her sword stays stuck to the infernal monster. Zolarus enhances Soran!
for damage!
for damage!
for damage!
The three arrows, enhanced with Zolarus' magics, strike the ladder and spray ichor everywhere! With a gasp, the ladder collapses, sticking again Mikail in an odd intimate fashion. Mikail curses and struggles, but finally the corpse seems to dissolve, leaving him free if slightly mussed up!
The tunnel leading out of here catches your eye as the immediate threat passes. This passage bears signs of visitors from the world above in the form of scribbled lines of graffiti that gradually evolve into fullblown murals portraying twisted, nightmarish caricatures and jumbled rants against the city’s Pactmasters. Farther along, the corridor becomes littered with broken bottles, scraps of paper stained with brownish resin, and the stink and stains of urine.
Some of the graffitti'd screeds seem to meander quite a bit. But it's clear they were written by someone very, very intoxicated on some liquid or chemical.
And then you catch a whiff of something bitter burning just ahead, as well as the low ecstatic moans of someone enjoying themselves very, very much...
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Mikail let's out another surprised sqeak as he suddenly falls through the air. He looks up from the ground to his teammates.. his expression almost a comical mix of horror, revulsion and relief. He let's out a plaintiff mewl as he sees the icor and adhesive plastering his fur and all of his gear before finally dropping his head back to the ground.
-Posted with Wayfinder
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In response to Hoshiko's question, Mikail can be heard mumbling through his arms "It was a ladder! I've been attacked by a bloody ladder!!!! With a trembling sigh, the little fox person sits up and allows Ferabras to heal him. "Thanks.. all of you.. for killing.. that.. thing. That's just wrong.. on so many levels!" He picks disgustedly at his matted fur until the gunk finally dissipates, but you can tell he is seriously considering the sewage water as an option. Finally he climbs to his feet. "Yea.. lets go. Where to now, guys?"