"Aye, ready," the elder paladin replies with a smile. "Fear not, I would bet your axe is much more dangerous than an old man with a sword. Still, I must admit the adrenaline rush is almost... intoxicating." With a smile, the older man readies his sword and continues his watchful defensive stance.
The clatter of insect claws on stone grows louder as three cockroaches the size of dogs crawl out of the fissure. They take flight as they enter the cavern. The first of them swoops after the raven, Obregon, that carries the light illuminating them while the others fly down after the other prey on the ground below!
Round 1 GO!
Shifting his shield to ward off the creatures attack, Mordan counters with a swing from his longsword. His swing is rusty though, years of training battling with age. His technique is sound, but lacks practical application.
אָברעגאָן! צוריקציענ זיך!
Obregon! Retreat!
With a cry, the raven flies back away from the roaches, hiding itself under Haroon's voluminous cloak.
He searches his thoughts regarding these creatures as well. I know there was something about them in Kennewick's Catalogue of Abnormally Sized Vermin...
Meanwhile, Haroon conjures forth another blob of acid and hurls it at the hindmost insect.
"Least they ain't demons," Sam comments, before firing off a bullet at the closest one. The practiced ease to which the gunslinger reloads with a paper cartridge makes the gun ready to fire again in an instant.
Haroon cringes and claps his hands over his ears at the thunder of Sam's gun before regaining his composure.
It might take me a while to get used to that! he cries out, louder than necessary thanks to the ringing in his ears.
Valtyra prepare to spear one of the large cockroaches if they get within distance of her long spear.
"Φάουλ βδελύγματα! Προετοιμασία για να πεθάνει!"
Ginger lets out a war car "die bugs!" she isn't thinking in a creative way at the moment and swings her axe when one of the cockroaches comes close to her. She is power attacking.
Creature 1
The roach swoops down from above the humming of its wings loud and angry sounding. It tries to take a bit out of poor Obregon, but the bird is too quick for it.
Oliver NPC
Fires his bow at the roach above him as it comes into view. Missing the bug by a hand or more.
Haroon
Calls back Obregon urgently and the raven nimbly flies away avoiding the mandibles of the giant roaches. He recalls that these roaches are of a mundane but large verity, preferring to scavenge but able hunters if needed. His conjured acid strike squarely in the carapace of the cockroach leaving a melting wound.
The roach remains in the air.
Creature 3
Dives down at Elder Greylocke, Dying on her spear before it could cause any harm.
Sam Sam fires at the nearest roach and sees the satisfying splatter of ichor and a hole torn through it.
Elder Greylocke
Finds nothing near him and steps forward to help Valtyra if the roaches should close.
Creature 2
Swoops down after Valtyra
Ginger
Steps lightly forward and decimates what was left of the filthy vermin with a satisfying crunch.
Round 2
The roach injured and alone flees back up the crevice it emerged from.
Combat over.
Treasure: The pack itself is a masterwork backpack that contains 10 days of trail rations, a flint and steel, a set of caltrops, two flasks of oil, a bundle of 12 arrows,and two different potions.
After detecting the magic of the potions, Haroon rushes over to them, clearly excited, kicking past the ruined carapace of a destroyed roach in his haste. Magical draughts of some type! Let me see, let me see...
"Well, that went better than it could have. Is anyone wounded? Mordan focuses the question on the wounded behind him, but you can tell he's asking everyone. "Master Falstaff, let's not linger here. Let's find a spot that bugs DIDN'T come out of cracks from before we spend any time looking over things."
Haroon looks up at Mordan, then back at the potions, the up at Greylocke again, mumbling something close to ... but, potions... before sullenly shoving the phials into an inner pocket of his robe. Fine. I suppose you're right anyway. Let's grab the rest of that stuff and continue he sighs. It'll probably be easier to identify them somewhere safer anyway. he adds, calming down a bit from his near tantrum.
Ginger lets out happy hmph as the bug dies, "well that did go better than I was expecting. Elder Greylocke I like your idea." With a nod she first cleans off her axe before putting away. She walks closer to where the tunnel continues looking left then right, she gives a quick pause to think then says out loud, "by the looks of it, the tunnel heading off further west is the way we want to go."
Haroon, you identify them as potions of Cure light wounds and Lesser Restoration.
"Well you all made quick work of those pests. I've not seen such skill since my adventuring days..."
"Hmph, like as not it was luck. If there were as good as you say then you must have been a piss poor adventurer!"
Hargus laughs at his own joke. Despite your efforts he remains unimpressed.
"I fear the longer we remain in this part of the caver the more creatures will find us. We should see if we can find some sort of shelter. Something more substantial then that campsite we wandered through. Lead on dwarf."
You're traveling lead you to another chamber. Here several mounds of rock lie in heaps in this cavern, recently fallen from the walls and ceiling. Now and then, bits of dust settle from cracks in the stone above.
"Lady Axegrinder, is it stable enough to pass through?"
Turning to Hargus Gwerm, Mordan tries to mitigate the possible conflict. "From what I understand, being an adventurer is frought with luck both good and bad. Good luck helps you survive, bad luck sees you eaten. The true measure of an adventurer is facing those odds knowing your skill and mettle may not keep you alive, and that mere luck could see you dead regardless of your abilities. Honestly, we should all hope for a little luck to get out of here in one piece." He gives Horgus a grin, before finishing with "Of course, there are other ways to make a living. Ones that require a shrewd mind to make ones own luck. To each their own."
While Greylock smoothes things over with Hargus and Anevia, Haroon invokes his magical sight once more, identifying the potions before scanning the room for any additional auras.
Hmmm, conjuration, and a stronger conjuration, the golden light of healing suffuses these phials. Good to have in case anyone gets hurt, he adds to himself before stuffing them back into his cloak.
"Blah blah blah, healing potions, dead bugs, let's get going before the one that ran comes back with more friends," Sam comments as they check their ammo. Twenty seven bullets in their paper cartridges. Hopefully that would be enough to get through this for now. Better to start conserving shots after supplies got to the single digits.
"Best listen to the old man, though. We can benefit from his firsthand experiences," The ex-squire comments as they looked at the cracks in the ceiling. The last thing they needed was the roof caving in on their heads.
"I may be stating an obvious thing but keep an eye on the ceiling it could crash down on us." As they walk by the mounds of rubble on the ground Ginger takes a quick cautious look at them to make sure nothing is hiding underneath. She then continues onto the other end of the chamber to find their next way out.
When thrown the scale by Sam Oliver catches it, a fairly precise throw by the gunslinger. At first he notice nothing but a scale but then he feel the love and power of the dragon and realises her sacrifice. He can't help smile a bit not knowing how to handle supreme gesture.
The insects spooks him and pushes some deep seated fear and rage. Both which vanes when he learns their non fiendish nature. The words of Valtyre fans the flames of fear though, while he doesn't know the words he recognises the sound of his captures.
Following the etiquette of Greylock he asks Ginger: "Master Axegrinder, do you know how long we might be down here and how close we might be to the surface?"
Valtyra wipes the guts of the bug from her long spear and walks forward looking to see what else there is.
"As long as we keep moving and watch out for anything that may wish to harm us. We should be able to make good ground at getting out of here. Do you agree Ginger?"
Valtyra looks at the dwarf before stepping into the next tunnel to make her way down the passage with the others following behind. She carries her long spear at the ready to attack anything that may harm the injured or the rest of the party she is traveling with.
As Valtyra picks her way through the stones she glances about looking for any dangers. Suddenly a flash of white scales and lighting fast movements catches her eyes too late! Valtyra leaps back just out of reach as its fangs close on nothing but air!
Order:
Valtyra
Haroon
Elder Greylocke
Snake
Oliver
Sam
Ginger
Valtyra moves the spear into her off hand and punches the snake with her spiked gauntlet.
White scales? By my blood, what kind of snake is that...
Haroon holds back, wary of getting in the way.
Mordan rushes forward, hoping to prevent someone else from being injured.
The serpent strikes again! This time it tries to bite the elderly man.
Its fangs finding little to penetrate on the armored hulk.
First insects and now this, what is happening here? he wonders. Stepping to the side of Greylocke, Oliver slashes at the snake as it retracts.
Oliver finishes putting the snake down. The rest of the path is clear of danger ahead.
Aprox 12:45pm
After traveling the winding route for about 1,900 feet (at a speed of 15 feet through the rough cavern passages, this takes about 25 minutes to navigate), you reach the tunnel's end at a junction. To the north, a 5-foot wide opening in the wall leads into a cave filled with soft but nasty-looking green light-the tunnel itself continues south.
Well struck Oliver. You as well Valtyra. I'm lucky to be with such doughty fighters as you all.
After traversing the cramped passages Haroon eyes the sickly-green light askance before chanting and invoking his arcane sight, attempting to identify the eldritch illumination. Give me a moment, perhaps I can learn something of this foul glare.
"...Oy," Sam calls out to Haroon, raising an eyebrow. "You're expecting everything glowing in a cave to be something magical? Never heard of glow worms, or lantern mushrooms, have you?" They ask him.
Ginger turns around and stares Sam down "Watch your tongue lad, when you're down in tunnels you don't know. Not knowing what will come around the corner, being a friend or foe or worse. You treat everything like its magical and deadly when it grows a sickly color. And if it is glow worms, good our passage will be safer, a lantern that means there is someone there and then not so safe. Mushrooms can give off poisonous gas that glows." She lets a hpmh then turns around and storms closers to the junction and stares into the sickly green glow trying settle her thoughts down, muttering low to herself. To distracted to notice anything.
Process of deduction. Wouldn't expect you to understand, Haroon mumbles mostly to himself. First, determine if magical, if not, move on to other theories.
Valtyra walks past everyone and sticks her head into the opening of the passage to see what is causing the green light to be emanating out. Looking in she sees cavern that is of medium size. She looks to see if she can see identify where the light is coming from.
"I will see if the glowing pathway leads anywhere that may get us out of here."
"A wise practice I'm sure master Haroon."
The blind elf gives a sage nod. He turns and looks off to Sam's right.
"Lad, we've all had a terrible experience today. Some more traumatic then others, but berating your companions for exercising cation before entering a possibly dangerous situation benefits us little. Survival here in the subterranean depths we have found ourselves in."
A single sizable 20-foot-tall building remains in the center of this 30-foot-high cave, a bunker like structure with no windows and walls of worked stone blocks. A 10-foot-long carving of a hammer decorates the building's facade. The ruins of collapsed out buildings stand to either side.
The eerie green glow seems to come for a luminescent crystal. Flakes of the small green gems are scattered all over the chamber, alone they provide little light but the sheer amount of them produce a substantial glow.
A pallid giant fly is crawling along the surface of the building-the same species as the maggots in the dead black widow.
The building bears the holy symbol of the god Torag.
Elder Greylock looks at the building from a distance. "It looks like it was dedicated to Torag. Not sure what it's doing here. Should we take a closer look?"
Hold back a moment if you would Mordan, we're not alone in here.
Haroon grips Sam's shoulder and points along the surface of the building. There, do you see it? he whispers. A giant fly, of the same ilk as those maggots we faced earlier.
"Thanks," he mumbles to Haroon's praise. The light and Haroon's words makes him stop, blade drawn, ready for action. How I wish I was back on the surface, he contemplates while the other work on identifying the source. He smiles at the scolding from the dwarf, but recognise the wisdom behind it and the elf's words.
Following Haroon's finger Oliver spots the fly. "So that is what the maggots turn into, he contemplates. Ohh if just I had my bow, he yearns.
"They took the only person in this world I'd give my life for," Sam mutters darkly to the elf. That was before they were grabbed by Haroon, and Sam throws off the hand just as quickly.
"Do. Not. Touch me," They hiss, before looking up where Haroon is leading. Sam judges the distance before pulling out the pistol. "I see it."
Valtyra moves forward with her long spear to pierce the fly should it try to fly past her to attack the others.
The fly, hobbled by the gunshot wound faces death at the end of Valtyra's spear before it could do any harm.
With the death of the fly the only thing in the way of entering the temple is a stone door.
Haroon cringes away, although it is unclear to the casual observer whether this is due to Sam's hiss, or the roar of the pistol. He mumbles out an apology Terribly sorry, won't happen again... and moves to stand near Oliver and Mordan.
Dwarves tend to be well prepared folk and underground explorers. There might be useful provisions, or even a map of these caves inside. I say we explore it, that is, if anyone feels up to moving the door.
That said, he moves around, attempting to gather up some of the luminescent crystals for further study, and as an additional source of light should it become necessary.
These don't emanate any magical radiation that I can detect, the light is naturally occurring some way, I wonder...