Seeing no reason not to, Taranis nods for the party to enter the room. "Remember your roles!"
The construction of this chamber differs from those seen previously. The ceiling reaches to a height of twenty feet overhead and appears to bear many fractures in the rock. In the center of the chamber, two columns of mortared stone support a ceiling of strange, delicate arches of stone.
As soon as Augrym steps into the room, there is a burst of foul-smelling damp mist. Emerging from the stink is a hideous cross of lobster, octopus, and man. A booming, slippery voice fills your heads.
Taranis looks dead on at the hideous monstrosity. He decides to go for broke, "Vordakai." The name is spoken as dispassionately as his mouth can make it.
The horrific being immediately calms down. "Oh, very well then. Carry on." its voices squirms in your head.
Does it leave? Regardless, Taranis makes no offensive moves and moves past... after the vanguard
It does not leave. But neither does it stop you from filing past, though it does not move out of the way.
It also STINKS.
A short hallway leads to another room. Engaged masonry columns form shallow alcoves around a central pillar in this flat-roofed chamber. Manacles hang from the walls near ancient bloodstains. In the eastern corner is the slumped figure of a centaur.
"Salt and spray!" Taranis runs over to the centaur, takes out his wand and cures light wounds
If she is conscious, "Be you Xamanthe?" Taranis says in the Sylvan tongue.
The centaur does not reply.
In fact, the centaur does not stir at all.
Unrak also hurries forward, ready to support the centaur as someone more studied than he checks for life
Marc recognizes that the horsewoman in front of him is clearly paralyzed, and thus unable to speak or move.
Though he suspects, somehow, that she objects to being called "Man Horse."
"Augrym. Use the scroll you took in Varnhold."
John keeps a wary eye on the octolobstrosity and follows the group in awe.
Tess takes a brief moment to recall what that monstrosity might be while the others attend to the centaur.
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"Great leader god touched brother friend Taranis, I have no memory of this scroll, but I would gladly use it as soon as I find it in my pack. I have reviewed my detailed list of inventory but, it would seem, I have failed you, my liege. For it is not written down."
Augrym is frantically searching through his pack, emptying its contents.
"CURSE MY HORRIBLE MEMORY!! I am letting down the Huntspeople and possibly letting this horseperson's life vanish before our eyes. Here they stand, with a plan in mind and I am here crouched letting everyone down. I SHOULD know what scroll great Taranis speaks of! I always write things down! This great man who walks past the vile smelly beast behind us in such a majestic way that he needs only speak one word to let us past and bypass what was sure to be a vicious battle at the pincer of that wretched sea monster. But I cannot even hold up the basic ability to remember what's in my own pack?! USELESS!!"
Augrym shows every piece of paper he has in his pack to Taranis. When he gets to the right one, he casts it.
Bytor studies the monstrosity curiously as he quickly moves by it.
When he gets to the centaur, he gives space to let Marc do his work.
He looks around to see what could have caused harm to the centaur.
"Great leader god touched brother friend Taranis, I have no memory of this scroll, but I would gladly use it as soon as I find it in my pack. I have reviewed my detailed list of inventory but, it would seem, I have failed you, my liege. For it is not written down."
Augrym is frantically searching through his pack, emptying its contents.
"CURSE MY HORRIBLE MEMORY!! I am letting down the Huntspeople and possibly letting this horseperson's life vanish before our eyes. Here they stand, with a plan in mind and I am here crouched letting everyone down. I SHOULD know what scroll great Taranis speaks of! I always write things down! This great man who walks past the vile smelly beast behind us in such a majestic way that he needs only speak one word to let us past and bypass what was sure to be a vicious battle at the pincer of that wretched sea monster. But I cannot even hold up the basic ability to remember what's in my own pack?! USELESS!!"
Augrym shows every piece of paper he has in his pack to Taranis. When he gets to the right one, he casts it.
Augrym uses the scroll.
...This great man who walks past the vile smelly beast behind us in such a majestic way that he needs only speak one word to let us past and bypass what was sure to be a vicious battle at the pincer of that wretched sea monster...
Unrak winces, and glances back at the monster to read any reaction. He stage-whispers to Augrym ixnay on the ilevay ellysmay eastbay!
The centaur shudders and slowly rights herself. Her body is covered in bruises and half-healed cuts. "Yes, I'm Xamanthe," she says hoarsely, parsing the words of the common speech slowly, as if unaccustomed to them, and furtively, as if fearful of speaking them aloud. "You look... alive."
"We are quite alive. We've been tasked with finding you, and I'm relieved to do so alive. We are in danger here, considerable danger here. Can you fight?"
"I can try." A flash of pride glints in her eye, though the rest of her looks to be near death.
Unrak wordlessly hands the feybane bastard sword to the warrior
"Marc can you heal her?"
"I suspect that the monstrous guard outside isn't going to be quite so ...peaceful when we walk out of here with its charge. Once Xamanthe is ready, I suggest we make use of magic to prepare for the worst."
"Well met, Xamanthe. I am honored to meet you. I am Bytor Sniegsun at your service. Can I offer you any more healing? When you have recovered sufficiently, I look forward to hearing your tale. In the meantime, can you tell us of any dangers we need to be aware of?"
Xamanthe takes the offered sword uneasily, as if troubled by some imperceptible sense of its tragic history, but grips it tightly nonetheless. Three charges from the wand do her a world of good, as most of the bruises and cuts disappear. The centaur that remains looks quite young and inexperienced, but proud and stubborn.
"Only that this place is more horrible than I ever could have imagined," she replies to Bytor. "My tribe, my mother, they were right to forbid any to come here. I admit that my curiosity got the better of me. I was foolish. After I was beaten and broken by an undead cyclops, I woke up here, unable to move."
Xamanthe shudders at the memory. "Since then, only pain-filled dreams and nightmares. There is one..." She stops.
"Go one if you can. Find the strength, the fate of the land may depend on it."
"It's okay, you got this. We can help."
Xamanthe shudders again. "There is one... I do not think it was a dream. He was different. Nearly skeletal. He had... had a gem wedged in his empty eye-socket. It glowed with a red light. I remember what he said to me. 'You should be honored to be a guest of Vordakai, beastwoman. I shall return once your fear and dread drive all semblance of will and self from your mind, at which point you will thank me for these gifts of pain.'"
She closes her eyes. "I'm sorry. I don't remember anything more," she says quietly.
Unrak places a hand on her shoulder. Feel no shame for what happened. Sometimes warriors lose. It's what we do AFTER we lose that gives us the title "warrior!" Now, we came here to save you, so if you try to get yourself killed, I'm going to be cross with you. Use that sword if you need to, but all of our best interests are served getting you out of here alive. Understand?
Brother, do we have the magic to get us all out of here, through the water trap, or will we have to wait a day?
After preparations are discussed, Unrak gets ready to call upon his magic to prepare to fight the horror, and gives Xamanthe a stern look and a raised finger reminder. He pauses then, and tips his head sideways.
How are you with a crossbow, or longbow?
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Marc helps the woman right herself on all four...hooves. He then takes a moment to inspect her wounds. The wands does most of the work but he decides to look anyway,"These wands are convenient, but nothing beat the care of the living person, hmm.?
After a once over, marc becomes concerned."do you wear armor or wield a weapon? If you are able, we will need you to fight with us. we have already seen one person fall to this place..."
"I had my flail with me when I came," Xamanthe replies, looking around. "I do not seem to have it any longer. I will be no better with a bow than a blade, though this one feels uncomfortable in my hands." She looks skeptically at the sword.
"I've said all I can."
Marc has NO idea what she encountered.
"What other tools of war are you comfortable with, Xamanthe?" Tess asks, preferring to set the centaur up for success. "Most likely one among us have something that suits a familiar fighting style."
To the group at large she says, "Also, please know that the clawed monstrosity we passed is called a 'piscodaemon', an otherplanar creature from the swamps of Abaddon. Their claws are able to crush pinned victims and cause lasting wounds . Their tentacles also drip with a dangerous poison that can kill in seconds. They are dangerous. And they may not be as willing to let us pass again."
"As I said, I had a flail..."
Tess sighs. "Ok, stay near the back with me."
"Though if any of you have invisibility magic at your disposal for Xamathe, it might allow us to be spared a fight."
"Well then, let's do this."
Taranis casts Magic Fang, Acid Maw, and Barkskin on Toth....
Unrak nods slowly, then as surreptitiously as possible, gently takes the sword back. Your best bet will be to run rather than fight. Stay with Tess and do what she says, she'll keep you safe. He then stands to his full height and draws his own great blade, and casts Mirror Image.
And so will I.
He then casts Shield & Long Arm. He steps forward, loosening his sword arms by swinging his blade low, producing an impressive WHOOSH
I'm ready. Is the plan to simply try to leave, and be ready for an attack? Or...to START the party ourselves?
"If that guardian will let us by, we go by. If not, we hit it HARD."
Bytor looks around to see if he can find her flail or tries to recall if he as seen it somewhere.
”Xamante, Does this clawed piscodaemon act as a jail keeper preventing you from leaving?”
"If that guardian will let us by, we go by. If not, we hit it HARD."
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Augrym steps forward.
"Welcome to the Huntspeople, new half-horsed friend Xamante. We have asked you many questions and you have answered with the strength of a warrior. Just like our healing friend Marc here, I have no doubt in my mind that, with a few more winters behind you, you will both be a great warriors one day. But it is not on this day. I have within me the ability to make you magically invisible. There is no shame in this cowardly approach to battle. I have recently taken this option in order to survive and help my fellow squishy Huntspeople survive. Sometimes the best chance for survival is to be a coward.
It is our task to bring you home safely. It is your task to fulfill on my premonition of living to be this great warrior. Become invisible, and stay close to the magic casting newly beautiful friend Tess. She is wise and will protect you in a way that only one with orc blood flowing within can.
Augrym turns to the group.
"Let us be done with these questions. She was clearly beaten horribly and reliving this trauma is clearly not helping. She was paralyzed and knows little of her surroundings. We will do as great leader brother god-touched friend Taranis says, as always. His wise words have always brought us through tough times before. Mostly."
Augrym turns to Taranis.
"Brother, rage filled brother friend Unrak seems unwell. These words "ixnay" are not of this world. Is he in need of healing or some sort of exorcism before we go and face this incredibly ugly and vile creature? Is it possible this truly disgusting creature possessed him on our way in and he now speaks in the wretched lobster tongue? I hope this isn't so. To be aligned with a creature that is as revolting as Tess is beautiful, would be a terrible way to lose a brother."
Taranis smiles at his straightforward friend. "You speak well and true my friend. Unrak will be okay. Let's do this."
"If we are ready, then with Xamante's permission, let me cast Invisibility on her and we may return out of this place. Xamante, this will make you unseen, but you will still be heard, so I ask you to walk as quietly as possible."
