This place, it's swarming...literally...
I'm certain those were poisonous...were they resistant to some damage? Or able to split in two, mindless freaks they are? More importantly, can those be "tamed"?
Having been attacked by one of the even-more-legged freaks, Dvalin grasps his Battleaxe with both hands and brings it down on his attacker(no matter if they are already dead or not, those things are writhing and still moving, best to make certain):
"These things, they seem like they are guarding the place. Watch out for a two-pronged attack!"
Ogden stops giving instruction for a moment, long enough to take a swing at one of the centipedes with his battleaxe.
Tegnar is caught off-guard by the centipedes attacking from the side as they are both able to bite him. His companions move over and take out the first three of them, so he steps up to attack the last one between the stairs. Unfortunately, the burning sensation from the poison distracts him as he tries to walk through the writhing remains of the other centipedes and he is unable to connect.
Boram, slowed by the webs, is unable to perceive the rat ambush as six rats scurry out of the debris to claw at him.
Bitten by half the rats, Boram tries to resist the filth of their bite as he loses consciousness.
The remaining centipede bites at Dvalin narrowly missing. Facing six rats and a giant centipede, it is as if the vermin are fighting to keep their nest. Somewhat fortunate for the group, there is no sign of the very large spiders.
Order
Party as they post
Vermin
Augier frantically stabs at the remaining bug as he steps back.
This..this is a lot scarier than dogs!
Dvalin, still beset by the centipede, does not have time to see his ill feeling about a two-pronged attack became reality.
After dodging the last centipedes assault, he brings his battleaxe down towards it again.
Having slain the vile beast, he looks around for more dangers, and sees Boram down in a flurry of rats.
That little happy-go-lucky idiot. No knowledge of properly sweeping a building. Just storming in and looking through all the stuff on the walls. Thats what one does when the area is secure. Halflings, how do they even survive as a species...
With a sigh, he moves over towards the rats. With all the turmoil already going on here, no use being stealthy any more. Obviously no Half-Orcs HERE. While doing so, he shouts loudly and waves his battleaxe around, hoping to either scare the rats or draw their attention:"You want a proper meal? Try a Dwarf and open wide! I'll smash your little teeth in like a crazed...rodentist!"
As the rats jump on Boram Yarask turns back swinging his huge spiked hammer again this time against the incoming rats:"Let the halfling be you filthy bastards! I wasn't expecting so many vermin down here but sure as Gorum's rage we'll cleanse this hole out!"
Ogden shouts, "Argh, the halfling! Get the blasted vermin off him boys so I can take a look!" He turns, running to swing with his battleaxe, though not sure it will help much.
Seeing Dvalin finish off the last centipede, Tegnar turns his attention to the commotion behind him. Having taken some damage, he keeps his distance and moves over behind Yarask.
Don't go rushing into danger. You don't want to become another liability. Use your spear from a distance.
Once behind Yarask, he drops his waraxe and shield.
As the dwarves rush to the hobbit's aid, Yarask brings another brutal hammer blow that leaves little discernible remains of the rat. Dvalin exterminates the last of the centipede colony in the stairs.
As a pack, the five survivors withdraw leaving you in control of this floor of the plague house. The dagger glows under the mage's scrutiny as he completes his spell, and the hopeknife is somehow enchanted despite all indications it was a finely crafted blade and no more. To your amazement, the blade has a duplicate appear in the mage's hands glowing with a similar aura, with similar wording, except this blade is Rodrik's Love blade. The shimmering figure of Rodrik smiles for a moment before disappearing, giving you a friendly wave. He whispers: "Well done......" as he dematerializes.
The House is eerily quite after the half minute or more of brutal violence as echoes of rats scurrying below and spiders scurry out the roof can be heard. The dwarves control the field as Boram is laid out.
Out of Combat
The fire-blackened blades of these hopeknives bears the inscription “my love” in stark silver and glows with light equivalent to a light spell when drawn.
This is rather amazing, hm.. Rodrik is a fine man.
Ogden rushes to Boram, quickly attempting to staunch the bleeding from the multiple bites.
After tending to the halfling he looks up at the others, "If'n we need ta search the place more, perhaps its best to leave and come back on the morrow?"
Tegnar quickly glances around the area expecting more creatures to rush out at them. When it seems that it is over, he puts away his longspear and picks up his axe and shield, readying them.
"Ogden, help Boram," he says as he looks over at his fallen clansman.
While the House seems quiet, and the first battle is won, Dvalin will not relax just yet.
While Boram (and maybe others) are being tended, Dvalin will check every room thorougly.
Thats assuming we take a few minutes to recover, regroup, and check our surroundings before proceeding.
When Ogden suggests leaving and coming back a day later: "Something's fishy about this place. While the inn is comfortable, I would suggest another course of action: Let us find a defensible location in here and see if we're the only ones to visit, when we camp overnight."
Augier offers the knife for others to look at. Magical, and can let one strike undead that have no bodies.
Yarask looks at Boram's wounds, concern clearly visible on his usually stony features. Then he shakes his head and murmurs:"It would be a fine plan, Davalin, if we were not wounded and poisoned. I don't have ascratch on me, but Boram here is in no condition to fight, and Tegnar isn't in his best shape either. So we've got two options, send back the wounded with information about what transpired here and lay in wait for any possible visitors or retreat to Trunau and come down here another time after we are fully rested. What do you think is the best course of action, clanmates?"
If we split, the group staying should make camp and wait. Wandering off minus several members is a recipe for disaster.
Looking at the bloodied and bruised group, Dolgrym says If we are out of healing we should all bed down here and not give up any ground taken.
A few critters did this to us, I hate to see what a band of veteran orcs will do.
While checking the walls and furniture, Dvalin responds when he hears Dolgrym speak:"My thoughts exactly, Dolgrym! If we retreat from here now, those vermin will be all over the place again when we return. We should rest here until we found what Rodrik had hoped to learn here...-and what trickery is at hand here...had that assassin stayed his hand, these beasts would easy enough have taken care of a lone person coming to investigate. Unless, of course, they were not here until recently. And if Rodrik lost his knife here, obviously he had other things in mind than fighting on earlier visits."
Very well, we should fortify here.
"I still think it's better if Boram and Tegnar go back. But if they are ok to stay I won't push the matter anymore" says Yarask in a resolute tone.
Ogden grunts, "I can prepare more healing for on the morrow, but no more can I do today. We will stay if that is what the clan decides, just keep in mind I canna be of anymore help with wounds today, or tonight if the vermin return."
Let us keep double watches then.
As you explore the house in detail, you note that in the infirmary where the horrible visions occurred there is a barred trap door leading down into the basement under one of the cots. The collapsed flooring the northeast part of the house also leads, after a rock scramble, to the basement. The south stairwell where the rats came from, is a another stairwell leading to the basement.
On this southern stairwell the scrape of sets of bootprints is found, and some of them are giant-sized and quite recent. The porous ceiling that the spiders used to escape would only the most skilled climbers access.
You consider continuing into the basement, where recent giant activity is evident, camping upstairs, or returning to town.
Camp upstairs
"I don't like the looks of those footprints given our current injuries. If we are staying, I agree we should camp upstairs," Tegnar adds as he checks his wounds.
Augier will keep first watch with Boram.
Augier, I'm not sure Boram is even conscious...which would also explain why he's talking about that bejeweled box in his sleep all the time like it was some kind of preciousss to him.
I vote let those who need it most sleep through the night, if there's trouble, they'll be wakened soon enough.
I know we know nothing of the location that both me and Yarask suggested, but lets make our camp there regardless.
I'll keep first watch with you gladly. I'd also say we use something we find to "blockade" the stairs leading up. Such as a table or chairs. In such a way that on the floor, its impossible to move through it without climbing over it, while people with reach weapons can attack something behind if its large enough.(e.g. half-orc-sized)
Surveying the area to camp, Ogden looks a bit perturbed, "This is only barely defensible. Let's tie a rope cross the stairs as a hazard. Might buy us time or more notice if someone be ta climb them in the night. If'n any o' ye got a bell and string tie 'er up in the foyer so we can hear 'em approaching."
Silas offers to watch with Dolgrym, suggesting two fighters stand guard over Boram late into the night.
The box is empty, but obviously valuable.
The single intact room upstairs is a shrine with a warrior woman.
Let's go upstairs. The place is less likely to be checked out if someone is really using this place to hide and it's certainly easier to defend. says Yarask pointing at the stairs and starting to climb them.
"Do that. I'm not done checking through here."
After making his way upstairs, Dvalin takes a look at the shrine.
Human Gods, hu? A woman warrior. Lady, you are not my cup of ale, but I know your kind has power all the same. If this here place has some meaning to you, do supplement our strenght in cleaning out those who would defile it.
Drawing his attention away from the statue, Dvalin checks the area where the walls caved in for structural integrity, and a good spot to overlook the nearby area from cover of darkness, later.
"Looks good enough. No holes in the ceiling or the walls either. If any of the vermin want to come at us, they'll have to use the stairs like a proper foe!
"Yarask, you set up the Keg, I'll try and fix up lunch/dinner. Boram must be starving by now."
Anyone know how to stitch wounds without magic? Binding up Boram a little could help.
Tegnar finds a spot to sit and attend to his wounds as he eats. After eating, he lays out his longspear and waraxe next to him as he prepares to sleep until his watch. I wish my head would clear up. I still feel a little dizzy from that bite.
"Dvalin, when it's our watch, I'll have my longspear ready to poke anything trying to get up the stairs. Let's hope for an uneventful evening."
"I'm counting on it, I'll try my best to keep whatever is crazy enough to attack a makeshift dwarfen fortress away from you if it comes to that, clansbrother"
We basically grew up together, but it still feels weird saying it that way...
Since we came here early and have 12 hours of rest ahead of us, Dvalin will likely try and make do with 4 hours of sleep during third watch.
During first watch, he will take care of his equipment, cleaning weaponry, checking the javelins(also the one thrown at the spider unless it decided to keep it), and, if Augier or Dolgrym are so inclined, silently chat a bit with them, getting to know them better.
Augier scratches himself some and nods to Dvalin, he was thinking of memorizing a different spell for next time. Things were too close for his color spray, maybe a nice grease on the floor.
As the dwarves settle down in the Plague House. Nothing seems amiss.
Then Tegnar alerts Dvalin, and they both hear the tramping of large feet downstairs. They have not yet woken the others, but at approximately midnight there is the sound of footfalls echoing up through the porous walls and ceilings in the structure.
You consider whether to wake the others, or investigate yourself, but you determine it unlikely that your camp has been noticed.