You have little trouble negotiating the hole. As you clamber over the broken remains of the elevator you find yourself in a room not unlike the one at the base of the yellow elevator. Dozens of now familiar bas-relief figures stare disapprovingly from the walls here. Many sport crossed arms and stern expressions. A few of the statues' heads are missing, and some have huge chunks torn out of them. Others have a weird melted appearance, as if they'd been sprayed by something terrible. A large glyph that looks like a stylized arrow points down a short corridor that leads to a four-way intersection.
The stone appears to have been dissolved by acid, probably from those swarms you encountered
You can hear the chitter of insects coming from the right side of the intersection
Scanning their surroundings and Byden whispers,
"I hear more bugs..."
Senna slides down the rope following the Paladin after triple-checking the knots securing the rope. At the bottom, she picks up the glowing coin. "More bugs? Fantastic."
1st Spells (4): x
Dancing Light (3):
Spell Effects: None
"Ah'm damn near outta supplies. Shoulda mixed more." Ratchet says pulling his last vial of alkalai and looking down the hall apprehensively.
"Damn it, you got more fire Senna? Maybe I can serve as bug bait again while you roast them? But preferably you roast them first. I suggest we rush in I'll move up to them and anyone who has anything that can effect them can target them once they come in range. I'll be up front if there is anything like the scythe bug then to." Byden suggests.
"I've got more fire up my sleeves, don't you worry about that..." She pulls out a small vial of Alchemist's Fire. "Got this as back-up, too. Let's try this slink 'n charge and see how they like it."
Motioning for Byden to take point, Ratchet keeps his eyes peeled and his last bomb ready...
Byden heads forward bursting through the doorway and swiftly taking in the contents of the room beyond.
You turn the corner and look down a short corridor into another room. The north and south walls of this large chamber taper in somewhat, and in the nook of the far eastern wall rests a wide stone basin backed by a five-foot-tall shelf. A hardened orange paste spills out over the two-foot basin lip and covers much of the shelf. Tiny beetles with bright carapaces skitter and tunnel through the chalky substance and a keening insect chorus fills the room. A huge organic mass completely fills the room's southwest corner. Judging by the beetles spilling from within, it appears to be an enormous nest. Beyond the living carpet of beetles, a giant beetle lumbers about the room as well.
"Right, I'll leave the swarm to you while I take the beetle. Senna you move forward and once you've flamed them I'll charge." Byden whispers, charging either once Senna has used her spell, or if the beetles begin reacting to them.
Senna nods and slinks forward, then sends a sheet of flame out to engulf both the swarm and the large beetle.
1st Spells (4): xx
Dancing Light (3):
Spell Effects: None
Both enemies manage to evade the worst of the flames, but Ratchet's well placed bomb disperses what remains of the swarm.
The wounded beetle turns to face you with a hiss, just in time to catch Byden's sword in the face. It drops without a sound.
"Yep. One sided fights 're def'nitly the best kinds o' fights. Ah need t' take a break soon. Ah'm 'bout outta usefulness."
Senna smiles, relieved. "What? You're still useful. You can sing, dance, rub my back..." She glances about the room, noting with disgust the overflowing trough. "Ugh. Please tell me we don't want to search that."
Byden kicks the beetle off his sword and grins,
"Ha, well I'll gladly take not being swarmed over by those little gits. Good work," he then joins the others in searching the room, keeping his sword at the ready.
A search of the room reveals the remains of 3 humanoids encased in the dried orange goo. Searching the remains turns up a small pearl and 3 potions. Senna's thorough search finds a hand that has been incorporated into the nest's construction and a ring remains on a desiccated finger.
The decayed remnants of the corpses' armour all bear an eight-pointed star symbol on the left breast.
The symbol is that of the Seekers, a group of unscrupulous archeologists and pseudohistorians.
CLWx3
Feather Falling
Pearl of Power (1st Level)
Senna looks over the pretties glumly, realizing the very large hole in her occult education.
Byden sniffs the potions in turn, taking some tiny cautious sips and swilling them about on his tongue,
"Oh, I remember this, this is your basic cure potion, tasted these a couple of times when I was Squiring for The Old Man. Never did like the taste, but I've been glad of them a time or two. I guess we can figure out the rest later. Someone might as well stick on the ring in case it turns out to be useful, I'll wear it if none of you want to risk it, but I've already got my armor..."
After they sought out who will wear the ring Byden nods,
"Now, we've got three routes to choose from, so lets take the one across from this one then the one opposite the way we entered and clear this section. Ratchet you take the lead again and we'll follow on a bit behind being as quiet as we can - which ain't very."
Ratchet sniffs one. "Yep. Looks like one each."
Your new potions in hand, you survey your options. The corridor oposite your position appears to lead to another room and there is the longer corridor continuing to the south.
"Let's check out that other room before we try that long corridor."
Byden moves forward cautiously into the room sword at the ready and shield raised.
You stealthily approaching the oposite room and peer in to see: Eight man-sized stone slabs, about four feet off the ground, are arranged in two rows in this large room. A long-dead corpse, possibly a human, lays sprawled out upon one of these slabs, his red leather armor the only hint of color in the otherwise drab room. The north and south walls taper in somewhat, and the short west wall abuts a small stone stage. The red clay statue of a powerfully built warrior wielding a cylinder-headed great-club stands tall upon the stage, its eyes surveying the room. Another giant beetle lumbers sluggishly in the room.
"Nope. Not goin' inta a room where a fella died while Ah'm low on mah essentials. He'll wait fer us. Let's git somewhere safe an' start a fire. Mah stomach says it's 'bout dinner time anyhow."
Byden frowns,
"Well at least let me kill the beetle, it might end up causing us trouble later, and judging by the last one it won't be much of a problem. I'll make sure I stay away from the statue."
He waits until the beetle is in a position he can charge it from and bursts forward blade held in both hands, burying it in the creatures carapace, yanking it free with a grunt.
He slams the blade home again, before slinging his shield into position.
A wave of lethargy washes over Byden as he rushes into the room, but he shakes the fog from his mind. He crashes steel first into the insect and quickly puts the bug down in a pile of its own gore.
Byden glances down at the massive insect over the rim of his shield...
"Something in here makes me feel knackered, I pushed it off, but it ain't normal. I'm guessing that's what happened to Captain Corpsey here. Anybody want to be its got nothing to do with the ominous burly guy with club statue?"
Byden says moving over to examine the corpse sword and shield raised cautiously.
Senna stands well inside the doorway. "Knackered, eh? Not sure I want to risk finding out how this ends if one of us can't shake that effect."
Anyone who enters what was once some sort of sleeping chamber feels a wave of lethargy wash over them and they have a strong desire to lie down on one of the stone beds.
Searching the corpse reveals that his leather armour appears to be of high quality (MWK) and is emblazoned with the same eight-pointed star as was seen on the remains in the other room. It also has a fine silver ring (non-magical) on one desiccated finger.
Byden picks up the corpse, muttering a quick prayer for the departed before setting him down outside the room - without leaving it. He then moves over to cautiously examine the statue, asking,
"Think we should just treat this thing like the egg? I can get two and two to make four easily enough. Are we ready to fight again, or do we need to rest first?"
Reminded of the egg Byden scans the statue with detect evil.
Adotiln enters the room cautiously after Byden mentions feeling tired when entering, but the wave has no effect on him besides making his beard tingle. 'I'm good to go, do we want to flank it and let Ratchet check it over?' Adotiln remarks, hefting his Warhammer and moving to stand opposite it, his shield raised.
Byden moves to flank the statue with Adotiln, takes his longsword in tow hands, giving the others time to move into position if they wish to do so before saying,
"Well if its a trap I'm guessing smashing it will still work. Must be pretty complicated though if it can strike any of these slabs - which I'm guessing is the point. Ready then, on three, one, two, three!"
His longsword striking the statue with a resounding crack!
"If I die, I'm gonna haunt ye forever." Ratchet grumbles at Byden and moves into the room.
The statue is chipped by Byden's attack, but otherwise does not react to the damage. Ratchet's thorough examination fails to reveal anything of consequence.
'That didn't seem to do anything, but I don't trust it, I'll stand here and keep an eye on it while you guys check out the rest of the room.' Adotiln states, then he puts his shield away and takes hold of his warhammer with both hands, ready to swing at it if it even looks like moving.
Taking a look at the blade of his sword and tutting Byden sheathes his blade and withdraws his club taking it in both hands and beginning to smash at the statue until he can establish its either a waste of time or it looks to be disabled.
Ratchet just shakes his head and stands back to wait.
Seeing Byden laying into it with his club Adotiln shrugs and joins in.
"The whole room is suffused with magic... especially that statue, I'd be careful abou..." Senna's voice trails off as Byden goes to town on the statue, "... or that might work."
Hesitantly she enters the room. Her skin crawls as the wave of lethargy washes over her but she plows through it. While some of her allies are creatively dismantling the statue, she stands near Ratchet and borrows the items they found, looking them over again. Sorcery is rarely a predictable art. Something 'clicks' in her head regarding the properties of magic items and she sees the items from a new perspective. "Hey, this is a Pearl of Power for low level magics! Handy! Still not exactly sure what this ring does..."
She sighs sadly and tosses the pearl to the priest. "You should be able to use this."
The statue, a priceless artifact from an ancient and now lost civilization, is rapidly reduced to rumble by Byden. There is nothing else of not in the room. There is a corridor to the south still to explore.
"Wonder where th' fatigue effect 's commin' from." Ratchet muses, continuing to look around now that the obvious threats are gone.
Byden glances down at the rubble, nodding in satisfaction,
"Well that's one less thing to worry about. Guess we are done in here. You still want to rest up Ratchet?"