Lona finishes her search and shrugs her shoulders. "Nothing here. Not sure if this creature is native here or a comrade of the goblins. Either way, I'm sure glad we took care of it."
"Let's move on here. May be we'll find something more interesting further in." She looks back at the corpse. Frankly, she's not sure if she wants to see any creature more "interesting" than the one they just encountered.
Once everyone's satisfied that there's nothing more to learn here, Markum continues down the hallway with Vuvo at his side.
Once everyone is satisfied that there's nothing more to learn here, Markum continues down the hallway with Vuvo at his side.
Varg follows directly behind Markum.
"Let us assume the worst, so all surprises are pleasant," Lym says as she falls in at the back of the group. "Let's say that thing was with the Goblins -- or rather, the fiend who leads them. And let us assume there are more of them down here."
Ten-to-fifteen feet north of the cave, the tunnel splits - one branch continuing north, and another going east.
Continue north
Another fork in the tunnel: to the right leads into a room with a statue and stone flooring; straight ahead, the tunnel continues.
"Worked stone. This looks promising."
Praxim scans inside that chamber with detect evil.
Lona perks up at the change in environment, and sneaks into the room to take a look about.
A red marble statue of a strikingly beautiful, but at the same time, monstrously enraged human woman, stands in the middle of this room, her stony expression twisted in fury. The woman wears flowing robes, and her long hair is held back from her face by an intricate headdress of hooks and blades. In her left hand she carries a large book, the face of which is inscribed with a seven-pointed star. Her right hand holds a glittering metal and ivory ranseur.
The ranseur looks to be usable and is of masterwork quality.
"Let's see, let's see," Lym says as she eyes the statue. "Quod est occultum, video," she chants, casting a spell as she steps up to the door opening and scans the room.
Markum moves to stand near Praxim
You don't detect anything magical.
"Pretty!" Lona says aloud as she studies the statue.
After checking the statue and the nearby area to make sure they are free of traps, she starts with the ranseur, and proceeds to relieve the statue of her burdens. "Look at the quality of these..."
After some tugging, you're able to pull the ranseur free.
Lona swings the ranseur about. While she manages, the weight of it causes her to sweat in exertion. Eventually, she strikes the ground with the butt of the haft and sighs. "This weapon is too weighty for my taste." She looks to the burly men among the group. "Any of you mind carrying this while we explore?"
"We could leave it in the statue. Clearly, we have to return this way, and its absence may give evidence to any foes who enter this complex behind us that something is amiss."
"No!" Lona responds instinctively as her grip on the weapon tightens. "This is a good weapon. It could come in handy." She tries resting the weapon on her shoulder as she moves to continue on with the weapon in hand, even though it clearly inconveniences her movement somewhat.
"It does not appear to be a magical weapon, and I detect no curses," Lym says with regards to the ranseur. "As for people - or creatures - realizing we are here... I daresay the dead critter in the cave back there will alert them to that."
"Fair enough. Would you like me to carry it for you, Lona?"
Praxim moves to the north door and attempts to scan behind it with his detect evil.
Lona hands the finely crafted weapon to Praxim reluctantly, although she's unsure whether it's because of giving up of the weapon or the fact that Praxim had offered to be so nice...again!
She follows Praxim to the north door, searching it for anything unusual as she closes in, and opens it.
Once the door is given the all clear, Markum and Vuvo move to take their places at the front of the group. (Though if someone else wants to be in front they will let them.)
Prxim stands behind Markum, using the natural reach of the ranseur to best advantage.
Lym casts her scanning cantrip again, checking the door for more arcane traps, then falls in at the rear of the group as before.
"I'll take the lead."
This large chamber was obviously once a prison as testified by the nearly two dozen cells that line the room's perimeter. A rickety wooden platform overlooks the room, with two flights of stairs descending to the prison floor ten feet below. A five-foot-wide wooden walkway runs from the northern edge of the platform to a passageway to the east.
"Luces pendantes saltantes inflammo," Lym chants. Four orbs of light spring from her hand and fly off to the very limits of her reach, zipping this way and that to illuminate dark corners and prevent an easy ambush.
In the southeast corner of the room, you see two more of the same creature you saw in the cave. They seem to be bickering with each other, biting and scratching each other. The minor wounds they cause to each other seem to heal just as fast as they are caused.
"Do we attack, or do we try to slip past?" Lym asks, whispering.
Varg whispers back. "If we slip past, they might attack our rear while we're fighting someone else. And THEY might have the element of surprise then."
Praxim nocks an arrow and draws back his bow string.
"Any time you are ready."
Markum and Vuvo tense up in preparation for the upcoming battle.
Initiative:
Arrow attack: , plus 1 if within 30'
Damage: , plus 1 if within 30'
