Abelard strides into the room, hoping that Onorix's words do the trick, but ready to draw the beasts out to face him. He readies himself to strike if they show themselves.
The pack of four grimples skitter and clamber in their tiny tunnels, approaching with vicious madness in their eyes.
The green and red grimples both watch intently, in anticipation of your eventual actions.
The orange grimple makes a small gesture, and its ears twitch for a moment as the ground beneath Abelard is coated with a slick, grimy oil.
Finally, and most disgustingly, the black grimple rears its head back and lurches forward with a sickening eruption of vomit spewing from its sallow lips.
Round 1
Onorix
Abelard
Black Grimple
Green Grimple
Orange Grimple
Red Grimple
Parai
Nightgaunt
Blue Grimple
Alliszah
Korva
Abelard keeps his feet - and the contents of his stomach - but he crinkles his face in disgust, both at the smell and the tactics used. "Urk. These are decent threads. That is NOT how a chap fights."
Nightgaunt moves through the door and approaches gimples, getting just within 30 feet of the (orange-bordered) gimple. He holds up his palm, and a bolt of electricity shoots out towards the gimple.
Parai moves through the door from room A4 to room A5 and looks around, her eyes narrowing as she spots the grimples. "Ugh. Disgusting little things", she grimaces, and grips her mace firmly as she advances toward the gremlins. She doesn't reach them on this turn yet, though.
The Blue Grimple lurches from his cubby, his stomach heaving as he retches another sickly blast of fluids at Parai, Nightgaunt, and even Onorix.
Taking a deep breath Korva concentrates and a shield of shimmering energy forms to protect her.
Round 2
Alliszah
Korva
Onorix
Abelard
Black Grimple
Green Grimple
Orange Grimple
Red Grimple
Parai
Nightgaunt
Blue Grimple
"Gah! This is appalling!" Parai cries out as some of the grimple's vomit splatters over her, but her combat effectiveness is not impaired by the attack.
Hoping to thin out the opposition, Alliszah turns to the closest of the grimples, attempting to overwhelm its mind with her own.
Korva looks at the Grimples with revulsion. She wants them nowhere near herself!
Abelard moves to attack the nearest Grimple, hoping to put an end to their ill-mannered ways. A flying knee to the side of the head seems to be the best approach here.
Onorix steps out of the way of the various filth launched in his direction. "Forget negotiation then!" He cries out as he runs off to the side, hoping to find some way to sneak around the creatures, only to find himself face to face with one of them. He attacks the creature with one of his weapons.
The orange grimple crashes to the ground in a heap as Nightgaunt's mystic blast careens past it, a man-knee-sized crater in the side of its tiny skull.
The black grimple reels for a moment, his senses blurring as it attempts to gain its bearings.
The red grimple comes barreling out of the tunnels in the walls, its jaw swinging open wide enough to allow another sickening spray to erupt from it.
Round 2
Alliszah
Korva
Onorix
Abelard
Black Grimple
Green Grimple
Red Grimple
Parai
Nightgaunt
Blue Grimple
Nightgaunt moves forward to get a clear shot at the southwestern gimple and holds out his hand again; a bolt of electricity lashes out towards the creature.
If blue survives Nightgaunt's attack.
Parai will 5' step next to blue and swing her mace.
If Nightgaunt's attack instead drops blue:
Parai charges west at green.
Onorix seems completely unperturbed by the grimple's touch.
The grimple behind Abelard, upon seeing his nestmate fall, emits a blood-curdling shriek, gnashing his teeth and snapping viciously at the young nobleman.
Round 3:
Alliszah
Korva
Onorix
Abelard
Black Grimple
Red Grimple
Parai
Nightgaunt
Blue Grimple
Knowing her method of magically overcoming an opponent's mind is one that can be easily adapted to, Alliszah shifts her focus to Abelard's foe, trying again to shock its senses into confusion.
Abelard easily dodges the attack, and uses the opening provided to launch a devastating kick of his own, aiming at the thing's jaw. If he does it right, it will twist the little monster's head so that its neck breaks.
Seeing her acid hit the revolting creature Korva feels more confident and attacks again.
Missing.
Onorix continues to slash at the nearest grimple, using both of his blades in the hope that the creature can be dealt with before he has to deal with the other one approaching him.
After making his attacks, he takes a five foot step backwards, hoping to bottleneck the creatures into coming at him one at time.
The tiny creature stares, its mouth agape as Abelard breaks the neck of his mate. The last Grimple with its wits about it sees the carnage, and the reaction of his comrade, and flees into the tunnel network, dropping the rock from its hand as it disappears into the depths of the underground.
Rest assured, you'll have to finish all of the interesting/important fights.
[dice=Black Grimple Will Save]1d20+2
The tiny creature stares, its mouth agape as Abelard breaks the neck of his mate. The last Grimple with its wits about it sees the carnage, and the reaction of his comrade, and flees into the tunnel network, dropping the rock from its hand as it disappears into the depths of the underground.
Rest assured, you'll have to finish all of the interesting/important fights.
After you dispatch the last of the Grimples, you have a chance to survey your surroundings.
You open the door to a room coated in dirty salt and sawdust. Bits of the masonry walls in this gloomy room have been chewed or clawed away, revealing winding, narrow animal tunnels beyond. Steel rails are mounted in the ceiling, with an assortment of rusted, lonely iron hooks dangling from them. A pile of threadbare pillows and moth-ridden blankets are stacked in a pile in a depression, located in the northwest corner of the room.
"There's a way even further down...that grating doesn't look too solid, we could probably break it down, although I suspect it might be noisy", Parai says as she motions toward the half-destroyed iron grating. "Those grimples have probably been lairing here, possibly for a long time. I doubt they could have been forthcoming regarding any valuable information, so I think we will have to keep searching this place."
Well, onward it is, then, Alliszah answers, mostly managing to hide her distaste at the idea. After all, we came for information. We must continue until we have found whatever this place has to offer. Should we check their nest, though? If these creatures have been here some time, it is conceivable they could have found these records stores before us, and paper would provide some cushioning and warmth.
"You make a good point. Let's see if we can find anything in this area."
Nightgaunt will nod at Alliszah's suggestion, and will also search the area.
Among the blankets in the depression, you find 12 gold pieces, 185 silver pieces, 342 copper pieces, a pair of quartz earrings, a set of silver coat buttons, and a slightly gnawed cloak.
Abelard wrinkles his nose at the smell and the squalor, but joins in the searching, although he fails to find any more than the others have.
Once they're done searching, he moves over to the iron grating and tries to lift it away from the stairs it's currently blocking.
Taking the jewelry and cloak in hand, Alliszah closes her eyes for a moment, taking a breath to calm her mind. Her gifts had sometimes allowed her to gain short glimpses into the pasts of objects with particularly significant histories - and if this place really had been used by a group of doomed revolutionaries, even earrings or buttons could have significant histories indeed.
Nightgaunt looks at the slightly gnawed cloak. "I know that some cloaks are magic...."
He casts Detect Magic, and scans the area. If the cloak does have a magic aura, in his third round of concentration he'll focus in on it.
Korva hovers nervously, trying to avoid anything she doesn't think is clean. She does keep her Dancing Lights going for anyone who requires them.
When the items are found she brightens up and eagerly casts Detect magic.
Parai instinctively rolls her eyes at the treasure found. Even though she's broke now, it hasn't hit her gut reactions yet, which is to consider this petty little looters scraping a barrel for copper pieces. She'd probably better start thinking of money soon if she likes to eat. She joins Abelard at the iron grating, trying to help open it in whichever manner seems appropriate, whether lifting it, trying to break off the bars, or whatever.
Onorix also joins the other nobles in helping to remove the grates. If someone needs to be used as a wedge, he offers to use one of his short swords. If brute force needs to be applied, he does the best he can.
Alliszah, you identify the key you picked up in the office upstairs, as your mind flashes to an image of it being drawn from a belt loop in this very room. Upon looking at the grate, you notice a locked latch.
The earrings flash an image of a modest ball, held in this basement. Lights strewn along the walls, musicians in the corner. Dancing. Laughter.
The buttons conjure a sensation of calloused fingers, sewing thread, muttered obscenities and a pinprick. They were cherished, and resewn nearly a dozen times onto tattered doublets and fine coats.
Nightgaunt and Korva, you both register the cloak as magical. A cursory glance identifies it as a Cloak of Resistance +1
Abelard and Onorix, you manage to pry the grate away from one of the walls with a loud, shrill screech echoing down the stone halls of the basement. There is a door at the bottom of the stairs beyond.
The image in her mind as she looks at the earrings is so strong, it's a couple of moments before Alliszah realizes she's swaying in a private dance. Thankful that no one can see her blush behind her mask, she quickly stows the earrings and buttons in a pocket sewn into her gown and joins Abelard and Onorix at the grating. For a moment, she considers leaving the matter be...but at the end, she can't help but press the key into Abelard's hand. Perhaps this might have been of use, she murmurs with a smile. It may open the door ahead, too, if you wish to save your strength.
Onorix takes a few moments to wipe off some of the blood from the unusual creatures from one of his short swords. As the masked tiefling hands Abelard the key, he moves over towards the door. "Lets get moving- no need to spend more time here." he stands to the side of the door with both of his weapons drawn, waiting for the path to be cleared and ready to face any threats that might be in his way.
Nightgaunt passes the cloak to Abelard. "Put this on. It will help you resist attacks against your inner fortitude, and against your mind. I also believe it will help you dodge threats, although not direct weapon attacks."
He stands back, waiting for one of the others to open the door.
Abelard extends a bow to the cloaked stranger. "Why, thank you. It's even in my colour."
Right, time to keep moving. "Let's get this door open."
The door creaks open - loud, but not so shrill as the scraping of the iron grate a moment prior. As the door opens into a dark, curving hallway, you begin to hear faint music. It sounds like pipes of some kind, echoing from deeper within the basement.
Korva still has her lights illuminating the room, she tilts her head, trying to identify the music?
As the music echoes faintly through the hall, Alliszah's soft hum can be heard beneath it - her alto voice, surprisingly tuneful, follows the pitch of the pipes, committing the melody to memory. A pleasant song...but what could be playing down here? she murmurs, taking a step forward despite herself. We have little choice but to go and see, if we are to find the answers this place may hold.
A fifty-foot diameter pool of rancid, brown slurry fills most of this circular chamber. Chunks of plaster have fallen away, leaving ragged patches behind in the walls and ceiling and mounds of rubble on the floor. What wall space remains is decorated in crude drawings and symbols of sinister form. Greasy-looking chains run between four stout pillars rising from the muck and anchor to various points on the wall.
"Huh," Nightgaunt says. "From what I've heard of the Silver Ravens, I would not have expected one of their meeting rooms to look like this. Probably others have moved in since. We should proceed with caution."
He moves a few steps forward and looks around the room.
"No kidding... this looks more like an abyssal cult's sacrificial chamber than a resistance cell base. Nobody spread too far out."
Onorix slowly walks around the room, taking care never to be too close to the liquid in the center of the room as he examines the drawings on the wall.
Onorix: You can tell by looking over the runes that they look as if someone was trying to create a portal to Hell. You can tell that they lack any power now, but they may have worked once, if only for a few seconds.
Cautiously, Alliszah moves inside the curved wall, perusing the drawings on the stones. It's been a long time - who knows what could have moved in as the years have rolled on? I hope only that whoever it was, they did not find these supposed records first. Cautiously, she moves to peer past the pool's edge, keeping a step back from the edge and subconsciously grabbing on to the nearby chain as if to hold herself back from falling.