The group extricate themselves from the cactus patch, and make their way back towards the camp at the Sultan's Claw.
The group return to the Sultan's Claw, and are ushered in to Almah's tent.
Almah examines the body of the pugwampi.
"It appears our gnoll expert was telling the truth. Obviously, he is not the culprit here."
"Go and get some rest, we will discuss this further in the morning."
Dashki once more takes the body of the pugwampi.
Hadrod is grateful for the return of Rombard, but distraught over the condition the goat is in.
The group are shown to a small group of tents, where they are able to sleep the night away.
Tariq and Reza arise before dawn, so they may make their obeisance to Sarenrae, but the others are allowed to rest longer to recover from the activity of the night before. Father Zastoran heals any remaining wounds, then the group is taken back to see Almah again.
"Your discovery of the pugwampi leads me to believe that the Sultan's Claw is too exposed to serve as our base camp for very long. My information tells of an abandoned monastery nearby which would be a better base of operations, should any current occupants be dealt with."
"I would like you six to be our advanced force for this goal, and the greater goal of re-taking Kelmarane. I am willing to pay you each 200 gold pieces for this employment, which shall be paid once you have cleared the monastery completely."
"This mission need not be completed in one day, but every night we stay at the Sultan's Claw will leave us exposed to possible attacks by gnolls or pugwampi."
"May I ask to which god or goddess this monastery was devoted?" Reza inquires.
"I believe it was dedicated to a Saint of the Dawnflower. However, it has been abandoned for twenty years."
“Perhaps we can recover the sanctity of that monastery while we’re there?” Lyriah said in difference to her brother, giving him a smile which was meant to be reassuring, but ended up just looking nervous. Turning to Almah, Lyriah said, “Have we sent any spotters? Do we know what to expect from the area, and do we have a map of the monastery and connected area?”
Lyriah’s questions to Almah came out almost without emotion, her tone serious, curt and analytical.
"We have not yet scouted out the monastery, as we were waiting for you, our advance scouts, to arrive. It lies about a mile to the northeast of here, and two miles south of Kelmarane."
"If there are no further questions, I'm sure you will be able to spot the monastery from a hilltop as you get closer."
Thank you, Almah, for this opportunity.
We will, of course, clear this monastery.
|
After leaving Almah's presence Durandel asks, "Did you notice that we were very clumsy attacking a single puwampi? I think the 'bad luck' of the pugwampi is more than just a turn of phrase."
or
“I’m inclined to agree with you, Durandel. Fortunately, it was not one of many. We should be cautious to avoid large numbers of the little beasts.”
Rena checks in on his horse after the conversation winds down, and on Lyriah, before they head out—mostly to make sure his sister didn’t wind up as embarrassingly scratched up by the cacti as he did!
As the party leaves the tent, they can see Dashki walking nearby. He has formed a small noose, and hanged the pugwampi from the end of his staff.
The six heroes make their way northeast through the hills. After a short walk, they are able to make out a forlorn-looking building atop a rise to the northeast.
As they close, they can see that the building is in a state of disrepair, but that there are likely some secure, sheltered areas within. At first glance, the building looks extremely low to the ground, but it soon becomes apparent that is an illusion created by the area that the monastery takes up. The main part of the building is roughly rectangular, and about 200' long (north-south) and 130' wide, with a roof about 20' up. At the north end is an oblong dome extending beyond the main building, about 100' long and rising 40 or 50 feet. It is apparent that the roof has crumbled in many places, and the paths leading to the obvious entrances now show signs of having been mudslides. There are many high, narrow windows visible in the edifice, which should allow dim light inside most of the structure, but would not be convenient for providing observation or entrance.
Enroute Lyriah talks more about the Pugwampi.
“The bad luck that the Pugwampi seem to generate may be countered by some spells generally of the Clerical nature, but unfortunately that is nothing that I have access to. Perhaps a spell that generates a benefit or boon to attacks could counter the affect. Again, nothing I have access to.” She said.
"Perhaps Tariq has some that might help?" Reza wonders aloud, and makes a note to check in with the other man once they arrive, in case they run into more of the little monsters.
"Well... this has seen better days," he mutters as he looks up at the monastery. Getting off his horse, Reza gathers his equipment so as to be ready, should more problems loom inside.
“I don’t know, a little paint will do wonders.” Lyriah said with a wry smile, then began to restring her bow. “Guess it’s time to give out eviction notices. Anyone have a preference on where to ingress?”
"I've always rather liked the front door," Reza says, his grin not meeting his eyes, the Faris' thoughts already on the potential for battle.
"But perhaps not in this case, given those mudslides. If we go in that way, we will need to ensure we don't sink into the mud." He begins checking his pack for his ropes and gear, just in case they decide to go in that way. "Let's get a bit closer and see what can be seen."
Reza begins approaching the monastery, looking for the best means of ingress.
The areas leading to the western openings appear to have once been slides from a downpour, but are long dried out.
A quick exploration shows that the two openings are the only easy ways into the building.
Lyriah quickly falls in step behind her brother, easily accepting him as the de facto leader of their little party. She tries to remember what she had learned in her lessons and tries to determine if mud slides are possible or if the party may have problems with shifting soil or erosion.
Holding her bow at the ready as they approach, she scans the area for would be attackers and tries to make sure they are not followed or being watched.
The two entrances appear very similar to each other: large openings which may have once been arches, where the surrounding stone has crumbled with time and neglect. The south one is near the end of the building, while the north is more central.
“Perhaps we should enter from the south entrance to reduce our exposure to possible threats, that way we could take things on, one threat at a time.” Lyriah suggests.
"The south entrance is probably the wise choice, I think."
"I do have a couple of spells that may be of use. One can provide a small measure of Divine Guidance as we proceed, making us slightly better at attacking, and in avoiding certain perils. This I can do often. I have two other more potent spells that may be of more use. One will temporarily enchant a single weapon for a short time, while the other will make a target harder to hit in combat. Each of these, I can cast but once."
"Used wisely, they can make a difference."
The party make their way up the slope to the decrepit building and through the damaged opening.
Beyond is the nave, a huge hallway littered with bits of debris ranging from tiny rocks to enormous sections of collapsed masonry. Most of the roof above the long promenade is gone, but several jagged pillars remain. The nave stretches all the way past the other opening to the rounded area to the north, which appears to be a chapel. Near the chapel, the hallway opens to rooms on either side. There are smaller openings in the eastern wall of the nave, including one which is opposite the opening the group came through. A smaller hall there has a few openings leading from it.
There is no visible motion in the shadows of the interior.
"Very well," Reza says, drawing his scimitar and moving forward through the south door. He waits at the threshold for the others to catch up, and for Durandel to check for any traps, before moving in.
If the party paused to allow for checking of traps, Lyriah will cast a Detect Magic and scan as they go, but she will keep her bow in one hand and drop the Detect Magic as soon as trouble arises.
Reza's scimitar is in his hand as he follows Durandel, forming an impromptu line of defense should hostile forces arrive.
The nave is well-lit enough to see fairly clearly, though areas under the intact roof have shadows cast over them. It appears to be empty except for hardy weeds which have grown between the stones in places. There is also evidence that animals are using part of the building as a lair, including a strong odour in the immediate area.
The other areas which open off the nave are darker. The dome of the chapel to the north is intact, which means the only light available is coming from the windows there. The hallway beyond the opening to the east is lit via more holes in the roof. The other openings (the two small ones leading east, as well as the opposing larger ones beyond) have a similar light level, indicating more openings of some sort.
Reza raises a hand to his mouth and nose at the scent from the nave. "Lovely. This place will need a thorough cleansing."
He steps forward into the building itself, his lantern held in his shield hand, looking about for any signs of more monstrous squatters.
The nave still appears to be empty, with several further options for exploration opening off of it.
Openings off this room:
- one 5' wide arch directly east of party's current position
- one 5' wide arch ~ 40' north of that
- another 5' wide arch ~ 65' north of the second
- the chapel at the north end of the hall
- 2 rooms near the chapel on either side of the hall