Rasellia, your Knowledge check is enough to know that feeding the mold warmth will cause it to grow exponentially, as you are essentially giving it all the nutrients it thrives on. (A bit of helpful info based on how much higher than the DC roll you got).
I don't see anything terrible with what you did, and I'm still figuring out how to let players have wide freedom of decision-making and balancing that with keeping things moving along with skill check prompts.
Rasellia's face lowers.
"You are right I suppose Basil, I imagine that we are too late." She quickly adds "Oh and do not use fire, it could cause the mold to expand rapidly and kill us all. She sighs again. I hope that someone is alive down here.
"Well, if we are not to use fire, we'll have to try with what we can. Like Acid. Keldor?"
"On it. Acid experiment commencing."
It takes a good long while, but as Keldor works he eventually reduces the brown moss to a manageable size. it was oddly fascinating, seeing the acid flying through the air and almost freezing to slush, but still sizzling as it landed on the brown moss.
Going down to examine the body reveals that he is quite dead, pale but not yet frozen from the brown mold in this area. Anyone local from Torch would recognise this man as Gerrol Sondor, a roguish sort that had signed on for Khonnir Bane's expedition. He was quite well known for being one to bring a bar to clapping and singing as he performed feats of acrobatics, balancing on chairs, tables, and cups.
"That's one more accounted for. We should keep moving. Anybody seen that guy trailing us again?"
Keldor tries to see down the water tunnel, and finds it opens up to a what seems to be a much larger cavern.
There is definite movement from several somethings coming from further down in the larger cavern.
With the brown Mold being mostly taken out by Keldor's acid, Basil follows down to check the body.
"Another local from Torch, Gerrol Sondor. A merry roguish acrobate, part of Khonnirs expedition."
When she looked up from the corpse, at the larger cavern, Basil saw movement in the dark.
"Multiple unknown contacts, considering recent events, most likely hostile.", Basil stated as she stood back up from her kneeling position next to Sondor's body and placed her weapon on her shoulder for steady aim, staring into the darkness with eyes that seemed to glow.
Keldor reaches back and draws forth his antique Elven Curveblade from within Gauntlet, as it was strapped to his back. Taking it in both hands, he steps forward.
"I'll move leftish, you stay to my right and shoot anything that seems hostile Basil. Let's move forward from here!"
Keldor follows the water track towards the larger cave.
Rasellia looks somber at the discovery of another body. She listlessly says
"Yes, let us keep moving"
Then sighs. She simply hopes that coming down here won't simply be the continual discovery of more and more bodies.
Rasellia looks into the darkness of the next room, but does not see anything of note. She hopes for a moment of peace.
Hali continues to keep an eye out throughout the mold-ridden endeavor, cringing as Basil makes her assessment and identifies the victim below. She neglects to add a quip when the android declares potential hostiles, and instead the engineer checks her crossbow again and backpedals to the cave's apparent crossroad, peering down the south-eastern path so far unexplored. Sadly her sunrod's light doesn't seem to reveal much in the way of anything, but the way the path curves south makes her wonder if the caverns don't somehow connect...
"...Aye t' that," she swallows, concurring with Rasellia on both the notion to continue and a marked disinterest in becoming little more than a retriever of corpses.
Ember keeps her eyes wide open, looking for any sign of movement as they continue onward. "At least finding one of Khonnirs party members confirms that we are on the right trail."
"Yes, we are.", Basil affirmed Embers statement, keeping focused on things in the dark only she seemed to see.
The ceiling of this vast chamber rises nearly thirty feet overhead. A five-foot-wide ledge runs along the western wall, sloping down to the cave floor ten feet below. Four ramshackle huts made of what appear to be strips of metal, hides, and some sort of fibrous plant matter sit in the cave, while to the south yawns a dark pit.
From behind the huts, six skulks appear armed and ready for a fight, but one steps forward and addresses you all.
"We do not wish to fight if possible. As both sides number even, we request one or two of you number speak with our chieftain in her private chamber."
Keldor looks back over the group.
"Do we have a leader? I really had not thought about that yet. Thinking about it, we should...shouldn't we?"
Addressing Keldor, ignoring the skulks, Basil speaks up: "I am uncertain if I find it agreeable to have someone else speak in my name. Why do we have to hold council in a private chamber? If whatever is decided affects all of us, should we not be allowed to listen?"
"Too many voices cloud the message." The skulk responds, and you have a feeling this is a more cultural thing among skulks. In fact, them talking to you instead of trying to ambush you speaks volumes for their overtures of talks before stabbing.
Rasellia keeps her mouth shut. There are already many of her friends talking and the creature seemed to ask for only two of them to step forward. So she stands still, eyes flicking back and forth her fingers twitching. She is ready to use powers but I do so hope that we will be able to resolve this peacefully she thinks.
Although as she stands she tries to remember if she knows anything about these things.
"If we are to parley, we will do so under the following terms," Silvester announces, sheathing his rapier and holding up fingers on his gloved hand. "Firstly, two members of our party will speak with two members of yours. That number includes your Chieftain - she will be permitted no more than one advisor or personal guard. Secondly, those of us who do not meet with your Chieftan will be allowed to retain our weapons and will not be harmed. They will be shown every civility and respect your people can muster. Third, those who meet with the Chieftain do so with the understanding that they are under no obligation to answer any particular question she may have, nor are they committed to any course of action beyond counsel."
When Silvester speaks up, Basil turns to Rasellia, talking with a serious expression and firm voice:"You have a fancy way with words, do you not? Do you wish to talk with them in our name, accompanied by your toy-boy?"
"Whoever goes is fine by me. Rasellia and Silvester make some sense. Ember? What do you think?"
"I suppose Silvester and Rasellia make sense. They talk well and me Basil or Hali would be bound to say something offensive and start a war or something."
Having remained starkly quiet throughout, hands firm about her crossbow, Hali slips flawlessly into Hallit as she looks Gauntlet—and by extension Keldor—square in the eye. "Oh NAD ydych am i mi siarad, ffrind."
In her defense, Hali normally doesn't mind playing the mediator—Bronze knows she's had to do it enough times for the likes of Basil and her siblings—but given that one of the latter has very, very recently been found dead...Well. To say she's in something of a bitter mood would be an understatement.
Keldor hooks a metal thumb at Hali.
"She agrees. Looks to be unanimous. You two are our emissaries. Let us know how it goes. If you need help...just scream I guess? Hey! These guys don't look like cannibals, so...that's in our favor. Right?"
Keldor then slides his Elven Curve Blade back 'into' Guantlet's back and into the normally hidden sheath beneath, but does not dismiss Gauntlet yet.
"If we need help, the sound of gravity warping will alert you. And if you need it, fire that at the ceiling," Silvester mutters, eyes flicking toward Basil's firearm.
"Why the ceiling? The usual operating procedure for these is to fire them at the reason that makes you need help. I would assume the audible component will be identical, with a lesser chance of cave-ins.", Basil explains to Silvester, somewhat puzzled at his suggestion.
Rasellia tries to signal non-verbally to her party that she'd rather not talk. Shaking her head and waving a finger, but before she can make herself clear, she has been nominated. Oh no she thinks this is not good. Not only does Rasellia know almost nothing about how to behave outside of a castle or library but she knows full well how likely she is to misspeak. Still she thinks I have been nominated, and I must help my friends. Besides, Silvester can be charming at times, I will just leave the talking to him.
She prepares to step forward but turns to the others before doing so.
"Byddaf yn gwneud fy ngorau. Peidiwch â gadael iddynt fwyta i mi. Os gwelwch yn dda." She says softly in Ustalav accented Hallit.
She steps forward toward the creatures and takes a curtsy, holding her black skirts as she bobs at the ankles. That at least she is perfectly capable of doing.
"Um, it seems that I will be representing us" she says to the creatures. "I am Rasellia Seraphaelis, I am sure that we can reach a compromise. She tries to keep a smile on her face and her voice steady, thinking about every word before she says it. She hopes that Silvester will be able to present a better image than she does.
I will try my best. Do not let them eat me. Please.
With the decision made Silvester and Rasellia step forward as representatives. The skulks seem to agree to your other conditions, and the leader and the spokesman lead you to a side chamber (now revealed on the map).
Rasellia, you know skulks are inherently evil and well suited to being sneaky in caves and forests. They are lazy and cowardly usually, but view other races with such qualities. They don't give a second thought to murder, unless it is against their best interest in survival.
In the side chamber, the leader introduces herself as Sef and begins the discussion.
"We keep things simple, yes? We promise you free passage in our caves, no attacks or hostility as long as you agree to two conditions. You do us no harm, and you clear out a nest of creatures in the northern cavern. They have become a nuisance, and we wish them gone. For this, we will also give you a unique piece of salvage we have recovered. What say you?"
"Um, I suppose that sounds acceptable Sef" Rasellia says and swallows nervously. She does not trust these creatures, and she knows them to be wicked, but having to fight and perhaps kill them would hardly be a just action in itself.
"Ei sunt răi, dar poate că putem raționa împreună cu ei?" she says softly in Varisian to Silvester, knowing that he can understand her. She feels that he should at least know what they are getting themselves in for.
"I will ask my friends," she says, turning back to the Skulks "but I believe that we will be able to help you, um, folks. Do you have any idea what type of creatures live in this cavern? Are they vicious undead ghouls? I have heard that the smell of rotting corpses in subterranean locales like this can attract their cannibalistic hunger. Or perhaps more of the metallic machines that I have seen here in Numeria. That would be fascinating although unlikely I suppose. Then again there was talk of the Councilman recovering robots from down here so maybe some are left. If they are constructs I do not suppose that I could take a few samples?"
She stops, realizing that she was rambling, and finishes lamely:
"So, um, yes, what type of creatures are they exactly?"
"Dacă nu putem, există întotdeauna diplomația Galtan," Silvester mutters back to Rasellia, inclining his head ever so slightly to his rapier. Hoping he hasn't doomed everyone, he follows Rasellia to the side chamber, standing in front of her and to one side as the leader - Sef - speaks.
It takes some time for Rasellia to calm down, during which time he waits as patiently as he can. When she's done with her usual barrage of questions and related self-corrections, he adds a few comments of his own - "Anything you can tell us about this nest of creatures that may help us would be valuable, as would any supplies you could offer. We would also like to see this unique piece of salvage before we potentially risk our lives for it."
Not quite familiar with the concept of betrayal, but well aware that many of the corpses down here are in their current state because they let their guard down or underestimated someone or something, Basil remains vigilant, her Blunderbuss ready.
Sef eyes you both suspiciously, obviously speaking in a language she cannot understand.
"Jinkin Gremlins. Nasty buggers. They pepper you with attacks and spirit away before you can strike back. We are low on supplies ourselves, so we cannot spare any. As for the salvage, the terms stand.
You will receive it once our deal is complete.
"Jinkins?" Silvester glances back at his ward, one eyebrow raised. "Sound like nasty little things. What do you know of them?"
Rasellia thinks for a moment, pulls out her notebook and flicks through it, then puffs out her cheeks and says:
"Um, nothing I am afraid, simply have not heard hide nor hair of the things before. Sorry." She looks reproachful for a moment before continuing. "I still think we can help you though. They are in the cavern to the north you say?"
"Dacă nu altceva, evitarea unei lupte ar fi bună" she says sideways to Silvester in Varisian.
"If nothing else, avoiding a fight would be good."
"All I've told you. They hit and run. I believe if you can slay their leader, the band of gremlins might stay away for some time. I can accept this as fulfilling our agreement."
Sef looks at you both impatiently.
Rasellia nods.
"In that case yes, we will help you."
She gingerly extends a hand to shake, secretly hoping that the creature chooses not too.
Ember is patiently (for her) awaiting the results of the meeting.
Sef grins. Its a look of someone who can't believe their current circumstances, and is maybe pleasantly enjoying the small bit of humor of the situation she's in now.
And she doesn't shake your hand.
Nevertheless, she returns to the main room and informs the others of the agreement. She and the other escort you to the series of caves they wish you to purge.
Good luck," she offers, before moving back to the main cavern and leaving you all there.
Stepping up to the intersection to get the group's light sources behind him, Keldor looks down both passageways with Gauntlet's natural Darkvision aiding him.
"What are these gremlins called again?"
Rasellia steps up behind Keldor.
"Um, Jinkins" she says after explaining her negotiations, leaving out how nervous she had been.
"So we are going to go and kill and or run away some little critters? Sounds like a waste of time, but nothing too difficult for us to handle."
"Technically we agreed to kill, or forcibly remove, an entire nest of gremlins that has never done anything to us personally. The only real plus in this is that we may learn what happened to those who are missing. Erastil forgive me, but I'm glad I'm not a Paladin!"
"I don't think Paladins only every fight against enemies that did something to them personally. I know little of them, but Master Drovan seemed to believe that Gremlins are, by our standards, evil and chaotic beings. They may well be responsible for some deaths of other expeditions. If they hit and run in those tunnels, it makes sense to face them now, rather than on our way back, when they might decide we are easy prey.", Basil attempts to be rational about what they are about to do.
"Yes, but if you think like a Paladin...evil beings don't necessarily require exterminating if they are not harming innocents. Anyway, my point was I am glad I don't have to debate the minutia of good vs. evil and extermination. Gads! That sounds like a Pathfinder Treatise I read once."
You know some type of creature has been stealing, pranking, and being a general nuisance to the citizens of Torch. With the knowledge of the Gremlins, it makes since that these are them.
The tunnels aren't very large, and the ceilings only stand 5 feet high. There are passages leading left and right. Which do you traverse down?
Ember at least has no problem with the low ceilings on the tunnels. "How about we go left?"
Keldor/Gauntlet shrug their shoulders.
"Either way is fine by me...both look uncomfortable."
Ember looks up at Keldor/Gauntlet. "There are occasionally benefits to being this short."