Well, we can bring them with us and see what happens down the road.
On the bright side, now that we have cleared the guardians from this crypt, we can use it as a base or safe house.
Aury rushes up the ladder so she can have some extra time to tinker with the odd organs while the others are climbing.
"Before we use anything for anything, there are still those raiders coming we need to deal with!"
Then onward through fog, and thicket, let us proceed.
They had only spent about a day clearing out that small dungeon, and while it felt good to have accomplished that much, there was more to do.
You take the masterwork longswords, and head up the painfully slow and long process to get up the shaft.
Arriving once again at the top and making your way from the shack's basement and into the shack itself, and then into the fresh air of the forest. Grub stretches his arms and legs.
The group assembles themselves and prepares to move on as Aury examines the organs. Aury you aren't able to determine much with some of the items, but you think that wearing the organs as a form of talisman (could fit into several slots), would potentially activate whatever powers they have. The key is the gem encrusted pectoral. You decide you will need some time to study that and hopefully reveal more information or maybe command words.
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north!
Day 8 - Midafternoon
After emerging once again from the curious crypt hidden under the shack, the group moves ahead with their original mission. They forge north through the forest, and begin their travels anew. You push through the trackless forest. It is a slow pace, but according to your map you should be through it in a few days. After traveling most of the day and then camping somewhere safely in the woods, you begin again the next day.
Day 9 - Afternoon
In the afternoon of the following day you step forth from the edge of the forest onto open lightly wooded plains. You scan the horizon, able to see clearly now, determine no foes are in sight. You forge ahead now at a more rapid pace, clear from the thick forest, and after another two hours or so reach the edge of a large river. It is later afternoon. The river is quite deep and fairly swift flowing. You know that according to your maps that to the southeast the river will empty into a lake. Night will arrive soon and you won't make the lake before nightfall.
"We have made good progress, let's make camp here by the river and continue tomorrow." Goivan suggests.
The group scouts about a bit for a decent campsite and finds one in a copse of trees near the river. You have some time left and get the camp going and look about the area. The weather is warm, with a coolish breeze. You think it will be a pleasant night, however the croaking of frogs soon echoes through the area as night falls. Before long there are a lot of insects as well. You have to decide if you want a fire or not, that might help keep all the midges, gnats, flies and other creepy crawlies away.
Goivan's thick skin allows him to ignore the pests of the wilderness, but he cares for his allies. "Do you all wish to have a fire?"
Aury moves quickly to keep up pace with her taller and longer legged companions, and the night is a welcome rest for her. She unslings her bow and leans it against a log. "A fire would be nice. I can find some kindling."
...
After the tinder blooms into a campfire, Aury returns to puzzling with the gem that they had found in the shack, still unable to determine much of its uses. "Does anybody else want to take a crack at figuring these out?"
Aury sits down at the campfire and puzzles over the preserved organs and the pectoral gem piece a bit more. She feels she is making progress and has a breakthrough on the pieces after understanding some of the runes.
Shaeyl had found the trek through the forest more comforting than the bright and open plains. Staring at the river he glanced north and south along the edge.
If I recall correctly, we should be trying to go north, not south. Maybe we follow the river north?
"Uh... which way is which?"
Goivan gets a roaring fire going, his axe making short work of some fallen trees. Grub, with his penchant for punching trees also helps in his own way. Shaeyl and Ptery scout briefly up and down river as Aury sets in to decipher the items.
Goivan eyes the items suspiciously but is reminded of various relics that many religions use as holy items, pieces of saints and heroes. Still those were holy people, not necromancers who enchanted their mummified organs for afterlife shenanigans....
Heart of Ab Monar: The wearer receives 50% fortification against critical hits, a +2 untyped bonus against fear effects, and can cast Unbreakable Heart, 1/day at CL 9
Lungs of Ab Monar: The wearer can apply Widen or Empower to a breath weapon effect up to 3/day. Only one can be applied to any breath. The breath weapon can be a spell effect, Spell like ability or supernatural ability. The wearer can cast water breathing on themselves 1/day at CL9, and receives a +6 CON bonus to CON based rolls such as holding their breath, or exhaustive activities such as running for extended periods.
Stomach of Ab Monar: The wearer can cast Allfood 1/day CL9, although the food created can only feed themselves. The can also cast the following spells 1/day each at CL 9: Vomit Twin and Vomit Swarm. In addition the wearer can create an effect once per day called Lead Belly. The duration is 1 minute and during that time the wearer can trade 10' of movement ( all modes ) for DR 1/- up to a maximum of -30' and DR 3/-.
Liver of Ab Monar: The wearer receives a +4 bonus vs all ingested poisons or drugs, and their durations and effects are halved. You may double your CON Mod for alcohol consumption and receive a +6 bonus on saves vs alchohol. The wearer receives Fast healing 2, which becomes Fast Healing 5, if they are under the effects of a non-instantaneous potion. (not an extact, infusion or mutagen).
Intestines of Ab Monar: The wearer receives a +4 enchantment bonus to CON, an additional +4 bonus to saves against disease, and can casting Stinking Cloud 1/day at CL 9.
Gem Encrusted Pectoral: The wearer is able to maintain a continual Status spell that monitors anyone else wearing any of the organs of Ab Monar. The gem acts as a Brooch of Shielding that can absorb up to 40 points of magic missile damage per day (no max). The wearer receives a +2 competence bonus to perception, and 1/day can cast Summon Nature's Ally to summon a medium earth elemental at CL 9.
(You suspect there may yet be more to this item...)
"Hey, everybody" Aury interrupts Shaeyl and Grubgullet talking about directions to point out the discoveries she has made with the organs. Having spent several hours examining them, she's much less squeamish about waving them about.
...
"We should make sure we don't accidentally wash this off, I don't really want to get shot."
"Good! I don't wants to wash nothing."
Day 9 - Night/Overnight
The group discusses the discoveries of Aury overnight at the fire and tries to determine how best to utilize the protective magics of the mummified remains of Ab Monar. The night passes uneventfully and people move off to sleep and take turns watching and going about their typical camp precautions.
Day 10 - Morning
Morning arrives and with it a new day.
Shaeyl finished studying his spells for the day and stood, prepared to hike once more.
Aury reads her spellbook for a bit before everyone finishes dismantling the camp, and heads off into the woods with them.
"Here Grub, your injuries are still bad." Goivan hands Grubgullet the magical liver.
Aury'tss tries to get Grub's muscles working better again, but ends up just poking him all over with sharp claws.
That's not the way you do it, you need to poke harder with a hide like his!
Shaeyl dodges the tree adroitly.
Having dodged the vicious tree, Shaeyl sidles up next to Grub and gooses him in the ribs.
Aury'tss mentally notes Shaeyl's superb tree dodging, realizing he would be an excellent fighter against any abnormally mean treants they might find.
Day 10 - Morning
Grub, feels like his old self again, and the group packs up their camp and begins to move north along the river.
About mid-day you encounter what looks like a campsite and site of a battle perhaps only a day or so old.
"Hmm, what do you think happened here? Could be the raiders, but I don't know who they would be fighting with."
Aury'tss explores the campsite, trying to find tracks, or something that might help determine what happened.
Grubgullet is in excellent spirits today, and takes every opportunity to show off his strength. He rips trees out of the ground, heaves boulders aside, and just generally seems happy. If his companions didn't know any better, they might think he was even stronger than before.
"How do we know it was a fight? It don't look like that much got broken. I guess it coulda been little folk fightin', like you."
Its just a small campsite, but the ground is stirred near it with a lot of blood and upturned dirt and debris. Nearby you find a large pile of stones heaped into a cairn. Something is buried here based on the smell coming from it. Insect vermin scuttle from within the stones, feasting on whatever lies beneath.
I don't feel the need to be digging up a grave. But it does indicate that the winner of this battle were probably not the raiders we're looking for.
Shaeyl starts searching a little further out, looking for tracks leaving the campsite.
You find the tracks of a large humanoid, a smaller claw footed humanoid, and a medium person. You also find those of some large insectoid like tracks. The tracks resemble multiple poke into the ground in a trail, heading away northeast.
"Which way to go?"
Aury'tss wrings her hands together. "Those are pretty varied tracks, I hope no one from the big group got hurt. We should probably follow the tracks if we want to find out who it was."
So long as they continue to lead in the direction we need to go. But we have already been sidetracked once.
"Side tracks? How many tracks is there?"
As your group explores the camp and looks at the tracks leading from the site and note the large burial cairn. You hear a hail from nearby. Coming from the river actually. You turn and look to the water and a small group of people are pulling a crude raft to the shore and moving your direction. You see a minotaur with a large sword, a younger looking woman, a bear headed skinwalker, a brutish looking orc and a wiry looking gnoll. You recognize them as fellow adopted siblings of Goodwin. These were members of the large band that followed Tolhemia to the goatling village and subsequently in the exodus to Cliffort after the warning of impending giant attack and truce between the goatling tribes and the people of Cliffort.
Set at ease by a group of friends joining you, they join you and survey the area.
Lots of tracks Grub. But we do have a mission to look for raiders. Following someone heading in a direction other than towards the dwarven holdings takes us away from our task.
Shaeyl smiles and waves when he recognizes fellow Goodwinians.
Hail! And well met! Shaeyl helps them pull the raft up onto land.
Kalora waves back to the group. "Ah! Glad to see you're all well." The tall minotaur shifts to the other end of the raft as they pull the raft out of the water.
She looks up and down the ragged group, "You look like you've been through some troubles, I would've expected you to be farther inland."
We spent a day clearing out a hidden tomb of some unsavory undead. They were brittle and overripe. Tasted terrible, even with salt.
Shaeyl looks at the raft, how many times have you crossed the river that you needed a raft? Going up stream dragging that along must be tough.
"Better than drying or losing our packs every time we crossed. Ugh. There are probably still some lovely subterranean kraken hunting in this river off that way, if you like salads. The had the bones of some kobold, but we couldn't figure out why before they retreated into the depths. Glad to see it wasn't you aurys"
Lily seems disgusted with herself for losing her pack as she takes stock on dry land.
"At least I kept my cloak and kit. I wouldn't mind being dry for a bit though. River rafting isn't as much fun as you'd think."
Some of the other group explain how they were investigating reports in this area that several giant raiding groups were converging here, perhaps at the lake to the southeast.
"It's good to see you!" Goivan roars, going up to greet the other children of Goodwin. Even amongst his odd collection of children, Goivan is easily recognized since he greets everybody brought in; he seems as old as the haven itself. "I'm glad it fares well so far! Well we just done with a bit of a scrap ourselves, the tomb of a would be lich."