Strevlik:
Strevlik will keep swimming towards the passage.
He does not reply to Brashen as he is trying to hold his breath underwater.
Strevlik:
By the light of Boland’s spell you can see that the boar’s flanks are hideously bruised, and a cloud of wispy red blood floats and swirls in the water around him.
Da’gret:
Those above: Brashen continues doling out the rope as Strevlik swims further into the flooded area. He’s on the second (and final) length of rope now…
Andolphas stands guard without uttering a word, still as a statue with with spear at the ready.
Da’gret and Strevlik:
The ranger plunges the dagger into the watery blob pummeling Da’gret. As happened before when Da’gret attacked it, the thing lets out a weird shriek, like water boiling under pressure, and a cloud of bubbles is released from the point that Strevlik’s dagger entered the thing.
But this time the bubbles do not stop. They keep flowing, and the blob begins to grow smaller and looses its integrity against the gritty water around it, which flows into it, eats it up, until there is nothing left but the screech and a cloud of bubbles, both of which soon dissipate, leaving just Strevlik treading water beside the floating form of the badly wounded boar.
Glancing around, Strevlik can see that the small chamber appears to be mostly empty (apart from the grit and blood filled water), apart from an old corpse lying on the floor in one corner.
Da’gret and Strevlik:
I assume that Da’gret will shift and drink a healing potion (potion of cure light wounds); doing so restores 9 hit points whilst simultaneously dealing 1 point of damage, putting him at 8 hit points. When his rage ends, this will put him at 4 hit points. He can take further steps to heal himself now if you want.
The difficulty of drinking a potion underwater probably also uses up a couple of rounds worth of held breath, so Da’gret is going to want to make for the surface soon.
Now, since you’re exploring this area in the hope of finding something, I’ll further assume that Strevlik searches the debris (particularly the body) in the room.
The corpse consists of a bleached and cracked humanoid skeleton wearing faded red dyed leather armour with the Seeker’s star symbol engraved on the breast. A rotting leather scabbard contains a well made and surprisingly rust free short-sword, and a badly damaged backpack contains a metal flask with a sunburst symbol on the waxed stopper, and battered brass lantern with red glass panes – a match for the other lanterns in the tomb chamber above.
I’ll assume that you’ll take some or all of these items.
You can swim or pull yourselves back along the rope. As you pass through the main chamber with the pillars, approaching the passage with the stairs, you think you spot some movement in the dark water at the far side of the chamber. Not in much of a state for another underwater battle, you hurry along.
There is a tug on the rope, and Brashen starts reeling it in. Soon enough, there is a ripple in the pool of water over the stairs, and a pale dome breaks the surface, followed by the rest of Da’gret’s head. The half orc gasps mightily for air. His tusked face looks even uglier than normal, marred by several angry looking bruises.
A moment later, Strevlik’s head breaks the surface of the water behind him, the ranger also gasping for air.
“There’s something -” begins Da’gret, but before he can finish, Strevlik gives an involuntary yell and disappears below the surface of the pool.
Andolphas sighs in relief as Da'gret and Strevlik reach the surface, then gasps as Strevlik is dragged back under. "I knew it was foolish of them to have gone down there," he mumbles through clenched teeth as he helps Brashen pull on the rope.
Brash heaves on the rope, hoping that Strevlik still has a hold on it.
Still waist deep Da'gret whirls around when Strevlik is pulled under and roars lifting his oversized axe, ready to charge back in.
Boland gasps audibly as Strevlik disappears under the water, having been about to scold the ranger for not reporting back through the message spell. He strains to see any sign of what might have pulled Strelik down, or where in the water he may have been dragged to.
Strevlik:
Da’gret:
Brashen and Andolphas haul on the rope; there is resistance for a moment, and then Strevlik’s head and shoulders appear above the surface of the water (in H9).
Unable to clearly see what is going on, or what is attacking Strevlik, Boland hastily speaks the words to a spell and casts his hand out towards the action. From it dart 4, glowing lights, which streak around the areas, bathing it in light. Two of the lights disappear under the water, lighting the area just beyond Strevlik.
DM Moth
Da'gret splashes around in vain attempting to grab Strevlik and haul him out of the water.
Da’gret:
Strevlik.
"Something with claws has got my leg," yells Strevlik.
The ranger tries to kick free.
Strevlik is able to kick his way free from the creature’s clawed grasp … but as he attempts to splash away from it, he feels the creatures claws slash deeply into his calf
Brash takes out his axe and shield, and moves to stand in the shallow water awaiting the creature
Andolphas tries to keep his cool, and continues to reel in the rope that is tied to Strevlik.
Saving Throw: 7+3 = 10
As Strevlik tries to splash away from the thing in the water, he suddenly cries out in pain – then freezes rigidly in place.
Strevlik is dragged back down under the water, horror reflected in his unblinking eyes.
As the thing moves, the group gets a better glimpse of it in the light of Boland’s spell – a humanoid creature with pasty, drawn skin, a bald pate, glowing eyes and long jagged fingernails.
Seeing Strevlik freeze and go back under the water, Brash pulls with all his strength on the rope, trying to pull the ranger out of the water.
As his spell lights up the corridor, Boland finally gets a proper look at the creature grappling with Strevlik. He recoils visibly, almost wishing he hadn't cast the spell. But seeing Strevlik once more pulled under, and clearly paralysed, he snaps himself out of his disgust and prepares to aid in whatever way he can.
"Someone grab him!" he shouts to Brashen and Da'gret who stand closest, while he internally he wracks his brain for anything he's read about creatures such as this one, looking for weaknesses or vulnerabilities.
Catching a glimpse of the horrific creature that is drowning Strevlik, Andolphas attempts to determine whether it resembles something he might have heard or read about during his religious studies, while continuing to tug on the rope. "It seemed, undead... didn't it?" he mumbles to know one in particular.
Whilst Boland remains unsure of exactly what the creature may be, to Andolphas the pedigree of the ghastly thing that ghoulishly pulled Strevlik under the water is more evident.
Andolphas:
The thing holding Strevlik seems almost as strong as Brashen and Andolphas combined – but not quite. It is a struggle, but the pair heave on the rope and manage to pull Strevlik’s head and shoulders back up above water, although he still appears to be paralysed.
Boland remains unsure as to what the creature actually is, but seeing it's evident strength as it resists the pull of Brash and Andolphas, he resolves to try and do something about that.
Speaking the words of the spell, Boland points towards the creature, hoping his spell strikes home. As he utters the final word, a scintillating beam of light leaps from his finger, flashing towards the creature...
Da'gret takes his axe in both hands and steps deeper into the water lifting it high over his head with both hands. As he closes his he roars, "GET OFF OF HIM!!!" and slashes down with his axe splashing water everywhere.
Boland’s ray slices through the water and appears to hit the creature, although there is no immediate, obvious effect. Da’gret splashes through the water and brings his axe down above the monster, causing a big splash but little other obvious effect.
The monster releases Strevlik and thrusts its head forward at Da’gret under the water, its sharp jagged teeth tearing a large chunk out of the druid’s thigh.
Da'gret falls back a couple of steps and seems unsteady but snarls and keeps his grip on the axe.
Seeing the creature release Strevlik and take a nasty bite out of De'grat, Brash yells for Andolphas to finish pulling the ranger out of the water and draws his axe and shield moving towards the creature.
As Da’gret stumbles back, the ghoulish thing (possibly not enjoying the taste of half orc) seems to decide to start eating Strevlik. Amazingly, the ranger’s leather armour protects his leg’s from the creature’s shark-like teeth, but a sharpened talon rents Strevlik’s flesh for plus roll a Fortitude saving throw.
With Brashen splashing up behind him and Da'gret barely on his feet, the half-orc steps back to let Brash through and hefting his axe over one shoulder crouches down with one hand on the water surface. The boy makes some kind of strange clicking cry and waits.
Da'gret steps back beside Boland, as his magic slowly but surely knits his wounds back together.
Brashen unlimbers his shield, and drawing his axe as he goes, shoulders past the druid and the mage to put himself in position to attack the water-lurking freak.
Da'gret steps back beside Boland, as his magic slowly but surely knits his wounds back together.
Brashen unlimbers his shield, and drawing his axe as he goes, shoulders past the druid and the mage to put himself in position to attack the water-lurking freak.
Andolphas' mention of undead finally penetrates through the chaos of the battle and into Boland's thoughts. He shudders inwardly, and determidly launches into another spell, harmless to most but effective against the unliving. Finishing off the words, he points at the creature and another ray springs from his finger and launches at the creature, this one shedding a warm, glowing light.
As Boland see's the gruesome gaping wound suffered by Da'gret, he has to fight the bile rising in his throat. In combination with Strevlik still stricken, he becomes alarmed at the state of the group. Taking a gulp for courage, he glances back at Andolphas and yells for him to drag Strevlik clear. Mentally, he prepares another spell he can cast once the ranger is clear.
Andolphas calls out, “The creature must be a ghoul, or something closely related; an undead eater of flesh, an abomination against the Goddess.”
He tugs again at the rope, pulling Strevlik unceremoniously up the submerged stairs and away from the monster that torments him … unfortunately the creature snaps again at the ranger’s foot as he is dragged away, half severing the appendage.
Meanwhile, Boland fires another ray into the water at the creature, who visibly recoils. He then steps into the breach and let’s loose another spell, a fan of flames that causes the water to boil around the creature (and probably makes things a little uncomfortable for the nearby adventurers in the water too).
The ghoul turns its attention to Brashen, biting and clawing at his legs under the water. Fortunately (perhaps due in part to Boland’s weakening spell) it cannot seem to penetrate the warrior’s armour.
Back in the dark water far behind the ghoul, a portal opens. Though only Da'gret can see it at first he continues his clicking cry and a dolphin hurtles through swimming at top speed for the undead horror facing Brashen. In mere seconds it closes the distance and slams into the corpse from behind with full force, nearly driving it from the water.
In the meantime, Da'gret clamps one hand over the missing flesh of his leg slowing the flow of blood into the water and concentrating on speeding the healing.
Seeing the new form charging through the water momentarily startles Brash, but he smiles grimly as the dolphin crashes into the ghoul. His worked with Da'gret before and knows this trick. Taking advantage of the ghouls distraction, Brash strikes with his axe.
As the dolphin unexpectedly appears and slams into the back of the ghoul, the creature appears to look about frantically for escape – but all it finds is Brashen’s axe buried into the back of its head. The animated corpse stops moving, falls down to the base of the submerged stairs.
Boland is filled with a sense of elation and triumph as the combined attacks of his spells, the dolphin and Brashen's axe finally return the ghoul to death. He turns towards the rest of the party, a dopey grin painted across his face.
However, the grin quickly fades as he sees Strevlik's dire condition, and he his stomach nearly turns at the sight of the half-severed foot. "The healing potions!" he blurts out. "Who has them? Quickly!"
He falls to his knees next to the striken ranger, rumaging frantically through his backpack in case he was carrying one of the potions.