As the group scramble to rally against the undead, the zombie's snapping jaws inch towards Vaetta's face, its fetid breath moaning with desire for a taste of her warm flesh. It once more slams itself against her defences, breaking through her guard and delivering a massive blow. Vaetta falls.
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"I cannot let the skeletons eat Vaetta," Too-tuk frets as he steps protectively over the fallen warrior, "But I am not this brave, either!"
The tengu thrusts Janira's wand forward while spinning the meteor hammer's chain defensively.
"Ardenti Manus!"
Standard: Activate Wand of Burning Hands
The cone of flame bursts forth from Too-tuk's wand, blasting all three undead with cleansing fire. Both of the skeletons are immediately immolated, falling in piles of ash. The zombie lurches and manages to block part of the blast, but together with Vaetta's attack it's enough to fell the creature. The smell of roasting flesh fills the corridor.
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Vaetta blinks groggily at the beaked face staring down at her.
"Just five more minutes? She asks wryly. Then she winces as her body reminds her that she is not in fact in a bed, but rather laying on an uncomfortably cold stone floor. Vaetta coughs and sits up; rubbing her ribs where the zombie's last strike had felled her.
"I did not realize zombies were so strong... it hurt worse than being kicked by a horse." She says, standing and brushing herself off.
"How long was I out?"
The group examine the corpse, discovering the partially decomposed remains of a dhampir. Several stab wounds decorate his abdomen when he's rolled over, his face twisted in a rictus sneer. His arms bear signs of bite marks and his neck has been twisted at an unnatural angle, leaving little question as to the cause of his death.
A water-stained and blood-soaked journal lies nearby, the pages badly damaged and near unreadable, with what is left scrawled in a frantic, frenzied hand. From the scraps that are left, the dhampir appeared to be developing plans to start an army of undead made from the “fish people” who have been frequenting this cave.
Besides the ruined journal, the only other items of note are the rusted weapons held by the skeletons, and the dhampir's corpse, which wears soiled black robes, a tarnished bronze amulet in the shape of an oak tree, and a silver ring bearing a moonstone set in the shape of a kite shield, the finger it's worn on so bloated with decay it would need to be severed to remove it.
Too-tuk fails to see anything of significance when he searches the room, but his cantrip identifies both the amulet and ring to be magical. Sadly, his attempt to identify the magical properties of these two items fails to unravel their enchantments.
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Vaetta flips through the journal with interest, which turns quickly to disgust, before stowing it in her backpack for inclusion in her later report.
"Once we are done looting the corpse of this would-be necromancer we should return to the priest and explain what we've found. Now that we have cleared the caverns of hostiles, I should also take a few moments to note their layout, as well as the rest of our findings, before we leave to find Janira. I hope she is okay..." She says.
Vaetta identifies the amulet as an Amulet of Natural Armor +1, though the ring defies her attempt to identify its properties. It comes away easily enough with application of her handaxe, and she's able to wipe it clean and store it along with the amulet in her pack.
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"We might be able to use those, Vaetta, if we come upon further aggressive encounters," Too-tuk says, gesturing at the amulet and ring before she stows them away.
The tengu accepts the scroll offered by Pelotita and reads the incantation while focusing on the ring and amulet.
"I do agree with letting the fish hermit know about his kinsmen and with Nagagorjo on letting someone else do the talking--he is likely to blame Nagagorjo and me for the killing," he says, ruffling his feathers.
Too-tuk successfully identifies both items as an Amulet of Natural Armor +1 and a Ring of Protection +1, using the scroll's magic in the process. Whilst he concentrates on his spell, Pelotita searches the room but fails to find any further items or features of note.
Janira's pack
Potion of barkskin
Potions of cure light wounds (2)
Potion of feather step
Potion of vanish
Scroll of entangle
Scroll of gust of wind
Scroll of mage armor (CL 6)
Scroll of obscuring mist
Wand of cure light wounds (CL 3rd, 6 charges)
Acid
Alchemist’s fire (2)
Holy water
Smokestick
Tanglefoot bag
Thunderstone
Antitoxin
Sunrods (2)
Held by Too-tuk:
Wand of burning hands (CL 3rd, 2 charges)
Held by Vaetta:
Cloak of Resistance +1
Amulet of Natural Armor +1
Ring of Protection +1
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"We can parcel the magical items I've collected as well, if you would like? Although there are only three of them, so we cannot divide them evenly..."
"I hope we do not encounter any more enemies, I only have enough psychic energy left in my aura to manifest weapons or cast simple knacks." Vaetta replies to Too-Tuk and Pelotita in turn.
"I would like to hold onto one of the healing potions, the potion of barkskin, and the flask of acid from Janira's pack. Too-Tuk should probably hold onto one or two of the scrolls and the healing wand, he will be able to use them easier than I." She continues.
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"I can use the healing wand, yes," Too-tuk agrees. "Either you, Vaetta, or Nagagorjo should wear the protective items. Should we encounter more aggressors, keeping you alive will keep me--us--alive."
The tengu rifles through the pack. "I can use some of these scrolls, yes. Maybe I should use this one now."
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"I have no problem with that. If you are willing to take the vanguard, I will support you with my ranged weapons from the rear and protect our flanks." Vaetta says, handing the bundle of magical Ring, Amulet, and Cloak to Nagagorjo. Then she unloops her sling from her belt and gathers up a few appropriately sized stones to hurl with it.
With their items allocated by need, the group return to the gillman in the central chamber. He views them with scepticism until he spies Pelotita, whom he gives a warm smile.
"Have you returned to me with good news, friend?" he asks, listening politely as she describes the group's discovery. His face turns grim, shaking his head as he reads her lips.
"A terrible fate has befallen my fellow pilgrims, it seems. Thank you for putting their souls to rest, and I am pleased the source of this foul distress is no more. Should you wish, you and your companions may enter the waters. Their blessing will be all the greater for your acts, of this I have no doubt."
He extends his hand towards Pelotita, a small rod of coral in his palm. "Please, accept this as a token of good faith and a symbol of our friendship. It contains a spell to shield the faithful, one which will last a half dozen minutes. The magics should be sufficient to grant a half-score of uses more from it, and I hope it aids you in your quest, whatever it may be."
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Pelotita's face cannot hide her abundant gratitude.
"Thank you so much, Uori! You're an angel! I hope our paths cross again sometime!"
She graciously accepts the gift and wraps it gently in some sack cloth before gingerly stowing it in an outside pouch of Janira's backpack, the bottom tip just barely poking out.
"It looks like there's another tunnel over yonder. We can check it out an' make sure it's all cleaned up while you finish your meditations."
Pelotita examines the carvings carefully.
The carvings here are different in style from the petroglyphs found elsewhere in the caves, and they date back to long before the gillmen explored this area. Scattered throughout the cave are inscriptions from the History and Future of Humanity, the principle holy text of Aroden, and images that depict these passages. The carvings focus on parables that feature Aroden’s 12 guises, meant to illustrate his hopes for humanity: the artist, beggar, craftsman, farmer, fisherman, hunter, merchant, scholar, shepherd, soldier, tailor, and thief.
Only four of these parables are still decipherable. The sections of the holy text depicted are slightly different than those that appear in the known version of the History and Future of Humanity, suggesting that these might represent an earlier version of the work. A brief ritual is tied to each which appears to be linked to the sculpture in the other room.
The Artist is depicted painting murals on the walls of impressive buildings, associated with Aroden having painted the city of Absalom with beautiful colors so that it might awe all who visited. To complete the Artist’s ritual, one must paint or decorate one or more buildings in the model city.
The Merchant is depicted weighing and trading coins of different sizes, a reference to the holy text’s proverb that peace brings trade and prosperity to all people. To complete the Merchant’s ritual, one must place one of their own coins in the miniature city and take one of the other coins in return.
The Soldier is depicted bearing a lantern through the streets of a city, following the dead god’s prophecy that the vigilant shall carry light to the darkest corners of the world to banish the shadows. To complete the Soldier’s ritual, one must place a torch or other light source in the city.
Finally, the Thief is depicted stealing a gem from a shop while whispering a prayer, an allusion to a passage saying that larceny—though illegal—is a form of praise, for anything worth stealing is also worthy of praise for its craftsmanship. To complete the Thief’s ritual, one must steal one of the colored stones in the miniature city without anyone else commenting.
Pelotita conveys this information to her allies.
You approach the model city hesitantly, and Uori watches you with amusement. "Worshipping echoes of a dead god? You're a strange one, though I admit there's still power left in this cave. Do as you will, I'll not begrudge you your curiousity," says the gillman, closing his eyes as he performs his own devotions to the pure waters of the pool.
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Listening to Pelotita explain what she saw on the wall, Too-tuk attempts to replicate the most straight forward of the aspects of Aroden. He takes one of the blue flame torches from the cave wall and props it up inside the walls of the miniature city.
While there, he shoos away the frogs and attempts to crush one of the colored pebbles to see if he can make colored dust.
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Pelotita picks up some moss and sand and playfully decorates a few buildings.
"With most tall folk, they think flat-like. They can see so far away, and they like to gaze upon endless fields. But in the Mushfens, space goes to hogs, so if you want to grow anything, you gotta think vertically."
She drapes the longer strands over the rooftops and spires.
"I ain't never lived in a big ol' city before, but if'n I did, I'd try to grow food tha same way. Plus it just looks pretty!"
As the group attempts their rituals, Pelotita sketches a before-and-after rendition of the city so she can report it back to the Society.
As Too-tuk sets one of the torches in the city, a faint nimbus of golden energy ripples across the body of all present, fortifying them against harm if injured.
Before Too-tuk can complete his pigments, Pelotita tosses her handfuls of moss and sand in abstract patterns across the city. The effect is... unorthodox, looking more like a child's idle playtime mess than any artistic work of merit, but nevertheless golden light briefly flashes in each of the adventurer's eyes, granting their senses a faint edge to detect hidden creatures.
Nagagorjo approaches the city and trades a coin for one of equal weight, and as his trade completes, all of the group notice golden ripples of energy dancing along their fingers, making them more sensitive to appraising worth and identifying magical enchantments.
The group thank Uori, leaving him to his meditations via the tunnel to the northeast. Too-tuk takes the rear, the colored pebble still in his hand, uncrushed, unnoticed, unmentioned. A minute later, as the group round a corkscrewing passage leading deeper into the caves, a ripple of golden energy dances along the group's feet, making them slightly more evasive.
The persistent glow of the bluish fungi dimly lights the way deeper below the Kortos Mounts. The tunnels broaden to reveal a shallow river that bisects an immense tunnel stretching to the north and south. To the east a small passage exits the chamber at a steep incline.
Heedless of danger, Pelotita rushes forward, forgoing stealth in her eagerness to view new underground wonders. Too-tuk follows after he takes a moment to prepare his defences, whilst Vaetta readies a stone in her sling, more cautious than her companions about encountering further creatures.
In the dim light of the glowing fungus, Pelotita and Too-tuk both spot a short, reptilian humanoid at the exit to this cave. It hisses as it hears Pelotita approach, eyes glinting in the darkness and teeth bared.
(diseased) (flat-footed)
(Blessing of the Faithful 1/1)
(Mage Armor)
(flat-footed)
The small reptilian creature gives a yipping bark of aggression, then draws out a sling and eyes Pelotita with murderous intent.