"A guardian of some sort hiding in plain sight." Tylur removes the bow from his back and gets ready to nock an arrow
Quietly mumbling, "Really?"
René scratches his chin. "Well, don't them red eyes look right welcomin'? Mebbe someone could go an give it a forceful hug? Send it fer a swim-like. So long as someone can do that without gettin' wet themselves anyway." He eyes the creature warily. Given where they were, it probably wanted to eat them. He grimaced at the memory of what was upstairs.
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It's of no surprise to any of you when the vines begin to sway and move, and a dark blue creature with a conical body covered in angry red eyes and numerous tentacles slops to the ground. It lashes its tentacles at Skarn's feet as if they were whips.
-- Bold is up --
René, Tylur, Skarn
Tentacled Monster
Aurora, Cordwin
Skarn will 5’ step towards the creature and swing away...
x4
Crit confirm...
x4
René chuckles softly at the "surprise". "Why do them critters always think havin' more eyes is a good idear? Jus' means more things ta poke out."
Cordwin tries to study the creature to figure out anything about it.
Tylur smiles at Skarn's brutal attack, and similarly steps ahead to swing his spiked chain at the tentacled beast.
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René had happened upon monsters similar to these in a book he'd read. The beast is called a Tentamort, and they don't have any weaknesses of note. Cordwin may as well have taken a class dedicated to Tentamorts. He knows they have the following:
Special Attacks - Constrict (1d6+1)
Special Abilities - Poison (Ex) Sting—injury; save Fort DC 15; frequency 2 rounds; effect 1d4 Con plus nausea; cure 1 save.
Special Defenses - None
René stares into every eye of the creature, one by one, and sends a twinge of fear into its soul. Skarn nearly severs the creature in two with his heavy pick, and Tylur slams his chain into the already-bloodied area. The creature hisses in pain while retaliating on he who hurt it most... Skarn.
Skarn reels in pain as the Tentamort lunges a poisonous tentacle into his belly. Thanks to René's hex, it just misses wrapping a second tentacle around the dwarf's neck.
-- Bold is up --
René, Tylur, Skarn (-5)
Tentamort (-29)
Aurora, Cordwin
Tylur does his best to help finish the creature after Skarn's pick strikes deep into the body of the tentamore.
+2 more for poison?
Skarn continues attacking...
x4
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René glances between the tentamort and Aurora. He wanted to make a joke about tentacle monsters, but he wasn't really sure it was appropriate in mixed company (or possibly any company). Normally he wouldn't care one way or another, but he was already pretty sure Aurora dreamed of punching him repeatedly. A sharpened stick might even be involved. And given the rate at which they were failing to complete what was supposed to have been a fairly straightforward (although probably lethal) mission, it kind of seemed like he might be stuck traveling with her for a while. And given how she seemed to be the one always stitching people up when they were on the brink of death, he probably didn't want to be on her bad side. So instead he remained uncharacteristically silent and simply edged further in to the room.
Wrinkling her nose at the vine creature. What in the Abyss is my life turning into? A quick step forward brings her behind Skarn and she touches his shoulder. Please don't let it touch me!
Cordwin, not able to close with the creature, and after his last example of martial prowess, it is probably a good thing, instead casts daze at the creature.
While he waits for everyone to recover from the tentamort attack, René idly wonders out loud. "Given the right-proper ass-whooping he showed us last time, why d'ya think Tsuto sendin' us through this whole rigamarole ta find him again?"
Leaning against the wall and letting out a frustrated groan, "Cause he wants things to be easier for him."
At the utterance of Tsuto's name Tylur straightens up his whole body going tight with anger. "Let him send every minion there is he cannot hide from us forever. Not if whatever plan he has schemed wishes to come fruition. He will show his face soon enough and this time it will not be us that are the captives."
”Probably it is simple the natural tendency to be more concerned when a suave and good looking dwarf is on your trail!”
Cordwin also pipes up. I'm tired of the appetizers, let's go find the main course!
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"Don't think us killin' alla his minion is 'xactly the 'easy' way of killing us. Or least, not the most efficient. As for 'swave' dwarves, he ain't never even seen ya. Doubt he even knows yer with us yet. Prolly best fer ya; better chance ta miss that demon's attention."
René rolls his eyes at Cordwin's comment. "And what d'ya think we've been tryin' ta do all this time? I ain't trudging through a cannibal's lair fer my health. But if ya actually know where Tsuto is, by all means, take us there so we can avoid the million an' other things tryin' ta kill us in here."
All the drawn out tension was starting to take its toll on him. Living each moment as though it might be your last was no way to live. What happened to the good ol' days of free bedding, booze, and board? How had one good deed turned in to this nightmare?
Cordwin is surprised to hear René's biting comment. He then glances at Aurora and notices she's not to happy either. He couldn't blame them. The only thing he should be looking for is some dusty old tome in some dusty old library not someone who committed patricide! Not having any retort he says quietly, I'm ready to continue whenever you all are.
”Ach, don’t be thinking it’s us holding up this shindig. We dwarves are just waiting about for you folks to point in a damn direction.”
Rubbing her face with both hands, "I know I am not the calmest person but we do not need to let tempers boil over right now."
Tylur feels worn down, but he does nothing to show this to his companions. "Enough of the bickering. The goblins or whatever else is down here might hear us. Come on let us move onwards."
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After taking some time to collect yourselves, you examine the room next to where you fought the tentacle monster. Dozens of strange dead bodies lie scattered about. Most are sea birds and ospreys, but there are six dead goblins here as well. Each body is literally skin and bones, as if all of the interior organs and muscles have somehow been drained away, leaving behind skeletons draped with leathery, slowly rotting skin.
One of the goblin skeletons wears an intact +1 hide armor made from dog hide.
Back from where the stairs entered this floor, a door opens to a room lined with small, wooden cages. Inside each cage is a dirty mound of straw. In two of the cages are tiny and feral goblin babies who shriek as they notice you enter, scraping their teeth along the wooden bars.
Cordwin looks at the goblin babies with a mixture of pity and disgust. Part of me wants to put the little buggers out of their misery, but part of me wonders if they can be redeemed. He then looks at Tylur. You follow The Inheritor do you not? Perhaps you know of a cleric or orphanage that will make it their life's work to raise them to follow the goodly path?
Closing her eyes for a moment before walking into the room and crouching down next to the emaciated goblins.
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Sucking in a breath and staring at the young creatures with a look of horror. Nodding along with Cordwin, "We could find somewhere for them."
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Skarn will find a bucket, or other container and summon several gallons of beer into it for the little critters, preferably something nice and hearty and good for the young gobbo’s metabolisms.
+3 to identify creature abilities and weaknesses
”Ahhh, something sweet, tasty, with a lot of flavor and wheat proteins.”
”A thick honey mead, fortified with a strong wheat brew should be just the thing.”
He casts his spell and fills the containers...
”There, now that oughts to help fortify the little beasties.”
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Given the nature of their wounds, Aurora determines the dead goblins could have only been killed by the same Tentamort the party had earlier dispatched.
The goblins kids eyes practically glow as Skarn presents them with freshly made mead. They quickly lap it up, fighting over the bucket as it spills onto the straw below them. A few minutes pass, and the duo quickly enter a sleepy haze, slumping over each other.
The next door opens a long hallway flanked by five more doors. The first door to your north opens to a small bedroom. The room is clean and well organized. A low dresser to the southwest has a stack of papers sitting atop it, weighted down by a large chunk of obsidjan, while to the northwest sits a well-made bed.
The notes on the nightstand are of particular interest...
- Father deserves to die. That old, grizzled man won't see it coming.
- My love demands Sandpoint - what a wretched place! - be razed to the ground.
- Use goblins? The idiots will do anything to see fireworks, won't they?
- Blackmail Lonjiku. Demand gold.
- Investigate the Catacombs below Glassworks. Glassworks to make a great staging ground.
- Demand Lonjiku meet me there or I will reveal his part in the raid.
- What a brilliant plan. Nualia will be so pleased with my efforts.
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”If any of you ever be telling people that I played nursemaid to these gobbo’s, I’ll place you under the Salt and Sour curse! Ye shall ne’er again have a draught of anything brewed, steeped, or pressed that don’t be tasting as the most accursed combination of the tartest of tart flavor, worse than cranberries, or mebbe lemons, along with a salty briny taste worse than the tears of salt elemental!”
René is about to say that they should finish looking the place over before dropping the babies off at some sort of orphanage when Skarn makes beer for them. His mouth still part way open with his half-formed first word, he tilts his head to one side in puzzlement. He was pretty sure you didn't want to give children beer. But maybe that was just human children? They typically didn't like the taste anyway, while this kids clearly loved it. Shrugging, he shakes his head and moves on.
Looking over the notes, René asks the rest of the group. "Who's Lonjiku? Was that the name of Tsuto and Ameiko's pa? Or is this a diff'rent fella? Also looks like mebbe we should tell the sheriff to keep a guard on the Glassworks. Not sure if we mucked up this whole 'stagin' ground' bizness or if it jus' mean they're gonna bust in ta finish their plans. Mebbe something with all that hoodoo religious alter-y stuff?"
Done looking over the paper, René then drops down to look under the bed, both for someone possibly hiding and hidden stashes of goods or a trap door.
"I never heard his name spoken but the only Tien in Sandpoint are Ameiko and her late-father. So it is likely the same person and makes sense how Tsuto was able to set up shop there. Let us bring the letter in case we not bring the criminal home."
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There's nothing under the bed or of other interest inside the room containing the incriminating note stash.
The next door opens to another bedroom. This one-person bedroom shows many signs of having been lived in. The bed itself is rumpled and unmade, and a half-eaten meal of bread and smoked salmon sits on the nightstand. A few articles of dirty clothing sit at the foot of the bed.
A ruggedly handsome man armed with a sword and shield is startled, and turns to face the new arrivals. "Ah, finally something to do down here. And who might you be? None of you look familiar, so I can only assume you're intruders who managed to slip past the goblins. No surprise, really. Exactly why she hired a real bodyguard, not some lame 'goblin king'" He twirls his blade in his hand. "Come now, let's dance, shall we?"
Skarn will step up and attempt to thump the chatty human...
x4
From the back of the group, René calls out, "Hey, is that Sue-toe? Have we finally found the blighter?" When he (probably) receives an answer in the negative, he gives a disbelieving laugh. "Really, how hard kin it be ta find one lousy, little half-elf?"
Why O why can't we find Tsuto! Cordwin says as he fires his crossbow at the human.
Tylur looks at the tight quarters and moves into the room to assist Skarn with whoever this man is. Bringing his chain up he quickly whirls it around and launches the hook for the man's blade as he moves past Skarn.
Reaching out and touching Cordwin on the shoulder as he runs past. "Don't die this time."
Skarn keeps battling their opponent, despite the wound that he received.
x4
The skill of this bodyguard was apparent as he watched the man wield his blade with relatively ease even in these tight quarters. Doing his best to coordinate attacks with Skarn he whipped his chain at the man's leg while the dwarf swung his pick axe.
Taking advantage of fortune for one more round, Cordwin launches another bolt.
René does a mad dash past the room, glancing inside just long enough to see the group's frontliners doing a horrible job. "Heh, he ain't Tsuto, but he seems ta be givin' y'all the same bother."
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Skarn nearly hits the armored bodyguard, but the human deflects the pick with his shield at the last moment. Tylur again whiffs, but Cordwin manages to scrape the man with a bolt.
"It's five against one. This should be easy for anyone. Out of practice, are we?" He lunges ahead, attempting to stab the dwarf once more.