The wide, sloping base of a massive column is built up with streets, walls, and hundreds of elaborate structures. A few glimmer with faint illuminations, and here and there, lanterns shed green illumination in small pools separated by gulfs of shadow. Portions of the small city are completely collapsed and obviously abandoned, though others show clear signs of habitation and upkeep. A Great Wall surrounds the lowest edges of the city, and upon that edifice, hundreds of rusty spikes point toward the cavern’s high ceiling. Rotting heads adorn scores of those spikes.
Bozvrig keeps a lookout as the others peruse the contents of the coffer.
"Oy, we should keep movin'. That big fish looked right pissed."
Lanliss just shrugs with a small grin when Dalron asks him to evaluate the pearl.
He is appalled when he sees heads on pikes. But he also notes what races the heads belonged to.
"Wait, on second glance I do believe this vial is full of Dust of Dryness. It is a magical powder that dries out liquid when it comes in contact. It is particularly potent if it is used as a weapon against water-based or water-dwelling creatures, like the big fish we saw earlier."
"Interesting. So if we run into a water elemental or something we have an effective weapon if needed."
Following Dalron, looking at the heads on the spikes. "How inviting..."
"This city looks fascinating, if a little grim."
"We must find time to see if there are any booksellers in the bazaar the duerger spoke of. I'm certain the university library would be interested in volumes sourced from such a strange place."
Approaching the city, "Ain't nearly as pretty up close, eh?"
As Barnabus goes on and on about these 'books', Bozvrig scratches his head and gives Truffels a confused shrug. Truffels just grunts and trots along, looking for mushrooms along the trail.
"So uh, how we gonna go 'bout lookin' fer our snake friend and the half-elf girl?"
"The grey dwarf said something about an information broker named 'Es Sarch'. He told us to look for him in the Dripstone Inn on the Street of Five Hanged, directly north three blocks from Pedestal’s southern gate." Barnabus answers Boz.
"I say we check this inn and see if will make for a base of operations."
"Good idea. And maybe we can also ask around and try to find out how to keep our heads from adorning pikes".
"Both sounds good to me. Find the Inn and find out how to stay on the good side of the local authority."
"I have a feeling that looking formidable is probably our best form of safety in a place like this."
"Let us proceed north through the gate to see if we can locate this inn."
As Lanliss inspects the heads on top of the spikes he realized the extent of the rot that is happening to those heads. Ears, noses, and even jaws are hanging off or even falling off due to the rot and how long they have been up. Because of the decay, you are unable to figure out the races of those heads.
Dark stones sag over an open gatehouse. The gaping arch reveals a rubble-strewn roadway, a low barricade of piled debris, and an ominous cityscape beyond, where shadowed buildings lean above sloping cobbled lanes illuminated by light from glowing lanterns.
A gray, pudgy humanoid that has willowy limbs and flipper-like hands and feet bounds from the shadows, its fishlike head sporting bulbous eyes. It carries a spear and a large shield, and the smell of rotten fish hangs in the air around it. With a gurgling snarl, it leaps to attack as its skin flushes red.
As this one approaches, you see two more at the rear of the gatehouse behind a makeshift barricade.
Initiative
Everyone
Kuo-Toas
Taking Barnabus's advice, Bozvrig roars at the fishfolk as he brandishes his scimitar and shield.
"Yeah!!! What he said!!!" Barnabus adds to Boz's cry.
Del will hold action until he is attacked by one of these overgrown minnows, then he will unleash holy fury if attacked.
(Power Attack)
(Power Attack)
Stopping short of the opening, the creature halts wide eyed at Bozvrig. Full of confusion its eyes dart between Barnabus and Dalron. It bares its teeth as it begins to speak in a strange language.
“This is our gatehouse! We’re Inheritors, and you’re not! You pay to go through!”
With the last bit that he said he emphasizes it by thrusting his spear towards the group.
"Stop babling and speak a decent tongue or we'll add your heads to the wall there!!!" Barnabus yells at the fish dudes while he gestures with his axe to the spiked wall.
Scarlet reveals to the group what the creature wants, "It is demanding a toll to go through the gate."
"Yah, we're not in the mood to waste time or gold on common footpads, even if they do have flippers." Barnabus chimes in.
"Growl a little more...." he says under his breath to Boz
Looking around between everyone who is speaking the creature seems confused. When Scarlet begins speaking he responds
“You give us 5 gold each and you can enter.”
Rummaging around in the bag of holding for the coins, "Back in my home town, I often dealt with people from the Under when dealing with the black market."
Hands over 30 gold coins for the group to pass.
With a smile the Kuo-Toa before you barks a quick order and two more come out from behind corners near the first one. All three of them stand down, the two from behind the barricades move it to make a single file passageway.
“Welcome to Pedestal.”
From outside looking in one might think that Pedestal is a large bustling city. Once the party moves through the south gatehouse you quickly realize this is not true. You do see people within but they are rough looking and few and far between. Half of the buildings you see are ruins and look vandalized.
Behind you, the Koa-Toa move the barricade back into place and they stand guard once again.
"We have directions to this Dripstone Inn place. I say we make for there gather some information and perhaps make the place our base of operations." Barnabus says.
"I think we should attempt to gauge the overall situation before asking directly for information about our quarry. They probably shouldn't expect pursuit, but if word gets around that surface dwellers are asking about them, then we'll find ourselves walking into a trap."
"I agree with Barnabus. We need more information and might want to treat the entire city as hostile environment until we can get a better grasp on the situation."
Looking about at the derelict urban environment Barnabus says: "This place is a hostile environment. My people have fought wars against every race we're likely to encounter here."
He pulls out his flask and takes a strong pull.
"Let's be about it." gesturing up the street.
Bozvrig hefts his blade across his shoulders, "Lead de way, Barnie."
Barnabus nudges Dalron and points up the stret.
"Uhhh, it's that way mate."
Lanliss wanders along with the party gawking at everything with a smile of wonder on his face. He'll nod at everything suggested, even if it's contradictory.
Del is walking with his head up today, as the curse from the ring seems to have run it's course... and he's always fascinated by new things and beings.
Perception
The party makes their way north on this Main Street, while keeping a watchful eye out. There are people moving about, but all are very skittish.
Continuing on, the party isn’t bothered by anyone on the streets, but you get the feeling that it could be because you are on the main path. You make your way to a place that seems to contain all of the life of this city.
Lights of every hue stream from the windows of this sprawling three-story building. Conversing voices, snippets of song, and the clatter of crockery spill into the street. Odors of exotic tobaccos, yeasty drink, and barbecued meat suffuse the air. The wall facing the street is a sculpted formation of flowstone, like dozens of drooping hands, apparently built up from water falling from somewhere height above. Here and there, stone faces Lear out from the deposits.
Conversations near the entryway go quiet as many patrons in this common room look you over. Few of the faces seem welcoming, and most that do look hungry or insane. Dusky dwarves, wild-eyes Derry, slim drow, and stranger creatures sit or stand in the dozen or so lantern-lit niches scattered about this large, high-ceilinged chamber.
A central bar is stuffed with bottles, cask, pipes, vials, cigarillos, and less familiar paraphernalia. Cloaked in white linen, a humanoid figure stands behind the bar. Four servers move about the room, similarly shrouded. A side door apparently opens into a busy kitchen that is alive with the sounds and scents of cooking.
From a great stone chair across the common room, a humanoid figure observes, wrapped in and hooded by a crimson robe that has a complex pattern of eyes on it. Whatever this creature is, you sense that little escapes its notice.
Scarlet approaches the bar and smiles at the humanoid figure behind the bar.
Any empty tables?
Bozvrig sniffs out the room as Truffles searches for scraps of food on the floor.
"Right. I'm hungry. Let's find us a seat."
Del follows the others in rubbing his eyes a bit.
"I definitely need a drink. Did anybody else see some kind of giant spider thingy with a human body back there... or maybe it was a giant spider tilting up and eating someone... though I doubt the'd let something like that roam the streets".
The party enters and all of the patrons quickly resume their conversations, eating, and more importantly drinking.
Scarlet approaches the bar and speaks to the white linen cloaked humanoid. Upon closer examination, he realizes that the humanoid behind the bar is undead. The creature is so gaunt that it is nearly skeletal. Looking around, Scarlet sees that all of the other white linen cloaked humanoids are also the same kind of creatures.
Once Scarlet speaks the creature behind the counter turns its attention to him and responds in common in a husky whisper; “We understand you. But not all will. We will serve you. What can we get you?”
As Scarlet makes his way to the bar; one of the white linen cloaked creatures approaches the party as soon as Bozvrig says “Let’s find us a seat.” The party sees that the creature is some kind of undead. Its skin is so gaunt that it is nearly skeletal. It motions wordlessly towards a table, then without a response begins walking towards it.
As the party makes its way towards the table, you all see all sorts of creatures sitting around tables eating and drinking. Most unknown to the party, except to maybe Barnabus and Del due to their dwarven heritage fighting against the creatures of the Underdark.
Once the party is sitting around the table, the undead creature looms over the party silently and patiently, waiting for the party to say something.
As Dalron followed the undead creature, he looks around at the creatures within he begins to feel something odd... something he only feels when he is in the presence of Goblinoids... a hatred. He is unsure of what. Silently, a faint whisper Dalron begins to hear something, a strange language it would seem. It continues what it is saying getting louder and louder. Suddenly Dalron can understand what it is saying as it ends with a shout.
“kill them, kill them now, end them. they must not survive, they can not, not for what they did. Kill them, kill them all, kill them
Suddenly Dalron snaps to and realizes he is looking frantically around the room and the party seems not to of noticed his behavior as they all sit down around the table.
Only slightly being concerned about being served by undead, he lets it slide. "Thanks. My companions and I will like some ale, just bring a couple of pitchers and some mugs."
"How much?" reaches into his bag to pull out the necessary coin before returning to his companions.
“And food,” adds Bozvrig. He sets his scimitar against the table within arms reach, “Watcha got?”
Scarlet comes and joins the rest of the group at the table, shortly behind him comes two of the white linen cloaked figures. One holding two pitchers of ale, the other carrying six mugs. When asked “Watcha god?” the undead figures stair silently at you.
Everyone looking around sees a mixture of Drow, Duergar, Derro, Grimlocks, Kuo-toas, dwarfs, and Svirfneblins.
Del takes his seat, and not really sure how to react socially, sits quietly and waits for whatever food and drink come his way. He looks with distrust at his normal enemies, but relaxes as no violence seems to be afoot.
|
Sitting down looking at the other patrons still trying to locate the source of the voice that was talking to him on the way to the table.
"Watcha god?....Maybe this place is a pay first place. Scarlet do we have any more of those coins that we found? Maybe one or two of them, is what this one is seeking."
Everyone give me a Sense Motive check, @Scarlet you get a +2 bonus.
Bozvrig scrutinizes the undead server, "Does it even eat?" he wonders aloud. He then looks around the tavern to see if there's anything edible looking on any of the other tables.