"I was wondering if we could fry them up and serve them for dinner," Meghan comments. She's looking at her mostly-unhealed wounds critically (and looking rather annoyed about it), but her eyes dart to Orendel to see if he's accepted her goddess's boon.
"That was quite the adventure you had there, Dougal. Lucky you had a damsel to save you from your distress!" Silvio teases, but light-heartedly.
"I think one of these fish is still alive. Do we want to start an aquarium?" For a moment, you think he's joking again. "No, really. Do you think it could be an attraction?"
If no one bites, Silvio will finish off the fish with a merciless final book-thumping.
Orendel gives Silvio an "Are you serious?!" kind of look.
"These fish can walk on land. I'd worry about one walking out of its tank and eating any halflings on the gambling floor," he replues dryly.
Cherry splutters out some of the nasty subterranean water and finishes pulling Dougal ashore. She stands and looks far too much like a wet cat - bedraggled and unhappy - before Meghan cleans her off with a few waves of the hand.
She pats Dougal on the back. "You all right? Did you swallow too much water there? Can you talk?"
Coughing up some of the sadly disgusting water and letting himself flop on the ground. Smiling up at Cherry, "My hero."
Turning his head to look at Silvio, "Honestly you might be surprised how many times a damsel has saved me from distress."
Sitting up, "So that went well. You all did great!"
Pushing himself to stand back up and moving to pat Meghan one the shoulder, "You have joined in with some ill luck, you get used to it after a while."
"We did well enough. We can celebrate with some fish stew tonight," says Silvio, completing his braining of the remaining barracuda.
He spends some time straightening up his attire and cleaning off the fish guts from his book. When he's done, he seems ready to continue with business. "Still need to watch out for those troglodytes, though. Ready?"
Orendel shrugs as he accepts Meghan and Calistria's gift. He wasn't a priest, so he figured Torag wasn't going to hold against him.
"Don't be so hard on yourself, Dougal, you take the misfortune that comes your way head on and you endure."
He stands up and nods at Silvio.
"I'm ready."
With some form of illumination leading the way, it is hard to be very sneaky in the dark, damp underground. Trudging down the path that exits the pool chamber to the south, the group traverses a narrow, winding tunnel that ends in a T-shaped junction after about 40' of heading basically south or southeast.
At the junction a 5' wide tunnel heads to the east while a slightly wider passage heads to the west. The stench of troglodytes is clearly stronger coming from the westerly passage.
Cherry gives Meghan a lopsided smile and says, "Thanks for th' help, an' keepin' the boys intact."
As the team reassembles to head further into the dark, she peers off into the deeps with her uncanny fiendish sight...
Orendel moves to take point with the group, his elfy eyes scanning into the darkness.
The eastern passage, which is narrower, extends for about 30' then bends around a curve enough that you can't see farther than that.
The western way, which is about wider, opens up into a little bigger area may 10x10 about 50's ahead, but from there the passage splits again, like a wishbone.
"Two forks west, single curve to the east," says Cherry. "I guess east, 'cuz if we go west we have to decide which fork to take an' we're already having enough trouble deciding which way to go as-is."
"Sounds good to me," agrees Silvio.
Shrugging, "I mean so long as we don't die we will be checking both ways so I doubt it matters."
"Got that right," Orendel replies. "East it is, then."
Orendel begins moving in that direction.
Led by Orendel the team squeezes through the narrow passage to the east, working their way around the slight bend in the tunnel. On the other side, about 30' farther to the east, a small cave holds a still pool. A lack of water on the walls indicates no tidal action, and stony shore is unmarked by debris. Slumped against teh wall facing the pool is a skeleton garbed in the rotten tatters of a navy coat. Its hollow eyes stare sightlessly into the pool, and its bony knuckles clutch at a rusty sword blade the protrudes from its sternum.
"Poor bastard," Orendel comments. He moves forward to take a closer look.
"I wonder if that's another of Saul's former associates," Meghan quips. "It fits his modus operandi--stabbing someone in the back."
She keeps her eyes on the pool as Orendel closes on the skeleton.
Silvio checks for magic and issues an appropriate warning if he sees anything suspicious.
There is nothing much more to see about the skeletal sailor, but Orendel's keen eyes catch something glinting in the bottom of the pool, which appears a mirror of blackness to everyone else. There is nothing magical detected on or about the corpse.
Silvio casts Light on a rock and tosses it down the pool to hopefully illuminate it.
"So, Cherry, are you feeling up for another swim?
"Sure, why not?" says the tiefling amicably. "My hair's already wet anyway."
The pool is still and only about 6' deep. When the illuminated stone is cast in, you can see the water is clearer than it appeared. The stony bottom of the small pool is clearly visible now, and sitting on the bottom is an old sea chest. The rotted chest has now burst, and the glint of gold is visible where the seams have opened up. Lying near the chest, face down in the silt, is another skeletal figure, with a wooden peg-leg and the tattered remains of a red (now faded) bandanna tied atop its bleached white skull.
Cherry moves in cautiously, rapier in hand, to examine the remnants of the skeleton first, then the chest.
(+1 to spot traps)
"Sunken treasure!" Orendel comments.
"And buried bodies," adds Silvio more somberly. "Could be the remains of Saul's dirty work. I hate to say it, but it makes me wonder if we'll find Larur down here too."
Cherry hits the water with a splash, wading in and then swimming under still with her rapier in hand. Just after she enters teh water, much to her chagrin, but not surprise, she sees the underwater corpse start to move, rising with a grotesque agility. The remaining flesh on the skeletal thing is putrid and falling off, but it's eyes glow with a fiendish red light that is reflected horrifically in the pool. "Miiinnnneee" moans the monster eerily as it gains footing at the bottom of the pool.
Still Pool - Round 1
22 Meghan
20 Cherry
15 Dougal
12 Orendel
8 Wight
4 Silvio
"A wight! It's touch will drain life energy until its victims also rise again as wights!"
Groaning at Silvio's words, "Of course it is!"
Moving past the other and raising his hand, "A little help would be nice."
"Fortune--and Calistria--favors the bold!" Meghan declares, stepping up to Orendel and touching him lightly on the arm. "Make your strikes count!"
Cherry quickly backs up out of the water, rapier held out in front of her, and tries to force the wight to come toward her and the team.
"Thanks, Meghan," Orendel replies when she blesses him. "I will."
He marches forward towards the wight.
"HEY! COME AND GET ME, YA MISER!"
He strikes at the wight.
Still Pool - Round 1 - continued
As everyone sees the foul undead stretch forth under the water, Meghan reaches out and taps Orendel on the shoulder, passing along her goddess' luck bonus.
Backpedaling as fast as she can once teh wight comes into view, Cherry gets her feet back on dry land, and stand ready with her rapier to puncture the undead thing should it decide to follow.
Undaunted by the powerful undead, Dougal advances, staying clear of the water, and invokes the power of Cayden. The malty aroma of fresh brewed beer and the sound of ale mugs clinking together is heard and a wave of pure goodness surrounds Dougal, hammering the underwater wight who cannot resist its power.
With Calistria's luck coursing through him, Orendel plunges into the pool to fight the unquiet dead. Like Dougal in the last room, he finds himself in deep water quickly and with muddy and treacherous footing, he cannot advance or attack.
From its place at the bottom of the stagnant water, the wight clambers out, heading for the priest of Cailean. He must first go through the spear-wielding Orendel, who interposes himself in front of the cleric.
The wight swings a bony fist that smacks Orendel, the blow is painful , but the icy feeling that spreads through the ex-soldier is like nothing he's ever known, a mixture of pain, rage, and sorrow.
Silvio engages the enemy on what he hopes is dry land and tries to slam his trusty book into the enemy.
;
His book gets caught on the side of the cave wall instead.
Orendel blanches as the monster's strike connects, and memories of the battle begin to return, unbidden. His comrades falling one-by-one to Nirmathan arrows, the general tumbling from his horse, and the cold glare of his father.
"No...no no nonono! Not again! NOT AGAIN!" he cries, panic clear in his voice.
Still Pool - Round 1 - concluded
Silvio moves up to smash the fearsome wight with his holy book, but instead nearly drops the unwieldy tome, fumbling around instead of attacking.
End of Round 1
Still Pool - Round 2
22 Meghan
20 Cherry (readied attack)
15 Dougal
12 Orendel (2hp dmg, 1 negative level)
8 Wight (5hp dmg)
4 Silvio
Meghan briefly considers trying to make Cherry invisible to the undead pirate but discards the idea: there's no way for the tiefling to move up and attack the thing without entering the pool and giving away her position. She reluctantly moves to Orendel and again grants him Calistria's favor .
Orendel feels Meghan's blessing and it snaps him out of the flashback.
"Oh gods, thank you!" he exclaims.
Then he turns back to the monster.
"Now I REALLY f***ing want to kill you, for putting me through that again!"
He lashes out at the monster.
Still Pool - Round 2 - continued
Meghan considers different tactics, but ends up relying on the same move, passing a bit of Calistrian luck to Orendel, who already looks drawn from the touch of the wight.
As flashbacks of his soldiering days fill his head, Orendel launches attacks with his spear and shield on the undead sailor, but in his weakened state, neither is able to score a hit.
Cherry had been waiting for the fearsome undead to approach her, but now that it has gone after Orendel, she makes up her mind to circle behind it by swimming through the pool. Stroking hard across the still water, she ends up on dry land behind the wight, eager to stab it in the back.
Noting that his positive energy had a desirous effect on the wight, Dougal blasts it again, unleashing a shockwave of power that leaves that same taste of malt in everyone's mouth and obviously harms the walking corpse.
Still working on Orendel, mainly to get to the holy cleric, the wight's bony fist flashes out once again. This time, however, the life-draining attack clangs off Orendel's shield hurting no one.
Silvio delays until after Cherry's turn. Then he would attack (hoping for a flank here), and step backwards.
;
As Cherry clambers back out of the water, she draws back her rapier, then lashes out at the wight just as Silvio brings his book down.
Meghan again briefly considers using disappearing act on Cherry before remembering at the last second that as a mind-affecting effect it won't work on the undead. Again she uses bit of luck on Orendel, whispering, "I have faith in you. End this thing's miserable existence!"
"I'm glad at least SOMEONE does!" Orendel comments as he tries to counterattack.
Still Pool - Round 2 - concluded
Silvio waits for Cherry's advance, holding off with his book-bashing for a few seconds.
End of Round 2
Still Pool - Round 3
22 Meghan
20 Cherry
15 Dougal
12 Orendel (2hp dmg, 1 negative level)
8 Wight (4hp dmg)
4 Silvio (delay
Once again, Meghan imbues the warrior Orendel with luck from the Savoured Sting, hoping he can put it to better use this time.
Cherry brings her rapier to bear on the wight from behind, but it somehow senses her behind and slides to the right just in time to avoid her stabbing sneak attack.
Silvio takes that opportune time to swing his massive tome down on the head of the undead creature, smashing it hard. Then the inquisitor steps back trying to avoid the icy-cold soul-draining touch.
Orendel, with continuing luck buff from Meghan, stabs the wight and slams his shield against its decaying frame. The wight is surprisingly resilient and wards off the shield blow, but the spear, guided by Calistria, makes a rattling sounds as it enters the bony ribcage, doing serious harm.
Growling to himself and yelling, "Plenty of people have faith in you."