Lyddy's blade easily dispatches one of the rats, although Belgood's target proves just barely too quick for his rapier. Rashak shows up on the scene and leans into the door; he begins pushing it closed, but with the rats in the doorway, he has to force them back as well as moving the heavy stone door. He is able to shove two of them back, but the third - one of the two attacking Belgood - manages to resist him.
Ellena moves up to the scrum. "Let me up there, Rashak, and I'll finish those rats!"
The remaining rat by the door snaps its teeth at Belgood again, snarling in feral rage.
It is squeezed aside by the door, however, and cannot really reach him, despite its furious efforts.
Lyddy will ready an action to step in and attack if Belgood steps away and given her an opening.
"If you need to step back, let me know. I will fill the breach." She looks at Ellena for confirmation.
"If you need to step back, let me know. I will fill the breach."
"Solid plan. Not tall enough to eat your face. Will provide cover."
Belgood withdraws from the door, with just a tad too much enthusiasm,and changes weapons in favor of his bow.
Lyddy steps in and attacks Belgood's foe.
Lyddy's sword swiftly ends a second rat, but the third rushes in right behind it and tries to bite her.
The feral beast cannot find a chink in her armor, however. Rashak tries to cut at the rat with his falchion, but trying to attack around the corner of the half-shut door turns out to be more than he can manage.
Ellena looks to no avail, trying to find an opening to swing her sword. Finding none, she grunts and waits her turn.
"Let us maximize our opportunities. I will attack and step back so you can take your shot. Ellena, be ready lest one slips past."
While Ellena readies herself, the rat snaps again at Lyddy.
Again, though, she fends it off easily.
Belgood draws back his bowstring and lets fly at the rat in the doorway.
"OK, on my mark I will strike and step away." Lyddy swings and lets her follow-through carry her back from the animal so Ellena can step in.
If Ellena can get a swing in, she does so.
Attack
Damage
Despite having to shoot past Lyddy, Belgood's arrow strikes down the third rat in a single clean shot. The last one rushes forward, snapping at Lyddy even as its fellow falls.
It has no more success than the others had, even though the attack is enough to throw Lyddy's return swing off as well. Instead, though, Lyddy steps away from the door, allowing Ellena an opening, and the paladin's mighty greatsword easily finishes off the feral beast.
With the issue of the rats dealt with and the door firmly shut once again, Rashak, Lyddy and Ellena return to working on cleaning up the temple.
The remaining work passes without interruption, and Lyddy leads the other two in a series of prayer rituals designed to attract Torag's blessing to the temple once more. When it is finished, you all feel a deep and (at least in Belgood's case) unaccustomed sense of peace and serenity, almost indisputable signs of the deity's favor.
Ellena quietly goes about her business, ensuring that the temple would be worthy of worship by the dwarven god's followers.
She takes a quiet corner, and finishes her meditation, apologizing to Iomedae for the previous interruption. We appreciate your favor, goddess. I'd expect a follower of Torag to do the same for one of your shrines...
Lyddy feels very good about the work they have done. She doesn't know if the god of the forge had anything to do with her powers, but she has always been drawn to metalwork. and taking on this task just felt right. After verifying that someone had a watch, she gratefully catches a nap after setting the bulk of her armor aside.
As the others settle in to their rest, Belgood pulls a spool of twine from his pack and ties one end to the handle of the recently-defended entry door. He then creates a tiny loop with the other end, and slips it over the end of his tail. Satisfied with his work, Belgood crawls under a low table in the foyer and curls up inside his cloak.
The next several hours pass without incident, and you all awaken from a surprisingly restful sleep. Despite your situation, the new day somehow seems to carry with it the potential for new beginnings as well. Even Gwerm looks a little less grumpy than he did last night.
"Any of you bring rations?" Belgood rummages through his pack and pulls out a packet of trail-bread. "Could field dress rats, if needed."
"Orc rations I have. Do you like those, Mr Belgood? I dare not offer them to the ladies. They are... what should I say, an acquired taste."
"Mmm.. Haven't tried. Dried kobold and peach stones, yes? Should keep for yourself. Don't know how long it will take to reach daylight."
"I have two days of rations left. Anyone who needs it more than welcome to take a share."
Ellena looks in her satchel and pulls out her remaining rations for the group. She also takes care to take the masterwork hammer, tucking it into the straps of her backpack.
Lyddy awakens very rested, but contemplative. She appears to be trying to remember something - or fix a memory in her mind, maybe. Belgood's query brings her back to the present, though. Digging into her pack, she says, "I have rations, also. They are not fancy, but it's filling. I have enough for our guests and myself - since we don't know how long it will take to reach the surface, we might need to eat them gradually."
None of your three companions has any rations, so they all partake of the offered supplies as well. Gwerm looks mortified at the idea of "orc rations," but something about Rashak's phrasing seems to provoke amusement or annoyance (it's hard to tell from the way her mouth quirks) in Anevia, as she hobbles straight over to the abjurer and holds out her hand. As soon as she takes a bite, though, a broad and genuine smile appears on her face, and she murmurs, "Wife cooking," in a wistful tone. "Thank you, master Blake."
Horgus shudders, turning his face resolutely away, but cannot deny that he needs something to eat as well. Clearly resentful of the need, he approaches Ellena and takes one of her offered rations. As he does, he growls, "Suitable recompense will be added to your reward when we return to Kenabres," before snatching the food away. Anevia rolls her eyes.
For his part, Aravashnial does not participate in the sniping between the other two and gratefully accepts rations from whoever offers them. Instead, he sits quietly, listening to Rashak preparing his spells after breakfast, his staff held in his lap in a white-knuckled grip. Behind the still-painful wounds, his face is a mask of frustration and loss.
"I understand we are all still frustrated, and eating nothing but hard tack, isn't the best way to start the morning. But, we made real progress yesterday toward getting home and our loved ones. Hopefully we can find our way back before tomorrow, and we won't have to suffer through this again. Stay with us, everyone, and we will get home through Iomedae's guidance."
Diplomacy
Lyddy will take take rations to the blinded elf. In a low voice, "Master Aravashnial, is there anything we can do to help until someone is able to restore your sight?"
Returning to her pack, she nods at Ellena's remarks, "Iomedae has guided our sword arms and Torag has watched over our rest. We have powerful allies, but we must work together to see this through."
Rashak smiles at Anevia. "They do bring back memories. But I rather think that yours are happier than mine."
"Have plenty of normal rations, will share. Need to set aside fear and prejudice and get moving. Will survive with cooperation."
Aravashnial seems genuinely moved by Lyddy's concern, although he shakes his head in response to her question. "Your concern is touching, my dear, but only magic - magic we do not have here - will resolve my... problem. We must reach the surface, drive out the demons, and find someone to cure me. Until then, I must soldier on, as do our crusaders in the field." He reaches up to grip her shoulder, but only manages to poke her nose.
By contrast, Anevia and Horgus continue to be more wrapped up in their sniping at one another than working with the rest of the group - although Anevia still rises to aid Aravashnial as she did the day before when the group prepares to move on.
Rashak very quickly discovers something surprising: his light cantrip, cast on Lyddy's sword, lasts much longer than it should - roughly twice as long as he would have expected. With the temple cleaned and secured, you prepare to head out into the caverns once more.
The passage heads away to the south, rising slowly. It twists and turns through two-thirds of a mile, slowly curving eastward as it goes.
The passage eventually narrows to form a kind of doorway. Beyond it is a large cavern, roughly forty feet on a side. Stone figures are carved into the walls of the cavern; each depicts a different crusader clad in armor and wielding weapons, but their carved stone features contain expressions of sadness.
Belgood seems distracted.
Perception
As you ease yourselves into the passage, the darkness ahead of you seems to grow heavier, more impenetrable. After a brief second, you realize that it's not just an impression - the range of Rashak's spell seems to be pressing up against something, something that will not allow the light to push aside the darkness.
Rashak is dumbstruck at the persistent darkness.
Readying her shield and drawing her sword, Lyddy looks at the others to see if they understand what's going on.
Init.
"What is going on up there? More darkness?"
"... odd."
The darkness swoops toward you, pressing back on the light from Lyddy's sword almost like a physical thing.
Fortunately, though, even your blinded reflexes are enough to fight off the attack of whatever it is, and you hear something flop rather squishily to the ground right in front of you.
Ellena somehow manages to fight off the one that attacks her, despite her blindness; as Lyddy can see just fine, she also has no trouble fending off the attack, and the creature lands awkwardly right in front of her.
[ooc]You can make a Knowledge (arcana) check to identify them, if you'd like.
Ellena's battle senses had been honed in her weapon training. She had a pretty decent guess where the monster was, even n the darkness. She swung towards where she thought the creature was.
Attack
Damage
Percentage chance--high is good
As Lyddy attacks the one in front of her, she clinically describes the creatures she sees, "We have a pair of flying creatures. About three feet across, they look like a mass of tentacles around a mass of teeth. Skin stretched between the tentacles appears to serve as wings. A darkness stronger than my swordlight seems to surround them. I have never seen such a thing - is it familiar to any of you? Any special tactics we should employ?"
"Sounds like... darkmantles?" the elven wizard calls out, a bit hesitantly. "They're subterranean predators that masquerade as stalactites until prey passes beneath them, then they swoop down."
Ellena thought she had a bead on the creature, but it turned out she had guessed wrong about its location. Lyddy, however, untroubled by the darkness, slices at her attacker, carving away stone-colored flesh as the thing gives an odd, hissing scream.
"Gahh.. tentacles," Belgood cringes as he moves to take up a position opposite the paladin and slashes at the creature.