Exiting the small forest of stalagmites, the party enters another cavern. You have no trouble standing at your full height here, as the ceiling is even higher up than that of the last cave, at least twenty feet high. A rocky shore overlooks a placid pool and stream, fed by a trickle of water leaking from a narrow fissure to the north. A small garden of toadstools and dark mold grows along the banks.
In the pool bobs what appears to be another humanoid body. It seems to be caught in the stream flowing westward, but is caught on a stalagmite.
And to south is another narrow passage, presumably leading further into the cave system.
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Morgan starts to forge her way into the pool, but then stops herself. Whatever had killed this one may still be around here. Perhaps it was an aquatic predator.
If it was not, that would mean whoever had killed this thing had dumped it in the water. Morgan squints. There didn't appear to be a way out. "I think this one drowned," she says, pointing at the body.
Anna stretches out when they finally reach the end of the cramped cavern. Rotating her shoulders to loosen her trapezius muscles, she moves forwards, her hide boots make a squelching noise with each step from the water still trapped within.
"Dar'shyn, aros yn ofalus, ffrind. Chwiliwch," she murmurs.
Assuming he doesn't immediately see anything, Dar'shyn trots into the large cave after Morgan, sniffing around for anyone who might be hiding nearby unseen. Anna, for her part, gives the cavern a once over but is immediately distracted by the body floating in the water. Her heart shoots up into her throat for a moment.... could it be? Barely giving the side tunnel a second glance, she rashly walks over to the shore next to Morgan and peers more closely at the body. She exhales after a moment, relieved. It didn't appear to be Khonnir.
"Do any of you recognize that person?" she asks. "I'm going to go retrieve the body."
Wrixx straightens a little bit as they enter into the next chamber, though he hadn't needed to crouch all that much to begin with. It was quite convenient to be short some days. "Called it," Wrixx says with a shake of his head. "Do be careful. We don't know if there's anything else in the water."
"A little respect for those who passed." says Cruodh as he passes by Wrixx and gives a kind tap on his shoulder.
The Kellid takes only one or two steps into the cave and looks at it, trying to spot any dangers and waiting for Dar'shyn to give them the go-ahead. When it appears that the wolf hasn't found anything, Cruodh carefully makes his way into the new gave, brandishing his spear around to guard himself from danger.
Arriving at the water's edge, the shaman lays a stopping hand on Anna's shoulder.
"We should avoid the water, who knows what hides within. Let me use me spear to drag this person."
Anna blinks. "Alright, dynan," she says, somewhat reluctantly, but in the end she steps aside.
"This does not bode well," Fal says. While there were certainly quite a few people that were missing within the hill at this point, she had not expected to find any of them dead so soon after entering. That the explorers had died so near to the exit meant that they were likely in significant danger already. "We should take great care," she adds, "It's clear that the warnings we received are not to be taken lightly."
With a bit of work, Cruodh is able to use his spear to fish the floating corpse out of the water. When you pull it onto the shore and flip it over, you find that there is actually very little of the man left to look at.
His face is unidentifiable, much of it appearing to have been chewed off. Likewise, small chunks of flesh all over his body have been bitten off, leaving bone and sinew exposed, and leaving his clothing and armor utterly ruined. Several of his fingers have been bitten off, but small lengths of rope remain tightly wound around his hands.
Remarkably, one of the only things that was not eaten is the leather pouch on the man's belt.
"I believe he may have been part of the gang up above. A friend of the other one's?" Era suggests, stilted. "Do gremlins eat faces and dump the rest of the body in the water?" she asks, looking just over Anna's shoulder.
Fal moves up as Cruodh pulls the body out of the water, watching the little gnome do his thing. Once the body is at the edge she helps drag it further away from the water. The fact that the man was unidentifiable was a problem but the rope around them was a good starting point.
"He's a ropefist," Fal says, crouching down to examine the body more closely. "Most of these thugs have been employed at one point or another by Garmen at Silverdisk Hall. There's speculation that they are basically thieves and enforcers on his payroll even when they aren't working there. Garmen's probably the single most powerful person in town who isn't a merchant or councilor."
Reaching down for the pouch, she plucks it off his belt and stands back up. Opening it up, she dumps the contents out carefully into her hand.
Wrixx taps his chin thoughtfully. "One of the bands of people who came down here poking around were some local toughs, right? Perhaps this Garmen was interested in what could be found down here and sent them. If there's anything unusual down here, powerful people would probably like to know."
Once Cruodh brings him closer, Anna is quick to notice that the man is kellid. "Gallai eich bywyd nesaf fod yn gyfoethog â golau haul a chymheiriaid da," she murmurs softly over the body.
"May your next life be rich with sunlight and companionship."
Straightening back up, Anna is completely disinterested in all this talk of local politics and business. What matters is what did this to him. "Ellylls think themselves trickster spirits. Perhaps this is funny to them," she responds to Era, staring at the damage done to his person disdainfully. "It would explain why to eat part of the body and then leave the rest to waste."
"Gremlins"
She then paces the edge of the shore, looking for footprints in the soft earth near the water, but her strong emotions disrupt her ability to focus. Khonnir could be in trouble, deeper within the caverns, and so she is aware of every moment wasted.
"The city is their home. If the torch does not return, the city falls to ruin. Everyone who has an interest in the city has a vested interest in the city surviving this ordeal." Era says, simply. The bad guys did not need any reason more than the status quo was disrupted, after all. "I believe the area is likely to be more safe than it was. Several groups have passed through by now. This means that dozens have made it beyond this point, which means the majority of the threat eliminated, probably." Era shares with the others.
Fal finds the following within the pouch:
"Anyone recognize this?" Fal asks, holding up the pendant depicting a bone pickaxe. "And two vials, perhaps some sort of potion? Can either of you identify them Era? Wrixx?" She offers the vials to either of them to take a look at.
"25 gold as well it seems," she says, placing the coins back in the purse. "We can determine what to do with the gold we have finished exploring."
Wrixx takes one of the vials and mutters a word under his breath. The strange silvery specks in his eyes seem to grow brighter for a moment as he examines the potions. "This seems familiar but I don't recognize this specific mixture."
Wrixx shakes his head. "The most basic supply an adventurer can have. I should have known. Perhaps you should hold on to one of those. You and... Anna, yes? Will likely be taking the brunt of the fire."
Anna glances at the pendant, though her face shows no signs of recognition. She nods when Wrixx suggests she and Morgan take the potions. "Very well," she says, extending a hand to Morgan.
Fal nods in agreement with Wrixx's suggestion, "That sounds like a logical use for the potions."
"Zyphus. God of accidental deaths." Era explains, quickly, with a cursory glance at the symbol. "They believe they can steal souls from Pharasma to empower their god. They mostly break things intentionally. Terribly pointless." she adds, not noting the irony of her statement.
Anna frowns. "I am not familiar with such a god, however I do not feel that this one's death was an accident."
Hefting her axe up to rest the handle against her shoulder, she nods towards the southern exit. "Come, let us go."
As you peruse the Ropefist's belongings, an unsubtle splash suddenly echoes through the cave. A light that is not Era's own begins to emanate from the western cavern leading downstream, undulating softly as it slowly approaches your current position...
Anna reacts instantly, sheathing her axe and drawing her bow and an arrow, aiming it at whatever light is approaching. "If you are friend, speak!" she calls out. "If you are not, flee now, or prepare to die by my hand."
God of accidental death? Does civilization change people so much that they need to worship such uncanny things? Cruodh thinks right before light appears within the water.
"Careful Anna, who knows what that could be!" the gnome says, stepping slightly forward and putting a hand in front of the kellid to guard her from the water.
Tensing up slightly as the light closes in on them through the water, Fal readies herself. She focuses on her spear, causing it to fly off her back and into her hand. Looking down the passage, she tries to catch sight of whatever it is that's approaching them.
Morgan’s ferocious shout fills the dank cavern, its sound repeating continuously as it echoes off the walls. The eerie glow, which had paid no heed to Anna’s warning, comes to a sudden stop, only to continue its approach just moments later. Accompanied by sloshing footsteps, the light grows brighter and brighter until finally, its source steps into plain view.
A grotesque, frog-like creature not much smaller than Cruodh or Wrixx peers at you with large white eyes that emit an intense glow, far too bright to look at directly. It opens its large mouth soundlessly, revealing a maw filled with tiny sharp teeth, and a long red tongue covered in drool. Around its neck appears to be a tattered cloth hood that has been pulled down. Despite being faced with so many potential threats, it raises its webbed claws, trying to be as menacing as it can.
Initiative Rolls
Initiative Order
1. Morgan
2. Wrixx
3. Era
4. Anna
5. Fal
6. Frog Creature
7. Cruodh
Everyone except Cruodh is up.
Anna squints into the bright light and fires off an arrow at the creature, but the blinding light throws off her aim. Her wolf bares its teeth and growls low at the thing.
"Dar'shyn, i lawr," she says softly.
"Dar'shyn, down,"
"Do any of you recognize this thing?" she asks.
"Blindheim!" Wrixx calls out as he falls back a pace and raises his hands, blue light dancing around his fingertips. "Their eyes can be blinding if you look directly into them, but they're not actually very... bright. They're animalistic and have only a rudimentary language using their eyes flashing, but they can be moody and nasty if they're provoked. If it decides we're too much of a danger, it will just douse the glow and run. Some other underground dwellers use them as distractions, so watch your back." He raises a hand and a single flickering spark of electricity jumps from his finger tips, arcing over the warriors to slam into the creature's chest.
Taking heed of Wrixx's warning, Fal falls back behind the others. She could attack safely from range as soon as she put some distance between it and herself.
"It wears clothes." Era shares with the others. "Someone has given it clothes, it is a pet. We should try to put its hood back on, so it does not continue to blind us." Era says, slipping away from the creature as well.
Anna blinks. She hadn't considered that it could be a pet, but what Era says makes sense. Glancing around, she decides trying to back away would be futile - the space they were in was too small, and its light would fill nearly the whole room soon. She decides to stay her ground.
"That is a good idea, Era," she says. "That is assuming we can get close enough to make an attempt..."
"Careful! Maybe we can try to calm it. But if it safer to take the creature down, than do so." Cruodh says, pointing his longspear toward the blindheim.
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Morgan steps forward so that the wolf and gnome don't stand in front of her. She drops her hammer, pulling her atlatl from a second sling on her hip. Fitting a dart into the appropriate space, she whips the weapon at the creature, hopefully sending a dart flying straight into its hide.
Unfortunately, this dart just goes straight down into the ground.
Morgan doesn't have a lot of practice with this weapon.
Round One
The awkward angle makes the shot difficult enough, but with the blinding light throwing off her aim, Anna's arrow skips off the cave wall and falls into the water. Obviously, Morgan's dart does not even make it that far.
Meanwhile, Era and Fal try to put some distance between themselves and the blindheim. Emboldened by their retreat, the otherwise reticent creature suddenly moves forward and scrambles onto the shore with surprising grace. Seeing that Wrixx is separated from the rest of the group, it closes in on him, its long tongue lolling side to side as its stubby webbed feet slap against stone. The white light washes over everyone, assailing their vision with its painful brightness.
Wrixx and Cruodh are up to close the round. Everyone else may post their Round Two actions.
Letting go of his spear with one hand, Cruodh half covers his eyes with his arm. Eyes squinting, he maintains his gaze and starts to whisper to no one in particular.
"Ysbrydion y ddaear ddwfn, ysbrydion o ddiffygion anghofio, clywed fy ngeiriau a fy helpu a'm ffrind i ddisgwyl y creadur luminous hwn yn ddall iddo fel y gallai fod yn ddall i ni. as the words are spoken, a small cloud of dust and water starts to rise. Debris and droplets of water are spirited up and flung in gusts at the face of the blindheim.
"Now's the time to cover its eyes or slay it."
"Spirits of the deep earth, spirits of forgotten gusts, hear my words and help me and my friend to fend of this luminous creature blind it just like it might blind us."
Wrixx throws up his hand to shield his eyes just in time to avoid the bright glare blinding him. He then falls back to safety behind the much burlier warrior types. "I think it's still spoiling for a fight."
The spirits of nature answer Cruodh's call, engulfing the blindheim in a tiny, localized storm. Taking advantage of the momentary distraction, Wrixx is able to pull away to a safer distance.
Morgan, Era, Anna, and Fal are up.
Era squints her eyes against the brightness, and doesn't look directly at the creature, though the overall effect is still that of staring towards a spotlight. She traces a small jagged line in the air with one hand, before intoning "Zdruncina" loudly and forcefully. She slings her gloved hand at the creature, and a small arc of electricity jumps from her hand in its direction, covering the distance between them rapidly. "Go away, Blindheim. We do not want to fight you."
Anna tries to turn away as the blindheim approaches, but she ends up looking straight into it... she cries out as her eyes burn with pain, and when she opens them again, she sees only darkness. "Dar'shyn! Ymosodwch!" she cries out, rubbing her eyes with futility. Her wolf snarls and bounds past Cruodh and Morgan, leaping at the froglike creature and attempting to drag it down to the ground with it.
"Dar'shyn! Attack!"
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With the wolf in melee combat, the atlatl becomes an ineffective means of injuring their opponent. Though Morgan's eyes burn with the pain of the blindheim's eyebeams, she snarls with pleasure and bounds into combat against it, her claws extending to a length of 6" as she raises an arm and brings it down towards the monster.
Fal focuses on her spear, causing it to begin to glow with a lavender light. She holds it up briefly as if she were going to throw it, but instead lets go, leaving it dangling in mid-air unsupported. Moments later it hurls through the air seemingly of its own volition attempting to skewer the frog-like beast. Unfortunately, due to the presence of others, it's unable to find a clear path to the creature. Moments later it swings around and returns, taking up its position in the air next to Fal.
Round Two
Morgan's claws tear into the blindheim's thick, rubbery hide, opening a nasty set of parallel wounds, while Era attempts to strike it with a jolt electricity. Unfortunately her aim is a little off, on account of the blinding light - it was like staring into the sun. Her cantrip strikes the wet cavern wall and discharges harmlessly.
Anna tries to avert her gaze from the blindheim, to no avail. For a second everything goes white, only to go black the moment after. Her loyal wolf companion however is able to charge in, going straight for one of the creature's stubby legs. Dar'Shyn's teeth meet a great deal of resistance from its thick skin, leaving only a shallow wound, but it gives him just enough grip to knock the blindheim off-balance, toppling it to the ground. Fal attempts to skewer the predator, but now that is prone, it is an even more difficult target to hit than before, especially with her allies in the way.
The blindheim is eerily quiet, even as it is knocked down, but its frantic movements betray its panic. It flails at Morgan, clawing at the air and snapping its jaws, but the changeling has no difficulty avoiding the clumsy attacks.
Wrixx and Cruodh are up.
"Well, it seems you've got this relatively well in hand. Let's see if I can't do a little to help." Wrixx wiggles his fingers and sparks shoot off the ends toward the glowing creature. Unfortunately, the sparks merely flicker against the ground and do little to the target.
Cruodh first reflex, when Anna cries in pain, is to look toward her, giving him a short respite from the blinding light emanating from the blindheim. It quickly becomes apparent from her rubbing that she's been blinded.
"Rwy'n iawn yma Anna. Mae'r Dallheim yn is ac yn annhebygol o ddod atom ni." the gnome says in Hallit to try and keep Anna as calm as possible.
"I am right here Anna. The blindheim is down and unlikely to come to us."
Turning back toward their enemy, Cruodh grasps his spear with both hands, steps to the side to avoid Morgan, and stepping forward, he trusts his weapon straight at the blindheim.