"Gods-cursed devils. Nothing for it. We must return to the surface - or that cave by the temple - and seize a beast."
"Are we sure that's wise?" Enizver asked as he wrapped his arm up. "Blood is one thing, but I'm not sure giving this place a life would be wise. Perhaps we can bypass whatever is here rather than give a devil its desired due."
Just standing there and thinking, nothing pops into Enizver's head.
"If we do intend to sacrifice whatever is back there, we need to first make sure it's not intelligent," Olivia asserted, hoping it was an unnecessary statement. She also hoped the creature was mean. And ugly. And maybe just deaf and would attack them on sight?
Considering, Enizver said, "I fear we'll have to, yes. The only thing I can think of would be to enhance our blood with positive energy, to trick it into thinking it's taking a life. But I have no idea if that would work, or if we have the Magic left to do so."
Enizver thinks that is a very interesting idea that might possibly work. But he is also somewhat concerned about what might happen if the temple became angry at them for tricking it.
Enizver considered. "I think that will work, actually. But this place is no simple building. It'll probably try and kill us if we trick it." The Gnome shrugged. "Then again, it's a devil temple. There's probably a 50% chance it will try and kill us for some reason anyway. I'm willing to try rather than give it what it wishes, but I understand if you all prefer the more cautious route. So long as a sentient soul isn't damned, I do not object."
A smirk curls at the side of Wrinil's mouth. "I like that idea Envier. I would quite like to observe the reaction. This temple is just so interesting! I have some healing left that I can do."
Enizver nodded at Winril, and looked at the others.
"Do it.", says Horat.
Nodding, Enizver muttered about being bled anemic and cut himself once more,this time forcing positive energy into the blood to simulate life. He'd be out of magic power once this was all done, but that's why he carried an unreasonably large weapon and a stockpile of ammunition.
Wrinil, his face covered in bemused interest, added a prayer to Mystra to add more positive energy as well.
Having no preference about their course of action, Olivia stays on her broom. However, instead of watching the little ritual, she chooses to carefully monitor the room, hoping to provide at least a little advanced warning should this backfire.
As the group tries their deception, Olivia mentally pictures how she would feel were they sacrificing a living being to the temple. She feels an overwhelming sense of guilt and sorrow well up in her chest as she murmurs a quiet pray. "May the gods guide and care for your soul, little one. Know that we do this not in spite, but in the hopes of preventing a greater evil from befalling our land. Your sacrifice is not in vain and will be remembered."
Wrinil searches the assortment of books he carries in his backpack for one on magic fundamentals.
The plan is a good one and Olivia and Wrinil apply their emotional and intellectual efforts with a will. Enizver's blood seeps into the drain and there is a satisfied sighing noise that whispers through the stone foundations. Then there is a low rumble and chunks of stone fall from the ceiling!
No artifact appears but you do hear a rumbling, growling noise, as if in warning.
In a low and irritated voice, Horat says:
"We could simply tear this abomination apart until we find what we seek."
"Probably not," Enizver said, quite deflated that his plan had failed. "I fear we'll just need to comply. Once we're done, however..." He smiled a little.
"Shall go and at least see what the creature in the cave was?" asked Olivia, disappointed that her grief and guilt was likely going to become all too true.
"If we are fortunate, such creatures may be abominations themselves, worth slaying."
You head back through several chambers and reach the collapsed portion of the wall that leads into a natural cave.
"If it is a suitable creature for our needs, most likely it will attack as soon as it notices us. We should quietly assess the situation and set up a trap to capture the creature alive. It would not work well if we accidentally ended up killing it while trying to capture it." Olivia looks expectantly at Enizver as she starts to pull out a hunting trap.
"That makes sense. I can attempt to knock the creature out as a fallback plan."
"Hrrrmmm..." The little gnome starts rummaging in a backpack. "Not really got the stuff to make anything fancy, trapwise, but I do have some ballbearing and oil. We could make a slippy patch with those, pick off any other creatures with our fall victim if the noise from my Thunder Cannon doesn't terrify them, and then use the ropes to bind it."
Wrinil shrugs his slender shoulders, "I'm not really an expert in that area."
"I also have grease and web spells available, which have obvious uses both for controlling how many creatures can reach us quickly, and for helping to disable a target."
Enizver nodded. "Grease will likely be more use than simple oil. So we set a trap, lure them into it, Horat usses Grease and then Web to disable one, we drive off the others one way or another and then take our chosen victim to the temple." The Gnome made a face, clearly still not happy with the idea.
"Fine by my reckoning. As fine as such as deed can be."
"Works for me. But perhaps Enizver, you should quietly take a look at what manner of beasts we are indeed dealing with?"
Enizver considered. "Let's prepare the trap first. That way if I get spotted I can lead them back into the trap." He hunted around for a sensible spot, poured out the ball bearings, them headed off towards the animals and hoped.
Enizver steps forward but some loose gravel rattles down a slope as he turns a corner and finds a group of three large apes with white fur who turn and stare at him, uncertainly...
Horat is ready nearby, awaiting a signal. Or yelling.
"Ah. There you are. Would you happen to know a good blood sacrifice?" Enizver turned and bolted back for the trap.
Seeing Enizver run, the primates get excited and chase after him, running right into the trap!
Horat is ready, and casts grease underneath as many of the creatures as he can manage, bar one.
Using her broom for greater maneuvability, Olivia positions herself to one side of the creatures, shooting a blast of air at them to throw them off balance.
Enizver paused, considering what to do next. But the things did seem inclined to eat him. He decided to pause and make sure at least one went down before trying to scare the others off.
Wrinil grasps his Mystra amulet and says a quick prayer.
Two of the apes fall in the grease while another is blown into the bear trap, which closes on his leg, causing a slight wound. The ape then breaks out of the trap while the two others stand up and move toward Horat, clawing and biting. Horat is struck twice (15 total damage but he gets an AoO on the way).
Horat swings and slashes the primate to weaken it, but it still tears at his flesh.
However, the two blows it misses, Horat makes good use of.
Horat then continues to batter the beast, hoping to knock it out!
The best laid plans of mice and gnomes...Enziver cursed under his breath as the beasts simply jumped up again after falling. He'd been expecting them to struggle more. "Alright, guess we're killing two and binding the third." He aimed and fired at one of those attacking Horat.
Enizver can't manage to get a read on the giant ape just yet. His shot strikes it but he can't predict its movements yet to get the most dire of shots.
Horat slashes at an ape as well and leaves it barely still fighting.