"Thanks for that. The last time I tried climbing I fell right in front of the enemy. Anyway Thorek is right this whole tunnel system is a bit creepy and we can easily be cut of by the enemy."
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Gren and Ringo float above the ground towards the south and east, towards the masonry part. Before turning the corner, Grenwold himself is wreathed in shadow.
You round the corner and explore the adjoining masonry chamber, finding quite the unusual sight.
Lines of thick, red pigment cover the southern wall of this partially collapsed dungeon hall. The paint depicts countless figures, albeit without any refined artistic skill. Gnarled, disfigured creatures stand atop a virtual carpet of prostrate human forms. At the apex of the vast mural looms a coiled serpent that has a woman's face.
The eastern wall of this room has collapsed, exposing more natural, rough tunnels beyond.
Gren grabs his awareness wand and flicks it, and then puts it back.
Grenwold makes note of how recent the painting is.
Scouting the rough-hewn passageways beyond the dwarven architecture, you find that there are parallel paths. One tunnel leads to a chamber to the east, and another leads to one to the north.
Unfortunately, the air carries unimaginable stenches from either direction. Although, if you had to judge, you'd say that the air from the northern passage was marginally less foul. However, you can also hear sounds of shuffling, scraping, chewing, and grunting coming from that direction.
Meanwhile, the droning sound of buzzing flies comes from the east.
Daria checks for tracks and assesses the sounds and smells coming from the passages to determine what kind of creatures could be that way.
Thorek hangs back, self-conscious about the noise of his armor and the chains of his dorn-dergar.
"Daria, what is it?"
Daria recognizes that the stenches originate primarily from the rot and decay of carcasses. In particular, she can deduce that the bodies to the east are much further along in their decomposition, with the smell and sound of insects drawing parallels to the places where predatory creatures cast off the offal and uneaten bits of their kills.
There are no tracks leading between your current position and this eastern carcass chamber.
The tracks leading to and from the north, however, are comparable to those that Daria saw left upon the soil outside the walls of Longshadow during the siege, created by the morlock auxiliaries of the Legion.
The amount of apparent foot traffic and the proximity to the carcass dumping chamber suggests that the cavern to the north is where the morlocks take their meals, such as they are. The sounds also hint that there are more than a few currently eating there.
”Offal and refuse of devoured bodies lie to the east, with no small number of insect swarms among them. Morlock tracks to the north and the sounds of eating suggest a kitchen or dining room of some kind—with more than a few Morlocks present,” offers Daria.
Gren notes what Daria has said, confirming as much with his own knowledge of tracking.
"Let us just ambush them. We can ask for quarter and knock them out if they are willing." He gestures for the others to only stay back a short distance.
As they prepare, Daria hands out Ironskin poultices to those who want them (+5 natural armor bonus for 9 minutes). Not being particularly stealthy in her elven form, she follows along twenty or so feet behind the scouts.
Dark, gruesome stains mar the floor and walls of this thirty-foot-wide chamber roughly carved into the southern face of the fissure you saw from the surface. Tunnels veer off to the west, south, and southeast. Bits of gore and bone line the walls, and the chamber reeks of rot - a stench that would be overwhelming if not for the enormous opening into the crevasse.
You find six morlocks lazily guarding this uppermost entrance into their warrens, but they are more focused on picking at scraps and gnawing on the bones of what appears to be an ogre they caught. Two of these morlocks are noticeably more hulking and menacing than their kin.
Daria uses the poultice of Ironskin and approaches the foes!
Trusting in his own strength and fervor to let him respond quickly to any surprises, Thorek accepts the poultice from Daria and hefts his dorn-dergar, surging forward at Gren & Aaron's signal.