Elizar howls in anger, interposing himself between Aurelian and Ashlyn as they continue along the trail.
"There!" Aurelian exclaims. "That must be a track, Aurelian Fache is sure of hit. Hurry, quickly. This is not what Aurelian is good at, but he must rescue Geoff before something horrible happens."
A look of concern crosses the young swordsman's face.
The group have sharp eyes, and it is a simple matter to locate the small triangular footprints leading from Daib and Geoff's house southwards towards the Levin farmhouse.
When you get there it becomes apparent that the footprints lead into the well... The sides of the well shaft are rugged, with plenty of cracks and crevices that could serve as hand and foot holds for a creature getting in, or out...
You find yourselves in a long tunnel, with rough and uneven walls. Stalactites hang from the ceiling and the air is cool, contrasting with the island's normal heat.
The tunnel meanders away from the well for some hundred feet or so until it splits into two tunnels as the faint dripping of water echoes softly down the tunnel.
Sarine volunteers to lead the way & climbs down the well to investigate.
"There's some sort of crack in the wall here. I'm not sure where it leads, but we should be able to get through." she says before lighting a sunrod & climbing through the gap.
Not seeing anything particularly threatening in the area, Sarine will stand guard while others come through the gap. She draws her machete while holding the sunrod.
Aurelian follows Sarine, taking the rod at her request, holding it up in his off-hand.
"The walls sparkle," he notes happily. "They are like Ashlyn's eyes when she smiles."
He pushes past Sarine, leading the group to the right, sunrod held high.
Ashlyn shares her suspicions with the group.
"Oh, be careful, Sarine!' Ashlyn calls out. She moves down into the well after Sarine and Aurelian.
At Aurelian's words her eyes widen, then she smiles and blushes brightly.
She crawls into the crevice after them and looks around.
Seeing the tunnel branch multiple directions, Ashlyn heads back to the well and sticks her head through the crack. Waving back up at Jenner and Evie, she calls, "There are some tunnels through here! Do you want to come down?" After a moment she adds, "Or, I've got a whistle. I can blow it if we get in trouble."
After getting a response, she heads back into the tunnels after Aurelian and Sarine.
Elizar howls at Aurelian in anger.
When Ashlyn peeks back into the well Elizar looks around, but he notices nothing of interest.
When Ashlyn returns he's sure to walk in front of her, blocking Aurelian from her sight.
"Eh, this doesn't seem ominous at all, does it," Jenner says with a tug on his beard-key before shouldering his axe and climbing down as well. "Aye, we're coming, lass!"
Despite his dour words, Jenner brightens as sees the sparkle Aurelian has brought up, and stops to investigate it more fully. "Ha! They do sparkle alright-- more like the gold in the Master's vaults than like anyone's eyes, though. But this here is quartz and pyrite, mostly-- good for costume jewelry more or less, not too valuable in its own right.... but," Jenner says, tapping the side of his nose, "it's a fine sign there might be things actually worth mining further on in this hole. Nice. Nice. Now maybe this here will lead to a cave in need of a good dwarven family to work it and claim it, hey..."
Now that they're down, Jenner just shakes his head at Aurelian plunging off in the lead. He hurriedly draws a bit of chalk from his belt bouch, and scribbles a quick dwarven sigil on the wall. "I'm marking our path as we go, lads and lasses."
Then it's shield on the arm and axe in hand; Jenner figures he'll bring up the rear.
Eventually, you reach a fork in the path.
Aurelian continues leading to the right.
"That will help the colony out," Sarine states. "Living here alone won't be enough...we'll still need something for trade if this colony is going to last." Despite her remarks, Sarine is keeping her attention focused on the edges of the darkness around them. Mining is helpful, but they need to find Geoff.
She follows behind Aurelian after switching to her greatsword.
"Wow, do you think so, Jenner? That's wonderful." Ashlyn remarks when Jenner points out the potential for mining.
Elizar, torn between getting between his Ashlyn and Jenner, or his Ashlyn and Aurelian, apparently decides Aurelian is a greater threat.
For the first time, Ashlyn is free to converse with Jenner without Elizar howling threats in his face.
Elizar does not look pleased.
With Elizar between her and Aurelian as they walk, Ashlyn continues to chat with Jenner, "Those symbols are a great idea. Is that an idea of yours, or a common practice?"
When they reach the fork, Ashlyn follows behind the others, and begins to quiet.
"Aye, get a good mine going and then we can have a smithy, it's part of self-suffiency as well as trade," Jenner says with satisfaction. He blinks slightly at Ashlyn falling in ahead of him, then smiles encouragingly at the young woman.
"S.U.P., lass, Standard Underground Procedure. Don't even have to be underground for it. Anywhere you're liable to get lost, it's a good notion. That's just a dwarven rune for 'this way', it really doesn't matter what you mark as long as you mark it clear..."
Aurelian leads the group onwards, past a small cave-in on the western wall as the passage opens out into a rounded cavern with rough, irregular walls. Occasional piles of fallen rock litter the passage, making movement a little difficult, but not actively hazardous. A number of bones litter the cave floor.
As Aurelian enters the cave it suddenly goes dark all around him, extinguishing the sunrod and leaving many of the party blind!
As Aurelian reels in the dark something attacks him!
Something falls from the ceiling, striking Aurelian with a glancing blow to the head, but not hampering him.
Before the party can react, Aurelian finds himself under assault from all sides!
Again however, only one of the mysterious creatures strike with any force and the swordsman is too brilliant to allow himself to be restrained!
PARTY UP!
As his dwarven eyes suddenly adjust to the gloom, Jenner swears. "Oh, blasted bells from the salty bottom, none of you'll be able to see, will you! Here, uglies, focus on me, not our master swordsman!"
With a shout, the dwarf runs forward from the back. "Passin' on your left, Sarine! Three uglies, mobbing Aurelian!"
Despite his ability to see in the dark, Jenner's strike isn't very accurate.
HP 13/21; Hero Points 0/2
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 11; CMD 12 (14 vs. disarm)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will -1 (0/1 set mind; 0/3 charmed life)
Panache: 3/3 (0/1 deed reroll);
Effects: Grappled (-4 Dex)
"Ah!" Aurelian cries out. "This is not fair, to attack Aurelian Fache in the dark and grab him in such a way!"
He tries to slash his attacker, but is hampered by the body clutching him and the darkness.
He tries to center himself, feeling for shifts in the air around him and any minuscule sound to indicate another attack.
Elizar lets out a howl of anger and rushes forward into the darkness.
He moves forward and attacks the creature in front of him .
"What? I will do no such thing!" Ashlyn replies.
She tries to walk forward into the darkness, and can hear that the fight sounds like its taking place to the left... so she reaches out in front of her to feel Elizar, and circles around him into the battle.
Then she blindly tries to punch the thing in front of her.
But she strikes only air.
"I can't find them!"
The group rushes forward into the darkness, but without the ability to see in the dark, only Elizar is able to land blows - but his are mighty and completely crush one of the darkmantles. Unfortunately in the dark it remains unclear what he has done.
The remaining two darkmantles retaliate from the darkness, lashing out at Aurelian.
The first creature leads with a probing tentacle, which Aurelian flicks aside with his rapier and thrusts forward. He feels slight resistance, showing that he successfully hit something!
This good fortune continues as his lunge, in perfect posture, lowers his body, just long enough for the second creature to strike over his head!
"Let's try that again," Jenner growls, refusing to be shown up by the damned ghost.
"Ha, that's more like it," Jenner calls out as his axe connects. "Hit one!"
"Great work Jenner! Keep it up!" Sarine shouts as she swings her sword about not-quite wildly. "Where are these things?"
Sarine attempts to determine the location of their enemies over the din of battle.
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HP 13/21; Hero Points 0/2
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 11; CMD 12 (14 vs. disarm)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will -1 (0/1 set mind; 0/3 charmed life)
Panache: 2/3 (0/1 deed reroll);
Effects:
"What are they?" Aurelian repeats Sarine's question. "They are dead, for they have foolishly attacked us. Aurelian Fache does some of his very best work in the dark, as one of them just learned. Others shall learn it soon too!"
The young swordsman's bluster isn't matched by his luck, however, as the darkness confounds his senses and his lunge at what he thought was a noise ends up hitting nothing but air.
Elizar surges forward, placing himself between Ashlyn and the next darkmantle. Then he lets out a terrifying howl and slams his body violently into the creature.
Following Elizar's howls, Ashlyn circles around him and blindly punches into the darkness.
"But it's so hard in the dark!" Ashlyn replies to Aurelian. "How can you do anything?"
Suddenly Ashlyn looks surprised. She blushes and hisses at Elizar.
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"Yes, but it is when it is hard in the dark that Aurelian Fache does his best work!" the swordsman replies jovially.
Amongst a bevy of witty, and sexually suggestive banter, the group continues their attack.
Jenner, with the advantage of dwarven darkvision, splits a darkmantle in two and the darkness suddenly disperses! Quick to take advantage, Sarine and Elizar crush the final creature, while Aurelian and Ashlyn are too busy discussing exactly how tricky it can be to penetrate the darkness effectively...
With the darkness gone a small but grisly chamber is revealed. Much of the floor is covered in bones.
"Whew! That coulda been nastier for those of you who can't see properly-- I mean, can't see without light," Jenner says good-naturedly. "Now who's dinged aside from our Master Swordsman? You're lucky you didn't end up meal of these bastards."
Jenner's blithe tone shifts to something somber as he reaches down to the bones on the ground and carefully lifts a skull. "Like this poor fellow. Damnation, I'll bet that's the poor blighter we're looking for too. I suppose I'll have to break the news to his fellow."
Jenner looks morose a moment, but reverently packs the skull away into his pack. "At least this fellow will get a proper burial, I'll see to that."
"Haha, handsome and witty, you never fail to make Aurelian Fache laugh," the swordsman replies to Jenner. "Aurelian Fache has too much to do to be food."
He sobers up as Jenner informs the others about the bones.
"That would be a very quick meal," he says. "Maybe they are still preparing Georg for dinner..."
He grimly prepares to set out for the next cave, optimism at saving his fellow colonist still strong.
HP 19/21; Hero Points 0/2
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 11; CMD 12 (14 vs. disarm)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will -1 (0/1 set mind; 0/3 charmed life)
Panache: 2/3 (0/1 deed reroll);
Effects:
"Good call," Jenner admits. "Now that you mention it these must have been here a long while. Maybe first wave colonists. Let's hurry and see if we can find Georg, then."
"Yes, we need to hurry." Ashlyn replies. "Lead the way!"
Elizar howls and stomps on the offending darkmantle corpses until they're paste.
Suddenly realizing Ashlyn's ready to go, he lets out a forlorn sob, and hurries ahead, interposing himself between Ashlyn and Aurelian again.
"Agreed, we can help them this much." Sarine states as she helps Jenner gather the rest of the bones. "At the rate this is going, we'll need a larger gravesite soon."
The cramped tunnels gradually open up into a larger cavern. It's irregular walls open to dark spaces, which only Jenner's dwarven eyes can penetrate. The hardened sailor rather wishes that he couldn't as the piles of bones and viscera which seem to have been hurriedly pushed into the corners become visible.
As Aurelian leads the way into the cavern four small figures send up a wild shrieking. Each figure is perhaps a foot tall, with the rubbery skin that the party is coming to associate with chokers. The creatures hurry forward, surprisingly large hands opening and grasping for the swordsman's throat!
Two of the creatures latch on to Aurelian, their small hands seizing some very sensitive parts of his anatomy and squeezing painfully!
Also Aurelian can you double check your profile? There's three different versions of your AC there and none of them agree!
HP 13/21; Hero Points 0/2
AC 14, touch 11, flat-footed 11; CMD 12 (14 vs. disarm)
Fort +2, Ref +6, Will -1 (0/1 set mind; 0/3 charmed life)
Panache: 2/3 (0/1 deed reroll);
Effects: Grappled (-4 Dex)
"It is unusual that Aurelian Fache gets tired of things wishing to hold him, but he is getting to that point," the swordsman grouses, a hint of irritation creeping into his almost always jovial voice as two of the creatures grab him.
"Plus, that is one of Aurelian Fache's best parts and you may not have it!" he squeaks after one painful squeeze.
He slashes at the first of the creatures holding him, but can't get any leverage with all the hands grabbing him with not-good touches.
Ashlyn's eye widen. "Oh, my!" after a moment of shock, she exclaims, "Get off of him!"
Ashlyn hurries over to Aurelian's side and punches the choker who was being inappropriate in the head.
Elizar scowls at Aurelian and wails angrily at Ashlyn.
After a moment where Ashlyn clearly doesn't heed his advice, Elizar wails again, and flings himself into battle, fighting alongside Ashlyn in a mad fury.
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"Not liking all these bones on the ground, let's avoid becoming part of them!" Jenner shouts as the battle is joined. He grimaces at the tight quarters and quickly stows his axe a moment.
"Fache-- pull back! If your ego can stand it. They can mob you like this but if you draw back behind me we can use the choke point against them instead! And I can only patch you up so many times, you know!"
This as he claps a healing hand on Aurelian's shoulder from behind.
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"I would, my bearded friend, but they are embracing Aurelian Fache as if they were lovers and do not wish to let Aurelian go!" Aurelian calls back.
"--ah. Right." Jenner knew that. >___> Totally.