JJ can't tell more about the southern door pointed by Juraan at the skeleton chamber. It just seems full of dust. The goblins have not gone there in a long time.
Ryan's expert eye determines the death was violent. Basically because a small whole in the chain and that he notices scratches at that point between two ribs. They are from a thin small object. The corpses has been dead likely for a decade or perhaps more.
When JJ opens the door in the corridor he finds another goblin lair with four more pallets.
He studies carefully the next door before opening.
Further on the door opens to a room festooned with a half-dozen hooked chains that dangle from the ceiling. Skinned animal carcasses and large, smelly but rather clean fish hang from the hooks.
JJ finds six carcasses including two baboons, two wild boars, and two 6-foot-long pikes.
Past the next goblin lair, the door seems safe and JJ also opens it. A stone basin fills nearly half of this circular chamber. The lip of the basin is ornately carved, and water pours into it through the mouth of a smiling dwarven face carved in bas-relief on the southeast wall.
The pool contains a supply of fresh water. The water comes from the purified lake and seeps out through drain holes in the bottom of the basin.
Although the water is clean, the tiled floor around the basin and the walls are smeared with slime and excrement.
The eastward tunnel ends in collapse. The stone head of a regal dwarf lies amid the rubble, staring up at you with blind granite eyes.
The tunnel beyond collapsed many years ago.
You do recognize the piece of the statue as the head of Torag. The head has been likely savaged from other place and rolled up to these pile of rubble.
"Interesting... maybe it was dwarven to begin with?" muses JJ.
Back in the original corridor he heads back west, towards where the group came in. Pausing at the northern door he again waits for the team to gather close.
"Lets try this one."
Then, if he finds nothing untoward, he opens it and looks in.
Losing interest in the south door, largely because of the smell of the Wargs' bedding,
Juraan moves to catch up with JJ
"I guess we better all catch up with JJ before we get separated in a fight.
Again."
He activates his Ioun Torch and holds his wand of Color Spray at the ready.
The stench to goblin is horrible in this place. Very carefully JJ and Juraan advance leading the party into a succession of rooms filled with pellets and other filth improvised beds.
The walls in this place are filled with graffiti, very much like the ones you found in upper Cauldron, made of detritus and other wastes.
The rests of food and the smell to goblin makes it clear this has been inhabited by goblins until two or three days ago.
Most probably this was the lair of the goblins that assaulted Cauldron. Good thing some of them were imprisoned by the guard and the others have not been able to return to their lair so you have not encountered any goblin here today.
"Goblins...Do any of you recall something about goblins attacking Cauldron recently?" asks JJ.
With that area checked, he then heads back north
"I think.. yes... another door we have not checked. Everyone ready?"
As JJ waits, he admires the stonework underneath the goblin grafitti.
"This must have been nice once. I wonder if Orak knows his bathhouse is built over an old dwarven ruin. Still no sign of those wererats... or whoever was enchanting them and Orak."
When the others give the okay, he opens the next door.
Maxim accepts Marigold's healing with good grace, rubbing his chewed leg despite the magic knitting tendon, flesh and skin back together.
"Much abliged Little Lady."
He then limps to collect both his dropped weaponry from the battle and bag any unclaimed loot for later divvying.
Maxim strokes his beard thoughtfully, but like his fellow dwur can offer little of clarification;
"Could be dwarven... Ain't gnome."
The gun-mage eyes the decapitated statue head with interest;
"That there is Torag folks. The Forge Father o' the dwur. Think we can safely assume somewhere in this ruin was once a holy place for our kith and kin..."
The gun-mage scowls and nods at JJ's words;
"Yup. You got the right of it Surabar. These weasels an' their worgs ain't the source o' the ratfolk nor Orak's glamours... Maybe's some jungle Ju-Ju involved if they are a tropical tribe? Or maybe their scribblings hold some deeper meanings we ain't privy to??"
"M-maybe the g-goblins are...w-were...s-sup-p-posed to b-be a distraction?" Marigold offers timidly. "K-keep p-people's attention f-focused on them so those w-w-wererats could d-do whatever they w-were up t-to."
She glances around at the filthy surroundings. "G-goblins w-would b-be st-stupid enough to f-fall f-for b-being used as f-fodder l-like that."
Kikinnin keeps his head down, and continues with the others to search out dark corners where gobs or rats await. He returns to the door he once guarded, opening it to see if it might link up with the larger cavern. He doesn't stray too far from the others, while the group fans out.
Avoiding the filth the goblins left behind, Ryan is dismayed at the once apparent beauty, now desecrated.
"Geez not sure the stench would ever leave these halls."
Kikinnin opens the door only to find a corridor that leads to another door to the west side.
The group then gathers together behind JJ. The young man can feel a strange quietness at the other side of the door, but otherwise the door seems clean, and so, he decides to open it with care.
As the door opens to another goblin lair full of pellets, you see a goblin with his face tattooed and a small rat over his shoulder. He instantly starts casting a spell on the door's opening.
Fortunately JJ felt something was amiss and he reacts before the spell comes out.
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JJ steps up and attacks the goblin with a quick thrust of the sword of his fathers.
Surprise
JJ readies his weapon against the goblins possible spell.
JJ is faster than the eye and the goblin squeaks as the Surabar shortsword stabs at his unprotected belly.
He shouts scared and attempts to perform the casting he had prepared at the defensive.
A burst of flames are born in the goblin's hands engulfing JJ and going further through the doors licking the others standing there.
Following JJ through the door, Ryan raises his shield as the red glow begins.
Yet ducking to the side going through the doorwary he is greeted full on by the shaman's flames.
Surprise Round - move to JJ's right
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Ryan attempts to duck away from the flames but they take him anyway.
JJ keeps his swift swords movement and opens the goblin's belly with them making him to fall bleeding to the floor and lose consciousness.
Just then the next door opens to letting a new goblin adept to be seen at the other side screaming "Bree yark!" he raises a finger and casts a spell. A scorching ray jumps from his finger over JJ.
The fiery ray takes JJ on his chest and makes him burn on flames, leaving the young man terribly injured!
"That wasn't very nice." Ryan says evenly stepping forward into the Adept like an outside pitch
AC = 22, Shield up
HP = 23/34
Weapon Equipped = MW Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = None
Kikinnin barely has his bearings, when the flame arrives. He takes the full brunt of it, grimacing from the unexpected heat. "That's a vexing one. Has magic of its own? That's not right." He moves up, getting in front of JJ, while the boy burns.
Ryan moves closer to the adept, then blows over his shoulder, while Kikinnin steps closer and cuts through with his axe onto the poorly armored goblin.
The adept falls to the floor with an angry expression on his eyes calling for revenge.
2x shortspear (small)
6x potions
2x potions of cure light wounds
2x potions of aid
2x potions of invisibility
A stone cauldron stands in one corner of the room where the last adept fall, plumes of smoke rising from its gaping mouth. In the opposite corner stands a rickety table covered with clay flasks and jugs.
Most of the clay flasks and jugs on the table are empty, but one contains a liquid that irradiates magic once you use detect magic to identify the other potions.
This is a potion of see invisibility.
The stone cauldron irradiates magic as well. It is of dwarven manufacture and possibly the origin of all the potions.
Three times per day, it can boil up to 10 gallons of liquid without need of fire; it weighs 250 pounds and is worth 2,500 gp. The liquid currently brewing in the cauldron evaporates after 1 hour, leaving behind a potion of cure moderate wounds.
Things move too fast with the others for Juraan to react immediately.
He comes into the room, wrinkling his nose at the smell, and immediately
uses his wand of Cure Light Wounds on JJ and Ryan, who are clearly hurting.
"You look a fright, JJ! Let me help!"
"Or TRY to help!" Juraan mutters
"Your turn Ryan. Yes I can do this!"
"Don't laugh! All I need is some practice!"
--------------------
Let's see if I have better luck trying to identify this gear."
"These two potions" (1 and 2) "are for curing wounds.
Certainly works faster than I did with this wand of mine!"
"This potion" (in the clay flask) "lets you see things that are invisible. That should be worth something."
"I don't really know what the other four potions and that fancy cauldron are for, though."
Ryan accepts the healing with patience, "Thank you Juraan, it will get easier with time, relax and concentrate on the spell you're drawing forth and less upon the act your hand is performing."
studying the objects within the room
Potion 3&4
"Familiar, but can't place it"
Dwarven Cauldron
"Oh ho well this is quite nice, the church had acquired one of these many years ago. Believe it was lost during a period in which it had been loaned out to the main church in Sasserine during one the plagues they faced. Three times a day it will allow someone to create a new potion. T'would explain the numerous potion we found in this area. This is a great find!"
"ouch, Ouch, OUCH" says JJ as first one and then the second goblin try to set him on fire.
The others luckily manage to finish the threat.
"Thanks all."
"Wow, a cauldron that lets you make magical potions. That is amazing[/b} gushes JJ
"[b]Can it make ones that protect you from fire?" he wonders.
He takes one of the potions that 'heal' and quickly downs it.
"Much better!" he sighs happily.
"I think there are only a couple of doors left, and that main cave... probably connects to some massive underground complex like the one at the Machalite hold.."
"Yeeeek!" Marigold shrieks as flames suddenly wash over her and the others, though she's able to duck under the brunt of it. Before she can even really register what is happening, the threat is ended and two more goblins lie dead on the floor.
"Ow..." she winces, giving herself a tap with her healing wand.
"I th-think I liked it b-better when th-they were j-just sh-shooting at us..." she grumbles, though she's thankful that Juraan has a healing wand too - even if his activation technique left something to be desired at times.
"M-More p-potions? L-Let m-me t-try..."
"Yuck! T-Tastes l-like s-sweet p-pickles!" she grimaces after taking the tiniest of tastes.
"That cauldron is a good find, Ryan!"
"Does it allow ANYONE to create a potion?"
"Or does it only allow you to make a potion if you know spells?"
"If this is an old Dwarven complex, shouldn't there be more rooms?"
"Unless they were all lost to cave-ins".
Kikinnin watches the group look over the various valuables, waiting patiently until their studies and discoveries come to a conclusion. "We haven't finished looking through the halls, Juraan. They aren't going anywhere, so when you're ready..."
The black-beard works his way back to the main hallway, expecting to encounter several more gobs before they likely head deeper through the caverns.
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JJ tags along with Kikinnin.
"I never knew there were so many old complexes below Cauldron. It is like the city I know and love is just the skin on the top of a jug of milk. "
He scowls at some goblin graffiti.
"Though it looks like the milk has gone off."
On his second attempt with the wand, the device fumbles and it seems to stop responding to Juraan try again attempts. Fortunately, Ryan and Marigold quickly offer to help him and the healing is done.
Ryan knows all the cauldron does is to boil water without fire. Something neat when you are often producing potions and specially useful when you do not want a fire to discover your camp.
While Kikinnin walks calmly through the corridor, JJ stops him just on the middle of the corridor before he steps on one tile. With a bit of effort the young man untangles a wire from the tile and sets off what seems an alarm trap.
As you continue through the corridor, you find a square room to the left with four stone pillars supporting the ceiling. Half of the southwest pillar has broken away and collapsed into a heap of rubble. Rows of one-inch-diameter holes are bored into the walls, and a few contain splinters of wood.
The walls of this ancient library were once lined with wooden shelves, but the shelves have long since been removed, leaving many 3-inch-deep holes and a few with shattered wooden pegs sticking out of them.
A bit further from the old library, another room opens to the right, with again four pillars supporting the ceiling. Each pillar carved to resemble a dwarf warrior clad in full plate armor. At the far end of the room stands a decapitated seven-foot-tall statue, its stony hands raising a massive warhammer. The statue probably represents a dwarf but its head is nowhere to be seen.
An ornate stone brazier stands before the altar. The walls are carved with bas-reliefs of dwarf artisans at work, but they have been defiled with excrement and crudely painted images of goblins stabbing the dwarves in the back with spears.
They brazier has been filled with goblin dung, and it's now a bed for squirming maggots.
Opening the door in the defiled chapel lets into another chamber, probably once reserved for dwarf clerics. It has been thoroughly looted and contains only smashed furnishings, a broken kiln, and the triangular shards of a shattered mirror.
"Well, I guess we know where the head came from.." says JJ.
He looks back down the corridor.
"I may not follow Torag, but I think we should probably at least put the head back."
He heads back to the head at the end of the corridor and tries to either lift or roll it back to the old chapel.
Once there JJ, with or without help will lift it up to the statue and try to balance it back where it was supposed to be.
"Much better. Shall we go see if there are any other goblins left. Or the rat men."
He moves to the southern door in the old library, having a bit of a look at her goes.
"Look, holes. This must be where the shelves were once."
JJ again waits for the others while he inspects the door.
"That alarm was to warn someone... I hope they are not behind here..."
Placing Torag's head back at the statue will take some effort, but eventually JJ can do it with some help. The head is still broken though, and any strong shake can make it fall back to the ground.
When JJ opens the door at the far end of the old library all what he finds is a collapsed corridor now unpractical. There is no way further by this side of the complex.
"There is a door in that side corridor that we have not checked out yet. IT probably joins up with the cave, but lets have a look to be sure." suggests JJ.
He threads his way back past. "And we should see if there is a priest of Torag in town who can rededicate that shrine or fix the head or something. Actually the guard should really have someone or someones stationed down here."
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Maxim eyes the precariously balanced statue head warily;
"Might be that the Malachite could send some holy envoys to bless and consecrate. Ain't a safe place til we get to the bottom o' whose making puppets of rats an' Orak..."
Ryan helps JJ with his exploration including the return of the statues head to its rightful place. "we'd do well to turn up Orak never ending water and wash this place out, the goblins have well and truely fouled the place up. Burn the bedding and flood the stink back down the cavern to whereever the goblins came from. " musing a bit more on the subject " perhaps it'll even wash down to the marauding rats below, let them enjoy the stench."
You slowly move through the yet not explored area, JJ checking all doors carefully before opening them.
The southeast corner of this fifteen-foot-square chamber has partially collapsed. There is only rubble here.
This chamber opens into the side of a thirty-foot-high, rough-hewn passage that slopes down toward the west and up toward the east. Two moldy pallets lie against the north wall.
You determine a couple of goblins have been sleeping here at least during the last week, but there is no recent trace of them.
Concealed among the pellets clothing you find a couple of pouches with 3 golden pieces each, a chicken bone, a fried lizard and a broken glass vial.
The floor of this chamber is 20 feet above the floor of the tunnel to the south.
Fearful of running into more goblins, worgs, or worse, Marigold hustles after the others as they continue to explore the area. "S-slow down and let m-me take c-care of those w-wounds!" she exclaims, sounding a bit cross as she manages to poke JJ and Kikinnin each in turn with her wand. "T-trying to k-keep you all t-together for m-more than a m-minute or t-two is like t-trying to herd a bunch of c-cats!"
When the party eventually makes their way into yet another rough passage, she stops and gazes around.
"H-hey...l-looks like s-some t-treasures s-squirreled away!" she exclaims as her eyes spot a couple of small pouches partially hidden among the bedding. "Oh...er...or n-not..." she grimaces as she opens one and peeks inside. She upends both on the ground and a few gold pieces clatter out, along with a chicken bone, a fried lizard, and a broken vial.
"P-probably some g-goblin's life s-savings here..."
"Those gold coins you found will do us more good than it will for those goblins, Marigold!"
As they look through the rooms in their varied states of filth:
"This little titches love filth!"
"I thought the mess they made in my office was bad enough!"
"Now that we've caught our breath, should we check that door inside that cavern?"
As JJ disarms a trap, Kikinnin nods in approval. "Alright, then. I'll not be hasty in moving about, now that they've shown their wiliness in setting up surprises."
"S-slow down and let m-me take c-care of those w-wounds! T-trying to k-keep you all t-together for m-more than a m-minute or t-two is like t-trying to herd a bunch of c-cats!"
Kikinnin turtles his neck reflexively, as the halfling heals him of some of the burn. "Sorry. I get the smell of rats or gobs, and I lose sight of my own well-being, for the hunt. Looks like we've cleared out most of this floor. One door, and one cavern floor to go. That dog-rider came from deeper down, so we'll need to track him back to others, likely."
This time, Kikinnin waits for JJ to check the unopened door, to make sure he doesn't set off another alarm.
JJ takes his time in order to make sure the door is clean. A bit afterwards the party is walking at the other side of the door. The complex enters again into the natural caverns.
All of a sudden you notice something moves in the ceiling of the natural cave. Then a circle of darkness grows engulfing everything. When it reaches JJ's head, the ioun stone flickers, when it reaches Ryan's light spell it fades too and the light disappears leaving only darkness in place.
Something falls on JJ and attacks! As the creature falls from the cavern roof, it opens like a hideous octopus, its thin, hook-lined tentacles connected by a fleshy web!
The thing fails to place its tentacles around the young man's chest.
Another one falls on Kikinnin!
The tentacles slam on Kikinnin's head but he manages to remove them from his head before it can grab him.
You do overhear JJ and Kikinnin cursing and blows from the circle of darkness.
Howcum Maxim is only +0 for initiative? Am I under the effect of something??
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For his first/earliest action Maxim will cast Magic Missile at one of the beasties (the biggest?)
I bought it as a flagrant excuse to look cool (or the RPG equivalent).
I should've said explicitly at the start, but my intent was to use the Ioun Torch as soon as we entered the complex.
However, if you rule it would be in his pockets all this time, that's fine.
If that's the case, he'll get it out immediately to try and see what's going on.
Having no clue what might have wiped out their lights Ryan steps backward and beseech es Abadar's blessing upon the group.
"Abadar grant your blessing to those of this company as we fight that which we cannot see."
The creatures head up and back over you, trying once again to slam and grab Kikinnin and JJ with their tentacles.
The one over Kikinnin fails again, but the one on JJ grabs on his head and starts crushing his head.
Another one joins the fray swooping down over Ryan.
The creature gets Ryan on his shoulder where his armor defends well the cleric.
Something gets on your head and engulfs it. You fight against it, but you feel the horrible tentacles crushing your skull, a mouth tearing through your skin. It is not only the bruise, this thing has grabbed you and is holding you but in addition it is constricting your head crushing it badly!
Something touches you in the shoulder but nothing bad seems to happen otherwise. Whatever it was it came from over your head.
You overhear JJ shouting horribly in continuous pain!
Maxim casts a spell trying to help JJ and a magic missile flies into the darkness! Some of you see it burst others just overhear the impact.
Juraan looks up at the ioun stone spinning around his head and praises the gods it is still alight!
Ryan emerges from the area of darkness and casts a bless spell empowering all the allies.
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"Arrghhh! It's EATING MY HEAD" screams JJ.
He frantically hacks at the thing with his light blades.
AC = 22
HP = 26/34
Weapon Equipped = MW Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Blessed
Kikinnin looks JJ over, unhappy with the creature enveloping him. His noggin is somewhere in there... but not for long, if we leave it in there... He pulls back his axe, and prays to Abadar that He help make the distinction between civilian and monster.
"Hold... very... still... JJ... You move... even just a little... and I'll take... your head with it..."
"Nooooooooo " screams JJ, suddenly realising how the goblins facing Kikinnin and his axe must have felt.
"Nooooooooo " screams JJ, suddenly realising how the goblins facing Kikinnin and his axe must have felt.
At least it will be quick
"Where or what are attacking?"
These creatures are darkmantles. They lurk in the natural caves ceilings and drop over potential victims.
JJ fights with the thing his swords finding once the body. He then feels a terrible push on his head as Kikinnin's axe goes over the enemy. JJ feels as if he is going to daze for a moment, but just afterwards the creature loses strength and releases its grip falling to the floor of the natural cave.
The creature over Kikinnin's head attacks the dwarf while the other one alive moves over JJ and attacks too.
But both, a bit more prudent, fail to reach their targets.
You feel another creature over your head, this time did not manage to reach you.
Shouts of violence, mainly Kikinnin's, are heard from the darkness, while scared and painful ones are heard from JJ's.
A strong strike is heard.
Though Marigold's eyes catch movement on the ceiling, the sudden fading of their light sources distracts her from it.
"Wh-what's happening t-to our lights?" she frowns as she pulls out a sunrod.
As she hears JJ yell and the sounds of fighting break out from practically right beside her, she looks up - and gasps as it suddenly registers that she can't see anything immediately in front of her.
"શું થઈ રહ્યું છે!? શું થઈ રહ્યું છે!?" she cries as she strikes the sunrod against the nearby cavern wall like a match, attempting to shed some light on the subject.
"Wh-what's g-going on!? Wh-what's h-happening!?"
Thanks to the sounds and Juraan's magic, Marigold at last realizes that Kikinnin and JJ are tangling with something, while the immediate area around them is shrouded in thick darkness - which her sunrod seems to do nothing to penetrate. JJ's continued screaming spurs her to action and she swallows hard as she steps forward into the darkness.
"હું જેજે આવું છું! થોભો!"
Sensing movements just ahead of her and hearing JJ's screams from the same direction, she suddenly feels a surge of anger well up from within her. "તેને એકલા છોડી દો, ગમે તમે છો!" she cries as a burst of light suddenly emanates from her outstretched hand.
"I'm c-coming JJ! H-hold on!"
"L-leave him alone, wh-whatever you a-are!"
Cursing as he recognizes the nature of the creatures, Maxim shifts forward drawing his shortsword as he does .
In the pitch black, the dwur bellows out what he knows;
Maxim's dulcet tones shout from the dark:
"They're Darkmantles! Cave lurkers and sneak feeders! Ware yer heads..."
The gun-mage charges his blade with arcane energy and stabs at the Darkmantle menacing his fellow dwur;
:
:
"શું થઈ રહ્યું છે!? શું થઈ રહ્યું છે!?" calls back JJ
"There are more!" calls JJ, as he frantically backpeddals, trying to get out of the cloying darkness that surrounds the group.
He feels his way along the cliff face calling out
"It's JJ, don't hit me..." until he can see again.
Ryan pulls a potion of CLW from his pouch and as JJ comes backing out of the blackness, Ryan presses it in his hand "here drink". Calling out to Maxim...
" is there a way to disperse the darkness?"