"Yeh, this is their territory, I'm afraid. They'll have the jump on us, for sure. Good to have the numbers, I'll tell you..."
Kikinnin waits for JJ to enter the first room. An actual room, sitting below Cauldron, not that far from civilization. With skulks skulking about. The black-beard grows a bit quiet on their descent. He taps his shield to reassure himself.
JJ quietly descends the stairs and into the room at the base. He takes his time looking around at the tracks.
But doesn't note anything special about them.
"There is a passage out on the other side..." he calls back quietly.
Referring back to the map they were given he adds
"It looks like we are in this room in the middle. Probably pay to check those two side rooms before we go further."
He slips over to them, listening at each in turn.
Kikinnin nods to JJ, moving across the room, and opening one of the doors, then the other, should nothing aggressive meet him in the doorway. He keeps his shield up, nonetheless.
After returning to Ghelve's Locks, Marigold sits quietly as the others catch those that went home last night up on what the (now-noticeably-absent) remaining skulk had to say about who and what was responsible for the disappearances. "I guess that m-might answer another part of the riddle," she observes. "The p-part about the uh, half-a-dwarf..."
Once Maxim returns with the coin gained from selling off the equipment they'd found last night, she decides to tag along as a few of them decide to go and pick up some additional equipment for their little expedition.
Never done this before; what else would I need? Hum...more food couldn't hurt, who knows how long we'll be down there? Maybe some torches...and I really can't offer much to a fight like the others can, so maybe alchemy can help me fix that?
***************************************
As the group descends down the stairs, Marigold instantly feels a tightening in her chest but does her best to push it aside.
You can do this, the others are here with you, it's fine.
She gives the footprints that JJ spots a curious look, wondering if maybe they match anything she might've read about, but is unsurprisingly unable to make any real sense of them.
What on earth are you playing at? You can't answer everything with books, you know. Leave that stuff to the people with some actual experience with it.
Once they reach the first room, she blinks as the sounds of chirping birds and rustling leaves can be heard from somewhere further down. She opens her mouth to say something, then shuts it again as she notes that the others are also remaining largely silent. From her position further back, she simply watches anxiously as JJ and Kikinnin move further into the room and begin listening at doors.
After some seconds of doubt on the sight of some open area ahead, you resume your descend again.
The staircase ends at a forty-foot-square room with a ten-foot-high ceiling. A slight draft blows into the room from a ten-foot-wide open passage in the far wall, directly across from the stairs.
Two four-foot-diameter circular doors are set into the middle of the south wall. Each door is made of wood and framed with a ring of mortared stones. The westernmost door is closed and inscribed with a strange glyph. The easternmost door bears a different glyph but rests half-open. The half-open door reveals an iron rim of gearlike teeth, and dim light spills from the chamber beyond.
Mounted to the walls of the room are twelve tarnished copper masks. The masks are two feet tall and cling four feet above the floor. Each one depicts a smiling gnome's visage. The soft giggling, chirping, and rustling noises seem to pour from the very walls.
The glyph in the southwest door depicts a "J" in the gnome alphabet. The one in the southeast door depicts an "A".
As Kikinnin approaches to the half-open door, he observes it is hold open by a stone between the sliding circular door and its frame. The open crescent shape gap is large enough for a medium creature to squeeze through.
As the dwarf inspects the gap to the other side, stepping into the room, a sudden attack from his flank surprises him.
One blade suddenly hits at the side of his armor, the cling alerting all the party, then a second blade takes the dwarf in the other side. The stab is clear and deep reaching one of his lungs. Even gasping and bleeding, the stout ratcacher holds up, turning to see his enemy. A couple skulks that most probably sighted the light or the noise of the group stand side to side, blended with the room, mimicing the pattern of the stone walls.
Ryan with gear packed, maintains a light spell over top of those walking with him. Before they began their decent he gave those scouting ahead each a piece of chalk.
As the sound of birds reaches the group Ryan is reminded of Alecks words and relates them to the others, "these creatures are masters of illusion, do not always trust what you see or hear."
Studying the room with detect magic while JJ investigates the doorways and tracks.
Swapped the hemp rope out for...
Grappling hook 1gp 4lbs
Silk Rope 10gp 5lbs
10 candles 1sp
10 chalk 1sp
Spent 11.2gp actual weight carried reduced by 1lbs
AC = 18
HP = 5/16
Weapon Equipped = Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = None
Kikinnin is shocked to find himself between two skulks. Injured, he retreats, barking to his companions. "A pair of skulks, right through that partially-opened door. I didn't get a chance to see much else. Might have been a gap across the room."
JJ moves to the doorway and puts down his lantern. He readies his sword, preparing to strike at any creature coming through the doorway.
"Blimey! There are heaps of them. Anyone got a bow?"
As the rest of the group proceeds down the stairs and into the large room, Marigold's attention is drawn to the glyphs on the two southern doors. "Huh...those l-look like Gnomish glyphs," she whispers to the others. "The western door has a 'J' and the eastern has an 'A'. I wonder what they m-mean?"
As Kikinnin retreats back into the room, Marigold stammers "એન ફરી!" Having absolutely no desire to tangle with the skulks herself, she instead reaches and almost instinctively wills the ratcatcher's flesh to knit together once more.
"N-not again!"
"Well, maybe the first is for me! Seriously though, the name of this place is jazardine or something like that isn't it? It's probably the welcome hall reminding everyone they have entered a new place."
Then the fighting starts.
"હા. લાગે છે તેમને સમગ્ર ભાર છે જેવી. બાજુ રૂમમાં અન્ય બે"
On the sight of the group, the skulks quickly withdraw themselves too, one running to the east while the other disappears running to the south.
Entering the room you observe a dozen small cots and chests line the walls full of dust. Cobwebs blanket many of the cots and chests, and tiny spiders scurry about.
Two rough-hewn tunnels, each five feet in diameter and tubular, breach the eastern and southern walls.
Stony rubble covers the floor near each tunnel. A one-foot-long iron rod lies in the middle of the floor, its golden tip reflecting your torch with enough light to cast lurid shadows on the walls.
With the way clear, JJ picks up the lantern and heads through to guard the entrance and allow the others safety through.
"Well, this is a change from that other map."
As they descend the stairs into the gloomy depths of who-knows-what beneath Cauldron, Ruben says;
You should all know I got a little visit from the Last Laugh last night. They don't seem too pleased that we are poking around in their business. What that business is exactly, I dunno. But we might have more than Skulks to worry about by the end of this.
Abadar's poxed arse, they are sneaky! Ruben curses wretchedly as Kikinnin staggers back, bleeding heavily from a wound in his chest. Good thing you dwarves are thick-skinned.
He heads inside and beside JJ.
Keep your eyes peeled kid, I'm going to check this out. Ruben says, pointing to the iron rod with his blade.
Ruben hits the iron rod and finds it is fixed to the floor. With a bit of effort you might be able to break it.
You can hear the sound of someone leaving towards the east.
You can hear the sound of someone leaving towards the southwest.
"That's r-really strange..." Marigold frowns after Ruben tells them about his encounter the previous night. "They don't seem to b-be in league with these skulks, but they're still involved somehow?" She looks thoughtful. "M-maybe this Kazmojen and his skulk friends are rivals in some way?"
Still completely on edge, Marigold nervously looks about as some of the group move forward into the room that Kikinnin just retreated from. "બી સાવચેત! કોણ જાણે તે વસ્તુઓ કેટલા નીચે અહીં છે?" She carefully advances forward after JJ, then turns and places her back against the nearby wall. Under normal circumstances, it might actually look rather comical.
"B-be careful! Who knows how many of those things are down here?"
Ryan tries to stop Marigold as she is healing Kikinnian but misses his chance . Rummaging through his pack his produces a wand, handing it to her. "Sorry should have given you this before, save you magic for things other than healing. Kikinnian are you ok?"
Cocking an eyebrow in Rubens direction at his slight blasphemy, a shake of his head is all that is seen before moving into room, Ryan scans the room for any magical auras, specifically the iron rod.
**Ryan does have shield in place during this part of exploration**
As Marigold ponders the glyphs, Maxim pauses and nods as he too scrutinises the symbols;
"Good eye Ma'am... Those are indeed "J" to the South-West and "A" to the South-East..."
The gun-mage ponders a little further;
"Huh. Damned if I know what they mean tho'..."
His musings are cut short as the group's point man in Kikinnin is set upon by sneaking assailants who bolt as soon as shank.
"Damned skulkers are back! Eyes peeled!"
The gun mage holds from following the rest of the group into the now crowded room.
Once bitten, twice shy as they say...
Having tasted the subtle blades of the Skulkers once before, Maxim invokes a personal ward to aid his own protection;
"Bewapening Uzelf"
Armour Thyself
The gun-mage holds station next to his black bearded kinsman as the armouring magics ripple from his crown to his toes...
The room comes back to silence as the sounds performed by the skulks moving away is lost in the tunnels.
Ryan casts a detect magic spell and scans the room, finding no aura other than the magical potions and scrolls of the group.
The rod seems just intended as a torch sconce for the apparently old ruined barracks.
The chests here all are open and empty.
Once the others are through the door JJ picks up the lantern again.
Looking at the tunnels she shrugs and sets off carefully to the east, following the direction the Skulk went.
"One way is as good as another." he says quietly with a shrug.
"And if the old map is any good, we have have this one cornered in a small set of rooms."
He glances back. "Maybe best to have someone good with a sword at the back of the group too."
JJ enters the small circular tunnel carved in the stone. Rubble stands just in the entry to the tunnel.
After a couple steps it is clear the tunnel is long and continues straight, at least for as far as the lantern's light arrives.
There is no trace of the skulk.
Ryan and Ruben find out the southern tunnel forks soon in three, one to the southeast, another to the south and the last to the southwest.
Ryan walks to the southern end of the room and seeing the passages split off three directions backs into the room. "Ruben can you watch that entrance for a moment..... JJ lets take another look at that map you got.....
Studying the map you can here him talking to his self "let's see we came down here, this is one level, all this is on one level but the steps lead back up here. ... JJ, I believe that tunnel leads under those rooms" pointing on the map at the two rooms to the east and southeast of the room they were in on their map.
"Lots of ways to go from here but no map to follow when we take off into their tunnels, yet that may be just what we have to do. We've followed the riddle so far and it has been right.
The locks are key to finding them. Look beyond the curtain, below the cauldron. Beware the doors with teeth. Descend into the malachite ‘hold, where precious life is bought with gold. Half a dwarf binds them, but not for long.
Beyond the curain in the locksmith shop we found the entrance to descend below Cauldron, Indicating the door wedged open Kikinnian discovered all to well that he needed to beware the doors with teeth. The next part indicates we should descend into the Malachite....."
JJ scratches his head for a moment.
"Good spotting Ryan, I think you're right. But then surely the tunnels are what will take us to the 'hold?"
He looks around again. "Still no idea about which is best for us, at least this seems to be a single tunnel, less chance to get swarmed from all sides."
He glances back at the masks.
"You don't think there are the ghosts of the vanished down here do you? I mean skulks... they kind of vanish don't they?"
The sounds of giggling gnomes, rustling leaves and chirping birds keep going in the first room. Whether it comes from the masks or the room itself the effect certainly seems like a ghost sound, and nothing makes to thing it will disappear anytime soon.
JJ looks far away in the tunnel, and it seems it forks to the north and south.
Assuming others follow, JJ will head cautiously down the eastern passageway.
Shining his lantern ahead of him, someone watching closely might note his short sword waver a little as if he were somewhat uncertain.
After some hundred feet the light is reflected by a wall. The rays of the lantern extend then to the south and to the north.
JJ is unable to listen anything that might hint him where the skulk has gone, and tracking on the stone is beyond the skills in the group.
"O-oh...um, thanks Ryan," Marigold mumbles, looking an amusing mixture of embarrassed and relieved as he offers her the wand. Once again, her odd ramblings and strange words seem to have ceased. "T-this must have cost a lot, so I'll b-be sure to take good c-care of it..." she continues, carefully stowing the wand in her belt pouch for quicker access.
When it comes to which direction to head in, she shrugs helplessly. "Y-your guess is as good as m-mine. M-maybe Kikinnin or Mr. Snaphånce have an idea? It d-does sound like we've been good at following the riddle so f-far, so if there's a way to g-get down to the Malachite Fortress..."
Still looking around nervously, she shoulders her gear and follows along with the rest of the party. "We'd b-better watch our b-backs, too...some of these tunnels m-may loop around."
"I would say for the moment we stick with the map we have and see about getting the door they have wedged open, shut. While we follow the map we have a reasonable idea of where we are, and we can support each other. Once we get into their passages, the ones we've seen so far, we'll be single file, it will be harder to support each other.
Other suggestions"
"Good thing you dwarves are thick-skinned."
"Aye, you don't know the half of it." Kikinnin checks his side, tying some cloth to prevent his armpit from continuing to bleed.
His eyebrows rise as Marigold heals him of a good part of his wounds. "Here now, that's a wonderful gift, Mari. I appreciate it, now, of all times." He turns to Ryan, as the priest hands the halfling a wand. "Yeah, thanks, Ryan, better now with the weave."
When JJ takes off, Kikinnin shuffles after, hoping the kid doesn't get jumped as unfairly has he just did. "Careful, JJ, careful. Those damn skulks are nigh impossible to see until they've got a knife in your side."
"Up to you, JJ. How far do you want to go there?" Kikinnin doesn't sound completely against figuring out where the skulk runs end up. He keeps up with the boy. "Go left, why don't we? It'll let us circle back, and cover the north side of the map Keygan gave us."
You do remember there was once a connection between Jzadirune and the Malachite Fortress. An elevator the dwarves and the gnomes used to trade materials and manufactures.
You have only a fuzzy idea of it because it was closed after the Vanishing sprung when you were still children.
Despite Ryan’s voice the party quorum seems to follow the tunnel, and so the others start to follow JJ, forcing the cleric to line up with others.
At the fork, you take the left direction that extends during almost three hundred feet until it reaches a new turn to the left, opening to an almost empty room. A five-foot-wide, rough-hewn circular tunnel breaches the west wall of this chamber similar to the one you come through in the east wall. The rubble left by the excavation of these tunnels has been pushed into the north east part of the room, leaving the rest of this chamber clear. A few rat bones litter the floor, but otherwise the room appears empty.
In the middle of the room stands a single skulk, potentially the one that injured Kikinnin, talking excited and alarmed in his own language to apparently no one in the room “Olakds lasd! lasd zloazh! malkd!”
As the light of your lantern comes out of the tunnel the skulk turns towards you and points alarmed “Lasd!”
You seem to listen the skulk a bit earlier than he realizes about your light, but for Ryan who is trying to catch up with the group.
Seeing yet another skulk, JJ moves ahead, striking with the flat of his blade at the skulk.
However a short sword is not really designed to be used like a club, and the blow is easily avoided.
"I wonder why they went to the effort of digging those tunnels? Are they scared of something in the upper chambers?"
Careful! He's got to be talking to someone in there.
As you enter the room, your environment suddenly changes slightly everything on sight becoming blurry. On the southeast corner of the room just next to were you cross, you observe a damaged drilling machine with semi-humanoid aspect 5 feet tall. Observing it is not moving, you continue your movement towards the skulk.
As soon as you step next to the northern wall, were the rubble stands, the blurry effect disappears, same as it does the machine in the corner.
You successfully surround the skulk while it is flat-footed and attempt your attack.
As soon as JJ steps into the room, he suddenly disappears. Moments later he appears again close to the rubble and moves into a surrounding position next to the skulk.
The skulk is still surprised, but the human attempt to avoid deadly wounds to the creature makes him fail the attack.
Ruben advances a little bit, just enough to have the skulk in the range of his daze spell. Then drawing a pinch of wool he says words of arcane power. The Darklands creature shakes his head with strength succeeding to avoid the dazing effect.
Ryan shakes his head and follows the others into the passageway taking rear guard. When they come to a stop he whispers a quiet what's going on?
@GM if more than 2-3 skulks are involved to Ryans knowledge he'll move forward best he can and cast Bless on the group
AC = 16, Shield on, Charging
HP = 11/16
Weapon Equipped = Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = None
The dwarf sees skulk, and that's all it takes to barrel at it with a full run. "Stick me, but you fail to stick around, is that how it's gonna be?!"
Kikinnin also disappears as he steps in the room charging against the skulk. Even if you cannot see him, you still hear his taunting cries and solid steps as he jumps over the skulk with his axe.
All of a sudden a wound opens into the creature's right shoulder like if product of an ethereal force cutting through his skin.
After your furious charge, you realize an immobile machine just on the southeast corner of the room exactly next to the tunnel entrance. It seems a damaged drilling machine with semi-humanoid aspect 5 feet tall.
Weirdly enough, you also notice the environment around you looks also like 'blurried'.
Round 1
Watching the events unfold Maxim attempts to discern the magical effect before the group, and that enveloped his dwarven brother;
:
Maxim observes carefully the effects taking place in the room. It is clearly some kind of magic but nothing springs to the dwarf’s mind at the moment.
The skulk draws his shortsword and unable to see Kikinnin he attacks JJ after stepping to one side.
But the human easily dodges the skulk's forced attack.
All of a sudden, someone starts to shout from somewhere farther to the west of JJ “Taral yan zyggek!” The sound is guttural, slightly similar to the accent of the skulks, but the words sound totally different, like another language you are far more familiar too.
"Attack all intruders!"
A metallic grinding starts to sound in the southeast corner of the room.
You observe the drilling automaton starting to move, setting itself into combat position. It is in the SE corner square of the room.
You feel the air moving around you, the grinding sound very close to you.
Ryan moves to the corner of the tunnel where he can reach everybody with his spell and casts a blessing.
Observing the great difficulties Ruben raises his voice, inspiring courage in your hearts.
Worried about the unseen more so than the seen at this moment, Ryan asks Abadar to bless the companions.
Bless - round 1 of 10
Ruben backs carefully away from the swish of air, raising his shield before him and keeping his sword horizontal to the shield.
There's something in here with us...!
JJ steps sideways to block the skulks retreat.
"What did you do with the children?"
"He is wounded, see if you can knock it out."
Marigold can hear the strange sound of the creature, but from her position at the back of the line she can't get a good view of what's happening. She can hear the sounds of battle however and decides that for the moment, staying out of the way of the others is the best thing she can do as she readies her sling.
As the battle continues Marigold nearly jumps out of her skin when a second voice echoes from somewhere up ahead, followed by a strange grinding sound.
"ત્યાં શું થઈ રહ્યું છે? શું છે કે ગ્રાઇન્ડીંગ અવાજ છે!?" she jabbers, moving up to stand behind Dandarrion.
"What's going on up there? What's that grinding noise!?"
You feel the movement at your side, like if someone or something moves at his place, not approaching neither moving away from you.
JJs strike is precise, catching the skulk off-defense he pierces through the creature's belly. The skulk tries to stop the blade with his free hand, but it is too late. Among spasms the dark creature collapses to the ground as JJ retrieves his blade out of the belly.
The grinding sound increases like if some kind of heavy weaponry is arming itself in the southeastern area of the room.
"ત્યાં તમે નજીક ખૂણામાં મશીન જેવા જંતુ છે. ખસેડો!
"There is an insect like machine in the corner near you. Move!"
Even as he speaks JJ blinks. "હું હજુ પણ તે સાંભળી શકે છે, પરંતુ હું તેને જોઈ શકો છો!"
I can still hear it, but I can't see it!"
Looking down at the creature at his feet, JJs kneels wobble and his stomach churns.
"No! I didn't mean to kill you."
Breakfast comes up as he collapses to the floor, his sword slipping out of his suddenly nerveless fingers.
"By Abadar! No."
AC = 18, Shield on
HP = 11/16
Weapon Equipped = Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Blessed, Inspired
"So, we're not alone, two different ways. Someone's barking at us, another's warming up- I've got a walking stove here, waking." Kikinnin looks about, shaking his head. "It's blurry, you guys blurry, too?"
"No! I didn't mean to kill you."
Kikinnin blinks his eyes, and speaks to the boy. "You forgot to smack with the flat, JJ. Do not trouble yourself. You made the room safer for the rest of us."
The black-beard considers stepping into the corner, and taking a test swipe at the mechanical man, but realizes he's still injured, and remembers JJ disappearing. He steps back, nearer to JJ, and readies a swing if the mechanical man becomes aggressive.
"Ruben, you're about to face something stirring and whirring. You might want to move."
As you step towards JJ, the environments becomes normal again, and you lose sight of the mechanical thing in the corner.
Kikinnin suddenly appears again in the middle of the room and moves just south of JJ.
Maxim loads his gun while he keeps observing attentively for what might be going on in the room.
"There is a kind of invisibility area effect in the corner of the room." says the dwarf while chewing his tobacco "I would thought it is a sphere of invisibility but it seems to work different. Perhaps the product of a spell mishap."
You are looking at the skulk when something stabs you from southwest. A tiny metallic thing pierces through your ribs touching your right lung!
All of a sudden JJ shrieks painfully and a wound appears at his right side.
The attack came from somewhere close to you, but you cannot tell from what point exactly!
"Perhaps there are two area effects" points Maxim.
The grinding sounds like if something jammed. Nothing else happens.
Ruben moves hastily away from the noise of grinding gears
Any ideas what this is?
Ruben tries to ascertain where the metallic machine is, but the reverberations of the room make it difficult for him.
Moving into the room, Ryan encounters the distortion area just inside the doorway, pausing a moment at the effect. Turning towards the automaton as it begins to move. "Well that can't be a good thing" With shield up he moves to engage it.
"It's some kind of overgrown ?Drill?"
The distortion causing the blow to go wide
Well whether someone is controlling it or it's just malfunctioning, we better take it down before it drills us!