JJ jumps back when the professor is captured by the force field.
"Not again. I think books may be bad for us."
After a long moment, Marigold finally raises her head at Maxim's question. "Sp-spawn of Kyuss? Umm..."
"...I'm not s-sure..."
She shakily gets to her feet and finally takes the offered healing wand. "Th-thanks Juraan. Let's see..."
"Th-that's enough for now," she says once Kikinnin and JJ are mended good as new. "I still have that other p-potion I can use to close the rest of m-my wounds." After digging the potion out she drinks it down...
"M-much better. Let's f-finish this p-part of the p-place and then s-see about resting, okay?"
------------------
"Oh n-no, not again!" she groans as a familiar spell ensorcells Juraan. "S-stupid wizarding t-traps..." she mutters. "W-well, now what?"
Kyuss (pronounced "Kai-uhs" /ˈkaɪ.əs/) is a demigod concerned with the creation and mastery of the Undead. Known as the Bonemaster, the Wormgod, the Worm that Walks and the Herald of the Age of Worms, his symbol is a skull erupting with writhing green worms.
JJ looks to Ryan.
"Is there nothing you can do for Juran? You managed to throw off the effect pretty easily..."
"If R-Ryan can't d-do anything for him then we d-don't have m-much choice, we'll have to fall back - we can't just leave J-Juraan here for d-days on end..." Marigold responds glumly.
"I wish I could say 'yes' JJ, but Abadar granted me something beyond my normal graces. I will pray though for his blessing once more should Maxim be unable to do something with Skaven's spellbook.
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Kikinnin startles as Juraan pays his price for snooping through more enemy paperwork. Suppose it's the risk someone's got to take to uncover covert information, but, damn, that's inconvenient.
"What does that feel like, Ryan? When you get trapped by that magic? Is Juraan comfortable in there? Is his face going to stick in its current shocked expression? You think he'll start to drool, with his mouth open like that?"
Kikinnin waits to hear Ryan or Maxim or Marigold come through for them on Juraan's immobility.
"You know, come to think of it... Kyuss... something about that echoes in some of the stories told me by Drunnal, Malachite priest of Torag. More bogey blather I thought, until you mentioned it here. Kyuss is a not-fully god, more necromancer intent on learning all the ways with undead creatures. Drunnal would tell us the lurking undead were emissaries, come to convert us to Kyuss, one way or another. The way he said it, can't believe anyone would take him for truth."
The black-beard turns back on the problem at hand.
"Suppose we could cross back over the lake, and take our rest in the winch house. Easy enough to guard against other denizens of this wretched place."
"And I could make a quick trip back to Cauldron with the three wands we have got so far. That would help keep the rising waters in check while we find the others." offers JJ.
JJ's comment catches Ryan's attention and he takes a moment to study the newly found wand...
"Well at least 2 of the 3 we know are water wands, and 2, or 3, if the other may be as well, is better than none. It will also lessen Triel's bargaining power. I will accompany JJ back helping him to transport Juraan. We don't know that they can't get out of here through another exit but if you lock the cage down at the top it should prevent them from leaving through there.
And Kikinnin as for your old mentor's fairy tales, the part I know of them is that those servants are trying to recruit you. One of the worms that inhabit them will detach sometimes during their attack, burrowing within till it reaches it victim's brain, making you one of the undead as well."
Indeed you observe the three wands are almost identical. Just small details change among them, product of a good natural crafter learning and variance.
Studying the wands that they know are water wands and the third so far unknown wand Ryan notices the similarities, almost certain that it is a water wand as well.
If we are going back there is a chance we can confirm the identity of this wand indicating the unknown one and perhaps even find another when we return tomorrow. Using a locate object spell. It will lead me to the closest object of the type I am searching for, so if the unknown wand is closest to me and I search for the water wands and it indicates the unknown one it would indicate it it one as well.
Then tomorrow, I could cast it again, when the ones we have are not near, and it should lead us to the next closest one, theoretically at least."
"Why wait until tomorrow?" asks JJ.
"We are only just on the outskirts of Cauldron. We can be there and back in less than an hour, with a bit of luck."
"Why are those letters glowing?"
I only have one casting of it, will be tomorrow before I can cast again and if the closest thing to us is the ones we already have, it will be wasted.
In addition the creatures within this journal that got loose were beyond what the wizard here could deal with with his companions here, so standing toe to toe with them for extended periods could have worse effects than turning you into a statue for a week. If we are not at our best, and two of the traps we just face have brought someone to a dead stop, while Maxim nearly died himself with the spider. However if you wish to continue forward, I'll do what I can. "
"I...I still have m-most of my p-power I think, but..." Marigold frowns and then looks up at the others with worried eyes. "I d-don't know that m-my magic will help m-much against the l-living dead."
She glances over at their frozen companion. "J-Juraan's m-magic would b-be a lot m-more useful. We sh-shouldn't go m-much farther without h-him if we c-can help it!"
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"And Kikinnin, as for your old mentor's fairy tales, the part I know of them is that those servants are trying to recruit you. One of the worms that inhabit them will detach sometimes during their attack, burrowing within till it reaches it victim's brain, making you one of the undead as well."
Kikinnin rubs one ear with his armored shoulder, trying to shake a phantom worm from his head. "How do you know that, Ryan? You seen one, one of those worms? I've just got stories. Didn't need your description. Too vivid." The black-beard thinks on a set of earplugs... and noseplugs... maybe a facemask of some sort...
"Alright, let's be off. Can't continue until Juraan's been restored." Kikinnin sheathes his axe, then picks the professor up, and tosses him over his back. "Let's retrace our steps back to the cable cage."
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Maxim scowls as Juraan triggers another of Skaven's arcane traps;
Think we'd have learned from the first time...
He shakes his head at Ryan's suggestion he has access to magicks that might help;
"Alas not Taskerhill. Freeing our drakblood is beyond my ken..."
He walks toward where the spell book lies, tapping its cover;
"Might be the little snake had the escape to the trap here... but if it is, likelihood is I ain't able to cast it... Leastways not yet..."
He nods in agreement as talk turns to the wands;
"Reckon ain't beyond the realms we have the three Skaven mentioned in his journal. Would be nice to know fer certain..."
As Kinkinnin voices his concerns, his fellow dwur smiles wryly;
"I heard the worms love beards... black beards... Preferred nestin' site..."
As you retrace your steps and walk into the beach, you find out four hillfolk laying in the sandy ground. They do not move as you approach.
The cage house lays still collapsed to the foundations, but otherwise the cage and the mechanism seems to remain untouched, exactly the same you left it.
You check the men pulse and confirm they are all dead. Sharp open wounds, like those of swords, are found in their skin.
By the position of the bodies and the type of injuries you would say these hillfolk fought each other until death. The blood in their swords, and the way they still hold them or they lay in the sandy ground corroborates this idea.
The footprints in the beach reveal only four medium creatures have been here recently. You do find older traces of many other creatures, at least more than four medium humanoids, but it is confusing.
4x Chainmail
4x masterwork large steel shield
4x masterwork longsword
4x potion of cure moderate wounds
4x red sash
This room contains two weeks of dried food rations and drinking water kept in large barrels.
The western door is securely locked.
Through the northern door you could hear voices of people playing cards by the first time you checked the room, but checking it now, you hear nothing.
"I heard the worms love beards... black beards... Preferred nestin' site..."
"Some of the required reading in my studies is heavy, this being one of those points. And there was mention of nesting as well, perhaps only coincidence that the men enjoyed full dark beards, tsk tsk" Letting Kikinnin start out the door Ryan adds "No worries, Juraan is only drooling a small bit, perhaps it can wash some of the splatters from your armor"
later on the beach
Ryan studies the fallen hillfolk for a bit , checking positions and weapon arrangements. "They're obviously dead and from all accounts they did them selves in, perhaps a blood fuel between families, or simply distrust anonget thieves over treasure they can't reach. Appears they were the only ones out here at the time." Ryan kneels down studying them a moment more.
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"I heard the worms love beards... black beards... Preferred nestin' site..."
"And there was mention of nesting as well, perhaps only coincidence that the men enjoyed full dark beards, tsk tsk."
Kikinnin shortens his neck, then straightens it out, when he hears Maxim get specific on the color of beards, pretty much guaranteeing that the dwarf is tugging his beard, until Ryan speaks up, and verifies it.
The black-beard looks back and forth between the two of them, satisfied that the priest would never lie about a thing like that, so he makes a note to be extra vigilant about the Spawn, and their nesting ways.
Kikinnin helps trudge everyone back across the chasm, by cage, hopefully without incident. Once on the other side, he encourages JJ to fix the winch in place, so they can rest in peace.
When Kikinnin starts directing JJ and Ryan to help with the cage winch, an aquatic humanoid creature emerges from the waters. Slightly over ten feet in length, it has a vaguely humanoid upper body with two clawed forelimbs and a bulbous yellow-eyed head. Its face bears forked octopoid tentacles surrounding a lampreylike maw. Below its waist, it has two sharklike fins, and its tail splits into three long, hooked ribbons. It has greenish-yellow skin.
The creature, which seems partially wounded, says some gibberish to you.
"Are you the ones killing those that usurped my kind ancestral home?"
You do recognize the creature like a Kopru, as you glanced at the books in Skaven's rooms that talk about this place being inhabited by Koprus before.
This is a Kopru. Koprus are savage amphibian slavers who once ruled a great undersea empire. Though reduced to scattered clans of barbaric hunters, they retain their cunning, ambition, and powers of mental domination.
Ryan listens closely at the creature's gibberish, trying to make sense of it.
Kikinnin gives the creature his Look. He expects nothing but Glisten, as he'd gather every living creature in these ruins would demonstrate.
Maxim studies the aquatic newcomer with a furrowed brow;
"Something familiar 'bout its bearing. The little rat Skaven's book mentioned... Kop-roo or some such..."
:
The gun-mage strokes his beard in thought, then nods to himself;
Kopru! Aye that's it... Remember Ol' Hackbus mentioning them once or twice! An auld race o' under dwellers.... Once a great race o' slavers now reduced to barbaric tribes..."
As he remembers more his hand moves to his pistol;
"Best we beware too as they're still cunning... an' smart. Got powers o'er the mind too..."
"Maybe that is why the hillmen killed each other?" ponders JJ.
Deciding that discretion is the better part of aggression at the moment, JJ keeps his hands open.
"We can't understand you, but we are just leaving..." he says, gesturing Marigold to get into the cart along with the still Juran.
Looking round he gestures to Kikinnin to go too. "Need someone with a bit of upper arm strength Kikinnin, you can get them up safely, and then come back for the rest of us."
Faint evil aura
The creature sighs "The miscreants occupying the ancestral ruins of my people are finally getting what they deserve. You cannot leave now. What are you looking for? I will help you if you keep finishing them off" it speaks with a clear alien accent.
"Can you help free our friend who is bound with their foul magics?" asks JJ.
"He is an important part of our team."
Marigold hesitates, torn between the prospect of having some help and not knowing whether the creature could truly be trusted or not. How much should they say?
"He's r-right," Marigold says timidly. "Our f-friend ran afoul of that w-wizard's trap and none of us have the p-power to free him. We were g-going to return to the s-surface and get help t-to free him..."
The Kopru looks at Juraan "I don't know what afflicts him. But I cannot use magic. I can help you once my home is clear again"
"We're not here to do you bidding, creature. We're here to reclaim what was stolen from Cauldron. You don't dictate whether we come or go, and right now, one of ours is crippled, and we'll not leave him in his condition. Are you just one, or do you have yourself a horde? You want to help, you tell us how many more miscreants roam these halls. Show us you're not as evil as you look."
JJ winces at Kikinnin's words.
"Or to put it more politely. We will be best able to help clear these halls of the people currently in them, when we are at full strength. So we must restore Juran before continuing. It should only be a small manner of hours."
The creature looks at Kikinnin clearly annoyed.
You are dominated and obey the creature.
"You seem the leader here dwarf. And I need you to clean this place of parasites before they decide to spoil my plans or tides changes for whatever other reason." it points to the structure behind "You go in. And clean this place. You can keep for yourself whatever you find, including that stolen to you. This is for the interest of us all"
That was likely a Dominate Person.
Kikinnin flicks his head back, suddenly aware of an attempted intrusion. "HEY. None of your 'powers o'er the mind', you wretch. I'm no leader here, but I know evil when I see it, and I was trying to figure out if you were the lesser of the two. You try and hit any of my group here with your little mind jab, and we're done here. I'll jab your mind, literally. You'd do well to remember you're already injured."
It's clear that Kikinnin is done talking with the creature, but he senses the others are more flexible with their morals, and seem willing to continue discussions with the kopru. Kikinnin backs off, but remains a charging distance away from Lamprey-Face. He looks at the others, clearly disgusted.
JJ looks between the creature and Kikinnin. "Right, lets go. We'll be back as soon as we can. Any help you can provide would of course be much appreciated."
Watching the back and forth between Kikinnin and the Kopru, Ryan nods as Kikinnin makes his threat clear.
"Should you wish our help, you'd do well not to try mind games on our members. We will be back to continue our search, which will likely as not clear the vermin from your ancestral halls. As JJ said, your help would be appreciated but further hinderance will not bode well for you. We have no quarrel with you and your people unless you bring one forth."
Ryan speaks to the creature plainly, agreeing that their goals for the time being are aligned but not trouble will be brooked from the kopru clan.
The kopru moves its tentacles while listening to Kikinnin, then to JJ and Ryan "I see my offer is not well received here"
It then swims back a bit, still holding its eye contact with the group "You will one day regret having rejected this offer" it then start to submerge and retreats if you do nothing else.
Using the winch and the cage to return back to the surface will be an easy task now.
"An offer of help by meddling with our minds is not a true offer of help, but remember we did not come here to bring trouble to your clan, only solve trouble within our own."
Ryan watches the kopru until it is gone if it wishes to swim off.
"He s-said something about not having his p-plans spoiled..." Marigold murmurs, looking worried. "Th-that doesn't sound good. We should b-be mindful of that g-going forward, j-just in case."
After a moment she seems to snap out of whatever funk she was in and looks to the others. "Okay, let's g-get g-going."
Maxim watches the creature retreat with wrathful promises;
"Huh. Seem's them Korpu ain't learned the art o' bartering..."
He claps Marigold's shoulder with a hard smile;
"Don't ye fret none Lil' Miss. We make a habit o' spoilin' folks plans... Fish-face needs to get in line eh?"
"So.. Marigold, Juran... and maybe me first in the basket." suggests JJ - now the possible threat is gone.
"That was a very strange creature, I hope we didn't make an enemy unnecessarily."
He shrugs his shoulders, "But what is said cannot be unsaid, and he really was quite unreasonable."
Marigold, Juraan and JJ are the first ones to cross in the basket. Once there, JJ operates the winch to cross Ryan, Kikinnin and Maxim. The basket swings from side to side over the green waters. The metallic grinding the only sound breaking the silence of the enormous cavern.
Some minutes later the rest of the party sets foot on the top corbel at the beginning of the lava tube.
"We should secure this so no one on the other side can bring it back across the lake., then lets moves quickly."
"G-good plan," Marigold agrees. "C-can we j-jam something in the w-winch to keep it here or does it have s-some s-sort of lock?" she asks, peering at mechanism.
Maxim stares balefully at the winch mechanism;
"Darn thing's had me bamboozled... so I ain't sure"
"I was thinking I'd take the wands and Juran back to the church and see if there is anything she can do for him, and at least get started on keeping the waters low. I'll be as quick as I possibly can."
He looks at the professor.
"It may be faster with one other person helping to carry him though..."
Ryan uses rope, 50', to double and triple up the strands holding the cage to the top of the cliff. As JJ speaks up..
"Like you thought I was staying here." Ryan says as he throws Juraan across his shoulder.
"I should get with Jenya, and deliver the wands we do have to the clerics who have agreed to help with patrols. Won't be enough, but better than what they have right now."
Later at St Cuthberts
Bringing Juraan into the main cathedral area, Ryan had sent a runner for Jenya as soon as they enter the church grounds. Taking a moment to say a prayer of thanks within the sanctuary for his deliverance from this same predicament.
"Mistress Jenya, our companion has ran afoul of a wizard's trap within the tunnels below; but all is not lost for while there we found 3 of the missing wands. Abadar graced me with an additional blessing when I was caught, yet it is not within my normal ability to perform. would you, or another here, be able to dispel this troublesome trap?"
When you get out to the city of Cauldron the rain is still storming the roofs of the buildings. Most people are well protected at home, and the ones that not just past by running as you venture towards the temple of St. Cuthbert.
When you hit the place of Abadar you find out Jenya and Rufus are attending to a family with three kids. They are eating soup and well warded with thick, dry blankets.
The priestess receives the news about the wands with hope "For Abadar, you are like a wish made true. Things are going unstable at town Ryan. These wands might help us earn enough time" she looks at Juraan "I fear I do not have the spells required at the moment, but come here tomorrow and I will try to find a solution for this"
The woman looks at you and smiles without hiding the worried expression at his face "You are doing a great service to the city"
"We thinks the others are still within the caverns below and when we return I'll use a locate spell to find the next, should we not find them shortly after we return. However that return isn't without it's own peril, one of the leaders lost control of its construct and he has become one of the undead by choice." Ryan continues with what has been recorded in the journal. Bringing Jenya and Rufus up to speed on what goes on below the city. "But we are trying to bring this to an end as quickly as possible, yet to plunge forward without Juraan and half spent would here been unwise. Oh yeah the kopru are still around it appears, one showed up trying to get us to finish clearing things out." he adds as an afterthought.