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Feeling much more refreshed upon the morrow, Maxim lights a cigar to clear the stale underdark air from his lungs and eyes the map with interest;
Best keep track o' our route on the map too eh? Skie told us to ware gettin' lost..."
As talk turns to water and the lurking creatures it may hold, the gun-mage eyes Kikinnin and barks a hard laugh;
"Anythin' eats my bror here will most likely break its jaws on his iron-skull, or spit him out on account o' the disgustin' taste! Har!"
"Th-that's r-right," Marigold laughs too, finding comfort in the group's banter. "And if any of us g-get turned into t-toads, then at least we'll b-be able to s-swim, r-right?"
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"Anythin' eats my bror here will most likely break its jaws on his iron-skull, or spit him out on account o' the disgustin' taste! Har!"
Kikinnin laughs an obviously doctored-up laugh to sound close to a laugh, but not so much a laugh as one that falls short of genuine amusement. "Better to be mistaken for food than for a mate, bror. You best be careful you don't find yourself dragged down to the depths for your dowry." The genuine laugh comes out, as the black-beard's beard tickles his lips with all the 'd's.
Kikinnin keeps to the path, not interested in plumbing the deep with a full suite of armor, and keeps an eye of his own out for lurkabouts.
"Well, I guess we should worry about whether or not we need to breath water once we're there."
"By, the way, are those big or small water bodies on that map?"
After your long rest and a short breakfast you do pack things up and restart your spelunking trip. The tunnels darkness becomes a known companion today.
After a couple hours walking, and climbing, the silence of the caverns is suddenly broken by the distant roar of a waterfall. Half an hour later you observe a faint violet light coming from the exit of your tunnel. The packed cavern opens wide into a lake with a waterfall. As you close up to the waters you find out the origin of the faint light is some kind of fungus.
Target stealth: 22
While Kikinnin and Ryan examine the waters with Marigold, Maxim, JJ and Juraan notice something up in the top of the cavern walls observing and up to jump over the party!
Maxim and Juraan swiftly react before they jump down!
"Look, what is..." says JJ, caught somewhat by surprise by the things quick movement.
"Moorlocks!"
Noticing the uglies before they attack, Juraan has enough time to fire off one spell:
« מאַגיש מיסאַל » . .
He targets the one nearest him (orange):
As the creatures clamber down the cavern walls, Maxim eyes them warily discerning more of their nature;
:
The gun-mage bellows out a warning;
"Morlocks! Ware em: Tough, quick an' slipperly too, an' they swarm ye in attack!"
He follows Juraan's lead, shifting slightly and blasts the scuttling ranks with a spell from his cocked finger ;
"Magische raket!"
Two bolts of light hit the lead morlocks on his side .
:
:
Grim set, the dwuar wizard keeps his finger "gun" outstretched as he lets fly two more shots of arcane energy at the same targets ;
"Magische raket!"
:
:
Maxim then shifts to allow the others to engage and draws his short sword
Multiple arrays of magic missiles spring from Juraan and Maxim's fingers blasting creatures in the top.
You all follow the magic projectiles discovering hideously humanoid shapes of pale skin as a slug's belly, eyes huge and bulging, crawling down the walls like a spiders and jumping at you!
They all land next to their targets, the clubs missing by a few inches from your bodies.
Up to four more morlocks appear from the eastern corridor, including what appears to be the leader of the group. They are skillfully crawling through the cave ceiling stalactites.
The morlocks start to pack in the floor fighting from the same spot for advantage!
The party fights defending the position and avoiding the flurry of clubs and bites coming from the morlocks. One of the clubs lands on Maxim's head out of his magical defenses reach.
The other morlocks move through the stalactites while their leader casts a spell and an unholy falchion made of force at the resemblance of the one it is holding appears in the air and flies to attack Kikinnin!
Kikinnin was not ready yet against the new enemy and he is surprised by the force falchion that magically strikes his back bursting his skin under the armor.
The pale creatures screech and laugh while they charge upon the party!
Shrugging his shield down on his arm, Ryan forgoes his newly masterworked crossbow, for his trusty mace. taking aim at the morlock with orange trappings.
Stepping forward to meet the morlock, .
"Look up!" calls out JJ, somewhat late to the picture.
He drives his magical short sword into the blue Moorlock.
JJ continues his attack on the blue Moorlock, trying to give himself room to come to his allies aid.
Marigold yelps with surprise as things suddenly come scuttling around corners and leaping down on them like pale, overgrown spiders but somehow manages to dodge all the blows aimed at her. With a pang of worry she realizes that she's caught between two of the things, the nearby wall, and Ryan - unable to try working her magic lest she take more blows. Before the creatures can gather themselves for another volley of attacks she ducks past Ryan, hoping to maneuver herself into a better casting position.
______
Seeing the Morlocks come forward, Juraan cast a spell again:
« მჟავე ხელები » . .
He the steps back 5 feet
Juraan uses his wand of Mage Armour on himself
and Juraan's AC was only 15 in the surprise round.
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As more of the pale creatures arrive, Maxim curses;
"Aw Skit! More o' the gods damned creatures!"
The gun-mage charges his shortsword with an dash of eldritch energy then stabs at the nearest morlock
:
:
Bellowing in anger, the dwur lays about the creature in a frenzied attack:
:
:
:
:
He then retrieves a Potion of Cure Moderate Wounds from his haversack
AC = 23
HP = 59/64
Weapon Equipped = +1 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = None
Kikinnin looks over the spiritual falchion with a bit of curiosity, of course uncomfortable that such a thing was being wielded to injure him, but curious all the same. "Ryan, isn't this the same kind of thing you're able to do? Does that mean that these morlocks have a priest among them?"
The black-beard doesn't delay all that much in his inquiry, as he steps up alongside Maxim, and tries to reduce the minions' numbers.
Ryan, isn't this the same kind of thing you're able to do? Does that mean that these morlocks have a priest among them?
Looking over his shoulder Ryan spies the ghostly falcon harassing Kikinnin, "yes, yes it does, and we'd do well to rid ourselves of his presence, before he helps them out further. Jurrann, Marigold any chance you can dispose of their cleric?
JJ stabs his blade on the morlock as it jumps over him, the creature yells in pain.
Ryan steps and spins drawing his mace but the sudden movement makes his attack shorter than expected missing the targeted morlock.
JJ sends again his shortsword towards the offending morlock, sending it to the ground just in time to step closer to Marigold.
Indeed, Marigold retreats looking for the protection of the party. The morlocks seem unable to reach it thanks to her resolved movement.
Juraan profits the clearing space to pronounce arcane words that bring his hands on fire. With a determined movement of his hands in the direction of the morlocks a jet of flames emerge lighting for a second the whole cavern!
The morlocks open wide their eyes alerted by the flames and cover themselves with the hands protecting their vital spots! The carbon smoke smell is clear though afterwards.
The one with an orange club seems to move with difficulty after the flames.
Kikinnin comes in the help of Maxim, slashing the remaining morlock with his axe, opening a deep gash on its breast, and following up with another slash in the opposite direction opening its left arm! The morlock holds on feet with difficulty.
Juraan casts a protective spell, his body momentary covered by a field of arcane energy.
The two morlocks in the eastern flank coordinate themselves to move over Ryan and attack ensemble!
Ryan blocks with his shield one of the morlocks, but has little to do against the second one, whom with little regard of its own hits the cleric's head with the club! Then driven by the same vile hate that took it to keep attacking, it fells to the ground unconscious.
The red morlock attacks Maxim with the same vile hate!
The bite is deflected by the dwarf's mithral chain, but the club hits the blond one in the head!
The second wave of morlocks move through the ceiling with skill, then descend the walls and jump over the party attacking amid leap with astonishing ability!
The first one goes over Ryan!
The other two jump over JJ!
They all fail misserably waving their club in the air.
The force falchion follows and keeps swinging at Kikinnin.
A burst of force burns his back again while he is still playing his axe.
Confusing him for a simple warrior, the morlock leader pronounces some divine words and points to Kikinnin with a strange symbol in the shape of a hyena. The black dwarf feels his muscles become stiff.
AC = 23
HP = 55/64
Weapon Equipped = +1 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = None
Kikinnin takes his blow from the falchion, then shrugs off something trying to set in on his bones and hold him up from taking out Red. His desire to bloody is greater than any itch in his mind to stop.
His second swing seeks the Black next to JJ. He'll take a 5' step if necessary to get next to his next adversary.
Taking a blow to the head, Ryan watches the creature fall unconcious at his feet, thinking only one is left before him and he is suffering from double vision; he swings and the junction between the two...
missing badly....
Now solidly protected from the flailing clubs, Marigold first focuses on bringing her companions greater odds in combat - and their foes poorer. With that done, she turns her eye to the leader standing back and flinging magic at them.
Two can play at that game!
______
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Glad to have Marigold covered, JJ tuns to face the horrible pink clad Moorlock.
"These cave creatures have absolutely no idea how civilised folk dress"
However the young man gets cocky. Far too cocky. In a brilliant display of ineptitude, he narrowly avoids decapitating himself when he tries a very flashy double slash move and hits nothing but air.
Juraan stays where he is and tries shooting the morlock he injured with his bow
"Their lack of fashion sense is the least of our concerns, JJ!"
Maxim downs the potion he holds ;
:
The gun-mage then drops his shortsword and draws his pistol
"I beg to disagree" says JJ ducking a club.
"They seem to want to use My blood as a fashion accessory"
Kikinnin resists the magical attack with a powerful swing of his axe dropping one of the morlocks and a second swing injuring another one in the waist.
Ryan attempts to emulate the dwarf combat prowess, but his swing is easily blocked by one of the morlocks.
Raising a prayer to the gods Marigold enhances the party chances.
After JJ's cocky mischances, Juraan readies his bow and shots at the morlock melee in front. A difficult shot to avoid injuring Ryan that ends up with the arrow in the wall behind.
Maxim downs his readied potion and changes weapons. The dwarf's wounds disappear in their majority.
The green morlock disappears below the waters.
A strange bulb creature took it into the depths. You could not see more on the fray of the battle.
Two of the morlocks press on JJ.
The black one blunts the young man's left arm!
The other two attack Ryan.
The yellow one hits Ryan in the head and bites his neck!
The force falchion keeps swinging at Kikinnin.
A new burst of energy hammers the dwarf in the back.
The leader approaches through the ceiling and chants again. This time a sound burst explodes in the middle of the party!
Ryan is too busy to notice anything, as the yellow creature smacks him once again and the bites him! As he prepares to return the favor the cleric above hits them with a spell he had seen before. Eyes screwed up tight against the loud noise, he shakes of the remaining effect of the offending spell.
Checking his youthful enthusiasm, he swallows as his eyes track the moorlock that plummets into the waters below.
(extra +4 if the perception involves an evil outsider)
The youth grits his teeth against a sudden pain as the creature in black lands its club on his arm. "Ouch!" He swings his own swords in reply.
The first sword is a feint, albeit a hopeful one. The blow from his left hand however is much quicker and he looks hopeful for signs of blood on it.
In a swirl of motion, JJ tries to stab the creaturs a second time bbefore it can recover from the first cut.
AC = 25
HP = 54/64
Weapon Equipped = +1 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Prayer
Kikinnin bellows a little louder than intended, as his ears ring from the concussive blow.
It takes all his will not to swing in anger at the phantom falchion.
He takes his anger out on the standing Black morlock. He wobbles a little from the pain in his back, but he blinks the tears out of his eyes to concentrate.
Pistol drawn, Maxim focuses his attention to the leader whose casting is causing mayhem.
The dwur smiles grimly and loads a flare cartridge and levels his pistol.
As the creature lurks just out of range, he squints, then spits
"Here's light in yer eye ugly!"
Then pulls the trigger ;
:
:
Ryan resists the sonic burst but gets distracted failing his next swing.
JJ also resists the burst and responds with a whirl of shortsword attacks over the black morlock, cutting twice over the creature that falls unconscious to the stony ground of the cavern.
After his cursing, Kikinnin's wounds close up. The dwarf then continues with a succession of two slices that leaves the pink morlock terribly damaged on his chest and belly.
Maxim skillfully shots his gun, a sudden deflagration engulfs his target in the ceiling, whom surprised by the bright light seems to become disorientated and blind.
Two of the morlocks keep attacking Ryan viciously.
While the cleric blocks most of the attacks with his shields, one of them bites deeply his left arm while he tries to defend himself.
The last morlock keeps his attack on JJ.
It scratches the young man on his face.
Meahwhile the spiritual falchion keeps painfully punishing Kikinnin's back!
The morlock leader moves through the ceiling, blindly errant, until it seems to decide to do something and casts a spell on itself.
Shield of faith
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AC = 23
HP = 46/64
Weapon Equipped = +1 Dwarven Greataxe
Condition(s) = Prayer
Kikinnin howls murder at the falchion flaying him from behind, tucking that grievance into his dusty memory bank, for when he can get his hands on the cowardly cleric that set it loose.
Figuring JJ to finish off the lone morlock, the black-beard will swing twice on it if JJ flounders a second time. Otherwise, he moves across the shore to assist Ryan by attacking Cyan.
The damn ghost blade can't miss!! Ryan, how in the hells can you banish the damned thing?!
"We have to kill the caster, unfortunately I seem to be tied up right now"
Ryan grumbles back to Kikinnin, as the Morlocks before him have been troubling him greatly.
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JJ, relieved of the pressure of two Morlorks starts to spin his swords in a manner he first learned from the dark creeper under Jazradine only a few short weeks ago.
"Apparently this technical is popular in the Darklands..."
The swords start to form a wall of steel in front of him, as the blades combine in a whirl of steel to cut and prod, thrust and poke.
To be fair, the blood running down his face gets into JJ's eyes a bit, but in general he looks pretty happy with the performance.
Marigold starts as her keen eyes pick out the sight of the green morlock suddenly disappearing beneath the water - clearly not of his own volition, either.
"ಹೇ! ನೀರಿನಲ್ಲಿ ಏನೋ ಇದೆ, ಔಟ್ ವೀಕ್ಷಿಸಿ!" she calls out in warning. Then she yelps in pain as a cacophony of noise suddenly erupts in their midst, leaving her ears ringing.
"H-Hey! There's s-something in the w-water, watch out!"
Marigold's Round 3
With her companions sufficiently bolstered, Marigold turns her attention to the pesky priest slinging magic from on high. She begins casting in turn, emitting an eerie wail as she points up at the priest.
______
Marigold's Round 4
Realizing that Ryan has taken quite the beating from his assailants, Marigold reaches out and places a gentle hand on his arm, healing some of his wounds.
Juraan easily shakes off the aftereffects of the sound burst from the Morlock leader
Annoyed with a poor bow shot at such close range, Juraan casts a spell
« זויער אָנכאַפּן » . .
… and moves up and touches one of the Morlocks (Yellow)
Wanting to get rid of these creatures fast, Juraan does likewise to the other Morlock (Cyan)
« მჟავა დაჯექი » . .
Seeing his stratagem bear fruit Maxim loads another flare cartridge (Move Action) and once again draws a bead on the leader;
"Tryin' our best Taskerhill! You handle them morlackeys an' we'll try an' keep their caster busy!"
As the creature continues to lurk just out of range, he once again uses his draws on innate gun-skills to make the shot .
Then pulls the trigger ;
:
:
Marigold targets a spell on the morlock leader.
The blinded creature seems not able to perceive the intimidating nature of Marigold's curse.
Juraan casts a spell and tries to touch the cyan morlock, but this one avoids the hand of the professor in the las moment. Juraan holds the spell charge on his hand.
Ryan smacks Master Key on the cyan morlock that yells in pain when surprised his left arm breaks!
On the other side JJ creates a wall of iron blades cutting up his arms then finishing with a decapitating movement on the morlock.
Kikinnin moves to help Ryan, swinging his axe to beat down the morlock Ryan was fighting.
Marigold touches Ryan, plenty of the most serious wounds of the cleric magically sealing.
Juraan attempts to touch again a morlock, this time his calculus are good and take the creature by surprise. The breast of the morlock spurs with acid that quickly burns its skin. Although the morlock steps back the acid keeps burning causing a terrible wound. The last morlock falls to the ground under incredible pain!
Maxim leverages his gun and shots again at the morlock. This time the vile cleric is perhaps too far away and the shot misses him.
The spiritual falchion puffs away leaving Kikinnin alone.
The morlock leader seems to recover sight. It looks enraged at his minions fallen in the ground of the cavern. The morlock sises something at the party "Sofakh valit! Skim ilet fartuk khonik malet! Lamasssshtuk foirel parlet tuetk!"
"Surface food! You will pay for this outrage! Lamashtu will make you pay!"
Then skillfully moves through the stalactites retreating into the eastern passage.
8 bone clubs
1 magnifying glass, 100 gp
1 zaphire, 200 gp
4 rations made of fungus
Once again the noise of the waterfall captures the atmosphere of the cavern.
Kikinnin almost has a mind to move to the edge of the lake, and throw down a challenge to the retreating morlock, but he remembers Marigold's warning, so keeps a healthy distance.
"Ah, that's right. Something in the water, eh, Marigold? What did it look like? We should probably move away now." While he speaks the words, Kikinnin is already skirting the lake, hoping to get beyond any sea creature's reach.
Maxim reloads his pistol with another flare cartridge, rueing the shot he missed as he holsters the gunne.
"Precious few o' them flare cartridges... Darn it! Shoulda figured to craft a few more afore we came down."
As the dwur mulls a missed opportunity he eyes the lake and waterfall deep in thought.
Maxim recalls the description given to him by Skie of where she and her group encountered Hackbus;
"I still remember his hut was concealed behind a waterfall, and that waterfall was pouring its waters into a large lake of violet waters. The fungus there was lighting the great cavern"
He tries to match that description against what he sees before him...
Could this be the one? Hell's Teeth. Likely dozens if not hundreds o' lakes down here...
JJ quickly cleans his swords on the dead Morlocks clothes.
"I wonder if they were waiting for us in particular? " he muses.
"Or were we just... unlucky."
"I d-don't know...d-definitely a b-big group for just a hunting p-party or the like th-though..." Marigold responds worriedly. "And the th-thing in the w-water? It l-looked like a...a...b-bulb-shaped thing, that's all I c-could really s-see."
While the group pauses to collect themselves and strip the morlocks of what little valuables they have, Marigold sets to work mending the worst of the party's wounds.
______
"Thanks for the healing, Marigold."
"It looks to me like this area has many ambush sites."
"Those Morlocks were probably waiting for whoever came by."
"Which way does the map show? Over that way?"
Juraan points to the Northern passage.
"I hope so. I'd rather not traverse that lake!"
Juraan checks out the map and confirms the Northwestern tunnel as the way to follow.
Maxim turns to the others before they set off Northwestward.
"As we head toward the tunnel, indulge me an' cast yer collective gaze toward that waterfall. Anyone notice anything about it, or nearby it, I'd be obliged if ye let me know..."
"The w-waterfall? Um, okay...but wh-why?" Marigold asks as she turns her attention to the nearby waterfall, unsure of what she might be looking for.
Earlier if GM allows
When Ryan catches Marigold about to start healing the others he places a hand on her arm "Wait a moment please."
Gathering the others around, but away from the fallen Morlocks, Ryan draws the key on his neck chain, holding it up to his mouth. "Abadar grant your healing to those who fight in the defense of Cauldron."
At Maxim's request
Ryan studies the waterfall Maxim indicates, unsure as to what he is looking for, but looking nonetheless.
"Okay, let's have a look", says Juraan, looking at the waterfall:
"Oh, that is interesting!"
JJ looks pleased with himself and sad at the same time as the morlock falls his his blades.
"They never even tried to surrender." he says sadly.
"I guess we are going to see a lot more death in the next day or two, but it still doesn't sit easily with me. These creatures must have families somewhere.."
He nods a thanks to Marigold and Ryan for the healing before joining the group looking at the waterfall.
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Maxim eyes the waterfall and the surrounding rock faces with a slow and steady eye;
:
At Marigold's question, the dwur frowns answering with a melancholy tone;
"When I took my leave o' The Malachite Lil' Miss, t'was a gnomiz who took me in. Taught me magick, and the way o' the gunne. Ol' Hackbus was my mentor an' more kin to me than the dwur I left behind."
The gun-mage grits his teeth then continues;
"When I came to Cauldron to find my way in the world, seek out Adrick... I never heard o' Hackbus again. No news o' him since The Vanishing... Until Skie told me she an' her group had encountered him in the Darklands..."
Maxim nods toward the waterfall;
"Skie said he was holed up behind a waterfall, near a great lake. This here matches the description I reckon... I aim to find him if I can..."