Tsin, it is easy climbing up to the ledge, where you find multiple remains of rotting and smelly... Things... You can even make out one or two desiccated kobold husks.
You can't simply carry Kibbo on your back and climb down, as it would entail further logistics. However with assistance from your companions, you can get him down from the ledge.
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Ok, we all work to get him down. Is he still alive?
Duncan can you heal him?
So this is the lair... I'm thinking if we should torch it.
Saktar, I think the lair is up here, there's all kinds of remains rotting here. Should we just torch it?
Is the stench physically unbearable? If not, I take a look around, for possessions among the corpses and alternative exits.
The ninja plods onward through the refuse, finding it to be a mix between fecal matter, urine, decomposing cadaver parts of animals and kobolds, along multiple different unidentified fluids and the consequent molds...
Unfortunately, he finds no valuables whatsoever.
Duncan easily ascertains Kibbo has no particular ailment, apart from having been mauled by the creature's tentacles, and bitten - bottom line, he is still alive, but severely wounded.
And bleeding badly.
Kibbo opens his eyes hesitantly, then stands up abruptly and coughs out a phlegm of blood.
"Masters save Kibbo life? Great Healer from Sky heals Kibbo healed?" - he seems dumbfounded, sitting there, and looking around at all of you.
Thanks Duncan my friend. Welcome back Kibbo ma man! You ok there?
"I are good yes Great Chief One-Shot! goodgoodgood!" - Kibbo smiles widely, displaying a multitude of rotten teeth, and a few others missing. He seems happy to be alive.
Tsin Tao observes the pool and liquid more carefully, and concludes the sludge must be indeed made of blood and molten slag.
Saktar doesn't even looks at the kobold and looks around
Guys, any movement? Kibbo, where are your friends?
"Friends Sir Master of Magic?" - he looks around apparently puzzled, then back at Saktar - "You! You are Kibbo friends!" - and bows deeply.
Duncan keeps watch to the north, but notices no movement whatsoever.
"THAT thing?!" - Kibbo's eyes go wide open - "Is BIG, power... Has the bloods, and with power THING is of fire in deep power. Now! When blood......." - his voice trails off somewhat, and his shoulders slump - "Kibbo don't know what is" - and he grins sheepishly.
Saktar finds no magic in either place.
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Alright, let's pick up where we left off. Let's cross the trap room together and I go on ahead after that, yes?
Can we open the doors at AH 53?
If so, I say we go that way North until the trap room, cross it and then I move stealthily down the corridor that goes North from the East exit of the trap room.
If the doors don't open we can just backtrack through the center room.
Kibbo nods enthusiastically at Lokeemon, and falls into place after the warpriest.
The northern doors of the chamber slide without much effort or noise, and the companions plod through the tunnel again, to reach the room with the large and unusual stone obelisk.
Tsin Tao explains the path to cross the area, and even Kibbo seems to catch on as the companions walk in a single conga line, with a 'step only where I step attitude' until they are safe on the other side.
From then onward, the ninja returns to his silent and lonely task of exploration, and moves further down the tunnel until he reaches an intersection to his left, leading to a closed door.
The tunnel continues north, and seems to turn left up ahead.
Tsin plods forward, as the others take up position mid tunnel.
The path bends left further up ahead, but then leads to a dead end, about 10' from the corner.
I check for traps and secret doors on that dead end.
If nothing, I turn back and join the group.
Tsin, you find no secret doors at the end of the corridor turn.
As the group settles in guarding positions around the door, Saktar turns again to Kibbo
What's inside this door?
Kibbo's face frowns in obvious effort... Then, he stops and smiles widely - "Kibbo don't know" - his shoulders slump - "Kibbo no use to Big Masters..."
I wait in the corridor close to the doors and I'm alert for any sound coming from the doors.
Lokeemon, you hear nothing in particular except for Kibbo's whining at not being of any use.
Tsin Tao takes his time with the door and lock - as it seems to be untrapped and unlocked, he pushes it gently inward, peeking inside the room.
The large square chamber was clearly once the personal living quarters of an important dwarf. A simple stone bed stands in one corner near a large stone table.
A large anvil also rests here, looking somewhat out of place. A massive maul has been attached to the anvil by a crude mechanical arm, and a dwarf skeleton, his skull crushed, rests atop the anvil.
The area has no other exits apart from the one where Tsin is peeking from.
"Leave my master in peace" - a raspy, almost high pitched voice is heard, though you cannot pinpoint from where - "And begone from this place... Or die"
Both Duncan and Saktar realize, in the meantime, two auras emanate from the skeleton on the anvil - his robes are decayed and tattered, but his remain usable and show as magic to their magic enhanced eyes.
Also, the skeleton’s left hand still bears what seems to be a , which also detects as magic.
After Lokeemon moves and speaks into the room, an answer can be heard - "I am it, guardian of Gristogar. This is your last chance to leave" - though the Warpriest cannot understand exactly where it is coming from.