Aska follows after Ian, quickly wishing she could carry a torch AND climb.
Navigating the darkness is easy for Ian, who can see the bottom of the well with no difficulty once the light stops illuminating. The well is deep, with almost no rope left over on the bottom. Thanks to his darkvision, he can also see the foot-deep pit that was added to the bottom of it, in which sharpened stakes point upwards. The air is still and dry, the sounds of your movement echoing not quite right. Halfway down, it does not look like there is any connection to the well itself.
For Aska, the going is difficult, but not impossible, though fatigue certainly does not make the climb any easier. This is indeed a dangerous situation, being nearly exhausted and descending into potential danger. Without sight there are only the sounds that can be heard are from Ian and their equipment, her hands on the rope and the faint light of the opening of the well. In the still air, it is uncomfortable, with the only consolation being that it is certainly cooler, the further they descend.
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Too tired to remain focused, Aska slips and has to catch herself a couple of times on the way down. With no sound other than Ian's steady decent, it made the her that much more revlieved when her feet finally reached solid ground. She quickly gropes around for her torch so she could light it and finally see what was around her.
From Ian's viewpoint, it looks like there's no access despite tracking the ghouls from the well. However, this is only halfway down the depth of the well. There is a foot-deep pit with spikes in it at the bottom, which can be avoided if you tread carefully. It does not make any sense that there would not be an exit from the well, considering that you tracked the ghouls down there. The echoes do not make any sense as well... You would be getting more of an echo if this were actually a dead end.
Aska is half-asleep, and descending the rope without a thought, hampered by fatigue, pushing Ian down to the bottom of the well, and it is only by the luck of the unaware that she does not end up impaling herself on any.
It is only at the bottom of the well, that you can see a medium-sized opening that was cleverly crafted to be hidden until just above the pit— a difficult thing to notice for anyone that was not aware of it.
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Ian feels a jerk in the rope and the sound of rope burn. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what is about to happen but he looks up out of instinct. Aska is indeed coming at him fast. He plants his feet against the wall of he hole and leans back, away from the rope as she slides by between his legs. After a tense moment and a sigh of relief, he continues down the line at a slower pace. At the bottom his whispers angrily, "The hell was that? You could have impaled me."
"Sorry, I should have lit a torch first after all. I couldn't see anything." Aska says blearily.
Ian is silent a long moment. He looks down the tunnel as if expecting the entirety of the situation they had landed in would reveal itself. But it does not so he turns back around and says, "We're done. You're tired. I'm tired. We're going to make to many mistakes. We found the warren. We can come back. We'll light another house and toss in the other body. We'll come back prepared. Tie yourself off and I'll pull you up." Ian passes Aska in the narrow tunnel and starts scaling back up the well.
*sigh* "Yeah, alright. Stupid to force it and get ourselves killed." There isn't much free rope to work with, but once Ian gets a good sitance to the top Aska manages to get a makeshift loop around herself and then holds on tight.
Ian wasn't taking chances with Aska's ability to climb and hauls her out. Afterwards, he collects the remains of the other ghoul and tosses it into the embers of the burnt out house. He stokes the flames until they begin to consume the body and then starts covering it in ashes and coals. "Might as well burn the rest so this doesn't look as suspicious." Once that is all done he starts walking to begin the long trek back to civilization. At the least he needed more camping supplies and at maybe some more holy water.
The trek back was just that: A trek. Thankfully it was uneventful, even if it was long. Already there were some shoots springing up here and there in the large burned area, but the walls of Ardis greet them at the end of their trek. Amusingly, it seems that due to the persistent presence of the fairies, a small ring of mushrooms have started to shape up around the inn.
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Aska stretches out her stiff shoulders, "This is going to be a long one. I just hope we didn't kick the hornets nest and then lead them back to town.
"Doubtful they don't already know about the town. And I doubt there are many more. That caster was probably the one to start the fire and the feral was probably the one spotted. I don't intend to leave until that well is clear but I think..." it is at this moment that he sees the mushrooms growing around the tavern. "Maybe you should stop feeding them," he says as visions of gremlins fill his head. After hesitating a moment, he enters the tavern intent on sleeping for at least 8 hours.
"Maybe. I haven't noticed anything malicious from them. Though that honey they wanted did concern me..." Aska rubs her eyes as they head towards the tavern. "But I'll worry about that AFTER I get some sleep."
The familiar sight of the Black Flagon— the sign still aided in its illumination by a pair of glowing balls of colored light— is relieving. Just being in the city lets you walk a little easier, thoughts of rest foremost in your minds. You are greeted warmly by Jussin and his wife upon your return, but one look at the fatigue on your faces gets you some food and spot to sleep in, no matter the time. Any inquiries that they would have had is forestalled until you are rested, though Jussin assures you that he'll send word to Constable Ellison that you have returned. There does not seem to be any more fairies than before, though they are visible since you know what to look for. They do not seem to be any less popular with the townsfolk.
Waking up from that much fatigue was always startling to Ian. He usually slept lightly to be ready at a moment's notice. He was subconsciously aware of things going on around him. To wake up without memory of this left him tense. His eyes popped open and he was on full alert after returning to consciousness. When his senses registered that he was back at the inn, he settled back into a relaxed rhythm. First food, then a meeting with the constable for an update. Ian rolled out of the hammock set up in the common area and walked over to the bar for breakfast, or was it dinner time now? When did they get in? "Whatever you have," is what he settles for. Afterwards, some damned camping gear. Should have thought of that. Then the constable.
Aska nods appreciatively at Jussin and pays him, but puts off food till morning. She crawls into a hammock and falls asleep almost instantly.
Aska wakes up a little stiff from having gone so long without sleep, but with a bit of stretching she seems to get back into shape. She orders a nice breakfast and thanks Jussin heartily for his hospitality. She looks for her little pixie friends to say hello and thank them for their help as well.
Once all is said and done, she checks her gear and heads out with Ian to update the constable.
The both of you find yourself waking around early evening. You had taken a corner when you had come in, and it might be a bit surprising that you had slept throughout the day. Vague memories of cracking your eyes open briefly to see the common room at various times of the day are hazy, and certainly were not important enough for you to have been alarmed into waking. Aska recalls nothing but glorious rest.
It's the smell of a sausage stew that pulls you out of your sleep by your stomach. Jussin looks amused at the both of you, but says nothing of import while you eat. The inn is still drawing patrons, but after food, the two of you set out to find Ellison— after a detour to acquire additional gear. Judging by the time, it is likely that he would be locking up by the time you reach his office, and you do.
The Constable is going through the routine of locking up when he sees the two of you approaching. He stops to turn to face you with a slight nod, looking the two of you over. "Evening, hunters. Any news?"
"Plenty. You mind staying a bit late or can we join you for dinner?" Whichever the constable decides, Ian recounts their experience so far, glossing over their lapse in judgment in a few key areas. He mentions the summoning circle, the trail, the attack at night and well. "That might be all their is to it. Caster summoned the fire elemental and the feral might have been the one spotted. We'll still check the well but we nearly exhausted ourselves keeping watch during the night, traveling and getting attacked at night. Traveling in the wilderness is hard for two people."
At the table in the inn, Ellison listened over a bowl of stew and a hunk of bread, nodding in some places, and looking surprised and curious at others. When Ian mentioned the abandoned town, he grunted. "'Suller's Wend'. I only know of it now because I did some looking through the records after the first day. Got set up as a bit of a way station for hunters some time back, but something happened not too long after it got established. Just sort of fell into disuse."
As Ian concludes the recount, he grunted in approval. "Glad you made it back. The bounty will be made available to the two of you immediately. The Guild's reputation is good here." In saying, he pulled out a sheet of softer paper and set to writing on it with ink and a clipped-down quill that he had pulled out of a pocket on his vest. A spot of wax (from another pocket), and one stamp (from the same pocket), and the smaller sheet was handed to Ian. "In the event you find others in the well, a further bounty will be paid above your contract. Your service is appreciated, Hunters." He meets both of your eyes as he says this and you can tell that he is sincere in his statement.
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~A.Ellison (seal)
"As is your hospitality. Your town has been exceptionally kind to us." Aska nods in respect to the man.
Ian takes the paper, gives it a once over and nods his thanks. He didn't feel the bounty had been fulfilled until they explored that well but that wasn't his decision to make. Ellison was willing to offer more for more bodies and he wasn't going to complain. "We'll get back to it tomorrow. Did Vernon ever return? We lost sight of him during the fire and haven't heard since."
"Vernon's been known to be gone for a week or more", Ellison said after a drink from his tankard. "I would not be surprised when he wanders back into town several days from now. Going out with you two may just have been a detour for him." Sitting back from his food, he hushed a burp and sighed with satisfaction. "Once you two are done here, are there any other contracts lined up for you?
"Hm." Ian thinks about that for a moment. He was always overly suspicious about such coincidences. But he didn't know Vernon like Ellison. This could very well be within the realm of possibility. "Won't know until we get back to Ustalav. Anything other than undead? We don't usually deal with bandits. Its dangerous for someone like me if its not an absolute evil."
Aska cuts off any follow ups, "Ian is...kind of a long story, but we had best be on our way." Aska taps her bag. "We should be plenty stocked and if we wait too long, it could run away and become that much harder to finish."
"Right. And yours isn't any less wordy," Ian says as they walk away, the ensuing argument lasting all the way to the inn. The next day Ian wants to start early and is up before the sun.
It's still dark, but Aska feels much better as they set out again. "...and I'M saying that I was just trying to prevent any misunderstandings about your situation. I wasn't JUST trying to get the last word in." She continues their mindless banter as she checks the string on her crossbow. Talking helps ease the nerves, but caution before all else.
The first leg of the trip towards Suller's Wend was uneventful, with the two of them knowing the way. Ian's skill keeps them from any hostile encounters, and they know that with a bit of effort now, they could reach their destination a little earlier on the next day. The option of arriving some time before midnight was also a possibility if they wanted to push it. There is a little more green in the burned patches, with more smaller animals than there were before, certainly more insects. The larger animals are not in evidence yet, though some of the birds could be seen as life returns to the area.
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Now that they knew the lairs location, they could take a more direct route and a less grueling pace. Still, just before they get there, Ian calls for a break so they are fresh when they approach the village. After a few minutes and a light meal, they come upon the abandoned village once again. Ian approaches first, ax at the ready and scanning for any differences to the surrounding. As they approach the well, he switches to evil auras to make sure nothing has passed by recently.
Aska keeps her eyes peeled as they enter the village. "At least we know about the spikes this time." Aska says sheepishly remembering their last foray into the well.
"To prevent any more unfortunate mishaps...*cough*...Why don't you use your Light spell on a rock and toss it down ahead of us. It'll be easier than dealing with one of my torches while climbing."
Ian reaches into a pocket and pulls out a tiny orb. He places it before Aska's face and releases. Instead of falling, it begins to slowly orbit her head and builds in brightness to that of a torch. "It works," he says a little surprised. "Good. Wasn't sure when I bought it."
There is none of the darkness of evil at the edge of Ian's perception, either when they were approaching the village or once they entered it. The home that they had burned was still smoldering slightly, the fire having burned itself out a short time ago. The other houses remain as they were, no stray cinders having ignited an adjacent house, and no extra footprints stand out to his (or Aska's) eyes. The only tracks that seem to have been through there recently was theirs. The evening was fading into twilight, and they had perhaps a candlemark of light left. Further out among the taller grasses, the fog was already rising.
The light of the Ioun stone made visibility something that they did not have to worry about at all anymore. The cleaner light of its magic was different from that of a torch, their eyes not having to adjust to the flickering of flames and uncertain shadows as much. The only shadows that they had to contend with were theirs, though the lazy circling of the stone around Aska's head was made that a negligible thing. The well was the only thing in the Wend that had not been examined, and the difficulty of darkness had been removed.
"I guess I'll stop hassling you about being prepared now." Aska move to the edge of the well and gets prepared to climb down. "Ladies first..." she says as she beings the climb down the well. Normally she'd have Ian go first, but she felt bad about forcing him into the spikes last time, so she decided she'd take the lead this once.
Aska's progress is slow, but steady down the well.
Ian waits patiently at the top but as Aska slips for the second time, he can't help but call out, "Maybe I should just lower you down." Once she finally hits the bottom, he vaults over the lip of the well and slides down.
There is a little trouble in the beginning as the well makes its transition to slick cave wall, but he adjusts accordingly. At the bottom he shifts to his usual bear-like form. He blinks his eyes a few times as the darkness becomes less so.
Upon reaching the bottom and orienting, the two of you can see the tunnel stretch further than the light reaches. The walls are smooth and curving, with no braces that can be seen, just barely above head-height. There does not seem to be any recent tracks, though the tracks of what could be surmised as the ghouls that had been encountered earlier are still easily visible. The air holds a lingering smell that was much like the stench of the ghast earlier, but it is fading, the potency lost. No sounds but yours reach your ears, echoing back at you from the walls, mostly absorbed by the bare earth around you. The air is still, too far away to be stirred by the breeze above.
This was the part Ian hated the most. Even though he could see clearly in the darkness and far beyond the light of the torch, the path was longer still and all black. Only two ghouls came out of this tunnel but their could hundreds more waiting in the darkness. Even though that thought made his entire body was tense, it also gave him courage. If their was hundreds down here, he intended to take as many of them with him as he could.
Leaving the rope hanging in case they needed to get out fast, Ian takes point down the tunnel.
If there was anything to see, Ian would see it before she would so Aska focuses on her hearing as she pulls out her Guisarme and follows Ian.
It's quiet... Too quiet.
Within the first few minutes of being there, it seems suspicious. A couple of tunnels lead off to small, shaped rooms, but they were unoccupied, with only leftover detritus in evidence. No furniture is in either of those rooms, with tracks indicating that they were used as lodgings after a fashion. No traps were in evidence that the two of you can tell, and as you advance, nothing comes out to meet you.
As you progress further, there is evidence that this is a warren, but perhaps empty at the moment. The method of creation was something that the two of you are not sure about. There are no claw marks on the walls of the main tunnel, though there are some on the walls of the rooms. The only sounds that you still hear are yours, nothing else.
In one of the rooms is a chest, next to which a piece of armor sits on the ground, seeming neglected among the numerous amounts of common goods, including some items and unlabeled casks. The organic components have rotted away completely. It seems that few of the things in this room were regarded as important, as some items appear to be scattered, and there is no sense of organization to the items in the room.
The warren is still quiet.
The further they went the faster Ian's heart beat. He expected something to be down here and each room that proved him wrong made him worry more. Once they get to the end and are sure nothing is here, does he relax a little. "Now I am kind of disappointed." But also relieved. All of the rooms appeared to be empty expect for one and he was surprised to find left over gear in it. He sifts through them for clues but keeps away from the chest for now. "Think we should bring it back or just open it?"
Aska flexes her fingers and gets out her tools just in case. "We open it. I'm not sure if they've fled or are just hiding, but we need all the info we can get." Aska approaches the chest carefully and examines it for traps as best she can before proceeding to open it.
As Aska sets in to work on the chest, she notices that the lock had been broken, but set to look like it still functioned. The chest did not trigger any traps when opened, and what greeted their eyes when opened was a large amount of coins, more than they had really seen in one place. It looked like given the age of some of these things, the undead here had been at work for a significant amount of time, perhaps. The first thing that could be noticed was that there was a very large amount of copper. Some of the faces of the coins were different, as well as some of the styles, but it was an impressive amount.
Among some of the items was a section of bottles, some of which had been smashed, others were just empty, perhaps evaporated. The armor, when examined was a Breastplate, expertly made, if very neglected. With some work, it could be made functional again. On the underside of the lid of the chest were two carved items, likely wands if the amount of care invested into their design were any indication, though their specific uses were not immediately apparent.
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Aside from the previously valued items, nothing else gains your attention. The amount of coinage is unwieldy, but manageable, and the warren remains quiet. While it is not what was expected, there is something to be said about a lack of threat to life and limb.
"LOOKS like that's it, but I'm not convinced. Give me a minute to make an extract..." Aska sets about making an extract of Detect Secret Doors.
School divination; Level bard 1, sorcerer/wizard 1
Casting Time 1 standard action
Components V, S
Range 60 ft.
Area cone-shaped emanation
Duration concentration, up to 1 min./level (D)
Saving Throw none; Spell Resistance no
You can detect secret doors, compartments, caches, and so forth. Only passages, doors, or openings that have been specifically constructed to escape detection are detected by this spell. The amount of information revealed depends on how long you study a particular area or subject.
1st Round: Presence or absence of secret doors.
2nd Round: Number of secret doors and the location of each. If an aura is outside your line of sight, then you discern its direction but not its exact location.
Each Additional Round: The mechanism or trigger for one particular secret portal closely examined by you. Each round, you can turn to detect secret doors in a new area. The spell can penetrate barriers, but 1 foot of stone, 1 inch of common metal, a thin sheet of lead, or 3 feet of wood or dirt blocks it.
Ian nods and begins packing up the remaining items. But before that, he takes a look at the wands to try and see what spells they hold.
Afterwards he stuffs whatever he can back into the chest and just carries it out.