Benedict waits for Aerel to report back.
He listens for any sounds of movement.
Aerel scouts down the passageway and finds that the narrow tunnels crisscross one another in a tangled web of passages. The ceiling, floors, and walls are caked with thick, brown fungal matter that reeks of rot.
Benedict doesn't hear anything except a bit of shuffling that might be Aerel.
You think you recognize these cones as being the main feature of a shambling mound-like fugus creature known as a psychepore. You know they have the general plant-based immunities. You can't recall other abilities they might have, but so far, they haven't noticed you.
Moving carefully, the scout returns to the others in the party.
"There are two plant creatures in the tunnels ahead I believe they are called psychepores. I've never faced them, only heard them described. Like a shambling mound, but fungus-based. Perhaps one of you know more?"
Benedict racks his brain for memories of anything the Chernasardo Rangers might have mentioned.
He suspects they might be poisonous, as fungi can be, but tries to think if he knows that for a fact.
Benedict doesn't know any more than Aerel about the strange fungal creatures.
William thinks for a moment and shrugs. He then says "Maybe we can burn them out. Plants burn. Or we just go in and fill them full of holes and cuts. Unless the speak up or move when we tell them to."
"On the chance that they might be poisonous mushrooms, let me go first. If I need help, I can call for you all, but if there are any spores to beware of, I will be unaffected. The plant-monster outside Fort Ristin had poisonous spores that addled our minds, as I recall. And in this place, William was poisoned by the Morlocks' blowdarts, and Aerel by the colossal centipedes. So the possibility is on my mind."
Benedict will proceed south, warhammer in hand.
Benedict comes close to one of the fungal creatures, which suddenly animates and flings several sharp barbs at him. All but one of the attacks bounce off the warrior's armor. The last attack manages to get through his defenses, but Benedict isn't effected by the poison within the barbs.
Before Benedict leaves, Aerel touches the necklace he wears. "Do you want to have fire as an option?"
Before Benedict leaves, Aerel touches the necklace he wears. "Do you want to have fire as an option?"
"Nah, I think I've got it."
----Benedict moves up and strikes at the plant creature.
The strange fungoid creature fights back after Benedict's heavy strike.
The fungal monstrosity does no damage. The other distant one animates and starts moving down a passage lined with ropy fungus!
Benedict presses the attack, landing a mighty blow with the Warhammer.
Benedict destroys one of the plant creatures while Grum moves up to the other.
He ignores the cloud of spores released by the fungus.
One comes very close to hitting the orc warrior, but he is otherwise unharmed. He destroys it in two more strikes though he is bathed in spores.
Grum inhales enough of the cloud of spores that they affect him. Visions assault him, confusing him for a few seconds before his constitution throws off the poison.
Benedict looks over at Grum as they regroup with the party.
"You okay there?"
Assuming Grum is fine (though slightly addled from the Wis damage) then Benedict will note "All clear, Aerel. Do you want to continue?"
The narrow crisscrossing passages are somewhat confusing, but they eventually lead out to a much larger chamber.
Peeking out, they see several morlocks as well as the shaman they had met earlier.
Benedict will note "All clear, Aerel. Do you want to continue?"
"Absolutely."
He heads into the darkness, returning to the party to report. "I've found a chamber. The shaman and other morlocks await."
Benedict turns to the others.
"I'm not sure if they intend to reward us for dispatching the 'false god' or attack us. My instinct is the latter. What do you all think? There are a lot of Morlocks there. Let's fully prepare for combat before venturing in there. And maybe attack from the tunnels so they can't surround us."
"I wish I felt like you were wrong to be suspicious. We need to be mindful of what we can't see. I don't think the shaman is a stupid fellow - he might have something special planned."
William uses the pearl to recall his haste spell and then bull's strength and has his bow at the ready.
"Let's announce ourselves."
Benedict moves up one tunnel, Grum leading the way in the other.
He calls out.
Amkarang nods, "Best not to trust anything that makes it's living scuttling around in the dark."
The other morlocks hiss and look shocked at Benedict's revelation. The shaman, however, bites back at them.
"They've slain our goddess!!"
"False goddess! I've only proven that what was in the chamber was not Zanathura! These surface dwellers could not have stood against our goddess!" He addresses Benedict directly. "There is no reward! Go back to your accursed sun!"
"If the serpent was false, where is Zanathura? What shall we do?"
"Has she forsaken us?"
"This is your doing! You were not faithful enough!"
"ENOUGH!" the shaman shouts. "I alone saw that she was false! We must pray, and sacrifice to bring her back to us! To show that we are faithful! You must do as I say!"
"We should get Chief Grax here! She will destroy the interlopers and avenge our fallen!"
"Yes! Iuwlas has betrayed Zanathura and let these surface dwellers roam free! They should be our sacrifice!"
The morlocks squabble and shout amongst each other, with the shaman trying to maintain control. Some glare hotly at the heroes and the tension rises.
Benedict can tell that the shaman is trying to make a power play and hold control of the remains of the tribe.
Benedict spins a tale. A mix of truth and lies.
If anyone should be sacrificed, it should be those who defy your authority, like the many warriors loyal to Grax that you sent to be killed by us on our way in. I hope you have found your alliance with the surface-dwellers most fruitful and that you will have fewer trouble-makers to bother you now. Thank you for granting us passage. We will be going."
Then he addresses the party.
"Okay all, let's fall back a bit and let them kill each other."
The shouting intensifies, and the commotion draws a massive, fifteen-foot tall morlock wielding a black greatsword with heavy rings along one edge.
Tensions ratchet higher.
Aerel nods at Benedict. Motioning to the others, he started to lead back down the tunnels.
Benedict and Haela move back down the tunnels with Aerel, out of sight of the Morlocks.
William moves back out of sight of the morlocks and says to the group in Minatan "Let's get out of sight but not too far back. When the fighting dies down I'll haste us and we go in. No talking needed."
The shouting continues, but the voices fall dead amidst the wet fungus lining the walls in the tangled corridors where the heroes lay in wait so that it's impossible to understand what's being said. The emotion in the shouts are clear, as the anger cuts through cleanly.
After a moment, the shouting ceases abruptly.
Aerel whispers, "Should I go see what's happened?"
William nods and whispers in Minatan "Invisibly if possible."
Aerel sneaks toward the room slowly, intending to stop once he has a line of sight into the room and listen. Then he will decide about continuing.
:D
Aerel sneaks back to the large cavern. He sees that the morlocks have divided themselves into two loose groups, with Iuwlas the shaman on one side and the large chieftain on the other. The fearsome giant morlock is standing somewhat stupefied while the shaman hisses words in Undercommon at her.
The chieftain's group looks ensorcelled by some means.
The shaman continues to speak to the dumbfounded morlocks. One by one they seem to shake off whatever it was that had them staring mutely at Iuwlas. The chief and her followers mutter and grumble, but appear sufficiently cowed by whatever magic the shaman had demonstrated.
Aerel retreats to the others.
Whispering, "The shaman did something or said something - they aren't fighting, and I'd say the shaman is in charge at the moment. Seems to have frightened the chieftain and her men sufficiently to make them back down."
William nods and whispers in minatan "We should wait. If he cast any spells we should give them time to elapse. Ten minutes say? Any longer than that and the spell will probably last for hours. What do you think?"
Aerel shrugs, "If you say so."
He moves to a point in the tunnel where he can see as far as possible.
Benedict will also whisper in Minatan.
"They're not going to remain in there forever. They're going to come out to check and see that we have left.
We should find a place where we can line up in formation. Amkarang, Grum, Haela, and myself in a line across, with Aerel and William behind. So they cannot easily flank us, and we can bring our numbers to bear.
Trying to get into the room where they are, they could bottleneck us.
What do you think?"
"Or we just leave. I had hoped they would fall to fighting each other but they did not."
William nods and says in Minatan "If you want to move back we can. If they don't we can move in after them"
"Pretty sure that their High Priest and their Chieftain have the best gear.
Also, pretty sure they will attack us while we are climbing back up to the level above."