Amélie sets down the lantern and fires off a shot at the troglodyte attacking Jie.
Her arrow finds its mark and sinks deep into the trog's shoulder.
Amkarang steps back and says, ”Gods, I could use some healing.” He then lashes out with his meteor hammer at the troglodyte in front of him.
Jie bites down on a yelp of pain as the shaman's spear enters her shoulder. Wishing she had some offemsive magic of her own, she swings her sword at the evil lizard.
Her swing goes wide.
Jie and Amélie see a dark, rippling pool at the far end of the cavern in the light of the lantern. Water drips from stalactites above and cascades from fissures in the rock wall. An underwater garden of colorful algae and white fish fills the pool. However, the combat demands all their attention at the moment.
Jie bites down on a yelp of pain as the shaman's spear enters her shoulder. Wishing she had some offemsive magic of her own, she swings her sword at the evil lizard. Her swing goes wide.
Amélie sets down the lantern and fires off a shot at the troglodyte attacking Jie. Her arrow finds its mark and sinks deep into the trog's shoulder.
Meanwhile, Amkarang, Benedict and Grum can see the lantern light reappear in the chamber ahead of them, shining to their right.
With his arrow apparently missing, Grum roared in frustration. But knowing that moving wasn't an option, what else could he do? His shot, still being blocked by Amkarang's form, misses its target.
His fear gone as quickly as it came, Benedict tries to stand up and manages to do so. Back on his feat, he readies an attack if a troglodyte comes within reach.
However, that attack will never come, because Amkarang lashes out with his meteor hammer at the troglodyte in front of him with a vicious blow that catches the lizard on the side of its head, snapping its neck with the force. It crumples to the floor like a puppet with its strings cut.
Amkarang steps back and says, "Gods, I could use some healing.”
The troglodyte spellcaster hisses as it has taken another wound. It stabs viciously at Jie with its spear.
It comes nowhere close to hitting.
Benedict tries to maneuver through the Grease.
He succeeds, comes up behind the troglodyte, and attacks.
Amélie fires two more arrows at the trog spellcaster, even as Benedict's blow to the back staggers it.
Even though her second shot fails to strike, her first shot is true and is enough to drop the troglodyte.
The spellcaster collapses to the ground with a hiss, and the caves grow silent but for the pounding heartbeats and panting breaths of the champions of Phaendar. Nothing threatens the group as they are able to carefully navigate the greasy slick area and finally grow accustomed to the foul stench.
Panting, Jie smiles at their victory. "My Gods, the smell. We're going to have to air this place out if we come here. Should we try the wand for healing or drink our potions. I definitely think we should recover before continuing."
"I would say Grum and Amélie should try to get the wand to work - then the potions if we still need healing.
Grum and I are uninjured, and can take the lead. Hopefully we don't fall victim to such sorcery again."
Benedict will search the rooms while the others are healing up.
"That giant crystal is interesting. Would be awkward to take with us but perhaps someday we'll find a buyer."
He takes a look around the Shrine of Stone, inspecting the reptilian faces.
"Their ancestors?"
He checks around the faces for anything of interest, and pokes through the ashes of the fire.
He doesn't go into the room with the pool just yet.
Jie sits on a ledge, warily watching for danger while waiting for some healing. "Perhaps they engage in some sort of ancestor worship." she says referring to the stone faces. "Grum, it may be a magic crystal." she says while she takes her lantern back from Amelie. "Thanks for helping with the shaman." she says gratelfully as she tries to see if the crystals lining the walls sparkle because of the lantern's light or if they shine by themselves.
Amélie grins as she walks past Jie. "You are welcome," she says. "Zhat was a good call, to go around and attack zhem from ze flank."
She moves into the central chamber and gives the spent fireplace a kick. "Zis is not a cookfire, I think?" She exposes a number of charred bones that are clearly humanoid. She sifts through the ashes and discovers a warped, leaf-shaped gold pin and a shiny ring.
The large gemstone in the cradle of roots is some sort of large amethyst. While its size is impressive, there are many flaws and imperfections that would diminish its value were you to find a buyer.
The troglodytes carried simple clubs, but also had an extra pouch like the kind that was unsuccessfully thrown at Benedict. Given the stench that emanates from the tattered remains of the spent one, it is easily deduced that these gas bladders are filled with some substance that is incredibly foul-smelling.
The spellcaster had several items, though its spear's magic fades in a few seconds. Despite the enchantment clearly wearing off, it remains a well-made weapon. The trog spellcaster also possessed a pair of flasks of liquid as well as a geode periapt of modest value.
Benedict will try to identify the flasks of liquid.
He looks around the shrine for anything else of interest.
Then he ventures into the room with the pool and looks into the water.
Benedict is unable to tell what the flasks are, though one is certainly some form of oil and likely not for consumption.
As Benedict looks around the shrine area, he is able to find a pair of boots stuffed in a small nook. The boots are soft-soled and of elven make, showing some wear, but evidently not by the troglodytes.
As Benedict ventures into the cave with the pool, he can spot the picked-clean remains of several bodies -- including that of troglodytes. Looking up, he can make out two lumpy forms that aren't part of the rocky wall. Beady eyes regard him in the torchlight.
These two vermin are cave fishers. You know that they are vermin, and have the mindless special quality.
Cave fishers have a "lure", a sticky thread that they can toss that sticks to their prey, which they use to draw it to their dangerous claws.
The strange buggy creatures each throw a line of thick silk towards Benedict. Only one, however manages to land on him, sticking fast.
Benedict will try cutting the strand with his axe.
Benedict will also shout, "Found something in here! Bugs!"
Amélie grins as she walks past Jie. "You are welcome," she says. "Zhat was a good call, to go around and attack zhem from ze flank."
"Only because there weren't any more monsters waiting for us." Jie replies while drinking a cure potion.
"I think it is a place of worship." Jie remarks about the campfie. "They obviously hold their ancestors and the gem in great regard and burn offerings to them."
She is caught completely by surprise by Benedict's cry of alarm.
Amkarang runs forward and swings at the large bug.
Only Benedict is alert enough to react quickly to the strange bug creatures. The strange buggy creatures each throw a line of thick silk towards Benedict. Only one, however manages to land on him, sticking fast.
Benedict shouts, "Found something in here! Bugs!" While chopping with his axe at the thread that stuck to him. His sharp blade easily slices through the silk strand, freeing him.
Amelie draws two arrows and shoots at the closest creature in rapid fashion.
Her second shot hits the bug.
The two creatures again throw out lines of silk at what they clearly believe are prey.
The two cast lines out toward Benedict and Amkarang, but each fail to strike their target.
Amkarang runs forward and swings at the large bug using his longer reach of his hammer. It slams into the already wounded insect.
Benedict switches the axe to his buckler hand, draws a javelin, and throws it at the wounded bug.
"Grum! You can borrow my glaive!" Amélie shouts.
Jie gets up, startled by Benedict's shout. She quickly shoots the same bug that Amélie wounded.
Between the arrows of Jie and Amélie and Amkarang's meteor hammer, one of the bug creatures dies. It slips from its grip on the side of the wall and falls into the pool with a splash.
The creature, heedless of its mate's demise, again sends a tendril out toward Amkarang.
It's aim is again off, and the line of sticky silk fails to touch the Unsinkable warrior.
Jie changes her target to the remaining bug.
If Grum's attack doesn't kill the bug, Benedict will draw his other javelin and throw it.
”You beasts are really bugging me!” Amkarang says as he swings his hammer at the bug.
Glad to have a foe he could get to grips with, Grum charged forward with blind confidence. He leaps into the air and brings down his falchion on the critter, cleaving a deep slice into it as he drops into the water with a loud splash.
Jie changes her target to the remaining bug. Her arrow bounces off the stone wall.
If Grum's attack doesn't kill the bug, Benedict will draw his other javelin and throw it. His weapon strikes the creature, wounding it further.
"You beasts are really bugging me!” Amkarang says as he swings his hammer at the bug. His attack is as painful as his quip, and he finishes off the creature.
Grum's head surfaces with a sputter and slosh, as he discovers the pool at this end of the cave is quite deep.
Benedict will looking in the pool. While the bodies were picked clean for flesh, the bugs might not have taken rings/amulets/weapons/etc.
Jie walks up to Benedict and peers into the depths of the pool with him.
she really cannot make out anything in the murk so she just asks Grum
"So, how's the water?"
Grum dives back down into the pool and swims back up clutching an iron coffer and a small steel rod. He rises from the pool, dripping. He reports that he saw a trio of troglodyte corpses down there, all picked clean.
The coffer contains 120 gold pieces, while the steel rod is decorated with engravings of helms and breastplates.
Amélie seems more interested in paying attention to the passageways than the pool. "If you are done swimming? I smell somezhing terrible zhat way," she says, pointing to the tunnel that does not lead back to the shrine.
I already gave you xp for the ambush.
"Let's take that coffer and rod, and keep moving. Amélie, I'm happy to lead the way."
The stench of death and old blood overwhelms the smell of troglodyte in this chamber. The floor slopes down to the north wall where a narrow underground stream flows past. The sound of running water echoes off the low ceiling, and a burning torch near the stream sends rippling light patterns dancing off the wall. Racks against the walls hold the carcasses of forest creatures, some still draining their life's blood on the stone floor, others mere skins left to dry.
You see the head of a man-sized lizard sticking out of the river, a piece of meat hanging from its mouth.
Holding the lantern for herself and Benedict, Amélie gasps. "Zere's another lizard-thing in ze water! Is it a trog?"
Jie picks up her lantern to once again provice light and proceeds to follow Benedict, with her bow put away and her sword out.
Frustrated by the poor lighting, Jie remarks. "I don't see it." under her breath, but steps between Amélie and the water in such a way that the archer can still get a good shot if she needs.
With his Darkvision, Benedict sees the creature easily.
"I see it! Looks more like an animal to me. Jie, do you want to shoot it, leave it alone, or use your skills to try to befriend it? Or should Grum, Amkarang, and I engage it in close combat?"
Grum also growls as he spots the lizard. It also seems to have spotted the interlopers, and hisses menacingly.
Amélie nocks an arrow and fires at the creature. "Zhat doesn't sound friendly!"
Benedict steps into the room and readies to attack the creature if it comes within reach.
Amélie's arrow sinks deep into the lizard's neck, wounding it severely.
Grum charges without hesitation.
The orc's falchion strikes its skull a scant second after the arrow lands, and the combination of wounds is fatal.
When the lizard is dealt with, the Phaendarans can see that there is likely around ten provision points of meat that is palatable in this larder. There is also a faint bioluminescence coming from some cave lichen and fungus around the underground stream. There is a passage to the south of the chamber.
The lizard's attack catches Jie completely off guard, but Amélie and Grum take care of it quickly. She looks the dead lizard over.
"I think that eventually if we make this our home, we'll have to explore this underground stream, but I think we should continue to try to explore the rest of the caves first." she says while heading over to the south passage.
Benedict also moves to the south passage and takes a look.