have we explored everything that we can down here?
No one has dared swim to the hidden doorway on the other side of the water yet.
Unhappiness obvious on his elven face, Caliban follows Sioned back up the rope to the top level and assists her in gathering a corpse to drop into the water.
May I receive better treatment under the stars than we give here today
Once the bodies are gathered up and dropped into the water, that is a different story. Everyone can see the strange fish-like creatures are attracted to this offering. Two or three roll and fight on the surface for control of the body and seem quite distracted.
Caliban will strip off his armor, obviously disturbed by feeding the corpses to the fish, and enter the water to swim across to the hidden door. Climbing out of the water he will attempt to open the doorway he spotted from above.
Caliban will strip off his armor, obviously disturbed by feeding the corpses to the fish, and enter the water to swim across to the hidden door. Climbing out of the water he will attempt to open the doorway he spotted from above.
Caliban swims across the river successfully, although it is at the edge of his ability, and climbs out onto a ledge concealed underneath the shallow water there. Hidden in the boulders on this side of the river is the outline of a doorway, that gives way to a smaller chamber when pressed upon.
A thick layer of dust coats the inside of this chamber. Near the far wall sits an old wooden chest covered with cobwebs.
The paladin will seek a connection with his god and detect evil.
Caliban, surveying the small chamber calls out, "I found a small chest here, I will attempt to open it, but there is no obvious way out of this place."
Caliban will steel himself and pry open the chest.
Kloss, still waiting ashore, tries to see if there is a way across without swimming. Is there a way to set up a line? I'll just sink like brick if I go in there, and join those corpses. I'm a woodman, not a carp.
The paladin will seek a connection with his god and detect evil.
There are no evil auras visible in this part of the cavern system. It feels very natural to you.
Caliban will steel himself and pry open the chest.
As Caliban steps towards the chest but his foot goes straight through the flooring!
As he falls forward into the concealed pit he manages to land his arms above the ground and catches himself at the edge. It knocks the wind out of him for a moment, but other than that he crawls out unscathed and opens the chest.
Within the chest is a very elegant Elven light wooden shield, a ring made of bands of thin rope, 2 scrolls, 2 potions and 250 gp in a sack.
Kloss, still waiting ashore, tries to see if there is a way across without swimming. Is there a way to set up a line? I'll just sink like brick if I go in there, and join those corpses. I'm a woodman, not a carp.
With some climbing tools one could hammer in a piton, but the natural cliff face doesn't have many places to tie off a rope securely,
Calling out to the others, "I nearly stepped into a pit here, but I have located some equipment which may be helpful to our escape."
Caliban quickly casts Detect Magic on the gear before gathering it up. "I am coming back across, Everything is fine."
Good. Kloss says, not commenting on whether it is the finding goods, safety of Caliban, or the fact that he doesn't have to swim that finds his approval.
The paladin will assist the elf in coming back by throwing a rope to him.
Caliban quickly casts Detect Magic on the gear before gathering it up. "I am coming back across, Everything is fine."
Caliban makes it back to the shore with the help of the paladins rope. And not a moment too soon, it seems as the creatures in the water have grown quite.
---
"That was perhaps too exciting. These are all magical however, but we must still seek a way out of this warren." Caliban looks to the party members, "These may be of great assistance, but let us leave this deep hole. I will spend just a moment trying to determine the properties of these treasures."
Read magic on the scrolls to determine what they are
Having considered the items, Caliban re-armors and climbs the rope out of the hole.
"Well done, Caliban. If I'm not mistaken, there is still one passageway we haven't seen yet, that tunnel with the ladder in one of the earlier rooms," Suryani says.
"I'll scout ahead into the unexplored room, I'm a lot better at that than swimming."
Perhaps I'll even get credit for that accomplishment Sioned thought, before quickly focusing on her task.
:)
Kloss is eager to move to the ladder
Like Kloss, the paladin is eager to move to the ladder and see where it leads.
2 potions of darkvision
1 scroll of identify
1 scroll of magic fang.
Everyone climbs back up the rope and backtracks through the hallway to the previous room with the 2 dead cultists in it (1 now). This was the "trophy hall" - a large worked stone room filled with shelves of persevered animals trophies.
Horgus is there, still waiting with the others. He eyes the very wet Elf and inquisitor and remarks: "I take it you found no exit that way?"
There is one way out of this room that no one has ventured through yet. An only iron ladder that leads down a hole, surrounded by shredded cloth. It radiates no evil, but does have a foul stench.
Kloss smiles at the stench. The reek of civilisation?
The tiefling looks around him, to his party members. What? This place is a sh*thole, we already knew that. baring a row of teeth.
Smirking after Kloss' response to the hole, "I suspect we will need to find a way out through whatever is before us. These humans did not come here in the same way we did."
Returning to Horgus' gaze, "No, alas there were no exits down that hole, although a refreshing dip in a river populated by some horrible man-eating beasts."
"I did find several items which may be of use to us, a ring which aids in climbing, two potions which allow the drinker to see in the dark, a scroll which will help us to identify the properties of a magical item, and a scroll which enhances the natural attacks of a creature - which I cannot use. Does anyone have a direct need for these things?" Caliban asks while looking around the party.
Perhaps the potions which allow one to see in the dark should be given to the melee fighters who already cannot see in the dark?
There is one way out of this room that no one has ventured through yet. An only iron ladder that leads down a hole, surrounded by shredded cloth. It radiates no evil, but does have a foul stench.
As the party goes over the loot Caliban uncovered in the cave, Sioned scouts into the next room.
As Sioned steps on the old iron ladder the rotten oder becomes increasingly pungent - the source seeming to be the ripped cloth surrounding her. Silently passing down the ladder and through the tunnel, she exits on the other side into a room lined with the same material: shredded, stinking cloth. She can't be sure, but it smells to her like animal waste.
From this room she can see down through a long hallway that ends in room with another battlement and a rusty iron door on the wall beyond that.
Sioned casts light on a nearby rock and tosses it to the center of the hallway. Shen then slinks back down to report.
"There's a long hallway in the next room. It's filled with shredded cloth and reeks of animal waste, so I don't think there's any cultists there. More practically, it's the only place we haven't been."
"We should be aware of guard type animals then?" Caliban asks.
"If no one objects we should continue forward. " Caliban says, indicating the hole.
May this allow us to return to the surface, we must see the sun and stars again.
Sioned casts light on a nearby rock and tosses it to the center of the hallway. Shen then slinks back down to report.
The small room at the end of the hallway lights up, and surprised noises can be heard followed by some quiet conversation. It's the same sort of language that she has heard the Mongrelmen speaking before. Sioned sneaks back through the tunnel to report.
"If no one objects we should continue forward. " Caliban says, indicating the hole.
Horgus whispers (as well as he can) "I'm not going through that hole until we're sure whatever lives in there is dead!"
Spears scrape on the ground in the other room, through the tunnel, rushed whispers continue and get closer.
Hearing noises from the hole, Caliban will scramble down into the whole, motioning for Caleb to come with him and get ready to deal with more of the mongrelmen. Caliban will draw his sword as he does so.
Hm Kloss reacts to the brash action of Caliban. How about we get them to come to us. We can wait for 'em at the end of the tunnel, and pick 'em off one by one.
We can take some pieces of wood from the hideout upstairs, and smoke 'em out if they don't want to come. Kloss adds, visibly hoping that is the case.
The paladin will detect evil.
Hm Kloss reacts to the brash action of Caliban. How about we get them to come to us. We can wait for 'em at the end of the tunnel, and pick 'em off one by one.
We can take some pieces of wood from the hideout upstairs, and smoke 'em out if they don't want to come. Kloss adds, visibly hoping that is the case.
"I like that idea, though I suspect they will come to us on their own."
"They may decide to give themselves up when we inform them their leader has been defeated?" Sioned asks hopeful.
Worth a shot. Tell them I will chop them to bits if they resist.
Hm Kloss reacts to the brash action of Caliban. How about we get them to come to us. We can wait for 'em at the end of the tunnel, and pick 'em off one by one.
Kloss holds Caliban back from re-entering the tunnel just yet. The party waits for a few moments and hears some hushed conversation in that same strange language down to the other side of the tunnel and then everything goes quite. No one can see anything through the hole of the tunnel, but only one person can fit down this at once.
The paladin will detect evil.
Caiban can feel nothing from down the hole. Either the creatures are not evil, or they are not powerful enough to register even a faint aura.
No amount of yelling down the hole changes the current stalemate.
Right. Kloss says quietly, Don't say I didn't warn them. He nods to caliban and assumed Caleb understands as well. Grabbing his axe he moves in.
Caliban follows Kloss into the tunnel, longsword bared in hand. Not certain he can get past Kloss, he'll sidestep and channel frost at their opponents.
Leaving room aside for Caleb to enter the fray.
Suryani follows once the others have entered, scimitar drawn.
----
Initiative Order:
Rats: 14 (surprise)
Sioned: 17 (HP 11)
Suryani: 15
Rats: 14
Caleb: 12
Caliban: 9 (HP 6)
Kloss: 7 (HP 11 - I think this is what you have?)
---
Enemies:
Once Caliban and Kloss noisily enter the laddered hole, previously unseen rodents pounce out at them from inside the tattered cloth around the tunnel. It catches them by surprise...
Kloss [HP-13]
Two rats jump on Kloss, one biting him fiercely and the other unable to find anything but armor to chew on. The other rat tries to pounce on Caliban but the Elf is too quick for it.
---
Up Next:
Sioned: 17 (HP 11)
Suryani: 15
Sioned goes down the ladder and moves to attack the nearest rat.
The paladin will follow Sioned's example
Sioned: 17 (HP 11) Moves down the ladder, attacks (miss)
Suryani: 15 Draws scimitar, unable to reach
Rats: 14 Continue to attack
Caleb: 12 unable to reach
Caliban: 9 (HP 6) ray of frost
Kloss: 7 (HP 9) attack
---
Heroes:
Sioned charges down the ladder to help with her beleaguered friends. She swings at a rat, but fighting on the ladder isn't as easy as it looks. Suryani takes out her scimitar at the top of the tunnel, but no one else will fit in there until someone moves either up or down.
Enemies:
The rats continue their assault on the two heroes...
Caliban [HP 2]
... sensing weakness, they frenzy around Caliban. One bites Caliban's outstretched arm, causing him much pain.
Heroes:
Caleb takes out his sword, but like Suryani is stuck at the top of the hole fated to watch for this round. Caliban casts a spell at the creatures, trying not to get hit...
... but the spell is lost.
Kloss on the other hand, reaches back and slices through one of the little buggers with his axe! No time to rest now however, as the Mongrelmen on the other side of the tunnel sneak a peek from below and start readying their spears.
---
Up Next:
Everyone
Unexpectedly finding himself beset by rats of all things, Caliban swings his longsword down, hacking at the rat. Frustration and desperation apparent on his face.
Kloss mashes at the rats gnawing at his feet
Sioned moves to a rat and takes a swing at whichever one is the most injured.
"Ack, these rats are vicious!" Suryani exclaims as she swings her scimitar at one of the rats.