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Grimaldus was a little flat-footed - apparently he missed the stench of the ghast due to his own unique...odor. He missed the chance to protect his group, and one of his colleagues was hit. Well, he was determined to put an end to the undead creature and the threat it posed. The giant man moved into the narrow area and swung hard with his greatsword, intent on cleaving the ghast's skull.
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Tresca gives a small shout as the ghoul's teeth find their way through the links in her armor. The shout quickly turns into a coughing fit as she catches a whiff of the creature's scent. Blinking her eyes furiously to clear the tears that were forming from the pain and the stench, she catches sight of the creature from her new position, grabs one of her bombs, and whips it at the ghoul angrily.
Initiative Order - Surprise
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Logain - moves in, sickened for 7 minutes
Odo - moves, invoking AoO
Enemy - bites Odo for 10 damage
-------------------------------------Round 1
Logain - swings and misses
Odo - swings defensively and misses
Tresca - moves in, sickened for 7 minutes
Enemy - AoO on Tresca for 8 damage, misses Odo
Grimaldus - swings hard, and misses
Oronia - channel energy to heal 5 hp
-------------------------------------Round 2
Logain - swings and misses
Odo - strikes for 4 damage
Tresca - bomb hits for 4 damage
Enemy
Grimaldus
Oronia
-------------------------------------Round 3
Logain
Odo
Tresca
Enemy
Grimaldus
Oronia
The wily undead proves difficult to strike as only Odo and Tresca manage to damage it, if only slightly. Oronia's healing soothes and with most of the party holding up against the creature's foul stench, the Pathfinders pen the monster in and set to work.
The ghast snaps and rakes with tooth and claw, catching the enormous warrior with it's vile talons.
Initiative Order - Surprise
-------------------------------------
Logain - moves in, sickened for 7 minutes
Odo - moves, invoking AoO
Enemy - bites Odo for 10 damage
-------------------------------------Round 1
Logain - swings and misses
Odo - swings defensively and misses
Tresca - moves in, sickened for 7 minutes
Enemy - AoO on Tresca for 8 damage, misses Odo
Grimaldus - swings hard, and misses
Oronia - channel energy to heal 5 hp
-------------------------------------Round 2
Logain - swings and misses
Odo - strikes for 4 damage
Tresca - bomb hits for 4 damage
Enemy - claws Grim for 10 damage
Grimaldus - strikes for 20 damage
Oronia - readying to heal
-------------------------------------Round 3
Logain - swings and misses
Odo -
points of damage
Tresca - bomb hits for 4 damage
Enemy
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Grimaldus
Oronia
-------------------------------------Round 4
Logain
Odo
Tresca
Enemy
Grimaldus strikes a powerful blow while Oronia stands by to heal him if need be. Logain and Tresca struggle with nausea, the magus missing while the alchemist only just hits her target. Odo fairs better, striking a solid blow against the foul undead.
The ghast clamps down on Grimaldus' arm, snarling greedily around the mouthful of tasty manflesh. Though revolted by the slavering fiend, his fortitude holds out against the effects of the monster's bite.
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"Bloody hell this one stinks. My eyes are watering." Logain yells as he swings his lightning cackled hammer at the undead creature.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Grimaldus and Odo continue to hack and slice away and the creature crumples beneath the assault of blades. The ghast goes down, and the terrible stench dies away with it.
You notice the creature wears fine quality studded leather armor and clutched a potion in it's claws and find a strange, cruel looking hooked prod hanging from the thing's belt. By the look of the men trapped in the cells, the monster had been using it to strip bits of their flesh away for consumption.
The men in the cages look to be in very poor condition. Although they yet live, they moan in unconsciousness, their flesh burning with fever to the touch. They wear the garb of The Swift Prison's Thief Takers, and are likely the party that was sent after the derro and their captive prisoners.
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"Bah my eyes continue to burn. I can't see shite. Everyone allright? I'll see if he had anything magic on him."
-Posted with Wayfinder
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Still struggling with keeping the contents of her stomach down from the stench, Tresca joins Grim in his work doing what they could for the feverish men, pulling out her healer's kit as she does so.
Once she had done all she could for the men, she takes a minute to mix a small potion together from her alchemy kit. The rate things were going, it wouldn't hurt to have a healing potion prepared for battle.
Oronia channels, bringing the men in the cages back to consciousness. It only takes her and Grim a moment to identify the ghast's bites on them and deduce that all of the thief takers suffer from ghoul fever and will change into ghouls within 48 hours if not cured.
Logain casts detect magic, which leads him to a treasure chest in one of the empty cells containing 1,800 gp worth of Cassomir trade bars. Beside the chest, leans a masterwork longbow with 20 magical(+1) arrows, and bracers of archery (lesser).
The thief takers are still somewhat sickened and confused with fever, but offer what help they can.
“The derro left through the same door you entered, but they rotated this chamber somehow and left through another tunnel. I am not exactly sure how, but I saw the derros playing with the floor tiles in the far end of the room. Please, take the bow and items if you have use for them. We will have to requisition more gear, if we survive this illness.”
Tresca and Grim find the switch in a similar place as the last rotating chamber and soon the Thief Takers are on their way back to the Swift along the path you have made safe. A flip of the switch and the way forward is open again. You continue through the Ismacco tunnels for some time before you begin to notice scraps of paper discarded in key places. Odo is able to discern the trail and soon you have left the rank sewers behind and proceed further into the natural caverns deep below Cassomir.
Salt deposits line the cavern ahead and several side Salt deposits line the cavern ahead and several side passages branch east and west and run rich with blue crystals before ending at cave-ins. Eight smoldering torches illuminate a small tunnel ahead—beyond all is pitch black, though the sound of running water echoes out from the darkness.
Oronia and Tresca notice a rock out of place in the corner, and a closer look reveals a note tucked under a rock, written in the same hand as the journal entry found earlier.
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"Can anyone else make use of these arrows and bracers? If not, I will hold them. Although this longbow is a fine weapon, my custom-made bow is better for me."
Once the group leaves the ghast's chamber and heads into the tunnels, Grim will sheathe his greatsword and carry his bow with an arrow nocked and ready to draw. With Odo leading the way and the much taller fighter following they prepare to follow the sounds of running water.
"I want to help the mites escape and be free of their captors if we can. But this note indicates there may be traitors to their cause, and so we remain vigilant. Well, my friends - onward to glorious battle. And then a bath..."
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"That is a distressing note, Grim. I too hoped to help those who were enslaved, but this is ever the danger of agents of freedom - to be betrayed from within by cowards currying their master's favor rather than face the unknowns freedom brings. I will still hold out some hope. We may shine a little light on the darkness before all is done."
Odo gets his bless weapon wand and, when battle becomes imminent, casts the spell upon his scimitar.
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"Mites are like goblins. Not to be trusted with a weapon. They are a treacherous race. So be careful before trusting any of them with a weapon."
-Posted with Wayfinder
The Pathfinders proceed quietly and cautiously through the torch-lit tunnel and find a glut of people in the cavern ahead. The bustle and noise is so much that it covers your approach and you are able to observe for a few breaths before you are noticed.
A large pool fills most of this chamber, its green waters bathing the high ceilings in an eerie green light. The pool is open to the cavern on the south and east sides, but borders the cavern walls to the north and west. On the north side of the cavern, a small alcove sits above the water line, inside of which rests a small stone table. Dozens of corpses float serenely on the surface of the pool.
Hundreds of prisoners, both human and mite, fill the caverns to the west of the pool. A line of prisoners, herded by injured derros and mites, marches from the western caverns into the pool. Each time a body dips beneath the water, the stone table in the alcove north of the pool flashes in a near-blinding green brilliance, filling the entire cavern with an eerie, near daylight brightness, though it does not seem to trouble the derro or mites as true sunlight would.
Your approach is spotted by friend and foe alike and the prisoners surge against their captors so strongly that only a handful of aggressors are free to engage you as the others quell the herd.
Initiative Order
----------------------------
Grimaldus
Enemy
Logain
Tresca
Oronia
Odo
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Logain will casts a spell on his scimitar and moves closer to the easiest accessible Derro to deliver the blow.
"Haha have at ye you stupid stinking blind goblin wannabe! There's more where that came from!" Logain laughs as he strikes true.
I told you you should use me more often! His black blade communicates to him telepathically.
-Posted with Wayfinder
Initiative Order
----------------------------
Grimaldus - KO's yellow derro for 21 damage
Enemy:
Red - draws shortsword and
Blue - casts
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Logain - critical hit on Red for 29 total damage
Tresca - stunned
Oronia
Odo - stunned
----------------------------Round 2
Grimaldus
Enemy
Grimaldus' mighty charge brings down one of the derro foes in one blow. It's fellow draws a shortsword and steps toward the warrior, slashing ineffectively with the weapon.
The female derro casts at the Pathfinders still clustered in the narrow tunnel. A terrible cacophony of screeching sound bursts out over them, reverberating in the passage with deafening force. Odo, Logain, Tresca and Oronia press their hands to their ears against the painful sound.
Logain joins in the fight, striking a devastating blow on another derro and sending it to the ground in a pool of blood, leaving only one left to contend with.
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Oronia takes a step forward, seeing Odo's weapon the floor, she leans down to pick it up, holding it out to the halfling so he can easily take it.
She also feels the ringing in her ears get worse as she looks at the little armored man.
Finally, with a flick of her wrist, out pops her healing wand and she taps herself with it.
Initiative Order
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Grimaldus - KO's yellow derro for 21 damage
Enemy:
Red - draws shortsword and
Blue - casts Sound Burst for 8 damage
Logain - critical hit on Red for 29 total damage
Tresca - un-stunned
Oronia - heals
Odo - stunned
----------------------------Round 2
Grimaldus - swings and misses
Enemy:
Blue - steps back and casts Daze on Grimaldus
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Logain - critical hit on Blue for 23 total damage
The female derro steps back from the overgrown warrior as she casts at Grimaldus. His weapon droops from the ready position as the Daze spell takes effect.
Logain moves in, wielding his terrible black blade with devastating results again. The female derro falls, bleeding out from her wound.
As you look around, you see that the prisoners have pushed back against the derro masters as your attack split their focus. Some lie dead of their wounds and others have fled back into the darkness, seeing the tide of the battle turned. The cavern is clear!
Upon searching the dead, Grimaldus discovers two letters on one of the derro corpses. The first confirms that the Aspis Consortium agent Kafar funded the smugglers who in turn supplied the cult. The second letter details plans to penetrate other Cassomir buildings (such as the Admiralty Citadel and Harbor Watch) and perform additional mass abductions in the near future.
As for the derros’ prisoners, once freed the mite coup leader nods his thanks and signs a crude eagle symbol with his hands to the Pathfinders and then immediately motions for his fellow mites to follow him as he leads them away into the darkness, leaving peacefully.
The surviving Swift inmates and guards stand dazed in the grotto, too exhausted and shocked to do more than gaze fearfully at the waters that were meant to be their doom. The pool is filled with dozens of corpses of prisoners, guards, mites, and a variety of recently kidnapped Cassomir citizens.
You lead your parade of survivors back through the labyrinth of caverns and sewer tunnels to the safety of The Swift. Once there, a member of the Cassomir constabulary rouses from his long wait and asks for your report. The authorities are all too ready to take your warnings seriously this time and runners are quickly dispatched to strengthen the defenses where the derro might strike next.
Before your business is concluded, the man asks, "We also suffered a theft during this ordeal... do you know anything about the loss of our chapel bell? This note was found nailed to the door of the Greedy Narses. Seems to be addressed to your Venture Captain."
Odo approaches the pool, but his halfling instincts warn him to stay clear of it's waters. The table in question resides in an alcove surrounded by the pool.
He moves as close as he can with his light source and observes the markings here, drawing on his knowledge of religions. The moon iconography suggests the table is a shrine to Groetus, and he believes the pool may be used in some dark baptismal rite. Disconcertingly, all of the bodies floating on the surface of the pool detect as evil, an aura that is not dissipating with death as it should, but growing stronger as he observes.
Abruptly, Odo remembers that Dalirio Teppish somehow became a ghoul, although not by the usual means...
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"This is worse than I could have imagined. So much worse. Does anybody have a rope and hook? I would feel better if we could dredge the bodies from this dangerous pool."
In any event, whether we have the means to bring the bodies to land or not, Odo makes sure that the constabulary knows not just about the likely actions of the Derro, but also about the dark baptismal pool that could be generating ghouls or other undead creatures in short order.
With time and perseverance, you are able to tow the bodies in and examine them. Oronia confirms Odo's fears, the corpses will rise as ghouls if not dealt with now as they incubate.
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Odo assesses the situation. "We don't know how long these bodies will take to turn into ghouls or ghasts or whatever they will eventually turn into, so I fear we may have to settle on haste rather than delicacy. Right now, I can think of three options.
One, we could dismember the bodies. It would be quick and make it virtually impossible for any ghoul to be threatening.
Two, we could cremate the bodies. That would be an even more completion solution, in some ways, but they are currently soaked and we will need to find a better place to burn them with more fuel than here in this cavern.
Or three, we have them moved to a consecrated place for appropriate and final burial. But we may not have enough time to accomplish it before they begin to awaken to their life after death."