Roakkad fires another bolt of electricity over Rolo's head! The smell of cooked centipede carapice fills the chamber...
Rolo swings the face of his hammer towards the nearest centipede, then again.
Neferet draws a dart and throws it at the nearest centipede!
Then she draws another dart.
Neferet draws a dart and throws it at the nearest centipede, however it just gets stuck in it's carapace.
Gorthug unable to get close to the centipedes picks up one of the goblins fallen bows and knocks and arrow but has no more luck than Neferet.
Rolo swings the face of his hammer towards the nearest centipede, then again leaving it twitching but quite dead.
Roakkad fires another bolt of electricity over Rolo's head! The smell of cooked centipede carapice fills the chamber...
The centipedes having lost half their number withdraw further back into the cavern, Rolo swings his axe to send them packing killing one of the badly injured ones.
Rolo warily begins to withdraw backwards, keeping an eye on where the centipedes fled to, and his armaments raised.
Roakkad raises his hand. "Let them be. They are scared animals, protecting their territory. We would do the same."
Where would ye like to go next?
Rolo keeps an eye as he backs out of the narrow area, but makes no hostile move. Without turning his head, he replies to Roakkad:
"Aye, I agree. I was just making certain that they were not sneaking up to me as I backed off. Let us see what is the next nook."
"If they do, their survival is...forfeit," Roakkad offers, searching for the Common word. "It is the way."
He whistles, and his bird flies and perches on his shoulder, her large talons digging into the leather of his armor. He gives her a little scratch on the chest, and a green spark passes from his fingertips.
They stand behind Rolo, ready to advance into the next chamber.
The narrow passage opens up into a small burial vault that has been ransacked. Shattered remains of skeletons lie on the floor in twisted heaps among scattered rocks and debris, but the bodies of four recently killed goblins on display in the four niches are much more intact.
Examining the bodies determines that the goblins are only a few days dead.
You note a single fnger-sized hole in the throat of each goblin and the
disturbing fact that the bodies are completely drained of blood.
You conclude that since the goblin bodies remain dead and have only one relatively large hole, a vampire wasn’t likely responsible for their deaths.
"Recently dead goblins."
Rolo sees if there are any usable items among the dead.
"A disgraceful desecration of the dead. Their spirits will be angered..." Roakked approaches the bodies slowly. "Look here! A single hole in the neck, and the bodies drained of blood. This does not look to be the work of the typical vampire."
Rolo looks discomfited.
"That...that is intolerable. We do have a good idea of whom the likely culprit is. We should clear the rest of this room, then continue hunting him."
The walls of this gently curving passageway are covered in thin, fbrous tendrils that connect to a large mass of red fungus growing in the center of this small vault. The central mass is almost three feet high, from which several long, pale gray stalks have extended upward to brush against the ceiling.
You identify the threat as mindfog fungus and determines that while burning it destroys the fungus, doing so releases a virulent cloud of spores.
Going through the main area ye spot a hidden cache left by the goblins.
Minor Potion of Healing
Owlbear Claw
"If none other desire it, I would take that potion."
Roakkad nods at Rolo. "Yes Rolo, you should carry it."
"Careful! This is mindfog fungus. While useful dried and smoked in a pipe, the living creature's cloud is very powerful. We may burn it, but it will release the spores."
Neferet examines the goblin corpses.
"Interesting..." she remarks.
---
Neferet follows the others onward, and looks at the strange plant.
"Let's just leave it alone then. There's no need to pick a fight with a fungus."
---
---
The sound of dripping water echoes through this chamber. On the north side of the room, a nearly ten-foot-tall visage of a woman’s face is carved into the wall. Trickles of water run down her cheeks like tears into a foul and polluted reservoir below, which itself drains to a large pool of fetid black water on the south side of the room.
The door to the east has a crude alarm on it, if opened slowly it should be no problem.
You notice a statue submerged in the foul water.
"Aye, let us press on."
After entering the room, Rolo points his hammer towards the door to the east.
Softly, he says:
"That door is alarmed. But it appears a simple one, avoided by slowly opening the door."
Neferet examines the pool. "There's a statue in the water there. Someone fish it out."
Despite her words, Neferet doesn't make any move to reach into the filthy water with her own hands.
Rolo nods, then carefully places his shield and warhammer upon the floor before moving to the water edge and leaning for the statue.
'Beautiful, in its way," Roakkad remarks upon seeing the face. "But there is something corrupt about it, is there not?"
He attempts to use his longspear to pull the statue against the wall, then "hook" it with his spearhead and pull it up from the water.
As Rolo and Roakkad start taking the statue up they can see it is some kind of jackal headed figure... but it cracks and suddenly two tiny creatures that have thin and wiry bodies, horned heads, and tattered bat wings appear. The whoop and howl ready to unleash mayhem.
These creatures are Quasits, minor demons though not physically too powerful they have poisonous abilities and access to innate magical abilities.
Gorthug moves forward and brings his axe down on one of the quasits but the nimble creature dodges the blow.
In a flurry of slashes the two quasits assail Rolo, Roakkad and Gorthug.
Rolo
Roakkad
Nefert
Gorthug
Quasits
Rolo does not know what these cackling, sharp-clawed little things are. Even as he feels his wound burn.
But he does not need to know what they are. Just where they are.
He starts swinging his warhammer at the nearest one.
Neferet lets out a little shriek of surprise. She draws a dart, strides across the room --hopping over the little dirty water canal on the way -- and throws the dart at the yellow creature.
Roakkad steps back carefully, then waves his hand in a circle and calls out before unleashing another arc of lightning.
Casting electric arc (range 30ft, targets 2 critters). . Red and yellow must make a DC 15 Reflex save. S: half, CS: none, F: full, CF: double
Rolo does not know what these cackling, sharp-clawed little things are. Even as he feels his wound burn.
But he does not need to know what they are. Just where they are.
He starts swinging his warhammer at the nearest one.
Roakkad steps back carefully, then waves his hand in a circle and calls out before unleashing another arc of lightning. The closer quasit completely avoids the electricity but the other is still harmed.
Neferet lets out a little shriek of surprise. She draws a dart, strides across the room --hopping over the little dirty water canal on the way -- and throws the dart at the creature but misses.
Gorthug enters a rage trying to hit the little demons.
Gorthug swings his sword at the quasit but has little luck connecting.
The quasit attacing Rolo has great difficulty trying to get through Rolo's armour.
The other quasit has a bit more luck with hitting Gorthug.
Rolo
Roakkad
Nefert
Gorthug HP 8/13
Quasits Red -18, Yellow -3
Rolo continues his assault.
Neferet tries again! She draws two darts -- one in each hand -- and throws one at the red creature .
Roakkad hmmphs in frustration, slamming the handle of his spear down hard upon the stone before launching another electrical arc.
Then he whistles, and Tsharat flies forward, biting with her beak.
Rolo continues his attack putting down the first quasit and injuring the second.
Roakkad hmmphs in frustration, slamming the handle of his spear down hard upon the stone before launching another electrical arc. Then he whistles, and Tsharat flies forward, biting with her beak.
Neferet tries again! She draws two darts -- one in each hand -- and throws one at the creature.
Gorthug manages to finish off the heavily injured quasit.
With that the diminutive demons are dealt with leaving you with a cracked statue.
The statue was one of the Demon Lord Lamashtu, the Mother of Monsters.
The water is looking just a bit less horrible now...
"I know not why, but I feel this place is a little more wholesome now. I still wish to leave it though."
Neferet walks the room and collects her thrown darts. She cleans them off then its them back into their holster.
"That statuette was of the demon lord Lamashtu, Mother of Monsters and corruption. I imagine its unholy presence has tainted this place." She picks up the idol, examines it, and puts it in her bag. "When we get back topside we should have the idol destroyed. The world will be a better place without it."
Smiling, she gestures at the door that has the simple alarm on it. "Shall we continue?"
Rolo nods.
"In that case, aye, that statue should be smashed to pieces. And to moving on."
Gorthug rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck. ”Not in the habit of offending gods, not without coin at stake. But I suppose it’s for the best.”
"Nothing good will come from consorting with a goddess of monsters and madness. I agree with Neferet." Roakkad reclaims Tsharat and moves to the door behind Rolo and Gorthug.
To the north you can see a light source is illuminating the area to the north east. To the south you can see in and alcove a tall stone statue depicting a beautiful woman in ceremonial robes stands in an alcove here. The woman clutches a dagger with one hand and holds an hourglass in the other. Red sand swirls within the hourglass, moving of its own will.
The statue as the goddess of death, Pharasma.
The nature of its position and curiously animated hourglass sands suggest a traditional Pharasmin trap.
"Pharasma, goddess of death.", Rolo says in a hushed tone as he sees the statue. "We would do well not to interfere with it without good reason."
"I didn't recognize the symbols. What does it mean to find two idols for two goddesses, one of monsters and one of death? What is this place?"
"A fair question, Roakkad," Neferet muses. She examines the statue for a while, then shrugs and moves on.
There is.
Rolo is ready to move in front once a path is chosen.
Neferet examines the door for further traps...
Neferet finds no traps on the door to the south but the statue beside her is... but it's magic is not activating at her presence, perhaps cleansing the pool has earned some small favour from Pharasma.
The door doesn't seem to be trapped but Neferet can tell it is stuck.
Rolo says:
"I am willing to shoulder charge the door. Please step aside Neferet."
Rolo takes a running charge at the door.
While this room may have been used as a shrine long ago, its contents are now a ghastly mockery of its former purpose. To the south, an altar upon a raised dais is surrounded by mosaics depicting a stern woman with long, flowing white hair, all of which has been slathered in filth and gore. The whole area reeks of decay and cloying, clotted blood.
Light from spreads across the room. A hobgoblin stands by the alter turning his head and upper body towards your intrusion, the lower features of his face are coated in blood. A three pronged tongue distends like a tube between his fangs... certainly not a feature of any hobgoblin any of you have ever seen!
Roakkad
Drakus
Gorthug
Rolo
Neferet
Roakkad fires an electric bolt at the abomination!
Roakkad fires an electric bolt at the abomination!
Drakus draws his weapons and moves towards Rolo in one smooth movement striking at the dwarf with it's longsword. A sinister grin spreads across it's toothy grin.
Gorthug
Rolo
Neferet
Roakkad
Drakus HP -2. AC 18, TAC 16