Syretia peers into the darkness, muttering an incantation under her breath. After a moment, she delivers the spell with a light touch to Fenrir's back and turns to look down the western passageway.
Bydar ponders what's best for the group and says "If need be, one could use my glaive for 'poking'"
Nothing can be heard from the western passageway, but Syretia suspects the faintest hint of sound coming from further down, deeper in the warrens. Could there be surviving mites? Has something else taken residence?
"'Careful' is is my middle name, see? Er, well, I guess you can't, on account of my, yah know, invisibility, eh?" Booker rambles a little. "Ok, back in ah jiff. If I die, ya gotta tell my Ma I love 'er. I'll make it real obvious-like, lotsa screamin'!" he promises before skulking down the tunnel.
________
Could be survivors...or scavengers cleaning up the dead that were left behind...
AS book speaks about heading off...
Double H...do not rely solely on your magic to keep you safe. Do not push you luck...
The eastern tunnels could prove dangerous...be careful
Booker cautiously creeps down the narrow tunnel, picking his way down the sloping path.
The wet-looking floor of this large cavern is crisscrossed by several shallow trenches, each containing trickles of putrid-looking fluid. Six foul mounds of compost and dung lie heaped about the room. The fragments of several small eggs are scatter amongst these heaps.
A trio of giant centipedes, each one larger than you, idly scuttles around the room, foraging through the heaps of refuse. Countless normal centipedes also skitter along the floor, walls, and ceiling.
Thankfully, none of these yet take notice of your presence.
Booker shivers at the sight. Yeesh, all those creepy crawlies! Ain't no way we can make peace with that dead... thing an' those!
Doing his best to continue skulking to the other side of the room, the Halfling hopes to go even deeper into the tunnel system.
________
"I hear something," Syretia whispers, taking a step back from the western tunnel and biting her lip. "Something deep in the tunnels. How long has Booker been gone?"
A long while, but it takes time to move quietly, I think we'd have heard something if he was in trouble...Brandt answers Syretia's question, while straining to hear any sounds of Booker or problems arising from the tunnels....
I hate waiting...
Bydar feels the urge to pace and fights it.
Booker recognizes that the swarm of tiny centipedes are likely sensitive to tremors in the ground, so he takes pains to keep his slow, cautious steps far from where they throng the thickest - resorting to judicious application of magic when needed. The vermin's larger kin and undead caretaker, though, are easily avoided.
Thus, he leaves behind the hatchery, picks his way down the sloping passage beyond, and pauses at a narrow junction to observe the common room that branches off.
This common room is not abandoned.
Six small figures hunch over the remains of a human, ripping into it with their bare hands and teeth. Although they bear a resemblance to the zombie you just avoided in the hatchery, there is something unnervingly different about how these creatures' limbs and muscles move.
They seem far more interested in their macabre meal than you, and they do not raise their heads or turn in your direction. You remain undetected for now.
Christian paces back and forth slowly, doing his best to not hit the ceiling while crouched over.
Damn it...he should have been back by now...Something is wrong.
Christian takes in a deep breath to calm his nerves.
He is not one of yours...but he knows what he is doing...trust him..
Christian looks to the others
be ready to move if he does not come back soon
NOPE! NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE NOPE! They ain't payin' me enough tah cross that sorta mess solo! Booker does his best to return back to his allies quickly while remaining undetected.
Without any indication of his return, you all hear Booker's agitated voice begin rambling. "Holy Mothah ah Pearl! You's guys shoulda seen 'em, they was all *NOM NOM NOM* and *RARARARARA*," he explains, invisibly miming his sound effects. "I jus' 'ad tah come back, it jus' isn't smaht tah go on by yerself when ya see sumthin' like that, ya know? Ok, uh, some sorta zombie, big centahpedes, and swarms ah little centahpedes just down tha tunnel. An' then, I saws ah buncha Mites, but theys wasn't movin' right. I dunno how tah explain it, but it was all wrong, see?"
His breathing is still fairly rapid when he continues. "Lemme check tha otha tunnel while I'm still all see through, eh?"
________
Brandt looks relieved when Booker returns, and then grimaces when he hears of what's below them...Great bugs and the undead... Well at least we know what we're facing. Syretia, and anyone, can you handle the bugs? I can probably keep the zombie busy long enough for us to be okay, and Fenrir can help with that certainly.
The Ulfen scratches his beard, nodding at Booker, Yes, you should probably scout out the other side too, just to make sure we're not ambushed in the rear...
Brandt calmly pats Fenrir's head, waiting for the time when Booker will lead them again into battle...
Syretia shakes her head. "The big ones, sure. But I'm afraid my magic is, ironically, not much use against large collections of tiny insects. We'd need something less, for lack of a better term, focused." Thinking for a moment, she considers the options. "Oh! We have a scroll that might be helpful, though I don't think it will be enough on its own. A bomb could work, too."
"I can hurt the Zombie if need be, Bydar says "How much I'm not sure."
Christian relaxes slightly as he hears booker.
Please be careful..
"Zombies are easy," Syretia says, cracking her knuckles and grinning. "Little bit of fire fixes them right up."
Taking the western tunnel, Booker must eventually shimmy his way down a steep slope leading down to the next chamber. The walls of this egg-shaped cavern are obscured by thick tangles of long, pallid roots. To the east, the chamber opens into a wide, root-filled chasm.
That isn't to say that there aren't any bodies at all in this cavern. Four dead kobolds tied into the roots that line the walls. Their once-black scales have faded to a ghostly gray, and their bodies bear marks left by torture. One of the bodies, though emaciated, is in slightly better condition, suggesting he or she outlasted the other three by a significant degree.
We oughta bury them proper after all-ah this. Just ain't right. Booker shakes his head at the Kobold's bodies, then proceeds to the edge of the crevasse. From the edge, he tries to figure out what it is he might have missed after he retreated from the spooky, corpse-munching Mites.
________
Checking the straps of his shield, Orlog grows impatient with every minutes that passes. "Is he exploring the entire place before we can get in there?"
Across the gap you see what was once some manner of common area or war room. The fragments of toppled and broken furniture, including an utterly smashed table, are strewn across the room.
The ranger grimly looks at the dwarf, Easy Orlogg, soon enough we'll know what we're up against.
Booker creeps his way back to the others. "Ok, so, tha good news is we ain't gotta worry 'bout nothin' coming at us from tha back, see? Tha bed news is those Whitenoodles did ah serious number on tha Mites and that was aftah tha Mites took some, uh, frustrations out on ah couple ah Kobolds... I'm ready tah take tha fight tah tha Mites!" he explains. Still invisible, he lingers near the back of the group with a club in his hand.
________
Ok with our backsides covered and our exit secured as much as possible...let us move forward. Undead, Centipedes and swarms of centipedes. We need someone to take care of the swarm...are we ready?
He looks to those that have magic at their fingertips...
Brandt nods at Christian and the others, before quickly incanting some words in Skald and touching Fenrir. Magical energies surround the wolfhound for a brief moment, congregating on his mouth, before Brandt nods to Orlogg that he's ready and fading into the shadows of the room. His cloak obscuring him in the darkness.
"Finally, something to do." Orlog starts forward, taking the lead. He enchants his armour for better protection and then heads directly toward the biggest creature he can see.
At Christian's question, Syretia begins to shake her head, but suddenly stops and (lightly) slaps her forehead. "I can't believe I forgot that! Yes, I have something for the swarm," she says, grinning. "Just keep your distance as best you can." As they move, she reaches into a pouch and draws a scroll.
Despite his efforts to approach stealthily, when Brandt's boots fall heavily upon the earthen floor, he finds the countless tiny centipedes upon the walls skittering together into a single, swarming mass in the southern alcove off to his right.
This sudden swarm of activity draws the attention of their giant kin, and by extension their zombie caretaker, who begin to look for the source of the agitation.
Brandt's boots betray him and he quickly goes on the offensive against the zombie, stepping to his left into the corner, and firing two arrows into the zombie. He calls out to his companions, Now is good!
Seeing both arrows connect with the zombie, Brandt smiles to himself, and prepares for the inevitable counter assault from all the creatures in this room. Ol' Deadeye, let them come quickly, I'd rather not face all these creatures alone!
Fenrir will wait for Christian to enter the chamber, sticking by the young lord's side.
Syretia, following as quickly as she can, suppresses her initial feeling of revulsion at the combination of undead and countless skittering legs, and focuses her mind. With her free hand, she points at the zombie, sending a jet of flame shooting at it. With a sweeping gesture, she redirects it to the centipede on the far side of the zombie.
Booker pushes himself against the wall to keep out of the way of the others. Alrighty, let's see 'ow these guys get goin' in a brawl!
With several arrows and a wave of fire flying towards their foes, the Halfling is thankful that nobody can see his invisible face!
________
Realizing where there are insects, there maybe poison,Bydar touches the shoulder of Syretia, "Shelyn give thee fortitude"
Orlog tries to get in position as fast as he can, but just can't get his footing right in the tunnel.
Seeing that they were ready, Christian moves into the room with weapon in hand. Knowing that he has made his worries about the swarm clear, he ignored the mass all together and engage the closes target.
He points his weapon at the enemy and waves for it to join him in combat
Time to clean this place up.
The tight confines do not impede Lord Christian's assault. He marches forth into the hatchery and with a single swing he chops the mite zombie in twain.
Before he can step away, Brandt soon finds hundreds of centipedes swarming over his legs. They get beneath his boots and armor and deliver myriad stinging bites.
Shaking the vermin free from his legs, the Ulfen ranger steps back from the swarm. He draws and looses his arrows. With the zombie in twitching halves upon the ground, he adjusts his aim and delivers his shots to the giant centipede beyond. His second arrow pierces the vermin and slays it.
The mite ghouls, hearing the disturbance above, rise from their meal and clamber up the tunnel and begin to pour into the hatchery to pursue fresh meat.
The two remaining giant centipedes skitter along the floor and roof to attack Christian, but their mandibles find no purchase against his hardened armor.
Orlog marches through the hatchery, heedless of the tiny centipedes he crushes underfoot as he moves, and he interposes himself between his comrades and the newly arrived ghouls.
Surveying the rapidly changing situation, Syretia decides against her original plan, and instead begins reading from the scroll in her hand. She tosses the evaporating parchment and points at the oncoming swarm of ghouls, a red bead of energy coalescing in front of her outstretched finger. With a shout of "Orlog, Christian, take cover!", the bead launches forward and erupts into a wave of flame that devours the cavern.
Christian already stooped over, watches as the pea sized ball of flame flies across the room.
ah shit
He adjusts his position so that the large centipede will take the brunt of the flame that erupts.
The warren's hatchery suddenly becomes a blast furnace, if only for an intense moment, as Syretia's fireball explodes in a mighty conflagration. The flames consume the centipedes, both large and small, and roast the undead flesh of the mite ghouls. The clusters of centipede eggs hiss and explode from the heat if not already destroyed by fire.
Brandt shakes himself, trying to dislodge the centipedes which worked into his armor, and calls Fenrir into the room,
Quickly dropping to one knee to get a better sight on the remaining ghoul he fires a single arrow, relying on precision over volume.
Fenrir trots into the room, taking up a position between the ghoul and Syretia and snarls at the undead creature.
The sight of her spell's aftermath draws an involuntary cackle out of Syretia. Almost immediately, she clamps her hands over her mouth to cut herself off. I hope Orlog is okay.
Orlog turns just in time to see the flames erupting towards him. He lift his shield and deflects most of the explosion away. Looking down at himself, he assess the damage. "The beard is still there, everything is fine." He turns again to face the undead creatures, but realizes that they are all dead except one. Shrugging, he closes the gap to attack it.
Damn I had hoped that thing would be dead by now.
Christian steps away from the swarm and pulls forth a flask. He tosses it quickly at the thousands and thousands of bugs in hopes that it will break.
His eye sight is still a little spotty from the spell as he tries to take in the situation.
Orlog how are things back there?...
How is everyone else faring?...
The flask that Christian hurls erupts and either consumes the rest of the centipedes or sends them fleeing back into their crevices.
Brandt unleashes an arrow that lands square in the chest of the last ghoul as it clambers up the tunnel and into the hatchery.
Nearly slain, the small blue ghoul rushes for Orlog, but its gnashing teeth don't even come close to the dwarf's armor.
In return, Orlog crushes the undead fey's skull with his warhammer.
With the smell of smoldering ichor and scorched earth filling the warren, the air at least grows quiet again as the last of the dangerous denizens is put down.
Shaking his hammer to get rid of the remains of the mite's skull. "All good here." He looks over the room for their newest member. "Anything else left to kill in here?"
Christian looks around the room as he stomps out any stray fire.
Appears to be all clear..
He points to the path that the ghouls came from.
Shall we continue to clear this out?