Runt grabs the scroll and casts a Read Magic.
"Deformed humans!? I wish I could have been here to save them. I think I'd like to say some last rites over them."
Indeed, the monstrously formed is what Runt is all about and she has a LOT of words to say, rearranging the bones to lay them out in style, vowing to come back to collect their remains and give them a proper burial.
"Say, look what I've round! Runt holds up a copper ring and casts a spell on it."
It is magical with a faint conjuration aura.
Runt casts a spell and a nimbus surrounds the ring as she holds it up and squints at it.
"Hey! It's magical!" After a several minute pause, during which she continues squinting at the ring, she adds "Though I have no idea what it does."
Being the suspicious sort, though, she does not put it on.
"This place keeps getting stranger and stranger. What were they doing down here," he says at the sight of the deformed skeletons. He helps the others search the area. "Well done, Runt. Anyone else have any ideas on the ring?" he asks before getting ready to move back to the previous room and the unopened door there.
Lavanor hears something moving with a shuffling gait and breathing hard. It sounds like a large bulldog trying to catch its breath. A quick check by Camil shows the door is neither locked nor trapped.
It's safe to open, After you Lavanor. Camil steps away from the door to allow the martially focused party members to open the door and see what's behind it.
When this is said and done I think we all need dinner and a round of drinks!
Checking his quiver again, hoping the count will be different, Camil sighs and puts the shortbow away again and draws his bladed scarf.
When the door opens it reveals a steep stairwell leading down. Now that the door is open everyone can hear the shuffling noises, it sounds like many feet, as well as the labored breathing of something large.
"Are you sure we need to go down there? It sounds large and nasty. maybe I should send in a rat or dog to see if we can provoke it to attack and find out what it is?"
Though framed as a question, it seems like Runt was not asking as he moves up to the door so he can see down the stairs and starts casting.
The snake crawls down the steps and into the edge of the light at the base of the stairs.
The snake reaches the bottom of the stairwell and then coils, raising its head as if to strike. Then a fount of steaming blood washes over it. The snake ducks the worst of the bloody acid but still seems unwell and uncoordinated afterward (nauseated).
Round 1
Heroes
Enemy
"Well that's not great."
"Ick. And THAT'S why you send in a summoned creature first."
The snake slithers out of sight to its almost certain demise as Runt ponders the foolishness of going after it.
"Any of you folks thinking of going down there?"
Runt will close the door in absence of an affirmative, or just move to the side otherwise.
"If I'm going to go down there, I'll need some light."
Camil and Isabella's light sources give dim light at the base of the stairs. Elves can see it as if it is bright light but nothing has been seen except for the blood bath.
Seeing Camil check his quiver, Lavanor hands him his full one. "I have plenty of arrows and haven't needed them much," he says with a smile.
Lavanor seems surprised that there are stairs going down. "Hmm, I wasn't expecting that. I was hoping we were about done down here, he says at the sight of the descending stairs.
"I'm not sure, Runt. Are we ready for more combat? That thing sounds nasty," he says in response to Runt's question about going down the stairs. He stands at the top of the stairs, waiting for input from the others. When Runt summons a snake, he shrugs his shoulders and waits to see what happens.
"Yep, it's nasty alright. Who has the torch? Maybe we should toss it down there to see better," he says, never taking his eyes off the stairs in case the thing comes up.
Throwing a torch down will illuminate the room beyond but will not help your limited view. The limit of visibility is the physical LOS due to the angle of the stairwell. Once you are further down the stairs and get a better angle the torch or light spell will allow you to see further.
Taking the arrows from Lavanor, Camil thanks him, I hadn't expected we would be in so much trouble down here! I'll certainly repay you when we get topside.
Looking over the threshold, Camil grunts, Here we go again, friends. I'll back you up.
"Don't mention it. We are a team," Lavanor replies to Camil. With everyone set, Lavanor takes a breath, and starts down the stairs, weapon ready to strike whatever attacked Runt's snake. He stops when he can see further.
Lavanor moves a little past halfway down the steps before he can see more of the room. Then a large gray meaty hand swings a hand axe from out of the darkness to the right and strikes the snake giving it a nasty gash.
Round 2
Heroes (no particular order)
Lavanor
Camil
Isabella
Runt + snake
Zandril
Enemy
Zandril follows quietly behind Camil trying to see if he can see anything around the corner.
Runt figures this will be another big fight and casts another bless spell.
"I can't tell what it is from here as it's around the corner, other than it's humanoid and armed. I don't think I can get past it. Going to start the fight from the stairs," Lavanor says before continuing to the bottom of the stairs and trying to attack the creature around the corner.
Lavanor reaches the bottom of the stairs and sees a true monstrosity. It looks like a mutated goblin with extra arms growing out at odd angles and and pair of stunted legs growing from its head. Lavanor's swing cuts into the monster causing it to roar.
The room is strangely cold. Its ceiling arches to a vaulted height of twenty feet. The floor contains ten wooden lids strewn haphazardly over five-foot-wide pits in the ground, an eleventh is open. From the darkness within these pits echo up strange shuffling sounds and, every so often, a low moan.
If possible the snake neters the space with the opponent. Regardless, it strikes.
for 1 point of non lethal damage and poison.
Bite—injury; save Fort DC 9; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save.
Runt, who is unable to see the thing, calls out "What is it? How can I help?"
You hear fighting break out above. You are at full HP but are stuck in a 5' wide hole that is 20' deep. Since it is such close quarters, you may climb up with a DC 15. Standard climbing rate applies so you will not crest the top until your second round of climbing.
The snake hits but the creature seems unaffected.
Sure, just want the snake out of the way for PCs to get access.
Camil, seeing Lavanor engaged with something will advance and attempt to pass beyond the creatures reach. Lavanor, I'm coming through to get a better angle here, hang on!
As Camil moves into position he will draw his shortbow and fire an arrow at the multi-armed goblinoid.
"A monstrosity similar to the skeletons we saw in the previous room only this one is alive! And it sounds like there are more locked in pits," Lavanor replies.
"Poor thing. I wish it would listen to reason and we could rescue it instead of slay it."
Runt's heart goes out to the 'monstrosity', having been called such things herself many times in the past. Whenever possible she has always tried to include the unwanted and deformed, but, as it often the case where she comes from, many of them are beyond reason and only wish to work out their angst by hurting others. And that, she does not condone.
Camil is successful and plunks the beast. The monster, however, seems to have little interest in being rescued and looks threateningly at those invading its space.
Fhable tries to climb out and move to safety. Scans area for any kind of weapon and or escape path.
Fhable makes it up about 15' and is about 5' away from the mouth of the hole. The fight sounds as if it continues. The voices he hears are obviously human and elf, not goblin.
Round 2
Heroes (no particular order)
Lavanor done
Camil done
Isabella
Runt + snake done
Zandril (move action, can still take a standard action)
Fhable done
Enemy
Not knowing or caring that it is doomed and there to provide a distraction, the snake continues it's assault on the poor, innocent monster.
for 1 point of non lethal damage and poison.
Bite—injury; save Fort DC 9; frequency 1/round for 6 rounds; effect 1d2 Con damage; cure 1 save.
Runt is given no guidance and, thus, moves closer to find out what is happening. Once able to see the creature, she casts a simple DC 15 Daze spell on it.
Zandril's second action he'll attempt to acrobatics past the monster, over the snake, and between the crates.
Zandril makes it past the beast. As he steps over the snake the goblin monster lashes out with a long sword but misses. Runt is able to get her spell off but it appears to have no affect on the aberrant thing. The creature then steps between Lavanor and the snake, striking at each. The snake is cut in half and disappears. Lavanor avoids the hand axe but takes a nasty cut from the dagger.
Round 3
Heroes (no particular order)
Lavanor
Camil
Isabella
Runt
Zandril
Fhable
Enemy
Camil, seeing Zandril's tumbling foray into the melee, exclaims, "Ohh Z, well done! Reminds me of that time you dodged old Mrs. Thornwhistle's rolling pin when we stole her pies!
With a grin, he fires the shortbow again into the combat, Look out again, I'm not very good with this bow!
Seeing the arrow go horribly awry, Camil flushes in frustration, Sorry! and seriously considers switching to melee with this multi-armed goblin menace.
Not used to fighting multi-armed creatures, Lavanor can't avoid all of the attacks. Wincing in pain from the cut of the dagger that found a gap in his armor, Lavanor tries to return the favor, slashing with his much larger sword. He hopes that the creature's blade isn't infected with whatever turned him into the monstrosity that he is.
The wooden grates on the floor (generally flat and provide no cover or concealment) cover deep holes from which you can hear movement and moaning. With his mighty swing Lavanor relieves the monster of its head. A gout of blood shoots from the stump of a neck with the head bouncing away in one direction and the body collapsing to the ground.
"Well, then. Nicely done, Lavanor, nicely done. More bones for the piles I guess."
Runt hurries past to peer into the cells, looking for one that shows signs of intelligence, hoping to salvage one monster at least from oblivion and/or misuse.
From the only open hole, the group hears a desperate scrabbling and some choice curses in elvish. Peeking in, they see a tattooed elf who squints up at the light.
"Whew." Isabella posts her falchion. She investigates the strange goblin, wondering how it got an extra arm.
Doubletaking seeing an elf trying to climb out of the pit, Camil quickly fumbles for a rope to drop down, Hey everyone, there is an elf in this pit trying to climb out!
Tossing the rope into the pit, Camil braces to help the elf out. Hi there, I'm Camil D'este, cardplayer and well uh... cardplayer... Camil frowns for a second, thinking that would have come out better, shrugging he continues on, What's your name, and how did you come to be in a pit down here. This place is awful, monsters, goblins with extra arms, strange temples with imps...