Nell makes a noise of disgust at the appearance of the frogmen, her cool and collected demeanor shifting quite suddenly. "Ew, ew, I hate frogs," she moans as she hesitantly moves toward them with her sword.
The frogman's leather armor barely stops Lucius's crossbow bolt. Allandir scores one grazing hit on the warrior. Ervan zaps both frogs with lightning, one taking a full-on blast. Nell scores a solid strike with her sword!
One creature steps forward and batters Nell with its club. The other scores a hit as well, then its throat swells as it unleashes a terrifying croak!
"Mere auditory tricks are no match for those who study arcanamathics!"
Pril gives out a high-pitched snarl at the frog-like creatures and lowers herself into a more aggressive position.
She sweeps out with her leg in a wide swing ...
... following up with two quick strikes with her fists.
Nervous, Gull Peeper scampers forth and lashes out at the beast with a stab, not wanting frog in their mouth.
Allandír continues to shoot.
Alak is shaken by the frogman's croak, but he steels his will and strides forward. He brings his greatsword down in a mighty arc that cleaves the creature's skull in two, slaying it instantly!
Gull Peeper moves to flank the remaining foe with Pril, but neither goblin nor gnome is able to take advantage of their tactical position. Allandir's shots likewise go wide, but Lucius scores a good hit, and Ervan zaps the frogman with more lightning! It shudders and falls!
"Frogs?" Pril exclaims in disbelief. "The cultists are frogs?" She frowns and shakes her head. "C'mon, Small Peeper," she says, giving the pup a scratch on the ruff. "On to find and defeat more frogs."
The monk approaches the eastern door.
Once-fine seating made from mahogany and velvet has been broken to pieces and used to fashion crude shelters. To the north, a door is heavily barricaded with debris.
Another lanky frogman is here, along with two gnome-sized simian humanoids wielding sickles and whips. When htey see you, the frogman croaks and hops towards you while the simians shriek and reach for chunks of debris to throw!
The wizard's eyes almost pop out at the sight of a frogman cooperating with what seem to be monkey-like creatures. "What a remarkable discovery!"
If only said remarkable discovery wasn't so intent on killing him and his companions.
Ervan recognizes the simian creatures as charau-ka, humanoids native to the jungles of the Mwangi Expanse. Legend holds that charau-kas share ancestry with the demon lord Angazhan, who transformed the bodies of humans who tried to wage war against his cult, causing the dead to rise as the first of the simian humanoids known as a charau-ka. Rumors persist that charau-ka priests have perfected a hideous ritual to force those slain to reincarnate as new charau-kas in honor of this ancient tale. Other stories hold that powerful totems devoted to Angazhan contain this power, and that conducting ritual sacrifices before these magical artifacts causes the spirits of the dead to return to life as violent devotees of Angazhan, the master of those who revel in savagery and destruction.
Charu-kas are masters at turning rocks or other debris into deadly projectiles. They can also periodically work themselves into a shrieking frenzy, quickening their movements.
"Frogs?" Pril exclaims in disbelief. "The cultists are frogs?"
The tall elf looks up from searching through the bodies (and, from hard-won experience, quietly making sure that they are in fact dead). "Yes... it is, ah, curious to find frog-men in the basement of such a place. We should be on our guard."
Alerted by the small growl of Talitha, still nestling in the hood of his cloak, Allandír is quick on the draw as they enter the room where the next set of enemies is hiding. He moves swiftly to a safe position and then fires arrows at the closest enemy.
"Curious or not, they don't belong here. We will reclaim this place for the civilized people of the world,"[/b] Alak declares. He strides forward and slices into the frogman.
Ervan attacks its mind with a spell, and Allandir hits it with one arrow.
The frogman retaliates, swinging its club at Alak and unleashing a terrifying croak! The charau-kas hurl debris at the Hellknight armiger! Alak's plate armor protects him from harm, save for one lucky hit.
"The simian duo is remarkably adept at turning just about anything into a deadly throwing weapon. Close the distance, quick!"
Pril shakes off the loud croak again and rushes forward into the fray.
Gull Peeper scampers over on all fours and onto the couch, taking two big chomps out of a simian.
Lucius and Pril miss with their attacks, but Gull Peeper bites the charau-ka's neck and rips its throat out! The simian creature falls to the ground, blood spurting from the fatal injury!
The frogman winces in pain from Ervan's spell.
Allandír reels back as his delicate elven senses are temporarily overwhelmed by the crudeness of the frog-thing's croak; his hand shakes as he fits an arrow to his bow.
Nell moves in but fails to hit. Allandir lands one hit on the frogman, then Alak finishes him off with a powerful strike before moving to threaten the last foe.
The charau-ka shrieks and drops its weapons, raising its hands in the air. It babbles words in Mwangi before trying Draconic as well.
Pril snarls back in the second language.
"He's surrendering, as if that was obvious," she says to the others. Her annoyance with her own performance seems to be making her snippy.
The charau-ka complies with Pril's orders, lying on the ground with his hands behind his head.
The gnome pulls some rope from her bag and secures the prisoner as best she can before indicating the northern door.
"That way, I guess," she says, letting Gull Peeper move ahead to check for any mechanical nasty surprises.
As you approach the door, you see it is heavily barricaded from this side. You hear the angry roar coming from beyond. This must be the chamber where Big Bumble is being held!
"Ah. Over to me, I suppose." Allandír gently lifts the small warglet out from the hood of his cloak and sets her down on the floor, giving her fur a playful ruffle. "Go keep your sister company for a bit, Talitha." He then rummages around in his pack for any remaining food the pups haven't eaten. Best not to go in empty handed.
He starts to remove the barricades before wandering in to try and calm tge bear enough that he can bring it safely out of its prison. "If this, ah, fails to work, could you please ensure that I'm not left down here? I'd like to have Desna's starlight shine on my grave."
And hopefully not for a good few centuries yet.
Taking a deep breath, and squaring his shoulders, he gingerly steps into the next room.
Pril herds the pups back to the side hall in case the enraged beast attempts to make a break for it.
Allandir removes the barricade before opening the door. This stately bedroom looks like a horrific crime scene. Sprawled haphazardly everywhere are half-mauled humanoid bodies lying in pools of blood, splintered furniture, bed curtains and rugs torn to shreds, and massive piles of dung. The elf counts two frogmen and two charu-kas among the dead.
Despite the carnage, Big Bumble seems to be something of a misnomer. The grizzly bear is still young, perhaps only 4 feet tall at the shoulder. What he lacks in size, he apparently makes up in ferocity, though, as evidenced by the frog leg hanging out of his mouth. Upon spying Allandir, the bear drops the limb and roars in anger!
Allandír blinks slightly in surprise as he sees the youthful nature of the bear. This shouldn't be too difficult. He hopes.
Keeping his voice calm, and not making any sudden movements, he tries to persuade the bear that he is a friend. "Hey, there. Hey. It's alright. You hungry, now? I've got food..." He gently lays the rest of his rations between him and the very angry bear.
Big Bumble gobbles up the rations, then the bear roars and stomps towards Allandir menacingly...
The tall elf backpedals slightly, trying to keep his distance, while also doing his best to remain calm. "No, no, I'm a friend. Not food. NOT food."
No.
No, this is not how it ends. Allandír has faced many perils, and he is NOT about to die, far from starlight, at the claws of a dumb animal he is trying to help.
Instead of retreating, he steps forward, with power and purpose, locking eyes with the young bear and diing his best to master it.
"Down. Stand down."
The bear reacts to the forceful command, sitting on its haunches. It growls but regards Allandir with curiosity, not hostility.
Allandír gives a broken-toothed smile, trying not to sigh in relief. "There's a better bear." He regards the young beast speculatively. "You have a name, don't you? Not the one those things gave you, but a real name. I wonder what it is. No matter. It will come to me in time."
He looks at the bear's underfed frame, his eyes narrowing in anger at the mistreatment. "How long have they kept you in here, eh? No wonder you're hungry. And angry. I would be, too. Let's go and see if we can find you something to snack on, shall we?"
He turns towards the door, before looking back at the bear. "Well? Are you coming, or not?"
The bear hesitates a moment, then it trundles out the door after Allandir.
Taking time to search the room, you discover a tanglefoot bag and a vial of alchemist's fire on the mangled bodies of the cultists. Scattered amid the debris on the north side of the room, you find a collection of books. These books are damaged and don’t have any inherent value, but they do contain reams of historical information about the Order of the Nail. It will take an hour to peruse them all for pertinent information.
Ervan has to resist the urge to give Allandir instructions on how to do this-and-that, but knows that animals, regular magically unmodified animals, are not exactly his forte. He does, however, purse his lips when the bear submits to the elf's commands and gives his companion a stern nod of approval. "Well done, well done."
Pril watches the ranger as she manages the warg pups. "Wow, you're getting a regular menagerie," she says with a grin. "What's his name?"
Once the bear is introduced to the rest of the group, the gnome recommends heading through the eastern door.
Pieces of furniture are still intact here, but otherwise this room is unremarkable.
Heading through the next door, you see that a steady dripping from the stone ceiling in this ruined bedroom has created a deep, bog-like puddle in the middle of the broken floor. Ringing the puddle are splintered pieces of wood stuck into the flagstones’ rubble, rising up like bizarre foliage. A search through the puddle turns up an invisibility potion.
You move on to the final room in this wing. The furniture in this former bedroom is all askew, revealing a mountain-like pile in the center made up largely of garbage such as filthy cloth, chunks of rubble, and bent nails, though there are a few shining glints in the mix. On the southern wall, scrawled in a chunky substance in a childlike hand, are several words in Draconic.
You can find a few bits of precious metal and dented coins amid the junk worth 15 gp total.
Looking at the room’s eastern wall, you notice that the stones here have been smashed and that a rudimentary tunnel stretches about 3 feet into the earth beyond. On the floor next to this pathetic tunnel are bent lengths of metal and pipe, as well as smaller pieces of metal that look like rusty spoons. This seems to be the "tunnel to town" the Cinderclaws are supposedly digging. Since creating this tunnel was clearly a bust, it's apparent the cultists on this level are not a significant threat.
Pril looks at confusion at the scrawled words.
"Someone here speaks Draconic and I don't imagine that it was the goblins. It warns of 'Mighty Dragons', but their grasp of spelling leaves something to be desired." She looks around the chamber. "So, the passages to the south next? Or do we head through one of the eastern doors?"
Gull Peeper sniffs at Big Bumble, curious. "Glad you not dead," they noncommittally mumble towards what is either the bear or the ranger.
"South feels better to me," they say, scratching a long ear.
Pril watches the ranger as she manages the warg pups. "Wow, you're getting a regular menagerie," she says with a grin. "What's his name?"
Allandír smiles back. "It was touch and go for a moment, there. As for a name..." He pauses, considering. "I think Bruynarth will do for now. Once he grows into another name, I'm sure he will let me know."
He nods warily at the goblin. "South is as good as any other." He raises an eyebrow in warning as Gull Peeper sniffs at the bear. "Careful - he's not, ah, tame; and he has little reason to like goblins."
Bruynarth growls softly at Gull Peeper, though he remains calm for now.
"South it is, then," Pril says with a nod. "Let's take the one on the right," she adds.
Four monuments loom in this dark and somber room, each with prominent carvings of black-winged angels and various stylized pentagrams. Burnished plaques along the floor next to each sepulcher bear the names of those interred within, while atop the northern wall near the ceiling the words “Sepulcher of the Nail” are carved in prominent relief. The names on the plaques are Mistress of Blades Xera Delphine, Master of Blades Renten Viselli, Paravicar Yenesta, and Paralictor Loreen Sinelle.
"No cultists here," Pril says in a somber voice as she looks over the tombs. "Let's keep moving."
With no desire to violate the resting dead, she moves through the eastern archway.
Along the southern wall here is a large relief carving of a sunburst made of nails. Instead of typical flagstones, the floor is made up of headstones with names and dates. Curiously, six of the headstones seem to be pried open to reveal empty graves within.
Six animated skeletons stand guard here. Five of them wield rusty scimitars, while the sixth is clad in a partial suit of Hellknight plate. It levels its halberd at you as all six move to attack!
"Undead? Was the necromantic ward triggered?" Alak says in surprise. He strides forward to attack a skeleton, shattering it to splinters!
The skeletal Hellknight engages the living armiger. It scores a hit, and Alak cries out as he is racked with intense pain!
The faintest trickle of positive energy briefly fills the room.