Caladaer can't see into the darkness, so he simply instructs Earnest to attack the first enemy he sees. Earnest steps forward and, as luck would have it, finds an enemy immediately. It punches the crap out of derro #1.
Galadaer steps to the west and casts detect magic into the cavern in an attempt to locate something.
Andakos steps back from #1 and thrusts his spear at its throat.
Andakos' attack of opportunity failes to find its mark, but Earnest slams his fist into the derro's back, making him bend at an odd angle, and then the tiefling's spearhead finds the derro's temple and tears through the soft spot into his brain cavity. Shockingly, it doesn't kill him, but the derro does fall to the ground spasming violently.
The second derro screams in a panic, dropping her crossbow and pulling out a weapon similar to the the one the derro used. Berta, having a more expansive weapon knowledge than Andakos, recognizes the odd weapon as an aklys. That does absolutely nothing to protect her from it as the derro smashes her on the back.
Berta takes the blow to the temple. If she could see right now, she'd no longer be able to see because these cards have a bizarre sense of humor.
Berta shrugs off any further effects from the poison.
ROUND 2
[color=green]
Derro 1 (35 dmg, unconscious and dying)
Golloriel (33/33 hp)
Caladaer (23/23 hp)
Andakos (23/23 hp)
Derro 2 (0 dmg)
Berta (27/45 hp, 1 Dex dmg, blinded 1 round lulz)
[/color]
SOMEHOW the derro on the ground stabilized, despite leaking gray matter out a hole in the side of his head. Though, to be fair, he wasn't really using it anyway.
ROUND 3
[color=green]
Derro 1 (35 dmg, unconscious and stable)
Golloriel (33/33 hp)
Caladaer (23/23 hp)
Earnest (13/13 hp)
Andakos (23/23 hp)
Derro 2 (0 dmg)
Berta (27/45 hp, 1 Dex dmg, poisoned)
[/color]
Earnest digs down into the floor with unnerving quickness. In seconds, he disappears under the ground and reappears next to Berta and the derro (not that anyone but Andakos could see that). He roars and slams the derro.
Andakos moves in on the final derro, yelling and moving his spear around distractedly to get its attention off of Berta , then stabbing away.
Golloriel steps up to the edge of the darkness and waits for a) the darkness to dissipate or b) someone to try to attack her.
Cal tears off his robes to reveal a Citadel cheerleading outfit. He flicks his wrists and pom poms emerge from his wrist sheathes and settle into his hands. He says, "GO TEAM!" and then kills himself.
In her panicked state, the derro misses horribly. She then tries to run screaming from the room through a narrow downward passage nearby.
ROUND 3
[color=green]
Derro 1 (35 dmg, unconscious and stable)
Golloriel (33/33 hp)
Caladaer (23/23 hp)
Earnest (13/13 hp)
Andakos (23/23 hp)
Derro 2 (23 dmg)
Berta (27/45 hp, 1 Dex dmg, poisoned)
[/color]
The second derro is beat to hell, but managed to duck your blows and is now fleeing downward into a nearby tunnel.
ROUND 4
[color=green]
Derro 1 (35 dmg, unconscious and stable)
Golloriel (33/33 hp)
Caladaer (23/23 hp)
Earnest (13/13 hp)
Andakos (23/23 hp)
Derro 2 (23 dmg, going somewhere)
Berta (29/45 hp, 1 Dex dmg, poisoned)
[/color]
Earnest chases after the derro, easily blending with the earthen walls when the corridor narrows. It brings its fists down on its prey again.
Earnest catches up with the derro and slams her head so hard into the rock wall it splits like an overripe melon. The screaming stops.
COMBAT OVER!
Earnest gives Golloriel a saucy wink (which she doesn't see because darkness) and a salute to Caladaer. "Later, bud." He then vanishes with a little pop.
It still takes over two and a half minutes for the darkness to fade, but eventually it does, and Berta's light spell instantly winks back on, lighting up the room.
Golloriel rushes to Berta's side and examines her wounds. Satisfied that the poison has run its course, she taps her a few times with her wand.
She smiles down at the dwarf. "Good as new. I'm sorry I couldn't help in the fight."
Andakos watches Golloriel healing Berta and has to suppress a grin. Not so easy to avoid getting torn to shreds, I guess.
He checks the body that is still in this room and takes a look around.
+1 traps
Andakos finds nothing of value in this room, simply four filthy straw pallets and the crude clay maze and dice on the table. The bodies do have gear on them however, all crafted for a Small humanoid:
- 2 sets of leather armor
- 2 aklys
- 2 light repeating crossbows
- 8 crossbow bolts, all coated in poison
These are coated in small centipede venom. It's not terribly potent but it is cheap and easy to extract.
There are two directions the party can take: the eastward tunnel back at the fork, or the down-sloping tunnel before them.
"Centipede venom. It slows your reflexes. It's not particularly potent but it's also not nothing. Anyone want them?" When the others shake their heads , he carefully wraps them in a cloth and stows them in the pack.
Then he stands, looks at both corridors, shrugs, and heads toward the eastern one. "Berta, would you like to lead?"
The party moves past the corpse of the derro, her blood that is a little too pale mixing with chunks of gray matter from where she slid down the wall, and heads in at a slight decline. Eventually the party comes to a fork. The left-hand fork looks like it leads to a dead-end, while the right hand fork bends around.
Andakos studies the dead end carefully to ensure that it really is a dead end.
Caladaer still doesn't quite trust this tiefling and inspects the dead end himself.
Andakos' normally sharp eyes betray him this time, but Caladaer sees in the flickering light of his spell that there is a cleverly-hidden seam in the rock. A hidden door!
Caladaer runs his finger along the seam. "Hidden door here, tiefling. Did you not see it?"
Golloriel whisper-yells at her father. "DAD! BE! NICE!"
Andakos has had about enough. He feels a primal, abyssal fury percolating inside of him. He holds it down, keeps it from bubbling over, but he knows it will find its way out if things continue this way. He coughs, then speaks through clenched teeth. "My name is Andakos. Do not call me 'tiefling'. I will not warn you again." Without another word, he steps toward the hidden door and attempts to open it.
Golloriel pulls her dad back into the tunnel until they are out of earshot of the others. "I know you don't want to be here. I know you resent me for bringing you along. But we are doing a good thing here. Andakos is helping us. If you won't behave for the people of this city, then do it for me. Please."
Caladaer doesn't reply for a few breaths, searching his daughter's eyes, then simply nods. She seems satisfied and turns to head back toward the others. Where did she get this charitable streak from? It certainly wasn't me.
As he heads back along the tunnel, his thoughts again return to the broken memories (no, that's not the right word. Impressions?) of her mother.
|
Berta listens to Cal's treatment of Andakos and her cheeks flush again. While Golloriel is chastising her father, Berta comes over to the investigator with downcast eyes and speaks to him quietly. It's difficult to understand her through the density of her accent.
"Tshamek," she says. "You are tshamek. 'Outsider.' " She looks up at him. "I am tshamek too. I am... sorry. For being rude earlier. We have not been treated well by the people of your city since our arrival. It has made me coarser than I normally am." She nods toward the door. "I will go first, if you wish."
Andakos puts his hand on the dwarf's shoulder. "Thank you, Berta. It has happened all my life. You never get used to it, but...." He trails off and thinks for a moment. "I am accustomed to it. I think, in this case, I think he's just angry, and not at me. We'll see how his tune changes after I save his life a few times." He looks back down the corridor, where he can barely hear Golloriel's angry whispering, and can't help but chuckle. "It's almost worth it to see her yell at him, though. But, again, thank you. You go first, and I will watch your back." He gives her shoulder a little squeeze and flashes a smile.
Berta has to shove a bit, but she finally manages to heave the secret door open, only to reveal a familiar heap of bones. Why there is a secret door here is anyone's guess, but it is of little use at the moment.
Andakos looks around the familiar room. "Weird. Okay, back the other way then."
Cal continues to help look, but he's a little bit less of a dick about it.
The other fork moves to yet another dead end, but this time you already suspect what you're going to find, making the search easier: another secret door. It looks as if it pushes open just like the other one.
Andakos looks at Berta. "Another door here. After you?"
Berta pushes open the door and the party enters into a macabre hallway. The walls and ceiling are encrusted with dozens of yawning skulls. Their mouths open into dark holes in the walls.
A door stands closed immediately to Andakos' left (east), and on the southern end of the hallway, an opening in the west wall leads to darkness.
Andakos checks the door to his left.
Andakos finds no traps or locks on the door.
Golloriel continues to give her father threatening looks.
Caladaer's mind is wandering, trying (and failing) to focus on the glade and Lori's mother.
Andakos gestures at the door. "Berta, let's try this one."
Berta moves up to the door and opens it, stepping inside. There are two wooden tables here, stacked with vials, beakers, and other alchemical gear, although the southern one is heaped with broken vials and leans awkwardly on a hastily repaired leg. Three large cauldrons sit against the east wall, one of them upended. Its foul, rancid contents--old rendered fat--have spilled onto the floor.
Another derro, this one female, pounds on the table angrily, grumbling furiously in Aklo. "Tikka bakanan'm atro. Diki fek--"
"Stupid f&#@ing goddamn piece of shit. Why don't you--"
She looks up and points at the party with a shriek. "Ack! Maga nak pootr'x lorg!!"
"Crap! Master will be angry you are here!"
ROUND 1
[color=green]
?? 1 (0 dmg)
Andakos (23/23 hp)
Golloriel (33/33 hp)
Berta (39/39 hp)
Caladaer (23/23 hp)
Derro (0 dmg)
?? 2 (0 dmg)
[/color]
From the skull room, a rippling wave of energy passes over the walls, and several of the gaping mouths of the skulls spew forth several darts of pure acid at Cal, Lori, and Andakos.
A couple sail wide, but most hit their targets, covering the hapless heroes with boiling acid that vaporizes shortly after contact.
Once the darts have flown, two long, sinuous creatures slither out of the mouths of skulls and onto the ground. They are comprised entirely of bones, and hiss dangerously at the party's back.
The one closest to Cal raises itself from the ground and bites at the wizard, but thankfully its bare fangs bounce harmlessly off his magical protections.
This is a necrophidius. They are dangerous constructs favored by necromancers due to the fact that they're built entirely out of bones (specifically snake bones). Their bites are powerful for their size, and have the added danger of possibly paralyzing the victim. They also have the standard construct traits and, as mindless creatures, are immune to all mind-affecting effects. They are also resistant to slashing and piercing damage, but are affected normally by blunt weapons.
These creatures also have an even more dangerous ability. As a full-round action, the necrophidius can perform a hypnotic, swaying movement called a Dance of Death. Anyone in 30 feet who witnesses it must make a DC 15 Will save or be dazed for 2d4 rounds.
Andakos groans. "Ugh, necrophidiuses! Not undead! Poisonous! Smash, not slash! And don't look at them if they start dancing!" He begins moving into the room. As he moves past Berta, he says, "You will be able to kill those snakes much more quickly than anyone else with your hammer. Avert your eyes!"
He moves closer to the derro, his tail whipping up to his belt to retrieve a small pouch as he does. Once in position, he tosses it at the derro.
"Dad! Get away from that thing!" She moves into the room, clutches her holy symbol, and mutters a few words. A burst of holy energy erupts from her, filling her allies with Sarenrae's blessing. She is careful to keep her eyes on the derro, ignoring the necrophidius through the doorway.
Caladaer sees no reason to argue with his daughter this time, and rushes into the room, moving out of sight of the necrophidius.