Ardriel smashes the morningstar into the cultist but she is still in the fight.
Party up.
Ardriel follows up with another swing at the woman.
Leothar moves up and strikes. Ganging up on a prone opponent isn't the most valorous form of combat, but they do not fight for personal glory.
Ian raises the warhammer and crushes the cultists chest with it.
Searching the 2 corpses you find: 2 potions, 4 scrolls, water, 2 mwk chain shirts, mwk glaive, mwk scythe, 2 daggers, 2 spell component pouches, unholy symbol of Baphomet, unknown holy symbol, 20 gp.
The heroes feel more sure of their skills after their encounter.
There are two exits to the room: a ladder to the north leading up and a door to the east.
Donnen tries to swing at the enemy, but misses.
Agreed. - says Donnen towards Ian - Let's barricade the stairs access here fahr'now, and inspect tha' other rooms.
The Dwarf's idea is to simply push the beds and furniture to cover the access to the stairs, then move to the eastern door of this room.
Does anyone feel a bit more sure of yourself? I know I'm getting used to this whole adventuring business.
While Donnen and the others attempt to block off the ladder, Fley will walk up to the door and put his ear to it.
”I don’t think we have anything to barricade this ladder. Can we maybe take it down?”
Yarnala flies into the room. Upon seeing the unknown unholy symbol, the raven says,
”That is an unholy symbol of Deskari, demon lord of chasms, infestations, and locusts.”
Ardriel glances at Yarnala as the raven lands on his shoulder, and then says, ”Yarnala says that is an unholy symbol of Deskari, a demon lord.”
He then attempts to identify the two potions, with Yarnala’s guidance.
Despite Leothar's suddenly greater confidence in his skills, he has no recollection of Deskari. "Can Yarnala tell us anything about this Deskari? It seems like he is an ally of Baphomet."
Leothar is not overly concerned with the logistics of securing the room and blocking the ladder - enough people seem to be trying their own ideas in that regard, and he doesn't need to get in the way.
I'm not the tactician here... I wonder who is. Iomedae and Torag both have a claim on strategy, so Ian or Donnen, most likely.
Aware of the levitating scales they still have, Donnen agrees with Ardriel and tries to gently pull the ladder to release it.
Once things are set, the Dwarf moves towards the East door to proceed.
Examining the ladder you see it is iron and bolted to the wall. The room doesn't really contain anything to block off the entrance.
Ardriel figures out that the potions are both cure light wounds potions.
While the others are examining the ladder Ian listens at the door and hears a dull roar.
Leothar nods to Ian. "On it."
He has his axe at his belt to have one hand free to open the door - it is more important at this point to have the shield up.
Anvenn says "We will stay back here while you explore ahead. We'll yell if we need you."
Leothar opens the door, a muted roar echoes down the walls of this hallway. Near the eastern end, the worked stone give way to natural cave walls, just before the hall ends at an open shaft. Hanging over the edge of the shaft is a knotted rope—the other end tied to an iron spike driven into the ground
Yarnala says something in Elven, then Ardriel translates, "Deskari is the Demon Lord of chasms, infestation, and locusts. His followers are frequently encountered in the Worldwound, which likely means he has some sort of strong interest in events here."
As the group prepares to move on, Ardriel says, "I'll take a look at the scrolls later."
With the door, Ardriel listens to the muted roar.
"I don't know what's down there, but I sort of imagine that if it could get up here on it's own it would have done it by now. Shall we check what's behind the other other door in the previous room before exploring either up or down?"
"Well, we are in a chasm infested with vermin, so I suppose Deskari's hand is at work. But Torag will prevail.
Yes, let's go check the south door in the previous room."
The roar sounds like rushing water. Looking down the hole either Leothar or Donnen can see water.
”It sounds like an underground stream - we could just pull up the rope for now, if someone’s down there, and come back later.”
Ian pulls up the rope without any issues.
The group proceeds to the southern door. Upon opening the door, the southwestern part of this room, stout stone chairs surround a block of larger stone that serves as a table. The table’s top strewn with bone dice and cracked clay jugs. Stained canvas pillows rest on the chairs. A copper bowl filled with coals hangs from the ceiling, filling the room with warmth and an orange glow.
Surprise Round: Enemy
As you survey the room an arrow comes out of nowhere at Leothar.
As the arrow hits Leothar you notice a blue skinned mongrelwoman behind the table and the chairs.
Round 1
Petsha up
Petsha watches the arrow hit graze Leothar and springs into action, diving through the doorway and heading towards the wall opposite where the arrow seemed to come from. From there he sees the mongrelwomen and returns fire at her position behind the furniture.
The woman winces but turns it into a happy smile as she fires back at Petsha but misses.
Round 1
Rest of party and Petsha again.
Donnen moves towards the center of the room - giving him a little more control with his reach weapon - and attacks the archer.
His attack comes awkward and completely misdirected.
Leothar barely flinches from the arrow. It is just a graze, and he has had worse.
He moves into the room, drawing his axe and backing the archer against the wall.
Ardriel moves into the room and gets to where he can swing the Morningstar at the mongrelwoman, flanking with Ian.
Fley moves up and helps distract the mongrelman (mongrelwoman?)
Surprised that their foe is still on her feet, Petsha repositions again, moving the a corner of the room where the shot will be clearer before unleashing another arrow.
Donnen moves in and distracts the woman with his attack while Leothar moves in and puts a solid hit on her. Ian has to take his time moving through the chairs and can't attack when he gets to the woman. Ardriel moves around and puts a solid hit on the woman dropping her.
Upon searching her body you find: 2 potions, wand, mwk chain shirt, club, mwk longbow with 19 arrows, obsidian unholy symbol of Baphomet.
A hole in the ground in the southeast corner of the room drops down into The room below. A rickety looking rope ladder hangs down the shaft.
”So it would seem. I’d like to take a few moments to try and identify those scrolls we found, if possible.”
Yarnala flaps into the room and lands on his shoulder to guide him through the identification process.
Leothar watches with mild curiosity as Ardriel looks over the scrolls. Magical theory is beyond him.
"It doesn't matter much to me where we go next.
If pressed, I would say to go up. If there should be enemies waiting, we are at more of a disadvantage going up - and so I'd want to do that while fresh."
Edit: "But first let's check out that door in the northeast."
Leothar walks to the door and opens it.
Rather than go back and forth and wait for replies, I'd rather you do something and we'll change if need be. As I said, if in question, assume the worst and I can correct you. My goal is to keep things moving rather than slow things down.
There is a second door out of this room to the northeast as well.
Ardriel takes a few minutes and manages to identify one of the potions as cure light wounds. After studying the scrolls he knows that two of them are cause fear and comprehend languages.
Wrapping up with the scrolls, Ardriel says, ”I’d rather we head down. It’s occurred to me that, given the two humans who worshipped Deskari and Baphomet, this fortress may contain a path back to the surface. If so, up is where it would be. We will have to face those up there no matter what, but doing so with possible enemies at our backs is likely not a good idea. We should head down.”
Leothar opens the door. This narrow hallway slopes downward steeply. The walls are stained with foul-smelling streaks of refuse. A mound of rotting garbage lies heaped at the far end of the hallway.
Peering into the hallway, Petsha wrinkles his nose involuntarily. "Given the other vermin we've already fought down in these caverns, I can only imagine what that pile of garbage might contain. I could put an arrow in it to see if anything comes out if we want."
Petsha sees nothing in the garbage.
Ardriel eyes the sloping passage to the garbage. "I suppose, for thoroughness's sake, we should probably ensure no cultists are hiding down there." He clearly lacks any enthusiasm for doing so, however.
Donnen sticks to his usual near the frontline as the group moves. He's silent while inspecting the garbage with the others, slightly poking it with his weapon.
Leothar eyes the steep slope, likely slick with refuse. He is even less enthusiastic than Ardriel.
He does not venture down the slope.
"I don't think we really need to, Ardriel. But if somebody wants to go down there, I can be up here with a rope to help them out."