Fley will stop in his tracks. This dwarf looks like he's been down here a while.
Hello, dwarf friend. My name is Fleinonimus Flaxon. We haven't come for you. We stumbled down into these caves after ... have you heard what happened to Kenebres? Do you know a way out?
Petsha moves into a clear spot in the cavern, squinting into the meager light the campfire provides in the dark. He doesn't raise his bow, but calls out to the strange dwarf, "Sorry, but we don't know who you are. We're trying to find a way out of these caves."
As they walk, Donnen comments with the others the fact the statues depict crusaders from the First Crusade.
Donnen approaches with the weapon in hands, but doesn't make any aggressive movement. Instead, he tries to speak to the fellow Dwarf, assisting Fley.
Hiya! Yeah, me friend, we're just trying ta' survive here. We came from Kenabres. Hope 'ya'r doing well? May I ask who are ya’?
As he stops, he openly touches the holy symbol of Torag and pronounces a quick prayer. He tries to understand the intentions of the man, at the same time he asks his god for enlightment.
The dwarf laughs and says sarcastically "Oh you've come from Kenabres all right! They sent you down here after me! Holier than thou crusaders! I'm on to you! I won't let you take me!" He then casts a spell and it is much harder to see exactly where he is as he is blurry. He then moves.
Rest of the party is up.
Following his companions into the next cave, Ian having heard the dwarves threatening tone draws his sword as he moves. Taking in the sight of the camp and the angry dwarf, Ian shakes his head, "From Kenbres tis true. There was an accident, we have injured companions we are taking to safety. We have not been sent for you." Ian's eyes focus on the dwarf, his halo agglo. "But if you attack us we will defend ourselves."
The dwarf seems less sure of himself but is still aggressive.
We won't take you anywhere. In fact, we will leave you in peace if you tell us how to get out.
Fley will restate what he said earlier. Though he'll rush up to this dwarf, wagging his finger like an ornery old man. (and drawing a kukri while he's at it).
Leothar moves up, drawing his axe, and gets around the dwarf caster.
"We don't have to take you anywhere if you don't want to leave here. But we can't have you using more magic on us. Let's talk."
Ardriel moves to where he can see the Dwarf who's talking about them capturing him, and keeps a careful eye on him, watching for any signs of hostile spellcasting, since he heard Leothar talk about casting magic.
As Leothar moves past the dwarf tries to stab him but misses him. Fley comes up and gets in the dwarf's face.
Donnen and Petsha are up.
Petsha's bow stays down as he hears the paranoia in the dwarf's voice. Seeking something that might cut through to a more rational side, he casts about for other topics. "Friend, you've been down here long enough to have seen the nearby temple to Torag, fallen some time ago. I don't know what your beliefs might be, but we've reclaimed it for the Father of Creation. Would an escort to the holy site before taking a moment to talk be an option at all for you?"
When Donnen sees Leothar being attacked, he stops the diplomatic efforts: "against my people's enemies I show no mercy, I accept no surrender" - he thinks, as he moves towards the enemy and tries to attack him.
Bad idea, mate. - he says, austere.
The attack goes amiss as he steps in a worm as he moves and the "squish" sound distracts him.
"Donnen, he's still a dwarf! A confused one!"
The dwarf snarls as Donnen and Fley move next to him and he moves, granting them both a chance to attack him. "I'll escape from you yet! Filthy crusaders!", he yells. He then casts a spell and blinding colors wash over Fley, Donnen and Leothar (DC 13 Will Save or unconcioius).
As the dwarf tries to move around the gnome, Fley tries to reach out and slash at him with his kukri.
And the dwarf is too nimble on his feet - Fley's attack goes wide.
When the dwarf gets in to position and casts a spell, Fley starts to see colors flashing before his eyes. The colors start going to his head and he passes out.
Leothar strikes to incapacitate rather than kill.
The Dwarf was definitely hostile. Ardriel was ready to engage, but he knew they needed to be strategic - his spells could be quite dangerous.
Donnen tries to connect the AoO as the enemy moves, but fails. Dwarf or no Dwarf, he attacked one of his companions - enough for him to retaliate without much bother.
'He is clearly a threat, even if he's a confused dwarf.' Seeing the insane dwarf attack his friends, Ian lifts his longsword, charging the dwarf. yelling as he moves, He plants his feet, shield held high and chops downward at the dwarf, seemingly hitting the fuzzy image, but his blade cutting through air, strikes the ground, burring the tip in the gravely sand. "Oh bother."
Fley, Donnen and Leothar all take a swipe at the dwarf as he moves but no one hits him. He casts his spell and Fley falls to the ground but the others are not harmed. Ardriel then puts an arrow into him. Ian thinks he has the dwarf but manages to only cut his fuzzy outline.
Donnen, Leothar and Petsha still to go in this round.
I'm going to roll a Spellcraft check to try and identify the spell as it is being cast. If I succeed, and it's offensive, my readied action is goes off.
Shaking his head at his inability to help de-escalate the situation, Petsha finally raises his bow and takes aim at the agitated dwarf.
The arrow misses the blurry target entirely and flies into the darkness beyond the combatants.
Leothar moves and attacks, holding back. He tries to smack the dwarf with the flat of his blade.
The caster's protection throws off his aim.
Donnen moves to flank the Dwarf, and then attacks him again. The attack goes wide - in his core, maybe the Stonelord didn't want to really hurt his fellow Dwarf, but he knew things weren't just black and white; that troubled fellow maybe fell to the evil side.
The dwarf moves to the exit, provoking attacks from Ian, Leothar and Fley. He then casts a spell and two magic missiles hit Leothar.
Party up.
"Why is he so, so, slippery?" Chopping at the dwarf again, this time feeling the sword bite, he sees blood dripping as the dwarf runs to the exit. Lifting his sword as he runs, Ian follow, catching the dwarf near the door, he thrust his longsword at the dwarfs shoulder, feeling it pierce deeply.
Leothar takes the Magic Missiles to the chest and still tries to reason with the dwarf.
"Do you think we are invading your home? We didn't come here to harm you!"
He tries to Overrun the dwarf, to get to a place where he can block the exit.
As Leothar rushes past the dwarf, he attempts to stab Leothar but misses.
Fley turns over and starts snoring. He'll mutter something unintelligible about apples under his breath then start snoring again.
Fley turns over and starts snoring. He'll mutter something unintelligible about apples under his breath then start snoring again.
As the dwarf goes to move over Fley's unconscious body Donnen cuts him in half and he falls on either side of Fley. Silence falls over the bloody cavern.
Petsha, seeing the mage go to pieces, quickly moves to Fley's side to see what he can do to help the gnome, speaking to the group as he goes. "That's just a shame, that irrationality. We should make sure he didn't leave any tricks or traps for imaginary pursuit."
'Tis a pity a Dwarf falls today, but in his heart he seem'd ta' have fallen long ago. Tha' whole thin' 'bout filthy crusaders felt out o'place.
He lies down by the enemy to check if his completely dead, or can be stabilized. As he does so, he mutters a prayer for Torag.
No one that unjustly tries ta' harm one of ya' will get me mercy... Dwarf or not. 'Tis me duty. Like 'ya, I feel tha' pain. Yet, I respect 'ya desire for tryin' ta offer him a chance for surrender. And we shall always offer a chance for dialog. Thanks you all fa' tryin'.
For a moment, it almost felt like he'd shed a tear, but his eyes are so small, and the beard so voluptuous, that is impossible to truly discern anything.
Once things calm down, he starts searching around for anything useful.
No one that unjustly tries ta' harm one of ya' will get me mercy... Dwarf or not. 'Tis me duty.
"If not mercy, Donnen, then I ask you to use wisdom and perspective.
If a human child with a stick were to attack me, would you murder them? Because that is about how much danger I felt I was in from his little dagger.We did invade his cave, weapons drawn, and I tried to box him in. He responded with a feeble slash that didn't scratch my armor, and then a spell to only incapacitate, not kill.
I don't think an honest judge would rule that legitimate self-defense on our part.
I would have struck to kill if I had been certain we were in the right. I was not. I think he acted out of fear, not malice.
Some of the Crusaders are filthy. The Low Templars, some of the Gorumites just in it for the carnage... Disliking Crusaders is not a death sentence. We have no proof that he actually did anything evil. He was clearly troubled.
The gods will judge if you have done right. If his attack on me, which I provoked, was your cause to kill him, then his blood is on my hands as well. I will pray for his soul and for Torag's forgiveness for me."
Leothar looks sorrowful and begins to pray.
Seeing the dwarf fall, Ian Sheats his sword. 'How very confusing, one dwarf is sad, one dwarf is mad.' Looking from Donnen to Leothar, he scratches his head. "I don't know, Leothar, magic is pretty dangerous and we did warn him." He points to the other exit. "But if you didn't want to fight him why did you rush accross the room and try and block him in?" Ian looking more confused. "Why didn't you say something if you wanted to stop him instead of fight him? I saw you try to hit him with your axe, are you telling us that you were just trying to incapacitate him? I didn't realize you were trying to take him alive" Ian shakes his head, speaking to no one inparticular. "A pity."
Ardriel lowers his bow. "I don't know. He seemed more focused on getting away than killing us, but then, if all of us were unconscious, would he have chosen to just slit our throats? I don't know that there's much we could have done for him. Perhaps there's something in his belongings that will tell us more about who he was."
Ardriel goes to check through the Dwarf's campsite to see if he can find anything that explains who and why the Dwarf did this.
"I moved to block him in so that he couldn't just step away and cast another spell. I hoped that by placing him in a difficult situation he would decide to talk rather than fight. His madness did not allow that.
It is a tragedy.
I do wonder why he thought Crusaders were after him. It may be that he had done some heinous deeds."
As the group discusses their actions, a feeling of peace overcomes Leothar and Donnen. Donnen searches the body and finds: 2 potions, 2 scrolls, dagger, light crossbow with 10 bolts, a cloak 8 platinum and 7 gold. When the camp is searched a ratty bedroll, a small pack filled with dried meat, preserved fruit, and some moldy cheese (6 days of rations), and a chipped 6-inch-tall marble statuette of a humanoid throwing a spear and a spellbook. In the book are found notes for vile magical ceremonies.
When the group quiets down Aravashnial says "You mentioned the statues were of crusaders from the first crusade? I have heard an old legend that after the First Crusade a group of crusaders who had become infected with Abyssal energies f led into these caverns to raise their deformed children in peace, and that their descendants live on today in the tunnels below the city"
Child with a stick? - asks Donnen, rhetorically - Mate, while 'ay think yar'intentions are right and guided, I believe you're sticking too much to appearances... An' too few ta' actions. Yes, t'was a Dwarf; but I fear if it was a kobold or troglodyte we'd be having a different conversation now.
He smiles, trying to conciliate.
It seems our foe here was really into dark magic. 'Tis the real tragedy. We live in a tough world - tougher for some than fo'others. - he pauses for a moment - Hesitation, sometimes, will mean death. Sometimes we have to make split decisions and the gods shall judge us for that. Nevertheless, we should always try tae' give a chance, som' benefit o'doubt, like we did here. No matter if we're talking about a Dwarf or a Troll, a Human or a Gnoll.
He shakes his head in agreement, when hearing Aravashnial, as he tries to identify the potions.
Does anyone know what thos'scrolls might be? I fear what 'dey may contains, considering who had'em.
"I hope we don't have a situation like this again... but I fear we will. And we will all do what we think right. I will try to respect your positions even when I disagree."
"As to judging on appearances, let us be very patient if we come across these deformed scions of the First Crusade. Tieflings, perhaps. If they are living down here in isolation, they may well see us as invaders or intruders. They may even threaten us. I will be as patient as I can."
Fley tosses and turns in his sleep and will slowly open his eyes.
What did I miss? Where's the dw.... . He'll stop mid-sentence as he sees everyone else talking - and the corpse of the dwarf on the ground.
Oh. Perhaps we should bury him? Is that something dwarves do? I do not know any dwarven prayers though.
'He probably could use some help.' Moving toward Donnen, Ian, having given the rucksack they found to Fley, Ian points to his own pack, "I have room in my pack if you need help carrying anything. Just stuff it in." seeing the crossbow he frowns, "Well that might not fit." Turning to the group he asks, "does anyone want to carry a crossbow?"
Seeing Fley wake, he smiles at the gnome, asking, 'Did you enjoy your nap?"
Hearing Aravashnial explain the caves may be inhabited, He nods in aggreement with Leothar, "Yes, we shouldn't judge them on appearance, hopefully we will be able to convince them of our good intentions. Perchance they may be able to help us return to the surface."
After the items are loaded, looking to the dwarves, "Are we ready to go?"
Ardriel looked over the notes, trying to determine what the magical ceremonies were supposed to do. Yarnala was there to try and guide him through the complexities.
At Donnen's ask about the scrolls, he looks up at the Dwarf and says, "I can take a look at them - I might be able to decipher them. If not, when we rest for the night, I'll use my lone cantrip to see if I can figure it out. Some of that other stuff might be magical, too, so I should look at it anyway."
Taking the scrolls, he unfurls them and studies them, trying to determine their contents, again with Yarnala's guidance.
Unable to make heads or tails of the scrolls, he placed them in his pack to look at later.
As they prepare to go, he stands near Aravashnial and asks, "Master Aravashnial, could you tell me more of this legend of the lost crusaders? I had not heard of such before."
Donnen manages to identify both of the potions. One is cure light wounds and the other invisibility. The scrolls will have to wait. The ceremonies are nasty and evil in nature
Aravashnial replies to Ardriel, "Well, my studies have uncovered that some of the first crusaders children were not right when they were born. The research is bare and didn't go into detail. Just that they left to raise their children in peace. Of course many in the Crusade today deny it ever happened but it is good to see this evidence."
A steeply inclined tunnel leads upward to the north, its walls lined with numerous nooks, handholds, and dozens of iron pitons that have been driven into the walls long ago.
About 30 minutes after the climb up the tunnel opens into a large cavern, about seventy feet across. Cylindrical rock formations along the walls arch up to make a domelike chamber, but the walls and floor are riddled with cracks. At the center of the cave, a stone tower that may once have reached the fifty-foot-high ceiling has collapsed onto its side.