Seeing that the creature has a nasty venom, Song switches to the dance of defense, inspiring her allies to make their saving throws.
◇Lingering Performance
◈ Inspire Defense
Then she moves and shoots!
Song-of-Air dances inspirationally and fires an arrow into the ethereal stalker. The alien creature screeches as translucent ichor drains out of its abdomen. The moves to the side and vanishes into the shadows. It is a long tense period waiting for the creature to emerge, but it appears to have been driven away.
The southern floor of these two chambers has collapsed. The edge of the floor is covered with grayish bat droppings. In the ruined floor below, those of you with enhanced vision can make out a humanoid form covered in guano.
Clover waits with bated breath to see if the stalker returns or if anything else steps up to challenge the group. After a few tense moments, she sighs and slowly lowers her weapon.
"Everyone okay? Wasn't expecting everything in the area to come running like they'd heard a dinner bell," she huffs as she takes a look around. "Whoa, the floor's fallen in? Maybe that's where some of these critters came from."
Ephie gets out his rope, and looks to craft a way to lower people down safely.
That was a thrilling experience. I',m glad none of us were dissolved in digestive acid.
“I think we better take care of our injuries before anyone goes down there.”
Looking around, he asks “Does anyone have a climbing kit?”
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Nothing wanders into the chamber while Leaf-on-Wind tends to your wounds. Ephie expertly ties a rope harness without wasting any length (and it definitely does not look like a marionette's harness).
“I can climb down. Anyone want to join me for the climb? Probably want a couple of people ready with bows and such if I find trouble.”
Rulean has his shield ready as he goes down.
Combat Climber from heritage so his free hand is to defend with shield
Take what you need from that. Think it should only take eight checks at worst.
Rulean volunteers to climb down into the collapsed section of the tower.
Ephie will help keep an eye out from up top.
"Here, want me to help hold the rope and then come down behind you?" Clover asks as she sheathes her fork. "Snowy, stay put for now, okay?"
______________
I got a climbing kit, in fact. I think we can use it to climb down too, not only up. Will that help?
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Huzzah!
Snowy, please guard me and Mr. Splinters, if you please.
Mr. Splinters mimicks Ephie's voice. HUZZAH! HUZZAH! HUZZAH! BLA BLA BLA!
"Okay yeah, that's a lot better than just a rope," Clover smiles. "It's okay Snowy, just wait here and protect Ephie and, uh, Mr. Splinters for now," she adds, giving the badger a reassuring pat on the head.
As Rulean moves to the edge of the floor, it gives way and drops out from under him. The iruxi manages to catch the edge of the floor at Clover's feet just in time to stop his fall. The rest of the debris clatters to the guano covered ground below. It takes him a moment to regain his bearings, but then he makes gradual progress down the side of the hole.
The mounds of white guano kick up dust as he moves across the floor. There he finds a humanoid form buried under countless years of bat droppings. The skeleton is wearing a suit of full plate that shows no sign of rust or decay of the leather straps or padded gambeson. It will not be attractive to wear until you take several hours or possibly even days to scrub it clean, but it is remarkably functional. Next to the skeletal corpse is a broken falchion. There is an obsidian gem in the hilt. Smoke seems to writhe within it.
Ephie calls down: If you tie the armor to the rope, we can pull it up and I will identify it.
“There is some heavy armor and a broken falchion down here. I’m going to check for magic.”
Rulean expects the armor and maybe the gem to be magical, but uses Detect Magic to verify it. He will also check if there is anything magical under all the guano that he hasn’t seen. He will tie the armor to the rope and have it pulled up. Once the rope is back down to him, he will have the broken falchion hauled up.
Once the rope comes back down for him, he will use it to climb back up out of the hole.
Rulean confirms for himself his suspicions that the armor is magical. As is the talisman affixed to the hilt of the ruined falchion. The falchion's blade is rusted and in too many pieces for anything but magic to salvage it. Looking around the large pit, he sees nothing else interesting and finds no other magical auras.
Rulean ties the armor to the rope, pockets the hilt and its gem and then climbs out of the sunken room.
Though Clover was ready to climb down after Rulean if need be, it becomes apparently pretty quickly that it won't be necessary after nothing else shows up to accost him or the group. So she waits up top and helps to haul the armor out of the pit.
Once the iruxi rejoins them, she draws her fork once more. "I think that just about does it for this floor, right? Maybe we should duck back into that hidden room for a few minutes until we're ready to move on."
“Sounds good to me.”
Ephie nods in agreement.
You withdraw to the secret chamber so that nothing else stumbles upon you and tries to make a meal of you.
Under the layers of guano, Ephie makes out a potency rune upon the full plate armor , which is what has likely kept the armor from suffering the effects of time. Meanwhile, Song-of-Air identifies the gem as a talisman that allows weapon to instill fear into a strike .
Looking towards Ephraim, Rulean asks “Are any special tools needed to move the armor rune? I’m thinking Clover could use some better protection but none of us uses heavy armor.”
"Yeah, that'd be a bit too heavy and noisy to suit me," Clover agrees as she eyes the guano-covered armor. "Not to mention anything with a nose could smell you coming from a mile away!"
While you settle yourselves after the frantic battle and investigate the items you found in the pit, Clover develops a bit of a sniffle and Rulean has an irritating itch in the back of his throat.
Wary of the ethereal stalker having escaped and clearly not hindered by walls, you decide to press onwards since you feel relatively hale. The only way left is upwards, now, so you head into the central chamber.
This room has a sloped ceiling at the eastern end, which accommodates a staircase ascending steeply upward from the middle of the room. Round alcoves to the north and south each bear stone daises with the booted feet of a statue, but both statues are broken off at the shins. The stairs have been eroded away by something over the centuries and are more a ramp than a stair. It is slow and careful going with more than one slip and tumble before you reach the second level drawn on Harlock's map.
Once you reach the level floor of the second level, you find yourselves in a hall that runs north and south. There is no light coming from either direction.
"Ugh...being down here must be aggravating allergies I didn't know I had," Clover grumbles as she sniffles and wipes at her nose. As the group descends the 'ramp' down to the second level of the complex, she frowns as she studies the worn stone.
"Something's passed through over and over and worn the stone away. Maybe it was that goopy cube we ran into? Otherwise my guesses would either be water or magic did it," she murmurs.
When the group reaches the bottom, her concern grows when it becomes apparent that there's no light to be had in either direction.
Either they don't use this part much...or whatever's down here doesn't need light to see.
"North?" she suggests, since either option currently looks about the same.
Ephie nods. North.
Not seeing any reason to pick one direction over the other, Rulean nods his agreement and starts moving northward.
Guide us, Clover! wer'e following you.
Rulean and Clover lead you toward the north. Before you go very far, you all hear something's feet scratching across the floor very close to the near wall of the north chamber.
You can also see firelight down the hall all the way to the west.
Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.
Nabi
Red Xulgath
Yellow Xulgath
Leaf-on-Wind
Rulean (shield raised) (enfeebled 1)
Clover
> Snowy
Blue Xulgath
Song-of-Air
Ephie
> Mr. Splinters
Nothing much happens for several breaths.
Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.
Leaf-on-Wind
Rulean (enfeebled 1)
Clover
> Snowy
Nabi
Red Xulgath (delay)
Yellow Xulgath (delay)
Blue Xulgath
Song-of-Air
Ephie
> Mr. Splinters
Rulean steps out into the room, hoping to get a better view of the situation. He then fires off a ray of cold at the furthest xulgath.
120’ range
Crit Success double damage and -10’ speed for 1 round
Clover does some shuffling sidesteps to move next to Rulean and then whistles for Snowy. "Snowy, over here! Don't let them surround anyone!"
______________
Snowy growls and moves close to Clover, fur bristling at the sight of the enemy xulgaths...
______________
Rulean steps into the chamber, bringing his light with him. He reveals three xulgath trying to hide against the wall, clearly with the intent to ambush you. These xulgath are different than the kind you have encountered so far. They ooze a viscous yellow slime from their orifices and from gill-like slats on their necks.
As Clover and Nabi follow the iruxi, they see a crumpled body in the back of the chamber. Those with enhanced vision will see it is a xulgath similar to the other three and there is a blood stain against the eastern wall above the corpse.
Rulean summons a ray of frost that injures the furthest (living) xulgath.
Encounter! Round 1. Bold may act.
Leaf-on-Wind
Rulean (enfeebled 1)
Clover
> Snowy
Nabi (readied)
Red Xulgath
Yellow Xulgath (-10 hp)
?
Blue Xulgath
Song-of-Air
Ephie
> Mr. Splinters
Leaf-on-Wind almost strikes one of the xulgath with an arrow.
Finally collecting their wits after their oh-so-clever ambush attempt completely failed, the three xulgath move toward you. As they do, the unfortunately familiar nauseating scent that accompanies xulgath assaults your noses.
The closest moves toward Clover. As he nears, he inhales deeply and then begins an intentional coughing sneeze that splatters Rulean, Clover, and Snowball with the yellow slime dripping from his nose, mouth, and neck gills.
The injured one moves towards Nabi and receives a deep cut for his effort. He returns the favor with a stab from his bile-covered stone dagger that is all strength.
The third advances on Clover and Snowball. He stabs Clover in the neck and then the ribs with his ooze-covered blade. She can feel something foul seeping into her wounds.
Meanwhile, there is a faint shimmer reflecting Rulean's magical light coming toward you in the hall.
Encounter! Round 1-2. Bold may act.
Red Xulgath
Yellow Xulgath (-16 hp)
Gelatinous Cube
Blue Xulgath
Song-of-Air (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Sickened 1)
Ephie (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Sickened 1)
> Mr. Splinters
--2--
Leaf-on-Wind (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Sickened 1)
Rulean (enfeebled 1) (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Sickened 1) (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Slow 1)
Clover (41/58 hp) (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Sickened 1) (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Slow 1) (Fortitude DC 18 [poison] vs. Fatigue) (Fortitude DC 18 [poison] vs. Fatigue/Unconscious)
> Snowy (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Sickened 1) (Fortitude DC 16 vs. Slow 1)
Nabi (39/44 hp) (immune)
Rulean takes a step back and then casts Magic Weapon on Clover’s trident.
“We probably want to retreat a little so that the gelatinous cube is at their backs.”
Ephie nods at Rulean. Cogent.
He launches an arc of plasma at Blue (and Red if he can):
And then Strides back into the hall.
"Don't need to tell me twice!" Clover agrees as she also strikes out at Blue with her trident. "Snowy, chomp and fall back!"
She then falls back a few paces.
______________
Snowy gleefully chomps at Blue...
...and then darts past Clover into the corner.
Nabi slashes repeatidly at her foe, using quickness more than power, hoping to put it down.
Song-of-Air inspires you all with her song and dance while sending an arc of electricity lancing between the furthest xulgath. Ephraim follows suit with his own arcs of lightning, which nearly kills the xulgath near the wall outright. The xulgath hangs on with wheezing breath.
Leaf-on-Wind fires a trio of arrows, only one of which strikes the furthest xuglath, before making a tactical withdrawal. Rulean, meanwhile, steps back and enhances Clover's fork. Shaking off the onslaught of toxins, she promptly stabs the xulgath next to her, falls back a step or two, and summons Snowy. Snowy takes a bite out of the xulgath before he leaves.
Nabi then stabs her enemy. Thanks to Song-of-Air's inspiration, she kills him with the second strike.
Severely injured, the remaining two then move to overwhelm the outlier from your group. The first to reach Nabi bites onto her arm, injecting his bilious venom but she fights it off. He tries to stab her too, but she manages to twist out of the way.
The gelatinous cube continues to advance, nearing ever closer to the xulgath that just engaged Nabi.
The other xulgath considers its options and opts to bolt down the now unobstructed hallway.
Encounter! Round 2-3. Bold may act.
Red Xulgath (-28 hp; <10%)
Gelatinous Cube
Blue Xulgath (-19 hp)
Song-of-Air (immune)
Ephie (immune)
> Mr. Splinters
--3--
Leaf-on-Wind (immune)
Rulean (enfeebled 1) (immune)
Clover (41/58 hp) (immune)
> Snowy (immune)
Nabi (30/44 hp) (immune)
Rulean retreats, calling out “Nabi! Time for a tactical retreat!”
He then positions himself at the corner such that he can fire around it. He also tries to figure out what sort of disease the xulgaths have.
Ephie strides forward and throws his axe, trying to finish off red He cures and moves back.
Ephie's antique axe passes too high, and the xulgath manages to escape that grim death though possibly in exchange for a grimmer one.
Rulean recalls that xulgath blood is mildly poisonous but not so much so that anything eating a xulgath would experience more than a strongly unpleasant taste. However, some xulgath are able to concentrate the poison in their blood into their mucous secretions. These type of xulgath are known as bilebearers. Contact with it can slow your reactions, sap the strength from your body, or even knock a creature out entirely.
Encounter! Round 2-3. Bold may act.
Red Xulgath (-28 hp; <10%)
Gelatinous Cube
Blue Xulgath (-19 hp)
Song-of-Air (immune)
Ephie (immune)
> Mr. Splinters
--3--
Leaf-on-Wind (immune)
Rulean (enfeebled 1) (immune)
Clover (41/58 hp) (immune)
> Snowy (immune)
Nabi (30/44 hp) (immune)
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Coming!
Nabi slashes twice at the Xulgath before retreating with a backflip- because, hey, show must go on, no?
Nabi stabs the xuglath in the chest and runs away as he drops to the floor in front of the advancing gelatinous cube.
Encounter! Round 2-3. Bold may act.
Gelatinous Cube
Blue Xulgath (-19 hp)
Song-of-Air (immune)
Ephie (immune)
> Mr. Splinters
--3--
Leaf-on-Wind (immune)
Rulean (enfeebled 1) (immune)
Clover (41/58 hp) (immune)
> Snowy (immune)
Nabi (30/44 hp) (immune)
“How smart are oozes? Will it stop to digest that xulgath or will it pursue us?”
"Hopefully that first thing," Clover remarks before whistling to Snowy. "Snowy, fall back a little more, okay?" Then she too falls back past Rulean.
______________