Xavier nods at the dwarf's warning as he passes him by. "True words, I'll be careful. And don't worry, I'm not going to throw myself alone into a fight if I can come get you all first."
As the smaller cavern comes into view, Xavier stops and tries to take a good look at it, at least as far as his vision will let him, hoping to pinpoint any danger that might be lurking in the shadows before the group moves into the cavern proper.
If no danger is apparent, he'll go quietly back to the group and report.
"The tunnel ends in a small cavern. Inside are what appear to be the remains of a campsite, and just past it are some bones. The camp didn't look recent, but I couldn't really tell much more from where I was standing."
After following for a while, she would approach the camp, not really expecting anything from something so old.
" What is here though? Anything we can use you think?" Jasaka would ask as she shifts through some of the campsite
"Careful." Xavier whispers as Jasaka approaches, raising his arm to stop her from getting closer to the camp.
"Something just moved under that pile of junk, I'm sure of it. Couldn't see what it was, but we're definitely not alone here. We should enter the cavern with caution, there's no telling what sort of creatures might be living in these caverns."
Jasaka takes the warning with knowledge they were in uncharted territory, but still would approach. The major difference was now she was moving things around with her gandasa ready to swing at anything hostile to them.
The moment Jasaka steps close to the pile of trash the refuse explodes in a flash of angry red energy as a pair of demonic cockroaches crawl out, clacking their serrated mandibles angrily as their wings vibrate to create a metallic screech.
[ooc=Initiative]
Katanu
Xavier
Arlena
Jasaka
Angus[/ooc]
Katanu flinches at the screeching noise the creatures were making and grips his staff more forcefully, the light from crystal growing in intensity.
"Dese creatures are infused with de might of de Abyss! Dey will be resistant to non magical weapons, fire and cold magic! Cold iron cuts through their defenses!"
"Demonic roaches? Think they're nesting in these tunnels, or could they be regular roaches somehow changed by the events up above? Don't really know what would be better, to be honest."
Heeding Katanu's advice about their resistances, Xavier draws the ornate rapier at his waist and moves closer to Jasaka, hoping to stop the cockroaches from reaching the more vulnerable members of the group.
As she sees the rogue step forward to join Jasaka, Arlena intones a quick prayer to Desna, calling on her goddess to extend her protective blessings to the rogue as well.
"I'll try to keep you all protected with the Dreamer's good fortune, but I don't think there's much more I can do here. Please be careful."
As if responding to her companion's words, Arlena's butterfly familiar flits about and briefly touches Angus shoulder, granting him a bit of luck as well.
Gripping his weapon tightly Angus charge forward with a bellow of rage, the axe whistling as it came down on the first roach.
Before the roaches could attack the one closest to the party is split in half by the expert strike of the dwarf. The other roach hisses in animalistic fury and bites down on Angus's extended arm, attempting to punch through his armor.
However it's fanged mandibles skitter across the armored limb with little affect.
Katanu hums to himself as he leans the staff against the wall while swinging a small crossbow from behind him and lining up a shot.
The bolt snakes its way between the party members and embeds itself in the enlarged abdomen of the monster.
As the creature moves to bite at Angus, Xavier takes a stab at it with his rapier, hoping it's able to pierce the insect's though shell.
With Angus now joining the fray as well, Arlena repeats her prayer and extends her goddess' protective magic towards the dwarf as well.
If anything was left moving, Jasaka would move and swing down with her gandasa, lucked out that it was cold iron. Being prepared was a blessing it seems.
The second cockroach vanishes into a splatter of glowing green blood as the last sounds of combat fade into the heavy breathing from several of the party members. A thorough search of the cavern after the fight will reveal a torn bedroll, three candle stubs (each can burn for 30 minutes),
a bent fishhook, 10 feet of badly frayed hemp rope, and a copper brooch depicting a bat perched on a mushroom—both of the bat’s eyes are tiny amethysts.
"Is it dead?" demanded Horgus, standing well back at the junction between the two rooms. Anevia rolled her eyes at the fear plain on the older humans' face as she limped past him, the blind elf trailing behind her with a hand on her shoulder.
Ahead the party will see a junction where another tunnel comes in from the right and combines into a single tunnel that that curves around to the right.
Heh. Seems like you're still looking out for me, sis, even when you're not around.
Xavier stares at his rapier for a moment after the creature goes down, before refocusing his attention on their surroundings and looking around the remains of the campsite for anything useful.
"Don't know how useful most of these things will be" Xavier comments as they go over the items they've found. "I guess the brooch might be worth something, but I don't think we'll be finding anyone interested in buying jewelry any time soon."
"I'll keep scouting a bit ahead. We just keep going down this tunnel as long as it seems to be going upwards, right?" Xavier starts heading down the tunnel, moving carefully and quietly as he gets some distance from the group.
As the tunnels all converge into one and then curve to the right, Xavier will come out into a open area where several mounds of rock lie in heaps in this cavern, recently fallen from the walls and ceiling. Now and then, bits of dust settle from cracks in the stone above. He will see motion ahead as something sinuous and white slithers away into the confusing jumble of rocks.
Waits a moment before calling forward softly, trying to not give anything away, but the suspense was killing her. That, and being underground started to feel like she was buried under it, even if she could see just fine.
" Anything out there? I'm ready to leave these caves now please."
"I saw something move around up ahead, under that pile of rubble. Seemed like a snake or something similar from the way it moved." Xavier grips his rapier, pointing it at the rocks as he answers Jasaka, and motions to Angus, asking him to get closer as well.
"If we all move forward together, ready to strike at whatever it is if it lashes out at us, I figure we should be able to take it down without much trouble. What do you all think?"
"Seems we might be walking into another fight." Arlena comments to the rest of the group as she sees Xavier pointing towards the room up ahead and discussing their approach with Angus and Jasaka. "I will call Desna's blessings on you all as well before we get closer. I'm not expecting whatever might be up ahead to actually get by those three, but another layer of protection doesn't hurt." She gives a small smile, trying to impart some measure of reassurance, especially towards Horgus after the way he reacted to their previous encounter with the cockroaches.
"Then stay behind me and I'll focus the snakes attacks on me. Poison doesn't scare me." Angus says before stepping around Xavier and walking boldly into the boulders. "Come out you great ugly thing, COME OUT!!"
He banged the flat of his axe against his shield, producing a loud clanging noise that reverberated loudly in the small cave.
As if the loud dwarf was a summoner a large white snake reared it's head over the boulders and hissed in response. Two long fangs hung down and dripped with a clear liquid from it's mouth as the light shimmered in a riot of colors along it's iridescent white scales. The snake launched itself at the dwarf in a frenzy.
However due to Angus's fierce provocations the snake pulled back after it's missed strike and coiled itself to strike again.
Jasaka takes no time in wasting in her attempts to exit the dungeon, or caves, or whatever it was at this point. She was starting to be bothered by the closeness and more importantly the lack of sky, something that she was not to familiar with until this incident.
She calls out " Desna please guide my hand!" as she swings her gandasa downwards, hoping to hit and finish this fight. And protect her friends, because so far she had no one left but these who are with her now
Calling on her familiar to grant her a bit of Desna's luck, Arlena moves forward as well and attempts to skewer the snake with her spear.
With their allies closing on on the creature, Xavier swiftly moves around it and attempts to strike it with his rapier.
When Arlena's spear bit into the hide of the snake it reacted by turning and blindly attacking the spear with several useless bites that only coated the haft with venom. Xavier's rapier skewered the snakes head from behind and instantly killed the creature, almost dragging the weapon from his hand as the snake dropped limply to the ground.
With a quick cursory glance the members of the party will see there is nothing of value inside this small cave and the path continues ahead in a tunnel only slightly wider then five feet that vanishes in darkness. After roughly half of a candlemark the party will see the path widen ahead into a T junction. The path continues to go straight but another path splits to the left, vanishing through a barely five foot opening that had green light spilling from within.
Xavier stops at the junction and waits for the rest of the group to get closer.
"There's this strange green light coming from a side tunnel to the left. Not sure what could be causing it. I'll try to sneak closer and take a look. Don't want us to move on and then have some kind of glowing green monster attacking us from behind."
Arlena walks a bit further as Xavier disappears down the side path, hoping to get a look at the mysterious glow.
"Some kind of glowing green monster?" She mutters as she ponders what the light source might be. "Could it be some sort of luminescent fungus, maybe? Arlena looks around the remaining party while they wait for Xavier to report back, in case anyone else has another idea on what it might be.
"From all of us, you seem the most knowledgeable about these tunnels" She says as she looks at Katanu with a curious look in her eyes. "Did your research mention anything like that?"
Angus stepped around Xavier and stopped in the opening, looking through to what was glowing green. Inside he would see large crystals growing from the wall that all glowed with a faint green light that all together bathed the contents of the small cave in nebulous light. A single sizable 20-foot-tall building remains in the center of this 30-foot-high cave, a bunkerlike structure with no windows and walls of worked stone blocks. A 10-foot-long carving of a hammer decorates the building’s facade. The ruins of collapsed outbuildings stand to either side.
Angus's eyes opened slightly when he saw the symbol of Torag on the side and instinctively pulled out an amulet from under his armor and held up the miniature hammer in reverence as he spoke a brief prayer in dwarven. A buzzing noise interrupted his reverie and a giant fly crept over the edge of the roof.
The paladin let the holy symbol drop to clunk on his armor while he brought the shield around and repeated the actions from the snake cavern, creating a banging noise with shield and weapon as he stomped loudly another ten feet in. "Come and get me you great ugly bug!"
With the dwarven paladin trying to get the giant bug's attention, Xavier swiftly moves into the room, stopping besides Angus and getting ready to stab the fly if it moves closer to attack.
As she hears Angus call out to the giant fly, Arlena looks to the others "Seems like they've encountered more bugs up ahead! Probably best if we all work to bring them down quickly!" Arlena rushes down the side path towards where Xavier and Angus disappeared from her sight, and takes up position besides them, readying herself as well for the incoming fly.
The giant fly buzzed it's wings in agitation at the clanging noise from the paladin and launched itself in a flash, streaking directly the stocky humanoid. It managed to nimbly dodge both of Arlena's strikes and attempt to bite Angus.
However despite the speed and ferocity of the attack the giant bug misaligned it's bite and smashed face first into the paladin's shield just as Xavier's perfectly timed strike took two of the monsters' legs. Stunned, the fly drops to the ground and lands on it's back, legs twitching.
After the shock of the bugs attack ran up his arm Angus gave forth a loud "Ha! and brought his axe straight down on the fly.
Katanu rushed ahead just in time to see the fly impact the paladin's shield and dropped to the ground, stunned. Before he could blink the paladins axe dropped down and took a meaty chunk of the creature, splattering the ground with green ichor. He took a chance and peered over the dwarfs' shoulder, staring at the fly to see if he could divine any knowledge of the creature.
"Hmm, just a common Giganta Musca, probably de one who birthed de two maggots from earlier. Just your garden variety giant bug but ware der bite, filthy creature who usually carry some kind of disease."
Jasaka takes her gandasa and swings at the fly, hoping in her heart to hit it. She was tired of bugs being everywhere, and wanted to end this. She wanted to see the sun again.
With a final strike from Jasaka the fly stopped twitching and deflated a little, stinking green blood oozing out from it's wounds. The nebulous green light from the crystals colored the blood black as the dirt on the ground slowly began to absorb it. Besides the heavy breathing from the PCs the small courtyard of the chapel is silent.
"And uh, no Arlena. Many knew of de tunnels but since de dwarven engineers who built dem connected dem to preexisting tunnels, dere are no surviving maps dat show de entirety of de network. De energies of de abyss are, like de nature of demons, entirely chaotic and unpredictable. It is possible dat fly started as your common tiny bug attracted to waste and was transformed by it's proximity to de World Wound. And as for dese crystals..."
"Quite common underground in areas heavy with magic. Dey are not dangerous, just charged with a little magic." Katanu said as he stepped around Angus, making sure to avoid any bug guts, and moved closely to a crystal near him. After staring at it for a second he taps the crystal with a knuckle and turns back towards the group. "See? Noting to worry about."
The three other survivors of the expedition come into the cavern and Anevia leads the blind elf to a bench and eases him down. She looks over at the building and a flicker of despair crosses her face before she grimaces and drops down into the bench next to the elf, rubbing her leg. "I need a few minutes of not moving." she grumbled to no one in particular, staring ahead into space.
Horgus looked over at her with obvious disdain on his face before looking away and muttering too himself "Why are we waiting for her...we should split up, help could brought-"
"Well thats just bloody typical of you, isn't it Horgus Gwerm? I'm not surprised someone afraid to acknowledge his own faith wouldn't be moved by a temple like this. To fear your faith, to deny it is the same thing as worshiping DEMONS!" Anevia exploded, obviously hearing Horgus's comments. The older human was taken aback by the womans verbal assault for a moment before indignation flooded his face and he stood tall.
"Hmm! To be chided by someone who consorts with thieves, how shameful." he said. The two humans glared at each other and it was obvious things would only escalate without someone stepping in.
"Now now you two, dis not be the time for dis. Tempers be frayin far from de sun, this I understand. The great spirit of light be my guide as well and cut from Her Illumination be botherin me like nothing else. But I stay reminded of what she taught me, empathy, honesty, forgiveness. Horgus, dere are such things as honorable thieves and one mans thief is another mans hero. De demons be at home in de shadows so we must have our own warriors who can operate in shadows to find them so that others can shine a light on such activities." Katanu said smoothly, picking up a rock and using a minor spell to cause it to shine with light.
"And Mrs. Tirabade, it be a shameful thing to expect everyone to shout dere faith from the rooftops. Faith by its very nature is private and personal. Not a single being in existence thinks exactly like you so even your faith is personal and private. You may share a religion with many others but how that religion affects you is unique and singular. As long he supports de war against de demons it matters not where his faith lay."
After Katanu's longwinded intercession the two humans managed to look ashamed as they each determinedly looked anywhere else but at each other. The blind elf gave a little smile at the awkward silence as he placed his hand back on Anevia's shoulder and gave it a squeeze. "Adventurer, forgive me but I cannot recall your name. You seem quite knowledgeable about a great many things and I would think I would have recognized the voice of one so dedicated to knowledge as those are the very group of people I associate with."
"Ah but I know who you are Aravashnial, member of a secret organization of mages that specialize in combating extra-planar threats and those who call demselves Blackfire Adepts. Demons would be a natural enemy of de Riftwardens. As for why you not know me, I confess when I be in de library I don't speak, I read and read and read. I be the dark skinned human you might have seen from time to time in the library." Katanu responded.
The blind elf Aravashnial's expression grew to astonishment as Katanu so easily exposed the existence of the secret society of mage guardians. "H-h-how did you know!? Not even the commanders of the city knew!" he said as he surged to his feet.
"Oh I wouldn't be too sure about dat my man. Since you work behind de scenes to combat demons and their ilk why would de commanders feel a need to interfere? You are natural allies. As for how I knew?" Katanu tapped his chin in thought. "I listen. When I not be in de library or de temple of Sarenrae I be walkin and listenen. Heard de term Riftwarden thrown around a time or two and remember what I learned in my academy days as a child. Did not take too long to connect de dots."
Arlena looks worried at their quarreling companions as the discussion breaks out, hesitant to speak out until Katanu has said his speech. As the sage talks with Aravashnial, she quietly approachs the two humans and adds on a bit.
"I know we are all stressed out, given our current situation and what is happening up above. I won't ask you to forgive your past grievances, but please do try to put them aside until we manage to get to safety. We're stronger if we stick together. Fighting amongst ourselves is exactly what the demons would want."
"Hate, mistrust, those are the tools they use to turn us against each other. Ally against ally, friend against friend... Family against family." Arlena's expression saddens as she says her words. "Past wounds take time to heal, I know that well. But if we let the demons triumph, they won't get a chance to heal at all."
After the mages say their piece, Xavier joins the group as well, intent on sharing his own view on the subject. "I won't presume to be as knowledgable as our companions, and I won't pry on whatever past history might have sparked this discussion. But we are not solely defined by our past, and even then the whole context is more important than specific isolated parts"
He presents the finely crafted rapier, adorned with with symbols of Iomeadae, to Horgus, along with a holy symbol of Kelinahat he kept hidden under his armor until now, which seems to the light from Katanu's stone as it is revealed.
"Take my own example. Would you rather be traveling with a former thief, a proud member of the Gildard family, trained by Eric himself to fight against the demons, or a devout follower of Kelinahat, intent on facing the demons in the shadows and expose their plans, as the master sage so aptly put it? Would it surprise you that all three apply to me?"
"And the important thing here is that the one thing you would probably hold against me is the reason I am who I am today. My past as a thief, as regrettable as it was, is the reason the Gildard family took me in. And my affinity for the shadows is what brought me to my faith."
"Yes yes, enough! I'll say no more on the matter." Horgus said, crossing his arms and looking around more at the small temple. "What is this place?"
"Let's find out shall we?" Angus said gruffly, stowing shield and axe to grab the stone door into the temple and pull on it.