Kelhuud sighs. "I would rather not relive my companions' gruesome demises. Suffice to say that we were unaware of the dangers that awaited us with Hollow Mountain. Since then, I have learned to pick and choose my journeys into the blighted place."
"Fair enough." she agrees, nodding in acceptance. "Would you be willing to share any of these dangers that caught you unprepared that would allow my companions and I to prepare for such that a similar fate does not befall us?"
”Hollow Mountain is an ancient place. Its sprawling tunnels and chambers are full of traps, both magical and mundane. Most of the denizens within are either hateful undead, constructs or outsiders bound by ancient power as guardians, or aberrant monsters that have worked their way up from the bowels of the world to colonize the dungeon. I would advise you to move slowly and cautiously, searching every shadow for hidden dangers. Do not let your guard down.”
Elanna catches the tail end of the conversation and chuckles darkly to herself. Until the twin-Kelhuud makes a move she doesn't need to either, but if he does...
"Wise counsel. We shall seek to follow it. Is there anything we can do to assist you in the meantime?"
"There is nothing that I need right now. You are free to use my camp to rest in between forays into Hollow Mountain. I will keep you safe," Kelhuud says.
Screaming Moon begins forming Life Links with the rest of the party before noticing that Elanna is missing. Shrugging, he resolved to link with her as well once she returns.
As he does so, he gives his opinion. "I'd prefer to deal with the evil we know first. That devil worshipping opera singer needs to be taken down. I suggest we head to this fish shrine first and at least see what they are up to."
Moon's comment seems to strike a nerve with Fioralba as she grinds her teeth together and responds "I concur."
Leaving Kelhuud's campsite, you return to the T-junction in the trail and head west, walking for just over a mile up the mountainside. The winding forest path ends in a small clearing before a structure made of pitted, dull yellow stone. A disk of deep-red stone sits beneath an open archway. The building’s facade is weathered and pitted, but images of sea monsters carved into the stone can still be made out, particularly a recurring image of a demonic merfolk with the lower body of a spiny eel.
The remains of a campsite fill the clearing just before the entrance to the yellow stone building. Looking through it, it seems that three people were camped here only a few days prior.
An oppressive pall hangs over the chamber past the archway. Aquatic demons and sea monsters stalk the scenes carved into the stony walls, the fiends eviscerating one another with expressions that can be described only as gleeful. A mosaic depicting a six-headed snake decorates the floor, its coiling tail cut off by the western wall. At the midsection of the serpent’s body stands what could only a sacrificial altar, copious amounts of blood staining it and the floor around it. What appear to be runes are carved atop the altar, but the dried blood obscures their details.
Screaming Moon looks at the stone building with distaste. "I am not sure this imagery is worth keeping around even for historical purposes. Hopefully, we can clean it of whatever evil resides in it currently."
Placing Tsu-la on the ground he sends him to inspect the campsite and see if he can determine which way the campers left.
Ruby draws her sword and sets an Ioun Torch spinning about her head, ready to enter the building once initial investigations are performed.
Tsu-la's finely honed sense of smell picks up the scent of the campers. The fox scowls as he recognize the scent of one of the trio--the unmistakable perfume of Viralane Barvisai.
The trail of the scent leads through the arch and across the room, to where the serpent's tail intersects with the wall. There, further inspection reveals a secret door!
The floor of this room is decorated with a mosaic of a serpentine tail curling to the southwest, as if pointing toward a domed alcove of rough-hewn stone made to appear like a cave. Sitting in the alcove is a repugnant idol of an eel-bodied demonic merfolk. To the north stands a quartet of squat sculptures of bloated sea monsters, all with disturbingly humanoid faces, each adorned with red gemstone eyes. What appear to be gobs of bloody gore cover these smaller idols and spatters the floor below.
Hope was fairly quiet after the fight at the bridge, withdrawing into herself as the others took care of things. She followed along and was ready if there was trouble, but it never came to that.They met their contact and she didn't really listen to what he said about other groups, she just stayed with her companions as time seemed to move in weird ways.
When they entered the ruins and found the room with the creepy idols Hope felt time return to normal as she focused on the here and now. She shuddered slightly but otherwise didn't react as she looked at what lie before them. She didn't like the idols, not at all, especially the gore dripping ones, and she felt a need to eradicate them. "Can I destroy those idols?"
Screaming Moon also feels that the idols should be destroyed, but also feels that caution is warranted.
"Let us look for any traps before we consider that avenue, Hope."
Screaming Moon scans as much of the room as he can from the entrance with Detect Magic.
"I sense nothing protecting the idols. The gore covering them worries me. There was no indication from Kelhuud that the Peacock cultists brought a sacrifice with them.
Yes, I agree Hope. It is safer to simply destroy them from a distance. See what you can do."
"Hold on, let me look at them for a moment first." Fioralba says, moving closer to study them.
Fio recognizes the demonic creature as a depiction of the long-dead demon lord Ibdurengian, who was slain by Aroden in the early years of the Age of Enthronement.
As she approaches the other statues, though, the blood and gore spattered over them begins to shudder and congeal into a viscous heap! It slides towards the magus like an inky spill, a thick odor permeating the air around it!
Fio recognizes the ooze as a blood-red roiling oil. It is immune to fire and electricity, but exposure to either energy type will set it ablaze, making it even more dangerous!
"...then that must mean the locals had something to do with it--" Triel starts before the slime congeals into existence.
"Oh that is disgusting." The drow groans as she brings her scythe to bear and swings it!
Hope was happy to get to destroy these idaols but then Fio asked her to stop. Hope grumbled a bit but complied and then the gore suddenly congealed and began to move! Hope pulled together a blast of energy, careful to gather enough it wouldn't backlash on her, and then let fly a ball of condensed gravity at the ooze.
"No fire or electric!" Fioralba shouts, drawing her blade and sliding opposite of Triel, striking the foe without her signature shock.
+ Touch of Fatigue DC14
Screaming Moon sighs. "This is why I said to hit them from a distance"
Casting Barkskin on Fioralba, Screaming Moon backs away from the Melee.
Meanwhile Ruby moves in to slice the ooze.
Fio lands a light cut on the ooze. Hope smashes it with a powerful blast of force, while Ruby tears into it with her large sword.
The ooze rears up on itself and surges at Ruby, smashing the Shoanti warrior and coating her with a clinging, reeking film!
Triel cringes beneath her mask and swings her scythe again, trying not to leap out of her skin in revulsion.
Ruby takes a step away from the Ooze, retching, but recovers quickly.
"That thing hits HARD"
Stepping up to Ruby Meadow, Screamin Moon quickly applies salve to her wounds.
Ruby takes a step away from the Ooze, retching, but recovers quickly.
"That thing hits HARD"
Fioralba gets distracted by the massive blow on Ruby, momentarily glad it was the warrior taking the brunt of it and not her. She tries to swing again opposite of Triel, but her focus is off.
+ Touch of Fatigue DC14
Ruby delivers a brutal blow to the ooze, then Treil and Fio slices it again. With Elanna and Hope pitching in as well, the roiling tide of gore collapses in on itself, becoming inert.
The gemstones in the four statues here are expertly carved orange-red garnets worth 500 gp apiece (eight total). They are easily pried from the repugnant idols now that the threat is neutralized.
Searching around, you note fresh scrapes in the dust on the floor north of the statue of Ibdurengian, revealing that the statue itself sits on a counterbalance. If it is pushed north, a flight of stairs leading downward is revealed in the hollow space below.
"Well, it appears we found where the Peacocks have gone. I suppose they must have either recognized this ooze and given it a wide berth or they are the ones who left it here to guard their backtrail.
Either way, I think we should follow. If they left one trap for us, it is reasonable to imagine they might have left others. We should keep an expert eye in front of us."
He looks pointedly at Elanna.
"Well you found that problem well enough." Elanna replies. "I am not prepared to deal with stuff like that. You are. Everything worked out fine."
Still, Fi nearly got hurt so Elanna does move to the front of the group and set to work checking to traps, oozes and all things nasty.
You descend the stairs, entering Hollow Mountain. The thirty-foot-high ceiling of this impressive, L-shaped chamber is supported by six square columns. Empty bookshelves line these columns and the surrounding walls. A faded mosaic of countless shades of yellow is set in the floor, depicting the rays of the sun. Drifts of dust obscure portions of this mosaic, but the telltale sign of several humanoid tracks leads from the stairs from the west to the eastern side of the large hall.
Two doors are set in the western wall, near the stairs. The eastern end of the hall fades into shadows beyond even the range of darkvision.
As you start to make your way down the hall, you hear a pair of strangled shrieks. Two spirits of ash and bone rise up from the floor, clawing at the coils of ghostly leather tight around their necks before moving to attack! These appear to be choking shades, similar to what Audrahni's rival, Ilsynor, had become.
Unlike with the ooze before, Triel relaxes considerably when confronted by the two shades.
Good. Something I can use magic to unmake.
Her eyes flash an eerie blue as she glares at the nearest shade, invoking her spiritual powers to tear its essence apart!
The shade just barely manages to resist the effects of Triel's spell. Still damaged by it, it swoops in to attack her, the second one trailing in its wake. They both miss!
Screaming Moon is able to resist the despair at first, but then is overcome.
Retrieving a wand, he casts Bless on the party.
Ruby ignores the despair effect, drawing courage from her protective instincts.
Moving in to support Triel, she swings at the nearest shade.
The ooze defeated Hope realized she had no need to destroy the things in that room and that, even worse, the ones they were following were still ahead of them. As the group proceeded further after their quarry Hope was distracted, as usual, fighting back the mental whispers in her mind so she paid little attention to where they were.
When the aura washed over her Hope was caught completely by surprise and even her naturally suppressed emotions didn't help her resist it, She was shaken by the sudden wailing but quickly acted to deal with it. She gathered power and then unleashed a blast at the nearest of the shades.
Elanna can't help but quail at the specter's and there's very little her blades can do either. Regardless she ducks around them, trying to open them up for Fi to strike them down.
Triel backs up and glares at the wounded shade. "Enough. Begone and linger in the mortal realm no longer." She says as she points a finger at it, her eyes glowing blue again.
While Hope misses with her blast, both Elanna and Ruby Meadow slice through the damaged shade. Triel purges it again, and this time it evaporates into dust!
The remaining shade tries to grab Triel again, succeeding this time and wracking her body with pain, as well as her mind with doubt.
Shivering as he feels the effects of the negative energy, Screaming Moon moves up to Ruby Meadow and grants her Guidance.
Gritting her teeth, Ruby Meadow mods with satisfaction as the shade dissipates.
Moving to the next shade, she slashes furiously.
Triel lets out an agonized roar and glares at the shade. An eerie blue mist surrounds her and clings to the end of her scythe--it leaves a trail in its wake as she swings it!
Elanna ducks behind another spirit, since attacking them while their ectoplasmic backs are turned seems to be the most effective (and in her mind fair) method of fighting.
Hope moved bacl from the two spectral entities to get out of range of their auras if she could before sending another blast lancing out.
Ruby and Elanna score hits, though undortunstely, the spirit is immune to sneak attacks. It continues to attack Triel!
With the combat seemingly in hand, Screaming Moon restore his wand to its wrist sheath.
Grinning now, Ruby Meadow continues slicing.
Fioralba lashes out with her scimitar before electrifying it and striking again.
+ Touch of Fatigue DC14
Triel's scythe slices through the air again!