Talking to Toki and Lilly, "Ah am not sure if we want Qwerbrac and his people to see this or not. What do ye both think?" Dacknar asks his two companions who are standing near by at the time.
Toki shrugs, Does this mean that giants have always ruled over these folk? Maybe this is there god? Maybe they already know... Maybe they with interpret this as a sign?
"Ok, not preceed them then..." adds N'Dateh, now curious despite herself.
Lil points one big finger at the mosaic, and begins to speak.
"While I was alone on an island, I read many religious texts. I recognize that figure. It is almost surely Enkai, Queen of Queens, Nature's Beginning and End. Ancient texts and rituals have also often depicted her as having dual sides, the Benevolent Black Goddess or the Raging Red Goddess. I wonder which these frogfolk are familiar with"?
She then peers back towards the remainder of the crew. "Perhaps we bring Qwerbrac here and see his reaction"?
Maybe after we get a rest, eh? Toki curls up on the floor, Wake me up for last watch...
Beordt will take a watch when then time comes. "Sounds like Ragnarok."
Having heard his name, Qwerbrac opens his eyes and squints toward where the rest of you have gathered against the back wall. The frogman is clearly curious, but stays where he is with the other former prisoners out of respect for those who he has determined will free his people from Verrack's oppression.
Toki waves their frog man over, rather than let him foster any thoughts of us keeping secrets, What do you make of this?
Dacknar judges the reaction of Qwerbrac to the painting.
Having developed a certain measure of kinship and respect for the Frogkin, N'Dateh refrains from walking off and tries to show some level of interest in the holy depictions and Qwerbrac's reaction.
Qwerbrac's feet slap across the dry floor of the long abandoned room. As the frogman gets closer to the wall and the revealed mosaic his eyes go wide and he begins to tremble although it is unclear at first whether he does so in reverence or fear. His eyes are immediately drawn to the image of the great frog within the base of the rock as well as the depiction of the enslaved village.
He drops to his kneels. His hand reaching for the frog god amulet that dangles around his neck.
"I....*croak*...I did not *groak* know this was here." He whispers quietly running his fingers along the glass work. "None of us did. *ribbit*"
Throughout it is easy to see that Qwerbrac focuses his attention on the frog image at the base of the rock and the village, but goes out of his way to avoid looking at the centerpiece of the work which Lilly identified as the image of the goddess, Enkai.
He turns to Toki and swallows. "*croak* This is story of the final days of my peoples *groak* rule over these lands. The Horned One defeated Qwerbrac's ancestors and drove Schaphigroadaz away. *croak*" He looks again at the symbol at the base of the towering rock. "Although this would say that perhaps our god still resides somewhere beneath this very place. *croak* Hidden and waiting. *groak*" His eyes glitter with hope as he looks upon each of you. "*groak* Waiting for the coming of those who would free his people *croak* from the rule of the descendants of the Horned Ones rule."
Toki shrugs, The gods' will is often beyond us mortals. All we can do is honor them. Hope, my friend... It will nourish and motivate. Tomorrow will be a nasty fight, we'd best get some rest.
Dacknar says a quick prayer to Nethus before heading out.
"May fortune favors the bold"
The remainder of your time in the hidden room passes uneventfully. As the hours slip by the cacophony of the roused slaver fortress subsides until there is only the occasional muted shout or stomping of heavy feet. But Qwerbrac was correct in his guess, that no one remembered or wished to brave the foulness of the great midden to search ancient tunnels beyond. Although the floors are cold along with the food, it offers enough security and sanctuary for all to recover and regain lost strength.
Finally it is time to move. Gear is packed, lights are doused, and you find yourselves once again working your way back through the dank passages and toward the foul, rancid smell of the filthy midden chamber. Once again the stench threatens to overwhelm, but knowing this is the only way out forces each of you forward along the narrow, slick path along the outermost edge of the room.
Beordt places one of his huge paws over his nose.
Dur's keen ratfolk eyes pierce the darkness. But he wishes sometimes that they didn't. Now was one of those times.
"Hey, there are a bunch of recently mutilated frog-folk over there. And..." he winces, "One of them's still twitching. I think they might be alive. The stench doesn't bug me too much, if we've got any spare yellow powder, I can try and get him back over to us?"
Squinting in the darkness Dacknar focuses on what lies ahead.
"Go and check it out Dur, we will keep watch. Have someone go with ye. Who can handle the smell and go with Dur. Ah be a litle sensitive to smell, so ah be not much help to ye."
"Hold my bow and watch this."
The rat scurries off towards the corpse zone.
Toki grips his axe handle, ready for battle...
Unable to see, Rilkus said "Take me to him." He told himself that as much as it pained him to not be able to see in the dark, it was the height of entitlement to complain, for he was still alive and he had the chance to make use of that gift. Once to the mutilated frog man, he knelt down and prayed for his goddess to share her gifts...
Dur and Rilkus, both unaffected by the grotesque smell of the midden in their own ways, move up the massive heap toward the top where the ratfolk spotted the struggling frogman. Dur's lighter frame make the trek easily, while Rilkus' three hundred pounds struggles to make headway. Sinking and slipping backwards for every few feet gained. But eventually, the gear forged achieves the summit. Just as a stream of, something, comes cascading down from above.
Unfazed, the two check the frogfolk, and indeed his heart does beat within his broken body. The warm light of a new dawn flows from Rilkus and across the frogfolk's battered body. Within a few moments the creature breathes easily and his eyes flicker open as he is helped up by his rescuers.
This is about the same moment when Dur and Rilkus both feel something shift beneath their feet and see a slimy black substance flowing up across the corpses and mound just a few feet from their current position. Rotted food, moldy rags, and flesh and bone are all quickly and equally dissolved and are absorbed into the slow but relentlessly moving ooze.
Realizing that he wasn't going to be able to get away from the horrid creature, Rilkus found some solid footing and prepared for the inevitable attack. "Get to safety." Rilkus intoned to the frogfolk. "I will hold for so long as this body allows."
Lilrothic sleeps in exhausted from the previous day's stress, then as she is saying her morning devotions, here's some activity from the remainder of the party and hustles up.
Lil's passive perception would have seen this... but if you want a roll.
Perception.
Lilly sees everything clearly, but is in no hurry to get closer. She follows Rilkus and Dur towards the scene, but remains about 20' back due to the smell.
"No you don't get to go off and die being noble you big metal dwarf!" The rat fumbles in his pack, and pulls some rope from it. "Grab this! We'll pull you back faster than you can trudge." He begins the slog back to the others, gesticulating wildly as he does so.
Beordt makes a rumbling quizzical sound to match the dumbfounded look on his face. He takes a few steps toward whatever Dur is preparing us to pull on.
With a metallic "Tsk" Rilkus dropped out of his stance and listened to Dur. He stowed his hammer and took hold of the rope.
Rilkus slams his hammer down into the nearest, largest blob of black goo splattering bits of the stuff everywhere including upon himself. Hammer and gear forged immediately start to hiss and smolder as the acidic substance eats away at the metals.
Dur's rope loops easily around the metal dwarf's frame and the nimble, lightweight ratfolk scampers back down the midden mound his arms flailing wildly in warning. He passes Lilly first followed seconds later by the rescued frogfolk whose panic fueled limbs drive him toward the rest of the those standing along the edge of the chamber. Watching the ratfolk and frogfolk pass, Lilly turns her gaze back upon Rilkus. She sees the iron dwarf attack something, but can't really tell what until a massive pseudopod gathers itself and rises over the now rather small looking gearforged.
The big, blob of acidic black goo cascades down toward Rilkus dripping hissing droplets of toxic slop. Just as its quivering appendage is about to strike, Dur's rope goes taut and Rilkus is jerked backward several feet. The big pod instead slams down upon the gathered bodies and trash. Much of which almost instantly dissolve and get absorbed into the oozing mass that continues to pour forth from somewhere beneath the great mound.
Black Puddin': 72/85HP
Beordt takes the tug and sets his feet, twists the tug around his forearm a couple times and starts to pull. As those who rush to help him pull rush to his side Beordt has already started pull the metal man free.
Toki moves to help with the rope, but upon seeing that Beordt seems to have this well in hand, the skald draws his second axe readying a scathing word for when he can see a target...
Dacknar moves next to Beordt grabs hold of the rope and gives a big heave hoe. pulling on the rope with Beordt.
"Move back ye fools, Spell casters yer spells will be of great use now."
"Why aren't we running? We should be running! If we're going to fight Verrack today, we should be running!"
N'Dateh grabs the rope to help. She turns to Dur and asks: "Run where? I was under the impression that this way was the way to get to Verrack. If not, then yes, let's run and leave. Let's use the same path as yesterday. That seems safer..."
"Black goo is no worthy foe. Even the rat man knows this."
Stowing his hammer, Rilkus grabs the rope just in time and Beordt and Dacknar haul on the braided hemp with fast, sure hands. In moments the gear forged finds himself back along the edge of the chamber with his companions and the rescued, shaking frogman whose confused look falls upon Qwerbrac.
But there is little time for explanations or conversation as the massive oozing substance starts to flow down from the center of the room toward you.
Let us retreat and seal the doors once again... We have a bigger fish to catch, Toki covers the retreat as best he can, ushering everyone through the doors, then helping the others close them off.
"Agreed, this is not what we came here for. says Dacknar. he moves to the way out. Checking that they still have gone unnoticed.
N'Dateh nods and follows Dacknar.
Lil sees no reason to waste their resources on this pudding until the major threat has been eliminated. She retreats with the others.
"Well be back"! she shouts at the ooze as they depart.