Zin grabs ahold of the key. "You alright Orgun? Let me see your wounds." He takes a look at the dwarf.
AC 18 (19 w/ shield); Curse Stage: Minor (-1 AC)
HP 30/30 | Resistance Physical 3; Harm 5
Hero Points 1/3
Focus Points 1/3
Spells (1) 1/3 | (2) 0/2
Wand of Heal (1st) 1/1
Curse Benefit: Resistance: All Physical 3
Minor - (Enfeebled 1; -2 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
Moderate - (Enfeebled 2; -3 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
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"Thank you.", Orgun replies to Zin, still a little pale. "Its touch... was draining. I admit I know too little about ghosts and... well, I almost got killed by one. Poor woman, so much suffering."
Thinking about the woman's words, he says "Who would this Volluk be? Azrinae is his last name, according to this portrait. I'll make sure to smack him in the head for forsaking that woman if we find him."
Orgun is still thinking when the group finds a secret passage. Driven by curiosity, he takes a peek through it.
A worktable covered with blank scrolls and papers sits against the eastern wall of this secret room, while to the north stands a cabinet with several closed drawers.
There are five locked drawers in the cabinet; each can be opened by using the key you just found. Several books are stored within—copies of texts produced by scribes. These books consist of 2 Bulk for Morlibint.
Not all of the scrolls on the desk are blank; one tucked beneath the others is an infernal contract. You will need to be able to read the Infernal language to understand it.
"I mean, she did try to kill us. Ghost or not, I find it hard to be too sad for her." Mazul is still bitter about how that scream made her feel.
When they find the scroll, Mazul crosses her eyes for a minute to see if it makes any more sense that way. (It doesn't.) "Anyone here able to read this? If not, I guess we just keep it and see if anyone back at town has more luck." She sighs at the sizable piles of old books they keep finding. Good finds, don't get her wrong, but very heavy. "I'm starting to think we might need a couple trips to haul all this stuff back."
As they start to move on she glances at Orgun. "You need a bit more rest, or are you good to go?"
"Hold onto the scroll and witha little rest I should be able to comprehend it." Zin follows along as he looks at the portrait. "He is likely long dead by now as well."
Long shelves with several chairs drawn up to them ring this room on all sides, save the north. Rancid stains of old blood and decay cake the shelves and floor.
Searching the room reveals a secret door to the south. A small alcove, its floor decorated with a silvery circle of inlaid runes, sits in the eastern wall of this empty room. This is an inert teleportation circle. You could use the awaken portal ritual to activate it.
Another door exits the room to the south.
"Should we begin the ritual? Do we even know exactly what to do?" Zin looks about the group, hoping more than a goblin knows how to teleport them. Not that he didn't trust in a goblin's magical prowess he just didn't expect to come out the other end in one piece or in the middle of a wall.
"Sweetling, you just tell me what you want to do. If you want me to teleport us into the jaws of the Ghost Queen, then say the word and I'll tell you to GO JUMP OFF A ROOF! Why, in the name of Cayden Cailean's Codpiece would you want to teleport anywhere in this blasted place?!?! I'm just looking for the 'self-destruct' toggle so that we can blow this place into smithereens. Infernal contracts and Aklo speakers aside, this place is full of nasty undead, unfriendly humanoids, and the remains of a dragon that we killed. I think Wrin has wrenched a pound of flesh from each of us, and now we should report this place to the mayor of Otari so that they might hire adventurers from Absalom to come and properly clean this place out. Hmph."
Wan, silent for more than they've ever been before, comes alive with vitriol.
"Have we seen any other circles yet? Maybe we should wait to activate this one until we know where it might lead." Mazul looks dubiously at the circle. "As much as I'd enjoy avoiding the stairs from now on, it seems reckless to activate it now."
Mazul's mood shifts as Wan rants, her eyebrows rising and the corner of her mouth twitching. "I don't know about you darling, but my calves have taken a beating over the past few days. Once we find the other end of the circle so we can safely ignore the stairs; I'm all for it. As for Absalom, well..." She shrugs her shoulders. "I'm sure the Pathfinder Society or some other group of adventurers would be happy to clear this place out. I'm also sure, given what we've found already, that they'd make a fortune in the process."
She lifts her hands and wiggles them in a gesture that implies balancing scales. "I like living. And I'll admit we've had a few close calls with all these undead. But..." (she raises one hand higher than the other), "...a girl does have to eat, and this place is full of all sorts of undiscovered shinies just begging to be looted. As long as we're careful, I'd like to keep going as long as we can. Surely the Gaunt-leteers can handle anything that's thrown at them. Right?" She gives Wan a wink.
(Okay, so there are a lot of motivations clashing about in her brain. Like proving her parents wrong about adventuring, and saving Otari, and maybe even learning a few centuries-old secrets. But the money is definitely a factor, and one she thinks they can all agree on.)
"Can we at least clear out this floor? Please?" She gives Wan her best puppy-dog eyes. "Then we can go back to town and decide where to go from there."
Assuming no one objects, she moves with Orgun towards the southern door.
"I've never been able to resist your puppy-orc eyes, Mazul," Wan gives in. "And, we did find an inactivated teleportation circle previously. Back where we killed that stupid morlock monarch. After we killed the dragon. Before we killed all the ghouls and the ghoul high priest."
"I'm just so TIRED," Wan flounces melodramatically, "but I am a Gauntle-teer, so I'll hoist up my skirts, subjectively, and put on a happy Proto face." Wan clanks Proto in the metal helmet as he finishes his diatribe.
Zin smiles. "Of course not Wan, curiosity simply gets the best of me is all. We seem to be finding more and more answers here but we haven't connected all of the dots yet. I am trying to figure out the Why of it all." Zin shrugs it off, his calves sore as well. 'Let's clear out this floor and head back in. I am eager to hear a bit more on what brought you all here in the first place."
The dripping, sloshing sound of water fills this large cavern chamber. The air is cold and damp, and to the east sits a sizable pond. A lazy rivulet of overflow trickles to the north down a sloping tunnel, while a five‐foot‐diameter opening gapes in the ceiling above the center of the pool.
You realize you are at the bottom of the well you found in the level above, and that is confirmed a moment later when the gibbering mouther emerges from the water, slightly burnt still, and begins to slough towards you, babbling its maddening song!
The creature draws near and spits burning acid towards Orgun’s eyes, but the dwarf’s helmet protects him!
Zin instantly becomes confused once more as he draws his blade and slices at Akkaboo. "They are all around!" He looks around wildly for his friends.
AC 18 (19 w/ shield); Curse Stage: Minor (-1 AC)
HP 30/30 | Resistance Physical 3; Harm 5
Hero Points 1/3
Focus Points 1/3
Spells (1) 1/3 | (2) 0/2
Wand of Heal (1st) 1/1
Curse Benefit: Resistance: All Physical 3
Minor - (Enfeebled 1; -2 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
Moderate - (Enfeebled 2; -3 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
”Ah!” Wan squawks. ”That thing!”
The tengu ignites something in Proto’s suit, blasting himself off the stairs and behind the gibbering beast.
Proto sails behind and to the left of the thing as the familiar gears kick up once more.
”Mazul! A flank, sweetie!” Wan suggests with glee as he swings down on the blob with his khakkara.
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Orgun is too focused on the door he is opening to investigate to participate in the chatter. It turns out, however, that the door leads to that horrible creature that they encountered down the well before. Orgun is quickly sprung into action from being spit on. He turns red in rage.
He quickly charges forward, flanking with Zin, and attacks before raising his shield.
“STOP. YELLING!!!” Akkaboo shrieks, ducking under the elf’s wild swings and conjuring her translucent shield with one hand and a ball of flame with the other!
For a fraction of a second Mazul panics as she hears the gibbering noises. She very distinctly remembers how that had affected them all on the floor above, and from the sounds of it Akkaboo and Zin have succumbed again.
Clearly she needs to shut it up before things get any worse. Taking advantage of Wan's attack she rushes to the thing's...back? Does it even have a back?
As Zin and Akkaboo attack each other in confusion, the rest of you move in on the gibbering mouther. Orgun’s attack comes up short. Wan lands a hit with his khakkara, the bludgeoning weapon proving to be extra effective against the amorphous monster! Mazul lands a hit as well, but the creature’s all-around vision prevents it from being flanked.
The creature lunges at Wan, grabbing the tengu and gnawing on him with its many jaws. Orgun intercedes on his behalf.
"Ouch!" the tengu calls out as he gets mauled and entangled in many mouths.
Keeping his wits about him despite the dire situation, the tengu says a prayer out loud.
"Sun Wukong, master of mischief, you had better be in my corner or I am well and truly in the s@#~!"
"YES!" Wan cries out in triumph as Proto emanates and explosive shower of fiery sparks without further damaging Proto. "You liked fire the first time round, you blobby mess! I'm gonna feed you a steady diet of it, b&#+@!" The tengu then swings his khakkara at the blistered mound of mouths.
The flames burn Zin's arm as he pulls away at the last moment from cutting down the gibbering Akkaboo in his confusion. "Where did you all go!?! Wan? Akkaboo? Orgun? Mazul?"
AC 18 (19 w/ shield); Curse Stage: Minor (-1 AC)
HP 11/30 | Resistance Physical 3; Harm 5
Hero Points 1/3
Focus Points 1/3
Spells (1) 1/3 | (2) 0/2
Wand of Heal (1st) 1/1
Curse Benefit: Resistance: All Physical 3
Minor - (Enfeebled 1; -2 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
Moderate - (Enfeebled 2; -3 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
Akkaboo lashes back with more fire, but the yelling angry man in front of her is too quick for her to burn to ashes. Yet.
"S#~$ s~%& s~$#..." Mazul knows she needs to end this quickly, before Zin and Akkaboo kill each other. Unfortunately her usual fighting techniques are designed for people with backs. Which this monstrosity doesn't seem to have.
Maybe it can be distracted? With that many eyes, surely it has trouble focusing on any particular direction.
"Here creepy eye monster thing. Here boy. Look over here!" She waves her rapier off to the side before suddenly jabbing it forward.
The monster flows around the explosion, only getting slightly burnt. Orgun misses with his attacks, but Mazul lands a good hit, as does Wan. The creature continues to gnaw on Wan, reopening his wounds.
"You okay over there? Like, on a scale of 'Fine' to 'Dying,' where would you be?" Mazul is concerned about the crunching noises coming from Proto's armor. She's pretty sure metal isn't supposed to sound like that.
With an absence of any better ideas, she continues to stab at the creature while it's focused on something else. Even if that 'something else' is 'eating Wan alive.'
”Blargle!” Wan yells from within Proto as the mauling continues. ”Sweetheart, I’ll be much better when this ugly thing is dead and gone, so keep up your end of things and I’ll keep up mine!”
Wan twists and flails, but none of his efforts prove fruitful.
Akkaboo’s head clears, though the sound of yelling still echoes around her. “Zin, the monster is over there!” She tries to push past the tall man...
...and hurls another ball of fire at the blabbering blubber chewing on Wan.
Continued to be confused Zin watches as the enemy swirls around and underneath him. A little quicker Zin slashes at Akkaboo.
AC 18 (19 w/ shield); Curse Stage: Minor (-1 AC)
HP 4/30 | Resistance Physical 3; Harm 5
Hero Points 1/3
Focus Points 1/3
Spells (1) 1/3 | (2) 0/2
Wand of Heal (1st) 1/1
Curse Benefit: Resistance: All Physical 3
Minor - (Enfeebled 1; -2 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
Moderate - (Enfeebled 2; -3 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
Akkaboo and Wan miss this time. Orgun lands a few hits, while Mazul delivers a devastating strike. The gibbering mouther releases Wan as it lunges for the half-orc. It gnaws on her leg!
"Hey! Bad dog! Or bad eye...monster...thing." Mazul does not appreciate the many mouths gnawing at her leg. Glancing over her shoulder to where Zin still appears to be confused, she exasperatedly adds, "Also would you shut up?!"
With no better ideas occurring to her, she continues weaving her rapier in weird patterns before jabbing it at the creature.
Wan squawks with surprised laughter as the thing drops him.
"THAT was a mistake!" The tengu winds up with both hands, swinging through the creature in rapid chops, smoke from Proto's chassis streaming out around him.
"Come on, Zin! Get your wits about you!"
Mazul stabs the gibbering mouther, then Wan flattens it with his khakkara, putting an end to its incessant babbling. With the monster’s death, Zin’s wigs return to him, and you can staunch your bleeding rooms.
A search of the cavern turns up 190 cp and 64 sp under the well opening.
"These bleeding rooms will be the death of my wardrobe," Wan quips as he pops Proto's helm once the beast moves no more. "A gibbering git, more like it. Oh look! Shinies!"
Wan stitches up his wounds after the coins have been recovered.
Wan then sheds Proto and grabs a few handheld tools from within the chassis.
"Two ticks more, sweeties. Protect my rump from things that would bite it, would you, dears?"
Zin quickly recollects himself and seems a bit concerned. "This creature seems to have a strong hold over me. It sounds a lot like the voices I keep hearing in my head that drew me ere in the first place." He holds his head and feels a deep burn across his lower half. "What happened?"
Zin quickly realizes how bad his wounds truly are as his skin slides free from his body with the gentlest push of his finger. Grunting in pain and a bit concerned he pulls out the wad left for emergencies and heals it with some of the last bits of magic he has.
He leans back as the skin partially reforms. "I am in pretty bad shape here."
AC 18 (19 w/ shield); Curse Stage: Minor (-1 AC)
HP 16/30 | Resistance Physical 3; Harm 5
Hero Points 1/3
Focus Points 1/3
Spells (1) 1/3 | (2) 0/2
Wand of Heal (1st) 0/1
Curse Benefit: Resistance: All Physical 3
Minor - (Enfeebled 1; -2 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
Moderate - (Enfeebled 2; -3 to saves, Grapple, Shoved and Forced Movement)
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Orgun continues bashing the thing after it dies. It seems to have deeply bothered him. Afterwards, he realizes that the group needs some time to recover. Hearing Zin comment about his condition, the dwarf walks over to him and touches his wounds, channeling his goddess power. Then, he says "Well, I'll pray to Iomedae while Wan recovers Proto."
He doesn't really check the room, but begins praying right away.
In the north end of the cave, a downward sloping tunnel seems to lead to a lower level of the Abomination Vaults. A long tunnel to the west leads several hundred feet away from the dungeon, likely connecting to another complex further on. However, you do spot a smooth section of the natural passage that conceals a secret door to the north.
”Secrets! Excellent. But before we delve deeper into this complex’s ever-spiralling complexities, could one of you tend to my ouchies, perhaps, with some magical prowess, please darlings?” Wan asks sweetly.
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Orgun heals Wan also and spends another 10 minutes recharging his divine power.
The passage west is long and Orgun feels comfortable in the tight tunnel. As another secret is found, he jests "There seem to be more secrets than actual doors in this keep." He quickly shuts up, after quickly remembering how loudly his voice echoes in some tunnels. He readies his sword and shield and gets ready to enter the secret door after it is open.
Mazul spends some time treating her own injuries while Wan works on Proto. "At least we finally managed to shut that thing up. Akkaboo, Zin, are you both okay? You seemed to be going at each other pretty hard back there."
As they move on, Mazul grumbles occasionally about the sheer size of this place. "Seriously, what was Belcorra on, why did she think she needed a dungeon this f@&#ing big..." She's about to suggest they head back when they find the secret door. Her attention is immediately grabbed by the possibility of new secrets. "A back entrance? Or maybe a completely undiscovered new room?" Either possibility excites her. "Let's check it out. I still want to completely explore this floor before going any lower."
"I'm okay," Akkaboo answers quickly. "Though I don't know if I can say the same for Mister Legs." She lifts her wide-brimmed hat to reveal a very agitated slime bouncing rapidly up and down. "He's gonna give me a headache soon if he doesn't stop," the goblin grumbles, poking the ooze with a finger.
This large, cross‐shaped chamber contains several long couches, the leather cushions that once adorned them cracked with age. Dead plants lie slumped in planter boxes along the walls, and a long‐dry fountain depicting a lighthouse stands in the middle of the room.
A rotten stench fills the air, coming from a unique undead creature—a morlock ghoul. He looks up from the book he is reading eyes you cautiously, but he nods in greeting. ”Hello. My name is Augrael. Who might you be?” he asks, long tongue lolling from his mouth.
"I am good to go now. Thanks, not quite sure what happened to me back there. So many voices." Zin shakes his head, trying to clear it as he follows along through the newly discovered secret door.
Wan clucks softly at the appearance of another ghoul and stretches his arms in Proto’s suit, prepping for the inevitable, but deferring to Mazul do the talking.
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"Um, hi." Mazul waves awkwardly. "We're the Gaunt-leteers. Would you happen to be a nice, peaceful, pacifistic ghoul? I haven't had the best of luck with that question so far, but you never know."
A negative times a negative becomes a positive, if Mazul's half-remembered lessons are correct. So maybe a morlock, (negative), times a ghoul, (also negative), will turn out to be a positive and therefore friendly experience?
"We're, um, trying to get to the bottom of this place you see. Both literally and metaphorically. So if you are a nice, peaceful, pacifistic ghoul, maybe you could help us out? In exchange for...I don't know. What do ghouls want other than the flesh of sentient beings?" She looks embarrassed. "Sorry, that was probably speciesist of me to ask."
"We are trying to figure out what Belcorra wanted with this place and why the light at the top of the lighthouse keeps lighting." Zin adds to the questions for the ghoul.
Augrael gives you a tentative smile. "You need not fear me. I mean you no harm, for I have little taste for flesh that was merely once living. Indeed, since my transformation, I have found that the flesh of other undead creatures has a much more pleasing flavor. I only desire to dwell here, reading and feasting when the mood suits me.
"I will help you, so far as I can. My memories of my life before undeath are hazy, but I know I was part of a tribe of morlocks who worshipped Belcorra Haruvex. We knew her as the Ghost Queen. Our leader, Graulgast, lead us up from the deep caverns to clear the way for her return, but then we ran into the ghouls who call themselves the Cult of the Canker. I don't remember exactly what happened, but the ghouls must have bitten me and turned me into one of them.
"Graulgast exiled me from the tribe, so I tried to join the Cult of the Canker, but they said my hunger for undead flesh was unnatural, so they shunned me as well. So here I am, on my own, which suits me just fine."
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Orgun has a very hard time accepting a conversation with the ghoul. He stands in guard for an uncomfortable amount of time. As he sees that nothing happens, he begins to relax, but still looking at the secret door they found half expecting ghouls to come crawling in.
Hearing such a well versed and eloquent explanation, however, changes his attitude. He relaxes completely, sheathing his sword and says "We apologize for intruding. I bet you know much about this fort. Would you agree with helping us navigate in exchange for... something you might want?" The dwarf thinks hard about things they could offer this creature. An idea flares and he says "Say, we occasionally come across books. We could bring you some you might have not yet read?"