Nodding in agreement with Tessai, ting contemplated the plight of the prisoners. it was a tough call for the humans. Wait in the cells and hope their liberators return or (in their weakened state) arm themselves and attempt to escape on their own.
Seeing the Paladin share her own food, Ting lulled his tongue in a tengu smile. "'At's not a bad idear's, not a floggin' bad idear's at all's." He dropped his own pack off of his shoulder and sorted out several meals and started passing them around.
As the dozen or so people took the food, ting neared Tessai, "I hopes tha screamin' tha lady heard doesn't means what I fears it means, wroight." He nods back the general direction of the temple and the boiling pot of humans stew.
Picking his pack back up, he continues, "Goin' backs wit tha little girl or not's, I's figure we's should bloody well end 'e's monkies, wroight?"
He gestures towards the end of the hallway where he fought the Ogre. "One of 'em monkies fled back's the floggin way 'e came, Let's go hunt's 'im down, wroight."
Leaving the prisoners where they found them, ting nocks an arrow to his bow and heads up the hall. Going past the body of the dead ogre and down the stairs keeping a keen eye out as he goes.
@Ting: The stairs lead down and turn and the passage levels out.
It feels like you descended a fair distance. You come to a wide spot in the passage. This rough-hewn room looks half finished, as if construction had been abandoned and never resumed. A deep, narrow crack spans the stone floor. Wedged into the crack is a rusty chisel.
The passage continues onward, but it starts to seem more like a cave and less like a man-made structure.
OK. Ting went off that way. I'll go the other way and look out while the rest of you help these poor folk.
Lothorian is down to cantrips, basically, but he can watch pretty well.
"Anyone who can should flee. Wait for us by the river. Anyone who can't, wait here. We'll be back. Now," rumbles Garados to his companions, slavering and drooling from the mouth of a popobala. "Let's find that little girl,"
Shaking his head, Ting returned to the others. "Tha basement seems loike bloody caves more 'en basement. I's don't tink tha girl girl is down 'air. We's should explores 'em after we's deal wit tha priests up 'ear, wroight."
Once the group seems to be heading the same direction as 'Lefty,' bow in hand, ting follows along.
Tessai waits for the prisoner’s reply.
A couple of the prisoners muster the strength to tell Tessai.
"Get us back to the surface and out of the stink of this place. None of us have the strength to travel far, but we want to see the sun again."
That's fair. Let's get these people out of here, get them closer to town and call it a night. I could really use a rest to get my spells back.
Lefty starts to think about what spells he would prep for another run at those bastards. He grins.
Lothorian suggests some healing magic and some food and water, so they are able to move quickly. He'll also collect whatever weapons and armor are available from our fresh kills and offer them to any victim who can use them. Better a fighting chance than no chance.
A couple of the prisoners muster the strength to tell Tessai.
"Get us back to the surface and out of the stink of this place. None of us have the strength to travel far, but we want to see the sun again."
"Very well then, let us get you out of here" - Tessai nodded, then helped as she could to get people moving outside.
"We will not be able to take you back to a secure location... We are looking for a small child which is hopefully still alive, but in danger" - Tessai explained as they went - "So we will need to go back to the temple as soon as possible. We will leave you in the safest location we can find, and then come back for you" - she continued - "In three days, Captain Riko will pull up with his boat to get us. If we are not back, you will take that boat and get out of here. Understood?"
"I would like us to keep up the pressure on these foul defilers. If we give them a chance to regroup and dig in, we may never be able to get them out, or they may come back and attack us while we rest. So I would like to explore further today into their temple" - the Paladin explained - "Also because time is of the essence to the survival of the child. But, we have already fought hard today and could also benefit from a rest. What do you all think?"
From the bodies in the temple you collect 4 magic potions, a set of magic bracers, and a magic sickle.
In concentrating on the spell you also detect that the large emerald eyes in the idol of Tsathogga are enchanted.
The fire under the cauldron of human stew is magical in nature and burns continuously without fuel.
You collect a number of non-magical weapons from the bodies of the dead, but no armor.
Everyone is pretty suspicious of any food you find here after the signs of recent cannibalism.
You do remember a pool of water in the walled garden behind the monastery.
The door to the south of the temple is locked.
Seeing 'Lefty' double back and help the paladin with the people, Ting nodded. "At's a bloody good ideas wroight." Going to the top of the stairs, he waived the weak people up. "You's blokes come up 'is'a'way's 'ey's got fresh waters up 'ear in tha garden."
After the people were safe up in the garden, ting returned to the 'Temple' Pointing towards the Emerald eyes in the idol, "So's is we's gonna take 'em shiney's wit us?" He proceeds to the southern door, approaching it carefully, first looking for traps, then checking to see if it's unlocked.
"I would like us to keep up the pressure on these foul defilers. If we give them a chance to regroup and dig in, we may never be able to get them out, or they may come back and attack us while we rest. So I would like to explore further today into their temple" - the Paladin explained - "Also because time is of the essence to the survival of the child. But, we have already fought hard today and could also benefit from a rest. What do you all think?"
I'm pretty torn up, and I'm out of spells. It would be better to keep pressing if that weren't the case, but we need to get these people to safety and well enough to travel, too. We'll find the girl, and punish these cultists, but I'm just too weak to prevail at the moment.
What do you guys think? he asks the rest.
Returning to his natural form, Garados pounds his fist on the wall in frustration. He doesn't want to leave and isn't hurt, but he understands the wisdom of falling back and regrouping.
"One night. We rest one night and then come back for the girl or I'm coming back alone. These people can wait for us by the river. The girl can't wait."
"It is agreed then - we will rest tonight. And I am sure the blow we dealt them has not been a mild one, so that has to count for something, if they are considering retaliation" - the paladin nods at her companions - "I will take this moment of respite to congratulate you all for your bravery my friends - your actions down there have been a sight to behold"
After the people were safe up in the garden, ting returned to the 'Temple' Pointing towards the Emerald eyes in the idol, "So's is we's gonna take 'em shiney's wit us?"
"I would not want to have anything to do with those Ting - it is a matter of faith and nothing else. You are maybe not bound by such beliefs? Yet you still have the option to decide not everything should be... 'Up for grabs' as one says" - she offers her advice, but leaves the decision to her companion - "I will assist you if you instead decide to topple that idol however. This place has an oppressive aura to it, and it may have something to do with these statues"
Thinking about the statue and Tessai's recommendation, Ting nods, "Maybe's tomorrow wroight." He points towards the door to the south. "I's'l takes a peek behind tha door over yonder, an' 'en I's'l be wroights up ta rest." He then toddles over to the southern door, too curious not to open it before he retires for the evening.
Lefty will grab the magic items to identify later. He'll leave the idol alone for now, unless we want to topple it.
In concentrating on the spell you also detect that the large emerald eyes in the idol of Tsathogga are enchanted.
"Yes. Let's destroy this vile idol," says Garados. And he sets about doing just that.
Let's take the shinies, too, just so they can't have them.
He tries to remove the gems.
As they gather the released prisoners to take up to the surface Wyran gathers them together and channels energy to heal any little cuts and scrapes. healed to everyone within 30' of me.
"Once we're outside I'll need about 15 minutes to prepare a remove curse spell. If I'm lucky it will lift this curse. If not, I can try again after we rest."
@Ting: Ting doesn't find any traps on the door.
It isn't locked and it opens to reveal a 25' by 50' room.
The room reeks of chemicals and poor ventilation.
The walls are lined with alchemical laboratory equipment.
Glass beakers and jars are lined up on shelves.
There is a lot to examine and explore in here, are you looking now or later?
@Lefty: You can climb up onto the side of the slimy idol and pry loose the two large emeralds. They're very nice.
The idol is pretty wide at the base. Pretty much frog shaped. It isn't really possible to topple it.
The big cauldron of human-soup could be overturned (think the cauldron in Thulsa Doom's temple in Conan the Barbnarian).
Looking over his shoulder, Ting lulls his tongue in a tengu smile as 'Lefty' pries loose the two emeralds. Gesturing to the laboratory, he asks. "We's found a bloody alchemized Lavatory over 'ears. You's blokes want explore it's now, er after you's napped?"
Lefty takes the gems.
Yes. Let's get these folks somewhere safer and come back tomorrow.
Looking at the new room longingly, Ting turns and nods his beak in agreement with Malinor. "You's is wroight, Let's 'ead back ta tha' garden we's saw."
Sniffing the air as he walked back through the temple, he asked, "Should we's do somet'in' abouts tha cookin pot?"
As everyone settles down to rest, Tessai again tends over the prisoners as best as she can, then makes sure they are toward the interior of their camp, where it is safer.
"I can take the first watch"
Lothorian uses his wand to heal himself up. 3 charges.
Following along behind the others, Ting occasionally looking over his shoulder wistfully at the open door. Dropping his pack near where he plans on putting out his bedroll, Ting shrugs, "Bloody well makes no neverminds ta me, I's'l take tha second watch, wroight."
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When the group leaves heading back to the camp to rest Wyran examines his cursed arm. Not terribly painful, but very distracting! How distracting would it be when he tried to cast a spell? He settles down with Scrapper to commune with his spirit, requesting the magic that he would need.
Fifteen minutes pass and he feels the spell that he needs granted. Setting Scrapper aside he focuses on his arm again, and casts.... The spell feels good, but as it sinks into his arm one of the pustules cracks, distracting him, and the spell fails.
The night passes and Wyran again gathers Scrapper up to ready his magic. This time he leaves the Thorny Entanglement off of his plans and readies Remove Curse again. He considers asking for two but decides to leave his slot open and try it again first. He can take another 15 minutes if this second chance fails.
Again he focuses on his arm while casting the spell, calling on his Luck to rid himself of this curse.... The magic sinks into his arm, slowly pushing the evil influence out. Wyran wasn't sure what to expect, how much time it would take, so he is surprised when the curse flows out of his arm and the arm again appears normal....
The elf sleeps fitfully, dreaming about the atrocities they'd witnessed, but is rested enough to prepare a fresh slate of spells.
Dangerous spells. Violent spells. Ready to kill.
Garados stays up, pacing and angry. He finally forces himself to get some rest and prepare for the new day.
You set up camp in the ruins between the new temple and the old one.
The night isn't quiet.
You guys force the gate to the back garden where there is a small pond for water.
You find a lifelike, moss-covered statuette of a frog, sitting on a large
boulder, feeding the pond with a steady stream of water. Its eyes are large gemstones of moss agate.
One of the former prisoners gets greedy and tries to take the gemstones. A curse takes hold of him and transforms him into a small frog. Immediately a pack of giant, killer frogs emerged from the pool to consume him. It takes a little effort, but you guys kill off the frogs.
Later in the night, one of the former prisoners wanders into the old vineyard to relieve himself. He is attacked and killed by an Assassin Vine that animates and strangles him to death. You cut it up from the ground and kill it before it can harm anyone else.
The night isn't to restful. In addition to the two deaths, you are kept awake by constant croaking of frogs and the constant whistling of wind through the open windows of the ruined chapel.
You all wake in the morning, not really well rested and disappointed to have lost a couple of your charges.
Lefty will leave it to a more charismatic party member, but he will make it known among his cohorts that the survivors face a deadly trek back.
Let's not sugarcoat their odds. It ain't pretty.
Otherwise, he's ready to kill lots of enemies. He feels good about that.
Rubbing his eyes with his talons, Ting nods in agreement with 'Lefty', "Ain't purdy's is bloody well wroight. Maybe we's should'a slept in 'at Fancy bedroom we's found instead in tha floggin' wilds." He shrugs "If'n we's is still 'ear tonight, 'at's where's we should go."
He asks, "So's is we's leavin' 'ese folks 'ear?"
Once the party is up and ready, Ting starts to head back to the basement to carefully inspect the laboratory he found the night before. Knowing the enemy could have potentially booby trapped it, he proceeds very carefully.
Ting finds a large collection of tools, glassware, and containers of chemicals—stored neatly in heavy chests, on shelves and acid-scarred tables.
There is a locked metal box resting on one of the tables and a pair of heavy chests up against the wall.
Gesturing at the Metal box, Ting lulls a tengu smile, "Well you's blokes, Shall we's take a look see 'at what's in the floggin' Box?" He then moves over to the metal box, carefully inspecting it, for traps, then (after dealing with any traps) attempts to pick the lock.
"Did anyone check it for magic?"
Without waiting for an answer Wyran quickly casts the cantrip to check for auras. He doesn't have the skill to understand them but can at least get a Yes/No and will tell Ting.
The iron box is locked, but not difficult to unlock. Inside, there are 10 flasks of acid, each vial wrapped in fine cloth, along with a bundle of six sunrods and four tindertwigs. A rune-etched silver flask holds three doses of unholy water.
Both of the chests detect as magical.
Ting finds a Glyph of Warding on each of them. He performs an operation to short out and ground each of them so that they discharge harmlessly into the stone flow.
Chest 1: contains a leather sack with 700 gp, six small sapphires (150 gp each), a mummified hand (detects as magical), two blocks of an orange wax-like substance (detects as magical) and a round leather case with handwritten documents.
Chest 2: (much smaller than the first) is divided into sixteen small compartments with a potion in each one.
Compartments 1-11 contain potions of cure light wounds
Compartment 12 holds a dose of sassone leaf residue
Compartment 13 holds extremely concentrated acid (10d6 damage)
Compartment 14 holds a potion of haste
Compartment 15 holds a potion of contagion (slimy doom)
Compartment 16 holds some sort of unique potion
Behind a concealed door in the south wall you find a spiral staircase that leads up to the abbot's quarters in the church above.
Lothorian casts Message, then Shield on himself, then Invisibility. He goes quietly up the stairs, looking for traps or anything unusual, sword in hand.
Picking up the six small sapphires, ting lulls his tongue in a tengu smiles, "I's really loikes tha shiny's, wroight." Turning from the gems as Wyran explains which items are magical, Ting starts to lift the vials of potions, "We's should split's 'eas up." Gesturing towards the hands and hte orge was-like blocks, "Can any o' you's blokes figur 'em out?"
Realizing Lothorian had disappeared, ting asks "Oy, where's 'Lefters'?"