"Let's see what we can do. Most of my talents would only harm him further." She blesses him with Stabilize first to be certain before arranging a makeshift bandage.
Tessa looks about the room. "That skeleton's filthy claws got him sick. The wound is festering already. I'll need to tend to him tonight or he'll only get worse. We won't find a better place to camp than this dwarven shrine and we can't leave anyone behind. Let's set up here."
”I’ll bring in the others,” TC says.
He gathers up the old bones of the undead, carries them out, tosses them aside as he says, ”No more monsters in here. We’re setting up camp.”
Realizing he’s still holding the undead’s robe, he holds it out and says, ”Anybody need a new robe? Well, not so new.”
Yes, resting in the chapel.
Nothing happens and nothing attacks during the night, and you are able to rest well and soundly.
Tessaviri had been taught by her mentors that times could arrive when she would not be able to witness the passing of time, interrupting her vigils to Iomedae. She hadn't expected to find herself sequestered underground quite so soon though.
Lacking another recourse, she made her best guess about when dawn would arrive before offering her prayers to the Inheritor.
"I'm not sure I will ever understand how this works," she says as she begins to recite the words for the life-destroying spell.
*Gasp*
Regnis sits up blinking. "Not dead then. Surprising, but not unappreciated." The bronzed man gives a rare smile to Tessaviri. It isn't forced, but it looks strange, as if his face isn't used to bending that way. Standing, he gives a short bow. "Thank you. I know that utilizing necromantic spells, even to heal, can be difficult for some priests. I can take it from here, although you may not wish to watch."
Taking a small vial of blood from his component pouch, Regnis casts infernal healing, which should bring him back up to full. The scorpion that travels in his robes seems particularly delighted at his upwardly mobile state.
TC, anxiously watching Regnis, is relieved when the strange not dead man opens his eyes. ”We beat the bone priest and rested in his shrine. Are you ready to continue?”
"As ready as I'll ever be. Perhaps me being in the lead was a mistake."
Long passageways sound good. TC is a bit lethargic as the group moves out, and his leaves seem a little paler than the day before.
"Let's continue," says Tessaviri as she readies her weapons. "We don't know what is waiting for us above, but we can't stay here."
"This is not a good place to linger. I wonder, how long has all this been down here? Did anyone know about it? The demons may be more cunning and capable of extended planning than I had previously thought."
Aravashnial actually speaks up in regard to this last question, answering it. [b]"There have always been legends about these tunnels down here being full of remnants from earlier crusades. Mostly the First Crusade, where crusaders fled to raise their abyssal tainted children in peace away from prying eyes.
Assuming everyone is ready to go and takes the pathway back to the main tunnel, you find that the passageway leading south from the opening into the chapel area leads south for a very very long time. About 3,000 feet, in fact. At your current pace, what with Anevia's wounded leg, the trip to the end of the passageway takes almost a full 45 minutes to complete.
Your three companions are mostly silent the entire way (unless you have any particular questions), with the occasional grunt of pain from Anevia or confused stumbling from the blinded elf.
"Perhaps we can make a sledge of sorts? So that Anevia might be more comfortable and we might move at a faster rate? Nothing too fancy of course."
"Or perhaps not. I must admit, I neglected my studies on arctic transportation techniques."
Nothing of note comes to mind when Regnis thinks about sledges, unfortunately.
”We’ve made it this far okay. I’m sure we’ll be fine. These caves can’t go on forever.”
”Can they?” TC asks a moment later with much less confidence in his voice.
"Someone lived here & built a temple, so I don't think there is any danger of the ruins going on forever," Tessaviri commented. She kept to herself her worries about collapses. Just because a passage was open once didn't mean it was open now.
The caves don't seem to go on forever, and finally, the extensive smaller passageway comes to an end, opening into a larger cavern again. Stone figures are carved into the walls of this cavern. Each depicts a different crusader clad in armor and wielding weapons, but their carved stone features contain expressions of sadness. They don't seem to be of any specific religious orient, as a large mixture of symbols can be seen amongst their ornaments.
"Weird place to find something like that, eh?" Anevia says, laughing a bit.
Tessaviri nods in agreement. "And even stranger for this place to be unknown. If these are crusaders, this place can't be all that old. The crusades really didn't begin all that long ago."
Tessaviri winces as she realizes what she was saying. She'd been avoiding speaking of how long she'd been alive for the last several years. I guess I don't have to avoid the obvious anymore though...
"Ah yes. Elvish longevity. I'm sure that you will admit that even in the grand scale of things, although the crusades haven't been going on for very long, the world has changed dramatically since their inception. A Thassilonian Runelord made a vie for power, some Aldori puppet baron finally managed to claim the stolen lands, and the gradual spread of blackpowder weaponry from Alkenstar may eventually invalidate all we know of current warfare. I'd love to pick your brain about history some time. Just... at a better point in time."
TC checks each statue to see if they made one of his druid master, but presuming not, is eager to find the next passage onwards.
Both TC and Tessa quickly see that there's something not quite right with the room, specifically around the ceiling towards the other end of the cavern. Two dark shapes are hanging around the ceiling near the top of a few of the statues. They look like some sort of shadow-skinned octopus with sharp spikes at the end of each tentacle.
They appear to have seen you, but not noticed that you saw them.
Tessaviri raises a hand to halt the group before they get closer to the threats, particularly keeping an eye on their following noncombatants in case they don't notice.
”Octopuses aren’t supposed to live in caves, unless they’re sea caves. This isn’t a sea cave, so I don’t think those are octopuses.”
TC gathers power and lifts a rock, ready to fling it if nobody stops him.
Well, that was helpful.
Tart's first attack to start the combat does miss, and the rock scatters across the ceiling before clattering to the foor.
The two beasts finally move, appearing as if they're ready to strike.
"A little more to the right next time." Regnis says to TC, as he begins inspiring courage. Then he moves back a little bit. The skeleton seems to have taught him something in avoiding standing in the front.
”Like this?” TC asks, then proceeds to nail one of them with another rock.
TC's attack strikes one of the things that Regnis as darkmantles, magical beasts that cling to the ceilings of caves and wait for prey to walk beneath them before falling down onto them and attacking.
This particular one does fall to the ground from the ceiling, except not under its own power as a rock pierces through its body.
The other one moves across the ceiling before dropping down onto the closest party member (I assume that means Tessa) and reaches out with its octopus like beak mouth.
It does latch onto her, the surprisingly sharp teeth causing some damage before it's tentacles attempt to grab onto her.
And it does grab onto her, the other tentacles not used in the attempt flailing around wildly.
Tessaviri screamed as the strange beast dug its maw into her armor, piercing her side. She had to cut the horrible thing free from her right away.
She flailed helplessly at the creature, unable to get purchase with the beast so close. Struggling not to panic, she called for Karogo's help.
”Hold still, Tessa,” TC says and lines up another shot.
The second blast does drop the darkmantle, and it detaches from Tessa's arm.
The cavern is empty once more, minus your party and the two corpses.
"Well that was... unfortunate. Tessaviri, how wounded are you? I can perform a basic surgery, but not much more."
”Thank you, Regis. The offer is appreciated, but my goddess grants me strength to recover from this much.” She chants a short invocation of the Inheritor.
Hunter L1: 1/2
There doesn't seem to be too much of interest in the cavern beyond the statues of what look like crusaders of varying relgions and races.
Not much identifies them, anyone got Knowledge (History)?
Regnis just barely remembers hearing a story about some crusaders that made their way down under the city after the First Crusade. The reason they did so is less clear than most historians would like to admit, however.
When Aravashnial hears Regnis talking about this, he lights up with as of yet unknown excitement and begins talking at a much higher volume than he has the entire time you've known him.
[b]"I had heard stories about Abyssal-tainted crusaders fleeing under the city to have their children in peace. Away from the watchful eyes of the more zealous ones. These must be relics of them or their children!"
"Interesting. Perhaps kindred spirits still survive down here."
"Perhaps..." Tessaviri says as she looks about the room. "If they survived down here, that is good news for us. But we don't have time to search them out. Let's keep moving."
With nothing else to do here, TC will be happy to move along.
There's one entrance out of the cave, to the east. It appears to be another small tunnel, perhaps connecting to another cavern later on down.
"Let's proceed." Tessaviri summons a new light spell and moves into the tunnel.
"Onward then."
A small campfire and a well-used bedroll, along with a few utensils and tools, sits near another cave opening in the far wall.
At the far end of the cavern, a small figure sits slumped on a stool next to a tent that might have been in good condition at one point or another. As you walk in, the figure looks up at you, and you see that its a dwarf, his eyes glowing green with some magical energy.\
"Eh?" he says, seeming to look through you. "Who are you?"