Tessaviri tries to climb up the rope with Amelia's assistance.
Karogo tries to jump the gap as well.
Tessa's actions combined with Amelia's plan is enough to get everyone across, as the gap wasn't as dangerous as it first appeared.
Lann is relieved when the party gets across the split in the earth, and says as much out loud. The tunnel continues on the far end of the chasm for about 1,400 feet (almost 15 minutes of more near-silent walking) before reaching a circular cavern.
"Hold on, new friends. This is a cavern we rarely use or even enter, because of the 'spore-cougher' that lives there. I hope it is out hunting elsewhere and that we are lucky, but somehow I doubt that. We can go through, and I am sure that with your help we can defeat it." he says, calmly and confidently.
"But you should still be aware, and the injured should not enter the cavern until we are sure it is gone."
Both Tessa and Amelia recognize Lann's brief description as that of a basindroid, a strange plant consisting of four spidery stalks, long green tendrils, and an inverted bell-shaped cap filled with spores. It is dangerous, but slow and motivated only by its feeding needs. Hopefully it is as Lann hopes, and the creature is not home.
Tessaviri signals to Karogo and moves into the cavern ahead to search for the basindroid.
The tunnel opens into a circular cavern, roughly forty feet in diameter. Thick sheets of fungus grow in the cave, and several tunnels branch off. All of these save one in the north wall lead downward; the northern one leads upward. What appear to be two dead bodies lie on the ground in the middle of the cave, next to a strange heap of ropy green fungus.
Luckily, it seems as if the basindroid won't be a problem for the group.
If the environment & fungus look safe, Tessaviri will go to check the bodies. Carefully...she had recent experience with the undead.
The two bodies of the humans are dressed in chainshirts with the livery of Iomadae crusaders, longsword emblazoned on the front in gold, and both are equipped with a glaive and a spiked gauntlet.
One of the bodies has a potion on its belt, while the other has a rolled scroll in a pouch. The one with the scroll has his fist clenched around something with the power of his rigid body holding it tightly.
”Perhaps these two knights fell down here as we did and fought the creature, breathing in the toxic spores in the process. They slew the beast, but then expired themselves. That’s sad.”
"Let's do what we can for them. Though I'm not sure the soil goes deep enough for a proper burial."
The potion is a potion of cure light wounds, while the scroll is a scroll of cause fear.
While examining the bodies, TC and Tessa notice that the body that held the scroll had something clenched in his dead fist: a small symbol of a brass bull's head with tiny red gemstone eyes. This, combined with her knowledge of Iomedae's religion, is enough to indicate that something isn't right here.
The bull is the symbol of Baphomet, one of the demon lords of the Abyss. The glaives they wield is his sacred weapon, not that of Iomedae as they obviously wanted to appear to be.
"This is troubling. Cultists of the Abyss below the city and...in the home of our current host...or at least adjacent to it. They were likely going to participate in the attack on Kenabres, though I suppose that doesn't matter now. We should warn our friends that more might be nearby. Keep an eye out."
"Let's get the others. We should keep moving."
The sooner we find a place for the injured to have some rest, the better. We can formulate a plan from there. Amelia says, agreeing with Tessa.
Lann seems unnerved by the discussion, and he speaks up.
"We've seen men like them in our tunnels before. They've become more common recently. We keep eyes on them, but as long as they don't behave aggressively we don't mind them. I've heard they have aligned themselves with the other group of neathers, the bad one, but I haven't seen proof of that myself."
Anevia spits in disgust, her mood soured by the discovery of the cultists. "I've heard rumors of the Baphomet cultists infiltrating various mercenary groups, but I didn't believe it to be true. To think they've been here the entire time, right under our noses."
Aravashnial has a completely different response, his voice growing excited.
"I knew it! I knew my suspicions were correct. Everyone keeps telling me I'm insane and all of my thoughts are just 'conspiracy theories', but I knew better! If only anyone had listened."
"That's concerning. We've enough problems on the surface without more coming from below. But that investigation will likely have to wait...we could do great harm by failing to report what we know if we try to look into this further by ourselves and fail. And we have injured to look after."
"Which way is your chieftan?"
Finding out that the dead are evil cultists puts an end to any wish from TC to bury them.
”Worshipping demons is stupid. Everyone knows they fight and betray each other for power, but they’re going to share it with some humans because they chanted some stuff and put on a special robe? Very dumb.”
Lann points through to the other side of the basindroid's cavern, at an opening on the far wall.
"We are nearly there!" Lann calls out excitedly, realizing how close they are to their home. "This passage takes us directly to the front gate of Neathholm, our home. Come, Chief Sull will want to see you."
"Let's proceed with haste then. None of our problems will be improved without action."