"The longer you stay here, focused on one deal, you are missing out on other possible deals that have a better payout."
Kka frowns at Urevian's reticence to accept the Vol Rajani soul remnants on the sword. "Seriously, dude? The option here is between: One...." She lifts one clawed finger, "... We destroy your body and you spend a hundred years sweating it out in Hell just to be sent baack here to exaactly the same situation, except thaat next time, there won't be any Vol Raajaani soul available to you. Or..." Kka lifts a second finger to join the first, "Two. You take whaat's on offer here and go find something more exciting to spend your time on." She drops her fingers. "Seems like a no-brainer to me."
Urevian smiles at Cherry Berry's argument and Kka's outburst. "Well, when you put it like that, it would be foolish of me to not accept this offer. So. A-hem. To make this official. You are enemies of Belcorra and are willing to give me the Rajani soul as payment of a job well done, which will absolve me of all my duties, and do so out of free will and not at all coerced by me or my underlings?"
He holds out a hand to seal the deal.
"You can get the blade back by the way, I have no use for it."
Kvit looks to the others, Cherry might burst into flames if they literally shook hands/fronds with a devil, Lough has been quiet, much too quiet. He'd be just as likely to sucker punch the devil as shake his hand with his weird prosthetic arm. Kka might do it, but she might try crossing her fingers or some such trick. No, if anyone was going to make a deal with a supernatural entity, especially something like a devil, it should probably be him.
He steps forward and puts out a paw. "Agreed. We are enemies of Belcorra and we are willingly handing over Rajani's soul in exchange for removing the barrier below."
Urevian shakes Kvit's hand, but doesn't let go. "And this means my job here in this complex is considered over, right?"
He looks Kvit right in the eyes, almost begging him to say the words.
Kvit uncomfortably keeps shaking the hand slowly, but doesn't try to pull away. "By giving you Rajani's soul, your contract is considered completed and you are released from your current job."
Urevian sighs in relief as Kvit says the words. "All right people, you've heard the ysoki. Our job here is done. Pack up and let's go home!"
He takes the sword and casts a spell on it. The sword glows softly, and the light starts to concentrate, as if being pulled together. Then, with a swift motion, Urevian plucks the tiny ball of light from the sword and puts it in a tiny glass container.
The contract binding Urevian to Belcorra magically tears itself to pieces, then catches flame.
Urevian turns to you before taking care of his pile of contracts on the table behind him. He smiles warmly, genuinely. "Pleasure doing business. If you have any more requests or deals, please let me know now. Otherwise I won't see them until after my hundred-year holiday to the Plane of Fire."
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Lough did not wait for resolution. His so-called "friends" cavorting with devils and pimping the eternal soul of some feckless ne'er-do-well - guilty or otherwise - to a fiend below the accursed lighthouse plaguing his home town. This didn't sit well with him. Who's next? We make deals with devils now? Since when?
He had to go. Storming off seething in silence.
He had always known Kka to be morally flexible, but had only attributed it to the tengu's ignorance of the importance of the divine war against good and evil as a byproduct of being a simple working bird. But Kvit? He should know better. Knowledgeable in the full ramifications of the consequence of his actions, the ysoki wizard was too quick to consider bargaining with forces beyond the scope of mortal life - and not even his own! What coward places a gamble by staking the everlasting well-being of another? And Cherry Berry - a leshy of the cloak - just allowing it all to happen - committing profound inaction in the single most important moment of the sum of their experiences in the wretched Abomination Vaults.
And so, Lough decides to take a [month-long] sabbatical. Rushing back to his uncle's home, he grabs his tool box, the Whispering Reeds, the Slaver's Ruby, and some spare parts of collected monster bits and junk, and steals away in the middle of the night, subsisting on small game and berries in the wild, taking refuge deeper into the Fogfen than most would dare to go - to the very places the nightmares are made, rank, fetid, wild.
Forging his arm anew, he spends days in bizarre experimentation, talking with Borbo like a lab assistant, using his occult gifts to attract strange energies, encapsulating them in the the weird engine that funnels power into his atrophied heart organ. A monster himself. Arguing with the voice in his head, who comes upon him to spy, and whom he rebukes in nervous anticipation and abject shame. The voice that has been tormenting him ever since... he cannot remember a time before "her"...
...time passes...
Particulates impossibly small that invisibly permeate the totality of his being. Something or someone visits him. He slips into a stagnant pool, which not unlike a wet, slaggen quicksand, sucks him down! In the inky soggy blackness, Lough struggles to swim, instead, pulled down, down, down. His lungs fill with dirty water, and he nearly drowns in filth. And then he hears it: That familiar lullaby. He feels a godly presence. And suddenly, he finds himself, his own broken body, pulling itself back to the surface to come up for air.
Clutching an exposed root, Lough pulls himself ashore with his mechanical arm, choking out gushes of swamp water mixed with vomit, and lays cold. Hours go by, and his dreams are feverish. In them, he confronts the "voice" who has taken a physical form: a beast-headed woman, pregnant of belly, brandishing two swords, red and blue, ugly, feral, and fearsome. Together, they speak in grunt and growl without words, and come to some understandings. Overcome with a strange emotion, he goes to embrace her, but is rebuffed by a powerful tentacle that rips him out of his dream and into the waking world.
Rising, Lough gathers his things, and heads back to Otari...
...
"No more deals"
His party sees him now, greater in status than before, some divine spark imbued of his person, larger than life. His silver eye - the "darty" right one - somehow keener and of greater definition . His left eye - a warm copper - drawing in of even the most indifferent disposition, beckoning that he be looked upon, casting Lough in an almost-handsome light . His clawed hands, glistening with sparkle, wickedly sharp yet somehow gentle with hidden grace . Upon his back, reflecting moonlight at an odd angle, glowing and almost audible, is strapped his shield, worn with use but supple . He looks upon them.
"I am ready to descend once more"
He smiles with glee.
...
Usage: imbued in the eyes
Your eyes glint with an almost-tangible sharpness, letting you spot the tiniest dove on the horizon or the swiftest arrow in flight.
Immanence: Your vision sharpens and allows you to sense an enemy’s attack almost as soon as it begins, granting you a +1 status bonus to Perception checks and a +2 status bonus to your AC against ranged attacks.
Transcendence (◆) A Moment Unending (concentrate, prediction): You take in every moment around you, affording you unparallelled accuracy. Your next successful Strike against an enemy before the end of your next turn deals an additional 1d6 precision damage. This damage increases to 2d6 at 10th level, and 3d6 at 18th level.
[emotion]
Usage: imbued on the face
A fetching beauty spot under an eye or a smile as warm as the sun distracts foes and captures hearts alike.
Immanence (mental, visual): Your beauty becomes supernaturally enhanced, distracting foes and imposing a –1 circumstance penalty to melee attack rolls against you.
Transcendence (◆◆) Captivating Charm (emotion, mental, visual): You focus your attention on a creature within 30 feet, overwhelming their senses. They must succeed at a Will save against your class DC or be fascinated by you until the start of your next turn. The condition ends if you use a hostile action against the target, but not if you use a hostile action against their allies.
Usage: a weapon in the sword or knife group, or a melee unarmed attack that deals slashing damage
Immanence: Your weapon ikon deals 2 additional spirit damage per weapon damage die to creatures it Strikes.
Transcendence (◆◆) Flowing Spirit Strike (spirit): Make two Strikes with your weapon ikon, each using your current multiple attack penalty. Both Strikes must have the same target. If the Strikes are made with a weapon that doesn’t have the agile trait, the second Strike takes a –2 penalty. If both attacks hit, you combine their damage, which is all dealt as spirit damage. You add any precision damage only once. Combine the damage from both Strikes and apply resistances and weaknesses only once. This counts as two attacks when calculating your multiple attack penalty.
Usage: any shield
Immanence (aura): The mirrored aegis emits an aura in a 15-foot emanation that protects you and all allies in the aura from harm, granting a +1 status bonus to AC. If the mirrored aegis houses your divine spark for 10 uninterrupted minutes, it is restored to full Hit Points.
Transcendence (◆) Raise the Walls (force): You Raise the mirrored aegis, which summons ethereal shields that surround you and one ally of your choice within 15 feet in a tortoise formation. You and the ally gain a +1 status bonus to AC, Reflex saves, and any save against a force, spirit, vitality, or void effect for 1 minute.
After the deal is made, Lough storms off. When you look back in Urevian's direction, he is gone as well.
You wander around the level, and find it deserted. You sent the mecha-morlocks up one level, and even the erinyes in the summoning room have disappeared. The barrier of force blocking off the elevator seems to be gone as well, so you can at least descend now. The creatures in the glass display cases are still there, and still seemingly in stasis.
You look around the level for treasure, but there's nothing to be found. The barrels and crates of equipment the mecha-morlocks were taking inventory of would sell for about 50 gold pieces, but that's mean several trips up and down the complex to haul all the barrels out. It's too much effort for too little gain.
You decide to go back to Otari and have a few days off. Maybe Lough will pop up again by himself, or maybe you'll have to go looking for him, but for now, you've deserved a little rest.
Kvit makes note of some of the more interesting equipment to come back for later, assuming there eventually will be time for that.
He feels pretty satisfied with his latest accomplishment, making a deal with the devil. Interesting that it took this long in his career but hopefully it'll be the last.
Lough disappearing isn't concerning, he tends to do that and always comes back a little differently strange. Though as the week goes on, he starts to get a little worried.
He shops a lot at Morblint's for a selection of more niche spells to have on hand. He also spends quite a bit of time at the dawnflower library. Unbeknownst to the staff, Kvit has been forming a temporal and dimensional link between the library and a key. They probably wouldn't appreciate him borrowing books without them knowing. Though he intends to put them back just as covertly.
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Morliblint is an odd shopkeeper. He keeps hovering around Kvit and asks rather personal questions about your time in the Abomination Vaults. He makes notes of your answers and carefully tucks away the notebook after he's done asking questions, but nervously avoids answering any questions about his behaviour.
Carman Rajani hangs out around the Dawnflower Library repairing any damages. He seems happy to be doing something constructive for once, and is blissfully unaware of the fate he narrowly avoided. While the Dawnflower librarians treat him with respect, you do notice their hands keep hovering near their sheathed scimitars, just in case. The Sarenrites are big about forgiveness and second chances, but nearly burning down their church clearly leaves some scars.
Kka had rather enjoyed throwing her weight around with those devils in the Vaults. It turns out to be surprisingly easy to intimidate just about anyone if you really believed you were a virtually unkillable force of nature... and Kka was definitely starting to think of herself that way. She'd always been a tough nut, but months of mowing down Belcorra's evil minions like a grim reaper, and living to tell the tale, had sent her self esteem soaring to new heights. She was itching to get back to the Gauntlight and put this presumed indestructibility to the test.
But Lough had vanished into the night almost as soon as they got back into town and no one knew where he'd gotten to. Presumably he was hiding out in the swamps somewhere doing who knows what. Cherry too appeared to have disappeared. Kka occasionally saw Kvit around town, but he always seemed to be busy with his spells and whatever other stuff Ysoki got up to in their spare time.
So Kka went back to work for Yinyasmera at the Crook's Nook. On paper, she was one of the waitresses, but in fact, she was Yinyasmera's apprentice and spent many a hard hour in training and running odd jobs that might have been considered illicit had anyone in authority found out about them. Unfortunately, the notoriety of the group had increased in Otari with every foray into the Vaults, and it was getting harder and harder to just blend into the background. There was now a whole collection of customers at the Crook's Nook that came in just to listen to her tell stories of their daring exploits below. She played it up as best she could for the tips; some weeks she did better than others, and after a month, she'd earned a paltry 35 gold pieces for her troubles; better than nothing, but not better than whatever awaited them deeper in the Vaults.
After four hard weeks of work and training, in which she'd learned of ways to take advantage of a distraction caused by someone wounding a nearby enemy; how to angle her swords to make deeper and bleedier cuts; and how to perfectly time a loud guttural squawk to frighten the enemy when going into battle. She was going to have fun trying out these new skills... if they ever got their butts back into the game.
Over the next few weeks, Fuìn shows his face once or twice in Otari, but still gets chased out immediately afterwards. Seems like the curse still holds. Eventually, he just sends a single letter to the party. He says that he misses you guys, but that this is a blessing in disguise. He's ashamed of how he lost it last time in the dungeon and he's had time to self-reflect. All this time being by himself really forced him to come to terms with his childhood trauma. Plus, all this skulking around really helps his Shadowdancer training, so really, two birds, one stone and all that.
Mayor Menhemes and his daughter Dorianna eventually visit the Church of Erastil to get her own curse removed, and eventually she shily asks if Cherry Berry can help her out with some counsel. She misses the Motley Man, but is glad her siblings accept her again. Still, the ordeal clearly left some scars she has trouble processing. Plus, whenever her emotions flare up, items start shaking around her and unnerve her and her family. Seems like her psychic powers are starting to awaken, and she needs help controlling them.
Kka looks down at the small pile of gold that Yaz handed her at the end of the month. "Good thing I don't haave to live off my earnings as a waitress, eh?" she says to her boss.
Yinyasmera lifts an eyebrow. "If I hadn't had to suspend you for a week for punching out that guardsman in the bar earlier this month, you'd have made more. You really need to keep that temper of yours in check. Whether you like it or not, you're a hero around here now, so try to play the part."
A flash of anger fills Kka's face as she recalls the incident. "That loser Faartsby had it coming. He's been haassling me since we were kids in school and thaat craack he made about my parents was the laast straw."
With a look of forbearance, Yinyasmera says, "His name is Fernsby and a loser he may be, but unfortunately, he's Lardus's loser of a son. Knocking out the captain's son is not a good look. It took all I had to calm Lardus down. Just count yourself lucky that it was only a week's suspension and not a week in the slammer."
Kka bows her head in mock regret and mumbles "What ever!"
In addition to counseling Dorianna, Cherry spends a lot of time training up Sinkwa.
It...doesn't go well at first. Sinkwa is unbelievably clumsy. "He could break a brick by accident." Cherry confesses to Kka one evening. "Sure I dropped things right after I sprouted, but I didn't knock 10 feet of swamp wall down with a twig."
After a month, a wild-eyed Lough suddenly stands in front of the Crook's Nook again, waiting for the rest of the party to continue delving deeper into the depths of the lighthouse. There's something... strange about Lough. Moreso than usual.
You head back down the stairs. Kvit complains about needing to acitvate the portals because he's an old rat and can't be expected to walk all that much.
Back on level 7, the smell of sulfur still permeates throughout the level, but it has diminished, and the smell of musty dungeon is slowly starting to overpower it.
Curiously, the previously caved-in stairs down have now cleared. Seems like in the time you spent on break, someone (or something) cleared the rubble and went upstairs.
Also curiously, the elevator in the north side of level 7 doesn't seem to work. There's a winch that supposedly calls the platform, but it's stuck, and the problem seems to be at the bottom of the elevator. Better take the stairs, then.
You take the stairs down, and the smell of decaying plant matter and earthy fungi greets you. Muddy footprints go up the stairs and you hear the lapping of water further down. Eventually, you reach the bottom of the stairs.
The smell of rot and mildew pervades the air of this enclosed staircase. At the base, a moist carpet of fungus, slime, and mold grows thickly on the walls.
Behind a carpet of moss you find the outline of a secret door, but it seems to be magically sealed. It has a big concave indentation that you guess can hold something that will open this magical door.
Six alcoves line the walls, three to the north and three to the south. The four easternmost alcoves each contain a large stone planter filled with muddy water that reeks like a dismal swamp. Two scorch marks on the ground near the eastern door surround piles of dark rags.
A battle clearly took place in this room, but curiously, no bodies are around, despite the ground being splattered with a lot of blood.
When you examine the pile of rags, a jet-black blade lies among it. The metal blade is so dark, it almost seems like it absorbs any light that shines directly at it. It turns out to be a gloom blade.
You press on, and find a T-section going north and south. To the north you hear the splashing of water, but to the south you smell a fire, and the scent of burning fungus. You decide to head that way first.
A haze of smoke with a pungent but not entirely unpleasant scent emanates from a large copper cauldron atop a bed of coals on a dais to the east. A metal rack over the basin holds several brown and purple eggs, each about the size of a human head, cooking in the smoke. The walls are painted with sweeping lines and whorls.
There are three people in this room. At first you think they're family of Fuìn's, as they are also grey of skin and all cloak their faces in a half-mask, but they're subtly different.
The typical caligni has some sort of sneak attack, and when killed explode in a cloud of darkness that can extinguish any light. More powerful caligni actually have harmful explosions and have magical capabilities.
Two of these figures are sitting on the ground with their eyes closed. One of them is stirring in a foul-smelling pot on the fire to the east. They all look pretty ragged, and though it's difficult to see, they look gaunt and malnourished.
The swamp and fire scents assault Kvit's sensitive nose,
Kvit eyes the Caligni suspiciously. He whispers to the group, "Caligni, dark folk, basically scavengers underground, though these don't look in great condition."
While not particularly diplomatic, he assumes they speak Sakvroth, like many underground communities. ""Shal'kora, vel'sh'nar."
When Lough reappeared as suddenly as he'd disappeared a month earlier, and both Kvit and Cherry wrapped up their training at almost precisely the same time, Kka got her hopes up that they'd be heading back to the Vaults soon; she was not disappointed.
She quickly gathers her equipment, including the fancy new magical boots she'd carefully blackened from their original rather too bright tan color. She rubs at the new rune etched onto her leathers. "I hope this works as advertised, or the guy who sold it to me will wish he hadn't been born."
When they head down the recently cleared steps and the smell of rot and mildew hits her, she scrunches up her face. "Pee Ew! I caan already tell I'm not going to enjoy this." But internally, she was elated to be on the hunt again. The sooner they ran into something she could cow or kill, the better.
Upon seeing the secret door with it's fancy indentation, she rolls her eyes. "Not another one of these. I guess we're looking for something that fits thaat hole, eh? Somewhere on this level is my guess; wouldn't surprise me if it was in several pieces either."
When they spot the dark shortsword in the alcove room, Kka's eyes light up and she pounces on it for a better look. "A Gloom Blade you say, Kvit? Nice. Might come in haandy." She sheathes her Ghost Touch shortsword and takes the Gloom Blade in hand to try it out.
Coming upon the Caligni, Kka grins. "Now, this is more like it." She makes a face when Kvit tries what she guesses is a greeting. She considers attempting to intimidate these creatures into submission, but holds off to see how they react to Kvit's entreaty.
"Things might be a little tough down here." Cherry says to the party.
[b]"Hello friends." Cherry says to the people.
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"This is a dangerous place. Seek refuge in town" Lough remarks to them "One among them like you, unliked by the others, by the name Fuin, may supply you with shelter, and if not, company. If you can stand him..." the curse still grips his imagination.
Shield aglow and chakram in hand, he awaits their expected departure, allowing them to gather their things and go...
Oop, almost forgot, Hero Point for everyone for reaching level 8!
Kvit and Cherry Berry greet the caligni in a friendly manner. Lough tries to persuade them to leave, but bungles his approach. The dark folk near the pot squints his eyes at him and the other two get up from their lotus position and draw their blades.
"Why are you trying to get rid of us? Are you with them? We're not leaving the boss's side, even if he's ignoring us right now. State your business or leave, but we're not budging."
There is clear hostility in his voice.
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"I tried to warn you, bub. We've killed half that dungeon down there, and bear the scars. You do not want to be next in line" he bares his teeth, but doesn't advance further than 15 feet from the rest of his party.
Immanence (aura): The mirrored aegis emits an aura in a 15-foot emanation that protects you and all allies in the aura from harm, granting a +1 status bonus to AC. If the mirrored aegis houses your divine spark for 10 uninterrupted minutes, it is restored to full Hit Points.
With the others having little effect on these recalcitrant Caligni, Kka pipes up. "As my friend here..." she indicates Lough, "... so inelegantly put it, we're here to clear out this place from top to bottom and so faar we've done a pretty good job of it. You guys are about to be the next in a looooong line of corpses that we've been stacking up in here for months now. Unless, that is..." She pauses for effect, "...all of you and your boss leave this place, leave Otari alone, and never come back. How does that sound?" As she waits for Kvit to finish his translation, Kka raises the Gloom Blade threateningly to show them she means business.
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Kka holds the unblinking gazes of the Caligni for what seems like a lifetime, then lowers the arm holding up the Gloom Blade. Clearly her threats had hit home so hard that their brains had frozen solid in fear. She considers taking advantage of their petrified state to finish them off before they came back to their senses.
She glances towards Lough to see if he's thinking along the same lines and notices that the big man's eye is twitching strangely. Not for the first time, she wonders if maybe he wasn't more of a danger to her than any of the creatures they were likely to bump into down here. Well, except maybe for Belcorra herself, assuming they ever ran into her.
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"We really don't want to hurt you." Cherry tries to placate. "And if you are willing to consist peacefully with the surface we really don't have a problem with you staying here."
The caligni stirring the pot squints at Lough. "Yer not answerin' my question, boy. I asked, 'are you with them?' Yer tryin' ta get rid of us, but we're not fooled that easily."
Kka then intimidates the speaker. He shrinks back a little, but doesn't lose the hostility in his tone. "Wish we could leave, but boss has been obsessed with his bauble lately and doesn't listen to us none. That's why we're here, holdin' the fort and survivin' on scraps."
He listens to Cherry Berry's plea.
"All right, weapons away, boys. Leshy's makin' a good point. We've got enemies aplenty down here, no need for addin' to that list. Back to your positions, boys. Food'll be ready soon."
He turns his back on you and focuses on making the best of whatever is bubbling in the pot. The two flunkies resume their meditation positions.
When the caligni don't launch themselves at the group, Kka is a little deflated. "Thaat's it then? We're all friends now?" She looks about a bit lost, then gathers her wits together and shrugs. "Anyway... I don't know who the "them" is you're talking about, but we're definitely not them."
She relaxes a little and leans against the wall. "Sooooo, whaat's the deal with this boss of yours? Maybe we should go haave a chaat with him and make sure everything's copaacetic, eh? Maybe we can help him with this bauble you say he's obsessed with."
Kka looks at all the doors leading out of the room. "Which way to the boss then? Is he thaat way?" She points to the door directly South across the room and starts heading in that direction.
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The caligni stirring the pot squints at Lough. "Yer not answerin' my question, boy. I asked, 'are you with them?' Yer tryin' ta get rid of us, but we're not fooled that easily."
Lough storms over and... elbows the caligni in the stomach "You got a sense of humor kid. I'd hate to kill ya. Tell you what. I ain't answering no more questions. I told you who I am. I am the Caretaker of this place. Gunna clear the whole place out. Yer boss too. Question is: You gunna die with him, or move on with your pathetic little life?" slapping him on the back, Lough shares a laugh.
The caligni-cook scratches the back of his head. "You are sendin' very confused signals, you know that? You think we're all kumbaya and makin' friendship bracelets - we're not, by the way, we're just allowin' you to pass through - while Mad-Eye over there wants to pick a fight with us while you just talked us out of one. Yer' lucky I don't want to mess up this food any more than I already have."
He points the spoon he's been using to stir at you, and a thick glob of goop falls off. It smells very burnt.
[b]"Anyways, if you want to talk some sense into the boss, he's up north, through that door over there. He's got some shiny he's enamored with and doesn't pay us any heed no more. What kinda cult has a boss that has no time for his followers?"
Now that you have a little time to look around, Cherry Berry and Sneakers indeed spot a secret door in the western wall, and the way to open it.
Kka looks over at Lough, then back at the caligni cook. "Don't worry about my big friend here; he's a little lighter up top thaan we'd prefer. Just ignore him." She then points to the door to the southeast. "So, this way to your boss then?" She heads over to the door in question, knocks and opens it. "Helloooo! Anybody there?"
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Tengu would make a nice stuffed roast. If Kka ever crossed the line… too bad Lough really liked fighting alongside him.
”Probably kill your later. After I kill your boss. Which by the way, means I’d be your new boss, and take over the cult. When that happens, you can call me King. Be right back”
Lough follows Kka, and prepares to barge inside, shield glimmering!
You leave the caligni to their terrible meal and move on.
This long chamber features roughly carved stairs leading upward. Its sides are dotted with nooks, two of which contain stone basins filled with muddy water.
Nothing to see here. You move on.
This large, smelly cave opens onto a cliff with a large body of murky water about twenty feet below. At the edge of the cliff sits a heap of reeking, decomposing carrion. A stream of water flows from the north, past the heap and over the cliff in a narrow waterfall.
When you examine the pile of carrion, you note that it used to be some huge aquatic reptile. It's been torn to shreds by something big with big pincers, and big chunks have been taken out of it.
You move on.
Four small streams flow through this chamber, fed by a dark pond against the west wall. The streams divide the chamber into islands, each covered with lichen, mildew, and mushrooms. Bioluminescent fungi and strange motes of light bathe the place in eerie illumination, playing off the water to form odd shapes on the cavern’s walls, like humanoid apparitions gliding through the air. Water flowing along the sides of the islands echoes off the walls in weird ways, like harsh whispers.
“Haruvex has risen. There is nothing you can do,” the overlapping echoes say. The sound is hypnotizing, and strangely calming.
While examining this room , everyone may make me a DC 24 Will save!
You can make an Arcana, Religion, or Occultism check to figure out where the whispers are coming from.
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Leaving the dark folk to their own, Lough disengages "I'll be back" he points to the one that sasses him the most "And when I return, I expect you to kneel"
He strides ahead, shield gleaming high, keeping pace with his team, who, though they disagree on how to handle things from time to time, he has come to rely upon. Feeling... responsible for them. Plant, bird, rat. His little monster crew.
Once in the Bioluminescent fungi cavern, he gazes upon the figment!
he calls out
Kka is a little surprised to find that the door leads to a roughly hewn cave. "I waas not expecting this." She looks around in vain for the so-called caligni boss. "Where's the boss then?"
She gives the piles of decomposing bodies a wide berth when she notices the wounds on them suggesting a giant lobster had torn them apart. "I really hope we don't run into whaatever did thaat daamage"
Arriving at the streams, she tries to find the source of the whispering...
Under her breath, she says, "Haaruvex? Whaat an odd name. Maybe it belongs to the giant lobster."
She rolls her eyes at Lough's outburst. "Such a drama queen." Then, to Lough, "Turn it down a little, your maajesty. Pretty sure they know where here now."
It's been a while since you last read it, but in Belcorra's diary you found out her last name is Haruvex. Apparently the whispers know about Belcorra and are either warning you or playing into your fears.
Lough studies this room and thinks that the acoustics are really good. This might have once functioned as a meditation chamber and the thoughts and meditations of whoever resided in here still echo around in this room.
"Thank you for the warning Mr. Whispers," Cherry says outloud. "Is there anything we can do for you in thanks for the warning?"
Kvit tries to surmise the source of the whispers and tries to confirm with the others that everyone is hearing the same things. "These whispers might not be trustworthy, but they seem harmless enough. Be careful what you ask of unseen forces."
Cherry Berry converses with the whispers. Several voices call out at once.
"Haruvex has awakened. Be on your guard."
"Goosey goosey gander, Whither shall I wander?
Upstairs and downstairs And in my lady's chamber.
There I met an old man Who wouldn't say his prayers,
So I took him by his left leg And threw him down the stairs"
"Haruvex has displeased Nhimbaloth. Enact his revenge and be rewarded."
"These caves belong to Nhimbaloth. Trespassers will face the Empty Death."
"One cup white sugar, two large eggs, half a cup of milk...."
Cherry listens to the whispers seriously, and tries to bless and get get any voice that is will to pass on.
Kka sighs. "Okay, so this Haaruvex person is Belcorra? And she's awakened? Great! Tell us something we didn't already know." The sarcasm in her voice is palpable. "Looks like Nhimbaaloth isn't too happy with her; no big surprise given Belcorra's habit of haarvesting souls for her own purposes. Not sure how thaat helps us though. I'm no fan of Nhimbaaloth; I'm hoping for a nice relaaxed afterlife when my time is up."
Kka decides that all the whispering is getting them nowhere and decides to walk around the corner ahead to see what there is to see.
No voice seems particularly wanting to move on with their life, so you continue. Kka walks around the corner.
This large metal cage stands atop a natural pillar rising thirty feet above the water. The bars have been ripped and bent, and bones lie scattered about the cage’s bottom.
Sitting in front of that cage is a bizarre sight. A gug, completely entranced by a glowing jewel-like object. The gug is cooing and purring at the jewel, petting and stroking it. His horrifying head-mouth flaps open and closed as these sounds are coming from it. It hasn't noticed any of you yet.
When she spots the gug, Kka groans. "This is the boss? Oh thaat’s just great. Ugh!” She shudders at the not-so-distant distant memory of being literally torn apart by one of these creatures. She scampers back to the group and fills them in. ”Now whaat? The laast gug we ran into waasn’t all thaat friendly, so odds are we’re going to haave to take this one down the haard way.” She glances at the others to gauge their reactions.
When it comes time to approach the creature again, Kka does her best to stick to the shadows in hopes of catching the gug by surprise and make best use of her new Gloom Blade.
Kka sneaks closer to the gug. Despite his obsession, he quickly glances in Kka's direction, then turns his focus back on the gem.
Kka freezes when the gug turns to face her. She readies herself to run, but stays put when it becomes apparent that the gug is more interested in his glowing jewel than in any danger she may pose to him. She goes back and reports her findings. "Thaat gug's really taken by thaat jewel thingy he's holding. He only barely pulled his attention away from it when I tried to sneak up on him. My guess is he'll ignore us unless we mess with him or the jewel directly."
Kka pauses a moment as she pictures the glowing jewel in her mind. "Thaat is a really nice looking jewel though. Probaably worth a bundle." She pauses again and frowns. She thinks back to the secret door they'd run into earlier with it strange indentation and tries to picture whether the gug's glowy jewel might fit into it.
It's difficult to judge exactly because the gug's hands obscure most of the jewel, but the general size would indeed fit in the indentation of the secret door.
"Should we ask to borrow it?" Cherry whispers. "Maybe this one is more reasonable than the others. Or maybe we can give him something else to obsess over."