He walks in Rūha's wake for the extra lift, bouncing gently through the water. He emerges, stands clear of everyone and shakes the water out of his fur, splattering filthy water drops against the cave walls.
"It looks like some people went that way --" he points to the ledge leading to the southeast.
He looks more carefully. "But first, there are some hungry beetles or something eyeing us hungrily in there -- we can avoid them if we stay in the water... going northeast..." he gestures with his longspear in one paw at the cracks and crevices in the wall, the other in his pocket. We're going to have to go through bugs if we want to follow people..."
Bugs... why did it have to be bugs?
Weapon Equipped = Falchion
Conditions = water breathing (1/5h)
Falchion: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str +1 Focus Damage: +6 Str Crit: 18-20x2
Dagger: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str / +2 Dex Damage: +4 Crit: 19-20x2 Range: 10’
Studied: (beetle) (move/immediate; +1 att, dam, bluff, knowledge, perception, sense motive, survival)
Prestidigitation (1/1)
Yambul nods along, and draws his falchion, ”I got this. They’re just beetles, right?”
He’ll move up with Zzvkgrogk, drawing his falchion as he does so.
vs DC 16
"Oh, gee. Those are rather larger than I thought." he grips his falchion and, if he has time, takes the moment to ‘study’ the closest beetle.
"What are you doing, Cook-boy!? Careful, don't get them on you!" he shudders. Yuck! Like big ticks!
As Yambul draws his falchion and walks over the beach, the housecat-sized beetles start to glow green and yellow on spots below their heads and get out of the crevices salivating for the late breakfast prospects.
You are being attacked by the beetles.
But everyone except Rūha has an attempt to deal with them before they get closer.
These are fire beetles. Nothing special about them, they are immune to mind-affecting effects like other vermins, but their glands can shed light for you even after death.
Know (nature)
Round 1
"Careful now, Yam," Rhor calls to Yambul. "They aren't too hard to crack open, but they do bite."
Still feeling ill, Rhoreen stays in the water and tries to avoid the beetles. She's not a good bug squisher, even on land, let alone when hacking bile.
Weapon Equipped = Falchion
Conditions = water breathing (1/5h)
Falchion: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str +1 Focus Damage: +6 Str Crit: 18-20x2
Dagger: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str / +2 Dex Damage: +4 Crit: 19-20x2 Range: 10’
Studied: (beetle) (move/immediate; +1 att, dam, bluff, knowledge, perception, sense motive, survival)
Prestidigitation (1/1)
vs DC 10
Yambul does what he can to brush one back after studying it (move).
(studied) (studied)
"Hey, check it out, they stay lit after death! I won't need a torch." he grins like a fool and turns on the next one.
He'll 5' step to close with the next target.
"So, this Garmen Ulreth as you might know, is the owner of the local gambling house, so, well, I’m not much of a gambler, have kind of a mild distaste for that kind of business. So just be aware, there could be some shadiness.”
"I appreciate your intelligence on the citizens of Torch, Zick-grock, uh, Sssick-grow... oh, can I just call you Whiskers, or something unoffensive? Anyways, even better to know about the shadier aspects, so we can avoid needless antagonism."
...
Chaance almosts definitely declines to join the others plunging into the fetid waters, despite their boon of water breathing. She isn't given the opportunity, as the others take to the water without hesitation, denying her the ears on which her protests would fall. Priests really should pay this pond a visit. I wonder if they'll help us if we catch sick.
Chaance spends a good amount of time peeling off the pond scum, uninterested in finding any later on her person. Out of the corner of her eye, she spies the beetles, and nods in affirmation when Zzykgrogk calls them out to the others.
Cave beetles burning brightly. I wonder how well-fed they are. Chaance shudders to think any of the fallen members of the lost expeditions will be found, their corpses gnawed on by the denizens of the cave...
AC = 15
HP = 10/10
Weapon Equipped = Deciding
Condition(s) = Water breathing
Chaance watches Yambul begin exterminating beetles, and immediately likes their odds, at the cook's first swing. He's awfully optimistic, let's just hope he's able to fend them off, if more come.
The elf moves along the current, drawing her bow, and loosing a single arrow at another beetle, before they get too close.
"Let's clean this place up a little. Coming and going, it will be good to reduce the threats, should we need to bring any survivors back this way."
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Round 1
"I appreciate your intelligence on the citizens of Torch, Zick-grock, uh, Sssick-grow... oh, can I just call you Whiskers, or something unoffensive?
At first Zzvkgrogk nods as Chaance speaks, but you swear that you see his jet black nose blanch ever so slightly when Chaance mentions the nickname.
"No. Not that one. That's a cat's name."
~~~
Zzvkgrogk moves up between Yambul and Chaance and strikes the one closest to Yambul.
For
for
BeetleGoo sprays off of the Ratfolk's spear, adding color to the water spatter left by him earlier.
Rūha spots the beetles as well, but lacks the rest of the group's quick instincts to defend herself. They're just large-ish beetles that glow a bit, after all. Could they really be that bad?
Rhoreen carefully advances through the water stream, looking to be away of the beetles.
Yambul makes a step over the thin sand of the beach and completely squashes the first beetle as it is emerging out of its hiding.
Chaances shot goes through another beetle as it was approaching Rhoreen. The critter halts falling to the ground on its movement and slowly dying.
Zzvkgrogk does not hesitate, he knows how those insects are dealt with and strikes just exactly where it needs to be done. The ratfolk crushes just one more beetle.
Seeing the onslaught, the last beetle does not need any special intelligence, its self-preservation instinct makes it turn around and run away of the party rather than towards. It quickly disappears through a crevice.
Some are a bit squashed but you can still savage the light glands of the three fallen beetles. They will shed light for a few days. The light is good enough for 10 feet and dim light for 10 more feet.
Yambul turns to the others, ”See, they’re not so bad!” he smiles at their early success. He wipes his falchion clean and hands over the bugs to any who want them.
He’ll sheathe his falchion, quick climb up the wall (taking-10)
(double speed, acrobat) vs DC 10
Once at the top, he hooks his grapple and lowers his rope to those who may need some assistance in climbing up. Once the grapple is set, he draws his falchion and peers down the tunnel. He waits for the others to climb up though before proceeding.
Rhoreen keeps to the water, lest she leave, get sick on the beach, then get sick again later. This water was disgusting, and she didn’t need to have others seeing her sick up more than once.
Hopefully, her light will give others the opportunity to harvest light for themselves. And then she waits for others to on on ahead.
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Chaance takes leave of the shallow waters, shaking out her boots, feeling the squishiness between her socks and toes. Should have expected that. She steps deliberately, hoping to push out as much mucky water as possible, while stepping up to Yambul and the Beetles, harvesting a gland or two for her and others. "Anyone want to carry one? A beetle burn?" The elf nods to the half-elf. "Yours is a handy light, Rhoreen, very glad to have it, too."
Chaance follows along, careful not to get in the way of the falchion fellow.
"No. Not that one. That's a cat's name."
Chaance looks over her shoulder as she begins her climb, making sure not to place a boot where it's not wanted. "Does your kind fancy pets? I'll admit the image in my mind, a purring cat in your lap..." Chaance doesn't finish the thought, only smiles on her way up. Ok, so no 'Whiskers'. You'll either give in, and learn to speak his name properly, or you'll find the purrrfect sobriquet... Chaallenge accepted.
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Zzvkgrogk shakes a hairy paw at the fleeing beetle.
"Anyone want to carry one? A beetle burn?"
Zzvkgrogk is torn between the idea of having a horrible stinky mess at the end of his spear while at the same time having a glowy thing at the end of his spear.
In the end, he opts for fastidiousness.
”Thanks, I … uh, don’t need it...” he says, betraying his inner conflict of actually really wanting something like that.
He follows the others, climbing the five foot edge.
”Do you fancy pets? I'll admit the image in my mind, a purring cat in your lap..."”
Distracted by the question Zzvkgrogk looses his grip on the smooth cave surface, and falls on his tail.
He stands, defiantly.
"Not cats! No. Pets of any kind are not a luxury that I have been able to take advantage of, but someday I might have a pelican."
He folds his ears forward in defeat, yet inhales deeply grabs the rope lowered by Yambul, and tries again.
"looks like I am going to have to get that pelican sooner than later."
Yambul and Zzvkgrogk made it up the ledger. The ratfolk with some difficulty. The beetle glands help see through the tunnel on dim light.
A collection of stalactites and stalagmites choke this low-ceilinged cavern, making it difficult to squeeze between them. Matching stalactites close in from the five-foot-high ceiling, giving the impression of a maw of needlelike teeth bearing down on one another. A dead half-orc sprawls on the ground near the cave’s eastern entrance.
Meanwhile, Rhoreen keeps in the water and looking through the north-east tunnel with her light, she can see the stream continues surrounding another bank of sand.
A shallow creek runs through the middle of this cavern, while to the south a stony bank rises up from the water. Thick carpets of green and gray mold and fungus grow on the bank, particularly around a trio of three-foot-high, foul-smelling mounds.
The foul smelling mounds seem to be growing over what might be dead bodies.
The molds seem dangerous creatures known as slime mold. These are oozes.
In these case they seem in a young still growing version of only Small size, not able to engulf and inflict disease.
When seeing that the party is proceeding this way, rather than following the water, Rhoreen goes ashore to retch to her bilious stomach’s (dis)content. After a minute of violent retching (just getting the content out, not trying to get Zzvkgrogk‘s attention), she seems fit to continue.
She will re-cast Light and follow behind the rest, stepping carefully.
Know (local, untrained)
Heal
”Whomever this was, they seem to have died from lack of blood, given they were stabbed repeatedly in the back with a dagger,” Rhoreen points out.
untrained vs DC 10
vs DC 12
"Awww. That was Parda Garr, a friendly brawler. She always had the best stories. She came in with the second expedition - the thugs. I wonder why they knifed her here?"
Yambul looks into the cave and waits for the others. He's fine leaving the mold-bodies for now and coming back to them on the way out.
Zzvkgrogk observes Rhoreen briefly while her stomach and brain having dramatic moments. So THAT’S how they make that noise… looks unpleasant…” He quickly looks away, since it seems to him that she doesn’t particularly want any attention at the moment.
"Awwg, poor Parda! Pretty much everyone in Torch liked her! Why Parda! Why'd you hookup with those thugs?!" Was it blackmail? Oh, what is there I can do?!
He looks to see what was taken from her, if anything, or a letter ... or some other memento to bring back to town.
Rūha splashes out of the water only to see the beetles dead or scattering, and her newfound allies already forging ahead. She quietly says "Well, if this is the level of danger we'll see, then this will go quite well, I expect." She clambers up the rope that Yambul set and takes a look at the tunnel ahead. Rather than use a glowing beetle corpse, she takes a torch from her pack and lights it, hoisting it higher whenever Rhoreen gets too far away.
She crouches next to the half-orc corpse and takes a look at the wounds the others identified. "Terrible. And definitely not beetle work, that's certain." She ponders "Although it is tempting to imagine these thugs killed her, it doesn't seem logically sound. If that were true, the group would have emerged from the caves soon afterward. But instead they never came back." She glances back to the mounds "Unless those are the remaining thugs, who fell prey to something else before they could return to safety."
"Still, I believe the simpler scenario is that something or someone else stabbed her here, not her erstwhile allies."
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Chaance bounds up, quite happy for the decision to leave several of her belongings back at the Foundry, to free her up for swimming the depths of the pond.
"Not cats! No. Pets of any kind are not a luxury that I have been able to take advantage of, but someday I might have a pelican."
The elf's goggles bob up and down perceptibly, as she considers the relationship of rat and bird, which would otherwise be instantly recognizable as predatory to an outside observer. Subconsciously, she also looks at the kasatha, and wonders if this expedition embodies a similar juxtaposition.
Chaance listens to the others' accounting of the fallen fellow Torch local, which comports with her recently gained knowledge from the stables, and from Val's full descriptions of the previous expeditions.
This is a more gruesome game of Rat King. Follow the tail, find the body. Hope that the thread you select leads to the lips you'd like to kiss... She looks into the darkness wistfully, before returning to the matter at hand.
"So, Parda the almost-thug, dead where she lies, leaving her Zyphus-loving thug companion unaccounted for. That also leaves halflings, Vrilledt and his Brigh followers, and Khonnir and crew yet to be found. Not to mention those skulks, who will no doubt take umbrage to our presence, if this is their territory, and we're lumped in with those responsible for the loss of their leader."
When Rūha speaks on mounds, Chaance nods grimly. "We should have a closer look then."
Zzvkgrogk finds nothing in the body. Whatever killed her, took all her possessions and left the body here. Or perhaps she left her possessions somewhere else and run.
Rūha lights a torch bringing extra light to the back of the team.
Chaance traces back to have a look at what Rhoreen has seen along the stream of water.
Meanwhile Yambul ventures forward into the tunnel and hears the noise of the stream of water intensify. A few more steps and the beetle glands' light let him see there is a shore and light that comes from the stream tunnel, likely his companions' light sources in the northern cave. The bank continues to the east, lost in darkness, but there is also a bifurcation tunnel to the south.
You hear the unsettling noise of a small beast breathing towards the east, the noise concealed with the gurgle of the stream's flow.
Rhoreen listens to Chaance’s memory of the other groups, taking the lesson to heart. It could be us that ends up on a list for another group. We should be careful.
Rhoreen follows Yambul east, but makes room for others that want to go ahead. She tries to keep her light where it benefits him, knowing the thin line between good light and beetle light is her minimal magics.
Perception
”Careful now, Yambul,” Rhoreen warns. ”I hear breathing over there.”
Your low-light vision let's you see until the end of the cave where others do not. There, there is a grotesque and stocky humanoid with webbed feet and claws.
The frog-like creature suddenly opens his eyes and they are glowing white. The creature bears a brand on its flank as well as a tattered leather hood that hangs in strips from its head. The brand has something written in a strange alphabet.
This is a blindheim. These magical beasts are able to open their eyes emitting powerful disorienting light, a gaze attack, they use to call their preys and hunt them.
Know (Arcana)
”Yam! CLOSE YOUR EYES!” Rhoreen says, even as she closes her own as she recognizes the source of the breathing. ”There is a creature ahead, and I’m not sure it’s friendly or not, but I think not, that may blind you.”
"I hear breathing over there."
"I hear it too!" He peers into the darkness.
Zzvkgrogk's superior vision also allows him to spot the creature at the edge of the dim light, as fast as Rhoreen.
Crouched at the edge a pale frog-like creature has noticed your lights approaching.
The ratfolk sees this early on and has an opportunity to react with Rhoreen.
Then, the beast opens his eyes and the cavern fills with shinny light, the two little eyes bright like two suns. The sudden contrast of light is shocking.
This is a blindheim. These magical beasts are able to open their eyes emitting powerful disorienting light, a gaze attack, they use to call their preys and hunt them.
At the back on the stream, Rūha and Chaance see intense lights flashing and overhear Rhoreen's voice. Walking over the stream is difficult terrain.
"Aah!" the Ratfolk shrieks. "Don't look at it's eyes! Don't look at IT!" Zzvkgrogk draws a Device.
AC = 15
HP = 10/10
Weapon Equipped = Longbow
Condition(s) = Water Breathing
Chaance barely gets a chaance to look over the mounds, before the excitement levels rise elsewhere. This will have to wait. You three, don't go anywhere. The elf moves through the water towards the noise, and was that... light.
Rūha follows after Yambul, looking over his head into the dark beyond. When the frog-like creature opens its eyes and suddenly fills the room with light, she shields her own eyes and grimaces. "Phosphorescent? Or magical? Either way, that's sensible Zzvkgrogk. Can you fight it that way though?" She draws a javelin from her satchel. "Though bright, those eyes are probably softer than its hide. If you have to strike it, there are your targets."
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Round 1
Zzvkgrogk moves slightly ahead of Yambul to get a clear shot.
The device in Zzvkgrogk hand blasts powerful, bright yet compact energy bursts of a fiery nature at the frog creature.
Also, Zzvkgrogk closes his eyes after that attack.
Hits: 10
AC 16, touch 14 (+3 dex, +1 racial), flat-footed 13 (+2 armor, +1 racial)
Laser Pistol Charges: 9/10
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Seeing the lights ahead, Chaance wades upstream all while readying her bow.
Rūha approaches, and seeing the creature, gives good advice to go after the eyes.
That is when Zzvkgrogk produces a metallic device and starts to activate it. Super fast mini-rays of fiery light plow through the air impacting at the eyes of the beast. The creature roars in pain as one of them burns one of its eyes painfully!
The beast roars outraged and starts to run towards the main group in the tunnel, charging over the shooting ratfolk!
The light in its eyes confuses Zzvkgrogk enough than when the beast jumps over him in its charge, it bites the shooting arm leaving its jaws mark.
With the creature closer, you notice it bears a brand on its flank as well as a tattered leather hood that hangs in strips from its head. The brand has something written in a strange alphabet.
The bright side is the creature's eyes provides you with bright light.
Weapon Equipped = Falchion
Conditions = water breathing (1/5h)
Falchion: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str +1 Focus Damage: +6 Str Crit: 18-20x2
Dagger: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str / +2 Dex Damage: +4 Crit: 19-20x2 Range: 10’
Studied: (beast) (move/immediate; +1 att, dam, bluff, knowledge, perception, sense motive, survival)
Prestidigitation (1/1)
vs DC 13 or blinded
Yambul blinks his eyes repeatedly trying to blink the blindness away!
vs DC 13 or blinded
He’s able to clear his eyes as he shakes his head repeatedly, like a dog.
”Zzvik! Withdraw and I’ll fell what you have started!” Yambul cries, unable to get to the beast as yet. He’ll study the creature a moment (move) and ready an attack if Zzvkgrogk opens up the space.
(studied, advice) (studied, advice)
He shakes his head at his poor swing. He notes the tight tunnel and shifts his grip to get better next round.
- - -
Round of Delay
With Zzvkgrogk in the way, Rhoreen delays as she keeps her eyes hidden.
Round 2
Zzvkgrogk withdraws.
Hits: 7
AC 16, touch 14 (+3 dex, +1 racial), flat-footed 13 (+2 armor, +1 racial)
Laser Pistol Charges: 9/10
Yambul is the first hero of this epic story, as he holds his eyes open regardless of how much those bright eyes have burned his retina, he needs to see and he sees the rat-man pulling back into the tunnel, which the Kellid profits to step up and swing around, but so hastened that he almost cuts on Zzvkgrogk as he goes back.
AC = 15
HP = 10/10
Weapon Equipped = Longbow
Condition(s) = Water Breathing
Chaance presses forward, the narrowing river giving her just enough resistance, she can't make it all the way to the battle, just yet.
Her bow at the ready, she expects that emerging, she'll need to be careful to avoid the light, as she listens raptly to the others and their declarations of strategy against the enemy-which-glows-too-brightly.
Aim for its eyes. Got it.
She thinks her thoughts, composing herself, while keeping her eyes closed, under her goggles. The elf debates calling out to her companions, but doesn't want to draw the attention of the oogly-eyed one, just yet.
Round 1, Init 5
Rhoreen is of little use at the moment, unless Yambul wants acid or fire haphazardly thrown in his direction. And as she cannot yet get behind the beast, she keeps her eyes closed and takes total defense.
HP: 8/8
AC: 12/12/10
Lay on Cats: 0/1 used
Rod of Regret: 0/3 used
Open spell slots:
Left Hand: nothing
Right Hand: nothing
Sage Advice: (0/10 used)
:
[ dice]1d20+2[/dice] ranged to hit;
[ dice]1d4-1[/dice] blunt damage
She casts a very simple spell at Arturo.
”I can do it myself!!”
[ dice]1d8+1[/dice] CLW
Rūha is far less shy about keeping the beast in her sight. Though the light from its eyes is brilliantly bright, she manages to keep her own eyes open and she retains her sight. "Yambul, you don't happen to have a tarp or blanket you can toss over its face, do you?" As she speaks, she throws her javelin past the cook.
Chaance reaches the other side of the tunnel and finds out the lantern-eyes beast.
Worried to blast the cook with her might, Rhoreen awaits with closed eyes.
With an almost perfect throw, and despite Yambul in the middle, Rūha puts a javelin in the beast's chest that roars in pain.
Raging for this human in front does not let him reach the bad people who is shooting and stabbing stuff on him, the beast attacks Yambul.
The cook dodges the jaws but is surprised by the wrath of the claws that lash on his legs.
AC = 15
HP = 10/10
Weapon Equipped = Longbow
Condition(s) = Water Breathing
Chaance puts a delicate ear to the dank winds, hoping to understand how violent things have turned, between bug-eyed frog and brighted-eye cook. She concludes that both are awfully close to one another for her to risk a shot into hopefully the creature's backside, where eyes are not a threat. She knows she isn't that lucky an elf, so she calls out to the man with the falchion.
"Yambul, if you'd be so kind. Take your swing and clear some space between you and it. My eyes haven't adjusted to the surrounds, and I don't want to skewer you in place of it."
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Weapon Equipped = Falchion
Conditions = water breathing (1/5h)
Falchion: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str +1 Focus Damage: +6 Str Crit: 18-20x2
Dagger: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str / +2 Dex Damage: +4 Crit: 19-20x2 Range: 10’
Studied: (beast) (move/immediate; +1 att, dam, bluff, knowledge, perception, sense motive, survival)
Prestidigitation (1/1)
The claws rip into Yambul! Working in a kitchen teaches you all sorts of pain. Knife wounds, burning, all manner of injury. So sure, it hurt, but not as badly as he'd feared when he started this journey.
Yambul quickly closes his eyes as commanded by the others.
"Yambul, you don't happen to have a tarp or blanket you can toss over its face, do you?"
”You want me to fight it or tuck it in?!” Yambul calls out as he begins his swing.
"Yambul, if you'd be so kind. Take your swing and clear some space between you and it. My eyes haven't adjusted to the surrounds, and I don't want to skewer you in place of it."
”Oh… Oh… OK, sure.” he nods as he takes his swing.
(studied, advice) (studied, advice)
Swinging at the air, he’ll then take a 5’ step back to give Chaance a clean shot. To make Rūha happy, he’ll then take a rather nicely woven blanket out of his pack with his remaining move action (provokes, but I don’t think critter has reach).
"I can't fight this thing with my eyes closed! I can't see it to hit it! This is crazy!"
[Yambul] profits to step up and swing around, but so hastened that he almost cuts on Zzvkgrogk as he goes back.
Zzvkgrogk shoots Yambul's back a dirty look as he puts distance between himself and the overgrown tadpole.
Not his fault, really. There's no reason I should ever be in front. Not with that huge sword thing around.
"You're next on the menu!" he barks at the creature, trying not to squeak too much. Assuming you're not toxic.
Round 3
For the time being, Zzvkgrogk keeps his eyes closed and casts shield.
Hits: 7
AC=20, touch 18 (if incorporeal) (Shield)
AC 16, touch 14 (+3 dex, +1 racial), flat-footed 13 (+2 armor, +1 racial)
Laser Pistol Charges: 9/10
Round 3, Init 5
Rhoreen keeps her eyes closed, and reaches for the scroll buried in her pack. She doesn't want to try to use it, but thinks it might be necessary, given what seems to be happening to Yambul.
HP: 8/8
AC: 12/12/10
Lay on Cats: 0/1 used
Rod of Regret: 0/3 used
Open spell slots:
Left Hand: nothing
Right Hand: nothing
Sage Advice: (0/10 used)
:
[ dice]1d20+2[/dice] ranged to hit;
[ dice]1d4-1[/dice] blunt damage
She casts a very simple spell at Arturo.
”I can do it myself!!”
[ dice]1d8+1[/dice] CLW
"Don't be coy boy. If we can cover the creature's eyes, you won't need to keep your own closed." Rūha admonishes Yambul, interrupting her own stream of advice in the process. However, before she can put her plan into action, the light from the eyes seems to intensify and she's left unable to clear her vision. She draws another javelin and tosses it where she last saw the beast, this time sending the shaft well off-target.
Chaance waits for her chance.
Yambul hears his companions stepping back after a blind swing that only finds the cave's walls.
Seeing the work of the blindheim on the Kellid cook, Zzvkgrogk decides to protect himself better. A magical shield surrounds him.
Rhoreen does not like what she hears and decides to pick up one of her scrolls.
Meanwhile Rūha tries to throw another javelin, opening her eyes to see her target. That goes badly, because the bright light burns in her eyes, and she can only see strange multicolored patches. The javelin ends in the ground by the beast.
Wounded and in pain, the blindheim follows Yambul, opening its eyes, not understanding why this food does not fall to its charming gaze.
With masterful skill the cook blocks with his falchion attacks he cannot see coming, but still one of the claws takes him opening another cut on the groin.
AC =15
HP = 10/10
Weapon Equipped = Longbow
Condition(s) = Water Breathing
Chaance takes hers, and steps into view of the blindheim, but not before she decides to take her shot with her eyes fully wide open, and pray that she doesn't suffer the blindness promised by her more knowledgeable companions. You're no good if you can't see your target. This one is risky, but you knew that when you signed up to explore a cavern known for disappearing expeditions...
She watches exactly where she places her arrow, expecting to earn the creature's ire promptly. "Yambul, if it doesn't fall, I would be most appreciative of you finishing it off before it can lash out in pain."
Just as the creature is lashing out at Yambul, a saving arrow appears from the north, traversing the beast's head.
The blindheim falls to the ground unconscious before it can attack Yambul.
With it's dweller neutralized, you can have a calmer inspection of the cave.
A dark cavern opens up here, its twenty-foot-high ceiling thick with stalactites. A rocky shore overlooks a placid pool and stream, fed by a trickle of water leaking from a narrow fissure to the north. A small garden of toadstools and dark mold grows along the banks.
Even a cursory search of the pool reveals a man’s body, mostly eaten. Little remains to identify the body as that of one of the thugs from the second expedition, for the blindheim has eaten most of it and has ruined its armor and clothing in the process. A belt pouch on the body’s hip is still intact and contains 42 gp, a silver amulet with the shape of a pick axe made of a femur, a human skull & a large rib , and two water-tight potions.
Both potions of cure light wounds.
You also have a chance to study the strange writings in the tattered brand of the blindheim.
The words have some shared roots with the dwarven and gnome language you might use to understand it means something like "Pet". This is a language from the Darklands.
Perception
Know (Religion, untrained)
"Anyone else get the impression that this is a unholy symbol to Zyphus?" Rhoreen asks, trying to take attention away from her complete inability to identify a simple potion that she should totally know.
She puts the scroll she drew away, perhaps to use at another time.
"Are you going to be okay, Yambul? This place is dangerous."
Weapon Equipped = Falchion
Conditions = water breathing (1/5h)
Falchion: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str +1 Focus Damage: +6 Str Crit: 18-20x2
Dagger: Attack: 1 BAB +4 Str / +2 Dex Damage: +4 Crit: 19-20x2 Range: 10’
Studied: (beast) (move/immediate; +1 att, dam, bluff, knowledge, perception, sense motive, survival)
Prestidigitation (1/1)
"Don't be coy boy. If we can cover the creature's eyes, you won't need to keep your own closed." Rūha admonishes Yambul, interrupting her own stream of advice in the process.
Yambul is about to reply when he notices two things - he’s no longer being attacked, and as he opens his eyes to look around, he sees that Rūha can’t see. So he shuts his yap.
He does admire the placement of the arrow in the creature though, ”That was a mighty fine shot there Chaance.” He looks to Rūha, ”Anyone know how long this is going to last? I mean, it’s not permanent is it?”
He puts his blanket back away, cleans off his blade, and looks around to ensure nothing else is moving up on them.
"Anyone else get the impression that this is a unholy symbol to Zyphus?" Rhoreen asks, trying to take attention away from her complete inability to identify a simple potion that she should totally know.
”Who’s Zyphus?” Yambul asks ignorantly.
"Are you going to be okay, Yambul? This place is dangerous."
He looks down at the gashes in his chest, ”Yeah, this is a rough place. Hey Zzzvick, can I get a shot off that gizmo you’ve got?”
”That does the trick.” Yambul smiles as the drugs take hold and do the work of healing him.