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"Oh, yes! But still very useful, as long as I don't mix them up with my rations! I'm sorry if I seem so excited, but what's amazing about this is that belladonna is normally only found in flowering plants. This is the first time I've heard of it occurring in a fungus! Isn't that just fascinating?" She gathers up the potent toxin. "You know that you can eat any mushrooms, right? The trick is knowing which ones you can eat more than once."
As Izni is collecting mushrooms, Rhin asks “Which set of doors should we explore next? The wide set to the north, the one to the west that the mushrooms seem to be coming from, or the wide set to the south?” He points to each as he mentions the doors.
Simeek chuckles nervously at Izni's joke. "Good to collect for traps, maybe, I think," he says.
"I think we should mix some with some food and, if we run into another violent animal, just toss the food over. An improvised trap so to speak."
"I am very interested in where the mushrooms are coming from, but I can wait. Let's go north!"
Rhin moves to where he can open the door for Simmeek, so the fighter can have his weapon fully ready. “Just say the word, and I will open it!”
"This is useful," Simeek says, helping the crew to gather the sundries and assorted weapons. "We go through the door on our right, next?"
"You mean the big door to the south? Let's do that one next!"
"Um. No. But OK," Simeek agrees.
Grimmnir takes one of the mushrooms and mixes it into some food, intent to trying her trap out at the first opportunity. Other than that she limps along at the back of the group, not saying much and feeling sorry for herself.
On seeing the tools and equipment Rhin says “Treasures! Nice!”
He doesn’t really care which way they go next. He gets into position, then moves when izni says a different door and Simeek doesn’t object. He waits for Simeek’s signal and then opens the door.
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Opening the door you have found the crypt's Antechamber. This gigantic hallway opens into another chamber to the east. Crates and furniture are stacked against the walls, atop which sit dusty games and an old, ugly duck toy. An enormous taxidermic alligator is crammed beneath a gaming table.
This room contains stacks of old dish sets that are too good to be used, old games, a few scattered children’s toys, and random taxidermic pieces that were too sentimental to get rid of but too patchy and tacky to be displayed.
"Don't sharpen your claws on the alligator, Precious. You don't know where it's been." Izni slowly and carefully enters the room, alert for more beetles.
Simeek eyes the taxidermized animals warily. "What if this is the lair of a necromancer? Keep a careful eye on those animals," he whispers.
Rhin moves into the room. “I’ll check for magic! Necromancy is magic, so that should detect any!”
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Entering the room you feel a strong malign negative influence coing from the east. In addition to the completely lifeless taxidermic alligator, this chamber holds three fluffy taxidermic dogs. This malign negative feeling seems to have a physical effect on the taxidermied dogs as they slowly creak to life.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Izni
Dog (Red)
Dog (Green)
Dog (Yellow)
Quizrel
Simeek
Rhin
Grimmnir
Izni squeaks out, "Get the red dog, Precious!" As the cat advances, the kobold barks the syllables of a spell, calling for nature's guidance on her companion. Then she raises her shield.
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Precious leaps in and bites at the dog doing no visible damage to the taxidermized body.
The taxidermy dog snaps and bites back at Precious as the other two pile onto Rhin.
Precious takes a few nips but overall fairs well.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Izni
⠀⠀Precious
Dog (Red)
Dog (Green)
Dog (Yellow)
➤ Quizrel
➤ Simeek
➤ Rhin
➤ Grimmnir
"Ah! I knew it! Why did I have to be right?" Simeek cries out as he hastily swings his halberd around him to keep the zombie dogs at bay.
Rhin is annoyed to have all these creatures so close to him. He tries to figure out what they are as he takes a step back from them.
He then tries to encourage all his friends to hurt the things. Seems he is recycling parts of what he did for the bugs.
“Bad dogs, bad dogs, whatcha gunna do when they come for you?”
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Simeek's halberd slashes into the dog. It splits the taut fur open but no blood spills out.
Rhin recognizes these mindless undead to be Taxidermied Dogs. When a pack of the dogs get together they deal terrible wounds.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Izni
⠀⠀Precious
Dog (Red)
Dog (Green)
Dog (Yellow)
➤ Quizrel
Simeek
Rhin
➤ Grimmnir
“They hunt as a pack. We need to split them up!”
Grimmnir continues to hold back, throwing a blob of acid at the green pooch.
plus one splash acid damage
He then throws up a shield.
**cast acid splash
*cast shield
"Let's see how they like acid! Probably immune to the mental stuff."
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Grimmnir tosses a small glob of acid into the undead pooch, burning it slightly. Quizrel moves in smashing his mace into the ribsof the dog as well.
Both strikes hit, crushing the side of the taxidermied body in, destroying it.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Izni
⠀⠀Precious
Dog (Red)
Dog (Yellow)
Quizrel
Simeek
Rhin
Grimmnir
"Try again, Precious!" Izni raises her shield, then with another incantation and gesture sends a vine at the yellow dog. Precious bites and claws at the red dog, leaving a shallow slash on one flank.
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Izni's spell covers the nearby taxidermy gator as Precious hisses and pounces onto the strange dog. One of Precious' claws scratch the dogs face, but it barely seems to wound it.
The dogs mindlessly attack their prey, mainly tryng to eat the cat.
The dog viciously bits into Precious, shaking the cat in its jaws until it falls unconscious.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
➤ Izni
⠀⠀➤ Precious
Dog (Red)
Dog (Yellow)
➤ Quizrel
➤ Simeek
➤ Rhin
➤ Grimmnir
Grimmnir winces from a nice safe distance as Precious is ravaged. Since Yellow is the biggest threat (at least to Grimmnir) she aims her next spell at it.
, acid, 1 splash, 1 persistent acid damage if that is a crit.
She then throws up a shield again, certain that since the world is against her the stuffed monstrosity is certainly coming for her.
**cast acid splash
*cast shield
"Take that, foul beast!"
"Oh, no! Poor Precious!" The kobold casts a spell, then moves up behind the fallen cat.
"Aaaah!" Simeek screams as the horrible reanimated dogs take down the cat. He continues to swing his halberd around wildly.
Rhin changes up his lyrics. One of these times they might even make sense.
“Well, when I want to rock steady,
I know, I got to get ready!”
In among the toys in the room, he spots something he can use — a croquet ball. He attempts to send it flying into the skull of the yellow dog directly in front of him.
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Quizrel smashes the leg of another dog as Simeek's halberd slices the decayed dog in half. Rhin finishes off the second dog with a dirty croquet ball he finds, slamming it into the undead's head.
Precious is able to get back to her feet, thanks to a little bit of help from Izni. The eastern portion of this room holds luxurious furniture, including a child-sized bed with forgotten children’s toys piled upon it. As the fight ends you hear the small clip clop of horse hooves and a voice from the shadows. "Princess Sunset, do you hear that. Friends have come to play with us..." Out of the shadows strides a dirty and cracked life-sized toy riding pony. Atop of it is an even ore broken toy doll with a cracked cermic face. "Come play with me." She calls out in a sing song voice filled with lonliness and grief as the doll slides from the horse.
Princess Sunseta dn Camilla shamble and stutter forward in a horrifying manner.
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BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Camilla Doll
Princess Sunset
➤ Simeek
➤ Rhin
➤ Izni
⠀⠀➤ Precious
➤ Grimmnir
➤ Quizrel
Rhin moves behind the others and quickly casts a spell on Simeek’s halberd.
Simeek lets out a squeak. "Eep!" He swings his halberd at the toy horse. "Get back!"
"Stay back, Precious! I need some rest before I can heal you again!" The druid casts a ray of frost at the horse if it's still up, then raises her shield.
Once again, from the safety of the other room, Grimmnir is reduced to tossing tiny acid blobs.
"What next? An army of miniature soldiers?" queries the disgruntled Grimmnir, after waiting for the inevitable inspirational... thing that Rhin usually does but doesn't this time.
, acid, 1 splash, 1 persistent acid damage if that is a crit.
She then throws up a shield again because she is too smart to run into the room.
**cast acid splash
*cast shield
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Simeek's powerful strike shatters the horses porcelein exterior as Rhin strengthens it further with magic. Izni's ray of frost still seems locked onto the stuffed gator as it freezes the scaley hide.
Grimmnir tosses acid into the cracks of the nightmare pony as it crumbles apart, its body not able to hold together anymore.
Quizrel runs up and meets the porcelein doll head on.
His light mace strikes the doll in the side of her head as she leaps on top of him and begins pounding her fists on his face.
──────────
BOLD IS UP!:
──────────
Camilla Doll
➤ Simeek
➤ Rhin
➤ Izni
⠀⠀➤ Precious
➤ Grimmnir
➤ Quizrel
Rhin starts up another composition.
“No time left for you
On my way to better things!”
As he is singing this, he moves across the room.
Grimmnir, quite pleased that her little acid blob dropped the enormous pony, gathers her courage and ventures into the room, her confidence partially restored. Still on the lookout for a swarm of tiny toys, she tosses a well placed blob of acid at the crazed doll.
, acid, 1 splash, 1 persistent acid damage if that is a crit.
*stride
**cast acid splash
"Ah! Leave Quizrel alone!" Simeek shouts as he closes his eyes and charges forward to swing his halberd dangerously close to Quizrel.
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Grimmnir's acid weakens the dolls's structural integrity as Simeek's strike shatters Camilla all over the room. A small wisp of a soul streaks into a crack in the foundation leaving this dungeon for good.
The dresser by Camilla’s bed holds an ornate mirror worth 20 gp. The wardrobes in the room also contain five sets of fine, Small clothing worth 2 gp each.
With Camilla and the other threats in the basement gone, the Hookclaws can move in and start claiming treasures for the clan!
There are stairs leading further up into the dungeon.
“Maybe we should rest a night before going up the stairs?”
Rhin looks to the others to find out what they think.
"That's a good idea. Precious! Put that doll piece down, it might have acid on it." The cat opens her mouth and lets the fragment drop to the floor.
Then she casts a spell, pouring positive energy into the sorcerer.
Rhin starts picking through the outfits, trying to decide which of them he wants as his treasure. He is also interested in the books, especially ones with pictures!
“Need to load up on treasures before telling the rest of the tribe they can start looting!”
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You head back to share the stories of you adventures in the dungeon beyond and rest for the evening. Your success is met with a great amount of fanfare from the clan.
Though the Hookclaws have always been cautious by nature, success can be a heady drug. With the spoils of their explorations providing a life of comfort beyond what any kobold has previously imagined, the stairway upward has begun to emit a siren call, with promises of further treasures just beyond the doorway.
You see light coming into the cellar from the crack underneath the door. Although the cellar door is locked, the lock is rusted and can be shoved out of the door frame, allowing the door to be easily opened.
"There's something moving on the other side," Simeek whispers. "Maybe we should wait until it goes away?"