When the fog is creeping,
And the moon is low;
When the town is sleeping,
Gauntlight starts to glow!
That’s when she arises
For her midnight lunch.
Naughty kids are prizes
For her teeth to crunch.
But if you obey me,
And obey the rules;
You’re safe from Belcorra;
She just eats the fools!
So warns a popular nursery rhyme among the parents in the town of Otari, as they often sing the melodious but unsettling poem to their children at night to encourage good behavior. As a result, everyone who grows up in Otari has a healthy mix of fear, respect, and curiosity for the old ruins out in Fogfen and the strange lighthouse that stands at the swamp’s heart.
As they grow older, townsfolk learn what’s more often accepted as truth: that the heroic founders of Otari had slain the wicked sorcerer Belcorra many years ago. For a time, thrill-seekers explored the ruins around the lighthouse called Gauntlight, but today, common knowledge holds that the place has become a haven for pests—no longer a source of active danger or significant treasure after being completely picked over. Nearly 500 years has passed since Belcorra’s defeat after all, and in that time, she has only posed a menace to Otari through sinister rhymes.
Or so the citizens of Otari believe...
The town has four taverns that are busy in the evening and late-night hours. The Crow’s Cask owned by a cheerful halfling named Magiloy, The Crook’s Nook which owned by an Osirion woman named Yinyasmera, The Rowdy Rockfish owned by a dignified female dwarf named Brelda Venkervale, and lastly the Otari Fishery owned by Tamily Tandervale a female half-elf.
Otari has only one temple which is called The Dawnflower. Its high-ranking priestess is a beautiful halfling named Vandy Banderdash. The Dawnlower’s main deity of worship is Sarenrae, but any non-evil deity members are welcome. The temple is also a library filled with many religious texts from across Golarion.
There is one shop where one may find arcane books and scrolls which is called Odd Stories. Its proprietor, a wizard named Morlibint is always on the lookout for more books and scrolls to add to his collection and inventory.
The blacksmith in town, a human male named Carman Ranjani is hard at work during the daylight hours at Blades of Glades. He can make any weapon one would need on an adventure or just to protect oneself from the dangers lurking in the wooded areas to the north.
Just outside of town rest a group of standing stones called the Stone Ring Pond. There you will find a female elf druid tending to the upkeep of this sacred site.
On top of a hill beyond the Dawnflower is the town’s cemetery. Rumors of undead being seen wondering around at night is common talk within the town.
There is also a curious domed building at the northwest corner of town call Wrin’s Wonders. Its proprietor Wrin Silvinxi, an elf tiefling, sells a variety of items ranging from adventuring gear to magical items. When it’s not raining, the fabric of these domes is pulled aside so shoppers can admire what’s for sale in the light of the sun—or the moon, for that matter, as Wrin’s Wonders is always open!
"The lighthouse is glowing," Wrin says. She points to the northwest, where the distant shape of Gauntlight can be seen looming over the trees of Fogfen.
The curio merchant has called you together outside her shop this night to express her concerns. Her quick smile and welcoming attitude have always helped her to secure friendships during her travels, as well as for the past 4 years that she's operated her shop here in Otari.
"Nobody else can see it from here. Nobody else possesses my spirit sight. But I have seen the glow the past several nights, and I worry what it might portend."
The tiefling turns to several star charts spread out on a nearby table. "I have read the stars, and they have told me that you are the right ones to explore the ruins of Gauntlight and protect Otari from whatever might be behind the menacing glow. I will do what I can to guide you on your way. Look to the Cosmic Caravan for protection, my friends. I know I can count on you!"
"See ya tomorrow, Morlibint" Gretta called out to the owner Odd Stories.
Her shift was over for the day and she was off to find a hearty dinner, maybe at the Rockfish. Dwarves understood portions better than most.
As she walked she thought about getting up the courage to try shorting that her employer's name to Morly, or something! 'Morlibint' was such a mouthful to say all the time.
Not yet, she had only been employed for a couple of months. While she didn't think he'd be the sort to through her out on her rump for one cutesy name attempt, she wasn't ready to risk it.
The tall heavy woman was passing by the Wonders when the always pleasant Wrin called her over quickly. She dipped her head in greeting to those in under the canopy, those she knew and those she didn't.
And then listened.
"What? I... Me... the stars say I'm one of these Right Ones? I was just walking by Wrin. That's kind of wonky, and not the good kind of wonky." though she doesn't seem to be saying No.
"Hahaha! Did not know therre vas a constellation called 'The Five Fools'." Daleranna replies after Wrin's exposition of her worries, clearly mocking the elf, before covering her mouth, as if she had regretted her own words, blushing. "I'm so sorry for that, Miss Wrin!"
Dal is a pretty blond girl with striking light blue eyes. Not particularly strong, tall, experienced, or even exotic, her presence among those gathered that night seemed nothing but a mistake, and it would certainly be the case of not for the fact that Dal was haunted by a pretty disgusting and annoying spirit: Zaburb, a very angry dwarf from the Lands of the Linnorm Kingdoms.
Gretta's mouth opens to snap at Daleranna's open mocking of the wonky elf. But the normally unassuming young woman apologized before Gretta could rush in to stop the perceived bullying. She had heard rumors at a tavern or two about possession, so maybe this is the case
Instead she set her mouth in a disapproving line and crosses her massive arms, forgetting her own objections to the insanity of the suggestion.
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Nelus's face was the picture of worry. This was supposed to have been a nice, quiet night. He'd finished repairing the Giant's Wheel for Mayor Menhemes, and the pay off that job had been enough to finally order better preservatives for his lab, maybe even to refill his medical supplies.
But when he'd gone by the temple, Vandy had had another stack of recommendations.
And then when he'd gone to Odd Stories -- just to find out if those books were available! -- Gretta had been working there again, and he still didn't really know how to talk to her, and of course they had had every volume of the Shadow Quatrains, and she'd brought all of them down off the tallest shelf for him, and then it had been just too awkward to tell her that he'd really just wanted to maybe get the first one, or even just ask Morlibint who was much easier to talk to for his opinion!
But by then his simple question had become a pile of books, and then that pile of books had needed the pile of silver he'd just gotten for realigning the millstone, and then there'd been too many for him to easily carry, so he'd had to leave some of the books at the shop until he could come back after supper anyways, but then on his way home Wrin had been waving -- and she was scary to talk to too, but the kind of shivery good scary like the best kind of horror books -- so he went over to see her and then now the Stars were talking about him?! Before supper?!
It was just too much.
"Desna guide me. Are you sure, Wrin? I know that Dal's already a hero, and Gretta's strong as an ox, and Lennor and Archa have all their magic, but why would there even be star up there to tell you about me?"
Gretta uncrossed her arms at the Ox comment, looking a little sheepish about the comparison. She rallied at the man's self deprecation. "Morlibint... Morly?..." experimenting with names outside said person's earshot seemed better. Her mud brown eyes look around to see the reactions to the name before she barrels on. "He says you've read more books in town since you've been around than anyone he remembers. Whatever these stars are telling Wrin here probably appreciate knowledge. Like all should."
Nelus chewed his lip doubtfully. "Reading and doing aren't the same, and reading's a lot safer, and easier. Maybe if you needed someone to find the old lighthouse, but..." He looked back to Wrin. "Did your readings tell you anything else?"
Archa stands beside Wrin, her unique appearance making her instantly recognizable. From the waist up, she resembles a beautiful Vudran woman, with long brown hair and dusky skin adorned with henna tattoos, but her lower body is a sinuous, white-scaled snake's tail. She wears loose, flowing robes and golden jewelry, and her slitted yellow eyes gleam in the dim light of the tent.
"Gauntlight," she says slowly, as if tasting the word on her tongue. "This is the source of the evil lights that have appeared in the swamp, yes? Whatever lurks within is a danger to all creatures who dwell here, the snakes included. And the First Mother has charged me with keeping the snakes safe." Her tail wiggles back in forth in anticipation of the upcoming expedition.
Gretta had seen the nagaji woman in town. Who hadn't?!? She even looked up was a 'nagaji' was. It helped to work in a bookstore for things like that.
But she hadn't talked to her yet. She got close once, while Archa was moving with exotic grace through the street. Then Turk (the Turd-faced Turd Head) had gotten in the way.
Turk and his cronies were bullies, a fact Gretta knew since they threw insults her way rather regularly since she had arrived. She Did ignore all the hurtful words instead of beating the crew senseless though. A fact she felt proud of and also she didn't want to be labeled violent in her new town.
But that morning it wasn't an insult Turk was about to fling. It was a rock. And it wasn't at Gretta either, but Archa.
Long story shorter, Turk got in Gretta's way to talk to the interesting Archa in the form of his face getting in the way of her fist. Repeatedly.
Not a great first impression. 'Violent book nerd beats up upstanding youths'
Sigh...
But Now. "Um... Archa. Hi." the young woman waves. "Who is the First Mother?"
Archa turns her gaze to Gretta and blinks slowly. "Nalinivati. The Serpent's Kiss, Queen of Nagas," she explains. "She created me, uplifted me from my mundane origins and remade me in her image. I will protect the snakes of the Fogfen. I will seek out magic and use it to keep them safe. And in so doing, I will defend this town and its inhabitants as well. For the First Mother is also a goddess of fertility, and she would see the lovers of Otari safe to continue their couplings, to be fruitful and to multiply."
Archa speaks with conviction, but there is a slight frown to her features.
Gretta listens with rapt interest, sucking up knowledge as eagerly as a drunk with rum. Her cheeks turn dusty rose as the lesson turns to copulating, but it doesn't keep her from noticing the frown.
"Thank you for the explanation, um, but is anything wrong?" the concern in her voice eclipses the internal embarrassment.
Archa glances down at herself before looking back up to Gretta. "Not wrong. The First Mother chose me for a reason, I am sure. But I have only been uplifted for a short time now. This form is unfamiliar. The soft skin, the hair on my head, the arms... The arms are a big adjustment, yes... I just hope that I am up to the task the goddess has set before me."
Getta didn't know much about goddesses, especially naga goddesses, so she had no reference to help answer if Archa would be or not. "Arms?" looking down at her trunks she wonders then looks back up and just asks. "Um... if you don't mind me asking, what were you before? Your mundane origins." She can assume given where the path of the conversation has been, but assuming is not knowing, which has always felt SO wrong to her.
"I was a simple snake," Archa explains patiently. "The lights... The wisps, as they are called, lured me almost to my doom. Were it not for the goddess' intervention, I would have died."
"Oh" a simple response, but Getta's face lights up at the answer. "Your goddess sounds amazing."
"Indeed," Archa replies, her own features mirroring Gretta's light as she smiles for the first time. It is a very beautiful smile.
Wrin listens to the group converse and just gives a slight smile at being called wonky and having the stars laughed at.
Are you sure, Wrin? I know that Dal's already a hero, and Gretta's strong as an ox, and Lennor and Archa have all their magic, but why would there even be star up there to tell you about me?"[/b]
Wrin dons a motherly smile as he cheeks bunch up "Ohhhh Nelus, dear, sometimes a light shines for those who do not have a particular destination. Perhaps there there is a potential future ahead you have not considered? Hmmm?"
"Did your readings tell you anything else?"
"I'm afraid I don't have much more than that right now, but I will continue to seek guidance from above while you investigate."
"This is the source of the evil lights that have appeared in the swamp, yes?
Wrin looks to the northwest, as if doing so could illuminate the source of her concerns. Focused on the Gauntlight, she says softly "I believe so, yes. I'm hoping you can confirm my suspicions."
In contrast, Lennor's mouth is set in a grim line as she examines the star charts spread out on the table by Wrin. While she quite enjoyed the tiefling's company, Lennor had never placed much faith in Wrin's attempts to predict the future by tracking the stars. Prophecy was dead, everyone knew that, and acting otherwise was a fool's errand. Still, Wrin's concern was genuine, and Lennor still owed her a debt.
Turning both her body and mind back to the conversation happening around her, Lennor takes stock of her would-be companions. The three humans she knew by sight, if not by name, though the man seemed to know her. Not ideal, but nothing to be done about it now. They looked capable enough. Archa, of course, was immediately recognizable, as the only person in Otari who could make Wrin and Lennor look ordinary.
To an outside observer, two things immediately identify Lennor as not quite human. Easiest to spot from a distance is her alabaster skin, several shades too light to simply be pale. Her hair, long and straight past her shoulders, is a similar hue, though streaked through seemingly at random with dark shades of gray. The second marker is her eyes: completely devoid of any pupils, they reflect light with the same sheen and intensity as that of a cat stalking through the night, caught in the dim light of her prey's guttering torch. She has been told it is unsettling.
The third, much less obvious sign, is her shadow. It's never quite in sync with her, sometimes traveling ahead of or behind her. Even here, now, when Lennor steps away from the star charts, it remains.
"Set aside your self-doubt," she says finally, her gaze seeming to settle on Nelus. Her voice is soft, almost breathy, despite her severe tone. "It is a waste of your time and ours. If you do not believe yourself to be capable, then believe that Wrin does. That there may be someone better suited to this task is as true as it is irrelevant; we are here, they are not."
"Turn your minds instead to the matter at hand: discovering the source of the glow and dealing with any threats to the people of Otari."
Nelus flipped open a much-reused wax tablet and started scribbling in cramped shorthand.
Nalinivati
Past entanglements with Desna et al?
Snakes ^Other Reptiles? threatened too
Snake souls?
He looked up from his notes to ask Archa a follow up eschatological question only to have it smothered by Lennor's level stare.
With a gulp he cleared his throat of unwise doubts and dispensable questions. "Ah, erm. Yes. I suppose you're- Yes.
"Sorry."
He glanced down and away, lingering for a moment on Lennor's non-matching shadow while he collected himself.
"We're not going now are we? I don't have my tools or my tonics - I don't even have my good coat!"
Gretta was staring at Lennoor, chewing her lower lip. She is having a hard time figuring out if the dark-eyed woman was giving a pep talk or being abrasive. People were much harder to understand without a narrator.
"I've got the rest of the day and tomorrow off, so nows as best time as it gets for me. But I'm like you Nelus, I got to go get my stuff first." looking at all of them she asks "Meet back here in an hour?"
Dal purses her lips, swallows and looks aside as she is called a hero, remaining in silence. She is anything but that and even if she does want to know why Nelus called her that, she doesn't want to ask now, in front of everyone and reveal just how that saying word affected her.
She does speak when Greta proposes to leave within an hour. Actually, he does. "Forr vhat? Plannin'? Ye arre not stupid enough to prropose forr ye to investigate the svamp in the middle o' the night, arre ye? Ye can't even see in the darrk, can ye? Ha!"
Dal takes a deep breath, raising her hand as another apology. "Oh, sorry Greta... But he does have a point. Isn't it safer to wait until the morning at least? Can we?" She adds, this time without the thick dwarven accent, turning to Wrin and looking for a confirmation that they could wait for the next day.
Gretta looked up through Wrin's open ceiling, blushing out a "oh" after a few seconds, where she was dealing with embarrassment. " Morning, then?"
"The morning is amenable. We will depart then," Archa agrees.
Her gaze still set on Nelus, Lennor tilts her head, a quizzical expression on her face.
"You're sorry? Whatever for?"
Wrin nods to Lennor's response to Nelus and before she can tell him that they can wait, Dal suggests as much to the group. "Morning is fine, but I think at some point you should check it out at night because I only sense things... differently then."
"Before you go, let me do a reading for you. I shall attempt to discover how your trip will be tomorrow."
She takes her time studying the stars, moving from one area of the night sky to the next. She occasionally murmurs "Ahhh." or "Hmmm." and eventually clasps her hands together and looks each of you to explain.
"I see you returning to me on the morrow exhausted from a days adventure that has taken a toll on you, but with promising discoveries."
Opening her hands she bids you farewell with "Rest well tonight, you will certainly need it tomorrow! Meet at the Rowdy Rockfish first thing and I'll make sure you have a solid meal in you before you depart."
With that, you each take your leave and head back to pack for your trip in the morning.
---
The following morning you awake rested and prepared for the task set before you! You grab your gear and head to the Rowdy Rockfish where Brelda Venkervale has a hot meal waiting for each of you. In addition, Brenda hands the group a package with a small note attached. The note is from Wrin and reads "Purchased some of those delicious fishcakes from Crook's Nook for you to take with you on your trip. Safe travels and good luck!"
---
It's a nearly 30-minute walk to the ruins. It's not that far away, but you're slowed significantly by having to walk through overgrown bushes, through sucking mud, around animal dens and fallen trees, or sometimes a combination thereof.
The sound of frogs and mosquitos mixes with water sloshing against muddy shores, all muffled by the ever‑present mists that linger in the aptly named Fogfen. As the mists clear, a shadow looms from the cloying swamp vapors—a sprawling ruin of stone and wood squats atop an island in the soggy marsh. The upper floors have largely collapsed, leaving only the stone walls of the ground floor intact. Above these ruins towers an out‑of‑place monument—a colossal lighthouse whose painted walls and iron‑cased crown have resisted the corrosive effects of the surrounding swamp.
You can see a pair of rotten doors leaning against each other in what is the most obvious entrance to a surprisingly intact watchtower with some old rotting furniture in the corners. You can even see straight through to a few remaining planks which might be generously called a bridge. Given the condition of the structure other entrances to different sections of the old keep are not out of the question.
Gretta arrives the next morning with a brand new pack full of adventuring gear that the shopkeeper assured her was essential for proper Adventuring. This was her first time out in ruins, so even though she was skeptical, she paid for it.
While her gear still has the brand new smell on it, her armor is older. Well cared for but well practiced in, combined with a least a couple of minor fights. The effect of the off-white thick gambeson and the dull steel of chainmail makes the lady look even bigger. It certainly makes people know she is coming.
Also worn, though well cared for, is the massive maul resting on her shoulder.
The two additions do make Gretta look less like a bookworm and more like a breaker of things.
"Oh, Fish Cakes!" she smiles widely at the note.
-------------
At the doors the large woman is near the front of the group, so she looks back. "So, books always talk about checking for traps and listening for danger, did Wrin's stars give us somebody with those skills?"
Her gaze still set on Nelus, Lennor tilts her head, a quizzical expression on her face.
"You're sorry? Whatever for?"
Nelus gives an anxious, reflexive smile. "Should I not have apologized? Sorry!"
***
Nelus's gear doesn't have a single piece that looks new. His heavy overcoat is resewn all over with patches and new pockets in swatches of different leathers and lining that don't even slightly match the texture and color of the rest. The grip of his hunting bow is smooth and shiny from the use of many hands, and the leather of his machete's sheath has nearly worn through to the wood beneath it.
He swallows. "Traps?! Well I'll certainly be watching for those!" He glances over at Dal. "That's what we should be doing, right?"
He shifts the quiver on his shoulder as he squints into the gloom. "Does anyone have a free hand for a torch?"
"I do" Gretta responded, showing one meaty fist, but then lifted the maul that the other hand is wrapped around. "Until we have a fight, then I need it for this. But..." she traces a rune in the air with her fingers and chants a small spell, then the end of her hammer erupts in light. "Not sure why I ended up buying torches at all really. The shop keeper insisted that they were ESSENTIAL to exploration." she sighed loudly.
Bringing up the rear, Lennor's clothing is a riot of bright colors, seemingly chosen at random with no regard as to whether any of them complemented one another. She steps are accompanied by the soft clink of various glass vials, hanging from a bandolier across her torso.
"I can hold the torch, if necessary," she says. "But I have little use for it myself. It would be best if carried by one who needs its light."
Archa stands beside Lennor. Her upper body is protected by a tight-fitting breastplate, leaving her serpentine tail exposed beneath her. She grips a steel shield in one hand. In the other is a strange weapon, a bevy of whiplike swords attached to a single hilt. She nods her readiness.
Once everyone has readied themselves and ensured the proper gear is on hand, Daleranna moves up to open the door to the guardhouse before moving inside the seemingly empty space.
Swaths of mildew and mold cover the damp surfaces of this watchtower, appearing as green and black smears on the dull stone walls. The door frames in the walls to the north and south rotted long ago, while a few collapsed chairs lie on the floor amid small heaps of foul-smelling gray lumps. Thick sheets of dusty cobwebs hang from above, obscuring any view of the ceiling.
As Gretta follows Daleranna in, some high-pitched voices call out from somewhere above in the room, speaking in Undercommon which only Gretta and Lennor understand.
Archa keeps her shield up as the voices call out. "What is it? What are they saying?" she whispers.
He swallows. "Traps?! Well I'll certainly be watching for those!" He glances over at Dal. "That's what we should be doing, right?"
He shifts the quiver on his shoulder as he squints into the gloom. "Does anyone have a free hand for a torch?"
Dal is frozen for a moment, as if recalling something. "Yeah... we should certainly be watching for those. They can be quite deadly." She then unslings her shield from her back and tests its weight. "Right right, here we go."
Dal has braided her hair, just to stop it from moving too much. Her gear is very well kept, even if it is clear they are not new. Dal wears a breastplate over her fitting clothes, and those were chosen to prioritize her movement and not her female body. Her shield is round and heavy, made of metal and clearly of dwarven craftsmanship, and the same can be said about the battle axe on her waist.
With a nod from the others, Dal moves ahead.
Dal points somewhere beyond the cobwebs. "I think there are some planks and ropes beyond the cobwebs... can you see it as well?" Dal draws her axe at the sound of the strange voices.
"I see them," Lennor says, peering up into the rafters. "The roof has a hole in it, as well." She tilts her head, listening to the tiny voices calling down to them.
"They say they are 'helpful pixies' and that we should eat the 'magic pixie mud' on the floor," she translates, gesturing at the gray, awful smelling lumps. "They say that will help us see the 'mean bugs' that live in the keep, but I think they are lying."
"They do say they are delicious though." Getta adds though the suspicion is deep in her voice. Her attention on the Mud is fully, making her attention or knowledge on anything else impossible.
Gretta says something back in as nice of tones as one can manage in undercommon.
As Gretta stares at the "magic pixie mud", one of the "pixies" above burst out into laughter and says
[spoiler=Undercommon]"Lookitlooit!Red-hair-gonna-eat-eat-eat-it!---HAHAHAHAHA!"
Up above the cobwebs, the room bursts into uncontrollable laughter. The "pixies" start laughing so hard in fact, one of them slips off their perch and falls to the ground directly in front of Dal.
Except what hits the floor is most certainly not a pixie, it's a blue gremlin creature. Laying on the ground, it starts slapping the ground and rolling back and forth continuing to say in undercommon "She-wants-to-eat-the-s%@!-hahahahahaha!"
From up above, the sounds of a few more creatures continue to laugh in very non-pixie-like voices.
"Oh! I've seen that dung before. They had a lovely woodcut in Comparative Scatologies... Wait is that the mud you're talking about? Don't eat it! It's gremlin guano!"
Gretta opens her mouth to tell the others the mud is s&#!, but Nelus gets there first. Instead she just turns bright red in embarrassment as she is teased.
The flustered young woman tries to explain loudly
But the gremlins just crackle harder. Her fists tighten around her hammer's shaft, as she starts getting angry (embarrassment still boiling inside her as well).
Even louder with menace in her voice she tells them.
The pause destroys the threat. Completely. A fact she realizes when they just start laughing harder.
As much as she wants to punt the fake pixie across the room, if she resorted to violence every time someone laughed at her she would be very very tired.
As the creature falls in front of her, Dal quickly presses the border of her shield against its torso, and then tries to grab it by its neck! "You little bastard..."
These gremlins are Mitflits, sometimes called mites, and are self-loathing and pitiful cowards, though they are known for their vengeful anger which gives them an edge in combat.
As soon as Daleranna grabs the creature, two more emerge from up above and pull out their shortswords. They point to Dal and grumble in undercommon, "Mudlickers, attack!"
Archa raises her shield to ward off any blows that might come her way. She casts a spell, firing a beam of holy energy at the nearest gremlin, but it sails past her target.
Lennor's gaze falls upon the tiny creature clutched in Dal's grip, and so does the weight of her psychic powers. She bores into its tiny mind, looking for weaknesses. A moment later, she returns to herself.
"He favors his left arm," she announces, "strike there."
Gretta was doing her best to ignore the laughing asses, but then it went from ridicule to violence in the space of a breath. The big woman wanted to shout what the heck on a plate, stop this everyone. But the gremlins had pulled swords. She didn't see that as defusing easily.
With a grim set to her mouth, she strides up to the one that Lennor pointed out their weakness. "His arm, got it." her words turned to a chant, making her hammer ignite with flame, then she slams it inot his entire left side.
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Archa's divine lance misses, but Lennor's daze catches the mitflit off-guard and seems to injure him.
What Gretta puts forth is a masterclass in intimidation.
Swinging her maul, she rips it off of the Mitflit's body, sending it flying across the room and hitting the backwall. But that's not all. After the appendage separates, a flame explodes over the corpse and chars the skin of the creature, producing a rather pungent burnt meat smell.
This display of prowess throws the closest mitflit off, causing it to miss both of its attacks after it moves up next to Daleranna. The third creature seems to want to keep its distance and moves to the far northwest corner of the room, fires a dart at Gretta and scampers up a rope back into the cobwebs above.
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"Oh Mother of Pete" Gretta says in a hushed tone, as the body of the little guy goes flying (at least part of it) and then starts burning in the corner. Pete by the way was a guy she couldn't stand growing up, a true troll of a person inside, while his mother was an amazingly kind woman. Gretta took to using the phrase to express True wonder at the how or why of something. Mostly to annoy Pete.
"Um... I didn't mean..." she starts to balk since she just killed something that could talk, but then a dart slices her cheek open. It could have been her eye.
"Fine" she grumbles, moving forward with heavy steps and swinging with her hammer again.
But this time she is concentrating too hard on recharging her magic, she slams her hammer a foot to the right, crashing through a rotting chair and sending splinters Everywhere.
Archa slithers up behind Gretta. She invokes her spell again and fires another beam of holy light, this time striking the distant mitflit right between the eyes!
Nelus scurries forward, nocking an arrow to his bow as he carefully tracks the climbing Gremlin's movements. It's too fast! What am I doing?! Should I still try to- No. If that one's too fast, maybe the other will be easier.
"Ye disgusting f+%@errs! I'll piss in yerr blood!" Dal exclaims as she strides forward to get an easier angle at the gremlins, before slashing the closest one with her axe!
Archa's holy lance pierces the one up above and knocks him off his perch, sending him tumbling back down to the ground again, landing at a jumbled and unnatural angle, unmoving.
Meanwhile, Nelus lands a perfectly places arrow in the last remaining gremlin just before Daleranna buries her axe into it. Outmatched, the battle quickly ends and the sounds of the frogs and insects from the swamp fill your ears once again.
Each creature carries an old and rough looking shortsword as well as ten darts. One of them has some nasty-smelling chunk of meat in a pouch.
Searching the room reveals a peridot bead worth 2 gp, along with a chipped mitflit tooth in one of the little dung piles.
To the north is a wooden drawbridge, its timbers gray with age and decay, spans the twenty-foot gap between the outbuilding and sprawling ruin on the island. Rusty iron chains hang from the ruin’s northern wall to the drawbridge’s southern side. The chains look ready to fall apart, giving the drawbridge’s structural integrity an extra layer of dubiousness.
With only a quick glance, you can spot the sabotage on the bridge. Someone has undercut the supports and it looks like if multiple medium creatures cross it at the same time it would collapse into the water below.