Seeing the other bubble appear, Ustemir once again instructs Kolek to do his thing. The bear swipes into the darkness. While that happens, Ustemir picks up his shortsword.
Ascaede tries to pinpoint the location of the ebon blob.
◆ Seek ◆ Seek ◆ Raise Shield
Then, unable to find it, she raises her shield fearfully.
◆ Perception (Seek)
◆ Point out
◆ Raise Crossbow
"Look! There is something there"!
Sebastien inspires everyone to see better, for a little bit. He himself can't see s+#+, so he raises a force shield.
Weadin follows suit, with an actual shield and hammer.
Stepnik peers into the inky blackness and swears he sees something moving within. Sadly, his friends can't see him, and all his pointing is unfruitful.
Ustemir sends Kolek in to attack the first creature and the poor bear struggles in the darkness.
The monster considers its options for a tasty snack.
Weadin feels cold, leathery, wet tentacles slap against her ineffectively.
Sebastian begins expounding upon the virtues of Sight!
The Inspiration rains!
The halfling Strides 25' or until he is out of the Darkness....
Sebastian will attempt to Seek again!
Waedin hits out in the square that she felt the attacks come from!
◆
◆
◆Raise Shield.
Sebastien inspires everyone to see more clearly in the murk. He then steps back out in the hall and peers into the globe of darkness and swears he sees unnerving shapes moving about.
Waedin blindly slams her hammer down on the tentacles groping at her. She feels something rubbery squish beneath her blow.
Encouraged, she swings again, but misses in the dark.
It's right in front of me! Right at the door Waedin calls out for whatever good that will do.
◆ Seek Seek (Perception)
◆ Load Crossbow
◆ Strike Crossbow
Bolt
◇ Flat Check If needed
With the world still occluded, Ascaede attempts to further clarify her surroundings…and thinking she has located the beast, swipes with her blade…then raises her shield defensively.
◆ Seek ◆ Strike ◆ Raise Shield
Sebastian nods in appreciation of Ascaede's fancy sounding weaponry.
In position, both blades in hand, Ustemir listens for sounds the creature makes. When he hears any, he swings in that direction. He shouts to Kolek to continue swiping. "Swipe left, boy! We don't want this thing in our lives."
And Kolek does so, clawing the darkness twice.
Stepnik stares into the globe of inky darkness, leveling his crossbow at it. Somewhere in there is a horrible creature from caverns deep below, as well as all of his companions. He takes a shot, and the bolt disappears.
Asceade hones in on the creature and swings forth her blade. She feels the slowing of her blade as it cuts through leathery flesh, and Weadin feels the tentacles lose their grip, and limply slide down her shield.
Everyone blinks, and the creatures are slain.
After a minute the globes of inky darkness dissipate.
Again, you stand in a ruined chapel, a large stone altar with oversized anvil dominate the space. Asceade has surmised that this is a place of Ferrakus worship. Six hexagonal indentations beset the altar.
Ascaede blinks and rubs her eyes, then stares numbly at her ichor-messed blade. She shrugs and shakes it free of the worst before wiping the rest on the corpse.
”What manner of place is this?” she asks aloud. ”A kobold. Wolves. Strange rubbery monsters falling from the ceiling…”
Then:
”Is everyone alright?!?”
That was deeply unpleasant. Is that how you humans feel everytime the sun goes down? Waedin shudders. Feels like this shrine was abandoned and got infested with evil creatures. I'm sure Ferrakus would appreciate it if we cleaned it up.
Sebastian stands again, in a ruined chapel, a large stone altar with oversized anvil dominate the space. Asceade has surmised that this is a place of Ferrakus worship. Six hexagonal indentations beset the altar.
This place makes a Fun House fun.
The Bard looks at the six hexes and thinks....
I got nothing. Perhaps, gems?
"Not a man of faith, but I don't suppose it can hurt." Ustemir nods at the cleanup suggestion. He grabs the two leathery things that dropped from the ceiling and starts pulling them away from the room before they bleed on the floor even more.
Waedin helps move the corpses out to the courtyard and then points north. I guess we keep going down the corridor?
Stepnik moves forward using the Investigate exploration activity.
The Bard looks at the six hexes and thinks....
I got nothing. Perhaps, gems?
Ascaede smiles.
”The Truescale kobold lookout had a hexagonal gem - likely it fits the depression!”
Ascaede gives the altar no small amount of serious side-eye.
”The question then is: is this altar a trap? A devotional instrument? A portal to planes beyond? Will it, when all six depressions are filled summon a vestige of Ferrakus?”
Ascaede approaches the altar and studies it intently.
Maybe it'll just play a hymn.
Sebastian only winks.
Weadin and Asceade offer plenty of plausible if not speculative results if the garnet were to be placed in one of the impressions.
Weadin looks about the room and sees what was once a fine chapel, made with dwarven pride and care, but long ago ransacked, defiled, and left to ruin. Ridding the once sacred place of aberrant creatures and cleaning up a bit is a start in terms of restoring it to sanctity, like she did for the chapel of Toma Thule in Silverpine Watch. Maybe the book found in the library can help.
Maybe resetting the garnet in the altar with have some effect, maybe not. Only one way to tell.
Once we clear out this place I'll read the book we found to see if putting the gem back on the altar is a good idea or not.
Ustemir helps in the cleanup, and suddenly has an idea.
"Hey,um... You want to try roasting those oversized leather jackets over a fire? Who knows how they taste?"
Ascaede makes a quick unwelcome frown as Ustemir proposes a most unusual source of provender. A slight shudder courses through the acolyte’s wiry frame before she masters herself.
Waste not, want not I suppose.
Ascaede curses herself for her lack of attention.
”Of course, the book! A good idea Waedin - let us not rashly enact deific disdain nor opprobrium where careful study might bring reward and caution promote safety.”
Then Ascaede smiles.
”So, do we rest, make camp, eat?”
She pokes a toe into one of the dark corpses to assist Waedin’s examination.
Sebastian simply smiles at the properly proposal to place their prizes.
The Bard gives a thumbs up!
We're doing pretty well. Actually why doesn't anyone hurt gather around and let me.. bring a touch of Garena to this abandoned place.
I think we can go through some more rooms before calling it a day.
Kolek starts curiously sniffing around Waedin after her burst of divine power closes his wounds.
"We're done here then?" Ustemir asks. "In this room?" he points to the floor with his index finger and picks up his short blade.
Let's check out these rooms at the entrance then check the north. Waedin says.
Feeling a bit spunky himself, the Bard gladly joins the others in a bit more exploring....
Ascaede nods with vigor, perhaps more from keeping the possible meal of dark blubberthing that much further away.
Having had part of the roof fall on her head, then a monstrous darkness the acolyte can be excused for feeling slightly…less curious and more…apprehensive as she moves out.
"Alright then. Let's go, cleanup crew." Ustemir walks forward. He pats Kolek. "You stay behind everyone, Papa-Bear. For protection."
Mode Search
After some debate over the restoration of this chapel, and the dragging of slaughtered corpses out into the courtyard, the group decides to press forward and explore the rest of the ruins.
They file into the narrow hallway and move forward. Ustemir peeks around the corner and sees the hallway extends to the east and ends in a broken statue. Immediately to his left a door along the north wall hangs open, and past that another stands shut. At the far end of the hall, a door hangs open to the courtyard, and another opens to the north.
A stone statue stands at the far end of the hall, it's head broken off and lying at its feet.
Sebastian follows after Ustemir. His halfling eyes watching for shananagins...
His Light spell showing him holding the Wand of Manifold Missiles...
Wolf and kobold tracks abound in the dirt and grime covered hallway, mostly coming and going through the ajar door nearest to you.
Sebastian (not being able to move himself on the map because of his player always posting from his phone!) will count to 6 before opening the door that is a jar...further.
Ustemir walks up to the door on the north wall of the hall to peek in.
Waedin scratches Koleck on the head before moving up to be beside Ustemir with her Shield up.
Sebastien opens the door and Ustemir peeks in. Behind the door is a small study, currently empty but it looks lived in. Small bones litter the floor and tufts of grey hair lie scattered here and there. The smell of wet fur hangs in the air.
An old stone desk sits in the center of the room, cracked and scratched in places. A small wooden chest sits in the northeast corner.
The office opens up into another room to the west.
"If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say this room as slowly becoming a wolf den."
Ascaede pokes her head in.
”Den…or pen? Short of opposable thumb-derived egress, were wolves kept here, or were they allowed free access? Or is yonder room open also?”
The acolyte smiles grimly.
”Or, therianthropically, they merely changed form and let themselves in and out.”
Ustemir's cheeks go pale. "The first two questions are good ones. The third one..." his face loses some colour.
"based on the scene in the forest..." he grips his dagger tighter and walks inside to examine the room more throughly.
Waedin is right behind, shield up!
Sebastian will lead the way bravely into the wolf den. The Bard has his blue eyes on a swivel!
After sufficient time for a cursory view of the den, the halfling approaches the far door to open it....
His Light spell shine on you crazy diamond...
The group enters into the office space and begins looking around, Weadin remaining appropriately on guard.
Ustemir opens the wooden chest to find a runed hatchet and a pouch with 10gp.
Sebastien finds a prayer book hidden within the stone desk, in relatively good shape. It is written in Dwarven, and Weadin can tell you it describes the worship of Kamus. Some scribbling on the first page states:
"Ferrakus and Linium are no longer worthy of our devotion. Bhogkaldur has grown distant and remote as the humans settle into the valley from the northern Sunderlands. The High Priests have fallen into sloth and debauch. Only Kamus can save us from the failings of the throne."
Sebastien hands the prayer book to Weadin and steps toward the open dooray. His light shines in to reveal a larger room that lies in ruins. Rubble covers the ground and starlight flickers down from holes in the ceiling. A stone pillar lies toppled on the floor, and at the far end is a set of stairs descending down into the earth.
Just as Sebastien's light fills the room, he sees a large shadow duck behind the toppled pillar.