The following day, Krohan is ready to depart. He takes a moment to review your gear to ensure you're properly equipped. The expedition sets out from the Depths, following a well-traveled mining tunnel that links to a series of small, interconnected caves, which take you away from the Darklands’ more popular routes. Krohan seems to remember the route well, though he sometimes double checks by holding out the armor fragment like an occult compass.
After half a day's journey, the tunnel you are following enters a large cavern. A winding ramp leads down along the edge of the cavern to the floor 25 feet below, where you can see a vast underground jungle of fungi, with a knee-deep living carpet across the ground and an assortment of frills and growths clinging to the walls and ceiling 40 feet above. A natural chimney snakes toward the surface at a steep angle, though it’s partly clogged with more mushrooms At the southern end of the cavern towers an immense mushroom with a funnel-shaped cap.
An abundance of bioluminescent fungi dapples the cavern with faint lights that aren’t bright enough to provide dim light but do grant a sense of the cavern’s size. The trickle of sunlight spilling down the chimney is visibly different but illuminates nothing. What’s more, the spongey biomass covering most surfaces dampens sound, making the cavern eerily quiet.
"Here we are. Best be on your guards," Krohan says quietly.
Perhaps surprising to everyone but Mal, who he has worked with before, Cricket arrives riding a massive rhino beetle. Its body is mostly green and grey, while the horn progressively turn to red as they reach the points. Some portions of his carapace show lichen and even a few mushrooms growing from its back. In contrast, its powerful legs show some brand new barding. While the bug doesn't move particularly fast, it is still faster than a dwarf on foot, and gives the strange impression of being a mobile tower.
Cricket waves to the others. "If you are having some trouble carrying your packs, my friends can help with that. She is very strong."
***
As they begin to move, Cricket dismounts from his beetle and moves to the front, scouting ahead. "Could any of you take the time to map the tunnels?"
"Try to be quiet here, Steady" Brijetta warns the laden augdunar as she hunkers down, trying to make sure she doesn't disturb any of the mushrooms.
Happy to be of assistance, Gig volunteers to map the tunnels.
Arriving at exactly whatever time was agreed upon, Uhe appears ready and Eagar.
My boots weren't quite ready, but, he assured me that the duct tape is mostly Waterproof. Just got new socks.
The Investigator stares out at the enormous cavarn.
Should be fun.
At the warning to prepare, the Investigator begins drinking.
Uhe waves at Cricket's beetle.
Mold grows atop the ramp's smooth stone, making an already precarious surface even more slippery. You cautiously descend as Cricket scouts ahead.
Movement gets your attention from across the cavern. Two tiny shapes emerge from the fungus, swooping towards you. You can see that they appear to be disembodied sheep's skulls, trailing spores behind them! The skulls bleat hoarsely as they draw near!
Investigating: Gig and Uhe identify the strange skulls as mindless undead. They seem to be drooling acidic spittle, so they likely can't be harmed by acid, and striking them might dislodge a cloud of harmful spores to those nearby!
"Oh no!" Brijetta exclaims. "Get back, Steady!"
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"Gah! I reckon we found what's left of the sheep from the mushroom shop!"
Mal hunkers down behind her carapace shield hoping that Cricket and Beetle don't take offense, and flashes bolts of lightning into the paired skulls, waiting until they get closer to shift.
One skull evades the lightning while the other flies right into it! It is badly damaged, but both of the bleating undead move in to bash Mal!
Ahead of you, a fungal mass sloughs up onto the ledge from where it was lurking beneath it. It appears as a mound of earth and detritus covered in a thick layer of fungus that exudes a faint stink of decay. It slithers up to Cricket and lashes out with a pseudopod.
"Eeeuuugh. Those spores're nasty! I'm not bitin' those!"
Mal hustles away from the sheep skulls and blasts them again.
Uhe puts a hand over his mouth to stop himself from screaming like a wi-dwarf lad!
The Investigator then proceeds to Interact to draw his scorpion whip! Eyeing the two float disgusting Monstrous murder-hobo so must have been pathfinders before unlife took them, the Investigator attempts to Devise A Stratagem!
Smiling, the dwarf Strikes!
HP 36/36
AC 18
Fort +10, Ref +8, Will +5
Hero points: 1
Infused regents: 2
Effects:
"Ew!" Brijetta says, calling once again on the power of the forge, which responds as sparks and the sound of clanging hammers surround her, blasting out toward the nearest sheep skull.
A second later she reaches back and metal shavings form the shape of an hooked stick. She whips it forward and a ball of fire flies toward the same sheep.
"What strange creatures!" Gig is a bit fascinated by the skulls, until they hurt Mal. He gives a rousing, but short, speech and sends some healing magic to the druid.
"Ugh!" Cricket whines as the pseudopod hits his armor. Scurrying away from the fungus mass, Cricket studies it briefly before shooting a incredibly precise shot!
Brijetta blasts the damaged skull, then Uhe strikes it with his whip. It explodes in a blast of bone and toxic spores!
Uhe heals Mal as he begins his inspiring performance. Cricket fires a crossbow bolt into the slime mold, but it continues its slow advance. Mal falls back as well before zapping both the remaining sheep skull and the slime.
The skull and the slime advance on the closest dwarf to them--Uhe! Both foes batter the investigator.
Uhe sneezes! The Investigator reaches for a clean handkerchief, patting dry his bearded and slimed face.
Tastes quite like lemon meringue pie, I think.
The Investigator attempts to Devise A Stratagem!
The dwarf Steps away to 10' and Strikes!
HP 46/46
AC 19
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +8
Hero points: 2
Infused regents: 2
Effects:
Seeing the skull and slime so close, Brijetta sprays them with metal before retreating.
Gig repeats his prior performances, this time healing Uhe.
Cricket aims again, even more carefully this time, but decides to step back before shooting and this slips a bit. He sighs as the bolt bounces on the cave floor. "Father giveth and Father taketh away..." He mumbles.
Mal is drenched in goo and bone fragments. This is why you were right not to take the dress. Wincing through the pain, she focuses her efforts on the slow-moving slime, conjuring up a torrent of lightning and wind to slam through it!
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Brijetta blasts both foes with more shards. Cricket's aim is off! Gig heals Uhe, who strikes back at the slime. Mal's lightning finishes off the slime, blasting it into goo!
The bleating sheep skull flies at Uhe and attacks again, a critical hit!
HP 46/46
AC 19
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +8
Hero points: 2
Infused regents: 2
Effects:
[smaller]"This sheep head is really baaad," Brijetta says to herself as she closes in on the creature. The metal shards around her seem to form into a long axe, that she uses to smash the skull.
Mal waits for Uhe to back off and then fills her hand with a glob of flame, hurling it straight into the sheep's brainpan!
"Ouch, that one looked like it stung, Uhe!"
Uhe takes the skulls pathetic attempt at pain (he does seem to be trickling tears though) with the aplomb any dwarf should muster!
Feeling another soothing wave wash away his tears, the Investigator gives a thumbs up to Gig!
The Investigator's blue eyes sparkle as he watches both Brijetta and Mal tag team the snot out of the creepy floating skull!
The Investigator attempts to Devise A Stratagem!
The dwarf Steps away to 10' and Strikes!
As Uhe backs away and whips the skull, Brijetta blasts it and Mal sets it ablaze! The skull explodes in a burst of spores, but luckily nobody is close enough to get hurt by it.
"Nice work. Is everybody alright?" Krohan asks. "We should take some time to heal before pressing on."
"An excellent idea. I doubt the rest of this little trip is going to be much better." Gig looks curiously at the remains of the creatures. "How did sheep get down here? I might have to take some liberties when I'm telling this story. I'm not sure an audience will believe we ran into sheep skulls in the Darklands."
"I'm OK," Brijetta says, looking around to make sure there are no other sheep skulls around. And see if she can figure out how they got down here.
Mal looks quizzically at Gig, and then roughly brushes back his hair to check for a head wound. "Gig? Did that thing get you an' I missed it? It's the leftovers from the evil mushroom druid; we already took care of the rest of 'em? Uhe you get yourself on over here too. I know you got slimed."
Uhe gratefully stands still as Mal expertly mends his wounds.
You are a wizard with a needle, my dear. Thank you.
Uhe then begins studying the various bits of the undead.
Mingress undead lead to mindful undead.
"Or an, err, evil mushroom druid?"
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"If it is indeed the same person, we should at least congratulate their effort to use the whole animal."
After healing up, you continue down the slope to the cavern floor. The quagmire of fungi here is so dense that your feet sink knee-deep into the fleshy garden, making progress difficult.
Cricket spots the danger lurking among the mushroom morass. Several human-sized purple mushrooms are scattered throughout the area--shriekers! They let out piercing wails when approached or disturbed.
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Gesturing the others to halt, Cricket slowly approaches the shriekers to deftly deal with them.
Once the deal is done, he collects a pair of air sacs. "Good for stuffing! Lamb meat, peppers, lentils." He shares. "Normal lamb meat, not undead one."
You safely bypass the shriekers and make your way to the opening in the base of the enormous mushroom at the far end of the cave. The giant mushroom’s stalk has been hollowed out, creating coarse, striated walls made of exposed, finger-thick hyphae that interlace 10 feet above to create a ceiling. The strands near the center have been unraveled and woven into a spiraling staircase. Other ceiling strands are woven into a small hammock that hangs about 5 feet off the ground. An assortment of pockmarked boulders and slabs are strewn about the room.
Two creatures are here. The first is 5 feet long with four insectile legs and a long tail ending in a four-pronged appendage resembling a tiny windmill. It plays with a goblin-sized boulder as if it’s a puzzle feeder, desperately trying to access the rest of a cold iron seam that runs through the stone. The second creature a humanoid mushroomlike creature covered in rancid spore pods. It turns towards you, white lights burning in hollow eye sockets. At the same time, the first monster drops the boulder and begins to scurry towards you!
HP 46/46
AC 19
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +8
Hero points: 2
Infused regents: 2
Effects:
"Look out!" Brijetta cries out as the forge elements come to her call, surrounding her in sparks and clangs. She quickly lashes out with their power.
Gig begins with a story about fighting mushrooms and sheep heads. It has the feelings of a rough draft, but the protagonists sure seem heroic!
With a hand on his clan dagger, he conjures darts of metal to fling at the humanoid mushroom.
for
Uhe sniffs a mushroom.
He sneezes.
Appears to be harmly....ish.
Trusting in the Cricket's experience, expertise and expression, the Investigator nods in his direction.
Looking ahead at the obvious homestead of unknown occupates, Uhe waves a hand at the approaching bug and 'shroom guy.
You there! Off with you. No solicitors allowed.
The Investigator then ponders the problem....
The Investigator takes out his shortbow and Strikes the ugly bug!
+1 circumstance bonus to Recall Knowledge about ancient history, peoples, and cultures
Mal swigs down one of the defective potions they'd received earlier and blurs into action! She hurls herself at the big bug, fur sprouting all over her body as her jaws stretch wider and wider...
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Mal takes a bite out of the big bug! Uhe's not sure what the bug is, but he devises a good strategy and shoots it! Cricket's shot misses the mark. Gig's needle darts stab into the mushroom-man. The bug avoid some of Brijetta's shard spikes, but the mushroom takes the blast face-first! The slashing attack seems particularly effective, carving off chunks of rotten matter from the fungus's body!
The bug swipes with its tail, trying to trip Mal, but the quick buff fox jumps over the lashing tail!
The mushroom-man mindlessly stalks forward, swinging a fist at Brijetta!
Stage 1 2d6 poison damage and stupefied 1 (1 day);
Stage 2 6d6 poison damage, stupefied 3, and the creature is compelled to seek out the nearest myceloid colony—this compulsion is a mental and emotion effect (1 day);
Stage 3 The creature dies. Over 24 hours, its corpse becomes bloated and bursts, releasing a new, fully grown myceloid.
Mal chomps down again on the big bug, worrying it in her jaws before spitting out a hunk of exoskeleton and darting back. She sniffs at the air trying to recognize their foe.
Uhe scratches his beard a bit bewildered about what bug that be!
The Investigator does smile when his strategy works!
He then attempts to frighten the mystery bug.
The Investigator attempts to Devise A Stratagem!
Having gotten a bit too big for his Dwarven breeches, Uhe decides his new strategy sucks.
The dwarf trusts in his Dwarven Dexterity!
Anyone got a clean handkerchief? My glasses are quite smudged.
Gig continues his recitation of brave deeds, then fires more needles at the mushroom.
for
HP 36/46
AC 19
Fort +11, Ref +9, Will +8
Hero points: 1
Infused regents: 2
Effects:
Brijetta sprays out metal again against the two monsters as she retreats, hoping to avoid another painful blow.
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In a completely undignified moment, Cricket gets his beard stuck inside his crossbow's cogs.
Between Brijetta's blast and Mal's bite, the bug goes down. Only Brijetta's blast harms the mushroom-man this time. It slowly stalks after Brijetta, mindlessly pursuing the kineticist as it critically hits with its fist!
"Argh!" He exclaims, freeing his beard, though not without losing a part of it. "Hairy balls..."
Cricket aims again, this time striking true at the mushroom.
Mal lunges forward before Brijetta withdraws, tearing into her lumbering fungal foe while it's still distracted, and then bounding away once more.