Niall's rocks smash into the dwarf. He does not appear to be surprised by the attack, but is shocked by the vehemence of it.
Niall │
➤ Solras Pirhatya │
➤ Virgil │
➤ Avenger of the Green │
➤ Paolo Vital │
➤ Obahi │
Dwarf │
"Niall, hold! He may not be an enemy." he says, trying to avoid bloodshed.
He'll create a strawberry and eat it, a warm glow suffusing into him. He'll then create one in the dwarf's hand, should he take it.
Virgil just easily Strides next to the newly bruised face dwarf.
How you doing?
The Magus then Readies an Action.
Virgil prepares to smash the Dwarf with his warhammer, while Avenger of the Green has a snack and the Dwarf shakes the magically produced strawberry off his hand like the touch of death.
Niall │
➤ Solras Pirhatya │
Virgil │
Avenger of the Green │
➤ Paolo Vital │
➤ Obahi │
Dwarf │
"Alright, everyone calm down, please?!" Obahi tirs to be loud enough to be heard, and at the same time trying to sound calm. Blink man! Can you speak with this fellow?"
Aravashnial pokes his head into the room, staring blindly (of course), and says, [color=#ccaa00]"You meant me? Sorry, I don't speak the gibberish he's saying."[/color]
Anevia hobbles to her feet, and shouts out [color=#03a9f4]"Nid ydym yn groesgadwyr. Ni fyddwn yn eich brifo. I told him we're not crusaders. He's afraid we've come to punish him."[/color]
From the back, Horgus chimes in [color=#30aF81]"Oh, please! Don't waste your time on this. Just get rid of him in the most efficient way. The sooner we keep moving, the sooner we can get out of here."[/color]
Relieved that someone can talk to the dwarf, he looks at Anevia. "Punish him for what? Can you just tell him we want to get out of here? Maybe the man knows a way out?"
Putting her Harmona Gun back on its sling in a show of I won't hurt you, Solras looks at Anevia for a translation. "I'm not some holy Mendevian Crusader, just a mercenary from the Deadshot Lands in Arcadia."
Virgil places his hammer away and the Orc grins innocently.
Anevia translates as fast as she can, but Obahi's demeanor just seems to make things worse.
While Solras' holstering her gun helps, it still seems not to get through to the Dwarf that your party is not there to capture or kill him.
Virgil uses their readied action to hang his hammer up.
Niall │
Solras Pirhatya │
Virgil │
Avenger of the Green │
➤ Paolo Vital │
Obahi │
Dwarf │
Paolo tries to help by telling the dwarf "Please, we're just passing through here. Let us be and we'll let you be."
Anevia continues to interpret for Paolo, but, it doesn't appear than any of your entreaties have have a positive effect on the Dwarf.
He casts again, then raises his crossbow, and appears to prepare to fire it.
➤ Niall │
➤ Solras Pirhatya │
➤ Virgil │
➤ Avenger of the Green │
➤ Paolo Vital │
➤ Obahi │
Dwarf │
Obahi just lets out a heavy sigh. "I don't... Whatever. I have no quarrel with you." he waves his hand dismissively at the dwarf and walks deeper into the caves. "I'll wait for you beyond the bend." he shouts back at the group.
Solras sighs, albeit a fair bit quieter than Obahi, keeping her hands off her Harmona Gun until she's out of view of the Dwarf. "Don't want to get hit with a spell because I'm being careless."
Avenger will release his shield and follow partway, with hands empty. He'll call back to the others, "Stay in back of me and try not to provoke him."[/b] He will lock eyes with Horgus for a moment as he says this.
In the hallway to the east, a steeply inclined tunnel leads upward to the north, its walls lined with numerous nooks, handholds, and dozens of iron pitons that have been driven into the walls long ago.
This shaft leads upward at a steep angle for 60 feet.
The cracks, handholds, and pitons—placed here years ago allow for a you to ascend the shaft almost as if a ladder were present.
After climbing for 60 feet, the shaft levels out and heads northwest for approximately 2,500 feet (a 30-minute walk at a speed of 15 feet).
The tunnel opens into a large cavern, about seventy feet across. Cylindrical rock formations along the walls arch up to make a domelike chamber, but the walls and floor are riddled with cracks. At the center of the cave, a stone tower that may once have reached the fifty-foot-high ceiling has collapsed onto its side.
At the rubble at the foot of the collapsed tower, you see two people working at the rubble.
As you approach, you can tell they are carefully removing the rubble, so as to not have it further damage someone trapped under it. You hear them call out occasionally, and can hear a faint answer from beneath the rubble.
The two people become aware of you, and stand up in defensive stances.
One of the people is a hunchbacked woman, her face so warped by tumors that she’s incapable of intelligible speech. The second is a man, and he does the talking for the two. He is a tall, thin creature with a face that melds the features of an attractive elven man, a goat, and a lizardfolk. His oversized fingers end in dull, spadelike talons.
He greets the PCs in a raspy voice, speaking in strangely accented but quite eloquent Common, and says, [color=#23de67]“If your intentions are ill, we ask you to move on and leave us in peace. If they are good, then perhaps you can help. As you can see, misfortune has befallen us.”[/color]
"My intentions aren't ill, I'll promise you that. What may we help with, and what misfortune has befallen you guys?" Solras says. She tries her best to look non-intimidating with a Harmona Gun (if they even know what firearms are) strapped on her back.
As the spelunkers walk on, Obahi thinks aloud regarding the situation with the Dwarf.
"So we just walked into some guy's home and he defended himself. Fair game, I say. Also, Anevia... What is that language? I don't-"
Entering what seems like a room, he stops talking to take a good look around. When he notices the two figures clearing debris and hearing another voice from underneath, he rushes forward without as much as saying hello. He starts helping on freeing the stuck person.
Though Solras isn't particularly strong, she attempts to follow Obahi's lead in clearing Debris:
Virgil offers a farewell wave to the Hermit, prior to retreating along with the group.
At the cavern, the Orc doesn't hesitate to begin removing chucks of debris.
Tell us what happened.
Anevia will tell you that the Dwarf was speaking Dwarven.
The man introduces himself, [color=#23ee67]I'm Lann. She's Dyra. Our friend Crel was caught by the collapse. Clearing the debris just isn't going to do it anymore. We have to move that column that is on our friend, Crel.[/color]
Dyra and Lann will Aid Another with you.
"I'll do my best to help with this. Virgil's probably the strongest of us. I'm Solras Pirhatya, from Arcadia. Hopefully--" She exerts herself trying to move the column before continuing: "Hopefully we can assist"
Niall drops the rocks he was holding and puts his shoulder to the column.
The effort is good, but it is not enough to completely lift the column off of Crel.
Solras is able to direct the effort so that more of the debris doesn't crush Crel.
After a short rest, Virgil and the rest are able to free Crel from the debris.
The three thank you for your effort. Lann says, [color=#23ee67]"Thank you. If you want to, you can follow us back to Neathholm. Our leader is sure to reward you for saving Crel. You could also rest there."[/color]
Horgus looks askance at the three oddly shaped people, and says, [color=#30aF81]"Don't trust them. Look at how deformed they are. It's obviously a trap."[/color]
[color=#03a9f4]"They can't help their deformities. Let's talk to their leader. Maybe he can explain why they are how they are."[/color] Anevia retorts.
Aravashnial doesn't say anything at first, just considering your descriptions of them.
Solras heelturns over to Horgus with a sour expression on her face. "Look at me, Horgus. I'm a walking, talking, upright feline. Do you think I give one iota of thought to the fact that they have deformities?"
She then turns to the rest of her group, saying "I'm with Anevia, there might be a reason for this. Should we go to this Neatholm then?"
Paolo nods and voices his agreement with Solras. "Let's go."
"I care more about what's in a person's soul than the shape of their bodies." adds Avenger, as he hands out fruit to all of their new acquaintances.
After the pillar is lifted and Crel is out, Obahi takes a minute to reign his breath. "Almost cracked my back doing that. Is everyone okay?" he pats his medicine kit. "Any nasty cuts or bruises?"
~~~~~~~~
He gives Horgus the stinkeye, but says nothing. Instead, he turns back to Lann again."So... you live under the city?" he gives the deformed a curious glance. "We're looking for a way topside. Terrible things happening up there. Can you help us with that?"
Perpetually in purposefully prepared to provide a pittance of parlay to the power point of punchlines, the Orc continues to aid these folks and gladly, gratefully grapples their gift.
You're an asshat.
He failed.
After winding roughly southwest for slightly less than 2,000 feet (25 minutes of walking at a speed of 15 feet), the tunnel reaches a
significant obstacle.
Ahead, a wide chasm splits the tunnel floor. The floating rock dust in the air and the groans as the tunnel walls settle indicate that the tunnel split recently.
The Mongrelmen leading you express dismay upon seeing the chasm.
[color=#23ee67]"This wasn't here before the collapse. Oh, I hope that Neathholm is alright!"[/color]
The chasm is 10 feet across, 70 feet wide, and 30 feet deep. The tunnel continues on from the chasm’s opposite side about 40 feet east of the entrance.
How are you going to cross the chasm, especially considering you have wounded (Anevia) and blind (Aravashnial) people with you?
Niall searches his memory for knowledge about Neathholm and their new deformed friends...
...but nothing comes to mind...
I have some rope in my pack., Niall says as he rummages through his backpack.
"Alright. Hold on for a sec." Obahi takes a few steps back, runs towards the chasm, and leaps.
He makes it look easy as he lands on the other side. Taking the rope from his backpack, he starts looking for something to tie one end of the rope on his side, and tosses the other end back to the others.
"Tie it to something, and shimmy across. Anevia, can you do that with the leg?"
There don't appear to be any reliable places to tie off the rope. Does anyone have a climbing kit or pitons?
Anevia says, [color=#03a9f4]"Maybe, though I might have problems. Do we have more rope? Maybe we could rig something up that would be safer. That would certainly help not only me, but Aravashnial also.[/color]
Virgil looksc at the chasm. The Orc frowns.
If we could find some amenable materials, I could craft a bridge.
The Magus indicates his repair kit and Adventure's Pack for supplies.
Solras also frowns, mentally going through her pack: "All I've got of use is more rope, sorry about that. Don't think you can make a bridge of Harmona ammunition, as big as those things are."
"Uh, I have some anchoring if you think it would help..."
He pulls out a climbing kit and hammers a few pitons into the floor, then tosses the rest of the kit back to the other side.
With pitons securing multiple ropes on both ends, and, using additional ropes to secure the person crossing, passing the chasm is relatively straightforward. Paolo almost slipped, but caught himself before falling.
The tunnel on the other side of the chasm continues along a mostly southeastern course for about 1,400 feet (just over 18 minutes of walking at a speed of 15 feet) before reaching a circular cavern.
As you approach the cavern, the mongrelmen will warn you that the cave ahead is one they now rarely use, for it has become the den of a particularly dangerous fungal creature dalled a “spore-cougher.”
Avenger of the Green recognizes Lann's description of the deadly fungus as that of a basidirond.
It is a mindless fungus that produces a hallucinogenic cloud. It is immune to cold and mental effects, but, the cold will slow it.
[color=#23ee67]”I'm sure,”[/color] Lann says, [color=#23ee67]”That, with our help, we should be able to defeat it and move through its lair. And, if we're lucky, the creature is out hunting elsewhere.”[/color]
Virgil shrugs.
Vegan got ta eat too s'pose.
The Orc takes the lead.
Niall scoops up a handful of pebbles from the cavern floor. Here's hoping for luck...
"Here's hoping for luck, indeed, Niall."
As Solras sulks in the back Avoiding Notice, she retrieves her Harmona Gun from her sling on her back.
"A walking fungus, you say?" Obahi raises an eyebrow. "That coughs up spores?" he ties a scarf around his face for good measure, pulls out an unlit torch, and puts his flint and steel into an accessible pocket.
"I think that's about as ready as I will be."
Once everyone is done with their preparations, he moves further into the cave, attempting to be as quiet as possible.
You are all prepared, and enter the next area.
The tunnel opens into a circular cavern, roughly forty feet in diameter. Thick sheets of fungus grow in the cave, and several tunnels branch off. All of these save one in the north wall lead downward; the northern one leads upward. What appear to be two dead bodies lie on the ground in the middle of the cave, next to a strange heap of ropy green fungus.
[color=#23ee67]”I'm so relieved that the Spore-Cougher is dead. Let's continue to Neathholm.”[/color]
Paolo tilts his head. "Are we certain it's dead?"
[color=#23ee67]”It isn't moving, so I assume it is dead.”[/color]
”If it's dead, I'm more concerned about whatever killed it."