Khalid paused at the edge of the hallway, eyes narrowing at the secret door they’d just uncovered. He tilted his head, considering it for a moment, then looked to the others.
“Let’s mark it,” he said, tapping the frame with his knuckle. “We'll come back once we’ve finished sweeping the right-hand path. I don’t want anything behind us when we go deeper.”
The group nodded in agreement, falling back into formation as they turned west.
They entered a large, rectangular chamber, arranged mostly north to south. The air here was still, thick with dust and the faint scent of rot and mildew. It was clear this place had once served a purpose—rows of crumbling bed frames, rotted footlockers, and collapsed benches made it easy to guess that these had once been guard barracks.
Now, only ruin remained.
To the south, a set of stone steps descended into darkness, the stairwell yawning like an open throat. Where it led, none could say—not yet.
Instead, they turned north, following the path through a series of unremarkable rooms, each one more empty and time-worn than the last. Dust thickened, footprints marked their passage, but nothing stirred.
At last, they reached a door, its frame bowed slightly with age. Beyond it, they stepped into a familiar space—the cell room where they had first encountered the sinspawn, now quiet once more.
Retracing their steps, the group cut back toward the southeast, aiming to uncover the last corners of this level.
Their path brought them to a new chamber, and this one opened with more grandeur than most—a wide, half-circle room, its curved wall lined with giant brick ovens, long cold. Beneath the ovens, blackened pits and iron spits for roasting still remained, some warped and sagging with age.
The air carried the scent of old soot and long-dead fire.
This had once been a great kitchen—one meant to feed many. Now, only shadows dined here.
Gundar holds a fist in the air. Shhh! I hear somethin' rustlin' 'round one of them ovens.. He then points towards the southernmost oven.
"Agree. I hear it too." Verilich will launch into the air and scout from 10' above to investigate.
From 10' up, Verilich is unable to see inside the oven, except for the areas closest to the front.
"I don't hear anything," Khalid says as he advances into horsechopper range of the indicated oven.
Caius, taking his cue from Gundar and Verilich, will advance to open the oven.
Curious, Caius stepped forward toward the largest of the brick ovens built into the curved wall, his hand resting on the rusted iron grate at its front. The metal groaned as he pulled it open, flaking with corrosion and soot.
As the party’s light spilled into the dark space within, it revealed not ash, not firewood… but movement.
A writhing, chittering mass of glossy segmented bodies twisted over one another in a tangled, living carpet. Dozens—no, hundreds—of centipedes, each several inches long and glistening with moisture, reacted instantly to the sudden intrusion.
With a horrifying burst of motion, the swarm exploded outward, pouring over the edge of the oven like a living tide of claws and mandibles.
Before anyone could react, the horde of vermin rushed directly into Ardan, skittering up his legs, across his armor, into every exposed seam. The swarm moved like a single mind, enveloping him in a churning mass of chitin, fangs, and venom.
Their lantern light danced across the walls as the room erupted in chaos.
The swarm was upon them.
Round 1
Caius <== Up!
Khalid <== Up!
Verilich <== Up!
Gundar <== Up!
Centipedes
Ghaernan
Khalid will throw a bomb at the swarm.
4 splash damage
Khalid's throw misses, but the splash damage hits the swarm.
Caius will remain in place and squish bugs.
Verilich will back away and allow the bombers to handle this.
The centipede swarm didn’t need to chase Caius—
—it was already on him.
The mass of writhing bodies continued to churn around his legs, climbing over one another in a relentless tide that pulsed and shifted with hive-minded precision. Though his armor held firm in most places, it did little to stop the assault.
Tiny mandibles probed at every gap—the creases behind his knees, the edges beneath his breastplate, the seams of his gauntlets and gorget. Dozens of centipedes slithered into those narrow spaces, their bodies cold and slick against his skin, their bites like tiny, burning needles.
Caius swatted instinctively, his breaths growing shallow as the swarm covered him. The shifting movement of their bodies made it hard to focus—his senses overwhelmed by the sensation of crawling legs, the endless scraping, the endless motion.
Then came the venom.
A dull ache crept into his muscles, quickly building into a wave of weakness. His vision blurred at the edges. He staggered a step, lightheaded, a cold sweat breaking across his skin as the poison took hold.
The swarm showed no sign of relenting.
It was a tide of chitin and venom, and it had found its prey.
Caius:
Round 1
Ghaernan <== Up!
Round 1
Caius <== Up!
Khalid <== Up!
Verilich <== Up!
Gundar <== Up!
Centipedes
Ghaernan
Khalid will try again to kill the swarm with another bomb.
Caius will take 4 again, dex save for 1/2.
Ghaernan quickly reflects on the present dire circumstances, and the tactics that might end this sudden threat...
"I'm not certain that any among us except Khalid can counter this threat, but we did just slay something that might distract the horde effectively as easy "meat" - the cave fisher that attacked us."
"Can we lure the centipedes toward its corpse, which should distract the centipedes with some bloody helpless bait?"
Without waiting for a response, the Bard backs 20' to the crossroads leading to the dead cave fisher, gesturing toward its oozing chitinous corpse a mere 100' from him...
Gundar will move to Caius and cast a healing spell.
Round 2
Caius <== Up!
Khalid
Verilich <== Up!
Gundar
Centipedes
Ghaernan
Verilich delays and stay out of the fight.
Caius will remain in place and squish bugs
As Caius struggled to keep his footing, swaying under the dizzying haze of venom and the endless crawling sensation, the swarm of centipedes shifted.
The writhing mass moved with a collective intelligence, flowing like liquid pain, surging slightly outward from Caius’s legs and boots—and spilling into Gundar.
The dwarf let out a sharp growl as the first wave of chitinous bodies clambered over his boots, up his greaves, and onto his torso. In seconds, he too was enveloped, the swarm climbing high over his shoulders, nibbling and stinging at the vulnerable seams in his armor with endless determination.
Bites raked along his neck and under his arms, finding purchase where skin met steel. Stings pierced the gaps at his elbows and collar, and Gundar winced as the sharp, hot pangs of dozens of venomous fangs took hold.
Both he and Caius now stood in the midst of it—a living storm of poison and pain, their arms swatting, twisting, trying in vain to shake loose the mass of creatures that now writhed across their bodies.
The centipedes didn’t hesitate.
They simply bit, and bit again.
Caius and Gundar:
Round 2
Ghaernan <== Up!
Round 3
Caius <== Up!
Khalid <== Up!
Verilich <== Up!
Gundar <== Up!
Centipedes
Ghaernan
Caius will remain in place squishing bugs. He is so happy to have a pest-killer buddy!
His idea to mitigate further damage from the swarm already spoken, Ghaernan will remain visible and also delay and stay clear of the fight, as Verelich notes above.
Khalid will throw another of his dwindling supply of bombs. "Boy these are nasty bugs"
fire
Allies take 4, DC 13 Reflex save for 1/2
Verilich continues to fly above the fray and hover out of the way.
Gundar will tap Caius with a resistence.
Gundar needs to be making his own fortitude saves against the venom from these scorpions, as well as the 9HP of damage.
The scorpions swarm is much reduced, thanks to Khalid's efforts, but it is still strong enough to warrant the consideration of all, and still strong enough to attack Caius and Gundar!
Caius and Gundar:
Round 3
Ghaernan <== Up!
Round 4
Caius <== Up!
Khalid <== Up!
Verilich <== Up!
Gundar <== Up!
Centipedes
Ghaernan
His idea to mitigate further damage from the swarm perhaps becoming even more imperative, Ghaernan again remains visible pointing the way to the cave fisher corpse and delays, staying clear of the fight...
Gundar will touch himself with a resistance.
Gundar will touch himself with a resistance.
According to the d41 I rolled above, you take 21 points of DEX damage!
But, just for you, let's call it...
But, just for you, let's call it...
Round 4
Caius <== Up!
Khalid <== Up!
Verilich <== Up!
Gundar
Centipedes
Ghaernan
V continues to hover.
Round 4
Caius <== Up!
Khalid <== Up!
Verilich
Gundar
Centipedes
Ghaernan
Khalid misses to the west. Caius and the swarm take 4 points of damage, DC12 Reflex save for 1/2.
The additional damage is all that it takes to finish off the swarm of scorpions.
Khalid suggests we rest. That was his last bomb and we have a couple injured companions.
Gundar will nod at Khalid's suggestion of resting. That way I'll have all me healin' spells.
The party rests near the magical pool with curative waters.
Ghaernan shakes his head in resignation at the members of the company covered in scorched and oozing centipede gore, the heat-burst remains squelching in the crevices beneath armor, against their flesh, but philosophically smiles for their good fortune at the conflict's ending...
"Well-done, Khalid; your wild barrage of bombs proved the salvation. I previously had no proper appreciation of the extent of Caius' bug-squishing, pest-killing enthusiasm, but now observe it was something to watch, indeed! Looking forward to that rest; with such inspiration and some reflection, I perceive both a new script and interpretative dance forming in my mind!"
will advocate for opening the doors down this hallway while the others heal up.
Khalid searches the swarm room.
Nothing is found in the old kitchen. Down the hall, those rooms have nothing of interest, except at the end, where 6 skeletons are quickly dispatched.
I believe this leaves you with only the steps at the far SW to go down, or to go back to the King.
Ghaernan enjoys the hours of rest by the healing waters of the ancient enchanted pool. He plies minor prestidigitation magics to clean himself and his gear during his waking moments, and focusing his creative energies upon a performance capturing highlights of the past day's events to become a small offering to Shelyn, while planning to incorporate it into a greater work of high drama and adventure...
The Bard otherwise searches throughout this level of the complex with his companions, then readies himself for whatever might wait further to the southwest... and below...
After descending deeper into the earth, the party made their way down a long, claustrophobic corridor where the walls seemed to press in with age and silence. The air was damp, heavy, and still—undisturbed for what felt like centuries.
At the end of the passage stood a solid stone door, marked only by dust and time. With weapons ready and nerves taut, the group opened it.
The door groaned inward, revealing an octagonal chamber. The party stepped through from the northern side, noting immediately that three other doors stood on the east, south, and west walls, each identical in form—heavy, ancient, and closed.
But their attention was immediately drawn to the center of the room, where a statue of striking craftsmanship stood atop a slightly raised platform.
It was a beautiful woman, carved from deep red stone, her expression serene and severe in equal measure. Her hands gripped a towering ranseur, its haft resting on the floor, blade pointed to the ceiling as if in eternal vigilance.
The chamber’s grandeur was spoiled by thick cakes of slime that spread across the floor in irregular, mucous-like trails—wet, glistening, and marked with the drag patterns of something heavy and soft.
That something now sat across the chamber from them.
A large, larvae-like creature, bloated and pale, writhed in the slime. Its body was segmented and grotesquely fattened, its slick hide pulsing slightly with each movement. Small, malformed limbs twitched uselessly at its sides, and its head—if it could be called that—flicked toward the intruders with slow menace, milky eyes blinking out of sync.
The stink of damp decay and soured flesh filled the air as the thing shifted.
It had seen them.
And it began to move.
Round 1
Caius <== Up!
Khalid <== Up!
Ghaernan <== Up!
AL
Verilich
Gundar
**********