Assuming Trevor is told about the note
Well Sveth, it looks like your friend is getting his wish. Quite the stack of bodies has piled up.
Rekkart crosses his arms as Tolbold relays the note carved into the bunk, "Well, unless the 'true' murderer was one of us here, or is otherwise within the courthouse, I don't see how he expects us to hang them from the gallows, since we can't leave."
"But again, there's still this one staircase here we haven't ascended yet. Perhaps the answers lie there."
After sharing the note Tobold says "Let's check out this last place."
"Yeah, and if there's nothing in there, I guess we can try hanging all the bodies from the gallows one by one until something works out," Zinli shakes her head.
You make your way down the spiral stairs into the darkness below. Shadows flicker off those around you until it opens into a long hallway. Halfway down the hallway there are doors flanking each side of the hallway. The doors are closed
Zinli follows Rekkart closely. "How about left?" she suggests. "No reason. But we gotta pick something at random."
Works for me.
Making your way down the hallway Zinli hears dripping water coming from the chamber on the left . Though not everyone can hear what Zinli can, there is a strong odor permeating from that chamber that has filled this hallway that stings everyone's nose..
Rounding the corner you see a mold-ridden chamber that is submerged in fetid water – part seawater, part stale sewage. This foul backwash of the old sewers turned piles of records and cabinets filled with sheaves of paper to rot and mold.
Something scuttles in the dark behind the maze of filing cabinets and piled strongboxes and sends ripples dancing across the still water.
"One of you should wade in there and return with the strongboxes--there could be valuables inside."
Scuttling? rats. Rats the size of dogs no doubt.
"With our luck, it's going to be some undead horde leaking blood from every pore." Zinli draws her loaded gun. "I heard water dripping, but I can't see any leak. Might be freakeshly large rodents."
"Only one way to be sure."
Drawing his sword, Rekkart steps into the waterlogged room. He grits his teeth as the musty stench reaches his nose. From the entrance, he takes a moment to scan around the room.
Indeed, rodents of unusual size.
As discussion is going on of what it could be and where the dripping water might be coming from, which you no longer hear, is going on Rekklart wades into the water. Taking his first step in Rekkart quickly realizes that there is a step down into this room. He doesn’t fall but just slips a little before recovering. He finds a second and a third. Finding himself in waist deep waste, he notices movement . The water ripples as if something is moving through the water.
Initiative: Round 1
Neronius
Rekkart
Zinli
Trevor
X
Tolbold
NPCs
Initiative
.
.
Rekkart grunts as he's surprised by the sudden descent into the room. He wades to his right to get a better look between the shelves for whatever is moving around.
Move: Five feet of movement
Standard: Ready an attack against whatever's in the room if it tries to attack.
Trevor joins Rekkart and holds his rapier ready for any attack
Neronius watches while keeping himself well away from the water.
Rekkart moves forward to look but the break in the water had stopped. The filth filled water is so murky that you cannot see you hand just below the surface.
You get the sense that disease lives in this water and you do not want to be submerged or get it in your mouth.
Trevor wades his way in rapier ready while Neronius keeps his distance defensively.
Initiative: Round 1
Neronius
Rekkart
Zinli
Trevor
X
Tolbold
NPCs
Zinli steps behind Trevor, keeping her gun at the ready in case she has an opening.
Gun ready Zinli waits for any motion. In an explosion of water, two lengthy segmented horrors writhes and twists, pulsing their venomous mandibles in search of prey. Each one snaps out at Rekkart and Trevor. Zinli easily sees the one attacking Trevor with no hinderance.
Their attacks lash out, the first one’s mandibles glide off Rekkart’s armor. The second one sinks into the man. From the bite, Trevor feels his muscles beginning to tighten and freeze up.
Sveth looks happy to lay back in the stairwell while Madge wants to rush forward into the sound of battle but her wounds are keeping her at bay, she moves into the room behind Zinli to get some kind of view of the room.
Initiative: Round 1
Neronius
Rekkart
Zinli
Trevor
X
Tolbold
NPCs
.
Tobold moves into the room and fires a ray of acid at the creature attacking Trevor.
Trevor cries out and stabs!
Baby goes off with a that almost deafens those unfortunate enough to stand next to Zinli.
Zinli’s readied action goes off as the creature attacks Trevor. The gunslinger’s bullet rips through its carapace but it still stands, and its attacks hit.
Tolbold moves to fire off a Ray of Acid over Trevor’s head towards the giant bug. Making sure he misses his new companion the ray makes a splooshing sound as it fizzles out in the water.
Rekkart sees an opening as the creatures mandibles glide off his armor and his blade cleanly slides through the creature and cuts it in half.
Seeing one of the bugs fall, Trevor tries to push his blade through the one that Zinli shot but his rapier glides off the creatures carapace.
Initiative: Round 2
Neronius
Rekkart
Zinli
Trevor
X
Tolbold
NPCs
Zinli reloads her gun, and squeezes past Tolbold and Rekkart to get a better angle.
Neronius moves a little closer and peeks around the doorway. "No point in me getting in the way," he announces to no one in particular.
When Trevor can, he will 5' step south and stab
Zinli safely tumbles away from the bug’s mandibles and moves into position for a free shot on the creature. Neronius stays clear and hunkers down defensively.
The creature sees a prey that is already taste the flesh of and it attacks out again at Trevor. The bug hits its prey with two bites doing minimum damage , but Trevor feels the toxins flowing through his veins once again. .
Initiative: Round 2
Neronius
Rekkart
Zinli
Trevor
X
Tolbold
NPCs
.
Tobold ducks to the left and right trying to get a good view of the creature and finally he fires a bolt of acid at the creature.
Zinli fires her gun a second time. "Aw, shoot," she comments when it misses.
Tolbold fires off a Ray of Acid that strikes the bug. This time it lands and it looks fully effective.
Madge continues to investigate the room and there just isn’t much room. She tries to make a break for it and tumbles past Trevor and the bug to land ontop of the downed cabinet.
Slipping on the cabinet, she regains her balance and strikes out with her dagger at her heightened position. Her attack lands but the size of the blade doesn’t cut deep.
Trevor moves down into the room more making room for Rekkart to get closer to the bug. He stabs out with his rapier and his attack misses the creature.
Initiative: Round 3
Neronius
Rekkart
Zinli
Trevor
X
Tolbold
NPCs
"These battles are exhausting," exclaims Neronius, sweating from the exertion of holding his newly-acquired flail in a defensive position. "Don't let them break through your lines," he says, leaning the heavy weapon against the wall and sighing with relief.
Rekkart wades past Trevor to confront the other centipede.
But trudging through the water seems to have thrown him off a bit.
With the creature still standing, Zinli reaches out to Trevor to heal him.
Neronius stands in the hallway shouting encouragements… Rekkart moves forward and attacks with his blade. Attempting to not get any of the swill water in his mouth his attack swings wide. Zinli reaches out and touches Trevor with a burst of positive energy.
The bug has a new creature before him in Rekkart. Less things in its way, hungry mandibles lunge toward the paladin. Both bite attacks land, but his fortitude resist the poision that could be coursing through his veins.
Madge sees an opening and drops down into the water. Not realizing how deep it is, she goes almost completely under. Flanking, she finds the perfect opening and plunges her dagger between the hard plates of the bugs natural armor.
The bug crumples in the water. Twitching, but it is the dead creatures nerves still firing.
The smell of the water is sickening and in the rush of combat water has been splashing about.
.
.
Tolbold wrinkles his big nose "Oh that's awful!'
“This is so deep!” the halfling says in frustration. Madge climbs back atop the cabinets that are in this chamber. She gags as the sight of the filth that covers her and unsuccessfully tries to brush off the water.
As you are waiting in this hallway, you think you hear whispers or faint voices coming from within the dark room next to you.
.
"Did you hear that?" Neronius whispers as he fumbles to light a torch and peer into the darkness in the other room.
Trevor feels awful. We are all going to die, we are all going to die..
With a few strikes of his flint & steel, Neronius lights hit torch. The flames burn away the darkness that reveals a room that is cold and obscured with frosty mist. Two of its walls are covered in rows of small steel doors, obviously sized for slabs on which dead bodies lay. A thin sheen of ice glistens on the steel, and strange whispers seem to echo from within.
"Okay, the centipedes are dead; everyone out of the room. Unless we know for certain we need something from in here, there's no sense in wading around in this filth," Rekkart beckons as he turns to exit the waterlogged room.
He steps out from the water, shivering slightly as the icy chill of the next room over rolls over his drenched form, "I do believe our less combat-trained companions have found the morgue. Be prepared for more undead."
There is going to be walking dead coming out of those slabs, mark my words. If we don't see our no doubt late companion in here, then we should leave.
At the others' warning, Neronius retreats several steps towards the stairs.