'Lann''s page

I am not sure all the wounded will want to stay here, but I believe they should be given the option

As they move away from the meeting, the android looks for the guards they were indicated - "Well met. Chief Sull informed us we could inquire with you where to rest?" - he asks - "But we also have some equipment to barter - is there somewhere where such transactions can be made?"

The guard looks at you, as if appraising your worth. All that's missing is the jeweler's eyepiece. "Yea, we can do some trade, I suppose. Let me know what you have in mind." Suddenly, the mongrelman looks nervous; he looks around for a moment, then stage whispers, making sure that some of the people near you aren't listening. "We know what your 'merchant' friend said to the chief. It likely put him off. However, we have some additional resources that you can use, if you're planning to take on those cultist types up the tunnel there." With this, he gestures in the direction that you are supposed to go.

Chief Sull's face starts to grin in a lopsided way, at least until Horgus spoke up. His face falls and becomes serious again. "Certainly, sir. We can speak of trade, once the traitors have been cleared. Good day to you. You may ask my guards where you can put up your gear if you need to rest. Lann, please remain behind so that we can speak of matters." Sull sits back in his chair, the conversation apparently over.

Chief Sull looks at you expectantly, wondering if you are considering the implications of what he just said.

"Chief Sull! We shall aid you in your efforts against these renegades! 'The Strong Man' has brought me to you in this, your time of need, and I shall prove myself worthy of his trust!"

** spoiler omitted **

"I am glad to hear that you and the 'Strong Man' are willing to fight for us," says the Chief.

"Faith allegiances seem to run strong with some of us" - Akkramar retorts - "And while I know others do not immediately share in the same beliefs, our purpose is to gauge what we can offer in terms of cooperation to the Crusader forces" - the android voices carefully, not intending to disclose their main 'mission' in the area fully - "I am not sure any of us had yet equated what our role may now be, after the attack, but it is definitely not in league with followers of the entity that symbol represents, nor its associates"

Looking first around at his traveling companions, he concludes - "Thus, I find no impediment to the path you suggest - either neutralizing or disabling the opposing force"

Turning back to Chief Sull, Akkramar adds - "Would there be the possibility of establishing commercial trading with those from your community? We have come across some items that can perhaps be exchanged, or sold for supplies or other gear. Would this be acceptable from your part?"

Chief Sull gives this a moment's thought, in great concentration. "I will go one better. My people, of course, will be more than willing to trade with you. However, if you can vanquish those traitors in the tunnels, I can bring the other clans together, and we can even show our support for those above, both in trade and arms. Do you think, upon arriving on the surface, that you can find someone who can speak for the city above in negotiating an agreement?"

Contemplating Lann's earlier words in the caves & Chief Sull's words now, Iacobus turns to Lann. "Friend Lann, would this renegade tribe be the same that you spoke of earlier? The allies of those false crusaders whose bodies we found?"

By his furtive demeanor, it is obvious that Iacobus is trying to be covert in his inquiry.

"Yes, Iacobus, it would be the same tribe. I've had to deal with a few of those traitors, along with some of their cult friends. That being said, it was only today that I had discovered evidence showing that they were not of Iomaedae." Lann shakes his head in wonderment.

"Your offer for a place to rest is accommodating, and I am sure we all agree in accepting it" - Akkramar nods - "As for these neighboring mongrels, do you believe they will be immediately hostile towards us? And if I may ask, do you know the nature of these other cults they have been contacting with? It may give us an idea of their overall posture" - the android adds.

Akkramar also wants to know if they will be allowed to trade within their community, but one question at a time ;)

Chief Sull reaches down into a pouch built into the side of his seat, and pulls out something into the palm of his hand; you cannot yet tell what it was. "I and my scouts have seen several of these 'cultists' running around in the tunnels. They wear the symbols and clothing of the Iomaedae faction, but I had my suspicions. Then, the day before last, one of mine found this on a cultist, not very long after the quakes subsided." Sull opens his hand to reveal a religious symbol, the same one found on those other dead soldiers, indicating Baphomet.

Looking at you with his one good eye, Sull says, "I must ask, but you are free to say no. Are you and yours willing to kill those cultists and mongrels in the southern tunnels for us?"

You can ask about trade. You might be surprised at his response.

Chief Sull responds to Gabriel. "There is indeed. The fastest way back up to the surface lies to the south of our square. It will still take you a few hours to reach it, but it will get you somewhere in the southern portion of the city. However, in order to do that, you'll need to go through another clan of mongrels, traitors, really. They are a bit expansionist for my tastes, and they have been cavorting with other cults for some time now. You'll likely have to take care of the threat before you can move forward.' Sull pauses to collect his breath, then continues. "Given that, the clan is not an immediate threat, so if you need to stay and finish recovering before moving on, you may do so as our guests." He offers what passes for a smile, allowing you to respond.

Have you seen Dr. Livingston?

Dakkar politely bows, the earthquake. When it struck, we fell into a crevasse. We have since been looking to return to the surface. Helping others that were also affected by the earthquake as we go.

I think that you might have accidentally crossed the streams. Dr. Livingston is down the road, having lunch with an elf named Tessara. :P

Chief Sull looks at you and returns the bow, without rising from his seat. "We experienced the earthquake as well. It is rather odd and amazing that you still live after your fall; you are presently almost a thousand feet below the surface at this point. That being said, I can see that several of your party are injured. Tell me, how did you come to be in your condition?"

Lann leads you towards the largest, and most stable, building in this area. As you walk, you can see there are a couple of dozen 'homes' here, along with a couple of merchant stalls. These buildings are little more than shacks or even lean-to's, each holding a single family or a couple of occupants. In all, you figure there's not more than a handful of people here, all of them mongrelmen. They seem somewhat nervous in your presence, but none of them retreat to their homes. When you reach the stone built home of Chief Sull, Lann knocks on the wood door, and a guard opens it. Upon exchanging words, the guard lets all of you in.

Chief Sull is an older mongrelman, with bloated features, silvery hair, and one eye that is clouded over. He does, however, speak with an air of nobility; punctual and to the point.

"Lann. How is the outer flank? Did we take any damage in the earthquake?"

Lann responds by telling his leader of the damage done to the watchtower, and how you found them and helped rescue Crel. Chief Sull considers the words for a moment, rolling the words around as if tasting a fine merlot. He then swivels his head in your direction and says, "Fine work, chaps. What brings you down to our world?"

Finally satisfied with the responses, the guards move to open the stone doors. It takes a moment, but they open enough for all of you to walk through. The guards say, to the party, "Welcome to Neathholm. Try not to make a mess while you're here."

What you see past the doors is astounding. There is a small, dark lake rippling in the center of this two-hundred-foot-wide cavern, the walls and ceiling aglow with thick sheets of luminescent fungi. In the center of the lake, over two dozen low stone buildings cluster on a rocky one-hundred-foot-wide island. Lights glow in the windows of the buildings, giving the settlement an almost welcoming look. Rafts made of mismatched planks of timber bob along the length of a crooked pier at the lake's closest shore.

"Come," says Lann. "We must go down there and meet with Chief Sull. It will be he who decides what must be done next about the intruders." Lann begins walking forward.

"Travellers from the surface" - Akkramar speaks up - "By happenstance we have come across Lann after a landslide, and offered our asssistance. We come seeking advice on a way to return to the surface" - he speaks, simple and pragmatic.

[dice=Diplomacy?]d20+3

Well...at least you didn't make it any worse...;)

Lann looks at you as you speak, then turns to the guards. "It is as they say. When they found us, they took to what was left of the watchtower we were sent to and helped pull Crel from the rubble. I am willing to speak for them."

Anyone else wanting to speak?

Lann looks at you and nods, heading forth down the tunnel. All of you move cautiously, keeping an eye out for more fungus spewing creatures or evil worshippers. After about 15 minutes you come upon a circular depression, about 20 feet in radius, with a set of well worn wooden doors at the far end. Standing in front of those doors are four mongrelmen, spears at the ready, with swords at their sides. With the others eyeing you suspiciously, one walks towards Lann, saying "Halt! Who are these people, Lann?"

Here's your chance to say something, if you want.

"I like the idea, Gabriel, but we should check in with our clan before your plan happens. Besides, you'll need to go through our encampment to take the tunnels that leads to them."

Sorry all. I really wanted to post yesterday, but of course every time I tried to, the site was down thanks to the power woes...

"Wạ̞̻̰̘͔ͅr̟̹͕̞̘̺ͅn͔̟͉i͉̰̪̤͈n̜͔͈̙̟͖̬g̮̳̦̝̮͈͎͜!̛̮͍̗̝̼͇̰
̵̥͈͓͕Ḫ͇ò͖̜ş̺t̡ p̡͖͇̻̰̱̫r̖͚͇̟o̤̖͇͖c͜es͜s̨ ̸͉̤̠̳͇̝̥s̴̞̦̭̞͍̭u͇br̪̹͔̟ou̧̦͈͉ͅt̙̤̘͔̙̗͉͜i̲͍͓̟̰͍̟n̕ẹ̢ ͏͎̦̬̦̥̙u̺̳̥͎͟p̻̤͟d͇̺̱̞͔̖̲͘a̗͕t̟͜i͈̻͇̮͘n̙͜g̼͕̖̺͕!̩͈̳̼́ ͈̬̯̯̯͕ ̼͔͔̬͎͙̳͝T̠͙̬̬̼͉h̡͕̞̰̬̺ṟ̩̪ͅe̤a̞̲͉̳̗͚t̖̮̱̀ ͕͉̦̗͈͕͢d͇͉͡e̤͈͇͖͖t͇̳e̯͙͝c̺̞̤̙͈͇̠t̺̖̻͎͓̩̳e̘͚d̵̠͉̟͉̻!͉̻̮͔͓̞͠
̤̲̥͘
̮̹͈͚R̻͟e̘̟͈͘p̪̖̟e̢͙̼̮̱a̶͓͙͙̻͔t̘̲͖̜̱,̫̮ ͏Ẁa̞̳͈̻r̵̤̩̲̣n̪͈̼͙i̴n̥̲͕g!̕
̭̘̭H͕͚͕̤͇o͓͓̲s̺̦̻̫̝͉̠t̟͎̙̯̖̺̗ ͙͎͙̙pŗ̫̥̙̬̱o̤̩͈̭ͅc̡̟̪̖͍ͅę͔̳s̼̕s̯ ̸̯̦̺̮͓s̻u̪̤̙b̧̺̤͇̘̞͔ŕ͈̼̰̪̼̺o̸̤u͉͔̱͕ṱ̩̙̮i̡ne̫͓̭̼̪ ̣͚ṵ̵p̩͔͓̖͓͓ḓ͜a̞̹͙̟̝t҉̹̹i͇n͇̘͟g̹̺̦͍̝̜!̘͈̗̙̘͇̱ ̭̱̫̲̻T̜̙̟̠̞̼͟h̴r̩̗̫̟̝̫͍͡e̺̟̹̙̼͜ͅà̭̺̳̻̻ț̝̲̩̯̬͚ ̺͇̯de̵t͍̩̞̰͙e̴͙̩̠̥̘c̶̣̫t̤̠͖̰e̤̹͙̭̝̭d͇̦!"

As 'unit' screams out over Greytooth, Iacobus holds up a cautioning hand. "Hold!"
"ahem, hold." Having gained everyone's attention, he continues, visibly dampening his normally boisterous presence. "I do not believe he at least," pointing to the corpse from which the brazen bull pendent & the scroll were taken, "was what we took them to be. The bull is not an animal sacred to the inheritor. That & the glaive are associated with a deity most foul."
Turning to Lann, "You said these men were associates of another tribe down here, what do you know of them?"

Lann looks over to you and replies, "Well, the other tribe tends to be expansionists; their goal is to eventually taken over the entire cavern complex. We've managed to keep them out of our area so far, but the last few weeks, they've become more aggressive."

Sarasanna searches the area for clues as to what happened here. Did the spore cougher and crusaders commit mutual destruction or did something else cause the carnage? Are there any clues, tracks or evidence that help with this mystery?

[dice=Survival] 1d20 + + 8

Aha! Of course- it was a non-miniature giant space hamster that was responsible!

Other than what is on the bodies, there's really nothing else to gather. However, Lann does mention that there are others who fit is this general description that have passed through the tunnels with increasing frequency over the past several weeks. He also says that these people are aligned with another tribe of mongrelmen in another part of the cavern system.

Gabriel addresses Lann. What do the spores... do?

"Well, the spores simply choke you to death. That plant can push out spores faster than anything I've seen. I guess you could take one out from range with a bow, but that...thing can actually walk on it's stalks, so it wouldn't be easy to kill."

"If it is a creature of this world, then I would prefer not to fight unless we must. Could we possibly sneak by?" -Sarasanna suggests and queries.

Turning to you, Lann says, "I wish we could. There were other ways to reach our colony. Gabriel came from one, but that is considerably more dangerous than this way is, or at least, I thought it was. I believe that, together, we could defeat the spore-cougher and get back to our area relatively quickly."

"Would it be possible to describe this 'spore-cougher' more accurately Lann? Is it a creature of the underground?" - Akkramar questions.

"Well," says Lann, "it's like some kind of plant creature, but one that can walk, on four legs or stalks. The 'head' of the plant is shaped like a bell and that is where it spits out spores."

"Since everyone is okay, we should keep moving. I'll need to warn you, however; there's a 'spore-cougher' down this passage, although we won't likely see it for at least a few minutes, especially if we keep this pace. Just be on your guard."

"Bolstered by the steadfast might of the Strong Man, how could I be anything else?" Iacobus exclaims in response.

Lann gives you a blank stare for a moment; then says, "Everyone else?"

Lann looks around, "Is everyone alright?"

All of you start to move forward down one of the tunnels leading away from the remains of the watchtower. Lann explains how the watchtower was necessary, given how many tunnels lead back to their territory. The walk is slow, to accommodate the wounded.

After about 30 minutes, you find before you a chasm in the tunnel, looking rough and new. Lann is immediately unhappy and dismayed by the newly opened hole. after looking down and around, he turns back to you and asks, "Can you think of any way to get across this? We didn't exactly bring any climbing gear with us." He tries to put on a wan smile, but you can tell that he is worried.

"Then let's get moving. There are those who are going to want to know about this." He begins gathering his belongings; his friends begin doing the same.

Lann's Str check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (17) + 2 = 19

Drya's Str check: 1d20 + 2 ⇒ (8) + 2 = 10

Between all of you, the last of the rocks are lifted. Underneath, you see a pale, white, human, looking rather nervous, but unharmed. Lann walks over to the new guy and puts out his hand. "Good day to you again. Gabriel, is it not?"

Looking at the woman, and her friends before him, the 'mutant' says "We had a feeling that something had gone wrong upon you surface dwellers." He pauses, looking back at the pile of rubble, then turns back around. "There are two people in there; the first one was the third of us to man this watchtower. That is whom we are trying to reach. The other one came upon us only a little while ago, and was caught in the aftershocks, when the tower finally fell. We don't know yet how far under he is, except that our friend, Crel, can hear him and is talking to that person." With that, he turns back and starts trying to pull on the rocks, his friend following.

Ping. Sarasanna hesitates awaiting further instructions for the moment. Receiving transmission- from lost unit? There appears to be someone trapped under a rock up ahead. We may have limited time to act if we wish to help them.

Sarasana approaches cautiously toward the humanoids, being sure to keep some rubble between herself and them as well as maintaining a defensive stance. "Greetings. Are you in need of help?"

Before you reach the point of talking to the humanoids, all of you can hear across your emergency channels, "Silence Tempter!!". As you are the closest atm, Sarasanna, you can also hear it audibly, although muffled and soft, coming from under the rock. The two humanoids also hear it, and are visibly surprised, backing up a couple of steps.

When they move back, you can then clearly see their faces. One, probably a female, has sores and tumors all over her face, covering most of her mouth. The other, a male, has a face that combines elements of an elf, a goat, and a lizardfolk. They both fall into defensive postures when you speak, but the male says to you, "Perhaps you can help, if your intentions are good. As you can see, and hear, there's at least two people trapped under there, one of whom is our friend."