"Please Marianna, it makes things less confusion if we end up talking with the nobility sometimes ahead of us. But let's not worry about that for now, let's continue to look for that safehouse of hers." Marianna says carefully maneuvering about in the sewers.
"You think someone or something is down here Ephiril?" Marianna asks readying herself to fight if needed.
Udaas continues to follow along with the party, still holding the sunrod(after all, while it might make them easier to spot, without it, they'd likely be blind) and generally keeping a wary eye out for anything that might try to take a bite out of them.
Verus continues to the right with the rest of the group, thankful that he didn't have to get into the muck. He follows at the back, his ears and eyes looking for pursuit.
"I think we have split up enough now for us to head for the safehouse without risking running into Janivent. But I would be listening closely for the hellknights, don't really want to fight some of their calibur." Marianna says as they are walking the sewers
“Agreed,” said Udaas, who had been considering the light that had appeared and vanished earlier. Insofar as he could guess, it could be that there was something else down here, but it had simply moved away, hence the light vanishing, or it could have simply put out its light and was now lying in wait for them. An idea came to him, and he cast Dancing Lights to create a glowing, vaguely humanoid shape, before moving it up ahead of the group in order to see if anything had been lying in wait where the previous light had been. After all, he figured, it was better to be warned if such things ahead of time, especially as it was likely that anything that was down here was long since gone or already aware of them in turn.
Ephiril just shakes his head. This weren´t his best clothes, but far from the worst. And he would now have to burn them.
the light reappears then disappears. The room off to the right is beeing illuminated by sewer grates located on the road. If anyone looks inside its empty safe for a bunch of nick nacks that seem to have fallan from the sewer drain above (aprox 5gp split into 2gp, 20sp and 100cp.
"Hmm looks like we got a bunch of coins here, might be what caused the light to 'dance' around in here as people walk by above." Marianna says kneeling to pick up the coins.
Ephiril just smiles.
"Can we move on? The sooner I am out of this sewage pit, the better!"
"That is possible, but I must agree with our other compatriot here. I would like to get out of this sewer and to this safehouse as quickly as possible. Perhaps then we can get some answers about what we are now wrapped up in." Verus says quietly, hoping his voice doesn't echo down the sewers.
"Yeah, lets get out of this craphole, then start asking some questions about all this," agreed Udaas.
Standing up again Lady Marianna nods "Ah of course better get out of here. So right it us yes?"
As you continue down the sewers, you approach another junction (). You spot what at first glance looks like 2 colorful, animate blobs of slime, but has thin insectoid legs and eye stalks. Its has antennae-like appendages that wave about curiously. these... things are roughly the size of your hand and close to them, hundreds of these tiny things remain near the 2 hand sized ones.
"Uhh... anyone got any clue whether we need to be worried about these things?" he asked, as he presumably knew nothing about them.
"I have no idea... but they don't look friendly," Verus says while knocking an arrow and lining up a shot.
"No, I suppose they don't," said Udaas, as he cast Dancing Lights again and quickly stowed the sunrod so that he could have both hands free to deal with whatever was to come.
They remain still, there little antennae waveing around curiously
"I'm not a big fan of bugs... Do you think we can walk past them?" Marianna asks as she studies the creatures. "Perhaps we can use some of a ration to keep them busy eating while we get past them?"
"Well those are bugs. But I do know little about them. We can try Lady, we can try!"
Marianna finds a trail ration in her backpack and moves closer to toss some of the content towards the bugs, aiming for the square in front of the blue one.
As the food hits the ground, about a hundred more come flooding out of the walls and swarm the trail ration.
and “ooze bugs” by many others). These strange and fascinating creatures, curious in ways beyond what their simple forms might suggest. These strangely colored creatures resemble a cross between a tiny ooze and an insect. They typically have a bulbous, beetle-like translucent body, six legs, and long eyestalks with primitive sensory knobs on the end. Usually
they take on green, gray, or pink shades, though they may be any color. Older torbles often tend toward the colors of large ooze predators such as ochre jellies, black puddings, or the colorless gelatinous cubes, though any relationship between them is unclear. The creature’s interior may be
clear or cloudy, and has the same consistency and properties of the fluid that surrounds the brains of lower animals. After the creature feeds, however, its color temporarily changes to match the color of its meal—which sometimes remains visible for hours. Although a torble has no true organs, it has a stiff bundle of fibrous nerve tissue running the length
of its body that helps hold its shape. When it rests, it retracts its antennae and legs into its body.
"Looks like we might have to fight our way through them anyway. There are far more of those then I expected."
Looking at the Torbles there is a smile on Ephiril face. That turns sour quickly as they form a swarm. "Oh..Oh. Those are Torbles, a mix of insect and ooze. Not good. Either run or fight quickly. Now I am happy I use a polearm!"
The ration dont last very long and before you know it, they come marching toward the source of the food.
"Well, anyone got any clue on how to deal with these things, then?" asked Udaas, seeing as weapons damage was likely not going to do much against a swarm of presumably very small creatures, "Because if not, we should run, like, now."
"And run where? We'd be lost down here. We have to follow the swords and through them is the way. We have no choice." As the creatures start to crawl up the warrior's leg, Verus curses and stores his bow while pulling out a torch and lighting it. He then tries to squeeze by his comrades while swinging the fire at the creatures, hoping it clears a path.
Marinna let's out a shriek as the bugs starts climbing up he rlegs. "Ihhh get these of me, I have creepy crawlies." she says stomping the ground in an attempt to make them fall off.
"Urgh there are to many to squish them all, do any of you have anything to better deal with a swarm like this? I only have a few flasks of acid and fire." Marianna says pulling back to rejoin the rest of the group.
"Both of those should work well, else I have enough torches for everyone." Verus calls back to the fighter.
Epheril ponders for a moment then nods. "Those should work. Hand me one please, too."
Verus quickly pulls out and lights torches for whoever needs one.
Udaas takes a torch.
"You don't have to waste all your touches Verus. I got a few also." Marianna says finding one of her own to light
Marianna climbs out of the water spitting some of it up "Danmed small slippery walkways, this is just disgusting. I need a visit to a bathhouse now." she complains as she joins the others.
The bugs begin to scatter as noise is made, leaving only a couple stragglers behind. Should you keep going, around the next junction you see a dead end with a sewer lid above
"Think we have to go up from here?" Marianna says looking around for another sword mark somewhere.
Epheril moves forward and checks if he can open the lid.
Marianna, you spot a sword pointing up this time, and epheril the lid does pop open.
"Well, I guess we go up, then?" said Udaas, peering up to see what, if anything, lies on the other side of the lid.
Looking left and right till no one of consequence is near then he pushes the lid aside and climbes out
"The sword points that way so I say we do. For now we don't have anythign els but to follow the marks to the hideout. We don't know if the Hellknights new we were to be meeting there and as such I'd rather not return before we know everything she knows." Marianna responds refering to their contact and climbs up once the ladder is free.
"I agree ... I don't want to get lost down here so up we go." Verus quips while keeping an eye down the path. He makes sure everyone makes it up before throwing his bow over his shoulder and climbing himself.
Udaas climbs up once the ladder is free.
Udaas, you can hear horses and other animals just outside of the manhole. as you all begin to pop out, a friendly face welcomes you. "So you made it! Come, lets get you all cleaned up inside.
"Yes, let's," said Udaas, as he headed inside, "I hope your journey was relatively uneventful as well?"
"Well met, and the chance to be cleaned sounds very very good!"
Looking down at himself Epheril sighs. That was not a good start!
"I wouldn't mind a chance for a wash, I took a rather unpleansant drive into the sewer."