Hey Tyn, lift the boat so I can check under it.
Seann once again raises his spear, ready to strike. His lips move almost imperceptibly, nervously reviewing incantations.
Eldin peers cautiously into the room his companions have entered. “Looks like Vanthus’ boat,” muses Eldin. “Be careful fellows, we don’t know what might lurk in these tunnels …”
Reajusting the trident to his back, Tyndal flips the boat.
You hear distant retorts of soft thunder, apparently the fire rages still.
Readjusting the trident to his back, Tyndal flips the boat.
Tiny crimson-backed beetles skitter away as Tyndal steps up to the rowboat. Bending over and grabbing the edge of the boat with both hands, he quickly upends the vessel so Terin may peek beneath.
A lavender mushroom of incredible size protrudes from a crack in the stone floor below where the boat was resting moments ago. As your gaze lingers upon it, the fungus begins to emit a piercing wail. The hellish squeal rises in volume, drowning out all other sound until you cannot even hear each other save by screaming directly into the recipient’s ear. The keening is so intense you reflexively check your ears for blood with the back of your hand.
If unfriendly creatures lurk within the moldering sewage system, it would be safe to assume they are aware of your presence now. In essence, the dinner bell is ringing.
One can only assume that Tyndal is screaming, since his mouth is moving, but the long string of obscenities can't be heard over the keening mushroom.
He whips his flail off his belt and begins flailing at the mushroom, smashing it until it stops wailing.
Terin also attempts to silence the fungus with some hacks from his scimitar.
"Gods damn it!" yells Seann, "Make it stop! Or I will be forced to... F$#+, THAT'S LOUD!"
He waves his spear wildly at the mushroom, shaking his head wildly to clear the now reappearing spots from his vision.
"Nine bloody hells, what is that infernal noise! We may be discovered, friends. Be on your guards."
With the majority of the party thrashing wildly at the giant fungus, you manage to reduce the mushroom to a grimy mauve paste in short order.
The hellacious clamor finally abates, leaving your ears ringing in the ensuing silence.
“------ else think their hearing might be – Oh, there it is. Wonders never cease, a screaming mushroom…”
Eldin glances back through the open door of the chamber into the sewer, to see if anything has been drawn to them by the infernal shrieking.
The door you used to enter the room remains ajar, but nothing appears to have taken advantage of that fact while you were preoccupied with the mushroom.
It’s difficult to be certain until the ringing ceases, but you believe you just heard a hoarse baying noise.
"SO DO YOU WANT TO..I'M YELLING AIN'T I?"
Tyndal lowers his voice and continues.
"The next door, or back to the locked, nailed-shut, vibrating door?"
I say we barricade the door we just came through with the boat and any other stuff we can find in this room, we can probably get the boat wedged pretty well, and then continue on to this next door. I feel that avoiding the obviously dangerous, nailed shut door is a good idea for now until we make sure that this way has no danger.
*Terin starts a search of this room as he is talking, effectively taking 10.*
"I think I heard ...something. A ways off."
From which direction did the sound emanate? If it is from beyond the next door then we need to hurry with our preparations. If it seems to be coming from down by the nailed-shut door we should hurry more! That door worries me.
Terin starts a search of this room as he is talking / From which direction did the sound emanate?
Aside from the boat, you come across two 25-foot coils of hemp rope, a half full wineskin, several broken glass vials, a rusty but serviceable table knife, and three soggy torches.
Regrettably, any echolocation abilities you may be accustomed to relying upon are temporarily out of commission, thanks to the aftereffects of the earsplitting fungus. The “good” news is, while Terin busily searches, the door across from the one you entered begins to buckle and shake ominously, unambiguously identifying the direction of the baying, which begins anew. Whatever it is, it doesn’t quite sound like a canine.
The far door shudders violently, but holds, for the moment.
"Who was it that wanted to turn over the boat? I loathe them from the bottom of my soul."
Seann begins to move his fingers in a complicated swirling pattern, readying a spell.
Tyndal did it! I asked him to, though. We have a guest coming guys, battle positions!
Tyndal smiles at Seann's comment and readies for combat, flail and shield at the ready.
As the party readies, the shuddering ceases. A full ten seconds pass in tense silence, broken by the resumption of the shrill bark-like noise, followed by scrabbling claws on stone.
Abruptly, the wooden door bursts inwards, creating a spray of wooden splinters. A large, mangy beast hurtles into the room with the remains of the door, shaking the debris from its hide like droplets of water from a drenched dog.
Before you stands a brute spawned from children’s nightmares, a gruesome amalgam of dog and rat, with lengthy bone spurs jutting from its joints; the thing glares at you with hungry eyes, letting loose a half-howl, half-squeak from almost preposterously oversized jaws. Laughable, if it wasn’t in front of you, drooling spittle, and ready to slay.
Answering howls respond from beyond the room on both sides. You can’t be sure how many more there are, but the things obviously travel in packs, and surround your tenuous position.
Here are the rolls(3 of which are 1's) and here are the results with initiative mods applied:
Harven- 21
Eldin- 20
Anders- 15
Monster(s)- 15
Terin- 4
Seann and Tyndal- 3
3 of which are 1's
Harven up. :)
The room is 15 x 20, with the thing in the middle, and the party roughly around in wherever you feel like starting.
“What in Fharlanghn’s fine name ...?” Begins Eldin, as he backs himself into a corner of the room, hoping to stay out of the way of the beasts sharp jaws – or those of its friends. “The Wanderer’s blessings upon us all – I fear we shall need them…” Eldin begins intoning a heartening chant, whilst searching his brain for any knowledge of what manner of beast this may be.
Harven springs into action, hardly taken aback by this newest development. He looses a deadly projectile at the creature, but his volley flies wide of the beast; the path of the arrow lost in the bedlam of the moment.
Eldin secrets himself within the shadows of the room’s edge, though from the murky crook you hear him chanting softly, ”Make my ways safe and my homecomings joyful. Give me safe traveling companions and let me not…” moments before you feel a wash of reassuring vigor, allowing you to shake off a little of the gloom of this place.
Racking his brain for any inkling with which to identify this bizarre fusion of creatures, Eldin comes up short. From whence could such a thing have sprung?
The beast, a terrible thing of claws, spines, and teeth, hurls itself upon Tyndal, eager for a feast (Claws/Bite).
Mercifully, snapping jaws close on empty air as Tyndal bats the beast down with his shield arm, sustaining only the most minor of scratches ) as the creature impotently flails at him with its forelegs.
Not creatures to neglect a banquet, two more of the savage pack arrive at each entrance.
Anders places a hand on the upturned boat and utters a word of power, bathing the room in light (to free up hands of the party). Nodding sharply to Tyndal, he moves across the room to where Eldin stands, securing a position momentarily out of harm's way.
Terin up.
The Beast attacks the original Rat-dog creature with a bite-13 to hit, 7 damage while trying to wrack his brain to figure out what they are. Knowledge:nature 11.
trying to wrack his brain to figure out what they are. Knowledge:nature 11
Tyndal recalls a meeting with an Urban Druid long ago, who waxed nostalgic on the dangers of the city. These beasts, known as Carcass Eaters, were mentioned for their tendency to go berserk once they come into contact with the scent of blood.
Tyndal recalls a meeting with an Urban Druid long ago
Tyndal will move to a flanking position with Terin and crack the demon-dog's skull.
The Beast attacks the original Rat-dog creature with a bite-13 to hit, 7 damage while trying to wrack his brain to figure out what they are. Knowledge:nature 11.
Forgot "bless" so a 14 to hit.
Forgot "bless" so a 14 to hit.
Seann whips his finger at a rat beast. A thin beam of blue light strikes the creature, coating its fur in glowing blue rime.
Harven crosses to the corner on the other side of the door, turning as he gets there to launch an arrow at the rat beast Sean shot with his ray of ice. The arrow slams into the beast, for 6 Damage.
Yep yep!
Harven
Eldin
Anders / Monster(s)
Terin
Seann and Tyndal
Eldin grips his quarterstaff tightly and waits for Terin – the Beast – to leap at the next creature. When he does so, Eldin moves in and attempts to distract the rat-dog, creating an opening for Terin’s jaws.
Between the fireworks and the fury, the remaining Carcass Eaters have had their fill. The pair withdraws hesitantly at first, and then bolts away with all haste. Likely, they will return at a later time, to feed on their former pack mates.
The remains of the three slain creatures cool slowly in the humid air, though they start to smell ghastly almost immediately.
Eldin sighs deeply as the remaining creatures flee – and then almost gags on the foul stench emanating from the corpses. Still, it is good to be alive, and he feels invigorated after the battle. He offers a quick, silent prayer of thanks to Fharlanghn.
“Is anyone badly injured?” he asks, looking about. “Tyndal, let me take a look at that scratch, we don’t want it to become infected down here…”
“Anyone else?”
*The Beast shifts back into his Elf-form.*
My body is whole, Traveler, and I desire to press forward.
Seann, interested in a new tattoo?
"Err...ya...no need for infections down there" Tyndal smiles.
"Want to check out the incredibly ominous, vibrating door? Me...I feel like I could take on the entire empir..uh dungeon, myself"
Seann, I see you have done something different with your hair or something...
Seann, I see you have done something different with your hair or something...