"hm, I'm not sure i'd sleep on those sheets, but they might make a nice rope if you cut them in strips. I guess you could always use them as a picnic spread. maybe if you boil them real good first."
"Ha!" Jessa laughs, "All things are possible through the power of magic, Eugen! I'll make them good as new!"
Mitnal roles his eyes at Jessa and begins to search the room.
While trying to look around I randomly stick my finger in my eye.
Heeding his mistress' request...and always eager to look for shiny, valuable things...Blackwing hops and flutters around the room to aid the search. He also jealously keeps an eye on what everyone else lifts or turns about within the room, ready to swoop in and claim any prizes before they can grab them.
Blackwing spots a bit of shiny under the chair cushion. Mitnal looks under the mattress and finds a necklace.
Stuffed under the chair cushion is a large chest key.
The necklace under the mattress is an iconinc three eyed silver jackal head figure attached to a silver chain. It has small garnetts for eyes.
As everyone gathers around to examine their findings, Jessa's eyes are drawn to the necklace.
"Hmmm...Lamashtu again," she surmises, "Looks like there's definitely a connection between Nualia, the goblins, and that ancient temple we found under Sandpoint. We're on the right track at least."
She then gestures at the key. "I wonder what that's for..." she says, "I don't recall seeing any locks of significance. But that's the second key we've found now. We should take them both with us in case we need them to unlock something important."
"Lamashtu."
I spit, expressively, after saying the name.
"It would be interesting to grab someone articulate down here and find out what caused all this mess."
I shake my head and hold in my final thought: that all of this will end as it began, violently.
"It would be interesting to grab someone articulate down here and find out what caused all this mess."
"I agree," Jessa says, "I had hoped to charm the chieftain and ask him some questions, but he proved resistant to my spell. For now, it seems like Nualia is the common thread, though."
"We know she made her home in Sandpoint. Everyone thought she died in the fire at the cathedral. Obviously, she didn't. We also know...or suspect...she's the 'daughter of Lamashtu' that demonspawn quasit referred to. So, if we assume Nualia somehow found her way into those same ruins, she's definitely the glue binding all of this together. To what end and reason, I cannot yet fathom."
"But it would certainly help to capture and interrogate someone," she agrees, "They can't close their minds to me forever."
"But it would certainly help to capture and interrogate someone," she agrees, "They can't close their minds to me forever."
'Capture and interrogate. Capture and interrogate,' Mitnal repeats to himself. He looks at the still bloody klar blade and the warhammer in his hands. 'This isn't going to be easy.'
While trying to look around I randomly stick my finger in my eye.
Kenzo looks around, but his attention is more on the door behind them than on actually looking for anything.
Kenzo does not spot anything missed by the others, except that one of the skins against the far wall, a horse skin, is nailed down to the floor.
"Hmm," I say rubbing my eye. "Where were we? What next? Anybody find anything interesting?"
"Looks like we have only one door remaining, unless we want to go back the way we came," Jessa announces, "Let's keep these keys handy and see if we can find something they fit. Eugen? Mitnal? Lead the way, please."
Where to? The last doorway in the throne room?
Where to? The last doorway in the throne room?
Eugen lifts the bar of wood holding the door shut.
Opening the door reveals a small hallway, five feet wide. The hallway goes ten feet to the east and then continues for another ten feet to the south. At the south end is a closed door.
Kenzo does not spot anything missed by the others, except that one of the skins against the far wall, a horse skin, is nailed down to the floor.
Kenzo heads out of the room behind the others, but the stops and turns back to take a closer look. "Hold on a moment," he calls to the others.
Mitnal follows Kenzo trying to resist the urge to whistle a happy tune.
Kenzo does not spot anything missed by the others, except that one of the skins against the far wall, a horse skin, is nailed down to the floor.Kenzo heads out of the room behind the others, but the stops and turns back to take a closer look. "Hold on a moment," he calls to the others.
It is nailed to the dirt floor
Kenzo pries it up as the others head out. The dirt underneath the horse hide looks different from the dirt elsewhere in the complex. Less packed down perhaps.
"What do you make of that?" Kenzo asks Mitnal. "Whatever it is, I guess it can wait to later, right?"
"What do you make of that?" Kenzo asks Mitnal. "Whatever it is, I guess it can wait to later, right?"
"Dig?" Blackwing suggests with his usual curiosity. Having stealthily flown in behind the monk and barbarian, he peers casually past them at the loose dirt.
Back at the hallway, Jessa looks apologetically at Eugen and Gyorgy. "That bird has a mind of its own sometimes," she explains with a shrug.
I pause, looking over at Kenzo. "Maybe there's something buried there?"
Mitnal gives it a light thunk with his warhammer.
Back at the hallway, Jessa looks apologetically at Eugen and Gyorgy. "That bird has a mind of its own sometimes," she explains with a shrug.
I peer back nervously toward where the raven has flown.
"Um, should we be running off without Kenzo and Mitnal?"
"Um, should we be running off without Kenzo and Mitnal?"
"Decidedly not..." Jessa answers, "Nor without Blackwing. There's no way I'm letting that raven out of sight with so many goblins crawling around."
Jessa waits until Kenzo, Mitnal, and Blackwing have satisfied themselves with their discovery rather than heading off to explore with just Eugen and Gyorgy.
Kenzo looks at Eugen & Mitnal and shrugs his shoulders. Taking a dagger, he scratches around in the door to get a better feel for what exactly may be there.
The dirt floor under the horse rug in the chief's room looks to have been dug up at least once. There is nothing on or near the top of the soil. The door in the hallway is closed and made of wood. Scratching it will do little.
The dirt floor under the horse rug in the chief's room looks to have been dug up at least once. There is nothing on or near the top of the soil. The door in the hallway is closed and made of wood. Scratching it will do little.
There is no trap door in the dirt. Just loose soil. Examining it will require digging.
"Oh, for heaven's sake, boys!" Jessa becomes exasperated and heads back into the main room. "Are you afraid to get your hands a little dirty?"
She plops down next to Kenzo, draws her dagger and starts using it to attack the loose soil and scoop it out of the way. "See if there's a digging tool over there in that armory that might help..." she directs.
With Jessa taking the lead, the group is soon digging up the floor of the goblin room. The soil is loose and is easily moved.
Soon all are gathered around looking down into the two foot deep hole at the top of what looks to be a chest.
Kenzo considers pulling everyone away from what could easily just be a trap, or worse, a pile of goblin refuse, but finds himself digging along with the others.
Soon all are gathered around looking down into the two foot deep hole at the top of what looks to be a chest.
"Well that's interesting," the monk mumbles under his breath. "I wasn't actually expecting to find anything . . . "
"Well that's interesting," the monk mumbles under his breath. "I wasn't actually expecting to find anything . . . "
"And I wasn't expecting to get so...dirty..." Jessa remarks. She stands and waits for the stronger arms to lift the box out of the hole they've dug so they can examine it together.
"Propreus-desalle," she intones the words to a quick spell to put her back to a natural state of cleanliness, "There. That's better."
Jessa then fishes out both of the keys they found among the goblins so far. "One of these probably fits it. I wonder what's inside that they considered valuable enough to lock...as well as bury in the dirt?"
When everyone finishes digging I peer over their shoulders into the hole.
"Blimey, real buried treasure."
Then, with a slight gesture and intonation: "Hashek Karema." I cast detect magic toward the chest.
Meanwhile, Lim perches on my head to get a good view.
"Well, ... would you look at that," says Mitnal rather surprised.
The party is so involved with the discovery of the chest that they do not hear the neaky little goblins coming in through the door that was left open.
The first clue they have is the giggle of a goblin just before he looses his bow.
Another goblins fires from the doorway of the chieftains room into the room.
The first arrow flies towards Jessa. The other flies towards Gyorgy.
Arrows: (1d20+1=11, 1d20+1=17)
Damage (Gyorgy): (1d4=4)
The one arrow strikes Gyorgy rather pointedly.
Goblin Initiative: (1d20+3=20)
If you can beat a twenty initiative you can act. Otherwise the goblins cackle with delight and then run.
Ouch, arrow! Initiative. (1d20+7=18)
"Aargh!"
If you can beat a twenty initiative you can act. Otherwise the goblins cackle with delight and then run.
Even as the promise of the treasure chest looms before everyone, a tingle of trepidation rises up Jessa's spine. Something causes her head to turn just in time to avoid the goblin's arrow.
"Bedezerine!" she instinctively lashes out with a dazing charm to stun the runty archer.
Jessa gets a surprise round action then before the goblins run back the way they came.
Jessa's spell works.
"What'd you say, Gyorgy?"
Jessa's spell causes the one goblin to stand, dazed, for a few seconds. The other one cackles and giggling still to itself runs out of the room.
Jessa's spell causes the one goblin to stand, dazed, for a few seconds. The other one cackles and giggling still to itself runs out of the room.
Mitnal's going to give chase.