Like the tunnels, the brick wall appears to have been there for some years at least. Judging from the total lack of dust atop the rubble however, it was demolished quite recently. None of which tells Grond why it might have been put up in the first place.
"Maybe it was built up to separate this part of Sandpoint with these caves? Maybe whatever was in these caves broke out? I think if we're serious about continuing our search, we need to press on, into the caves."
Kyran pipes up. "I have a feeling if we keep moving, the answers will become apparent soon enough."
"The question be where do we be lookin'? Do ya think the answeres be at the end o' the natural caverns or do they be behind the knocked down brick wall? Seems to me that anyone who be takin' the time to wall it up has some secret to be hiddin'. I say we head that way."
"That logic works fine for me. Let's go have a look."
Alert for any sign of trouble, the group proceed past the remains of the brick wall. At first, the tunnel seems no different from that which they have been following up until now. At length, however, the roughly hewn tunnel walls give way to a room of solid-looking but also ancient masonry.
There is a thick layer of dust here, imprinted here and there by footprints of varying ages. Alas, the prints are too jumbled for any sense to be drawn from them. The only exit seems to be to the north, an empty doorway with only darkness visible beyond.
"What evil have we stumbled upon here in the very bowels of Sandpoint, keep yer wits friends, my Axe feels thirsty, a sure sign of trouble" Umlo will do a quick search of this room, axe in hand.
Grond nods in agreement and reestablishes the grip on his hammer peering into the darkness for any signs of trouble.
Kyran "scans" the area with his detect evil ability, arrow nocked and ready to fly.
Fern will move up ahead, behind Grond, and peer toward and through the exit.
A brief search of the room turns up nothing of interest. Kyran's diligence, however, pays off. There is a pinprick of malevolence to be found here, though he's having trouble localising it. Whatever it is seems to be moving back and forth around the northern doorway. It withdraws somewhat at the approach of the others, but not a great distance.
Beyond the doorway, the next room proves to be somewhat larger. It is clearly a prison, as evidenced by the iron-barred cells that line the walls. Alas, any rescue comes far too late; the cells' occupants have long since decayed to skeletons. A rickety wooden platform overlooks the room from a height of around ten feet, with two flights of stairs connecting it to the floor.
There is a faint sound of fluttering wings. It sounds as if someone has disturbed a bat, though there is none visible.
Kyran quietly growls out"There is something tiny, fast, and evil in here with us. I'm not sure where, exactly, but it's here." Given the cramped conditions, he takes the opportunity to swap his bow for his sword & shield.
Devrin nods to Kyran, ready for trouble should it appear from above.
Grond shares an eager glance with Umlo and says, "Come Brother, let's be ferretin' this bit o' evil out in ta the open." Then with a tight grip on his hammer he moves forward into the room alert for danger.
Kyran keeps concentrating, trying to lock down the source of the evil, as he follows Grond.
Umlo follows in as well...
"See me, you do, mortals?" a high-pitched, but unmistakably feminine voice pipes up from deeper into the room, "Think to end me? Or to pillage my home? You don't want to do that, mortals," the voice goes on, in the kind of stern tone in which one speaks to naughty children, "It wouldn't end well."
It's rather disconcerting to hear an invisible voice moving about the room, but Kyran at least thinks he has it locked down. The evil is coming from a very small, mobile area of air. A few steps and he could even strike at it. But there's something else too, he realises - two larger, stationary sources of evil, which he spots off to the right as he enters the room. They're somewhere in amongst the rafters below that wooden platform. The angle and the light aren't quite right for a clear view of them, but they're definitely there.
"Cowardly creature! We want nothing to do with you. We are looking for Tsuto."
"See me, you do, mortals?" a high-pitched, but unmistakably feminine voice pipes up from deeper into the room, "Think to end me? Or to pillage my home? You don't want to do that, mortals," the voice goes on, in the kind of stern tone in which one speaks to naughty children, "It wouldn't end well."
It's rather disconcerting to hear an invisible voice moving about the room, but Kyran at least thinks he has it locked down. The evil is coming from a very small, mobile area of air. A few steps and he could even strike at it. But there's something else too, he realises - two larger, stationary sources of evil, which he spots off to the right as he enters the room. They're somewhere in amongst the rafters below that wooden platform. The angle and the light aren't quite right for a clear view of them, but they're definitely there.
"Tsuto? A writer of bad poetry, he is. But such potential within. Why should I give him to you?"
Perception roll 16
Kyran Continues to concentrate, moving in the general direction of the mobile spot of malevolence, but not straight at it."So Tsuto is your prisoner?"
"Guest, prisoner, the same it is. All perspective." The voice sounds amused at the question.
Umlo's roving gaze settles on two humanoid shapes lurking in the rafters below the platform. They don't seem to be moving, just watching and waiting for now.
Can Kyran get some sort of bead on what the two larger evil things are?
"And who are you?" asks Devrin tired of silly games.
"I? Erylium I am," the voice says, and as it does so, the speaker finally winks into visibility, giving a mocking bow to the group. She is a rather small, bat-winged being with a lashing tail sticking out from beneath a slinky red dress. The religiously inclined may recognise her from their studies as a quasit - one of the lesser varieties of demon.
"I rule this place in the name of Our Lady, whose name none of you are worthy to hear. Defend it as well, against those who would desecrate it."
It's difficult to make out details of the humanoids lurking beneath the rafters, given lighting conditions and their efforts to remain hidden. One of the visible limbs, though, seems to be bending in completely the wrong direction.
"Well Erylium, we need to take Tsuto back to Sandpoint for questioning. I think it advisable that you hand him over now." replies Devrin.
"Or what? You will do violence to me? See your threat of violence I will, and raise you more." Erylium smiles mockingly, "What then have you that I want?"
Up in the rafters, those humanoid figures seem to be growing restless. Depending on how tight a leash Erylium has them on, this could mean trouble.
Umlo stands protectively infron of the worshipper od Desna "Careful, creature, I feel like calling bluffs today"
"Bluffs, is it?" Erylium says, flitting forward abruptly to hover in front of Umlo's face, "Care to test them, do you? Hmm? See, we soon shall who is making the bluffs."
"Bluffs, is it?" Erylium says, flitting forward abruptly to hover in front of Umlo's face, "Care to test them, do you? Hmm? See, we soon shall who is making the bluffs."
"I'm certainly not, you little abyss-spawned maggot." Kyran says bladly as he steps around Umlo and attempts to run the little menace through. Unfortunately, he telegraphs the attack and the little menace's speed and small size spare her the touch of his steel. (Attack Roll: 8)
[ooc]Hey, somebody had to do something more than trash talk.[/occ]
Following Kyran's lead Umlo strikes at the flying bat-thing
Erylium lets out an inarticulate shriek as Umlo's axe bites into her, flying quickly back out of range. Prompted by the commencement of hostilities, those two figures drop from the rafters, advancing towards the group. It is immediately obvious that there is nothing human about them. Quite aside from the backwards-bending legs and taloned hands, their lower jaws are cleft in two, a long slavering tongue writhing over tiny fingers.
Devrin prepares for battle, casting Protection from Evil on himself.
Umlo slashes at a sinspawn uses 2 weapon fighting
Dwarven War axe to hit 12, to dam 10; hand axe to hit 16, to damage 7..
Umlo slashes in a wild fury with his twin axes at the abomination....
Thank you Chris for all the time and effort you put into to this I appreciate it. Make sure you purchase Pathfinder Society adventure #22 written by yours truely (end shameless plug) Seriously this has been a lot of fun for me and was my 1st PBP you as a GM and all of the other players made this an amazing experience. Thanks! If you do run another game, please let me know!
