Campaign Log of Autec the Landbound,
Day 4
I'm getting sick of this below ground, slithering around business...
We start out the day with a hearty breakfast of travel
rations and darkness before moving further into the cave system through the
vertical shaft freshly slicked with crazy dwarf blood. After stumbling along
for some time we are greeted by an odd sight in a large chamber dominated by a
once floor to ceiling tower, now collapsed. Two humanoids seem to be trying to
dig something out amidst the rubble and having a hard time of it. With the two
beings absorbed by their work, we are able to approach close enough to see that
they are both grotesquely melded with animal parts and attempting to free another
of their number.
Apparently sensing no ill intentions, Ralan greets them and
asks if we can be of assistance. A man...ish thing introduces himself as Lann
and welcomes our aid. I offer to enlarge Paxaea, but the party declines and we
collectively throw our backs out hoisting the boulder off the unfortunate
mongrelman. Ralan demonstrates a new ability and lays a healing hand on the
crushed leg we unearth. While this god given healing does nothing for the
deformities of the man, some color does return to his cheeks and he pronounces
himself able to travel with aid. Aravashniel is informed of goings on and
quickly begins harassing the mongrelfolk with scholarly, none too polite,
questions about their origins which they ignore. They seem very happy with the
rest of us and offer to lead us to their chieftain who will hopefully be able
to guide us to a way back aboveground. We agree and set off on the path they
indicate.
A few hours later, our guides are surprised by a small chasm
stretching across what they claim was once a useable tunnel. Probably the
quake. I drop a lightstone into the depths and we find it is only 30 ft. deep.
Kesh climbs the wall around the gap and investigates the far shore, but is
unable to locate anything to hitch a line to. We collectively decide that
climbing down the crevasse and then back up the other side should work just
fine. It does, crisis averted. We proceed.
A few moments later, Lann warns us that he has been forced
to lead us down a more dangerous path due to the quake cutting off key routes.
Ahead, he says, lies a sporecougher and begins to describe some sort of fungus
with hallucinatory poison. One of our bookworms identifies the specimen as some
ridiculous sounding fungus and informs us that it possesses hallucinatory
poison. Super helpful, that.
I chuck lightstones around the room in question until we
spot the thing gloating (or digesting) over its last meal of two oddly
accoutered bodies in crusader garb. Never one to let the opportunity to charge
something go to waste, Ralan springs into action and rushes the cougher. I send
Pax in after him and the rest of the party plinks away with sling bullets and
arrows. I must admit, I think I inhaled some of the thing's spores and can't
remember the rest of the fight – reminds me of the time I ate that puffer fish
on a bet. I wake up a few moments later and have a short chuckle at Pax all
covered in spores. Katsa scrapes a pile of 'em off Ralan into a flask and stows
it in her gear, perhaps for recreational purposes?
We investigate the corpses and find a healing potion and
scroll of fear, along with what Sitzva identifies as a holy symbol of Baphomet,
a demon god. This seems fairly damning in conjunction with their glaives and
spiked gauntlets, known weapons of that god. Aravashniel takes it as evidence
that the cultists have infiltrated the crusaders and seems just a little too
excited that his theory was correct. I secure a body to Pax's back to bring to
the leadership if we ever manage to escape this place. I also take a moment to
swap out my tattered hide vest for one of their fine chain shirts. Looking a
proper crusader now, aren't we Pax?
The rest of the trip to the mongrelfolk's village passes
without incident with Lann leading us and we arrive shortly thereafter. The
village is situated in a very large cavern housing an underground lake with
numerous islands upon which the mongrels have carved their homes. Some sort of
luminescent green fungus coats the walls of the cavern and I finally dispel the
light spell I've had going forever.
We are ushered in to see Chief Sull, who
looks and sounds suspiciously like a rat. Ralan relates our story thus far and
the chief claims to know a way back to the surface, but, of course, there is a
catch.
The only exit he is aware of lies beyond the territory of
another group of mongrelmen allied with the cultists. If we manage to destroy
the deviant 40-odd member clan we will have a clear shot at the surface and a
ready ally in Sull's united tribes if we manage to convince the crusader
leadership they're not all demonically tainted. This seems somewhat suspect, as
Sull admits that they are, in fact, the descendants of the cursed first
crusaders. Aravashniel is beyond giddy at this fact and continues to pry until
Simi tells him off. Sull does promise to provide more information to our
inquisitive members if we manage to save the world.
While unable to offer us any manpower due to the increased
cultist presence on his borders, Sull is able to provide us with a satchel full
of restorative potions and even gives his magical morningstar to Sitzva to
smash some traitor skulls in. We take the rest of the day to inquire around
town for goods and hawk some of our junk. The mongrels have a stash of magical
items they have sifted from the rubble, perhaps it would be worth our time to
negotiate in the future for some of them. I take a welcome rinse off in their
lake, but don't locate anything interesting beneath the gentle waters. Tonight
we'll rest in accommodations provided by Sull and set off early tomorrow to
meet the renegade tribe head on.
