<Action continues here.>

Roak shouts down the stairs to the others, "Hey! Are you nuts! Come back!"

Elboc takes careful aim at the scorpion and then fires.

00:57, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 4 using 1d6.  Damage.
00:56, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 18 using 1d20+1.  To hit.
This message was last edited by the player at 04:57, Sun 01 Apr 2018.

Silverglade hangs back muttering the harsh syllables of a spell. When he has finished, a glowing arrow appears next to Silverglade, before burying itself in the scorpion.

17:02, Today: Silverglade rolled 5 using 1d6+1. Magic missile damage.

Lanliss, trying to keep distance from the giant scorpion, launches a magic missile at the fleeing wererat. While this missile doesn't kill the beast, it is hurt rather badly by it.

10:05, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Lanliss, rolled 5 using 1d6+1.  Spell Damage.

<We're just waiting on Vsaati to finish out the round.>

Slipping down the stairs, Vsaati's eyebrows shot up at the sight of the giant scorpion.  She paused where she was, wanting to keep as much space between them as possible.  Fortunately she had her sling in hand still, and tried to slow down the big arachnid.

The stone made contact with the beast but glanced off without effect, leaving Vsaati to growl in frustration.


OOC:

14:39, Today: Vsaati rolled 13 using 1d20+3.  Attack scorpion.

13:51, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 6 using 1d6.  Monster's Initiative.
13:51, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d6.  Party's Initiative.

The giant scorpion rushes up to attack the party, but isn't quite fast enough to get there and attack before our heroes get another chance.

Emboldened by the presence of the giant scorpion, the wererat turns around and fights, attacking Lanliss, but failing to land a telling blow.

13:54, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 14 using 1d20.  Attack Roll.

<Ok, guys, it's your turn again.>

Sherborne switches to his mace but to no effect on the scorpion.

21:25, Today: Sherborne rolled 8 using 1d20+2.  Attack on scorpion.

Elboc lets loose another arrow... but his shot is overly hasty.

23:33, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 3 using 1d20+1.  To hit.

Silverglade lunges at the wererat, but just misses.

19:54, Today: Silverglade rolled 10 using 1d20+2. To hit (sword +1).

With the tell-tale clanging of his slightly over-large-yet-modified armor, Albricht speed-shuffled down the stairs. His elderly eyes grew wide in surprise and he just began swinging his mace with equal wildness! Swish! Swish! Swash! Smack! It hit the approaching Scorpion with a teeth-jarring thud, but the dwarf couldn't be certain he'd really harmed the monstrosity...

"What've'ya gotten us into???"

Attack: Hit AC5 for 7 dammmmmmage.

Roak skids down the stairs, his sword in front of him, and practically lands on the were-rat, driving his blade into it...

Definite hit (I think that's AC -1) for 7 hp.

22:26, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 7 using 1d8+2.  Damage.
22:26, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 21 using 1d20+2.  Attack on were-rat.

Meanwhile, poor Voran--once the scourge of enemies with his sling--only catches carapace on the scorpion.

What IS it with the dice and Voran lately? Hits AC 8 on scorpion, probably a miss.
22:27, Today: Elder Voran rolled 11 using 1d20+1.  Hopeless attack on scorpion.

Roak and Albricht strike telling blows, each leaving their respective opponents barely clinging to life.  Seeing this, Lanliss takes his sword back out and finishes the giant scorpion, leaving only the badly-bleeding wererat still moving.

07:16, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Lanliss, rolled 8 using 1d8+4.  Damage Roll.
07:16, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Lanliss, rolled 20 using 1d20+4.  Attack Roll.

<Vsaati, you're up.>

The burglar had been aiming at the scorpion, ready to test her aim against its heavily armoured carapace, when the beast slumped to the floor with twitching legs under the onslaught of her companions.  Quickly trying to adjust to a new target, she wildly fired her sling stone at the wererat and missed by a wide margin.


OOC:

17:31, Today: Vsaati rolled 5 using 1d20+3.  Attack wererat.  Miss!

Seeing that his comrades have matters well in hand, Elboc takes a quick look around to make sure nothing is sneaking up on them.

21:25, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 6 using 1d6.  Monster's Initiative.
21:25, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 1 using 1d6.  Party's Initiative.

The wererat snaps at Roak, but seems to be suffering from the loss of blood, and misses by a broad margin.

21:28, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 10 using 1d20.  Attack Roll.

<OK, guys.  Finish it!>

Albricht, the wily old water-finder, spun and swung his enchanted mace with a grim ferocity!

"I thought I smelled a RAT! Hrrrumph! Say cheeeese!"

The mace made a satisfying munching sound as it blasted fur and bone!

Attack: Hit AC1 for 7 damage!

The combination of Albricht's mighty swing, and pithy saying, bring the wererat down, leaving the clangor of battle a fading echo in the ears of the party.

With the stopping of the hostilities, the dwarf spies a small chest in the giant scorpion's nest.

Silverglade checks the wererat bodies for valuables. By the way, are our new friends still with us?

Roak searches the scorpion for valuables, cutting it open to peek in it stomach as the most likely locale!

Does Elboc see our ‘friends’ anywhere?  He’d cut the points off his ears sooner than trust those rascals.

"Well... that could have gone worse. I don't... Hrrrumph? What's that?" He spotted the chest in the nest.

"Oi lass, let's have a look shall we?" He said to Vsaati. The oldster seemed quite chipper all of a sudden.

OOC: Checking out the chest, but letting her (if she chooses) to do the dirty work... and making sure there ain't a passel of baby scorps!

Sherborne just shakes his head at his ineffective attacks but keeps watch while the others search.

Roak finds nothing that he believes to be of value, even after dismembering the entire giant scorpion. Similarly, although in a much less messy manner, Silverglade finds nothing of direct value on the wererat.

Malik and Shakur peek down the stairs, notice that the fighting is over, and descend to join the party.

Voran descends with his new companions. Pointing at the four doors in the room, he asks, "So, friend, which door should we choose? Any insights to what lies beyond?"

Albricht secured his crossbow bolt and wiped it off. Reloading his crossbow, he asked their masked companions, "So which way to the City?"

Elboc examines the scorpion.  He tries to figure out if it would be possible to dip some of his arrows in its poison, preferably without killing himself in the process.

Vsaati descended the rest of the way down the stairs and joined Albricht in examining the spoils in the scorpion's nest.  She considered the chest carefully before attempting to open the container, eager as she might be to see what treasures lay inside.


OOC:

20:53, Today: Vsaati rolled 13 using 1d100.  F/RT on chest (TN 25%).  Success!
20:53, Today: Vsaati rolled 19 using 1d100.  Open Locks (chest; TN 30%).  Success!

Elboc, while hailing from a race of poison-users, is unfamiliar with the methods of safely extracting and using poison.  Still, one can only try.  What's the worst that can happen?

Vsaati finds no traps and quickly picks the lock on the chest, revealing a pile of silver with four gems atop it.

<2000 SP and 4 gems worth 700 GP each>

Elboc decides that poisoning his arrows isn’t worth the risk.  Besides, once his greedy little eyes catch a glimpse of that treasure, he forgets pretty much everything but his name.  (It’s Delbick... no, Hasbo... no it’s Ilbuc...)

Malik looks to Elder Voran in a lazy way, and responds, "Well, most of them are likely to be fairly rough at this point."

Shakur adds, "Really, the passage that you want will depend on where you want to go, and why.  Still, more fighting seems to be your thing, so you'll probably do as well one way as any other.  You wanted to go down, and that's going to be that door," and Shakur points to the eastern of the two doors in the south.
This message was last edited by the GM at 23:42, Sat 07 Apr 2018.

"Hmm, I think we should continue exploring this level," says Silverglade.

The burglar grinned at Albricht and said with a gleam in her eyes, "Now we're talking!"  She proceeded to scoop the gems and some silver into a bag, and then to divest the rest of the silver around to the various party members to share the weight (excluding their hangers-on of course).

"It has been our method so far," Vsaati agreed with Silverglade, standing and readying herself to move on again.  It didn't matter to her which door they chose, if they were likely to explore the entire level of the pyramid anyway.  One was as good as another.

Roak rolls his eyes. "Let me see if I can get this more clear for all of us."

He points at the door on the western wall and looks at Shakur and Malik. "What lies beyond that door?"

"In a lot of cases, I am not sure that an option other than fighting was available.  What would you suggest we do?" He ponders his surroundings a bit and wonders if these two really know the area that well.

"I'm not sure what's to the west.  I don't recall ever being there," Shakur observes.

"You guys seem to be doing great on your own, so I'm pretty sure that my suggestions wouldn't help you much," continues Malik.

"Hrrrumph! WHERE'S THE CITY?" Abricht bellowed. "I've asked ye three times already and all I've been given is clever smirks. I'm beginning to believe the two of you don't know the way... You're lost aren't you? Bah!"

He shuffled near Roak.

"And if you can't tell us anything useful, then I'm afraid your company in our adventures must come to an end."

“Yes, I think that their end will come soon.”  Elboc grins, fingering his bow.

Roak shoots Albricht a look but looks at Shakur and Malik. "Tell us which is the way to the city," he says to the pair, his right eyebrow dancing above its left partner.

Shakur laughs wildly, accompanied by Malik, the answers Roak's question, "Down! The city is down!"  Further uproarious laughter ensues, with the pair almost doubled over in mirth.

"Hrrumph."

They'd turned Albricht's words against him. Quite the fools these two. Joking at his expense. Well, it wasn't the first time, and likely wouldn't be his last.

Albricht attempted a smile. "That's a good one... Ya got me there. The city is DOWN Roak, down where the water is!"

The old water-finder lifted his mace and rested it on his shoulder. It what was either preparation to move downward toward the city, or something else...

"Alright then you two, leads us there then, for we're in need of supplies before we can take you on any more thrilling adventures."

It took a lot for him to try diplomacy. Perhaps Roak would notice that the knuckles gripping the mace's handle were white...
This message had punctuation tweaked by the player at 14:44, Tue 10 Apr 2018.

Roak looks over at the dwarf and holds up his hand. "Whoa, there, Albricht. I'm still with Silverglade--let's explore this level of this deathtrap and make sure we don't have any ogres or such at our backs. And we get to take their stuff. Once we're done at this level, we go down."

Voran nods solemnly. "Though it pains me somewhat to do so, I agree with the halfling. Shakur, Malik, I have a mission for you. Are you open to hearing it?"

Sherborne would almost laugh if death wasn't on the line.  In any case he watches the by play while also keeping watch for said Ogres.

“I vote for killing the ogres first.  A good ogre is a dead one, and I’m all about doing good.”

Both Malik and Shakur turn wide-eyed stares toward Elder Voran, rocking back and forth on their heels, hands clasped behind their backs.  They look quite childish like this, and leave the impression of almost mocking him while still being attentive.

Voran ignores this odd look. "Your job is to guard this room. If anyone comes into it, you run after us, screaming our names. Do you think you can manage that?" His last phrase had a bit of an edge, as if he were speaking to petulant adolescents.

Vsaati watched the exchange with their camp followers, paying close attention to their body language and expressions.  Secretly she wondered whether Albricht, Roak and Elboc had the right of it.

Biting their lower lips - visible through the mouth slots in their masks - the pair both nod in response to Elder Voran's question, making over-large movements with their heads.

Roak clears his throat. "Before we get too bold--do we want to head back up and find a room to lock ourselves in so we can rest? Maybe our new friends' original home would be a good place."

“That might be a good idea.  I could prepare spells if we rested.”

"I like Roak's idea.  Let's go back to the rest area these two," Vsaati gestured to the two idiots that had been dogging their steps of late, "were sleeping when we first came upon them."

Seemed safe enough, and then we can resume our trek downward."

"The city..." Albricht grunted stubbornly. "I don't think these... Sin-o-dishanianians, wandered up here unscathed. That scorpion we just squashed woulda been eating any of them that came through this room..."

<Shall I just fast-forward us to resting in the room on the next level up?>

Yes, please. Let's do that.

OOC: Fine with me.

The group finish up in the room in which they had encountered the giant scorpion, ascend the stairs, head down the hall, and turn back into the room in which they found their most recent pair of Cynidicean followers.  Bedrolls are laid out, watches are set, and they collectively settle down to rest.

<I'm going to need a watch list and order.>

I'm happy to take first watch.

Vsaati will take second watch.

Sherborne has third.

Elboc takes fourth.

<That will leave Lanliss for fifth watch, and Elder Voran for the final watch.

Vsaati, I need you to roll 1d6.>

All goes about as the group might expect, with Malik and Shakur sticking with the group and talking softly. While sitting her watch, Vsaati is alerted to something out of the ordinary just in time to keep from being surprised as the pair try to jump her and put their hands over her mouth.  Unnervingly, both of them morph until they look exactly like her as all three tussle.

The noise of the conflict is enough, even without shouting, to wake the others.

17:56, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 4 using 1d6.  Monster's Initiative.
17:56, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 6 using 1d6.  Party's Initiative.

<Vsaati will act first this round, with the other PCs unable to act, and starting in the second round they may join in.>

"Minions of Hiisi!" Vsaati cried as she was beset by the creatures, each now transformed into the likeness of her.  "What foul magic is this?" She struggled against the pair, but the close quarters meant only her dagger was easily drawn and so with that weapon she tried to fend them off.

They were too quick and grappled her arms, reducing the slash to naught but a feeble waving of the blade's tip.

"Get them off me!" she cried to her companions, before a more rational thought struck home.  "Restrain all three of us!  I will submit."  She tried to break free from them, so she could surrender.

Sherborne awakes to the noise and gathers himself and he tries to work out the mystery of the three Vsaatis.  Ready his mace he looks at them oddly and adds, "I am not sure what you are trying to accomplish here but I don't see a version of this that ends well for you if you persist in trying to keep our companion hostage."

Both creatures struggle with Vsaati, but neither is able to deliver any type of damage.

09:30, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 7 using 1d20.  Attack Roll.
09:30, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 6 using 1d20.  Attack Roll.

Already in the tussle, however, the pair get another set of strikes against Vsaati before she and her companions can act, but only one connects, and that for very little damage.

09:28, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 4 using 1d6.  Monster's Initiative.
09:28, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 3 using 1d6.  Party's Initiative.
09:31, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 12 using 1d20.  Attack Roll.
09:32, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 2 using 1d12.  Damage Roll.
09:31, Today: Dungeon Master rolled 11 using 1d20.  Attack Roll.

<You're all up, now, guys.>

Elboc casts Sleep, attempting to knock out all three Vsaatis.

06:18, Today: Elboc Ice Eyes rolled 6 using 2d8.  Sleep hd effected.
This message was last edited by the player at 10:19, Sun 22 Apr 2018.

Silverglade watches for a moment. Are two Vsaatis attacking the third? If so, and if the sleep spell fails, he'll attack one of the two. If not, he'll wrestle a random one.

Elboc's spell causes one of the two Vsaatis who were attacking the third one.  The third one is the one calling out for all three to be restrained.

Silverglade takes a meaty swipe at the awake Vsaati that isn't calling for them to all be restrained.

21:34, Today: Silverglade rolled 5 using 1d8+2. Damage (sword +1). 21:33, Today: Silverglade rolled 17 using 1d20+2. To hit (sword +1).

Sherborne moves up to attack the Vsaati that Silverglade attacked unless that one was somehow taken out, then the other one if that's an option.

19:21, Today: Sherborne rolled 7 using 1d6+2.  damage.
19:20, Today: Sherborne rolled 17 using 1d20+2.  Attack on one of the two vsatti's.

Roak mercilessly moves up and tries to hit the false Vsaati...

Move up, attack the same one Silverglade attacked, hit AC 8 for 3 hp.
21:29, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 9 using 1d20+2.  Attack on false Vsaati.
21:30, Today: Roak The Quick rolled 3 using 1d8+2.  Damage if that hits.

Voran lobs a stone at the false Vsaati, missing.

Miss with sling-stone. 21:29, Today: Elder Voran rolled 5 using 1d20+1.  Attack on false Vsaati.

Albricht joins in, but fails to make contact.

07:27, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Albricht Burghammer, rolled 11 using 1d20+3.  Attack Roll.

Lanliss also joins in, using the distraction provided by his party members' attacks to get a perfect strike in.

07:28, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Lanliss, rolled 24 using 1d20+4.  Attack Roll.
07:28, Today: Dungeon Master, on behalf of Lanliss, rolled 12 using 1d8+4.  Damage Roll.
(Maxed both rolls)

The pieces of the second Vsaati fall wetly about, fading to a nondescript gray, with the face becoming equally gray and undifferentiated, lacking hair.

<And we're out of combat.>

Silverglade looks at the sleeping Vsaati. "What do you think, kill it or tie it up and question it?" he asks, his sword poised above its throat.

The real Vsaati shuddered.  "Whatever it is, it's too devious to trust," she said with strong emotion.  "I'd as soon see it eradicated."

She backed away and sat down on the edge of one of the bunks, arms wrapped around herself and one hand still fiercely clutching her dagger.

Albricht had been more than a little flustered by the multiplication of their rougette. He shuffled and scratched absently at his whiskers as the scene played out, and would have stepped in at many junctures, but had restrained himself. He walked over and placed his desert-sandaled foot on the sleeping creature's throat, lightly.

"If it wakes up mean, we'll kill it. If it wakes up agreeable we'll question it... and then we'll kill it."

His eyes narrowed at Vsaati, still not convinced.

Voran nods. "We will not stoop to their level and kill a helpless prisoner."

Roak ties the sleeping figure up soundly and then smacks it awake. "So, first question, cretin: what are you?"

“I vote for slow torture.  That is a luxury I’ve been deprived of for far too long.”

The Vsaati look-alike come to, prompted by Roak's slapping, and looks about itself wildly.  "What are you doing?" is pleas in Vsaati's voice, "why have you bound me, Roak?"  It seems to be on the verge of crying.

"Let's cut to the chase," says Silverglade, before drawing his dagger and cutting off one of the creature's fingers. Holding it in front of her eyes he says "You only have nine more chances to answer the question before you lose the ability to pick your own nose."

The finger in Silverglade's hand reverts to a nondescript gray, lacking a fingernail.

The creature shrieks in pain, but provides no further intelligible communication.

"Don't toy with it," the real Vsaati said, torn between disgust at the creature's abilities and behaviour and her distaste for such crude torture methods.  "If it won't answer questions, do away with it.  It's too dangerous to leave behind us."

Silverglade nods, then pushes his dagger deep into the creature's neck before wiping the dagger on the creature's clothes. "Filthy work," he says.

Sherborne raises an eyebrow but then rationalizes that this is probably the lawful outcome considering the situation. "Well that was disturbing but probably necessary as we are still alive."

Elboc groans, obviously thinking of the hours of cruel sport he has been deprived of.  This is what happens when you party with ‘good.’

"Bah! Hrrrumph!" The dwarf snorted at the scene unfolding around him. He was a dwarf of exploration and discovery, of caverns dark and dripping, of vast underground lakes of water so cold it made the teeth chatter just looking at its black surface in the dim torchlight. Such monsters were to be destroyed. After all, there was water to be found and treasures to be recovered. He knew this in his bones just as he knew that sand fleas were a nuisance.

"Kill it and be done," he grunted.

Shrugging his shoulders at his companions, "We could explore a little longer I suppose, but finding that Lost City ought to be our priority..."

“Any particular reason why?  It’s already been lost for so long... can’t it wait?  We could be passing up spectacular loot,” he says as he rubs his greedy elven palms together.

Voran looks taken aback. "That seemed unnecessary," he grumbled.

Roak glares at the cleric. "Less compunction, fellow. That was a doppelganger. It would kill each of us in our sleep if it had its way."

He looks at Elboc. "Three reasons that--for once in his life--the dwarf makes sense. First, we have a ton of loot that we are carrying around right now with no place to spend it. Second, we could stand to find a decent bed or the like, if this city would have such. Finally, I doubt very much that anyone is going to loot the other levels of the pyramid before we get back after a few days' rest."

The copy of Vsaati that Silverglade killed morphs back into something thin and gray, without hair, and with empty, white eyes.

It is a bit unclear which of the party members remembered it, and perhaps more than one did, but the recollection of the location of the entrance to the passage to the underground city comes up in the conversation.  It is in the northwest corner of the columned gallery in the north of this level, just behind the northwest pillar.

Without further ado, Voran proposes that the group head for this entrance!

"Wait... WHAT? HRRUMPH!" There was no subtlety there. Albricht was a bit incredulous. "Ye've known about this? Why didn't anyone say anything to ME? Bah!"

The bluster was quickly overcome with the twinkle in his eye that he always seemed to have when a new discovery was nigh.

The old water-finder rubbed his leathery hands together as he helped to locate the passage. He could almost taste the boiled deep-tubers and mushroom pie!

“Oh, very well.  If we must seek out the city before completing the task at hand, then I suppose we must.”

The elf does not look pleased, however.

“I do hope there won’t be too many of us leaving the group before we return... that always seems to happen.”

Vsaati gave no objections to heading straight for the city.  She too needed to resupply and hoped the settlement would provide that and other opportunities (for a burglar).  Plus, she might finally be able to find some decent clothes.  The spares she scavenged from the fox-lady were passable, but she'd like some more to her liking and style.  Preferably acid-proof too!

When they exited the room she gave the doppelgänger a wide berth and spit on its corspe as she went by, not so much in anger as superstition.  It was unnerving to find yourself copied and about to be forcibly replaced.  She would be glad to leave behind the room and never see another of those creatures again.

With the intention of descending to the city below, the group quickly locates the hidden trap door in the floor, just northwest of the northwest most column, in the northernmost room of this level of the pyramid. The passage is narrow, just wide enough to accommodate the party members with their full packs in single file.  Despite his dwarven heritage, even Albricht is concerned about what the party might do if encountering another traveler moving in the opposite direction, and everyone quickly realizes that a fight in this location would not go well for their group.

Still, the trip down the narrow, winding passage passes uneventfully.  Switchbacks and a constant steep angle of descent result in the party traveling for what must be more than a mile before reaching a widening in the tunnel that suddenly opens out into the northeast of a large cavern.  Even the exceptionally sharp eyes of the elves and dwarf are unable to see the far walls.  Directly ahead of the group some 100 feet or so is a columned street that travels due south into a small city of dozens of buildings, all dimly seen in the scant light here.  There is something that looks like it might be a large body of water to the west and south, and possibly some sort of mushroom farm due west at the northern end of the cavern.  Far to the west, on the other side of the water, there is a dull red glow that burns ominously.

A few Cynidiceans can be seen, wandering about here and there, all going about strange tasks in a world that seems quite disconnected from the reality around them.

<Action continues in The Underground City>
This message was last edited by the GM at 14:29, Tue 08 May 2018.