Walt takes a peek down the tunnel and ponders the darkness. He reaches into his pouch and nervously crunches on some dry roasted nuts. Seeing the light from Bendrak’s torch puts him at ease. He follows Bendrak and Baldar through the tunnel while remaining a few paces in front of Tuuli.

"I've spent many a year of my childhood in dark tunnels like this. Moradin will light my way and help me detect any more of those crawly undead things. I will try to walk a little way ahead so the light does not draw too much attention." Baldar peers down the dark tunnel and steps through. The stone closing in around her makes her feel a little at home, if it weren't for the farmer's crimson eyes haunting her mind. As she walks, she tries again to use Moradin's guidance to detect any unnatural presence.

(Using Divine Sense then walking 60ft forward as it lasts two turns. If the tunnel is longer, she will do it again and walk another 60ft.)

The smell is awful here, and gets worse as you begin to enter the tunnel. 

Tuuli again hears the faint sound of a woman singing, from somewhere farther inside the crevice. Walt can now hear it, also.

Baldar, ahead of the others, can see a faint light emanating from around a bend.

As you move through the tunnel, the song’s volume increases, and now everyone can hear it. You recognize this as part of the Awakening Song you overheard in Promise. This part of the song tells the story of a young man named Culley. Rather than its usual content, where the boy dies by drowning, the song has been sloppily rewritten to feature Culley being saved by his closest friend.

Baldar moves forward to peer carefully around the bend, motioning the others to follow.

The tunnel opens into a lantern-lit, packed-dirt chamber, where the cause of the stench becomes apparent. A dozen bodies lie strewn across the floor, all wearing the clothes of farmers. Many of their limbs have been cleanly removed and set into a sizable pile on the far side of the cavern. (Baldar gets a "ping" off this heap of detached limbs.)

In the center of the room, a young woman is singing. She looks like she’s in a dream state, and holds a knife loosely, but her eyes aren’t crimson like those of the other farmers. She stops singing as soon as she notices Baldar, and says, “Please go. You shouldn’t be here.” 

Bendrak approaches with Baldar. Between retches, he carefully raises his torch and asks the woman "Are you... Kianna? Best keep back from the arms there. Hands round here seem to have a mind of their own."

Tuuli is going to hang back in the shadows created by the torch (and then the lanterns), to try to remain unaccounted for by anyone in the cavern, so if the others move into the cavern, she will move up to the entrance so she can see, but try to remain hidden.

Dexterity (Stealth) to hide in shadows: 16 in game log

Baldar whispers to the others, warning them of the presence of undead in the pile of body parts, before stepping up to also speak to the woman.

"Whatever is happening here, it is affecting everyone in The Rattle and spreading to Promise. We cannae stand idly by while that happens. If you are trying to stop it, how can we help? If you are the cause, then I'm afraid we need to stop you."

"Yes, yes! I'm Kianna! Stay and meet my friend, Culley! He came back to me after I lost him in Cradlelace Lake. It was so good to hear his voice again!"

Tuuli melts into the shadows, out of sight.

Walt listens from the shadows. His concern grows as he hears Kianna at first warn them to stay away and then beckon them to meet her friend. He’s afraid that he and his friends are too late. He whispers a silent prayer of guidance before stepping out from the shadows, standing next to Baldar and Bendrak to address Kianna. 

“Kianna. My name is Walter. This is Bendrak and Baldar. You’re Auntie Dellie sent us here to help you. She’s concerned for your wellbeing.” Walt pauses briefly trying to gauge Kianna’s reaction to the mentioning of Aunt Dellie’s name. Insight check 14

“From what we’ve seen, we’re concerned as well. It appears that the blight that has befallen Rattle, has now begun to encroach upon Promise as well. We’ve seen innocent people, humble farmers struggling to get by fall victim to whatever is causing this. We don’t want this to happen to you too. Please, I too know the weight that one can carry with the loss of a loved one. I went to dark places myself, but I was brought back from the brink. It’s never too late, kianna.  Please, let’s leave this place and work together to make things right.”

persuasion check: 25 (nat 20 + 2 + 3 from guidance.)

(ooc: rolls in game log and screenshot in Discord)

Kianna seems genuinely saddened at the talk of Aunt Dellie having sent the party to find her.

But upon being so artfully persuaded to leave with them, she seems very conflicted. "I'd like to," she says, "I really would. But I don't know if I can." She takes a few hesitant steps forward, her knife loose in her hand. "Something happened to the farmers when they entered these caverns. After that, they did whatever Culley said—including hurting one another. I don't want to be like that. I dug and found this old cavern. Culley was here! His voice called for me!" She smiles brightly for a moment, before returning to an expression of fear and confusion. "You should really leave before something happens. Do you think I can leave here? I don't think I can!"

In the shadows (she hopes), Tuuli draws an arrow and nocks it, pulling the bow Ready, should anything emerge from the pile of limbs.

Action: Ready a Steady Aim (so use Move and BA) shot (so Adv and thus Sneak Damage) to trigger if something comes at us from the pile where Baldar indicated she sensed a bad thing.

(If that’s cool with the DM)

Walt hears the pain and struggle in her voice. It nearly brings him to tears. He brushes aside Baldar and Bendrak and takes one step beyond them and one step closer to Kianna. 

He reaches out with open arms and motions for Kianna to come to him. He speaks in a soft quivering voice “Kianna, please. Culley is not here in these caverns. Your dear friend would never do such things to innocent farmers. And he would not put you in danger. Whatever you found here, isn’t Culley.”

Walt briefly pauses and focuses his gaze in on the mound of hands and he quickly tries to see if it’s moving, breathing, etc. Perception check: 8

“Please, look at me. That is not Culley.” Walt reaches into his pocket, pulls out the crumpled drawing of Culley being pulled underwater and shows it to Kianna. “That…whatever it is, is not Culley. That took Culley from you. Please, let’s go before it takes you too.”

Persuasion check: 20(18+2)

(Ooc: All rolls in game log)

Bendrak sets his torch down leaning against the wall, and turns to addresses "Culley" trying to intimidate whatever it is without overly alarming Kianna. "Culley, your friend's auntie is so worried about her. You should let her go for a time, just to check in. And the other folk too, I'd hate for harm to come to anyone."

"Culley drowned long ago," she says sadly and hesitantly, before perking up cheerfully. "But he didn’t drown because I saved him! He went away for a long while, but he came back! You should meet him!"

As the others are talking to Kianna, Baldar is preparing. First she holds her hand just above her own chest and the faint light forming in the gap revitalises her a little more. She then focuses on her axe for a few moments and it begins to glow with an ethereal light.

Sensing they are not getting anywhere in talking to Kianna, and not particularly wanting to meet "Culley", Baldar takes two steps towards the northeast (1 square across and two up from her current location on the map), stows her axe and draws a javelin. Whatever this thing is, it seems to have some sort of hold over the young woman. She prepares the javelin and looks at Walt and Bendrak, indicating they should all attack the pile of limbs on her signal. Baldar doesn't see Tuuli, but suspects the sharpshooter is doing what she does best: attacking with deadly force from the shadows.

Lay on Hands: 4 Hit Points (I have 1 remaining)
Channel Divinity: Sacred Weapon on her axe (it becomes magical and I gain +2 to attack rolls)
Readying her Javelin for an attack when everyone else is ready and she gives the signal.

(I realize I'd been playing around with the map before AJ posted about Baldar's position. Not that it's critical, but can you confirm or instruct as to where your character is? Kianna took a few steps forward, as had Walt, who was out front. Tuuli remained in hiding in the shadows, but I was under the impression that everyone had come into the main cavern to see and hear what Kianna had to say... Those brown walls are solid packed earth and stone.)

(I had assumed everyone had stepped out into the cave proper, so I had Tuuli where you have Baldar, it seemed that skipping across the opening to be where she is now would be too much out in the open to remain hidden.)

Walt is good where you have him. 

Bendrak begins circling around on the south side of the room, readying his axe.

"Mister Culley, you've been awful quiet. I've only ever met one person who returned from the dead and he couldn't shut up about the experience."