It all goes a bit wrong, and 'Tace'grunts in pain and surprise as his windpipe is restricted by the vines. He coughs as the Sergeant soon rips them away though.
He ducks back out of reach more carefully this time, and grabs for his crossbow. It is a difficult shot to get the plant creature past the Sergeant, but he has to do something.
"Keep left, sir. I am going to try and shoot it!", he warns, his voice croaky after his throat was crushed.
And then he fires.
"Should we retreat to a better position?", he then asks, sounding a little more nervous than before.
Bonus Action: Disengage Movement: 10ft south and 5ft east (only if he can still target the creature) Action: attack the plant creature with his crossbow (sneak attack as Arren is next to it) Crossbow - To Hit: 11+6=17, Damage: 5+4=9 [piercing], Sneak Attack: 4+2=6 [piercing], Total Damage: 9+6=15 [piercing]
While Arren frees himself, Bryn takes the opportunity while the creatures' vines are still around the Sergeant to back away safely. Now, he takes careful aim with his crossbow before firing a bolt that pierces the place that would be its neck - if such functions even exist for plant creatures. The bolt leaves a sizable hole behind it, between the torn vines. A few vines drop off the creature, inanimate as any normal vine should be. At the same time, the grappling vines wither and die, becoming no more of an obstacle than dead weeds would be. Albeit remaining alive and lethal, the creature doesn't look like it can take much more.
But despite its critical condition, the creature doesn't stop its relentless attacks. A mere moment after Arren tears himself free, the vines wrap around him again.
"Leave him alone, you damned vegetable!" A shout echoes between the tunnel halls. The situation on the Bandits' side doesn't sound much better.
Party's turn.
The creature lost its concentration on the Entangle spell, and the vines disappeared. As that happens following Bryn's shot, he had already used up his movement for the previous round, but in the coming round, the area is no longer difficult terrain.
On its turn, the creature attacks Arren, rolling 19 to hit, dealing 5 points of bludgeoning damage. Arren is now Grappled, same rules as before apply.
The creature is also Bloodied (even though you don't actually see, well, blood).
Seeing that his shot hit true, and seemingly caused the grappling vines to wither as well, 'Tace' presses the advantage.
Taking extra care, he lines up another shot of his crossbow, hoping the Sergeant will keep sticking to the left as he asked.
"Incoming, sir!", he says, and pulls the trigger and watches another bolt fly.
He hears the noise of battle from the other direction, but is totally focused on helping the Sergeant for now.
Bonus Action: Steady Aim - advantage on the next attack roll - speed reduced to zero until end of his current turn Action: attack the plant creature with his crossbow with advantage (sneak attack due to advantage and being next to Arren) Crossbow - To Hit: (18, 12)+6=24, Damage: 4+4=8 [piercing], Sneak Attack: 2+3=5 [piercing], Total Damage: 8+5=13 [piercing]
'Tace' watches as the bolt hits the plant creature in what would normally be the chest area, snagging on a number of the vines that are dragged beyond the creature by the bolt, effectively unraveling it enough to destroy it's cohesion. The rest of the vines not hanging around the Sergeant's shoulders simply drop to the floor inert.
Arrendoes as told, pressing himself to the left just moments before a bolt whistles past him and buries itself in the creature's neck. He lets out a relieved breath when he sees the hole it leaves in its wake, vines falling dead to the floor around it.
Perhaps it is that brief lapse in focus that allows the creature to lash out once more. The vines coil around his neck again, not as tightly as before, but enough to strain painfully as he shifts closer to the wall to give the Corporal room to keep firing. It can't stay standing much longer… can it?
The answer comes with a second bolt striking true. The creature finally collapses, its form unraveling into lifeless vines.
Arren relaxes at last, bracing one hand against the wall as he allows himself a moment to steady his nerves and, more importantly, his breathing. . After a few seconds, he murmurs hoarsely, "Gaitha really wants this place protected at all costs." He coughs, rubbing at his throat. "I wonder what these things are guarding."
In any case, he doesn't linger. Whatever their differences, it isn't in him to abandon the bandits to the other creature—unlike Nafnlaus, who ran straight to his companions. Faced with the choice of turning back into the left passage or continuing north, he casts a single glance toward the Corporal before deciding. He had gone straight north upon entering, and Arren does so now. He pauses only long enough to retrieve his javelin as he passes the vine guardian's corpse.
This time, the Sergeant moves with care, trying to keep quiet, avoiding every suspicious mass of vines along the floor and walls.
(ooc: Well, I rolled a natural 1 in stealth. :( I'm not sure if something bad will happen, so I will just make Arren move 10 feet up and 10 left. Enough for him to see the other creature and enough for Bryn to move comfortably. If nothing happens, he'd keep advancing.
Also, rolling stealth was an action in itself? I don't remember)
Once Arren frees himself from the dead vines, he heads north deeper into the tunnel. After a few steps, the tunnel opens up, and he sees, as Bryn did before, a vast tunnel with a small structure in the centre of it. Part of this structure has collapsed, and vines now cover its collapsed side as makeshift walls, but in the gaps between them, Arren can - even in the darkness - notice the glint of metal behind.
Turning to the second vine creature, Arren sees its vines loosen and can hear strained breaths from someone who had just escaped the lethal chokehold. The creature doesn't wait long before trying to hold onto them again, but perhaps stops short to block incoming blows. Bryn sees Nafnlaus shooting another bolt, while Arren notices its swift flight above the creature's "head" and hears the metal bolt that missed its mark hitting the stone walls.
Party's turn. Should either of you come into view with the bandits by the creature:
Akvedinn and the senior bandit are engaged in melee with the creature. Akvedinn holds his scimitar and looks unharmed. The senior bandit currently holds his shield in one hand while his other hand covers his throat as he struggles to breathe. Marks from the strangling vines already appear on his neck, and he seems to be just barely keeping on his feet. His long sword lies on the ground where he dropped it.
The creature seems a little cut in a few places where the bandits' blades managed to slash the vines, but for the most part, it still seems vigorous and lethal.
'Tace' nods as the Sergeant mentions Gaitha really wanting to protect something, but he doesn't really get the chance to reply before his superior moves away. Ok, they can be killed. At least that's something.
He follows along to the North, knowing the layout of this part of the tunnel system, stopping at the corner to ensure he isn't seen as he peaks around. He conceals himself and spies the Sergeant ahead of him, apparently fine, and beyond him the second vine creature. He trains his crossbow on the creature attempting to fire the bolt into the back of what would be its head.
Movement: 30ft to the North, peeking around the corner Bonus Action: Cunning Action Hide Stealth: 9+6=15 Action: attack the plant creature with his crossbow, potentially with advantage for hidden (possibly sneak attack due to advantage and being next to the Senior Bandit - if he is deemed an ally right now) Crossbow - To Hit: (15, 6)+6=21, Damage: 3+4=7 [piercing], Sneak Attack: 6+5=11 [piercing], Total Damage: 7+11=18 [piercing] (used best case scenario but included all rolls in case that does not happen)
Arrennotices the partially demolished structure and the glint of gold and gems within it, and a brief thought surfaces—how the Commandant hadn't seemed particularly interested in such things. He wonders, though, whether there might be something else here worth investigating. A second thought follows close behind: how they are going to deal with all of this, given that they shouldn't even be here in the first place. Once the vine creatures are dealt with, will they have to fight the bandits as well?
But he casts both thoughts aside: there is still a plant-man to deal with and everything else is secondary for now.
He breaks into a run toward the guardian, raising his longsword to strike just as the Corporal's bolt finds its mark in the creature's back.
Bryn runs up the tunnel, but stops just before passing the corner to focus for a moment and make sure his attack comes at an unexpected moment. When he peeks beyond the corner to shoot, he sees Arren running towards the creature. With its back turned to Bryn, however, it is too good a shot to pass on, and Bryn shoots a bolt that strikes plant-man in its "back". Surprised, it turns around, just in time to see Arren's sword swung upon it. But, since its arms aren't on anyone's neck at that moment, it is fast enough to raise them and wrap them around Arren's sword, stopping it before it can gain too much momentum. For a moment, Arren's sword is stuck in the creature's hands!
But suddenly, a long blade pierces the creature's body. It is the senior bandit's blade, after the Elf used the distraction given to him by Bryn and Arren to raise his blade and drive it through the vines. Not satisfied with just that, he roars, his muscles tensing in effort, as he slashes upwards, slicing the plant-man's upper body into two halves, which fall, lifeless, to the ground. He then falls on his knees, still struggling to breathe properly, now from both effort and the lasting damage caused by the vines.
Everyone around might naturally look around for a few moments, looking for any other plant-made threats. But although the tunnel is still filled with roots and vines, none of them seem to move in any threatening way, and none look massive enough to be another plant-man. ((Combat is over, for now, unless you wish to attack the bandits.))
Akvedinn, ignoring Arren's presence, immediately steps forward to help the senior bandit, allowing him to lean back against the nearest wall to rest for a moment and regain his strength. Nafnlaus, meanwhile, always the more suspicious of the two, immediately runs to stand between Arren and the other two. He doesn't aim his crossbow at Arren, but Arren might notice it is already loaded, and the bandit looks ready to fight if Arren shows any signs of aggression.
But after a brief moment, the senior bandit taps on the Human's thigh, as high as he can reach, and when the latter looks down, the Elf gestures to him to step aside. Once Nafnlaus does so, the Elf - still heavily breathing - raises his eyes to look at Arren, and "Tace" too, if the latter came near. "Thank. You." He struggles to speak between breaths. "Perhaps. We were. Wrong..." Long pause, filled only by heavy wheezing. "About which gods. Wanted us. Here... Maybe."
'Tace' slowly moves out of the cave entrance and looks around once he has seen the senior bandit dispatch the second vine creature once and for all. To withstand an assault like that for so long, means this guy is tough. Not one I wish to tangle with.
He makes sure to reclaim his thrown dagger, and to check if any of the crossbow bolts fired at the first vine creature are salvageable, before making his way towards the centre of the cave.
He keeps a close eye on the bandits and the Sergeant, but also on the area where he first saw a vine creature appear the previous time he entered the tunnel. Not that he gets too close, just enough to get a better view and to make sure no other creatures are spawning.
When the senior bandit finally speaks, he feels a bit of sympathy for the elf, having almost been strangled himself.
"Gods or not, something in here is important enough to guard and protect. Whether because it is valuable or dangerous, who knows", he replies, but says no more, expecting the senior bandit and the Sergeant to discuss how to proceed.
In any other situation, Arrenwould use the moment after the last threat is dealt withto relax and compose himself, perhaps even rest for a bit. But the sight of the loaded crossbow doesn't allow it, and he keeps a tight grip on his shield and longsword ... until the senior Elf motions for Nafnlaus to stand aside. Only then does Arren lower his weapons, and after a moment, sheath them.
"I never got your name," he says to the Elf. "Mine is Arren."
A pause, then he addesses the elephant in the room. "So, what now? This place is clearly dangerous, and it would be better for everyone," he stresses that word, "to figure out what's really going on here. And whether we should be worried enough to seal that wall again, instead of leaving this place open for anyone else to enjoy the pleasure of being choked by a plant creature."
He glances back toward the half-collapsed structure, then returns his gaze to the bandits. "I'd say we start there. Are you well enough to continue?" Arren finishes, addressing the leader of the three.
Bryn finds his dagger and all his fired bolts. From a brief inspection, Bryn believes none were damaged or dulled too badly and are most likely safe to shoot again.
It's hard to see through the vines and be certain without getting close enough. Still, Bryn doesn't spot any other masses of vines large enough to be another plant-man, neither inside the structure, the sarcophagus inside, nor anywhere around him.
After moving out of the way, Nafnlaus walks back to where he left his oil lantern and picks it up again, carrying the only light source in the area with him.
The senior bandit waits for a few moments to catch his breath, and when he finally breathes normally, he looks up at Arren again. "Lann." He says, then struggles back to his feet. "Perhaps you're right. This is beyond me, though. I'll have to go back and discuss this matter with Nohem. I don't think I have enough in me to face another one of these, ah, vegetables, again. You can stay here if you must. Nafnlaus, Akvedinn, you two accompany them while they're here, alright? Make sure they don't take anything that could be of value. If they leave, come out with them so I know you're safe. I'll send someone to back you up when I get to camp."
He takes a few steps towards the exit before pausing briefly, perhaps to hear any comment Bryn or Arren might have, after which he'll add: "I think we won't need to keep you and the other workers around any longer, seeing that we've opened the main path. But... once you come out, perhaps we can discuss the matter of compensation for them again. I'd say there's plenty to share over there. Or maybe you're right, and sealing this place should be a top priority. I can certainly see why someone might want these... vegetables... kept underground."
'Tace' listens to the senior bandit, but does not make any comment, happy to leave the Sergeant to deal with him. Really? He will discuss this with Nohem. Surely they must report back to someone higher up the food chain. Or perhaps they are not in close enough proximity to ask.
Having collected his final bolt from close to the senior bandit, he looks over to Nafnlaus and Akvedinn to see how hurt they are, and if they are likely to be happy about sticking around with them.
I could do with at least a little rest myself, but we might miss the opportunity to search the tunnels if Nohem appears.
He waits to hear what the Sergeant has to say, but stands ready to proceed if that is the decision.
Arrenrelaxes visibly at Lann's reply, especially at the mention that he's now considering the compensation for the workers he brought up earlier. He isn't entirely sure how Nafnlaus and Akvedinn will feel about staying behind, but if they're as loyal to their leader as they seem, he trusts they'll work well.
"Sounds good to me,"Arren says, watching the Lann leave before turning back to Akvedinn, Nafnlaus and Tace.
"We can start by taking a closer look at that structure over there. Let's be careful around any large masses of plants. After that, we can decide whether to push farther in or take a short rest before."
Without another word, Arren starts toward the structure—after first taking a careful look to make sure it's as safe as it appears from where he stands.
((The map is zoomed in around the relevant area so you can see the new parts with ease. Everything previously seen out of its bounds remains unchanged. This also doesn't represent your actual location, and as you can see, I've revealed a little more around the area where one might see if they circle the structure at the centre there, but without entering the other areas.))
Nafnlaus and Akvedinn have no complaints and just nod silently or raise their thumbs for approval, respectively, in response to Lann's request. "Lead the way, if you must," Akvedinn responds, "no need to tell me to keep my distance twice."
Now with ample time to inspect the site, Arren can study it as Bryn did before. He, too, sees the partially collapsed structure where vines make a wall-like replacement where the walls collapsed, and inside, many gems and golden coins around an empty stone sarcophagus.
((Reminder: The furniture shown on the map isn't present, as this is a map I've adapted to my needs. The same applies everywhere on this map unless specifically otherwise mentioned.))
Unlike the rest of the tunnel that is covered by murals of natural themes, the structure that surrounds the sarcophagus is barren, plain. The sarcophagus itself is also very plain, made of stone, and doesn't look like what one might expect if the gold belonged to the person it was meant for.
Circling the structure, anyone might catch a glimpse of the other areas around. To the north, the tunnel connects to a second tunnel that's collapsed on one side, but also seems to lead southwest on the other side. To the northeast is another wide tunnel, its walls covered by murals, but anyone passing by the entrance might notice that the edge of the room looks man-made, similar to the room south of this area, the flooded one.
Arren inspects the place in silence, starting with the flooded section and the impressive mural of the dragon, before moving on to the structure containing the sarcophagus and the scattered gold coins. "The natural themes certainly seem related to Gaitha, but… dragons?" he wonders. "Were they associated with her as well?"
If possible, he examines the sarcophagus up close, especially the lid, searching for any symbols or inscriptions that might indicate who it was meant for. After that, he looks for any trace of the individual it once held. However old this place may be, something must have been left behind—fragments of bone, scraps of cloth that once wrapped the body… anything.
Whatever they find—if they find anything at all—Arren eventually moves a few feet toward the northeastern tunnel. If it appears to continue deeper, he says, "We should rest and tend to our wounds before going any further. After what we've seen so far, who knows what else we might find."
(ooc: I rolled History to see if Arren knows if dragons never were in good terms with Gaitha, as stated here. But I got a 10, so I've posed that as a question more than an affirmation)
'Tace' will stick with the Sergeant rather than moving about on his own. Best check it all out again so no-one suspects I have been here before.
"We perhaps need to go back and get something to cut these vines away with", he says as he looks at the vines blocking the way to the sarcophagus. We obviously can't will them open that like creature did.
"I believe there are stories that suggest dragons and Gaitha were not affiliated", he replies when talk turns to dragons. "Well, the dragons from the story anyway. Something about Aleshi sending dragons to cause destruction and Gaitha requesting Tyr send heroes to stop them", he adds.
"Perhaps this place was a dragon's lair, and Gaitha left the guardians to stop anyone entering. Not sure how that fits with the gold coins around the sarcophagus though, unless that was meant for someone affiliated with the dragons", he suggests without much confidence. Too much we don't know to make that assumption really.
When the Sergeant suggests stopping as he approaches the northeastern tunnel, he makes his own suggestion.
"I can be quite stealthy, I could move a little ahead, sir?".
Without cutting the vines away, Arren doesn't see anything worth noting, and he can't see deep enough into the sarcophagus to see if anything is on its bottom. Bryn, meanwhile, believes that the vines could be cut with any of the blades around, even if this is not their intended function, without damaging the blades too much. The only question that remains is whether the vines are normal or not, and what would happen if they are the latter kind.
Arren steps into the northeastern exit and enters another spacious room. Most of it appears to be natural, but one part is clearly man-made. Although murals cover the entire tunnel, as they do all around, the man-made part has another carved dragon on it. Murals that were drawn around it depict men with spears surrounding it. The carving of the dragon doesn't exactly look right in that scene, as if the murals were later drawn by a different artist who bore different intentions. A staircase that once led up to the east has collapsed, and is now entirely blocked by rubble. Arren may note that there are very few plants in this part of the tunnel, except for a few small roots that break from the northwestern wall.
After Arren, Nafnlaus enters the room, bearing his lantern. With the light that he brings along, the room is illuminated, and Arren can see everything with greater detail. A glint from the floor of the southeastern part of the room catches Arren's and Nafnlaus' attention. The Human, after a brief hesitant moment, but driven by curiosity, and seeing that there are no roots around, walks farther into the room, towards the glint. He picks something up, then discards it back to the ground. "Some broken glass," he talks mostly to himself. Then, he raises his head and looks south, to a part of the room that can't quite be seen from the entrance to it. "Though this might be more interesting."
If Arren follows Nafnlaus, he'll see glass fragments on the ground that must have belonged to several different items, based on their scattering. Then, he'll see Nafnlaus examining a shelf-like step carved into the wall, on which still stand two ancient bottles, their wax caps still, somehow, intact. The liquid inside is a somewhat blue-ish purple in hue. After a moment, Nafnlaus steps away from the shelf and walks away for a bit, but he stops to make sure Arren doesn't take the bottles. If Arren reaches for them, he'll say: "I don't think you should drink that, and it's probably best we don't break those. I bet they could fetch for a good price."
Arren is about to reply to Tace that he would rather they all stick together, but as he and Nafnlaus scan the new room, he says instead, "It looks like that won't be necessary after all. The room ends here. Every exit seems collapsed."
Studying the murals and carvings, he continues, "This does seem to match what you said. The murals with the men holding spears look like later additions. So we have nature-themed imagery, but also a sarcophagus tied to dragons. That suggests this place was originally dedicated to Gaitha, and later turned into a dragon-cult site, as you say. These newer murals may have been an attempt to reclaim it back to its original divinity."
He pauses, thoughtful. "I first assumed the vine guardians were protecting the sarcophagus. But you may be right, they might be meant to keep people away from it entirely. The question is why. Because it holds something dangerous, or because someone wanted to bury the memory of a challenge to Gaitha?"
Arren kneels to examine the broken glass Nafnlaus found. He looks for traces of wax among the shards, anything that might suggest the remains of a bottle like the ones still intact, rather than some other object. Then he studies the rest of the fragments. If they belonged to different items, perhaps this place was used as some kind of laboratory?
Turning to Nafnlaus, Arren replies dryly, "I don't usually drink the first ancient bottle of strange liquid I come across." After a brief pause, he adds, "But I would like to know what's in them."
He examines the wax seals for symbols or markings, and looks for any label hidden beneath a probable layer of dust. Still, he makes no move to take the bottles. Now that relations with the bandits have improved, he doesn't want to strain them.
"Aside from the sarcophagus, there's not much else to examine here,"he concludes. "And I don't like the idea of disturbing the vines, but we won't learn more unless we do. We could start cautiously: cut a single vine and see if it reacts unnaturally. If it doesn't, then we can inspect the sarcophagus properly."
He straightens. "In any case, not before we're better prepared."
(ooc: could we do a short rest before doing anything else?)
It all goes a bit wrong, and 'Tace' grunts in pain and surprise as his windpipe is restricted by the vines. He coughs as the Sergeant soon rips them away though.
He ducks back out of reach more carefully this time, and grabs for his crossbow. It is a difficult shot to get the plant creature past the Sergeant, but he has to do something.
"Keep left, sir. I am going to try and shoot it!", he warns, his voice croaky after his throat was crushed.
And then he fires.
"Should we retreat to a better position?", he then asks, sounding a little more nervous than before.
Bonus Action: Disengage
Movement: 10ft south and 5ft east (only if he can still target the creature)
Action: attack the plant creature with his crossbow (sneak attack as Arren is next to it)
Crossbow - To Hit: 11+6=17, Damage: 5+4=9 [piercing], Sneak Attack: 4+2=6 [piercing], Total Damage: 9+6=15 [piercing]
While Arren frees himself, Bryn takes the opportunity while the creatures' vines are still around the Sergeant to back away safely. Now, he takes careful aim with his crossbow before firing a bolt that pierces the place that would be its neck - if such functions even exist for plant creatures. The bolt leaves a sizable hole behind it, between the torn vines. A few vines drop off the creature, inanimate as any normal vine should be. At the same time, the grappling vines wither and die, becoming no more of an obstacle than dead weeds would be. Albeit remaining alive and lethal, the creature doesn't look like it can take much more.
But despite its critical condition, the creature doesn't stop its relentless attacks. A mere moment after Arren tears himself free, the vines wrap around him again.
"Leave him alone, you damned vegetable!" A shout echoes between the tunnel halls. The situation on the Bandits' side doesn't sound much better.
Party's turn.
The creature lost its concentration on the Entangle spell, and the vines disappeared. As that happens following Bryn's shot, he had already used up his movement for the previous round, but in the coming round, the area is no longer difficult terrain.
On its turn, the creature attacks Arren, rolling 19 to hit, dealing 5 points of bludgeoning damage. Arren is now Grappled, same rules as before apply.
The creature is also Bloodied (even though you don't actually see, well, blood).
Varielky | Werhann
Seeing that his shot hit true, and seemingly caused the grappling vines to wither as well, 'Tace' presses the advantage.
Taking extra care, he lines up another shot of his crossbow, hoping the Sergeant will keep sticking to the left as he asked.
"Incoming, sir!", he says, and pulls the trigger and watches another bolt fly.
He hears the noise of battle from the other direction, but is totally focused on helping the Sergeant for now.
Bonus Action: Steady Aim - advantage on the next attack roll - speed reduced to zero until end of his current turn
Action: attack the plant creature with his crossbow with advantage (sneak attack due to advantage and being next to Arren)
Crossbow - To Hit: (18,
12)+6=24, Damage: 4+4=8 [piercing], Sneak Attack: 2+3=5 [piercing], Total Damage: 8+5=13 [piercing]Bryn, please describe the plant-man's death.
Arren may act his turn, some of the vines now hanging on his shoulders as nothing more than dead plants he can easily move away (no action required).
Varielky | Werhann
'Tace' watches as the bolt hits the plant creature in what would normally be the chest area, snagging on a number of the vines that are dragged beyond the creature by the bolt, effectively unraveling it enough to destroy it's cohesion. The rest of the vines not hanging around the Sergeant's shoulders simply drop to the floor inert.
(OOC: Woohoo, finally!! :-) )
Arren does as told, pressing himself to the left just moments before a bolt whistles past him and buries itself in the creature's neck. He lets out a relieved breath when he sees the hole it leaves in its wake, vines falling dead to the floor around it.
Perhaps it is that brief lapse in focus that allows the creature to lash out once more. The vines coil around his neck again, not as tightly as before, but enough to strain painfully as he shifts closer to the wall to give the Corporal room to keep firing. It can't stay standing much longer… can it?
The answer comes with a second bolt striking true. The creature finally collapses, its form unraveling into lifeless vines.
Arren relaxes at last, bracing one hand against the wall as he allows himself a moment to steady his nerves and, more importantly, his breathing. . After a few seconds, he murmurs hoarsely, "Gaitha really wants this place protected at all costs." He coughs, rubbing at his throat. "I wonder what these things are guarding."
In any case, he doesn't linger. Whatever their differences, it isn't in him to abandon the bandits to the other creature—unlike Nafnlaus, who ran straight to his companions. Faced with the choice of turning back into the left passage or continuing north, he casts a single glance toward the Corporal before deciding. He had gone straight north upon entering, and Arren does so now. He pauses only long enough to retrieve his javelin as he passes the vine guardian's corpse.
This time, the Sergeant moves with care, trying to keep quiet, avoiding every suspicious mass of vines along the floor and walls.
(ooc: Well, I rolled a natural 1 in stealth. :( I'm not sure if something bad will happen, so I will just make Arren move 10 feet up and 10 left. Enough for him to see the other creature and enough for Bryn to move comfortably. If nothing happens, he'd keep advancing.
Also, rolling stealth was an action in itself? I don't remember)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Once Arren frees himself from the dead vines, he heads north deeper into the tunnel. After a few steps, the tunnel opens up, and he sees, as Bryn did before, a vast tunnel with a small structure in the centre of it. Part of this structure has collapsed, and vines now cover its collapsed side as makeshift walls, but in the gaps between them, Arren can - even in the darkness - notice the glint of metal behind.
Turning to the second vine creature, Arren sees its vines loosen and can hear strained breaths from someone who had just escaped the lethal chokehold. The creature doesn't wait long before trying to hold onto them again, but perhaps stops short to block incoming blows. Bryn sees Nafnlaus shooting another bolt, while Arren notices its swift flight above the creature's "head" and hears the metal bolt that missed its mark hitting the stone walls.
Party's turn. Should either of you come into view with the bandits by the creature:
Akvedinn and the senior bandit are engaged in melee with the creature. Akvedinn holds his scimitar and looks unharmed. The senior bandit currently holds his shield in one hand while his other hand covers his throat as he struggles to breathe. Marks from the strangling vines already appear on his neck, and he seems to be just barely keeping on his feet. His long sword lies on the ground where he dropped it.
The creature seems a little cut in a few places where the bandits' blades managed to slash the vines, but for the most part, it still seems vigorous and lethal.
Varielky | Werhann
'Tace' nods as the Sergeant mentions Gaitha really wanting to protect something, but he doesn't really get the chance to reply before his superior moves away. Ok, they can be killed. At least that's something.
He follows along to the North, knowing the layout of this part of the tunnel system, stopping at the corner to ensure he isn't seen as he peaks around. He conceals himself and spies the Sergeant ahead of him, apparently fine, and beyond him the second vine creature. He trains his crossbow on the creature attempting to fire the bolt into the back of what would be its head.
Movement: 30ft to the North, peeking around the corner
Bonus Action: Cunning Action Hide
Stealth: 9+6=15
Action: attack the plant creature with his crossbow, potentially with advantage for hidden (possibly sneak attack due to advantage and being next to the Senior Bandit - if he is deemed an ally right now)
Crossbow - To Hit: (15,
6)+6=21, Damage: 3+4=7 [piercing], Sneak Attack: 6+5=11 [piercing], Total Damage: 7+11=18 [piercing] (used best case scenario but included all rolls in case that does not happen)Arren notices the partially demolished structure and the glint of gold and gems within it, and a brief thought surfaces—how the Commandant hadn't seemed particularly interested in such things. He wonders, though, whether there might be something else here worth investigating. A second thought follows close behind: how they are going to deal with all of this, given that they shouldn't even be here in the first place. Once the vine creatures are dealt with, will they have to fight the bandits as well?
But he casts both thoughts aside: there is still a plant-man to deal with and everything else is secondary for now.
He breaks into a run toward the guardian, raising his longsword to strike just as the Corporal's bolt finds its mark in the creature's back.
Action: Longsword attack. To hit: 11
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Bryn runs up the tunnel, but stops just before passing the corner to focus for a moment and make sure his attack comes at an unexpected moment. When he peeks beyond the corner to shoot, he sees Arren running towards the creature. With its back turned to Bryn, however, it is too good a shot to pass on, and Bryn shoots a bolt that strikes plant-man in its "back". Surprised, it turns around, just in time to see Arren's sword swung upon it. But, since its arms aren't on anyone's neck at that moment, it is fast enough to raise them and wrap them around Arren's sword, stopping it before it can gain too much momentum. For a moment, Arren's sword is stuck in the creature's hands!
But suddenly, a long blade pierces the creature's body. It is the senior bandit's blade, after the Elf used the distraction given to him by Bryn and Arren to raise his blade and drive it through the vines. Not satisfied with just that, he roars, his muscles tensing in effort, as he slashes upwards, slicing the plant-man's upper body into two halves, which fall, lifeless, to the ground. He then falls on his knees, still struggling to breathe properly, now from both effort and the lasting damage caused by the vines.
Everyone around might naturally look around for a few moments, looking for any other plant-made threats. But although the tunnel is still filled with roots and vines, none of them seem to move in any threatening way, and none look massive enough to be another plant-man. ((Combat is over, for now, unless you wish to attack the bandits.))
Akvedinn, ignoring Arren's presence, immediately steps forward to help the senior bandit, allowing him to lean back against the nearest wall to rest for a moment and regain his strength. Nafnlaus, meanwhile, always the more suspicious of the two, immediately runs to stand between Arren and the other two. He doesn't aim his crossbow at Arren, but Arren might notice it is already loaded, and the bandit looks ready to fight if Arren shows any signs of aggression.
But after a brief moment, the senior bandit taps on the Human's thigh, as high as he can reach, and when the latter looks down, the Elf gestures to him to step aside. Once Nafnlaus does so, the Elf - still heavily breathing - raises his eyes to look at Arren, and "Tace" too, if the latter came near. "Thank. You." He struggles to speak between breaths. "Perhaps. We were. Wrong..." Long pause, filled only by heavy wheezing. "About which gods. Wanted us. Here... Maybe."
Varielky | Werhann
'Tace' slowly moves out of the cave entrance and looks around once he has seen the senior bandit dispatch the second vine creature once and for all. To withstand an assault like that for so long, means this guy is tough. Not one I wish to tangle with.
He makes sure to reclaim his thrown dagger, and to check if any of the crossbow bolts fired at the first vine creature are salvageable, before making his way towards the centre of the cave.
He keeps a close eye on the bandits and the Sergeant, but also on the area where he first saw a vine creature appear the previous time he entered the tunnel. Not that he gets too close, just enough to get a better view and to make sure no other creatures are spawning.
When the senior bandit finally speaks, he feels a bit of sympathy for the elf, having almost been strangled himself.
"Gods or not, something in here is important enough to guard and protect. Whether because it is valuable or dangerous, who knows", he replies, but says no more, expecting the senior bandit and the Sergeant to discuss how to proceed.
In any other situation, Arren would use the moment after the last threat is dealt withto relax and compose himself, perhaps even rest for a bit. But the sight of the loaded crossbow doesn't allow it, and he keeps a tight grip on his shield and longsword ... until the senior Elf motions for Nafnlaus to stand aside. Only then does Arren lower his weapons, and after a moment, sheath them.
"I never got your name," he says to the Elf. "Mine is Arren."
A pause, then he addesses the elephant in the room. "So, what now? This place is clearly dangerous, and it would be better for everyone," he stresses that word, "to figure out what's really going on here. And whether we should be worried enough to seal that wall again, instead of leaving this place open for anyone else to enjoy the pleasure of being choked by a plant creature."
He glances back toward the half-collapsed structure, then returns his gaze to the bandits. "I'd say we start there. Are you well enough to continue?" Arren finishes, addressing the leader of the three.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
Bryn finds his dagger and all his fired bolts. From a brief inspection, Bryn believes none were damaged or dulled too badly and are most likely safe to shoot again.
It's hard to see through the vines and be certain without getting close enough. Still, Bryn doesn't spot any other masses of vines large enough to be another plant-man, neither inside the structure, the sarcophagus inside, nor anywhere around him.
After moving out of the way, Nafnlaus walks back to where he left his oil lantern and picks it up again, carrying the only light source in the area with him.
The senior bandit waits for a few moments to catch his breath, and when he finally breathes normally, he looks up at Arren again. "Lann." He says, then struggles back to his feet. "Perhaps you're right. This is beyond me, though. I'll have to go back and discuss this matter with Nohem. I don't think I have enough in me to face another one of these, ah, vegetables, again. You can stay here if you must. Nafnlaus, Akvedinn, you two accompany them while they're here, alright? Make sure they don't take anything that could be of value. If they leave, come out with them so I know you're safe. I'll send someone to back you up when I get to camp."
He takes a few steps towards the exit before pausing briefly, perhaps to hear any comment Bryn or Arren might have, after which he'll add: "I think we won't need to keep you and the other workers around any longer, seeing that we've opened the main path. But... once you come out, perhaps we can discuss the matter of compensation for them again. I'd say there's plenty to share over there. Or maybe you're right, and sealing this place should be a top priority. I can certainly see why someone might want these... vegetables... kept underground."
Varielky | Werhann
'Tace' listens to the senior bandit, but does not make any comment, happy to leave the Sergeant to deal with him. Really? He will discuss this with Nohem. Surely they must report back to someone higher up the food chain. Or perhaps they are not in close enough proximity to ask.
Having collected his final bolt from close to the senior bandit, he looks over to Nafnlaus and Akvedinn to see how hurt they are, and if they are likely to be happy about sticking around with them.
I could do with at least a little rest myself, but we might miss the opportunity to search the tunnels if Nohem appears.
He waits to hear what the Sergeant has to say, but stands ready to proceed if that is the decision.
Arren relaxes visibly at Lann's reply, especially at the mention that he's now considering the compensation for the workers he brought up earlier. He isn't entirely sure how Nafnlaus and Akvedinn will feel about staying behind, but if they're as loyal to their leader as they seem, he trusts they'll work well.
"Sounds good to me," Arren says, watching the Lann leave before turning back to Akvedinn, Nafnlaus and Tace.
"We can start by taking a closer look at that structure over there. Let's be careful around any large masses of plants. After that, we can decide whether to push farther in or take a short rest before."
Without another word, Arren starts toward the structure—after first taking a careful look to make sure it's as safe as it appears from where he stands.
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
((The map is zoomed in around the relevant area so you can see the new parts with ease. Everything previously seen out of its bounds remains unchanged. This also doesn't represent your actual location, and as you can see, I've revealed a little more around the area where one might see if they circle the structure at the centre there, but without entering the other areas.))
Nafnlaus and Akvedinn have no complaints and just nod silently or raise their thumbs for approval, respectively, in response to Lann's request. "Lead the way, if you must," Akvedinn responds, "no need to tell me to keep my distance twice."
Now with ample time to inspect the site, Arren can study it as Bryn did before. He, too, sees the partially collapsed structure where vines make a wall-like replacement where the walls collapsed, and inside, many gems and golden coins around an empty stone sarcophagus.
((Reminder: The furniture shown on the map isn't present, as this is a map I've adapted to my needs. The same applies everywhere on this map unless specifically otherwise mentioned.))
Unlike the rest of the tunnel that is covered by murals of natural themes, the structure that surrounds the sarcophagus is barren, plain. The sarcophagus itself is also very plain, made of stone, and doesn't look like what one might expect if the gold belonged to the person it was meant for.
Circling the structure, anyone might catch a glimpse of the other areas around. To the north, the tunnel connects to a second tunnel that's collapsed on one side, but also seems to lead southwest on the other side. To the northeast is another wide tunnel, its walls covered by murals, but anyone passing by the entrance might notice that the edge of the room looks man-made, similar to the room south of this area, the flooded one.
Varielky | Werhann
Arren inspects the place in silence, starting with the flooded section and the impressive mural of the dragon, before moving on to the structure containing the sarcophagus and the scattered gold coins. "The natural themes certainly seem related to Gaitha, but… dragons?" he wonders. "Were they associated with her as well?"
If possible, he examines the sarcophagus up close, especially the lid, searching for any symbols or inscriptions that might indicate who it was meant for. After that, he looks for any trace of the individual it once held. However old this place may be, something must have been left behind—fragments of bone, scraps of cloth that once wrapped the body… anything.
Whatever they find—if they find anything at all—Arren eventually moves a few feet toward the northeastern tunnel. If it appears to continue deeper, he says, "We should rest and tend to our wounds before going any further. After what we've seen so far, who knows what else we might find."
(ooc: I rolled History to see if Arren knows if dragons never were in good terms with Gaitha, as stated here. But I got a 10, so I've posed that as a question more than an affirmation)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren
'Tace' will stick with the Sergeant rather than moving about on his own. Best check it all out again so no-one suspects I have been here before.
"We perhaps need to go back and get something to cut these vines away with", he says as he looks at the vines blocking the way to the sarcophagus. We obviously can't will them open that like creature did.
"I believe there are stories that suggest dragons and Gaitha were not affiliated", he replies when talk turns to dragons. "Well, the dragons from the story anyway. Something about Aleshi sending dragons to cause destruction and Gaitha requesting Tyr send heroes to stop them", he adds.
"Perhaps this place was a dragon's lair, and Gaitha left the guardians to stop anyone entering. Not sure how that fits with the gold coins around the sarcophagus though, unless that was meant for someone affiliated with the dragons", he suggests without much confidence. Too much we don't know to make that assumption really.
When the Sergeant suggests stopping as he approaches the northeastern tunnel, he makes his own suggestion.
"I can be quite stealthy, I could move a little ahead, sir?".
Without cutting the vines away, Arren doesn't see anything worth noting, and he can't see deep enough into the sarcophagus to see if anything is on its bottom. Bryn, meanwhile, believes that the vines could be cut with any of the blades around, even if this is not their intended function, without damaging the blades too much. The only question that remains is whether the vines are normal or not, and what would happen if they are the latter kind.
Arren steps into the northeastern exit and enters another spacious room. Most of it appears to be natural, but one part is clearly man-made. Although murals cover the entire tunnel, as they do all around, the man-made part has another carved dragon on it. Murals that were drawn around it depict men with spears surrounding it. The carving of the dragon doesn't exactly look right in that scene, as if the murals were later drawn by a different artist who bore different intentions. A staircase that once led up to the east has collapsed, and is now entirely blocked by rubble. Arren may note that there are very few plants in this part of the tunnel, except for a few small roots that break from the northwestern wall.
After Arren, Nafnlaus enters the room, bearing his lantern. With the light that he brings along, the room is illuminated, and Arren can see everything with greater detail. A glint from the floor of the southeastern part of the room catches Arren's and Nafnlaus' attention. The Human, after a brief hesitant moment, but driven by curiosity, and seeing that there are no roots around, walks farther into the room, towards the glint. He picks something up, then discards it back to the ground. "Some broken glass," he talks mostly to himself. Then, he raises his head and looks south, to a part of the room that can't quite be seen from the entrance to it. "Though this might be more interesting."
If Arren follows Nafnlaus, he'll see glass fragments on the ground that must have belonged to several different items, based on their scattering. Then, he'll see Nafnlaus examining a shelf-like step carved into the wall, on which still stand two ancient bottles, their wax caps still, somehow, intact. The liquid inside is a somewhat blue-ish purple in hue. After a moment, Nafnlaus steps away from the shelf and walks away for a bit, but he stops to make sure Arren doesn't take the bottles. If Arren reaches for them, he'll say: "I don't think you should drink that, and it's probably best we don't break those. I bet they could fetch for a good price."
((Recall, ignore all wooden furniture.))
Varielky | Werhann
Happy New Year!
Arren is about to reply to Tace that he would rather they all stick together, but as he and Nafnlaus scan the new room, he says instead, "It looks like that won't be necessary after all. The room ends here. Every exit seems collapsed."
Studying the murals and carvings, he continues, "This does seem to match what you said. The murals with the men holding spears look like later additions. So we have nature-themed imagery, but also a sarcophagus tied to dragons. That suggests this place was originally dedicated to Gaitha, and later turned into a dragon-cult site, as you say. These newer murals may have been an attempt to reclaim it back to its original divinity."
He pauses, thoughtful. "I first assumed the vine guardians were protecting the sarcophagus. But you may be right, they might be meant to keep people away from it entirely. The question is why. Because it holds something dangerous, or because someone wanted to bury the memory of a challenge to Gaitha?"
Arren kneels to examine the broken glass Nafnlaus found. He looks for traces of wax among the shards, anything that might suggest the remains of a bottle like the ones still intact, rather than some other object. Then he studies the rest of the fragments. If they belonged to different items, perhaps this place was used as some kind of laboratory?
Turning to Nafnlaus, Arren replies dryly, "I don't usually drink the first ancient bottle of strange liquid I come across." After a brief pause, he adds, "But I would like to know what's in them."
He examines the wax seals for symbols or markings, and looks for any label hidden beneath a probable layer of dust. Still, he makes no move to take the bottles. Now that relations with the bandits have improved, he doesn't want to strain them.
"Aside from the sarcophagus, there's not much else to examine here," he concludes. "And I don't like the idea of disturbing the vines, but we won't learn more unless we do. We could start cautiously: cut a single vine and see if it reacts unnaturally. If it doesn't, then we can inspect the sarcophagus properly."
He straightens. "In any case, not before we're better prepared."
(ooc: could we do a short rest before doing anything else?)
Peindre l'amour, peindre la vie, pleurer en couleur ♫
Auriel | Shenua | Arren