"Have we searched this whole compound thoroughly? I don't know that I have much left in me, but I hate to think of all the valuable- all of the important information we might miss if we leave now. I got hit on the head pretty hard, though - what did that priest want us to do again?"
( Feel free to have Mal recall the conversation...it may assist Khutuluns recollection.)
Krikoris graciously accepts the gifts, though the shells confuse him, and takes a cautious bite of one of the mangosteen and moves over to the alley, not entering, but leaning against a building at the entrance, "Must we?"
As Krikoris follows the figure into the shadows he peeks beneath the hood and is surprised to see the young priest, Yano, from The Shrine of the Maw. The young man looked deeply troubled.
" Hello again, I know your group have taken an interest in recent activities in the town and I was hoping you could assist me with a troubling matter."
" Some months ago, Guru Jujur undertook to expand the storerooms beneath the shrine. He worked alongside the Lokanan labourers he hired; the Garunam, of course, would have nothing to do with the work, for it was too close to the old tunnels that are forbidden to them."
" Their caution was justified, perhaps, for the digging broke into an old stretch of tunnels. Both myself and the Guru were initially delighted at this turn of events, for the old workings would make excellent storerooms once they were cleaned out, secured and shored up properly."
" Shortly afterwards, however, the Guru dismissed all the workers and strictly forbade myself and the other priests from entering the tunnels. A few weeks later, he hired a dozen burly mercenaries to “help with the cleaning”. They live down in the catacombs now and permit no priest to pass save for the Guru, and my master will say nothing of what he has found down there."
" The Maw is strong and we do not hold to the superstitions of the Garunam about their ancestors.....but in truth I was concerned but not overly so."
" But last night. Bad digestion kept me up past midnight, and I stepped outside to the ritual ground to get some fresh air. From behind a memorial stone, I overheard Guru Jujur speaking strange words and appealing to spirits I did not know. I peered around the stone and saw him standing in the middle of the ritual ground, gesturing with one hand and holding a tattered scroll in the other, reading from it by the light of the full moon."
" It...........it did not feel....right.....I felt...unclean just witnessing it. The Guru has always been stern but I am worried for him."
" I am convinced that he found something horrible in the tunnels, and the mercenaries are there to keep myself and the other priests away while he contemplates them and their purpose."
" I can lure the guards away from the catacomb entrance with wine if your people agree to go in and find out what’s really in those tunnels. I can give you 200 ingots of silver from the shrine’s treasury if you can head down and see what is happening down there, but it must be done quickly- there is no telling what the old man may have gotten himself in to".
" Now, I must go...I can't be seen speaking with you if this is going to work."
Mal snaps his fingers as the conversation returns to his memory. "I think we should find this Guru Jujur before heading back - otherwise he will just keep stirring up trouble. What do you think?"
"I will be guided by all of you. I think we have found some of what we have come for and it would be easier to make it back out under the cover of night however there is more to this place and clearing the city of some of the abominations and horrors that dwell down here could be a good thing. And by that I mean we would need to find this Guru Jujur.
Should we take some of the scrolls that are down here so that whoever is using them no longer has access to there knowledge? They do not seem to be something that could be used for anything but ill"
Krikoris shrugs, "I'm the stranger here, I'll follow the lead of you locals. But I've heard tales of clearing ancient tombs and it is often as dangerous as it is rewarding, and at the moment, I'm not of much use to anyone."
Mal looks over his kit. "We're all in pretty rough shape, po, but I've got a lot of the scrolls and room for more. I'm not sure we'd be able to find Guru Jujur if he is allowed to escape now, though."
The group settles in for the evening keeping the door wedged closed, they do on occasion hear faint voices echoing and towards morning there are the sounds of boots outside the door and muttered Lokanan voices, the door is pushed on gently once.
" Don't disturb him....you know what he's like if his fun gets interrupted."
" So what do we say if the old man asks for him?"
" Tell him one of the dead was causing trouble and Captain is fixing it."
" You reckon he'll let us have a go after?"
" You really think theres going to be much left of those two after him and the dukun are done with them?"
Krikoris looks around, "Can we maybe barricade ourselves in here and rest for a bit? Or move further into an unoccupied section and rest there?"
( Feel free to have Mal recall the conversation...it may assist Khutuluns recollection.)
Mal snaps his fingers as the conversation returns to his memory. "I think we should find this Guru Jujur before heading back - otherwise he will just keep stirring up trouble. What do you think?"
"I think someone has a date with death," Cinta spits out blood.
Whistler - Lost Mines of Phandelver [Lvl 8 Barbarian] | Cinta Yuliani Lestari - My Island Home [Lvl 3 Fighter] | Shalana - Allansia Wildlands [Lvl 4 Monk] | Roger Durant - Storm King's Thunder [Lvl 8 Monster Hunter] | Rotthran - The Waterdeep Heist [Lvl 5 Thief]
"I will be guided by all of you. I think we have found some of what we have come for and it would be easier to make it back out under the cover of night however there is more to this place and clearing the city of some of the abominations and horrors that dwell down here could be a good thing. And by that I mean we would need to find this Guru Jujur.
Should we take some of the scrolls that are down here so that whoever is using them no longer has access to there knowledge? They do not seem to be something that could be used for anything but ill"
Yevna Galanodel - Wood Elf | Level 8 | Druid/Circle of Spores 6 - Ranger 2 - Ravnica
Nyx - Satyr | Level 9 | Rouge/Swashbuckler 5 - Bard/Collage of Lore 4 - Lost Mine of Phandelver/Storm King's Thunder
Krikoris shrugs, "I'm the stranger here, I'll follow the lead of you locals. But I've heard tales of clearing ancient tombs and it is often as dangerous as it is rewarding, and at the moment, I'm not of much use to anyone."
Mal looks over his kit. "We're all in pretty rough shape, po, but I've got a lot of the scrolls and room for more. I'm not sure we'd be able to find Guru Jujur if he is allowed to escape now, though."
Krikoris frowns, "Is the only way out for him past us? Could we try to camp here and rest, and if he shows up, ambush him?"
"We have no idea how deep these catacombs go or how many holes this nest has. If we wait, we could miss him."
Yevna Galanodel - Wood Elf | Level 8 | Druid/Circle of Spores 6 - Ranger 2 - Ravnica
Nyx - Satyr | Level 9 | Rouge/Swashbuckler 5 - Bard/Collage of Lore 4 - Lost Mine of Phandelver/Storm King's Thunder
"A rest would be wise," says Cinta.
Whistler - Lost Mines of Phandelver [Lvl 8 Barbarian] | Cinta Yuliani Lestari - My Island Home [Lvl 3 Fighter] | Shalana - Allansia Wildlands [Lvl 4 Monk] | Roger Durant - Storm King's Thunder [Lvl 8 Monster Hunter] | Rotthran - The Waterdeep Heist [Lvl 5 Thief]
( Ok. Resting here? Or looking for another room? Or heading out and up?)
( Full map of the western section- https://photos.app.goo.gl/RttRth4W9J7CQB4Q8
You have already explored all rooms in this area other than 7)
(Krikoris would prefer a rest, but is able to keep going if we want to.)
(Rest is fine with Khutulun)
Yevna Galanodel - Wood Elf | Level 8 | Druid/Circle of Spores 6 - Ranger 2 - Ravnica
Nyx - Satyr | Level 9 | Rouge/Swashbuckler 5 - Bard/Collage of Lore 4 - Lost Mine of Phandelver/Storm King's Thunder
( One final check. Short or Long rest. Long rest will end close to daybreak up on the surface.)
(let's get this room barricaded and try for the long rest)
(Agreed, let's try a long rest)
I have an intelligence of six, I know what I'm doing.
(Long rest sounds like the plan, but definitely keep a careful watch?)
The group settles in for the evening keeping the door wedged closed, they do on occasion hear faint voices echoing and towards morning there are the sounds of boots outside the door and muttered Lokanan voices, the door is pushed on gently once.
" Don't disturb him....you know what he's like if his fun gets interrupted."
" So what do we say if the old man asks for him?"
" Tell him one of the dead was causing trouble and Captain is fixing it."
" You reckon he'll let us have a go after?"
" You really think theres going to be much left of those two after him and the dukun are done with them?"
The voices move off.....
( Complete long rest.)
(Do we have any idea what they were talking about? It was just the captain and soldiers in here, right?)
( Thats all you saw.)