Hannah leads the way out of the village, along the dirt track that leads up to the pastureland. Before long, the large white stones of the circle can be seen in the distance, but reaching them takes much longer as the path winds back and forth up the hillside, always looking for the easiest route.
The upland pastures are a little cooler than the village, due to the altitude and the summer breeze blowing from the east, but still warm. The shepherds and cowmen seek frequent shelter from the sun, but none now shelters in the shade of the great white stones, nor will they, Hannah surmises, seeing from the pattern of grazing that none of the animals is being let within a mile of the place.
Hannah rolls Knowledge : Nature 5+5=10
Finally the three adventurers arrive at the top of the small outcrop on which the stone circle stands. It is perhaps thirty-feet in diameter, and somewhat overgrown. Moss grows on some of the stones.
The white shafts of stone thrust up from the earth, decayed and broken. Though some columns are bent, and others lean against their companion stones, only one stone has truly fallen over.
The fallen column has partially shattered, and chunks of stone are scattered about it and down the hillside below it. The stone now lies outside the circle proper, leaving a dark cavity in the earth below.
Listen checks:
Seraya 13+1=14
Caflice 16+0=16
Hannah 4+7=11.
Caflice hears a gentle sussuration from the black depths of the cavity as the group draws near. He glances around but sees nothing. As the others stop and listen, they hear it too, though it is very faint.
Frowning as she listens to the murmuring, Seraya draws her sword as quietly as she can. Maybe it's the missing boy, but one can never be too careful. She glances at Caflice and Hannah, ready to call out a hello to see if it's the boy or not.
Caflice nods, and quietly pulls out his bow, drawing out a arrow and drawing it back.
Hannah nods to Caflice and readies her dagger.
The seconds tick by slowly, but nothing happens. The long grass ripples in the summer breeze, and the sussuration from below continues to gently issue forth, but no monster, or anything else comes from the pit.
"Hello! Is anyone there?" If anything didn't know they were there, they knew now... Seraya just hoped she hadn't just gotten them all in deeper trouble than they could handle.
Caflice moves slightly closer to the edge of the pit, expecting something to emerge. "Maybe it's doing something down there?"
As Caflice approaches the edge of the pit, he feels a warm, moist current of air rising from out of the darkness. Peering down, he sees slick stone steps leading into the earth.
Hannah does and says nothing and simply lets the others continue what they're doing.
Seraya steps to beside Caflice, frowning when she sees the steps. "No direction to go but down, I suppose. Who has a light?"
Caflice nods. "I have some iron, flint and tinder somewhere... Anyone have a torch?"
Hannah frowns. "Nope, I don't have a torch. Sorry."
And, after all, why should she? After all, as a druidess, Hannah knows the Light spell, which is clearly superior to any torch.
"Okay, no torches... illumnation spells, perhaps?" She wasn't sure of either of her temporary partners' abilities, so if they had to they'd go back and get a lantern. So much for being prepared... forgive me, my Goddess.
Caflice sighed. "I never knew we were going to go underground... He looks over at Hannah. "You do have a spell that'll illuminate the area, don't you?"
Hannah nods and utters an arcane phrase along with a brief gesture and suddenly Seraya's shield is glowing brightly, light enough to see by.
Seraya smiles lightly, "Thanks." Even better than a torch, no one would need to keep a hand occupied. Turning back to the stairs, the paladin takes a deep breath before starting to descend, glowing shield lighting their way.
Caflice nods to the others, and gets behind Seraya, ready to enter the tunnel into whatever was beneath these stones.
Seraya climbs into the hole in the ground and down onto the slick stone steps leading down. The steps are very uneven, and slick with moisture, as well as being heavily worn. Seraya moves forward slowly and, once, there's some room, Caflice and Hannah are able to follow.
The scent of earth and moisture is tempered with an odour of rotting flesh. Something down there is dead and has been for a while. Perhaps a very long while...
The steps are steep and the three heroes stumble occasionally as they descend a long, long way. After a couple of minutes they reach a small landing and then more steps down. Part of the way down this second series of steps, the air begins to become misty, and beads of moisture can be seen hanging in shining droplets from the spiderwebs that obscure the ceiling of the stairway.
Finally, the bottom of the stairs is reached. There before the group is an archway of archaic appearance, beyond which is a space filled with a shining blue mist. It is difficult to see more than a few feet through this blue haze. It smells of spices, of dampness, and in some way, also of copper, and nearly overpowers the powerful odour of rotting, but not quite. No, not quite...
Caflice rolls 3+5= 8 for a Search check against a DC of ? and sees nothing
Just then, Hannah's light spell expires, leaving the three explorers only the strange blue light coming from the arch ahead to see by.
Seraya frowns when the light winks out, grip on her sword tightening. She reaches out mentally, sensing for any evil that may be nearby as she keeps slowly approaching the strange arch.
Seraya senses no evil ahead.
Caflice advances slowly, an arrow still drawn for whatever would leap out at them from this choking blue mist.
Listen checks
Seraya rolls 9+1=10; Caflice rolls 15+0=15; Hannah rolls 19+7=26, against a DC of 21
Hannah stops. "There's something moving in the mist," she whispers, "right ahead of us." She draws her dagger and looks at the others. "What should we do?"
Initiative checks
Seraya rolls 11+0=11; Caflice rolls 15+1=16; Hannah rolls 12+1=13; The creature in the mist rolls 11.
Caflice draws back his bow, raising it up to aim at the thing moving in the mist. He doesn't let go, though, not until he knows for sure what the thing is.
"Damn," says Hannah, "I know a spell for just this occasion, but I haven't prepared it." She stands behind Seraya, guarding her back and peering ineffectually into the glowing blue.
Hannah delays her action
Seraya frowned, frustrated at herself that she hadn't noticed the motion ahead before. She lifted her shield a bit, grip tight on her sword as she stared intently forward into the mist. She didn't have to say anything, seeing out of the corner of her eye Caflice's bow drawn and ready.
The mysterious creature in the mist lurks there, out of sight, but not out of earshot.
The group stands in the archway, not knowing what to do. The chamber before them is large enough and misty enough that its dimensions are unclear. The walls and floor around the party can be seen out to about a spear's length, but no more. The ceiling above is invisible.
Caflice isn't sure what to do with the thing in the mist. "Should we attack it? It might be friendly to us..." He keeps his bow drawn, in case he's wrong.
"We won't attack first without seeing our foe... I don't sense any evil nearby, either," she tells Caflice softly. Even so she keeps her sword and shield ready. Taking a deep, silent breath, Seraya starts walking towards the mist. "Hello? Who's there," the paladin calls loud enough for the unknown being to hear.
Caflice moves up next to Seraya, his bow still drawn, walking slowly towards the mist. He brings the bow slightly upwards, getting ready to move at the first sign of danger.
The creature giggles and scuttles in the mist. For a moment, the adventurers see a small dark shape in the mist head of them, then it skips off to the side.
It mutters something in a language none of the group understand.
Seraya rolls 10+7=17 for diplomacy
The creature lunges from the mist, red eyes staring wildly. It is manlike, but short, less than 4 feet in height, and very pale. It has spider-like fangs extending from its otherwise humanoid looking mouth, and four long spindly arms with too many joints. The ragged clothes it wears seem to have been woven from spider's web, as does the shield it carries on one arm. In another hand, it carries a bone knife which it waves at Hannah menacingly.
Caflice promptly pulls back an arrow, aiming at the man-spider. "This thing doesn't look friendly..." He keeps his aim on the thing in front of him.
Hannah looks at Caflice and back at the creature, and delays her own attack.
Awa stabs Hannah 16+3=19 for a hit! Hannah takes 1d6+1 damage = 2
"Goddess!" Hannah cries, involuntarily and tries to fend the creature off with her own blade.
Hannah rolls 10+0; a miss
The creature dodges and shrieks triumphantly.
Taking a stab is a good sign of someone that needs to be defeated. Wishing she were in open air, Seraya swings with her sword at the creature.
Seraya rolls 16+4=20, a success, and rolls 1d8+2=4 for damage
The creature shrieks in outrage and pain as Serayas sword cuts a deep wound in one of its flailing arms.
Caflice moves round to shoot the creature in its exposed flank while remaining out of its range.
Caflice rolls 14+2-4=12, a miss
The arrow flies off into the mist and shatters unseen against a stone wall. Caflice hears a click underneath his foot as a section of the floor drops away beneath him.
Caflice rolls 15+3=18 for a reflex save and succeeds
Caflice leaps free just in time. The rusty spikes in the pit below look ancient but still deadly - a fresh looking corpse is still impaled on them.
Awa strikes at Hannah, cackling and shrieking as it does so.
Awa rolls 4+3=7, for a miss
The strike goes wide.
Order of action is now - Awa, Caflice, Seraya/Hannah, so Caflice to act next
Caflice forgets the arrows for a second, and draws his sword to lunge at the creature, intent on attacking the side or the back.
Caflice steps forwards, drops his bow and draws his short sword instead. He sees an opening and goes for it, but the creature is too fast and the blade catches only air.
Caflice rolls 12+1=13, a miss
Hannah tries to cut the creature's belly open with her dagger, but the blow goes wide.
Hannah rolls 2+0=2, a miss
Careful to avoid the trapped floor, Seraya moves to get between the beast and Hannah before taking another swing. If anything that would give it another target.
Seraya rolls 17+4=21, a hit. Awa takes 3+2 damage
The beautiful paladin aims a careful blow at the head and neck of the creature, and manages to land a blow on one of the creature's shoulders, spilling more blood on the floor.
The creature thrusts its bone knife at Hannah again, and manages to hurt her.
Awa rolls 17+3=20, a hit. Hannah takes 1d6+1 damage=2
Caflice moves around the thing as it strikes Hannah, and swings at it again, if not striking it, then hoping to push it into the spiked pit.
Caflice rolls 20+1=21, a critical hit. He rolls 3d6+1=16 damage
Caflice, on the creature's blind side, lets go a mighty blow, piercing its side and freeing bright bubbly blood from its lungs. As Caflice pulls out his blade, the creature collapses, and stumbles into the pit, falling onto the spikes below. It quivers a little, but is clearly no longer a threat to anyone.
Glancing down at the grisly sight of their defeated opponent, Seraya catches her breath. Then she turns to examine Hannah for how severe her injuries might be. "How do you feel?"
"A bit shaky," the druidess admits,"but I can draw upon the powers of the earth to heal myself."
"Spirits of the earth! Hear the pleas of your sister, and heal her wounds!" she calls, and the spirits answer her.
Hannah casts Cure Light Wounds for 5+1=6 points
The knife wounds heal and Hannah's skin is whole again, as if no wound had ever been there.
Caflice looks down at the creature in the pit, mentally scouring his mind for an appropriate spike-related wisecrack. "I think we should watch our step, ladies. This... thing already got the points..."
Seraya gives Caflice a cool look for the pun, then restarts their journey deeper into the cave. "I'll need another light spell for my shield," she notes over her shoulder to Hannah.
Hannah looks a little sheepish. "I only memorised one, Seraya. But it seems to be light down here."
Indeed, the haze-filled room does seem to be lit, though by what means isn't exactly clear.
Hannah peers down into the pit. "Yuck ; do you suppose that that's the missing boy?" she asks, pointing at the other body impaled on the spikes.
Caflice tries to clean the blade of his sword with a rag, perring over the side of the pit. "It's hard to see from here... But there's a good chance he might be."
Seraya curses softly. If the boy's dead then she's already failed. "There isn't much we can do for him now, if it is... we best continue."
"Shouldn't we take his body back to his family, then?" Hannah asks, "They should at least be told, before we search further, and we could do with getting equipment to explore this place properly at the same time."
"And I could regain my cast spells," she adds. "I may need more healing spells if the rest of this place is anything like this chamber."
Caflice nods as he looks down at the impaled corpse. "Well, we have no choice... And we really do need to prepare for a trip like this."
"If we can get him out of there without adding another body to be returned... but yes. You're right, of course. We'll head back and prepare more fully."
The pit isn't too deep, perhaps ten feet or so from the lip to the bottom, and it takes only a few minutes to pull the unfortunate shepherd's body out of the pit.
The strange creature's weapon is also in the pit, and is of some interest, being a dagger made of some kind of dense, hard white material rather than metal.
Hannah makes a Knowledge : Nature roll of 17+5=22
"It's some kind of bone or ivory," she says,"but I don't recognise the species."
There is nothing more to do before heading back to the surface other than to look over the chamber. It is thirty feet on the north-south axis and fifty east-west. The ten foot wide entrance is in the centre of the north wall. There is a single door in each wall, but that in the south wall directly facing the entrance is presently inaccessible because the open pit trap lies right in front of it.
Framing the eastern door is a stone carving of a foreshortened dragon's head sculpted in a very archaic style. The blue mist that fills the chamber seems to be spewing from its nostrils above the door-frame.
Caflice notices that against the north wall, on either side of the entrance, there is another pair of pit traps, each ten feet square like the one that was triggered during the fight.
Caflice reaches down carefully into the spiked pit, and picks up the creature's dagger, examining it closely. "Maybe this'll make a decent weapon... Either that, or reach a good price in trading."