[LPF] Kostry Kopec

"Two down, one to go. Since the ghoul probably came from this one, sneak in there carefully. It is better for you to leave unnoticed than to start a fight." "Okaay"
[sblock=actions]unsummon and resummon if Gragnor cannot squeeze through the bars. Star the search of the third tunnel.[/sblock]

Knowing he has a time limit, Anaerion keeps at it.

Tyrien, Half-elven Archeress

Starting to get bored, Tyrien considers that slime trail leading upwards and out and wonders aloud, “As we came down here expecting to find the culprit that caused the trouble above, it now appears that we went in the opposite direction. That means that our prey is loose in the town, no?”

She cocks an ear to see if her own soul will try to speak to her in response.

[sblock=Mini Stats]Initiative: +7 Perception: +11 (low-light vision)
AC: 20 (15 flat-footed, 15 Touch)
HP: 40 Current: 40
CMB: +6 CMD: 21(16ff) Fort: +5 Reflex: +9 Will: +4
+2 Will vs. Enchantments
Special: Immune to Magical Sleep
Current Conditions in Effect: PBS, Precise Shot, Arcane Strike (+1 Dmg), Resistance, Ioun Stone illumination (in darkness), Deadly Aim (-2Att/+4dmg)
Current Weapon in Hand: Longbow
Chakrams: 8/8 Remaining

Bardic Performance: 5/5 Rounds Remaining
Spells Remaining: Cantrips: (Message, Resistance, Mending, Prestidigitation)
1st Level 2/2 (Cure Light Wounds, Timely Inspiration)[/sblock]___________________________________________

Tyrien e'Adrianne

Anaerion continues his reading as Kalgor sends Gragnor into the final tunnel, moving his position to be closer to that one as he continues mapping.

Kanli is by this point well and truly asleep, though interestingly enough even his snoring, like his words, seems slightly off-kilter. As Tyrien relays her question, the half-orc (coincidentally or not) seems to talk in his sleep:

"The prey is the hunter which eats its mother. The silkworm brings its breeders beauty through its forest's death."

Ausk continues his patrol, nerves on edge as nothing continues to happen, while Tyrien has by now set up the notes and books in a tidily stacked pile for whomever will be hauling them out of the cavern.

[sblock=Ausk]Despite his misgivings, Ausk hears nothing but Anaerion's murmuring and the echoes of dripping water, and sees even less in the way of activity.[/sblock]

[sblock=Tyrien]From what Tyrien's been able to determine, whether it is wandering about the streets or somewhere below them, wherever the creature is it didn't come back through here to get there.[/sblock]

[sblock=Anaerion]The wizard and his intelligent item gather than the ritual in the Sunless Grove was meant to create a planar portal, though the notations seem to indicate it wouldn't be usable for travel out of this plane, but only into it. There is also a reference to readying binding magics to time with the aperature's opening.[/sblock]

[sblock=Kalgor & Gragnor]The final tunnel moves northeast just a bit past the first thinning of Gragnor's life line, then arcs back around to travel past the cavern and to the southwest. Again, there seems to be an incline involved in the tunnel. Gragnor finds a few dead rodents gnawed to their bones, likely snacks for the ghoul. Then his link tugs thin again as he comes across yet another fork.

Right end looks like another cave-in he reports after a quick glance down it. He heads to the left again, then, the up-sloping tunnel south/southeast now.

No roots here he notes absently as he pads along carefully, then shortly thereafter there's a pause.

Graveyard comes the mental report. Tunnel widens out some, and the top of this thing has those long boxes humans use jutting out here and there. Looks like that ghoul tore into a few. Got the ends shredded open and some piles of broken bones.

The section below the graveyard seems to have been dug out in various places to expand the ghoul's meal options. Eventually, Gragnor finds the entrance to the surface through a small crypt.

casket's empty in here. Might be this was where ghoul-y got buried back in the day. Or he just et this one up better than the others.

[sblock=ooc]The entirety of this tunnel is on an incline which finishes out approximately 900 ft above the start at the crypt on the hill's surface. horizontal directions not accounting for height: 200' northeast, curving around for another 200' until heading southwest. Southwestern trail continues 700' (around here, between vertical and horizontal distance, Gragnor hits 1000' again). Fork to the southwest ends in a cave-in after only about 100'. Fork south/southeast continues another 300' into the graveyard, eventually ending in a small crypt.[/sblock][/sblock]

"That was all the tunnels?" (assuming yes)

"Look around and find a name on that crypt. If you can get out the door and look around it would be nice to know which one it is so we can report it to the mayor."
"After that, I will bring you back here."

Turning to his comrades, "No critters other than some dead rats. He eventually came up under and through the cemetery where the ghoul was probably snacking."

"If we get to blame everything on one ghoul, that is going to be an easy reward. Naw, that is too easy. So, we have five bed rolls. One for lefty who wears goggles, one for the hunchback, so we have three to hunt that probably can cast dimension door or something better."

After bringing Gragnor back, Kalgor wraps up the two bodies in the bed rolls to carry back to the surface. "Maybe someone upstairs can identify these people. Or, maybe the magic shop can tell us who they sold the magic items to."

Kalgor waits patiently for Anaerion to get the most out his spell that he can but is otherwise ready to leave.
[sblock=ooc]Carrying one of the bodies will put Kalgor into heavy encumbrance. Someone else will have to carry the other one.
Gragnor's HP: 17 currently, spent last summoner spell.[/sblock]

After Gragnor's return, it's about 20 more minutes before Anaerion finally looks up, a bit bleary eyed after the whites of his eye are once again white.

[sblock=Kalgor]Gragnor finds himself unable to open the door, which seems to be locked, and though he searches the interior of the crypt, whoever was buried here apparently didn't label the inside. He skulks back through the tunnels and rejoins Kalgor.[/sblock]

[sblock=Anaerion]Placating his amulet seems to actually help matters, as Anaerion actually finds the disembodied voice helping him when he's stuck. The spell fades just as Anaerion puzzles out the last of the annotated section with its lengthy discussion of how to use special rituals to open portals in key locations, certain he might not have finished were it not for Malkovian.

After nearly an hour studying the text, Anaerion has learned that the ritual described in the book can open a portal in the Sunless Grove to release “spawn of the Dark Tapestry."

A section near the end cautions those who would attempt this ritual, warning that forcing open such portals draws forth the spiritual essence of the casters, and that any entity contacted by the portal can make “hideous use of this essence by consuming it, growing more powerful in the bargain, such that only the end of such essence can challenge the intruder’s rights upon your world.”

Anaerion's extensive knowledge translates the warning farily easily: opening a portal in this manner links the souls of those who open the portal to a creature on the far side, and the creature will grow more powerful if it can kill those who conjured it. Conversely, if some other agent kills the conjurers (or sets their spirits beyond the reach of the conjured creature), that spiritual energy will be lost to the conjured creature. In this way, it should be possible to weaken a summoned creature by killing the conjurers before it can do the same. If all involved in the summoning can be killed before the creature gets to them, it would be banished back to the Dark Tapestry.[/sblock]

After reading the most important sections of the book, Anaerion wipes his eyes to shake out the bleariness that set in. I cannot believe someone tried to summon such a monstrocity. This is not going to be easy.

Removing his hand from his eyes, Anaerion closes the book, and looks up towards the rest of the party. "Allright, I more or less have got what happened here."

"This book describes a way to open a portal to release a monster. A monster which, by some dark way, is a spawn of the Dark Tapestry. This site was unique enough to serve as a gate to bring the creature here. I have my strong suspicious that this summoned monster is what caused this tragedy. These 5 people tried to work with powers beyond there comprehension, and brought us this monstrosity."

"However, we have some good news. The monster requires the essence of those that summoned it. As we only have 2 bodies of 5, and 4 names on this list, we might be able to track down the other summoners. If we can kill " Anaerion gulps a little bit at this point, but continues with "...kill these men before the monster does, it will remain in its slightly weakened state."

The voice with Anaeroin pipes with "We can keep the books right? They left it here after all! Right? Right?"

Anaerion nods his head. "I think this book will have more to tell. I think we should hold onto this, and the notes Tyrian collected. They might tell us more if we run out of options. For now, let us head to the surface. I am done with this place, and we need to find out more about these people."

[sblock=ooc]I just need to know who's carrying what. I know Kalgor's carrying a body. I'll still need the dispensation of the other body, Pnakotic Manuscripts (the the 10 pound book Anaerion was working with), the other books and notes, and the magic items you recovered. Once I know how everyone's loaded down, I can move you back up the stairs in standard marching order, since I expect everyone's more than ready to get moving again.[/sblock]

Tyrien, Half-elven Archeress

Tyrien is a bit slender and on the brink of being encumbered, “Unless you really need me to carry something, I will be slowed down if I have to carry anything but a few scraps of parchment, the ring or wand. But if we are are over burdened, I can carry my share.”

[sblock=Mini Stats]Initiative: +7 Perception: +11 (low-light vision)
AC: 20 (15 flat-footed, 15 Touch)
HP: 40 Current: 40
CMB: +6 CMD: 21(16ff) Fort: +5 Reflex: +9 Will: +4
+2 Will vs. Enchantments
Special: Immune to Magical Sleep
Current Conditions in Effect: PBS, Precise Shot, Arcane Strike (+1 Dmg), Resistance, Ioun Stone illumination (in darkness), Deadly Aim (-2Att/+4dmg)
Current Weapon in Hand: Longbow
Chakrams: 8/8 Remaining

Bardic Performance: 5/5 Rounds Remaining
Spells Remaining: Cantrips: (Message, Resistance, Mending, Prestidigitation)
1st Level 2/2 (Cure Light Wounds, Timely Inspiration)[/sblock]___________________________________________

Tyrien e'Adrianne

OOc: Anaerion has a handy haversack? We can use that for the items at least. not so much a body.