[LANAI] The Rod of Seven Parts: Into the Crucible

Rowan stutters a bit after examing the tunnel closely. "Uh, gang...I think an, um, an Umber Hulk may have made passageway. Uh, hopefully he is long gone and all, um, but we should be on our guard. If I remember, uh, what I read in Shrood's Chronicles of the Fauna and Beasts of the Known World, uh, even a small such creature would be, well, quite deadly, to say the least."

"Shhh, I hear something flapping ahead, like a bird or a bat. Any umber hulk having gone through here recently would have surely slain such a creature, but caution would still be prudent." Wyleck explains in a low voice. Then, he and Yssal creep forward along the left wall, as Wyleck fits a stone to his trusty sling.

Arden nods and says quietly, "I'll let you guys parlay with the flapping thing. But if someone attacks, I'm attacking too."

She then looks for a nice area to hide but still get a view of anything approaching.

Rowan, while not exactly frightened to go forward but rather more anxious about what may be ahead, grips his walking stick firmly. Then, he slowly creeps along behind Wyleck.


Move Silently +5

Phud : Male Half-Orc Sorcerer 1 / Barbarian 1

"Phud go look. Alone. Phud eyes see dark." Then he advances slowly toward the sound trying to be as quiet as possible.

Rhys stands fast in the cavern's mouth with the lantern while Arden secrets herself ten feet up the cave's wall in a shallow and dark alcove. From her perch and aided by the light from the lantern, Arden has a good view of most of the cave, save for the far end of the large alcove on the opposite wall and the way behind her from whence everyone just came.

Wyleck, Yssal, Rowan, and Phud creep forward toward the large alcove along the left wall. The alcove looms into view but is only partially lit by the shadows that play and shift in the light provided by Rhys's lantern. The ceiling of the alcove is littered with grey stalactites, none of which move. Wyleck, Yssal, and Rowan all creep forward quite silently, but Phud lumbers forward and trips on a rock, sending the thing spraying down the length of the cavern like a bowling ball. The noise from the rock is voluminous. Just as the four of them round the corner to peer into the alcove, Wyleck spies an oddity on the 15 ft. ceiling.

[sblock=Wyleck]One of the slatactites is black, where all the others are grey. Just as Wyleck spots the black icicle hanging down, the thing moves. It unfurls, breaking apart to reveal a black squid-like creature with a tough membrane that stretches between its unfolding tentacles. The creature is small, but a concentric circle of eight red eyes blink and fix on Phud.[/sblock]

Something on the ceiling at the far end of the alcove makes a fluttering sound and then all goes dark. Not even Phud, with his half-orc blood can see.

Rhys and Arden, standing a goodly ways back, find that all of a sudden a curtain of inky black night entirely shrouds their companions and the whole of the large alcove from view.

[sblock=Rowan]Something just cast a darkness spell. Rowan will know all the standard information about that spell, particularly that it lasts quite a long time, blocks darkvision, has a fairly sizeable area, but does provide some concealment.[/sblock]

Initiative:
Wyleck 23
Rowan 22
Arden 17
Creature 16
Rhys 12
Phud 1

"Magic!" hisses Rowan, loud enough for his companions to hear. The halfling then immediately moves backward, trying to get out of the spells range.


Move diagnally 1 square to the northwest, and then 1 square north (top of map i assume).

Grabbing a hunk of Yssal's Shaggy mage, Wyleck carefully manuvers back towards where the rest of the party had lain hidden. "Careful, there are more monsters on the ceiling, and these are larger than the last ones!"

Arden creeps forward, hugging the wall, listening to try to determine what's going on in the darkness.

(move silently - double move half speed forward along the wall)

Phud : Male Half-Orc Sorcerer 1 / Barbarian 1

Confused that he cannot see, Phud backs out the way he came. Bird flies off of his shoulder back the way they came.